The city grew dark very quickly as they passed through the long shadows cast by the broken towers of downtown. The roads became narrower and harder to distinguish, and, before long, Judy had no idea where she was. The thought terrified her to her core because now, even if she tried to run, she'd be too turned around to find her way back to the drop-off point. If she lost her way, she would undoubtedly meet a gruesome end at the paws of Walkers—just like the rest of her search party had.

Their screams were still echoing in her head as she followed closely behind the staggering fox. Some of them had cried for help, only to grow silent moments later. Her eyes were wide open, but Judy only occasionally saw what was in front of her. The rest of the time, her vision was clouded with the memory of blood-spattered walls. The only respite from those grim memories was the fear of where this Walker was taking her, and what horrible plans it had in store.

Bunnies like carrots, right? Is it speciesist to assume that bunnies like carrots? Not that I have any to give her in the first place, but I do have that orange carrot-shaped pillow I found at the abandoned toy store. It's got a smiley face on it. Maybe she'd like that?… Eughhh this is hopeless. I should just get her inside before anyone else catches on. She's starting to smell tasty again.

The fox took another turn down a narrow street, leading her towards an area by the river lined with warehouses. Judy was not sure if the apocalypse had actually affected this area, or if it was already run down to begin with. The grass was tall enough to tower over her in some bushy spots where the pavement was cracked. She could try to make a run for the river, but, without a boat, the polluted water would kill her faster than the Walker could. Perhaps it was best to bide her time until she saw an opportunity to escape. After all, the fox had not eaten her yet.

Out of the corner of her eye, Judy spotted a red cross hanging above one of the nearby abandoned shops. It was dirty and had vines growing around it, but it looked like it had been a pharmacy or medical clinic at one point.

"Holy shit," Judy said in astonishment. There was no way that any other search party had ever ventured this far into the city before, so the haul from that shop must be unbelievable.

"Hhhuuughh … Uhmmmm … " the fox moaned as it gestured to one of the warehouses. Judy snapped back to attention and resumed walking under her hobbling guide's direction. She was unsure if any other Walkers knew she was there, but it wasn't time to run just yet.

The fox opened a massive set of doors and waited a moment, looking at her intently. Judy hesitated. Was this zombie actually holding the door open for her? She couldn't run without being hounded down, and she had no more weapons, but the darkness looming inside the warehouse was foreboding.

"Sss … safe … " the fox said with a slight nod of its head. Its eyes were wide and pleading.

She was still overwhelmed by the horrifying events of the past few hours, but was nevertheless surprised to hear the Walker speak, even if it was only a word. Judy had nearly convinced herself that she had imagined the Walker speaking earlier. She heard a snarl from the distance, sounding a bit like a Savage feasting on a meal. She quickly stepped forward and reluctantly made her way inside.

The only light source was the fading sun behind her. The inside of the warehouse was so dark that Judy could barely see three feet in front of her. However, the room echoed as the fox closed the door behind them, so she could tell that it was massive. There could be an entire swarm of Walkers waiting for her. She turned, looking for the fox but finding only blackness. The predator would be able to see her perfectly in this darkness, and she would have no way of seeing it coming.

It's dark as shit… Where's the stupid switch?… Damn it… Okay, there we go!

Judy leapt with a yelp as she heard the sound of a motor turning. She saw the fox standing beside an industrial-sized power generator that had whirred into life. Lights started to flicker around her, and, pretty soon, the entire building was lit.

"Sweet cheese and crackers," Judy gasped when she got a look at where the Walker had brought her.

It was an amusement park buried inside an old warehouse. A sizeable roller coaster snaked its way around the entire room, with its tracks still held together firmly. A carousel was dead center with various carnival game stands on either side of it. To one side, she saw a foam pit for kiddies to play in. On the other side, there was a small dinner with large plastic milkshake adorning the roof. The park was dirty in places and rusted in others, but if she squinted, it would be easy to imagine that the deadrising had never touched this place. The sign that lit her face from above was missing a few letters, the only thing she could make out was the word 'Wild'.

"Why did you bring me here?" Judy asked, turning to the fox.

