So! Months of work has finally come to a close! This is the first of my two One Piece Big Bang oneshots for the year (the second will be up May 5th!) and like last year I broke the oneshot into chapters to make it easier to read. I wanted to do something with zombies-some of you know just how much I love cliches-but I hope I managed to make it a bit more interesting. If you don't like zombies but you still want to give this a shot then don't worry! The story is more about people than it is about zombies. Like a lot more. Once my second fic is posted I'll be returning to my ongoing stories. I've missed them so much, big bang is fun and all but god I miss those fics ;A;

My partner for this fic was horizonproblems on tumblr. She's a wonderful artist who made the cover of the fic, as well as some other art for the story! I put some links to her art on my profile if you lovelies would like to check it out. All of the drawings turned out amazing, and you can see a better image of the cover there ;v;/ I'd also like to thank Kitsune Foxfire for beta reading the fic, she helped me with a lot of things I was unsure about!

Warnings for character death and pretty much what can be expected of a zombie fic.

Enjoy~

It was hot. He could feel his seatbelt digging mercilessly into his chest, movements blind as he felt around for the buckle with a tired desperation that had his hands shaking. Eventually he heard that little click, the automatic chime that signalled his release and soon he was struggling out of the belt's tight hold, finally daring to open his eyes. The car had stopped. He noticed when his consciousness was first roused but it never quite clicked through the mess of disorientation his thoughts had fallen into. Now, though…

With a groan of pain his head rolled to the side, eyes searching confusedly around the interior of the car before coming to rest on the driver's seat, the vague silhouette of his mother hunched over taking a while for his brain to process. "...Mom?" he croaked out, hoarse voice barely audible over the indistinguishable noises from outside. He tried to think, tried to piece together the puzzled memories of just before. They were headed to meet Dad and Lamie… A man appeared in front of the car, Mom swerved to the right, and…

He sat bolt-upright as he put it together and leaned forward, wincing against a sharp pain in his back and gripping his mother's shoulder to give it a good shake in the hopes that it would rouse her. "M-mom—" He choked on his words, absently wondering why it felt like he'd swallowed broken glass as his efforts gained more strength. "M-mom, wake up! We gotta—gotta…"

His voice tapered off, his efforts brought to a halt as his sight drifted to the rearview mirror, his mother's head hanging limp, glass protruding from her skin, hair partially covering her face, and his heart sank. With a panicked whine he climbed into the passenger's seat, leaning close to his mother and grabbing her wrist to check her pulse. But he couldn't find it, and he knew that he wasn't very good at this yet but Dad said he was getting better and—

"M-mom," he called again, not daring to look at her face as he pressed his ear to her chest, listening carefully. "C-come on, come on…"

As the unrelenting silence continued on in a steady, flat stillness, his stomach dropped and he gripped tightly to her shirt with trembling hands, fighting the sting of his eyes as his body tensed up. Dad hadn't taught him what to do in this situation. He wasn't prepared, and—he wondered, if he'd studied more would he understand? Would he be able to help?

Would she open her eyes if he knew what to do?

His thoughts were cut short when he felt a sudden tug at the back of his shirt and soon he was pulled from the wreckage with a shout of alarm, flailing about and trying to twist himself around to face his assailant. "W-what—"

"Shhhh," a soft voice hushed, and he was pulled against a broad chest, soothing circles rubbed into his back as he squirmed to look at the man. His first thought was 'Dad' but no, the voice was unfamiliar. "Just relax. Close your eyes, cover your ears. Don't look and don't move."

Automatic response dictated that he listen, palms pressed securely over his ears and eyes squeezed shut, but it was only moments before he twisted his head around, towards his mother—

There was a bang, a sudden jerk of the man holding him, and his ears rung. He stared blankly as his mother's corpse jumped with the impact, the bullet wedged between her eyes, and he let out a strangled cry. The man said something but he didn't listen, writhing in the iron grip around his middle until it loosened enough to slip out of and made a mad dash for the car. "What did you do?!" His shout ended in a raspy squeak as he climbed back into the passenger's seat, scrubbing at his eyes. But it didn't last as that damnable offending hand curled back around his waist and pulled him out again. "Let go!"

