Note: I do not own anything mentioned in this fanfiction. The world is inspired by many zombie franchises. However the world and outbreak is leaning towards 28 days later though I'll also be pulling creativity out of my ass for this one, some stuff will be completely fabricated and odds are not plausible. The two main characters (as well as others brought in here) are from the OUAT franchise.
Characters: They are not their characters as known in OUAT, so they have none of their memories. This is an AU. Also, relationships will probably be out of whack. It is a GOLDENQUEEN fanfiction. So they will be the main characters. Names used will be of the characters in OUAT though so you know who is who. I am giving additionals to their names, so like Weaver has a first name here.
Rating: M. For sex, cussing, blood, violence. Also, There will be gore, of course. If details are going to get gross, I'll warn a paragraph ahead with two **. So you can know when to skip. Then a paragraph after when the gore is over, i'll Place a ##.
Chapters: I have no idea how long this story will be as it is not completed.
This note will be in every chapter.
After Outbreak: Day 122.
The sun was high in the sky but John Weaver couldn't tell. He had been stuck inside of this old farmhouse for two months and the rations were slowly dwindling away. Steadily, he counted the canned foods in the top cupboard. The number having come up slightly shorter than expected. At this rate, he along with everyone else in the house would be close to starved by the end of the week.
Mumbling to himself, he turned quickly and headed out of the kitchen. He crossed through the main room where Graham had been training August for the past few hours. "Try and keep the cussing and breaking things down for a bit." He warned the two as he moved through and out of the room, into a place concealed by a tarp. It had been an office but the furniture had been destroyed for fire wood and replaced by five makeshift cots and two wooden fuck ups that were used as a stool and table for the lamp. "Well, Doctor?"
"I'm not an actual Doctor, Weaver."
The doctor was right about that. Archie had been one of those psychologists that wasn't recognized by any college or medical board. A sort of off the book medical consultant. But since the outbreak, he had been busying himself with learning whatever he could about the virus. He had went as far as capturing one of the infected and running tests until, well, he lost his patient.
"And are they?" Weaver prodded further, ignoring Archie's statement.
"No. They have been under my watch for the past forty either hours. They are in no way infected with the virus from what I can tell."
"Good. You two come with me." He turned before he could see them pull themselves off of their cots and catch up with him in stride. "This is he safe house. Our safe house. There's Archie, our doctor. Which you've met. There's Graham- " Stopping in the main room, he nodded in the direction of the man currently holding August in a headlock. He winked in the direction of the young blonde, in turn the man next to her stepped forward. Protectively. Weaver shook his head. "No fighting." Then continued his sentence from before. "Graham is our go to guy for groups who venture out of the house. He's tough as a brick and is a great trainer if you want to step up and go out in the town. August is around two weeks new to this house, he decided being cooped up wasn't his cup of tea. Venturers also moonlight as guards while others are sleeping. We have lost many, so there aren't loads of people here now..but I will introduce you to everyone if you intend on staying."
"We do... We have nowhere else to go. I'm Emma."
"And I''m David. Emma's older brother." He nearly hissed the last bit in the direction of Graham.
"Good, nice to meet you both. Follow me and we'll get you settled in." He headed up the stairs which creaked under their weight as they ascended. Motioning he pointed in each direction of his words. "Bathroom. Bathroom... Water works for now, will probably be shut off come a few months down the line. We have five bedrooms in the house. Emma you will bunk with Blu." Rounding the corner, he walked into the first bedroom, door having been open. He nodded to the woman who was purched against a window that didn't have as many boards over it, sewing - she was. "Blu makes bandages and mends clothing. If you have anything needs mending, she's your girl. She also works with Archie for nursing purposes."
Emma nodded, giving Blu a wave. "I'm your new roommate, I guess."
"That's really nice to hear, it gets so lonely here with just Ruby and I."
