Disclaimer - I own nothing you recognise
Challenges listed at the bottom
Beta'd by the lovely Lo
Word count - 5919
The Things We Carry With Us
Dean sat in front of the tv, awaiting the beginning of the news for hopes of more information of the viral disease that was gripping the country. His mother had been taken to a special hospital four days ago when she began showing symptoms, and Dean had heard nothing of her since then.
He was just about to get himself a drink when a breaking news alert had flashed across the screen. A field reporter was standing in front of a mess of people, who…
Dean looked closer, almost falling out of his chair as he attempted to make out the background.
Were those people eating each other?
He shook his head. No. Surely not. The reporter had a look of horrified fear on his face, and he didn't seem to be able to make his mouth move long enough to explain just what in the fuck was going on. Eventually, he'd just moved out of the camera shot, letting the lense focus on the people in the background.
Who were, in fact, apparently sharing another person as an entree.
"What the actual fuck!" Dean gasped out loud, startling himself in the silence. He rolled his eyes at himself, before turning back to the tv.
Back to the studio the camera went, to more horrified looking reporters who were being handed pieces of paper.
"The country is in a state of emergency. Remain in your homes with all doors and windows locked shut. Barricade any weak points of entry if you can. The British Army will be taking control while scientists search for a cure to this virus that is… well."
The news lady looked at a loss for words. The man beside her patted her hand comfortingly.
"It would appear that human beings are being turned into what Hollywood would deem as zombies. As Amanda just said, we stress the importance of remaining in your home with all doors and windows closed and barricaded if possible. We are not yet aware of the spread of the disease, but the 'zombies' are dangerous and will attack without pause."
Dean could only stare at the tv in horror, the image of his mother joining these 'monsters' flashing through his mind.
He didn't know what to do. Should he try to get to the hospital, in hopes of finding her? Should he do as the reporters recommended and stay inside his home, where he was safe? He didn't know. As the news began repeating, the words flashing along the bottom of the screen, Dean raced upstairs.
Twitching the curtains in his mother's bedroom, as her's was the one that looked out onto the street, he looked for any signs of movement. All seemed calm, and the only thing he could see was the flickering of a TV screen in number 9's living room window.
Leaving the room, he moved into his own, repeating the process and looking out over the alley that kept barrier between his own street and the next one over. Again, calmness.
Perhaps their area hadn't been affe -
Dean saw movement from the corner of his eye, and turned to see a young man, around his own age, running as fast as his legs could carry him. Moments later, a small crowd followed on behind him, their movements awkward and ungainly.
As Dean stared, he saw blood running from the corner of one of the people's mouths.
The running man had started hopping garden fences in a bid to escape, and it forced Dean into action. Running downstairs, he cracked open the backdoor, waiting for the man to appear in his garden.
As soon as he did, Dean hissed, "Oi. In here. Quickly!"
The boy eyed him for a second before he did as Dean told him too, helping Dean push the kitchen table against the immediately relocked door.
"What the bloody hell were you thinking?" Dean asked, staring at the panting man. "Have you even watched the news?"
The man glared at him. "Of course I have! I saw it in the window of a shop. We're not all lucky enough to have homes to shelter in!"
That stopped Dean in his tracks. "Oh."
"Yeah. Oh."
"I'm sorry," Dean murmured, his tone lowered. "Really. I just… it's madness, what's going on out there."
"Yeah."
"I'm Dean." He stuck his hand out, and the man shook it. "You're more than welcome to stay here. It's… well. You really shouldn't be on the streets at the moment."
"Theo," the man replied. "And, erm. Thanks. You know, for letting me in. Those fuckers are relentless, it's like they lock onto a smell and can just follow for miles, no matter how fast you run away from them."
Dean shook his head. "Christ. There's drinks in the fridge. We should probably take it easy on groceries, but you must be thirsty. Help yourself."
Theo smiled a tired smile in thanks, grabbing a bottle of coke from the fridge. He drank half of it in one gulp and followed Dean when he moved into the living room, both of their eyes locked on the tv. It was the same information Dean already had, but he left the tv on the same channel, just in case there was anything new.
"Scientist are searching for a cure," the man on tv was repeating.
Theo scoffed. "Like that'll do any good," he murmured. "They can't cure the common cold, how do they expect to cure zombieism?"
