Chapter 1

"Confirmed reports of the outbreak continue to spread at an alarming rate in the southern parts of the country, meanwhile residents up here-"

"Ralph, could you turn that off?"

"—continue to prepare for the worst. So far there have been no signs of-"

"Ralph I said could you turn that off, please?"

"Oh, sorry." Ralph snapped out of the trance cast upon him by the steely faced news reporter and flicked the channel to darkness.

"Thank you." Piggy huffed. It could have been a sigh of relief, or a sigh of aggravation. The two boys stared at the blank television in silence for a few moments, each of them slowly processing the reporter's words. They had known about the outbreak for weeks; it started out as an isolated medical anomaly in Bristol (a virus that reawakened a corpse after death, whoever would have thought?), but as more and more instances of the dead rising from their graves occurred, and shocking eyewitness accounts of them preying on unsuspecting humans surfaced, things became a little more…unhinged.

Entire towns were swept away by the virus in hours. Bristol was completely overrun, and there wasn't much left of London either at this point. Military action had to be taken place in the particularly bad parts of the country, and structural systems of society were slowly collapsing due to the amount of fear and panic setting in. Medical and scientific experts from around the world scrambled to understand the virus and work desperately for a cure, but so far none had been found.

People were beginning to give up.

However, there were a small handful of towns in the northern areas of the country where business functioned as usual. Or at least as usual as they could. Ralph's school for instance was still carrying on, although few teachers saw the point in actually continuing with their regular studies. Most classes they just talked about the latest outbreak and how much closer it was to them. People were preparing on their own should the virus eventually reach them, but no official statements from the town had been released about what to do. It seemed as if no one knew.

"Do you think the game will be safe tonight?" Ralph wondered out loud.

"Of course it will, why wouldn't it be?" Piggy asked.

"The virus is getting closer to us every day, I just feel like there's something they're not telling us." Ralph said, his eyes flickering to the blank TV screen where the reporter used to be a minute ago.

"What, that the disease is actually near our town now or something? The last report was at least a hundred miles away, we'll be fine."

Ralph narrowed his eyes. "Paddy, I can tell when you're lying you know."

Piggy blinked at the sound of his real name. Oh god how he hated that name. It wasn't even short for Patrick or anything, it was his full, legal name. He actually preferred being called 'Piggy'.

"You don't think we're actually safe, do you," Ralph pressed. It was more of a statement than a question.

Piggy was silent. He was far too smart to believe that they knew everything about the latest outbreak, supposedly about one hundred miles away, and Ralph knew this. He continued. "It's okay. I get it." They were all lying to themselves at this point anyway. Their town wasn't immune, the virus would eventually reach them, and then they'd fall apart just like the rest of England so far.

Piggy sighed and looked down, taking off his glasses and cleaning them on his shirt. "Let's worry about that after the game, okay? I mean if this is your last football game, might as well enjoy it instead of worrying about the end of the world."

This was uncharacteristically relaxed for Piggy, Ralph observed. He shrugged the thought off though. "Okay. Maurice should be here any minute anyway, he and I are going early hang out with the team."

"Right." Piggy said, standing up. "I suppose I should go get Jack soon as well…"

Ralph nearly laughed. "You're going with Jack?"

Piggy held a hand up to his head, as if rubbing away a headache. "Yeah. Sam 'n Eric too. The three of them needed rides and I was the only one actually willing to drive them."

"What about Simon or Roger?"

"Simon's family is going away for a week and Roger is staying with him to keep him company."

"They both could just come to the game."

Piggy shrugged. "Guess they don't feel like it."

If this really was the last football game Ralph would ever play, he was happy four of his friends would be there nonetheless. Especially Jack. Ralph couldn't help but feel, well… Ralph didn't know exactly how explain what he felt around Jack. But whatever it was, it was warm, slightly tingly, and made him want to throw up and dance around at the same time.

Maybe if the world wasn't ending he could figure out if that actually meant anything.

