A/N: As promised, here's chapter 1! Still rather short, but longer than the prologue :)
Pairings: Style, Creek, Gregstophe, and Bunny.
Warnings: Character death (major and minor), blood, violence, gore, cursing, slash
Summary: It was just another normal day in the small mountain town of South Park, Colorado. That is, until the screams started. Now, Kyle, Stan, Kenny, and Cartman, along with a group of their classmates, must survive in a post-apocalyptic world overrun by the walking dead. Friendships will be tested, friends and family will be lost, and, somehow, in a world gone mad, love will be found
Disclaimer: I am not Trey Parker or Matt Stone, nor am I Dylan Thomas. Therefore, I do not own South Park or the poem And Death Shall Have No Dominion. Please do not sue me. I am broke...like Kenny :(
Enjoy!
Chapter 1
Stan hated Mondays. Every sound in the classroom seemed to be obnoxiously loud, from Mr. Garrison's droning voice to Clyde's soft, sleep-induced breathing three seats behind him. The sun that was filtering through the window to his right was abnormally bright, and the classroom was colder than he ever remembered it being. He yawned tiredly and struggled to keep his eyes open. Glancing around, Stan noticed that most of his classmates seemed to be having the same problem. The only people who actually seemed awake were Wendy and Kyle. Stan couldn't help but stare at the redhead beside him and wonder at how he had so much energy. Kyle was hunched over his notes, occasionally looking up at Mr. Garrison and absentmindedly chewing on the end of his pencil. A pair of emerald eyes shifted their gaze to Stan, amusement twinkling in their green depths. The bastard. Mr. Garrison's voice began to grow more passionate and Stan swore he heard the words "celebrity" and "gay dolphins" in the same sentence. Obviously another one of his teacher's rants about something completely insignificant. He groaned and put his head down on his desk. Mondays sucked.
The bell rang to signal the end of first period, and it sounded like music to Stan's ears. The classroom was suddenly alight with movement as students pulled themselves out of their sleeping states and began to pack up their books.
"You look dead, dude," Kyle said, shoving his textbook into his backpack.
"It's Monday morning," Stan said, shrugging, "I was up all night finishing that essay for English."
Kyle chuckled slightly before whacking Kenny in the head with his backpack. The still-sleeping blonde woke with a start, blue eyes flying open and glancing around the classroom. "Dude!" He complained, rubbing the sore spot on his head, "Unnecessary!"
"What's the matter Kinny?" Cartman asked, coming up behind Stan and Kyle, "Rats keep you awake last night?"
"Fuck you, fatass," Kenny rolled his eyes.
"Hey! I'm not fat, you poor fuck!"
Stan couldn't help but grin at the small exchange. Even though they were now seniors in high school, it was nice to know that not much had changed over the years. Kenny had long ago ditched his orange parka in exchange for a hoodie. The hood was usually left down, allowing his mass of messy, golden hair to spill out and leaving Kenny's face uncovered. His sapphire blue eyes still twinkled with a perverted sense of humor and he had broken his fair share of hearts since the beginning of high school. While he had lost a lot of the weight he had carried as a child, Cartman was huge. At almost six-foot-four, he topped even Kenny's lanky six-one. Strong arms were attached to a thick torso, giving Cartman the perfect body type for an offensive lineman. Stan would never admit it aloud, but if there was one person in the school that he would avoid fighting at all costs, it would be Cartman. Standing at five-nine, Kyle was the smallest of the group, something that infuriated him to no end. His hair had grown out of its jewfro during middle school. Now, the fiery locks framed his face in gentle waves, long enough that his bangs were constantly getting in his eyes. The ushanka that he had worn for nearly all of his childhood remained perched on his head, though he was constantly pulling it down over his ears because it was slightly too small. Stan watched as the redhead joined the argument, standing on his toes so that his face was more level with Cartman's (though it did very little good, as Kyle was still quite a few inches shorter). Cartman snarled something anti-semitic, and Kyle's cheeks turned a shade of red that even his own hair would envy. Kenny just crossed his arms and looked on with amusement, occasionally backing Kyle up with a "Yeah, you fatass" or a "Shut up, fucker." Stan grinned as he watched them. They had changed in appearances, but they were still the same immature, argumentative kids they had been in fourth grade.
