Disclaimer - I own nothing you recognise.
Word Count without AN - 1449
Written for;
Friends - Season 8. The Baby Shower
Build A Fic - KingsleyBill, Ugly, Apocalypse!AU, Godric's Hollow, Adrenaline
100 Pairings - KingsleyBill
Camp Potter - Fireworks - KingsleyBill
100 Ways To Say I Love You - 62. It can wait until tomorrow.
Mortal Kombat - Jacqui Briggs
Build A Cube - Orange - Nox
Not Dead Yet
Bill ducked under a bridge, stopping just long enough to catch his breath. He'd been lucky for the last few days, but he should have known that his luck wouldn't hold. He'd been chased from the safehouse he'd found, and now he was, once more, without shelter.
"Who's there?"
Spinning in place, Bill gripped the knife in his hand as he saw the bushes flutter with movement. Before he could strike out with the knife, a familiar face popped out.
"Oh thank Merlin," Bill muttered, lowering the weapon. "Minister. What are you doing out here?"
"My duty," Kingsley replied, a grim smile on his face as the two men shook hands. "We've a few different groups out searching for survivors."
"Have you heard anything about the rest of my family? I don't know if they…"
"Ron, Ginny and George are all fine. We've a safe haven set up. Godric's Hollow. Hermione and a few of the Unspeakables managed to make wards that these… things, can't eat through. You know that you can't use magic against them?"
Bill nodded. "Hmm. I learnt that the hard way. I was very nearly a goner. What about the others?"
Kingsley sighed. "You and a lot of other people. We're not sure. They could be anywhere, people fled their homes; if they survived that long. So many people, dead because they don't know how to protect themselves without their wands. Harry has been a godsend. Apparently his cousin had an obsession with zombie movies when they were kids and he picked up a few things."
"Is that what we're calling them then? Zombies?"
"It's the closest term," Kingsley agreed.
The two of them set off walking, half of their attentions on their surroundings.
"Anyway, Harry has taught a lot of the Aurors to shoot muggle weapons and fight with knives, and he's also found a way to bamboozle them, his word not mine, so that the unspeakables can study them while they're still… active."
"Have you got any idea where the virus come from?"
"It's a muggle error as far as we can tell, not that knowing that helps us any. The muggles are almost all dead, I imagine. I certainly haven't run across many of them alive, put it that way."
Bill shook his head sadly. "To think, we fought a war, only to die anyway."
Kingsley frowned. "We're not dead yet, Bill. We'll start our way towards the Hollow. Hopefully we'll find a few more survivors on the way."
As night fell, the two holed up in a cave, glad of having some shelter from the cool night air. Bill was finally running low on adrenaline, and he was glad for the chance to sleep.
Neither man dared to use magic in case it drew the 'zombies' their way, but Kingsley managed to get a fire going using some flint that Harry had put in his supply kit.
Lying down beside each other to conserve the heat, Bill thought back to happier times. Surprisingly, some of the best times he'd had had been when in the Order. Teamwork, kinship, friendship, it had been satisfying to know that he wasn't alone in the world.
"Reminds me of Order missions, this," Kingsley murmured, making Bill chuckle at the echo of his thoughts.
"The only difference is that then, we could use warming charms," he agreed.
"Are you cold?" Kingsley asked, even as he shuffled closer, wrapping a large arm over Bill.
Despite the slight discomfort at being so close together, Bill felt instantly safer.
"Thanks," he whispered.
"Sleep, Bill. Save the worrying, huh. It can wait until morning."
Three days passed by without much cause for concern before they ran into any trouble. A shout was their only warning before they saw three figures running their way, chased by clumsy walking dead.
Bill heard someone firing spells, and cursing their ignorance, he ran forward.
"Stop casting! They feed on the magic! Just fucking run!"
Kingsley, only a step behind him, handed him a muggle gun. "Here. Aim like you would a wand and press the trigger."
The three runners behind them, Bill and Kingsley fought to take out the zombies. One got too close for comfort to Bill, when a flash of bright light seemed to stop it in it's tracks.
"Move!" Kingsley shouted, and Bill did as he was bid, rolling away.
As soon as a bullet was between the eyes of the stunned zombie, Bill and Kingsley let out matching sighs of relief. Turning to the survivors, Bill saw Kingsley scowling.
"Did you not notice that they got stronger with every spell you cast their way?" he asked, his voice booming with anger.
"What are we supposed to do if we can't fight them with magic?" one of them asked, a young man of around twenty one.
Bill rolled his eyes. "Purebloods, clearly," he muttered, shaking his head at Kingsley.
Kingsley nodded. "There's a safe haven been set up at Godrics Hollow. It's up to you, you can come with us and hope that we make it, or you can try and make your own way there."
"I know Godric's Hollow. Can't we just apparate there?"
Bill let his head drop to his chest. "Don't you realise how much magic you release every time you apparate? You'll have them moving in in drones. Within hours, Godric's Hollow will be over run, and then we'll all be sitting ducks."
"But… you just said it was safe there," the girl said, fear clear in her eyes. "I don't want to die!"
"It's safe as long as people are smart," Kingsley replied, slightly kinder. "Come on. We'll make sure you get there."
After exchanging welcome hugs from his siblings, Bill remained at Kingsleys side as Harry reported all that had gone on in his absence.
"We got a report in this morning that the team Dawlish was lead has run across a bit of trouble up north. Hermione managed to get the phones working a couple of days ago, so we're sending mobiles out with teams whenever they leave now as well. Ron and I are taking a team up soon to try and help Dawlish out and bring them all home."
Bill could read the tension in Harry's frame, but he was full of admiration for the younger man. Despite having held the world on his shoulders for so long, he was still on the frontlines, still doing everything he could to help.
"We could go?" he offered, glancing at Kingsley. "We made a good team out there, I think?"
Kingsley nodded slowly. "We could. How are the wards here holding up?"
"They're doing well, for now, but as more and more people turn up and get tempted to use magic… I mean, there's only so much the wards will be able to do, you know?"
Sighing, Kingsley pinched at the bridge of his nose. "Idiots. Any further news on the zombies? Are we any closer to finding a cure, or a deterrent or… anything?"
Harry shook his head. "Not really. We've found out that minor spells, Lumos, Nox, that kind of thing, doesn't have any effect on them. You'll be able to use both in the field, but since a torch does exactly the same thing, that isn't exactly helpful. Hermione is working on a clicker that has the same intense flash as a camera, to bamboozle them though. I can't imagine it will take her very long to perfect it."
"Good. Right, we'll go and see if we can help Dawlish and his lot. Have you got the map coordinates?"
"Why did you volunteer to come with me?" Kingsley asked, his back against the wall of the sheltered muggle bus stop they'd decided to take a break in.
"I don't want to sit around doing nothing," Bill hedged, looking away.
Kingsley took a gentle hold of his chin, his hand on the ugly scars left over from the werewolf attack, guiding him around to meet eyes. "Want to tell me what else is going on?"
Bill shook his head. "Not really."
"Try."
"I just… Since Fleur left… the last few days with you have been the first time I've felt… alive."
"That could just have been the thrill of fighting," Kingsley said quietly, a hint of disappointment in both his eyes and his tone.
"I don't think so," Bill disagreed. He leant forward slowly until their lips met. "I really, really don't think so."
Kingsley smiled, capturing Bills lips again. They lost track of time until a noise behind their shelter made them jump, instantly on alert.
A shuffle. A thud. A growl.
"Ready?" Kingsley asked, breathless but eyes alive and sparkling.
"Ready," Bill echoed, a wide smile on his face.