Chapter III;
The group of four found their way with Merida's help to the town that originally had a roadblock of flesh-eaters. Oddly enough though, the town wasn't as crawling with them as the entrance. But still on their guard, they were on safe alert. Parked out for a moment, Jack stepped out and placed his blue backpack on the hood of the car, Rapunzel and Merida followed after- leaving Emma in the car, for protection. Rapunzel looked over the male's shoulder.
There was a slightly large binder-looking leather package, he unraveled it until it was flat on the hood of the car. There was many, many knives held in place by holders. Rapunzel gasped lightly, while Merida flashed an impressed facial expression.
"My dad taught me how to hunt. This is the last thing I've ever kept of him. Never used, always sharpened and cleaned, made sure not to go dull or rust." Jack explained.
"So why show us now?" Rapunzel asked.
"I wanted to teach you or Emma how to use one." His head turned to the blonde. Rapunzel was at loss of words, but nodded.
"Sure. You can teach me."
"If I'm correct, thare should be a bern a few miles here." Merida spoke up after clearing her throat, breaking the white haired and blonde's moment without realizing it. She continued. "We can practice thare."
"That sounds perfect." Jack replied, Rapunzel did the same but with a nodding.
The three got back in the car after Jack folded it all back up. Rapunzel, in the back, held onto Emma's hand who had reached over and grabbed her hand. Merida had one foot propped up on the edge of the seat, her arm lightly resting on the bottom of the window, her index and middle finger touching her temple and forehead a little. On the way to the barn, the red head noticed something, her eyes squinting to make out a person who had blonde hair. They passed by, her head immediately turned and looked back, she could have sworn she heard a yell of "Help! We're not infected! Help!" While the blonde woman's arms waved around in the arm.
Merida reached over, grabbing Jack's arm. Lightly telling him;
"Turn around! Thare were survivors!". Jack looked back before breaking the car a little, U turning to go back around. Once they were at the spot, there was the same blonde female, with a older male companion at her side, who was panting, bent over and had his hands on his knees. Jack stopped the car, and Merida opened up her car door, running over to them.
"Are you guys okay?" She asked.
"We don't have any source of transport, and with these things crawling around, it's not safe. I'm not infected and he isn't either." The newly founded blonde spoke, explaining their situation between breaths. The male; brown hair, brown eyes, freckles along his face. His green eyes were like being lost in a bright forest, but ignoring the obvious, Merida zoned back into reality like she never left.
"Right, uhm.. I'm not leader of this group, but if I could. I'd give you transport. But the best my friends can do is help search for food, hot wire a car-" The blonde interrupted.
"Oh! Yes! That'd be perfect." She smiled, looking at the male, who shared a smile also.
"I'll ask Jack." Merida walked back over to the car, tapping on his window. He rolled it down, she explained their situation. After asking if he'd help, Jack nodded, giving Rapunzel a command that was to stay with Emma. Jack found a emerald green colored car that didn't seem to have anything wrong, on further investigation; it looked to be brand new or kept in very well condition. It was easy to hot wire it, contently smiling when there was a roar sounding coming to life from it.
"Oh, such a beauty." Jack murmured to himself.
"Thank you. I'm Astrid, Astrid Hoffersan." The blonde introduced herself, the older male talked, letting out a not-so-deep voice, but it was warming sounding.
"And I'm Hiccup- Please don't laugh." As if he known how late it was, Merida was trying not to laugh, letting a snort out or two.
"O-oh, Hiccup's a wonderful name." Merida tried to sound calm, there was a hint of tremble in her voice. Hiccup lightly glared at her, and Merida bit her bottom lip to contain herself. Astrid let out a laugh also.
"I was like that, don't worry. I thought his parents were high when they had-"
"They weren't!" Hiccup protested. But after that enjoyable moment, Astrid and Hiccup, after learning Jack and Merida's names, were scouting off houses with Jack, in case if they found anything useful- weapons was one of useful items, god they were lacking the perfect weapons. Rapunzel and Merida talked at their group's car.
"So that's their situation." Merida said, after explaining.
"Maybe Jack can teach Hiccup to use a knife, or maybe Astrid?- I-If they can come with." Rapunzel replied, toying with a part of her hair.
