WARNING! This story contains swearing, non-graphic gore, loss of limbs, minor characters death, minor OCs, family issues, minor homophobia, and bad puns.
While it contains lot's of romantic relationships, it does not contain mature themes in that area.

I do not own Axis Powers Hetalia or it's characters. These belong to Hidekaz Himaruya. I only own the plot and any OCs included in this story. This work is made for fun and I do not make any kind of profit from it.

You know what. When brain-munching zombies start showing up all over the place, what happens to the people who happens to be anywhere but home? Well let's find out!

A group of ridiculously international university students find themselves in quite a pickle as a mix of viruses, family issues, and malfunctioning governments seriously ruin their summer-break. With everyone having their own reason for not being able to go home, Francis offers refuge in his family's holiday mansion on the British countryside. But can the mismatched group of lovers, friends, enemies, and frenemies make it there from America in one piece?

Probably not. But this would be a pretty boring story if everything went smoothly, right?

Friends and enemies are made, ships set sail, and some people still can't accept that everyone's different.

This will be awesome!

They'd been on their way towards the Canadian border when shit hit the fan. Luckily they hadn't gotten that far. Or, well, as lucky as one can be when stuck in the bloody zombie-apocalypse. To be honest they were probably in the best place possible considering the circumstances. Or second best. Best would have been back at school. According to the radio, the military had turned most of the place into a fort. But they did ok. They were mobile. They had food and water for a day or so. They had a radio. They had Matthews hockey-stick and Alfred's baseball bat. And hopefully enough fuel to make it back to school without ending up as an all you can eat brain-buffet. No biggie, right?

"Remind me to kill anyone who ever says a good word about that freaking car." Alfred uttered what was his surprisingly only third sentence since they left the car. His head kept on drifting to the right, ready to rise his bat at the slightest hint of undead in the alleys.

"I'll remind you tomorrow when you start to complain about missing the damn thing." Matthew mirrored his brother, keeping watch to their left.

Despite Matthews injured foot the twins had managed to wobble quite far from where their car broke down. If they just made it past that building, they would see campus on their left. Alfred carefully looked around the corner. The hundred or so meters to the barricade now surrounding the school were completely empty. Save for the soldier on watch duty.

Fuck yeah.

The guard raised his gun as soon as the boys rounded the corner. Alfred decided to handle this as he usually handled people seemingly out to murder him. An award-wining smile. With the new addition of waiving like a maniac with a bloody bat. At least is seemed to be enough to prove they were still human. They could see the guard turning to shout to someone on the other side of the barricade. Though they couldn't hear what. Partly due to the distance, partly due to the high-pitched screeching coming from behind them. Way too close behind them. Alfred let go of Matthew. He spun around, bat raised. Sprinting towards them was a former female. Missing an arm, half a face, and most traces of humanity. Her skull made a sickening crunch when hit by the metal bat. The swing sent the zombie to the ground. Two more ensured she wouldn't move more anytime soon. And so things were once more fine. Or would have been if not for the three new zombies lured there by the noise. Thank God for the American army.

A bullet put a second end to the closest creature. The other two were still too far away to be an immediate threat. Though the commotion seemed to be attracting more of them.

Alfred grabbed Matthew again. They wobbled on towards safety. Slowly, like a snail racing a turtle though a pool of syrup. The zombies where NOT slow like a snail racing a turtle through a pool of syrup.

Fuck.

Couldn't they have been Night of The Living Dead zombies?

A gate opened in the barricade. Four men ran to meet them. The first one picked up Matthew and threw him across the shoulders. He started running back, Alfred in tow. The rest took out the remaining zombies. Once safely back behind walls the brothers were brought off to the side. What had previously been an indoors gym now looked like a makeshift hospital. Makeshift hospitals usually look like makeshift hospitals. That's kind of what makes them makeshift hospitals.

As Matthew was getting his foot wrapped ("Pretty bad sprain, but you'll be right as rain in no time!") there was a small commotion outside the door. An awesome commotion. It ended when an albino boy managed to get himself let into the room, red eyes blazing. He went straight up to Matthew, pulling him into a hug that would probably have crushed the bones of most. Or, maybe not. But it kind of felt like it.

Matt chuckled. "Salut, Gilbert."