It sheepishly looked from one side to the other and opened its mouth to speak again.

"Ss … safe …, " it repeated. The Walker's mouth was caked in dried blood, and its clothes were practically painted red. When the fox got close enough earlier, she could have sworn the smell of death was on its breath—-maybe even from friends of hers that it had eaten. But with that look of nervous apprehension on its face, Judy began to wonder if it actually meant her any harm at all.

"Safe," she echoed the Walker. "Safe from what? From you?"

"Nnnn … nnnot … eat … " the fox mumbled and shook its head.

"You're not going to eat me?" Judy clarified.

It nodded eagerly, folding its paws into the pocket of its green hoodie. The fox took another step closer, and Judy backed away, maintaining her distance from the bloodied predator. Foxes were shifty creatures, even before the deadrising. Perhaps this Walker had kept a few habits of trickery from before it turned. While she was amazed at its ability to form an actual spoken word, she did not buy the 'tame Walker' act for a second.

Judy defiantly thumped her foot on the floor. "Then let me go!"

The fox's eyes widened before nervously shaking its head.

"Why not?"

"Nnnot … not ss––"

"Not safe, okay I got it," she huffed angrily. "But why keep me here?"

The fox looked about ready to shrug, and she did not like it toying with her like this.

Judy's temper was catching up with her quickly. "Do you even know what this place is?"

"Hhhmm?" the fox moaned in confusion.

"Of course you don't. You can drop the act, Walker. I know you probably fooled a few mammals with the talking trick and the 'keep you safe' act in the past, but it won't work on me! I know what you are, you monster!"

The fox took a step back, its eyes remaining wide and dilated as she gestured to the world around her.

Judy practically spat as she shouted at the Walker in front of her. "You see this place? This was built by the living, by mammals who cared for each other enough to laugh and play together. You mindless wraiths have no idea about the world you're stomping on! All you do is maim and eat and murder. You things are nothing like the mammals who built this place!"

Having lost as many family and friends as she had, there was some catharsis to screaming at a Walker who seemed to understand her. The fox took another step back, but its paws stayed in its pockets. Hard to have any self-preservation instincts when you're already dead, she supposed.

After a moment of silence between them, broken only by Judy's voice bouncing off the metal walls of the warehouse, the fox's expression grew cold and passive. It turned away, and made its way up a short staircase into what looked like the park's administrative office. The Walker didn't glance back at her once before it stepped inside and closed the door.

Well. That could have gone better.

Judy held still for a moment, making certain the Walker stayed in the office. Its behavior confused her, no doubt, but she had more pressing issues to think about—like how she was going to get home without dying. She started with the door she'd entered through, folding her ears behind her back and poking her head outside. Scanning the area, it looked clear enough. But it was also getting dark, and she would be as good as dead on the streets at this hour.

After closing the door as quietly as she could, she turned around and ran to the other side of the park through the field of carnival games. The decaying prizes were still dangling from the ceiling. Judy peered out the windows lining the back, and all she saw was a straight shot into the river. She looked in either direction for the train bridge she'd walked into the city on, but she only found open water. That meant there were potentially miles between her and her way out of the city.

"Scat!" she cursed and thumped her fist against the wall.

Judy's options were very limited at this point. She could hold out until morning, but there would be no guarantee the Walker that held her captive would not get hungry while she slept. Running through the streets was out of the question, so her only remaining hope was to get a message somehow to her inevitable rescue party. Their pickup was scheduled for sundown, so the ride home would be showing up on the bridge any minute now, only to find no one there.

Judy's father would panic and send in a few heavily armed search parties looking for her, assuming the council would let him. If she could make a smoke signal––or perhaps find a radio and hail for help––she could bring the search party to her. But, at the very least, it would take the next day or so for her father to gather resources before heading out. That gave her about 36 hours before any hope of rescue—perhaps sooner if Kris was found first.

"Kris … " she breathed. Her friend was still alive when the Walker had whisked Judy away from the carnage, and none of the other Walkers had spotted her yet. Kris was a capable fighter and smart, so Judy had faith that her friend could make it out of there alive. But she had lost too many friends to remain completely optimistic. Hoping for the best but preparing for the worst was all she could do at this point.

