Title: Warm Bodies
Summary:
Allen Walker meets Lavi Bookman at the beginning of the zombie apocalypse. For Laven Week.
Genre
: Romance/Action Adventure/Horror
Rating
: R (for gore and sexy times, but not at simultaneously, don't worry)
Author's Note
: Thought I would come back for this Laven week, because I miss this fandom. And I like zombies. Title a shout out to Issac Marion's wonderful debut novel Warm Bodies. It's fantastically wonderful and I highly recommend every single one of you read it immediately.

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August 6, 2012

Prompt #1: "Network"

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The sign said Atlanta (25 mi).

Allen Walker stopped in front of it and dropped his bag onto the blistering asphalt. Interstate 20 stretched out before and behind him in a straight black line, disappearing between waves of shimmering heat. Above him, the white hot August sun beat down on him with relentless persistence. It dredged up even more sweat from his brow and hairline. Allen felt it trickle down his neck, beneath the torn collar of his shirt. He had been walking forever, it seemed, but it could not have been that long. Perhaps two weeks, maybe more. He had lost count of the days. They all blended together after a while: the endless stretch of highway beneath a sweltering sun by day and the ruins of old cars or itchy haystacks in old sheds at night. Ever since the Event occurred, Allen had been running and hiding.

Always running and hiding.

The dead had taken over, so he had no choice. It had been a normal Wednesday afternoon when it happened. Enjoying his summer, Allen had been lounging on the couch at home, watching television. He had the place to himself while his father was away on business in Atlanta. So he had been enjoying a sandwich and catching up with Burn Notice when the emergency broadcast came on with a loud wail. Violence in the streets, both in the cities and the suburbs. No one could explain why average white-collar workers had gone on murder sprees and why typical suburban housewives were eating their children and neighbors. Run and hide, the newscasters said. And if you can't run, hide.

He veered off the road and went to squat in the narrow slant of shade cast by the highway sign.

Atlanta (25 mi)

The dry grass crunched underneath him and beneath his bag when he set it down for the second time. Allen rummaged through it. His supplies from Madison were running low. All that remained were a few cans of beans and some dried jerky. The water, however, was his major concern. Just outside of Madison, he had broken into an office building and filled up as many bottles of water as he could from the staff lounge. He had refilled them at a hardware store break room just outside of Covington. But the heat had persisted and the over 100 degree days had forced him to drink more than usual. Only two bottles left before he was stranded out on the endless network of highways and interstates with no water or food.

I don't want to die like this.

Allen leaned back against the support beam of the Atlanta sign and tried not to think about the burning thirst in his throat or the sunburn blistering his skin. He wanted to focus on something else, but there was nothing except the dry, brown grass and the black road. And no relief came to him, even in the shade, with the absence of a much-needed breeze.

No, I can't give up.

He shook his head slowly, took a small drink from his water bottle, and then returned his supplies to his bag. With some effort, Allen stood up again. Instinctively, he checked to insure that his weapon still rested at his hip. Although some might consider it a kitchen utensil, it had saved Allen's life more than once, and he was not keen on getting rid of it just yet. The knife sharpener measured about a foot and a half and even though the pointed end had a rounded tip, with enough force, it could easily hurt someone.

Or something.

Guns were great, but Allen didn't know how to use one. With his luck, he would end up killing himself on accident. Knives were desirable, but Allen could not find a large enough blade to suit his purposes. Plus he would have to continuously sharpen it, less it dull up and fail him in a bad situation. So Allen had grabbed the one thing in the drawer at home that he thought could protect him and ran for it after the satellites went down and the power grid failed. The news reports on the storm radio said the CDC had it under control; that it was safe in Atlanta and there were refugee centers there with food and water…He couldn't turn back now.

Not when Mana was...

Allen shook his head again and straightened up a bit taller. There was no time for thinking about things like that. Not now. Not when he had 25 more miles to go. So, with his weapon within reach and his pack securely on his shoulders, Allen headed back towards the road. He was about to take a step onto the interstate when he heard it: the low, humming growl of an approaching engine.

