Archive of Our Own ^beta

Chapter Text

You don’t really realize the world is ending when it starts.

In movies it always starts off with a bang, a disaster, a meteor, world destroying.

Sapnap didn’t really know when the first few signs of the end started to appear. Was it when he was scrolling on his phone on the bus, laughing at a meme? or was it when he saw a woman collapse in his local supermarket?

Or was it when his professors informed them of the new lockdown that was gonna shut down all his classes. Sapnap still doesn’t know.

In the beginning, lockdown was kinda nice, he could sleep an hour more and just roll over to grab his laptop and join the online classes with his roommate.

But that only lasted about two weeks before the panic started.

The news was only getting louder about the virus, showing footage and pictures that were no longer on the other side of the world, hospitals overrun with sick people, and videos taken from phones of people attacking each other.

There were multiple announcements on all the news channels to stay inside, self isolation and quarantine. But instead the people rushed to the nearest supermarkets, fighting and hoarding items. Police sirens were beginning to become a regular noise outside the college campus.

Sapnap wasn’t all too scared.

So far it was still just a thing that happened on the screen of his computer.

Then someone got infected in the building across from him. A girl had gotten sick and fainted in the middle of a class. It took hours for any help to show up, and by then she had already attacked her roommate.

That was the moment Sapnap felt scared, seeing two people covered in blood being carried out while chained up from his dorm window.

It didn’t take long for one dorm to become two become three become four and then an entire building had to be barricaded.

Two months in, Sapnap’s college ended the lockdown.

The campus security came knocking on everyone's doors, making all the students and personal take antigen tests. Sapnap was trying not to worry as he waited for the test result to show up.

Once he and his roommate were tested negative, they were hurtled out in the hallway to walk along all the other students to the college building. People were grouped into different groups along with professors and personnel in the different classrooms.

Sapnap could only watch through one of the back windows as a few people were escorted away from the main group of people walking inside. One of their professors informed them that due to the few cases of infection in the dorms, it had been deemed safest to block off those buildings and stay in groups.

It was weird, being in a classroom without learning anything, without the option to leave. Sapnap’s mom texted him almost everyday, telling him how worried she was, how she wanted him to come home, when he would be able to leave the campus.

Sapnap lived almost two weeks in that classroom with twenty other people. The personale handed out food and water everyday, but Sapnap couldn’t help but feel something was bound to happen soon.

And then it did.

All communication with the outside world was cut off.

People noticed almost immediately, panicking as they tried to call loved ones, professors arguing with security and personnel about the issues. Sapnap tried sending multiple messages to his mom, but all of them remained undelivered.

Someone managed to call 911, but all they asked was that people stay put and remain inside.

Maybe more people would have made it if the school didn’t call for that assembly.

People were filling up the college gym, taking seat on the bleachers or the squeaky floor.

On the way to the gym, Sapnap spotted a vending machine in the hallway. It was one of the older models, the kind that took coins instead of cards. It was full of chip bags, chocolate bars as well as soda and energy drinks of all kinds.

People were still passing him and chatting, so Sapnap decided to rummage through his jacket pocket for change. Some people might call it dumb to spend money at a vending machine, the prices were always so much higher than in the cafeteria.

But if Sapnap had to eat one more dry ham sandwich, he might as well have something good to pair it well.

Putting in a few coins, Sapnap typed in the number for a bottle of Fanta, watching as it dropped to the bottom before he put in a few more coins into the slot, now pushing in the number for a granola bar.

"Hey kid, hurry up, we’re starting any minute now” one of the security guards said as he passed by Sapnap.

"Yeah, I'll be there in a second” Sapnap just said back, looking down at his palm to see he had just enough change for one of the small bags of chips. Once again he pushed the coins in and selected the number for one of the barbecue chips.

Once the bag hit the bottom of the machine, Sapnap pulled his neon orange backpack off his shoulder and shoved the chips and granola bar into it. He grabbed the soda last and carefully twisted it open to take a sip.

The gym hall was full of chatter, like a soft blanket of noise.

As Sapnap walked over to one of the groups on the gym floor, Sapnap tried not to think about how only a bit of half the gym was full.

Sapnap took another swig of his Fanta before shoving it into his backpack, wanting to savor it for later when he ate dinner. He chuckled as he heard one of the guys close by crack a joke.

But Sapnap’s attention was soon turned to the college principal, a short stuffy little lady stood in front of the crowd with a microphone in hand. It was pretty clear this had been a last minute planned assembly.

"I know we are all very worried, and that some of you might even be scared” the principal started going on a long rant to praise everyone on their corporation and for following the new rules.

"But I'm sorry to inform you all that as of this morning, we have lost our line of communication with the outside world” the lady spoke and it started to murmur with chatter in the gym again.

"But I can assure you that everything is still under control. We will continue to do as the state has instructed us to, and hopefully the internet and communication will be up and running again soon. I am sure this is nothing more than a satellite problem” the principal was quick to try and downplay the situation, going on to inform the student body of all the reasons they shouldn’t be scared and keep calm.

Sapnap stretched his arms in front of himself, feeling his back pop before placing his hands back down on the floor, leaning back against his arms. He could feel the vibration in the floor.

When Sapnap was a kid, he used to put his head down to the gym floor during PE, listening to the other kids run around as they waited for the teacher to start the class. Sapnap used to imagine all kinds of African animals run over the savannah, like a horde of antelopes or zebras.

Sapnap frowned and looked down at his hand, before looking up and around the people in the gym. Everyone was seated, a few people whispering among themselves, and there was no way the principal's voice was strong enough to create a vibration like that. The more Sapnap looked around, the more confused faces he saw, other people looking around and at their hands.

Like they had noticed it too.

Sapnap pulled the other strap of his bag over his shoulder, looking towards the pair of doors he had entered through. Then they heard the noises, a horrifying symphony of snarling and raspy groans.

A loud bang sounded throughout the gym, something throwing itself against the door. The hinges shaking against the force. The security guards stepped back at the shock, putting a hand on the gun strapped to their belt.

All eyes were on the doors. Another bang against the doors. A few of the people closest to the doors stood up and started to shuffle back.

Sapnap didn’t know how it got in, who it was, and if he's honest, he doesn’t wanna know.

The next bang was louder and more rapid, like multiple people were banging and pushing against it.

"Everyone, please remain calm-” the principal tried, but then the hinges broke, and the doors fell and chaos broke loose.

Sapnap had only ever seen newly infected people on the news, or when they were escorted off campus, but these people, those things looked nothing like them.

Their eyes were bloodshot, eyes sunken and their veins were so blue against the pale skin. Their hands and mouths were covered in blood. People started to scramble to get up as those things ran towards them.

Sapnap watched one of those monsters lunge onto a girl and tear her throat out. Sapnap jumped up after that. People were screaming as they ran towards the exit on the other side of the gym.

People shoved against each other and scrambled to get out of the doors. Sapnap looked around in a panic, he wasn’t gonna make it out of those doors at this speed. He could see multiple people seizing on the floor, bleeding out and in some cases getting up to chase other students.

Sapnap spotted a few people climbing the gym ladders and opening one of the big windows to crawl out of. In a panic, Sapnap sprinted across the floor, dodging a few of the monsters and getting shoved by the other panicking students. Sapnap grabbed one of the bars on the ladders and hurried to climb up.

Something grabbed his foot and in a panic, Sapnap kicked fullforce downwards, his shoe planting in the face of one of those monsters. Sapnap dragged himself up and moved towards one of the open windows.

Sapnap climbed through the window and fell onto the roof of the building outside. A few other people ran over the roof to one of the fire exits down the building, Sapnap followed them, his bag swinging on his back as he ran down the stairs.

Casting a look towards the dorm building, he saw a shattered window, and more of those things coming out of it. The football field was covered in them, and only more were coming.

On instinct Sapnap ran the other direction, towards one of the other lecture buildings with a few of the other students. A few of the monsters nearby heard the screams and people were running out of the buildings in a panic.

Their shoes squeaked against the hallway floors, alerting more of those things to come running. One of the guys at the front of the group opened one of the classroom doors, waving for everyone to hurry, before one of those monsters attacked him from behind and chewed his shoulder off.

One of the girls screamed and all Sapnap could think to do was grab her arm and keep running.

They turned a corner and ran up the stairs to the third floor. Someone opened the door into another classroom, people scrambling to get through before it slammed shut. Two guys shoved tables and chairs up against the door, everyone breathing heavily, clutching their chests and covering their mouths as they heard people scream and slamming against the walls.

Looking around the room, Sapnap counted seven other guys, and five girls. All watching the door and holding their breath.

"What were those things?” one of the girls asked.

"Fucking sick is a safe bet” one of the guys said out of breath.

"No, no no no, the news said nothing about the infection doing that, people just get sick” a guy with glasses denied, pointing at the door.

"And aggressive” another guy reminded them.

“I wouldn't call those things people” another guy mumbled.

Sapnap was clutching the straps of his backpack, his legs shaking as they heard running and more screaming coming from both inside and outside the building. Stumbling over to the windows, they could only watch in horror as more and more people ran and fell out on the football fields, trying to get off campus.

"What are we gonna do?” someone asked next to him.

“... I don’t know” Sapnap’s voice sounded so small.

All Sapnap knew, was that he was fucking terrified.

………

It has been about three weeks now.

The school was overrun with those monsters, or zombies, as one of the guys in the group had decided to call them. And Sapnap wouldn’t lie, they looked exactly like zombies.

They could see the football field covered in bloody people from the third floor, where they didn’t have to fear any zombies spotting them in there and breaking the windows.

So far no one had come to help them, the principal hadn’t made any announcements, no police or firefighters had arrived and the military were nowhere to be seen.

Sapnap would have to admit they had been somewhat lucky, running into the science building of all places. The electricity had shut off almost two days after the chaos, and the water stopped running one week into it.

Their small group had been smart enough to empty all the cabinets that weren’t locked and pull out all kinds of containers, filling them to the brim with water, cause the question wasn’t if the water would stop running, it was when.

They had about three desks just covered in containers and glass cylinders full of water.

A bigger problem became when the hunger started to set in.

And for the first time in his life, Sapnap was pretty pissed he wasn’t a girl, cause once the subject of scavenging for food was mentioned, all the girls immediately pointed to the boys, seeing as they had been the ones to take charge and they were both faster and stronger.

Sapnap understood they were scared, but so was he, they were all scared.

Sapnap wasn’t proud of the things he did or said during that discussion, he didn’t think any of them were. But in the end, they all just wanted to avoid danger.

But fear and pointing fingers at each other weren’t gonna fill the ache in their stomachs.

So in the end their group was divided into three groups, trying to divide the boys and girls evenly. No one wanted to be the first group to go out, but someone had to.

Sapnap was lucky, his group was chosen to stay behind, helping the others keep a look out and make sure the door was safely closed till the others returned.

So armed with nothing but scissors, unscrewed table legs and a handheld bunsen burner, three boys and one girl went out.

Only two of the boys and the girl came back.

They had managed to find a vending machine somewhere in the halls, but were unable to get it open. They said that the missing boy had been standing guard, when one of the other boys pried the glass of the vending machine out of its hinges and it fell to the floor with a slam.

The noise had rung through the halls, they barely had time to grab the food and drinks from the machine before the zombies came running. They don’t know when the other guy got lost to the horde, but they didn’t see him in chaos.

"Maybe we should wait for him?” one of the girls had suggested as they hurried to barricade the door again with tables and chairs.

"Oh fuck him for all I care” one of the guys screamed back at her, and then it started to bang on the door and screaming for help on the other side of the door.

"He needs help. Let him in” the girl protested.

"You wanna help him so badly?! then go out there yourself!” the boy just barked at her.

Then the screaming got louder, like someone or something was tearing him apart.

And what followed was silence.

The tension in the group only became worse after that.

They had food at least for now, but it became quick who was allowed to eat what and when. The boys that had gone out had claimed that since they were the ones to get this food on the table, they got to contribute it as they pleased.

If you wanted to eat you had to pull your weight.

Sapnap tried to stay out of the fighting, not wanting to draw any unwanted attention to himself. When food was starting to run low again, fists began to swing. They lost some of their water in the scuffle of it all.

Sapnap didn’t know which side of the door was worse, in here or out there.

But the longer they waited between scavenging and the more reckless the group was becoming, it was only getting worse.

By the time Sapnap’s group had to venture out for food, they had to go further than the other groups. They crossed the shattered glass of windows, bloody walls and floors.

Whenever they had to turn a corner, it was done with a held breath. They had to retreat multiple times because of how overrun the building had become, multiple bloody bodies at every corner.

But that probably wouldn’t be an option for much longer.

Sapnap was scared they wouldn’t be let back inside without food in their hands.

They sneaked past hallways, walking slowly up against the walls. They managed to find another vending machine on the other side of the second floor.

One of the guys was about to break the glass, but Sapnap put his hand up to stop him. The guy looked confused before Sapnap pointed down the hall. Slowly they all turned to see a zombie walking up against a wall, banging its head against a motivational poster.

It hadn’t seen them.

Sapnap looked at one of the girls with them, he gulped before whispering,
"Hand me the burner” he then offered her the metal table leg in his own hands.

The girl looked down the hall again, looking at the zombie before she hesitantly handed him the bunsen burner and she grabbed the metal rod. Sapnap held the burner with one hand, and the gas can with his other.

Sapnap held it in outstretched hands up to the window of the vending machine, begging for this to work. Slowly a hole started to melt into the plastic glass case of the vending machine.

Once it was big enough, Sapnap covered his hand with his sleeve, not wanting to get burnt by the melted plastic as he pulled out candy bars and chip bags. One of the girls shuffled closer to him, taking off a backpack so he could stuff the food in there.

"Maybe” one of the girls spoke in a whisper, making them all freeze.
"We should find a new place… just us four?” she suggested.

"Don’t be stupid” the other guy whispered through his teeth, keeping his eyes on the zombie.
"We’re stronger in numbers” the conversation ended there.

Sapnap’s hands were shaking the entire time, and when they finally got the bag zipped back up, they couldn’t get back fast enough. It took everything in them not to sprint down the halls. They had to be as quiet as possible if they were going to avoid getting any unwanted attention.

Sapnap had never been so relieved to enter a classroom as he was that day.

And Sapnap should have savored that feeling, trying to calm the beating of his heart. He should have enjoyed the knowledge of knowing he didn’t have to go out next time.

He would have savored it if he knew what would happen days later.

The other group had been gone for at least three hours now. Sapnap’s hands were growing sweaty from holding the door closed for so long, but he didn’t dare let go.

A few of the girls were standing by the window, trying to make light conversation, playing some games to keep themselves calm. The muttering of their voices was like calming white noise to Sapnap, helping him just in a tiny way to breathe.

"Open the door!” they heard one of the guys from the group scream.
"Open it! Fucking open the door!” Sapnap flung the door open and was almost tackled onto the floor as they all ran inside.

Sapnap saw a blood covered face lunge towards him before he slammed the door in its face.

"Barricade the door!” someone screamed as the boys fumbled to get the tables back in front of the door.

"There’s no point, there’s a whole horde coming towards us, we gotta get out!” the guy that almost tackled Sapnap screamed, his back holding the door closed as the beings outside started to bang on it, the tables barricading around him.

Sapnap fumbled over and tried to help keep the door closed as they could all see the hinges starting to give out.

"To where?! That's the only door!” someone snapped at the guy.

All the voices and the yelling was nothing but white noise in Sapnap’s head, his heart hammering so fast in his chest he thought it might give out.

"How about the window? We could climb out” someone suggested.

"And go out there and be eaten on the football field? Are you insane?!” someone screamed back.

"It’s that or be eaten in here!” someone cried out.

One of the boys ran over and opened the window, looking up, then down and to the sides.
"We don’t have a choice! We’ll find another classroom and hold out in” the boy said, putting a foot up on the windowsill, before climbing onto the other side, standing on the ledge of the windowsill.

"Hurry!” someone screamed and the girls crawled out next. They were all careful and slow with each of their steps out the window to avoid tripping on the narrow ledge, while the noises on the other side of the door were only getting louder.

Soon almost everyone was out of the classroom, and the door started to splinter. Now it was just him and the other guy by the door.

He looked to the guy, seeing him already staring back with an apologetic look.
"I’m sorry” there were tears in the guy’s face. And Sapnap’s heart barely got to sink as the guy ran away from the door and to the window, leaving Sapnap to hold it closed with nothing but the assistance of a table.

Sapnap’s chest was moving so fast as he started to hyperventilate. There was no way he would be fast enough to make it to the window and out of there if he let go of the door, he wouldn’t be able to step out safely and most likely fall three floors to his death if he tried.

Sapnap looked around the room, trying to find anything to help him.

All the cabinet doors were open, bare of all their contents in the group’s search for food and supplies. He spotted one of the cabinets on floor level, right below a locked cabinet full of taxidermy animals.

There was a table in the way, his orange backpack placed on the floor by one of the table legs.

He had two choices.

Window or cabinet.

A bloody arm broke through the wood of the door and Sapnap made his choice.

He bolted for the table, grabbing his backpack before sliding over the table and fell into the small space, getting the cabinet doors closed right as the classroom door broke down and a sea of bloody zombies washed into the room in a big wave.

Sapnap’s nails were digging into the wood around the screws securing the door handles of the cabinet. He could hear so many noises and none at all as he tried his damndest to stop hyperventilating. Sapnap could feel his heartbeat in every part of his body, in his throat, in his thighs, in his hands.

He could hear the monsters snarling, groaning and growling outside, and Sapnap couldn’t help but feel he had made the wrong choice.

The more noises he heard, furniture banging against the floor and zombies snarling, the closer Sapnap felt to tears.

Sapnap was gonna die in here, wasn’t he?

Sapnap could hold the cabinet doors closed, sure, but sooner or later, he’s gonna die of either thirst or starvation. His fate was inevitable if he didn’t move, but the groaning and snarling noises kept him inside.

Silently, Sapnap begged whatever merciless god that had caused all this, that he at least had something drinkable or food in his bag. He didn’t move a single muscle for what felt like hours, waiting for the noises to disappear.

It was with one hand and slow movements that Sapnap inched the bag up to his chest. He would move it ever so slightly and then freeze as he heard a noise outside, a groan, a snarl or something knocking over.

When he finally got it up to his chest, and worked the zipper open, he moved his hand down into the darkness. It was so dark in this small box, Sapnap couldn’t see anything but the rim of light through the keyhole.

His fingers touched the smooth plastic of a bottle. It crinkled slightly as he pulled it out of the bag. He heard another noise, and froze, waiting for it to go away. All the hair on Sapnap’s arms and neck was standing as he carefully moved the bottle up to the keyhole, seeing the orange label.

His Fanta, he had completely forgotten he had it. Three weeks and not once had he checked his bag, he had completely forgotten he brought it mere minutes before the outbreak.

Holding it up in the light, he saw the bottle was barely half full, the orange sugar water barely touching the edge of the label. Sapnap put it down next to his shoulder, before moving his hand back down into his bag.

His hand touched the smooth wrapper of a crumbled up granola bar and the foil bag of his chips.

That was all he had besides a few crumpled up papers at the bottom of his backpack.

Sapnap sank down to lay his back flat on the cabinet floor, his legs folded up to his chest and had to move a hand up to cover his mouth just to keep his weeping silent.

Sapnap clutched his backpack to his chest, his only food and drink next to his head as he squeezed his eyes shut.

And all Sapnap could think about as he fell asleep was how he was gonna die in here.

…………

How long had he been in here?

Time seemed so slow and so fast in the darkness.

Sometimes he would blink and he could see light through the tiny keyhole, then he’d blink again and it would be dark out. His breathing was so loud in his ears, his head pounding against the hard wood.

There were times his stomach started to growl and Sapnap covered his mouth, hoping whatever was out there didn’t hear him.

He doesn't remember drinking, or eating for that matter.

His head was spinning, and the bottle was empty. His throat felt so dry, and his stomach felt like it was eating itself from the inside.

He would wake up shaking so intense he had to hold himself just so he wouldn’t accidentally kick the cabinet open. He was so cold, his fingers felt like ice and his jacket did nothing to help him. In fact, the feeling of his clothes touching his freezing body was almost unbearable, but he had no room to try and relieve any of it.

He was drifting in and out of sleep, waking up at the smallest noise outside before falling unconscious again.

It was a painful loop.

Sleep, wake up, his heart bounding, his throat and stomach aching, head pounding, shaking till he fell unconscious again.

Sapnap woke at the sound of a bang, like a bag or something heavy hitting the floor. Looking to the keyhole, he saw it was light out. Then he heard another bang and what sounded like a door closing.

His mind was so clouded, and his throat so dry.

He thought he heard a man’s voice, rummaging through something outside. Even if Sapnap wasn’t scared, he didn’t think he could form any words. He managed to lift his hand off his chest, and it fell against the cabinet door.

Sapnap was scared.

What if no one was there? What if something else heard him? What if the door fell open on its own and he would get killed by one of those monsters? What if there was no help?

Sapnap had no answers.

But he knew if he stayed in here, he was gonna die no matter what.

Sapnap closed his eyes and tried to muster up the strength to open the door. He lifted his hand up again and let it hit the cabinet door once again.

The door didn’t budge, and Sapnap didn’t hear anything outside. He wanted to cry, weep for help, but he didn’t have the energy to even do that. Sapnap’s eyes felt so heavy, but he knew if he closed them again, he might not wake up.

Then he heard the cabinet door click and he was blinded by a wave of light. Sapnap recoiled, his heart picking up in fear. He couldn’t see the person’s face, just the silhouette of them, and a hand reaching out for him.

"Oh goodness” he heard a man’s voice say.

Sapnap blacked out after that, his heart pounding so fast in his chest his brain couldn’t keep up.

He drifted in and out of consciousness, seeing small glimpses of halls, streets, buildings and chaos. He felt so dizzy and hot, draped over the shoulder of this stranger as he was carried away from the cabinet.

Sapnap’s sense of time was nonexistent. One moment he saw the ruins of a shop, glass shattered and debris scattered across the street, and all the shelves empty and worn down.

The next he was looking into the glow of a fire, his head resting on something soft, and his body restrained, like he was wrapped in tight fabric. He started to shuffle, blinking his eyes and turning his head to look at his new surroundings.

He could see black and white tiled floors, steel counters, a ceiling fan and big ovens. It reminded Sapnap of a kitchen he’d seen in cooking shows. Tilting his head further he could see a door, barricaded with chairs and tables.

The fire in front of him was in a tiny lime grill, something you could probably find in a supermarket during the summer. The heat from it was enough to soothe the cold in his chest.

Then someone grabbed him and he panicked, struggling against whatever was restraining him as he was moved to sit up.

"It’s okay, I won’t hurt you” he heard a gentle voice behind him say, and Sapnap had no choice but to trust those words. The man helped get his arms free and a full water bottle was placed in Sapnap’s hands, before the stranger’s hands helped guide the bottle to Sapnap’s mouth.

The moment the water touched Sapnap’s lips, he started to gargle it down, some of it running down his chin. The stranger's hands tilted the bottle down and gently told him to drink slower, or he might throw up.

Sapnap didn’t have the strength to fight the man on it, and did as told, trying to enjoy the way his dry throat was slowly disappearing. Sapnap must have looked pathetic like this, leaning against a stranger's chest, unable to sit up or hold a bottle on his own, but right now Sapnap simply didn’t care.

Once the water was completely gone, the man moved Sapnap in his arms and grabbed a can of something Sapnap was too dizzy to read the label of. The man shoved a teaspoon in it and then lifted it up to Sapnap’s mouth, helping him eat.

Sapnap thought he might be crying, but he wasn’t sure he even could.

“It’s okay, it’s gonna be okay, you’re safe now” the voice behind him spoke.

And that was the cruelest lie Sapnap had ever heard.

Chapter Text

The fire was crackling in the small lime grill, small flames burning the sides of a kitchen pot.

Sapnap’s stomach was no longer aching at the thought of food, though it was still growling.

The fire had taken care of the cold eating away at Sapnap’s hands, his shaking no longer caused by it.

Sapnap looked up from the flames as the lid of the pot was lifted, watching the hands that stirred a plastic spoon in the food.

So far, this stranger had done nothing but help and nurture Sapnap, like the helpless kid he felt he was.

Sapnap had no idea how long he spent inside that cabinet, but he must have spent at least a few days on this floor, closing and opening his eyes, watching the fire as he was left to the will and kindness of a stranger.

“Are you awake?” Said stranger asked.

Of course he’s awake, Sapnap was laying with his eyes open, watching the man as he stirred the food inside the pot.

It smelled heavenly.

“Yeah…” Sapnap answered in a hoarse voice.

“Are you thirsty?” The stranger asked.

“Who are you?” Sapnap asked instead, trying to focus his eyes on the stranger's face. He was older than Sapnap, like he was just turning thirty, a guy ready to settle down. He had a pair of square glasses framing his eyes, brown hair pulled back in a ponytail and a kind smile on his face.

“My name is Bad” the stranger smiled to him, watching Sapnap’s face.
“What’s your name?” Bad asked.

“… Sapnap” he closed his eyes for a moment, trying to fight the migraine building behind his eyes.

“Where am I?” Sapnap asked once he opened his eyes again, looking at the checkered floor.

“I believe this place was called ‘Walter’s pizza’. That’s at least what one of the signs outside said” Bad replied, looking back down at the food for a moment before letting the spoon rest in the pot.

Sapnap knew that place, he had been here on late school nights, celebrating turning in a last minute paper or unwinding after a long exam study session. The pizza was decent at best, the crust too thin and the cheese too thick.

What Sapnap wouldn’t give for a slice of that right now.

“Here. You should drink” Bad held out a plastic bottle to Sapnap.

"Shouldn’t you be rationing that?” Sapnap asked.

"No. Rationing water is not the same as rationing food. When you are thirsty, you can’t stretch a glass of water over multiple days. Here, drink” Bad told him, still holding the water bottle out to him.

With weak arms, Sapnap pushed himself up enough to lean against the oven behind him, the sleeping bag uncomfortably tight around his legs.

“Why are you helping me?” Sapnap asked, but took the water nonetheless, uncapping it to drink like Bad told him to.

“Because that’s why I’m here” Bad said, turning around to grab two mismatching bowls. He held one up over the fire and poured a spoon full of red squad, chucks of meat and corn mixed in it.

“Here” Bad offered him the bowl and a spoon.

Sapnap placed the water bottle down on the floor and took the bowl.

“Are you military?” Sapnap asked, trying his best not to get his hopes up. And judging from the sorry look in Bad’s eyes, it was justified.

“I’m not, sorry kiddo” he apologized.

“Then what are you?” Sapnap asked, starting to eat the weird soup-like dish Bad had prepared for them.

“I was a volunteer” Bad said, putting the lid back on the pot and leaning back to eat his own food.

"A… a volunteer? You volunteered to be here?” Sapnap asked, not believing his ears or the fact anyone would willingly be in a hell full of monsters like this.

"Well, not here specifically. I was helping out at the mall on the other side of town, tending to the injured and people in need, as well as evacuating” Bad explained.
"The hospitals were overloaded with people, so they needed more help. I simply volunteered to do so” Bad continued on.

"So… it’s safe at the mall? We can get help there?” Sapnap asked, a bit of hope leaking into his voice.

"It… it was safe” Bad corrected him, still that pitiful look in his eyes.

"Was?...” Sapnap felt his heart plummet further into his stomach.

"It was overrun, much like your school. It’s no longer operational I'm afraid” Bad said, a heartbroken tone in his voice.

"So… there’s no help coming?” Sapnap asked.

“I don't know” Bad answered honestly. “Someone could come tomorrow, or they might never come. It’s been almost a month since I last heard any contact”

Sapnap didn’t want to cry, he didn’t have the energy to cry. But he just felt so helpless, he didn’t know what else he could do as his eyes glossed over.

"Hey, you’re gonna be okay” Bad promised.

"Like fucking shit I am” Sapnap cursed at him.
"We are literally in hell, there’s monsters outside and no help is coming. How can you possibly tell me I'm gonna fucking be okay?” Sapnap bursted out loud.

"Language” Bad frowned.

"Don’t fucking language me! You’re not my fucking dad! My dad is probably fucking dead! Oh my god, he’s probably dead, and my mom…” Sapnap started to tear up, his hands shaking as he dropped his spoon into the bowl of soup.

He was choking on his breath, tears starting to fall as he bawled his eyes out in front of a complete stranger. He struggled to take in air, not noticing as the bowl was taken out of his hands and he was pulled into a hug, his cheek resting against a dirty jacket.

"Ssh, it’s okay. Let it out. I'm not going anywhere” he heard Bad say, thrashing a bit in his arms to shove him away, but Bad just held him close, rocking them back and forth as Sapnap sobbed.

At some point, Sapnap gave up fighting it and just let himself cry, cheek pressed against Bad's chest as sobs wrecked through him. Bad didn’t do anything but hold him, his words trying to guide Sapnap when his chest became too tight to breathe.

"Sorry…” Sapnap sniffed.
"I shouldn’t have cursed at you” he said in a small voice.

"It’s alright. You’re scared and that’s okay” Bad comforted him, stroking his back. Bad reached over and grabbed the waterbottle, holding it up to Sapnap.
"You should drink some more before you get a headache” he suggested.

Sapnap took it and uncapped the bottle before drinking the rest of the water inside, but he could still feel the throbbing headache creeping up behind his eyes.

"Do you know anything about surviving in this place?” Bad asked, and Sapnap could only shake his head.

"Alright, I'll teach you” Bad smiled softly, almost like he tried to comfort him.

"Rule one, always keep your hands covered” Bad moved his hand up to Sapnap, showing off the cotton garden glove, his palm covered in small rubbery dots.
"You should keep every part of you covered if I'm honest, but people don’t always think about their hands” Bad said.

“... Okay” Sapnap just mumbled, his energy running low. Bad took the empty bottle out of his hands and replaced it with his bowl of soup.

"Next rule. Something is always better than nothing” Bad said when he was sure Sapnap wouldn’t drop the soup.
"So I'm sorry to say kiddo, but at some point we might have to eat dog food” Bad said.

“Uh huh..” was all Sapnap could respond as tears kept rolling down his cheeks and dropping into his soup.

"What else?” Bad muttered, trying to think of more rules.
“Apply the same rule to the infected as you would a firework. Never touch them, even if it’s dead. You never know if it’s dangerous” Bad said as Sapnap moved his spoon through the soup.

"Okay…” Sapnap sniffed. He didn’t mean to sound so disinterested, he just couldn’t find the energy to say anything besides mindlessly agreeing.

"You’re gonna be okay. I'm not gonna leave you, we’ll be just fine” Bad stroked Sapnap’s back again.
"We’ll be safe together” Bad promised him.

and Sapnap didn’t have any other choice than to believe him.

…………….

Sapnap didn’t wanna leave.

The thought of walking out those doors was terrifying, leaving the safety he had found on the floors of that pizzeria, in favor of what might be out there.

"It’s okay to be scared” was what Bad said when Sapnap voiced his concerns.

Their food was running low, and so was their water. They couldn’t possibly stay here if they wanted to survive.

"We have to move now while we still have rations to act on” Bad reasoned as he showed Sapnap how to pack his backpack in the most efficient way.
"You wanna move with a full stomach, not on an empty one” Bad reasoned.

"But shouldn’t we stay? We’re safe here” Sapnap asked, watching Bad move the chairs and tables out of the way to the door.

"Nowhere is safe, there is only safer” Bad responded, pulling out a hunting knife from his boot and holding it in a tight grip.

"Keep your eyes and ears open, if you see something, tell me. And whatever you do, don’t leave my side, alright” Bad said as he grabbed the door handle.

"Wait” Sapnap squeaked out before Bad could turn it. Bad looked back at him.

“... Can I have a weapon?” Sapnap asked, feeling like a child.

"Of course” Bad nodded, grabbing the strap of Sapnap’s backpack and manhandled him to turn around. When Bad finished rustling through the bag, he handed Sapnap a crowbar.

"Here, is that better?” Bad asked.

"Can’t I get a knife?” Sapnap asked.

"Would you be comfortable running with a knife and risk falling on it?” Bad just asked back at him. Sapnap looked down at his chest, as if he would see the handle of a chef’s knife planted in his ribcage.

“...no” Sapnap admitted.

"Then let’s save that for another time” Bad clapped his shoulder.
"But don’t worry, we’ll get you your own weapon” Bad offered him a smile before turning back to the door.

Stepping outside was not what Sapnap expected it to be like.

Sapnap expected to see cars on fire, zombies everywhere and chaos. But instead he was met with an empty street, a few cars abandoned or run onto the sidewalk and broken glass from windows.

But not a zombie in sight.

"Let’s go” Bad whispered and headed out into the middle of the street, knife held ready in his hand and looking around as he walked. Sapnap hurried to follow after him.

“Where are the monsters?” Sapnap asked, looking over his shoulder.

"Monsters?” Bad asked.

"The infected, the zombies” Sapnap looked down an alleyway.

"Oh, probably inside” Bad looked at the tall building around them.

"How do you know?” Sapnap asked, following after Bad as they reached a street corner.

"They’re not very happy about light” Bad said, looking up at the sun high in the sky.
"There’s almost never any of them outside when it’s day. It hurts their eyes” he explained.

"But I saw a whole football field full of them, they didn’t look like they were burning up in the light” Sapnap said, confused.

"I said it hurts their eyes, not that it was their weakness” Bad chuckled.
"Listen. They got infected, right? That means they’re sick. When you’re sick you become more sensitive, don’t you” Bad raised an eyebrow, looking back at Sapnap.

“... I guess” Sapnap said.

"Let’s make that another rule. Move through the day, run for the light or generally, make sure you have any form of light to seek shelter to” Bad smiled before turning around and keeping up his pace.

"Alright” Sapnap nodded, tightening his grip on the crowbar.
"Where are we going anyway?” Sapnap asked.

"There” Bad said as they turned another corner, pointing down the street towards a parking lot, a building with the sign ‘Dick’s Sporting Goods’ at the end of it.
"Getting you set up is our priority now. Then we’ll scavenge for food” Bad said as he walked down the street, past abandoned cars and ruined trash cans.

"Look out for anything that moves” Bad said over his shoulder as they crossed the parking lot.

“Alright” Sapnap nodded and held the crowbar up higher, like he was ready to swing, looking all around them as Bad walked up to the doors.

Bad looked up at the automatic doors, holding his hand up to the sensors and seeing no response.
“Power’s out” Bad said, looking back at Sapnap.

“Hand me the crowbar” Bad said, offering Sapnap the hunting knife to hold instead.

Sapnap handed it over, watching as Bad forced it between the doors and pried them apart, hearing something snap at the top by the sensor.

Sapnap looked at the street again as Bad pushed the doors open. When Sapnap took a step closer to walk inside, Bad’s arm smacked in front of his chest.

“What?” Sapnap asked, but all Bad did was hold a finger up to his lips and shush him.

Sapnap watched as Bad took one step inside, grabbing what looked like a keychain off a rack by the register. Bad stepped back outside next to Sapnap.

"Next rule. Always check who might be inside” Bad whispered, holding the keychain up and looking over his shoulder at one of the abandoned cars in the parking lot.

“Be ready to run” Bad warned and then threw the keychain down the aisle.

It hit one of the mannequins showing off a set of running wear with a clang, falling to the floor.

Nothing happened for a few seconds, but then Sapnap saw a zombie come sprinting from one of the hallways, attacking the mannequin. Sapnap barely got to see a second one come running before Bad grabbed his arm, making him run for the car.

Sapnap stumbled, dropping the knife on the ground, making a loud noise as it hit the concrete and alerted the zombies inside. He didn’t get the chance to grab it as Bad pulled on his arm and dragged him behind the car.

Bad slammed a hand over Sapnap’s mouth, pulling him to his chest and holding him close. Sapnap grabbed Bad’s arm, panicking but Bad only held him tighter, shushing him as they saw the two bodies run past the side of the car.

Sapnap’s heart was beating miles a minute in his chest, he almost feared it would jump out of his chest if bad’s arm wasn’t securely planted on his chest.

The zombies stumbled over the pavement, feet unsure as they ran past cars. Sapnap’s eyes were moving between their backs, watching the dried blood on their clothes and skin.

They should run, Sapnap wanted to run, but Bad wasn’t moving. Acting like a rock behind Sapnap’s back.

"Watch” Sapnap heard Bad’s voice whisper into his ear.

And with no other choice but to do so, Sapnap watched.

He watched them, the zombies moving their arms and head in a ticking way, jerking as they moved. The snarls and groans they let out were hoarse, like they were out of breath and their throats dry. Their blood veins almost looked purple against their pale skin.

One of them turned their head, and Sapnap could see its face, bloodshot and sunken eyes, blood covered mouth and thin cheeks.

It was a girl, or at least it used to be a girl.

Sapnap was almost scared it would see them, only having to turn a bit more. But it didn't; it just stood there, feet ahead of them, croaking on its breath. And then it ran off the parking lot, the other zombie hearing its steps and following it.

Sapnap watched them run into one of the other buildings, falling through a broken store window.

"I told you they were sensitive to lights” Bad whispered, finally moving his hand off Sapnap’s mouth. Sapnap sucked in air, not realizing how he had held his breath.

“Why didn’t it see us? Are they blind?” Sapnap asked as Bad helped him back onto his legs.

"Might as well be. I imagine being out here must be like looking into a flashlight” Bad shrugged, walking over to pick up the knife Sapnap had dropped.

"Sorry” Sapnap said, shame coloring his cheeks red.

"Don’t apologize. It’s okay to be scared” Bad reminded him and handed Sapnap the crowbar.

"But if you have to choose between running or getting the weapon, you run” Bad looked into his eyes, like a dad lecturing his kid.
"You can always find another weapon. You don’t get two chances at running away, understood?” Bad asked.

"Yeah…” Sapnap said, taking the crowbar from Bad's offering hand.

"Good” Bad nodded and offered him a comforting smile.
"Now, let’s get you an actual weapon of your own” Bad said and turned around to head back towards the doors.

"Are we sure it’s empty now?” Sapnap asked, following Bad like a lost duckling.

"It might be, but never assume so” Bad said, stepping inside. Once Sapnap stepped into the store, Bad closed the automatic doors.
"We have to secure the place now” Bad informed him, holding his hand with the knife up and ready.

Sapnap walked behind Bad as they walked through the store, eyes and ears open for any sounds or movement in there with them. Sapnap listened carefully as Bad explained the importance of securing the store before they looted it and how to make a quick getaway if needed. Bad promised he would show Sapnap how to barricade efficiently when they found a place to set up camp.

"Have you ever played baseball, Sapnap?” Bad asked, grabbing a wooden bat off one of the shelves. A few of the rows of equipment had fallen over, balls and sports equipment littering the floor. Sapnap had accidentally stepped on a fishing pole and snapped the rod.

"Not really. I was more into football” Sapnap said, looking at a row of hockey sticks, a few laying on the floor next to him.

"Well, everyone can swing a bat” Bad handed the wooden bat to him.

Sapnap looked down at the bat, before looking towards the other side of the store, seeing the rows of hunting rifles on the wall
"Wouldn’t a gun be better? shouldn’t we look for those?” Sapnap asked, looking at Bad again.

"That's another rule. Never use a gun unless it’s a last resort” Bad said, looking over at the rifles.
"These things have a great sense of hearing, and one gun shot will alarm entire blocks of them to come running” Bad started to explain.

"It just seems like a bad move to leave a gun behind when it’s right there” Sapnap said, looking down at the bat again.

"Well, we can get you a gun, but you have to ask yourself, ‘Do I have the skill, know-how and information needed to correctly use and maintain a weapon of that kind’?” Bad asked, putting a hand on Sapnap’s shoulder.

“... No” Sapnap frowned, feeling like a dumb kid who saw too many horror movies.

"If you want, I can teach you how to use my handgun” Bad suggested, pulling up his jacket enough to show Sapnap the handgun resting in the holster by Bad's hip.

"But let’s focus on getting you comfortable with a blunt weapon first. Besides, a blunt weapon doesn't need ammunition or reloading” Bad smiled again, and Sapnap found himself smiling back.

"Okay. Sure” Sapnap looked back down at the bat in his hands.

"So, is there some technique or something for using a bat? or do I just use it like I would in baseball?” Sapnap asked, gripping the handle of the bat with both hands and holding it up over his shoulder.

“Actually, there is a difference,” Bad noted, grabbing one of the other bats on the shelf.

“Usually when you swing the bat for sport, you'll have your hands together, touching in the middle of the handle, like you do right now” Bad nodded to Sapnap’s hands.

“But when using a bat as a weapon, keep your hands apart” Bad placed one hand on the handle of the bat, the other hand higher up on the wood.

"With the hand you're using at the bottom as your support, and the hand you use for aiming higher up the handle. This gives you a better range of motion and more control over the swing” Bad said, moving his arm slowly to demonstrate a swing with the bat.

"You don’t wanna risk breaking it in half after all” Bad looked at Sapnap again, putting the bat back on the shelf. Sapnap just nodded, adjusting his hands like Bad told him to and tried to swing slowly in the same way Bad did.

"There you go, see, you got it already” Bad praised him, and Sapnap felt a bit embarrassed at how much his heart warmed at that.

"Now, let’s see if we’re lucky enough to find any food here” Bad clapped his hands, turning around to go scavenge the other aisles.

"Food? in a sportswear shop?” Sapnap asked confused, hurrying to walk after Bad, baseball bat still in hand.

"What? You’ve never heard of protein supplements? You could use some more protein. Soup has only done so much on you” Bad chuckled as he walked past the different shelves, eyes traveling over the different items.

"Aha! Looky here, beef jerky” Bad said with triumph and reached in and pulled out at least three packages of beef jerky, holding them up to show Sapnap.
"See? now we have dinner for at least today and tomorrow” Bad smiled, pulling one strap of his backpack off to pack the beef jerky down.

“Are those still good to eat?” Sapnap asked with a frown.

“Beef jerky can last up to a year, so we don’t have to worry about that yet luckily” Bad nodded as he looked back at the shelves.

Sapnap kept following after Bad wherever he went, holding the backpack open as Bad stuffed different materials into it, bags of protein powder and dried food. They went through the camping sections, picking up a sleeping bag for Sapnap, a fleece blanket, bandaids and other things Bad deemed necessary.

The sun was starting to set over the buildings when they left the store. Bad lead Sapnap to a corner store at the end of the street, prying the door open as Sapnap stood guard with his baseball bat.

Once again, Bad stopped Sapnap from walking inside, throwing a rock inside and waiting as it hit the register.
.. and sure enough, a zombie came running.

Bad shoved Sapnap in the chest, making him fall onto the street.

Sapnap looked up and saw Bad swing the crowbar up over the zombie’s head, and then down, sending its body down on the sidewalk. Sapnap shuffled back on his hands before getting back onto his feet. Bad grabbed his knife and Sapnap watched as Bad grabbed it by the hair, and sliced it’s neck.

"Are you alright?” Bad asked.

"Yeah…” Sapnap answered, not looking away as blood started to stain the sidewalk. If it weren’t for the prominent veins and sunken eyes, it almost looked like a regular person.

"Those things… Are they alive?” Sapnap asked, watching Bad pull his knife out, covered in dark blood. Bad didn’t say anything for a minute, making Sapnap look at him.

"It’s best not to think about it like that” Bad said, standing up right.
"It’ll only make everything more difficult for yourself” he offered, a sad look clouding his eyes.

"Come on. Let's get this place secured and look for resources” Bad said, holding the door open for him. Sapnap carefully stepped around the body on the ground, stepping inside.

Bad closed the door after them. The corner store was small, with only three aisles in it. The floor was covered with scattered magazines, broken bags and packages of chips and foods, and broken boxes. It wasn’t hard to secure it

Bad checked the doors into the back, finding it locked when he pulled on the door.

"Are we gonna break it open?” Sapnap asked, holding his bat ready for any surprises.

"No. I think it’s safest to keep it locked. We don’t wanna push our luck” Bad shook his head and looked to the shelves.
"Let’s get those cleared and barricade the door” Bad said.

Sapnap and Bad grabbed all the food, drinks and items off the shelves, the ones that hadn’t been ruined or opened were sorted onto the counter and the damaged goods placed in a corner. They then carried one shelf row over in front of the door. Bad grabbed a roll of duct tape off one of the shelves, rolling it around one iron bar on the shelf, then around a broken atm.

"Now we take the next one, put it down on its side so it’ll create resistance against the coffee station” Bad explained as they lifted the second shelf and placed it in front of the other by the door, duct taping that as well.

"That’s smart” Sapnap commented.

Once the door had been properly barricaded, Bad handed Sapnap a magazine and they started to cover the windows. Afterwards Bad grabbed their water bottles out of his backpack and went for the toilet door behind the expired dairy section.

“Sapnap” Bad called and Sapnap came running, holding his bat just in case. He saw Bad unscrew the cap of the water bottle, holding it under the sink.
"New rule. Always check if the water works” Bad said.

"Why? Water stopped working long ago” Sapnap asked, looking at the sink with a confused frown.

"It did. But sometimes you might be lucky and the build up pressure might release the last of the water in the pipes” Bad turned the faucet lever, a bit of water pouring out before running dry.
"It’s not always, but it doesn’t hurt to check” Bad said and pulled the bottle back to screw the cap back on.

"And on the subject of water. When it rains, make sure to fill as many containers as you possibly can. But never drink water straight from a river or other bodies of water like it. Boil, filter, distill or purify it first” Bad said. Pointing a finger at Sapnap, again like he was lecturing him.

"How… I don't know what that means” Sapnap said dumbfounded.

"I’ll teach you” Bad clapped his shoulder.
"But let’s get the food sorted and get the fire going before it gets too dark to see” Bad said and walked back out of the toilet.

"We can make a fire inside?” Sapnap questioned, looking after him.

"Under the vent, yes. But just a small one” Bad chuckled and started to look through the food on the counter.

Soon after, Bad pulled the small lime grill off its spot on his backpack, tearing up magazines and trying to get a fire started. Sapnap watched next to him, watching what Bad did and nodded when Bad explained the methods and reasons behind everything.

But not once did the baseball bat leave Sapnap’s hands.

While Bad was busy mixing together and heating up some of their new found food, Sapnap looked over the remaining shelves and their items, looking for stuff they might need. He found more bandaids, lighters, toothbrushes, toiletries, car fresheners.

He found a box of nails under the register, pulling it out and sitting down in the chair. He placed the bat in his lap as he fumbled to get the tape off the box. Once he got it open, he picked out one nail to look it over. It was long, almost the length of his index finger.

"Hey Bad” Sapnap looked over at where Bad was messing with the fire. Bad looked up at him with a hum.
"Should I put nails in the bat? Or is that a bad idea?” Sapnap asked.

"Well. It depends” Bad hummed.
"The nails will bend and weaken over time. But it would be very effective against the zombies, deadly blows for sure” Bad thought out loud.
"It might make the wood weaker too, and it would be hard to pack away” Bad placed a hand on his chin.

"So… is that a no?” Sapnap asked.

"Do you wanna put nails in it?” Bad asked instead.

“... Yeah” Sapnap looked down at his bat again.

"Then I'd say go for it” Bad nodded with a smile.
"Just make sure the nails aren’t so far down they get in the way of your grip. And maybe cover the top with duct tape, just to keep it from splintering” Bad advised, and Sapnap nodded.

Sapnap looked around himself, trying to find something heavy to hammer the nails in with. But everything was either not hard enough or made of glass. Sapnap looked at the counter.

Looking over, Bad could practically see the thought process happening in Sapnap’s mind.

Counter, nail, bat. Counter, nail, bat. Counter, nail, bat.

It was first when Sapnap held a nail upside down on the counter with his fingers, about to smack the baseball bat down over his own hand that Bad stepped in again.

“Sapnap” Bad made him look at him again.
"You’re gonna break your hand” Bad said, pulling out his hunting knife as he stood up.

"Don’t cut yourself” Bad handed the knife to him. Sapnap’s cheeks went red with embarrassment.

"Thank you” Sapnap just said, taking the knife and putting his baseball bat down on the counter. Bad walked back to his spot by the fire, hearing the hammering of nails into the bat. Casting one last glance over at Sapnap, he saw the younger boy using the bottom of the handle to knock the nails into the wood, the sharp side of the blade held away from himself. .

"Hey Sapnap” Bad spoke up again, and distracting Sapnap from his task once again. Big brown eyes looked to him again.

"You did great today” Bad praised him.

A smile crept onto Sapnap’s face before he looked back down at the bat on the counter and kept hammering the nails into it.

They worked in silence after that. Sapnap’s careful hammering and Bad stirring around the food over their small fire. It was almost easy enough to forget that outside the world had gone to ruin, and a lifeless body was bleeding out in front of the door.

Once Sapnap was done, nails pointing out in all directions at the top of it, and duct tape rolled around the wood. He got up and walked over to sit by Bad, back leaning back against the powerless cooler.

"How come you decided to volunteer?” Sapnap asked, placing his baseball bat on the floor next to him. He heard Bad take a deep breath, looking down into the small pot.

"The sick needed help, and I couldn't just sit at home and watch” Bad said, turning to rummage through his backpack for the paper plates he had grabbed from the pizzeria.

"I used to be a firefighter” Bad started to say, holding one paper plate up and pouring a portion of what looked like beans onto the plate.
"Helping people is what I've always wanted to do” Bad continued, while he handed the plate off to Sapnap and offered him a plastic fork.

"Still. How could you just choose to enter this so easily?” Sapnap asked, leaning back and starting to eat.

"Well, I didn’t really” Bad looked at him again.

"The mall, I told you about, where I was before, the military had an evacuation site there. And I worked in helping tending to the sick and wounded. But we got overrun and lost control over the situation. The military, they… they chose to retreat and bring the volunteers only. So many lives were lost in the chaos” Bad got a heavy look in his eyes, like a weight had been placed on his shoulders.

"They had no interest in getting the mall back under control. And I decided that I would be able to do more good alone than I ever could with them” Bad said, turning back to the pot and pouring himself a portion of food, grabbing his own fork and putting it down next to him.

"And it was a hard choice” Bad nodded, fumbling to pull up the sleeve of his jacket to show Sapnap a watch on his wrist. It was silver, and it looked like it had cost an arm and a leg to get.