Judy turned and looked up at the office that the Walker had disappeared into. There was no way she was going to spend the night here with that monster wandering around. All things considered, her current predicament wasn't as bad as it could have been. She was in a locked, relatively secure area with only one Walker to deal with. All she needed was something blunt and the element of surprise, and she would be safe until help arrived. Judy looked around for a moment at the carnival games around her. After some searching, she found a baseball game with bats sized for mammals a bit bigger than rabbits. She heaved it over her shoulder and gave it a few practice swings. It was a little much, but it would work.

She crept up the stairs towards the office, making sure that her footsteps were silent. Her ears remained upright and ready, but so far she didn't hear any movement. She waited at the door for a moment with her ear pressed up against it. There was a soft grunt, but nothing much else. Judy gripped her bat a little tighter and steeled herself for action. The fox would be strong; she would have to be fast enough to overpower it before it got the chance to retaliate. She took a quick breath in and reached for the handle.

The door opened before she could reach it. She stumbled forward with a yelp, leaping back and staring up at the fox with wide eyes and her bat clenched tightly in her paws. The Walker stood there, equally shocked, holding a bright orange pillow in its paws. The fox's eyes darted between the floor and Judy for a moment as it hesitated, before extending the orange pillow in her direction.

"C … carrot," it offered weakly.

She was speechless now, her eyes darting between the offering in its paws and its face. The blood—and stench—- were still there, but the Walker's eyes were genuine, almost as if it were really hoping she'd take the pillow in its outstretched paws.

"Are you … are you offering me this pillow to sleep on?" she asked hesitantly.

The fox simply nodded, keeping its paws forward. She looked up at the fox for a moment, not daring to move just yet—-still frozen in confusion. The Walker caught sight of the bat in her paws. It took a small step back and its eyes widened in response. Judy immediately placed the bat on the floor and nervously twiddled her paws.

"Oh! That's nothing, that was just … uhm, that was … "Judy scrambled to think up a believable explanation. She was not sure why though. Given the circumstances, bashing the Walker in with a bat was certainly an appropriate response.

"Sss … s-sure," The fox said, its eyes drooping lower and its features falling a bit. Was that a scowl?

"Hey, it's not like this is normal for me, Mr. Fox. I just—What are you doing?" Judy resumed her defensive stance and maintained at least two arm's distance as it stepped forward. The Walker exited the office and motioned with its paws, grunting sternly and urging her to go inside. She backed in, keeping her eyes and ears on the fox again, ready to slam the door if she needed to.

"Lock," it said, gesturing to the door. The fox wobbled a bit as it leaned forward and closed the office door behind it. Now she was alone in the office, it was outside, and she was even more confused.

"Lock!" the Walker called out a little louder through the door. Judy caught on and pushed the little button on the doorknob with a satisfying click. The door rumbled a bit as the fox gave the door a shove from the other side, turning the knob to no avail.

"What are you doing?" Judy asked through the door.

"Safe!" It called out in annoyance.

She was stunned again. She heard the fox wobble down the stairs one at a time, and, before long, even the sound of its footsteps was completely gone. It took Judy several moments to stop staring at the door with her mouth hanging open. A zombie who could mumble a few words was one thing, but this Walker had gone out of its way to make her feel safe. That meant it understood her feelings. That was not supposed to be possible.

Judy looked down to her paws and the orange pillow in them. She must have taken it earlier without noticing. Looking closer, she saw the pillow was shaped like a large carrot with a cartoonish happy face on one side. It was soft and clean, which was a small miracle given the circumstances.

When she turned and observed the office closer, she was yet again struck speechless. All around the room was a collection of knick-knacks. They were clearly arranged in some attempt at organization, even if Judy couldn't put her finger quite on how. A saxophone hung above the windowsill beside a record player and a rather impressive collection of vinyl records. She saw a few porcelain figurines of various mammals in pristine condition. They were missing the thin layer of dust that seemed to cover everything else, which suggested the Walker had cleaned them. There was a grandfather clock against one wall, and a fox-sized mannequin from an expensive suit-store on the other. On the table was a red handkerchief that looked like it had been folded with care. Judy saw a couch in one corner with a blanket unevenly tucked into the couch cushions. The Walker had prepped a bed for her.

