Hey everyone! Welcome to my zombie apocalypse AU. Things to know; 'walkers', 'biters' and 'zombies' are zombies. Please read and review. These chapters are gonna be long, and far between cause my computer is broken, but if you review I'll try to produce them a little faster. Thanks!
WE'RE IN THIS TOGETHER
"Look. Come on Dean, just look." Punk was trying to hand him the pair of binoculars, but Dean just stayed where he was. Leaning against a white pin with his arms crossed. Punk's olive green eyes pleaded to Dean. "She's sick, and the other one won't make it without her."
Dean knew Punk wasn't gonna leave this alone. It was hotter than hell, sunnier than Miami, and they were still tracking the girls. This wasn't the usual territorial sweep they did every day or so. This was stalking, and Dean didn't understand why.
They'd seen other survivors come and go, but Punk was fixated on these two. These weren't even the first girls they had seen. They had seen groups come and go. Some loners loaded up on firearms and canned goods. Some groups that had gone militant. Some groups that looked like more like camping families than survivors. And some that were down-right ragged, on the edge of death. These girls were of the last variety.
The sick brunette kept falling over into the river water, or the mud, or the tall ferns surrounding the river bank. She could hardly walk anymore and yet she kept getting up. Admirable but stupid. The fierce looking raven haired girl looked like she had been giving all the supplies to the sick girl. She was impossibly thin and had deeply dark circles under her eyes; her sharp, sparkling eyes. They seemed like they were real tough bitches. If it weren't for illness, they probably would have out lasted most.
As he looked at them Dean had to admit, they were spotting survivors less and less. These girls had probably outlasted most already. Maybe Punk was thinking this was their last opportunity to get some tail, which was a much bigger concern to Dean than helping some girl that was sick.
"Fine," Dean said, keeping his ideas to himself and taking the binoculars. He put them to his eyes and sighed looking at the girl lying with her rich brown hair in the mud. Her face was flushed pink from cheek to cheek and she was glowing with a sheen of sweat. She had a fever. She was contagious. "No way. She'll kill us all."
"No, she won't. We'll get the fever down and she'll end up fine. Plus, we need them. You know we do."
"We need them for what?" Dean smirked.
"Everything. Anything. You never know," Punk said, giving him a bitter look. Dean smiled evilly. "We just have to convince them to come with us. That's gonna be tricky."
"Ummm, how about we tell them we have a stable living situation and food and a pool and-"
"Why on earth would they believe us? We have to have proof," Punk said, cutting Dean off. "Or like- Like a peace offering!" Punk said, getting excited.
"Wait..." Dean said, looking through the binoculars, taking another look before deciding to participate in Punk's idiotic idea. Then he saw something that piqued his interest. Mind racing, he quickly figured out what he was looking at and what it meant. "We might want to be really, really, really careful about this. Look at their rifles."
"I saw them," Punk said, taking the binoculars back.
"Look at the butts of them," Dean said, knowing he would need to explain even further to Punk. "See the tally marks?" Punk just nodded and there was a long silence. "What was the last count you had on how many walkers you killed?"
"Like sixty. But that was two years ago."
"The small one has five tallies, and the sick one has eleven. Those aren't walker counts." Dean explained. These girls had been fighting more than just the dead. They had been fighting all kinds of monsters, and there was nothing Punk and Dean could do to prove they were different. "Still wanna try a peace offering?"
"Yes."
***
Andrea woke when she felt the earth move under her. She had fallen into the river again. Rachel was pulling her out, crying with distress. She realized what was happening rather slowly, but tried to help her friend by getting to her hands and knees. As Rachel cried, Andrea's heart began feeling even heavier. She knew that her illness was affecting her friend badly, but she had yet to cry.
"Leave me," she said, surprising Rachel. "Just leave me."
"No," Rachel said defiantly, dragging her friend from the cold water. "I won't leave you. I left you once, and I'll never do it again. You're going to get better and we're going to be okay."
"Rachel, it's been a week and three days, I'm not any better and we can't take another winter like that. We have to move south, and you can't do that with me dragging behind you. Just leave me here, who knows I might meet up with you in Kentucky." She smiled.
"This isn't a negotiation. I'm not leaving." She said, looking her right in her light blue eyes. Andrea was surprised by her friend. This was not the girl she remembered from the house in the woods.
