A/N: AND I'M BACK! With a fan fiction that I have never been more proud of. This was actually a little Christmas fic I wrote for a friend, but I want to share it with you guys because why not. PLEASE! I request you review with any advice you can give about improving my character portrayal, as I feel that's the weakest part of this story. THANK 3 And that's all I got.
It had been days…no- weeks since this entire ordeal began, and already there were few survivors. The area was abandoned, and out of use. No stores were open and all people had been run out of town. This was it- this was what everyone claimed to be ready for, but fled when it actually happened. This was the apocalypse. Four friends stayed together, in a band for survival; Makoto, Haruka, Nagisa, and Rei- four teenagers that miraculously survived the outbreak. They swore they would live, and work together to find food, water, and shelter. The four boys currently resided in an old school building- it was secluded enough and it gave them time to regroup and find what they needed before carrying on.
All of them were exhausted, but they also knew that rest was the last of their priorities if they wanted to see another day. So they took shifts- One would stay armed and awake while the others slept, and then switch. It was a vicious cycle that had turned routine for them in the past week. Of the four, Haruka took the involuntary role as 'leader', as he was the most level headed in stressful situations. Though he didn't quite act as a leader, the others seemed to listen to him- even when he didn't want them to. Haru didn't complain, but he didn't comply either. Makoto gathered supplies, and Nagisa hunted for food, even if it was most of the time just some wild berries. Rei acted as the navigator, and planner. But they all traveled together.
A long day had passed, and the sun slowly began to set on the apocalyptic world, giving the outdoors a soft, orange tint. They boys were settling down for the night, in one of the empty, run down classrooms. Nagisa was the first yawn, and it was Makoto's turn to keep watch first. He held a shotgun in his hands- something he wouldn't have dared to pick up before this turn of events and a hunting knife in his pocket. The night went on, and Makoto let out a tired sigh as he watched his friends sleep. He couldn't shake the dreaded feeling that they weren't alone. The tall brunette tightened his grip on the gun and stood up. Did he dare look out into the hall, did he dare step out of the room? Makoto swallowed his fear and walked outside the safe sanctum the boys had created. He braved the halls, turning a corner. Empty. Makoto sighed, and continued on, reaching a stairwell engulfed in darkness. He couldn't make it one step before he nearly jumped out of his skin; someone touched him. A hand grazed his shoulder. All the color drained from his face.
"It's my turn to keep watch."
It was Haruka, and immediately, Makoto's shoulders fell to a relaxed state, and his face regained its color. "O-oh- Haru-chan. It's only you…" The brunette's voice trailed off, turning to look at his companion. The two headed back to the others, not wanting to leave them alone for too long. And there they were, sleeping soundly. Both Haruka and Makoto let out a small sigh of relief, and the taller of the two settled himself and let Haru take watch.
The night passed so slowly, as it always had since the infection started. When the sun began to rise, Rei was the first to wake. He quietly rummaged through his bag for a pencil and paper to begin formulating the days plans. He barely finished when Haruka woke up- "Haruka- I've planned out our next move." Rei spoke softly as to not wake the others. He slipped Haru the piece of paper, who in turn, examined it. With a slight nod he handed it back to Rei.
"I like it." Haru didn't like the idea of telling others what to do- but in this time of crisis, and others depending on him, he did what needed to be done. "I think….Once the others wake up- We'll get supplies, and head out." Rei nodded in agreement and put the paper back into the bag from which it came. The two sat in near silence while they waited for the others to wake up.
Once Nagisa and Makoto woke up, the four wasted no time gathering their things and heading out. Each of them held a weapon of choice; Makoto and his shotgun, Haruka held a simple six slot revolver, Rei handled himself with a machete, and Nagisa with a pistol. They traveled much like a wolf pack, together, and close. In all, it was the smartest way of doing things. But on occasion, they would break into pairs to look for supplies, ammo, and food.
Rei and Nagisa decided to part ways, to cover more ground before leaving the town they had settled in. They headed west, while Makoto and Haru covered the east end. As Makoto walked quietly with Haru, he noticed the other's shirt was tattered and ripped beyond compare, his face was splattered with dried blood and who knew what else. A worried smile etched the taller ones face and he stopped walking. Haru noticed this, and turned to look at Makoto.
"What?" Haru gave Makoto a quizzical look as the brunette approached him.
Makoto let out a soft chuckle, wiping his thumb across Haru's cheek, clearing his face of dried blood. "Haru-chan-" Makoto looked at Haru, cracking the softest, and subtlest of smiles. "You're filthy…"
Haru strained his neck, reluctantly allowing Makoto to clean his face like a child. "I don't think your face is any cleaner." He spoke calmly, looking away when Makoto pulled his hand back from his face.
