Warning: Major Character Death
- Day Twenty Three -
The zombies have retreated away from the building enough that Egbert deems it safe to go down and clear out the floors to get back to the lobby. The influx of bodies as food seems to have sated them and Egbert theorizes that they are staying nearby only because this was the source of their last feast.
Bro's injuries have healed for the most part with only superficial bruising marking his transgressions.
They descend down to the lower levels, undoing the barricades and exposing the bodies that were left. With masks and gloves, they work to clear the bodies out of the stairwell. They throw the corpses into empty apartments.
Dave rubs John's back as he heaves farther down the hall. Bro continues to work through the sick sounds and textures from the rotting bodies. Limbs were separated from torsos, large chunks were missing from meaty areas. They were beyond reconstruction, beyond recognition even to race, gender, weight. Sometimes a clue would show through, revealing something of a past life such as a recognizable scrap of cloth or a ring still on a finger, but these are ignored to maintain peace of mind.
The once beige carpets of the stairwell and hall are now stained black with infected blood. Egbert splashes buckets of bleach cut with precious water over the worse spots to eliminate the disease and to combat the stench of the dead.
Floor by floor they clear the way. Egbert inspects the damage done by the traps and disarms those that failed to go off. The lingering scent of burnt flesh accompanies scorch marks line the wall. Splatters of black blood accompany scattered hardware, debris embedded into the walls.
The finally get down to the chainlink fence of their makeshift barricade and note how it was the sheer volume of bodies thrown against the metal that warped it enough to give the zombies passage. Egbert repairs it as much as he can before deciding to slide an armoire to block the passage instead.
"Hang on, Egbert." Bro catches him before he slides the furniture fully into place. "We can clean out the lobby too. Maybe set up some more perimeter traps."
"We don't have many supplies left and there are a lot of entrances."
"It would still give us warning so maybe we could get a little more sleep. It's not that bad out there."
Egbert looks at him coolly, not having to say anything with the gore of the horde still around them.
"I know what it looks like. But I must have brought every single zombie in a ten block radius home with me and I am so fucking sorry for that. Honestly I barely saw any of them while I was out there. I still had fingers on my second hand left when I picked up the juice."
Egbert's expression remains flat even as John and Dave creep closer to listen to the conversation.
"We can't stay locked up in our fucking ivory tower forever. Gonna run out of food and water before the zombies get to us. We have to get out there eventually. The lobby is a good start."
John recognizes the way his father tenses his jaw as resolution against the proposal. "Dad, it's actually a pretty good idea." Bro looks over at the unexpected help. "I mean, we've come this far and still have some time left and I'm not really tired yet, are you Dave?" Dave shakes his head. "And all four of us are here so if something does go down we can get each other out."
Bro stays quiet even as he watches Egbert waver on the topic. Finally Egbert's shoulders slump a little as he looks between their three faces. "Alright, but no one steps outside. We just clear a perimeter. John, Dave, you are on watch. Dirk and I will be doing the heavy lifting."
"Yes, sir."
They creep past the armoire with weapons drawn. The lobby looks clear of any upright undead and none of the corpses strewn about are moving either. Bro hides his cringe as he notices that it is in much worse condition than before due to his mistakes.
Egbert and Bro do a perimeter check as John and Dave cover them at the stairs. The boys give a sigh of relief when Egbert gives the all clear.
"Set up here and here and shout at any movement. Any at all. Do you understand me?" The boys nod and move to the two main entrances with the large panels of broken and missing glass. Egbert and Bro start clearing out the bodies, tossing them either outside or to be locked up later in the mailroom, the best mausoleum the dead will get these days.
Dave kicks at the jagged pieces of the glass out of the edges of the window because he doesn't like how they remind him of teeth. It gives him something to do besides think about how the streets he knew so well have changed. He tries not to think on how the entire city now feels like a zombie. He tries not to wonder if any of the people he knew around here, the clerk at the closest quick mart that would give him an extra chocolate bar, the bagger at the local grocery store he would flirt with, the bullies from school that would pick on him, the bus driver who helped him out in elementary school, the bus driver that didn't in middle school, the old man that would sit by the news stand he can't see anymore, if any of them made it out alive.