"Maybe, we'll ask when they get back." Merida rubbed her right eye. From Rapunzel's view, she looked really tired. The red head's eyes did have some horrible dark circles, but that's probably from the worrying of her brothers- and worrying led her not to sleep..
A scream of agonizing pain echoed the city after their talking, Rapunzel was about to dash in a random direction, to find the source. But thankfully, Merida grabbed the woman's bicep, halting her. Merida gave the blonde a look that told her to stay with Emma, which Rapunzel nodded and did so- locking up thr car after climbing in. Merida immediately ran to wherever she heard it loudest.. The more it was louder, the more she realized that was the place Jack, Hiccup and Astrid ran to.
Midway to that house, out came Hiccup, holding a lifeless- or what it seemed to be- Astrid, before falling to his knees. Merida paced herself to run faster, almost sliding to them- literally.
"What happened?!" Merida yelled, Hiccup seemed to be out of it, tears fell onto Astrid's neck, there was a large part of it missing. Astrid's chest rose slowly, and fell slowly. Her breath was pacing down.. Jack answered for him.
"We entered the house, Astrid went up stairs, I took the basement, and Hiccup had the second floor. Apparently, Astrid opened up the bathroom door and a.. A..- Th- Flesh Eater came crashing out. Biting her neck.."
Merida gulped quietly, grabbing Hiccup's arm. He looked at her, his green eyes that Merida was so lost in, all watery. Tearing herself apart just by saying it.
"Leave her. You have to leave her."
Hiccup looked at Astrid, her eyes were closed as if she had accepted death. He nodded, but before anything, he picked her up bridal style, walking back into the house. Once he came out, his nose had a litte blood on it, probably attempted to wipe any tears that crawled on it, off.
"I put her in the bed, it's not hers but.. I rather her to die somewhere comfortable." Hiccup explained, the area around his eyes were almost too red. He rubbed them so roughly, Merida nodded to his actions. There was something poking and crawling from the male's pocket, it was pure black, and moved to his shoulders. Merida's eyebrow rose a little, staring intently at it.
"What- Oh- Oh! I forgot all about him, I'm a horrible person. His name is Toothless."
"Why?".
A hesitation before Hiccup replied. "..He's toothless?." Jack almost let out a loud, loud laugh.
"Merida, showing her true colors!" There was a hard punch in the white haired's gut, he groaned in pain. The red head showed no expression after punching him, Hiccup chuckled a little, but it sounded a little hoarse, from the crying of course.
Once they got to the green car, Hiccup sat in the front seat for a moment. Before he looked at the two, asking something. By the time it slipped his words, he felt guilty for asking.
"Can I follow with?"
Merida didn't hesitate to reply with a yes, it shocked Jack, but he ended up shrugging and agreeing with the red-head. With that, Jack went to the car, where Rapunzel and Emma were, Rapunzel stepped out of the car and smiled, but it faded after taking note that Astrid wasn't with them.
"How's my sister?"
"She's good, asked questions- but good." Rapunzel told Jack, her arms crossed but instead of normally, they lightly grabbed on her bicep. Jack nodded, leaning against the hood of the car.
"Astrid died." Jack said suddenly.
"I.. I figured.. May she rest in peace." Rapunzel replied. Jack nodded. "I liked what I've heard of her, maybe we'll hear more of her." The blonde added, her voice went quiet near the end after thinking what type of pain would inflict on Hiccup.
"Maybe.." Jack spoke, closing his eyes.
After that all, the five of them had drove off to that barn. Jack decided to teach both Hiccup and Rapunzel, not planning on teaching Emma how to also. Once there, they both parked outside of the barn; a red-ish colored barn that had white windows, a brown roof, there was a small house next to it- almost all white.. The door was open, and there was blood marks all on the inside, it made Rapunzel's stomach get all knotted up.
After that, Rapunzel stood at the cars with Hiccup and Emma, leaving Jack and Merida to killing anything infected wise in the barn, in the house, around and behind it. While they did so, Hiccup and Rapunzel had idle chatting with one another.
"So, what's the story with Merida and Jack?. Or even you?' Hiccup asked. Rapunzel propped herself up onto the hood of the car, while replying.
"Well, Merida saved my life before I was actually in any danger. She's wanting to find her three brothers in the next state over. Jack.. I'm not sure, he and his sister survived a few weeks on their own." She looked through the windshield, seeing Emma had curled up into a ball, laying fully on the back seat.