Makoto looked Haru up and down, his shirt had a giant hole right in the middle, and one of his pant legs was ripped off at the knee. Bumps and bruises, and scratches covered his face, neck and arms. But Makoto didn't look any better, probably worse…All in all the four of them didn't encounter many of the undead, it was nature and clumsiness that gave out injuries. Carelessly scratching themselves on branches when hiding in the woods, or scraping knees when hiding under cars. But in these times, cuts and scrapes like these were inevitable. "Let me clean you up." Makoto knelt down to shuffle through his bag to find some first aid supplies.
"Here, take your shirt off." Makoto stood back up with some bandages and gauze. "You're all scratched up." Through the brunettes calm words, he could feel his face heat up.
Haru removed his shirt and tossed it aside. It could barely be considered a shirt anymore it was so ripped up. Haru's chest was covered in scratches old and new. Makoto let out a sigh as he noticed a large bruise under Haru's ribcage. He ran two fingers across it gently. "Does it hurt?" He asked, the concern apparent in his voice. The other winced at Makoto's touch. The bruise was fresh.
The shorter stiffened at Makoto's touch. "No- I'm fine."
"What did you do?"
"I just tripped the other day- looking for ammo in that shed we were in." Haru explained himself, keeping his calm composure.
"Hm…" Makoto pursed his lips. Again, digging in his bag, finally finding a few rags and a bottle of rubbing alcohol. "Here-" The brunette dabbed the rag with the liquid, and gently drew it across Haru's scratched chest. The shorter responded by squirming, only slightly. It wasn't painful as much as it was uncomfortable. It felt like small pin pricks across his stomach and chest. He could feel the substance settling into to the fresher of the cuts, those pricks finally coming to a stop. Makoto dabbed the wounds with a dry rag, absorbing the alcohol that hadn't seeped into the wounds.
Makoto nodded, taking a step away from Haru and picking up his shirt; which now looked like a tattered dish rag, but it would do. "When we get to the next town, we'll look for some better clothes." The brunette said as Haru put his shirt back on. "We- we should get going, I wouldn't want to stick around much longer, who knows what we might run in to if we do."
Haru nodded and the two made their way to the east end of the town they were in, collecting the supplies they found. In a small neighborhood, The pair looked through all the houses, collecting rags, antibiotics, and other medical needs, as well as non perishable foods like soup cans. They were both upstairs, in what seemed to be a child's bedroom when Makoto heard one of the floorboards creak downstairs.
"H-Haru…" Makoto's voice went soft and timid. "I-I'll go check it out…" He attempted to brave out of the room and down the stairs but couldn't force himself to do such.
"I'll go." Haru put a hand on Makoto's shoulder, stopping him in the doorway. He instead went out to investigate. He cautiously made his way down the stairs, and into the kitchen, not making a sound. Everything seemed fine until he saw a figure walk through the living area just outside the kitchen. "Shit…" Haru muttered to himself. His body tensed, and he drew his gun. His eyes darkened as he aimed- it then dawned on him…If he fired the gun, it would only attract more, which were probably very close by. Haru put his gun away and instead pulled out his hunting knife. Once the zombie had its back turned to him, Haru crept behind it, his heart racing. He grabbed the monster's neck in a headlock, stabbing its jugular with the knife, immediately killing it. The thing fell to the ground with a soft thud. Haru checked the area downstairs before going back up to Makoto. Everything seemed fine- which he found odd, so he didn't put his guard down completely.
"Makoto, it's ok, it was- " The raven haired's words were cut short when someone grabbed him from behind pulling him to the ground. Makoto screamed in sheer horror as a zombie knocked Haru to the ground. It's rotting fingernails digging into Haru's skin. Makoto panicked, and lunged forward, tackling what was once a living human being. The brunette wrapped his hands around the zombie's neck, strangling it.
With the mangled human off of Haru's body he stood up doing the same to this zombie as he did to the last. Makoto let go of the now dead undead, his breathing frantic and his hands bloody, and shaking. But his mind quickly went to Haru as he shuffled over to him, looking him up and down. "H-Haru- Haru! Are you ok? You're not hurt are you? Did it bite you?"
Haru sighed in relief and nodded. "Yea, I'm fine." Slightly out of breath, Haru helped Makoto to his feet. "So much for getting cleaned up." He said, wiping sweat from his brow and noticing a trickle of blood drip down Haru's face. Makoto immediately began looking through his bag for a rag; finding one and cleaning the blood off Haru's face.