"I swear if he makes fun of me for driving a minivan one more time…" Piggy grumbled while picking up his keys and heading for the door.

"Sucks to your minivan!"

"It's my mom's minivan," Piggy groaned as he turned aroundhalfway out the door. "Just don't let Maurice kill you, alright? He isn't exactly the best driver."

"I'll take my chances, Paddy. See you after the game."

"See you."

[later at the stadium]

The game was set, 8-8. There were three minutes left on the clock. Ralph knew what he had to do; steal the ball, fight his way up to the net, and score the winning goal. Maurice would be on the field with him the entire time, most likely devising a plan similar to his own, so if things got rough he could easily pass the ball and Maurice could take the shot. Either way, this ended with them winning. It had to.

"COME ON RALPH!" Jack yelled from the crowd in the bleachers. "DON'T YOU FREAKING LOSE THIS, IT'S GO TIME!"

"Way to be supportive, Jack." Piggy commented.

"I'm doing my best," Jack sat back down with a smirk and reached over to steal a few pieces of Sam's popcorn.

"Hey, go get your own!"

"Nah."

"Guys look!" Eric pointed. Ralph and Maurice were sprinting down the field side by side, Ralph with the ball and Maurice open in case someone tried to steal it from Ralph.

"LET'S GO RALPH, COME ON!"

"Jack, shut up!"

"What? I'm just cheering along with the rest of the crowd!"

"No you're not, you're being a public disturbance."

"It's a football game Paddy, let loose a little."

Piggy rolled his eyes and was about to say something when a crash rumbled from the far end of the stadium. It came from one of the walls that was right next to the road, and sounded like someone had just driven a truck into it. The twins looked at each other, and Piggy looked at Jack.

The stadium fell dead silent.

Jack was on his feet in less than a second; whether it was to scope out the arena or to be able to move quickly if he needed to, he didn't know. The players on the field all slowed down what they were doing as well, and glanced around at each other. They were just as confused as the people in the stands. Ralph put a hand on Maurice's shoulder, both of them panting and staring at the wall where the eruption came from.

And then came the screaming.

It sounded like it was on the outside of the stadium, muffled and far away, but it rose in volume steadily. The inside became alive with noise again as people gasped and murmured hurried whispers to each other. Some had even started crying. There was only one thing that could be happening outside the arena.

"Piggy go get the minivan." Jack ordered in a quiet tone.

"You want me to go out there and-"

"Just go get the goddamn van! Take Samneric with you, I'll meet you on the road with Ralph and Maurice in less than five minutes. Turn left."

Piggy didn't like the sound of this plan, but knew that now was not the time for further arguing. Not with the undead finally at their doorstep. "Be careful."

Jack was gone before Piggy even finished the words, hurtling down the rest of the stands and jumping over the fence at the bottom. He cupped his hands and shouted as he ran.

"Ralph! Maurice!"

He had to get to them, had to get his friends out of there before they were trapped. It was only a matter of time before the zombies found the entrance to the stadium. Other people had similar ideas, and suddenly the football field was a mosh pit of people trying to get to their friends and loved ones.

The screams from outside escalated, and more crashing sounds echoed through the air as more cars were no doubt being thrown off the road as they swerved to avoid the zombies. But there was one voice that rose above the noise and called back.

"Jack!"

Jack spun around and spotted Ralph amongst the crowd, only a few meters away from him. He and Maurice were weaving through the throng of people, trying to get to him, their eyes wide and faces red from exhaustion. But they were going to have to run a little further. Just far enough to get safely to the minivan. Jack pushed his way to them, grabbed Maurice's arm, and took Ralph by the hand. "We have to go, now!" No time for other words. Although Ralph and Maurice were perfectly capable of keeping up with Jack on their own, Jack didn't dare to let go of them as he ran for fear of losing them in the crowd.

The shrieks outside started to blend with ones much closer, ones from inside the arena now. Particularly ones that started near the four ground level exits. Jack stopped cold in his tracks, bringing Ralph and Maurice to a halt too.