"I have a boyfriend back home, and a dog. Skeppy and Rat” Bad smiled, moving his hand over to show Sapnap the small engraving under the crystal of the watch.

B&S - 01/01

"Leaving them was hard. But they are the reason I do this. I wanna make the world a better place for them” Bad said, and there were words unspoken. Sapnap could see it in Bad’s shoulders. The unspoken fear that maybe they were gone, that maybe Bad’s loved ones were dead and he had no way of knowing.

"That’s really sweet” Sapnap offered him.

"Thank you Sap” Bad smiled, pulling his sleeve back down and picking up his food again. Sapnap looked down at the beans, crewing on a mouthful and messing with the portion on his plate with his fork.

He didn’t know what he could say. Should he ask about Bad’s boyfriend? Or would that make Bad upset, with the realization of what might be reality just under the surface of such a conversation.

Should he ask into the military and Bad’s experiences? What else he might have seen? But that seemed so impersonal, like Sapnap didn’t give a shit about what Bad had been doing by himself.

"Hey Bad?” Sapnap spoke up again.

"Yes, Sapnap?” Bad looked back up at him again.

"Thank you. I don’t think I would be here if it weren’t for you, I don’t think I ever thanked you for saving me” Sapnap said, looking from his food and up at Bad again.

"You don’t have to thank me, Sap” Bad smiled softly.

"Yes I do” Sapnap looked down at the plate in his hands, suddenly feeling like a little kid again.

"Before I went into that cabinet, I had a group… and they left me” Sapnap admitted.
"I was so terrified, I thought I would die in there, left for dead and I just… if you hadn’t come along I don’t think I would ever had gotten out of there” Sapnap blinked his eyes quickly, feeling the stinging of tears threaten to appear in the corners of his eyes.

"Thank you” Sapnap smiled and sniffed.

“... You’re welcome” Bad smiled back at him before continuing on to say.
“Sapnap, if we ever get split up, and you don’t know where to go. Look for the fire" Bad smiled, nodding towards the small fire in the little lime colored grill.

"And we’ll meet back up there” Bad promised.

"I’ll remember that” Sapnap nodded.

It turned black out quick.

It was eerie, being able to peak out through the small holes among the torn out pages and see dark streets, no street lights or anything, and yet, Sapnap swore he could see bodies moving under the moonlight outside.

Bad had told him to move away from it, that he was only scaring himself by looking outside.

Sapnap moved over to the fire again, sitting on his sleeping back and watching Bad mess around the remaining fire, trying to keep it going for a bit longer.

Sapnap looked up at the barricade by the door, then at the locked door into the back of the store.

“Do you think something is in there?” Sapnap asked.

“Nope” Bad said.
“If there was, we would have heard it by now” Bad reassured him, grabbing another page from the torn up magazine and tried to shove it under the flames in the grill.

“How do you know?” Sapnap asked, pulling his knees up to rest his arms on them.

“It would have heard you hammering the nails, or our voices” Bad reasoned.

Sapnap just nodded and looked back at the barricade they had made in front of the door.

“What do we do if something gets in? You said earlier we always need a second way out” Sapnap asked.

“You run into the bathroom” Bad instructed.
“The window over the toilet should be big enough for us to crawl out of if things go down” Bad casted a glance over at Sapnap, seeing him nod again.

Sapnap just nodded again, pulling his legs closer to his chest, watching the door.

Bad messed with the burnt pages and wood a bit more, the light illuminating the small store and their faces. The fire cracked and popped in the grill, filling the silence in the room.

Bad watched Sapnap a few times, watching the young boy’s eyes fall closed before his breath would hitch and wake himself up again.

“Sapnap, do you know when civilization started to appear in history?” Bad interrupted the silence, meeting tired eyes as they looked to him.

"Not really. Like 4000 years ago?” Sapnap shrugged, leaning back against the cooler.

"You didn’t pay much attention to history, did you?” Bad laughed slightly, using his stick to mess another magazine page around in the fire.

"Some archaeologists theorized that the first signs of civilized people were about 15000 years ago” Bad said, looking down to watch the flames catch at the paper.

"That’s a lot” Sapnap whistled.

"It is. But the way they discovered this is even more incredible to me” Bad agreed.
"They found a femur that appeared to have healed while the person was alive” Bad continued talking.

"Why is that incredible?” Sapnap asked.

"It means that almost 15000 years ago, someone got hurt, and instead of leaving them to fend for themself, their community helped them, took care of them and provided for them” Bad smiled softly.

"That individual person was more important to that community than any contribution they could give to their society” Bad said, looking to Sapnap again.

"Our humanity lies in our ability to show empathy” Bad said. Sapnap remained silent, just watching Bad as he put another piece of wood on the fire.

"There is no shame in survival, Sapnap. It is in our nature to fight for survival” Bad looked at him with such kind eyes again.
"But the moment we let go of our empathy for others, that’s when we become monsters. Infected or not” Bad explained.

“Okay” was all Sapnap could think to answer, his tired brain fighting to stay awake as his eyes blinked closed again.

“Go to sleep Sapnap” Bad told him, dragging the fleece blanket over his lap and handing it to Sapnap.

“I’ll take the first watch” he assured him.

Sapnap could only nod, moving around to unzip his sleeping bag and getting inside. Sapnap yawned and took the blanket, placed it over his arm, using it as a pillow.

Sapnap looked at the fire one last time before closing his eyes, feeling a hand touch his hair as he fell asleep.

………….

The sky was overcast, hiding the sun behind the blanket of gray clouds over the city. It had been weeks now since Sapnap’s first day outside, the food at the corner store was running low, prompting them to go scavenging.

Bad had taken a lot of time to try and scout for their next location to set up camp in, explaining to Sapnap what criterias makes for a good base for a hideout. Can the base be secured easily? Is it big enough to support their needs? Is there anything of value there? How many zombies could potentially be in there? Can you defend it?

Sapnap had never thought so much would go into picking a base. Bad told him they would avoid apartments and hotels as much as possible. The outbreak happened during lockdown, so by default they could expect those places to be overrun. They would be much safer in places that had been shut down during lockdown, like the corner store.

"When we get back, we should probably set up the containers” Bad said as he looked up at the sky.

"You think it's gonna rain?” Sapnap asked, looking over his shoulder as they walked down the street, his backpack heavy with the supplies they had found.

"It might. The clouds look a bit darker further out. Better to try than not” Bad said as they walked down the road.

Sapnap doesn’t know if it was the exposure to the ruins of the street and quiet roads covered in debris, or if it was simply Bad’s presence, but he wasn’t as scared anymore. He didn’t need Bad to shove him out of the way or pull him to safety anymore. Running and hiding had become much easier over the weeks.

"What’s for dinner tonight?” Sapnap asked as they crossed another intersection. Bad was about to answer him, but then a gunshot rang through the streets.

Bad and Sapnap both froze in their tracks.

“... Bad” Sapnap’s whisper was immediately shushed by bad.

Another gunshot rang through the air, and then another, and another.

"Come on” Bad grabbed Sapnap’s sleeve and herded him over to one of the alleyways. Pulling down the ladder to one of the fire escapes before ushering Sapnap up.

"Bad, what’s happening?” Sapnap asked as Bad crawled up the ladder and pulled it up again.

“Be quiet” Bad ordered and Sapnap couldn’t help but follow orders, putting a hand over his own mouth and tried to listen for whatever Bad was expecting. Sapnap’s grip tightened on the handle of his bat.

Then they heard the faint crying and screams, and it grew louder. A moment later they saw a group of people run past the mouth of the alley way, and a trail of zombies running after them.

"Bad. What should we do?” Sapnap asked, looking to Bad for guidance, seeing the older man look up the fire escape.

"Climb up” Bad ushered Sapnap to move. The metal clanged under their feet as they climbed the fire escape, Bad in front and Sapnap following in toe. They reached the top, seeing a ladder mounted to the wall and leading up to the roof. Bad climbed it first, checking it was safe before waving Sapnap up.

Bad ran to the other side of the roof, looking in the direction the people had run from.

"Bad, what are we doing?” Sapnap asked, trying to see what Bad was looking for.

"Someone might need help” Bad said and then pointed down the road. Sapnap had to squint his eyes to even make out what Bad was pointing at. It was hard to make out, but almost at the end of the road, a group of zombies looked like they were slamming themselves up against a car.

"What are they doing?” Sapnap asked and looked to Bad, seeing the older man pull out his gun for the first time.

"Someone is in there” Bad observed.
"They need our help” Bad said and started to look for the easiest way to get there.

"What? Bad, that’s dangerous. What if you get hurt” Sapnap started to protest as Bad walked towards another side of the building, looking for a different fire escape.

“Sapnap, you don’t have to help. But this is why I'm here, to help people” Bad said and looked back at Sapnap.

"I won’t blame you if you choose to stay out of this. But your help could save a life” Bad said and took a hold of the ladder leading down the fire escape.

Sapnap looked from Bad, down at the parking lot where the zombies were still surrounding the car, and then down at his baseball bat.

"God fucking damn it” Sapnap cursed under his breath and moved towards the fireescape.

Chapter Text

It's like moving through water. 

His body one with the ocean as he holds the bow in a firm grasp. Breath so deep he can feel it fill his chest to the brink. 

The arrow went back with a beautiful slide, pulled back till his hand rested just close enough to his cheek that he could feel his breath on his fingers. 

He lets the arrow fly and it hits the target, a big board with rings. The head of the arrow is firmly planted in the middle of the yellow.

"Excellent shot George” Sam praised him. 

"Thanks” George mumbled, grabbing another arrow and loading his bow. 

“What is it now?” George asked as he raised bow, feeling the burn in his muscles as he pulled the tight string back and aimed. 

“I have good and bad news,” Sam said behind him. George liked Sam, he was competent, responsible and didn’t waste George's time by telling him shit he didn’t need. And he didn’t fuck around trying to avoid problems. 

“What's the bad news?” George asked as he released the arrow.

"You didn’t make the cut for the Olympics” Sam said flat out as he watched the arrow hit mere millimeters from the other one. 

“Okay” was all George responded before grabbing a third arrow. 

“George, do you mind taking a break so I can talk to you about this” Sam phrased it as a question, but George knew it wasn’t. It never was. 

"What’s there to talk about? I didn’t make it and so what?” George shrugged, moving the bow up in outstretched arm once again and pulling the string back. 

“George, your parents pay me to make sure you do the best you can. This is the third year in a row. And you and I both know you can do better than what you demonstrate at the try outs” Sam folded his arms, seeing the arrow fly through the air and hit the middle of the target once again. 

"I thought we agreed you’d try this year” Sam said, and George finally turned around to face him. 

"I did try” George argued, with a frown. Sam didn’t answer, just raising an eyebrow at him. 

"I did” George insisted. 

“George, I know you try to make yourself try. But you have to actually do it” Sam said with a tired sigh.

"I did try” George looked down at his running shoes, kicking the plastic mat on the floor. 

"And I believe you did. But I need you to try harder next time” Sam nodded. 

"I will” George said, turning around and rolling his eyes as he walked over to the target to retrieve his arrows. 

"Good” Sam said as he watched George pull out the arrows from the target. 

"What’s the good news then?” George asked without looking back at sam. 

“I sent your scores into the archery world cup stage, and you got in” Sam stated. 

"The world cup? Where's that?" George asked. 

“Haines City” Sam answered simply. 

"Where the fuck is that?” George asked as he got the last arrow out. 

“Florida, usa” Sam answered and George immediately groaned. 

“Florida? Seriously?” George asked as he walked back towards his bow and Sam. 

"You need to compete, George,” Sam reasoned. 

"But why?” George just groaned further. 

"Because you have sponsorship deals that need to be fulfilled and represented” Sam said simply, only receiving more annoyed groans and complaints from his employer.

"This isn’t a hobby anymore George, you know this. You need to work if you wanna make it in this line of business” Sam explained as if George was a kid. 

"I know, but it just sounds so… annoying” George complained. 

“I know. But just try and focus on the bright side of it. It’s a trip to america, you have the chance to set a new record maybe, before exposure” Sam started to list all the reasons George found it boring. 

"Right” George just answered, turning back around, putting his arrows into their holder and grabbing only one to shoot it, letting Sam's voice fade into the background of everything else as he pulled the string of his bow back. 

George remembers the first time he held a bow. 

He was ten, at some medieval fair with his parents. A local shooting range had set up a place for kids and adults to try shooting a normal bow. The workers were dressed in medieval clothing and insisted on roleplaying through the entire exchange. George didn’t care too much for it. But he remembers the first time he released that arrow. 

It was an easy shot, only about ten feet between him and the target. The string of the bow was easy to pull back, and the arrow was easy to hold. He remembers his dad trying to cheer him on, but it only distracted him. And he remembers seeing the arrow plant its sharp head in the middle of the target. 

The moment did something in George's mind, making something click into place. Like this was exactly what George was meant to do.

George felt so proud that day, the first day of the rest of his life. 

He begged for his parents to let him start doing archery, and spent many afternoons training at the shooting range, saving up money and buying more and more equipment, before getting a professional mechanic bow by his parents. George was fifteen when he won silver in the british junior tournament and his parents hired an agent for him. 

George was a prodigy at his school. The archery champion from his small town. And according to his agent, his parents and all the adults in his life, he had his life set, he was gonna join the olympics at the rate he was going. 

George was in love with the thrill of having a bow in hand and an arrow resting against his fingers. 

That's the only way to truly describe it. George was truly in love with everything that went into the simple action of shooting an arrow from a bow, he didn’t care if it was a simple wooden bow or the most expensive and heavy mechanical bow.

George was so in love, he could never see himself do anything else but this. 

and then George turned seventeen, and he lost all interest in archery. 

That's not true. 

George lost interest in everything. 

He had dropped out of college just to pursue archery, doing nothing but training and mastering his talent, which had isolated him from his peers, and yet he didn’t care. Even if he decided to quit, school sounded exhausting and socializing even more dreadful. 

He had no interest in making friends, he had no interest for school, no interest for romance, for parties, or for his beloved archery. 

It cost him the championship for almost two years. 

He just couldn’t find the care to actually do better. 

An artform he had poured blood, sweat, pain and his entire heart into, he just didn’t care.  

and he didn’t know if he ever would again.

………

George didn’t know if this was what a death wish felt like. 

but George didn’t want to die. For once he didn’t want to make a joke about it.

The car doors were locked, and the sunroof had firmly slid shut, but it did little to comfort him as he was surrounded by bloodshot, sunken eyes and blood covered faces, all clawing and pushing against the car windows. 

His ankle shooting with pain, bent the wrong way and he was too scared to actually check if he was bleeding. It didn’t matter anyway if those things didn’t leave, they’d kill him when they manage to break the window. 

But it wouldn’t stop his heart from beating a hundred miles an hour out of fear, feeling it up in his throat as he laid on the back seat of the car he had found refuge in. 

He was gonna die here, with nothing but his bow in his hands and the clothes on his body. He was gonna die in a country he never wanted to be in, in a place he didn’t care about. With his only love in life gripped tight in bruised hands. 

George was gonna die here

and then, he heard yelling. 

Not a scream, not a cry for help, he heard yelling. 

"Over here! Look over here! Yes! Look at me! Yes! I'm so much more delicious!” He heard a man’s voice call. And the zombies seemed to actually listen, their feral gazes moving off him and towards the sounds. 

And just like that they seemed to have forgotten all about him, running around and over the car to get to whatever fool was yelling. Sitting up slowly on the backseat, he managed to see a man jumping and doing jumping jacks on what looked like a fire escape, a group of zombies reaching up for him and trying to grab at the bars. He watched as the man swung a crowbar down at them. 

George was frozen, unable to look anywhere else. 

And then someone slammed against the car door behind him and he jumped, twisting his ankle further as he turned around and came face to face with another stranger, black hair falling in his eyes, slamming his palm against the window, a baseball bat with nails held to his chest.  

"Open the door” George managed to hear him say, watching as the guy looked over his shoulder and back at him. 

When George didn’t move, the guy slammed his hand against the glass again. 

“Open the fucking door” the guy almost yelled at him, but seemed too afraid to actually raise his voice. 

George didn’t know if he should trust this guy. Right now George was safe in this car, and whoever the stranger was could only wish to harm him. 

But what couple of idiots would risk their lives for a stranger just to rob him. 

“Open the door or I’m fucking leaving you here” the stranger threatened. 

Not seeing much of a choice, George leaned over, unlocking the door and watching it fly open and the guy shove into the car, closing it again after. The guys baseball bat and backpack made it hard for them both to fit in the back seat. 

“Are you hurt?” The stranger asked, leaned over and looking past George, probably to check on the man still yelling and jumping on the fire escape. 

“My ankle. I think I twisted it when I jumped out the window” George informed him, finally looking down at his foot, seeing it had already started to swell and bend the wrong way. 

“Fuck. Okay” the guy cursed, looking out of the car windows like he was trying to spot a way out. 

George could see from the way the stranger held his bat and the shaking of his hands, he was just as terrified as George felt, if not more. 

“Can you run?” The guy asked and looked back at George. 

“I can try, but not on my own I think” George said truthfully. If this guy could get him to safety, George was willing to bite down any pain. 

“Okay, okay, I can handle this. Bad is counting on me to handle this” the guy nodded, mumbling the words under his breath as he turned to look out of the windows again. 

“Alright. Do you see that building over there? The cafe?” the stranger pointed across the parking lot, to what looked like a run down cafe with its name written across the window. 

“Yes” George nodded. 

“Alright. This is what’s gonna happen, I’m gonna help you get out over here, we’re gonna hurry our asses inside, and then my friend will join us. Got it?” The stranger asked, but it was clear he was talking more to himself than George. 

“Got it” George answered anyway, gripping his bow tight and waiting for the guy to open the car door. The stranger took a deep breath before opening the door and stepping out, looking around and then reaching to help George out of the back seat. 

George grinded his teeth in pain as he stood up, limping on one foot. The stranger grabbed his free arm and moved it over his shoulders. 

“Look out for any zombies coming for us” the stranger said and placed his hand on George's waist, holding his baseball bat in the other. 

George's ankle was burning as he tried his best to keep up with the stranger, squeezing his eyes shut a few times to keep down a painful whine. 

The stranger’s breathing was loud in his ears, and he was sure he could hear more than just his own heart beat. George tried to breathe through the pain, forcing himself to put one foot in front of the other. 

It felt like an eternity crossing the parking lot and reaching the cafe, like crossing the plains of a ruined battlefield. The stranger let go of his waist, helping George lean against the wall of the cafe. 

George took deep breaths, focusing on looking around them in an attempt to ignore his pain. He turned his attention to the stranger as he heard him bash at the door, trying to break the lock. 

When it finally snapped, George pushed against the wall to stand up right, but the stranger stopped him before he could walk inside.

“Stand back” the stranger warned, grabbing a rock off the ground and throwing it into the store, hitting a potted plant and causing it to fall off the table. 

The stranger put both hands on the bat and took a step back. George heard something fall inside the cafe and then a zombie sprung out of the door. George scrambled back but watched as the stranger swung his bat. George heard bones break  as it fell to the ground, and he had to look away when the stranger swung down at its head again.

"Come on” the stranger grabbed his arm again and helped him in through the door. The guy hurried to get George seated in a chair before he rushed back outside. George could almost see him wave his arms around and do jumping jacks. 

He was probably signaling his friend. 

George looked back down at his ankle, racing down to get his shoe off.

The stranger came back inside, closing the door and starting to push one of the tables up against the door. He grabbed his bat tightly and started to look around the café, hurrying over the desk and checking behind it. Pulling the handle on the door to the back, he found it locked. 

"Hey” George spoke up, trying to get his attention. The guy spun around and looked at him. 

"What’s your name?” George asked. 

“Sapnap” the stranger panted. 

"Thanks for the rescue mission, Sapnap” George said, leaning back in his chair.  

"I’m George”

………... 

George knew coming to America was a mistake. 

He voiced his concerns a week before the plane, in the car to the airport, on the plane, and when they arrived at the hotel. Was George using the stress of the current world situation to his advantage by complaining? Yes, but it was only fair in his opinion. 

The pictures and videos circling around online were concerning, he had a right to voice his thoughts. 

He was jetlagged, tired and wanted to sleep in his own bed that was now over 4000 miles away. But he had to settle for a hotel room shared with Sam. 

George didn’t get to see the arena for the competition, he barely got off the hotel’s grounds when the news came out.

George had been asleep when it was announced, trying to get his sleep schedule fixed for the competition after Sam suggested it. 

“George. Wake up, wake up it’s important” Sam had shuffled him awake, shaking his shoulder as his agent held a phone in his other hand. 

"What?” George yawned, reaching to grab his glasses off the nightstand. 

“Look at the news” was all Sam instructed, pointing at the TV to see a news anchor talking. Sam put his phone back to his ear, answering whoever was on the other end of the line. Probably George's parents, if he had to guess. 

George watched as Sam stepped away and towards the balcony, walking outside to talk in private. 

He turned his attention to the TV, grabbed the remote and turned up the volume with a yawn. 

"We urge all citizens to stay inside your homes. Do not go outside unless it’s a last resort. The virus outbreak has been found here in the east coast states and our military is currently doing everything they can to contain it” George watched the man speak as a map of the united states showed up, florida, georgia, alabama and south carolina colored red. 

"This lockdown is not expected to last more than a week or two at most. All work places except the bare essentials have been closed down. But we repeat, do not leave your homes or current whereabouts” the man repeated, moving a hand up to his ear and looking like he was getting new information. 

“Alright, we have just received further information on the virus” the man turned back to the camera. 

“According to medical staff the virus is not airborne, but can however be transferred through bodily fluids such as saliva. If you or a family member starts to show any of the following signs it is utmost important that you self isolate” the man informed them, George sat further up as a list on the tv showed up. 

"The symptoms of the virus are the following. Headaches, heartburn, fever, dizziness, disorientation, drooling and in worse cases, violent behavior” the news anchor informed. 

"This broadcast will be repeated until we have further information. But to summarize, stay inside, self isolate and do not leave your homes under any circumstances" George turned the TV down again, reaching for his phone to check it.

Opening it he found the screen completely blank from notifications. He unlocked it and opened up one of the first apps he saw, trying to figure out more. 

The balcony door slid open again, gaining George’s attention. Sam looked down at his phone with a sigh and then at George. 

"You saw the news?” he asked, as if he hadn’t turned it on for George. 

"Yeah” George nodded and looked back at the TV. 

"What does this mean for us?” he asked. 

"Well, I just got off the phone with the front desk and your parents. We’re gonna be self isolating in here, the hotel staff will be bringing food to us, and we will not be charged for the extra days we are staying” Sam started off with explaining. 

“Your parents have left your safety in my hands, but you are a grown adult, so it doesn’t impact the situation much” Sam nodded. 

"What about the competition?” George asked, leaning back on his hands. 

“Right now it’s been postponed till the lockdown is over” Sam said. 

"Alright… well, I'm going back to sleep” George grabbed the covers of the bed and pulled it over his shoulders again as he laid back down. 

"What?” Sam looked confused at him, like he couldn’t possibly believe George could sleep in this situation. 

"What? It’s not like we can do anything” George snuggled up to his pillow. 

"And I'm running on like four hours of sleep. So I'm going to bed again” George shrugged his shoulders and closed his eyes. 

"Alright” Sam moved a hand up to rub at his forehead. 

"I’ll wake you up later” He sighed. 

Being stuck in lockdown was awful, but being stuck in a random hotel room on the other side of the world in lockdown was hell. 

There were zero things to do there. They couldn’t leave their rooms for anything, food and water was brought to them three times a day, and the only things George could do to entertain himself was watch TV or scroll his phone. 

The news station was broadcasting the newest info, sometimes updating the situation but it never seemed to be good news. 

Sam suggested George entertained himself by training, but you can only run from one end of a room to the other so many times, or do so many sit ups and push ups till that too became boring. 

By the end of the first week, George and Sam had watched all the movies the hotel had to offer, had talked through every subject they could think of to death. 

Sam insisted on remaining professional, but even he seemed to need a mental break. It entertained George for an afternoon, asking Sam personal questions. He learnt Sam used to work as a prison guard as a young man, then helped young people get their lives together and then became a sports agent through that. 

George didn’t understand how anyone could wanna work in sports, depending solely on someone’s else’s desire and hobby to sustain them. If George was to break his wrist, Sam would be fucked financially. 

Probably one of the reasons George didn’t actually try to break a bone, was knowing that guilt would be his. 

George also learnt Sam was having relationship troubles back home, having an on and off situation with his current ex. He learnt that Sam was fascinated with architecture, and that he had a dog back home waiting for him. 

All in all, the lockdown was long, and there were no signs of things getting better anytime soon. 

By the end of the two weeks into the lockdown, there was a knock on the hotel door. George came face to face with a military uniform. 

"Please remain calm. The hotel is being evacuated” the man spoke, not even greeting George or telling him his name. 

"Evacuated?” George frowned, confused. 

"Is it really that serious?” George asked, looking down the hotel hall. He could see other military people knocking and escorting people out of the building. 

"Please remain calm and evacuate” the man just repeated. 

"Are we allowed to bring anything with us?” Sam asked behind George. 

"There is no time to pack. But bags may be brought with you” the military man nodded, turning his attention off George and onto Sam. 

“George. Grab your phone and zip your bags. Let’s get moving” Sam grabbed George’s shoulder and tugged him into the hotel room again. 

Ten minutes later, George was sitting in a big truck, with at least another ten people from the hotel. 

The military men on board were kind enough to at least inform them what was happening. Due to the severity of the virus and the lockdown, all important guests, politicians, and other significant people had been chosen to evacuate to a safer military base. 

Base 404. 

George had no idea what the building used to be used for, but it was big, and everything in it was clearly makeshift solutions. Bunk beds were placed in lines with barely any room between them, people in military uniforms were standing at practically all the exits and entrances of the building, and the food sucked. 

George sat down on the bed, shoving his poorly packed bag under it. The mattress was hard underneath him, like it might as well not have been there to begin with. 

George wanted to go home more than anything, he wanted to isolate himself in his own apartment, cook his own shitty food and crawl into his own bed and sleep the entire lockdown away. 

But instead he's now stuck in a place a lot shittier than his hotel room, where he sleeps on a rough bunk bed with several other people meters away from him. 

………….

The stranger, Sapnap, hadn’t stopped pacing since they entered the cafe. 

He was constantly looking out through the windows, squinting his eyes as if it would help him see. 

The yelling had stopped hours ago, and George’s new companion only seemed to get more tense by the minute, constantly looking towards the door, out the window, around the cafe as if anything in there would help him. 

It was raining, washing the blood on the ruined streets away to the best of its ability.  It was the only sound breaking through the tense air. 

George had watched Sapnap go through the entirety of his backpack, looking for anything to help their situation or to treat George’s injuries, but he only had crumbled bandaids to treat him with. 

Sapnap said his friend would have better things to help him, they just had to stay put till he arrived. Something George wasn’t a hundred percent sure would happen. 

“... I don't think your friend is coming” George spoke up. 

"Shut up” Sapnap snapped at him, looking back out the window. 

"He’s coming, he told me it would take a while and to just stay put” he just repeated himself. 

George just sighed and leaned back in his chair, looking down at his swollen ankle. Shutting up was probably the best thing George could do right now, the last thing he needed was to piss off the only source of protection he had. 

His foot was propped up on another chair, and George swore he could feel the pain pulse through it. They had no way of treating it yet, so all George could really do was try and sit still. 

“He’s here” Sapnap sprung to his feet and hurried to the door, pushing the table out of the way to let his companion in. The other stranger pushed in, and together they pushed the table and a few other tables and chairs up against the door to barricade it. 

“Are you hurt?” George watched the stranger grab Sapnap’s shoulders, looking him over like a concerned parent. It was easy to see that the stranger was at least ten years, if not more, older than Sapnap. 

“No, but he is” Sapnap said and pointed towards George. The new guy spotted him and rushed over, pulling his backpack off and pouring out the things in it. 

“Well nice to meet you, my name is Bad” the stranger, Bad, introduced himself as he grabbed a red box that looked like a first aid kid. 

“I’m George” he said, relieved to finally get some medical attention. He watched Bad open the box and grab what looked like a pill bottle shoved into it. 

“Have you been bit?” Bad asked. 

“If he has, he hasn’t shown any symptoms” Sapnap replied behind him. 

“You didn’t check?” Bad looked back at him. 

“I was panicking!” Sapnap defended himself. 

“Always check survivors for bites” Bad threw over his shoulder and turned back to George. 

“Have you been bit?” Bad asked him directly. 

“No, but my ankle is killing me, can you please do something?” George asked and was immediately handed two white pills and a water bottle. 

“I don’t have anything stronger. Let me look at your ankle” Bad said and George was quick to swallow the pills. He let Bad grab his foot carefully and bit back pained groans as he was manhandled and his ankle carefully bent back and forth. 

“Is it broken?” George asked through gritted teeth. 

“Maybe, but it can’t be too serious if it is. Else you would be crying right now” Bad said, still focused on his ankle. 

“One thing is sure, you won’t be walking anytime soon” Bad said and carefully placed George’s foot back down. 

“Sapnap, look for anything we can use to straighten and realign his foot” Bad said as he turned back to the first aid kit. 

“On it” Sapnap nodded and disappeared to go look behind the counter. 

“What are you? A nurse?” George asked and took a deep breath through the pain. 

“Used to be a firefighter, then a volunteer to help the military” Bad answered him without looking up. 

“Okay, cool” George mumbled through his teeth, moving his arm up to cover his eyes and breathe through the pain. 

Sapnap must have found something, cause a minute later, Bad lifted George’s foot off the chair again and started to realign and wrap his foot in bandages, two sticks on either side of his foot.   

“Just keep breathing, you’re doing great” Bad said, eyes still planted on George’s ankle. 

“Keep breathing” and George didn’t think there was much else he could do. 

………..

The tension in base 404 kept growing more and more with every day that passed. 

No one knew anything about what was happening outside the walls of the base, and the ones who did wouldn’t tell them anything. 

George couldn’t have cared less, he just wanted to know when the airports would be opening up again so he could go home. 

But when he wasn’t sleeping the time away, he couldn't help but watch. 

Every few days, there were less and less military uniforms walking around the base. They’re thinning out, but George couldn’t find it in himself to care about why. 

George was lucky he had Sam, who kept asking questions and trying to get any new information, even if he never got anything new. The other civilians were growing restless, having nothing to do but talk, play cards or try to get information the military personnel didn’t have. George was still lucky to have Sam, or else he might actually never leave his awful bunk bed. 

Then one day everything seemed to come crashing down. The soldiers seemed panicked as they rushed to get through the building, more irrational and scared as they tried to fix whatever issue was going on outside. 

"What do you think is going on?” George asked bored, looking over the table at Sam, shoving his food around on the plate in front of him. 

"I don’t know, it doesn’t seem too good. But it’ll be fine” Sam said. George didn’t know if he was trying to assure George or himself.  

"Do you think the british bake off finale has aired yet?” Sam asked, trying to change the subject, and shoved a mouthful of mashed potatoes into his mouth. 

"I don’t know, I don’t really care for reality TV” George just shrugged and looked back down at his plate. Sam seemed to take that as an invitation to talk about the british bake off, talking about who Sam thought should win and why.

"Don’t touch me!” someone suddenly screamed, and then a gun fired. 

A few people screamed in shock, most people looking towards where the sound came and hiding under the tables. Sam had reached across the table, grabbing George like he was scared he might have gotten hit. Sam's hand offered little protection against a bullet, but it was only an instinct after all. 

Across the room, a young man in a green camouflage uniform was pointing his gun around the room and screaming for people to get away from him. 

"I’m not fucking dying here! I'm not!” the man screamed at a man in a suit, probably one of the more important people’s staff. George thought he looked sleazy enough to be a politician. 

"The world is ending! and I am not fucking dying here!” the guy screamed again. 

Sam grabbed George’s arm firmer, pulling him slightly to get George’s attention. 

"We need to get out of here, the staff will handle this” Sam said and George watched as Sam slowly got up from his chair, crouching slightly. There was no way the man would notice if they stood up or not among the rest of the people in the room. 

George took one last bite of his food before getting up. He followed Sam out the doors of the cafeteria, going back to the room full of bunk beds they stayed in. 

George didn’t know what happened to the man with the gun, but he didn’t see him after that. 

He heard a rumor later that the other staff in the room managed to talk him down and escorted him out. It was probably for the best, but it felt like a bad omen. 

That same night the power went out at the base, drawing them all in total darkness for almost an hour before the light turned on again. 

The next day, they got the news over the speakers. 

The virus had gotten out of control, they no longer had any communication with any of the other bases, some of the staff were leaving the base, while the remaining military had decided to help prepare and train civilians to use guns and self defense. 

They were officially under martial law.  

Shooting a gun was a lot different than a bow. 

You can shoot a gun from almost any position, crouching, laying down, sitting, while a bow can almost only be shot while standing. The likelihood of hitting your target is far greater with a rifle than with a bow. 

At least if you’re untrained and lack the skills of a professional. 

The gun was also a lot easier compared to George's recurve bow. They were lighter, easier to hold and so much louder. The push back of the gun was a lot harder to get used to, but his aim and his skill carried over easily once he got the basics down. 

There were barely any green uniforms left, but those who stayed had made it clear who was in charge. They controlled the food and water, and now everyone had to pull their weight at the base. 

A shift plan was made, who worked the kitchen, who was patrolling the outside, who was managing the supplies, who kept the place clean.

It didn’t matter who you were, an athlete, a politician, celebrity or an assistant. 

Everyone had to pull their weight. 

At least it kept George busy and the boredom at bay, even if some of it seemed like mindless work.  

It had been four months now since George landed in america, and even though it seemed pointless, he still waited for Sam to tell him they got a plane to take them home. 

George missed his apartment, his own bed. 

Four months, trapped on the other side of a world, in a country he could care less about, for a competition he didn’t even want to attend.  

George knew Sam blamed himself for their situation, and a bitter part of George blamed him too. But pointing fingers at the only person he knew here wasn’t gonna fix anything, it wasn’t gonna bring him home. 

So Sam could blame himself for all George cared. 

Their food had begun to run low, and the power generator was running out. They had already burnt through all the fuel the base had to spare, and had struggled trying to find more. The power kept going out, lights flickering and scaring people. 

The people at the base were growing uneasy, the lack of food, the constant demand for work and lack of answers to any questions they had was starting to stir up things among the people

But when George thought a riot was about to break out, they got a message from another military base, calling out for any survivors and offering help. 

The military personnel managed to get a hold of the base. 

They had plenty of food, water, space and power.  

All they had to do was get there. 

The options were presented to the group. 

The choice seemed harder than it should be. They were already running out of everything. They would have to leave regardless of whether or not they waited or left now. But base 404 was still safe, they hadn’t seen any signs of the infected and the uncertainty seemed to plant hesitance in the group.  

George was leaving. 

Sam didn’t want to. 

“George, are you sure this is a good idea? You have no idea what could be out there” Sam worried, watching George pack a backpack with the essential things from his suitcase, some of his clothes and water. His bow strapped along with arrows to the back of it. 

“What? You don't think I can handle it?” George asked, not sparing Sam a glance. 

“I do, it’s your self preservation I don’t trust” Sam said, arms crossed over his chest. 

"I promised your parents I would look after you” Sam tried. 

"And you also said I was a grown adult” George reminded him as he zipped his backpack shut. 

“George, you don’t know what is out there, and I'm sorry, but it doesn’t seem like you care” Sam said with a worried frown. 

"You’ll get yourself killed” Sam looked at the suitcase sitting on George's bunk bed.

"So what am I supposed to do? Stay here and starve?” George asked and finally looked back at Sam. 

"The question isn’t whether we leave or stay, It's about when we do leave. And I'm leaving now” George said as he stood up fully to face Sam. 

"If you’re worried about me, you can come with us?” George reminded him, a part of him hoping Sam would change his mind.

but Sam stayed silent, his eyes traveling down to look at the floor. 

He’s scared. George is scared too, but he can’t stay when he knows leaving is inevitable. 

“... Okay then” George nodded to himself, grabbing his backpack and pulling it up over his shoulder. 

"We’ll try to get a message back to you over the radio, and when you do leave, you’ll know where I am” George offered, but it was little to no comfort. 

"We’ll see each other again” George promised. 

"Yeah… I hope so” Sam offered a soft smile. He unfolded his arms and held them out for George, offering him a goodbye hug. If the situation was different, George would have denied it. But he found himself moving into Sam's arms and hugging him, feeling Sam clapping his shoulder.

George wished he had stayed in that hug just for a few more seconds. 

Just a bit longer. 

………….

George didn’t know if he should trust these two strangers. 

Sapnap was jumpy, his bat not leaving his hands for even a second and constantly walking over to look out through the windows. And Bad seemed too calm, like he wasn’t bothered by the fact the only thing separating them and the outside world was a big glass window. 

But his stomach really wanted to trust them, cause whatever Bad was cooking in the pot standing over the tiny lime grill smelled delicious. 

The grill was the only thing illuminating the room, casting long shadows up the walls behind them.

“Sapnap, stop pacing, you’re scaring yourself” Bad threw a glance over to the window, but George was far too busy trying to ignore the pain in his ankle and trying to stop himself from drooling. 

He hadn’t smelled something so good in months, even if he knew it came from a can. He had watched Bad rummage through the cabinets and drawers behind the desk, finding spices, tea bags and coffee. 

God, George hoped Bad would try to make coffee. 

He was so lost in watching Bad cook, that he didn’t notice Sapnap grabbing his bow.  

"Jesus, how do you even use this thing? I can barely pull it” Sapnap groaned, causing George to look over at him. Sapnap was sitting in a chair, holding George’s recurve bow completely wrong and pulling the string wrong 

"Put it down, you asshole, it’s a fucking weapon” George cursed at him and reached to grab the bow out of Sapnap’s hand, but he was too far away to reach. 

"If you can use it, it can’t be that hard” Sapnap argued back, holding the bow out of George’s reach. 

"Because ‘I’ can use it? Are you stupid?” George asked with a glare in his eyes. 

"I’m not just some dumb kid who was handed a piece of sports equipment and started swinging” George tried to reach for it again. 

"I’m not a kid!” Sapnap almost shrieked at him. 

"You’re what? Seventeen?” George asked with a raised eyebrow. 

"I’m eighteen!” Sapnap turned red. 

"That’s barely a difference” George swung his hand out for his bow again

"Oh and how old are you then?” Sapnap snapped. 

“I'm twenty one. So unlike you, I can actually drink in this god forsaken country” George mocked him. 

"Well- I- what do you know about bows anyway?!” Sapnap said flustered, clearly pissed at George's words. 

"You mean archery? A sport I have spent over half my life mastering? I'd say I know more than you’ll ever get to” George snapped at him. 

"Oh, so you’re some kind of expert then?” Sapnap glared at him. 

"Compared to you? Yes” George said. 

"Compared to me? Compared to me?” Sapnap repeated himself. 

"I bet you’ve never won shit” Sapnap pointed a finger at him. 

“I'll let you know I've won plenty and I almost made it to the olympics team three times” George snapped at him again, swinging out for his bow again. 

"I’m gonna focus on the word ‘almost’ in that sentence” Sapnap squinted at him with mockery.

"Alright” Bad interrupted them. 

“I get you two are scared, but fighting with each other is the least productive thing you could possibly do right now” Bad said, a clear warning for them to shut up in his voice. 

“Sapnap. Our new friend is clearly in pain and stressed. Stop antagonizing him and leave his belongings alone” Bad looked sternly at Sapnap. 

"Yeah, listen to your dad” George crossed his arms over his chest. 

“He's not my dad!” Sapnap shrieked again. 

“Sapnap” Bad said with a stern look in his eyes. 

Sapnap placed the bow on the table and stood up. 

"Whatever” he mumbled and grabbed his bat off one of the tables, walking towards the window of the shop again, 

"And you” Bad turned his gaze towards George. 

“I get you don’t trust us, but that’s no reason to act like a muffinhead. We only want to help you, so if you don’t have anything nice to say, zip it” Bad said, moving his hand over his mouth like he was zipping his mouth shut. 

George grabbed his bow off the table Sapnap placed it on. He didn’t say anything as he put it by his side and leaned back in his chair with crossed arms. 

Bad just sighed, looking back down at the pot in front of him and reached for one of the plates he had found in the cabinet. 

"Dinner’s ready” he spoke up again. 

……….

It was all for nothing. 

The outside world was a thousand times worse than anything they could ever have imagined. The streets were filled with blood covered bodies. If they hadn’t left base 404 in a vehicle, George didn’t think they would actually have made it. 

They spent almost a  week trying to get to the other base, it was only supposed to take them two days to get to the base, but every road they tried to take was covered in car wrecks or infested with the infected.  

It was like walking through hell trying to get there. 

Their group had started out with about thirty people, five trucks. Over seven days they had lost almost ten people. 

Stopping to rest was not an option, not with the streets full of those things. So a two day trip turned into a week. 

and it was all for nothing. 

They reached the other base, but something must have happened there during that week, cause when they finally got there, it was overrun with infected. They could see it from almost a mile away, the bodies walking across the fields and gathering around the building. 

The trip was for nothing. There were no survivors, and the risk was too big to go inside and look for food. 

Without any other ideas of where they could go, they turned around, heading back to base 404. 

but the safety they knew and expected was gone. 

It was nowhere near as bad as the other base, but it didn't change that it was gone. 

They dared venturing inside, most of them knowing people inside and begging to find survivors. 

The halls inside the base were covered in blood, bodies almost littering the floor like abandoned trash. There were a few infected zombies inside the base, but with a gun in hand they were easily taken care of. 

A few people broke off from the group to find food, while others tried to find their friends and other survivors.

Even with the base reeking of death and the walls covered in blood, it didn’t occur to George that Sam might not be here anymore. A part of him was almost convinced that it was just everyone else, that Sam was fine, and that George would find him somewhere.

George walked towards the radio room, something was almost dragging him there, like something was pulling him towards the door. It was a small room, only a desk and a big radio set up with a microphone and a bunch of wires. 

It would be a good place to hide. 

but as he came up to it, he could see the door handle was broken off. 

George took in a breath and pushed the door open. 

His heart sank to the floor. 

Sam's body was propped up against the wall, blood splatter up behind him by his head, and a gun in his hand. Even standing in the door, George could see the open head wound. 

George stepped closer, feeling the first tears threatening to fall.

It felt unreal. 

Seeing Sam's face so emotionless and covered in blood. 

George squeezed his eyes shut as he felt himself choke up and struggle to breathe. They were supposed to see each other again, but not like this, not with one of them dead on the floor. 

Not knowing what he could do, George stepped closer to Sam's body, his hand moving out and closing Sam's eyes. George dropped his backpack onto the floor, he didn’t care if it was unsafe, if something might sneak up on him, or if this was a waste of supplies. 

George didn’t care. 

Out of his backpack he pulled a fleece blanket, as he unfolded it he noticed a note resting in Sam's other hand. 

Bending down carefully, George grabbed the note out of his hand. He threw the blanket on Sam's body and stood back up, looking down at the poorly written note in his hand. 

George saw his name written at the top of it. 

‘Dear George. 

I don't know if you will ever read this, and a part of me hopes you never will. But in case you find this, I’m sorry. 

I'm sorry I am the reason you are trapped in this hell. 

I'm sorry I brought you here, even when I knew you never wanted to compete in the first place. 

I’m sorry I pressured you, even when I knew you never cared. I should have done more to help you, and I'm sorry I will never get the chance to do so. 

I know you’re tired George, I've known for years, and I'm so sorry I didn’t do more to help you, that I just stood on the sideline and watched as you got worse. I should have done more for you, I'm sorry. 

and even now, after I took the coward’s way out, I beg of you to not do the same. 

The gun has about three more bullets in its chamber, if I didn't miss. Take it, and please, use it for something good. Protect yourself and stay safe. 

If you find a way home, if it even still exists, please tell my family I went out on my own terms. Tell them I love them. 

i’m sorry - Sam’

It was barely coherent, written in a hurry and misspelled multiple places. The fear was clear as day and the tears on George's face just kept falling, rolling down his cheeks and chin, he pulled his glasses off to wipe his eyes. 

George bent down, shoved the blanket slightly to the side to grab the gun out of Sam's hand before covering it up again and standing up.. 

George couldn’t help but think there's a cruel irony in this. 

All these people wanted to live, all these people had worked so hard to stay alive, and George would never know what happened in the time he was gone. 

All these people just wanted to survive, and here George was standing in their remains, struggling to find a reason to get out of bed in the morning or to find a single reason to care for anything. 

All these people wanted to live, and George didn’t even know if he wanted to. 

"I’m not promising anything” George looked down at Sam’s covered up body, 

"But I'll try, for you” George grabbed the strap of his backpack and turned around. He grabbed the broken door handle and pulled the door shut, leaving Sam in his final resting place. 

He wouldn’t get a chance to bury him, not if George didn’t want to be left behind. 

The group had to keep moving. There was not enough food already and they had to find somewhere safe soon. 

George didn’t know where they were, and he really didn’t care. The remaining people in the group voted for who to be in charge, who did what and where they went. It was supposed to make things easier, but when everyone had a gun in their hand or a bow strapped to their backs, it only made the tension grow faster. 

People argued almost constantly, disagreeing with their next cause of action. A gun was drawn more than once and the position of power changed hands constantly. 

But George didn’t care who was in charge or what they did. He'd just follow after whoever seemed to scream the loudest. 

He didn’t trust these people, he’s seen multiple times how they are willing to sacrifice each other if it meant saving their own skin. None of them would risk their own safety to save another member of the group. 

and George can’t blame them, he wouldn’t either.  

They were all just supposed to get more supplies, find food and return back to their current hideout. 

They were searching through what seemed like a run down apartment building. The doors were easy to break down, some of them even standing open already. It was eerie walking through the halls of a strangers home, seeing pictures of smiling faces and drawings made by small kids hanging on the fridge. 

It was weird to think someone used to live here, have a home here, come home from work and eat dinner with their families here. George wondered if his apartment was still there, if that too had been left to gather dust and for strangers to rummage through for food, or if his parents had moved all his stuff back home to them, cause George definitely hadn’t paid his rent in months now. 

George wondered if his parents missed him. 

"Yo, earth to four eyes” a guy not much older than George waved his hand over his head to get George’s attention. 

"We got this here covered, go scavenge the next one” the guy ordered, and George just gave him a dirty look despite his feet moving towards the door. 

George wondered if he missed his parents.

He didn’t really know. 

George walked out of the apartment, looking both ways down the hall. They hadn’t encountered any of the infected yet today, which was fairly odd, but George wasn’t about to complain about it. 

George walked down the hall to the next door, grabbing the door handle and tried to open it, but the door remained locked. George sighed and stepped back, deciding to try kicking the door open. 

He kicked once, twice, but before he could give it another kick, he heard something fall further down the hall. 

George turned his head to look in the direction of the sound, standing completely still as he waited for another noise. 

Then he heard a groan. 

George took a slow step backwards. The hallway was too short for him to use his bow. His aim might be great, but even his reaction time would be too slow compared to those things. 

So instead he reached for the gun Sam had left him.

He spotted the first one, and with the way it charged at him, it was clear as day it saw him too. George fired his gun, shooting the zombie in the chest. It hit the ground with a wet sound and George could hear it gasping for air. He heard his group running out of the apartment they had been in, having heard the shot and assuming the worst. 

But George didn’t get a moment to think as another one came running, and one more, and more. George fired his gun again and again, only to kill one of them. When he tried to pull the trigger again it only made a clicking sound. 

He was out of bullets.  

In a panic, George pulled his bow off his shoulder in time to hit it across the face of the approaching zombie. He turned on his heel, and ran for the stairs in the middle of the hallway, but as he reached it he only saw another zombie down the steps. 

George panicked, looking behind him and seeing a window at the other end of the hall, the only direction clear of any zombies. 

Not seeing any other way out of there, George ran for it. 

He covered his face as he jumped, the glass breaking as he went through it. As he flew through the air, he tried to convince himself that a broken neck was better than getting ripped limb from limb. 

George almost hoped he did break his neck. 

But instead he hit the concrete of the parking lot seconds later and an awful pain shot up through his leg. George wouldn’t have been able to fight the painful cry that escaped him as he reached for it. 

The pain was clouding his mind fast, but he saw his group run out of the doors. He tried calling out to them, even if he knew they wouldn’t do anything to help. He caught one of their eyes, and he saw them hesitate. 

They looked at George, at the doors they just ran out, at the gun in their hand and then at George again. And then they just mouthed what George thought was a pathetic ‘sorry’ before running off. 

George would have cursed at them, if he didn’t hear the fast approaching zombies trying to find their way out and after them. 

George had to think fast, he had to get off the parking lot and somewhere safe. 

Looking around, he spotted multiple cars, many of them broken and windows shattered. George spotted his bow lying among the broken glass just a few feet ahead of him. 

George grinded his teeth as he forced himself up, grabbing his bow off the ground and limped towards the nearest car. 

He pulled the door handle as the first zombie emerged from the shadows of the apartment building and ran for him. The door was locked, but George spotted the car's sunroof standing open. 

George managed to pull out one of the unbroken arrows from the holster on his back, drew the string back in time to hit the zombie in the chest, but more just came running out of the building.  

George hurried to the front of the car, climbing onto the hood of the car and onto the roof. He kicked one of the zombies that reached him in the face, sending it flying back on the ground. 

He shoved his bow through the sunroof, watching it land on the floor of the car. Taking in a deep breath through the pain, George forced himself to crawl through the sunroof, landing on the backseat and twisting his already hurt ankle.

George reached up and slid the sunroof shut just in time as the rest of the zombies surrounded the car and started to shove against its sides. 

George looked at all the doors, seeing them all locked to his own relief. But as he looked up at the windows, he was only met with bloodshot, sunken eyes and bloody faces. 

He found a safe space, but for how long it would last, he didn’t know. 

He had no way out of the car, he had no food or water, and he had no one who would come for him now. 

With those thoughts running through his head, George laid down on the back seat, hugging his bow to his chest, and waited for death. 

……..

For the first time in years, George can’t sleep. 

And it’s all thanks to the pain pumping through the veins in his ankle. The painkiller did little to help, only numbing it slightly. He’d taken two more before he tried to sleep it off, but it just wouldn’t come to him. 