"Arschgeige." Gilbert backed off, though not very far. "Mein Gott Birdie! Would it kill you to answer your damn phone‽"

Alfred made a face. "It seems like we might have collectively forgotten to charge our phones…"

Matthew took one of Gilberts hands. "Sorry. I understand if you're mad-"

Gilbert snorted. "Mad? Mad? Du hast doch einen Vogel. I'm not mad. Ich bin fuchsteufelswild! I've barely slept for two days because I couldn't get your dead body out of my head!" He rubbed his free hand down his face. "The heck would I have done if you'd not made it back?"

Matthew looked down at his knees. "I'm sorry Gil…"

Gilbert sighed and pulled Matthew into another hug. "It's ok Birdie. You're here. But the next time you decide to take a road trip through Project Zomboid, charge your fucking Handy."

"Hand-what?" Alfred looked up from the medical equipment he'd been examining.

"Cell phone in German," Gilbert answered.

"Oh."

"Aiyaa! You're back!"

After getting a pair of crutches, Matthew, Alfred, and Gilbert had made their way towards the campus building where all of them lived. Outside they were now greeted by a Chinese boy sporting an over-sized panda hoodie and a cigarette.

"Almost thought you'd made it to your grandmother instead."

"Hey Yao! And nah." Alfred readjusted his backpack. "She got a hold of us before our phones died. Concluded it was better to just go back here."

Yao nodded. "Well…" He smacked Alfred across the back of his head. "Answer your damn phone next time, bèn dàn! I almost had to chew Kikus food for him because he was too worried to eat!" he turned towards Matthew. "And that goes for you to! Gil's been just as bad as Kiku!"

Both twins kept their eyes on the ground, and mumbled "Sorry".

Gilbert shrugged. "Ah, es ist wurscht. They're here now. Let's just go tell Kiku."

Yao nodded, though he still sent angry looks the twins' way. As they made their way inside he put out his cigarette and muttered something. Probably the mandarin equivalent of "fucking idiots".

Entering the common area their noses were assaulted by what could only be Francis' cooking.

"Hey, qīngwā! I hope you made enough for two extra!" Yao jelled while removing his shoes.

A head of blonde, wavy hair in a pony tail poked out from the kitchen to their right. "And why do I-"The spatula Francis had had fell to the floor with the sound of, well, a spatula falling to the floor. "Merde! You're back!"

"Yeah," Alfred grunted as he tried to remove his shoes without falling over. "Barely." He chucked the sneaker to the side. "Where's Kiku?"

Francis frowned and picked up his spatula. "He's on his room, améric- "

Alfred stormed past the Frenchman and up the stairs to the sleeping quarters.

Francis stared after him, mouth open. He then shook his head and turned to the trio still by the door. "Come in here. You look like you need some food."

Once seated around the small kitchen table, Francis all but shoved utensils in Matthew and Gilberts hands.

"Yikes. No need to stab me with the fork," Gilbert muttered while staring down at the plate Francis put in front of him.

"You've barely eaten for almost two days. By now I'm all but ready to shove a funnel down your throat and pour soup in it. As for you," Francis turned to Matthew. "I doubt there were any McDonald's or similar open on the way. Here," He placed another plate on the table. "Eat."

Knowing Francis probably wouldn't let him off until he had to be rolled away, Matthew said a quick 'thanks' and dug in. Gilbert followed him, but not before muttering something about 'French motherhens'. They'd been inhaling French cuisine for about fifteen minutes when Alfred showed up in the doorway, arm glued around his boyfriend Kikus waist. No one mentioned their slightly red faces and puffy eyes.

Alfred was the first one to speak, voice slightly raw. "So. What's for lunch?"

"Des caillous," Francis answered while placing their meals at the table.

"Sounds delicious," Alfred said with a grin before digging in with the enthusiasm of a badger just out of hibernation.

Yao snorted at the inside joke. "Explains the lack of taste," he said from the counter he was sitting on, plate balanced in his lap.

Francis pointed the spatula at him. "Mange des carottes, ça rend aimable. Not everyone wants half a ton of spices in their food."

"Perhaps not, but some seasoning would be nice."

Matthew decided to interrupt the impending argument. The two chef students were usually pretty good friends, but would bicker to the moon and back over the correct way to season a duck.

