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Yoichi Shigaraki was driving on the highway when his older brother called him. Naturally, Yoichi ignored the call and let it go to voicemail. He wasn’t fool enough to cause a car crash getting in an argument with his big brother while driving. When Hisashi called four more times in a row, Yoichi knew that it was his older brother without even needing to look at caller ID.

With a guttural growl, Yoichi pulled over at a rest stop, just in time to take the fifth call.

Hisashi spoke before Yoichi even had time to complain: “Come to my house at once. How far away are you?” Hisashi’s voice sounded ragged and broken. “There’s something…something has happened…it’s very important. We need to speak in-person.”

Yoichi frowned. “I’m on the way out of town, heading to a conference.” He couldn’t help snidely adding, “I told you about how I’m going to be honored with an award. I suppose you weren’t listening to me. Can this wait? I’ll call you when I get to my hotel if you stop blowing up my phone.”

Hisashi swore under his breath. “Turn around and get over here right now. Speed if you have to, you need to be home by sundown.”

“One, my home isn’t the mansion that you purchased with dirty money, and two, you don’t get to give me orders.” That commanding tone of voice brought out the worst in Yoichi. He took a deep breath to calm himself. Yoichi was a lawyer working for an environmental advocacy nonprofit and his brother had been formerly CEO for a medical research company notorious for ethical violations. This was the overt reason the brothers had been arguing for years, but the real reason was that Hisashi had raised Yoichi and acted as if Yoichi was still a child.

Over the last couple months, Hisashi’s wife Inko had died in a car accident and Hisashi had lost his job. Although Hisashi still had far more money than he knew what to do with, he’d seemed adrift and unable to cope with his sense of failure. Yoichi had noticed his brother acting increasingly irrational and paranoid. It worried him. He was trying to be more supportive and not fall into old arguments. Running his fingers through his hair, Yoichi sighed. “Look, what is this about? I want to help you but I’ve been preparing my conference presentation for months. I’m the keynote speaker.”

Hisashi said, “Izuku is hurt. He needs you.”

“What? Then call an ambulance!” Yoichi’s grip tightened on his phone. “What happened?”

There was a rustling on the other end, then Izuku’s voice spoke into the phone. “Uncle Yoichi…please come right now…Dad says…” The child could barely speak through his sobbing.

Yoichi shouted, “Izuku, what’s wrong? Can you get to a phone and dial emergency services?”

There was a click on the other end. Yoichi tried to call back. No one picked up. Swearing under his breath, Yoichi got back on the road and started speeding toward his brother’s mansion.

It was probably a lie. Hisashi had hung up the phone so Yoichi didn’t figure out that nothing had happened to Izuku except being emotionally manipulated by his father. However, Yoichi couldn’t risk the small chance there was a genuine emergency. No matter how erratic Hisashi had been acting lately or how much time he spent researching survivalism online, surely he wouldn’t hurt his own son…right?

Yoichi had been tempted to go no contact with his controlling older brother many times, and the only reason he hadn’t was because Hisashi controlled Yoichi’s access to his adorable five-year-old nephew who he loved more than life itself. Hisashi used Izuku ruthlessly and deliberately. Last year, Yoichi had gotten uninvited to Izuku’s birthday party because of an argument with his older brother. Shortly after Inko’s death, Hisashi had pretended total helplessness in childcare and successfully gotten Yoichi to move into his house. This had lasted for a month before Yoichi realized his brother had 1. Weaponized incompetence on all household tasks except cooking; and 2. Secretly put a tracker on his phone and car. Yoichi hadn’t seen Izuku since the subsequent blowup argument. He worried about his nephew. Truthfully, he worried about his older brother too. Last time they’d met in person, Hisashi had been rambling like a lunatic about a conspiracy to steal his company (it had never been his company, he’d just been CEO for a five years and made the ethical violations even worse.)

Izuku was the sweetest child, and he’d already been through his mother’s loss. He loved comic books and hero TV shows. His favorite show was about a hero named All Might. For nearly a year now, Izuku had been testing out different superpowers he believed he might develop, and Yoichi didn’t have the heart to tell his nephew that superpowers didn’t exist. Since his mother’s death, Izuku had gotten quieter in his games and had confessed to his uncle that he had nightmares about the world ending. Yoichi was certain Hisashi had put his strange paranoia into his son’s head. Hisashi was currently obsessed with conspiracy theories. It was no fit environment for a child. Unfortunately, Yoichi would probably need to move back in to keep an eye on the situation. It would not be hard to get his brother’s agreement—Hisashi had become even more obsessed with keeping family close after his wife’s death.