"Are you awake?” Bad’s voice broke through the sound of the rain outside the empty cafe. 

"What gave it away?” George peaked his eyes open, looking towards where Bad was sitting in one of the chairs. 

"You’re frowning” Bad said, his arms crossed over the table. He looked down at where Sapnap was sleeping on the floor, barely a foot away from Bad. 

"I’m sorry about Sapnap” Bad apologized before looking back at George. 

"He’s just scared. It took a lot from him to get you out of that car” Bad tried to explain, but it didn’t really do anything to lighten George's annoyance. 

"Wow. How nice of him” George said sarcastically. 

“Do reckless acts give you a pass to be a dickhead in your group?” George asked. 

"Language” Bad just replied. 

“We saw a group of people run away from your direction earlier. Are they your friends?” Bad asked instead, seeming to change the subject off the sleeping teen on the floor. 

"Friends is a strong word” George huffed and looked down at his bandaged and swollen foot. 

"Especially since they didn't even want to do the courtesy of putting me out of my misery before the zombies could get their hands on me” George shrugged.

"You didn’t expect them to help you?” Bad raised a concerned eyebrow. 

"Not really. They don’t help anyone but themselves” George just sighed, 

"It was only a matter of time before it was my turn to be left for dead” George crossed his arms, rubbing his hands up and down in an attempt to stay warm. 

"So I take it you don’t wanna go back to them?” Bad then asked, and when George looked back at him, Bad was standing much closer, holding out a blanket to him. 

"We can help you get back to them, if you want?” he still offered. 

"If they saw you two and the stuff you have, they’d probably kill you for it” George said but took the blanket. 

"Probably, yeah” Bad agreed and watched as George covered himself up with the blanket, waiting to see if he might want help. 

"You’re free to stay with us too. It’s just me and Sapnap, so there's plenty of room for one more” Bad suggested before walking back towards his chair and sitting back down.

George frowned, looking back down at his ankle before looking at Bad again. 

"Why would you wanna take in dead weight like me? You’re the one that concluded I wouldn’t be able to walk for the next few weeks. I'm literally gonna be eating your resources up” George asked. 

"Cause to me you’re not dead weight” Bad offered a smile. 

"You’re a person in need of help and protection” Bad said as he leaned back in his seat. 

"You can sleep on it if you’re unsure” Bad shrugged. 

"But rest is definitely something you should be getting. We’ll find a safer place tomorrow” Bad said and looked out of the window, watching the rain fall outside, the street only lit up by the moon. 

"I don’t think I need to sleep on it” George said and looked out at the street as well. 

"I think I'll stick around for now” George shrugged, like he didn’t really care whether or not Bad was offering to begin with. 

"Good” Bad just smiled. 

Chapter Text

The rain had long since stopped, the sun having pushed the clouds away from the sky as it rose in the morning, the streets covered in small puddles.

"Fuck, fuck, fuck, fuck” George cursed like a chant under his breath as Bad looked over his ankle, carefully moving it from side to side.

"I know, I'm awful” Bad mumbled, trying to comfort George as he carefully wrapped the ankle up again. He carefully placed it back down on its spot on the chair. Bad leaned back as he sat on his knees, grabbing the pill bottle of painkillers on the table, unscrewing the lid and shaking out two of them.

"I’m still sure your ankle is only sprained, but the fall you had was nasty. You won’t walk for at least two months” Bad held the pills out to George, along with grabbing a water bottle for him.

"Gee thanks, better call an ambulance then” George said sarcastically, grabbing the pills before downing them in one go.

"If only we could” Bad muttered and looked towards the big window of the cafe.

"What are you thinking, Bad?” Sapnap asked, sitting on the desk, the baseball bat still held in his hands.
“Bad?” Sapnap tried to ask again when Bad didn’t answer him.

Bad chewed on the inside of his cheek, thoughts running through his head on what they could and couldn’t do in this situation, and what needed to be done.

"Okay, here’s the plan” Bad said as he turned away from the window to look at Sapnap, getting up from his knees.
"I’m gonna find us a safer place to hide out. We are too out in the open hiding in here. You stay here with George and wait for me” Bad said, reaching for his backpack on one of the tables to pull it over his shoulders.

"What? You’re going out alone? It’s safer if we move as a group” Sapnap protested, jumping off the desk and onto his feet to follow Bad as the older man walked towards the poorly barricaded door.

"Not with George's ankle. We need to know where we’re going before we move everything and everyone there” Bad shook his head.
“If something happens George won’t be able to defend himself. So I need you to stay here with him” Bad just repeated himself, starting to push the small tables and chairs away from the door.

"But-” Sapnap was about to protest again, but Bad turned around and put a hand on his shoulder.

"You were really brave yesterday, Sapnap, and I'm proud of you. But I need you to find a bit more of that bravery again” Bad squeezed his shoulder.

"I’ll be back before it gets dark, and if I'm not, I'll be back tomorrow” Bad promised.
“There's plenty of food and water to last you two for at least a few days” Bad looked over to Sapnap’s backpack on one of the tables.

"But… what if you don’t come back?” Sapnap asked.

"Then I hope you listened to everything I have taught you so far” Bad just smiled, squeezing Sapnap’s shoulder one more time before letting it drop.

"I’ll be back in a few hours” Bad just repeated himself, pushing at the table in front of the door again.

Sapnap didn’t like the thought of Bad leaving again, but he wasn’t in any position to stop him. Sapnap placed his baseball bat down on one of the tables and pulled one of the tables out of the way.

Sapnap watched anxiously as Bad stepped out into the street, hesitating to close the door and shove the small tables and chairs in front of it again. He wanted to call after Bad, tell him to come back, or grab his bat and run after him.

But Bad gave him a job already. Stay put, look after George, and wait for him.

Sapnap could do that, he could do that, he told himself as he got the tables back in place, grabbing his bat and walking back into the main area of the cafe and sitting down.

"He’ll be fine” George said after a moment, looking at Sapnap’s shaking hands.

"I know” Sapnap looked out of the big window.

George didn’t say much after that, closing his eyes and breathing through the discomfort he was in, or maybe he was trying to fall asleep, Sapnap wasn’t sure.

Sapnap tried to keep still, on alert and ready, but he felt like his heart was caught in his throat, choking him more and more for every hour that passed, beating faster everytime he walked over to the window to look for Bad.

"Jesus, sit the fuck down” George snapped at him, the first words spoken in at least two hours. Sapnap turned around to glare at him, cause who the fuck was George to snap at him?

“Oh, don't give me that. You’re trying to act like some scary guard dog, but you look like a chihuahua. Sit down before you give yourself a heart attack” George snapped at him, looking down at a small pile of arrows poured out on the table next to him and the bow.

Sapnap looked at George, at the arrow he had picked up and bent slightly before slowly running his hand over it. Sapnap huffed a bit before mumbling something in retaliation to George's chihuahua insult, but decided not to voice it out loud as he walked back over and sat down in one of the chairs close to George.

He looked at the big window again, placing his bat in his lap, careful not to get nicked by one of the nails in the wood. Sapnap watched quietly as George put an arrow over in a new pile, grabbed a new one, bent it slightly, ran his fingers along it carefully before looking at the nock of the arrow.

“Where are you from?” Sapnap asked, thinking small talk might as well help kill the time as anything else.

“Excuse me?” George asked, looking over at him.

"You have a British accent. Are you from London?” Sapnap asked, drumming his fingers over the wood of his bat.

"No, I'm not from London” George rolled his eyes.
“I'm from Brighton” George answered anyway.

"Never heard of it” Sapnap shrugged, leaning back in his chair as George placed the arrow in his hand over in his new pile.

“Clearly, if your first guess was London” George huffed, a smile tugging at the corner of his lips.

"Well… I'm from Texas” Sapnap offered, finding their small talk very tense to carry.

George shot him a weird look as he picked up another one of his arrows, his brow furrowed with mild confusion as he looked Sapnap over.

"What?” Sapnap asked.

"You don’t look like someone from Texas” George shrugged, as if that was enough explanation, bending the arrow in his hands slightly.

"What’s that supposed to mean?” Sapnap frowned confused.
"What do you expect Texans to look like? cowboys?” Sapnap asked.

“I mean, a bit. You just look too scrawny to be Texan” George chuckled at Sapnap’s annoyance.

“I'm not scrawny, I'm just… a growing boy is all” Sapnap muttered, flustered as his cheeks went red.

“For your sake I’d hope so” George just laughed at him, looking back down at the arrow in his hands.

Sapnap was about to open his mouth and shoot a comment back at George, when he saw the other frown down at his arrow and break it in half.

“Why would you do that? Don’t you need those?” Sapnap asked confused as he watched George throw the broken arrow onto the floor.

“It was damaged. If I shot a damaged arrow it would just break and go flying into my hand” George explained as he picked up another arrow from his small pile.

“Oh…” Sapnap nodded and watched as George checked the new arrow.

“Can I help check them?” He asked then.

George looked up at him again, weighing his answers before nodding.
“You wanna look for cracks, like splinters” George started to explain, Sapnap grabbed his chair and scooching closer to him so he could better look as George talked.

It killed the time, for at least a bit.

The arrows ran out fast between the two of them, and a good handful had been broken in half before George packed the remaining few arrows in half.

Sapnap asked George why he was in Florida, how he got into archery, what he used to do before the outbreak.

George didn’t seem very excited to answer any of Sapnap’s questions, answering with the bare minimum of detail. But he did ask Sapnap a few questions too, so Sapnap took it as a win.

"You suck at that” George complained as he watched Sapnap fail to light up the small lime grill.

"Shut up, Bad made it look so easy when he showed me” Sapnap shot back at him, using a butter knife from the kitchen to try and nudge a lit piece of paper under the remains of a broken chair, awkwardly placed in the grill.

"I hope you’re better at cooking than you are at starting a fire” George crossed his arms, casting his eyes down to look at the flames lick up against the polished wood.

Sapnap shot George a glare as he bent down to blow at the flame, hoping it would finally catch on instead of wither out. Slowly, but surely it did, making Sapnap grin.
"I told you I could do it” Sapnap pointed at George with victory.

"Alright you pyromaniac, what’s for dinner?” George asked as Sapnap dragged his backpack closer to himself.
"Mhm we have beef ravioli” Sapnap said as he fished out a red can from his bag.

"Hopefully the premade kind. I don’t trust you not to give me food poisoning” George teased as Sapnap fumbled to get the lid off the can.

"If you get food poisoning it’s your stomach’s fault” Sapnap shot back at him as he poured the ravioli into the small pot always used, and carefully tried to place the pot among the flames without burning himself.

“Wow, way to put the blame on me, so mature of you” George huffed.

Sapnap started to stir the butter knife through the red pasta sauce and ravioli in the pot, not giving George the luxury of a response. Instead, Sapnap looked towards the big window.

It was almost completely dark out. Had the world still been the same as before, the street lights would be about to turn on. Bad should have been back by now, and Sapnap couldn’t stop his brain from running miles a minute with what could possibly have happened to him.

"Hey” George’s voice drew his attention back to him.
"He’ll be fine” George tried to reassure him.

"I know” Sapnap looked back at the pot, stirring a bit faster through the red sauce, trying to convince himself that Bad would be okay.

He said he’d come back, and if not today, then tomorrow. Sapnap believed Bad more than anyone else.

Sapnap kept stirring till he was sure the ravioli was thoroughly cooked and ready to eat, pouring half of the pot onto a plate for George and then the rest on a plate for himself.

Small talk and insults filled the air as they ate, bantering back and forth over whether or not it was undercooked or not. Sapnap didn’t know if George kept complaining just so Sapnap didn’t get a chance to focus on anything else, but a small part of him appreciated it.

The fire was still going when it happened.

Sapnap had broken a leg off one of the chairs and threw onto the small fire, and as the flames started to burn it up, a loud bang rang through the cafe, making both Sapnap and George freeze up in their seats.

Sapnap reached for his bat and backpack, pulling it slowly towards himself as they heard another bang come from the door. It was completely dark out, not even the moon letting them see outside.

“Sapnap?” George whispered, reaching for the bow laying on the table and his case of arrows.

"Stay here” Sapnap whispered back as he pulled out a flashlight from the backpack, getting up from his chair and stepping towards the door with his bat held high. If George noticed the way Sapnap’s hand with the flashlight shook, he didn’t mention it.

Sapnap clicked on the light of the flashlight as he heard George slide back an arrow, ready to back him up if something should happen.

Sapnap pointed the beam of light towards the glass door, seeing a bloody handprint smeared across the glass but nobody behind it.

"I don’t see-” Sapnap was about to lower his bat and look back at George when something slammed up against the big window. Sapnap jumped and screamed before he managed to point the flashlight up and reveal what had slammed against the glass.

Through the glass they saw Bad, who blinked as he was blinded by the light. He had a bloody rag tied around his hand and red smeared across his face. He knocked on the glass again and mouthed something before pointing to the door.

"On it!” Sapnap nodded and sprinted towards the door, shoving chairs and tables out of the way, pulling the door open and shutting it again as soon as Bad was inside.

"Are you okay?” Sapnap asked with panic in his voice as he tried to barricade the door again.

"I’m fine” Bad’s voice answered him as he stepped over to sit down, taking deep breaths like he had run a marathon. The hand covered in a bloody rag was naked from the gardening glove normally covering it.

"Did you get bit?” George asked with a frown, the arrow still pulled back but lowered in his hands.

"No” Bad spoke through gritted teeth, shaking his head.

"Show me” George frowned, still not letting go of his bow or the arrow.

“George-” Sapnap was about to snap at him, but Bad interrupted.

"No, no. George's right” Bad agreed, unraveling the rag from his hand with deep pained breaths before turning his hand to show both George and Sapnap. His palm was bloody, but the clean cut was clear as day.

"I had a run in with one of the infected, fumbled with the knife and got cut” Bad explained simply, looking at George again.
"Good instinct. Always question it, no matter how much trust there is between us” Bad praised George.

George finally let his arrow glide off his bow and put it back on the table.
"Are you gonna be okay?” George asked as Sapnap hurried over to grab the first aid.

"Do you need stitches? Can you do stitches on the palm of a hand?” Sapnap mumbled to himself as he looked through the different supplies and resources in the tiny box.

“Sapnap” Bad called over to him, making the younger look up and towards him with big eyes.
"I’m fine. Take a deep breath” Bad looked between them both, trying to reassure them both that the cut was nothing more than a hiccup.

"I just need a cleansing wipe and clean bandage to wrap around” he said and waved Sapnap over with the first aid kit. Sapnap nodded, hurtling over with the box and pulled out a wrapped up little foil square, opening it and pulling out the wipe for Bad.

"You scared the shit out of me” Sapnap finally said as they watched Bad wipe off the blood, trying not to focus on the sting.

"I know, I'm sorry” Bad nodded, the cut on his palm turning cleaner and cleaner with every swipe of the wipe.

"Did you find anything? You were gone for hours” George asked, leaning back in his chair and letting his muscles relax.

"Yep” Bad nodded, taking the cut bandage Sapnap offered him and started to tie it around his hand, before he reached for his pocket and pulled out what looked like a dirty crumbled tourist map of the city.

"Alright, here’s what I'm thinking we do” Bad said as he unfolded a map, placing it down on his lap so they both could get a view, despite George being unable to move from the seat across the fire.

"Where did you get a map from?” Sapnap asked, looking confused.

“I found a gas station about a mile away from here” Bad started to explain, pointing on the map.

“How far?” George asked with a raised eyebrow.

"A mile” Bad looked up at him, only to see George frown confused at him.

“... Oh right, you’re european” Bad nodded after a moment.
"It’s about one and a half kilometer away” Bad explained.

“Anyway, I have secured the gas station, and it hasn’t been raided yet so we have supplies to last us a good while as George's ankle heals,” Bad explained.

“When George is able to walk again, we’ll start making our way out of the city. We’ll cut through the suburbs and head north. Hopefully we will find more food and resources as we move along” Bad said, his finger moving over the streets on the map.

"Why are we moving out of town?” Sapnap asked.

"Well, now that we know there are other survivors in the city that aren't kind or cooperative to strangers, it’s best for us to avoid them” Bad answered and looked up at Sapnap.

"Yeah, my old group wouldn’t waste a second before robbing you two” George agreed as he crossed his arms.

“So we'll keep moving once George is well enough to walk. Hopefully the chaos from yesterday was enough to keep them scared away for at least a little while” Bad said as he folded the map up again.

"Oh trust me, they aren’t coming near here again anytime soon” George assured him.

Bad opened his mouth to say something else, but then Sapnap threw his arms around him, hugging him awkwardly from the side.
“Sapnap?” Bad glanced down at him, putting a hand on Sapnap’s back.

"I was so worried you weren’t coming back” Sapnap whispered into Bad’s dirty jacket.

"I told you I'd come back” Bad smiled softly at him, rubbing his good hand over Sapnap’s back gently.
"I made you a promise, didn’t i? If I say I'm coming back, then I mean it. I keep my word no matter what” Bad tried to comfort him.

"Still… “Sapnap just muttered.

Bad moved back from Sapnap’s hug to look at him, ruffling his hair before saying,
"You look tired. Get some rest”.

"But you’ve been out all day, I can take the first watch” Sapnap protested and pulled back.

"I can manage for an hour or two” Bad shut him down, leaning back in his chair.
"Get some sleep. We’ll move out of here first thing in the morning” Bad said and looked at the fire, grabbing one of the broken chair legs and threw it onto the fire.

"Okay” Sapnap nodded, getting up and packing away the first aid kit.

Sapnap was out cold in less than twenty minutes, snoring softly next to Bad’s chair. George was a bit jealous if he had to be honest, how easy Sapnap could just fall asleep. He missed being able to just close his eyes and drift off no matter where he was.

God he missed it.

“No sleep tonight?” Bad’s voice drew George back out of his head again, looking up at the other. They’re sitting much like they did last night, Bad giving him that oddly comforting smile.

"Seems like it” George muttered, looking down as Sapnap’s sleeping bag moved to lay on his side, curling up like a caterpillar next to Bad.

“I'm like fifty percent sure you two are related” George admitted as he gazed up at Bad again.

"What? why?” Bad asked with a furrowed brow.

"The way you act around each other. You’re acting like his dad” George shrugged.

"I do not” Bad denied.

“Yes, you do. ‘You were so brave, I'm so proud of you’ that's dad talk" George pointed out, rubbing his hands over his arms for warmth before grabbing the blanket Bad had offered to him last night.

"Well… I can’t deny that, no. But I'm not Sapnap’s dad. I'm only twenty eight, for crying out loud” Bad said.

"Then how come you look after him like that then?” George asked as he unfolded the blanket and fumbled to throw it over his levitated leg.

"It’s just who I am” Bad shrugged, like that was explanation enough to satisfy George's curiosity.

"And Sapnap needing to sleep right next to you is just the way he is?” George asked, looking over at Bad again.

“... Sapnap has some issues, and if being close to me helps, I'm not gonna deny him that” Bad said, picking his words carefully.

"What issues?” George tilted his head.

"Not my place to say” Bad’s gaze fell down on the fire, watching the flames crackle and pop under the wood.

“If we're supposed to be a team, shouldn’t I know if he has issues?” George challenged with a raised eyebrow. Bad didn’t say anything for a moment, just the sound of the fire and Sapnap’s soft snores filled the room.

“Fine” Bad agreed, leaning over to grab another piece of the broken furniture and shoving it onto the fire.
"But only if you tell me why you can’t sleep?” Bad looked up at George.

George pulled the blanket up closer to his chest, crossing his arms under the blanket. He chose not to look at Bad as he answered, he didn’t need someone to pretend to parent him through his problems.

“I used to be able to sleep all the time, I could sleep for almost fourteen hours if I was left to my own devices” George said, taking his turn to look at the fire.
“I hate being awake, dealing with the people around me makes me exhausted, dealing with anything really makes me exhausted” George admitted.

“But since the outbreak, I haven't been able to sleep” George shrugged, like it was no big deal.

“I don't know if it’s the stress, or if it’s some form of self preservation instinct. But it almost feels like I've been sleeping so much in preparation for this, if that makes sense?” George looked at Bad.

"It does” Bad nodded in agreement.

“Now what’s Sapnap’s problem?” George asked, looking down at the sleeping boy on the floor.

"Getting right to it, I see” Bad chuckled, looking down at Sapnap next to him, seeing his sleeping face, barely inches away from the leg of Bad’s chair. Bad placed a hand on top of Sapnap’s sleeping bag.

"I can only tell you this much. I found Sapnap in a much worse state than when we found you” Bad started off.

"I was crossing a college campus, looking for survivors or anyone that might need help. I didn't find anyone, so I ventured inside to look. I have no idea how Sapnap got there, but I found him passed out, starving and dehydrated half way out of a cabinet. It was amazing how something else hadn’t found him before I did” Bad stroked over Sapnap’s sleeping bag.

“I don't know how long he was in there, but ever since I found him he’s been like this, needing to be close to me. I think he might have developed some claustrophobia from that cabinet, but I haven't asked him about it“ Bad looked up at George again.

"All I know is that if he wakes up alone or in the dark, he gets scared. Not that I can blame him” Bad said with a soft nod to himself.

"I didn’t like the idea of leaving earlier, because if I didn’t come back, I had no idea what Sapnap would do. But you were here, so it couldn’t have been too bad” Bad admitted, leaning his elbows on his knees.

"I guess I do act a bit like a dad” Bad chuckled, smiling to George from across the small grill, the flames illuminating his face in the dark.

"About your sleep issue” Bad tried to circle back around, but George shook his head.

"Don’t” George shut him down.
"Don’t parent me. I don't need an informative lecture on why I can't sleep or why I could before. I know what my problem is, and it’s that I simply don’t care” George said with a frown, looking Bad straight in the eye and watching the way Bad’s shoulders sank.

"I don’t need you to parent me the way you do with Sapnap. So please spare me the rant” George turned to look away from him.

“... Alright” Bad nodded.
"But if you do wanna talk about it at some point, I'm willing to listen” Bad said, leaning back in his chair and backing off from the conversation George didn’t want to have.

"You should still try to get some sleep. Tomorrow won’t be very fun for you” Bad suggested instead, rubbing his hands together and blowing his breath over them.

"Right” George mumbled and pulled the blanket up higher to his shoulders.
"Night, Bad” George closed his eyes and leaned his head back.

"Good night, George” Bad smiled.

………….

The neighborhood was quiet as Bad moved through it, backpack light on his back and his gun in hand.

Normally, Bad wouldn’t use his handgun as his first weapon of choice, his knife making for a much better choice. But since moving their location and scavenging in the suburbs, he didn’t wanna risk anything.

Especially not when leaving Sapnap and George alone was so hard in the first place.

They had found a small house to hide out in, securing all the doors and windows against any intruders or infected. George’s ankle was no longer swollen, but he was still highly dependent on Sapnap and Bad to protect him. He struggled to move through the house, needing to lean against the walls or against one of them for balance.

Their pain killers were close to running out, and so far Bad hadn’t had any luck finding a new replacement for it.

Bad knew he shouldn’t be out here alone, big cities were dangerous, but the suburbs were just as dangerous. Homes of families and people who had been in lockdown all around them. It was only one wrong choice, one wrong move, and Bad would have more problems on his hands than he could possibly imagine.

So getting overwhelmed was not an option. The gun was his fastest and most effective weapon.

He simply couldn’t risk it.

He stood in the back garden of a small house, from the looks of it, there was no upstairs, so it lowered the potential for danger a lot more. Looking through the windows and into the house, he saw no signs of any infected or other survivors. He continued walking along the wall of the house till he reached what looked like a broken screen door, the door itself hanging off its hinges.

If Bad were to guess anything, someone or something had tried to escape the house, abandoning it without a second thought. He looked through the broken screen door, seeing not a soul inside.

Bad lowered himself, pushing the screen door open with the palm of his hand slowly, reaching for a rock on the ground and throwing it inside. He heard it hit something and hit the floor with a bang.

Bad waited for any other noises, for something to react to the bang, but after a moment of silence, and nothing happened, Bad deemed it safe enough to move inside.

He held his gun in firm hands as he got up, taking a step into the house. It was clear to anyone that whoever had been here before him, had left in a hurry. Pictures were still hanging on the wall, some having fallen and shattered onto the floor. Furniture was overturned, papers were scattered across the room, blood smeared in scattered spots on the floor, and as Bad moved towards the kitchen, he saw glass and porcelain shards on the floor.

Whoever had been here wasn’t here anymore.

Not wasting any time, Bad pulled his backpack off his back and got to work. He opened all the cabinets, the drawers and the fridge, looking for any and all things that might be of use.

He found a few cans of tomatoes and beans, batteries, half eaten bags of cereal, rice and pasta, bandaids, soap, a bottle of soda, a flashlight, a lighter and a package of crackers. He shoved it all into his backpack, stuffing it down as he went along.

He opened the cabinet under the sink and found some plastic bags, cleaning supplies, but most importantly of all, a white box full of pill bottles.

"Bingo” Bad whispered as he pulled it up on the counter and started to look through the bottles, reading the labels quickly.

"Anti depressant?, no… baclofen? no… anti inflammatories? against pain, yes” Bad muttered under his breath, pulling the different bottles aside and packing up the ones he needed. Among all the bottles, he found sleeping medication, more painkillers in smaller doses, iron tablets, and even more with names he didn’t know or recognize.

He stashed it away quickly, zipping up the bag as it started to reach its limits. He pulled it up over his shoulder, but in the process he failed to see the paper towel holder on the counter, knocking it over and sending it flying off the end of the counter.

Bad didn’t notice till it made a loud bang against the floor, followed by the sound of something else hitting the floor as well. Bad turned around, gun raised and ready as he looked around with held breath.

He stood frozen for just a moment, waiting for something, anything to come sprinting at him.

But when nothing did, he let out a deep breath, stepping around to see what he had knocked over.

On the floor, he spotted an aluminum elbow crutch, resting among the glass and mess on the floor. Bad picked it up from the ground with a soft frown, looking it over before letting his eyes move towards some of the pictures hanging in the living room.

With the crutch in hand, he walked over to look at the pictures. In the first photo he saw, three people were smiling in the photo, an older couple and a boy wearing a graduation robe, a rolled piece of paper in one hand and the crutch in the other.

Bad knew he shouldn't look at the pictures. Entering their homes and stealing their food and items were a violation enough, but there was something about staring at personal family pictures, wondering what these peoples names were, what their lives before were like, and what had happened to them, since that felt so cruel.

To them or himself, he didn’t know.

Bad was about to turn to look towards another picture, when he finally heard another noise in the house, one that wasn’t made by him.

Bad turned towards the noise, looking down a long hallway and towards a door. He shouldn’t go towards it. He should just take the crutch and leave, he had Sapnap and George waiting for him, depending on him.

And yet, his feet still moved towards the hallway instead.

With his gun held firmly in his hands, deep breath in his lungs and lowered form, he crept closer to the door. The floorboards creaked slightly under his weight, and Bad heard the undeniable groan of an infected on the other side of the door.

Bad looked at the doorknob, his brain screaming at him to turn around and leave before anything went south. But something in him told him to move anyway. Carefully, he pushed the door open, gun held out and ready for something, anything to jump on him.

He almost wished it did.

On the floor, convulsing and heaving for air laid the body of the boy in the photo. Just like all the other infected, his eyes were bloodshot and sunken into his skull, pale and covered in blood. It reached for Bad’s feet, but to no avail. Between the gasping and heaving for air, the way its feet struggled to find any ground or way to push itself off, it was in pain, more than an infected should be.

In panic, Bad’s brain made him grab the doorknob, pulling it shut again before the boy could reach him.

He held the door shut, trying to breathe.

That boy didn’t look any older than Sapnap or George, and looking back at the kitchen and the living room, Bad could picture this boy before, how this was his first home, the dreams he had, how he might have been getting a degree at the same college he found Sapnap, how this boy had struggled so much through his life only to end up like this.

On the floor of his home, heaving for the next breath and suffering in pain.

Bad should go. He should go back to Sapnap and George, check they were okay, that they were still there and breathing.

But Bad didn’t move.

The gun in his hand felt so heavy.

"I’m sorry” Bad took a deep breath.

…………….

Sapnap’s feet felt sore as they traveled over the concrete road, and even if he was sure he wasn’t the only one, he refused to admit it first. No way George was gonna let him go unteased for it if he did.

Bad didn’t like them staying in the suburbs for as long as they had, but moving had become easier since Bad found the crutch for George. And as tempting as staying put in one house sounded, it wasn’t a luxury they could afford to risk.

“When are we stopping?” George asked, limping behind Bad as he leaned on the crutch.

"We’re just looking for a new place” Bad spoke over his shoulder, keeping the slow pace for George to keep up.

"Isn’t that what we’ve been doing for the last few hours already?” George asked, panting slightly.

"No, that was covering ground. Now we are looking for a new place” Bad answered him, looking down the streets as they passed another cul-de-sac.

"Jesus” George cursed under his breath.

"Aw, tired already Gogy?” Sapnap snickered as he walked behind the brit.

"Okay, don’t even pretend your feet aren’t hurting back there. I see you walking on your toes” George just shot back at him, moving his bow out of the way to shoot a glare at Sapnap.

"I have no idea what you’re talking about, Gogy” Sapnap just grinned.

"Ssh” Bad suddenly hushed at them, stopping in his tracks. Both boys turned to look at Bad, freezing where they stood.

"What is it, Bad?” Sapnap whispered, holding his bat in both hands and looking at the houses.

"Look” Bad said quietly and pointed down the road. By the end of the street, a small group of deers were grazing on the lawns of the houses.

"Oh wow” George said under his breath.

"Yeah” Sapnap agreed quietly, lowering his bat.
"Why do you think they’re here?” Sapnap asked after another quiet moment of admiring the small herd of deers.

"Food, the lack of people must have made them comfortable enough to come here” Bad answered, looking at the houses.

"Is it a good sign for us?” George asked.

"Maybe. No people could mean no infected, but don’t let your guards down” Bad answered, looking at the lack of the cars on the road or in the driveways.
"Maybe they evacuated” he wondered out loud to himself.

Bad looked back at the deers, one of them sniffing the grass around a mailbox. He smiled softly and looked to the two boys next to him, the two still staring at the herd.

“Sapnap” Bad smiled at him, getting the other’s attention as Bad reached for his holster and pulled out his handgun.
"I think it’s time I teach you about gun safety in the apocalypse” he said.

"What, really? But you said we can only use them if it’s absolutely necessary” Sapnap asked with big eyes, hurrying behind George and over to Bad’s side.

"And you really shouldn’t, but I don’t plan on getting in a wrestling match with a deer for dinner either” Bad chuckled, pointing the gun away from himself as he looked the gun over.

"Alright. Rule one, always assume a gun is loaded and the safety is off, no matter if it’s in your hands or someone else, the gun is loaded” Bad said, tilting the gun sideways to show it off to Sapnap.

"This button here is to release the magazine” Bad explained, clicking the small button and grabbing the magazine in his other hand as it popped out.

"So what you wanna do when loading a gun is pop in the magazine, pull this top part here back, and now it’s loaded” Bad explained as he showed the steps to Sapnap, going slow and careful both so Sapnap could process the information and to avoid spooking the deers.

"Got it” Sapnap nodded.

"Alright, second rule of using a gun. Never, and I mean, never point the gun at anything you’re not willing to shoot. Got it?” Bad asked, holding the gun out of Sapnap’s reach and giving him a stern look.

"Yes” Sapnap just nodded again, taking in every word Bad spoke.

“This is gonna be fun” George mumbled and limped over to lean against one of the street lights by the sidewalk, getting out of the way for what was most likely gonna be a disaster.

"Alright, here” Bad offered the gun to Sapnap, watching as the younger man carefully took it.
"Don’t put your finger on the trigger until you have your target in sight” Bad hurried to say as he saw how Sapnap held the gun, stepping in to fix his grip.

"Use both hands” Bad grabbed Sapnap’s other hand and placed it on the gun.
"The recoil of it is gonna be stronger than a rifle, so make sure you’re prepared for it” Bad warned him, taking a step back and letting Sapnap aim.

“... Where should I aim?” Sapnap then asked, hearing George snort a laugh in response.

"Just pick one of the deer and aim for the body, it’ll be easier to hit” Bad responded, watching Sapnap nod and take in a deep breath. It was clear as day that Sapnap had no experience holding a firearm, hands shaking as he tried to aim the muzzle of the gun

"You get one shot, alright? We gotta save on the ammo. And be prepared for how loud it is” Bad spoke up again, seeing how Sapnap hesitated to shoot.
“Normally you should be wearing some kind of protection for your ears and eyes, but we don’t have that” Bad kept talking, hoping it would help relax Sapnap.

"And whatever you do, do not drop the gun, it’s loud and you will jump. But you are in control, alright?” Bad coached.
"The gun won’t fire by itself” Bad assured him.

"I got it, just give me a moment, I don’t wanna miss” Sapnap replied taking another deep breath as he picked out one of the male deers on the land. Sapnap didn’t know why he felt so nervous, it was just a deer, and it wasn’t like Bad or George would judge him if he missed.

But the gun just felt so heavy in his hands.

"Stop squinting idiot, look where you’re aiming” George’s voice interrupted Sapnap’s train of thought to taunt him.

"I’m not squinting” Sapnap mumbled, but did try to keep his eyes just a tiny bit more open to prove George wrong. Sapnap took in another deep breath, trying to hype himself up enough to pull the trigger, letting his finger hover over it.

"If you don’t shoot soon it’s gonna run away” George commented again, making Sapnap flinch.

"And don’t flinch, it’s not gonna hurt you” George rolled his eyes at Sapnap as he tried to stifle a chuckle.

“George, let him take his time, so far the deer doesn’t seem bothered by us” Bad stepped in, giving George a stern look to stop teasing.

But that didn’t seem to stop George from expressing his thoughts.

"Stop shaking, it’s not gonna hurt you” George commented again, looking Sapnap’s body over, seeing his knees shake.

"I’m not shaking” Sapnap said through gritted teeth.

"Sure you’re not”

"Oh why don’t you try it if you’re so fucking good at it then?” Sapnap snapped at George, pointing the gun down at the concrete of the street.

And as if Sapnap had challenged George’s honor, he grabbed his bow off his shoulder, pulled an arrow back and let it fly all in under a few seconds. It hit the male deer, the animal falling to the ground with a dying cry and kicking in pain, scarring the other deers to run off the lawn and off into the gardens and mazes of houses.

George leaned back against the street light with a smug grin, moving his bow back up to rest on his shoulder.

“... Show off” Sapnap glared.

“Sapnap, concentrate. The animal is in pain, take it out” Bad grabbed Sapnap’s arm and lifted it up again, startling Sapnap just a bit.
"Or I'm gonna have to do it” Bad said.

"Right, sorry” Sapnap apologized on instinct, taking a deep breath and aiming the gun at the deer, watching it move erratically on the grass but unable to get up and run away as blood was starting to flow out of the arrow wound.

Sapnap took in another deep breath, held it and then pulled the trigger.

The bullet left the barrel of the gun with a loud bang, Sapnap flinched slightly and stumbled backwards, but managed not to drop the gun or fire again in the process. He felt Bad’s hand catch his back and prevent him from falling.

The bullet hit the deer’s leg, another cry leaving the animal.

"Good job Sapnap, I'll take it from here” Bad assured him with a clap on his shoulder, pulling out his knife and hurrying towards the deer to put it out of its misery.

"Nice shot, for a first time, I guess” George shrugged, getting a grip on the crutch and pushing himself off the street light.

"Thanks” Sapnap decided to take the compliment.

Bad called their names down by the lawn, the deer now lying lifeless on the green grass.

"Let’s get this house secured and drag this inside. I can make us stew or something” Bad called to them, the two boys hurrying down to help him.

The two boys didn’t know if pushing an old vintage dresser was more difficult than pulling a deer into a small kitchen, but Bad made sure both of those happened before they were able to finally sit down and take in the little house that would be their home for the next few days.

……..

Sapnap didn’t know if it was intentional, if the universe was showing him yet another sign of change, if he had any impact or influence to change the future.

A part of him would later tell him that he did, that he just didn’t see it happening.

It was late, normally the grill would have been going by now, but Bad had gotten the fireplace started instead, the fire lighting up the room more than the grill could ever hope to.

Sapnap had coughed during dinner, more than the normal amount when clearing his throat.

It caused Bad to worry, leaning across the dinner table and putting a hand against Sapnap’s forehead, feeling for any signs of a fever.

"I’m fine, just got something caught in my throat” Sapnap had tried to explain it away. The attention of being worried for was nice, but not needed.

Bad had let his hand rest on Sapnap’s forehead a moment longer before nodding, moving his hand away, causing Sapnap’s bangs to fall in his face.

"You look like a homeless lion with that hair” George had commented with his mouth full as Sapnap tried to blow the hair out of his face.

"No I don’t” Sapnap denied and moved a hand up to shove the hair out of his face.

"We could cut it shorter if you want, it has been falling in your face a lot” Bad suggested as he shoved another mouthful of rice into his mouth.

"Do you know how to cut hair too? Is there anything you don’t know?” Sapnap asked, his bangs falling into his face again.

"Fanboy” George pretended to cough into his hand, only to receive a kick to his good leg under the table.

"Okay, don’t get ahead of yourselves. I used to cut my dog’s hair” Bad explained, scraping his fork through the rice on his plate.

"Hah! Fitting, the guard dog gets a dog grooming” George laughed, receiving a smack to his arm this time.

But despite George's teasing and comments, Sapnap did end up sitting in the chair after dinner, Bad’s scarf draped over his chest and shoulders like an apron, as the older man used a pair of kitchen scissors to cut his hair.

"You look stupid” George snickered from his spot on the couch, turning the page of a book every once in a while, but Sapnap doubted he was actually reading it.

"What? No I don’t” Sapnap denied, turning around to reach for the hand mirror Bad found for him, only for Bad to turn his head back to face forward.

"Don’t move around so much” Bad shook his head, gently grabbing a lock of Sapnap’s hair to snip. Sapnap glared over at George as the brit just kept snickering and making comments.

“Bad, you should give him a buzz cut”

"How about a mohawk? Complete the look for the end of the world”

"Oh, I see a bald spot”

“Bad, tell him to stop” Sapnap whined, looking up at the older man with a pout, but Bad just chuckled along with George.

"Isn’t it great?” Bad asked with a smile.
"Worrying about something so small for once?” Bad asked, squeezing Sapnap’s shoulders, ruffling the hair slightly and watching it fall naturally on Sapnap’s head.

"Not really. George is being a jackass” Sapnap coughed and glared over at George again, who just stuck his tongue out at him.

"Language” Bad mumbled, concentrating on Sapnap’s hair before stepping back and reaching for the hand mirror on the table.

"You’re done” Bad smiled and held the mirror up in front of Sapnap, the younger man taking it carefully, moving it around a bit as he looked at the work Bad had done.

It was far from professional, his hair fell in awkwardly cut layers around his ears, unlike before where it was starting to reach his shoulders. A few parts cut in straight lines and didn’t blend it just right, but his bangs didn’t fall in his eyes anymore, so he couldn’t really complain.

"Thanks, looks good” Sapnap smiled up at Bad, handing him the hand mirror. Sapnap moved his hands up to undo the knot on the scarf around his shoulders, shaking the locks of hair off and letting it fall to the floor.

"Here” Sapnap said as he offered the checkered scarf back to its rightful owner.

And Sapnap should have known it at that moment, he should have known it from the way Bad looked down at him, he should have known it from the way Bad said it.

"Keep it, I don’t want your cough to get worse” Bad smiled, turning to put away the mirror and the kitchen scissors.

Sapnap looked after him for a moment, then down at the checkered scarf before tying it back around his neck, hoping it would get rid of the soreness starting to appear in the back of his throat.

The rest of the night passed by in a blur, and had Sapnap known this would be their last night together, he would have wished it lasted just a bit longer.

Did Bad know it was their last night together?

Was that why he left the gun behind with them? and the grill? and the first aid kit? and everything else?

It was just like all the other times Bad left them alone.

Bad was not supposed to be gone for long, an hour or two at most.

Bad was just supposed to scout out the area, make a plan of action for how they got out of the city and onto the highway, and then maybe look for food. It wasn’t anything new, it was just like all the other times they moved to a new location.

But as the hours passed and the sky got darker, it became clear to both Sapnap and George.

Bad wasn’t coming home.

"He’ll be back” was a sentence George and Sapnap found themselves saying more and more with every day that passed, but Bad never came walking down the street, never knocked on the window to be let back inside.

It was a harsh reality to take in.

That they were alone now, just the two of them.

But not once did the thought of Bad leaving them on purpose cross their mind.

Cause that wasn’t Bad.

That wasn’t the man that nursed Sapnap from the brink of starvation, or the man that risked his life to save a stranger from a car.

The Bad they knew wouldn’t leave them.

He promised them.

They waited for almost a month, rationing their food down to avoid making unnecessary ventures outside for scavenging. They didn’t want to leave in case Bad came back soon after, in case they just had to wait one day more, one hour more, one minute more for Bad to come knocking on the door again.

Sapnap tried once to go looking for him.

It was an ugly day. With the gun in hand Sapnap had moved the dresser barricading the door, George yelling at Sapnap not to step out that door, that they had to stay together.

Sapnap just wanted to go look for Bad, in case he was hurt and needed help.

In the end, Sapnap didn’t make it further than to the street sign.

The suburbs were one big maze of identical houses, and even with the map, Sapnap had no idea of where he should look.

George called his name again, and Sapnap turned on his heel, sprinting down the concrete road and back onto the porch.

“He'll come back” George tried to assure him as he pushed the old dresser back in front of the door, trying not to stare as tears ran down Sapnap’s face.

They waited a month before they had to make the decision.

Sapnap still didn’t know if he was grateful or not that George was the one that started the conversation.

It was raining again, Sapnap was sitting in the arm chair and watching the pots and pans they had put out to collect rain water through the window. The armchair and the couch were some of the last furniture left in the house, everything else had been broken down and put in the fireplace to keep them warm

“Sapnap” George spoke up, hand leaning against the door frame into the living room.
"We need to go” he said calmly, stating it like the reality they both knew was coming.

"We’re running out of food, water, everything… we can’t keep waiting for him, we gotta move” George said, watching the back of Sapnap’s head as the other just looked out the window.

There was a moment of silence between them, where nothing but the sound of rain hitting the window and the cackling of the fire sounded in the torn apart room.

"You’re right” Sapnap nodded.

"We’ll raid one of the other houses and leave once the storm is over” Sapnap said, not looking back at George.

Had George been anyone else, he might have said something more, something to try and dull the heart ache in their chests. But George wasn’t anyone else, so he didn’t say anything at all. He just slipped back into the hallway, leaving Sapnap to watch the rain and the road.

Neither George nor Sapnap knew how Bad could break into the houses and come back with all the food he had, cause even when they were two, the terror was still present in their bones.

But a broken window later and a kitchen raided, they had food enough for at least another week if they rationed it.

The grass on the lawn was still damp as they stepped out on the porch of the house. Puddles of water lining the street as a reminder of the storm.

"Are you ready to go?” George asked, adjusting the straps of his bag on his shoulder, hearing the sound of tape getting ripped off its roll and smacked against the wooden door.

"Just a moment, have some god damn patience” Sapnap spoke over his shoulder as he pulled another piece of clear tape free, smacking it over a paper note they had written in case Bad did return to the house.

"You’re so slow” George rolled his eyes and looked down the street as he stepped off the porch and down to the sidewalk.

"And you’re just annoying” Sapnap shot back at him.

"Whatever. Are you ready or not?” George asked, looking back at Sapnap.

Sapnap took one last look at the note, running his hand over it, making sure it was secure against the weather and surroundings under the clear tape.

“... Yeah. Let’s go” Sapnap nodded, turning around to face George, stepping down from the porch of the house and pulling out a bigger map they had found in one of the car compartments on the street.

Weeks ago, they had arrived at this house as a group of three, and it was with heavy feet that they left it as a group of two.

‘Dear Bad.
George and I are heading north towards Columbus. The food is running low and so are all our other supplies. Leaving was not an easy decision for us to make.

I want you to know we waited for as long as we could. I wanted to go find you, but I had no idea where to even start looking. We both hope you’re okay, and that you come back safely, even if we aren’t here.

If you read this note, I'll be leaving a trail for you. We managed to find some spray cans in one of the neighboring houses while scavenging, so I'll be painting the buildings we’ve stayed in so you can follow us.
Just follow the fire and we’ll see each other soon.

Thank you for everything you taught me, let’s hope I listened.
Love, Sapnap’

Chapter Text

Before the world ended, Sapnap liked to think he knew everything. He was 18 and he knew everything, he knew how to balance school and friends, he knew how to cook more than noodles or popcorn, and he could almost do his own laundry without texting his mom.

But now that Bad was gone, he didn’t know anything.

He and George didn’t know anything, every decision they made was discussed and debated into the ground, both worrying about the risks and outcome of the smallest thing.

They had long since left the city, walking along the pavement of the highway. When bad had first suggested it, it sounded safe enough. But it was anything but safe. For miles they crept past wrecked cars and busted railings.

They relied solely on the map in their hands and the occasional signs to orient them of where they were. When they passed trucks, they had to gamble on whether or not it was worth opening. The few times they did they were lucky, finding cans upon cans of food, sometimes they were less lucky and found nothing savable.

When the sun would start to set, they would have to find shelter. Sometimes they were lucky and found vans or cars with unlocked doors, other times they had to break into the big trucks and make space.

"Why Columbus?” George had asked on one of their first nights in the back of a car, Sapnap sitting in one of the seats on look out.

Sapnap could only shrug. Truth be told, Sapnap didn’t know why he chose Columbus. It was just a direction, an obvious choice when he made it. When George slept, Sapnap did wonder to himself if they should have stayed in the house and waited for Bad.

It was cold during the nights they slept in cars, Sapnap shivered and stuffed his hands under the armpits of his jackets as he watched their surroundings in the pitch black darkness.

In the early morning hours he could see his own breath in the moonlight. More than once George had woken up and complained because of Sapnap’s coughing and clattering teeth.

They should have stayed in the house, but now they were here on the open highway, and refusing to turn back. It would be alright. Once they reached Columbus and found a shelter, they could figure out what to do from there.

"What day do you think it is?” Sapnap started the conversation that night.

They were sitting inside a red van, it was filled with bundles of magazines and newspapers. They did little to soften the floor but worked great for fueling their little fire outside while cooking one of the cans of soup they found two days ago.

Now the grill was nothing more than embers, carried inside to keep them warm during the night. Sapnap was laying down along the wall, curled up in his sleeping bag

"I don’t know, man. Monday? It feels like a monday” George answered, looking down at the bow in his lap.

"No I mean like, date wise” Sapnap clarified, looking up at George.

"Oh… I don’t know. It’s really cold outside, so maybe november, or december” George shrugged, looking up at the embers illuminating his face.

“... What if it’s christmas?” Sapnap asked, letting his head rest against his shoulder.

"Could be…” George shrugged again.

“... Do you think Bad would have made us celebrate it?” Sapnap asked, looking at the lime grill and its glow. Bad’s checkered scarf was still tied around his neck, almost covering the lower half of his face.

"Definitely. He would have made us get a tree too” George chuckled slightly, a soft smile tugging at the corners of his lips.
"Do you think it’s gonna snow?” George asked, finally looking over at him.

"In georgia? Hell no” Sapnap replied, shaking his head slightly.
"It’s hot as balls in georgia. The closest you’ll get to snow is in the mountains, and I’m not climbing that” he tried to joke.

"Really? Even in december?” George asked, not believing it when Sapnap was shivering already in his sleeping bag.

"Yeah. Why do you ask anyway? Are you planning on building a snowman or something?” Sapnap asked with a chuckle.

"I don’t know, I'm just trying to make some conversation” George shrugged, snapping a bit at him.
“... It normally snows like crazy in england” George added after a quiet moment, lifting his bow out of his lap and drawing his knees up.

"It does?” Sapnap shifted in his sleeping bag to look at him better.

"Yeah. When I was a kid, the teachers at my school would let us go to this one hill off school grounds and sled on it. The playground would be covered in sleds brought from home. There was this one girl with a cool metal sled, normally the other kids bullied her, but when it snowed, she was the most popular kid in school for letting others ride it” George started, a far away look in his eyes as he placed his gaze back on the embers.

"Poor kid” Sapnap mumbled.
"You just brought your sleds to school? Did no one steal them?” Sapnap asked, a cough getting caught in his throat.

"Not if you tied it up to the bike racks. And who the hell wanna steal a plastic sled” George leaned back against the car seats behind him.

"I’ve never really seen snow” Sapnap said.
"Okay, no. I have, but not enough to sled on. In Texas we were lucky if it snowed enough to throw a snowball” Sapnap said, shifting in his sleeping bag to draw it further up to his own face.

"I would do anything to have my own sled” Sapnap mumbled into the fabric.

"It would be pretty fun” George agreed, trying to picture Sapnap stuff his grown ass into a tiny blue plastic sled meant for kids.

"Do you miss it? England I mean?” Sapnap asked, his eyes almost closing shut.

“... Not really” George admitted.
"I miss my apartment. If I had to be in this shit situation, I'd much rather be home in my bed” George said.

"I miss my mom” Sapnap admitted.
"You know… my school started self isolation back in march” Sapnap added after a quiet moment.

"Ten months… it doesn’t feel that long ago” Sapnap looked over at George again.

"It feels like forever ago” George disagreed.
"I thought I would have been dead months ago”

"Nah man, we’re just too cool to die like that” Sapnap tried to joke

George didn’t comment on it, he just let the silence settle over them as they both watched the tiny lime grill and its embers.

Then Sapnap coughed again, much harsher and rougher this time. His shoulders moved along as the cough wrecked through his chest. He managed to get a hand free from the sleeping bag and covered his mouth.

"Are you okay?” George asked.

"Yeah, it’s just a cough” Sapnap brushed him off, smacking himself in the chest before he laid back down on his back.

"You’ve been coughing a lot lately” George commented, grabbing one of the newspapers from a bundle and ripping a few pages out, throwing it on the ambers so it wouldn’t die out.

