Hi! M-iikado here with a new story!
I've always been a huge fan of zombies, and I just thought that it'd be a good idea to throw that in a Big Four AU, so here you go! Anyway, I hope you'll enjoy it!
Disclaimer: Gather 'round, kids, 'cause I'm only going to say this once: I own nothing. I do not own Rise of the Guardians, or How to Train your Dragon, or Brave, or Tangled, or any character in this story for that matter.
Warning: This story will contain violent and somewhat-gory scenes. I'll try to keep it as soft as possible, but please tell me if I go over-board and you find it difficult to handle. I'm writing this story to please you guys, I don't want to make anyone feel uncomfortable so please message me if I need to tone it down a notch.
So, yeah, rated for gory and language.
Warning 2: No shipping as of now. This story might (emphasis on the 'might', I'm still not sure) contain hits for Hijack (Hiccup/Jack) in later chapters, we'll see.
The wind was blowing incredibly hard, hissing through the cracks in the windows and walls. Although the day was still young, the sky was dark and threatening. The empty hallways were only lit by the reddish hues of the emergency exit lights and a few flickering lightbulbs handing from the ceiling, here and there. The dorms were even scarier now that they had all been abandoned. Most doors had been knocked down in the commotion. Windows had been shattered, glass and blood covering the blue-turned-brownish carpet.
The place was eery, yes, and the sight alone sent violent shivers down Hiccup's spine. But the worst part was the smell. It was a stench of death and blood, palpable and bitter, leaving a metallic taste in the back of the boy's throat.
Hiccup sped up slightly, trying not to look around too much. He knew very well that, only a few days ago, those dorms were filled with lively college students. Heck, he used to have his own room here, a few doors south. But, after the… incident, the place was mostly vacant, and whatever—he coughed—whoever remained wasn't as lively. Or living at all, for that matter.
Hopefully—and he had made sure to check several times—they had left as well.
The brunet frowned. Days after the outbreak, the name still felt odd, and he wasn't too sure how to call them. Those things; undead, rotting bodies brought back into the world of the living. Zombies.
There had been no official announcement to clear up the doubts regarding what to call them. In fact, there had been no official broadcast at all. All TV and radio channels had been silenced barely a few hours after the first attacks.
So, despite the gossips and speculations, no one actually knew what they were or where they came from. Mutated virus, animal bite, bioterrorism, anything could've lead to this. Hell, it could've been caused by the bite from a radioactive spider, for all they knew.
Hiccup felt his blood turn cold when he spotted a body on the floor of a dorm room. Ignoring his instincts screaming at him to run, run fast, and never look back, he stopped walking and held his breath. He had to make sure whatever was inside was dead, and would stay dead for good.
The large door was still lying flat on the floor, chips of wood and glass spread on the carpet. The shelves had been knocked over, and torn books, made damp by the blood and other bodily fluids, covered most of the corpse. At this point, there wasn't much of a body left; a couple of bones and dissociated limps, blood and bowels spilled on the carpet.
At least he wouldn't be getting up anytime soon.
Hiccup took a couple of shaky steps back and threw up on the floor. Coughing and leaning against the door frame, he wiped his mouth with the back of his sleeve. He took deep, slow breaths, fighting back the urge to vomit again while trying to recall the man's name. Melvin… Marvin… M—something. He barely knew the guy; he saw him from time to time in the hallways, and had actually never talked to him, but he knew him, in a way, and it was hard to take.
The boy shook his head, stumbling a little as he pushed himself away from the room and down the hall. The smell—the taste—was still in his mouth when he reached the only door still closed and intact in the building. He knocked twice, then a third time, and waited until he heard the clicking sound of the door unlocking, before pushing it open.
He slipped inside, quickly shut the door, blocked it with wooden planks and kicked a ragged cloth against the slit of the floor, to keep any light from seeping out. Once he made sure that the exit was safely blocked, Hiccup allowed himself to slowly slide down the wall with a sigh, and gazed around the room.