"Sorry," breathed out that same quiet voice, and after another fit of struggles his body went limp, the energy to fight against the hold leaving him at the sight of blood trailing between his mother's eyes. "I'm really, really sorry, kid. Didn't want you to see that…"

His eyes burned as he caught the trembling in the man's voice and he couldn't bring himself to pull out of the grip holding him there. "...W-why did you kill her? You k-killed my mom…" It hadn't sunk in yet—that she was gone—and his words felt foreign even to himself.

"I didn't," the man stated, a bit of bite to his tone as he squeezed the boy closer. "...I didn't. When I spotted your car she was already… I'm sorry. I was just trying to protect you."

"P-protect…" He scrubbed at his eyes, arms shaking, and finally took the time to pull his attention from the sad sight of the family car to the world around him, eyes widening.

Theirs wasn't the only crashed car. And they weren't the only ones there, he soon discovered, watching as damaged bodies carried themselves across the road—bodies that didn't look like they had any business getting up and walking around.

He took a deep breath, remaining as silent as possible, listening to the carefully muttered words of the man holding him in a shielding grip, "It's going to be okay."

It wasn't that the days were uneventful, but rather it was their tendency to blur and mesh that proved a nuisance, a problem when he would leave the confines of his lab to venture out after days of study only to be left surprised by the discovery of whether it was night or day. It would start with small things—little disturbances in mind, really, harmless on their own. He needed to stay up to monitor the effects of a new drug he administered. He'd become enamoured with his latest test—or what if he altered the serum just a bit? What would that change? How would its effects differ? And then night would fall and he would be left unaware, the clock forgotten on the wall as his work dipped into the early hours of the morning, and he was still there. Still working.

So it came as no surprise when Law found himself dead tired in the middle of the day, finally emerged from his cavern only to—unfortunately—find the sun blazing high above a cloudless, happy sky. Were it years earlier he wouldn't have allowed himself to leave as short on rest as he was but as the years stretched on the earliest of the undead had rotted away until their bodies could no longer carry them, and the newest were few and far between, if only because this particular town was more or less deserted. Danger was minimal so long as one knew what they were doing, and after so many years of practiced coexistence Law certainly did. The motions of the day were so ingrained into his actions that they required no thought, and with a thick pair of gloves covering his hands he began searching the area for additional subjects—rats, mostly, as they were considerably less dangerous to round up than humans.

He found nothing. It was a minor hindrance but not enough to ruin his day as he tossed the gloves aside and started towards the grocery store instead. This town had been quickly abandoned by most after the outbreak. The ones left behind were few and thankfully food went slowly. Whoever was able had left for the safe zones as fast as they could, leaving only those without a means of transportation—and Law—behind with the majority of the town's supplies. He knew that one day he would have to migrate elsewhere but for the time there was little need; he'd had that area of town more or less to himself those past few months.

As he came up to the large superstore his eyes narrowed, the entrance opened a crack. He hadn't left it like that. Of course, it could have just been some of the other inhabitants slipping in for a meal. Still it was… odd. Pushing open the sliding door he relaxed his hand around his nodachi—just incase—and stepped through into the vast open hall connecting the shops. It wasn't long before he noticed an echo bouncing off the walls, disturbing the silence, and he trained his ears on it as he wandered deeper into the building, towards it. It was coming from one of the grocery stores, and the nearer he went the more he could make out the carefully-spoken articulation of words. He wasn't alone, then.

His grip on the hilt tightened. People were far more dangerous than the undead.

As he walked his eyes drifted to the floor, catching on the reflected gleam of fresh blood as the light from the windows hit it. It appeared there were foreboding signs all around, and it was times like these that he wondered why he never carried around a gun. Well, too late for regrets, he supposed.

Law turned into the store, watching the aisles carefully as his shoes clacked quietly against the linoleum floor. The words were becoming crisp and clear, loud enough to make out.

"Damn it! C-come on, come on don't do this to me right now!"

