Corpsing

Take One: Cold Open

The horde feasted voraciously on the decaying carcasses of flesh surrounding them. Empty shells of the lives they once possessed. The physical bodies they inhabited bearing the faces of people he once knew: his teachers, his classmates, his friends... They had all succumb to the same affliction, their lives lost yet their bodies still mobile.

As far as he could gather, he was alone on the grounds. The sole survivor of this surreal tragedy. He knew nothing of the condition of the people beyond the walls: his own family, his mother teaching in a school not unlike this one. Had they all suffered the same fate?

It was impossible to believe that mere hours ago, their existence had been completely mundane and ordinary. He had slipped unconsciously into his usual routine, content to let the world pass him by.

He supposed that would explain why the outbreak had come as such a shock.

Each breath he drew was ragged and uneven. His lungs ached; his heavy, tired limbs strained for reprieve. Yet he couldn't possibly stop, he knew that much. For, slowing his pace even slightly could mean death.

Blisters were forming against the skin of his palm, where he clenched the wooden bat; his only means of defence, his only ally; knuckles white. Deftly swiping the makeshift weapon at the skull of any nearby undead, he stumbled up the stairs of the Astronomy club tower. It was his greatest opportunity for safety. The closest thing he would experience to a haven amid this hysteria: higher ground.

He had deduced that 'they' seemed to navigate based solely on a sense of sound and moved in a clumsy, uncoordinated manner, devoid of speed or agility. Fortunately, this meant that the chances he would be discovered were fairly slim, provided he kept his tracks covered.

Still it was only when he'd traversed the final step, feeling certain that he'd put enough distance between himself and them, that he glanced over his shoulder.

"What the fuck.." the young man uttered, his voice trailing off as he observed the chaos before him once more, in disbelief.

Flames licked at the sides of distant high rise buildings in the business district, with enormous plumes of smoke billowing into an otherwise gleaming, clear sky. The blare of sirens pierced through the normally peaceful surrounding suburbs, flocks of birds scurrying at the disturbance. Blood, decaying flesh. 'They' traversed the streets, a shambling, lifeless army. Dread clouded every fibre of his being as he realised his worst fear had come to fruition. It wasn't only his school that had fallen victim to this onslaught, but the entire city.

This couldn't possibly be happening.

"What the fuck's going on?!"

There was no way that this could be real.

"Aaaand cut!"

"Well done, Komuro-san! The director drawled from his stationary position, his voice strained. "That's a wrap."

Takashi's eyes closed for a moment, as he allowed his breathing to even out and his erratic heart beat to slow down steadily. The adrenaline that had flooded his body not long ago, gradually fading. He had really gotten carried away there.

It was a sign of his passion and natural flare as an actor. He really immersed himself in the character and their experiences within a scene, treating them as if they were his own. He could feel the sheer terror, the fear of running for his life, the heat of the flames grazing his neck. None of it was real; in fact, it was one of the most farcical and unrealistic premises he could imagine; but in that moment, it was as if he had endured all of it.

This was his first lead role as an actor, a show featuring Japanese version of the zombie apocalypse. Initially, he hadn't been particularly interested in the idea, expecting it to be rather cliché and one dimensional. His agent, however, had insisted that the show's premise was something incredibly popular amongst current mainstream culture; in movies, video games, graphic novels. They insisted that the show had all the potential of becoming a hit and would be great exposure for him.

Begrudgingly, Takashi agreed to go for an audition. Upon reading parts, he was pleasantly surprised to find that he actually related quite well to the lead character. Someone caught in a grind, uncertain about where their life was taking them and what they wanted out of it. Apathetic towards his academic life, yet provided with a unique opportunity to demonstrate his greatest qualities, some he wasn't even aware that he possessed. Having that connection to the character became a vital asset for Takashi, as he found himself able to consider what he would do in a similar situation. How would he defend himself against the horde? Where would he seek refuge? It was this in-depth exploration of the character that helped Takashi secure the role comfortably. At the time, however, Takashi would never have been able to appreciate how the chaos his character's world was suddenly thrown into would become so representative of his own life.

Standing tall, Takashi stretched out the kinks that had formed in his back after the day's work, his hand massaging at his neck. He was relieved to know that they were finally finished with filming the pilot episode and he could allow himself a moment to relax. He had performed several takes worth of running, diving and clambering around the set of the dilapidated high school roof, the act leaving him rather fatigued. He looked forward to being able to head home and just lounge around, resting his body up before the next shoot. Takashi was by no means unfit, he had a lean build typical of a young man his age, but wasn't the most athletic guy in the world either. He had underestimated just how active this role would require him to be.

"Komuro-san," The assistant director reminded, as Takashi made his way off set. "Don't forget. Master Busujima will be assisting us with choreographing fight sequences and helping train you with using a sword for future episodes. You had best come prepared."

Takashi nodded in response with a grimace. He had heard horror stories about this man. The stoic sword master and fight choreographer, renowned for his intense, physical training sessions. Takashi was familiar with martial arts, having studied it himself for a number of years. The fact that his best friend was a black belt and karate captain at their old school didn't hurt either. He hoped that this knowledge; the reflexes and endurance he had developed in that time; would allow him to make it through any sessions he had with Master Busujima relatively unscathed. However, he still wasn't entirely sure. He had never wielded a sword before, not even a bokken.

Perhaps I should give Hisashi a call, Takashi pondered as he reached into his jeans pocket, retrieving his phone. His friend might be able to offer him a word of advice or two. Maybe there was some equipment Takashi could borrow from the dojo Hisashi worked at to practice with. As he turned the device on he was greeted by the distinct chime of his ring tone alerting him of the new voicemail, and three missed calls he had received from one Miyamoto Rei. Takashi sighed, tensed fingers clawing at a clump of hair. His ex-girlfriend.

Takashi flicked the phone off reflexively, stuffing his hands into his pockets.

He really didn't want to deal with that right now.

A/N: This idea actually came to me from a line in the manga, while the gang were at Rika and Shizuka's place. Rei calls Takashi boring and he replies with something along the lines of "If I was interesting, I'd be an actor or something." The idea of Takashi as an actor was actually quite intriguing to me, and thus this AU was born. As far as pairings go, I plan on making this Takashi/Saeko primarily, but I'm open to maybe working in some others later on as well. I'll just have to see how it goes.

I'll probably be winging it mostly when writing about working on set/film production, as my experience in that area is limited. I have worked as an extra on some shows before, though, so I do have something of idea of what goes on. Basically, I can't promise that everything will be one hundred percent accurate. Sue me. The show Takashi's acting in will be based around Highschool of the Dead. I'll probably only be referencing it vaguely throughout the story though, so that might not even matter.

The title is a theatrical term for when an actor breaks character during a scene, I thought it would make for a cool play on words seeing as how most chapter/episode titles in this series involve some variation of the word dead.

Anyway, what do you reckon so far? Worth continuing? Any reviews are greatly appreciated!