"I’m fine, it’s probably just a cold. It’ll blow over” Sapnap said, shuffling to get comfortable once more. Then George reached over and placed the back of his hand against Sapnap’s forehead.

"You’re warm” George stated.

"I’m fine” Sapnap smacked his hand away.

"Just go to bed already, I'll wake you up in a few hours” George swatted back at him, but moved back onto his newspapers, reading the titles of the articles before throwing them on the flames.

Sapnap just rolled his eyes, but tugged the fabric of his sleeping bag further up to his face again, closing his eyes and letting the sounds of embers cracking and George’s breathing send him off to sleep.

……….

"Don’t use that much, you’re gonna run out of paint at this point” George complained from his spot on the hood of a car, watching Sapnap shake the spray can bottle and spray painting a flame on the side of the truck.

"I’m not gonna run out. And we’ll just find more” Sapnap brushed George off as he sprayed the shaky outline before grabbing the orange can, his voice muffled by the checkered scarf over the bridge of his nose.

"Why did you choose a flame of all things? An X would have done it” George rolled his eyes, looking down through the mazes of cars.

"It was something Bad said, when it was just the two of us” Sapnap shook the can again and finished the last touch on the flame.
"He said to seek shelter by light. It just seems like the right symbol” Sapnap pulled the checkered scarf off.

"Whatever you say. Ready to go?” George asked, jumping off the car hood and fixing the straps of his bag, his arrows pointing out at the top of his bag.

"Yeah. Let’s go” Sapnap unzipped his bag, shoving the two spray cans into it and pulling the map out.
"We should be in Columbus tomorrow if we cover enough ground” Sapnap said, starting to walk as he held the map up.

"How much is ‘enough ground’?” George asked.

"Like twelve hours?” Sapnap shrugged.

“You’re gonna kill my fucking leg” George groaned behind him, but they just marched on, boots on concrete. So far the journey had been uneventful, just patches of cars and stretches of open road.

It came in chunks, but there was almost always a car in sight. Not all the cars were empty, they had come across a few decaying bodies laying on concrete or resting in car seats. They could always smell it before they saw it, the reeking of death in the air. They always tried to avoid their gaze when they passed cars with bodies.

"You know, I thought we would have had more problems walking along the highway” Sapnap said once the sun was high in the sky, the silence becoming too much for his brain to bear.
"I thought it would be infested with zombies when Bad suggested it” he added.

"Maybe this is just a bad hunting ground for them. We haven’t seen anyone alive in weeks, infected or otherwise” George offered as an explanation.

"If we’re lucky they all died off” Sapnap grinned back at him, before coughing into his hand.

"Don’t jinx it” George smacked his shoulder lightly as he passed him
"Come on, let’s just get to the next intersection and catch a break. My feet are killing me” George said, listening for Sapnap’s quick steps to catch up with him.

The next intersection came an hour after, littered with abandoned cars and wrecked vehicles.

They were sitting on top of one of the car roofs when it happened. Sharing a water bottle as they watched the road they still had to cover, their backs to the bridge leading up to another highway road.

"Help! help me!” they heard a girl scream.

Sapnap and George both turned their heads, seeing a girl not much older than them come sprinting towards them down the ramp.

And right behind her were three three infected, running like dogs after her outstretched hands.

"Run!” George grabbed Sapnap’s arm, kicking them both into a run.

Sapnap could feel his blood pumping through his legs, and his sore feet screaming at him as they hit the concrete. His chest was burning, his throat almost unable to take enough air in as they sprinted.

George was in front of him, taking the lead easily as Sapnap felt his lungs struggling to battle a growing cough and run at the same time.

"Over here!” George screamed back at him, jumping into the back of an open white van, its doors standing right open to display its empty shell. Sapnap forced his legs to carry him over to the van, jumping up into the van as George started to close the first door.

"Come on!” Sapnap turned around, yelling to the girl still running for them. Sapnap reached his hand out for her, and he saw her reach for him as well. She was so close now, just a bit more, just past those cars and she’d make it to them.

But they had both failed to see the infected that caught up to her, jumping over the hood of the last car between them. It tackled her to the ground, and Sapnap saw as it started to rip into her.

Her screams and pleas for help drowned Sapnap’s ears, but before he could even string together the thought of helping her, George grabbed the back of his jacket and yanked him into the back of the van, closing the doors and locking the girl and the infected out.

"What are you doing, she needs help” Sapnap scrambled to get up from the floor, their bags knocking to the floor of the van.

"She's gone. We can’t help her” George snapped back at him over his shoulder, locking the doors. But her screams were so loud, full of agony.

"We have to help her” Sapnap tried to reach for the door, but George grabbed his hand and pulled him to the other end of the van.

"It got her, nothing we can do will help her. Don’t be an idiot” George said, shoving Sapnap down into a corner, trying to get a hold of him better.

"Are you being serious right now?” Sapnap asked him, with disbelief in his eyes.

"Sssh” George hushed him, getting a proper hold on his bow, pulling out an arrow and nocking it.

"Don’t fucking shush me asshole-” Sapnap snapped at him, but George only forced his hand over his mouth and gave him a stern glare. George got down on one knee and turned his attention to the windows of the van doors. They could still hear the girl’s screams, her begging for help and calling for them.

But then the girl's screams suddenly stopped. An eerie quietness fell over them. George removed his hand from Sapnap’s mouth to get a better grip on his bow.

“George” Sapnap whispered, but just got a sharp wide eyed look from George, telling him to be quiet. So Sapnap shut his mouth, and they listened. Their beating hearts were so loud compared to everything else, and the wind outside did little to disguise the groans and croaks of the three zombies still roaming out there.

Something banged on the side of the van, strong enough to rock the entire van. It kept banging against the van, like it knew they were in here and trying to get in. Sapnap wanted to squeeze his eyes closed, pretend it wasn’t there and beg it would forget them. But the thought of not being able to see what was happening was even worse.

Their eyes followed the sound of the bangs as it made its way across the shell of the van before it finally appeared in front of the windows.

Sapnap and George sat frozen, looking up at the silhouette through the tinted glass of the windows. They were dusty from standing abandoned for almost a year, so no clear details could be made out of the thing.

But its presence could not be ignored.

The figure jerked its head twice, breath fogging up against the glass. They could hear the gasping groans escaping it, like a croaking frog.

The door started to rattle, but the car door lock was denying it entrance. But it only seemed to get rougher and rougher with each passing moment, starting to rock the van even more.

Sapnap had to physically cover his mouth to stop any sounds from escaping him. Out of the corner of his eye, Sapnap saw George slowly raise his bow, carefully dragging an arrow back with the string, aiming up at the figure. Sapnap hated how scared he felt, eyes locked on the zombie and the rattling of the door handle.

"Get the gun” George whispered so softly Sapnap almost didn’t hear him.

Sapnap’s hand crept to his waist, picking up the gun from its holster. The click of the safety was so loud in his ears when he clicked it.

The zombie started to bang its bloody hand against the window, and then its head, determined to get into the van. Sapnap’s hands shook as he followed George’s lead and aimed at the window alongside him.

The glass started to crack, the rifts forming clearer and clearer with each bang, covering it in blood.

George straightened his back, the fingers holding his bow string pulled so far up it touched his cheek. Not a single muscle in George seemed to shake, and Sapnap envied him for it.

Then the window finally broke, glass shattering on the floor and George let his arrow fly. Sapnap saw as it buried itself into the eye of the zombie, its head bending back by the force. He heard more than saw the zombie fall with a terrific thud.

George grabbed another arrow from his bag, nocking it and pulled the string back again. All Sapnap could do was sit frozen in the corner of the van, his finger hovering over the trigger.

Sapnap jumped when the two other zombies showed their heads in the windows, reaching through the window, uncaring of the shattered glass. George let the arrow fly and it hit the zombie in the throat. In the time it took for George to grab another arrow, it stumbled back and Sapnap heard it too hit the pavement.

Before George could let the last arrow fly, Sapnap squeezed his eyes shut. He heard George move closer to the doors. He felt like he was back in that cabinet again, back when he was sure he was gonna die and the walls were closing up around him.

Sapnap felt like he was unable to let go of his breath, it hitching further and further into his lungs. He was gonna die, they were both gonna die.

“Come on” George’s voice snapped through the fog, making Sapnap open his eyes finally.

“Let’s go before more of them show up” George said and slowly opened the doors, looking around to deem it safe before he jumped out of the van. Sapnap didn’t shove the gun back in its holster, but his hands still shook as he got back on his feet and crept to the door.

He almost jumped when he spotted the three bodies on the ground, now dead and still. If it weren’t for their bloodshot eyes and the unnaturally pale skin they almost didn’t look infected anymore.

Sapnap gulped before he finally sprung out from the van, in an attempt not to step on the bodies, he stumbled over the concrete and his shoe ended up in a pool of blood.

Looking down on the concrete he saw the girl’s body, her chest ripped open and smeared in blood. A pool of blood forming under her head, her eyes wide and mouth open in a painful scream.

The only comfort Sapnap could find was that hopefully she had a quick death, as unlikely as it seemed. But even that was bittersweet in his mouth. Her hand had been so close to his open one, and now it laid on the ground, in a pool of her own blood slowly forming around her.

"Come on, Sapnap” George called to him again.

"We could have helped her” Sapnap whispered, still looking down at her body.

"What?” George asked, if he had heard him or not, Sapnap wasn’t sure.

"We could have helped her” Sapnap repeated himself, finally looking away from the girl’s body to glare at George.

"Helped? No, we would have gotten ourselves killed if we stepped in. That girl was doomed the moment the world ended, just like we are” George threw back at him, stopping in his tracks to look at Sapnap.

"If Bad had been here he would agree with me” Sapnap frowned, stepping away from her body and towards George.
"He would have stepped in and saved her” When Sapnap was close enough he shoved George in the chest, but the other barely stumbled.

"Maybe he would have! Maybe he did and that’s why we’re alone now” George glared back at him.

"He’s not dead. He’s coming back to us, he promised” Sapnap shook his head in disbelief.

"Oh, for fuck sake Sapnap, open your fucking eyes!” George yelled this time.
“We waited a month for him! A month! If he was still alive he would have been here by now” George blew up at him.

“Bad was a good man with a good heart” Sapnap said, his voice shaking in his throat.

"I’m not saying he isn’t” George shook his head.
“Bad was kind to us, yes. He saved you and me from death, but I have seen more than you can fucking fathom Sapnap” George started, but Sapnap cut him off with a glare.

"Bullshit. You don’t know shit about me or Bad”

"Yes I fucking do. I knew from the fucking moment we entered that cafe. I knew you were just a scared fucking kid with a bat and needing an adult to look out for him. I have seen death Sapnap, I've seen walls smeared in blood and I have seen people tear each other apart” George took a step forward, shoving Sapnap’s chest this time.

"Bad protected us, but he also fucking coddled you. I saw what a corpse looks like while Bad was busy telling you to look the other fucking way, cause god forbid you realized just how shit this world is” George shoved him again, Sapnap stumbling back.

"Look at this place, Sapnap. Look at this new world in front of us, it’s not kind! Bad was a fool to use kindness over a weapon, and I won’t be surprised if that’s what got him killed”

"He’s not dead!” Sapnap yelled back in George's face, shoving him back harsher this time, making George stumble this time.
“Bad is coming back for us, he’s alive and he’s coming back. Just because you’re so fucking pessimistic and a fucking dick doesn’t mean I have to be. Bad is alive, cause I fucking said so” Sapnap shoved him again.

"So if you’re so eager for an excuse to blow your brains out like a fucking coward, be my fucking guest!” Sapnap panted, looking at George with so much rage, the hand with the gun offering it up to George.

It was like an explosion had gone off between them, and now they both just stood there in the aftermath of the smoke, panting and regarding each other with hateful eyes.

George was the first to move.

He glared at Sapnap with so much rage that he shook, unable to keep himself still. Taking a deep breath into his lungs, George turned around to keep walking down the road. He didn’t say anything, he didn’t wait for Sapnap or look back to check if he was following.

George just walked. He focused on putting one foot in front of the other rather than the rage building in him. He kept walking, cause if he didn’t he couldn’t hold himself accountable for his actions

“George” Sapnap called after him, starting to walk after him, but getting no answer.
“George” Sapnap repeated, looking down at the gun to turn the safety back on and shove it back into its holster.

“George” Sapnap tried again, setting into a light run to catch up with him. He reached out to grab George's shoulder, but George shoved his hand away, turning around and throwing a fist at Sapnap’s face.

It collided with Sapnap’s jaw, making him stumble back. Sapnap would have fallen if he didn’t hit his back against one of the cars. His jaw ached, shooting pain throughout his face, but before he could even properly register what happened, George grabbed him by the checkered scarf around his neck and pulled him close.

"Don’t fucking touch me” George spat at him, fury in his eyes.

"I can’t even fucking stand the sight of you right now. So shut the fuck up before I make you” George threatened him. And for a moment Sapnap truly believed George would.

Sapnap closed his mouth shut, lowering his eyes. George seemed to take that as answer enough, letting go of Sapnap to turn on his heel and keep walking. Sapnap placed a hand on his jaw, feeling the soreness already set in.

Sapnap started to follow George, keeping himself purposefully behind the other. The longer they walked, the more of an idiot Sapnap felt. He shouldn’t have gone that far, he shouldn’t have shoved him, he shouldn’t have said what he did.

But he did, so now all they could do was walk with the tense silence hanging over their heads. Sapnap told himself they could talk about it later, when they had both blown off the steam and calmed down. When they stopped for another break, they would talk.

But George didn’t stop once, marching with purpose and fury.

“...George” Sapnap panted, hours later.
"I need a break” he finally admitted, but George didn’t stop. Didn’t even spare him a word.

Sapnap bit his tongue, putting one foot in front of the other, hoping George would stop. But he just kept going, further and further, beyond what they had planned to cover that day, beyond the pain starting to spring in George's bad ankle.

And with each mile, Sapnap grew more tired, slower and struggling to keep up. He stopped a few times to breathe, resting against a carhood, and then had to run after George to keep up. George didn’t stop when Sapnap was hit with a coughing fit or heaved for air from running.

And everytime Sapnap tried to voice his needs, he was either met with silence or a snap to shut up. No matter how much he threatened George that he wasn’t gonna walk any longer, that he wasn’t taking one more step, George didn’t budge.

It wasn’t until the sun was setting that George finally stopped. They opened up the doors to a turned over truck, getting sticks and branches for the fire in silence.

George didn’t spare Sapnap a single word as they ate and for the first time, George didn’t offer to take the first watch. He just rolled out their sleeping bag, zipped it up and rolled over, his back to Sapnap and closed his eyes.

“George… I don’t feel so good” Sapnap admitted. George could hear Sapnap’s heavy breathing, still panting and coughing on the other side of the grill.

"Shut up” George spoke through gritted teeth.

If Sapnap wanted to be coddled and fussed about, he was asking the wrong guy. He made it more than clear for George that he was nothing like Bad, so George wouldn’t treat Sapnap like he was.

Between the heavy breathing and coughs George managed to actually drift off, for the first time in months. He didn’t dream, he never did, even more all this. But it still felt like hours before he woke up.

When he woke, George rolled onto his side, forcing his eyes open. He felt surprisingly well rested, which was odd in itself. His eyes felt heavy from sleep, the normal exhaustion seeming to be at bay for now.

George forced his eyes open to look at his surroundings, the daylight lighting up the back of the truck through the small window into the drivers cabin. George frowned confused and sat up, Sapnap was supposed to wake him up hours ago, why didn’t that idiot do the one task he actively had to make sure was done.

Turning around, George got his answer to that question.

On the other side of the small cold grill, Sapnap was passed out on the floor, his face covered in sweat and breathing heavily.

But at least he was breathing.

“Sapnap?” George panicked, kicking his legs to free himself from the sleeping bag. He hurried around the dead fire in the grill, rolling Sapnap onto his back to get a proper look at him. Sapnap’s eyes were closed, but the furrow brow made it clear it wasn’t in peaceful sleep.

“Sapnap, wake up” George placed a hand on Sapnap’s forehead, feeling his hand scaling against Sapnap’s sweating skin. He received nothing but a tired groan from Sapnap and a cough.

"Shit, shit, shit” George started to curse, looking around for Sapnap’s bag, knowing the first aid kit was stuffed in there. He pulled out everything till he found the box, forcing it open and shuffled through the contents, but nothing of use. Not knowing what else to do, George grabbed one of the bottles they had filled with pain killers.

"Wake up” George tried again, grabbing a water bottle and forcing Sapnap up. He managed to wake him, but only long enough to get two of the painkillers in him along with a sip of water before Sapnap folded back against the floor.

George looked at the cold grill and cursed. He made his way to the truck’s doors, opening them up to see the sun high in the sky. They were supposed to have left hours ago. With another curse, George found their map in Sapnap’s pockets. His fingers traveling over the paper as he tried to locate them on the map.

Behind him, Sapnap coughed again, gasping for air. George looked over his shoulder at him. The truck was cold, but even if George got the fire going again, they couldn’t stay here. They were too vulnerable here, Sapnap had to be moved before he got worse or something else found them.

"God fucking damn it” George cursed, grabbing the grill to empty out it’s ashes. He got the gun and its holsters off of Sapnap and strapped it to his own belt.

With Sapnap’s arm draped over his shoulder, they walked. George carried their bags like a pack donkey, and Sapnap’s weight against him as he maneuvered them both through the maze of wrecked cars.

They needed to get off the highway, they needed to get away from all these cars and into somewhere warm and safe. George didn’t care where they were, he didn’t bother checking their map again as he lead Sapnap up one of the ramps, spotting a sign for a nearby city.

He felt Sapnap’s heavy breath against his neck, the cold of the wind a complete contrast to how warm Sapnap felt in his hands. Sapnap stumbled and fell over his feet, but George didn’t relent, even when his own leg threatened to give out under him.

They were getting to a safer spot, even if it killed both of them.

All the buildings around George looked like factories and warehouses, logos and names printed on signs in front of big buildings and parking lots. But George needed a house, a gas station, a corner store, even a cafe would do.

He just needed somewhere small and safe.

But the further they walked, crossing down one street after another, struggling to keep them both moving, it became apparent that they wouldn’t reach any houses or suburbs before sun down.

George wanted to scream, he wanted to kick and smash in the windows of those big corporations surrounding them. But like everything else, George didn’t have that luxury, not with Sapnap shivering beside him.

George craned his neck, trying to take in his options. He wished Bad was with them, wished he would have made a choice for them, pointing towards one of the buildings and assuring George that Sapnap would be okay.

But Bad wasn’t here.

So George had to make those choices himself.

They turned down one of the streets and finally George found something reasonable.

It was a smaller factory compared to all the other buildings surrounding them. It had a logo and a name on a sign just like all the others, but it was barely a story tall. With no other choice George dragged Sapnap towards it, walking across a tiny abandoned parking lot.

The closer George got to the windows, the better view he got in through the windows. He could see three desks and a small office, none of which held any people. Walking towards the two glass doors, he got a sight into the foyer of the factory, seeing two secure metal doors stand wide open and showing off the main floor of the factory.

There was no blood on the floor or hand prints against the windows, so George took it as a good sign. He tried the doors, but it was locked.

George cursed under his breath. The doors were made of glass, and if he really tried he could probably break in through it. But right now he couldn’t risk the noise, the injuries or safety of doing so.

George dragged Sapnap along with him around the building, trying to find any way in, a door left open, a broken port or half open garage door. In the end, George’s saving grace was the tiny sliver of an open window.

Looking into the room, it lead into a tiny lunch room, only one table placed in there with a newspaper abandoned on it. George looked at Sapnap’s hot face.

“Stay awake” George spoke through his teeth, letting Sapnap’s arm fall from his shoulder as he leaned him against the wall next to the window.

George pulled their knife, sliding it into the sliver of the window and pried it open enough for him to get his fingers under it. He pulled the window up, grabbing Sapnap’s arm and shaking him awake.

“Get in” George said, practically having to manhandle Sapnap to climb in through the window before George dropped their bags through the window and climbed through it himself.

Sapnap panted, legs giving out and landing him on his knees.

“Come on, we gotta secure this place” George grabbed his shoulders.

“I can’t…” Sapnap panted, his voice breaking like he was crying.
“I can’t” Sapnap gasped for air.

“You have to” George grabbed Sapnap’s arm again, pulling it over his shoulder and lifted him up on his feet. He struggled to pick up their bags and carry them as well, but slowly George got them out of the small cafeteria, stumbling through the foyer he saw and towards the metal doors.

The hall he stepped into was small. In three corners of it stood three big machines, plastics running through them and abandoned. Cardboard boxes were stacked on pallets, on the machines, big transport boxes littering the dusty floor.

“George please… I’m so tired” Sapnap panted against this shoulder.

George could care less what was in this factory. He got into the middle of the hall, on a bare spot before he finally let Sapnap collapse onto his knees again.

George didn’t know how he was supposed to secure this place alone. Sapnap could barely stand on his own, let alone keep his eyes open. George didn’t know how he was supposed to look through this place and make sure something didn’t kill Sapnap at the same time.

A zombie could be hiding under any of these machines, behind any corner or in the next room over, and George couldn’t risk not seeing it.

Not knowing what else to do, George reached for the handgun in its holster, feeling the weight of it in his hand. George looked over at a pile of stacked pallets just a few feet away from them, before he looked back down at Sapnap, the other boy panting and bent on his hands and knees, ready to collapse.

George risked the few steps towards the pallets, holding the gun in steady hands as he looked around the hall, trying to orientate himself. One hand left its spot on the gun and George struggled to lift the old wood up and tilted it over.

It hit the floor with a loud bang, Sapnap flinching on the floor, but George paid it no mind. He stood completely frozen as he waited for anything to happen. His eyes darted around the hall, towards all the machines and boxes, waiting for a sickly corpse to appear and sprint towards them.

But nothing did. George heard no groans or snarls, no sounds of furniture falling over or steps reaching them. The only sound George heard was Sapnap’s heavy breathing.

When George was sure nothing would come, he rushed back over to Sapnap, letting the gun back into its holster before George let their bags drop to the floor. He dropped to his knees, the tiny lime grill getting shoved out of the way as George fought to get their sleeping bag free. He almost tore the zipper off as he unzipped it and laid it out on the floor.

"Lay down, come on” George ordered Sapnap, grabbing his shoulder and practically forced Sapnap to lay down.

"Where are we?” Sapnap asked weakly, breathing heavily as George dug into their bags again and dragged out their only spare blanket.

“I don't know. But I need you to be fucking quiet while I find out” George answered him, draping the blanket over Sapnap.

"I’ll be back in a few minutes, stay awake” George smacked Sapnap’s chest to try and knock some life into him. He got up on his feet, looking around the hall at the big machines. Feeling the gun still in the hostler by his hip, George moved towards the two big doors into the hall.

He pulled the gun back into his hands, walking into each room with it held firmly. He checked the bathrooms first, seeing nothing but a few stacks of toilet paper and hand soap. He moved on to the offices, finding a small fridge filled with soda in the only private office.

Next he rummaged through the lunch room, finding the food in the communal fridge expired and moldy. In the cupboards he found a package of old crackers, clearly expired, but when George tore it open he saw no mold. Opening and closing all the cupboards and drawers, George found a box of microwave popcorn. That was the only edible food in the entire lunch room.

But George dragged it all into the hall nonetheless, he carried the sodas over, stacked the toilet paper and hand soap in his arms and carried it over to their bags. He tore the offices and desks apart in a search for painkillers, or any types of useful pills, but he only found a small box with about seven pills left.

In the foyer, George removed the cushions of a couch, carrying them over to their spot in the hall. He lifted Sapnap’s back and tried to maneuver the cushions under his body, lifting his legs and head in an attempt to make him more comfortable.

He walked through the entire hall, around the different machines in search of a first aid kit. He found it by one of the garage doors along with a watercooler. That too was dragged over to their spot. He closed the two metal doors into the hall, not wanting to risk any survivors or zombies sneaking up on him.

By the time George finally sat down, his own face was covered in sweat, but his work wasn't done yet. He reached for one of the fallen over cardboard boxes and tore it up as he flipped the lime grill over. He broke one of the pallets into pieces and stacked them along with the cardboard in the grill as he got to work on starting the fire.

As he struggled to get a spark going, he casted a glance over at Sapnap, panting heavily with a furrowed brow and closed eyes.

"You better not fucking die on me” George cursed at him.

"If you die on me, I swear to god I will kill you myself” George turned his eyes back on the fire, putting more force into it.
"I swear I will resuscitate you and then strangle you myself, so don’t you dare fucking die” George threatened him, but the only response he got was a cough.

……..

Their food was almost gone.

There was no denying it, no matter how many times George emptied their bags and laid out their supplies, their food was running out.

Two days George had done nothing but stand guard and force food and medication down Sapnap’s throat. They still had water, at least enough for a week if George rationed it. But with Sapnap’s fever still rising, he didn’t know if he could afford rationing it.

The painkillers and pills in their bags did nothing against Sapnap’s fever, and he was sweating so much George couldn’t possibly risk Sapnap becoming dehydrated. He tried getting Sapnap to drink one of the sodas, but it only seemed to make it worse. There were times where Sapnap shivered so violently that George feared the worst. But Sapnap was running too hot for George to touch him.

George felt helpless.

He was not a nurturing or caring person, he couldn’t hold Sapnap’s hand and stroke his hair as he spoke words of comfort. He couldn’t do anything but wipe Sapnap’s sweaty brow and order him to stay alive. More than once George wished Bad was still here, wished that the older man would somehow walk in through the doors with open arms.

‘Don’t worry George, I got it from here. I can fix him, don’t worry’

But Bad wouldn’t come, and George refused to feed into the delusion that he would. Sapnap needed him, he couldn’t afford chasing fantasies.

"It’s so cold” Sapnap whispered, his eyes watery as he stared into the fire, coughing and gasping for more air.

"I know” George answered, looking up from the last can of precooked ravioli in his hand.
"I know” George repeated with a sigh, stuffing the can back into the bag along with the rest of their things.

Sapnap needed him.

George couldn’t leave Sapnap alone, but taking him outside for scavenging was out of the question.

George reached for the cup he found in the kitchen, filling it with the water from the jug in the water cooler. He carried it around the fire and knelt down next to Sapnap.

"Come on, sit up so you don’t choke” George tried to be gentle as he put a hand behind Sapnap’s head and tried to lift him up, putting the cup up to Sapnap’s lips.

Sapnap would die without him. But without food they'd both die.

George had to at least try.

Come morning, George tied his boots, counted the bullets and arrows, he threw a good amount of wood onto the fire, hopefully it would last long enough for him to return.

“Sapnap” George shook his chest only to receive a groan in response.
“Sapnap, are you listening?” George asked, Sapnap mumbled something incoherent under his breath.

“Sapnap, wake up” George said, smacking him over the head, and startling the other awake.
"Are you listening?” George asked.

"Yes… I'm listening” Sapnap answered, breathing in through his mouth and struggling to keep his eyes open, sweat forming on his brow.

"Okay, Sapnap, I need you to listen to me” George said, grabbing Sapnap’s hand and forcing his fingers around the handle of their knife.
"I need to go out. I'm gonna look for food and something to help you, alright?” George started, but Sapnap just shook his head.

"No.. No, don’t leave me George… please” Sapnap tried to fight, but his eyes kept dropping closed.

“Sapnap, I will be back, I promise. But I don’t have anything to treat you with” George said, forcing Sapnap’s hand closed around the handle of the knife with both of his hands and placing Sapnap's hand above the blanket.

"I’m taking the gun. You’re safe here, you’re secure and nothing is gonna get you in here. But just in case, I need you to not let go of this knife, okay?” George said.

“George… don’t go” Sapnap teared up through his fever, a whimper leaving him as panic started to rise in his throat.

"I’ll be back soon” George promised, getting up and grabbing his bow and the bag of arrows.

“George… no” he heard Sapnap weakly call after him as George walked towards the metal doors.

“George please!... Don’t leave me” Sapnap pleaded through labored breath, but George forced himself to open the doors and walk away.

He made his way into the lunch room, opening the window they had gotten in through enough to crawl back out of it. George grabbed a rock and placed it between the window and the windowsill for a later entrance back in.

George made it past the parking lot before it finally hit him, that this was truly his first time alone out in this wasteland, no one else to help him, no one to cover his blindsides.

Just him and the danger ahead.

“I don’t care” George told himself, muttering under his breath.
“I don’t care. I didn’t care then, I don’t care now” George kept saying, trying to build up the courage to keep going. It was the first time he had said those words in order to comfort himself.

He didn’t care if he ran into danger. He didn’t care if he turned a corner and saw a whole hoard of zombies. He didn’t care if he had to cross the entire city and hide in cars and broken stores.

As long as he made it back to Sapnap, he didn’t care what happened to him.

The cold wind was biting into his cheeks and fingers, making him shiver as he walked through the streets. He didn’t turn corners, he didn’t take shortcuts, he just kept following the same street.

He walked an hour before he finally found a gas station, its windows broken with shattered glass and wrecked cars. He carefully stepped through the broken slide doors, but it had already been emptied out. The shelves had been picked clean, leaving barely anything but old magazines and expired food behind. George tried his best to look through the store, but only found a single mushed candy bar on the floor.

With a sigh, George stepped back out of the gas station. Either a big group of survivors had raided the place, or someone had been camping there for months. But one thing was for sure, they left nothing behind. And with that thought in mind, George kept wandering.

The streets slowly turned from factories and warehouses, into normal houses and buildings before the buildings grew in heights to apartment buildings. And hours later George found himself surrounded by apartment buildings.

The sun was high in the sky, and George had yet to find anything useful. He had decided against raiding the houses, in fear something would be lurking in there, but by now that seemed silly. Something was lurking everywhere he went, it didn't matter if it was a house, apartment or a supermarket.

George considered turning back around, if he hurried he could try raiding one of the houses and make it back to Sapnap before the sun was completely gone. But right as he turned on his heel he heard a soft whistle.

George froze, looking towards where the sound came from. It was growing louder, coming closer to him. Without thinking, George ran towards one of the alleyways, hiding behind a big trash container. He pulled out the gun and waited, listening for the whistling tune.

George dared peak his head out, looking at the shadow coming closer. Finally he saw him, a stranger wearing a dirty green jacket and a backpack so full it looked like it was bursting. The stranger passed the alleyway without noticing George at all.

George let out a breath he didn’t realize he was holding. He knew from his own experiences that survivors were riskier to deal with than the infected roaming around and even more unpredictable.

But that backpack was so full, if George played his cards right, it might just be worth it.

George crept his way towards the edge of the alleyway, looking down the street to see the stranger still walking. George took a deep breath and held the gun tight as he made his way out of the alleyway.

He had to make this quick, he couldn’t afford to lose the only advantage he had. George tried his best to follow the stranger and remain undetected, hiding behind walls every few steps.

He watched the stranger enter what looked like a run down cafe across the street. George could see him through the big window, a zombie jumping out from the back. The stranger swung an axe George hadn’t noticed at its head and it fell through the floor. On top of the cafe, George spotted an apartment, a staggering zombie clawing at the window. It had no doubt heard the commotion the stranger had made and was looking for the fastest way down to him.

A plan slowly formed in George’s head.

He took his chance and ran across the street, taking a deep breath and waited. He forced himself up along the wall and listened, he heard the occasional moving of furniture, boots stepping on glass shards or the stranger’s soft whistling.

Swallowing all the nerves in his stomach, George turned around the corner and stepped into the cafe. He was quiet as a mouse, avoiding the shattered glass and turned over furniture. He could see the strangers back turned to him, his backpack hanging off his shoulder like fruit right for the taking.

The stranger was rummaging through a cupboard, still unaware of George's presence. George didn’t dare breathe as he raised the gun, practically pressing it up against the back of the stranger’s head. The stranger froze up.

“Don’t move” George warned him, and the guy did as told, not moving a single muscle.

“Hands where I can see them” George then ordered, taking a step back himself, but the gun still raised and pointed at the strangers head. Slowly, the stranger moved his hands from the cupboard, raising them up in surrender.

“I don’t want any trouble” the stranger started to say, his voice sounding muffled.

“Shut up” George warned him.

“Drop the axe and turn around” he then said, stepping back. Again, the stranger did as told, letting his axe carefully drop to the floor and turning around slowly. George saw a mess of brown curls falling over the stranger's head, it was hard to get a proper look at his face with the big ugly construction mask covering the mouth and nose, but George could clearly see the burn scars on one hand and the right side of the stranger’s face.

“Listen, we can-” the stranger tried again, but George cut him off.

“I said shut up” he warned.

“Just hand over your backpack please and I wont blow your brains out” George said, cocking the gun in warning.

A moment passed between them, both just staring at the other. But when George didn’t waver, the stranger slowly started to move one arm, pulling the straps of the backpack off his shoulders. With much more care than the axe, the stranger dropped the bag on the floor.

“Can I just please-” the stranger tried again, and still, George didn’t want to listen.

“No. Walk towards the door” George ordered, stepping out of the way, but not once did the barrel of the gun move away from its target.

The guy glared at him, but ultimately did as told, walking over the backpack and towards the door, but not once did his eyes leave George's own.

George let one hand slip off the gun and picked up the heavy backpack, he hoisted it up onto his shoulder, letting it sit awkwardly over his own bag and the bow on his shoulder.

“Keep walking” George told him, and the stranger stepped back, over the doorway and out into the sun.

“Stay there” George walked out after him and started to walk around the stranger, and still the stranger didn’t let him out of his sight.

“I hope you know I'm coming back for that backpack” the stranger finally said.

“Not if I shoot you first” George said, gun still raised.

“You won’t shoot me” the stranger dared him, almost edging George to pull the trigger. It would have been the easier thing to do, but not the easy choice. George had shot more than plenty of zombies and animals, but right here and now, standing in front of a stranger still healthy and breathing.

George couldn’t find it himself to actually do it.

“You’re right. I won’t” George said, letting his eyes off the stranger to look at the window, the zombie still clawing in the window above the cafe. The stranger followed his gaze.

“No don’t!” the stranger looked at him again and yelled, but George had already raised the gun and pulled the trigger. The window shattered and the zombie fell out through the window. It barely even hit the ground before it was up and running, charging at the stranger.

George turned on his heel and sprinted down the street, towards the way he had come. He heard the stranger yell after him, but George didn’t care enough to look behind him.

He sprinted back down through the streets, his blood pumping through his legs as he ran. He ran and ran until he felt like his lungs might give out, finally stopping to catch his breath. He looked behind him, and saw no one come running after, nothing hunting him down. He finally felt just how uncomfortable the bow was digging into his shoulders, the stranger’s backpack slung over and hanging next to it.

George pulled the backpack off to get his bow off and put the backpack on properly. He could easily carry his bow in his hand. George took another deep breath and set into a walk, starting his trek back through the streets.

He walked past the same buildings and houses, recognizing the logos of the factories and finally spotted the tiny factory he had left Sapnap in. He made his way across the parking lot, around the building and to the window. He pulled it open and crawled through.

A part of him almost didn’t believe he actually made it, almost sure this was some dream he had before he bled out somewhere. But no, when George opened the metal door into the hall, he knew it was real, and he had made it.

Sapnap laid on the floor, knife still in hand. It looked like he had tried to crawl after George and gave up, just panting on the floor as his fever wrecked through his body.

George hurried over, dropping the bags and his bow on the floor before he went to Sapnap’s side.

“Fucking idiot, I told you to stay put” George cursed at him. Helping Sapnap back over to the sleeping bag and the couch cushions he had laid out for him.

“George? You’re back?” Sapnap asked, his speech slurred as George laid him back down and pulled the blanket over him.

“Of course, I told you I’d be back, you meathead” George smacked his shoulder. He took a moment to look Sapnap over, finding no injuries or bleeding wounds.

“I got us food” George told him once he was sure Sapnap was okay.

“That’s… that's nice” Sapnap breathed heavily, letting his eyes fall shut.

George turned around to grab one of the cups by the jug from the watercooler, filling it up. He pulled Sapnap up, supporting his head as he forced Sapnap to drink the water.

George laid him back down and placed the cup back down, tugged the blanket up over his chest and got up. He still had yet to actually see what he got.

“Please just have some food in you” George whispered under his breath, sitting down and grabbing the stranger’s backpack. But then a weird sound emitted from it, like a mewl. George froze, looking down at the zipper like it had grown arms and legs. After a moment George shook the bag again, and the same sound came from it.

George grabbed the zipper and dragged it open, but before George could even get a proper look at the creature, a claw scratched his hand and jumped out of the bag. It was a cat, its fur was a brown striped pattern with a white stomach. It hissed at George as he cursed through his teeth and pulled his scratched hand up to his chest.

“Fucking hell” George saw the claw mark on his hand starting to form blood. The cat just kept hissing at him as he raised his gaze to look at it, the fur on its back raised.

“Fuck off” George yelled at it and tried to swat out at it, but the cat turned and ran towards one of the piles of boxes.

George sighed and looked back down at the backpack, starting to pull out the things in it. He found a flashlight, five cans of food, a lighter, blanket, water bottle and a small box of painkillers and bandaids, along with a string of other items like clothing and tin of unopened cat food.

The fucking cat was a pet, George robbed a stranger and stole his pet. No, George killed a guy and stole his pet.

George tried not to think of the stranger, of his body already rotting somewhere in the streets because of him. Maybe George should have just shot him, looking back that seemed like the kinder thing to do.

“Rather him than us” George reasoned, looking over at the fire, the embers barely even glowing in it. He got up to get one of the pallets, breaking the wood apart and stuffing cardboard under it. Lighting the fire was easier now with the lighter.

He grabbed one of the cans, pulling the tab to pull it open. He grabbed a pot he found in the lunch room cupboards and dumped the can’s content into it. It looked like beans were on the menu.

He placed the pot on the fire once most of the wood had burned up. The food would last them for at least a few days. If Sapnap was still sick, George would go out and raid one of the houses. That or they’d just eat the cat.

For a moment he considered how or when he would have to get rid of the cat. Probably while Sapnap was still out cold and unable to protest the idea. It wasn't like George liked the idea either, eating a dead guy’s pet. But when food would start to run out again, a choice would have to be made.

“George?... Is that a cat?” Sapnap asked, sounding completely dazed.

George looked up, seeing Sapnap’s head was turned away from him and looking towards where the cat was currently licking its paw and rubbing its ear.

“Leave it alone Sapnap” George just sighed, turned to look at the pot and the cooking beans.

Sapnap ignored him, weakly freed his arm from its prison under the blanket and reached out towards the cat, moving his fingers softly against the concrete floor. The cat peaked its head up, eyes going wide and slowly stood up on its legs, slowly making its way across the floor to Sapnap’s hand.

"Hi kitty cat” Sapnap mumbled slurred, his hand barely moving as he blinked at the cat. It walked closer to Sapnap and sniffed his hand before rubbing its head against his fingers.

"I think it likes me” Sapnap blinked slowly, struggling to speak the words.

"Don’t touch it” George got up to shoo the cat away from him, but one step towards it was enough to send the cat running for one of the big machines.

“You’re no fun” Sapnap commented, turning his head to look up at George.

“Bitch about it” George huffed when he looked down at him.
“Food’s ready” George turned back around, reaching for the pot and a pair of dirty plates to dump the food out on.

Dinner was silent, mostly because Sapnap was unable to start or carry a conversation, and because George didn’t wanna talk to begin with. He was content to just get some food in his stomach and send Sapnap off to sleep again.

George was happy to just keep the fire going, stand guard and sit with his own thoughts and guilt as the sky turned dark outside. The fire casted long shadows up against the walls, cracking and popping in the grill.

George threw in another plank on the fire, the embers flying up as the flames started to take it. Looking over at Sapnap’s sleeping body, he saw the cat rubbing itself up against Sapnap’s shoulder, pawing at his sleeping bag and trying to step onto his chest.

"Hey, get away from him” George snapped at the cat, who only hissed at him and scurried away from Sapnap again.
"Yeah, stay away. You’re probably full of pests” George mumbled to himself, looking back down at Sapnap.

George remembered once reading about an old lady who had died and her cats ate her, someone had tried to check up on her and found half her face missing. That thought did little to comfort George and his tired mind, now worried he would drift off and wake up to Sapnap being eaten by a dumb cat.

Or eaten by a zombie.

Or he’d wake up and Sapnap would just not be here anymore.

George hated how worried he was for Sapnap, it made it so much harder to be pissed at him.

"You’re such an asshole” George cursed at the sleeping boy, but Sapnap gave no reaction, just the steady movement of his chest going up and down.

"You’re such a fucking asshole” George took a deep breath.
"For all those things you said. You hurt me, and you don’t even realize how deep” George covered his face, rubbing his hands over his face and up to his forehead.

"I am trying so hard for you, and you don’t even know how fucking hard that is for me, to care about keeping you alive, about keeping myself alive for you”

"Yes, I want to die, is that what you want to hear? What logical person wouldn’t in this situation?” George asked, but still Sapnap didn’t move.
“I didn't make Sam that promise, because I knew I wouldn’t be able to keep it. And I won’t make that promise to Bad either, or you” George glared at Sapnap.

"But I will promise… that I'm not letting you die before me” George squeezed his eyes shut.
"No matter how much of a pain in the ass you are, I won’t outlive you too” George took a deep breath, rubbing his hand over his face again before he let it fall back into his lap.

When he looked back up again he saw the cat had managed to climb onto a stack of pallets, watching him with its big golden eyes.

"Scram. I don’t need your judgment either” George glared at the cat, waving his hand out as if he could strike it from across the fire. The cat just blinked before it got up and turned away from him.

George sighed, drawing his knees up to rest his arm on them. He let his eyes drift back down on the fire.

George watched the fire lick against the rotten wood of the pallets, the cracking and popping of it lulling him closer and closer to sleep. The only thing keeping George alert was the cat, creeping along the walls and under the machines, hunting mice and knocking over cardboard boxes.

Everytime something hit the floor, George's head would jerk up, his hand reaching to touch the gun before he saw brown striped fur run past him. That cat was a curse and a blessing in keeping him awake, but at last the exhaustion took over him and his eyes fell shut.

George didn’t know for how long he was out for, it could have been minutes, it could have been a few hours at most. All George knew was something hit the floor and woke him up with a set.

His head immediately turned to the two big metal doors leading into the hall, both still closed. For a moment George was tempted to just think it was the cat again, but when he looked towards Sapnap to check on him, the cat was lying curled up on his chest.

George felt his heart jump up into his throat.

Something had gotten in.

There was no other explanation for such a loud bang.

George’s hand moved to the gun in its holster and pulled it out, pointing it at the floor as he got up and crept towards the door. He clicked the safety off and stood in front of the door, trying to listen for any noise or movement behind it. But all George heard was the cracking of the fire behind him and his own breathing.

George looked at the door handle, took a deep breath in before he reached for it, and slowly pushed it open slightly at first. He could see the tiled floor illuminated by the moon through the window, and the couch he had stripped of cushions. But no staggering or jerking body of a zombie.

When he heard no groans or gasp for air, he dared shove the door open further, stepping into the hall. George took one step, then two, trying to look into the toilets and the lunchroom, but found nothing.

Maybe it was nothing after all. Maybe a mouse or rat had knocked something over, or maybe it was just George’s own paranoia.

But right before George could even relax a single muscle in his body, he felt a hand grip his shoulder and an axe press up against his throat. He felt the stranger lean closer behind him as he froze on the spot.

The blade was cold against George’s throat, pressing against his beating pulse.

"Unload the gun and drop it” the stranger ordered in a quiet voice, even without seeing his face or the dumb construction mask, George knew it was the stranger he left for dead earlier.

How the hell did he survive? How did he find them?

"Come on, I'm being nice here” the stranger said when George didn’t move, barely pressed the blade closer to his throat, but enough to get the message across.

Reluctantly, George held the gun out so the stranger could see it, clicking the button and the magazine sliding down. George then carefully dropped it on the floor, the bullets popping out of the magazine and rolling over the tiled floor.

"Good. Get on the floor” the stranger then ordered, moving the blade off his throat, leaning away again. George sighed as he slowly got down on his knees before laying flat on his stomach.

"Hands behind you back” the guy nudged his hands with his foot.

George moved his hands up behind his back, feeling the stranger step over him and grab one of his wrists. George had to do something, he couldn’t just lie down like a wounded animal and let this guy rob them, or worse, kill them.

George had no doubt this guy would be pissed after what he tried earlier, and would be fully in his right to leave George for dead as well. And if George had been alone, he might just have let it happen. But he wasn’t alone, Sapnap was counting on him.

Before the stranger could even get a rope from his belt, George used all his force and rolled onto his back, the stranger losing his balance when George ripped his wrist out of his hand. The guy fell over just in time for George’s foot to shoot up and kick the stranger in the stomach.

"Motherfucker!” the stranger cursed in pain as he fell to the floor besides George, hand going to the bruised area.

George scrambled on the floor for the gun, reaching out for the magazine first when he felt a hand grab his ankle and pull him back. George kicked his legs at the stranger again.

George saw the stranger raise his axe in the moonlight, and George kicked him in the chest this time, getting the guy off of him long enough to get on his legs. He managed to snatch up the gun this time, fumbling over the tiled floor for the magazine when he felt arms grabbing his shoulders and shoving him back.

George tried to use the empty gun as a weapon, clutching it in his hand as he swung at the stranger, but the other dodged, and swung a fist of his own. The fist hit George the chest, knocking all the air out of his lungs as he staggered backwards.

He failed to see the stranger sweep his legs out from under him before he hit the floor again. He was still fighting for air when the guy kicked him back down. The stranger forced George onto his back, this time putting his knee on the small of George's back to keep him pinned.

George tried to keep fighting, trying to push himself up against the stranger’s weight, but in the end the stranger got a hold of George’s hands, pinning them behind him. George felt the rough fibers of a rope get tied around them, before being tied in a tight knot. A moment later the stranger removed his knee, but before George could kick his legs, the stranger got his legs tied together as well.

He could hear the stranger’s heavy breathing behind his mask, panting for air.
"Jesus fucking christ” the stranger cursed, a hand coming up ro rub over the his chest, clearly in pain.

"Untie me now, you fucking bastard” George cursed at him, squirming ont he floor, trying to get his arms free.

"Nah, I think it’s best you stay like that for everyone” the stranger huffed, looking towards the two metal doors.

"I'll be taking my stuff back now, please and thank you" the guy said in a bad british accent, clearly mocking George. George felt his blood run cold as he saw the stranger walk towards the doors, but no curse or threat George yelled after him seemed to stop the man.

So George was forced to lay on the dirty floor, unable to get up or protect Sapnap. He tried to inch towards the door. But he couldn’t even get himself turned around enough to look through the sliver into the hall.

George almost felt himself on the brink of tears, imagining what the stranger could possibly do to Sapnap. One scenario played out after another in his mind, and in all of them Sapnap was ripped away from him.

It felt like an eternity before the doors were pushed open again, the stranger standing with his backpack and the axe in hand. George tried to look between his feet, trying to get a glimpse of Sapnap.

Meanwhile the stranger walked up next to him, looking down at George before he crouched down in a squat.

"That guy back there” the stranger looked over his shoulder as if George needed help remembering who he was referring to.
"Is he infected or just sick?” he asked.

"If you fucking touched him, I will kill you” George threatened him, a hateful glare in his eyes as he yet again tried to get his hands free.

"Just sick then” the stranger stood back up, pulling the strap of his backpack over his shoulder.
"He doesn’t look too good. You should probably move him somewhere safer” the stranger suggested.

"Go to hell” George spat at him.

"We’re already here, buddy” the stranger shrugged and dropped the knife George had left next to Sapnap on the floor.
“Have fun getting free” the stranger then turned on his heel, walking towards the lunch room.

"Come on Patches, we’re done here” the stranger said, clapping his thigh and George saw as the cat came trotting after him. It stopped in the doorway into the lunch room, turning its head and looking at George with its big eyes.

It blinked once at him and then ran after the stranger again.

George started squirming on the floor again, fighting to somehow get a grip on the knife without stabbing himself. It felt like years trying to cut through the rope. George tried calling for Sapnap, but he got no response at all, which only furthered his fear of what the stranger might have done to him.

When the rope finally fell from his hands, it was quick work freeing his legs. George didn’t spare a single second to gather the bullets or pick up the gun, he just ran for the two metal doors, throwing them open and running to Sapnap’s side.

“Sapnap? Can you hear me? Sapnap?” George asked, looking Sapnap over before grabbing his face. There was no sign of disturbance on Sapnap, the only evidence the stranger had been there at all was the cat hair on Sapnap’s chest.

“George?” Sapnap asked with a hoarse voice, squinting his eyes open.
"What’s going on?” Sapnap asked.

George felt his entire being relax, finally comforted in the knowledge Sapnap was still breathing and alive. He sat back on his knees, letting go of Sapnap’s face before doubling over Sapnap’s chest, trying to steady both his breathing and his heart.

“George?” Sapnap stirred again.

"It’s fine. Everything is fine. Go back to sleep” George assured him.

George didn’t sleep for the rest of the night, too afraid something else might break in or sneak up on them.

But by morning, when George finally gathered the courage to leave Sapnap’s side again to get the gun, he was met with a concerning sight. He opened the metal door, and there, on the tiled floor laid the gun with its magazine in, all the bullets picked up, and along with it stood a couple bottles of water, a can of soup and a little blue jar with a green lid.

George looked around the room, but he saw no evidence of anyone else around. He considered just taking the gun, in case anything else had been tampered with. But in the end he couldn’t afford passing up on food or water.

He shoved it into his arms, casting a glance at the jar to read the label ‘Vicks VapoRub’ before rushing over to their bags. He started to shove everything they had into the bags, putting out the fire and pouring the ashes out before strapping the grill to Sapnap’s yellow backpack.

Then George pulled the blanket off of Sapnap, folding it up to shove into a bag as well.

“Sapnap, wake up” George shook him by the shoulders. He stirred and groaned, exhausted as George tried to pull him off the sleeping bag so he could pack that away as well.

"What’s wrong?” Sapnap panted, trying to remain awake.

"We need to leave” was all George told him, turning to grab their bags and pull the straps over his shoulders.

"We aren’t safe here anymore”

Chapter Text

The mall was filled with the buzzing of people and their conversations. 