Impossible! Allen thought. He had not heard a running vehicle since the Event occurred. What did it mean? The military? The police? Or worse yet, bandits? Things like that happened in all the movies... Allen felt himself shaking a bit. What if they were thieves who came to steal his last bit of food and water? The thought of being robbed and left for dead on the highway made Allen duck down and retreat to where he had been sitting in the shadow of the road sign. He pulled the hood of his vest up over his hair to cover the platinum tresses, hoping to camouflage himself in plain sight. The last thing he needed was to jump over the fence and into the dying cornfield, where there might be more of those…things.

So Allen curled up as small as possible and clenched his hands into fists. He willed his heart to stop pounding so loudly, but it would not quiet, just as he could not stop praying that the car would drive right past without seeing him. The engine became louder and louder, and Allen crunched into himself even further. Don't see me. You don't see me. I'm not here. I'm not here…But it was too late.

Allen heard the brakes and then the sound of the car idling. He didn't want to look up, but curiosity killed him. He peeked through the space between his cheek and elbow and saw an old Ford truck. Red, covered in dust. There were people inside, at least two, but maybe three. Allen could not tell from where he sat, and stayed still in hopes that perhaps this group had just stopped to look at the sign and check their map…

The passenger door opened. Allen hid his face, but he could hear the sound of someone jumping out of the car."Hey," a male voice called down to him. "You alive?"

Allen kept his head down, unsure of how to react.

"Lavi, get back in the car!" said someone from inside the truck. It was a girl and she sounded afraid.

"We can't just leave people stranded," the man, Lavi, replied. Allen perked up a bit at this, tilting his head to the side so he could look at the scene above his elbow again. The man stood a few feet from the open passenger door. All Allen could see were his dusty combat boots and jeans. And the barrel of a shotgun held loosely in his right hand. Allen scooted backwards a bit. Perhaps he should take his chances in the overgrown field…

"I know, but…remember what we heard about…There are gangs out here. We should go!" she tried again, leaning out the open door. Allen could only see her pale hands gripping the place where the window had been rolled down.

"You heard her, kid. If you're alive, you'd better holler. If you aren't, then," he stopped, and Allen heard him cock his shotgun and take a step closer.

"P-Please!" Allen cried out, raising his voice but not his body. He kept himself low to the ground, holding out his hands in a gesture of peace. "I-I'm not armed. And I'm not one of them!" He kept his eyes on the ground, hands in the air. But the man's footsteps were coming closer. Allen heard him raise the gun.

"Lavi…" said the girl, her voice low with urgency.

"Stay in the car, Lenalee," Lavi replied, and it was with such calmness as he came closer, gun raised, that Allen felt himself tremble. He was going to die by this man's hand in the middle of nowhere. So close to Atlanta, and yet…so far….I'm sorry, Mana. I'm so sorry…Allen thought, willing himself not to cry.

And then the gun went off.

It wasn't like television, Allen realized, after the shot had been fired. All sound became distorted: high-pitched and far away, as if he were listening to words through a very long tunnel. Because of that, Allen did not hear the man approach him. Instead, he felt hands on his upper arms, gripping tightly enough to hold on, but not to bruise. Safe...Allen thought. They led him away from the shade of the Atlanta sign.

There were words, but Allen couldn't make sense of them for a few moments. Then they came through the high wailing in his ears:

"Are you okay?"

Allen looked up. Two green eyes stared back at him. Very, very green, Allen thought dazedly.

"Hey, kid," said the man. He had messy red fringe; half tucked up under a green bandanna with the rest of it falling everywhere else. There were three silver rings in his right ear.

"Kid?"