John fidgets with his gun as he continues to scan the edges of the street. There is a different alien feel to these buildings than the one he felt when he first arrived. Everything looks strange in a new area when one first gets there. He was just getting used to the crowded close buildings and the loudness that comes from so many people living together. But now they are foreign again.
The boys trade glances every once in a while across the lobby and look back to the adults. Everything is silent except for the wet thumps of dead body parts being moved around. John holds back a comment about it being 'too quiet' out of fear of jinxing them. Just as his thoughts turn with bad timing to how Dave was not quiet at all when John finally got the chance to do him, John hears the kicked pebble skitter across the street.
His ears direct him to the source of the movement just as the pebble settles. He looks up at the alleyway to see startling quick movement.
"Dad!"
"Fuck!"
The guardians look to their respective charges as they both give alarm. John is firing quick rounds into the crowd approaching from his side. Dave has his blade out and gets into a fighting stance against the wide open window. The guardians exchange glances and then lunge towards the nearest kid.
Egbert whips out the pistol that was tucked into his holster on his waistband and starts shooting over Dave's shoulder at the front of the oncoming wave. He finally reaches the blonde and grabs the back of his collar and tugs him away from the window.
"Get to the stairs!"
Bro dashes past John and cuts down the enemy as John reloads. Heads fly and bodies collapse. As soon as he hears the boy's shout, he turns and runs at John, ducking his shoulder to catch and lift the boy up.
"Keep shootin'!" Bro doesn't flinch as the hot cartridges from John's gun bounce off his back as he carries him away from the window.
The four of them meet at the stairs just as the horde clears the empty windows. Bro glances behind him and catches a leaping zombie at the end of his sword. It crashes into the wall to be cut down with a second swing. Egbert shoves the boys onto the stairs before swinging his gun around to take out another leaper from the other side, the bullet landing directly between it's eyes.
"Get up the stairs to the apartment!" Bro growls at he takes out two zombies with a single swipe. Egbert lays out two more zombies before sweeping across to take out out over Bro's shoulder.
"We're not leaving," John shouts back as he reloads his gun with another of the spare magazines.
"This is no time for argument, son."
"Then I guess you guys will have to let us cover your asses." The sword clinks in Dave's hands.
"Dave, get upstairs!" Bro lunges at a zombie that is dodging the other bodies falling back.
"No!" Dave slices down at a hand reaches out towards his brother's back before following up with a decapitation.
"Get back on the stairs." Egberts ducks down to let John cover him while he reloads. "Cover from the stairs." He takes out a zombie per bullet on the next clip.
Bro's sword flicks silver through the undead crowd. His own form doesn't stay visible for more than a second at a time to lay a clean strike. Adrenaline pumps cleanly through his veins. He doesn't feel his injuries at all as he moves faster than the eye and takes out a zombie a breath.
When Egbert finishes the clip he hands it back to his son with one hand and slides the rifle on the shoulder strap from his back to aim at the incoming horde, continuing the sharp bark of a gun without missing a beat. As Egbert clears some space with his long range weapon, he sweeps over again to give Bro some breathing room.
"Dad! Watch out!" John's shouts even over the ringing in their ears at the multiple gunshots.
Egbert whirls about and uses the butt of his rifle to knock away a zombie that was about to clamp down on his shoulder. He feels a hot sting scrape across his upper arm but puts it out of his mind as he follows up with a shot to the head that splatters black blood back into the crowd.
