Previously, on 'Days of Ruin'...

Wake up with a foggy mind, sprawled on the floor... Check!

Find out I'm the only person still alive in the area... Check!

Run through streets littered with dead people and animals... Check!

Find Kuina dead in her home... Check!

Realize people are coming back to life, crazy, evil and violent... Check!

Witness Kuina murdering her father, then attacking me... Check!

Kill Kuina, watch her rise as a zombie and behead her... Check!

Set off on a lone journey throughout a hostile world... Check!

...

Talk about one hell of a shitty day!

And now, on to chapter 2!

Author's notes can be found at the bottom.

Although hiking wasn't part of Zoro's hobbies, traveling through the hills and forests surrounding Tarbes with all his stuff hadn't been too difficult, mostly thanks to his years-long physical training. Nearly a day had passed and he had yet to come across anyone, not to say any living being, which wasn't completely reassuring.

Don't misunderstand him; he was happy not to encounter any of those… things he'd seen in town. However, his journey had taken him through a wide forested area not far from town, once popular among both hunters and hikers for its opulent wildlife. He had wandered in there for more than two hours and had later spent the night on a high branch of a tree on the other edge. While he found numerous corpses, not once had he encountered or even heard a random animal still alive, or even an undead one. The place was dreadfully still and silent, giving off an eerie aura that even the intrepid swordsman couldn't ignore. Only good point in this unnatural quietness was that nothing disturbed his refreshing sleep.

He'd woken up in perfect shape, more than ready to resume his trip to the nearby cities. Luckily for the lone traveler, the clear cerulean sky was a promise of a rainless day's walk. The whole year had been blessed with surprisingly nice weather and even in the beginning of November, it still felt hot like a late summer day. The wilds had also been kind to him on the previous day with a tree still bearing a few wild apples while some walnuts were occasionally scattered over the ground. However he didn't dare take some meat from the dead animals he had found, afraid that eating it might pass whatever had killed them on to him. After walking for a few more hours, he was now sitting on top of the last hill, enjoying a lunch break under a lone tree shielding him from the blazing midday sun. Everything seemed fine yet one 'small detail' was definitely bothering him.

Where the fuck was he?

His plan was to reach an inland roadway, nothing more. Instead, there was a railway right down the hill, a highway much farther on the horizon and the sea not far beyond it. His initial destination was to the east whereas the closest coast from Tarbes was to the north. So how the hell had he ended up here? He had made sure to keep heading in the same direction all the time, even with all those trees trying to ruin his efforts. He couldn't have gotten lost in the forest… right?

'Should have taken the damn map and compass from the house…' he told himself shaking his head, annoyed by this unexpected turn of events.

On second thought, aside from the frustration, this detour didn't matter so much actually. Even if it wasn't the road he originally intended to reach, following the tracks would still get him to a town. As for what he'd find there, all he knew for sure was that the many crashed cars on the highway were definitely a bad omen. Even more so was the apparent lack of corpses, although it was hard to be completely sure from such a distance. He'd have t be extra careful in case crazy things resembling those from Tarbes were lurking in the area. At least he couldn't see any of these in the immediate vicinity.

The greenhead was in the middle of his meal when some movement on the left at the bottom of the hill suddenly caught his attention. A lone man was walking along the railway, his speed clearly indicating he wasn't one of those undead. He didn't seem crazy either but then again, neither did Kuina at first. However, he didn't have time to wonder what to do as the stranger spotted him, interrupting his walk. Both remained still for long seconds, eyeing each other from head to toe.

A mess of neck-long black hair was covered by an orange hat decorated with two blue smileys pinned to the front and a string of red beads surrounding it just above the rim. The wide deep black eyes currently observing him were effectively masking all emotions except for a high alertness. Right below them, his light-skinned face was spotted by small patches of freckles. Around his neck was another string of red beads while a bull skull medallion attached to the hat's side straps was hanging in front of his surprisingly bare chest which looked muscular enough to rival with the swordsman's years of physical training. An orange elbow protector and a red and white striped bracelet were set on his left arm. Black knee-length shorts with a small pouch on the left side were fastened by a pair of orange belts with a silver buckle showing a capital red A. Finally, his attire was completed by a pair of short black boots. Aside from his clothes, all he had was a small backpack with only one strap around his right shoulder.

A wide smile spread over the newcomer's face as he started climbing the hill towards Zoro. Not the kind people wear when they are up to no good. It was the rejoicing look of someone happy to see a friend, or in the present case just another human being. Yet, even if he appeared to be both friendly and unarmed, the greenhead wasn't about to let his guard down after the recent events. His right hand rested on the handle of one of his swords, ready to slice at the first sign of aggression.