"I'm not a kid," Allen said, shaking his head a bit to clear out some of the ringing in his ears. When he did this, he closed his eyes so he did not have to look at the man. It had been so long since he had seen another person—it felt like ages—and he did not want to be caught staring for too long. Especially when that person had nearly killed him. "Why did you shoot at me?"

"Didn't shoot at you," Lavi replied, and turned Allen slightly to the right. Right where he had been sitting now lay the corpse of one of those…things. It essentially ended at the rib cage; its head had been blown off messily by the buckshot.

"Oh..."

"You dumb fuck."

Both Allen and Lavi's heads turned towards the truck, where a short-haired girl stood just outside of it, red-faced and with her fists clenched. She held a baseball bat in her right hand. The end was splattered with blood.

"Really ladylike, Lenalee," Lavi said.

"Fuck you," Lenalee snapped back. "You could have gotten yourself killed."

"But I didn't," Lavi replied. He sounded smug. "And look. We found another survivor. We could really use some extra hands. Even you know that."

Lenalee swung the baseball bat and Allen flinched as it stopped just inches from his nose.

"What's your name?" she asked.

"A-Allen Walker," he said.

"Where're you from, Allen Walker?" she asked, interrogating him with the threat of her weapon and the force of her gaze, as well as her cool, clipped tone.

"Madison," he replied.

"Did you get bitten or scratched or even breathed on by one of those things?" she asked, her gaze flicking over to the corpse a few feet from them.

"What?" Allen asked.

"Did. You. Get. Bit?" Lenalee repeated, enunciating each word clearly.

"No," Allen said, making sure to keep all uncertainty out of his tone so she didn't take his head off with that thing.

Lenalee stared at him for a long time. Her eyes were so dark that they were almost black. Even in the blistering summer heat, Allen shivered.

"Fine," she said, and twirled her wrist elegantly, taking the baseball bat in a wide arc from Allen's nose to rest over her shoulder instead.

"Get in the car."

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The inside of the cab felt steamy with two other bodies and no air conditioning. Allen sat in cramped back half-seat, sweating heavily. The open window did nothing to alleviate this discomfort, as the wind was dry enough to scratch his skin as they drove down the I-20.

"So you walked from Madison?"

Lavi asked this. He had his arm resting along the back of the front bench seat. He had turned his body a bit to look at Allen. Like Allen, he was sunburned and sweaty, but smiling. Beside him, Lenalee drove with a stony expression.

"Yeah," Allen said.

"Long way."

It wasn't a question.

"Yeah."

"You go through Covington at all?"

"A bit."

"Anything there?" Lavi asked. He looked hopeful.

"Not really," Allen said, leaning back against the seat. His clothes were sticking to his skin, but he ignored it. "But I only stopped at one exit."

"Which?" Lavi inquired.

"Third or fourth coming West," Allen said. "Why?"

"We're scavenging. We need a couple things. We were going to try to hit a few towns outside of Atlanta, but it's probably better to double back now while we have the daylight," Lavi answered. "The others will worry if we don't show up for the rendezvous."

"Others?" Allen asked, leaning forward. He felt his shirt cling to his back like a second skin, but his mind went elsewhere. There were people, more people out there. People who were alive... Ever since the Event, Allen had not seen another living person. He had almost given up hope that humanity still hear that there were survivors made a weight in Allen's chest ease exponentially.

"Yeah. There's a bunch of us. We've got a network of small groups all within a fifty mile radius of Atlanta. We even heard stuff from folks up in Tennessee. It isn't much better up there than it is here, though," Lavi replied, rubbing the back of his neck. Lenalee turned off the I-20 and took a side exit. The road narrowed from four lanes to two.

"How are you talking with them?" Allen asked.

"With the internet and telephone down, it's been mostly through radio. We also have messengers make trips on the safe routes that we know about."

"And Atlanta?" Allen asked hopefully.

Lavi looked at him gravely and shook his head.

"It's a Dead town now," he said. Allen felt his stomach clench at the words.

"No one...no one's alive?" Allen asked.