He pressed his lips together, a curl of dread manifesting itself in the pit of his stomach as his footsteps came to a halt and he waited, listening intently. Beyond the frantic shouts and cursing from whoever lie beyond that aisle was a muted, hiccuping whimper, a half-choked sob from a distinctly younger voice. There were two? No, three… That man was talking to someone, and the words he spoke were leaving a bad taste in Law's mouth. After a moment he peeked around the corner, past the rows of canned soups and spices to a body lying flat along the floor, a blond with sickly pallid skin. Looming over him was the man shouting, a dark-haired, tan-skinned fellow whose furrowed brow gave a constant look of irritation. Past him a boy sat at the fallen man's head, looking down with large, mournful eyes. There was fear in those eyes—exhaustion, confusion, and for a moment Law managed to feel a modicum of pity. It didn't last, though, as he turned his attention to the limp figure currently worrying him.

Strong hands clasped around the blond's shoulders, desperately shaking him, and Law frowned. It was a little too close to the past for comfort so he instead inspected the blond's body with his eyes, focus away from the desperate cries of the lively stranger above. Soon he caught on the discoloured, damaged skin on the man's wrist, just as he expected, and he hurriedly crossed the aisle and shoved the angry one away, earning a sputtering gasp.

A bite. As he thought.

"W—what the hell?! What the fuck do you think you're—"

"Shut up," he bit out as he unsheathed his nodachi, pressing the tip to the corpse's throat. It was no bullet but it would have to do for the time. But he never missed the way the little one gasped at his action, or the fear he saw directed at him from the corner of his eye.

The elder jumped up, shoving Law back and causing him to stumble. "Oi! The hell do you think you're doing with my brother?!"

"Your brother is—"

"S-Sabo…?" A small voice broke through his words and he stilled, watching as the child—looking to be about ten, perhaps—crawled closer toward the dead man, tangling his hand in the matted blond strands. The trails of tears down the boy's cheeks were drying, and it looked like he was too dehydrated to cry. And Law felt guilt.

"Sabo's fine, Lu," the other assured, and Law couldn't resist glaring at him for the blatant lie. "H-he's just—remember yesterday? Same thing happened. He'll wake up soon, alright? J-just—leave him rest."

Large eyes turned to the elder, bloodshot and exhausted. "Y-yeah?"

"Y—"

"Your brother is dead," Law declared, his tone flat and leaving no room for argument as he pointed to the bite on the blond's wrist. "He's been bit. There is no coming back from that and if you leave him like this you're only putting yourself and the boy in danger."

The man stiffened, pulling the brim of his hat over his eyes. It seemed he was aware, if the look of guilt on his face was any indication. But it also looked like he wasn't willing to relent as he clenched his fist and grit his teeth, stance remaining firm and strong. "Sabo's fine," he stated, a mere echo of himself as he ran out of words. "He's not—-not yet. He's not dead yet."

Law stiffened, a gross pang in his chest at those words, and his eyes drifted lower to where the child sat reaching for the corpse—-Sabo's—-hand.

The stranger took that as a sign to continue, staring down at his brother with a scowl. "We still got time, ya hear? We have'ta. Bo said he'd hold out 'til we made it to port."

Law was quiet a moment, a white-knuckled grip on the hilt of his sword. "So you'll risk that boy's life on the promise of a dead man?"

"He's not—"

"Ah, S-Sabo!"

Both froze at that, going pale as they turned back to the limp form and smiling child to see the twitch of a pale, dead hand. Immediately the stranger was grabbing the boy, forcefully pulling him away, and Law's weapon was to Sabo's throat again—

"Don't hurt him!" It was the child's voice this time, a teary, strained mess, and Law cursed the fact that he instantly froze with those words. Damn it.

Lips pressed taut, he nodded to them. "Find something to restrain him—-rope or string, just something."

The elder stiffened, offering a curt nod as he turned out of the aisle without argument, and Law was left alone, pressing a boot to Sabo's chest to keep him down, stress building up within him as he heard that first horrid sound, that familiar pained moan, the stirring of limbs as dead eyes opened to the world.

In that moment he was torn over whether or not he wanted to kill this man a second time. Was it worth his brothers' greif?