"Oh.. Since the outbreak happened, Astrid and I got together, protected each other and hid in my dad's bunker."
"Your dad has a bunker?".
"Yeah, he thought stuff like this would happen." Hiccup explained. "But he left for a place in Scotland a month or so ago, so I have no idea if he's safe or not."
"Well, maybe once we see if Merids's brothers are alive, we'll camp out there." Rapunzel smiled warmly at him, he nodded at the good plan. Hearing running footsteps from behind them, the blonde turned herself to face the way to the barn, while still on the hood of the car, seeing Jack and Merida run over.
"Place is clean, we can stay a night or two there, practice knife lessons, and then head on out." Jack said, Merida nodded with.
"Okay- Oh! Hiccup's father has a bunker, it'd be nice if we could stay there while this is going on." Jack turned to look at Hiccup, who was rubbing the back of his neck.
"Yeah that'd be a good idea."
The five of them walked into the house of the barn, there was seven equal bedrooms. Rapunzel took the closest to the stairway, while Emma and Jack shared one, taking the farthest away, Merida took the one next to Rapunzel, Hiccup taking one in the middle of those four but across.
Rapunzel looked through the previous owner's place, looking at their clothes, and photographs. Her hand accidentally knocked one over before picking it up and looking at it. There came a gasp.
"Sophie?" Rapunzel fingers traced along a blonde haired girl, holding onto what seemed to be Rapunzel herself.
Emma screamed, Rapunzel ran to Jack's room, only to find the little brown haired girl backed into a corner with a blonde girl laying on the floor, Rapunzel immediately saw it to be Sophie and ran over.
"Sophie?. Sophie!" Rapunzel called, the little girl stirred in her sleep before waking up, and upon seeing her favorite cousin, she went into a fit of giggles and hugged her tightly. Rapunzel returned the hug, then heard the running footsteps of three; turning her head to see the rest of their group at the door, where Jack ran over to Emma.
"What happened?" Merida asked, Emma replied in a shake-y voice.
"I opened up the attic door, and then suddenly she fell on me." She pointed to the attic tile. Half of the stairs seemed to be out, and a chair that had wheels was laying on the floor, showing that Emma must've used the chair, slipped and caught Sophie without it being intended to.
"Who is she?" Hiccup asked. Rapunzel looked at him, and spoke this time; "She's my cousin"
After all that, Rapunzel checked Sophie for any bites and scratches, none. Sophie explained that the moment it hit their house, her mother made her hide in the attic.
"It's good you're safe and sound, Sophie. Do you know what happened to the others?" Sophie shook her head no, and Merida almost wanted to say they were killed, explaining the marks of blood all in the entrance, bloody bed parts they found and the infected inside, but she managed to bite her tongue and not tell the already-frightened girl.
Rapunzel gave Sophie something to eat from their backpack. Later on, Merida decided to watch both Emma and Sophie while Jack teaches Hiccup and Rapunzel how to work well with knives. Jack, grabbing the scarecrows from the field, making them their target practices. He grabbed red paint from hidden away in the barn, drawing on a semi-perfect, but also semi-sloppy design of a target circle on it. He set them roughly twelve feet from the three people, placing hay in front of Hiccup and Rapunzel as a don't-go-over-it line.
He grabbed a knife, and showed them how to properly handle it like you would throw it, gripping the base and pulling his arm back, with the blade pointed up. Once his eyes and his body seemed to align up with his scarecrow, he threw it. Making a perfect bullseye.
"Now, it seems a little hard to do so, but a knife can save you. Not by those, but by murderous humans also. Make sure your eye and arm aligns up to the target, it'd be like shooting. Aim, align, shoot." Jack stepped out of the way letting them try.
Rapunzel, trembling, let her hand pull back. In order for her eyes to align with, she had to close her left one. At the same time, Hiccup was doing the same, his right eye was closed and he was using his left hand instead. At almost the same time, they threw the knives. Rapunzel's hit the shoulder area of the scarecrow, while Hiccup's hit the target.
"Not bad. It also helps to put your muscle into the throwing." Jack said, retrieving his knives and handed them back. Rapunzel grabbed hers, Hiccup did the same. Jack continued "Try again for another rounds, and once you get the hang of it, I'll show a way to kill those things off." The two trainees nodded.