A large mansion loomed in the distance, made of dark granite with a slate roof in Hisashi’s favorite edgelord style. The house had many windows, including the round sunroom in the lefthand tower, but they were all dark. That was odd. Hisashi hadn’t developed any more affection for housework after his wife had died and Yoichi had left, and instead employed live-in staff. Where were they?

The mansion had a heavy metal gate and alarm system but Yoichi knew the password. Yoichi pulled up the long gravel driveway with a screech of tires. His hands shook as he turned off his car and ran up the steps. Pounding on the iron door with swirls along the glass panes, Yoichi shouted, “Let me in! Where is Izuku?”

Hisashi opened the door. Yoichi double-took at his brother’s disheveled appearance. Even after losing his job, Hisashi had always worn a suit every day. He still had his usual white shirt and slacks, but he’d lost the suit jacket somewhere. His dirty leather work boots did not suit his silk pants. Clearly he hadn’t shaved that morning, an even more unusual occurrence than casual clothing.

“Finally you’re here,” Hisashi growled. “I nearly panicked when I lost signal on the tracker on your car. Did you go through a tunnel? No matter. Come on.” Hisashi grabbed his brother’s arm and yanked him inside. “Were you followed?”

“Hey!” Yoichi yelped as he stumbled into the familiar hallway, decorated with several landscape paintings by an artist Inko had liked. “When did you put a new tracker on my car? Why the hell would anyone follow me? Where’s Izuku?”

“Izuku is fine,” Hisashi said dismissively.

Yoichi yanked his arm free. “I knew you were lying. I ought to head back to my conference.” He did not mean it. He wouldn’t leave without seeing Izuku. But the threat provoked a strange reaction in his older brother. Hisashi glared with rage, calculation, and maybe a hint of fear. Confused, Yoichi stepped backward.

Hisashi exhaled and steadied his voice. “Little brother, this is important. I received a phone call from a doctor who worked at my former company—he always had an obsession with me, fortunately it proved useful. Terrorists stole a deadly experimental chemical from All for One Incorporated.”

All for One was the name of Hisashi’s former company. Eyes narrowed, Yoichi demanded, “Shouldn’t you report that to the police? Would you finally be willing to testify about your former company’s experiments?”

Hisashi chuckled humorlessly. “We’re far past the point where that matters. I can’t believe they meddled with something like—they thought there would be military applications. They didn’t understand how fast it would spread. Then the spies got their hands on it. I knew where were spies in my company, I just couldn’t figure out which country they worked for. Now it’s too late. It’s not safe outside any longer. It’s a good thing you brought a suitcase for your trip. I moved the belongings you left here downstairs. Where is your suitcase? Didn’t you bring it from the car?”

Yoichi stared at his brother, trying to figure out if Hisashi was insane or if he’d come up with this crazy story to keep Yoichi here. It could be both. This was far worse than Yoichi had thought. All for One Incorporated was the most unethical company Yoichi ever had the misfortune to tangle with during his environmental rights career, but he believed they were innocent for once. Hisashi had become flat-out delusional. Yoichi glared. “I want to see my nephew.”

“Get your suitcase,” Hisashi ordered.

Staring down his brother, Yoichi contemplated calling Child Protective Services. But he’d spoken to an agent the first time his older brother had started ranting about his wife’s death being a conspiracy caused by his former company. CPS had a high threshold for removing a child from their home. Uncles had no custody rights. “Fine.” Yoichi marched out to the car and returned lugging a suitcase and his backpack.

Hisashi led Yoichi down the stairs to thick metal vault door. He opened the first door, then input a code into the second steel door behind it.

Yoichi frowned. “The doomsday bunker? Really, big brother?”

Hisashi had always been a tad paranoid even before he’d leapt into the deep end of conspiracies. He’d spent millions of dollars on his underground survival bunker—more of a complex from its giant size. Izuku had been the one who’d suggested that they make the door look like a bank vault. He’d said it would make people less likely to realize there was an entire underground building inside, and his father had indulged him.

From the bottom of the stairs, Izuku cried, “Uncle Yoichi!” Tears filled his voice. “I’m so glad you’re here. Dad said you would die if I didn’t cry on the phone and make you come here.”

Yoichi whirled on his older brother. “You told him what? Hisashi! This time you’ve gone too far!”

Hisashi had the grace to look sheepish. “It was an emergency. Is it my fault that you’re unreasonable?”

