"What happened to you."
Fleeting apparitions, that's all they were, he was the only one left and they were merely ghosts meant to taunt him for his actions. They took the form of his friends and spat insults at him, not that he cared, he'd lost the ability to care about anything but his own survival. He didn't look in the bathroom mirror anymore, vanity is no concern for an animal, it wasn't like there was anything to look at anyways. He'd lost his humanity, at first he'd fell remorse for his food, disgust at himself, but now he didn't seem to care anymore. It was necessary for his survival, and survival is all that counted.
"This is disgusting and you know it."
That thought never crossed his mind anymore, he didn't find it disgusting at all.
"You deserve this."
Sayaka's apparition was the most cruel. His subconscious guilt had created her and she wouldn't leave him alone. At first it was scary, then annoying, then he began to ignore her. She didn't exist outside of his peripheral vision, and only came as a whisper in his ear, so she was easy to ignore.
"You should feel bad. You're disgusting, how can you just not feel horrible. You're dirty, fucking feral, you drink sink water and eat rats, and you're delusional. You're pathetic Leon Kuwata. You aren't even human anymore."
He didn't bother, he couldn't argue with her, he was too busy hunting.
It was a big one, a rat the size of a small house cat, fat and lethargic. Leon crept ever closer but the rat noticed him and fled. The chase was on, through the halls, in and out of doors, but eventually the rat escaped.
"You'll get 'em next time."
Another spirit, this one came less often, he didn't know Mondo Owada very well but apparently he was kind. Kinder than Sayaka.
"Ya just gotta be patient or sum shit." Leon frowned and slinked to the bathroom, the apparition followed him.
"When you do get it, oh boy is that gonna be good or what?"
He just wanted Mondo to shut up, he didn't need encouragement he needed food, he turned on the sink and cupped the water in his gnarled hands and lapped it up.
"Wait till the others find out how disgusting you are."
Mondo had disappeared and Sayaka had taken his place. Leon ignored her taunts and wiped his mouth. He left the bathroom and sat in the hallway, Leon didn't now what day it was or where he was, but his stomach never stopped growling.
...
"Do I gotta go alone?" Yasuhiro whined, "what if there's ghosts of something... or someone?"
Makoto sighed, "We're all investigating stuff alone, so yes, you have to go alone too." Hiro grumbled and trudged upstairs, "Why do I gotta explore this floor by myself, dangit Makoto." He reached the top level and flicked his flashlight on, he took a deep breath and began checking rooms.
"Thirty percent chance I die, calling it right now." That's when he heard it... a loud thud, and a screech followed by silence. He would've preferred silence over the noises that came next...
Crunching, dripping, sloppy gross noises... something was eating nearby. Something was eating in the next room over. Hiro approached the door cautiously, it was halfway open and the noises were loudest here. He peaked in and didn't see anything... until his eyes caught something red.
Hair.
"Y-Yo? who's there?" and the thing huddled in the corner looked at him.
It's eyes were sunken in and face pace and bruised, mouth dripping with blood and gore. Matted red hair covered half it's face and bruises covered the other, in its mangled hands was an equally mangled rat, half eaten. it was wearing dirty ripped clothing and no shoes.
"Z-Z-ZOMBIE!!!" Hiro screamed and the creature just looked away and went back to eating. Hiro slammed the door shut and panted for a moment before looking through the little window. That zombie looked real familiar now that he thought about it. Red hair... Gray blue eyes...
"Leon?" He opened the door a crack, "Are... are you a zombie?" Leon looked at him again and stood weakly. Hiro shut the door and moved out of the way of the window. He covered his mouth, millions of thoughts racing through his head. Then came a soft tap on the window. Hiro turned to see Leon's face peeking up at him. He looked worse up close, his eyes were tired and sad and skin so pale you could see his veins.
"L-Leon? ... If I open this door you have to promise not to eat my brains okay?" Leon nodded and Hiro opened the door.
Leon limped forward slightly and looked up at Hiro again, he looked at one of Hiro's arm and reached a shaky hand out to poke it. Skin hit cloth and for the first time in months Leon wasn't alone. Hiro was real, he was real and here. He hadn't realized it but he was crying, he looked up at Hiro who wore a look of concern.
"Jesus Christ man, what... what happened? Well actually I can guess but... how did you survive?" Leon shrugged and nodded to the rat carcass on the ground.
"... Ew, I'm sorry you had to... go through that... can you talk?"
Leon shook his head and Hiro sighed, "We should get you downstairs and fix you up. Are there others?" Leon shook his head, He'd woken up in a morgue but had been too scared to see who else was dead. For all he knew the only ones dead were him, Sayaka, and that Junko chick.
"Alright, let's get you down there."