"What are you?" she wondered aloud.

I'm an idiot. She was about to bash my head in, and I would have deserved it too. Thank god for that little awkward exchange, otherwise she might have re-killed me. Can't say I blame her. But come on! What's a dead guy gotta do to get some basic levels of decency here? It's okay. Cool it down. She'll be better off in the office on her own for a little while anyway. It's not like she's going anywhere else for the time being. Bet she's already asleep by now.

Must be nice to sleep. I never have, or at least I haven't since I died. Bet dreams are fun. It's like being alive but while you're asleep, so I imagine. The closest thing I'll ever get is eating brains—which is much less romantic. Can't imagine The Cranberries have written too many songs about eating brains, but they've written plenty about dreams. I wonder if she likes music?

There are a lot of ways to get to know someone. Eating her dead boyfriend's brains is…arguably one of the more unorthodox ways to go about it. But I'm gonna use what I can. I've still got a bunch left from this afternoon, and she'll be down for the night. So bottom's up!

The fox dug through the pocket of his hoodie and shoved a few pieces of Jack into his mouth. His eyes rolled upwards, and his vision exploded with memories and experiences. At first, he got a glimpse of that firework show again. Then swimming in a pool somewhere. Next, he was doing pushups in a field with some grumpy older bunny screaming at him and the other rabbits. Then he saw Judy again, smiling back at him.

"So Jack? How has training been going?" an older, more plump looking rabbit asked him.

"Very well, Mr. Hopps. I'll start my first wall shifts next week."

"That's good. We'll need strong, strapping young bucks like yourself when the Walkers come knocking at our gates again."

" If the Walkers come, dad," Judy said angrily from the other side of the dinner table. This must be where Jack was doing the whole 'meeting the rents' thing!

"They will, Jude. They can't scavenge in the city forever. And when they finally run out of food over there, they'll come over here. The only reason we survived last time was because we were armed. Now, thanks to the wall, and our dedicated young soldiers—" Stu said with a wink in Jack's direction—"we'll be ready for them."

"It's been years, Dad. If they were going to starve to death, they would have by now … "

The fox's eyes dilated as a new memory popped into his head. This time he was running for his life towards a giant wall that seemed to continue in both directions forever. Jack was shouting.

"Why didn't you just do what I said?!"

"I didn't know there would be Walkers there!" another mammal spat as they continued running.

"Just keep going! We're almost at the wall!"

There was a snarl then a flurry of fur and screaming as the mammal beside him was brought to the ground by a wolf that was missing most of its fur.

"Agh! Damn it! Why doesn't anyone ever listen to me!?"

Another memory flashed in front of him. This time, he was sitting quietly with Judy leaning against his shoulder. There was that same warm feeling he'd experienced last time. It was heavenly.

"I'm thinking about joining the next search party," Judy said softly.

"Absolutely not."

She frowned and folded her arms across her chest. "Excuse me? I'm pretty sure it's my decision, Jack."

"Not while you're my doe, it's not," he said flatly. "Besides, you have any idea how dangerous that is?"

"Where the heck is this coming from? I know how dangerous it is. Far more than you do," she spat. "You wanna count how many family members I've lost to those monsters?"

"This isn't a debate, Judy. You're staying here and looking after the burrow." He rose from their loveseat to leave.

"What? Do you really expect me to drop everything I've worked for just to become your little burrow-keeper?"

"It's real cute how you want to help, but your place is at home, helping us repopulate the Burrows." His voice was not angry, but instead was condescending, as if he were breaking the news about Santa Claws to a child. "You can't play hero forever."

"My place? My future is up to no one but me. Do you understand? No one tells me what I can or can't be!"

"I've had enough!" He threw his paws up in frustration. "You will do as I say, or you're done being my doe."

"Jack … " Judy answered coldly. "I was your partner, not your property."

The fox came crashing back into his normal self as the last of his meal was finished. He blinked a few times, licking his lips and savoring the flavor. He suddenly felt a little bit better about eating Jack's brains.