Rapunzel kept trembling, it made her not hit the target, however Hiccup was calm and hitting made her want it also, at one point when she got her knife and was in position, Jack grabbed her forearm. He moved it a little over to the right, and when he let go, Rapunzel wasn't trembling. When she threw it, she completely got the target and jumped up, screaming in delight of 'I did it!' And 'Thank you Jack!', in that doing so, she turned around and hugged Jack tightly. Hiccup was chuckling while watching.
After getting that done, Jack sent them to go inside, having needing to sharpen wooden knives out of the wood nearby, so he decided to do it himself.
"Ye were all giddy, Punz." Merida told her when the blonde and brunette walked through the room, Rapunzel couldn't stop smiling.
"I learned how to throw properly, and.. And now I can just.. Protect myself, in case if Sophie, Emma and I get attacked while you guys are off in the houses." Merida nodded, even smiling a little herself.
"Jack was nice to teach us that." Hiccup said, which Rapunzel agreed. She excused herself into the kitchen, seeing if any of the appliances worked. Hiccup sat on the ground, his back lightly touching the base of the sofa, where Merida was sitting. His hand reached to touch the stereo.
"I tried that, and the T.V. Nothing works anymore, it's like the Government shut it all down- except cars apparently."
"Why?"
"Dunno. Suppose they wanted us dead." Merida replied, leaning back into the sofa comfortably, her feet resting on the edge. Hiccup asked another question.
"How many weeks have this been again, since it's happened?"
Merida made a 'hmm' sound though the back of her throat before replying. " 'Bout.. Seven-Eight.. Nine weeks? I've been with Punz since the start. Been countin' the weeks too." Hiccup nodded in response.
There was a long moment- or it seemed long to be honest- between everyone. Rapunzel was seemingly cooking- even though the stove was out, Merida and Hiccup fell asleep, while Emma and Sophie were asleep and Jack was out carving the wooden swords- which was a hassle. Once Rapunzel was done, she skipped out to see the red-head and brunette asleep, saying a little quiet 'Aw'. It was adorable, and she felt bad for having to wake them up. When she did, Merida stirred in her sleep, mumbling something unintelligent before waking up fully.
"What is it, Rapunzel?" Hiccup asked, groggyness was in his voice while he spoke
"There was bread that was sealed away, and I cooked it. It's warm and fluffy. My uncle was a perfect cook, he knew how to make things last for a long time." She handed bread to the both of them, they were roughly seven inches all around. When Merida touched it, she expected Punz to be lying about it being warm, but the moment she felt the heat, the moment her eyes widened and her body sat straight up.
"How did ye make it warm?!" Merida shouted, Hiccup's mouth was open as if he was about to ask the same thing, so he licked his bottom lip before closing her lips together. The blonde jumped to the shouting, but replied.
"I made a fire.. The stoves out, so I made a fire, and held the bread over it. It warmed up, and it feels fluffy to eat." She shrugged as if it was totally easy, and both the red head female and brunette male were in heaven by eating something warm. Of course everything they had was cold, and the electronics out of power didn't help anything. Rapunzel skipped out to the barn area after grabbing another bread piece from the kitchen, over to Jack who was moving his wrists around to pop them. She held one out to him.
"What is it?"
"Bread!. It's warm, and the other two love it already." Jack took it, and took a bite. She was right, warm bread was a loving taste.
"How did you-" He was interrupted. "How did I make it warm?. I made a fire, held it over." Rapunzel spoke, he nodded as if he understood. Making her way to wake up the two kids, she told Jack she'd be back to have some with him. Once Sophie and Emma were awake, she gave them their own bread and they ate happily. Once that handing-them-all-out was over, there was enough for one more between everyone, and Rapunzel grabbed hers- skipping out and over to Jack, where she ate with him and watched him make the wooden knives. Once he was done, they were done eating and it had almost hit sun-down.
"So? Is it a good crafting?" Jack asked, holding the three up. Rapunzel nodded with her famous warm smile, making the corner or the male's lips curve and show him smiling also.
They both went inside, and Jack spoke up to everyone.
"Okay, it's sun-down. We all have our rooms, and we'd have to take watches in case. The fence isn't strong, and so there's a chance that'd happen.."
