It advanced on him. Steve could see bone where flesh had rotted away, blood dripping from it's mouth. He fumbled around for a stick, a rock, anything to defend himself with, but to no avail. It was on him-

Steve woke with a shout, drenched with sweat. The blond gasped for breath, a feeling reminiscent of his high school gym days. Damn suicide runs. Though he would rather face those than a...

His husband stirred beside him.

"Steve?"

"It was another nightmare.."

Thor pulled the shorter blond into his arms. "I understand. I still dream about it sometimes." "

Sometimes" was the key word. Steve was almost jealous of Thor's ability to suppress the dreams of.. those things. It was amazing, considering he'd had seen just as much, or perhaps even more, of what had turned their world upside down and inside out.

And had also taken their schoolmates and families from this world.

Steve said nothing, but thought of what he, Thor, and their friends had been through. Survived through. Though the monsters were rotting away by now, and they had reached Providence (In a rickety piece-of-shit Ford, which they all agreed had been the biggest miracle of this hellstorm) and the world was putting itself back together...

Well, if time healed all wounds, the blond man thought, curled against his partner, it ought to have started with his mind.

Six years earlier...

The day had started normally enough. He'd woken up to the sweet, melodic beeping of his cheap alarm clock, taken a shower, braved his closet for an outfit- Which shouldn't have been that big a deal, considering all his clothes were basically different colored versions of each other. However, cleaning wasn't exactly the teen's strong suit.

After bolting down a Pop-Tart (Thor was a bigger influence than Steve liked to admit) the blond met Bruce at the bus stop.

"Morning."

"Hey."

"...And that's why we should go as the Justice League on Halloween."

Tony snorted. "You just want to see Nat in a Wonder Woman costume." Clint choked on his sandwich. Natasha rolled her eyes, but Steve caught a hint of a smile on her face. If only Clint could get the guts to ask her out.

"Not that I would blame you, though.." This was accompanied by a swift eyebrow waggle- Very swift, since the red-head kicked Tony under the table. "I just love your ability to take jokes, Nat." He glanced over to the blond on his right. "Careful you don't starve, Rapunzel." Thor was taking yet another pack of Pop-Tarts from his backpack.

"I've been eating this much every day for as long as we've known each other, Tony. Is it really something to comment on by now?"

"He just can't get used to the fact that not everybody lives off Amp, chips, and Nutella sandwiches."

"Amp is delicious, Bruce. You haven't seen the light."

Natasha joined in with "I tried that stuff once. It tasted like death, and I was shaking like a chihuahua." Steve smiled on the scene. Typical conversation..

"There's a new movie out on Saturday. Want to go see it with me?"

Steve looked over to his boyfriend. "Which one is it?"

"The Hobbit. The trailer looks really good."

"Sounds great. I'm free." Thor squeezed his hand under the table, and leaned over to press a kiss to Steve's cheek. Clint performed his ritual grimace at the display of affection, then looked up at the clock.

"We've got about one minute, we should get going." The group rose from the table, throwing paper plates and plastic bags and wrappers into a nearby garbage can. Most of the other kids in the cafeteria were doing the same. As the six set out into the hallway, Tony and Bruce started to animatedly discuss their latest science project, while Clint and Natasha shared misgivings about their English teacher.

"It's like she waits until I zone out, then asks me a question..."

A scream rang through the hallway. All the chatter around them died down as people looked around, trying to locate the source of the sound. "What's going on?" Natasha asked, standing on her toes, trying to look over people's heads. There was shoting, and another screech, along with...A growl?

"Hey! What the hell!" Clint snarled, as a kid rammed into him. Bruce paled.

"Um..guys...I think we should go. Like, right now." Steve was about to ask why, but then the cause of the commotion came into his line of sight. It was a woman- or, it had been a woman- who looked as if she had been eaten by a pack of wolves and spat back up. Flesh hung off the body in chunks, and Steve saw the glint of bone in several places. Bloody froth poured from an open mouth, and the mangled corpses of two students lay behind it.

Oh dear god, what's happening

"Staring at it isn't gonna help, we need to get out!" Thor seized his hand, pulling him away.

Thor glanced over at the nearest body, jaw dropping. The girl was trying to get to her feet, movements jerky, and eyes rolled back in her head. Half of her face was gone, ripped off, and blood oozed down her neck, staining her white shirt scarlet.

"Oh my god.."

Natasha, fed up with their dawdling grabbed Steve by the front of his shirt. "Come on!" She pulled him along with her, Thor following. Panicking students were clogging the hallway, and they had to fight not to be trampled by the crowd.

"In here!" Tony ushered them into an empty classroom. It was a cooking class- pots and pans hung on hooks over stoves, and knives were stuck to a magnetic strip on the wall.