Alright, so she wasn't on great terms with Jack before the whole 'flowers and puppies' thing, so I've got that goin' for me. Clearly she doesn't like to be bossed around, so I'll keep that in mind. Wonder what that place was that I saw, with the giant wall and the green fields. It looked nice, and peaceful.

My first impression could have probably gone better, but now I've got all night to plan for the second. Let's see, what would she like?… Well, she seemed to enjoy that festival with all the carrots in the last memory well enough. Maybe she'd like a private carnival?… This place could use some elbow grease anyway.


Judy awoke hazily. The felt pillow beneath her head was comfortable, and the blanket was warm enough. But the sofa cushions were old and scratchy and … and not hers.

She remembered where she was and peered around the room for a brief, panicked moment. She half expected the Walker to be waiting for her to wake up before it started to devour her. The mannequin against the wall gave her a real fright, but it reminded her that she was safely locked in the office of the worn-down amusement park hidden in the warehouse.

Judy heard a crashing sound from outside the office, and she quickly stood up and peered out the window onto the warehouse floor. She saw some movement, recognizing a green hoodie in the morning light. She threw her jacket back on and crept out of the office, making her way across the indoor fairgrounds.

"Wow," she gasped as she made her way across the warehouse floor. The place was tidier than it had been when she'd fallen asleep. The prizes hanging from the stands were all organized, and many of the games themselves had been cleaned and set up. More of the lights were working as well, though it still wasn't picture perfect. She made her way over to where a second crash came from and found the fox fiddling with one of the carnival games. It was grumbling and grunting, seemingly frustrated with the cups that were meant to be set up into pyramids and knocked down with a single pitch.

"Hey."

The Walker stumbled backwards at her greeting, causing the other two pyramids it'd already set up to fall over and clank on the ground. It grumbled again.

Darn it, Bunny! Do you have any idea how hard it is to balance things when your default setting is 'spaz'?

The fox looked up at her from the ground and frowned for a second. The Walker staggered for a moment before it rose again, shifting the cups around a bit as it did so.

"C … Carrots … " It hobbled closer.

"Did you just call me Carrots?" Judy said in no small amount of astonishment yet again.

"Bu–bunnies … like carrots," it mumbled, as if it were stating an obvious fact. It was, but it still irked her.

"Just because I'm a rabbit, doesn't mean I automatically like carrots," she protested.

"Hhhuuhhh" the fox groaned with a nod. "Sss … sleep okay?"

"Yeah, I slept fine, thanks for the pillo—"

Judy stopped, realizing she did very much enjoy the carrot pillow he'd given her and that she had just admitted to liking it. In fact, she'd just walked right into that little trick, and the fox knew so! She looked back up to its face to see its eyes half-lidded and cracking a broken smile. Its self-satisfied smirk annoyed her–to say the least. But wait! It was a Walker! This Walker was smiling ! … Albeit like a prick, but it was a smile nonetheless.

"My name isn't Carrots. It's Judy," she told it. "Do you have a name?"

It was the fox's turn to look bashful. Its eyes went wide. "Nn … name?" it stammered.

"What do I call you?"Judy crossed her arms.

Come on, come on, you got this! Just think real hard and let it out.

"Nnnnnnn . . . . NNnnnNNNNN . . ." it grumbled.

"Don't hurt yourself, Walker," Judy said skeptically.

The fox frowned, taking in a deep breath through the snout and trying again. "nnnNNNNNN … Nnnuu … NN."

"'N'? Does it start with an 'N'?" Judy questioned.

The fox's eyes widened, and he nodded eagerly.

"Okay … so like Nathan? Nolan? … Neil? Nate?"

The fox shook its head as she listed off names. None of them seemed to strike a cord. She could tell it was something it actually cared about, as absurd as the concept seemed.

"Nelson? Nigel? Neville? Norton? … Okay, how about I just call you 'N'? And we'll figure the rest out later?"