"Goddamit, Rachel! I'm not gonna be the reason you die!" She yelled, leading her into a coughing fit. Rachel held her shoulders and waited for her to calm down, holding out water for her. This was not what Andrea wanted for Rachel. She wanted everything for her friend. She wanted to give her water, shelter, food, happiness. This wasn't it. This was hell, and she wanted Rachel to have heaven.
"I'm not gonna let either of us die. I wanna live again, remember? And that involves you." The ferocity in her voice felt foreign. Not just ferocity, but cold hard truth too. It felt so entirely foreign. Probably because her heart never got to speak directly before. But it was something that needed to happen more, starting now.
After hearing their conversation, Punk's heart ached for them. He and Dean were waiting behind some trees on the other side of the river and he decided that this would be a good time to offer their assistance. Punk went first with the plastic bag that held their peace offering, and Dean followed with his hands up, hoping they didn't shoot him on sight.
"Ladies!" Punk said, and before he could say anything else Rachel had her rifle pointed at him. "We noticed one of you was sick, so we put some supplies together to give you."
"Bullshit!" Rachel growled. "Now go back the way you came," she demanded, but Punk kept coming across the river. "Stop now! I'll shoot you!" Punk stopped half way across the river, and Dean simply stood on the other bank. He wasn't getting shot for anything. Not even women.
"Seriously, look." He shook the bag and the pills rattled in their bottles. "I just want to help." Everyone went silent. All they could hear was the water, the dragon flies, the birds.
He could see the distress on her face. Her honey brown eyes were sharp, but desperate. She wanted help if that's what he was really offering but she couldn't be sure. "Show me," she demanded, keeping the rifle up. "Over here," she said, allowing him to come on to her bank of the river.
Punk slowly walked onto the bank, only to notice that the other girl was awake and clutching a knife. He wanted to smile at how tough they were, but he had business to handle. "These are Tylenol to lower her fever, and these are heavy duty antibiotics." He opened the bottles to show her one of each.
"Take one," she said, holding her rifle steady even after holding it up for over five minutes.
"What?"
"Take one of each. How do I know they're not poison? Fucking take one." She hissed. Dean watched, impressed as Punk sighed and took one from their respective bottles.
"Pills take a half hour to dissolve completely. That's how long I'm waiting, so get comfortable. What is he doing, by the way?" She said motioning to Dean as Punk sat on a sun warmed rock.
"Dean? He doesn't even want to be here. He thinks you're gonna kill us both. Add to your tally."
"Hi, ladies," Dean said from across the river, waving. Andrea laughed a little.
"He's right," she croaked. "We'll kill you both. Add to our tallies. One each is fair, right Rachel?" Andrea joked, but her friend didn't even crack a smile. Punk went sheet white. "You know, ... What's your name?"
"Phil, but everyone calls me Punk."
"Everyone that's left," said Rachel darkly.
"You know Punk, I've learned a thing or two through out my life. I've learned how to tie a knot, how to fix a broken window, how to fish for walleye. I've learned a lot of things. One thing I found out, was that even in the apocalypse the number one danger to women is men, not walkers. Walkers don't beat you, they don't try to convince you're worthless, they don't take your firearms, they don't rape you, or your friends. Walkers just want to eat you, and I find that simple, and it's something that I find it hard to punish them for. It's instinct. They have no higher thought. Like a lion or bear they react to stimuli. What I find to be completely unforgivable are creatures that have higher thought, and act like animals anyway. I find it very easy to punish those creatures."
"I'm starting to find joy in it," Rachel piped in.
"I want to teach those people a lesson, in the worst kind of way."
"We're not those kind of people. I know there's no way I can prove it, but we just want to help you."
"Then why were you spying on us? You know about the tallies and Andrea's gun is hidden right now. You had to have seen them before you got here. Which means you stalked our camp or you've been watching us with binoculars." Rachel stated.
"We didn't know how to approach you, and this is our territory. We have to keep watch." Dean said, he was almost on their river bank now. Rachel pointed her gun at him and backed up to where Andrea was sitting. "Dean Ambrose. Nice to meet you, too." He said sarcastically, sitting next to Punk. From then on they sat in uncomfortable silence. Punk was trying to figure out what he had gotten them into talking to these girls. They seemed to have lost anything resembling humanity. Maybe Rachel wasn't as far gone as Andrea, but they were both damaged goods.