"So, where's everyone?" he chirped in around a mouthful of vegetables.

Yao kept his glare at Francis while he answered. "Ivan and Opium are in their rooms, Toni and Lovino went for a walk, and Feli and Ludwig went to get our dorms rations for the week." He took out his phone and started texting. "They should all be here soon."

"Rations?" Alfred looked up from his plate.

This time Kiku answered. "Hai. There's not much food on campus since most people were going home over the summer. Since he can't just go to the store right now, the military's handing out rations."

"I sure hope they're American sized." In the doorway stood a blonde guy with very bushy eyebrows. "Or we'll have a bloody hell of a problem feeding the American-sized stomachs of most people here." He turned to Matthew and Alfred. "Good to see you two back alive."

"Hello Arthur."

"Sup."

Arthur went to collect his own plate, before leaning against the counter next to the still texting Yao.

"Hello Opium," Yao said before taking another mouthful of food.

Arthur scowled. "Don't call me that."

Yao just blew a raspberry.

It wasn't many minutes later when the front door opened and happy chatter could be heard from the hallway. Gilbert reluctantly left Matthews side and headed towards the source of the sound. He soon returned carrying a bag. Behind him followed two men, one with auburn hair and a strange curl, the other with slicked back blonde hair and a stern expression.

Gilbert went up to the counter. He turned and pointed to the twins at the table. "Hey, look who made it back alive!" he stated with a grin before he started unpacking their rations.

Alfred looked up. "Hi Feli, Lud."

Feliciano gave up a screech, before engulfing both twins in a hug. "Mio Dio! I thought for sure you were dead!"

"Fat chance in hell," Alfred grinned. "It takes more than a couple of brain-munchers to take down the Jones-William brothers!"

"You couldn't sleep in your room for a week because you thought there was a ghost in your closet." The heavily accented voice floating in from the doorway belonged to another blonde, taller than any of the others and with a scarf wrapped around his neck. He was leaning against the doorframe, smiling.

Alfred crossed his arms as pink spots started to appear on his neck. "I was younger then Ivan!"

"It was last month."

The pink spots spread and Alfred muttered. "Shut it commie. And it's a completely different thing! You can see and kill a zombie, but not a ghost!"

Before Ivan could retort, Ludwig interrupted. "Stop it. Both of you. I know you've never been on the best of terms, but at least, at least refrain from fighting when there're zombies running around." He went back to putting away food, somehow simultaneously returning Feliciano's octopus-imitation.

Ivan sighed, but walked up to Alfred with his hand outstretched. "I guess apocalypse is as good a reason as we're going to get. So let's bury war axe comrade, hm?"

Alfred stared at the hand as if it was an extremely livid chihuahua, before grunting and shaking it. "Fine commie. We'll give it a try. Just don't call me comrade.

"As you want, Fredka."

Ludwig just groaned and went to get his food.

It didn't take long before the last two inhabitants of the dorm arrived. Antonia loudly chattered about how happy he was that the American-Canadian twins were back alive. Lovino, Feliciano's one-year older brother, just grumbled something about Alfred once again escaping the clutches of natural selection.

The sun was setting when everyone had eaten and the dishes were done. The group had all gathered in the common area. They'd spread out amongst chairs, sofas, and available floorspace.

"So," Francis started while he sank deeper into one of the armchairs. "How about you two tell us what happened to you, and we'll tell you what info we've been given?"

The question in question was directed towards Matthew and Alfred. So the twins gave a walkthrough of what had happened. From deciding to come back to school, to getting stuck at a shelter on the way and barely getting out, to the car breaking down, to Matthew taking out his first two zombies with the bat while Alfred got their bags, to Alfred taking out his first just after Matthews injury, and his second just outside the barricade. The two were in the middle of arguing over whether Alfred had screamed with the pitch of a nazgûl or not at the first attack ("Did too!" "Did not!" "Did too!" "…It was a manly shout!") when Arthur cleared his throat.

"So, should we move on to what the military told us?"

Alfred, more than happy to move on from his imitation of the Cowardly Lion, nodded. "Sure thing! But first…" He pointed at Ludwig and Feliciano, the former on the floor leaning against the couch, and the later in the formers lap. "Is it just me, or are you guys cuddling way more than usually? What did we miss?"

