A summer in the sun was all that was expected of Summer 2012. Unfortunately that's not what they got. The first reports came from Florida. A man eating the face off of another man. A doctor spitting blood. Strange rashes. 10 reports all in one week. All in Florida. They started in Miami and moved north. Florida's water supply had been compromised. Something had gotten into the residents systems. The first large scale outbreak was at the happiest place on Earth. Disney World. It was a good thing Walt wasn't alive to see this.
A 12 year old boy attacked his father, biting his arm and tearing out a chunk of skin the size of a softball. Then he went for the Mouse. The poor guy in the Mickey Mouse suit never stood a chance against the 12 year old, or the other four children who jumped him. Soon there was mass panic, people biting people. Police trying to usher people out as quickly as possible. The early signs weren't easy to see. Some people left with bites. Open wounds that had gotten infected. Cuts that were easily spread to.
Soon it wasn't just Florida. A plane went down over the city of Charlotte. The survivors weren't exactly survivors. Zombies were more like it. The disease was spreading fast and it seemed there was nothing anyone could do to stop it.
When the first reports of the outbreak hit Ohio people knew they couldn't just ignore it. People had already lost contact with friends and loved ones. Places were shutting down. People were leaving. But the more stubborn people stayed. Stubborn people like the Andersons. Blaine had begged and begged for his parents to just leave. But they maintained that they would be protected on their own land, and hell it was completely fenced in.
The Hummels had agreed that they would stay together against all odds. But when Blaine had worries about leaving his family behind Kurt elected to stay. He forced his father and Carole to leave, taking Finn and Rachel's family with them. They would be okay, they had left early enough. Kurt watched and waited, biding time. He collected the essentials they would need. They had all watched enough zombie movies to know that what they needed now was essentials and not extras.
While Blaine tried to convince his family to leave Kurt packed. His SUV was filled with boxes of dry goods, canned goods, non-perishables. Blankets and batteries, flashlights. He raided the stores, extra socks, leather gloves. He already had his whole outfit planned, right down to the calf high leather boots. Leather was hard to bite through, and if the reports were true, the zombies were the biting kind.
They spent three days extra in Ohio, trying to convince Blaine's parents to leave. But to no avail. Finally Kurt had to tell him, had to let him know that it wasn't safe anymore. Lima wasn't a big city, but it was close to some. That's when Blaine told him, his voice shaking and more scared than it should have been. "I haven't been able to get in contact with Cooper." And then it all came rushing out. How his parents believed Cooper was fine, that he was smart and capable. And that he would come back to the house. It broke him, the look on Blaine's face, and Kurt almost told him they could stay. That everything would be alright. But he knew better.
"Then we'll find him." Kurt said, more reassurance in his voice than he truly felt. Blaine blinked in response before throwing himself into Kurt's arms. "Okay." He whispered. He pulled away and turned around, taking one final look at the house, studying it as if capturing a picture. He turned back, his stance firm and his feet grounded. "Let's go." Blaine murmured. He grabbed his jacket from the hood of Kurt's car and slipped it on. Kurt nodded at him and walked around to the driver's side before getting in.
They didn't even make it out of Lima before they saw it. Rather, saw them. Blaine's eyes almost popped out of his sockets and Kurt swore he felt the bile rising in his throat. "He never stood a chance." Blaine breathed as Kurt slowed the car. The wheel chair was tipped to the side, Artie's lifeless body still strapped to it. The brunette girl looked back at the car, moaning before turning back to Artie and taking another bite. "Sugar Motta." Kurt said. His hand twitched to the rifle that rested against his thigh and he lowered his window. "Hey Sugar." He called and aimed at her head, shooting her once in the skull.
Sugar's body slumped against the wheel of the chair her eyes wide and vacant. Kurt swallowed and put the window back up, his throat tight as he stared back at her. "She was our friend." Kurt whispered as he fitted the gun back against his thigh. "No, Kurt. She was a zombie, she was already gone." Blaine murmured placing his hand on Kurt's thigh. He rubbed a soothing circle and Kurt smiled softly.
They were distracted by each other until they heard the knock on the window, both jumping, Kurt's hand moving to the gun. He let it relax however at the sight of the two faces on the other side of the window. Blaine was about to lower his window, a bright grin on his face when Kurt stopped him. "We don't know." Kurt whispered and Blaine just gaped at him before nodding. Kurt turned back to the window and looked at Brittany and Santana. "Have you been bitten?" He asked them, his voice carrying through the glass.
"Are you f- Kurt. Our car broke down on our way out of town. You let us in right now or I swear I will go all Lima Heights on your ass." Santana said, her speech followed by a string of Hispanic curse words that Kurt just rolled his eyes at. "Do you have any supplies? Guns." Kurt swallowed, forcing this next part out without looking at the girls. "We can't afford to take on any extras." Santana just smirked at him and held out her backpack and showed him the supplies she had before swinging another bag into view, this one filled with ammunition for the two guns. "Where did you get all that?" Kurt asked as he simultaneously unlocked the car doors and allowed the two girls entrance. "Are you really questioning her, Kurt?" Blaine asked. His tone was a little amused and he turned around to greet Brittany who was pulling out a coloring book from her own bag.
