I got bored so I wrote a thing. It was originally going to be a oneshot, but I got carried away so it'll probably be about three parts. Oh, and all the zombie apocalypse stuff in this is inspired by The Walking Dead (I use the term 'walker' a lot). Let me know what you think! I'll probably get the next two parts up pretty soon since I don't have school a lot next week!


We are the Dead: Part 1

Follow the old footpath that leads from camp to the main road, walk half a mile, take a left into town, cross the railroad tracks, walk straight on Cherry Street until you see the clinic…

Emma went over and over the directions Regina had given her in her head so as not to forget them. This was an important job and she couldn't afford to get them lost.

"Killian, can I see the map?" she asked her partner over her shoulder.

"Gotten us lost already, Swan?" he asked teasingly as he handed her the crinkly piece of folded paper.

"No, I'm trying to prevent that from happening," she rolled her eyes as she unfolded the map and determined where they were. "We should almost be to the main road."

"I'm inclined to agree," Killian said, pointing ahead.

Emma followed his finger and could see a break in the trees and the black color of the road.

"Well come on," he said, urging her to move quicker as he walked ahead. "You heard Regina, the longer we go without this medicine the more lives will be lost."

"I know, just be cautious. There's bound to be a few walkers on the road when we get closer to town," she warned.

Killian nodded and pulled his gun from its holster before taking the first step onto the asphalt. He took a good look around before turning back to Emma and jerking his head for her to join him.

"Coast is clear."

Emma followed him and un-holstered her own gun, just to be safe. Keeping their eyes peeled for any form of movement up ahead or along the edge of the forest, they began their trek towards town. The first few minutes were filled with nothing but the sound of cicadas and the occasional rustling of leaves as a summer breeze drifted lazily by, but Emma knew it wouldn't last. She had known Killian long enough to know that he hated long periods of silence which most definitely had to do with the fact that he hated feeling alone. A likely result of losing his entire family in a tragic car accident at the young age of eleven.

Eleven.

The number echoed mockingly through Emma's thoughts and she found herself having to squeeze her eyes shut to prevent tears from forming. She couldn't let her emotions get the best of her right now. She had a vital job to do. There could be no distractions.

"Swan?" Killian said softly when he noticed her state. "Are you alright?"

"Yeah," she assured him without as much as a sideways glance. Not that she needed to look at him to know he wasn't buying it.

"You look tired. Have you been sleeping?" he asked.

Emma laughed bitterly.

"Have you?"

He pressed his lips into a thin line and looked away from her, giving her her answer. Emma sighed and continued scanning the road ahead.

"You've been asking for more night watches," she stated knowingly. "Why?"

"If I can't sleep I may as well do something useful," he shrugged.

"Yeah, and how useful do you think you'll be when you collapse from exhaustion?" she asked. "You can't guard the fence when you're dead on your feet."

"Speak for yourself," he muttered.

"At least I try to sleep," she told him.

He fell silent and continued scanning the tree line.

Emma sighed.

"It's the nightmares, right?"

"Nightmares?" Killian said with a laugh. "Swan, we're living a bloody nightmare. If I were afraid of nightmares then I wouldn't have made it this far."

"So what is it then?" she asked.

"I don't know," he shrugged. "Maybe I'll figure it out someday."

Emma huffed, knowing she wouldn't get any more out of him. She shook her head to clear it of her frustrations and tried to focus. She needed to focus.

They remained silent until they reached the side road that would lead them into town.

"Stay alert," she ordered. "We'll likely start running into walkers soon."

"You know Sheriff, this isn't my first rodeo," Killian grumbled.

Emma rolled her eyes and gave him a look.

"I'm not a sheriff anymore," she reminded him.

"And I'm no longer your deputy," he replied as he moved ahead of her. "So please, stop treating me like I am."

She paused and watched him as he continued on, the buildings of the town they were headed to rising in the distance. She did have a tendency to boss him around, but given their history it wasn't all that surprising.

"Emma?" Killian called from up ahead when he realized she'd stopped. "You coming, love?"

"Yeah," she replied before jogging over to join him.

"You sure you're alright?"

"I'm fine, let's go," she snapped before continuing on.

As they made their way into town Emma was sure to keep a sharp eye out for any movement. Surprisingly they hadn't come across a single walker yet.

"Suspiciously quiet, wouldn't you say?" Killian said as though he had just read her mind.

"Yeah," she agreed as they crossed the railroad tracks that ran through the middle of town. "Keep an eye out for Cherry Street. That's where the clinic is."

"Hope it hasn't been cleaned out," he said grimly.