"Hello. I'm sorry if I sound like a beggar but do you have any food left to spare or even sell?" the man asked, a hint of hopefulness piercing through his polite tone. "I haven't eaten since yesterday morning and I still have many miles left to go." As if to emphasize his words, his stomach gave the loudest growl Zoro ever heard. His dark orbs were no longer impassive, instead looking at the food with huge yet restrained desire, and more importantly not the slightest hint of malice.

Allowing himself to relax a bit, the greenhead took out the isotherm bag containing what remained of his fresh supplies, earning eager thanks from the raven when he handed it to him. Relief and gratitude were all over the other's face as he sat down cross-legged on the grass, helping himself to what was offered to him. Keeping his eyes on his 'guest' while finishing his own lunch, he could now make out a tattoo on his left arm, spelling the word 'ASCE' with the 'S' crossed out. Silence between the two lasted for a few minutes until curiosity got the better of the swordsman.

"Mind telling me what you're doing in the middle of nowhere without any food or water?" he asked, the man's head jerking up to look at him.

"No problem but I warn you, I hardly believe what happened myself so you'll probably just think I'm mental." You could hear the slight hesitation in his voice but he showed no sign of uneasiness, no nervous movement hinting that he was lying.

"Try me," Zoro replied, already suspecting how the story would end.

"Well… I left Fireburg by train yesterday morning to visit my brother in Stillwater during the four-day week-end. Somehow, I suddenly lost consciousness during the trip. When I woke up, the train had stopped, and I mean 'stopped' in a normal way. It had not derailed and there was no trace of accident whatsoever, yet everyone else was lying dead on the floor, emergency switches weren't working anymore and there was no phone signal to call for help. I waited for some time, expecting a rescue team to arrive but it never did. Then well… this is where it gets really weird—" He was interrupted before he could go on.

"Zombies…" Judging from the dumbfounded face watching him, Zoro was obviously right. He gave a deep sigh before adding "So Tarbes wasn't an isolated case then."

"You mean you saw them too?" the raven asked, getting a nod from the greenhead before continuing. "It wasn't just that though. First, living people came to and started insulting, attacking, strangling and even raping and murdering each other. Then rose the zombies. One of them nearly got me from behind. The bastard managed to grab my favorite shirt. I had to abandon it before busting through a damaged window for my life. I first went to the nearby highway for help but found nothing but zombies there too. So instead, I hightailed back to the railway and decided to follow it all the way to Stillwater. I was hoping to get help there but you're saying things are the same in town?"

"I don't know about Stillwater but the same thing happened in Tarbes. I thought leaving to check on other towns was the safest thing to do so I headed for Stillwater or Buffalo Falls and ended up here." The stranger sent him a surprised look, his left eyebrow raised in an almost cartoonish way.

"Isn't Buffalo Falls to the east of…"

"Shut up, I got lost, ok?" Zoro cut in with a harsher voice than necessary. He didn't mean any enmity but this reminded him too much of his best friend's teases about his inexistent sense of direction and he didn't want to think about her for now. "Anyway, I guess now it's safe to assume that zombies will be in other places too. Fuck…" he added with another sigh, feeling more down than he ever did in his life. Dozens of considerations were flooding his mind, all seeking to answer a simple yet terrible question: what now? However, his reflections were eventually stopped when the other spoke up again.

"I'd better hurry then. My brother could be in trouble." It was the swordsman's turn to be left incredulous by the serious tone in the man's voice. A blazing fire radiated from his dark eyes, leaving no trace of his earlier hesitation.

"You realize he's probably either insane or undead by now?" he said bluntly, expecting this most basic fact to bring the other to reason but only falling on deaf ears. The raven was already getting up, his determination clearly unwavering in the pair of deep inky pools watching him.

"Even so, I'm still going. He's about my only family left so I'm not giving up on him."

"And just what will you do once you're there? He could be hiding anywhere in a large zombie-infested city, you'll be eaten alive long before you find him." How could that idiot so willingly throw his life away over such ridiculous hope? He couldn't understand it but once again, all efforts to get some sense into the stranger proved futile.

"Except my brother isn't your usual person. He has a very straightforward way to think and doesn't bother himself with details. I was on the phone with him not long before I fell unconscious and he was already at the train station, ready to greet me. If there's any way for him to hide or barricade himself in there to wait for me then he will. If not, he'll simply head back to his flat and lock himself in."