Izuku started openly sobbing. Yoichi abandoned his suitcase and ran over to hug his nephew. He knelt down on the plush white carpet. A circle of lights overhead substituted for the lack of windows. This room looked like a normal living room with a sofa, a white table holding a clay orchid, and a widescreen TV—as long as you overlooked the metal walls and the whir of the ventilator.

There was one new item in the bunker: a tall black metal gun safe. The sight sent a chill down Yoichi’s spine.

Between sobs, Izuku said, “Daddy says I’ll never see my friends at school again. They’re all going to die.”

Yoichi’s head shot up. “Hisashi Shigaraki! What on earth is wrong with you?”

Hisashi had already carried in Yoichi’s suitcase. With a grunt, he closed the door. He said, “It’s true. The outside air won’t be safe within a few hours.”

“Stop that!” Yoichi leapt to his feet and ran over. “I’m not letting you lock me and Izuku in here. I’m calling a doctor, because frankly you need one.”

Hisashi put his body between Yoichi and the door. His eyes held a furious look, uncharacteristically on the edge of losing control. “Sit down, little brother, and I’ll explain everything to you.” He was trying to sound calm, but his voice emerged as a growl.

“Let me out of here,” Yoichi cried, lunging for the vault door.

Something pricked the back of Yoichi’s neck. Turning around, he realized his brother had stuck a syringe into his neck. Face flushed, Hisashi panted.

“You asshole,” Yoichi accused. Then he fell forward, unconscious.

Yoichi woke up lying on a round bed, tucked under the grey duvet. His throat felt dry and his eyelids grimy. There was an ache in his shoulder. His eyes darted around, taking in the posters on the wall: Niagara Falls, the Golden Pavilion in Kyoto, and his old favorite cartoon Captain Hero. He’d helped design this bedroom back in the old ways when his brother’s doomsday preparation had been an eccentric hobby rather than an obsession.

“Motherfucker!” Yoichi screamed, leaping up for the door.

He didn’t get far. His right shoulder snapped behind him, nearly dislocating. There was a handcuff around his wrist, the other end attached to the bedpost. The tiny chain length barely let him stand up. Massaging his shoulder, he gazed at the door out of reach. His suitcase and backpack were propped against the wall. Was his phone still in there? Would he be able to get connection underground? Either way, he couldn’t reach that far.

Hisashi opened the door. “Little brother, you’re finally awake.”

“Untie me, you maniac!” Yoichi shrieked.

Hisashi crossed his arms. “I can come back later if you’re going to be irrational.”

“Irrational? You lured me into an underground bunker, drugged me, then handcuffed me to the bed.” Yoichi jerked on the handcuff. “Where the hell did you get this? Is it a sex toy? Hisashi Shigaraki, if you used this sex toy with your wife then I will murder you. No jury made of people with siblings would convict me.”

Hisashi wrinkled his noise. “Ew, don’t be ridiculous. They’re police cuffs. The sex toys usually have tricks you can use to open them.”

“Do I want to know how you know that? Where the hell did you get real police cuffs, huh? They don’t sell those on Amazon! Did you steal them? What about all those new guns? You’re going to get arrested! Then what will happen to my poor nephew?”

“It doesn’t matter how I acquired police equipment.” Hisashi spoke with a chilling calm. “There is no police force now. The world has ended.”

“You’ve completely lost your mind!” Speaking the words made them more real. A little fear started to creep in amongst Yoichi’s rage. “Listen, Hisashi, if you let me out right now then I won’t press charges. We can talk about the next steps as brothers. I’ll look after Izuku for as long as necessary while you get help. But if you’re serious about locking me up here, then you’ll leave me with no choice.”

His face as mocking as during one of their many political debates, Hisashi raised an eyebrow. “No choice but to what, attack me with a pillow?”

His temper pressed past all endurance, Yoichi grabbed a pillow and threw it at his brother’s head. “You motherfucking rat bastard!” He nailed his brother squarely in the face. Then he grabbed the other pillow and threw it, too.

Dodging the second one, Hisashi said, “I’ll come back after you’ve had time to calm down.” He headed for the door.

Screaming, Yoichi clawed at the air, longing to rip his brother’s hair out.

Eventually Yoichi stopped swearing because his throat had collapsed. As soon as the noise stopped, Hisashi entered the bedroom again. He held a water bottle and carried Izuku tucked against his shoulder.

Immediately, Yoichi shut his mouth on his intended curse word. He knew his older brother was using Izuku as a weapon to force him to behave and resented it. Many times before, Hisashi had weaponized Izuku but this was by far the most egregious example.