It was a small dorm room, with a single mattress on the floor, aside from the couch cushions flipped over on the floor. Every furniture—bed, couch, shelves—had been pushed against the windows to hide the flickering light of the campfire burning in the middle of the room, bathing the room in red and golden glows, throwing dancing shadows across the shabby carpet.
Hiccup easily made out the three silhouettes sitting around the fire, and stood up to join them. When he got closer, he was greeted with the delicious smell of canned raviolis, and smiled. It wasn't much, but he didn't dare complain; he welcomed anything that smelt—and probably tasted—better than rotting flesh.
Rapunzel, a blonde girl sitting cross-legged next to him, handed him an open can, and he thanked her, owning a warm smile in return. She was wearing a coral shoulder-less sweater over a pale purple tank-top and light-blue jeans. Her long—once golden—hair, turned dull from the dust and dirt, was held up into a messy bun.
« So? », a second girl, Merida, asked. « Anything? »
She was sitting across from them, her curly red hair pulled into a pony tail. She had a black jacket thrown over her shoulders, and was wearing a light blue shirt over dark jeans.
« Nothing » Hiccup answered sheepishly « I checked the first and second floors for supplies, but everything has already been taken or was too damaged to use » He sighed « Also, I heard some noise coming from the East wing, on the first floor. I avoided it for now, but someone should go check it out later ». Massaging his shoulders, he grunted as pain shot through his back.
« Are you okay? » Rapunzel asked « You seem worn out »
« Yeah » the boy nodded « I was attacked when I went into a room to look for blankets. There was a legless… thing » he coughed « It washidden under a bed and managed to grab my ankle. I got away easily, but it was still a pain in the ass »
The girl shot him an anxious look and was about to speak, but she was cut off but the burst of laughter coming from across the room, where a boy was lying on the floor, swinging a staff over his head, snow white hair in his face.
« Well » he laughed « I can guess why it let you go. You're too skinny to make a proper meal anyway, Hiccy »
Hiccup cringed at the nickname. « Oh shut up Jack », he hissed « I'm having none of your bullshit today »
Merida laughed, joined by Jack, who stood up to join the three of them around the fire. He was wearing a dark grey jacket over a blue hoodie. His brown trousers were worn out around the knees.
« Are you all right? » Rapunzel asked « Were you bitten? » She pointed at the scratches on the leather of Hiccup's black boots.
« No, I'm fine » the brunet answered, taking off his sleeveless brown jacket, under which he wore a leaf-green sweater. « It wouldn't have found anything to bite, anyway ». He unlaced his left boot, taking it off and tossing it aside. Pulling up his black skinny jean, he revealed a prosthetic other three stayed silent for a while, trying hard not to stare too much.
« I—I'm sorry » the girl stuttered « I had no idea, I just— »
« No, it's fine » Hiccup laughed, pulling the fabric back down « Don't worry about it, really »
She shot him an apologetic smile, and the boy returned it. He held out his palms to the fire, slowly warming up his freezing hands. The days had grown increasingly cold since the outbreak, and as the sun was setting, the mild burning sensation caused but the proximity of the flickering fames was quite pleasant. In fact, although the situation wasn't ideal, Hiccup new they were all lucky to have found each other and to have made it this far.
When the college had been attacked, all four of them were in the dorms. They had never talked before that, but Hiccup did remember seeing them around the campus sometimes. His new found friends were hard to miss, really.
Merida was really popular. She had been the rising star of the sports teams and, even though she first came off as a bit of a jock, she was actually a really nice girl with a personality almost as fiery as her ginger hair.
Jack was well-know around campus for being an incorrigible prankster. He was light-hearted and fun to be around, with a face that made girls swoon and, although he did get on his nerves more often than not, Hiccup could see the appeal in the man.
Rapunzel had the soul of an artist, no one could deny that. She and Hiccup had an art class in common, and the boy had always had a deep respect for her artistic sense. In fact, she had already won a couple of minor-awards in a few local competitions.