"Regina said we're the only camp within ten miles of here so there isn't exactly much competition for looting," Emma told him.

"What does that matter? By the looks of it this town is far from untouched. It's likely people swept through here when the virus first broke out. And even if that didn't happen there's always the nomadic groups that go from place to place, taking whatever they can find," he replied. "I hate to be a pessimist but I think we'll be lucky to find any medicine at all, much less the kind we need."

Emma was about to respond when a loud crash came from within a hardware store they were passing by. She and Killian immediately had their guns at the ready as the shuffling sound of footsteps inside the store grew closer.

"It only sounds like one or two," she said, holstering her gun and unsheathing her survival knife.

"Let's just leave 'em," Killian suggested. "Regina said no unnecessary risks, remember?"

"Not taking care of them would be an unnecessary risk since they clearly know we're here," Emma said as she moved to the wall just next to the entrance of the hardware store to wait for the walkers to come out. The footsteps grew closer and when she could hear them just inside the door she raised her knife and prepared to attack.

Three… two… one…

"Emma, don't!" Killian suddenly shouted as she thrust her knife forward, missing the walker completely when it suddenly dodged her blow. The next thing she knew she had been knocked to the ground with a machete pressed against her throat, a buff, angry man towering over her.

"Hey!" Emma heard the sound of Killian's gun cocking, but she dared not take her eyes off her aggressor.

"Make any sudden moves and I swear I'll slit your throat," he threatened. She felt her heart jump in her chest as the possibility of her demise increased significantly.

"David, don't," the small, frightened voice of a woman whom Emma couldn't see came from the doorway of the hardware store.

"She tried to kill me," David growled as he glared down at her, pressing the blade firmly against her throat so that she could barely breathe.

"I thought you were a walker," Emma said cautiously. "I'm sorry."

Surprisingly enough she saw David's glare soften slightly and felt him relieve some of the pressure against her throat.

At this point Killian had come to Emma's aid and was aiming his gun directly at David's head.

"On your feet, mate," he ordered. "Try anything funny and I'll shoot."

David looked up at Killian before hesitantly pulling the machete away from her throat and picking himself up off of her. He put his hands up in a nonthreatening fashion as he backed away from her. Killian kept his gun trained on him while Emma got to her feet and retreated to his side.

"Who the hell are you?" Killian asked.

"My name is Mary Margaret and this is David," the woman with dark, short hair who Emma had heard speak earlier replied.

"Mary Margaret," David quietly scolded her. "Don't answer any of their questions. We have no idea who they are."

"We're not trying to cause any trouble," Emma assured them. "We just want to know who you are, where you came from, and if there are any more of you."

"Oh, is that all?" David scoffed.

"We're a little wary of strangers," Killian told him. "Let's just say we haven't had the best experiences with people we don't know."

"That's completely understandable," Mary Margaret said anxiously. "Look, we were just looking around, we didn't think this place was claimed…"

"It's not claimed," Emma told her. "We're just passing through."

"You two on your own, or are there more of you?" Killian asked.

"It's just us," David assured them.

Emma looked him in the eye and could see that he was telling the truth. She looked at Killian and nodded.

"We used to have a camp, but it was overrun a few months back," Mary Margaret explained. "We're the only ones we know of that got away."

"I'm sorry to hear that," Emma said apologetically.

Mary Margaret and David exchanged a brief look.

"Do…do you have a camp somewhere?" Mary Margaret stuttered.

Emma glanced at Killian, hesitant to tell these two people they'd just met anything about their current living situation. Regina had been very clear when they'd joined her camp that she was the only one allowed to determine whether or not new people would be allowed in. If they were to tell them about the camp and brought them back, there was no way they would be able to insure they'd be allowed to stay, and Emma didn't want to put them through that. Giving them false hope would be worse than giving them no hope at all.

When a few moments had passed and neither Killian nor Emma had answered her Mary Margaret began to plead.

"Please, we're desperate."

"We've been looking for a safe place for the past month," David chimed in.

Emma watched Mary Margaret closely, taking notice of her hand as it instinctively moved to her stomach. She put the pieces together almost instantly.

"You're pregnant?" Emma said questioningly.

The short haired woman nodded and looked down.

"We only just found out a few weeks ago. Of course there's no way to know for sure how far along I am. That's why we're trying to find a safe camp that might be willing to take us in."

Emma closed her eyes and sighed. She had briefly considered bringing them back, but if this woman was pregnant that changed things. A baby was a huge liability. Their camp was secure, but it was not equipped to take on a newborn. It would be a lot of work just to keep it alive, and even then the inevitable crying would attract any walkers that were nearby and jeopardize the lives of everyone there. Regina would never allow this.