The zombies were inside the stadium.

"There's a fire escape near the top of those bleachers." Ralph pointed. "That's our best shot."

Jack nodded and switched directions, still holding onto Ralph and Maurice. The four ground exits were swarmed with the living and the undead; some people tried to fight, while others were powerless to defend themselves.

"We have to tell everyone about the fire escapes," Ralph said as they ran. "We have to let them know!"

Jack shook his head. "There's no time. Even if there was, it'd create a backup on the bleachers and we'd have a lesser chance of escaping ourselves."

Ralph pulled his hand out of Jack's grip. "We can't just leave them."

"Ralph, Piggy and I made a plan, we have to-"

"We'll tell them once we get to the top," Maurice spoke up. "We'll climb up there and get onto it ourselves first, and then call back and wave for others to follow."

Ralph shook his head. "Over all this noise? There's no way they'd hear us."

"Look, we don't have time to argue about this now," Jack said angrily, "Piggy and Samneric are going to drive away if we're not outside on the road in less than two and a half minutes. Getting to them is the top priority."

Ralph looked at him in disbelief.

"Ralph, I'm sorry-"

"We'll try Maurice's idea when we get to the top." He turned away from them and began climbing the bleachers without another word. Jack and Maurice followed quickly, not wanting to be left behind. When they got to the top they looked down and saw the entire stadium in chaos. The field was three quarters of the way overrun with the walking dead. People were running, fighting, bleeding. Some were being picked up and carried while others were being trampled. A fire blazed near the wall where the truck crashed.

Ralph, Jack, and Maurice were stunned into frozen silence. They knew the virus would reach their town, they knew it was only a matter of time, but they didn't know it would be tonight. No one knew it would be tonight.

"We were supposed to be safe…" Ralph muttered.

"We're going to be safe," Jack said. "But first we have to get out of here."

Maurice then cupped his hands around his mouth and yelled as loud as he could, sticking to the idea of at least trying to help some people escape the stadium. "Hey! Over here, there's a way out!"

Ralph and Jack started doing the same thing, screaming and waving their arms for people to come toward them. Some, who were already on the bleachers, noticed and began heading their way. But the majority remained out of reach.

"We can't save everyone," Jack said. "Now we have to get down the fire escape before we're accidentally thrown off it."

Ralph knew that once more people saw others heading to the fire escape, it would be a free for all as people would surely fight to climb down first. He still didn't feel right about just leaving like this, but he understood Jack's point. "Lead the way, then."

Jack couldn't tell if the blonde had said it in spite, defeat, or both, but he moved forward anyway. Stepping over the railing, he swung himself onto the narrow stair system on the outside stadium wall. He moved so Ralph and Maurice could follow him, and the three filed down the rickety metal stairs as quickly as they could. Jack got to the bottom first, then Ralph, and Maurice flung himself down from one level above just before people at the top started climbing over the railing.

Maurice looked at Jack. "Where'd you say Piggy would be?"

Jack pointed to the nearby road. "We head out of here and turn left; he should be just down the street with Samneric and the minivan."

"We're driving a minivan through the zombie apocalypse?"

"Yeah, I know, now come on."

Jack, Maurice, and Ralph sprinted to the road. Their path was lit by streetlights and the fire that was competing with the zombies to overtake the stadium first. Vehicles lay everywhere; cars, trucks, motorbikes. All turned over on their sides with broken windows and engines still running. Some of the zombies flocked around these immobile machines, no doubt filling their stomachs on the remains of whoever was inside.

There was one vehicle near the middle of the street that was still on its wheels however.

"The minivan!" Ralph pointed. It was facing away from them, ready to rocket down the road once they got in.

As if hearing him, the horn honked and Sam stuck his head out the window, waving one arm frantically. "Come on, let's go!"

A patch of zombies down the road looked up at the sudden burst of noise from the vehicle. Mindlessly they stood up from the fallen car they were feasting from and began to move toward the newer, fresher source of food.