"Quit being so motherly, I'm fine." Haru gently pushed Makoto's hand away from his face. Sure, he was grateful for the other's worry, but it got to be a bit much sometimes.
A flush crossed Makoto's face and he looked away; rather embarrassed. "Heh- Sorry, Haru- I just get worried about you, is all." The brunette scratched the back of his neck, turning back to look at Haru. "We should..ah- get going. Wouldn't want to leave Nagisa and Rei waiting…" Makoto began walking out of the room, grimicing as he stepped over the dead, mangled corpse that tried to kill them both. Haru followed close behind. The two gradually made their way down the stairs and outside.
It was already noon. They had to leave if they wanted to reach the next town before dark. The fastest way was through the woods.
On the north edge of town, Makoto and Haru met back up with Rei and Nagisa.
"Glad to see you're both safe…" Rei said, looking across at the two who just walked up.
Makoto lowered his head- "We almost weren't. A couple of 'em attacked us back in the last neighborhood we searched. Nearly killed us." Makoto's mind slipped back to the image of the zombie digging it's nails into Haru's flesh- those new, fresh wounds…
'stop it, you're overreacting…'
Makoto shook the image out of his head, giving the group a weak smile. "Let's get going then,"
Rei looked along the path they were about to head down, and back at Makoto- then to Haru. "I-Is that really our only option?"
Haru nodded reluctantly. "It's the quickest way across to the next town. There should be a river we can get fresh water from, too. It's our best option." He knew it was dangerous- and he knew that if they didn't hurry they would be traveling through the woods at night- it would probably end up like that, hurrying or not. But despite these cons, Haru thought that the pros of fresh water, and a quicker path outweighed the negatives.
The four boys cautiously made their way into the woods, and as soon as their bodies left the town, an air of danger surrounded them. They could all feel it. They weren't alone.
The time passed so slowly, it felt like they had been wandering for hours. Endless cycles of trees that looked the same, dry leaves crunching underneath their feet, and the apparent smell of rotting wood, humid air and dead flesh. All in all it wasn't appealing. Despite it being no later than two o' clock, the forest was dark due to the trees obscuring the sun. It wasn't dark so that one could not see…But it didn't help the already dreary, more or less scary atmosphere.
"H-Haru-" Makoto's voice shook as he spoke Haru's name- something didn't seem right. "Haru, something doesn't feel right…Did you hear something over there? I-In the trees?" The brunette stood behind Haru, his hands on either of the shorter's shoulders, with every subtle noise, his fingers tightening over Haru's shoulders.
Haru looked over his shoulder. "We'll be fine." He told the other softly, placing his hand upon Makoto's. The taller froze, then nodded hesitantly.
They continued on their way as night fell. Exhausted, the boys stopped to rest, if only for a little. Nagisa flopped over Rei's lap as the four sat on the ground. "Ahhh- I'm so tired~ Haru-chan, can't we stop for the night?" The little blonde yawned as he drew circles in the ground.
Haru shook his head. "No- I'd like to make it through the woods tonight, I don't want to sleep here. It's too risky."
"But we haven't even made it to the river!" Nagisa whined, sitting up- ready to protest even more. "Haru-chan, we won't make it out before sunrise."
"That's better than sleeping the rest of the night here." Haru told the other, remaining calm- "If we stay awake, we can fight them off."
Silence came after those words. Nagisa nodded in agreement and lowered his tired head back into Rei's lap. The four exchanged glances at one another for a good five minutes. They all agreed that staying for much longer wouldn't benefit them at all. Rising to their feet, they brushed themselves off and carried on. With it now dark, Haru and Rei pulled out their flashlights. They only had two; which they assumed was better than none. Nagisa and Makoto kept close to either of the boys with the flashlights. The night became cooler, darker and only more dangerous.
A good ten minutes passed of silent movement- nothing but the sound of leaves and twigs underneath the group's feet could be heard. There was a rustle in the trees around them. Everyone froze. Rei was the one who looked around first. Out of the corner of his eye, he spotted a group of the undead shuffling behind them. Rei's breath hitched and tapped Nagisa on the shoulder, who quickly drew his gun, taking a not-so-careful aim and managing to nail one right in the head.
"Ah- Guy- get ready- I think we have company…" Nagisa knew well that the gun would make enough noise to attract the rest of the hoard that was nearby, but the impulsive blonde didn't put that into consideration as he fired his gun.