Ludwig turned his head away, muttering something undistinguishable. Gilbert and Yao were imitating dying ducks in a corner.

Arthur gave them a sour look before look before answering. "Apparently it took an apocalypse to make these two confess their feelings. They got together yesterday."

Alfred grinned. "Really? That's awesome! Congrats guys!"

Feliciano beamed. "Grazie!" he laughed while snuggling closer to Ludwig.

"Danke." Ludwig looked like he tried to stay serious, but couldn't help the small smile that bloomed when he returned the embrace.

Arthur cleared his throat for the second time in as many minutes. "Now if we've got that out of the way, let's move on to zombie 101." He opened a Union Jack notebook he'd fetched earlier. "The infection seems to be spreading through some new sort of virus. Instead of just forcing infected cells to replicate its DNA, killing it in the process, it keeps the cell alive. Once the infection reaches the brain it somehow takes over the CNS, turning people into zombies. Exactly how this happens, no one has a bloody clue of. There also seems to be multiple variations of the virus at work at once."

"Wait what‽" The shout came from Alfred. He was snuggled up with Kiku in front of the main sofa.

Arthur nodded. "Somehow each virus caries multiple different DNAs, at least that's what they think, giving them the ability to produce specified viruses. Most viruses seem to be what they call 'passive guards'. They do little but keeping the cells 'zombified'. The 'aggressive', or 'soldiers', are the ones that actually turn you into a zombie. But the soldiers only seem to exist in the saliva."

"Why's that? Something with the enzymes?" Alfred asked.

Arthur sighed. "No one knows. If they did, they'd be a lot closer to a cure. But it means the only way to get turned is to get in contact with infected saliva. You have to get bitten. You could drink a litre of zombie blood and it wouldn't do shit."

"I'm guessing that's why they all drool like Al at a BBQ," Matthew chirped in.

This time Ludwig answered, ignoring Alfred's protest. "Ja. The saliva also seems to start working like a proto-venom. It causes pain to the point where you have problems seeking help on your own."

Forgetting all about his wounded ego, Alfred joined in again. "Ok that's pretty cool. Terrible, but cool. But the brain seems to work for taking them out, right?"

"Oui," Francis took over. "With the risk of sounding like a broken record, no one knows why. During the early stages they can still be…taken out like a normal human." He turned away and swallowed. "They get less human as time passes."

A thick silence spread throughout the room. None of the boys looked at each other. The only sound was the ticking clock on the wall. It seemed to echo.

It was a while before Matthew broke the silence. "So. What happens now?" His voice was barely loud enough to be heard over the clock.

Ludwig drew a deep breath. "Their plan is to send everybody home. They're going dormitory by dormitory, and are sending as many people as they can in groups. We've all been ordered to pack."

Three deafeningly quiet seconds ticked by before Yao spoke. "Me and Kiku can't go home."

Translations:

Salut - French/Canadian French, hello.

Arschgeige - German, asshole, Lit 'assviolin'.

Du hast doch einen Vogel - German, you're crazy. Lit 'you have a bird'.

Ich bin fuchsteufelswild - German, I'm furious. Lit 'I'm foxsdevilswild'.

Handy - German, cellphone.

Bèn dàn - Mandarin('Chinese'), idiot/mooron. Lit. 'stupid egg'.

Es ist wurscht - German, it doesn't matter. Lit. 'it is sausage'.

Qīngwā - Mandarin('Chinese'), frog.

Merde - French, shit.

Améric-Means to say 'américa'. French, an inside joke regarding Alfreds patriotism.

Des caillous - French, pebbles. From my research, apparently something French parents sometimes say to their kids if they keep on asking about food. Francis picked up the habit from his parents, and it turned into an inside joke.

Mange des carottes, ça rend aimable - French, eat some carrots, you'll be nicer. Another phrace Francis picked up from his parents.

Hai - Japanese, yes.

Hello Opium - Arthur once complained about Yaos smoking habit. Yao reminded him about the Opium Wars, and took to calling him Opium to tease him.

Mio Dio! - Italian, my God!

Fredka - Russian nickname for Alfred. Apparently, from the way it's constructed, it's supposed to be quite insulting.

Grazie - Italian, thank you.

Danke - German, thank you.

Ja - German, yes.

Oui - French, yes.