Hisashi set Izuku down and handed him the water bottle. “Go give this to your uncle.”

Because Hisashi knew if he got in range, Yoichi would attack him. Yoichi ground his teeth.

Izuku ran over to offer Yoichi the bottle. Big green eyes wide, he asked, “Are you hurt, Uncle Yoichi? You fell over. It worried me.”

Yoichi did not know what his facial expression looked like. He didn’t want to scare his nephew, didn’t even want Izuku to see the cuff for fear it would traumatize the child later. He tried to hide his wrist behind his back. “I’m fine.” Taking a sip of water, he felt a bit closer to truthfully fine. He leaned down and lowered his voice. “Izuku, did your father hurt you at all?”

“Of course not!” Hisashi exploded. “How could you even ask that?”

Yoichi’s eye twitched. He should have remembered his brother’s sharp hearing. “I mean, you forced him into a giant bank vault and made him cry on command…”

“I’m okay,” Izuku said softly, his eyes darting anxiously between his father and his uncle.

Hisashi snorted. “Izuku is a good boy. He believes me when I told him that it’s too dangerous to go outside.”

All of Yoichi’s fear and anger exploded. “Izuku is a kindergartener, he’ll believe anything you tell him. He thinks that All Might is real!”

“All Might isn’t real?” Izuku asked, his eyes overflowing with tears.

“Now look what you’ve done,” Hisashi hissed.

Yoichi hung his head, genuinely ashamed. “I’m sorry. Izuku, All Might is real in your heart. Like Santa Claus. Um, you did know about Santa Claus, right?”

“Santa isn’t real either?!” Izuku shrieked.

Glaring, Hisashi carried his crying child out of the room.

Once alone, Yoichi finally had time to think about his current situation. He did not like any of his conclusions.

Yoichi lived alone. He had no family besides Hisashi and Izuku, and truthfully most of his friends were from work. He’d always been too dedicated to his job for hobbies. Bitterly, he regretted not telling anyone when he’d decided to go to his brother’s house. His coworkers would notice when he failed to show up at the conference, but he wasn’t sure how long it would take for someone to report him to the police as missing. Surely the police would investigate Hisashi as Yoichi’s brother. But Hisashi could be charming when he wasn’t off his rocker. Yoichi wanted to believe the police would notice something off. But he feared this underground bunker behind a hidden door would not be easy to find. Yoichi could not rely on immediate rescue. If rescue ever came. Yoichi wanted to believe in an orderly world where the police always tracked down the bad guys, but he was older than Izuku and had outgrown his superhero phase. His environmental rights organization had lost plenty of court cases they should have won. Justice did not always prevail.

The guns in the living room terrified Yoichi. He needed to know if his brother was unstable enough to use them. When Hisashi returned a third time, Yoichi had resolved to talk.

In that horribly patronizing voice, Hisashi asked, “Are you ready to listen now?”

Yoichi sat calmly on the bed with his free arm in his lap. “Yes. I want to know why you did this.”

Hisashi said, “I don’t have the handcuff key on me, and I’ve changed the code to open the vault door. You can’t get out. If I come over to tend to your wrist, then are you going to attack me?”

Yoichi glanced down at his cuffed wrist, which was red and sore. He hadn’t even noticed. “I won’t do anything stupid.”

“That would be a change of pace,” Hisashi muttered, and Yoichi burned with indignation. Which of them had completely lost their mind here? Nevertheless, Yoichi allowed his brother to apply salve and a bandage to his wrist. Hisashi’s hands were surprisingly gentle.

Too impatient to wait for his brother to finish, Yoichi demanded, “Why did you lock me up in here?”

Hisashi blinked. “Because you weren’t listening to me.”

Yoichi gritted his teeth. “I’m listening now.”

Hisashi pulled over a chair and sat across from Yoichi. “My former company, All for One Inc., was researching how to bring the dead back to life.”

Yoichi nodded like a bobblehead, secretly calculating the distance between himself and his brother and if he might be able to reach far enough to grab the other’s throat. It would be a bad idea for the reasons Hisashi had already stated but it was a fun fantasy.

Hisashi said, “Unfortunately, they succeeded. They created a zombie virus.”

“Zombies.” Yoichi gaped. “You locked me up in a vault because of zombies.” His voice rose. “Zombies don’t exist, you crazy bitch!”

Hisashi looked harried. “Weren’t you the one always reading fantasy and science fiction?”