Dean nodded silently. He'd been thinking the same thing. The image of his mum appeared in his head again, and he swallowed hard.
He didn't mind admitting that he was terrified.
…
Four days passed, and the two of them spent much of their time in tense silence, watching the news. The reporters were coming undone by the hour, stuck in the studio for fear of being eaten should they try and step outside.
"It's come to light that the zombies can be stopped. A hard blow, or a bullet, to the head render them dead," the male reporter said, his voice hoarse. "The army are strongly recommending that should you find your safety compromised, that you go straight for the head shot."
"The bites of these monsters are contaminating. If you meet someone who has been bitten, do not join them. They will die within hours and they will turn," the woman added, running a hand through messy hair. "As always, try and remain indoors, with all windows and doors locked and barricaded. If you find your space compromised, move upwards. The roofs of buildings are your friends. The zombies seem to struggle with climbing stairs."
Theo shook his head. "This is a mess. We're sitting ducks here."
Dean stared at him. "You're not actually suggesting we head out into that?"
"You saw the report yesterday. The army have set up a safe space on the coastal edge of Folkestone. If we can just get there…"
"And how do you propose we get there without being mauled by a fucking flesh eating zombie?" Dean snapped. "Are you suddenly going to tell me that you can grow wings and fly there?"
Theo rolled his eyes. "Don't be dramatic, I'm just raising the subject. We don't have to do anything right this second."
"We won't be doing anything at all. I'm not going outside until the zombies are gone. That's suicide!"
"And when we run out of food? Water? Then what, Dean? Would you rather starve to death, or die of dehydration? Personally, I'd rather not. I rather like being alive, ta very much."
Dean didn't reply.
"What about your mum?" Theo asked, changing tact. "If we leave the house for the Army camp, we could attempt to swing by the hospital, see if we can find out what happened to her?"
Dean swallowed hard. "I… can't."
Theo frowned. "Why not?"
"Because what if she's one of them? Should I hit my own mother in the head with a baseball bat, because she wants to bite me instead of hug me?"
Dean slumped back in his seat. "I don't want any part of this. I just… i just want to wake up. I want this to be a nightmare. I want… I want my normal life back."
Theo leaned over, gripping his shoulder. "Me too, mate. But… that's not going to happen anytime soon. And, look, we have each other right? If we stay together, we'll be alright. Maybe we can even find other survivors. We can get through this."
Dean met his eyes and stared at him for a long moment. "Hospital first then. I… I have to know. I have to find my mum."
…
They had backpacks, stuffed to the brim with anything that might be useful. Food, drinks, rope, weapons, and a two man collapsible tent, along with sleeping bags, lighters and despite Theo's complaints of wasting space, Deans sketchbook and pencils.
It was his greatest joy in life, and not even zombies would stop him from indulging it.
"Are you ready?" Theo asked, as the two of them checked the upstairs windows for signs of movement.
"No. Not even slightly. Let's go."
They left the house quietly, hopping the fences through back gardens to move unseen. Dean was thankful that he didn't live too far away from the hospital.
When they were forced to move into the open, they moved carefully, taking stock of each street they came too, checking carefully around corners before they continued on, and luckily for them, they didn't cross any zombies until they were about halfway to the hospital.
"On your left," Dean murmured to Theo, nodding his head slightly.
Three zombies, staggering around as though they were drunk, were indeed on Theo's left. "Think we can sneak around them?" Theo asked.
Dean shrugged. "The hospital is that way, we don't have much choice."
Seeing them up close was an experience Dean could have gone without. Their bodies and faces were grotesque, their clothes ripped and torn, and dried blood seemed to be the main feature on all of them.
Dean felt nauseous.
They crept around parked cars, keeping one eye on the threat at all times. They'd almost made it to the end of the street when a man around their age came running towards them, followed by a hoard.
"Oh for fucks sake," Theo groaned. "Lets go."
Flitting out into the open, they followed along after the man, who quickly realised he'd been joined by two uninfected people.
"What are you two doing out here?" he panted out, clutching at his side as though he had a stitch.
"Hospital," Dean replied through gritted teeth.
He knew it was unreasonable to be angry at the man, who'd probably only been doing what they themselves were, but he couldn't seem to stop the ball of rage manifesting in his chest.
