So, my list of projects is growing steadily :P I'm still busy grappling with Temporal Fates, but I decided to try something a bit different in the meantime. It's a zombie apocalypse AU told through a series of drabbles!
Before you ask, yes, I know drabbles are supposed to be short, and what I'm doing here technically doesn't count as proper drabbles. Cut me some slack :P I'm not used to writing like this, so there might be some teething problems with the format at first.
I tried to make it 10 drabbles per chapter at first, but I figured it would be better to group them by story arcs instead of forcing them to fit, which would make the narrative flow awkwardly.
I'll include a "casualties list" for each chapter, which probably won't be anywhere as serious as you'd imagine it to be. This fic is probably going to be a weird mix of crack, tragedy and sweetness, so strap yourselves in!
1. Defeat
Catherine is just a few moments too slow with the chopper when she tries to ram the missile and stop Robert from launching it. The traitorous senior agent laughs and laughs as Keith curses him out while Luke and Marc fire at him. Even as he falls to his death, there's a triumphant smirk on his face, and the VSSE agents know that they've lost.
2. Collapse
It takes just over a day for New York to be overwhelmed by zombies.
Not everyone becomes infected initially; some seem more susceptible to the drug's effects, while others seem to have a resistance to it. But those who succumb to the drug are far stronger and faster than the uninfected, and one bite is all it takes to turn them, even if they initially seemed immune to the drug itself.
The onslaught is brutal, unexpected and devastating. Even the VSSE's desperate efforts aren't enough to turn the tide.
New York falls, and the zombies begin to march on the rest of the world.
3. Dark
Evan shivers as he crouches in the entrance of a disused drainage pipe. Though it's a bit cramped, the pipe is a relatively safe hiding spot where he can spend the night.
Giorgio would never forgive him if he got himself killed trying to travel through zombie–infested territory in the dark.
4. Alone
He still remembers teasing Giorgio when the older agent complained that Evan was far too rash and impulsive to be sent on assignment without him. He'd told Giorgio to stop worrying so much; after all, he'd only be gone for a few days, and he was working with a handful of regular agents as well. It wasn't as though he'd be completely alone.
Evan swallows the hysterical laugh that wells up in his throat, trying his best to forget the echoing screams of his fellow agents as they were ripped to shreds by zombies. He's exhausted beyond belief, but he doesn't dare to close his eyes for fear that he'll never open them again.
5. Dream
Wesley is sure that he's dreaming.
He has to be dreaming, because this can't be happening. Alan can't have been bitten by one of the infectees and turned before his very eyes. These can't be his hands gripping his pistol, aiming it at his partner. And this can't possibly be him pulling the trigger as Alan lunges at him, growling and snarling, granting his best friend the mercy of a clean kill.
Wesley is sure that he's dreaming, but no matter how hard he tries, he can't wake up.
6. Nomad
Richard was a lone wolf once, before he learned to settle down and found a place he could call home. Even afterwards, he sometimes felt the open road calling to him, yearning to set out in search of freedom and new places once more.
Now, with civilisation wiped out and nothing but danger and chaos all around him, he's become a nomad again.
Somehow, it doesn't hold the same appeal it once did.
7. Luck
Giorgio is luckier than he'd expected, but not as lucky as he'd hoped.
When New York fell, he managed to escape with the help of Richard Miller. The older agent had plunged into the chaotic hallways of Headquarters in search of his wife and ran into Giorgio along the way.
They'd found Rachel in her laboratory, frantically fending off her zombified colleagues with a flask of acid and what looked suspiciously like a leg bone from the lab skeleton. As soon as they'd rescued her, the agents had fought their way out of the building and fled, leaving their former workplace far behind.
Giorgio knows he's one of the lucky ones, so he can't help feeling a stab of guilt each time he wishes Evan had been at Headquarters with them when they escaped.
8. Invitation
Richard invites Giorgio to stick with him and Rachel in a tone that suggests it's more of an order than an invitation.
Giorgio agrees, of course; given the choice between being antisocial zombie chow and being alive, he'll gladly pick the latter.
9. Driving
They manage to make it out of New York thanks to a combination of skill, dumb luck and Richard's insane driving abilities, which impress Giorgio as much as they terrify him.
