A/N: Hello everyone! Yes, I have started another story and I'm also outlining another story right now. With my story 'Breakdown' ending in a few more chapters, I thought it'd be good to get a head start on a new story. And since I've been getting a few PM requests for a zombie fic, here it is! I hope you all enjoy!

Prologue

I let out a sigh as I stared at the fire place, watching as the flames slowly started to die down.

We had finally found a place to settle down in until the sun rose again in the morning and I decided to take this little time I had to just think.

"Hey." A familiar voice said as the person took a seat next to me.

"Hey Loges." I said softly, not taking my eyes off the now non-existent flame.

"You're thinking about him again. Aren't you?" He asked, sympathy laced in his voice.

"I can't help it Logan." I said, knowing that I didn't need to say anything other than that. He understood.

It's been about six months since we lost James. Since I practically left him for dead…

"Kendall," He sighed, clearly trying to choose his words carefully. "You have to let it go. You did what you had to do. And I know for a fact that James doesn't blame you for what happened. I also know that he wouldn't want you moping around and feeling guilty about it." He said, placing a comforting hand on my shoulder.

Deep down, I knew what he said was true. But I couldn't help but think that I could've saved James. And I don't think I'll ever forgive myself for just leaving him like that.

I knew Logan was waiting for me to say something but… I just couldn't.

"You should get some rest. We have to hit the road early tomorrow." He said, giving my shoulder a comforting squeeze before getting up and heading to his makeshift bed upstairs. "Goodnight Ken."

That was the last thing he said before he was out of my sight.

I took a deep breath before deciding to try and get some sleep. I grabbed a blanket and made myself comfortable on the old couch, not feeling like making the trek up the stairs.

As I lay there in silence, I couldn't help but think about how much our lives had changed in this past year.

None of us knew how it started, all I remember was being on tour when we got news of a zombie outbreak. By the time we got the news, it was too late. The outbreak had already made its way through most of the country. We had tried contacting our family and friends, but we got no response. We immediately went back to Los Angeles, just to find out that only a few of our friends had made it out alive.

None of us were quite the same after that. Carlos wasn't the same fun, carefree person he was before. Logan wasn't the same reserved, shy kid that we had grown up with. Heck, even Jett was different. He was actually a decent person now.

Every once in a while, we would forget about everything, and it would be like this whole apocalypse wasn't even happening. But something would always happen and we were reminded of what was going on around us.

Needless to say, I was proud of how much everyone has grown. Even though I wished it was under different circumstances. It took us a while to get a handle on things, but once we did, we were unstoppable. For the most part anyway…

*Flashback*

It was getting late, so we all decided to find a secluded area to lessen the chance of any Walkers finding us.

We had learned that most Walkers stayed hidden during the day, most of them deciding to roam the streets at night. So we all knew it was best to do whatever we had to do during the day and find a safe spot to get rest at night. I didn't want to risk possibly getting spotted by any Walkers, especially with the fire going to keep us warm, so I decided to stay up to keep watch.

"Kendall? What are you doing still up?" I heard a tired voice ask. I turned to see James making his way over to me.

"I wanted to keep watch. Didn't want to risk any Walkers noticing the fire and sneaking up on us in our sleep." I said, to which he just nodded in understanding before turning his attention to the fire.

We sat there in a comfortable silence for a couple minutes, with me trying to build up the courage to ask something that had been on my mind for the last couple of months.

"Jay?"

"Yeah?" He said, turning his attention to me.

"How long do you think this is going to last? I mean, when do you think we'll be able to stop running and actually settle down somewhere?" I asked curiously, wanting an honest answer, which I knew James would give me. That was just the way we operated.

"Honestly? I don't know. It could be months, maybe even a year or two before this all blows over. There's just no telling how long it'll take to find a cure or something." He said , giving me a look that I couldn't quite place.

"So we're just supposed run until someone finds a cure? Going from city to city and risk getting turned into one of those… things?!" I asked, quickly getting frustrated with this whole situation.

"Hey, calm down." He said, placing his hands on my shoulders. "I know that this sucks. I don't like the situation any more than you do. But the only reason we're on the move like this is so that we can find out if there are any cities or towns that haven't been affected or at least see if there are any other survivors." He said, giving me a sympathetic look.

"I know. I know. I just… I just wish that none of this had ever happened." I whispered, noticing the look of realization that flashed across James' face.

"You miss your mom and Katie." He said, to which I had just nodded, not trusting my voice.

"Kendall…" He sighed while bringing me into a comforting hug. I couldn't help the stray tears that started to fall from my eyes. Within seconds, I was finally letting out all of the emotions that I had bottles up the past few months.

"It's okay. Just let it all out." He encourage, rubbing comforting circles on my back.

After a few minutes, I had finally calmed down..

"Thanks Jay." I said, wiping my tears away in the process.

"No problem Ken." He said, looking like there was something else he wanted to say.

"What is it?" I asked, giving him a quizzical look.

"It's nothing. I just… I want you know that I'm here for you. I know that you don't like to be vulnerable around the others, but if you ever need to talk or anything… I'm here. I'll always be here." He said awkwardly while rubbing the back of his neck.

I couldn't help but chuckle a little. I knew that James always had trouble and got all awkward when it came to giving pep talks or comforting someone, but he always rose to the occasion when it came down to it.

"Thanks James. Really." I said, pulling him into a quick hug.

"No problem. Besides, I'm sure you'd tell me the same thing if the positions were reversed." He said, giving me a knowing look.

And I couldn't even argue with him, because he was right.

"Now, you need to get some rest." He said sternly.

"But the Walkers…" I said, knowing that someone had to keep watch.

"I'll keep watch. You've barely gotten any sleep lately and you need all the energy you can get. Now go." He said, giving me a look that clearly said that it wasn't up for discussion.

"Fine." I said while fighting back a small smile and wondering how I ended up with such great friends.

*Flashback End*

"I miss you Jay." I whispered, my hand immediately going to wrap around the necklace he had given me right before it happened.

I let out a sigh as I closed my eyes, eventually drifting off to sleep.

Done! So there's the first chapter/Prologue of 'Lithium'! I know that there are a few questions left unanswered, but as usual, they will be answered over the course of the story, which will probably only be about 10 to 15 chapters. And yes, I killed James off! It really killed me because I'm a massive James girl and I've already written out the scene where he dies. :( But there is a reason for it! So what do you all think about the chapter? What about the Kames bromance moment? Or the Kogan moment? Should I continue? Please let me know! I have the next chapter already typed up so I'll probably upload tomorrow if I see that people are actually interested. Until next time!

-Epically Obsessed