"I'm sorry about your situation," Emma began, "but I'm afraid…"

"…that our camp isn't exactly a safe haven. Not at the moment anyway," Killian finished for her.

She turned to him and felt her mouth fall open. What the hell was he doing?

"You do have a camp?" David asked in relief.

"Yes, but I'm afraid we're suffering from a rather terrible outbreak of the flu," Killian told him. "Six have died so far, which is why Emma and I are here. We're looking for medicine."

"Are you taking people in?" Mary Margaret asked hopefully.

"It's not our decision," Emma cut in.

"Well, I used to volunteer at hospital, maybe I could help with the outbreak?" Mary Margaret offered. "And David is a great shot and a good hunter too. We could be useful."

"What if you get sick?" Emma asked. "You could lose your baby and no one deserves that."

She felt Killian's eyes on her when her voice wavered slightly. She did her best to ignore him.

"I'll lose it if we don't find a safe place," Mary Margaret told her. "Please, take us with you."

"Look, I'm sorry but-"

"Emma," Killian cut her off and grabbed her arm. "A word?"

He nodded to Mary Margaret and David before pulling her away from them.

"What are you doing?" he asked once they'd reached a safe distance.

"Me? You're the one trying to take two strangers back to camp with us!" she exclaimed quietly.

"She's pregnant, Emma, we can't just leave them to fend for themselves."

"Killian, a baby is a liability," she told him. "Newborns cry. A lot. Crying is noise, noise attracts walkers. Do I have to spell this out for you?"

"I understand the risk but look around," he said with a sweeping gesture. "It's the end of the world. How many of us do you think there will be in a year? In two years? We're a dying breed, and we need all the help we can get."

"Endangering the lives of everyone back at camp because you want to repopulate the world is only going to end up with more people dying," she snapped.

Killian took a step back from her, shaking his head.

"I swear I don't know who you are anymore."

"Maybe you don't," she sighed.

He turned back towards Mary Margaret and David, but paused before walking back over.

"I'm going to tell them they can come with us," he said over his shoulder. "They're good people, and I know you can at least see that."

"Regina won't like this," she replied. "She'll never let them stay."

"Yes she will," he told her.

"What makes you so sure?" Emma asked.

"Because she still has a shred of sympathy left," Killian said before walking back over to them.

She remained where she was, suffering a little from his words. It was a low blow and he absolutely knew that, but at the same time she knew he was right. The apocalypse at hardened her, but it was because of that that she had survived. Why couldn't he see that?

"Swan!" Killian suddenly called to her. "We should really find that medicine."

"Coming," she called back before heading over to join them. The four of them began walking, following Mary Margaret and David's instructions to Cherry Street which they had passed on their way into town.

"Are you sure we can trust them," Emma whispered to him as they walked.

"Yes," he nodded, reaching out with his left hand and placing it on her shoulder. "We're doing the right thing you know."

"I sure as hell hope so," Emma muttered to herself as David pointed out the sign for Cherry Street.

XXXXXX

Killian peered through the dusty window of the clinic in search of any form of movement.

"It looks clear," he announced.

"Weird," Emma commented. "We haven't seen a single walker on this entire run."

"Well then, let's count our lucky stars and hope we can find the medicine we need."

"Alright, just watch your back," she warned. "Just because it looks clear doesn't mean it is."

"I know," he nodded.

"Okay, let's make this quick. I'm going to take Mary Margaret to find the medicine. You and David go find any basic supplies you can. Gauze, disinfectant ointment, bandages…" she trailed off.

"Yes ma'am," Killian saluted her and she rolled her eyes.

They entered the clinic through the front door, guns at the ready as the paused and listened. When they were met with silence Emma gestured for Mary Margaret to follow her towards the back of the clinic where the medications were kept while Killian and David went in search of supplies.

They turned down a hallway and came upon what looked like a supply closet. Killian knocked on the door and then pressed his ear against it, listening. When he didn't hear anything he turned to David.

"It sounds empty," he told him. "Be ready though."

David nodded and held his machete firmly as Killian counted down from three. After 'one' he threw the door open and allowed David to go in first.

"It's clear," he said.

Killian walked in after him and looked around with a grin on his face.

"Holy shit," he muttered, taking in the abundance of medical supplies.

"Yeah," David smiled, picking up a package of bandages. "This whole room looks untouched."

"I'm honestly surprised," Killian laughed. "Start gathering as much as you can. We might have to make another trip back for the rest."

David nodded and began clearing off shelves, throwing everything into the sack Emma had given him.