Kurt watched the girls for a moment before turning around and starting the car again. "Anyone dead that we should know about?" Kurt asked as he turned the corner and made his way out of the town. "Brit's parents didn't make it. I told her they're on vacation." Santana said, her voice tired as she leaned back against the seatback. "We just saw Artie, and Kurt shot Sugar. She was..." Blaine trailed off, looking out the window. Santana understood and silence fell again. "Anyone we know that's alive?" Blaine asked finally the sounds of Brittany coloring a quiet comfort to him.
They all paused, racking their brains for anything. "Rachel and Finn are with my dad and Carole. They should be fine." Kurt said. Deep down he knew anything could go wrong, but from what he heard the government had prepared for something like this. They had prepared for a long time for nuclear holocaust, total assimilation by acid rain, and zombie epidemics. "Last I heard Quinn was at Yale. She said she was getting out. But you never know." Santana's voice was distant, her newly repaired friendship with Quinn had left her vulnerable, hoping beyond anything that her friend was okay. Brittany piped up then. "Rory is home where the real leprechauns live. If he catches one he gets to have three wishes. Maybe he can make all the sadness go away."
Santana reached over and pulled Brittany close, pressing a kiss to her forehead before looking at Blaine from the backseat. "I heard the epidemic has only hit the US. Seems the world abandoned us. Hell even Canada shut down their border. They don't want any infected getting in." Her voice was hard, like she wanted to spit out the bad taste in her mouth. But nothing could wash that away.
They drove in silence for a while; the only sound the random murmurs from Santana to Brittany and the drone of the engine. Blaine watched the mile markers as they passed, the trees of Ohio making way to something more. He heard Santana about to speak up, her voice cut off by Kurt's shout. "That's Sam's truck." The entire group turned to stare out the window, looking at the mangled wreck that had at some point been Sam's truck. That might have still been Sam's truck if it weren't for the tree that it was currently wrapped around.
Kurt didn't mean to stop the car, his heart won out over his head, his need to see if their friend was still alive, or worse, hurt. But his head won out and stopped him from getting out of the car, making him pause and think before doing anything that could get him killed. His hand grasped his gun and he watched the car for a moment, looking for any signs of life. "I'll be right back." He said turning to Blaine and giving him a look that screamed stay. "I'm coming too King Gay you can't do this alone."
Santana gave Kurt a hard look and loaded up her own gun before carefully stepping out of the car. She let Kurt go first, watching the woods behind the car and edging carefully behind him. The pair reached the car and Santana nodded for him to look inside, the busted windows gave a clear view into the front and back seats. There was blood, but no sign of Sam, remains or otherwise. "The doors open." Kurt said as they edged along the front to the opposite side that was more obscured by the woods.
It all happened so quickly that Kurt didn't even remember blinking. One second they were alone and then Sam was there, bloody and moaning and certainly not human. And he hesitated. Because how was he supposed to shoot hit friend, kill his friend. Sugar was one thing; he hadn't known her that well, but Sam. Sam was a whole other can of worms. Countless afternoons playing video games with the blonde, high fiving when their team beat Finn and Puck's, sharing chips and buffalo wings on those rare nights when Kurt was just one of the guys. It was his hesitation that almost killed him. The want and need for Sam to just be okay, for everything to just be okay. Because Sam's eyes were still there, not yet clouded over by the infection.
The shot rang out and Santana started cursing, turning on Kurt in anger. "What were you thinking; he could have killed us both!" Her voice was high pitched and shrieky as she laid in on him, but Kurt wasn't listening. He was instead watching Sam's still form; his body slumped against a tree, blood leaking from the bullet wound in the center of his skull. Kurt stayed quiet as his eyes swept over the familiar face, his heart clenching. This was the first time the entire thing felt real. That his friends and loved ones really could die and at any time, by anyone.
Kurt finally looked up at Santana who had finished her tirade and was just staring at him. "We should. We should burn his body. Make sure no one else. You know." He said his voice broken, sounding equally as tired as Santana's had been earlier. He knew now that she had seen Brittany's parents turn. Had probably killed them herself. He watched the girl before him, watching her nod and pat her pocket for a lighter. She tilted the flame onto some moss before tossing it at Sam's body, watching the fabric of his shirt light, the Star Wars logo burning beneath the flames.
They stood there watching his body catch and light, head's filled with memories and thoughts and wishes and what ifs before they turned and walked back to the SUV. Blaine's eyes met Kurt's and the brunette just shook his head, watching Blaine swallow and nod slightly. He was glad Blaine didn't have to see it, didn't have to see Sam like that. Because it was too much, just too much. He needed Blaine to believe that Cooper was alive, that his parents would be okay, because if Blaine could believe that, then maybe he could believe that he would see his own dad again, and that he would see Finn and Carole and hell even Rachel. Someone had to believe, because he sure as hell was starting to doubt everything. Including himself.
End of Day One