While Punk was frightened of the girls now, Dean was enjoying their company. He was surprised at the survivalists. When they got to Dean and Punk's place they might lose their minds, or revert. Which would be interesting to watch. It was fascinating to listen to Andrea talk about murder like it was a well deserved beating. He knew the feeling of relief that came with shutting up some smart mouth asshole at the bar, but he had never killed anyone. No one had ever crossed him that bad, even in this new world. He guessed being a woman was a lot tougher than he'd imagined. He thought everyone would be like Punk, and just want to take care of them. Apparently not. More people thought like him, and it started to make him sick. He hadn't thought he could take what he wanted from them, but it was the first thing he thought of when he saw them.
"It's been a half hour," Rachel broke the silence. "We'll take the medicine. What did you want in return?"
"Nothing. We just want to give you a little bit more." Dean said softly. Punk looked at him and smiled.
***
Rachel followed the guys as Dean carried Andrea, and Punk rested. They were switching off on who carried her. It was damn hot and they were sweating faster than they could replace their water. Of course Rachel was still pointing her rifle at them, but carrying her and Andrea's pack was weighing on her and her hands began to shake.
"We're here. Check your weapons at the door." Punk said stopping fifty yards from a bluff that over looked the river.
"What?" Rachel asked right as Punk knelt down and grabbed a tree root. "I thought there was a-"
Punk pulled up on the fake tree root revealing a hidden door. "Welcome to The Bunker."
***
Andrea woke up with a clear head for the first time in a week and a half. The first thing she noticed was the full bed, with sheets, down pillows, and a down comforter. Second thing she noticed was the soft glow of a night light coming from an outlet. An outlet. The third thing was that her bladder was full to the point of bursting. As she sat up she noticed an empty water bottle, two bottles of pills, and a box of tissue next to her bed on a night stand. A night stand. She also noticed that the whole room was poured concrete except the door which was sheet metal. Other than the lack of windows it was pretty normal. The thoughts that surrounded her were less than comfortable. How did I get here? Where is Rachel? Who brought me here?
As she explored the room further she found her rifle was in the corner and her knife was in the night stand drawer. A small blanket she'd had in her pack and her stuffed rabbit were there on the end of the bed. It was all too perfect. It was all like before.
"Hello?" She asked walking out of her room, clutching her knife, and into the hall with five other doors. The walls were different in the hallway. They were black slate. Huge square pieces that were cool to the touch. "Rachel?" She asked, feeling her heart beat faster at the thought of her friend not being there with her, and being in a strange place that was clearly inhabited by others. Who was waiting around the corner for her? Who was going to hurt her?
She realized that talking would give her away, so she slowly opened one of the doors to find a bathroom. A fucking bathroom. Before she could even think she was rushing for the toilet, pulling down the unfamiliar shorts she was wearing. She didn't even close the door she was so used to just going in the open.
Just then a figure appeared in the doorway. "Oh, sorry," it was that guy from before, Dean. When he saw her, he turned around and stood in the door. Blocking the view from anyone else that happened by.
Her first instinct had been to stab him in the kidney and run, but in this environment it seemed an odd reaction. Back when people used toilets, no one got stabbed in the kidney for walking in on you. Suddenly rules applied to her life again. Social structure reenacted. It was terrifying. "Sorry, I've just become acc-"
"Wild?" Dean said, using a tone that Andrea recognized as annoyed. Of course he was right, but that's what the world had made her. If she had been pent up in a cozy little bunker, she wouldn't be this way. She couldn't help the anger that welled up at his attitude.
"My apologies, but I assumed by waking here that I was welcome to the facilities." She said, tucking her knife into the waist band of her shorts. "Where am I by the way?"
"In a bunker. Punk and I are letting you stay here." He said, rubbing his bright blue eyes.
"For how long?" She said, sounding a little different than before. He wondered what that tone was.
"Whenever Punk decides to kick you out. None of this has been up to me." He said simply, but Andrea took it as attitude.
"Oh, I see." She growled. "and what does he want for all this kindness?"
"How about you talk to him in the morning. Until then, get out of the bathroom so I can use it." He said, holding the door open for her. She gave him a look that damn near burned him, and just as he was about to close the door she spoke.
"Where is Rachel?"