Dream couldn’t say he was too thrilled about being crammed into an already overfilled mall, but the news had been getting more and more wild over the past weeks since lockdown started. 

If he was completely honest, he wouldn’t have left his apartment if it wasn’t for his mom’s worried voice over the phone. The spread had gotten worse and evacuation sites had opened up all around the city in an attempt to get it under control. 

So with a packed backpack and his fridge emptied, Dream had finally bit the bullet and went to the nearest evacuation site to him. 

A giant mall surrounded by cars and military vehicles. 

That was days ago. 

According to the military they were still awaiting the go ahead to transport more people out of the city. Dream had been told by some of the other people in the mall that the last bus they drove out was almost a week ago. And it was clear that people were getting restless and the volunteers were getting overwhelmed. 

If Dream had known this he would have stayed home and come days later. Sleeping in his own bed was a lot better than in a thin sleeping bag. But when he tried to leave, the military had stopped him, even going as far as to threaten restraining him. 

So here Dream was, sitting on the floor of a crowded mall, an ache in his neck and a prepackaged meal containing a sandwich and a water bottle in his lap. The headphones on his ears were loud enough to drown out most of the sounds around him as he ripped the seal off his sandwich. 

Looking up around him as he chewed on a bite, he saw a group of young boys eyeing one of the electronic stores. Most of the stores in the mall was still locked up, with only a few of them unlocked with the intent for volunteers to use. The pharmacy had been turned into a medical area, the cafeteria area was now a food post, and the sportswear store had become a quarantine zone for the newcomers. 

He could see the boys whispering, properly thinking they looked really unsuspicious. Only a group of idiots would try to rob a store in a locked down mall with plenty of military personnel walking around. But then again, they were just kids, and had to learn the hard way. 

Dream stuffed another mouthful of his food into his mouth and let his eyes travel over to a mom and her young kid, sitting on their sleeping bags and trying to eat their own food as the little kid kept trying to show off their stuffed plush bunny to a nearby couple. 

Dream couldn’t imagine being that young and understanding what was going on, seeing all these people huddled together like a can of sardines with big men and women carrying guns around. Dream pitied the mom, who was probably worried and scared as well. But at least the kid seemed pretty happy so far. 

Stuffing the last bite of his sandwich into his mouth, he crumpled up the package and placed it down on the floor next to him. With a tired sigh, Dream pulled out his phone, swiping through the songs on his playlist and checking his socials again. His entire timeline on Twitter and Instagram was filled with people talking about the virus and lockdown, followed by graphic videos and photos of the sick people. 

It was mind numbing, just sitting in a stuffed crowd and scrolling as music blasted into his ears. The military had encouraged civilians to not use their electronics to avoid unnecessary fear. But with nothing else to do, that went ignored. 

As Dream considered doing another round of candy crush to keep himself busy, someone fell over his leg. Dream looked up and saw a young man scurry away, fumbling to get up and run further into the mall without even apologizing or sparing Dream a word. 

Dream frowned as he saw more people come running and falling over other civilians as they tried to get further away from the main entrance. Pulling his headphones off, Dream pocketed his phone and got up from his spot on the floor. 

He could now perfectly hear some of the military personal calling for everyone to remain calm, but it did nothing to soothe the panic rising in the crowd. Dream stayed close to the wall, trying to avoid getting trampled. Looking towards the entrance, he managed to see what had caused the chaos. 

Behind the glass doors and walls of the mall’s entrance stood what looked like an angry mob of people, but there was something about the way they slammed their hands against the glass and their jerky movement that just seemed completely off. There was so many of them and there seemed to come more and more by every minute. 

The details was hard to make out, but Dream was sure that they were covered in blood. 

The cracking of the glass was so loud, Dream was sure everyone else heard it as well. They were piling up against the glass, the weight strong enough to crack up and down, side to side into a beautiful spider web. 

“Sir! We’re awaiting orders!” Dream heard one of the military men yell. He could see they all lining up, lifting their guns and standing ready for the signal. 

Seeing what was about to happen, Dream reached for his backpack, pulling it off the ground as he turned and ran. The break in the glass was drowned out by the gunfire and screaming. 

Dream tried his hardest to keep moving, trying to avoid getting shoved and pushed as much as possible. In his peripheral vision, he thought he saw one of the bloody people pounce on one of the panicked people, tackling them to the ground. 

Dream didn’t know where he was going, all he could do was follow the mass in front of him and maneuver between them. He could hear the yelling and screaming of people behind him, guns still firing into the aggressive mob. 

Then a loud bang went off behind him, shaking the entire building and shattering the glass of some of the nearby stores. Dream stumbled and fell into one of the columns holding up the second floor of the building. 

He looked up just in time to see what was happening behind him, another explosion going off further down the mass of people. He barely had any time to fathom what was going on before he saw one of those bloody people come charging at him, ready to grab him. 

And then Dream’s world went white with a loud bang. 

His head was ringing, drowning out the sound of screaming and gunfire as his vision slowly got back into focus. He couldn’t feel anything, and for a moment he couldn’t even register what was happening around him. He could see a hand, bloody and bruised, and yet he still didn’t register anything or the voices around him. 

And then something blocks his vision, a hand lifting his head off the ground. It was a man with kind eyes, glasses cracked in the lens and a checkered scarf around his neck. Dream could see the man’s mouth was moving, but none of the words registered in Dream’s head.

Then he blinked, and when he opened his eyes again, he was moving, his arm draped over someone's shoulder. His body was screaming at him, aching with every movement he made. 

Or maybe he was the one screaming. He couldn’t tell. 

He closed his eyes again, and the next time he opened them, he was on the floor of some dark room, cardboard boxes around him. He can see the man holding his arm, wrapping a white bandage around it but the blood was still seeping through. 

His breathing was so loud in his own ears, trying to compete with the beating of his own heart. 

“I’m sorry, I can’t stay” the man grabbed his head again, forcing Dream to look at him. 

“I have done all I can. Everything you need is in the bag. Stay quiet and hidden. I’m sorry” that man spoke, and yet Dream didn’t really understand what he said. 

His eyes felt so heavy, once again threatening to fall shut. 

The last thing he saw was the man’s boots running away from him and a door closing. 

And then the world went dark once more.

………

This was stupid. 

Dream knew this was stupid, and yet he was still here. 

It was just supposed to be him and Patches, he was done with the group thing. Alone was better, he knew this, and he had agreed with himself that he was gonna stay alone. 

So why was he sitting on a rooftop, looking through a broken pair of binoculars to spy on those two strangers. 

For the past few days Dream had committed to following them, just to make sure they didn’t get themselves killed. Just from observing them from a far Dream could tell the guy with the glasses was paranoid. Maybe he had sensed Dream’s presence, or maybe the supplies he left for them had scared him. 

One thing was sure, it had caused them to move base.

Right now he could see they were seated in the middle of a library, just in the perfect spot for Dream to see them through the windows. A few of the windows had been broken and cracked, it would do nothing to keep out the winter cold. 

“Idiots” Dream muttered under his breath. In return he was rewarded with a soft meow next to him. 

“I’m not gonna help them” Dream answered the cat’s meows. 

“We’re just sticking around till the sick guy is better, then we’ll go” Dream replied to another meow. He felt a furry head rub up against his side, pawing a bit at his shoelaces. 

“Yeah I know” Dream sighed, lowering his binoculars to scratch patches head. She seemed content to just rub up against him and purr at the pets, and meowed once Dream removed his hand again to the binoculars. She jumped up onto the ledge of the building.

He could see the sick guy was still red with a fever, but he was at least sitting up now with a blanket draped over his shoulders. It was a good sign in Dream’s opinion, the cream he left must have helped.  

Moving the binoculars over on the brunette, he could see he was picking through a bag of arrows. More than once Dream had wondered just where he got a bow from? The gun made sense, but who owns a bow?

Dream should properly set up his own shelter soon, before it would be too dark to go anywhere. But he was sure he could break into one of the roof sheds easily enough. He would just say and sit for a bit longer. 

But then he heard patches hissing, and looking back over at where she was perched, she could see the hair on her back was raised and stiff. 

“What’s wrong patches?” Dream asked, raising his binoculars to look down the street, trying to spot what had gotten her attention. 

“Shit” Dream cursed, spotting a large group of the zombies wandering down the streets. For the past few weeks, Dream had noticed more and more roaming the streets, maybe it was overcast sky, maybe it was the short days, but they seemed to be everywhere lately. 

But not in this amount. Sometimes Dream spotted one or two stumbling in the nearby streets towards the stranger’s temporary hide outs, and with his axe Dream would take care of it. 

But Dream could not even count the horde making their was down the street. Looking back down through the window at the two strangers, it was clear they had no idea about the problems coming, and with the amount of broken windows and doors, they wouldn’t be able to deal with it alone. 

“Shit” Dream cursed again, pulling his backpack off and zipped it open. 

“Come on patches, in you go” Dream motioned for the cat after he stuffed the binoculars into it.. Patches’s fur was still raised, but she was quick to run to him and jump up in the bag. 

“Be still, okay?” Dream whispered, zipping the bag up carefully, leaving a bit of it open for her to breathe. He didn’t like stuffing her into a backpack, but this was the safest spot for her to be when running was coming up. 

Dream pulled the bag back on his shoulders and with his axe in hand he got up on his feet. Looking down at the street again he quickly made a game plan. He went over to the side of the building, looking down to see a fire escape right under him. 

He tried his best to be quiet, but with the metal under his boots it proved to be harder than first expected. On the last ladder he jumped down on the ground, and with a quick look around he ran across the streets towards the library. 

To hell with being quiet, those things would have heard him no matter what. 

He managed to get to the doors, running inside and closing it in the face of one of the sprinting zombies. But he didn’t have the time to stall or collect his breath. He turned and sprinted towards the shelves of books, hoping to find the two strangers as fast as possible. 

Behind him, he heard a window break and glass shattering on the floor, but he didn’t let it stop his rushed search of the library floor. 

To his own luck he found the strangers quickly, coming out the end of a bookshelf corridor and almost getting his head impaled by an arrow, only dodging it at the last minute. The arrow embedded itself into the books and knocked a good amount of them off the shelf. 

He looked up to see the stranger that robbed him holding the bow, reaching for another arrow, the other guy was clutching a bat and looked like he was close to falling over. 

“Run!” Dream only yelled at them, sprinting towards the little camp. They didn’t have any time to explain or gather any of the things on the floor. Dream grabbed the sick guy’s arm, and he heard another arrow fly, but this time he knew the target wasn’t him. 

“Come on!” Dream called for the archer, practically dragging the sick guy behind him, worried if neither of them had an arm on him, he would fall over. The library was dark, making it even harder to navigate and avoid the still invading zombies between the corridors. 

Dream cut a few down with his axe, he heard a multiple of bodies hit the floor as arrows flew past, and once he thought the bat might have swung and hit something as well. 

Dream tried to navigate them towards the windows, but every turn they took only seemed more overrun and dangerous than the last one did. 

“Over there” the guy with the bat now grabbed Dream’s arm instead and pulled him in the direction of a door with a women's bathroom sign on it. With no other way to go, Dream ran for the door, pulling the stranger with him and the archer close behind. 

They almost fell through the door and rushed to slam it shut behind them. All three of their bodies pressed against the door, feeling the slamming and banging of zombies on the other side. 

The sick guy slided down against the door, still pressing up against it. Dream saw as the archer fiddled with the lock on the door, getting it turned around for good measure. 

Dream had no idea how long they all just stayed pressed up against the door, begging and hoping the door would stay on its hinges as the groaning of the infected slowly seemed to get further and further in between. But soon the banging would stop, and they would be in complete silence as they all held their breath. 

“I’m gonna throw up” the sick guy spoke up in a shaky voice, buckling over himself. 

“Don’t you dare” the archer got down on his knee and slapped his own hand over others' mouth. 

“Don’t you fucking dare throw up, we can not afford you having an empty stomach right now, so you keep that shit down, do you hear me?” Dream watched as the archer warned him.

“He’s right. They might have forgotten about us in here, but theres a whole horde heading this way. So we’ll be stuck in here for a while” Dream agreed with the archer, getting his attention, and Dream saw as the look of annoyance grow on his face as the archer finally recognized him.

“Oh great. It’s you” the archer scowled at him. 

“You know, most people say thank you after being saved” Dream just scoffed back at him, panting through the construction mask as he pushed off the door to get his backpack off. 

“I’m not thanking you” the archer just glared, raising onto his feet. 

“Do you two know each other?” the sick guy asked from his spot on the floor, sounding out of breath. 

“No” the other just snapped, still glaring at Dream as he walked over and looked through the stalls, checking there were no lurking zombies stuck in here with them. The bathroom wasn’t the most spacious, holding four stalls, a big mirror with two sinks and a bucket and mop in the corner. The only light came in through a tiny window located high up on the wall, far too high and small to climb through.  

“Wait, you didn’t tell him?” Dream raised an eyebrow at the archer.

“Tell me what?” the guy on the floor asked, looking to his friend for answers. 

“That your friend here robbed me and tried to kill me. Oh and you stole my cat” Dream explained before the other could dismiss it. 

“I didn’t know you had a cat in the bag” the archer snapped at Dream again, the irritation growing in his eyes. 

“George, you tried to kill him? Not cool” the sick guy frowned. 

“It was him or us. I made the choice I had to” the archer, George, crossed his arms over his chest. 

“You could have just asked for help, he seems like a lovely guy” the sick guy pointed out, looking up at Dream again. 

“Yeah” Dream agreed, crossing his arms over his own chest. 

“Oh and you would have helped if I asked? I find that really hard to believe” George scoffed at him, looking Dream over yet again as if he was trying to determine the threat Dream might pose. Dream couldn’t blame him, he did kick his ass after all.

“Well, I would have if you didn’t point a gun in my face” Dream shrugged, stepping towards the sinks, placing his backpack down so he could unzip it and let patches out of her uncomfortable seat. 

“You pointed the gun at him? Jesus christ, George” the sick guy cursed, his head tilting back against the door. 

“I can’t believe you’re siding with him” George glared at his friend, before returning the glare to Dream again. 

“We didn’t need your help” he insisted. 

“Well you got it anyway. You’re welcome” Dream just rolled his eyes, letting patches jump out of the backpack before he gave George a bored look. It must have ticked the other off, seeing as George’s face turned red, and he just turned around, deciding to find a way to barricade the doors. 

“Well, I wanna thank you at least” the sick guy spoke up, looking up at Dream. 

“I’m Sapnap, the grumpy idiot is George” Sapnap said, holding his hand out to Dream. 

“Yeah I gather that much” Dream nodded, taking Sapnap’s hand and shook it.

“I’m Dream, and this is patches” he introduced himself as patches jumped off the sinks and trotted up to Sapnap, rubbing her side up against Sapnap’s leg. 

“Oh I remember you, hey beautiful” Sapnap smiled, lifting his hand and stroking her fur. She purred under his hand, seemingly content to just enjoy the pets. 

“Hey asshole. Either help me barricade that door or get him settled somewhere else. Right now is not time for you two to drink tea” George interrupted them, clearly annoyed with both them and the stall door he was trying to get off its hinges. 

“I can move myself” Sapnap sighed, struggling to get up from the floor. 

“The door is a higher priority” Sapnap said, walking towards the other end of the bathroom, sitting down under the window. 

It was nice to know these two weren’t completely stupid.

………

The ringing in his ears was still so loud. 

Everything was quiet except for the ringing, or at least he thought so. He heard no gunfire or screaming, no explosions or yells. Just the ringing in his own ears and his own heavy breathing.

As the world slowly came back to him, all his brain could focus on was the excruciating pain shooting throughout his body. He couldn’t figure out where it was coming from, it was like his entire body had been ripped apart and sliced up before being sewn back together. 

He managed to tilt his head, finding a bag placed next to him, but right in front of his head stood a white pill bottle, the lid open and unscrewed, Dream managed to lift his left hand, knocking the pill bottle over when he tried to grab it. A few of the pills spilled out, and Dream picked up a few of them on the floor and swallowed a good amount of them dry, hoping it would take care of the unbearable hot pain raging through his skin. 

He laid there on the floor, panting and shaking as he begged for the pain to go away. 

But as the pain slowly subdued, Dream was able to finally register how dry his mouth was, how rawr his throat felt when he tried to swallow his own spit. 

With his left hand, he pushed himself up, and reached out for the bag with his aching right hand, only to see it covered in bandages, dyed red with his own blood. His gaze followed the bandaged up his arm and onto his chest, seeing his to his t shift poking out among the bandages and just as bloody. Looking down at his legs he could most of his right pant leg had been ripped to shreds, the fabric dyed red as well along the bandages. 

Dream felt his chest tighten, his heart beating faster as he lifted his right hand up to get a better view. He tried to peal the bloody bandage off, but had to give up when it only caused more pain to shoot through his arm. The dried blood had caused it to stick to his still healing skin. 

Dream felt out of breath, trying harder and harder to force down air. The entire room was spinning around him, and he felt himself lay back down on the floor. His chest was rising and falling faster than the air could get to him. 

He had to calm down, but the longer he laid there, the more aware he became of the pain in his body, the fact he didn’t know where he was, how he got here or what he was supposed to do. 

All Dream could do was lay on the floor and try to reign in his own breathing. His throat felt almost as painful as the rest of his body, he was so thirsty. 

Sitting up again, Dream reached out for the bag with his left hand, dragging it closer to himself. He could barely stand the thought of using his right hand, only holding it up to his chest in hope it would stay out of his way. 

He fought to get the zipper up, opening the bag up to show off a variety of supplies, filled with water, food, blankets and a pocket knife. Dream pulled one of the water bottles out of the bag, trying to get the cap off, but with only one hand it felt like an impossible feat. 

“Please, please, please, please” Dream whispered under his breath. He was so thirsty and in so much pain he wanted to cry out. But no matter what he did, the grip his left hand on the bottle was too weak to unscrew the cap. 

Then Dream looked back into the bag, grabbing the pocket knife. Getting the blade to unfold was far easier than fighting with the bottle. And with a shaking hand, Dream stabbed into the bottle, trying to make a hole. 

A bit of the water spilled out once he got a proper hole poked into it. He dropped the knife immediately and picked the bottle up, holding it over his mouth as he drank. The water felt like heaven, spilling down his raw throat and soothing the ache. 

But it didn’t last forever, the bottle ran dry and Dream was still so thirsty. He grabbed another bottle of water from the bag, forcing the knife though and repeated the process. 

Once he had two empty bottles on the floor, Dream went back to look through the bag. He found a prepackaged sandwich, much like the one he had been given earlier, when the mall was still brimming with life. 

Dream picked up the sandwich, trying to tear it open. It went a lot easier than the water bottle, the plastic wrapper being ripped off with his teeth. As soon as it was open, Dream tore out the sandwich, fingers digging into the bread as he stuffed it into his mouth. 

The pain was still bumping through his body, almost throbbing along with the beat of his heart. He didn’t know how long it would be till the pain killers wore off and he would once again be laying in agony on the cold floor. 

It was so quiet in this dark room, the only noises coming from himself.

He did remember how he got here. Only screaming, the loud bangs and a pair of kind eyes apologizing to him. 

A little part of him hoped those eyes would return, that anyone would return and help him. But he knew no one would. He didn’t know why, but he knew he was completely alone. 

He didn’t notice the tears running down his cheeks till he felt the ting of them running over his wounds, and yet he couldn’t stop them from falling. His breath hitched halfway through a chewed bite on the sandwich. He couldn’t hold his sobs in, letting himself openly weep. 

A thousand things ran through his mind. 

Where was he? Would anyone come to help him? Where was his mom? He wanted his mom, where was she? What happened out there? What was he gonna do? Would the pain ever stop? 

He didn’t have the answer to any of those. 

All he could do was lay down on the cold floor and sob. 

………

“That’s about everything I have” Dream sighed. 

On the sink was all the food and water Dream had stocked in his backpack. It had been a horrible realization for Sapnap and George once they noticed none of their stuff had been grabbed in the chaos. But lucky for them, Dream had some to spare.  

“It’s not a whole lot” George said, leaning against one of the stalls as he glared down the cans of food on display, along with three water bottles. 

“Well, it’s gonna have to be enough” Dream shrugged. 

“How long will it last us?” Sapnap asked, sitting on the floor and propped up against the floor. A blanket was pulled tightly around him, one George had rudely pulled from Dream’s hands. Dream would have snapped at him but decided against it, the last thing they all needed was another brawl on the old dirty floor. 

“A week if we ration it” Dream answered, looking down at the supply of food. 

“Maybe a bit more if we eat the cat” George added, only to receive two dirty looks from both Dream and Sapnap. 

“It was a joke, jesus” George was quick to surrender, raising his hands. 

“A little part of me doubts that” Dream shot back at him. 

“What about the water. What if we run out?” Sapnap asked Dream instead, trying to get the attention off George. 

"If we run out of water we can always try the toilets” Dream said, looking into one of the stalls at the porcelain toilets. 

“Gotta have some water left in it” he shrugged. 

“I’m not letting Sapnap drink toilet water. He just started improving” George shook his head. 

“What to you wanna do then? Spit in his mouth? Or maybe you wanna risk going out there to get your stuff? Be my guest for all I care” Dream asked, pointing towards the poorly barricaded door. 

“Don’t give me that. It’s your fault we’re stuck in here” George glared at Dream. 

“Yeah, and you’re welcome. If I hadn’t been looking out for you two, you’d be dead” Dream just snapped back at George. 

“I had everything under control, stalker” George pushed off the stall and shoved Dream’s chest. 

“If you didn’t alert them of our presence, they would have walked past the library and we would have been fine” George argued. 

“Yeah right, you didn’t see how big that horde was. If I had waited any longer, you would have been a chew toy” Dream got back into George’s face, towering over him. 

“Besides, don’t think I wanna be in here more than you do. You pointed a gun at me, the only reason I'm helping is because of your friend” Dream glared at George. 

“Why do you care anyway? You’re properly just using us as bait for something, I don’t trust you” George bristled. 

“The feeling is mutual” Dream huffed.

"For fuck sake” Sapnap sighed heavily, rubbing at his brow.  

"Either go into that fucking stall and fuck out that sexual tension, or shut the fuck up” he demanded, tired of listening to their bickering. 

Both Dream and George’s faces turned red, Sapnap couldn’t care less if it was out of embarrassment or anger as he went on. 

“We’re all scared, hurray for that” he said sarcastically. 

“But fighting is the least productive thing we can do right now. I don’t care who pointed what at who or who kicked who’s ass. Right now it’s us versus those zombies out there, let’s remember that” Sapnap reminded them, nodding towards the door. 

“We have a week's worth of food, and if we have to drink toilet water then so be it. We’ll deal with the problems when they arrive, so don’t go creating more than we need” Sapnap sighed and pulled the blanket further over his chest. 

“So shut up before I get a worse headache” Sapnap mumbled, and closed his eyes, trying to nurse the building headache. 

Dream and George just looked back at each other, still glaring but stepping back. They both knew Sapnap was right, but they didn’t have to like it. 

“You’re not my type” Dream broke the silence. 

“I wouldn’t sleep with you even if you were the last man on earth” George scoffed. 

“The stall or shut up” Sapnap just reminded them. 

George just huffed and turned away, walking to the other end of the bathroom to sulk and mutter to himself. Dream turned towards the sink again, starting to back the food back into his backpack, muttering under his own breath. 

Patches jumped down from her seat on the sinks and trotted over to Sapnap. She stepped up onto Sapnap’s lap, coming up close to his face before sitting down, moving her paws gently up and down on his chest as she got comfortable enough to lay her head down.

“Yeah I know. We just want some peace and quiet, don’t we” Sapnap smiled at the cat, lifting his hand to scratch her behind the ear. 

……..

It must have been days already. 

Dream couldn’t be entirely sure, but it felt like days. 

Time just seemed to drift together in that room. He would wake up from a nightmare, covered in sweat and his body hurting as he moved. He would try to fight it long enough to drown another pathetic handful of painkillers, drink and eat the first things he found in the bag next to him and then pass out again, only to fall into another nightmare. 

He still didn’t fully remember what happened, the only clues his nightmares would give him were people panicking, the bangs and explosions, blood and then pain. 

More than once, Dream had considered dragging himself out through the closed door, so desperate for anyone to help him. But there was a nagging part in the back of his mind, telling him that the only reason he was still alive was in fact because of the closed door. 

So he remained on the floor, with no energy to push it open even if he wanted to. 

His breath felt shallow, waiting for the pain killers to once again numb the pain shooting through his body. It no longer felt like a burning sensation when he moved. Now it had become sharp, like a knife cutting and stabbing into his body when he moved. 

Dream could wish it was a good sign all he wanted, but if he didn’t do anything about the dirty bandages and current arrangements of shelter, infection would set in and kill him in an even worse fate. 

Once the pain was numb enough for Dream to push himself up, he took the time to look around him. From what Dream had gathered, this was the back room of some store, with boxes and shelves surrounding him. There was the door by his feet, standing before him as his own line of defense. And turning his head, Dream saw another door, a bathroom sign hanging on the wall. 

Dream took a deep breath, gritting his teeth as he pushed himself up onto his feet, one of them threatening to give out. His body was screaming at him to lay back down, but Dream ignored it in favor of limping to the bathroom door, shoving the door open and fumbling to turn on the lights. 

It blinked on, revealing a dirty employee bathroom, and his own reflection in the mirror. 

Dream froze as he took in the image in front of him. The entire right side of his body had been bandaged up, but so poorly that Dream could still see bits of nasty blistered skin on his face. 

Without thinking, Dream’s left hand started to pull the bandage off, the pain flaring up as the dry bloody bandages was ripped off his healing skin. In a few of the places, the wounds were ripped back open and blood started to slowly flow from it. 

Dream almost couldn’t believe the reflection in front of him. 

The entire right side of his body was a mess of burns and blisters, running over his nose and a few parts of his hair missing. His right eye was completely white and only looked lazily back at him. He tried to hold a hand up in front of it, but nothing in his vision changed. Looking further down at himself, Dream was too scared to imagine what a monstrous nightmare the rest of his body looked like.

He dared try removing the bandages on the side of his chest, peeling them off enough. Once out in the open, Dream could see the black pieces of fragments buried into his skin, the edges of his burns red and yellow, yellow or green pus and discharge coming from the wounds, and the unbearable reek of rot hitting his nose. 

Dream swayed on his feet, buckling over himself and threw up on the floor. Whatever he had managed to eat in the span of those few days were scatter out on the floor with bile. He heaved for air, felling his heart speed up and his breath fall short. 

His left hand held onto the sink, keeping him from falling into his own vomit. He stood like that, trying to keep himself calm enough to make a game plan for what to do. 

As disgusting as his injuries were to look at, he knew he couldn’t just cover them back up and leave them be. Infection had already started to set in, and if he left it for any longer it would without a doubt kill him slow and painfully. 

Forcing himself back up right, Dream went back out int he backroom to the bag on the floor. He managed to shove a blanket and the last of his food and water out of they way and found a first aid kit. The face of the stranger who helped him was nothing but a blurry memory to him now, but he still sent his thanks to wherever that stranger may be. 

He carried the first aid kit back into the bathroom with him, limping and struggling not to fall on his face. With his left hand he managed to get the kit open, looking through the content. He found plasters and a few rolls of bandages, a small scissor, gauze, a manual, antiseptic wipes, safety pins and a pair of tweezers. 

With a shaking hand, Dream picked up the tweezers and looked into the mirror, preparing himself to face the wounds again. He lifted his right arm up enough to look at the fragments buried in his flesh. He had no idea what those fragments were, but they had to go. 

With a deep breath, Dream looked down at a particular big piece in his side. He moved the tweezers up and started the painful journey of pulling out fragments of debris and other questionable pieces. A lot of the bigger pieces were situated in his legs, lower side and the underarm of his right arm, only a piece or two had gotten into the skin of his cheek. 

He dropped the bloody tweezers in the sink along with the fragments. He pulled off the remains of his dirty t shirt, turning on the water in the sink and held the shirt under, letting it soak up the water. He used his shirt as a makeshift wash cloth and gently ran it over his wounds, holding back a cry as the pain shot through him at the pressure. 

It was a repetition of cleaning the shirt of blood, soak it and clean more of his wounds with shaking hands. He gritted his teeth once he had to wash the wounds with the antiseptic wipes, the stinging being almost unbearable. 

Eventually, with his wounds cleaned and now wrapped up in new and clean bandages, Dream limped his way back out of the bathroom and back to the bag on the floor, finally letting himself rest back down. 

He pulled out another prepackaged sandwich and a water bottle, noting how his supply is thinning out. He casted another look at the other door, considering what he might find on the other side. 

But he wouldn’t get his answers today, his body too exhausted and tired to keep moving, and his mind too afraid to know what there might be on the other side. 

Dream pulled out the blanket he found in the bag, wrapping his sore and healing body up and laying down on the cold floor yet again, hoping sleep would take over him before the pain would flare up yet again.

Whatever was behind that door could wait another day or two. 

………..

Being trapped in a women’s restroom was incredibly mind numbing. 

Over the past two days Dream had tried to get some clue about what George and Sapnap’s dynamic were. 

It was clear George was angry with pretty much everything, snapping at Sapnap every now and again when the other had the energy to converse. If that was because of George's personality or the clear lack of sleep he was gettin, Dream didn’t know. One moment George would be arguing with Sapnap and the next he was forcefully making Sapnap eat his part of the rations. 

Speaking of, George insisted on counting and recounting their food and water, but if that was what it took to put the other at ease, Dream was happy to let the stranger rummage through his bag. 

Meanwhile, Dream was still trying to get an opinion on Sapnap. So far the younger had been nothing but nice, trying to balance out George's aggressions with politeness. But even then he seemed quiet, like he was trying to read Dream as well. 

The cautiousness between the three of them was thick in the air. 

Dream knew he was outnumbered in the case they wanted to throw him out to the zombies. But as of now, there was still enough food and the aggressions were still low. 

Dream didn’t doubt George would have thrown him out if it weren’t for Sapnap, a sentiment Dream was grateful for. 

"Never have I ever lived alone” Sapnap said, holding up a hand with 4 fingers. 

With little to no entertainment to keep them busy, they had all three let themselves go along with Sapnap’s suggestion of playing some road games. It was a better use of energy than sulking. 

Both Dream and George lowered a finger. 

“Lucky assholes” Sapnap commented from his seat on the floor. 

“You never lived alone?” Dream asked with a raised eyebrow, situated on the sinks with his legs propped up. 

“Not officially no. I lived in a dorm, and before that I lived at home” Sapnap said. 

“Eh, living alone is overrated” George added, leaning his head back against one of the stalls. 

“Easy for you to say, I never got to try it” Sapnap pouted. 

“Nah, living alone is nice, untill you have to clean everything. I fuckinged hated vacuuming” Dream decided to add. 

“Vacuuming is nothing. Cleaning the bathroom is the true nightmare, especially when you don’t wanna deal with anything” George disagreed. 

“Yeah yeah, just ask a question” Sapnap brushed them both off. 

It was pointless small talk, but Dream had to admit it was nice regardless. Maybe it was the illusion of guards being lowered, or just the odd feeling of normalization, but it was kinda fun to have a conversation where the responses didn’t solely consist of meows and purrs.  

“Never have I ever kissed someone while drunk” George asked. Both Sapnap and Dream took a finger down. 

“God you’re so boring George” Sapnap chuckled. So far George had only taken down one finger, Sapnap was down to three and Dream was barely in the game with two fingers. 

“Oh shut up Sapnap. You properly kissed a dog. No way you pulled any girls” George shot back at Sapnap.

“Well at least I went to parties” Sapnap huffed, brushing the insult off. 

“I did go to parties” George glared at the other. 

“Alright, then never have I ever been drunk at a party?” Dream decided to ask, pouring a bit of fuel on the fire. 

Again both Dream and Sapnap put down a finger. George’s cheeks went red with embarrassment, his four fingers still up on his hand. 

“Really George?” Dream raised an eyebrow. 

“I don’t like drinking, that's a fair boundary” George defended. 

“Still, seems like you're the one with zero girls” Dream chuckled. 

“Shut up” George then said in a firm voice, looking away from Dream and Sapnap. 

“Hey, we’re just teasing, don’t get pissy about it” Sapnap said, only for George's head to whip around and look at him. 

“Shut up” George held up his hand. 

“Do you hear that?” he then asked in a whisper. 

Both Dream and Sapnap froze, letting the silence fall over them to just sit and listen. For a moment, Dream didn’t know what George wanted them to hear, maybe it was nothing. But when Dream turned to say something, he spotted patches watching the barricaded door, fur raised on her back. 

And then he heard it, the gurgling, snarling and groaning sound of the zombies. 

They didn’t sound aggressive, and there was no banging on the door, no attempts to get in or signs they knew they were in here. 

Dream looked up at the tiny window in the room, located so high it was impossible to look in through it from the floor. Being as quiet as possible, Dream pushed himself up on his feet, stepping over the sinks and craning his neck to try and catch a glimpse of the street outside. 

He could see out into what looked like an alleyway, but sure enough, he could just catch the glimpses of shadows moving along the wall. 

“It’s the horde” Dream whispered. 

“They’re moving through the alleyway” he looked down at Sapnap and George.

“How many are there?” George asked in a hushed voice. 

“I can’t tell, I can only see shadows” Dream shrugged, moving back and sitting down before he could fall. 

With no immediate threat at hand, no intruding zombies or dangers, all they could do was sit in silence, waiting for the groaning and snarling noises to go away. 

“How long are we gonna be in here?” Sapnap broke the silence, whispering the question in a small voice. 

“I don’t know… for as long as the food lasts” Dream offered, glancing back up at the window. Sapnap hung his head in defeat, closing his eyes.  

"How many bullets do we have?” George then asked, looking towards Sapnap. Of all the things they had managed to bring with them in the chaos of everything, it was George’s arrows, the bat and the gun that had been strapped to George's hip. 

"About ten? seven? I don’t know” Sapnap said without opening his eyes or lifting his head. 

"Why?”

"I wanna make sure we have some for a quick way out of this mess” George answered, but didn’t look at either of them.

"You have a plan?” Dream asked, turning his head to look at George on the floor. 

George only raised an eyebrow and looked back up at him with eyes. 

“... Are you seriously suggesting suicide?” Dream then asked, sitting up a bit straighter. 

"Hey, do what you want. But I'd rather take a bullet to the brain than get torn apart and eaten alive” George defended with a frown. 

“We won’t get eaten alive. We just gotta stay low while those things pass through” Dream shot back at him. 

“And what if they don’t?” George challenged. 

“We’ll find a way” Dream just decided, crossing his arms and leaning back against the mirror. 

“Oh yeah, Let’s see, I have a bad leg”George rolled his eyes, a hand motioning down at his bad ankle. 

"Sapnap’s sick. And you're blind in one eye. We aren’t running our way out of here, so good luck with finding another way” George shook his head in defeat.

“Enough George” Sapnap butted in before Dream could say anything. 

“We aren’t gonna… we aren’t gonna do that. We’ll wait like Dream says and deal with the problems when they arrive” Sapnap decided, looking down at his hands. 

It was clear as day that Sapnap was scared, they were all scared. But none of them knew how to properly deal with that fact. 

“Never have I ever wrote a love letter” Sapnap said instead, holding up his hand with three fingers raised. 

………

The bag is empty. 

It’s a reality Dream knew would come sooner or later. 

His body was still sore and aching, but at least moving had become easier. 

Everyday he had woken up, dragged and limped himself out into the bathroom and washed his wounds. The disgusting yellow pus was almost gone, and the places fragments had been digging into was no longer as irritated. His body was still in pain, but it was getting better. 

If only he could have waited for just a few more days, but the last sandwich had been eaten and his water was almost out. 

He still dreaded opening the door, fearing what he would find on the other side. But the painful rumble in his stomach and the raw of his throat was worse than any dread.

Dream pushed the door handle down, opening the door slowly. 

The store entered was completely abandoned and wrecked. Screens of computers and cellphones shattered on the floor and littering the floor. He faintly recognized it as the tech store he had seen before… everything. 

“Hello?” Dream spoke out into the quiet, his left hand still on the handle. He waited for any sound to be made, any movement to catch his eye, but none came. 

Dream took one step out into store, and then another. Limping towards the entrance of the store. He came face to face with a security gate pulled down almost all the way to the floor, leaving only a sliver above the floor. 

Looking out through the glass of the windows, Dream could see the aftermath of destruction in the halls of the mall, bricks and debris was covering the floor. Dried blood as scattered across the floor, including a smear leading up to the gate in front of him. 

A little part of Dream wondered if it was his blood or someone else’s. 

Pulling his eyes away from the blood and looking up, Dream saw the kiosk across the floor, remembering that was where the volunteers had kept and handed out the food. 

Looking further down the hall he saw an H&M, a café and a row of other stores. 

Looking back at the kiosk only feet away, Dream gathered up his nerves, bending down and lifted up the security gate enough for him to get under.  

He stumbled out into the hall, looking around him and taking in wreckage. He could see a few scattered body’s on the floor, laying unmoving and unbothered by his presence. 

“Hello? Is anyone here?” Dream asked, his voice echoing out into the halls. He waited another moment, watching where the hall curved or it’s new corners started. 

But yet again, nothing happened. Dream looked towards the H&M, then down at his own half naked body. 

Deciding on a priority, Dream limped past the kiosk and up to clothing store, seeing one of the large windows had been shattered and gave him and easy entrance. 

The store was just as dark as the tech store were, the rows of clothes drowning out into a black abyss. 

Dream tried his best to look through the store, limping past the women’s section, the underwear section, kids section and then finally found the small men section. 

He could barely see anything, his only light source being the entrance into the store. But Dream managed to find a long sleeve shirt, pulling it over his shivering body, pulling a pair of sweatpants out of a pile and fumbling to get them on. 

The clean soft fabric of the clothes felt soothing on his body, like a soft blanket hugging his aching skin. He almost wanted to weep at the relief. 

But along with the relief came the exhaustion. Dream had to act fast and get the food before his legs would give out again. 

He limped back towards the shattered window and out to the abandoned kiosk. There was no security gate pulled down to prevent him access, letting Dream walk inside with no problems. 

Lifting a few scatted bricks of stone and scattered paper, Dream found a cardboard box full more prepackaged sandwiches, a few of the seals had been broken, and mold had started to grow. He threw the ruined packages out, leaving only the still sealed and eatable sandwiches in the box. Looking further behind the desks and in the cupboards, Dream found cases of water bottles, along with packages of crackers. 

Dream piled as many as possible into the box, pushing it across the dirty floor instead of carrying it back to the tech store. He lifted up the security gate once more, shoving the cardboard box under it with his foot before getting in himself. 

He casted one look back out into the halls of the mall, pushing the security gate all the way down to the floor. 

He didn’t know why, but the hair on his neck was still raised. 

Turning back to the cardboard box, he shoved it back out to the backroom. Sitting down and grabbing one of the sandwiches just as his body was about to collapse. He laid on top of the blanket on the floor, biting into the stale bread of the sandwich. 

He’d try finding help next time, looking further into the mall for other people. 

Once he mustered up the courage again, he’d try. For now he’d sleep.

With each day that passed, sleep became harder to find. The nightmares were getting worse but the pain in his body was becoming easier day by day. There was still a limp in his step, but now his right leg wasn’t dragging behind him. 

But even with the pain slowly fading away, he found his breathing was still struggling. It sounded hoarse and panting, like his lungs was working harder than any of his other organs. 

He needed help, someone to rely on and trust. Someone to at least be there when the nightmares woke him up screaming and crying. 

There was still food in the cardboard box, and water bottles he had refilled in the bathroom. 

A few times, Dream had opened the door, just to look out at the security gate. A little part of him wondered when help would arrive. Someone had to know about this, a mall left in ruin with rotting bodies on the floor. 

Help was bound to come. 

But Dream couldn’t wait for much longer. 

He pulled the security gate up once again, stepping out into the ruined hall for the second time in days. He looked down the hall towards the H&M and cafe, then back the other way. 

Dream had tried to avoid even looking down that way, he could smell the rot of the bodies, see the blood on the floor. He knew what picture he would find that way, and he wasn’t sure he could stomach it yet. 

So Dream turned back to the other side, starting to walk down the halls. He’d just take a look around, see if someone else might be hiding in a different place. Maybe he’d find them and they could help each other, he could share the sandwiches with them and the water, they’d appreciate that, he was sure of it. 

He just had to find them first. 

He tried turning the corner to the left, only to met with a torn apart plush bunny. It made him freeze in his tracks. The bunny looked trampled and dirty, one eye missing and half the body gone. Looking just a few feet ahead he could see stuffing scattered in a trail. He was too scared to look further, too afraid of what he might see. So instead Dream turned on his heel, deciding to turn the other corner was safer. 

He kept walking, trying to ignore the blood he saw on the floor. He came across a few bodies, but nowhere near enough to account for all the blood smeared over the floor and walls. 

Dream almost started to worry he missed whatever help had come. Someone had to have taken the bodies, but why were there still so many left?, and why had he heard anything?

So many questions was floating around in Dream’s mind, but they all came to a sudden halt when he saw a shadow move down the hall, dancing over the floor and coming closer to the corner Dream had been walking towards. 

Dream felt relief wash over him, and yet he stood still, every fiber in his being refusing to move.  

The person stepped out out the hall, around the corner for Dream to finally see them. They were groaning and limping, like they were hurt. The person was dressed in green, and Dream almost thought they were a soldier. But they were facing away from him. 

For a second Dream let himself believe help was here. 

“Hello?” Dream called out to them, taking a step towards them, but quickly stopped when the person turned around. 

Their face was sunken and pale, eyes bloodshot and their veins turned an ugly purple. And now fully turned towards Dream, he could see the blood soaked on the military uniform. 

Dream stumbled back, the shoes on his feet squeaking on the floor. The person’s head jerked and started to run towards him, only slowed down by it’s own limp. 

Dream tried to push past the pain and run, but his legs were screaming at him. His body wanted to stop but his mind just screamed run. He managed to turn a corner and then another, the thing behind him falling over and stumbling after him. 

Dream could see the tech store, the security gate raised and waiting for him, he just had to get past the H&M and the cafe. He would have made it if his leg didn’t give out and caused him to fall. 

He barely managed to turn onto his back as the thing pounced on him, fingers tearing and clawing as his arm and chest, causing new pain to erupt. Both Dream’s hands shot up around the thing’s neck, struggling to keep it’s face away from him. 

It tried jerking it’s head, trying to bit his hand, but Dream just pushed, trying to tilt it’s head away from him. He wanted to cry out in pain as the thing grabbed his shoulder and bore its disgusting nails into him. 

His arms shook, threatening to give out just like his legs did. 

Dream was gonna die, he was sure of it. 

He turned his head, trying to find anything to save him, anyone to call out to. 

The thing snarled, jerking in effort to get to him. A crash sounded out, a cafe table knocking over next to them, glass shattering on the floor. Dream looked towards it, finding a vase with wilted flowers laying right by his head. 

He looked back up at the thing, catching the blood shut eyes with his own. With no other choice, Dream risked removing one of his hands, grabbing the neck of the broken vase and with all his strength stabbed it into the side of the thing’s neck. 

It got knocked off him, gasping and fighting for air as blood started to poured out of the wound. But Dream didn’t waste time. He grabbed a bigger piece of glass and got on top of the thing, bashing it’s head into the floor with the glass, not caring about the way it cut into his own hand. 

He thought he heard himself cry out as he kept going, putting all his energy into stabbing the thing. 

But by the time he was finally done, looking down at the body under him, it almost looked like a normal person, like a victim of his own assault. Cuts littering its face and neck, blood flowing out on the dirty floor. 

Dream scrambled onto his legs, running towards the security gate and sliding under it. He forced the gate all the way down, looking out at the now still body, as if he was afraid it would get up again. 

He could feel the tears run down his face as much as he could feel the beating of his heart and his lungs fighting for air. He crawled back out into the backroom, laying down on the floor and his blanket. 

He buried his face in the fabric of the blanket and screamed. 

He was gonna die

……..

“Hey” a soft voice spoke into the darkness, making Dream jolt awake. His eyes blinked as he looked around the dark room, the moonlight coming through the small window highlighting a square on the floor. . 

“Hey. You good man?” Dream turned his head, spotting Sapnap down on the floor, blanket pulled up over his shoulders with patches purring in his lap.  

“Huh? Yeah, why?” Dream asked, sitting up straighter. He could feel the sweat at the back of his neck, the stirring in his fingers as he tried to grab for anything to hold onto. 

“You were muttering in your sleep. Kinda seemed like you had a nightmare” Sapnap shrugged slightly, trying not to disturb the cat in his lap 

“... I'm fine” Dream looked away. He could hear George snoring, interrupting the peaceful silence in the room. 

For the past few days they had taken shifts standing guard, none of them wanting to be asleep in case something tried to get in. Because of Sapnap’s fever, the younger had offered to keep at watch at night, sleeping through the day much easier than George and Dream. 

“Do you wanna talk about it?” Sapnap asked, an unsure tone clear in his voice. 

“What?” Dream asked. 

“I don’t know. George doesn’t like sharing, I just wanted to offer it” Sapnap defended, not looking up at Dream as he pulled a hand free in favor of stroking patches fur. 

“No, I'm good” Dream declined, letting himself relax back against the mirror behind him, his legs dangling off the sink. 

“Thanks for the offer though” Dream thanked him.

“No problem. I doubt this little lady is much of a listener” Sapnap joked, the cat in his lap stretching her legs out before curling up again. 

“You’d be surprised” Dream smiled, looking down at patches as well. 

“How are you doing?” Dream asked, finding the silence a little too deafening to sit in. He didn’t wanna talk about his nightmare, but if Sapnap would just talk about anything, he would be glad.   

“Better, I think my fever is gone, I'm still a bit dizzy and my nose is runny, but besides that I think I might be back on my feet again” Sapnap smiled, lifting his head to look up at Dream. 

“Can I ask a rude question? It’s cool if you don’t want to and just tell me to fuck off” Sapnap asked him, leaning his head back against the wall. 

“Sure” Dream decided to indulge the other. 

“What’s with the mask?” Sapnap asked, lifting his hand to point at his own mouth, as if Dream would be confused about which mask he was talking about.

Dream felt himself stiffen up, shifting a bit as he tried to find the proper answer to give Sapnap. Suddenly the construction mask on his face felt really heavy, weighting on his face and nagging over his nose.

“Sorry, I didn’t wanna offend you. Just forget it” Sapnap tried to brush it off a moment later, taking Dream’s silence for something it wasn’t. 

“No, it’s… it’s cool. I have some um… breathing problems” Dream finally settled on. It wasn’t a complete lie. 

“Related to the…” Sapnap trailed off, his hand motioning to the right side of his face. 

“... Yeah, it started when this… happened” Dream nodded, looking down at his glove covered hands. 

“You know, you don’t run like someone with breathing problems. I could barely keep up with you” Sapnap commented, scratching patches behind her ear. 

“Heh, thanks. I used to run track before all this” Dream smiled under the mask. 

“Really? Did you win anything?” Sapnap smiled back at Dream, enjoying the direction their conversation was taking. 

“Nothing that really impresses, just some high school tracks” Dream shrugged, feeling the anxious nerves in his stomach starting to melt away. 

“You know, it’s so typical that I end up with all the athletes. I was a computer guy before this shit went down, I was not prepared at all” Sapnap joked. 

“What’s his deal by the way? Where the hell did you get a bow of all things” Dream asked, nodding his head down at George, the other turning onto his side and stirring in his sleep. 

“You’re not gonna believe this” Sapnap chuckled. 

“George is a professional archer, and a damn good one at that. But don’t tell him I said that” Sapnap snickered. 

Dream’s eyebrows shot up at that. He had his theories about George and his weird british accent, thinking they were online friends who met up, maybe George was an exchange student, or his parents had a bow. But professional archer was not one of them. 

“You’re right, I don’t believe that” Dream chuckled. 

“How professional?” he then asked instead. 

“He claims he almost made it to the olympics, but I don’t know man” Sapnap playfully shrugged with a grin. He pulled the blanket around himself up higher, shivering a bit as he tried to get comfortable on the floor. 

“Are you cold?” Dream asked. 

“ a bit. But I'll live” Sapnap shrugged it off. 

Dream scooched off the sinks, landing on his feet lightly as to not disturb George a few feet away. He quietly took the few steps over to Sapnap, sliding down the wall and sitting next to the other. 

“Come here” Dream lifted his left arm and draped it over Sapnap’s shoulder, the other shuffling to lean up against Dream’s side. Patches shuffled a bit, situating herself so her butt was leaning into Dream’s lap. 

“Thanks man” Sapnap said quietly. 

“Don’t mention it” Dream said, lifting his free hand to stroke over patches back. 

“So, professional archer” Dream tried to resume their conversation. 

“That’s what he says. You can ask him if you want to, he’s really good” Sapnap suggested. 

“I’m sure, but I might just end up with an arrow in the ass if I ask. He doesn’t seem to particularly like me” Dream sighed softly.  

“Don’t mind George, he’s just tired and scared” Sapnap muttered, tilting his head to rest on Dream’s shoulder.

“We’re all scared. But no reason to be an asshole about it” Dream argued, looking down at Sapnap. 

“It’s not you he’s mad at, it’s everything” Sapnap shared, looking over at George’s back, a sad look in his eyes.

“We had fight” Sapnap looked back up at Dream. 

“We both said some bad things, but I said something pretty bad… I know I shouldn't have, but George didn’t want my apology, so I kept my mouth shut. Then I got sick and it’s pretty clear that has taken a toll on him too” 

“So he’s not normally this pissy about everything?” Dream asked. 

“He is, but… he’s a good partner. He punched me after our fight, but he still risked everything for me so… can’t complain too much” Sapnap shrugged. 

“So don’t blame him. You were just the most convenient target at the moment, sorry” Sapnap apologized. 

“Did you two know each other before all this?” Dream asked instead, looking towards George as the other stirred yet again.

“Nah… I was with someone else, this guy named Bad. He saved me from a pretty bad situation and kinda protected me through everything. Then we found George trapped in some car and the rest is history” Sapnap explained loosely, letting himself relax solely up against Dream.