"I don't think so. And if they were, they wouldn't be for long," Lavi said, turning his gaze to the road before them. "The refugee centers were safe at first, but the infection somehow spread. Now there's no food, water, anything. Just a bunch of zombies and not enough ammo." Allen said nothing to that, letting the silence take over. He didn't want to think about Atlanta, because it made him think about Mana. And the last thing he wanted to do was cry. Instead, he closed his eyes and let the motion of the truck ease him into a light sleep. After all those sleepless nights and scorching days, Allen was exhausted. So exhausted, that he thankfully didn't dream. But so tired that he didn't even feel the truck stop; didn't wake until a gentle hand on his shoulder shook him a bit.

"Hey. Wake up."

It took him a moment, but Allen managed to open his eyes. Lavi had leaned over the seat. His face hovered a few inches from Allen's. He had very dark eyelashes, Allen noticed, and found himself liking them very much. It must have been the sleep deprivation or dehydration talking.

"Hey," Lavi said again. Allen blinked.

"Hmm?"

"We're going to go look around."

Lavi produced a thermos and handed it to Allen; something swished inside of it. "Drink that and try to stay alert. We need some eyes looking out for us while we're out there." Lavi turned towards the dashboard for a second before resuming his previous position over the seat. A black walkie dangled in between his fingers. "If you see anything, push this button and talk right into it. We'll get back to the truck ASAP. Got it?" Allen took the walkie talkie and rested it on his knee.

"Got it."

Lavi smiled at him and touched his hair in an affectionate manner.

"You're alright, kid."

"It's Allen."

Lavi just laughed.

It was a beautiful sound.

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"We scored." The entire bed of the truck was crammed full of supplies: cans of gasoline, flats of food, water, rolls of toilet paper, and batteries. There were so many batteries that Allen did not know what to think.

"Did you guys rip off a Radio Shack or what?" Allen asked. After resting in the car and drinking a lot of water, he felt more alive than he had in a while. Because of that, he did not nod back off to sleep, but instead spent the time looking at the spoils of the raid.

"We never kiss and tell," Lavi said, and then glanced at Lenalee. "Well, I don't anyway. Don't know about this one here."

"Don't be a dick, Lavi," Lenalee replied, but she was smiling a bit. She had softened up after she saw how many supplies they had been able to acquire. Allen had even gotten her to open up a bit about herself. She was only seventeen, but she and her brother were the ones that started the safe haven for survivors. It was located in a quarry just south of their old house. It housed over thirty people, all with varying degrees of skill and trade. They were in contact with at least seven other survivor strongholds in the area. It was fantastic to know that he wasn't on his own. There were others. There was a chance.

"Love you," Lavi said, in a teasing voice.

"Shut up," she replied, laughing through her attempt to remain stoic. Allen could see her reflection in the rear view mirror. She was pretty when she wasn't being terrifying.

"Anyway, everyone's gonna love this stuff. We even found honey," Lavi said, and turned to look at Allen. He was grinning from ear to ear. "Honey! Do you know how awesome that's going to taste on everything?" Lavi's smile was infectious. Allen's cheeks hurt by the end of his monologue regarding the importance and joy of honey on everything from biscuits to ice cream.

During that ride, Allen felt like everything would be okay.

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"We're here," Lenalee said. They had met with another truck at around twilight and followed it along a dirt road through shrubbery that gave way to an abandoned suburb. Beyond its two miles of paved street, they were back off trail and moving through a heavily wooded area. Allen felt uneasy and he was not the only one. Lenalee's lips turned into a firm line; Lavi had his shotgun across his knees, window rolled partially down in case he had to make a quick decision about using firepower. But nothing happened. The trees gave way to a clearing and soon they were driving along a gravel driveway. It looped wide, around in a large circle, about one hundred feet above a major limestone quarry.