"You guys do realize that we're gonna be late for English, right?" Stan finally asked, glancing at the clock on the wall in front of him.
That got Kyle's attention, who walked away from Cartman, grumbling under his breath. Stan's heart fluttered slightly as the redhead bumped shoulders with him, grinning slightly. That was one thing that had definitely changed since they were kids. During sophomore year, Stan had noticed that his feelings for Kyle had grown from that of a super best friend to something more. Something much more. As high school went on, those feelings only grew stronger. It was the reason that Wendy had broken up with him for the final time, not that he really minded.
"That's right! Walk away you Jewish nerd!" Cartman called after Kyle mockingly, drawing Stan out of his thoughts.
Kyle flipped him off, making Stan stifle a laugh. Craig Tucker would be proud. Kenny just rolled his eyes and followed Stan and Kyle out into the hallway, ignoring Cartman's complaining behind him. The hallway was crowded with kids rushing to class and Stan's group had to push their way through the mass of students to get to their next classroom. Stan had just reached the door to the English room when a sudden scream pierced the hallway. The noise around them immediately died down as people stopped to attempt to locate the origin of the sound. More screams were heard from the end of the hallway, accompanied with strange moans and growls.
"What the fuck is going on?" Kyle asked, standing on his toes to try and see over people's heads.
"I don't know…" Stand said, craning his neck and frowning in frustration when he couldn't see anything.
Suddenly people were running and screaming towards them. Stan, Kyle, Kenny, and Cartman watched with shock as other students pushed past them roughly, as if they were running from something out of their darkest nightmares.
"Dude! The fuck?" Cartman growled, shoving a kid who rammed into his shoulder.
"Um…guys…" Kenny said, suddenly turning very pale, "We should go. Like now."
Stan opened his mouth to ask why, but the cause of the commotion had just come into his line of sight, immediately rendering him speechless. It was a man – or it had been a man at one point – that looked as if he had been eaten by a lion and spit back up. Flesh was hanging off of him in clumps, and in more than a few places, Stan could see the ivory glint of bone. His eyes were rolling madly and he was foaming at the mouth in a manner that reminded Stan of a rabid animal. Strewn carelessly on the floor behind him were the unmoving, bloodied bodies of three students.
"Fuck!" Kenny gasped, grabbing Stan's shoulder, "What are you looking at? Let's get the fuck out of here!"
Stan's jaw dropped and he pointed at the body of the girl closest to them. She was struggling to get to her feet, her movements jerky and her eyes rolling back into her head. Blood oozed out of a circular wound on her neck, staining her white top a deep crimson color.
"No fucking way, dude," Kyle breathed.
"Let's go!" Stan shouted, grabbing onto the front of Kenny's hoodie and pulling him along with him as they all turned and started sprinting for the exit at the end of the hallway. Unfortunately for the students of South Park High, the doors were not wide enough to allow too many students out at the same time. In their panic, students were tripping over each other and crowding together, ultimately blocking the exit. The hallway was now alight with screams and movement, as students tried desperately to find a way out. Meanwhile, the man and the students that had been supposedly dead were advancing quickly, pouncing on the terrified teens and ripping at their skin like starving wild animals.
"In here!" Kyle gasped, pulling Stan, Cartman, and Kenny into a classroom. He quickly kicked out the window, not bothering to deal with the task of unlocking it and sliding it open. "Hurry!" He shouted, hurdling over the window sill, his friends hot on his heels. They tumbled clumsily into the snow outside before quickly scrambling to their feet. The commotion in the hallways of their school was nothing compared to the utter chaos outside. Everywhere, there were people screaming and running. Snarls and groans could be heard from the bloodied things that were attacking everything within reach. Stan had to swallow down the urge to vomit as he watched a woman tear through a man's neck with her teeth. Only about ten yards from them, a man was tackled to the ground. They watched with horror as his attacker ripped open his stomach and began gnawing at his intestines. This time, Stan did throw up, his throat burning at the acid taste.
"What do we do?" Kyle asked, turning terrified emerald eyes toward his black haired best friend.