"So," he said after a period of silence, "how long have you and Emma known each other?"

Killian glanced at him suspiciously out of the corner of his eye as he grabbed a few boxes of disposable gloves.

"Just trying to make small talk," David shrugged.

"I've known her since before," Killian eventually told him. "We worked together."

"Doing what?"

"She was the sheriff of a small town, I was one of her deputies."

"And are you two…" David trailed off.

"Together?" Killian finished for him. "No, just old friends."

"Ah," David nodded.

They fell into an awkward silence as they continued loading their bags with everything they could carry.

"You know, I sort of feel like she didn't want me and Mary Margaret to come along," David said nonchalantly.

"She didn't," Killian said truthfully.

"Oh," David said, surprised by his honesty. "Well, I appreciate you convincing her."

"No problem," Killian said, deciding not to tell him that he was pretty sure that Emma was still anything but convinced. "I know she can come off as… cold, but she's not so bad. She's actually good compared to how she was when this all started."

"She lost someone, didn't she?" David asked.

Killian nodded, cringing as unwanted memories surfaced in his mind.

"She wasn't the only one to lose them though."

"I'm sorry."

"It's fine," he assured him. "I'm just doing my best to make sure she makes it through all this. I made a promise, you see."

"I get it," David nodded. "It's clear you care about her a lot."

"You have no idea," Killian muttered.

Suddenly a loud thump sounded from the room across the hall, causing them both to freeze.

"What was that?" David whispered.

"I have a pretty good guess," Killian replied, un-holstering his gun and gesturing for him to follow. He poked his head into the hall and looked around before walking over to the door, which was slightly ajar, and resting his hand on it. They didn't hear anymore noises coming from inside, but Killian had his gun at the ready.

"On my count," he whispered to David. "Three…two…"

Before Killian could say 'one', a walker came bursting from the room. It reached for him, causing him to jump back and bump into David. David stumbled back into the supply closet while Killian was knocked into a wall, the impact causing him to drop his gun. The walker was on him in seconds. It grabbed his left arm while he reached for the survival knife he had on his belt, but before he could grab it the walker bit down hard on his hand.

Killian screamed in pain as it tore away a large chunk of flesh and chewed it. Blood began to pour from the wound and he used his uninjured hand to shove the walker away. He fell to the ground, cradling his hand as the walker came back for seconds. He reached for his gun but David had already retrieved it and shot the walker square in the head. As soon as it hit the floor David dropped the gun rushed to Killian's side.

"Let me see," David ordered.

Killian slowly turned his hand to reveal the wound.

"It's not pretty, eh?" he laughed through clenched teeth.

"I'm sorry, man," David sighed.

Killian nodded and closed his eyes. He knew what was coming next.

"Killian!" he heard Emma's frantic calls, the sound of footsteps growing closer until she appeared at the end of the hall. He saw her freeze as she took in the dead walker, him on the floor, David leaning over him. He could see her putting the pieces together.

"He's been bit," David told her, snapping her out of her dazed state.

"No, no, no, no," she muttered over and over, crouching down next to him and cupping his cheek in her hand. She eyed his wounded hand with tears in her eyes.

"It's okay, Swan," he said comfortingly. "It's going to be okay."

"What should we do?" Mary Margaret, who had come up behind Emma, asked in a barely audible voice.

Emma looked at Killian and closed her eyes.

"Emma," he used his uninjured hand to brush the hair out of her face. "You know what has to be done. You have to kill me."

"No," she shook her head.

"Emma-"

"I am not killing you," she said severely before turning to David and Mary Margaret. "Hold him down."

What?

"Wait, what?" Killian exclaimed.

David and Mary Margaret glanced at each other, unsure.

"Do it now!" Emma yelled, prompting them into action. "Hold him down and keep his left arm steady. David, give me your machete."

Suddenly it clicked for him and he didn't even have a chance to blink before David and Mary Margaret were pinning him to the ground. He saw the machete glinting in the light coming from the window above him as David handed it to Emma.

"No, no, wait!" Killian struggled beneath David and Mary Margaret, but their combined efforts had him completely immobilized. "Emma!"

"I'm sorry," Emma said before bringing the machete down on his left wrist in one swift movement.

The pain was ten times worse than when he'd been bit causing him to let loose an agonized scream. He screamed until he began to see stars and his vision grew splotchy, the pain overwhelming him.

"We need to stop the bleeding," he heard Emma say over his screams, her voice coarse.

David said something in response but Killian couldn't hear him. Their voices became muted as darkness overcame him and he quickly lost consciousness.


Reviews? I'd appreciate them.