"It was abandoned ten years ago," Lenalee explained, as they drove down further into the old excavation site. "The water is actually pretty clean. I used to fish down here when I was a kid. It's safe and a good resource." The road got a little bumpy towards the bottom and Lenalee flicked on the headlights to see where she was going.

Darkness fell.

"So why did they abandon this place?" Allen asked. Dim flood lights turned on at their approach and Allen held up his hand to shield his eyes.

"Well it wasn't just for limestone," Lenalee said, as she pulled the truck under a metal pavilion. There were several lined up around the quarry's water hole. Dozens of other vehicles sat still in the night, ranging from minivans to armored vehicles. There was even a county ambulance. "There was something else they were building down here...for the government. They never finished, but they never caved it in, either. It's a bunker sort of thing, like for a nuclear fallout shelter."

"And it's hella useful," Lavi chimed in, hopping out of the front seat. He slid his shotgun strap over his shoulder. Allen followed him, carrying his own meager knapsack over one arm. "And speaking of hella useful, gimme a hand with some of this..." It took some work, but Allen managed to lift a few of the things Lavi gave to him and then followed the redhead and Lenalee into the entrance of their stronghold. There were two armed guards by the door. They wore masks. Allen could only see their eyes. "Toma and Devon," Lavi said, using his head to indicate which guard was which. Both of his hands were full carrying the large canisters of gasoline.

"You guys did good," Toma said. "Supplies and a new recruit."

"What can I say? We're fantastic," Lavi replied cheerfully.

"You have way too much fun," Lenalee said, carrying a cardboard box filled with dried foodstuffs. "It's not decent."

"Never claimed to be decent," Lavi answered. He and Lenalee bantered like they had been friends for a long time. It was as if Lenalee had read his mind when she replied:

"You're right. I've known you for almost all my life and I don't think there is a decent thing about you."

"Oh, rush me to the burn unit," Lavi said, feigning offense. Lenalee laughed and so did Lavi. Allen chuckled and wondered if they were dating. The thought of that being true made him feel a bit sad, though he didn't know why. Whatever the reason, it was a petty thought in such dire times. He didn't want to think about the subject again.

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"Welcome, welcome! Oh it's so good to see new faces!"

A dark-haired man with glasses descended upon Allen the moment he walked into the main entrance of the shelter, deep inside the quarry. He was forced to drop everything when the eccentric grabbed onto him and began shaking both of his hands at the same time.

"This is my brother, Komui," Lenalee said, as she set her box down on the nearest desk. It was covered in computer equipment and large maps of the area. A few people sat around the desk, but they had stopped talking upon their entrance.

"Nice to meet you, I'm Allen," he said.

"Oh it's so good to have you here," Komui said, and began leading Allen away from Lenalee and Lavi in order to give him a tour. He introduced Allen to everyone they came across: Johnny Gill and Reever Wenham were first up, in charge of communications and operations respectively. Then Jerry, the chef. Afterwards, the names blended into occupation: the head nurse, the head of security, the guards. There were almost thirty people living underground. They were all local for the most part. Only a handful had been picked up on the main road like Allen. Allen met one of them, Yuu Kanda, but he didn't say anything to Allen when they were introduced. He just looked annoyed and walked away.

"He's always like that. Don't take it personally," Komui said, as they doubled back around the concrete hallways. There were lights strung up on steel wire, but otherwise the corridors were barren and cold. They entered into a large room about the size of an auditorium. There were plastic picnic and laundry folding tables set up in disorderly rows. Some had office chairs or stools pulled up beside them for seating. There were no windows, like the rest of the compound, which made it a bit dreary. "This is what we've been using as a dining hall. Meals are at 8, 12, and 7. If you're on guard duty or out scavenging, you can always go in at a different time and Jerry will fix you something." He pointed at the kitchens through an open door, where Allen could hear the clanging of pots and pans beyond.

Then, Komui led him down a narrow passage and into a hallway filled with doors. "These were sort of like offices. We changed them into bedrooms. They aren't much, but they'll do for now. We'll fit you with a cot and some things to wear tonight." Komui then brought him back up the narrow passage and then hung a right.