"N," the fox repeated. There was something oddly endearing about the way he rolled it around on his tongue for a second, as though he liked how it felt. He gave her a much more genuine smile and nodded his head eagerly. She had to admit that while it was a shit name, it was probably better than being called 'Walker' or 'monster' over and over again.

"N it is," she agreed. "So, N, thanks for the pillow, and for keeping me safe. And for not eating me and all. But I'm hungry, and I could really use some food."

At first glance, the fox never held any expression in his face beyond a dazed glare that all Walkers wore. But observing him closer, she caught subtle hints at what N was thinking. She noticed him biting his lip and his eyes widening a little. Searching further, she saw that his tail had stiffened, and he looked at the ground for a moment. He shook his head nervously and gestured to the doors to the outside world. "Nnnot … safe."

"I know it's not safe. But if the living don't get food, we starve. So I'd really like to get some breakfast," Judy said simply.

He hesitated again, looking very concerned about the idea of leaving her alone in the warehouse. While he did not seem to mind her borrowing his home, he always seemed to stutter more when she suggested doing something dangerous. Perhaps an old trick she used to pull on her father might work?

Judy folded her ears over her back and held her paws together in front of her waist. She made her eyes really round and looked at him with a pleading expression. "Please, N. I'd be really grateful for some food."

Okay, that's adorable and not fair in the slightest.

"Hhhaaa … Okay," he muttered and nodded his head. "Yyy —- you stay … safe … Judy."

"Oh, thank you N! Thank you so much!" Judy walked with him to the exit of the park.

She held the door open only a crack's worth and watched as he hobbled back into the streets. Her happy face faded into a look of focus as she made double-sure that he was gone. Once she was satisfied, Judy ran back towards the office and found a small backpack beside the couch she'd slept on. She stuffed the large bat in there and made her way back to the door before sneaking out. She kept her head low, darting through the streets.

Her ears were up high as Judy ran as quickly as she could. There was no movement in sight, thankfully, and she kept herself as small as possible between hiding places. Once upon a time, her ancestors would have lived this way from the moment they were born until their death, dashing from shelter to shelter and running for their lives. She hoped that those instincts had not completely been lost over the millennia as she dove between the cars and tall weeds in the road.

She stopped along the path that N had brought her down and eyed the pharmacy from the day before. The red cross hanging above it was more visible in the early daylight, and Judy was not about to let her friends' deaths mean nothing. She quickly made her way to the glass door in the front and tried to tug it open. It wouldn't budge—and breaking it would make too much noise.

She dug the bat out of her pack and stuck the handle between the sliding doors. She tugged on it from the outside and used the leverage to pry the sliding doors open just enough for her to fit through. She made her way inside and darted past the rotted magazines and bathroom cleaners. The good stuff was always in the back, behind the counter, across from the condoms and bite-collars. She bounded up onto the counter and found the metal box in the back.

"Jacklepot!"

She eyed the vials of various antibiotics. Two of them were massive ones meant for bigger mammals, but they had the same labels as the smaller vials. She stuffed them all into her backpack, along with a few pawfuls of tissues to keep them from banging around in her bag. There was enough medicine in her pack now to restock the entire ward back at the Burrows!

Just before she got the bag back on, Judy heard a low thunderous growl roll through the pharmacy. She froze, staring at the only exit. She could see the very top of a lion's mane as the doors were pried open and a figure limped inside. She cursed to herself and snuck away from the counter as quietly as possible.

The lion sniffed loudly, moaning as he caught her scent. He hobbled in farther. He was up on two legs, which was a good sign. He might be easier to evade than a Savage. She kept her ears tall and waited for him to prowl farther into the store. Judy carefully crept from one aisle to the next to stay out of view from the hungry beast still blocking her exit. She found a pack of batteries hanging from the wall beside her and took a few in her paws. When she was convinced the Walker was looking away, she tossed one pack to the other side of the room where it crashed into the scent-maskers. The lion growled again and quickly shuffled over to the noise, bumping into a few aisles along the way and spilling items onto the floor.

Judy took the opportunity to move towards the door and backed away slowly from the pharmacy. She made sure that the lion was not following her, before she turned to run away.