Hiccup, on the other hand, felt like nothing special. He was nerdy and kind of hipster-ish, a bit too interested in comic books and video games and, although he did draw a lot, he had always denied being any good at it.
All four of them came from different worlds, and their meeting was a simple act of luck, but, since they were all heading in the same direction, they'd decided that it'd be better—safer—to travel together for a while, until they'd have to part ways.
Rapunzel was looking for her boyfriend, Eugene, who was waiting for her somewhere up north, and was worried sick, not knowing if he was alright. Merida, like Hiccup, was trying to meet with her family.
Jack… Well… Hiccup didn't know much about it, but from what Jack said, it seemed like he had been with his little sister, Emma, when they got attacked, and couldn't save her. His family was also long gone, but the boy didn't feel like staying here.
As of now, they had agreed to wait a few days until things cooled down a bit before leaving.
« Things have been a bit calmer, lately » Hiccup pointed out. They all nodded.
« We should get some sleep » Merida said with a yawn « Tomorrow we'll pack and leave the building »
« I'll take the first watch » Jack declared.
Hiccup almost protested. Jack had been sleeping very little since they had settled in the abandoned dorm, and the brunet was slightly worried, but he knew the boy needed some time alone to think things through and cope with his loss.
They all settled down, Jack sitting next to the fire, facing the door, and soon enough Merida and Rapunzel drifted to sleep.
After a while of tossing and turning, Hiccup cursed himself for not managing to fall asleep. Instead, he sat up and scooted closer to Jack.
« Hey » he said
« Hiccup shouldn't you be sleeping? » the white-haired boy asked « Don't worry about me, I've got this »
« I can't sleep » he admitted. There was a moment of awkward silence, only broken by the soft breathing of the four, and the crackling of the logs in the fire. « How are you holding up? » Hiccup finally asked.
« Okay, I guess » Jack chuckled before letting out a sigh « Frankly, I don't know… It's a bit hard to get all introspective when you're constantly fighting to, y'know, survive. But I'm still alive and well, so I guess I can't complain »
Hiccup laughed softly, and Jack smiled.
« Erm… Hic? » he asked after a while
« Hm? »
« Can I, err, ask what happened to your leg? » he fidgeted « I mean, you don't have to tell me if you don't want to. I was just, I don't know, wandering »
Hiccup chortled, nudging the other with his shoulder « It's fine, I don't mind » he smiled « This happened in a car accident when I was a kid. There was a truck, the guy was drunk or something, and our car flipped around a couple of times before crashing against a wall. I lost my leg and, well, my mother »
« Oh » Jack gasped « I'm sorry, I didn't know, I just— »
« Jack, relax » the brunet assured « I was a long time ago, it's okay »
Silence fell again. Jack gazed across the fire, his throat tight and his chest heavy.
« Do you miss her? » he breathed out.
« Yeah » Hiccup said, bitting his lower lip, « All the time »
The shadow of a smile stretched Jack's lips, but disappeared instantly. He brought his legs to his chest, nuzzling his head in his knees.
« I miss my sister, Hiccup » the boy said, his voice breaking.
« I know, buddy »
Hiccup leaned against the other's shoulder, rubbing his back as Jack sobbed softly, until he had calmed down and they stayed there, silently.
After a while, Hiccup drifted to sleep, his head rested against Jack's shoulder. Feeling his friend's warmth against him, for a moment he almost forgot about everything that had happened the past few days, and he felt alright.
AN: Damn! I can't remember when I wrote a chapter this long for the last time!
This was an introductive chapter or whatnot, so I'm sorry if it was a bit boring, I swear shit happens in the next chapters.
Also, I'm sorry if I make a lot of mistakes. I'm not a native english-speaker, so I'm still struggling a bit. For that exact same reason, I didn't (and won't) try to transcribe any accent for Merida, sorry.
Anyway, I hope you enjoyed it!
XXX