“I know the difference between fantasy and reality!” Yoichi slammed his hand down on the mattress. Taking deep breaths, he got ahold of himself. “Okay, fine, say that zombies exist.” Which Yoichi didn’t believe for one moment, but he needed to reason with his brother under terms that someone who’d experienced a psychotic break could understand. “Then shouldn’t we flee the city rather than get trapped underground? At some point we’ll run out of food.”

“You don’t understand how bad it is.” Hisashi shook his head. “An airborne virus was released in every major city across the country as part of a terrorist attack. I’m not sure how long the virus lives in the air—the doctor didn’t know—but by now the entire city is probably infected. This country is done for. The world is probably done for. We’ve got decades of food down here, enough for all three of us to die of old age. But I’m worried about being overrun. Even a metal door won’t hold back a million zombies. There’s a company truck headed out of town, with antidotes and a tone generator with a sound frequency that repels zombies. I need you to look after Izuku while I ambush the truck and bring back what we need.”

Yoichi stared. “So…you kidnapped me to become a babysitter?”

Hisashi scowled in irritation. “I kidnapped you to save your life, try to keep up.”

Yoichi rubbed his forehead. “Look, I realize that it’s been hard since Inko’s accident—”

“It wasn’t an accident. They were trying to kill me. She was murdered because I was too close to figuring out the real purpose of the Nomu Project. A foreign country arranged the attack, I’m not a hundred percent certain which one.”

“…Right. I can tell that you need a lot of help looking after Izuku, and I’m sorry that I upset you by moving out. Both of us said some harsh things last time we argued.” Yoichi attempted a very strained smile. “You don’t need to come up with insane stories in order to persuade me to stay with you. I want to help you look after Izuku. In fact, I really couldn’t see myself leaving him alone with you. Not in your current state.”

Hisashi’s scowl deepened. “You’re not listening to me.”

“This is a lot to expect me to believe! Do you have any proof? Can you show me news reports?”

“The internet went down while you were asleep. I don’t know what state the city is in, but it’s bad.”

“Then let me go outside and see.”

“There’s only one Hazmat suit and it’s in my size. I need it to bring back the antidotes and zombie repellant noisemaker.”

Yoichi exhaled. “You’re asking me to believe you about a zombie apocalypse solely on your word.” And his brother had lied to him many times before to keep him close. There had been the time that Hisashi had faked a cold for Izuku to stop Yoichi from going on an overseas trip. Or the time Hisashi had gone through Yoichi’s phone and gotten rid of contacts with people he didn’t consider good enough. Even before he’d gone off the deep end, Hisashi had not been trustworthy.

Hisashi leaned closer, close enough that Yoichi could attack him, and took Yoichi’s free hand. “Little brother, you were right. All for One Inc. was a mistake. I wanted power—the kind of power we needed but never had as children—but those maniacs destroyed everything. Even Doctor Garaki thinks the virus was a huge mistake, his projections show that it can’t be contained in Japan. There’s no point in wealth or political power if the world ends. I wish I’d listened to you sooner and helped you gather the evidence to take All for One Inc. down before it was too late.”

Yoichi’s jaw dropped open. Sheer surprise kept him silent. Even if his older brother had completely lost his senses, Yoichi could never picture Hisashi admitting that he was wrong.

Locking their gazes, Hisashi said, “I can’t change the past. But I’m going to do whatever it takes to save our family and keep all three of us alive. This will be a lot easier if you help me, or at least don’t fight me.”

Yoichi wavered, unsure what to think. Underneath that sincere confession lurked Hisashi’s complete conviction that he was always in the right even if he had to force his family to do what he wanted. So much for big brother’s earlier attempt at character development. Zombies? It was too insane. Especially with no evidence. Yoichi believed his brother believed what he was saying, but that only proved that Hisashi had experienced a mental breakdown.

Hisashi said, “I want to be able to free you. It would be better if I can give you a weapon. I really need you to defend the bunker while I’m gone. Until I retrieve the tone generator, this place isn’t safe. Some of the zombies in the test cases have developed superpowers, so the vault door isn’t as secure as I’d hoped—”

“Superpowers.” Hysterical laughter bubbled up from Yoichi’s lips. He rocked back and forth. “The zombies have superpowers now. I’m sorry, big brother, but no. There are no superpowered zombies.”

“That was too far, huh?” Hisashi sighed.

“Oh, I never believed you to begin with,” Yoichi assured his brother. “But…superpowered zombies…I’m not even sure you believe your own story any longer. Except would you think I would be stupid enough to buy such a ridiculous lie? Admittedly, you’ve always underestimated my intelligence. That’s it. You’re treating me like a fool.”