Fucking moron.
When they were sure they'd lost the following hoard of bloodthirsty monsters, they stopped for a breath, leaning back against the wall. Dean watched Theo staring at the other man and felt a jolt of jealousy. Frowning at himself, he almost missed what Theo said.
"Were you actually avoiding the cracks in the pavement?" Theo asked, his eyes wide and disbelieving.
The man shrugged. "Shouldn't step on the cracks. It's bad luck."
"Mate," Dean started. He looked to the side to see more of the zombies coming into view. "We're being chased by fucking zombies. Fuck the crack in the pavement, and RUN!"
…
"We actually made it," Dean gasped, staring at the Hospital sign. It was odd, to see it looking so dull when usually it was lit at all times.
Theo nodded, offering Dean a small smile. "Come on, mate, let's go and see if we can find your mum."
"You're going into a hospital?" the man, who'd they'd found out on their run was called Lee Jordan, asked, looking aghast. "Are you both completely fucking insane?"
"My mum's in there," Dean growled.
"Well, she was," Lee replied. "Doesn't mean she still is. This is a suicide mission!"
Theo glared at him. "Nobody is forcing you to come with us."
Lee gave them a cheeky smile then. "You two seem like survivalists. Or, at least more survival-y than me. I've probably got a better chance of surviving if I stay with you."
"Probably," Dean agreed, still salty. "So let's go."
They entered the hospital to find it empty. Eerily empty. Walking carefully through the corridors, the only sounds was that of their footsteps on the linoleum floor.
Each ward that they came to was equally as empty as the waiting room and reception.
"This is very strange," Dean whispered.
Theo nodded his agreement.
"The NHS must be loving it. Look at all the spare beds!" Lee quipped.
Dean rolled his eyes. Idiot.
A bang in the distance made the three of them jump.
"That… didn't sound good."
Dean glanced at Theo. "No. No it did not. And I think it's safe to say that my mum isn't here. We need to get out of here and out into the countryside before dark. We should be safe to set up camp there."
"Isn't that taking the longest way to Folkestone, though?" Lee asked, frowning.
Theo snorted. "If you want to be zombie chow, be my guest. We prefer the chance of survival."
They were passing an office when they heard a noise inside.
"Chance it?" Dean asked.
Theo nodded. They pushed open the door, to find, at first glance, an empty room. Dean frowned, entering it more fully. It was then he saw a flash of red hair, and pointed to it silently.
They stared at the redheaded girl for a moment. She was muttering to herself, crouched down behind the desk.
"I'm a damsel. I'm in distress. I can handle this," she was murmuring to herself.
Dean felt bad interrupting her, but he'd feel worse leaving her behind.
"Hey," he whispered.
She let out a shriek. Theo moved forward rapidly, covering her mouth. "Shhhh," he told her urgently. "Don't scream. Come on, we're getting out of here."
He moved his hand slowly from her mouth. Dean almost laughed when she glared at him.
"Just because I'm a woman, doesn't mean I need rescuing by a man. Two men. Whatever."
Dean did chuckle then. "Careful Theo," he warned playfully. "Redhead's are known to be fiery."
Theo rolled his eyes. "Let's go, kid. I don't fancy being eaten."
"I'm not a kid! You're just like my brothers, just because I'm a girl -"
"Look, I don't care if you're male or female. You're a human that doesn't want to eat us. That's a win in my book, so if you're quite done bitching, we need to get out of here."
…
They'd managed to escape the hospital by the skin of their teeth and the use of chairs that were helpfully not nailed down to the floor.
Apparently, hitting a zombie in the head with a chair was just as effective as a baseball bat.
They'd made it to the outskirts of the town and into the countryside, thankfully finding a grouping of trees that would serve as a good place to set up camp.
"You fetched a tent and sleeping bags?" Lee asked looking somewhat surprised. "Proper little boy scouts, you two, aren't you?"
Dean just stared at him. "Whereas you decided to go for a jaunt around town for a laugh and got caught up in a chase that would have killed you had you not found us. Good job, mate."
Theo just rolled his eyes. "If you keep making shit jokes, Lee, it won't be the zombies you have to worry about." Turning to their newest addition, Ginny, he softened slightly. "Are you okay?"