A paw grabbed her shoulder and yanked her away from the street and up against a nearby motorcycle. She yelped for a second, but the red in the Walker's fur looked familiar, as did the concern in his eyes. He shushed her madly and tried his best to calm her down. Her little yelp had caused the other walkers in the area to begin wandering towards them, and now from both directions of Vine street walking corpses were blocking her escape.

N's eyes darted from side to side nervously. He stepped closer to her again, his paw shaking against his chest. He dug around under his shirt, finding the same wound she'd left in his chest when she'd thrown her knife the day before. The rotted brown blood stank like the dead, and he wiped it down across her cheek like he had in the hospital. He gave her another sniff, seemingly satisfied that she did not smell appetizing any longer, and helped her stand back up.

They turned towards the warehouse, only to confirm that a host of Walkers was blocking their path. Judy looked up at N nervously. N turned back to her with wide eyes.

Certain death on one side, with a heaping helping of certain death on the other side as well. Dumb bunny just could not stay put, huh? Come on, think! We got back to the warehouse before, but that was because those Walkers were full. These guys look just as hungry as always…. Okay. This idea is probably a little stupid, but so are Walkers, so it might just work.

"Be … d-dead … " N instructed her.

She looked at him like he was speaking in tongues or something. N demonstrated what he meant by hobbling forward a few paces and exaggerating his moan a little, raising his arms forward a bit to drive it home. He looked back at her, and she seemed to get the idea, nodding and following him down the street.

"Hhhhuuuu … uuhhhhhsshsshshsh … " she moaned as they began shuffling. "Bloooood … blooooood … hhsssssss."

N stopped them both and scowled at her. "T—too much," he murmured quietly.

She limped along beside him, continuing her over-the-top performance as they hobbled along amongst the Walkers. Judy, despite N's warnings, only got bolder the farther they got.

"Bllooood! … Blooooood … and … deaaatthhhhhhhhh," she cried out, letting her tongue loll out of her mouth and drooping her eyes around pitifully.

"You're … milking it," N critiqued quietly as they got closer to the warehouse.

"Shut up, it's working!" Judy whispered with an excited smile on her face, before resuming her death march.

"UUUUGGGGHHHHh … OOOHHHHHHcshshshshshs … BLOOOOOD … and DEATHHHHHHHH!"

With that final cough and moan, Judy fell to the ground and writhed before staying totally still.

Oh, this is just painful to watch. Get up, you idiot! I'll drag you back if I have to.

Judy's 'limp and lifeless corpse' was smiling just a bit as the other Walkers looked over at N with confused looks on their faces. How had this bunny actually managed to embarrass him in front of all the other zombies?

Ok, dragging it is.

N knelt down for a moment and picked up Judy's backpack, pulling her along with it as she continued to moan. Her feet and paws dragged across the ground as he pulled her passed a few more Walkers. When they were finally far enough away that none of the other Walkers could spot them anymore, N unceremoniously dropped Judy at the entrance to the warehouse. He scowled back at her as she dusted herself off.

"I think that went pretty well. It was actually kinda fun. It felt a bit like being in a Michael Packson video," she said confidently. "I was an actor in middle school, you know."

"You don't … s-say," N huffed and turned to open the door.

"Hey, N. I'm sorry for running. Really," she admitted. "Thank you for coming to get me."

He paused with his paw on the knob and eyed her up and down. "Not safe."

"I know. I'm sorry, N."

He mulled over her apology for a moment before deciding that it sounded sincere enough. He opened the door a little wider, gesturing for her to go first.

"Thanks. And by the way, I actually am pretty hungry."

"Ccc … carrots," he said in exhaustion.

She stopped for a second and bounced a little in excitement. "Wait … are you calling me 'Carrots', or are you saying you found me carrots?"

"Got you … carrots," he answered with a short smile, stepping inside the warehouse behind her.

"Yes!" Judy grinned back at him and pumped her fist. "Thank you N!"

"No … problem … Carrots."


Author's Note:

Once again, the next chapter is already live on Archive of Our Own. Just look for "Hungry Hearts" by Johnsoneer, and you'll find this chapter and the next, both featuring artwork from KungFuFreak07.

Thanks for reading.