John can feel Dave trembling as the blonde presses his shoulder against his side. He counts how many magazines they have left and can't get to a happy number. He glances wide eyed over at his boyfriend finding the same frightened look but neither of them are about to back down and leave their guardians to fight. John passes Dave two of the magazines and trades places with him so that he can shoot over Bro's head into the deeper crowd. Dave cuts down a few of the faster ones as they try to duck past when Egbert changes his aim to cover the middle section.
Bro notices the change in behavior first. The zombies slowly become more interested in the unanimated corpses over even their still alive flesh. He changes to take out only those that reach for the humans and leave the others to drag their new meals back out. Egbert picks up on it as well as the back section of his side of the horde has already snagged their piece from the dead. He quickly mops up the remaining stragglers before fitting his last pre-loaded clip into his hot gun.
"They're retreating." Bro's voice sounds muffled to their abused eardrums but it's enough to get the point across. He pushes the boys up the stairs with a dark glower before tugging on Egbert's shirt to communicate to him that they need to stand down now. Egbert agrees with a nod and lets Bro and his katana cover them. As soon as Bro slips past the armoire, Egbert shoves it close.
"Everyone alright?" Egbert makes eye contact with each one of them and waits for confirmation before turning towards the stairs.
"Oh shit!" Egbert can barely hear Bro's exclamation before he is being pulled back down to the landing. "Strip now."
Egbert frowns at the command before he finally follows Bro's finger to the stain on his sleeve which is a mixture of red and black.
"Strip. Goddamn it. Get it off!" Bro's hands are at his waist pulling the shirt out and tugging it up and off. The black splatter from all of the close range shots makes the white fabric stick to his skin. Egbert catches the pale terrified expression of his son as Dave grips John's arm with white knuckles. Bro viciously throws the shirt to the far corner of the hall as if it it is at fault for the threat of an infected injury.
Egbert blinks down at the wound on his upper arm, remembering briefly the jagged hand that reached out to try to carve into his flesh. It had only made shallow grooves across his skin, drawing blood from the skin instead of the muscle. The red smears touch black below the wound and Egbert stares at the black drop rolling down his shoulder before the vision is blocked by a crumpled polo shirt bunched in Bro's hands. Bro pulls away and brushes over the wound and surrounding arm again and again with a different section of his shirt until it is only stained with red.
He hears John's choked sob and Dave's calming murmurs. He meets bright orange eyes that flash with anger, fear, and more emotions than Egbert can name.
"Need to get you upstairs to get this properly cleaned." Bro's voice starts out rough as he speaks through those emotions. "Nothing peroxide and arnica can't fix though it burns like hell. Ain't that right, Dave? No gangrenous infections for ya despite how many times I beat your ass into the tar roof." He finishes with a smirk that doesn't quite reach up to his eyes.
Egbert takes a couple breaths to steady himself against the situation and takes stock of the current. He can't help but find it slightly amusing that Bro has him pressed up against the wall both without a shirt and with their two charges watching. Not that Egbert hasn't seen Bro without a shirt. He did invade the Strider's home in the middle of summer after all. But Bro has never this close. Egbert was never able to smell the sweat on his skin like this before. Never able to stare into those rings of flame around dark pupils blown wide between the darkness of the stairwell and residual chemicals still making his heart pump over time.
He lets his exhaustion catch up with him just enough to reassure his body that they were out of danger so far before nodding at Bro.
Bro watches the stormy gray eyes closely before finally stepping away and shooing the kids up the stairs. He takes the rear again, glad that he hasn't heard or at least can't hear any movement on the other side of the barricade.
Bro was right. It did hurt like hell when he poured the peroxide over the fresh wound. So much so that Egbert does not mentally chide himself for using the word. He clenches his teeth as the chemical bubbles and hisses as it cleans. Bro tends to him with a professionalism that comes from treating too many wounds. Dad doesn't ask questions.
Once Dad is properly bandaged up, Bro does a thorough check of himself and the two boys before ordering showers and rest. He sits Egbert on the futon where he watches amusedly as Bro busies himself on the gas camping stove top with dinner.