"Now this is the heart of the shelter, aside from the main operations room." He opened a heavy door to a huge common area. It had probably been used for storage, but members of the group had made it as nice as they could. There were a dozen different lamps of all sizes scattered about for light and mismatched pieces of furniture-couches, chairs, loveseats, even beanbags-for seating. They used wooden crates as end and coffee tables. Some shabby bookcases sat with only a few books and magazines upon their shelves. It had been a dreary room, but they had tried to make it into something homey with the eclectic furniture and the mismatching frames of strange art upon the walls. Apparently it had worked, because the most people seemed to be in this room. A few girls were sitting and reading magazines. Younger children played with Legos underneath a multi-colored lamp. Some middle aged kids were drawing or reading. Their mothers sat on the sofa together, knitting. An older gentleman with a bow tie sat drinking tea from a chipped mug in an old wingback chair. Reever and Johnny had brought their paperwork into the lounge to work by better light. Kanda sat in the corner, sharpening a deadly looking sword. Two off-duty guards had their guns slung over their shoulders; they were playing Battleship across from one another on top of an apple crate.

"Aha, I knew you'd save this place for last."

Lavi appeared behind them. He had a plastic tub in his hands. Behind him, Lenalee carried something similar, but a bit smaller. "So what do you think? Our lounge is sweet, isn't it?" Lavi asked, as he set the box down on the nearest spare crate.

"It reminds me of home a little," Allen said honestly. One of the couches looked similar to the one in his living room; it was more comforting than he realized. Lavi smiled and put his hands on his hips.

"That's what we were hoping for," he replied, then turned to the occupants of the room. "Hey, everyone. We know it's been kind of boring for some of you, especially since we can't watch TV anymore, but Lenalee, Allen, and I found some cool stuff for you all." He opened up the crate and began pulling out the items inside. They were all paperback books. Allen saw popular selections with some classics; The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo mixed in with Alice's Adventures in Wonderland and Oliver Twist. There were even children's books for the kids. They came running when they saw the Rick Riordan series, The Hunger Games, and some of the Harry Potter books. The younger ones tottered over at the sight of coloring books and crayons.

"We also have new games!" Lenalee said, setting her box down on an unoccupied couch. The middle-aged kids squealed excitedly at the sight of Jenga, while the adults appraised Yahtzee and Monopoly. Allen stood off to the side and watched their faces light up. He never realized that something so small could bring so much joy. The thought of gathering these things in a land torn apart by death seemed arbitrary while out there, surviving, but in here, it meant everything.

"It's the best we can do," Lavi said. He had escaped from the crowd and came to join Allen. He was positively glowing. So brightly that Allen could feel it latch on somewhere in his chest, soft and warm. "We can't let this defeat us. We just can't. Especially for those kids."

"We won't," Allen said. The books were strewn about all over the floor. There were new magazines at the bottom of the box for the teenage girls, who fought one another playfully for the newest issue of Seventeen. Across the room, Lenalee had approached Kanda with two brown boxes. Allen saw the first was full of paper. A second box held a black pot and a wooden brush.

"What is it?" Allen heard him ask Lenalee.

"A calligraphy set. We should keep practicing, don't you think?" Lenalee said. Her cheeks were pink and she looked like a young girl again, not the hardened woman carrying the bloody baseball bat.

"Yeah," Kanda said. His face didn't give anything away, but he had spoken more than a word to Lenalee. He had softened around the eyes and mouth too. Maybe he wasn't so closed off after all.

"Hey, Lavi, what the hell? This chess set is missing three pawns and a bishop!" Reever said, looking disappointed.

"No complaining! This is a complain-free space!" Lavi said with a grin. "C'mon we'll find some things to use as substitute pieces."

Just before he stepped away, Lavi put his arm around Allen's shoulders in a friendly hug.

"Welcome home."

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