He isn't quite sure whether to ask for lessons or insist that Richard is banned from driving. Though, considering they're travelling in Richard's beloved red sports car, Giorgio suspects that doing the latter would be next to impossible.
10. Knowledge
As soon as they're far enough from New York to slow down and decide on their next step, Giorgio glances at Richard and asks if he has a destination in mind.
Richard dryly comments that somehow, zombie apocalypse survival wasn't something he'd needed to master or utilise in all his years as a VSSE agent.
Before Giorgio can respond, Rachel speaks up and begins rattling off suggestions about optimal strongholds for long–term survival, depending on the variation of abilities and characteristics the zombies possess.
As she pauses for breath, both agents stare at her in surprise, to which she responds by rolling her eyes.
"I'm a scientist, remember? Considering how often fictional zombie outbreaks seem to be caused by science gone wrong, knowledge about zombies is practically a requirement in my line of work, just in case."
11. Potential
Between Rachel's knowledge about zombies and the agents' actual tactical expertise, they decide that a prison would be their best bet.
Of course, given the current state of affairs, their phones are entirely useless as anything other than projectiles. Fortunately, Richard has an old–fashioned atlas in his car, and they soon set off again, with Giorgio poring over the road maps and acting as their navigator.
In the end, it takes them a week of taking turns to drive, mowing down zombies along the way and rationing the emergency stash of snack food and water Richard keeps in his car, but they finally strike gold.
Thanks to the prison being in the middle of nowhere, it's relatively self–sufficient, with solar panels for energy, an in–built system for collecting, treating and storing water reserves, and a greenhouse for growing crops, with the possibility of setting aside more of the prison grounds for additional crops if needed.
The prison itself is a promising fortress: As an older building, it's built with solid concrete walls which are designed to take a pounding; of course, the intention was to keep prisoners in, but it should work nicely for keeping zombies out as well.
It also has guard towers located at strategic positions around the prison which should be useful as sniper outposts, giving them early warning about approaching zombies.
Admittedly, jail cells are not the most comfortable place to sleep in, but they're sturdy, functional and secure; hardly the worst place to get some rest during a zombie apocalypse.
Not to mention the guards' stores of weapons and ammunition, as well as the armoured prison transport vehicles…
Of course, there's just the matter of taking care of its current residents first.
12. Assault
How the guards and prisoners became zombified is anyone's guess; the best hypothesis the agents and Rachel are able to come up with is that a bunch of prisoners were turned while being transported to the prison and ended up turning their guards as well. Said zombie horde somehow arrived at the prison anyway and proceeded to launch an unexpected, all–out assault, turning the entire place into a zombie haven.
They have a few other theories as well, including one which involves infected dogs, radioactive crows and Terror Bites, but the "zombified horde" theory still seems the most likely.
The fierce battle that follows exhausts almost all of the agents' spare ammunition, even with Rachel's assistance via a crowbar that she'd scavenged along the way. The scientist has surprisingly good aim as she caves in zombie's skulls, targeting vulnerable spots to compensate for her relative lack of strength.
They end up having to sacrifice Richard's car to destroy the rest of the horde in a massive explosion. Richard is rather pissed off at the loss of his beloved car and sulks for several days afterwards, even though the car was nearly out of petrol and admittedly impractical in comparison to the prison vehicles onsite.
13. Haven
It's not perfect, of course; they'll need seeds for crops, probably in large numbers for trial and error considering none of them are farming experts. Naturally, they'll also need to stock up on canned food and other dried goods for the time being, as well as for emergency purposes.
And while the prison has plenty of guns and ammunition for now, they'll probably have to acquire more at some point. For that matter, they'll need to find someplace where they can get more petrol too in the future.
But for now, the agents replenish their stores of ammunition while Rachel swaps her crowbar for a wicked–looking truncheon. After doing a final sweep to check for any zombies they might have overlooked, they're fairly confident that the prison is secure.
Giorgio and Rachel head for the cellblock to get some rest while Richard stays awake to keep watch, still brooding about the loss of his car.
Casualties in this chapter (excluding zombies): Robert, Alan, lab skeleton, Richard's red sports car.