She nodded, but she was shivering. Dean shook off his sweater, handing it over to her. "Here, that'll warm you up a bit."
"I'm okay," she argued.
He raised his eyebrow. "It's not because you're a girl. Like Theo told you earlier, your gender means very little to me. It's about looking after all of us, because we're all we got at the moment."
"We're going to have to sleep in shifts," Theo said, once they'd set the tent up. "We can do two on, two off, or one on, three off. The tent's big enough to fit three I think, at a push."
"You lot get some sleep. I'm good for a while, and I want to draw anyway, while we still have a little bit of light."
"Do you want to try and light a fire?" Theo asked, looking around for logs to build one.
Dean shook his head. "Probably not yet. When we're deeper into the countryside it should be fine, but at the moment, we're a bit close to the town still. It could attract very much unwanted attention."
"That's very smart," a deep voice commented, drawing the attention of the group. "I'm Kingsley Shacklebolt, and you're the first survivors I've seen for days."
Dean eyed him cautiously but introduced himself, the other's following suit.
"Are you all heading for the Army camp at Folkestone?"
Theo nodded. "Yes. We thought it the best place to ride this out, however long it's going to take."
"I'd like to travel with you, if you don't mind? I have food and water, a tent and a hand gun with plenty of ammunition, should we run across any unfriendly company."
Dean looked at Theo.
Theo's head tilted to the left.
Dean's shoulder's shrugged slightly.
Theo looked back at Kingsley. "Sure."
…
"Can't sleep?" Dean asked, looking at Ginny who sat beside him outside the tents. It was dark now, the only light, the moon filtering through the trees. Kingsley had given Dean a torch, just in case, but dean was loath to use the batteries up unnecessarily.
She shook her head. "No. Nightmares."
"Understandable," Dean replied quietly. "Do you want to talk about it?"
"Not really. I, I miss my family. I don't… I don't know if any of them are still alive, or gnawing on humans like a dog with a bone."
"Tell me about them?"
Her lips tilted up slightly. "I have six older brothers."
Dean blinked. "Wow. That must be… challenging."
"You have no idea," she replied with a sad chuckle. "Bill, he's the oldest, he's my favourite, even though you're probably not supposed to have them. He looked after me without being too overbearing about it, you know? He let me fall over and then soothed me, whereas the others caught me before I could fall."
"He's had a good influence on you. I take it your independence can, at least in part, be credited to him?"
She nodded. "Probably. And then there's Charlie, who works with dangerous animals abroad. I'm hoping that means he's safe. And Percy, who's… more serious. He'll probably be locked up in Westminster, taking notes on the emergency meetings."
She shook her head. "My twin brothers, Fred and George, they fancy themselves as prank inventors. I wouldn't be surprised if they try and keep a zombie when this is all over, to test their products on."
Dean let out a startled laugh.
She raised her eyebrows at him. "You think I'm joking. The last one is Ron, he's only a year older than me, and probably the one I'm closest too. I have no idea what happened to him, he was out camping with his best friends when the virus hit. He could be… anywhere. Hopefully he's somewhere safe."
"Your parents?"
She shook her head. "They were with me when… I managed to escape, to run away. They… didn't."
"I'm sorry."
"Yeah," she sniffed, wiping her eyes as discreetly as she could. "Me too."
They fell into a comfortable silence, until Kingsley got up to take over from Dean. Ginny took the older man's tent, at his order, and Dean slipped in beside Theo, taking comfort from his friend's deep, even breathing.
…
They travelled for days.
Their legs were aching.
Their minds tired.
Lee was the first to cry, but he was followed shortly by Ginny. Dean took a moment to himself in the tent, not wanting the others to see him so weak. He and Theo were the strong and steady ones, the ones that got on with it, the ones with the ideas.
They were the ones that, when Kingsley was distracted trying to get a headshot on two zombies approaching from the back, beat back a group of zombies who were inches away from using Ginny as a chew toy.
Shifting from two to five hadn't forced them apart, like Dean thought it would. It had pushed them closer, the two of them in their own little bubble.
They had almost silent conversations, walked shoulder to shoulder, leant on each other when the need made itself known.
Theo was Dean's silent strength, Dean was Theo's silent comfort.