And he was right- there had to have been a group of fifteen zombies surrounding them. Every one of them readied their weapons. Makoto, Haru, and Nagisa took aim with their guns, and Rei began attacking with his machete. Quickly, the hoard dwindled to fewer and fewer by the minute until all of them were nothing but a pile of mangled corpses.
Through all the mess, though; "Ah-h-! OW-S-Shit." Nagisa was bitten. The other three backed away from the blonde who held his arm, bleeding, and shaking uncontrollably. The boy's breath was shallow as he fell to his knees. He bit his lip, as tears streamed down his face.
"Go-" The blonde's demeanor changed, his eyes were dark, bottomless. He knew what was to come, and he loved his friends too much to see him turn. "GO- NOW!" The boys cries echoed through the woods, and the others took a step back. Except for Rei. The navy haired teen took a step towards Nagisa, concern in his eyes.
"LISTEN TO ME-" Nagisa screamed at the other, startling him. "If you don't leave now- I'm going to kill you." The blonde's voice softened, "Unless you kill me first…"
The color drained from Rei's face. Kill Nagisa? He shook his head. "I can't-"
With all the strength Nagisa could muster- He grabbed Rei by his shirt collar, pulling him into a final embrace. "You have too- It has to be you, Rei-chan…"
Rei stood up, his fingers trembling around his blade. "Nagisa-kun- I- I don't want to do this…"
Farther away, Makoto felt tears well up in his eyes, coming to the realization of what was happening. Haru simply looked away. Rei was hesitant, as anyone would be if you had just been told to kill your best friend. Hesitant enough that Nagisa began to show the very fast changes of the infection.
The color drained from the blonde's eyes, leaving nothing but a bloodshot pupil, and lips became blue, and lifeless.
"Rei- NOW!" Makoto called to the other. With a tear stained face, and shaking hands Rei held his machete high, bringing it down hard onto Nagisa's neck, slicing the boy's head off. Rei fell limp to his knees, sobbing into his bloodied hands. The blood of his best friend.
They all cried- Haru on the inside. Makoto had to pry Rei off of Nagisa's headless body, edging Rei to continue. The teen simply shook his head, refusing to move. "If they come, let them take me- "
"Rei- don't say that!" Makoto said to the other- he let Rei support himself on his shoulders- as he had lost the will to walk. "We have to keep going, come on-" Makoto spoke through tears, Nagisa was his friend too after all. He laid a comforting hand upon Rei's back. "We're almost through the woods, once we reach the next town we can rest." Rei's breath staggered, ragged and shaky. He was in a state of shock, feeling sick to his stomach.
"P-Please- let me sit down" Rei pleaded through choked sobs. He held his face in his hands, kneeling down to the ground. Haru nodded and thought it best to let Rei recover. Haru guarder Rei and Makoto as the brunette tried his best to comfort the other.
Rei looked over to Makoto, his voice barely above a whisper. He clung onto the shirt of his friend; "I killed him…"
Tears streamed down Makoto's face as he did his best to stop Rei from crying. "Rei- you did what you had to do." Those last words trailed off as Makoto covered his mouth, letting out a muffled sob into his hand.
With a few moments of composure, Rei wiped his tears away and took in a shaky breath. "We- should get going…We don't need to be out here any more than then we have been already." He cleared his throat and picked his flashlight up from the ground. Rei pressed his glasses up and carried on his way, standing tall. But his hands still trembled, and his mind still ached with the deed he had done.
Upon reaching the next town, the boys were thankful it was clear of all undead. They took refuge in an abandoned apartment complex, unloading their things in one of the rooms. It had grown dark, nearly pitch black outside since all the street lamps had blown out. There was no electricity, and the three sat huddled in an empty room.
"It's late, let's get some sleep. I'll keep watch first tonight." Haru looked at the other too, having stood to his feet. He encouraged them to rest- to which they complied, finding a somewhat comfortable spot on the floor. Haru leaned against the doorway, and slid down the side so he sat against the doorframe. As soon as Haru was sure everyone was a sleep, he held his face in his hands, and sobbed. Haru was one to show few emotions around others, but when it all came down to it, he really did care. And in these times, the group needed at least one person strong enough to help them through this, and Haru was elected that person. What felt like hours passed of Haru's silent cries- he felt a hand laid upon his shoulder. Makoto. The brunette came and sat next to Haru, wrapping an arm around the other in comfort. In most cases, Haru would have refused the company- but this…this was different. One of his best friends has just died, he was one of few survivors, and supplies were scarce. He shouldn't have been so shocked that one of four had already been taken down..But he was. The raven haired boy did nothing to contain his quiet sobs. He fell into Makoto's hold and hid his face in the others chest.
