House M.D.: Even after Death

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"How is he?"

Foremen looked over his shoulder, meeting Cuddy's worried glance. Looking back, he pressed his lips and shock his head. They both stood outside of Wilson's office. Listening to the silence. He didn;t say a word, he didn't even open the door when Foremen knocked.

"Nothing?" Cuddy asked.

"Not a word. He just locked himself up and hasn't spoken a word."

Cuddy frowned and hugged herself. She felt bad for Wilson, he was a close friend to her and she hated to see him suffer. The world was in chaos, ever sense that day when the virus got out.

She didn't know how it happened but a virus was let lose and slowly it crept into whom ever was closet lungs and spread, killing the red blood cells, eatting away at the muscle, slowly killing the person in til there was nothing left. But what made matters worse was the virus would keep going, even after killing the body it was replaced with someone more evil, more terrorizing then any one could imagine.

The dead body would still live. The virus would keep the body alive and it seem it would take over. No longer would that person be the same, no, their skin would grow cold and turn gray, their eyes would turn cloudy and their speech would be lost. They would grow wild, crazy, like animals they would scream and claw at you, attack anyone they would reach in order to feed the knew craving that had inside.

Their need for human blood and flesh.

Cuddy's skin crawled at remembering that day, so many people ran into her hospital screaming for help, screaming for a cure that she did not have. It hurt her to force the unlucky souls who were tested positive for the virus into a locked room where they would sob and scream, beg to be let go in til they finally turned and let the police handle it from there. It felt like she was killing them, sending them away to be murder just so the virus would stop.

What killed her was the reason Wilson was locked away in his office. He had been in there for two days, escaping when no one was around and coming in early when no one would notice. He didn't want to talk to anyone, he didn't want to see anyone. Could she really blame him. After the news she was given, she would lock her self away too...

A few days ago, House was tested positive for the virus.

House had spent the day ignoring the chaos like he always does, limping his way to his friends office for god only knows what plan he wanted to do. But half way there he suddenly felt to hot and began to sweat. His chest tightened and his body began to throb. 13 was the first to notice, she watched House slump and hit the wall beside him, his cane rattling on the ground when he let go to grab his own chest, coughing, blood splattering on the ground. 13 rushed over and tried to help, soon followed by Foremen and Taub. House tried to shrug them off but another pulse hit him and he only fell, curling up on the marble floor in his own blood coughing and yelling out. 'Stop it!'

Wilson heard the commotion and left his office to see what the fuss was about. When he saw the circled crowed he figured one of Houses cases had gone crazy again, but that scream. He knew that scream. Suddenly the tight circle jumped back and nurses rushed away, some screaming, others calling for police. Foremen voice boomed, 'Call Cuddy! Get Security up there now!' Wilson rushed past the fleeing bodies to come to a stand still, his eyes wide in shock.

In the middle of the hall, House stood, his body hunched over, his arms limp at his side. He was standing on both his legs, which were awkwardly parted, he shouldn't be able to stand, not when he put pressure on his thigh like that. But there he was, like a stalking lion, waiting, his head bowed. Houses team kept back, their eyes wide, scared. But Wilson stepped forward. Taub grabbed his arm but he only pulled away. House was in trouble, he needed him!

When he was an arm length away, he called out lightly, "House?" His friend jerked a little, a quick movement of his shoulder, like a shrug. Slowly his friend lifted his head and what greeted him made Wilsons heart drop.

Those clear blue eyes that he loved looking into, those eyes he had fallen head over heels for and watched with joy as they darkened with pools of lust or narrowed in rage. He watched those eyes slowly fade, like mist, gray lifeless mist slowly began to swirl before them. Wilsons mind shouted for him to run, but heart told him to no. This was House! He couldn't leave him like this!

He uttered his name again, his voice calm but held the hint of fear. House tilted his head slowly, his eyes narrowing. Understanding. Those lips Wilson loved to kiss twitched a little and Wilsons grinned with hope when House gave a little smile. Taub moved behind Wilson and that movement snapped the moment between them. For House suddenly jerked up and screamed out, his body lunged forward. He shoved into Wilson, knocking him back, knocking the wind from his lungs when Wilsons body struck the ground, but he watched in shocked silences as House tackled Taub to the ground, His voice yelling out along with Taub fear filled one and soon, pain. Wilson left sick, blood was spilling on the ground as House ripped at Taub face and throat. It took Four men plus Foremen to drag House off the limp Taub, all yelling and trying to keep away from House's blood covered lips and teeth.

House was forced away before Wilson could say anything and soon he too, like the others, was locked away in a padded room, where he yelled and screamed, clawing at the walls and doors to be set free. Cuddy had the painful pleasure to okay the termination of her fellow co-worker and friend. Wilson had begged her to change her mind, that they could find a cure.