It seemed that the restraints he kept for his subjects proved to have a different use. Sabo had remained mostly unconscious during the hasty trip back to the lab and as safety protocol dictated he was strapped down, duct tape over his mouth to avoid any unwanted nipping. Law had done his best to pay his unwanted guests little mind throughout the process—-he knew he couldn't get rid of them so easily but, well, there was that little annoyance of guilt at the back of his mind that nagged at him. Still, he told himself they would prefer this to the blond man's decapitation. At least this way the zombie could move… even if they didn't want him to.

Once Sabo was secured Law turned around to face the other two, lips pressed together. Their eyes were glued to the dead man's barely moving form, fixed to the marred skin on his wrist that signalled his condition, and Law really couldn't blame them. It was something he'd seen time and time again but no matter how often he came across it he never seemed to fully desensitise himself to it. There was always that ever-familiar tightness in his chest as reality dawned on the family of the victim, and they would be left with the knowledge that their loved one would not be coming back to them.

And then, of course, there were the stubborn ones who wore denial on their sleeve.

He remained silent as the young one tried to walk over to the writhing zombie, held back by the elder's firm grip on his shoulders. Large eyes finally managed to tear away from their companion to instead watch his big brother. "Sabo's going to be okay, isn't he?"

The tall one flinched. "Y-yeah, Lu. He's just not feeling well. Let's uh, let's leave him alone for a while, alright?"

"To get better?"

"Exactly."

Law frowned but thought better of interjecting; it wasn't his place to teach this boy the harsh realities of the situation, or how to admit to loss. Someone had to, but it seemed the older brother was in need of that lesson as well. They would learn with time. But it wasn't Law's responsibility to teach it.

Nodding to the brothers, he led them out of the lab and flipped off the lights behind them, leaving their… friend… alone in the dark. He brought them down one of the halls to what he'd named his make-shift kitchen. The facility only had a lunchroom when he found it, but he made do and with a few alterations it was adequate enough to use, if a little small. There were some sofas in there as it doubled as a lounge and the brothers dropped onto one, the little one bouncing slightly as he played with the springs. Law decided to busy himself, heating some water and catching the raised eyebrow of the tall one.

"You still have access to gas?"

"No," he answered simply, stepping aside to give the man a clear view of the stove, "it's electric. This facility runs on its own generator."

"Ah." A nod followed, soon dipping into awkward silence as the stranger shifted anxiously, hiding his face behind the brim of his hat. "I'm uh, Ace. This is my little brother, Luffy. And the guy in the other room is…"

When the words faded Law glanced over. The kettle was set and so he leaned against the counter, arms crossed over his chest. "Sabo, if I'm remembering correctly?"

"Y-yeah…" Ace released a shuddering breath, offering his little brother a tired smile as the boy leaned against him, eyes shutting. Both looked more than just a little exhausted. That wasn't uncommon for travellers, though; the towns in that area were spread far apart. It could be quite a long walk and gas was hard to come by so using a car at this point… well, it was impractical. Something would inevitably go wrong at some point and they risked being stranded. They were new faces, so Law doubted they were locals.

When Law caught the little one slumping fully against Ace he began tapping absently on the counter, a series of questions not unlike an interrogation flitting about his head. Well, it was safe to ask now with the boy asleep, wasn't it?

But he never had a chance.

"Hey, uh…" The voice was low, dull, carrying with it significantly less bite than the tone he remembered from the superstore.

"Law," he supplied simply as he stepped over, dropping onto one of the chairs at the small kitchen table.

"Law. What… do you plan on doing with him? With—-with Sabo, I mean. You almost fucking killed him back there, and then suddenly you bring him to your fucking home?"

Narrowed eyes watched Ace, unamused, and Law had to wonder if this man was really so stubborn as to continue lying to himself like that. He knew what happened. He saw the bite, saw the way the disoriented zombie didn't seem to really react to much—-certainly not the way a living person would—-and knew the truth. If he continued to deny it then it was out of desperation. If nothing else, the way he'd feared for Luffy's safety when Sabo began to rouse was show enough of just how aware of the situation he was. "Your brother is dead. I did not 'almost kill' him."