Everyday they got closer to the camp, to being able to relax fully, without fear of being ambushed.
...
"GO! I'll hold them off, just, run, please," Dean begged, staring at Theo. He could hear the tell tall groans of the zombies getting nearer.
They'd had to pass through a small town, (if they didn't, they'd have added about twenty five miles to their journey, and it was a unanimous vote that that was a terrible idea), and they'd been unlucky enough to find it inundated with zombies.
(As Theo had stated, it looked like the whole town had shown up to the party.)
"If you think I'm going to let you martyr yourself, think the fuck again," Theo replied harshly, gripping Dean's hand. "Let's go, you asshole."
Dean let him pull him along, the two of them running to catch up with the group. They ran for long minutes, their lungs burning, their muscles aching, until finally, they slowed to a stop, the group collectively sinking to the ground, gasping and panting.
When he got his breath back a little, Dean looked around them and found himself surprised that they'd stopped in a graveyard.
"This… is a shockingly bad idea," he commented, watching a raven sitting on top of a headstone. "Like, spectacularly bad."
Theo nodded his agreement. "You're probably not supposed to run from zombies into the zombie home. That… does not make much sense."
Lee twitched where he was laying on the floor. "Bad idea or not, I can't actually move right now."
Kingsley, the oldest one of them and the unspoken de facto leader, sighed, handing bottles of water around.
"At the moment, this might be the safest place. If the bodies here were going to rise, they'd have done it by now. There's a cluster of trees just down the way, we can set up camp there for the night. It should be easily defendable at least."
Lee rolled over. "I'm not moving," he groaned. "Leave me to be eaten."
Dean sighed, standing up. The others, apart from Lee, followed suit, wincing at their abused limb's pain. Approaching Lee, Dean crouched down.
"We're not leaving you to be eaten, even if we have to carry your lazy ass the entire way to Folkestone, but if you value my sanity even a little bit, you will drag your carcass up off the grass and you will walk with us to the break in the trees so we can set up camp. Because so help me god, Lee, I will not lose anyone else!"
Lee blinked at him for a moment as Dean stood back up, retreating to Theo's side. It was where he felt calmest, and at the moment, Dean really, really needed that calm.
Lee stood slowly, and the group moved once more, albeit at a slower pace this time. Dean and Theo set up their two tents, while Kingsley, Ginny, and a subdued Lee moved around the woods, collecting fallen branches for a fire.
…
"That's impressive," Kingsley's warm voice said quietly, startling Dean. "You've got talent, kid."
Dean rolled his eyes goodnaturedly at being called 'kid', but smiled his thanks. Kingsley sat beside him, leaning back against the log they'd set by the fire.
"You and Theo… you'd make brilliant soldiers. I've never seen teamwork like it. Have you been friends for a long time?"
Dean laughed. "I met him when he was being chased through an alley by my house by zombies. I let him in, couldn't let him get eaten, you know? Now I feel like I've known him forever."
"It's amazing, what meeting people in crisis can bring," Kingsley agreed, looking thoughtful. "I met my wife when she saved my life. She is, was, an EMT. I was a cop. I got shot, and she was at the scene. She kept me alive with cheesy jokes and warm assurances, and then, later, she came to visit me in the hospital."
He smiled.
"I asked her out on a date there and then. I'd never met anyone who captured my attention the way she did. She was so full of life, so… vibrant. She made my world colourful."
"What happened to her?" Dean asked quietly, captivated by Kingsley's story.
"She died in childbirth, our son too. It was… the hardest thing I've ever done, to not eat my gun. But… she wouldn't want that. She wouldn't… She'd want me to live. And she'll be waiting for me, when I die, I don't doubt that for a second."
Nodding slowly, Dean asked a question that had been bothering him. "The, uh, the people who've been turned. Do you think their souls are still going to heaven? I mean, it's not their fault they were infected by this, is it? So do you -"
"You'll see your mum again, many years from now, when you die an old man, Dean. Always believe that."
Too choked to speak, Dean just nodded, clutching at his sketchbook.
"Go on to bed, Kid, I'll keep watch while you get some sleep."
Dean thanked him quietly, leaving their little calm to use the 'bathroom' before he crawled into the two man tent he and Theo were sharing. Lee had been allowed to share with Ginny, after rather stern warnings from the other men, much to Ginny's chagrin and amusement.