Punk lay on his side looking at Rachel as she slept. He kept playing what had happened earlier that night in his head. It all seemed so backwards. She had been telling him about being held captive in a house by a group of militant survivors. She had mentioned that something similar happened to Andrea, but didn't want to talk about it. She felt responsible somehow. All of this discussion lead to crying, then somehow to kissing…
"What... What are you doing?" He asked, getting up from the couch to sit on the bed. Put distance between them. After she had tried to sit on his lap.
"I just... I need you. Please," she sighed, her eyes pleading with him. He wanted to, no doubt about that. The way she said please nearly broke his heart. But he wasn't sure this was the right way to go about things. She had just told him about all the violence she had suffered, and he didn't think he could help her. "Please? Maybe it will just be this one time, but I need it." She reached from where she was sitting on the couch to touch his knee.
"Why?" He asked, desperately curious.
"I know you." She explained, but that didn't really explain anything. "I know why you helped us. You want us to stay. You told me we have to leave when Andrea is better, but I know you're lying. I know what you want from us. I know why we're here. You're lonely." Punk could feel the hot sting of tears, and hated the fact that he might cry at simply hearing the truth. "It's okay. I'm lonely. Andrea will realize she's lonely too after a hot shower, and a few good meals. And that's okay. It's alright to feel things. As long as you can recognize that those feelings are valid, and that they can change."
"I heard you talking to Andrea. I know you wanted to… Give up. I wanted to give up this winter. I was so sad and lonely. I could tell Dean was lonely too, but not like I was. He could see it, and he didn't say anything. He probably wanted to save my pride." Punk smiled, thinking of his friend.
Rachel gave a little chuckle. "Andrea would never let him get away with that."
"Rachel," he said, quietly bringing them back together in the moment. "I haven't felt this good in months. It's so good to have an honest talk with someone again."
"It feels so good to help you. You've already helped me so much, Punk. I'm just worried about one thing. How are our friends going to react to this?"
"Dean will probably be pissed cause I 'took' the 'normal' one." He said using air quotes, as she walked to the bed, putting her arms around his neck.
"Andrea will just be pissed that I'm sleeping with someone. She's extremely protective. Be prepared."
"Okay, I will be," he whispered and she closed the distance between their lips.
It was that easy to get her started, she had gone a long time without even thinking about sex. The road was so terrifying that there was no time to satisfy needs that weren't completely essential. Food, water, and shelter were the object. The minute Rachel realized she was set on those three her sex drive came roaring back to life. She pushed Punk into his bed and she straddled him.
"Do you have condoms?" She said, feeling his hardness against her middle. Punk chuckled.
"You would not believe." He said, pulling open the top drawer of his nightstand he pulled out an unopened box. "There are about another hundred thousand more where these came from."
"Good," she sighed, grinding herself against him. He gasped and bit his lip. It had been a long time for him too. He didn't know how long he would last. "Put one on, please." She said, grabbing the elastic of his basketball shorts. She probably wouldn't last long either.
Just as she was pulling her shorts to the side his hand found hers. He could feel her wetness had soaked through her panties to her shorts, and it made him impossibly harder. He moved her shorts for her as she put her hands on his shoulders to brace herself.
He was holding himself back as his fingers slid through her wet folds, making certain she was ready. As her brushed by her clit she gasped, and he realized how sensitive she must be. He could wait a few more seconds if that's all it would take to make her come. He slid his fingers over her back and forth until she was shaking and her breathing was just gasps. Just as she went over the edge she locked lips with him.
He slid inside her and they both gasped. Her whole body was tense as Punk started moving, so he smoothed his hands down her back, cupped her face, kissed her cheeks, nose, mouth. She started to relax, but she was still tense compared to when they started, so he stopped. "Rachel, look at me. You okay? Still wanna do this?" She wouldn't look at him. "Rachel?"
"I'm alright. Keep going, but... Talk to me while we-"
"Sure," he said, starting again. He couldn't think of what to say at first, but then a stream of words formed. He told Rachel how beautiful she was, how sweet, how good she felt. He reached down to where they met and started making the same motions he did before. Her tension subsided and she was grinding against him and his hand as Punk told her how sexy it was. "I never want it to stop," he said, but by then her body was at the height of pleasure and he couldn't push through it.
"It doesn't have to stop. I'm not going anywhere."
Please read and review. These chapters are gonna be long, and far between cause my computer is broken, but if you review I'll try to produce them a little faster. Thanks!