Confidence was glinting in his fiery eyes, so much that Zoro barely resisted the urge to roll his own. "You mean he'd actually try to stay in such a crowded place? I guess crazy runs in the family."

The raven smirked widely at him, chuckling a bit as he replied. "True. But he's crazy, not helpless. He can take care of himself until I find him."

"If he's still alive to begin with…" Of all reactions, the greenhead had expected the other to calm down and realize the stupidity of his decision. Instead, all he got was a dark and clearly infuriated look.

"So these swords are just for show then…" he replied, giving a deep sigh before continuing. "Listen, maybe leaving behind all those you cared for is fine with you but that's definitely not my style. My brother and I have always been there for each other, no matter what deep troubles we were in. I don't care what the odds are or how many monsters come after me, as long as there's hope, I'll keep searching. You seemed like that kind of guy who always keeps fighting too but I guess I was wrong."

Zoro was left utterly speechless by those words as he watched the man grab his small backpack and turn in direction of the tracks.

"Thank you for the food, I really needed it," he added, looking at the swordsman over his shoulder, a mix of anger and disappointment perceptible in both his voice and eyes. "And by the way, if you really believe the situation to be so hopeless, why don't you consider seppuku? At least you wouldn't have to face those zombies you're apparently so afraid of."

Finally, he started walking away, leaving behind a shocked greenhead too busy reflecting on those last words to register his surroundings.

Zoro's mind was a mess of thoughts, images and memories. The desolated streets of Tarbes, the numerous corpses on the floor, the insane resurrection of those he cared for most, the beheading of his zombified friend… He had lost everything back then, only the prospect of escaping those horrors had kept him going but now even that faint glimmer of hope was gone. That guy was right, was there really any reason to live if it meant wandering a desolated land filled with zombies?

One quick slash would easily end this nightmare.

Unsheathing Wado Ichimonji, he looked intently at the blade for long seconds as the idea slowly crept into his brain. Was suicide really so bad when there is no future anymore? It would be so simple to let everything just go…

'How can you be so weak?'

The familiar voice resonated in his head, interrupting his gloomy inner debate. He could clearly picture Kuina pointing her shinai at his face, looking down at him after his first utter defeat against her. The arrogance she had shown back then had only fueled his desire to become the best and defeat her. Over time, even as their relationship evolved and the nasty taunts had turned into friendly teases, his resolve had never wavered. No matter how many time she defeated him or how futile his inhuman training seemed, not even once had the greenhead considered giving up.

'It's a promise!'

That's right; the vow they had made one night after their first duel using real swords had kept both of them going after their respective objective for all those years, defeating Kuina for him, proving that a woman could become the best swordsman in the world for her. Most people would have deemed that as mere childish rivalry but to them, this everlasting competition was the most important goal of their life. 'Never giving up!' had become their motto.

If the whole world was experiencing the same events then he'd surely never know if he ever became the number one swordsman, perhaps he even already was if all others were gone. But was it really a reason to bid his farewell to the world of the livings? He could still fight, the only thing he ever seriously did in his life. That wasn't much but it was enough to protect others, and while he wasn't expecting to find many of them, there was at least one other survivor he could help.

Plus even if he was no believer in the afterlife, it wasn't hard to imagine Kuina tormenting his soul for all eternity if he dared kill himself. It would be like breaking their oath; she'd never forgive him and that was something Zoro never wanted to experience, not even in death.

How he ever let himself get so down was a mystery, but it ended now. No more fatalism, no more depressing, no more fleeing. Perhaps he'd end up as live food but he'd make sure those undead pay a high price before they got to him.

He wouldn't give up; he'd keep fighting until death claimed him!

"Thanks, Kuina," he whispered. Even in death, she was still the best to keep him in high spirits.

Finally snapping out of his shock, the greenhead looked around and spotted the raven walking along the tracks. Seeing his back for the first time revealed a tattoo that he hadn't seen yet, though its design was hard to make out from this far. He was already quite a distance but he could easily catch up with him if he ran. Quickly packing all his stuff, he stood up and started hurrying down the hill.

. . . . . . .

The man was forcing himself not to think as he steadily made his way in the direction of Stillwater. Though he was doing his best not to show it, he was worried sick about his brother. Since his escape from the train, he was afraid that the younger man might be dead or facing the same danger and that depressing green-haired man had severely increased his fears. Tarbes was miles away from the tracks and it didn't even have a station. If zombies had appeared at the same time in such a completely unrelated place, then the towns linked to the railway network were most likely experiencing the same situation which would explain the lack of rescue team coming from there. But even against such odds, as long as there was the slightest hope of him surviving this nightmare, he would cling to it. He couldn't imagine losing him, especially not in such a way.