"Hey," Theo greeted quietly.
Dean smiled at him. "Sorry, did I wake you?"
Theo shook his head. "Nah, I was awake. Sleeping is… not easy, in this climate."
Dean snorted. "Understatement. I'm forever expecting whoever is on watch to just scream, 'ZOMBIES!'"
"Can you imagine how shrill it would be if it was Lee. Christ the man is a coward and a half."
"I think he's scared, and it's coming out in asshole-y-ness."
"Good word," Theo approved. "And you're probably right. Doesn't mean I have to like him."
"No. No it doesn't. Still, we'll do what we gotta do, because I can't deal with anymore death right now."
"Optimist me says we'll make it to the camp fine," Theo said, turning on his side to face Dean as the latter lay down. "Cynical me says Lee is going to get us into trouble."
"Let's go with optimist you and hope for the best," Dean replied, getting comfortable.
Theo signed, closing his eyes. "Yeah. I… we will survive this, Dean. I'll make sure of it."
When Dean woke up in the middle of the night, breathing hard from a nightmare, it was to find the weight of Theo's arm holding him in place, and his soft breath tickling against his ear. It didn't take long for Dean to find sleep once more.
…
"Son of a fucking bitch," Theo seethed, glaring at Lee. "Why did you think it was a good idea to drain everyone else's water bottles you selfish bastard!"
Lee shrunk back against the log. "I was thirsty," he mumbled. "We can get more, so I thought it would be okay."
"Oh, yeah, we can get more. We'll just send you down to the corner shop to get a case of water bottles shall we?" Theo snarled, kicking one of the empty bottles.
"Theo," Dean said calmly. "There's a stream, down the way. The fire's still going. Come on, we can go and get come water and boil it before we drink it."
Kingsley nodded. "Take all the bottles with you boys, we'll clear up the camp ready to head out once the water is done." He looked at Lee. "I'd suggest you sort out your priorities, young man, or you'll find yourself alone in the middle of a zombie apocalypse, with no chance for survival."
Lee stood up suddenly, his fists clenched. "I'm sorry, okay! I'm sorry I drank the water, I'm sorry I'm such a fucking screw up and I'm sorry I didn't get eaten with my family! I didn't ask for any of this! I didn't ask to see my mum devoured, or hear my baby sister's screams as I run away! You think I don't know I'm a coward?"
Theo and Dean stared at him for a moment, before they collected the bottles up and walked out of their camp towards the stream. While Lee's outburst made it slightly easier to understand him, neither of them thought it justified his selfishness.
"Kingsley will speak with him while we're gone," Dean said after a moment. "Hopefully his words will have an effect."
"We should be able to make it to the Army camp today, if we don't run into anything," Theo replied, ignoring the subject of Lee.
Dean nodded, bending to collect water from the stream. It would be nice, he thought to be around more people who'd survived.
He thought about Ginny and wondered if any of her family would have made it there when they got there. Then a thought struck him and he frowned.
"What's wrong?" Theo asked, noticing immediately.
Dean shook his head. "Nothing, it's… nothing. I'm fine."
Raising his eyebrow, Theo stared at him for a long moment before he continued on collecting water. The two travelled back to the others in silence, Dean mulling over the depressing idea in his mind.
Theo appeared to be looking forward to getting to the camp. What if… what if it wasn't just about camp? What if he was excited about meeting other people, about getting away from Dean?
What if…
"You okay, Dean?" Kingsley asked, as he helped them heat the water. "You're quiet."
Dean forced a smile to his face and nodded. "I'm good thanks. Looking forward to getting to the Army camp."
Kingsley nodded. "It will be nice to be able to relax and not look over our shoulders constantly."
Ginny was standing close by, a wistful look in her eyes. Dean thought once more than he hoped at least some of her brothers had made it to the camp.
…
Army men scattered around, large guns strapped to their chest.
The group was searched for any sign of a bite mark, stripped naked and forced to shower, and then given new clothes to wear. They bore the treatment mostly in silence, answering questions when asked.
Finally, they were allowed entry through the large gates that blocked the Army camp off. An officer showed them to one of the large tent like setups and led them inside. Bunk beds were set up, around twenty in all, and they were each pointed to a separate bed.