'Keep House in there!' Wilson pleaded. 'Keep him in there in til we find a cure, we can't kill him Cuddy! He's still a human being!'

'Wilson! I dont want to do this either b-but I have no choice...'

'Its House!'

'Wilson...' Cuddy looked at him painful, 'No... He's not. Not anymore.'

Now Cuddy had watch her second friend slowly cut himself off for everyone. He asked others to help him but no one wanted too, Foremen turned away and 13 shock her head. Taub was in bad shape and was close to dieing from the attack he was given. No one saw House as a human being, it was a hopeless case. So Wilson was stuck alone, watching the time seep by before the police came to take his only love away.

Cuddy stood by and watched with a heavy heart as the police showed up, their body armor and weapons out and ready. She lead them to the rooms in which the infected staied behind and watched as one by one, each person was taken out and tossed into a thick plastic tarp, each only wrapped up and tied off, covering their head to their waist, immobilize them so they could not fight back to bite. She watched, one by one by one in til they got to the last room. The room that held House. She felt the tears on her cheeks when the door was slammed open and her heart squeeze when they rushed inside. But her body all but dropped to the ground one one of them came out in rage, his voice booming, "Where is he?!"

Cuddy stood there shocked for a mere second before she rushed forward. Looking into the room, her hand covered her mouth, to keep the scream back. The room had been destroyed. The padded covers were ripped from the wall, blood was splattered everywhere, but House was no where in sight. An high alert went out and soon the news had plastered Houses photo on screen. House was out there and they wanted him tracked down and killed before he killed anyone.

Cuddy had approached Wilson the day he went missing and out flat accused him of helping. Wilson's face dropped and his eyes widen. His hands that held his metal clip board squeezed and began to tremble as he uttered, 'H-House... is gone?'

'Dont play dumb Wilson, Where is he?! He wasn't in the room when we got there!'

'And you think...I took him?'

'Who else would be stupid enough to go near House while he's infected huh?! How could you Wilson! Thats not House anymore, House is dead! You just let go a crazy killing machine who will even kill you without a second thought! How could you be so selfish!?'

Wilson stood there, the blood draining from his face but before he could utter a word, a nurse ran up to Cuddy, grabbing her and quickly informing her that the cameras they had installed in that ward had shown that a male nurse was checking in on all the rooms and when opening the last door, House had reached out and sprung and knocked the man down and escape. At the moment, they could not track down the male nurse but police where on their way to the mans home.

Cuddy was filled with guilt, nodding to the nurse, muttering her to return back to her station. She turned back to Wilson, only to be greeted with a pair of tear filled eyes. Wilsons face was twisted with betrayal and hurt. "Wilson... I'm sor-"

He turned and left her there, in her own guilt and shame. Covering her face, she all but wanted to cry. She was losing it. She was losing everyone.

Now... Two days later. Wilson still would not speak to her nor anyone else. She was left outside, just like the others. Waiting, hoping that Wilson would turn back to them. But she knew... she knew. While House was still out there, Wilson would never be the same.

*******************

Wilson drove home queitly, his eyes narrowed at the road. The streets were empty, everyone was scared. The virus was still at large and everyone feared to get it. No one had figured out where the virus was located or what kind of person it aimed for. No one had the cure and no one could be trusted. A simple cough and everyone was on high alert that the person next to them would turn and attack.

Pulling into his parking spot, he looked at his home. This was the place he shared with House for five years. This was there home, this was their safe zone. Getting out of his car, he popped the trunk open, pulling out a cooler from inside. How much longer could he hide from them? From Cuddy and Foremen? From 13 and Taub, who still laid recovering in his bed.

How much longer in til he was cornered and have to answer to them? They would try to understand, they would try to reach out to them. But none of them would understand. No. Squeezing his bag and cooler in one hand, the other squeezing his keys, he unlocked the door of his home slowly.

No one would understand.

Opening the door, he looked in and slowly, a hopeful smile touched his face.

"Honey... I'm home."

***********************

"Dr. Cuddy, there seems to be a problem."

Cuddy looked up slowly from her paper work. Her head hurt and her eyes burned from her lack of sleep. She was already late getting home to tend to her daughter and now she had another problem to handle. "What is it?"

The nurse pressed her lips and walked over, holding out her paper work. "I was going through our check list and it seems that we are missing three units of whole blood."

Cuddy frowned at this, taking the list slowly. "Did we have an emergency? Perhaps it was taken and the person forgot to write it down."

"I checked, We were ruining low two weeks ago and sent out an order and from the supplies we got this morning. We are missing three bags." Cuddy pressed her fingers to her forehead, her brain throbbing. "Call the company who delivered the coolers and find out what happened." The girl nodded but the door opened again and another walked in, a nurse in green scrubs. "Dr. Cuddy! We have a problem!"