"I'll take watch." Hiccup said, everyone looked at him and he continued. "I don't think I can sleep- well, not anymore- because of the events of what happened today." He addressed it about Astrid. Jack nodded.
Once the sun went down and the sky was painting darker, everyone except Hiccup went to their rooms they choose earlier. Rapunzel cured up in a semi pink-purple colored blanket, her head was barely peeking out, and she, herself, was in a ball formation. Jack barely covered himself up, letting the cold wash over himself. The two little kids were tucked away in their own room together, and Merida didn't cover herself or sleep though, she sat there, knees pressed to her chest, arms wrapped around them.. Just sitting. Hiccup was on the sofa, laying on his back and looking at the white rough ceiling.
Night went by slowly to the two of them, but Merida finally fell asleep with a green blanket around her. Middle of the night, Hiccup also fell asleep.
The sounds of the house was tickings of a clock.. Tick, tock.. Tick, tock. It was the old styled clocks- or known as 'Grandfather clocks'- that worked without needing batteries. But soon another sound washed over the house. A sound that would scare anyone.. Growling, snarling or groaning- one of the three. A total of four flesh eaters moved in, walking into the house. A mistake Jack never checked- the door wasn't closed properly. The sound of- well anything made them came closer, three went to find the sound of ticking, while the one bumped into a wall making them fall and hit the stairs.. It got up, and walked up them after realizing it could.
They leaned against the doors, none of which let them in, but they were blind- so why did they care?. However, a far end room was a little open and sounds of light snoring was enlighting the room. It was just across from Jack's room, open for a reason.. But this never occurred to him. It walked, and seemed to be smelling the air.. Oh, it caught the scent of Emma and Sophie- the living smell. The two kids were in the same room as that, and they were in danger.
The living room was quiet, but unaware of it, one of the flesh eaters made it's way over to Hiccup from sensing- smelling him.. If the screams of Sophie didn't wake him up and grab the nearest thing- his knife, then he would've been dead. Hiccup rammed the knife into the crown of it's head, pulling it out after placing his foot on his torso and then kicking the flesh eater to the ground, he turned and swung the blade at the other that was behind him. He ignored pulling it out, running quickly up the stairs while the third- which was in the kitchen- ran after him. At the moment the brunette was in the hallway, all three doors swung open and ran to the kids room. Rapunzel and Jack made it first, where Rapunzel immediately covered her mouth and stepped back. The view of Emma and Sophie being eaten shocked her. The blonde's eyes already made so many tears that fell down her cheeks, she stumbled over her own feet and hit her butt hard on the ground. Jack, swearing under his breath, killed the one before breaking down- throwing his knife on the other side of the room, crawling back to the corner, rubbing his eyes even though they had blood coated all over them.
Merida slammed a vase into the wall, grabbing a shard and killed the one behind Hiccup. Rapunzel ran over to Sophie and Emma, they were cold, not responding and half eaten. Merida looked out the hallway window of the barn, seeing more of them coming. She grabbed Rapunzel's arm and tried to drag her out while Hiccup helped with Jack after realizing the barn was about to be overrun.
"Rapunzel! We gotta go!" Merida yelled, where Rapunzel nodded lightly, her eyes looked like they were empty. Hiccup had to force the blonde and white haired out of the house, and into their car. Merida gathered their stuff, or tried to. Grabbing their blankets, the bread, the wooden knives, and her cross bow before following out. By the time she was out, the whole side of the barn was covered in them. But she made it, started the car and drove, with Hiccup following; Rapunzel and Jack were in the back of his car.
They drove, for a long time and didn't stop until it was probably noon. Merida stopped at the sign that said they were entering the next state, stepping out and walking over to Hiccup's car. Hiccup shook his head once he was asked if they were alright.
"Rapunzel kept crying since we left, she just now fell asleep with her head on Jack's lap, he wont stop looking down at nothing.." Hiccup told her. Merida sighed, placing her hands on the hood of her car.
"We have to snap them to reality soon.. Or they'd be that way for days.. Months even." Hiccup spoke again.
"Yeah, I got that." Merida said, standing up right.
The red head sat back into Jack's car, hands on the wheel after discussing with Hiccup on going ahead and finding another house for them to settle down and return back to normal. Before driving ahead, Merida placed her head lightly on the wheel also.
"Oh.. Snapping them out of it will be hard.."