"I put gas in my truck this morning" Clint gasped. "We can't stay here."

"What about those..those things out there? What about our parents?" Steve's mind had flown over to his mother. Did she work today? He didn't even remember.

I didn't even remember to say goodbye to her earlier.

"Well, there's only the one out there..."

"One of the dead girls was getting up." Everyone glanced over to Thor, and Steve could practically hear their thoughts: Oh shit.

"We'll stop by our houses. But if there's more..things there, we'll have to assume the worst."

Steve noticed how Clint didn't mention his own family. His biological parents were dead, and he was in foster care. But to not worry about those he lived with...

"We have to find Loki." Thor said. He was very protective over his younger brother.

Where would he be? Oh yeah, with Darcy. Loki had started hanging around the girl and her friends a couple months ago. Did he ever mention where they go for lunch? They're never in the cafeteria.

Thor rifled through the drawers, looking for a weapon.

"Where's your truck?"

"It's in the parking lot, over there." Clint pointed out a nearby window. Thor, having found nothing of use, looked over it.

"It doesn't open."

"Fuck."

The blond looked over to the wall over a nearby oven. He pulled down a heavy frying pan, turning it over in his hands.

"Are you all ready? We're gonna have to run." They all nodded. "Stand back." The long-haired young man slammed the pan into the window once. Twice! Thrice! It shattered.

"Go!" He shouted, hurdling over the windowsill, friends and boyfriend following. It was complete chaos outside.- people were screaming and running, while the creatures attacked anything within reach. An older man-who Steve recognized as the sophomore math teacher- fell to the ground. Steve fought the urge to vomit as one of the things tore out his throat.

Clint reached the truck first, quickly unlocking the door and hopping into the front seat. The others climbed up into the bed of the pickup. Clint started the truck-

"Wait!" The words had come from Thor. "We're not leaving without my brother."

Natasha glanced around at the pandemonium surrounding them. She said nothing.

Tony opened his mouth to speak. "We-"

"If you want to leave him, you'll have to leave me too."

They waited for about one minute, with bated breath. As the seconds ticked by, Thor started to shake. Steve reached out, placing a hand on his shoulder.

Bruce was straining his eyes, looking for any sign of the younger teen. "I don't- Wait!" He pointed off towards the back gates. "There!"

And then they all could see one terrified Loki Odinson running towards them- Creature in pursuit.

Oh, shit.

"Loki!"

"Hurry!"

The noiret practically flew across the parking lot, before being yanked into the back of Clint's shitty truck- Which was already crowded by the previous five occupants.

The thing reached towards them, growl leaving it's throat. With a jolt, Steve realized it was that loud, funny guy from Thor's history class- Volstagg? The two had gotten along well.

"Step on it!"

Clint obliged, the Ford's engine roaring to life, and slammed into the creature as he peeled out of the parking lot. Steve watched as it got back up, neck at an odd angle.

"What in the hell is going on?" asked Tony, looking ready to pass out.

"I have no idea" said Clint, shaking his head.

Loki was practically hysterical, and Steve could barely make out the boy's words, as his face was pressed into Thor's shoulder. "Me and Darcy got separated, and everyone else-"

"Do you think our parents are okay?" Natasha's words were barely audible over the noise around them.

"I hope so." replied Bruce, trying not to think of his mother.

They stopped by Bruce's house first. He let out a small whimper after seeing the door practically dangling off the hinges. "Mom?" he called. There was silence, then one of the creatures stumbled through the doorway, face smeared with blood. Bruce's face crumbled, and he shook as they pulled away. Tony reached over, pulling the shorter brunet into a hug.

When they reached Steve's house, the windows were shattered, and the door was wide open. The car was in the driveway, meaning his mother had been home. The blond's heart plummeted.

I forgot to say goodbye.

Thor and Loki's place was no better. Loki had choked back a sob as Clint sped away, and Thor had said nothing. Steve took his hand, rubbing circles on his boyfriend's skin with a thumb.

What else can I possibly do?

Tony was the luckiest- His parent's car was gone, meaning they had managed to escape. Steve wished he could feel happy for him.

Natasha, on the other hand was the worst off- Steve didn't know what either of her parents looked like, but the noise that tore from her throat after seeing the corpses on the front lawn told them all everything they needed to know.

Clint navigated them through the streets. The sidewalks were stained with blood, and bodies were scattered throughout the town. Steve closed his eyes, blocking out the images, but not the sounds, of people he knew being torn apart- by what could only be classified as "the walking dead".

They drove on, silent except for an occasional sob or whimper. They were all trying to keep themselves together, after witnessing the most horrific thing imaginable. Steve opened his eyes, and watched in the rear view mirror as they left their town behind. He watched until their home disappeared from the mirror entirely.

They drove on, not knowing where the road would take them.