"Ah, right. Ruby is out with Mulan, gathering fruits from the trees down the road. It's an old farm we often visit to steal what we can. They are part of the venturers. Mulan used to train but currently prefers fresh air. So she taught Graham all she knows."
"I want to join them." Emma shot in their direction before they could leave the room. "The Venturers, I mean."
"Fantastic, we need more. So you'll train with Graham all day tomorrow. August has him this one."
"And I'll join too." David added quickly as they walked out of the bedroom, leaving the girls to bond. "I'm actually looking for my wife, so it would be nice."
"We only go looking for survivors every four days. But you'll train with Graham the day after Emma, unless Mulan is feeling generous." Weaver takes out a small notepad from his pocket and grips the pencil that had been stuck behind his ear, Writing down the days in which David and Emma would train with a slight m? Beside where Emma's day had been scheduled.
"Fine. That will work."
"You'll bunk with Archie. Just in here."
"What's that room?"
Weaver followed David's gaze, falling upon the half open door where rifles could be seen beyond along with boxes of ammunition. "My bedroom and the weapon room, among other things."
"You sleep in there with...all of that?"
"Yes. Now since you'll both be joining. I will add your names onto the chore list tomorrow. When your name is not on the list, it means you will be venturing out."
"Got it. Now what?"
"Now, you go into your bedroom or you can explore the house. But I should warn you.." He stepped close to him now, eyes burning into Davids. "... if either of you think of running away with anything you see here, I'll make it my personal goal to hunt you down."
"Noted. And I will pass that on to Emma."
Weaver left him then, walking back down the hall and descending the stairs back into the main room before pulling open the door and stepping out onto the porch. His eyes washed over the land beyond. Green grass, empty dirt roads and trees that went on as far as the eye could see. If he ignored the noises from behind him of training, he could imagine as if it were long ago when him and his wife sat on this very porch talking of what type of pie they would have for dessert. His wife...
Heartbroken, he hung his head in shame as the image of Milah flashed behind his eyes. Pain wrenching through his chest trying to pull him back into the depths of self pity. But before he could give way to the emotion, a sound of laughter poured through his ears causing him to look up in the direction from which it came. Ruby and Mulan were both swatting at each other with twigs in a game, seemingly, unsure. Their bags were hanging over their shoulders, swollen with goods they had collected from the farm which had stored enough goods for them to keep coming back to steal for the past few weeks since finding the place.
"Girls. Try and be quiet, the sun will set soon."
They both shot a sheepish smile in his direction before Mulan climbed the steps and tossed something towards where he stood. He caught it best he could, glancing down into the bag that held a load of canned food. He refused to chastise the girls any further and let them giggle their way into the house, talking about something he couldn't be bothered to pay attention to. His stomach gave a loud grumble as if appreciative of the relief on his shoulders. They would eat well for a bit.
The outbreak had a large impact on life and views in general. Before, he only had ever cooked what him and his wife liked or wanted. Never really going out of their ways to learn anything outlandish or on a whim. Now; he knew how to cook anything in a can or otherwise without a recipe book or instructions over a fire. Which would always be done before the sun actually set to avoid any smells wafting into the night air and catching the infected's metaphorical eye.
Leaving the porch, he closed and barred the door shut before calling off the training and telling everyone to keep their noises to a minimum. That had been one very important detail that Dr. Hopper had brought to the house. Infected had over sensitive hearing at night only - while during the day their senses seemed muffled, as if by a sheer film over the eyes, ears and nose.
It only took a couple of minutes for Ruby and him to put away the food while some strange concoction simmered to a good enough temperature to serve. In the basement, he placed a medium ration into everyone's bowls before footsteps sounded in his ears as everyone descended down to where he was. They ate and stored their food beneath ground to keep the infected from sensing it. The stove down there resembled something of a 1920s make which he put out as soon as the food finished to keep smoke from rolling through the night.
"Tonight, we have two new members to our house. Emma and David." He lifted a glass of water in their direction, followed by the others who were finding their seats with ease.