"You're allowed to walk around freely inside the fenced off area," the officer told them. "There are many people here, possibly people you know, so feel free to go looking. Curfew is eleven, so as to save power, that is when all the lights are dimmed.
"Meals are at eight, one, and six, respectively. Again, you can attend or not, it is your choice. This isn't a prison, it's a safe haven. We don't want to make you feel like prisoners."
"Has there been any news on the virus?" Dean asked quietly. "We haven't seen a tv for over a week."
"Scientists are still working in a heavily guarded area. We do not know when they will find a cure."
Dean nodded, and the officer seemed thankful. He looked weary, tired of life.
"Hey Ginny?" Dean asked, after a quick glance at Theo. "Do you want me to come with you to search for your brothers?"
She nodded eagerly, standing from the bunk she'd claimed immediately.
"See you guys later," Dean said to the others, turning his back to them as he and Ginny walked from the tent.
He didn't see the hurt look on Theo's face.
…
"Hey, what are you still doing up?"
Dean was sitting just outside the tent, sketching in the dimmed light of the lamp. Theo looked back at him from the paper, as the real Theo sat down beside him.
Dean shrugged. "Couldn't sleep."
Theo nodded thoughtfully. "Me neither. I got used to you being there as my pillow."
Blinking, Dean turned to meet his eyes. Neither of them had brought up the way the migrated together in the tent, the way they always woke up entwined.
"Maybe that's it," Dean agreed eventually.
"You've been avoiding me," Theo said after a minute. "I've barely seen you in the three days we've been here."
"I just… thought you might like a bit of space. I couldn't give it to you before but now… now we don't need to stay together for safety. We're safe here, or as safe as we could possibly be at least."
Theo nodded, smirking slyly. "Ghastly, isn't it?"
Dean laughed.
"You know, they're asking for volunteers to go out with the Army, searching the remaining areas for survivors. We could do that. We'd be good at it."
Dean paused. "You're serious?"
"I was never meant to sit around doing nothing while other people were out having all the fun. I think… I think maybe that's the same for you. So, what do you say?"
"You really want to end up stuck with me again for weeks at a time, with no escape?"
Theo rolled his eyes. "You're a bloody idiot."
…
Adventures were had, and close calls made them cling to each other closer and closer. In time, the zombies were eradicated. In time, the scientists found the gene and were able to isolate it. In even more time, there was a cure, just in case it ever happened again.
Life moved on.
People were finally allowed out of the fenced camp area.
Civilisation slowly moved forward.
…
In a nice flat,
In a nice building,
In central London,
Dean was just waking up.
Soft lips were pressed to his own, a simple good morning kiss that Dean awoke to every day, that made everyday better than the one before.
"Good morning," he murmured, his voice sleep rough and gritty.
"Morning love," Theo replied, leaning over him. "I'm sorry for waking you but we said we'd go and see Ginny today, and it's already ten."
Dean nodded, reaching up to run a hand through Theo's already messy hair. "Bill and George are going to be there too. Percy can't make it, what with the government being a bit of a mess still."
Theo snorted. "As if we needed a zombie apocalypse to prove the government is a mess."
"Point. Move, lemme go shower."
Theo grinned mischievously. "I'll join you."
Dean picked up his phone.
"What are you doing?"
"Ringing Ginny to tell her we're going to be late."
When Theo laughed loudly, Dean couldn't suppress a smile.
He was happy.
Written for;
Character Appreciation - 21. Lee Jordan
Disney - C1. Pooh - Someone happy with life.
Creature Feature - Harpy (Shrill) and Troll (Grotesque)
Book Club - Mr Wednesday - Raven / Cynical / Martyr
Showtime - 5. Write about a superstition
Buttons - O3 - Rope / D1. "Run!"
Ami's Audio - 4. Cynical
Lo's Lowdown - An Ensemble Cast
TV Addicts - A Deadly Viral Disease / Hospital / Sanity
Easter Bingo - 19. I'm a damsel. I'm in distress. I can handle this.
Easter Build A Bunny - Red Wig - "Redheads are known to be fiery."
Scavenger Hunt - 2. A fic for a pairing with less than 50 fics on ffnet
Auction Prompt - DeanTheo
Love In Motion - DeanTheo