Rapunzel had been in her apartment for weeks. Mother never returned from grocery shopping. She went out, and that's when the virus took hold of the town. Everything went to hell. Televisions and radios stopped broadcasting. Helicopters constantly flew over the city. Men in military gear ran around frantically. The gunshots never ceased. Then, all of a sudden they seemed they seemed to give up. Rapunzel watched it all from her apartment on the sixth floor.
After a few days, the city became silent beside the groans outside her window. She kept the door locked, but she hadn't thought to board up the window, her only connection to the outside world. Mother didn't let her get out much. The apartment was the only safe haven that she knew. Rapunzel didn't know what to do without her mother. So far, she just stayed in the apartment hoping she would return.
She looked out her window once more and sighed at the seeming lifeless bodies skulking across the streets. She knew, realistically, that she couldn't stay in the apartment forever. She needed to find someone who could help her. She needed to look for her mother. But what if Mother came back and she wasn't here?
Her thoughts were interrupted when the Walkers (that's the name she came up for the creatures) started groaning louder than normal. She backed away from the window and stumbled onto the couch. There she stayed with her frying pan. It was the only weapon she could find. It had never been used but just in case Rapunzel kept it on her while moving throughout the house.
All of a sudden she heard clamoring from outside the window. Her grip on her frying pan tightened. A Walker couldn't get up here from that window, she told herself. It wasn't possible. Then, a body came tumbling from outside the window and landed hard on the wooden floor. He was breathing hard like he'd been running for a while. She immediately stood up and pointed her frying pan at the man.
Please don't be a Walker. Please don't be a Walker. Rapunzel begged. If he were dead she would have to run for it. She couldn't kill him. Even the thought of it made her feel sick.
The man had his eyes shut, still breathing heavily. He had a mess of brown hair and tan skin, both caked in dirt. Rapunzel's eyes then found the gun in his right hand. She approached slowly and then reached down and snatched the gun.
The man's eyes popped opened. "Holy fuck," he said scrambling to his feet. "I thought this place was empty."
"Not quite," Rapunzel managed. She pointed the gun at him. Honestly, she wasn't even sure she was holding it right.
"Give me my gun back, Blondie," he said. "I escaped a horde of zombies by the skin of my teeth. I'm not about to be shot by some 100 pound girl, and with my own gun no less."
"Who are you? Why are you here?"
He sighed. "Look, I was being chased, I saw the apartment, and I climbed it, end of story. The name's Flynn Rider. Now, Blondie-"
"Rapunzel," she corrected.
"Gesundheit. Can I have my gun back and then I'll go?"
She almost didn't want him to leave. She'd been alone a long time. Not just since Mother had been gone, but before that too. She didn't talk to many people. Maybe said hi to her neighbors in the hall, but besides that. She didn't keep much company.
The sound of gurgling interrupted her thoughts. It came from outside her door. She looked at Flynn with a scared look. "Shit," he breathed. "We gotta go." Rapunzel was still frozen with fear. How did they get in the building? Up all those stairs?
Nails were now clawing on the door. The wood groaned under the weight of the walkers pushing up against it. "Now, Blondie!" Flynn grabbed the gun out of her hand while she was distracted and started to hoist himself out of the window. "What are you doing? Let's go!"
"I can't-I can't leave." She couldn't catch her breath. The fear consumed her. What if Mother came back to an abandon house? "They can't get in. The door is barricaded." Just then, as some cosmic joke, the door fell down revealing a dozen Walkers all vying for their flesh.
Flynn grabbed her hand and pulled her onto the fire escape. "Do you have a death wish? Come on." Flynn started down the stairs as fast as he could. Rapunzel stood there for one more moment. No more sitting around. Her life began now.
"Wait for me!" She reached back into the house and grabbed her frying pan and flying down the stairs after Flynn.
"Where are we going?" Rapunzel asked quietly. They were hiding behind a car. Flynn was scanning the town.
"There's a group outside of town I've been with since the start of all this. I was scavenging when I got trapped by those zombies and found my way into your apartment. I have to find medical supplies and some food hopefully. And you're going to help me. Then I'll take you back to camp and we'll figure out what to do with you then."
"Figure out what to do with me?" Rapunzel asked.
"Yes," Flynn said, ignoring the question. "Let's go." Half-crouching, he started to jog toward the entrance of the grocery store. Rapunzel followed him wordlessly. What other choice did she have but to trust this guy?
The door was locked, but Flynn managed to pick it. With a certain amount of ease, Rapunzel noticed. He forced open the door, and they went inside. Flynn quickly disappeared behind some shelves. "What exactly am I looking for?" Rapunzel asked.
"Look for any food that won't expire. Canned stuff mostly. If there's any left. This place seems pretty gutted already. I'll be over in the pharmacy section. You should also find a backpack or something to carry supplies in. And a weapon better than that frying pan." His voice got more distant as he walked over and hopped the pharmacy counter.
"What's wrong with my frying pan?" She said, searching for something she could hold supplies in.
"Logistically it's too heavy. You can't carry it around with ease. The awkward shape could get stuck in a Walker's head. Try to find a knife. Your best bet is a gun, but you're not going to find that in a grocery store."
Rapunzel spotted a satchel abandoned on the floor. She picked it up and dumped its contents on the floor. Diapers, bottles, and a baby blanket fell out. The sight of this made Rapunzel take a sharp breath in. Some baby had lost its mother. She felt guilty for taking the bag, but she didn't have a choice. She slung the black satchel over her shoulder and continued on.
Almost all the shelves had been emptied, except for the expired items. She continued on, broken glass crunching under her boots. She held her frying pan like a baseball bat, ready to strike if she heard anything. She managed to find a couple cans of peaches and a few power bars. She also put a brush in her satchel. She would need it to detangle her long blonde hair. Flynn didn't have to know.
Meanwhile Flynn was having trouble finding everything he needed. There was an injured girl back at camp. He did score one thing he wasn't particularly looking for: Adderall. It helped keep them awake and focused during night watches. Most in his group were his age or younger; their bodies still slaves to sleep. It couldn't hurt.
He filled his backpack as best as he could and set out to find Rapunzel. She was a strange one. But at the same time he found her interesting. Was she in that apartment that whole time by herself? He shook his head. No time for backstories. Flynn Rider didn't do backstories, not when his was so horrible.
Still, those big green eyes were begging for some sort of companionship. Flynn usually worked alone, but there was something almost comforting about having people around again. After living most of his life alone, having a group that had his back was nice. Even if sometimes he still did get the urge to split he would never actually do it. They trusted him.
Milo, Kida, Tiana, Herc, and Ariel. They were all waiting for him back at camp unaware of the girl he was going to bring back. He hoped they wouldn't want to kick her out. This girl couldn't survive on her own; he knew that much. He found her in the produce section, looking at all the dead plants.
"Oh, hey Flynn. Look what I found hiding out in all the dead plants. Must be an escaped pet or something. I'm going to keep him." In Rapunzel's hand was some lizard looking reptile. Flynn could swear the thing was scowling at him.
"Okay, as long as I am not responsible for the frog-"
"Chameleon."
"Nuance. Let's go before it gets dark, okay?"
"I'm going to call him Pascal," she said excitedly.
"That's great," he deadpanned. "Let's leave through the back. There might be more supplies there."