"Here, take these two." Blu instructed to the newcomers, who eagerly took their seats and nodded in the direction of everyone before them.
"Emma, David, if you two wouldn't mind being the first to take a bite...then we'll follow in suit."
It had been customary for newcomers to have the first bite of the meal of the day. As a sort of honor or respect shown since the moment this little home had been formed. They had all had their nights, apart from Weaver. He had been the very first here. Him and Milah.
Once the first bites were out of the way, they all ate in a semi-hushed silence. Words spoken were whispers as they made as much conversation as possible, all gobbling down the concoction that was honestly more crap than anything. Weaver wasn't the best cook, but tonight had been his night to make the meal and it was the best he could have done with such small ingredients. Once he finished, he grabbed Mulan's ration and headed up the stairs to the main floor, continuing on up and up until he reached the attic which was her bedroom. The window was open, so he climbed out onto the top of the roof and settled in beside where she sat. "Calm night?" He asked, handing Mulan the bowl he had in his hands which she took quickly.
"Seemingly, thank you. I'm starving." Digging in, she kept her attention on the trees beyond and the dirt road that led to this little safe haven of theirs. "Oh. You cooked."
He gave an apologetic look and nodded. "It's not nearly as good as last night's meal from August."
"Fuck, it's not even as good as the really bad batch Ruby tried to pass off as stew."
They both laughed then, low and hushed but it still felt good to have that vibration in their chests that this predicament had stolen. He took to watching now, searching with her so she could at least enjoy her meal in semi-peace. Not one Infected had crossed their paths back here but letting their guard down due to that was an absolute fuck-no. Having heard horror stories from Graham and his previous house. Same with Ruby and the pack she used to run with. Guards slipping were out of the conversation let alone the mind if at all possible.
"I mean really, what the fuck is in this. It can't even be-"
But her words faltered as Weaver placed a hand on her gun, pointing it in the direction of a figure that had just darted into sight from within the trees.
"Is that-" She began, but Weaver cut her off.
"Look through your scope."
Mulan placed her bowl between them on the shingles of the room and peered through the scope on her gun, finger poised at the trigger just in case. But what she saw wasn't what she expected as it danced through the light near their perimeter that they had set up. A woman, dark hair, seemingly normal eyes and clothes that were covered in blood. Her body, her running, the slight wobble she had when jumping over something wasn't normal Infected behavior. But her bloodied clothes, that was normal of Infected due to their enhanced rage. "I-I can't tell..."
"Is she alone, keep an eye on the trees."
"Yes, alone and okay I will."
Weaver turned then and headed in through the open window, trying to calm his breathing he descended the stairs down onto the main floor where Graham had begun showing August how to disassemble a weapon and then reassemble it. But Weaver grabbed the one August had been working on, put everything where it should be and headed out onto the porch. "Stay inside." He warned to the others before adding "Tell Hopper to come out here."
He walked to the edge, pointing the gun in the direction of the person running. Which, once close enough, they stopped and held their hands in the air. Around that moment Hopper ran out of the house and stood behind Weaver. "What did you need me for?"
"Her."
"Oh.." Hopper walked past Weaver and onto the steps, adjusting his glasses. "Okay. I'm going to ask a few questions."
"And if you don't cooperate, we'll shoot you on the spot." Weaver knew that firing a gun in the silence of the night would be a bad idea, but he wouldn't be opposed to it as he has killed on more than one occasion to better the safety of the people in the house and himself. "First off; no yelling. Get closer, in the light."
The woman moved closer then, her hands still in the air, as she made her way next to a small lawn light. Her frame was shaking and they could see her nod before her body fell to the ground with a soft thud. Hopper ran towards her first before Weaver followed, gun left behind on the porch as he watched Hopper turn the woman over.
"Is she wounded?" Weaver asked, darting his eyes to the trees and then back to the woman on the ground.
"No. None of this blood looks to be hers."