“Who was he?” Dream asked, pulling a bit on the blanket to drape over his own legs as well.

“A volunteer. He wanted to help people, even after the military gave up” Sapnap explained, his eyes threatening to fall shut. 

“Where is he now?” Dream then asked, trying to keep Sapnap awake for just a bit longer.

“... He’s coming back for us… he promised he would” Sapnap just said quietly, and Dream didn’t find it in himself to argue about it. 

“You know… I was in another group before I met Bad” Sapnap spoke up again. 

“We were hiding in a classroom in my old college” Sapnap added.

“What happened to them?” Dream asked.

“I don’t know” Sapnap shrugged. 

“They left me behind while a whole hoard of those zombies was knocking our door down. I haven't seen them since… I don't think they made it” Sapnap slumped further against Dream.

“You know… I was in a group too, back in florida” Dream offered, letting Sapnap rest against him all he wanted, the warmth was nice under the blanket. 

“You were?” Sapnap glanced back up at him.

“Yeah” Dream nodded without meeting Sapnap’s eyes. 

“What happened to them?” Sapnap asked. 

“... Conflict of interest” Dream answered with a light shrug. 

“... We didn’t agree on how things should be done, so I left” Dream explained further. 

“Wouldn’t it have been safer if you stayed with them?” Sapnap asked, yawning next to him. 

“Maybe, but I couldn’t make myself stay” Dream shrugged again, shuffling Sapnap a bit.   

“You know, George and I are just kinda wandering, but if you want to join us you can” Sapnap offered.

“I’m sure George would like that idea” Dream huffed. 

“I’ll make him come around to it” Sapnap yawned and closed his eyes again. 

“Just think about it” he muttered. 

“Nah, I'll stay” Dream decided, looking down at patches again. 

“Patches seems to have grown attached to you” he justified with a smile.

“That's the undeniable charm I have on the ladies” Sapnap chuckled, getting a soft laugh out of Dream as well. Sapnap yawned again, sighing with exhaustion. 

“Do you mind taking over? I’m practically passing out already” Sapnap asked. 

“Not at all, just don’t drool on me” Dream joked. 

“No promises” Sapnap spoke through and other yawn, snuggling up to Dream with a deep breath. Dream leaned his head back against the wall, listening to patches purrs and the way Sapnap’s head evened out.

Maybe a little group like this could work.

………

Dream was convinced he was dead.

He had to be dead. He must have succumbed to his injuries the first day and now he was just living in purgatory, trapped in this hell disguised as a mall, with monsters stalking its halls. 

Everyday, Dream would wake up, stick his head out of the backroom to check if the body was still out there, still dead outside the security gate. And everyday it was still there, just as he left it. 

His food was running out, only crackers and a few water bottles left. The electricity and water in the bathroom was cut off days ago, leaving Dream with no other way to get food or water than to walk under the security gate again and get it from the kiosk. 

But he just couldn’t. 

Everytime he considered it, his breath would fall short, his heartbeat speed up and his head become dizzy. He would lay down in a sweating panicked mess on the floor. 

It didn’t matter if he got the food or not, he was dead. He had to be dead. This wasn’t real. But if he was dead why did he become so terrified at the thought of stepping outside. 

Once, when he went to check on the body again, he saw another one of those things. Now that he had seen one up close, it was so easy to see the difference, even from afar. Their movements were more jacked, their breath sounding short and raspy, snarling and groaning as they stalked the halls. 

It looked like a little girl, in a dirty torn jumper. What was more terrifying was the way she ripped into the dead body on the floor, tearing into its skin and stuffing her mouth. 

Dream wanted to turn and run, but felt frozen. All he could do was stand and watch aws she ate. Only once did she look up and in his direction. Dream almost feared she’d be able to crawl under the security gate and tear him apart as well. But then she went back to the body, the shadows had hidden Dream well enough for him to sneak back to his little hide away. 

Dream begged every morning and night for someone to come, someone alive who would save him. Please just someone, anyone, come get him and take him away from this place. Please save him or at least let him die painlessly. 

Anything to escape this hell. 

And then finally, someone answered his prayers. 

A loud bang sounded out, echoing through the halls of the mall. Dream jolted awake, another bang after another sounded out. His breath was caught in his lungs, panic setting in and trapping him on the floor. He saw white light flashing before his eyes, bodies hitting the floor and more of those monsters coming barreling towards him. 

He covered his head and shivered on the floor, hoping whatever was happening wouldn’t hurt him, that the monsters would leave him alone and the flashes leave him unharmed this time.

And then it stopped, and Dream still laid curled up on the floor. 

For the longest time just laid there, breathing as deeply as he could and letting it out, trying to stop his own shaking and the spinning of his head. 

But then it hit him. 

There were people here. People who could fire guns. People who could help him. People who could save him. 

He staggered onto his feet, rushing out of the tech room. He looked around frankly, trying to spot shadows, monsters or people. He prayed beyond anything that he hadn’t wasted his only chance of saving.

And then he heard the voices, so faint but still there. Without a second thought, Dream pulled the security gate up and tried to run, his right leg slowing him down with its limp. He didn’t stop to look at the bodies or if any of those monsters were lurking in the broken stores. 

He just had to find the voices.

He found them by the entrance of the mall, the big windows and doors blown to a million shards and pieces. It was a big group, at least ten people from what Dream could count. They were standing outside in the parking lot, the sun shining down on them like they had been god send. 

“Hey!” Dream yelled, waving his arm as he took another step forward, ignoring the bodies he passed. 

All Dream cared about in that moment was to get to that group

“Hey! Hey! Help!” Dream called out to them, feeling the ache in his right side as he limped towards them, trying to get their attention with another wave. 

“Hey! Wait up!” Dream called again. 

A gun was shot, the bullet hitting the debris next to Dream with a loud bang. Dream froze, ducking his head and raising his arms in an attempt to protect himself. He couldn’t help but feel his own heartbeat gallop in his chest, trying to keep his panic under control. 

“Jesus christ, man. Think before you fucking shoot” Dream heard one of the voices snap, but he was too scared to raise his head. 

“I thought it was a fucking zombie, excuse me for being careful” someone else scoffed. 

“Oi!” someone called out to Dream, and he finally dared raise his head from his arms, looking over at the group again. 

“Yo man, are you infected?” a blonde guy wearing a dirty white hoodie asked, walking closer to Dream with a gun in hand. 

“Infected?” Dream just asked back, feeling his own hands shake violently, far too aware of the weapon in the stranger’s hand. 

“Bit, has anything bitten you?” the blonde asked him again, raising his gun and Dream immediately raised his hands again, as if they were enough to stop a bullet. 

“No! I’m not bit, I'm not, don’t shoot” Dream panicked. 

“Please, I'm fine..” Dream pleaded. 

“... Alright” the stranger lowered his gun, but looked skeptical as he gave Dream a once over with his eyes. 

“You look pretty messed up. Are you alone?” he then asked. 

“Yes… you’re the first people I've seen in weeks” Dream nodded, his hands still shaking. 

“Damn, must have been rough” the stranger huffed. A few of the other guys behind the blonde snickered, muttering between themselves as they all looked at Dream, some in mockery others in disgust. 

“Please, I need help, I don’t know what to do, please take me with you” Dream pleaded, his good eye trying to focus on the stranger’s face. 

The stranger looked him over for a moment, clearly staring at the bandages and burns littering Dream’s body. It was clear he was trying to judge the damages, as if Dream was a run down car, on the edge of getting a new motor or being scrapped completely.

“You got food? Water?” the blonde then asked him. 

“Yes, some first aid kit and pain killers too… I can show you where it is, just please take me with you” Dream nodded again, trying to bargain himself a deal. 

He hadn’t thought this through. He had been so concerned about finding help he hadn’t considered what he might look like to any savior. Dream was weak, hungry and in pain, if these people wanted to take everything from him and leave him behind, he could do nothing to stop them. 

“We’re not seriously taking this guy with us?” someone else asked, interrupting Dream’s train of thought. 

“You know the rules, everyone is welcome as long as they pull their own weight” the blonde looked back at the guy. 

“Yeah, but come on, look at him? He’ll be a waste of resources, there's no way he’ll make the trials” the guy scoffed, looking Dream over with disgust and pity in his eyes. 

“Then it shouldn’t be a problem” the blond shrugged and turned back to Dream. 

“We’re from a bigger group. There's a whole community starting up in the stadium, it’s about 6 miles from here” the blonde started to explain. 

“We’re not gonna carry you, but if you can walk on your own we’ll be willing to let you in” the stranger offered him. 

“I can walk” Dream was quick to reply, even though his leg was already aching. 

“Great” the blonde smiled, holding his hand out to Dream. 

“I’m Punz” the stranger finally introduced himself. 

“Dream” Dream held his left hand out, the right one still aching too much to even attempt touching. Punz seemed to realize this and switched his own hands. 

“How about you show us where that food is and we’ll take you back to our base”

……..

“If I fall and break my neck, I'm blaming you” George threated. 

“I think I'm at bigger risk of that right now” Dream just shot back at him, trying to balance on George’s shoulders to look out the window. George had on hand on one to Dream’s legs, the other resting against the wall. 

They had been trapped for a week now. Their food had finally run out and so had the water. The problems they had all worried about was about to rush around the corner, but before making any decisions they had to know what they were dealing with. 

"Stand still” Dream muttered as he grabbed the handle of the window. They hadn’t heard anything for the past two days, nor seen any shadows. 

"I’m trying, but you’re fucking heavy” George placed both hands against the wall, feeling Dream’s shoes dig into his sides. 

"Why are you on top anyway?” George asked. 

Dream didn’t know what Sapnap had said to George or when, maybe he had explained the offer he gave Dream, or maybe they had finally made up whatever fight they had. But when Dream woke up yesterday, George had been surprisingly civil, he didn’t engage int heir conversations more than he had to, but the rude comments and snarky insults had stopped. 

Or at least they had been subdued just a bit. 

"Because your leg sucks and this was my idea” Dream justified.

"And so does your eyes” George mumbled. 

"Just shut up as I check” Dream said, leaning up against the wall and opening the window, stretching to look outside at the alleyway he had only caught glimpses of. 

"Do you see anything?” Sapnap asked, sitting on the other side of the bathroom to give them space, stroking over patches fur as the cat purred. 

"Hold on… ew” Dream made a grimach as he looked outside. 

"What is it?” George asked, focusing on standing still and keeping Dream balanced on his shoulders. 

"I could be wrong, but it kinda looks like some of them are eating another one” Dream explained, turning his head to look the other way. 

"What?” George frowned. 

"Zombie on zombie violence” Dream clarified. 

"Ew, They do that?” Sapnap asked, looking disturbed up at them. 

“I mean, we can’t be the only ones going hungry” Dream shrugged it off. 

"What about the hoard?” George asked, trying to get them back on track, feeling a burn start to blossom in his back. 

"There’s still a few, but nowhere near as many” Dream said, counting the few heads he saw. 

“I see five of them”

“Do you think we can take them on?” George asked. 

“Maybe, if we’re quiet” Dream said, closing the window again before the zombies could notice him. It wasn't like they could reach him anyway. 

“What about the ones inside. Aren’t they still stalking around out there?” Sapnap asked, looking towards the barricaded door. 

“Don’t know. But we can’t wait any longer” George sighed, bending down and letting Dream get off him. Dream stumbled a bit, but found his footing quickly. 

“I say we grab your stuff as fast as possible, and try to sneak our way out to the main street. We can get onto the roofs across the streets if needed” Dream suggested, walking over to pick up patches from Sapnap. 

They had discussed a potential plan many times, who would go in which order, how they would get out, what they would do in what scenario. 

Dream had already packed up his backpack, stuffing the blanket in before carefully placing patches inside. He zipped it closed halfway, just so she could jump out in case she needed to. The bag was much lighter now, with all his food and water gone. 

“Are we ready?” George asked, picking up his bow and the few arrows he had left. The gun had been strapped to his hip again. After a deep discussion it was decided George would keep holding on to it, given that his aim was better than theirs. 

“Ready as we’ll ever be” Sapnap said, pushing himself up from the floor and grabbing his bat. He looked better, the color returning to his skin and his stance more balanced. Dream didn’t think he needed to drag him out the same way he had dragged Sapnap in. 

“Let’s go” Dream said, pulling both backpack straps in and picking up his axe. They removed the poor barricade as quietly as possible, all standing ready with their weapons as Dream turned the lock. 

The door’s hinges squeaked as it opened, but nothing came jumping out at them. George nocked an arrow, his grip firm on the bow as he took the first step out. Sapnap walked out next, followed by Dream. 

The walked between the bookshelves, listening to the sounds around them for any clues of what might be lurking in the dark with them. George shot an arrow, hitting a zombie across the room in the throat. It staggered and hit the ground with a loud thud, gasping for air as it bled out. Two other zombies pounced on it. 

George nocked another arrow and then another, hitting both of the zombies with ease. Dream had to admit Sapnap was right. 

George was really good. 

They made it to Sapnap and George’s half made hideout, everything trampled and overturned in the chaos. They picked up their bags and quickly shuffled the few salvageable things they had unpacked into whichever pocket was available. Sapnap picked up the lime grill from the floor, strapping it quickly to the back of his bag before getting it on. 

Dream could see the daylight outside through the windows, the doors closer than he remembered them being. The windows were even more broken now, no doubt from the horde that had tried to get to them. 

They made their way out quietly, Dream only having to swing the axe once at one zombie that came running. Outside, the sun was shining down into the street. One of the zombies from the alleyway came running out, but George shot it down with another arrow, along with the four that followed. 

It was odd standing in the now empty street. 

A week ago it had been full of those monsters, staggering and snarling at each other. And now it was empty, leaving only the rubble and smallest clues that they had ever passed through.  

Dream took in a breath of fresh air, the filters in his mask keeping the dust out. 

“Well? Where are we headed?” Dream asked, looking back at George and Sapnap on the steps of the library. 

he half expected George to protest and tell Dream to get lost, but to everyone's surprise, George said nothing. He simply looked to Sapnap and gave shrug along with an eye roll. 

Whatever that answer meant must have been good, cause a grin immediately bloomed on Sapnap’s face. 

“How about heading west?” Sapnap suggested, taking his backpack off to pull out a spray can. 

Chapter Text

Sapnap liked to think things were looking up for them. 

It was still freezing on the roads, and they had a few close run-ins with some nasty zombies, some of which had gotten too close for comfort. But after Dream joined their little group, things haven’t been so bad. 

Food had become a bigger problem now that they had an extra mouth to feet, something George wasn’t shy to voice. But there was a bigger sense of security now that another set of eyes and ears were on alert. 

They moved out of the city almost immediately, hoping to avoid any more hoards that might be walking around the labyrinth of streets. So in hope of finding more food and water, they continued west towards alabama. 

It was also great to finally have someone else to talk to. 

Dream was like a breath of fresh air, always willing to entertain Sapnap’s stupid conversations and laughing along to jokes George rolled his eyes at. Dream and Sapnap would argue about which football teams were best, only for the discussion to always end with teasing George about soccer teams, despite the Brit's lack of interest in either sport.

Teasing George was just so much fun, especially when the brit was in no mood for it. 

It didn’t take long for Sapnap and Dream to make up their own game of chicken on the road. When they wandered under the afternoon sun, their feet aching and their stomachs churning as they passed abandoned cars on the roads, when George was already annoyed and ready to smack them both, demanding they be quiet as they traveled, that was when they would try to push their luck. 

One of them would start it off, making a popping sound with their mouth, glancing and daring each other to make the next pop. It was like poking a lion with a stick, walking behind George, seeing his shoulders tense as either Sapnap or Dream popped their mouth. It was like the ticking of a timebomb, waiting to go off with each pop. 

But it always ended the same way, George turning around to curse them out and threatening to leave them for dead if they made another sound. A few times George had actually smacked them, giving both Dream and Sapnap a headache and a bruise. 

But despite that, it was nice traveling together. 

When they made camp, Dream and Sapnap would more often than not sleep beside each other, sometimes Sapnap would hold Dream’s hands wordlessly as they drifted off to sleep. Even George seemed to find sleep somewhat easier now with Dream on the team and Patches alert to hiss and warn them of passing threats. 

After almost a month of traveling together, Dream had taken off his mask in front of them. They were sitting down to eat, the small grill fighting to keep them warm. Ever since they met Dream, he almost made a point to either eat when George and Sapnap were asleep or turn away from them. 

Neither George nor Sapnap had cared before, it wasn’t their business to feel offended if Dream simply didn’t eat in front of them. 

but as they sat around the fire and Dream pulled the mask off, Sapnap got a good look at Dream’s face for the first time. As much as Dream was covered up, the scars had not been hard to notice, even as his brown curls hid most of his face along with the mask. 

The scars covered practically all of Dream’s right side, marred and deforming his skin, his right eye always halfway closed and squinting. It was a lot worse than Sapnap had first expected, seeing the corner of Dream’s right lip pulled slightly up and showing off part of his gums. 

It didn’t take a lot to guess how it happened, so neither of them asked. George didn’t even appear interested enough to look as he started to eat his portion of the canned beans they found. 

Sapnap didn’t mean to stare, and when Dream’s green eyes looked up at his own, Sapnap was quick to look down at his own food. If Dream was uncomfortable, he didn’t say it. They just kept on as they always did, Sapnap and Dream filling the silence with meaningless conversation as George ate in silence. 

After that night Sapnap made sure to say on on Dream’s right side as they traveled the roads, covering his blind side. And while Sapnap knew George would never admit it if he asked, the brit started suggesting they took more breaks on the road, claiming his ankle was still acting up despite being completely healed months ago. None of them knew just how far Dream’s scars went, but none of them complained at the suggestion of a break, so it didn’t really matter in the end.

They had crossed the border into Alabama a few days ago, their feet aching as they walked over the concrete on the highway. 

“I don’t know, it looks like a big city” George said, the map unfolded in his hands as the three of them stood huddled together to look over their options. They were standing by a road sign, ‘Birmingham’ printed on it in white letters and helping to place themselves on the roads. 

“It doesn’t look like there's another city on the map for miles” Dream noted as he looked down at the map and then turned his gaze up on the horizon, the city standing before them like an abandoned fortress. 

“And we’re out of food” he added a second after, as if it was a mere after thought.

“We could go north to Ashville?” George suggested, bringing the map up closer to his face to read out the name.

“It seems smaller, it could be safer” George pointed out. 

“Or completely raided” Sapnap said and took in the road on the map. 

“And it’d take us all day just to get there” Sapnap pointed out, running his finger along the highway line on the map. 

“We could always eat the cat if you two are so hungry” George mumbled under his breath, only to receive a smack on both shoulders. 

“We are not eating Patches” Dream frowned. 

“She’s an important part of the team” Sapnap agreed and crossed his arms. 

George could only roll his eyes at them as he looked back down at the map and then up at the city on the horizon. 

"This is a bad idea" he grumbled, his voice tinged with irritation. 

"We're walking straight into a death trap" he worried. 

"I know, but we don't really have much of a choice. We’re running out of food and water, avoiding danger now will be useless if we just end up starving to death anyway" Sapnap sighed, placing a hand on George's shoulder in an attempt to calm him.

George huffed in frustration but knew arguing further would only waste time. With a resigned sigh, George folded up the map and shoved it into his pocket

“Let’s be quick” George agreed reluctantly, walking towards the city. 

Sapnap was quick to follow after him, his half empty backpack swinging on his back in attempt to keep up.  Dream pulled his own backpack of his shoulders and whistled out to Patches, who raised her head from the bushes she was sniffing and came running to him. Dream petted her back with a smile before lifting her up and placing her in his backpack, letting it remain unzipped so she could peak her little head out. 

Getting the backpack on his shoulders again, Dream jogged up to his new friends and together they made their way towards the city, leaving behind the quiet highway. 

The city was eerily quiet, as they made their way further into the belly of the beast, the once busy streets now reduced to a ghost town. They moved cautiously, hands ready on their weapons and keeping an eye out for any signs of danger.

After what felt like hours of tense exploration, they finally stumbled upon an abandoned convenience store, the windows broken and a big cross spray painted in neon blue on the wall of it. George had a bad feeling about it, and one glance into the tiny convenience store was enough to see it was completely empty. 

The shelves was completely empty of any remaining supplies, the floor covered in broken glass and debris. There was no point in risking going in, so the three of them continued further and further into the city, finding more and more old shops with broken doors and windows, and the same colorful crosses spray painted to the sides. 

Dream stepped into one of the stores, insisting they at least check one place for food. But the only thing they found was a tented can of tuna that had rolled under one of the many shelves, everything else was either rotten or just gone.

As they exited the store, George couldn't help but feel a sense of unease as he looked down the quiet streets. It didn’t take much brain power to know there were other survivors in the city, someone had to have taken all the food, and judging by the crosses on the stores, it had to be the same group of people. 

George just hoped they would continue to stay clear of them and any danger they might pose. 

“Maybe George was right, maybe we should have gone north” Sapnap sighed after they excited another empty store, walking through a labyrinth of alleyways. It was a bad idea, if they ran into any infected in the alleyway, they would only really have one way to run, and the chances of getting cornered was high. 

But it was better than risk running into whoever had stolen all the food. 

“The entire city can’t be empty. Maybe we should try breaking into an apartment complex? What’s the chance that those have been emptied yet?” Dream asked, stepping over the overturned trash cans and tried to hold his breath as they passed a dumpster that reeked of rot. 

“No. If we’re breaking and entering, we are sticking to the smaller houses” George spoke up and readjusted his glasses, leading the three of them at the front, an arrow already nocked and ready for take off. 

“But we should properly consider finding a place to sleep soon. We can always make our way to the suburbs tomorrow” Sapnap tried to reason, looking up around the street as if it held any answers. 

“Wait, shut up” George shushed them suddenly, freezing mid step and standing as still as a statue. Dream and Sapnap shut up immediately, grabbing the handle of their weapons just a bit tighter as they looked around. 

For a single moment all they could hear was the wind blowing through the street, a few pigeons cooing on the roof. 

But then they finally heard it, so alien among the silence it was hard to even believe it was there. A low and steady noise seemed to break through the silence of the city, it was unlike anything the three of them had heard for months, soft, gentle and… rhythmic.

“Wait, is that… humming?” Dream perked up, turning his head to look down the opening of the alleyway. It was a soft melody, someone barely mumbling the words along to a melody. 

And it only seemed to draw closer. 

“Hide” George whispered, grabbing Sapnap by the sleeve of his jacket and forcing him down behind a dumpster before crouching down beside him. Dream scrambled to follow, pressing his back to the rough surface of the wall. 

George reached for an arrow and nocked it to his bow before slowly leaning forward to look out. The humming was so close now, and George easily spotted the shadow coming into view on the concrete ground, moving in an odd way. 

Too weird to be normal, too fluid to be a zombie. 

They all held their breath as the shadow grew longer and soon a pair of dirty colorful sneakers were visible, sitting on the kicking and moving feet of a young man with a brown mop of curls. 

The guy kicked out his feet to what could only be assumed was an odd beat, drawing up dirt as he made his way down the street. His arms swayed, shaked and swung along as he twisted and turned, his head swaying loosely with the movements. 

But worst of all, was the big pair of headphones jammed down over his ears. 

It was a sight so strange and foreign, none of them was truly sure the man was real. It was like the world had poured a bucket of cold water over the three of them, all sitting frozen in shock and debating if they had truly gone insane already.

And just like he had appeared at the opening of the alleyway, he had danced his way out of view, continuing down the street with no care in the world. 

A few seconds passed, all of them still holding their breath. 

And then Sapnap was pushing past George and running up to opening of the alleyway. George cursed his name under his breath and grabbed him by the neck of his jacket before Sapnap could run too far. 

“What are you doing?” George whispered through his teeth, as if the stranger could possibly have heard them with the big headphones over his ears. 

“It’s a survivor” Sapnap pointed out, looking back at George as he shrugged his hand off his neck. 

“It’s a stranger” George corrected him and frowned in return. 

“He could be dangerous” George reminded Sapnap, putting his hand back down on his bow, the arrow still nocked, but the string relaxed in his hand.

“He could help, maybe he has food” Sapnap said, glancing back towards the street, but George grabbed his arm and yanked his attention back on him.

“And you think anyone would wanna share food? Don’t be an idiot” George argued with a stern look in his eyes.

“Dream did” Sapnap countered and shoved George’s hand off his arm. 

“Because we were trapped and if he didn’t, I would have kicked his ass” George said right as Dream walked past them both. 

“You mean like you ‘kicked my ass’ at the factory?” Dream asked sarcastically, chuckling at the ugly scowl George shot him. Dream then turned and leaned his head out of the alleyway to look after the stranger, now so far down the street they were lucky to still see him. 

Sapnap dodged George’s hand as he ran up to stand next to Dream and peak out on the street as well. 

“Is he really… dancing?” Dream asked quietly, squinting his eyes as if the answer wasn’t obvious. 

“Does he have a weapon?” George asked instead of answering, sighing as he looked out of the alleyway as well. 

“Not in sight” Sapnap noted, watching the guy disappear, doing a spin as he turned around the corner on the street. 

“Let's follow him” Sapnap decided before either Dream or George could suggest anything else, rushing out of the alleyway to run down the street, and ignoring George's protests. 

They followed behind the guy, running to catch up whenever the stranger disappeared around the corner, creeping up against the side of the buildings when George feared the stranger would see them. 

From the few glimpses they caught of him up close, the stranger couldn’t be much older than them, an empty backpack swinging on his shoulders as he danced wildly, pins, keychains and badges keeping all three of them alerted to his presence when they lost sight of him. 

They followed him to what looked like an old supermarket, the windows smashed and the shelves empty even from where they could see on the street. But the stranger didn’t walk over the broken glass and into the shadows of the store, instead he walked around the building and into an alleyway.

 Sapnap wanted to follow him, but the glare George sent him was quick to stop him in his tracks. They had pushed their luck far enough, George wasn’t gonna let them push it much further. 

George pushed past Dream and Sapnap, drawing the string on his bow back as they continued forward. As much as Sapnap was certain this guy was no threat to them, he couldn’t fault George for being cautious. Sapnap held his bat ready and Dream switched his ax over to his left hand as they walked into the alleyway, a clear sign of an ambush about to unfold.  

The stranger bopped his head as he pulled his backpack off his shoulders and threw it on top of the lid on a dumpster, a window standing open just a few feet above it. 

“I need the DVD logo, to hit the corner of my TV~” the stranger mumbled along to his song as he crawled on top of a dumpster to follow his bag, his feet making loud banging sounds as he climbed it. 

He didn’t seem to notice them, or the zombie he alerted on the other side of the alleyway. The stranger was so caught up in his own world, humming and unzipping his bag to rummage through it, Sapnap wanted to scream as the zombie ran for him. 

But right as the stranger looked up from his bag, George sent the arrow flying. It flew right past the strangers face, his head turning to follow its path. They all saw the zombie choking on the arrow in its neck before it collapsed on the ground with a pained groan and fell still. 

Then the stranger finally turned around, meeting Sapnap’s eyes as he looked them over

“Hi there!” The stranger just smiled and raised his hand in a wave. 

………

Her breath was heavy as she ran down the long hallway, stumbling over her own feet as she turned a corner. Her hair fell into her face as she ran, rushing down the concrete halls to get away. 

She could hear the monster behind her, it’s body slamming into the walls as it sprinted after her, hands outstretched and grasping fingers trying to grab onto anything, her clothes, her hair, her limbs. But she kept running, refusing to slow down long enough to risk the monster catching up to her. 

The light overhead flickered in the hall, barely able to illuminate the big push doors at the end of the hall. With outstretched hands she ran into the door and shoved it closed after her, feeling the monster collide against the door as she pushed her weight up against it to deny it access. 

Her brow was covered in sweat as she held onto the door, her hands almost too slippery to stay on the handle. The monster kept throwing itself up against the door, and she knew she couldn’t keep it closed forever. 

But before she could even look around to consider her options, the wood of the door splintered. She screamed as she fell onto the floor, looking up only to be faced with a horrifying misfigured face. It staggered and then dived for her, grabbing her shoulders and pushing her down on the concrete floor as she screamed in agony.  

“And cut!” a guy called out, clapping his hands together to end the scene. 

“Great work everybody!, let’s take five” he then called out and walked over to the girl and the guy caked in makeup and fake blood.

“Great job, Kris, but your scream needs a little more energy, your face is about to be eaten, you’re not just getting spooked by a spider” he said, looking down at the pair and offering them both a hand up from the cold floor. 

“I’ll make you scream, alright” Kris just teased back, grabbing his hand and pulling herself up. 

“And Nolan, could you be a bit more feral in the next take? I feel like we can go a bit wilder” he then turned to their monster, now looking completely winded and exhausted under the fake blood. 

“Sure Jimmy, but it’s kinda hard when I have no idea where Karl wants me to go? I have no idea if I'm even in frame in any of those shots” nolan shrugged, panting from having to sprint so fast and sweat smearing his make up. 

“I’ll talk it over with him. Get some water and sit down” jimmy said and clapped Nolan’s shoulder, looking over his shoulder to try and spot their trusty camera man. 

As Jimmy scanned the hallway they called their set for Karl, he spotted him in a deep trance with his camera, fiddling with the buttons and reviewing the footage from the scene they just shot. 

With a soft sigh, Jimmy made his way over towards Karl. It wasn’t like this project was that serious, it was just a silly short film competition, it wasn’t like their grades were hanging by a thread over this. But sometimes jimmy wished Karl would just take these shoots a little more serious. 

“Karl, can I see those shots?” jimmy asked, drawing Karl’s attention off the screen as he approached him. Karl jumped slightly at Jimmy’s voice, spinning around on his heels to look at his friend. 

“Jesus Jimmy, give a guy a warning next time” Karl chuckled, placing a hand over his heart as if he just got a heart attack. 

“Sorry man” Jimmy said and then held his hand out for the camera. 

“Can I have a look?” he repeated his question. With a hint of hesitance Karl handed the camera over to jimmy, watching as jimmy took it and glanced down at the small screen as he hit play on the video. 

The shots weren’t bad, the footage was barely shaking for hand held footage, but the movements were wrong and focused on all the wrong details. None of the shots were following the storyboarding they had agreed upon, and the few that did were not very well made. 

“It’s a lot of movement” Karl muttered as if it was an excuse. 

“Thats never been a problem for you before” jimmy just noted and handed the camera back to Karl. 

“You said you were cool with the storyboarding, what changed?” jimmy asked and crossed his arms. 

Karl sighed, running a hand through his hair. 

“I don't know, Jimmy. I just thought maybe we could improvise a bit, you know? Make it more authentic, more raw." Karl tried to smile, shrugging his shoulders as he talked. 

"Improvise? Karl, we spent hours planning out these scenes. We agreed on the shots, the angles, the pacing. It's like you threw it all out the window."Jimmy frowned. 

"I know, I just… I wanted to capture it differently, and I thought it could add something unique” Karl looked down at his camera yet again, avoiding eye contact. 

"Look, Karl, I get it. But we're on a deadline. We need to stick to the plan if we want to impress the judges and win this thing. We can't take risks that might not pay off” Jimmy sighed, uncrossing his arms. 

“Come on Jimmy, you know me. I am a writer, an artist and the capture of wild beauty, give me some credit” Karl finally looked back up at his friend. 

“Yeah. But right now I kinda just need you to be a cameraman” Jimmy sighed, placing his hands on his hips. 

“You’re the world's least fun director” Karl muttered under his breath and looked back down at his camera. 

“And you’re the world's most criticizing cameraman. We agreed I'd take the lead on this project, remember?” jimmy just rolled his eyes in return, far too familiar with dealing with Karl. 

“Yeah, yeah, I know, sorry” Karl slouched in on himself, but didn’t look particularly sorry at all. 

“Alright, let's just… just stick to the storyboards okay? Nolan is confused about where to go, and we really need to get this scene done tonight” jimmy said and placed a hand on Karl’s shoulder and squeezing it, shifting the weight on his feet as he watched Karl. 

“Fine, I'll be your 'boring' cameraman. Let's just get this scene done" Karl finally relented, but didn’t meet jimmy’s eyes.

“That’s the spirit” Jimmy gave Karl's shoulder a final reassuring squeeze before turning around to talk to the rest of the crew, leaving Karl to review the footage again and have a look over the planned storyboards for the scene. 

No matter how boring Karl thought they were. 

…….

Patches were sniffing around a stack of boxes in the corner. Her body was low to the floor, her ears pointing up and alert, but the fur on her back remained flat, simply looking around the new surroundings.

The stranger, Karl as he had introduced himself, had happily led them to an abandoned train station. The place was covered in subway and train cars, some overturned and broken, others simply left abandoned to rust.  

They shouldn’t have followed him as easily as they did, the chances of this being a trap was so high it seemed idiotic to believe it wasn’t a disaster yet to happen. 

But Karl seemed so… happy? 

And he smiled with his teeth on full display as he offered them food. So they just kinda went along with it, letting themselves be led through a city none of them knew, into a dark trainstation by a stranger they didn’t know if they could trust. 

But when Sapnap looked around the makeshift home in this subway car, Sapnap couldn’t really find it in himself to be scared. 

The subway car was… something else. 

The makeshift curtains hanging on the windows were drawn, hiding the daylight along with the silent and vacant station outside its doors. Every surface was littered with fake plants and trinkets of all kinds. Boxes of lego sets were stacked in one of the corners, a bowl of unraveled yarn sat perched on top of one of the messy seats, books were shoved in the overhead luggage, with cheap and colorful suncatchers taped to the windows.

George, Sapnap and Dream were sitting on an ugly lime green couch, pillows and blankets laying in the window and seats around them. A single coffee table had been shoved in here and placed in front of their seat. 

It felt off putting, sitting in a line on a soft clean couch, all while covered in dirt and who knows what else kind of grim soaked into their clothes. Sapnap could hear the stranger’s humming from the next train car, the mechanical door broken and instead replaced by what seemed to be a bead curtain in pinks and purples. But despite how little safety it brought, Sapnap couldn’t see what the stranger was doing in there, only hearing a few things being rummaged through and clinking together.

"That guy is insane” George whispered on Sapnap’s right, sitting completely still as if a single move would unleash hell upon them all. His bow was gripped tightly in his lap, his knuckles close to turning white with how close he was holding it. 

"You don’t think he’s a psycho, right? like what if he’s a cannibal? or he feeds other people to the zombies?” Dream whispered on Sapnap’s left, his words paranoid and streaming out without a second thought, unlike George one of Dream’s legs was bouncing up and down nervously, holding his axe close and looking towards the bead curtain. 

"Okay, that’s just way out there” George rolled his eyes, tilting his head slightly to the side to look over at Dream. 

"What? there’s always gonna be cannibals in the apocalypse, it's a guarantee” Dream argued back at him, breaking his staring contest to argue with George. 

"How would you know? How many apocalypses have you been a part of?” George scoffed, shifting slightly in his seat and casting a glance at the bead curtain as another clang sounded out from it. 

"It’s in practically every apocalypse movie out there” Dream said, accidentally raising his voice in an attempt to prove his point. 

"Okay. Enough” Sapnap interrupted them, looking towards the beaded curtain to make sure their host hadn’t heard them, but the clinking and clanking just continued on behind it, unbothered by the discussion happening on the couch. 

"So far he doesn’t seem dangerous, he invited us into his base and he’s preparing us food” Sapnap said, trying to be the reasonable one. It was almost as if he could hear bad’s voice in his head as the words left him. 

"Yeah, properly to fatten us up to eat us later” Dream whispered again, sinking slightly in on himself. 

“I don't agree on the cannibal topic, but we’re three against one. He properly took the peaceful option because he knew we outmatch him” George agreed on Sapnap’s other side. 

"Okay, let’s just stay on our toes, and don’t let our stuff out of sight” Sapnap said, casting a look at where they had placed down their bags next to the couches, the lime grill oddly matching the couches and fitting into the mess.

Before neither George or Dream could agree with him, their host appeared back in the room, his head poking through the bead curtain with a trey in hand. 

“Hey, I hope you guys like soup” he beamed with a wide smile, a bounce in his step as he rushed over to sit down on the other green couch on the opposite side of the coffee table. 

“Also, I'm sorry if this gives you food poisoning, the kitchen is not the healthiest place” Karl chuckled, placing three bowls of a water down soup in front of them, small chunks of what looked like carrots and other vegetables floating around in it. 

“That’s cool with me” Sapnap smiled back at him, grabbing the bowl in front of him and placing it in his lap to dig into it. How long had it been since Sapnap tasted anything like a real vegetable that wasn’t beans?. 

George gave him a horrified look as Sapnap started to eat, clearly not noticing the hesitant and tense aura radiating off the other. But Sapnap just blinked, swallowing down the mouthful of food. 

“What? It tastes fine” Sapnap just shrugged and went in for another spoonful. On Sapnap’s other side, Dream carefully reached for his own bowl to begin eating. With a sigh and roll of his eyes, George grabbed the bowl in front of him as well, holding the bowl close as he ate. 

"Sorry about the mess, I don’t usually have visitors” Karl tried to start up a conversation, either not caring or just ignoring the short interaction among them. 

“Don’t worry about it, this place looks sick” Sapnap waved it off with a smile. From the boxes, Patches sneaked closer to Karl, her full attention now on the new person in the train. 

Karl glanced over and broke out in a wide smile as he noticed her regarding him. 

“Hey there kitty, aww aren't you adorable?” Karl giggled and bend down in his seat, slowly holding his hand out towards her. Patches curiously stepped closer to Karl, sniffing to his hand as he slowly reached out for her to inspect, before she rubbed her head up against his palm. 

“You’re so soft, what’s it’s name?” Karl asked and then turned his attention over to the trio, gently petting Patches back as she rubbed up against him. 

“Her name’s Patches” Dream answered shortly, smiling slightly at the sound Patches beginning to purr under Karl’s gentle fingers.

“That’s so cute” Karl giggled, sitting up straight again as Patches seemingly got enough of his petting and walked over to inspect another part of the messy subway train. 

"So um, do you guys mind if I interview you?” Karl asked, turning around in his seat and grabbing his backpack, unzipping it as he started to rummage through it. 

"Interview?” Dream asked, stirring his spoon around in the spoon rather than pulling his mask off to actually eat it. 

"Yeah, I'm documenting and filming everything I see and experience in the apocalypse. I call it ‘the life of the dead!’ or ‘survival guide for the zombie apocalypse!’” Karl grinned wide, pulling out what looked like a video camera with a sheepish smile on his face. 

"I’m still brainstorming the name” he shrugged, and turned on the camera in his hands

“So is it cool if I ask you some questions?” he asked again, a big hopeful look flashing in his eyes. 

“Well, I don’t see any harm in that?” Sapnap said, looking towards George for a short moment, but the other just gave him a tired glared as he kept on eating in silence. 

“Great!” Karl smiled wide, looking down at the camera in his hands, fiddling with some of the buttons before he held up the camera to point at the trio. 

“Today is day 236 of the apocalypse, and for the first time in months, I have guests. Say hi to the camera” Karl smiled behind the camera, moving it slightly as he took one hand off it to wave at his guests. 

“Hello” Sapnap waved to the camera, looking into the lens of the camera with a shy smile.

“So, what’s your name? Where are you from?” Karl immediately started to ask, as if they hadn’t already introduced themselves. But Sapnap supposed the camera would like one as well. 

“I’m Sapnap, the big guy here is Dream” Sapnap started, nodding his head towards Dream who just gave a short nod with his mouth full. 

“And this is George” Sapnap then tilted his head towards the brit, pointing towards him with his spoon. George didn’t say anything, clearly not happy to entertain the idea of an interview as he ate.

“And we’re coming from florida” Sapnap was quick to answer, hoping to answer the questions in a way Karl liked. 

“Florida? That's a pretty long journey, isn’t it” Karl said, looking up from behind the camera to Sapnap. 

“Well, I guess. We just kinda started walking a few months back. You know, looking for food and such” Sapnap shrugged, but out of the corner of his eyes he noticed George shoot him a warning glare. 

“You walked the whole way here? Wow, what was it like?” Karl whistled, shifting in his seat and leaned forward slightly. 

“Boring, not a lot to do beside walk” Dream spoke up, lifting his spoon out of his cooling soup only to let it drip out of the soup before dropping it back into the liquid again. 

“Yeah, I mean, we just kinda followed the highways. But it was covered in abandoned cars if thats what you wanna know” Sapnap nodded and lifted a spoonful of the soup up to his lips. 

“That sounds so creepy, was it difficult to avoid the lurkers?” Karl then asked, glancing down at his camera again. Sapnap noticed the lens moved, properly to zoom in on him. 

“Lurkers?” Dream asked with a light frown. 

“You know, the creepers, the roamers, the biters? The zombies?” Karl tried to clarify for them. 

“Oh, well, we ran into a lot of the infected, but we made do, hiding in trucks and out running them. George here is a brilliant archer so that definitely-ow!” Sapnap started to rant only for George to stomp on his foot. When Sapnap glared at him, George didn’t even give him the courtesy of acknowledging what he did. 

“Um… so where are you headed?” Karl then asked, glancing between Sapnap and George. 

But before either Dream or Sapnap could properly think to answer, George placed his now empty bowl on the coffee table harshly and stood up from the couch. 

“Dream, Sapnap, can we have a chat outside?” George was kind enough to phrase it as a question, but he didn’t wait for an answer, gripping his bow as he made his way towards the subway doors. 

“Just a moment Karl, we’ll be right back” Sapnap excused awkwardly as he placed down his own half finished soup to get up, Dream already walking out to follow George. 

“Its cool, take all the time you need” Karl just smiled back at him, stopping the recording and looking down at his camera as Sapnap went towards the door. 

Stepping out onto the platform he saw George and Dream waiting for him further up on the platform, standing by the still escalators. It was fairly light in the station, the sunlight sneaking in through the overhead windows and through the open wall where the trains used to come through. 

“What is your problem? It’s just some harmless questions” Sapnap heard Dream argue as he stepped closer. 

“They are not harmless. There are no fucking reason for him to wanna know that” George argued, shifting on his feet and holding on tighter to his bow, glancing over towards the odd subway car. 

“So what are we thinking?” Sapnap interrupted as he finally came up to stand beside them, glancing over his shoulder to follow George's gaze.  

“He’s a nut job, I don’t trust him” George said quickly, shifting his eyes onto Sapnap. 

“You don’t trust anyone” Dream commented with a sigh, placing one hand on his hip and holding his axe in the other. 

“Shut up” George just glared at him. 

“Something has to be wrong. That guy has no survival skills, no weapons, no safety measures. How has he survived this long? There has to be more people, or raiders, or something” George said, lifting one hand off his bow to point an accusatory finger in the direction of the subway car.

“I don’t know, man. Karl seems like a nice guy, he gave us food” Sapnap stepped in, shrugging slightly as he shifted on his own feet.

“Of course you think that, you were practically telling him everything. What next, your credit card info?” George said. The glare in his eyes was heated, but Sapnap knew it was the fear in George talking, looking out for all the red flags and signs of danger. 

“It was harmless” Dream sighed. 

“Bullshit” George scoffed. 

“What do you say, Dream?” Sapnap asked with a sigh, looking towards the taller man for his own input on the situation. 

Dream shifted on his feet as he thought, casting an unsure glance over his shoulder and back at the subway car, almost as if he himself wasn’t completely sure what he thought.

“Patches seems to like him” Dream finally said after a tense moment of silence. 

“Are we seriously listening to the opinion of a cat?” George asked in disbelief as he looked between them like they were idiots. 

“Cats are not very trusting animals. And if Patches likes him, he must at least be a somewhat decent person” Dream argued back at him, continuing to shift on his feet. 

“I’m willing to trust him” Dream shrugged. 

“Sapnap, you can’t seriously be on his side in this” George turned his attention back on the youngest of them, looking for just an ounce of reasonability in his teammates. 

Sapnap gaped slightly, hoping some thoughts or words would fall out of his mouth, but he just ended up looking like a shocked goldfish. It wasn’t like he was dumb enough to just blindly trust Karl, George had a point in saying all this seemed too good to be true. But it wasn’t like Karl had done anything wrong yet, and Sapnap just couldn’t really imagine Karl hurting any of them. 

“He's… nice” Sapnap finally managed to say, and he could see all hope George had for him go out like a candle light. 

“Idiots, I am surrounded by idiots” George muttered to himself as he facepalmed, his fingers rubbing into his own eyes in annoyance. Before any of them could continue to debate and argue, they heard a cough carry through the vacant train station. 

“Hey, um, excuse me” they heard Karl’s voice call, and looking back at the subway car they could see Karl stand nervously in the door way, his clearly empty hands fiddling slightly with his sleeves. 

"Not to interrupt” Karl said, leaning against the door slightly as he shifted the weight on his feet.

“But um, if you guys are gonna rob me, can we please be peaceful about it? It's a real hassle to clean up afterwards. I can show you where all my food is?” Karl offered, casting a quick look into his little makeshift home. 

“... We’re not gonna rob you?” Sapnap blinked in confusion, turning to fully face Karl now. He didn’t need to see Dream or George’s faces to know they had a similar confused look in their eyes. 

“You’re not? Most people I meet, rob me almost immediately” Karl immediately lightened up, a nervous chuckle carrying through his voice as he spoke.  

“We don’t do that” Sapnap said only to immediately hear Dream clear his own throat behind him. 

“At least not without reason” Sapnap then quickly added. 

“Well, would you like to stay for a bit then? Its cool if you don’t, but it gets a little lonely here from time to time” Karl then offered, tilting his head slightly to nod towards the couches inside. 

Sapnap looked back at Dream and George for a quick moment, Dream giving a short nod and a half hearted shrug, while George just sighed and rolled his eyes. With a grin on his face Sapnap turned back to face Karl. 

“We’d love to” he smiled wide and watched as Karl’s smile seemed to beam like the sun, so bright and welcoming. 

………

Did Karl know this was against the rules? Yeah, but it wasn’t gonna do any harm. 

And Karl never was a rule follower to begin with. 

He opened the door slowly, it creaked on the hinges as he stepped out into the long hallway of the dorms, his socked feet almost soundless on the carpeted floor as he closed the door after himself. 

It was late, far too late for anyone to be out of their dorm room. But when his current situationship had texted him, so scared and panicked over the current news along with the lockdown on the school, how could he ignore it?

Besides, what were a few hours spend together with a classmate? It wasn’t like Karl was going out to a party or sharing germs with a strangers. It was just a little innocent visit to settle a dear friend’s fears for the night. 

He hummed quietly as he pulled out his phone to check the time, his thumb quickly scrolling through his notifications. But Karl barely stepped two feet down the hall, when someone cleared their throat behind him. 

"Mr Jacobs” Karl jumped and turned around to face his English professor, seeing her walk down the hall with her arms crossed and a less than pleased expression on her face.

"Miss green, fancy seeing you here” Karl forced a wide smile onto his face, shoving his phone into his hoodie pocket quickly. 

"Mr jacob, what are you doing in Mr Jefferson's dorm? last I checked he was not your roommate” miss green asked as she finally stopped in front of him. 

"We were just doing a bit of light bible studying” Karl lied, rolling back and forth on the balls of his feet, his fingers fiddling slightly with each other as he averted his gaze from her 

"I doubt this is hardly the time for ‘bible studying’” his professor just raised an eyebrow at him, clearly not finding his lie very believable. 

"Well, he was feeling a bit down about everything, so I thought maybe saying the lord’s name would cheer him up” Karl snickered a bit to himself, a joke only he seemingly thought was funny. 

“Right now is not a time for your games, mr jacobs. The school is on lock down and you are expected to stay in your dorm unless necessary” miss Green reminded him sternly. 

“I was just trying to help a friend” Karl shrugged, but at least had the decency to look ashamed

“You can help him better by not spreading the infection” miss green argued, the stern look in her eyes enough to make Karl feel at least a little ashamed. 

"Of course, Miss Green, But you know me, always one to march to the beat of my own drum" Karl chuckled halfheartedly, trying to lighten his professors mood and worm his way out of this lecture. 

"Mr jacobs, this isn't a joke. The lockdown is in place for a reason. We need to take this situation seriously."Miss Green sighed, clearly frustrated with Karl's attitude. She brought one hand up to pinch the bridge of her nose. 

"You're not just putting yourself at risk here. You're putting others in danger too. Have you thought about that?" she then asked, dropping her hand to properly look at him. 

Karl's expression softened slightly at the mention of other students, his friends and the teachers. He may have been a bit rebellious, growing restless by staying cooped up in his dorm, but he wasn't heartless. 

“I didn’t… I didn’t consider that” Karl admitted, hanging his head to look down at his feet, shoving his hands into the pockets of his hoodie. 

“I just wanted to help a friend” he muttered afterwards. 

Miss Green regarded him with a mixture of frustration and concern, before letting out another exhausted sigh. 

"I understand, but there are ways to have fun without risking your health and safety. We need to be responsible for ourselves and each other" she said, placing her hands on her hips as she watched the younger man in front of her. 

Karl shifted uncomfortably under her gaze, suddenly feeling the weight of his actions weigh down on his shoulders. Maybe he had been too reckless, too impulsive.

"Thanks for the lecture, Miss Green," Karl said with a tiny smile tugging at his lips, a slight furrow in his brow. 

“I’ll go back to my own dorm” he promised. 

“Good. And I hope you’ll remember this little chat next time you consider breaking the lockdown” miss green said, watching as Karl turned to continue his journey down the hall, her eyes like a hawk to make sure he actually walked down to his own door. 

Karl pulled out his key and disappeared into his own dorm, leaving Miss Green out in the hallway with her head shaking. As she turned to leave the hallway as well, she hoped that Karl would come to his senses before it was too late.

………

Living with Karl was easy. 

‘Staying for a little bit’ turned out to be a lot longer than any of them expected. They just stayed and talked, and then the sun went down and Karl offered them blankets. The following day it all just kinda happened all over again, sitting down and talking, eating the food Karl served them and just… relaxing for the first time in months. 

It wasn’t like Karl ever offered them to stay permanently, they just kinda… didn’t leave, and Karl never told them to either. 

After a week of cramped sleeping on the couches and train seats, someone suggested they cleaned out one of the other subway cars linked up to this one, working together to make it into an actual bedroom of sorts.