Shaking his head, Hisashi said, “I’m out of time to convince you. Clearly I can’t trust you enough to take off the cuff. I have to leave now.”

“Out of curiosity, big brother, what would you do if you went outside and found the city operating as normal? Would you assume everyone had turned into zombies and attack them?”

“Of course not,” Hisashi snapped. “The zombies are obvious. You will know one when you see one.”

“That’s good.” Yoichi hoped he could believe his brother. He was still very frightened of that gun cabinet. He could imagine many worst case scenarios for how this delusion might end, such as his brother becoming the Japan’s first mass shooter on the news.

Would anyone outside notice that Hisashi had gone insane? Even if they did, Yoichi thought it more likely they would ignore the babbling conspiracy theorist rather than investigate his basement. Yoichi could be stuck in here for a long time. So would his poor little nephew, who needed socialization and sunlight and sane adults in his life. Yoichi took deep breaths, trying to control himself.

Hisashi sighed and stood up. “I’ll have proof when I come back.” He sounded very grudging, resentful that his younger brother didn’t already believe him. “I’ll have to kill at least a few zombies, I can drag back a body to show you.”

“No killing anyone!” Yoichi shrieked. “Big brother, please! You’re not well! You’re going to regret this later! If you don’t care about morality then at least think about what it will do to poor Izuku if his father ends up in prison!” Hysterically, Yoichi yanked against the cuff on his wrist, his other arm extended as far as it would go. But he couldn’t reach his older brother. Hisashi merely shot Yoichi an exasperated look as if he was the one being difficult, then left.

Alone, Yoichi collapsed back on the bed, his heart racing. This was bad. Very bad. If Hisashi murdered some innocent person because he thought it would convince Yoichi that zombies were real, then would it be all Yoichi’s fault? Should Yoichi have played along and pretended to believe in the delusions? Could he have freed himself that way? Dammit! He kept replaying the conversation in his head, trying to figure out what would have led to a better outcome.

In the distance, Yoichi heard the grinding of the vault door opening. His brother must be leaving. He felt sick. His hands shook and the raw red mark on his wrist burned. In the space of less than a day, his entire world was collapsing. Would he escape this situation alive? Even now Yoichi did not think his brother would hurt him…but what if Hisashi, in his delusions, became convinced that Yoichi was a zombie? What if the police broke in and shot everyone in sight? No matter what, Yoichi had to protect his nephew.

In his head, Yoichi counted to three hundred in case his older brother came back. Once he was confident they were alone, he raised his voice and shouted, “Izuku!”

Little feet pattered over, then Izuku opened the door. His eyes were wide as he clung to the handle.

Yoichi tried to sound calm and reassuring. “Izuku, do you know where to find the key to this cuff?”

He’d been prepared to offer reasonable, gentle arguments and persuade his nephew that zombies only existed on television. But before he even tried, Izuku nodded and walked over. He held out the key in his palm.

Yoichi laughed from relief. “You brave, clever boy! Did you watch to see where your father put it?” He took the key and uncuffed himself. Groaning, he shook out the pins and needles from his wrist.

Izuku said, “Dad gave me the key and told me that I should only let you out if there was an emergency. I think it’s already an emergency.”

“Definitely. Hisashi has completely lost his—” Yoichi cut himself off before he became profane again. “I don’t suppose you know the code to open the vault door?”

Izuku shook his head. “It’s not a good idea to go out. Dad says the air might not be safe. I don’t know how to open the gun cabinet either. I’ll give you my baseball bat. According to Dad, to stop a zombie you have to completely destroy the brain.”

“I’d definitely like a weapon.” Yoichi hesitated, not sure how vehemently to deny the existence of zombies. The cold, hard reality was that Yoichi had no way to get them past the locked door. It would serve no purpose to agitate Izuku if they couldn’t get out. In fact, it might be better if Izuku remained obedient so his father didn’t turn on him too. But Izuku looked pale and shaky. Yoichi didn’t want his nephew to stress over nothing. He settled for saying, “I believe your father is exaggerating the situation. Zombies…do not seem very likely.”

“I saw a lot of zombies.” Izuku stared up at Yoichi with an intense gaze. “They were in glass tubes at Dad’s old workplace.”

“I’m sure those weren’t zombies. Perhaps you saw anatomical dummies?”

“They were zombies,” Izuku stated.

Yoichi bit his lip. Unlike Hisashi, Izuku was not a liar. But Izuku was only a child. Up until very recently he had believed his favorite cartoon character All Might was real. It would be ridiculous for an adult to take a child’s zombie sighting seriously. But Izuku sounded quite serious. Hisashi had been certain too…but Hisashi was clearly unstable. He could have tricked his son into believing his delusions. Yoichi shook his head, chasing away his crazy thoughts.