Ace grit his teeth but didn't bite back, though it very much looked like he wanted to. He clasped his hands together in a white-knuckled grip and glared daggers at the floor as though he was trying to kill it with his stare. But still he didn't deny it, and Law dared to boldly call that 'progress'. "Just—-just answer the fucking question, alright? I'm not in the mood for this shit. The hell did you bring us here for?"

Law leaned back in his chair, legs crossed as he watched the man. Were he honest it was a spur-of-the-moment type deal; he hadn't thought so much as he had acted, and admittedly his actions weren't the safest. Inviting a freshly-killed dead man into the lab was more than a little silly, but Law was a man of many whims and this was far from the first time he'd put himself in danger for curiosity's sake. The fresh zombies were always the worst to deal with—-they weren't rotted the way the older ones were so they had more strength and agility. But that also meant…

Ace was getting impatient, tap-tap-tapping against the floor tiles with his foot.

"I want to use him as a subject in my tests." Immediately grey eyes shot up to him, locking him under a bloodthirsty gaze, and he supposed it best he elaborate. In all honesty he was just covering for his whims, but as he thought he wondered if… maybe this could benefit him. "I'm a scientist." Well, doctor. Self-proclaimed. But he'd picked up a fair number of skills over his years of travel. There wasn't much to do except experiment and learn those days, so he found himself falling into a pattern of learning things simply to keep himself entertained in the passing days. "I've been researching a vaccine for the virus that's been causing the dead to rise. While it is too late for the dead themselves, my research aims to prevent further spread. Infected areas may be quarantined but there are many healthy people still trapped here."

Ace's nose scrunched into a snarl, and he didn't look all that interested in the information Law was feeding him. "You—-you want to fucking experiment on my brother?! You sonuva—"

He raised a hand in pause and was surprised when Ace stilled and silenced, half expecting the brute to storm over and punch him in the face. "Hear me out."

Begrudgingly Ace relaxed, fiddling with the beaded necklace he wore in a show of anxiety.

"Your brother is dead," he repeated, ignoring Ace's subsequent flinch as the kettle whistled and he rose to fix the tea. "Those bites are lethal. Even if he somehow was still holding on he wouldn't be for long, and there is no cure. But his death can still mean something."

Ace released a shuddering breath, head hanging low. "So you want us to just leave him here? He's our brother—-we're not gonna abandon him just so you can do your fucking research."

"If you want to take him from here you can," Law assured, glancing at the brothers out of the corner of his eye, "I won't stop you. But you risk losing another brother, or him losing you, if you take the dead one with you. The dead can't be kept, Ace."

Ace ran a stressed hand through his hair, tugging at the strands as he let out a frustrated noise. "F-fucking hell…"

Law was not a sentimental man. At least… not always. But every once in awhile something would come along that tugged at his own bitter weaknesses and he would be left with a choice. Sighing, he held out a cup of steaming tea for Ace to take. "You've travelled far, I assume."

Though hesitant Ace took the cup, staring bitterly at his reflection as he let out a soft snort. "Y'could say that. Lived in a forest up north, been there our whole lives. 'Til a few months ago. It was safe, y'know? For Lu. But other people moved up there, 'n looting became a problem. Bo thought it'd be best if we started moving. We can fight. We thought it'd be okay."

But it wasn't, and at some point Sabo was bitten. Law had heard similar stories far too often over the years. It took just one careless move for something to go wrong, and even Law himself had come close to making that mistake.

"He—-he started feeling sick, y'know?" Ace continued, his tone shaky and exhausted, and Law had to wonder when the last time he slept was. "Told me as soon as he was bitten, but I just—-I told him it'd be okay. He told me to shoot him. I couldn't do that! He's family! You—-you get it, right? You can't just… ask that…"

Law nodded, sipping his tea as he returned to his seat, taking a mild interest in the story.

