Radioactive (Hisao) - part 5

The blood that gushes from my mouth is as hot as the rage that boils in my chest as Lezard empties his clip into my stomach. The muzzle flash lights up the three faces above me, as well as the rest of the gloomy library. No matter how bright it is though, it isn't enough to stop everything from going dark as my eyes close on their own, ice cold shock and pain flooding through my veins.

Lezard doesn't stop until his gun clicks in response. He's stupid for wasting ammo.

But he's fucking stupid for not aiming at my head.

“Serves you right, asshole.” Lezard mutters under his breath. Miki lets out a sigh.

“Pick him up, Taro. She'll want to at least know.”

“She probably knows already.” Lezard says, stepping off of me. I can barely make out their words from the sound of the blood pounding through my ears. A thick, heavy roaring, a strong pumping that isn't fading.

Over it, I can hear the two of them walking away. A set of creaking thumps sound Taro's advance. But he stops.

“Pretty.” He remarks bluntly.

“Oh yeah, it's really pretty, Taro.” Lezard calls. “Really messy, too. The best kind.”

I can feel Taro's breath on me as he leans in closer.

“Green.”

“You what?”

The blood is pumping faster now, my body is burning and twitching, I know I need my pills but I need to fucking tear something in half first. And then maybe tear it in half again. I crack one eye open, Taro is standing back up, looking in the direction of the club room.

“Glowy.” He says.

“Stick around, I'll get you a thesaurus for christmas.” I grit my teeth, putting the palms of my hands on the floor as I push myself up. The carpet begins to melt underneath them. Taro turns back to me, mouth widening in a childlike grin as he realizes he gets to play some more.

“Dinosaur make good present.” He remarks, I wipe the blood from my mouth as I stagger to my feet. It hisses as it begins to evaporate.

“Are you a fucking cockroach, Nakai?” Lezard cries, diving behind a bookcase. Miki is nowhere to be seen, but the door to the literature club room is open a crack.

“I thought we were all special here, Lezard.” My gun is within arm's reach but the last thing I need is to melt that too. Blood is still pouring from my chest, but the air is sizzling and crackling now, green light is shining through the holes. Need to wipe them out and take my pills before I go full glowy.

“See no dinosaur!” Taro roars indignantly, swiping at me with a massive hand. Luminous, green steam escapes my mouth as I backstep the blow and then move in closer, drawing my knife. I dodge and weave around Taro, making quick, light slashes whenever he gives me an opening. The cuts themselves don't seem to hurt much. When I lay a hand on them afterwards, the gurgling and hissing of flesh is only outmatched by his roars of anguish.

Even if I brought a goddamn dinosaur, he wouldn't be able to see it now, Taro is blinded by rage. I take a few calculated steps and he charges, slamming past me and blowing straight through several bookcases, headed straight for--

“Oh, shit.” Lezard mumbles, trying to disentangle himself from the wreckage at his feet before impact, but he's not much faster than Akio was. When Taro peels himself away, the bookcase is almost wrapped around Lezard's limp body, conforming to his shape.

“WHERE HEESOW?” The lumbering giant roars, his body dripping with blood dyed a sickly orange color.

“Down.” I half walk, half run towards him, slamming my palm into his chest, the flesh sizzles and burns. Taro bellows, raising his hand to swipe at me, but I push harder. The thick flesh gives way, starts to melt, his cry becomes a squeal as my hand sinks further in.

No more time for games. Need to kill you, then need to take my pills. Too big for knives, too thick for bullets, probably got a reinforced skull.

Need to tear your heart out.

Taro falls backwards, but his shoulders are so massive that I barely have to take another step to continue digging into his chest. There's the ribcage, the flesh is cauterizing and closing around my hand, just going to have to pull it out--

“Stop!” A voice wails, I turn my head to see Miki running towards me, eyes wide. Sharpened wrist of bone, dangerously fast, bigger threat than Taro. I pull my hand from the engorged beast and use it to snatch Miki's throat, stepping forward and slamming her against the wall. Her good hand flies to mine, struggling desperately, she's choking.

“Hisao.” She gasps. The radiation is pouring off me in waves now, from only a few meters away I can hear the Geiger counter in Lezard's suit going crazy.

“Shouldn't have let him aim for the chest, Miki.” I growl at her, tightening my grip just enough to let the flesh of her throat begin to dance. She sucks in a labored breath, weakly trying to jab at me with her wrist, but I grab it with my free hand. Enough pressure and the bone begins to melt, she lets out a gurgling cry, a sobbing wail as tears begin to spill down her face.

“Hisao,” She claws at my hand, her eyes closed. “Please.”

I remember the times we used to run, Miki. I remember the teasing and the good-natured ribbing, the jokes you used to make about teaching Emi new tricks to use in bed. I remember all of us going into town, me with Emi and you dragging along...

...

I remember why I'm here, now. I discard Miki, casually throwing her towards the bulky mass of our former classmate. She coughs and gasps and sucks in desperate breaths, afraid to look up at me for fear that I'll decide to finish her off. But I have better things to do.

There's almost more green light than sunlight in the room now, the steady pumping sound is probably loud enough for them to hear it. I reach inside my heavy jacket and pull out multiple bottles of pills, popping them open and jamming them down my throat. Ibuprofen, Prozac, even Viagra, it wouldn't matter now. My metabolism is so fucked up that just about any kind of pill will keep the symptoms at bay. Someday, I'll get my hands on one that will do the job. A pill that will keep things under wraps so well that I'll be able to escape the zone of exclusion, I'll be able to make it past the quarantine area.

That day is today. And I'm almost there.

Having swallowed a good amount of my reserves, the light emanating from my chest begins to dull, the pounding noises grow quiet. The ticking of Lezard's Geiger counter slows.

Time to do my job. I walk towards the literature club room, past the two forms, one lying on the ground and the other still on her knees.

“She like dinosaurs.” Taro whimpers.

“I wouldn't know.” I reply under my breath, continuing to walk.

“Hisao.” Miki pleads, her voice raspy. “Don't do it.”

I take a few more steps, reaching for the last item in my bag of tricks, a simple 9 millimeter pistol.

“Please!” She cries, still coughing and gasping. “Don't hurt her!”

I reach the door to the literature club room. Next to me, Lezard is still crumpled into the side of a bookcase, he stirs at my approach.

“What...” He grunts, trying in vain to climb out. “What the fuck are you?”

I glance at him for only a moment.

“I have a heart condition.” I say simply. “Arrhythmia.”