Izuku was staring, still waiting for a reply. Yoichi made only a neutral noise and asked, “Where’s the baseball bat?”

The bunker was enormous, with its own power generator and water well. They passed the doors leading to the hospital area, food warehouse, and movie theatre. Izuku darted into his bedroom and emerged with a Little League baseball bat. Yoichi took the bat and gave it an experimental swing. It was smaller than an adult bat and did not have as much reach or weight.

Was Yoichi seriously contemplating hitting his older brother over the head with the baseball bat? Head wounds could be insanely risky. Yoichi had never been in a physical fight in his entire life. He didn’t know how hard to hit. But what was his alternative? To remain locked up in an underground bunker? Yoichi had a nephew to protect. He had to succeed for Izuku’s sake.

A sound like a boom made Yoichi jump. Was Hisashi back already? Surely not enough time had passed.

Alarms rang from around the mansion. Hisashi wouldn’t have triggered the alarm system.

Yoichi ran to the living room. A loud impact rocked against the vault door. This didn’t sound like someone opening the door—it sounded like someone breaking in.

Turning to Izuku, Yoichi cried, “It’s the police! We’ve been saved.”

A guttural groan came from outside. Izuku clutched his hair and whispered, “That doesn’t sound like the police.”

Yoichi thought very fast. He considered his older brother very uncharacteristically apologizing, Izuku’s fear, and the unlikelihood that the police would have found them so quickly. Although Yoichi still didn’t believe in zombies, a small nagging doubt had penetrated his hope of rescue.

Wetting his lips, Yoichi said, “Izuku, I want you to run into your bedroom and lock the door. Barricade it with furniture. I’ll handle this.”

Even if the police had arrived, it might be better to have Izuku safely away until the situation could be explained to the authorities. Of course it had to be the police. But…just in case…

Nodding, Izuku ran out of the room.

Yoichi shouted, “Is this the police? We need help! I’ve been trapped in here with my nephew! We’re kidnapping victims seeking a rescue.”

There was no reply, just another impact against the metal door.

Yoichi positioned himself against the wall next to the door, the baseball bat raised. Just in case. Sweat trickled between his fingers and down the back of his neck.

The vault door fell inward with one last strike. A grey-faced man with short spikey hair staggered through the doorway with a groan. Spittle flew from his mouth. His shirt had been ripped by a blow that had destroyed part of his torso. One look at his exposed ribcage revealed that he must be dead.

If Yoichi hadn’t been already anticipating it, on some level, then he never would have reacted in time. He brought down the baseball bat with all his strength.

The zombie dropped, spilling black, dead blood across the silk carpet. Unfortunately, a second zombie leapt through the doorway, clawing toward Yoichi’s face.

Yoichi leapt backward barely in time. The second zombie had a pineapple-shaped ponytail. Strange crackling energy danced down his arms and legs. Superpowered zombies, Yoichi thought with a trace of hysteria, then the zombie grabbed his baseball bat and ripped it from his hands.

Yoichi ran. He went for the gun cabinet by instinct, remembering too late that it was locked. Instead, he lifted the cabinet an inch off the ground—as high as it would go—and shoved it. Desperation gave him strength.

The metal smashed into the pineapple-haired zombie, crushing him flat. Yoichi retrieved his baseball bat from a motionless hand. The smell was horrific, a combination of dirt and rotting flesh. Steeling himself, Yoichi tipped up the cabinet to make sure that the head had been smashed. The sight made him recoil. Then he breathed a sigh of relief.

The spikey-haired zombie bit Yoichi’s ankle.

Yoichi screamed. Beady eyes stared up at him. An exposed brain leaked through a cracked skull. Yoichi brought down the baseball bat and beat in the brain as he should have the first time, until finally the zombie was dead.

Looking down at the bite mark in his ankle, Yoichi swore. He’d watched enough horror movies to realize what happened next. Was there any chance of cutting off his foot before the infection spread? Or failing that…a knife would be a way to make sure he wouldn’t be a threat to Izuku. Yoichi started for the kitchen, but a wave of dizziness swamped him. Heat spread up rapidly from his leg. He clutched the wall.

A door opened down the hallway. “Uncle Yoichi?” Izuku asked. “Are you hurt?”

“Stay in your room!” Yoichi screamed, frantic with terror. “I’ve been bitten, do you understand? Stay in your room and lock your door! Don’t come out!”