"When dont we?" She muttered before waving her hand, "What is it now?"

The nurse looked at the other for a moment before looking back, "Um... someone took a pair of arms from the morgue."

Cuddy's head snapped up blinking, "What?"

The nurse ringed her hands a little, "Mr. Zanders, I just went to go do his autopsy before his wife comes to pick him up this week and when I opened the freezer and pulled him out, his arms were missing."

"What did he die of?"

"Heart Attack. He had his arms when he came in a few weeks ago, why now is the question. It looked like someone walked in, took one of my power tools and buzzed the guys arms right off!"

Cuddy stared at the two women in front of her in a shocked state. How...

"What the hell is going on?"

******************

Chains rattled as a slimy hiss greeted Wilson. He only smiled more, closing the door fully. Putting down his bags, he began removing his jacket. "Did you miss me?"

A deep throaty growl was his answer and he only laughed. "You know we can't do that. Not yet anyway."

No one would understand why, they would tell him he was crazy. Perhaps he was. He knew the risks, he knew what would happen if it got out. But it was a chance he was willing to take.

Picking up the cooler, he walked towards his bed room and opened the door, looking inside with a smile.

House lunged at him shouting. Wilson stood still and watched, not even flinching when House came to a dead stop. His body jerked and he tried helplessly to reach Wilson, but his collar wouldn't let him. Inside of their bed room, Wilson had removed the bed and anything else would he saw harmful.. which was basically everything. In the bare room, he had bolted two thick chains to both sides of the wall, locking House around his throat with a iron collar to keep him in the house, to keep him in the room and best of all. To keep him from attack Wilson.

The day of the escape, Wilson was heading home, sobbing lightly to himself. Today was the day the Police came to take away all the infected and no amount of begging could sway Cuddy to keep House in place. He was losing his boyfriend, he was losing his best friend. Covering his face with his hands, he sobbed quietly to himself. He didn't know what to do.

A noise startled him and he looked up with a sniffle, wiping his face slowly. Approaching his car, he frowned when he noticed someone was standing by it. "Excuse me?" He called out, "Can I help you?"

The figure twitched a little and then turned, bearing its blood covered teeth. Wilson dropped his bag and gasped, his face bursting into a smile. "House!"

House hissed at him for a moment before those white cloudy eyes looked Wilson up and down. His face struggled, his gray skin showing traces of blue veins turning purple, his hands dirt covered and bleeding. It looked like he was crawling at something. Wilson took a step closer, then another. His brain was on high alert, he was crazy! House was going to kill him, he would end up where Taub was but he didn't leasin. House was back, he wasn't taken away. He didn't care if he died, as long as House was with him. He didn't care.

Tears fell down his cheeks when he watched House tilt his head and clench his jaw. "Its me House." He whispered, "Its Wilson... I've been so worried. Do you remember me?"

House narrowed his eyes, his fingers clenching and unclenching at his side. Working his jaw, he parted his lips and the sound that came out was gurgled but he only made the other laugh out in relief and joy.

'Wilssssssonaaaa.....'

Right then and there, Wilson knew the virus was not a killer. Sure it changed and slowly killed the body but the longer the person held on, the more time they had to find a cure. House was still inside, trying to get out and Wilson was going to help him.

It took some time, but Wilson had gotten House into his car, it seemed if Wilson talked to him, House stayed put and kept his distance, he merely watched the other, his eyes trailing over the face of his lover that became a mere foggy memory.

Wilson soon learned if he left House alone for a long period of time, like the time he left to get something to eat for House, he returned with a blood pack and opening the door, House had lunged at him hissing. Wilson was knocked back and bruised his back and shoulder good but once House realized who it was, he would pause and slowly back away. When Wilson still laid on the floor hissing, nursing his hurt shoulder, House simply scooted closer and breathed out, as if trying to talk, his dirty covered fingers reaching out, touching Wilson cheek, tracing slowly down.

'Its okay.' Wilson muttered, keeping his eyes tightly shut in til the throbbing stopped. 'I'm okay.'

Now, Wilson was Houses only chance. The chains rattled less when House's cloudy eyes met his own. His movements stopped slowly, letting his arms go back to his side in a limp. "Wwwilssssoonnnnaa..."

"Yes, its me." He whispered with a smile. Holding up the cooler slowly, he grinned. "I brought you dinner. I know how much you like 'wings'...." House moved again, but this time slowly. The chain rattled in his step but House only reached out again, his fingers touching Wilsons own that held the handle tightly.

"Wwil...ssssoonnaaaa..." He breathed again.

"I'll find a cure." Wilson whispered, his teeth clenching together. "And soon, everything will be get better. I promise."

"I wont let them take you for me House...."

Reaching out with his free hand, he grasped that hand and laced their fingers together tightly.

"I wont let them."