"He'd, uh… he'd been getting worse. Couldn't keep down meat, and he'd have these moments where he'd just… black out. Even if we were in the middle of walking, or eating. I thought it was 'cause, y'know, he hadn't been keeping anything down. S-so soon as we got to town I took us to get food." Ace pursed his lips, taking a deep, calming breath and ruffling his brother's hair. "Sabo tripped, fell on some glass. Managed to cut himself and he was bleeding… I dunno what the hell attracts those things. I-if it was blood, then… Sabo was in no shape to fight. So I carried him inside. H-he told me he was fine. So I started looting some cans, and…"

Law listened quietly, shifting in his seat. Well, he now knew where the blood had come from, and just why they'd left the door open. Ace was probably panicked during that whole thing—-they were just lucky it was Law who found his way inside and not something else.

Of course, the zombie already with them didn't make things any safer.

And now he was presented with the choice. He knew how much he would come to regret it. He knew it, and yet one glance at the pair made him feel pity. Oh how he hated that feeling…

Law sighed, his head dropping into his open palm as he gave up on his internal debate. "If you allow me to use the blond one in my studies then you are welcome to stay here for a time. The boy would be safe, and you could run errands for me. I very much detest leaving my research to gather food and I keep odd hours, so I'm in need of assistance."

Ace lifted his head, wide eyes watching Law with a bizarre mesh of surprise and hesitance. But the look soon faded into deep thought and he fixed his attention instead to Luffy, quiet for a moment. Law didn't know he could be quiet. But it didn't last, and he deflated. "...Would the uh—-the tests hurt him? Sabo?"

Amusement crossed Law's face. So rarely did he hear such concern for a dead man. "He should no longer be able to feel pain."

Ace bit his lip, turning away. "...Alright."

A small grin played across Law's lips and he nodded for Ace to follow him. He gave the man a brief tour, explaining what he could and could not have, and then vacated to his lab, flipping the light switch and watching as the room lit up. The sudden brightness didn't seemed to affect his new subject who was currently mumbling around the tape over his mouth, and Law made his way over to the drugs he'd been working on late the previous night. Preliminary tests showed that they seemed to work well enough to counteract the virus in rats, but, well… they also ended in the death of said rats. It… wasn't really a victory. Fortunately he'd altered some of the components before leaving. Filling a syringe with the new drug he waltzed over to Sabo, lips pressed together. Well… at the very least, he didn't have to worry about it killing his subject this time.

Sabo squirmed but his movements were sluggish, even more so against the restraints, and it was obvious that he wasn't at all aware of his surroundings. That was to be expected. The only reason he was moving at all was because he saw food standing right there in front of him. Law snickered, pressing a gloved hand to Sabo's wrist before piercing the skin with the needle's tip and injecting the liquid.

He stepped back, watching as the zombie's movements slowed to a halt, and released a heavy breath. The worst part of his experiments was the waiting. But in the meantime he could get back to work, try something new, hope he didn't lose his subject so soon after acquisition.

A tug at his sleeve jolted him from his thoughts and his head snapped to the right, and then down to see large brown eyes boring into his. Luffy? How did he—

Law looked over to see the door pushed open. He'd apparently forgotten to lock it—-not so surprising as he'd never really had to before, living alone all that time. He returned his attention back to the boy. "Yes?"

Luffy stared quietly up at Law before looking over to Sabo and back again, an impossibly large grin slowly stretching across his face. "You're gonna help Sabo get better?"

His eyes widened and he didn't know what to say. "I…"

Luffy didn't wait for an answer, trotting over and wrapping his arms around Sabo's middle. There was something bittersweet about the image. It wasn't dangerous; Sabo was fully restrained. But it was still… unnerving.

"Get better soon, okay? Love you, Sabo."

"O-oi, Lu! The hell are you doing in here?!" Suddenly Ace was at the door, and his skin paled at the sight as Luffy gave their brother one last squeeze before hopping back towards the entrance.

"I wanted to see Sabo, shishishi. The doctor-man is gonna help him, right?"

"Uh…" Ace's eyes scrolled nervously to Law. "Y-yeah. Just—-you can't just go in uninvited like that, you little shit. Get out here."

"Aww…"

The boy dragged him out of the room and with one last apologetic look from Ace, Law was once more left alone in his lab. Well, not entirely alone…

There was a new set of eyes watching him.