"Shit!"
"Karkat behind you!"
"Nepeta! Duck!"
"AAAAAHHHHHH!" As he heard that scream resonate around the meadow, Karkat felt his whole world shatter around him. It had been six months since the infection had been let loose into civilization. Nobody knew where it had come from, or why it had came. The only thing people knew was that it was turning everyone who was infected into flesh eating, walking, rotting, shells of humans; and that there was no cure in sight. His parents had been the one of the first to be infected, followed soon after by the majority of the large city he lived in. The only ones that weren't infected in his city now were him and eleven of his friends. One of which was now being torn limb from limb by the horde of zombies they were trying to fight off, and that particular friend just so happened to be the love of his life Terezi Pyrope. It was even more tragic do to the fact that she had been born blind and had only just gotten her sight from a surgery right before this dreaded apocalypse began. His red eyes filled with tears of anger and anguish as he dove into the fray and began hacking away at the corpses who had dared to touch a single hair on her dear head, with the sickles he had found in a farmers shed when he was thirteen -he was sixteen now- his parents had never allowed him to have weapons, but at this moment he was very glad he had saved them.
He continued slicing them to bits even after they were dead, he only stopped when he felt one of his friends -he didn't know who- pull him away. He didn't register that he was sobbing his heart out until he felt a pair of comforting arms wrap around him in a warm embrace. He didn't even check to see who it was before he wrapped his arms around them tightly and cried into their shoulder. It felt like hours until he let go, but in all reality it was only a few minutes, his sobs having slowed and his tears having finally dried. Only then did he allow himself to look at who had been comforting him. It was Nepeta, the very girl he had warned right before Terezi was grabbed. She had a grim look on her tanned and freckled face as she looked at Karkat. She stood up and help out a hand covered in filth and grime. He took it and she helped him up. He looked around at the rag tag group of friends, surrounded by the bodies of the undead. They were all dirty, there clothes frayed and stained with dirt and blood. He sighed and bit his lip as he saw that no one was hurt to badly... No one but Terezi that is. He felt the tears well in his eyes again but he pushed them away. He was their leader; he had to at least try and act like it.
"Let's go" he said as he turned away from the impromptu battle field. They needed to find a new area to inhabit, preferably outside of the city. They were running out of supplies and the area was attracting more and more of the grotesque humanoids. He ran a hand through his once snow white hair, that was now more of a muted pink from blood and dirt, as he tried to figure out where to go next. He didn't see it, but his teammates all shared a worried look. The most worried of all however, was Nepeta. She was in love with the short, angry albino and had been for quite a while now. She had seen how Karkat had looked at Terezi, and she knew how he felt. But that didn't stop her from wanting to be there for him as a friend, or more if possible, but she wasn't going to press her luck, or hold her breath.
"Karkitty..." she started, "maybe we should rest for a bit? It's nearly midnight, and everyone's tired," 'and we should bury Terezi.' She finished in her head. She saw his shoulders physically slump as he let loose a sigh and he nodded. Without a word her and Equius started to dig a humble grave for the justice obsessed girl. Soon the others started to help as well, moving her into the grave, then covering her again. It was a fairly quick process, but they didn't know what to do next. None of them wanted to sleep near the grave, and the stronger people of the group were moving the flesh bags responsible for her death off into a pile in the woods nearby. She looked over to where Karkat had been previously standing and saw that he wasn't there anymore. She sighed and went to find him.
He was sitting in a nearby tree looking at the rapidly darkening sky. She climbed up next to him, and just sat with him in silence. She wanted him to be the first one to talk, not wanting to push him into anything.
"I loved her."
"I know"
"I wanted to marry her when this was all over" she took a deep breath.
"I know"
"I feel guilty, Nepeta." She blinked and looked at him.
"Why?"
"I don't want to say, it's to soon."
"OK Karkitty."
"I don't think I really loved her" Her eyes widened.
"What?"
"Terezi. I think I was just fooling myself into loving her." Nepeta was thoroughly confused by this point, she had even placed it on her shipping wall, she thought that they were really going to wind up together. No matter how much it hurt the poor cat lover in the tattered blue cap to think about it.
"Oh." Was all she said. He sighed and climbed down.
"Forget I said anything Nep." She nodded, worried even more for her friend then when she sought him out.
-
The next day found Karkat awake at dawn. If he had any choice he would still be asleep, but nightmares and zombies really isn't the best recipe for a peaceful nights rest. He couldn't keep the image of Terezi being ripped from this life out of his head. He sighed. Karkat looked behind him at the group of still sleeping teenagers and his gaze zeroed in on the blonde in the green coat. His hand subconsciously reached out to her, but he shook his head and brought it back to his side before he walked away.
-
Nepeta awoke at six in the morning, just out of pure habit. She looked around and started to panic as she couldn't find Karkat anywhere. She hastily went around and woke up the rest of their friends. They all went to go look for him.
-
Nepeta was almost in tears. Dark was approaching fast and still there was no sign of Karkat. Suddenly they heard a frantic rustle in the bushes near them. They quickly turned to it and lowered into their battle stances. Before the others could process what had happened, Nepeta was in the arms of Karkat. She was in tears as she clung to him. She kept repeating how scared and worried she was for him, his arms were loosely around her.
"Nepeta." She didn't hear the voice of her dear friend Sollux as she continued to embrace her favorite albino.
"Nepeta!" Neither did she hear Equius as she was just to happy to feel Karkats grasp tightening around her.
"NEPETA!" She didn't even hear the frightened scream of Feferi as Karkats teeth buried themselves in her throat. All she heard was the gentle voice of Karkat speaking his last human thoughts.
"I love you Nepeta"