Makoto understood the pain Haru had to have felt, and he praised the shorter for being able to keep himself composed for this long. The brunette rubbed the other's back, holding him against his chest. What hit Haru so hard was the fact- the realization that- none of them were invincible. He and the others had gone on so long through this danger. He honestly thought…It was possible to get through this intact. That was his teenage mindset talking- but he was positive Makoto and Rei were thinking the same thing. The brunette could feel the staggere dries and fall of Haru's chest, and he did what he could to calm the other down.
With a last staggered breath, Haru looked up at Makoto- with a tear stained face- something Makoto had never seen before. "You're gonna be alright…You've got me-" The brunette's face flushed as he lifted Haru's chin, bringing the other close. Without even thinking, Makoto brought his lips to Haru's- and surprisingly, Haru kissed back. Makoto sighed, relieved, as he held Haru close, gently pulling away from the other's lips.
Haru closed his eyes, pressing his forehead to Makoto's. He sighed gently, wrapping his arms around Makoto's waist. He was glad that Makoto was with him. He brought himself back it his senses and stood up, his knees buckling under him, causing him to fall into Makoto's arms. The brunette helped Haru to his feet, supporting him with his arm, they hobbled back to the room they had made for themselves, Makoto laid Haru down and draped a blanket over him. Pressing a soft kiss to his forehead. The two shared no words- they didn't want to wake Rei, Makoto simply stood in the doorway, keeping watch.
Once Makoto relieved watching duty to Rei- he tucked himself in next to Haru and fell asleep. Rei looked somberly upon his sleeping friends, knowing well in his heart that things would never be the same without the small blonde he called his best friend. Rei let out a shaky sigh, having spilled all his tears earlier that night. He looked down at his hands, still painted with dried blood. He came to the realization that…He was the monster, and he would be worth very little to this expedition. With a set decision, Rei held his machete with a determined grip, placing it under his neck. The room was silent- Makoto and Haruka were asleep, and Rei took advantage of this, He pressed the blade to his neck, letting his own blood spill over his hands, letting it mask Nagisa's own. He felt his vision fade to a hazy blur, and he felt the blood drain from his head, leaving him struggling for breath. Rei's violet eyes drained of their bright color, and he sighed, feeling an immense weight life from his shoulders as he took his last breath.
The next day, it was Makoto that woke up first, sitting up. The brunette's eyes widened at the sight he saw in the door way- Rei, laying motionless in a pool of his own blood. Makoto's breath hitched, and stuck in the back of his throat. He put a hand on Haru's shoulder, gently shaking him awake. "H-Haru!" Makoto's voice dripped with worry as Haru slowly woke up. He noticed the distress in Mokoto's voice and eyes, he let out a ragged breath, pointing to the doorway. "R-Rei…"
Haru looked over at the door, scrambling to his feet and rushing over to check the body. "No pulse." He muttered, looking over at Makoto. "He killed himself."
Makoto's jaw dropped. "How'd you come to that conclusion!?" The brunette brought his hands up to his head, trying to wrap his brain around what the hell was going on. First Nagisa and now Rei- their numbers were dwindling, and Makoto didn't know how long he and Haru would last with just the two of them. Frustrated tears formed in the corners of his eyes, walking up to the body of his friend, he dropped to his knees by Rei. Tears streamed down his reddened cheeks, and Haru laid a comforting hand upon his back. Makoto fell into Haru's hold.
Haru ran his fingers through Makoto's hair. Shushing him gently, calming the other down. "Makoto…"
The brunette looked up at Haru, his eyes still brimmed with tears. "We're gonna be fine. We just- " Haru's voice shook as he spoke. "We just- we need to stay together."
Makoto nodded, and clutched Haru's arm as they stood up together. "We should get going. I don't want to be stuck here once it hits mid day." Weakly, Makoto gathered his things, and began walking out the door, with Haru close behind.
Outside in the open, Haru walked close with Makoto. Cautiously, Makoto laced his finger's with Haru's, giving his hand a gentle squeeze. Haru reacted lightly- saying and doing nothing, but a light blush rose on his cheeks.
"Where should we head now?" Makoto asked- with it just being the two of them, they would cover a lot less ground- so they had to plan with this in mind.
"I say we cover the houses in this town, look for food, and stay here one more night before moving on…" Haru spoke softly, calmly, but his hands still trembled.
Makoto nodded, in agreement. On an impulse, Makoto drew Haru into a hud, resting his chin on the other's shoulder. "We're gonna make it through this. I promise."