Burning all over, Yoichi fell down and closed his eyes.

Izuku lay face-down on his bed, sobbing. The sound of nasty curse words made him leap up. Izuku wanted to believe that his uncle had woken up, somehow miraculously all right and as foul-mouthed as usual. But it was his father’s voice swearing up a storm for a change of pace.

Opening his door, Izuku asked, “Dad?”

Sounding incredibly weary, Hisashi said, “You can come out now, Izuku. Good job hiding.”

Izuku tiptoed into the living room. Hisashi sat on the floor with Yoichi’s head in his lap. A bandage was on Yoichi’s ankle. An empty syringe lay on the floor. On the sofa, a metal cylinder glowed blue and whirred faintly. The two dead zombies had been carried out to the other side of the broken vault door. Hisashi wore a Hazmat suit but he’d removed his headgear and the suit had a rip. Izuku gasped to see the bandage on his father’s leg. He ran over. “Does it hurt, Daddy?”

Hisashi patted Izuku’s curls. “I’m fine. I’m sorry I took so long to get back.”

Cracking one eye open, Yoichi moaned. “I’m sorry…I didn’t believe you…”

Hisashi sighed. “Given the circumstances, let’s say no more of it. You did well to survive.” He brushed back the hair sticking to Yoichi’s eye.

“I…I didn’t survive…” A tear fell down Yoichi’s cheek. “I’ve been bitten…you have to…is Izuku there? We can’t let him see. Izuku, you need to leave.”

Izuku took a step away. Hisashi shook his head. “No, Izuku, you can stay. It’s okay, little brother. I brought back the antidotes.” Hisashi pointed at the case containing about two dozen syringes, and the empty one on the floor. “I already gave you one. I can confirm that it works, since I got exposed to the air on the way over here and had to take a shot myself. You’re going to be fine. Well, the antidote has some interesting side effects but not necessarily in a bad way. The test cases retained their zombie powers after getting the antidote.”

Yoichi giggled hysterically. “Zombies with superpowers and antidotes turning people into superheroes…that’s definitely going a bit too far…” He passed out.

Hisashi hefted Yoichi up over his shoulder and carried him back to his bedroom. He was limping slightly. Sweat stained his curly hair. After setting down his brother on the bed, Hisashi looked at Izuku. “You must have breathed in some of the air when the door broke down. I’m not sure if the virus reached this far or if it’s still active in the air, but we can’t chance it. I’ll give you an antidote, too. Hold out your arm.”

Obediently, Izuku let his father give him a shot. It didn’t hurt more than most of his shots so he kept a stiff upper lip, even though he wanted to cry again. He asked, “Will Uncle Yoichi be all right?”

“Yes, I promise. I’ll look after you two.” Hisashi’s face was grim.

Izuku looked at the case of antidotes. “Can we save my teachers and my friends at school with these?”

Hisashi said, “We need to keep what we have for the people who matter. If it’s only the three of us, we can make the food last longer.” His face hardened. He stood up and slipped the vault door back into its hinges. “The door didn’t hold out against a superpower. I’ll have to use my final option.”

Izuku pointed at the tone generator. “Didn’t you tell me that would repel the zombies? I thought it made a sound but it’s quiet now.”

Hisashi explained, “It’s making a sound that only zombies can hear. Yes, this will keep out the zombies, but as you observed, other humans might want this shelter of ours. We need to stay safe.”

Izuku trailed after his father into the control room. Hisashi pressed a button on the wall.

With a massive boom, a ton of dirt buried the underground bunker, cutting it off completely from the outside world.

OMAKE TIME!

Omake: Izuku Has His Priorities in Order

Izuku: Santa isn’t real? Then who was kissing Mommy under the mistletoe last Christmas?

Yoichi: …You already knew, you little sneak.

Izuku: I can get extra All Might merchandise next Christmas if my dad thinks I’m traumatized.

Yoichi: Kid, the world ended.

Izuku: Then every bit of All Might merchandise in the stores is free for the taking!

#

Omake: The Crack Happy Ending

Second: Huh? Where am I? I’m alive!

Izuku: Daddy, you said the needles would save people so I gave one to the spikey-haired man on the ground. I helped!

Hisashi: Dammit, Izuku! I was saving those for family! I don’t want any untrustworthy strangers in my survival bunker.

Second: I won’t be any trouble, I’m already in love with your brother.

Hisashi: Get out right this instant! Izuku, get away from the other zombie with that syringe. Why oh why did I already bury the bunker?