"My house is closest," Kenny said, already pulling his friends toward the direction of his house, "My truck has a full tank of gas. We have to get the fuck out of here."
"What about our parents?" Stan asked.
Kenny bit his lip, "We'll stop by your houses on the way out of town. But if those things are there, we're gonna have to assume the worst."
They reached Kenny's house in a matter of minutes, narrowly escaping from a nerve-wracking amount of the seemingly rabid humans. One started chasing after them directly as they threw themselves towards Kenny's old Ford pickup. Stan could feel its hot breath on his neck as he launched himself into the truck, pulling Kyle in after him and slamming the door shut behind them. Cartman clambered into the backseat while Kenny just barely made it into the driver's seat. He quickly started the truck, which roared to life loudly, and hit the gas, slamming into the creature as he peeled out of his driveway. Stan watched through the rearview mirror as the man got back to his feet jerkily, his neck hanging at an impossible angle.
"Dude, what the fuck is going on?" Cartman asked, looking about ready to pass out.
Kenny shook his head slowly, veering to the side as another one of the creatures stumbled into the path of his truck, "I have no fucking idea, dude."
"Do you think our parents are ok?" Kyle asked worriedly, watching with wide eyes as a woman on the side of the road was taken down by a little girl.
"I don't know," Stan answered honestly, trying not to think about his own parents and Shelly.
They pulled up to Cartman's house first. Cartman let out a small noise when they saw that the door had been kicked in. He threw open the door and started climbing out.
"What are you doing?" Kenny hissed, "Dude, get back in here!"
"Mom?" Cartman called, running towards his front door.
"Fatass!" Kyle yelled, "It's not safe! We have to go!"
Stan's eyes widened as he realized that several of the creatures were now making their way towards them.
Cartman disappeared inside his house, still calling for his mother.
"That fucker!" Kenny cried, "They're probably inside!"
There was an ear-piercing scream and suddenly Cartman came flying out of his house, limping heavily. Blood was flowing freely from a large wound in his leg. The creatures that had started advancing towards the truck turned towards him and closed in with a speed that surprised the three onlookers.
"Cartman!" Kenny shouted as he watched their friend get thrown to the ground. They looked on in horror as the four things ripped into the teen's flesh. Cartman's screams pierced their ears and Stan felt like he was going to throw up again.
"Drive, Kenny! Drive!" Kyle screamed, his eyes watering as he turned into Stan's chest, trying to block out the sound of Cartman's pain-filled wails.
A sob ripped from Kenny's throat as he hit the gas, running over yet another one of the rabid creatures. They drove in horrified silence, each trying to hold back tears for their lost friend.
When they reached Stan's house, they decided not to stop. All of the windows had been broken, and the door was slightly ajar. Stan stared at his house, feeling his heart plummet as he came to the realization that he might never see his family again. Kyle grasped his shoulder firmly, thumb rubbing soothing circles into Stan's skin. Stan swallowed back tears and put his hand over Kyle's, grateful for the contact.
Kyle's house was no better. In fact, they all watched in horror as one of the creatures came stumbling out of his front door, blooding dripping from its mouth. Kyle chocked back a sob as Kenny sped away, squeezing Stan's shoulder tighter. Kenny navigated them expertly through the chaos of South Park's streets. Everywhere, there were people running and screaming. Blood stained the sidewalks and corpses were strewn carelessly throughout the town. Stan had to close his eyes to block out the images of people he knew getting ripped to shreds by what could only be described as the walking dead.
They drove in silence, save for the occasional shuddering breath or choked whimper as they all tried to keep themselves from falling apart. Stan finally opened his eyes and watched in the rearview mirror as they left South Park behind. He continued to watch until he could no longer see any trace of the town that had been his home for his entire life.
Shocked, terrified, and on the verge of breaking down, the three friends continued on, uncertain of where the road would take them in a world gone mad.
A/N: I know, I know, still pretty darn short! But I've been working on chapter 2, and it looks like it'll be longer than chapter 1. Chapters will get longer as the story goes on, I promise :)
And yes...I killed Cartman...I have nothing against him, but he didn't really fit into where this story is heading so...yeah.
Please review! I'm open to any and all criticism :)
Thanks for reading! :P