He had to be alive!

"Oy, wait up!" The voice, while familiar, was definitely unexpected. Turning around, he saw the greenhead running towards him, his dark eyes revealing an iron will completely opposite to the spiritless wreck he had left on top of the hill. Hopefully, he hadn't merely decided to come asking for some kind of payment for the food.

"I'm sure you could use some help in your search, especially if you come upon some of those undead bastards. Not to mention you still don't have any food on you," he said with a tone which left no doubt regarding his seriousness. The intrigued raven raised his left eyebrow and couldn't hold back a smirk as he replied.

"Why the sudden change of heart?"

"Let's just say some friend gave me a much-needed wake-up slap. Don't get me wrong, I still think our chances of finding your brother living and well are extremely slim but in any case, it will be easier for two people to travel together and more importantly survive through the dangers. Plus it's not like I have anything better to do. Might as well die trying to accomplish something than just stand there doing nothing."

The man's smirk turned into a wide smile upon hearing those words and the offer implied into them. His eyes were shining with a mix of gratitude and enthusiasm. "Well, it seems I misjudged you. Thank you for coming along. Although you're still not helping with optimism but I suppose I can't blame you for that."

"Just pray whatever you believe in that your brother doesn't have to suffer the same fate as my best friend or your optimism won't last long." The slight hint of sadness in the swordsman's voice did not go unnoticed and the sorrow invading his eyes made the man wonder what story was hidden behind those words, though part of it seemed easy to guess. Obviously he had not just left everyone behind like he had imagined, but now was definitely not the time to let his curiosity rub salt in such recent wounds.

"Trust me, I already am," he said with sudden gravity in his voice, preferring to drop the topic which could easily hurt and demoralize both of them. "By the way, name's Ace," he added, holding out his hand, his cheerfulness returning as quickly as it had disappeared.

"Zoro." For the first time in a long while, the greenhead allowed himself to smile too as they shook hands. "With or without S?" he quickly asked with his head tilted slightly to the side and a raised eyebrow, pointing his finger at the tattoo on the other's arm. The question earned him a hearty laugh from the raven.

"Without. The S is just a memento of sorts," he answered with an amused yet firm tone indicating that he wouldn't tell more about it for now, the sadness glinting in the back of his eyes hinting that this wasn't only a tribute to happy memories. Both remained silent for a few seconds before turning towards their destination.

"To Stillwater then!" Ace exclaimed with excitement, getting a nod from his new companion as they resumed their way along the tracks to the city. Fear and concern about his brother were still there, but at least his own situation seemed a little brighter. He had someone to help him and support him if things were to go bad. As for Zoro, he was feeling strangely at peace. Going to a place probably filled with danger only to follow a ridiculous hope no longer bothered him. He was ready to face any obstacle in front of him like he always did in the past. He had once dedicated his life to a single challenge. Now life itself would be his challenge, one from which he wouldn't back down.

The two of them traveled side by side, barely exchanging any word. Both knew there was no need to get any more acquainted for now as Stillwater could easily become their final resting place. If somehow they managed to come back alive from in there, only then would it be worth knowing more about each other.

Eventually the city came into view, leaving no more room for doubts. The Ultor Tower once standing proudly in the luxurious central business district was in ruins. Its top half was nowhere to be seen from outside the town but judging from the state of the remaining lower part, it had probably collapsed somewhere on the ground. Many other buildings had obviously suffered the same fate of fire and destruction. They were still too far to have a good look at the streets but both could already picture what those would be like: rubble, crashed cars and zombies. It did not bode well for Ace's brother but they already expected as much. In less than two hours, they would reach the city. Now was not the time for hesitation or regrets anymore.

It was time to struggle for dear life.

Author's notes:

Well, here comes Ace. Sorry if you were expecting a more dynamic entry but once again don't worry, he'll have plenty of occasions to get all fiery, starting with the next chapter.

The tattoo on his back is not described yet because I'm not sure yet if I'll keep the original one or if I'll customize it a bit...

The title for this chapter is a reference to a nice track from the game "Anno 2070" (kind of a depressing music though...).

The Ultor Tower is a building from "Saints Row 2".

Thank you for reading, even more for reviewing. Don't hesitate to point any mistake, inconsistency or anything. Useful criticism is always welcome, especially for a beginner like me.