"Oh now he's done it," Jack mumbled under his breath. Sam you idiot! Zombies are attracted to sound but when living flesh was involved too they couldn't possibly stay away. Jack, Ralph, and Maurice picked up the pace and practically flew toward the car, not caring anymore if the zombies saw them because they definitely already had.

The minivan began to reversing toward them. Then the trunk opened to reveal Eric hoisting it up, beckoning them with his free hand for them to hurry. They would meet each other halfway, and Ralph, Jack, and Maurice would have to jump in.

With other zombies beginning to stumble out of the trees next to the road, Ralph, Jack, and Maurice were on a collision course with the herd before they'd reach the car. "We're not gonna make it," Maurice panted.

"Oh yes we are!" Ralph yelled. It was his turn to grab his friends by the arms and drag them along. When they got close enough to the van he pushed Jack and Maurice in front of him, allowing them to jump into the trunk first. Ralph jumped a second later, landing on the two of them, and Eric slammed the door shut just as the zombies hit the glass.

"Floor it, Sam!"

The engine squealed as Sam shot the car down the road, moving side to side to avoid crashing into other cars. Jack, Maurice, and Ralph were a pile of panting exhaustion, and relief, in the back. They made it. They were in the minivan.

Piggy called from the passenger seat. "You guys okay?"

"Great," Ralph said between breaths. "Doing just great."

The three of them untangled themselves and sat up. It was a good thing Eric had thought to lower the back seats too, otherwise there wouldn't have been enough room for them when they all jumped into the moving vehicle.

"That was probably the craziest thing I've ever done," Maurice said, chest heaving.

"You once stole a corgi from the pet store at the mall," Jack said.

Maurice shook his head and his usual goofy smile spread across his face. "Nothing beats jumping into a minivan while you're being chased by zombies."

"Guys, look…" Ralph's voice had none of the lightheartedness displayed by Maurice and Jack. The two of them scooted over to the window where Ralph was and looked out. The road had led them to the top of a hill, and they had a clear view of a valley below them. The entire valley was glowing and swirling with orange flames. Smoke darker than the night sky above them accumulated over the inferno.

"Is that…?" Maurice didn't want to finish his sentence.

Ralph cast his eyes down. "Yeah. It is."

Their entire town was on fire. Just like the stadium behind them.

"There's no way I can drive through that," Sam said. "It'd be too dangerous to even go near."

"Let's find another road. We'll go around," Eric offered.

As the twins planned a route, Ralph slumped against the back wall of the minivan. Maurice moved to sit in one of the middle seats, and joined in the conversation of possible places to go.

Jack couldn't help but stare at Ralph for a few seconds. Ralph had a big heart and an even bigger conscience; Jack could only imagine what was running through his mind as the reality that he wouldn't be able to save his family hit him. And Jack definitely felt it too, but in this moment he could only focus on what was right here, right now. For his own sake, he could only afford to deal with what was directly in front of him. And what was in front of him was one of his best friends on the verge of tears. He moved to sit cross legged in front of the blonde.

"Hey," Jack said gently. "It's going to be okay."

Ralph looked up, speaking in a hoarse whisper. "How could you say that?"

Jack struggled to think of something quick and meaningful to say. "Because…because we're all here, we're all together, and we'll all look after each other." This didn't seem to bring any comfort to Ralph. "We have to," Jack pressed.

"What about our families?" Ralph said. "What about Simon, and Roger, and-"

"They're all very smart, Ralph, tough too. Maybe they'll get out somehow. Maybe they're already out even. Look, I'm just trying to say that you can't give up hope, okay? You've got to believe that they're alright because if you don't then they're already lost."

Silent tears began to fall down Ralph's face. He didn't want the others to see this, but for some reason he felt fine around Jack. "I'll try," he settled.

Jack smiled and reached forward to take Ralph's hand again, this time giving it a small squeeze. "We're going to make it out of this."