They cleared out any dirt and debris on the floor, making a more proper door to replace the broken one. They broke into an apartment, dragging old mattresses through the streets and down to the train station. 

Karl showed them all his food, the makeshift and fragile distillery he had for the rain water he collected, the spray cans he used to mark the stores he had already picked clean, the first aid kits and other weird collections he had hoarded. 

It was weird, like the rug under their feet would be swept away under them at any moment, that the other shoe would soon drop, but it never did. They waited for other people to show up, to wake up to a gun pointed in their face, but Karl just continued to show them kindness.

There really was no rush in leaving, it was nice to kinda just take their boots off and breathe. 

Dream sat in one of the couches, Patches laying on his stomach and purring as Dream read through one of Karl's many books, his free hand petting over her fur mindlessly as he read. 

Karl was sitting on the other couch, legs crossed as he fiddled with some yarn and a crochet hook, clearly trying to make… something, Sapnap hadn’t really asked what. It looked like a pillow, or maybe a big hat? Or a wide scarf? Sapnap didn’t know but thought Karl might tell them once it was done. 

Sapnap was sitting on his knees in the corner of the subway, looking through all the boxes of different lego sets. It was like a toy store had been robbed and emptied of all the boxes displaying the red Lego logo. There were star wars sets, decorative flower bouquet sets, small random sets, big superhero sets, children's cartoons set and adult display sets. 

And these sets were clearly only a few of all the ones Karl hadn’t yet opened. There were legos practically everywhere in the subway, it was a wonder none of them had stepped on any yet. 

Sapnap sifted through the boxes, marveling at the variety of LEGO sets stacked on top of each other. There were so many options to choose from, each one tempting in its own way. Carefully, He managed to picked up a Star Wars set, examining the intricate details of the Millennium Falcon on the box.

“Yo Karl” Sapnap looked over at the their host, who was still focused on his crochet project. He received a soft hum of acknowledgement before Karl looked up. 

“Do you mind if I build this one?” Sapnap asked and held up the set for Karl to see. 

“Sure, go for it” Karl nodded and then promptly went back to his crocheting again, struggling with one of the loops. Sapnap grinned and moved over to sit on the floor by the coffee table, fiddling with the box to get it open and pull out all of the pieces. 

The air in the subway was one Sapnap never through he’d get to experience again, the warmth and ease of just sitting down and doing something just for the sake of doing it. Since this nightmare began, Sapnap would never have imagined himself building legos like a little kid again. 

He clearly wasn’t the only one either. 

George was standing by the door of the subway, the only one of them properly dressed in his jacket and boots, the bow still held firm in his hand as he looked out over the empty train station outside the windows. 

George still insisted they stayed on watchout, refusing to even entertain the idea of lowering their guard for even a second. Something Karl always just shrugged at, but never shot down, if George wanted to keep watch, he was free to do so.

This was clearly not what George had meant, and didn’t particularly help getting the brit to open up to their new friend.  

Karl hadn’t really done anything to try and win George's trust, but the thing is, he didn’t really have to. 

This place was Karl’s first, and even though the world had ended, it felt like a dick move to just kick a guy out of his own base. Karl didn’t even have a proper weapon, the closest to it was one of the steak knives he kept inside the so-called messy ‘kitchen’.

To say George didn’t like Karl wouldn’t be true, it was more the carelessness he despised. There was nothing besides luck that pointed to Karl's survival, and for one reason or another, it only made George more paranoid. 

The lego pieces madea soft clicking sound as Sapnap poured them out on the table and opened up the small paper guide for the build, moving the pieces around and attaching them to each other. Dream turned a page in his book and Patches continued to purr. 

Karl hummed softly as he took a moment to count the stitches on his project before continuing to work. 

"What’s with all the lego?” George then broke the comfortable silence, an edge clear in his voice as he looked over at the hoard of boxes Karl had on display. 

"Hm? oh it’s just something I do for fun” Karl smiled, shrugging his shoulders as he kept moving the crochet hook through his yarn. 

"Fun? how can you possibly have fun in a situation like this?” George scoffed and looked back out at the desolate station platform and the litter of debris and trash out there. 

"Simple, like this” Karl said, putting his crochet hook down and leaned forward towards the coffee table. He grabbed one of the lego bricks Sapnap had poured out on the table and attached it to another one before leaning back in his seat with a shit eating grin. 

"You wanna join in? I have so many sets” Karl said and nodded his head to the corner covered in lego boxes. 

Sapnap snorted a bit at the face George made, like he had bit into a sour lemon.

“No thanks, I'll pass. I have better things to do than play with children's toys” George just scoffed, shooting a glare in Sapnap’s direction.

“Suit yourself. But you're missing out on some serious fun” Karl shrugged unfazed as he picked up his crochet hook again and began fiddled with the yarn yet again.

“I just don't understand how you’re not scared in a situation like this. We're stuck in the middle of nowhere with no way out, and you're here playing with toys” George turned his attention back to the grim surroundings of the abandoned subway station, taking in the overturned trash cans and the unmoving escalators.

"I guess” Karl leaned back in his seat, a thoughtful expression crossing his face. 

“It's not a great situation. But sometimes, you have to find joy in the little things, you know? Else we might lose our minds” Karl chuckled and unfolded his legs to get even more comfortable on the couch.

 "And you find normalcy in playing with lego?" George asked skeptically with a raised brow. 

"Sure," Karl replied with a shrug, crossing one leg over the other.

"I choose to thrive wherever I can. What’s the point of being alive if you don’t enjoy it just a little bit?” Karl asked. 

"That’s a good point” Sapnap nodded along to with Karl's words, his fingers still picking and moving around the lego pieces on the coffee table. 

“Thanks, Sappy” Karl glanced over at him with a smile, before he focused on his crocheting again. The nickname brought a sense of warmth to Sapnap’s cheeks before he quickly too returned to work on his Lego set. 

“We still need to stay focused and alert. Playing with LEGO isn't going to help us in an emergency” George shook his head at them. 

“Give it a rest, George” Dream spoke up for the first time, lifting his hand off patched fur to turn the page in his book. 

“Let them enjoy their stuff” Dream spoke absentmindedly, clearly more entertained by his book than their antics. 

George only huffed and shot another glare at them, before crossing his arms over his chest and turned his attention back to the window, his expression still tense with worry, exhaustion and annoyance. He was clearly done with this whole conversation. 

As they settled into a moment of quiet, each lost in their own thoughts, Sapnap couldn't help but feel a pang of concern for George. It wasn’t like any of them had suddenly forgotten about the dangers lurking outside those doors. 

He just wished George would take this opportunity to rest for a moment.

…….

To this day, Karl is still unsure whether he was lucky or not, if he should be grateful for the choices he made that night, or if they sealed his fate to something worse. 

He sometimes wondered if he had just stayed in his dorm, would he still have survived this long? Or would he have been killed within the first hour? Would he have been in a group? or would he still have been alone?

Those questions drift in and out of his mind whenever he gets a quiet moment, but he never has an answer, and it will never truly matter. 

He made his choice without a second thought, whether he knew the consequences or not.

His phone vibrated on its spot on his bed, the charger bent and barely functioning as he unplugged it and rolled over to lay on his back, quickly skimming through the notifications. 

There was s a new text in the group chat, and without reading it further Karl slides his thumb up to unlock his screen

theBeast : Are you guys locked up too?

(Today at 19:28 PM)

Krissy : nope, I just got home yesterday. My mom didn’t want me at school with this outbreak going around

(Today at 19:29 PM)

Nolandia : lucky, I'm still stuck here :(

(Today at 19:29 PM)

Karlos : same here

(Today at 19:30 PM)

mrBeast : damn it. I was hoping at least one of you were free. I forgot my camera and I just got an email about it being found at the subway, and I can’t get to it. If I can’t get it tonight, there’s no way we’ll get the project done in time

(Today at 19:31 PM)

Karlos : do you know where it is?

(Today at 19:32 PM)

Mr beast : at the subway station on Jefferson Avenue

(Today at 19:32 PM)

Karlos : I'll get it for you

(Today at 19:33 PM)

Krissy : is that safe? I mean the news has been kinda aggressive with all the new footage coming in. 

(Today at 19:34 PM)

Karlos : if it wasn’t safe, no one would be out. Besides, I'll be gone for an hour tops, what could go wrong?

Karlos : I’ll get your camera, jimmy

(Today at 19:34 PM)

mrBeast : you are a lifesaver, thanks Karl!

(Today at 19:35 PM)

Nolandia : godspeed soldier

(Today at 19:35 PM)

That was the last proper conversation Karl had with any of his friends. 

……. 

The edges of the plastic box hurt as it dug into Sapnap’s hands, his arm’s straining to keep it lifted off the ground. Karl walked in front of him, giving Sapnap a clear view of the keychains and fairylights on Karl’s backpack as the other struggled to help carry the other end of the box.

It was one those shitty see through plastic storage boxes you bought at Ikea or Home Depot, the kind Sapnap’s parents stored the christmas decoration away in or all the trash they didn’t know what to do with. 

But instead of trash, this box might as well have been filled with gold.

The water was sloshing around in the box, the lid on top helping to keep every drop inside it as Sapnap and Karl struggled to carry it through the streets. 

It hadn’t rained in a while, so all the containers and boxes Karl had set up around the train station were all empty and dry. So here Karl and Sapnap were, having walked at least three miles to a river running through town, and now forced to walk another three miles back, while carrying at least thirty liters of water. 

But at least they were in good company with each other. 

“Did you always wanna make documentaries?” Sapnap asked, his voice strained as he tried to ignore the way the edges of the box dug into his fingers. 

“Not really” Karl answered, sounding just as tired as Sapnap felt. 

“I preferred to write and direct, but it’s not like zombies are gonna be very good actors” Karl tried to joke, his hands shifting slightly for a better grip, which only made the water in the box slosh around more. 

“So films?” Sapnap just asked, needing Karl to keep the conversation going to ignore just how heavy the box were. 

“Yeah mostly. I kinda always just wanted to create, the format didn’t really matter” Karl said and then came to a stop and placed the box down on the concrete. 

“Time out, my hands are killing me” Karl called quits, moving his hands up in front of his face to blow on his fingers. 

Sapnap didn’t protest as he placed his end of the box down, rubbing his own hands together to try and get any other feeling back in them. He looked around the street, taking in the broken cars and the abandoned shops. 

“What did you do? Before all this?” Karl asked in return, moving his arms over his head to stretch his back. 

“I was a programming major, nothing big” Sapnap shrugged, hunching in on himself as he caught his breath. He turned his head and looked towards an alleyway, just in case something was lurking in the shadows, but all he saw was a dumpster and a fire escape. 

“Doesn’t really help that much right now” Sapnap noted as he turned his attention back to Karl. 

“Eh, math is always nice. Maybe you could come up with a contraption to help us transport this thing” Karl said, tapping his foot against the side of the big box. 

“Eh, one can Dream” Sapnap just shrugged and looked up at Karl. 

“Ready to go again?” he asked, but clearly wasn’t too excited to continue their journey either. 

“Can’t say no, can i?” Karl joked with a sigh before reaching to get a grip on the box again. Sapnap grabbed his own end and on the count of three they got the box back up in the air. 

They were barely down the street before Sapnap started to feel the strain in his muscles and the edges digging into his fingers again, trying to push through discomfort. 

They managed to round the corner of the street, barely a mile away from the station. But of course nothing could ever just be easy, because the first thing Sapnap saw as they got around the corner was a group of infected stumbling in the street. Their croaking groans was enough to send a chill down Sapnap’s spine. 

“Shit” Karl cursed and dropped his end of the box as Sapnap had frozen to a stop suddenly. The noise of the plastic box hitting the concrete was enough to draw the infected’s attention, all of their heads turning at the sound. Their lifeless stares were enough to send a rush of panic through Sapnap. 

“Run” Sapnap immediately let go of the box and grabbed Karl’s wrist, turning on his heel to run down the street they just came from. Karl was fumbling to keep up behind him, his feet struggling to keep up with Sapnap’s pace. 

Sapnap could hear them running after them, their snarling sounding uncomfortably close as they kept running. Making a quick decision, Sapnap pulled Karl towards one of the alleyways, the one with the fire escape he noticed just minutes earlier.

What kind of video game logic or dumb luck had blown their way, Sapnap would never question it. 

With no time to spare, Sapnap grabbed the latter and pulled it down far enough for them to climb up. The first infected appeared at the alleyway, running too fast and collided with the wall before it could gather its bearings, and more only appeared behind it. 

“Hurry, up, up, up” Sapnap chanted, rushing Karl up the metal steps before quickly following after him. As soon as they made it up the fire escape, Sapnap pulled the ladder up, leaving the snarling and groaning zombies barely a few feet underneath them. Their hands reached up towards them, trying to get any hold they possibly could. But the fire escape was too high up for it to be a concern. 

Sapnap panted, watching the bodies under them with horrified eyes, looking over he could see Karl holding his chest and panting as well, but he seemed okay otherwise. 

“That was close” Karl sighed with a chuckle, looking up at Sapnap with a relieved smile. He had seemingly fallen over his own feet to get out of the way in time for Sapnap, laying almost flat against the metal under him. 

“Far too close” Sapnap nodded and looked up towards the sky, seeing the fire escaping leading all the way up to the roof. Sapnap shrugged his own backpack off his shoulders and pulled out his bat before slinging the backpack onto his shoulders again.

“Come on, let’s get further up” Sapnap said, grabbing Karl’s hand and leading him towards the next ladder, wanting to get as much distance between them and the zombies, even if it was upwards. 

Their steps rang out on the metal steps as they got further and further up, Sapnap leading in front with his bat held ready. At the top, Sapnap helped Karl up over the edge and they stumbled onto the roof. 

“So? What now?” Karl asked and looked around the bare roof around them. 

“Well, those things aren’t gonna leave us anytime soon, so let’s just get comfortable and wait it out” Sapnap said, leaning slightly over the edge to cast another look down at the zombies, still trying to reach for them. 

“Sounds like a plan” Karl grinned and swung his backpack around and unzipped it, pulling out his camera and turning it on. 

“You just carry that thing around everywhere?” Sapnap asked, sitting down and leaning his back against the ledge of the building. 

“Of course, what kind of documentary would this be if I didn’t?” Karl asked with a giggle, walking over and getting on his knees next to Sapnap, leaning slightly over the building to capture footage of the zombies under them. 

“A dangerous one” Sapnap just snorted and felt himself relax against the bricks digging into his back, Karl’s calm energy bringing such ease to wash over him. 

“That’s the best kind” Karl giggled and started his recording, and his reporter voice emerging has he started the intro like always.

“Today is day 286 of the apocalypse” Karl started his recording, pointing the camera down at the infected under them. 

“Sapnap and I are in a bit of a pickle as you can see, but we should be fairly safe for now” Karl carried on, sounding so calm for someone who almost got ripped apart by zombies. 

“We’re planning on waiting out the situation for now. If those creepy crawlers aren’t gone by a few hours, let's hope Dream and George come looking” Karl shuckled and pointed the camera over at Sapnap then. 

“Sapnap, can you explain what happened leading up to this?” Karl asked in a true reporter voice as he looked down at the little screen on his camera to check the shot. 

“Why do you film it all?” Sapnap asked instead, leaning his arms against his knees and tilted his head as he looked up at Karl instead of into the camera. 

“What do you mean?” Karl just asked back at him, looking up to meet his eyes.

“Like, why? It's not like anyone is gonna see it except you? So why bother film them?” Sapnap asked and nodded his head down towards the zombies groaning beneath them. 

“We don’t know that” Karl chuckled, shoving the camera out of Sapnap’s face and leaned back on his heels. 

“I know that I'm not gonna be the last man standing, like come on man” Karl said with a fond eye roll. 

“And I refuse to believe I will be the last person to pass through this city. So, what if these recordings can help someone else when I'm gone?” Karl asked and glanced down at the camera in his hands. 

“What if these recordings could save someones life?” Karl asked, a genuine tone in his voice as he smiled. It warmed Sapnap’s heart, seeing the way Karl spoke so fondly of a person he didn’t even know existed. Maybe it was the cute smile on Karl’s face as he looked back up at him, or maybe it was the fact Karl was working for a legacy to help others. 

But either way, Sapnap felt his cheeks flush slightly.  

“It’s a good look on you, you know?” Karl said, the little red light on the camera turning off as Karl ended the recording. 

“What is?” Sapnap blinked. 

"That cute face of bravery, It suits you” Karl’s smile grew, a glint appearing in his eyes. For a moment Sapnap thought he saw Karl glance down at his lips for just a second. 

“I wonder what’s going through your mind right now? This high up above danger and alone with me? Are you scared? Do you imagine protecting me like a real prince charming?” Karl slowly leaned into Sapnap’s personal space.  

"Well, Karl," Sapnap fell over his own words, trying to maintain his composure despite the fluttering butterflies in his chest. 

"I must admit, the thought of protecting you does have a certain appeal. But who says you can't be your own hero?" Sapnap asked back like an idiot, failing to match Karl’s energy.

But instead of looking disappointed, Karl just laughed, a melodic sound that sent a rush of warmth to Sapnap's cheeks. 

“Touché” he said, his voice bubbly and giggling with amusement. 

“But where's the fun in that? Besides, every hero needs a damsel in distress to rescue, right?” Karl said, now leaning in closer to Sapnap’s space with a teasing smirk on his face.

Sapnap's heart skipped a beat as Karl's words hung in the air between them, a shiver running down his spine. He could feel the warmth of Karl's breath against his skin as he leaned in closer, their proximity almost electrifying.

Sapnap couldn't help but laugh at Karl's theatrics, feeling a sense of giddy nervousness washing over him by the way Karl looked at him. 

“I suppose you have a point there. But I don't see you as a damsel in distress. You're more like a... daring adventurer” Sapnap swore Karl was teasing him, with the grin on his lips and the glint in his eyes. But it wasn’t like when he and Dream shoved each other, or when George snapped a joking comment their way. 

No, Sapnap knew this kind of teasing, he had seen girls do it to him on a few rare occasions to try and make him blush. And by god, did Karl’s honeyed words make him blush.

But Karl seemed to take Sapnap’s comment for something it wasn’t, and leaned back out of Sapnap’s personal space. 

"Sorry, I think I misjudged you and the vibe you were giving me. I made an assumption” Karl apologized, looking away from Sapnap and back down to fiddle with his camera. 

"What? no, no” Sapnap was quick to correct him, sitting up straight. 

"You uh, you didn’t assume wrong” Sapnap blushed, fumbling to get his words in order.

"Yeah?” Karl raised an eyebrow, a small grin sneaking back on his face. 

"Yeah, I um… I'm flattered” Sapnap felt his face grow even warmer. Why wouldn’t the words just sound right? Why was he such an idiot? 

“... Just to make sure, you are confirming that you’re gay right now?” Karl giggled at Sapnap’s clear embarrassment . 

"Bi, but I guess I am confirming that” Sapnap chuckled, a nervous hand coming up to rub at the back of his neck.

“And you’re?...” Sapnap tried to ask.

“Whatever you want me to be, handsome” Karl winked at him with a teasing smile. 

As if Karl was finally having mercy on Sapnap and his dumb brain, Karl looked away again and over the ledge of the building. It was definitely a relief on Sapnap’s part, feeling his chest draw in a breath for the first time in what felt like minutes. 

“Seems our angry friends are gone” Karl noted. Turning around and leaning over to take a look for himself, Karl was right. The alleyway was empty, but Sapnap knew those things were properly still lurking around somewhere. 

Sapnap got up on both of his feet, walking along the edge to look down at the main street, and sure enough, Sapnap spotted one of them stumbling down the streets, its head twitching and moving, and a few feet away another one laid lifeless on the ground, its chest ripped open and claw marks on its face. 

Their plastic box was still standing where they had left it on the road. 

“Let’s wait a bit longer and make a run for it then. We’ll get the box with George and Dream tomorrow” Sapnap decided. They had gone for longer without water, one more day wouldn’t hurt them. 

“You got it hero” Karl just giggled from where he stood besides Sapnap, the camera pointed down the street and zoomed in on the bodies. 

……

The metro car shook as Karl fumbled with his phone, scrolling mindlessly as he bopped his head along to the music playing in his headphones. 

Getting the camera was incredibly easy. He just went up to the lost and found, showed them the email Jimmy sent him as a screenshot, and they just handed it over to him without another word. 

He held his phone up over the camera laying in his backpack, taking a picture of it to send to the group chat.  

Karlos : package secured ;) 

None of his friends answered, but it was fine, it was fairly late already and maybe his friends were already asleep or busy. So Karl just went back to scrolling through his phone without a second thought.  

He’d be back at the dorms in twenty minutes anyway, then he could snuggle up in his own bed and figure out a way to get jimmy the camera tomorrow. 

Feeling a slight headache starting to grow behind his eyes, Karl locked and pocketed his phone. Instead he looked up and around the subway car, watching an old man doze in a seat opposite him, a young lady reading a book, someone crying on the phone a few rows down, a child playing on an ipad as their dad scrolled his own phone. 

Karl loved people watching, seeing all the different lives around him doing their own thing and wondering what brought them here and where they would go once they left the subway. 

Were they on their way home from a ruthless break up? Were they on their way to a night shift? Were they on their way to see their mom for the first time in months? Were they on their way to a rave? Had they just been told their dog passed away and was on their way to say goodbye? Did they just buy a lottery ticket and was yet to know they won fifty bucks?

It was amazing to just sit back and come up with these stories, taking in the air and the energy of the moment, the rumbling of the subway, the way Karl’s own headphone squeezed his ears against his head, the washed stickers still visible on the poles of the seats. 

It felt amazing to just take in such a monotone and mundane life experience. 

The subway car came to a stop at one of the stations, a few of the people getting up from their seats to leave, new people to wonder about stepping on board, the voice over the intercom barely audible past Karl's music. 

The doors slid closed and right as the subway car started to move again, Karl caught the sight of a woman tackling one of the men on the station to the dirty floor, before the subway disappeared into a dark tunnel. 

Maybe they were a long distance couple, finally getting to meet after months apart? Maybe she just found out he had an affair? 

Karl would never know and there was a beauty to that

Closing his eyes and relaxing in his seat, moving slightly along with the subway’s rocking as it drove through the tunnel, Karl let himself fall into the music playing in his headphones. 

But then the entire cart jerked to a sudden halt, the standing passengers falling into each other and fumbling to remain standing, gripping onto seats and poles to avoid falling. 

“Sorry” Karl apologized to an older lady who he almost fell into, pulling his headphones off to listen to the intercom. 

“We apologize for this sudden stop. There is currently a commotion happening at our next stop. But no need to worry, we will be back on track soon enough” a voice smoke over the intercom. A murmur of the passengers talking was heard through the subway car, all wondering what the possible commotion could be.   

Karl shifted his headphones back over his ears, leaning back in his seat and tried to look out of the window behind him. It was dark, but he could see a shimmer of light further down the tunnel, marking were the next stop was. 

Karl could see people, but they were too far away to make out if they were in the supposed commotion or just simply waiting for their ride. What kind of commotion could halt an entire subway? Maybe it was a fight? A drug cartel getting arrested? A gang war? Karl could only wonder. 

Turning back around in his seat and pulling his phone out to change the song currently playing, Karl glanced up. He didn’t know if any of the other passengers had seen it yet, or if they like him didn’t properly react to it. 

But there on the other window in front of him, was a bloodied handprint pressed up against the glass. 

Then the lights went out. 

…….

It was hot under the covers, Sapnap could feel the sweat forming on the back of his neck as he stirred awake, his eyes begging to stay shut. But he felt so parched, his throat so incredibly dry and uncomfortable. 

He was so thirsty, Sapnap was sure he would never fall asleep again if it didn’t get fixed. But it was so nice and warm under the covers, like a little heater had been turned on and bathing the bed in the most perfect cozy temperature. 

Sapnap just wanted to roll over, snuggle up and try to fall back asleep. But his throat felt like grinding sandpaper together, and Sapnap couldn’t take it. 

Reluctantly, Sapnap sat up on the mattress they had thrown in here, rubbing his eyes as they adjusted to the low lights. Multiple string lights had been hung in the overhead bins, a decision much preferred to the darkness that engulfed their so-called bedroom. He could hear soft snores around him as he slowly looked next to him. 

Dream was asleep to his right, on his side with his back towards him, the mask placed on the covers next to his face. On Sapnap’s left laid Karl, curled up and fully invading Sapnap’s own space on the bed in a poor attempt to cuddle. Sapnap would have thought it was accidental, if it weren’t for the fact he’d woken up plenty times before to Karl purposefully shifting closer to him as they slept. 

It was with a heavy heart Sapnap pulled the cozy and warm covers off his body and crawled to get off the bed. Karl and Dream both continued to snore on the bed, the former grabbing Sapnap’s abandoned pillow and using it as his new cuddle victim. 

Sapnap stretched his back and shivered as the cold of the subway car settled in under his skin, a sharp contrast to the warm bed he was just laying in. Brushing his hands up over his arms, Sapnap made his way towards the door. 

Opening it as quietly as possible, Sapnap was met with the sight of George sitting on the green couch, illuminated by the fairy lights hanging around the subway car. In his lap laid Patches, purring like a little motor as George gently petted her behind the ear, no doubt having a lovely nap under his hands. 

George looked away from the window and over towards the door, the tension in his shoulders relaxing as he recognized Sapnap in the low lightly. 

“Morning” Sapnap greeted him as walked across the subway car and over to the plastic box full of water, grabbing one of their many cups and filling it. It was nice not having to ration every drop of water, to be able to get out of bed and get a glass of water. 

It was a luxury Sapnap didn’t know he had missed as much as he did. 

“It’s 3 am” George mumbled on the couch, watched Sapnap drink his water. 

“How do you know?” Sapnap asked between sips of his cup. 

“Just feels like it” George shrugged if that was enough of a justified explanation. 

“Huh alright” Sapnap just nodded as he took another sip, looking George over and taking in the bags under his eyes, and the way his eyes kept trying to fall shut. 

“Have you slept at all?” Sapnap then asked, only receiving another shrug from George. 

“Gotta keep watch” George mumbled. 

“The door’s locked” Sapnap looked over at their front door, seeing the doors still remained shut, a multitude of locks and bike locks keeping it closed shut. 

“Still” George mumbled, forcing his eyes open and looked back out the window, over the dark and empty train station. 

“Can we talk?” George then asked, scratching Patches behind her ear and she tilted her head slightly into the touch. 

“Sure, what’s up?” Sapnap asked, moving over to sit in the other green couch in front of George, taking another sip of his water as he leaned back against the cushions. 

“I’ve been thinking” George started after a quiet moment, looking down at Patches in his lap as he tried to gather his thoughts. 

“Maybe we should stay” George shrugged, as if was just a small idea, a harmless suggestion to throw out in the open. But it wasn’t small or harmless, not to George and Sapnap knew this.  

“Wait, really? You mean it?” Sapnap asked, waiting with a held breath for George to go on, as if George might be pulling a prank on him.  

“Yeah I mean… we were just walking for the sake of walking. Karl has a pretty good base here, it’s pretty safe and well… I think this is the best option” George said and finally raised his gaze to meet Sapnap’s eyes. 

“Besides… if we hope for Bad to catch up to us, we should stay put” George added, as if was the one that needed to sell this idea. 

“No, you’re right, we properly should” Sapnap was quick to agree, nodding his head and drinking the rest of his water. He lowered his now empty cup into his own lap, his thumb running over the rim of the cup as he watched George. 

A blanket of silence fell over the subway car, the only sound was Patches purring and the soft snoring through the door into what they called the bedroom. It was nice, but it also felt tense, like something wasn’t being said out loud. 

“Not that I'm against the idea or trying to complain but…” Sapnap couldn’t help but break the silence. 

"This just doesn’t sound like you?” Sapnap tried to ask. 

“... You’re right” George nodded, looking back down at Patches, moving to stroke the fur on her back instead. 

“I don’t know if I trust Karl, or even Dream for that matter. Karl is a bit of a weirdo and I literally tried to kill Dream the first time we met” George carried on. 

“But you trust them” George raised his head to look at Sapnap again. 

“And I trust you” he admitted. 

Sapnap felt a bit surprised at that confession, like he just learnt a new and exciting nature fact, something dumb and irrelevant to the rest of his life. It wasn’t the fact that George trusted him that was the surprise, rather it was the fact George valued it over his own distrust. 

Trust, such a small word for such an important concept. 

George was willing to look past his own concern, his paranoia and feeling of safety, just because he had faith in Sapnap. 

It was properly the kindest thing George had ever said to him. 

“I trust you too” Sapnap said, as if it would surprise George just as much. Instead George just huffed, and Sapnap saw the corner of his mouth tug upwards for just a moment before George yawned. 

“I can take over for you” Sapnap then offered. 

“It’s fine” George shook his head, but his eyes still tried to fall shut. Sapnap smiled, getting out of his seat on the couch and placing his empty cup on the coffee table between them. He grabbed one of the many blankets Karl had laying around, a fuzzy pink thing, and unfolded it as he went to sit down beside George on the other couch. 

He threw the pink blanket over George, Patches meowing and getting up to find a better place to nap. Sapnap leaned back against the couch an placed his arm over George’s shoulder. 

“Just go to sleep, I'll keep watch” Sapnap mumbled quietly. George just yawned and leaned he weight up against Sapnap’s side. 

“Bad would love this place” George spoke quietly, slowly drifting off to sleep like Sapnap told him to. 

“Yeah, he will” Sapnap smiled and looked out over the dark train station behind the windows. 

……..

It was hard to believe it had almost been a whole year since the lockdown started. To think barely a year ago, Sapnap’s biggest concern was turning in an assignment on time and not sleeping through his alarm. 

It felt like a lifetime ago. 

But in an odd way, the anniversary of the end, seemed like a fitting day for their world to yet again be turned upside down. 

The sun was out today, bathing the train station in it’s warm light. George was hogging the entire couch, lounging in it with Patches laying on his stomach and a book in hand as he desperately tried to ignore Dream and Sapnap’s bickering on the floor. The pair sat across the coffee table, playing a not so friendly game of uno, and Karl was sitting with some old radio in one of the remaining train seats. 

It was a piece of junk, something they found among the rubble of a store while looking for supplies. Karl had been ecstatic when he saw how functional it still appeared, not even a scratch on it as he brushed the dust away. It was a small thing, a CD player at the top with a speak on each side, along with a few broken and loose buttons.  

George had not been happy when Karl announced he wanted to get it fixed so they could all listen to some ‘proper’ music, instead of trading around his beloved headphones all the time. 

Over a few weeks, Karl brought home a few more radios they found, some in worse conditions than others, all of which was butchered as he kept messing around with their parts and wires

Was it a good idea to bring home a noise machine in the apocalypse? No, not really. But who said Karl would be able to get it working anyway? It was just another passion project for Karl to spend his time on, like the lego set or the half finished crochet projects he had laying around.   

So there Karl sat, fiddling with tools he didn’t know how to properly use, and messing around with the radio and trying to replace it’s broken antenna with one of the more functional ones. 

“I’m telling you man, you can’t put down a plus four on a plus two, thats not how the game works” Sapnap argued, waving his hand down at the card Dream had just played. 

“Yes you can, are you dumb?” Dream just denied, refusing to pick the card back up. 

“No, it’s against the rules, you can’t stack plus fours like plus twos, thats so completely broken” Sapnap insisted, picking up the card and handing it to Dream, demanding he take it back. 

“You’re just pissed I'm three cards away from beating your ass” Dream crossed his arms, hiding his hands away from Sapnap as if it could prevent the card from landing back in his hand. 

“Dude, you can’t play it, it’s broken, you can’t stack two plus fours either, how amny times would you change the color then?” Sapnap asked, raising his voice slightly at Dream’s immaturity. 

“Oh my god, Dream just pick up the plus two cards and Sapnap pick up the plus four and shut the fuck up” George complained from his spot on the couch, turning the page of his book. 

“No this is a principle of moral and ethics, Dream, pick up the card and play something else” Sapnap demanded again. 

“Never” Dream glared at the younger man. 

Sapnap seemed ready to jump across the table and strangle Dream, when they heard an uncomfortable buzz sound out from Karl’s spot. The noise was fizzy and static. 

“Oh my god, I got it on” Karl cheer for himself as he placed down the screw driver he had been prodding it with. 

“That’s nice Karl, but we’re kinda in the middle of something” Sapnap said, reaching across the table for Dream’s hand to physically place the card back in Dream’s hand. 

“We’re not in the middle of anything, you’re just stalling” Dream argued and tried to smack Sapnap’s hand away. 

Karl just chuckled and went back to focusing on his radio. Carefully he grabbed the antenna to move it slightly out of the way, but as he did, a new noise sounded out in the subway car, something that vaguely sounded like a voice speaking a incoherent word before Karl moved the antenna yet again. 

But they all heard it, and they all froze. 

For a moment they all sat in the sound of buzzing static, none of them daring to move as if it would scare the machine into silence. Dream and Sapnap still sat in their bickering, but the cards were now long forgotten as they all turned their attention onto the radio. 

“Was that… was that a person?” George asked, the book in his hand nearly falling out of his hand. 

“I think… I think so” Karl nodded, moving the antenna once more, slow and careful as he tried to find the voice again. A few times it sounded like the voice returned, but still too warped and incoherent to understand under the static. 

“I didn’t think radio stations would still work” Sapnap said, getting up form the floor to cross the subway car and sit besides Karl. 

“They shouldn’t, I was just hoping to get the CD player working” Karl shook his head, desperately turning the taps on the radio and wiggling the antenna around to get the voice back. 

“How then?” Dream asked, getting up from the floor as well. 

“It could be survivors?” George suggested, placing his book down and carefully picking Patches off his chest. But before their theories could continue to grow, a female voice cut through the static, still hard to what, but at least they could finally make out the worlds

“-personal advice the public to keep calm” the voice said, but they didn’t catch the first part of it’s sentence before it quickly carried on, leaving the boys with a held breath as they watched the radio in Karl’s lap. 

"Since May the 17th, the following states have been declared no man’s land, and should not be entered under any circumstances. Washington, Oregon, Idaho, Northern California, Nevada, Kentucky, Virginia, North Carolina, South Carolina, Tennessee, Georgia, Florida, Alabama, Mississippi, Arkansas and Louisiana” the radio listed out for them in rapid succession. 

"Under no circumstances should these states be infiltrated by non military. The surrounding states have managed to cut off all entrances to these states” the voice carried on saying, no emotion laced in its voice and completely ignorant to the weight of its message to them.

"If any survivors in no man’s land should cross the border, they will be restrained, put under quarantine and tested, before they will be granted access to cross. Border access points can be found at military bases, prisons and airports lining the states surrounding no man’s land” the words were like a lighter, flickering and igniting a hope all of them can come to terms with being dead. 

"May god rest our souls” and the voice started to repeat its message, the words playing over and over again in the subway car. And yet none of them dared move. 

"What does this mean?” Dream broke the silence, his voice so small and close to shaking with each word.  

"It means there’s a way out of this hell” Sapnap said, a smile growing on his face, his cheeks almost starting to ache with how wide it grew. 

“We don’t know that” George said, ever the pessimist and voice of reason. 

“What? George didn’t you hear that? We can get out, we can go home” Sapnap turned to face the other, a light shining in his eyes. 

“We don’t know that. That recording could old, whose to say that still stands? What if its gone and we’ll be risking everything for nothing?” George started to ramble on with questions. 

“So you’d rather stay here and wonder?” Dream asked with a confused frown on his face. 

“Of course not, but let's be reasonable about this” George shook his head. 

“There is no reason in this place, George. If we stay here, we will die. It might not be today or tomorrow, but we will die here. I’d rather risk my life getting out than wait for death here” Dream cut him off, standing up and starting to pace, as if Dream was ready to pack up and leave right this second. 

“How would we even get there?” George asked them, crossing his arms. 

“We’ll walk if we have to, you guys walked all the way here from Florida” Karl said, placing the radio down and turning the volume down slightly. 

“And what if it’s gone? What then?” George then asked. Sapnap could see in Georges eyes that he didn’t wanna fight them on this, but there was a fear in his voice, one that sounded familiar. 

“We’ll just walk back, or find a new home” Karl shrugged as if it was that simple. 

“We have to try” Sapnap cut in, getting up from his seat and crossing the subway to stand in front of George. He placed his hands on George's shoulders.

“We have to” Sapnap said in a small whisper.  

George didn’t know what to say. He had tried all this before, going to a safer place based on no evidence except to trust the words of a stranger he had no face to. But he couldn’t help but admit hat Dream and Sapnap were right. 

They had been lucky so far, or at least as lucky as some people in this situation could be. But luck tends to run out at the worst moment. It might run out on the way there, but if there was a chance to get them to safety, to return to a normal life?. 

George couldn’t say no. 

“... Fine, but we can’t possibly walk all the way there. It’s too risky” George relented. 

“We’ll find a way, we’ll get a car or bikes, or something” Sapnap lit up, the hands on George’s shoulders squeezing him slightly

“We could take a train” Karl suggested, looking out at the abandoned station and the trains and subways left to rust out there. 

“How would we get it running?” George asked with a soft frown. 

“We’ll figure it out, we’ll figure it all out” Sapnap just continued to smile, 

“We’re going home” he cheered and let out a warm genuine laugh. 

“I need my camera!” Karl then yell, scrambling to get up and run toward their bedroom, needing to catch this life changing moment before it passed.  

Despite them all seemingly ready to leave right then and there, it took them a moment of planning. They started with finding a vehicle, looking through all the trains and remains around the station. Many of the trains were either knocked over, blocking other rails or destroyed. But they managed to find a freight train at the edge of the station, still standing on the rails and with its train cars attached. 

Inside it they found the control room intact, papers thrown about in a mess, but it seemed operational and there was no buddies to remove. Karl found a manual hidden away inside, and almost immediately started to read it through. 

Then came the next part, actually preparing to leave. 

They searched the city for supplies, new and clean clothes to travel in, shoes not yet ruined and more suited for the long walk they inevitably would have to take, batteries, flashlights, sleeping bags, pills and first aid kits, old water bottles they could fill with the rest of their distilled water, more weapons and food, anything that might be necessary. 

They packed for the end of the world, which in a way it was all over again. 

They were leaving behind the first place they could really call home in this place, the safety and warmth it had given them in favor of the rough roads and dangers ahead. 

Sapnap and George wrote Bad another note, informing them of their plan and the radio broadcast. A little part of Sapnap was still hoping Bad would turn up right at the last second to travel with them, but the note would have to do for now. The placed it in a clear plastic bag and duct taped it to the fall, right in the middle of a giant spray painted flame. 

Bad would follow them, Sapnap was sure of it. 

They were ready to leave this hell, one way or another. 

“Today is day 367 of the apocalypse” Karl panned his camera around the subway car, filming every nook and cranny as he tried not to fall over the mess on the floor. 

“We’re finally ready to leave, so I'm saying goodbye to the base and all my things” Karl informed the camera as he stepped over towards the kitchen, showing it all the empty shelves their food had been. 

“George is still a little skeptical in our abilities to actually drive a train, but like, how hard can it actually be?” Karl chuckled and turned the camera to point at himself.
“I mean, its just a few buttons and levers. It’s be fine, hopefully” Karl said and walked over to sit down on one of the green couches, putting the camera down on the table to get a proper shot of himself. 

“... I am happy, that we might be getting out of here” Karl said, leaning back against the couch cushions. 

“But, a little part of me is gonna miss this place” Karl admitted, looking up at the suncatchers and fairylights sprinkled through the subway car, the piles of books he had read and all the lego sets littering around him. 

“It’s weird, knowing this is the last time we might ever be here. Like, we’re leaving, but this will still be here. Like evidence that we actually existed…” Karl thought out loud. 

“I wonder if anyone is gonna find this place? Maybe they might get some use out of it” Karl tried to smile as he focused back on the camera. His foot fidget slightly, bumping up and down on the floor as he tried to gather his thoughts. 

“We’re only two states away from a normal life, after so long it sounds like a Dream” Karl chuckled as he let out a breath. 

“We hope to take the train at least through Mississippi, but honestly, any distance covered is gonna be great” Karl said, trying to explain their plan to the camera. 

“I’m kinda scared” Karl then admitted, leaning forward and resting his elbows on his knees. 

“I’m so glad I wasn’t alone when we heard the message… I don’t think I would have had the guts to try this if I were alone” Karl admitted, picking at his nails as he thought. 

“Thats all I really had to say” Karl said, reaching out to grab the camera and end the recording. Drawing in a deep breath, Karl slouched in on himself in his seat, looking around the subway car yet again. 

This was the last time Karl would sit in this couch, even if there was nothing left when they made it to the border, Karl knew they wouldn’t be coming back here. They’d either make their way back home or they would make a new one wherever they ended up. 

That would be good enough. 

“Karl?” Sapnap’d voice drew him out of his thoughts, knocking gently on the door as to not startle the other. He was dressed like a true survivor, warm jacket and heavy boots, his checkered scarf tied around his neck to keep him protected from the weather. His bat was held by his side as he waited in the doorway.

“Are you ready?” Sapnap asked gently, as if he could sense Karl's nervous energy. 

“Yeah. Lets go” Karl smiled, getting up and grabbing his own backpack, for once filled to the brim with anything he deemed necessary for their journey. He carefully placed his camera inside and zipped it shut. 

Stepping over to the doorway, Karl turned around one last time to look at the space. It was hard to believe this was even happening. 

Karl stood at the entrance of what had been his only home for a year, his only safety, with a stuffed and filled backpack hanging on his shoulders as he looked around the messy living room. 

With one last goodbye to the old subway car, Karl felt determination fill his lungs as he closed the door. 

They were going home. 

Chapter Text

Sapnap would think living in the apocalypse would be the scariest thing he’d ever experience, but that was until he got on board a train conducted by Karl. 

Standing cramped in the small space of the drivers compartment, holding on for dear life behind the driver's seat, Sapnap tried to have faith in Karl’s nonexistent abilities. Armed only with an old manual and pushing buttons at random, Karl managed to get the train driving at a slow speed. 

When they first got it running, it had caused a horde of infected to come running after them, but of course it was to no use for the infected as the group just disappeared out of town. 

Sapnap had no idea just how fast they were going, but none of them were willing to suggest they went any faster. They rode in that train for what felt like hours, passing woods and empty cities in the distance as they chugged along on the rails. 

As the train rattled along the tracks, Sapnap couldn't shake off the feeling of unease gnawing at him. Every jolt and sway of the carriage seemed to put dread in all of them, fearing they might explode at any minute. But Karl, with his determined expression, continued to navigate the controls with an odd mix of confidence and cluelessness.

None of them were sure exactly what direction they were going. They had decided on east when they first started making this plan, but they might as well be heading any other direction for all they knew. 

But all roads lead to Rome as they say. 

And hours later, they entered what looked like a big city. Nowhere near the biggest city they had traveled through, but it did little to put the group at ease as they rolled through the city, seeing the abandoned cars and broken windows of the buildings come closer. 

Sapnap leaned forward to try and catch a closer look at the their surroundings. It was odd, except for them and the train, everything outside appeared so dead. There was no movement in the shadows, no infected coming running at the sound of the train. 

It was like a ghost town. 

Beside him, Karl let out a triumphant whoop as he successfully maneuvered the train past an overturned train, more only appearing around them as they rolled through the station. 

But it seemed their luck ran out as Karl pulled the breaks, stopping right in front of what looked like a collision on the tracks, blocking any passage they might have had. They had hoped to at least get through a few major cites, but oh well, it was better than nothing. 

"Welp, it seems like this is the end of the road for us” Karl said, the manual in his lap getting slammed closed and dropped onto the control panel without a second care. 

"But on the bright side, it saved us like days of walking” Karl turned around in his seat to smile back at the trio. 

"Where are we?” George asked, trying to lean forward to look out of the window, his bow always ready in his hands. 

"Well, unless the dead can play pranks, I'd say we’re in Meridian Mississippi” Dream said, looking out the window and pointing to one of the signs hanging on the wall of the train station. 

"Meridian? I've never heard of it” George frowned. 

"Well, there's a first for everything” Dream said, turning to check Patches sitting in one of their open backpacks. 

“So what’s the plan now? should we find another train?” Sapnap asked as he looked between them. He wouldn’t protest getting some fresh air after who knows how many hours in here.

"I don’t think we’ll have much luck if I'm honest” Karl noted as he looked out through the window, everything around looked pretty much destroyed, and none of them wanted to think what could have been hiding in the wreckage. 

“Well, if anything we should find shelter. The sun is setting and I don't wanna be cramped in here all night with Dream’s awful stench while waiting for something to attack us” George said, grabbing one of their stuffed bags, struggling to get up on his shoulders. 

“You could use a shower too” Dream just shot back at him as he petted Patches head and carefully lifted the bag without disturbing her. 

But George didn’t reward him with even a glance as he got the door open, bow held up and waiting for anything to come running at them. But nothing moved, and nothing came. 

Behind George, he heard Sapnap and Karl get on their own bags, their bags all heavy and packed beyond what they thought were possible.

“Lets go” 

……..

You’d think the world was ending with how crowded the grocery store was. 

Quackity knew that people were getting more panicky over the news, he had seen the articles of people hoarding food, water and toilet paper for some reason. But Quackity hardly thought it was reasonable, sure more people were getting sick, but there was no reason to fight over microwave dinners.

But with the amount of food he was currently carrying down the halls of his dorm, he better not have to go shopping again for another month at least. 

The only reason he even went shopping was because his mom insisted on it. 

"Mijo, are you sure you don’t wanna come home?” his mother’s voice asked through the phone currently pressed between his shoulder and cheek, struggling to hold it with his hands full of grocery bags. 

"Yes mom. I'm fine. The dorms aren’t even on lockdown” Quackity repeated for what felt like the fifth time, trying to ignore the few odd stairs he was getting from his fellow students.

He properly looked like some insane doomsday prepper. 

"But what if you get sick? so many people are in the hospital” his mom worried, Quackity could picture her fussing over the stove as she talked, tasting a delicious homemade meal and seasoning it further. 

"I’m not gonna get sick, I'm completely fine” Quackity sighed, trying to keep annoyance out of his voice. Ever since the news started reporting more and more often on the virus and the spreading pandemic, his mom had been blowing up his phone everyday. 

He understood why she was so worried, the photos and videos people were sharing online was terrifying, but it was starting to grind on Quackity’s nerves.

Quackity balanced the bags in his arms as he made his way back to his dorm door, trying to ignore the pain as the handles of one of the bags dug into his wrist and he patted through his pockets to find his keys. 

"It’s not like I'm out partying either, I go to class and I go straight back to my dorm, you have nothing to worry about” he tried to reassure her again, though he knew it would take more than just some half minded words to ease her concerns.

“I know, just wish you would come home. It's safer here with family” his mom persisted. Quackity managed to get the door opened, stumbling into his room and trying to pull his keys out at the same time. 

"I know, but I'm being careful mom, I promise” With the door closing shut behind him, Quackity let out a sigh of relief as he set the bags down on his bed, reaching up to finally hold the phone properly. 

"You trust me, don’t you” Quackity asked rhetorically as he flopped down on his bed next to his grocery bags, taking a moment to just breathe and stare up at the ceiling, and the posters hanging on wall next to his bed. 

"Of course I do, but I just wanna make sure you’re safe. I feel a lot better now knowing you now have food to feed yourself” his mom let out a sigh on the other end of the line. 

"And the entire campus too” Quackity joked, tilting his head to look at the grocery bags he still had to unpack and put away before his roommate got home. 

"Let’s talk about something else. How was your day?” Quackity decided to change to subject, hoping that would ease his mother’s nerves. 

"Pretty good, but I had to cancel my hair appointment, so I had to make due with the kitchen scissors” his mom said as Quackity got up from the bed and grabbed the nearest grocery bag to unpack the cup noodles he brought. 

"I’m sure it looks great” Quackity said as he pulled open his closet cabin, starting to stack the noodles next to his other belongings. 

"It’s decent, but I could really use some coloring. Oh that reminds me, mijo, you remember Sofia? Camila's daughter?” his mom asked and by the sound of her voice, Quackity knew exactly where this was going. 

"Your hairdresser? yes I remember her” Quackity said, hoping to be spared for his mom’s long and convoluted explanation to try and remind him.

"Well, I heard she just broke up with her boyfriend and is available again” his mom said with a giddy sort of excitement in her voice. 

"Why don’t you give her a call?” she suggested.

"Mom, I'm literally in another country. Asking her out would be pointless” Quackity just answered, his hand coming up to rub at his brow. 

"Besides, if they just broke up, she wants to be left alone” Quackity tried to brush it off, turning around to pull out a box of cereal from his grocery bag.

"Well, a lot of young people do long distance relationships now? why don’t you try that? Sofia is such a nice girl, you could be really happy with her” his mom just said, apparently choosing to ignore the last thing he just said. 

Quackity knew his mom meant well, and Sofia was a really nice girl. 

But she wasn’t what Quackity wanted in order to be happy. 

"Mom, I have my studies. I can’t maintain a relationship while doing that” he just excused again, shoving the box of cereal in next to the noodles. His mom went quiet for a moment on the other end of the line. 

It wasn’t something he liked to talk about, his reluctance to ask out girls. He can talk to them just fine, he had plenty of female friends growing up. 

He just… didn’t find them that appealing. 

Quackity knew it made his mom worry, his family had plenty of their own ideas. He didn’t fantasize about girls, he didn’t talk to girls, he wasn’t interested in dating girls. Growing up his parents had made it clear that school was the most important thing for him to focus on, but when that suddenly became the excuse he’d use, that was apparently a problem too. 

"I suppose you’re right” his mom then finally said. 

"I’ll still put a good word in for you once everything passes over. You’re such a handsome boy, any girl would be lucky to have you” his mom promised him, but Quackity could only hold back a sigh as he turned towards his groceries again. 

"Yeah um, mom, is it cool if I call you back later? I have some reading I need to get done and groceries to put away” Quackity asked as he rubbed at his brow. 

“Of course mijo” his mom replied. 

With that, they exchanged a few more words before saying their goodbyes and hanging up. Quackity couldn't shake the feeling of guilt that lingered in the pit of his stomach, but he didn’t think his mom could handle it if he told her the truth. 

Letting out a deep sigh, Quackity grabbed a bag of chips and shoved it onto the shelf carelessly. 

……..

The sun was beginning to set, painting the sky and clouds a deep orange color. 

Their shoes were kicking up dust as the group made their way down the dirty roads. They had barely had a chance to look around properly, more concerned with finding a proper way to hide for the night.   

As the sun dipped lower on the horizon, casting long shadows across the desolate streets, the group quickened their pace. It was like their footsteps echoed through the empty streets, the only sound breaking the eerie silence. 

Sapnap scanned their surroundings, searching for any signs of life or twitching bodies as they moved through the deserted streets. Old abandoned warehouses and factories surrounded them, a choice they made to avoid the center of the city for now. 

Out here, the city was so terrifyingly empty and still, like they had walked into an old ruined photograph.

The dilapidated buildings loomed ominously over them, their windows shattered and doors hanging off their hinges. It was like a storm had raged through the streets, leaving behind rubble and dust to settle. 

Karl was walking closely behind Sapnap, he had a smile on his face, but Sapnap was sure Karl was feeling the same fear as all of them. It couldn’t be easy, walking out in this wasteland for the first time and knowing you have no safe place to return to anymore. 

Sapnap wanted to offer Karl his hand, if only they both weren’t so tightly clutched around his bat.

"Am I the only one getting the creeps from this place?” Dream broke the silence, glancing around the street with his ax held ready. 

"No, it's so… eerie” George agreed in the front, leading their little group down the concrete streets. 

"There’s nothing here. We didn’t see a single zombie at the train station, and there is nothing jumping out at us. Something is wrong” George thought out loud.

"Maybe the zombies just left” Karl suggested with a hopeful smile, as if the world would ever do them that courtesy.

"Or something killed them off” Dream said, adjusting the mask over his nose as he came up next to Sapnap’s left side.

"Could it be survivors?” Sapnap asked, daring to take his eyes off the street to look at Dream. 

"Maybe, or they could have killed each other. We’ve seen those things attack and eat one another” Dream shrugged in return. 

“Whichever it is, let’s just hope we stay clear of it” George cut in, continuing down the street, his shadow stretched out over the street by the setting sun. 
"Let’s just do as planned and find a place to hide for the night” George continued. 

"Well, we’re surrounded by empty buildings, take your pick” Dream said, taking four quick steps to catch up with George, bumping his shoulder into him which only rewarded him with an annoyed huff from George.   

The area was not at all like the last factory place George looked through, when he was desperate for a place to hide Sapnap. Instead of open space and parking lots, it was cramped together, the buildings much more focused on storage than actual production. 

George’s eyes landed on an abandoned warehouse further down the street. It wasn't much, its windows cracked but not  broken, and it’s doors were still intact. It seemed more put together than any of the other buildings around them. 

"That one” George decided and made sure to bump his shoulder into Dream as he marched down towards the warehouse, trusting the others to follow. 

George expected the doors to be locked like the last factory he tried, but with a little force the doors opened up. But as the door was pushed open, it made a loud commotion as boxes of things fell on the floor, it made all of them freeze, and Sapnap felt Karl grab a hold of his arm. 

They stood with held breath as they waited for anything else to happen, for something to move or a sound to echo from inside.

But nothing happened. 

George waited another moment before he pushed the door open further, managing to peek inside. On the floor laid what seemed to be a mess consisting of boxes and pallets. It became clear that the sound was from a wooden pallet that had fallen over 

"It was just a pallet” George whispered but didn’t look back at them, moving his gaze to look into the rest of the warehouse. It was clearly made for storage, lined with packed pallets and giant warehouse shelves. The room was lit up in orange light from the setting sun shining in through windows in the roof. 

"Is it safe?” Dream asked, trying get a look over George’s shoulder. 

"I don’t see anyone” George replied, nudging the door open a little further.

"Let’s be quick and get this place secured” George said as he stepped inside, his arm stretched out with his bow and scanning the area.  

Inside, the air was musty and thick with dust floating in the light. It was so familiar and yet so different from the factory he and Sapnap hid in just a few months ago. The stacks of cardboard boxes and pallets were the same, but there were no big machinery besides a forklift George could barely see on the other side of the room. 

Turning around, George looked back at the mess on the floor as Sapnap helped Karl inside and Dream closed the door. If George didn’t know any better, he would almost mistake the mess for a poorly made barricade. 

"So, how are we doing this? sticking together as a group?” Karl asked as he looked down the hall of one of the many storage shelves. 

"We don’t have much time before it gets dark. It’s risky, but we should split up” Dream shook his head, fixing the grip on his ax. 

“I don't like to say it, but Dream’s right” George nodded.

“Let's go in pairs. Sapnap with me, Karl and Dream, I trust you can keep each other out of trouble?” George said as he turned to fully look at the group. 

"Actually, maybe its best if Karl and I go together” Sapnap cut in. 

"Long range weapons with each pair? would be a lot safer than just Dream with his ax” Sapnap said and waved his hand down to the gun strapped to his belt. 

"Oooh Sapnap wants alone time, how smooth” Karl teased and dramatically leaned into Sapnap’s space and wrapped his arms around Sapnap’s own. It was clearly just teasing, played up in an attempt to defuse the tension in the air. 

But it didn’t fail to bring a blush to Sapnap’s cheeks. 

"Just strategically more safe” Sapnap attempted to justify. Looking over at George, he could clearly see George’s discontent with it. But it was hard to disagree, especially given Karl had no weapon to defend himself with. 

"If anything happens, scream and we’ll come running” George said a moment later, letting Sapnap get his way without a single protest. It was clearly another sign of the trust George had put in him.

"Okay got it” 

"And don’t do anything risky”

"I’m not an idiot” 

"Funny, I was having my doubts” George shot back at him, before placing his hand on Sapnap’s shoulder. 

"Don’t die” George said sternly. 

"I got, you sound like my mom” Sapnap shuckled and shrugged Georges hand off his shoulder. 

"And you sound like a brat” George just retorted, but Sapnap could see a slight tug of a smile on his friend’s lips. Sapnap gave another nod before turning towards Karl and looked towards a pair of door on the other end of the storage hall. 

"Lets go” Sapnap smiled and Karl happily followed after him, shrugging his backpack off to rummage through it as they walked. 

"Giving him a longer leash?” Dream noted with a teasing tone at George, only to receive a light glare. 

"Don’t push it” George just rolled his eyes, pulling another arrow out of the makeshift quiver of his backpack and keeping it ready before turning to walk in the other direction. 

"I won’t say anything” Dream just chuckled, before he gently shrugged his own backpack off.  

Dream bent down and unzipped the top of his backpack, Patches jumping out and stretching her body after so long in the cramped space. Dream ran a gentle hand over her fur before he zipped his backpack up again and stood up. 

"Come on girl, let’s see if there's any mice for you to play with” he said and followed after George, Patches strutting along side him.  

……

His face was throbbing, his eye exploding with pain. 

He could feel his heart pumping the blood through his veins, before it inevitably came pouring down his face. 

And yet he didn’t stop running. 

That thing almost killed him, it clawed his face and it almost killed him. 

He could hear one of those things running after him as he sprinted down the school hallway, practically slamming into the walls as he tried to make it back to the classroom. 

The other boys in his group were dead, no way they survived that shit back there. Quackity saw the blood, he heard the screams, and he can still hear that thing behind him. 

He's not turning back, he gripped the bag in his arms even tighter and kept running, even with his face screaming in pain, he kept running til he saw the classroom door. 

"Open the door!” Quackity screamed at it before he slammed into to. He heard a crash behind him, but he refused to turn back, he didn’t wanna see it, he just wanted to get inside. 

They won’t shut the door on him, he still has the bag, he still has the food. They won’t shut the door on him. 

They won’t, they can’t.

"I have food! let me in!” Quackity screamed and the door immediately opened, and not a second too late as he was rushed inside and it shut and locked again, the thing outside crashing into the door and banging up against it. 

Quackity ran across the room, needing to be further away, needing the door as far from him as possible. 

Someone took the bag from him, or maybe he dropped it? he wasn’t sure. Adrenaline was rushing through his body and the blood kept pouring down his face. His left eye felt unbearable, the pain throbbing and convulsing in his skull.

"Where are the others?”

"What happened?”

"Shit are you okay?” someone asked him, but Quackity wasn’t sure who, all he could do was hold his face and try not to scream in pain as tears mixed with the blood. 

“Yo, dude, what the fuck happened out there?!” someone grabbed shoulders, a taller and bigger guy, shaking a response out of him. 

"Th- they got- dead, they’re dead- all of them are dead” Quackity hyperventilated, the words barely able to come out between each breath. 

"What happened?!the guy shook him a little rougher, Quackity felt like his brain was going to explode and melt out of his ears. Maybe the pain would stop then. 

"They- monsters- found us- my face” Quackity tried to answer, but the pain was too much. Then the guy grabbed his wrist and pulled his hands away from his face, a new wave of pain and blood pouring down his face. 

"He’s infected!” as if he had burnt the guy, he was let go and shoved away, sending Quackity falling onto the floor. 

"What? no- no! I'm- I'm fine” Quackity struggled to get his words out, his hand coming up to put pressure against the wound.

"Then what the fuck happened to you face?!” the guy just yelled back at him. The others in the group took multiple steps back, no one wanting to help Quackity up from the floor.

"I fell!” Quackity tried to explain. 

"Bullshit”

"I did!” Quackity felt panic rise in his chest as more people started to speak up. 

"If he's infected, he can’t stay here”

"But it doesn’t look like a bite, he might be okay?”

"Throw him out, he could turn any minute!”

"I don’t wanna die! get him out of here!”

"No! no, please, please, I'm not infected- I'm fine, please, please” Quackity begged, scrambling to try and get back onto his feet, leaving bloody handprints on the floor and on his clothes. A few of the girls in the group ran behind some of the boys. 

"Listen man, either you leave, or we kill you” the guy who grabbed him warned, pointing to the door where Quackity could still picture that monster waiting outside.  

"I’ll die if I go out there” Quackity whispered, stepping back as till his back hit one of the desks along he wall. 

"You’ll die either way, but we’re not gonna risk our safety when you’re infected” the guy glare at him, and actually dared to reach out for Quackity 

"I’m not infected” Quackity tried again, but the guy grabbed his wrist and yanked him forwards 

"Leave or die!” spit from the guys yell landed on Quackity’s face, and when Quackity looked up at him, he could see murder in his eyes. 

This guy would kill him if he stayed. 

Quackity looked around the group, læooking for anyone to step in and help him, but all he saw on their faces were fear or remorse as they refused to meet his eye. Quackity looked up at the guy again and nodded slowly. 

"Okay… I'll leave” 

……….

"And welcome back, today is day 369 of the apocalypse and the first official day of our journey to the border” Karl talked with excitement to the camera, walking in front of Sapnap as he filmed himself and the empty hallway.

It must have been an office space, or a smaller storage room. It was hard to pinpoint with all the mess on the floor, papers blown across the floor and cardboard boxes littering the place. 

Sapnap knew he should be more alert, more focused on all the blindspots and potential threats lurking in the shadows. 

But Karl was just so lively to watch, a complete contrast to all the ruin around them. 

"We are currently somewhere in Mississippi, personally I had hoped the train would get us a bit further, but this is still great” Karl talked to the camera.

"Now we are just finding a place to sleep for the night” Karl sound around and pointed the camera at Sapnap. 

"So Sapnap” Karl said as he walked backwards.

"Talk me through the process, what are we doing?” Karl asked and looked up at him with that wide smile. It brought a flush to Sapnap’s cheeks and forced him to clear his throat. 

"Well, right now we are securing the place” Sapnap said and glanced down into the lens of the camera. 

"Which means?” Karl dragged out his words playfully. 

"We’re going around the place, blocking doors and entryways, checking nothing is lurking in here with us. Basically just making the place safe for us to camp out in” Sapnap shrugged as he tried to explain. 

“Have you never secured a place before Karl?” Sapnap asked, testing the door that came up on his right, pulling on the door handle only for it to open easily. 

"Well, you saw my last place, it was pretty safe” Karl chuckled as he panned the camera around to film the space behind the door. 

"Heh, yeah, don’t think George agrees with you on that one” Sapnap laughed along, taking a careful step into the room. It was big, the same mess covering the floor, rolls of what seemed like bubble wrap and foam lining the far walls and more boxes stacked in the room. This was definitely some more of the storage rooms.  

“George only agrees with himself” Karl rolled his eyes with a grin on his face.

"But maybe for the best, someone here has to use common sense” Karl said as spun around to look at Sapnap again, zooming in on Sapnap’s face. 

"What? I don’t use common sense?” Sapnap asked, faux offense lacing his voice as he held his bat ready and looked behind a stack of boxes. 

"Well, you tell me, mister ‘best-Karl-and i-go-together’~” Karl gave a knowing smirk, glancing up from his camera. 

"You clearly just wanted to be alone with me” Karl grinned, continuing to walk backwards. 

"And?… So what if I did. Would that be a problem for you?” Sapnap asked, trying to play it slick. 

"Babe, that would never be a problem for me~” Karl then winked at him and Sapnap swore he felt his own face grow hotter. Karl glanced down at his camera again, and the easy smile on his face turned into a light frown. 

"What is it?” Sapnap asked, the sight sending goosebumps throughout Sapnap’s body. 

"I think I just saw something move-” Karl was about to warn Sapnap, but then, as if it was a cartoon, Karl stepped back and a rope snapped around his ankle, ripping his feet out from under him and turning him upside down with a scream. His backpack fell down along his arms, and hung awkwardly as it tried to land on the floor. 

“Karl!” Sapnap panicked, rushing over to him in an attempt to help him. But before he could even think to get a knife out, he felt the rough press of a gun barrel press against his back. 

“Stand still” their attacker warned him, and Sapnap froze at his words. Then the press of the barrel disappeared, and he heard the stranger move back. 

“Drop your weapons on the floor” the stranger spoke as he slowly walked around to face both Sapnap and Karl. 

He was short, making the shotgun in his hands look even more big and deadly. Duct tape was wrapped around his forearms and legs, almost like a weird sort of wrapping. But the most noticeable feature was the long gnarly scar running down his right eye. 

“Woah” Sapnap heard Karl say under his breath. 

“Now asshole” the stranger jerked the gun as if to threaten them. Sapnap just nodded, and dropped his bat on the floor between them. 

“The gun too” the stranger glanced down at the gun at Sapnap’s side. 

“Okay…” Sapnap nodded again, slowly reaching for the gun, almost afraid to frighten the stranger and get shot. But Sapnap got the gun up, and gently placed it on the floor as well. 

“Charlie!” the stranger then shifted on his feet and called over his shoulder. 

Sapnap expected someone else to step out from the shadows, but instead he heard one of those awful croaking groans, and turning his head towards the sound he saw an infected poorly hidden behind a stack of cardboard boxes. 

It was wearing a football helmet, oven mittens on its hands and a belt tied around its middle to keep its arms down along its sides. Something was tied to the belt, stopping it from walking too far away, a rope of some kind. 

Given the fact the stranger didn’t at all seem fazed by the zombie, Sapnap guessed that was Charlie. 

Sapnap barely heard what the stranger said over his own heartbeat ringing in his ears. 

"Alright, do as I fucking say and no one has to get hurt” the guy said, but the gun was still aiming at Sapnap’s head.

“Get on your knees” the stranger ordered, but when Sapnap didn’t move, his gaze firmly planted on the zombie in the corner, the guy raised his voice. 

“On your knees, now!” 

“I’d gladly get on my knees for you~” Karl said, spinning slowly around by the rope around his ankle. Sapnap couldn’t help but notice how oddly calm Karl sounded. 

“Shut the fuck up” the stranger jerked the gun to point at Karl and Sapnap felt his heart jump up into his throat before the barrel of the gun was pointed back at him. 

“Knees, now” he ordered again. 

“Alright, okay” Sapnap nodded and slowly kneeled down till both knees were planted on the dirty floor. 

“Hands behind your head” the stranger then ordered and Sapnap moved his hands up behind his head, feeling the sweat damp in his hair. 

"Alright. Where are your friends?” the stranger then asked. 

"What friends?” Karl asked and the stranger immediately moved the gun over to point at Karl’s hanging body. 

"Don’t fucking play games with me. I know theres four of you fuckers, where are they?” he raised his voice. 

"We don’t know. We split up to secure the place, they’re properly running around somewhere else” Sapnap was quick to answer, forcing his voice to remain even. 

“Do you have any food?” the stranger then asked, moving the gun back to point at Sapnap.

"Yes, in my backpack” Sapnap nodded, lowering his gaze to look at the barrel of the gun rather than the stranger’s eyes, just so he wouldn’t provoke the stranger further. 

"Take it off” the stranger shifted on his feet. 

"Take the fucking backpack off” the stranger ordered and Sapnap could only nod before he complied. His hands felt sweaty and clammy as he slowly moved his hands from his head and tried to get his backpack off without setting the stranger off. Sapnap then showed the backpack to the stranger, holding it up as if it was proof of its existence. 

"Open it” the stranger then ordered. 

Sapnap nodded, slowly dropping the backpack on the floor in front of him, unzipping the backpack and forcing it open further to the point his things almost started falling out, showing the canned food, water bottle and batteries he had stuffed in there to the stranger. 

"Close it and throw it to me” the stranger nodded, as if the content was alright enough to be worth the trouble. Sapnap shaking hands went to zip the backpack back up, when a door on the other side of the room was kicked open. 

"Put down the gun!” George’s voice yelled across the room. Sapnap looked to his right, seeing George with his bow drawn and Dream holding his ax filled him with a relief he didn’t think was humanly possible. 

Their entrance seemed to finally gather the zombie’s attention, the thing snarling and tugging at whatever rope it was tied to, knocking over the cardboard boxes to get to Dream and George. 

"Jesus fucking christ!” Dream screamed and moved his ax over his shoulder, ready to swing it at the zombie. 

"If you fucking touch him, I'll blast your brain out against that fucking wall! don’t test me!” the stranger yelled, a new fury lighting up in his eyes. The sound of the gun cocking was enough to stop Dream from swinging. 

But it proved to be enough of a distraction as George called across the room in a stern voice,

“Sapnap”, and as if on instinct alone Sapnap bent over and grabbed his gun on the floor, pointing it up at the stranger. 

But the guy didn’t waver, keeping his aim on Dream, as if he could care less about the multiple weapons pointed at him. 

"Drop the gun” George ordered, the string on his bow pulled back and ready to launch at any moment. 

"No chance!” the guy just yelled, turning to point the gun at George. 

"Drop it or the zombie gets it” Dream threatened, pointing his axe over at the snarling zombie still pulling on the rope around its middle.

That only seemed to tick the stranger off even more, turning and pointing his gun at Dream again. 

"I will fucking kill you asshole” the stranger warned him, no fear or hesitation to be found in his threat. 

"Okay, why don’t we all just take a deep breath and talk like adults?” Karl cut in with his suggestion, still slowly spinning around by the rope around his ankle. 

"Hello, my name’s Karl, what’s yours?” Karl stretched his arm out toward the stranger, still spinning around slowly as he waited for a handshake. 

But the stranger didn’t acknowledge anything Karl said, instead choosing to remain focused on George and Dream. 

"Drop your weapons” he just ordered, shifting on his feet as his eyes shifted between George and Dream.

"Or I'll fucking shoot” he warned. 

The tension hung thick in the air as the standoff was barreling towards a boiling point. It was only a matter of time before someone got hurt. 

Sapnap's heart raced in his chest as he tried to assess the situation and figure out their next move. Sapnap’s finger was twitching on the trigger of his gun, somehow trying not to imagine the strangers blood painted across the wall. 

He had seen so many of those things die in front of him, he had killed plenty of them himself. But it felt wrong to pull the trigger against an actual person, one just as desperate, and no doubt just as scared, as them.

George and Dream stood their ground, their weapons at the ready as they faced off against the stranger. But with the threat of the zombie still snarling and croaking in the background, and Karl literally hanging by a thread, they were at a stalemate. 

Somehow that zombie, Charlie, was their only leverage, clearly more important to the stranger than his own life. 

Karl, still spinning slowly by the rope around his ankle, let his arm fall and looked to Sapnap with undeniable concern. Sapnap's grip tightened on his gun, his mind racing as he tried to come up with a plan. 

If Sapnap didn’t pull the trigger, he knew George would. 

And yet Sapnap couldn’t stomach that thought. 

"Listen, we don’t want to fight. We’re not here to hurt anyone” Sapnap tried, trying to keep his voice calm and void of anger. 

"Bullshit” the guy spat at him. The stranger remained unmoving, his focus solely on George and Dream.

"We’re not” Sapnap insisted, taking the risk and lowering his aim from the stranger.

"We didn’t know anyone was in here, we were just looking for a place to sleep” Sapnap tried to explain. The stranger didn’t look at him, still keeping his eyes trained on whatever Dream and George would do. 

"How about a trade?” Sapnap then suggested, but it rewarded him with a single glance from the stranger. 

"A trade?” the stranger raised an eyebrow. It was clear to see this guy was losing focus, looking between Dream and Sapnap, trying to prioritize which one was more important. 

"Yeah, listen, we don't want a fight. We just arrived in town from the train station” Sapnap hurried to explain, hoping it somehow put the stranger at ease. 

"Oh, so you’re the people that made all that noise” the guy just commented with a judgemental scowl on his face. 

"Yes, I suppose. Listen, we don’t know where we are, the sun is going down and we need shelter. Let us stay, and we’ll share our food with you” Sapnap offered, glancing over at George. 

"I don’t want your food” the stranger just shot back at him. 

"Kinda sounds like you do” George commented, nodding down at Sapnap’s backpack on the floor. 

"Shut the fuck up” the guy practically snarled at him. 

"Listen dude. What happens next in this situation is entirely up to you” Dream spoke up, his ax still held ready to kill the zombie in the corner. 

"You’re holding the gun. You have what? two shells in it? Let's say you fire it. Sure you might be able to kill one of us, two if you’re fucking lucky, but that leaves at least two of us standing. So really ask yourself,” Dream stared the stranger down.

"Can you take on four people?” the question hung in the air for a moment, clearly sinking in for the stranger.

The guy glared at Dream, looking at the arrow George had on him, and Sapnap who was aiming at his feet as well. The room was dead quiet, the tension thick in the air as they all waited for the next second to pass. 

Then the zombie in the corner groaned, making the stranger look over at it. 

"I know” the guy just muttered under his breath, as if he understood what it was saying. The zombie groaned again, it almost sounded insistent, urging him.

Another second passed, the shotgun still aimed at Dream. 

Then another more insistent groan from the zombie in the corner.

“... God damn it, Charlie” the guy then muttered with irritation, squeezing his eyes closed and pulling a face as if he had bitten into a sour lemon. The stranger lowered the shotgun in his hands to point at the floor. 

"Fine, I’ll take the trade, but it better not be fucking dog food” the guy warned them.

…………

It was dark.

Quackity had no idea how he had even made it this far, especially considering the constant throbbing pain in his face. All he really knew was that he ran and hid wherever he could when the pain wasn’t unbearable. 

He had managed to get into what used to be the old gym hall, or at least part of it. It was so dark in here, but he could smell the old sweat soaked into the plastic mats, feel his way around the old gymnastic equipment and the sacks of basket and volley balls spilled over the ground. 

Quackity didn’t even know his college had a storage room like this. Maybe it didn’t, maybe he was sick like those things and just imagining it, or maybe he was just dead. 

The pain in his eye made him wish he was dead. 

Quackity had tried searching everywhere for something to relieve it, a med kit or pain killers. He barely even had the thought to look for food or water. The pain was becoming so overwhelming he barely felt the hunger anymore. 

He just wanted the pain to stop, even if he had to claw his own eye out of his skull to do so. 

Too bad Quackity never had the guts to get his hands dirty. 

So instead he laid shivering on an old thick plastic mat, one used by athletes to land on after impressive jumps. But now it's his bed, and soon it might become his grave. He didn’t know how long he had been in there, but it had been a while since he heard any of those monsters outside the closed doors. 

But it didn’t really matter anyway, he had nowhere to go even if he had the courage to do so. 

It was so dark in here, no windows anywhere to allow any sun or moonlight inside. Quackity didn’t know if he found that very comforting or not. If something was in here with him, he wouldn’t be able to see it coming. 

But with the pain throbbing through his head with every heartbeat, he might prefer it that way. 

Quackity have never been one to believe in god, but as he laid there on the cold plastic mat, he couldn’t help but wonder what kind of cruel humor god possessed in order to do this. 

It somehow made it easier to sleep, knowing Quackity could blame someone else instead of himself. 

He should have listened to his mom and gone home when he had the chance. 

Then a clonky sound broke through the silence. 

It took a moment for any panic to set in to Quackity, sending him scrambling to get off the plastic mat as his brain tried to locate the origins of the sound. It almost sounded like someone pulling on a big locked metal door, but that meant something was trying to get in. 

Oh god, something was trying to get in. 

Quackity scrambled to try and find a weapon, anything to protect himself with. 

As he hurried through the darkness, trying not to fall over old sports equipment, he did ask himself why. Hadn’t he just laid there asking for something to come and end it all for him?

For something to make the hard choice for him?

Quackity heard the door finally creak open as his hands landed on something long and wooden. He held it close to his chest and turned towards the sound, holding his breath as he saw light from the outside spill across the concrete floor, a long shadow framed in it like a photo. 

Quackity was hidden behind a stack of old athletics jumping equipment, hidden in the shadows as the shadow in the light moved in. 

“Hello? Anyone in here?” A voice called into the darkness. Quackity almost wanted to answer, to let himself be known, but then he saw the shadow silhouette move again, some long poking out. 

It almost looked like a gun. 

Quackity held his breath, curling in on himself and around the weapon in his hands, now realizing what he found was an old hockey stick. 

He was gonna die. He was gonna die in some random storage room and no one would ever know, no one would be there to miss him. 

The stranger then let out a soft whistle, clearly trying to lure something, anything, out into the open. 

Quackity stifled a whine. He wanted to close his eyes, to hide away like a little kid under the blanket, but his eyes stayed open and on the shadow. 

Then a soft click and a beam of light came, a flashlight moving around the room and onto the old equipment. The shadow then moved on the floor, stepping out of the light and into the darkness. 

All Quackity could hear was the soft footsteps and his own heart pumping blood through his head. He watched the light beam from the flashlight move through the room, over old worn jumping pads, nets of balls, and of course the big blue plastic mat Quackity had been laying on. 

The light showed off some dried blood that had smeared over where Quackity’s head had been resting. The stranger clearly also noticed as the footsteps came to a halt and the light stayed on the plastic mat. 

“Is someone alive in here?” The stranger then asked, as if the dead might talk. Well, they could make sounds now apparently. 

But Quackity remained quiet, bitting the inside of his cheek to keep himself from making a sound. 

“I don’t wanna hurt you, is anyone here?” The stranger called out gently into the storage room. Then Quackity finally saw something move, the stranger’s body moving into his field of vision. Without really thinking, Quackity scrambled with the hockey stick in his hands and held it out like a spear, as if he could really fight back against a man with a gun. 

The stranger clearly noticed him, as the light beam moved from mat and down to blind Quackity with its light. It was a miracle Quackity didn’t get his head blown off, but the gun wasn’t even properly held in the strangers arms, just propped up with one arm as the other held the flashlight. 

Quackity had no idea what kind of image he made, sitting on the floor, armed with a wooden hockey stick and dried blood smeared over his face. 

“... Hey man” the stranger lowered the gun further, and then moved the light so it was no longer blinding. It now gave Quackity a proper chance to look at the stranger, a dorky smile, light brown hair and a pair of cracked glasses greeting him. 

"Are you okay?” The stranger then asked gently. 

Quackity shook his head, his hand holding the hockey stick shaking with fear. 

"Yeah, you uh… you don’t look too good, man” the stranger nodded, his eyes moving over Quackity’s body. 

"Do you want some help? I have food?” the stranger offered, as if it was that simple, as if he couldn’t just turn around and let Quackity die of starvation or thirst, or worse, an infection. 

“ please… don’t hurt me” was all Quackity could think to stutter out instead. His throat felt so awfully dry as the words came out.  

"I’m not gonna hurt you” the stranger lowered his gun onto the floor and up against the old equipment Quackity had been hiding behind.  instead he starting to shuffle to get his backpack off his shoulders, the light moving up to light the ceiling. The action made Quackity flinch and try to move back further against the wall, the hockey stick held out to keep the stranger at bay. The motion made the stranger halt as well, slowly raising his hands to show to Quackity, like a peace offering. 

"It’s alright, I'm just finding my med kit” he assure him before he slowly dumped the backpack onto the ground before his feet and crouched down in front of it, the shotgun moved over his shoulder. 

Quackity shivered as he watched the stranger rummage through his backpack, giving Quackity a glance in at the food and waterbottles hidden among the rest of his supplies. A little voice in the back of Quackity’s head noted how easy it would be to hit the stranger from this pose. 

With the stranger on his knees, the shotgun pointed away from Quackity. 

Quackity could properly knock him out and grab the backpack before the stranger even realized what had happened. 

But Quackity’s face hurt so much. 

"There it is” the guy mumbled and pulled out what looked like a red pencil case with a white plus sign on it. The stranger then looked up at Quackity again, slowly getting back up on his feet. 

"Can I come closer?” he asked. 

“… Why?” Quackity asked like an idiot. 

“So I can help?” The guy offered with a small smile, holding the red pencil case like bag up again. But Quackity just kept watching him, making no move to actually lower the hockey stick in his arms. 

After an eerie quiet moment the guy then cleared his throat and took a step back. He looked over his shoulder at the big blue mat again, before eyes returned to Quackity with an encouraging smile. 

“How about we move over to the mat? Probably more comfortable” the stranger then suggested and stepped over towards. Flopping to sit down on the side without Quackity’s blood on it. 

Quackity was quiet for a moment, watching the stranger unzip the case to look through it, putting the flashlight down to better light up the room for them both. 

Quackity hesitantly lowered the hockey stick and stumbled to get off the floor, hoping the guy didn’t notice just how shaky his legs actually were as he made his way over to the mat. 

He slowly sat down next to the guy, watching him pull out what looked like cotton balls, bandages and rolls of gauze. Quackity watched the guy pull out a little foil package, ripping it open and pulling out what looked like an antiseptic wipe. 

"This is gonna sting a bit” the guy warned him gently before moving the wipe up to Quackity’s face. It made the pain flare and burn even more, and if Quackity was a little kid he might have thought the stranger was making it worse. 

But Quackity held back a painful whine, gritting his teeth as the stranger's hands gently wiped at the wound, trying to sit as still as he possibly could.

"This is a pretty nasty wound” the guy noted, drawing Quackity’s attention away from the pain and back to him.

"What happened?” the stranger asked as the stinging pain moved up to Quackity’s eyebrow.

“... I fell… got clawed by one of those things before I could get away…” Quackity answered hesitantly, watching the stranger’s face for a reaction, for him to turn panicked too and shove Quackity away. 

"Sounds terrifying” the guy said instead, folding the antiseptic wipe over and wiping it down Quackity’s cheek, Quackity could barely see how dirty it had become with dry blood in this light.  

“... It was” Quackity admitted in a small voice. 

The stranger then moved the antiseptic wipe away, instead grabbing the cotton balls and the roll of gauze. 

“I think you might need stitches, but I don’t have anything to do that with, so this will have to do” the stranger said as he ripped a bit into the cotton balls and pressed them up again Quackity’s wound, pressing them against his eye. He then felt as the guy tried to clumsily wrap the gauze around Quackity’s head to hold the cotton in place. 

Quackity just sat quietly and stared at him with his good eye. His head still throbbed with pain, and he could still feel the stinging pain from the antiseptic wipe, but it did feel nice to have a somewhat clean face again.  

The guy then looked away from Quackity and into the darkness of the storage room, reaching for his flashlight again to pass it over the old equipment and messy floor. 

"Is it just you in here?” he asked as he glanced back at Quackity. 

"I haven’t heard anything in here” Quackity said in a small voice, watching the stranger put down the flashlight again. 

"There's no one with you?” the guy rephrased it, dragging his backpack closer to himself, propping it up against his læegs as he started to rummage through it. 

“... No, I was kicked out” Quackity dared to admit, his eyes shifting between the bag and the stranger, half expecting him to pull out another weapon, but instead he pulled out a half full water bottle. 

"Because of your wound?” he asked as he held the water bottle out to Quackity. Quackity would have frowned of it didn’t make his face hurt more, looking uneasy down at the offered bottle. His throat felt so parched, like sandpapers rubbing up against each other whenever he tried to speak. 

But he couldn’t help the nagging questions floating around in his head. Why would this stranger even bother with him? why waste his first aid kit on him? why offer him water?

Why would he help when no one else would?

“... Aren’t you scared of me?” Quackity found himself asking out loud.

He received a snorted laugh in response,

“No offense man, but you look like I could fold you like a lawn chair, why would I be scared of you?” the guy asked with a funny shake of his head.

“Because I could be infected?” Quackity asked more than answered.

"Well, you don’t act infected, so I'm pretty calm about it” the guy just shrugged and shoved his water bottle into Quackity’s hands. Now with the bottle in his hands, Quackity didn’t waste a single second before his fingers uncapped it and he practically choked the bottle as he gulped the water down. 

"I don’t don’t have any painkillers, sorry about that” the guy then said and grabbed his flashlight again, this time lighting up the still open door he had come in through. He didn’t seem to mind the fact that Quackity had drunk everydrop, or that Quackity let out a heavy breath once he finished it. 

The guy just smiled at him once more. 

"Listen, I'm on my own too. I don’t really have anywhere to be and you look like you could need some company” the guy then said, leaning his elbows against his knees. 

“Is it cool if I crash here with you?” he then asked, as if this was Quackity’s top secret and secure base, and not just a dark storage room full of old sweaty sports equipment. 

“... Sure” Quackity said anyway, then hesitantly offering the now empty water bottle back to the stranger. 

"Great I'm Charlie by the way” the guy smiled wide at him, taking the bottle before properly offering him a hand to shake. 

“Quackity” he replied and shook Charlie’s hand carefully. 

"Well, Quackity, how about some dinner?” 

………

Of all the people Sapnap had met throughout the last few months, Quackity was by far the strangest. 

Sitting across from them with a zombie on a leash, and not only that, Quackity sat beside the fucking thing. 

It had been quite the sight seeing Quackity walk towards it and untie the leash. Sapnap was sure George would have fired an arrow into it, but the zombie barely seemed to care as Quackity pulled on the leash to lead them to his hideout. 

And speaking of Quackity’s hideout, if you could even call it that. 

Quackity had led them through the entire factory and up to the top floor, walking into a small office room and over to where Sapnap suspected Quackity’s stuff to be, an old backpack propped up against the wall and sitting on top of a dirty sleeping bag. 

The space looked lived in, but unlike Karl’s old base there were no soft pillows or boxes of legos to pass the time. Instead the place was a mess, desks turned over and pressed up against the doors and windows in the room, barely letting any of the fading sunlight into the room.  

Quackity had hooked the leash around an old radiator to keep ‘Charlie’ from bothering them, but it did very little to calm the group. Not even Patches seemed very keen on inspecting the zombie up close, choosing to rather stick by Dream’s side. 

But as the grill had been lit and the food was cooking, it became very apparent that Quackity wasn’t particularly happy about having them in his space either, as if they were the dangerous ones. 

He didn’t say more than a few words when he finally chose to speak, keeping them short and cold. 

But it didn’t stop Karl from filling the silence. 

“And then we spent some days gathering our stuff, loaded onto that train, and now we’re here” Karl recounted their story, despite Quackity only really paying attention to the cans of food heating up over the grill. 

“We hoped to get closer to the border with the train, but then we wouldn’t have run into you two, how lucky are we” Karl kept going with a smile, sitting with his backpack in his lap, trying to find something as he talked. 

Sapnap smiled at Karl’s excitement, it was like a bright light in this desolate place. Quackity didn’t seem to share that sentiment, given he simply looked up at Karl with a bored and unimpressed look. 

“So… let me get this straight” Quackity said and grabbed the top of his own backpack and forcefully pulled it towards himself. 

“You left behind a base with food, warmth, clean water and electricity, for the small chance there's somehow a way out of this, based solely on what a strange radio broadcast told you?” Quackity asked, pulling out two forks out of his backpack, one separate in a plastic bag. 

“Seems about right” Karl shrugged with a nod, pulling out a dark blue ball of yarn and his crochet hook. 

"Jesus christ, you are insane” Quackity muttered under his breath before he leaned forward, pulling the edge of his sleeve over his hand before snatching one of the cans from over the fire. 

Sapnap wasn’t sure it was entirely warm yet, but he saw how Quackity dug into it, like a starving animal. 

Sapnap wouldn’t say he had forgotten about the starving feeling that rotted in his stomach. But after so long at Karl’s base full of food, it had become a distant memory. 

So he didn’t say anything, and luckily so did no one else. 

“We should probably make a plan for tomorrow” Dream spoke up, petting Patches’ fur as she laid in his lap purring. 

"We don’t even know where we are” George added, leaning forward slightly to make sure the food wouldn’t burn. 

The plan for them had been to find a place to sleep, and then look for a map tomorrow to orient themselves. Sapnap glanced over at Quackity again, trying not to flinch as he noticed how Charlie was staring straight at him, looking over Quackity’s shoulder like a predator. 

"Um, do you have a map we can borrow?” Sapnap asked Quackity carefully and put on the widest smile he could, as if to please the zombie. Quackity gave him a short look up from the food before he leaned back and reached to pull on the strap of his backpack. 

Sapnap watched as Quackity placed the can down and unzipped the backpack, rummaging through it before he pulled out a wrinkled folded map. He dropped the backpack back behind him and held the map out to Sapnap. 

"Don’t ruin it” was all Quackity said as Sapnap leaned forward and took it. 

With that settled, Quackity went back to his food, scraping the fork against the sides of the can. 

Sapnap unfolded it seeing a big map over the city. It had a few tears and stains on it, but it was still functional. But as Sapnap looked it over, it became very apparent he didn’t even know where they were. 

He looked up from the map again, and with a sheepish smile asked, 

"Can you point out where we are, please?” Sapnap lowered the map to Quackity. 

Quackity swallowed the food in his mouth and leaned forward to point with his fork at the map, pointing on the south side of the city. 

"You came by train, right? well then you started here” Quackity explained and then slid his fork to the east side of the map. 

"Now you’ve wandered your asses all the way over here” Quackity said and leaned back, stuffing another spoonful of food into his mouth. 

"East? damn, we walked the wrong way” Sapnap said and turned towards George and Dream, showing them the map in favor of leaving Quackity to eat in peace. 

"Well, we just gotta turn back then” Dream said, leaning forward to look at the map, pointing at the map. 

"Looks like there’s a highway cutting through downtown, how about we just follow it out of the city?” Dream suggested. 

“I wouldn’t go that way” Quackity spoke up with his mouth full. 

“Why not?” George asked, glancing over at him. 

“Because of the horde” Quackity answered simply. 

“What horde?” George frowned. 

“There’s a massive horde wandering around the city, right now they’re mostly centered downtown, and after all the noise you made, I wouldn’t be surprised of its infested with them”

"Fucking miracle you guys didn’t run into them” 

"It’s alway gotta be a horde” Dream groaned, moving a hand up through his hair. 

"Hordes are a thing?” Karl piped up, which earned a choked laugh from Quackity. 

"Are you dumb or something?” Quackity asked. 

“Only when I'm mesmerized by someone as captivating as you” Karl shot back almost immediately. But Quackity did not look impressed. 

“... You’re definitely the idiot”

"For you, I'll be whatever you want” Karl winked, making a slipknot in the yarn and started to chain it with his crochet hook.  

“Can we please stay focused?” Dream interrupted and looked towards Quackity. 

“What can you tell us about that horde?” He asked, rewarding him with a huff from Quackity. 

“Well, they can’t see shit, but they keep following each other around because of all the noises. Me and Charlie are staying the fuck away from them” Quackity said. 

“Why not leave the city?” Sapnap cut in. 

“Oh and head west to chase a pipe Dream like you? Yeah no thanks” Quackity rolled his eyes as he licked his fork clean. He then grabbed the bag with the other fork and pulled it out. 

"Come on Charlie, dinner time” Quackity said, turning around in his seat towards the zombie behind him. 

“Are you seriously gonna waste food on that thing?” George asked in disbelief. 

“Excuse me, but I couldn't help but notice you have a cat, you wanna waste food on that?” Quackity simply shot back at him with a glare, sticking the fork into the can. 

"Oh, so it is a pet?” Dream backed George up with his own disapproving look. It earned him a snarling growl from Charlie. 

“He is not an ‘it’, and no, he's not” Quackity snapped at them. 

“Don’t you have a suicide to plan?” Quackity just brushed them off, turning his attention back to Charlie. 

Sapnap blinked in some form of amazement as Quackity lifted the fork up to the zombie’s helmet, sticking it gently between the grit in front of its mouth to feed it. 

It was slow, but after a moment Charlie seemed to know what to do as he leaned forward and opened his mouth. 

“Well, let’s just head north and go that way” Dream’s voice dragged Sapnap’s attention back to the map. 

“It would take at least a few days like that. I wanna be out of the city as fast as possible” George added and leaned over at Dream to look at the map. Sapnap should be paying more attention as they planned tomorrow, but his thoughts kept drifting over to the stranger across the fire. 

"Or, maybe Quackity could lead us around them?” Sapnap suggested across the fire, aiming the question over at Quackity as well. Quackity froze his stirring as he looked up from the can and over his shoulder at Sapnap.

“... What’s in it for me?” Quackity asked in return. 

"Dude, are you seriously haggling?” Dream raised a brow at him

"You got food, I got the map” Quackity just brushed off. 

"Well, what do you want?” Sapnap asked simply. 

Quackity leaned back slightly, scanning over all of them, their bags and the other cans of food still cooking on the grill. A quiet moment of silence passed through them as Quackity seemingly thought. 

"Half your food and water” Quackity then said. 

"No way. We need it” George shook his head. 

“Well, so do i” Quackity just scoffed in return, scraping the side of the can again with the fork. 

"How about a third of the food and water? we are twice as many as you and Charlie” Sapnap suggested a compromise. 

“Sapnap” George protested beside him. 

"I want the grill too” Quackity cut in, scraping the fork through the can again before holding it up to Charlie. 

"Hold on, we’re not agreeing to this” George stepped in, grabbing Sapnap’s arm and squeezing it, as if that would be able to keep Sapnap’s mouth shut. 

“George, he knows the city better than us” Sapnap tried to reason. 

"We’ll find our own way” George said through gritted teeth. 

"You’re the one insisting we play this safe, and Quackity is the safest option right now” Sapnap reasoned. 

"And you think being around that is safe?” George asked with a frown and waved his hands over at the fire where Quackity and Charlie sat. 

"It's safer than getting lost” Sapnap countered

“Well, this is all good and fun to watch, but I’m going to bed” Quackity interrupted them, placing the can down behind him and dropped the fork back into the plastic bag, packing both forks away in his bag. 

“Let me know in the morning if you idiots figure out what you want” Quackity said and stretched his arms over his head, before he grabbed the top of his sleeping back and shuffled inside.  

Turning onto his side with his back to them and dragging up the sleeping bag to his shoulder for warmth, Quackity then muttered. 

“Charlie, bite their asses off if they try to touch our shit” 

The zombie let out a groan, as if to answer him, still staring straight at them with those sunken eyes behind the football helmet.

"We’re not taking that deal” George whispered through gritted teeth. 

"Why not?” Sapnap just whispered back. 

They whispered a heated discussion for the rest of the night. 

When morning came, Quackity became their guide. 

………..

"Oh I love this song” Charlie drummed his hands over the steering wheel, starting to sing along to the music. 

Finding this car was a miracle really, the car doors left wide open, the tank full of gas and only a few dents and scratches on the sides. It was like it had been waiting for them to find it, warm inside from bathing in the sun for weeks. 

Quackity still didn’t know how long he had been inside that room, but it was like the world had completely transformed outside. Where the streets had once been busy and full of noise, it was now quiet and devoid of all life. 

But despite everything, Charlie hadn’t left him yet. 

Charlie had stayed around, helped him clean his wound and found painkillers for him. He didn’t mind Quackity eating his food or drinking his water, he didn’t even mention a way of paying him back. Charlie just seemed genuinely happy to help him. 

"Oh, hold on tight” Charlie warned as the car made a hard right turn, Quackity bracing himself and holding onto the car door. 

Quackity didn’t really know where they were going, but did it really matter. Charlie was the one behind the wheel, and Quackity just wanted to be there too. 

Quackity’s eyes drifted from Charlie’s face and to the steering wheel, where below Charlie’s hand’s he had a good view of the screwdriver jammed into the ignition lock. 

It felt surreal to watch Charlie get it to turn on, to hear the static of the radio buzz to life before it was switched over the CD player. He had done it with such practiced ease, Quackity couldn’t help but wonder how he learnt it

"Can you teach me how to do that?” Quackity asked, pointing to the screwdriver. 

"Sure, but it's not gonna be much use in the future” Charlie nodded, maneuvering the car around a bus before speeding down the street again.

"Why not?” Quackity asked and looked out of the window again, he rolled the window down slightly and was immediately greeted by the nice cool wind on his face. 

"Because the gas is gonna turn bad” Charlie explained simply, slowing the car down at an intersection and making a left turn. 

"That's something that always drives me crazy during movies” Charlie then started, giving the steering wheel a clap to underline his point.

"When they just jump in a car in some post apocalypse movie a decade after the world ended. In reality the gas in the cars are gonna turn bad within a couple of months, sure you can still drive it for like a few more months, but be realistic, man” Charlie started to rant on, relaxing into his seat as he checked the rear view mirror before making another turn. 

For anyone else, that might seem like a weird thing to bring up, so pointless in the current world state, but over the past few weeks, Quackity had grown fond of the way Charlie’s head worked. The way Charlie would just randomly say his thoughts out loud, going through the conversation even when Quackity had nothing of value to add. 

Charlie’s mind was like a messy road map, leading anywhere and everywhere, but it was still connected one way or another, even if Quackity couldn't completely read directions. 

There was seemingly no limit to what Charlie knew. 

"You’re so smart” Quackity smiled as he turned to look at Charlie again. 

"You think so?” Charlie asked, glancing over at him for just a moment, genuine surprise shining in his eyes. 

"Yeah, man. You know so much shit, its cool” Quackity nodded, shuffling slightly in his seat to get more comfortable, leaning his side up against the car door so he could face Charlie better. 

"Heh, tell my guidance counselor that, will ya?” Charlie joked with light shake on the head before he turned his attention back onto the road. 

"I mean it, you’re so fucking smart about all of this” Quackity insisted, looing over his shoulder at Charlies backpack and the shotgun on the backseat. 

"Thanks man” a wide smile bloomed on Charlie’s lips. 

"I used to be really into post-apocalyptic media, doom prepping, zombie movies, anything about surviving in a world after humans” Charlie added a moment later with a sheepish shrug. 

"Why?” Quackity asked curiously, tilting his head slightly. 

"I don’t know, there is just something about it that itches my brain just right. Like imagining what I'd do if I was in it” Charlie tried to explain, glancing over at Quackity again. 

“Well, now you are, is it just what you imagined?” Quackity asked, not even caring about the implication Charlie might be excited to be in this hellscape. It didn’t really matter that much to Quackity, not if Charlie kept smiling at him like that. 

"Eh, almost. A lot more boring than I expected it to be” Charlie shrugged and tilted his head from side to side. 

"But better too, you’re here after all” Charlie said and gave Quackity a big bright grin, it made something flutter in Quackity’s chest.  

“I don't know if I should thank you or hit you for that” Quackity joked and it earned him a laugh from Charlie, throwing his head back against the headrest of the car. It was so warm and lively, like the bubbles in a soda can on a hot summer day. 

Quackity would do anything to make Charlie laugh again. 

And then something hit the windshield.

It caused Charlie to swerve, holding onto the steering wheel tightly as he tried to get the car back under control, his foot slamming the breaks. Quackity’s hands flew out to grab a hold onto anything, the seatbelt over their chests luckily kept them in their seats and avoided getting hurt. 

But even though the car finally came to a stop, their hearts sure didn’t. Quackity could feel every single hair on his body stand raised, his heart galloping in his chest. Charlie and Quackity sat completely frozen in their seats, the music from the speakers being the only sound drawing out their raised heart beats. 

The windshield was cracked over on Quackity’s side of the car, a splatter of blood starting to drip down and soak into the small cracks. On the road covered in brake marks, just about half way down the street laid a body.  

Its legs were contorted completely wrong, bending in ways they shouldn’t. It was wearing what looked like a dirty and bloody nightgown. 

“... Was that a person?” Charlie was the first to ask, his eyes not straying from the body. But then, almost as if to answer him, it let out a gnarly scream, its voice sounding so wrong for someone living. It then contorted, its arms moving it that staggering and stumbling way as it tried to get up and reach them. But it’s legs wouldn’t move. 

“... No, it’s… it’s just one of those things” Quackity found himself answering anyway. Charlie just gave a shaky nod beside him. 

They watched it for a moment longer, both unable to tear their eyes away from it. The sounds it made sounded painful, a pool of blood starting to form under its writhing body. 

It would bleed out soon enough if they didn’t do something. 

“... Quackity. Close your eyes” Charlie broke the silence again, one hand shakingly moving off the wheel. 

“... Why?” Quackity dared ask instead, looking down Quackity could see Charlies hand on the gear stick was shaking slightly. 

“... I don’t want you to see this” Charlie admitted, trying to take a deep breath in an attempt to gather his courage.  

“... We face it together, or not at all” Quackity said instead, placing his hand on top of Charlie's own and giving it a reassuring squeeze. 

Charlie glanced towards him, something small and afraid in his eyes. Quackity watched him open  and close his mouth like a fish, clearly trying to find something to say

“... It's the right thing to do, right? this is mercy?” Charlie asked. 

"Yeah, I… I think so. They’re sick. This is… This is okay” Quackity nodded, not knowing if he was convincing either of them. But despite it, Charlie gat him another nod. 

They both turned to look at the body on the road again, still squirming and making its painful sounds. Quackity reached for the volume button, turning the song playing up to the point it was almost deafening.