Dave carefully rubs the shampoo through John's hair, trying to keep the number of times his fingers catch on snags to a minimum. He doesn't like the way John's hands shake even as they hold tight to Dave's hips. Dave finally tips his head back and slowly pours the bucket of water over his hair, rinsing it with long combing fingers until it runs clear of suds. His hands then use some body wash as an excuse to touch every inch of John's skin to reassure himself that John does not have any red wounds or black drips on him. Blue eyes are ringed with red from John's emotions at seeing his father that close to-
Dave cuts himself off and steps closer to John to reach his back. Thoughts of cleaning are swept away though when John steps into him until his back is square against the chilled tile, making Dave arch against his warm wet boyfriend. John's lips are frantic on his, seeking reassurance and a release of the pent up, ragged emotions caused by the fight. Dave grabs him by the face and holds him tightly in the kiss letting his own tumultuous feelings make themselves known. Nothing is said but they still understand each other's fears, angers, worries, apologies, hopes, and loves.
After the initial flood, John's hands stop shaking so much and Dave turns his kisses tender. John's hands start to rub at Dave's skin using the transfer from his body to push suds around starting at the edges of his chest and slowly working his way down to his hips. Dave gasps in his mouth when John wraps a hand around his half hard dick and starts to stroke it to full mast. Dave clings to him and starts rocking his hips to thrust into John's hands and against his slick body. The soft panting sounds echo in the small room even as Dave bites his lips against the way John kisses the side of his neck.
The emotional roller coaster plus the slickness of John's hands thanks to the soap and the clever use of his teeth against his pulse point has Dave melting into John's arms before suddenly stiffening as his orgasm crests.
As Dave slumps against the wall, John uses the next bucket to rinse the body wash of their skin. Dave comes around as the cold water finally pulls goosebumps on his skin instead of feeling pleasant with the Houston heat and layers of sweat and grime. He drags John out of the shower and wraps him up in a towel before getting one for himself. He's never been more glad for his brother's obsession with the fluffiest towels, stealing them from the downtown hotels when he could just because he could.
"You have great stress relief ideas, John," Dave tells him as they dry off. "A bit chilly but I really shouldn't be complaining 'cause it was nice, awesome, something that I needed. Heh, who knew I'd be something of an adrenaline junkie because yea I'm still kinda trembling and I'm the only one that got off, do you want me to do something? I'm totally up for anything short of probably bending over for you though if you really want that-"
"I'm okay, Dave. Really. Still not really over the whole zombie thing and then with Dad-" he hides his blotchy face under the towel. Dave dives in after him and kisses him soundly to take his mind off of it.
"Okay, okay, I'll owe you a blow job or something. Just, shhh," Dave tries to calm him. "Hey, lets go get with the old guys and have a cuddle pile on the futon. I think we all deserve a cuddle pile."
They return to the main room with loose comfortable pajamas. John goes immediately to curl up into his father's side. Dave stops by the kitchen and helps Bro bring over plates of food. Bro tries to sit at his desk but Dave drags him over to the futon and the four of them settle down together with John nestled between his father's good side and Dave with Bro leaning against his brother's other side.
They quietly eat their dinner and bask in the fact that they are still alive.
- Day Twenty Four -
Bro wakes up first. He disentangles himself from the Strider-Egbert pile without disturbing anyone else. He grabs some food and something to drink before heading out to the fire escape. He pauses by the futon and drops a kiss onto Dave's temple. He catches gray-blue eyes watching him as he straightens up. With a sheepish grin he waves at Egbert before taking watch.
John wakes up next. He has to jostle Dave off of him to get out between his boyfriend and father before stumbling to the bathroom. Dave stretches and yawns as he sits on the edge of the futon.
"Thank you, Dave."
He startles at the soft voice. "Ah, no problem? Actually what are you thanking me for?"
"For taking care of him."
"Oh, that. Well, I just love the dork and all. It's kinda hard not to."
Egbert chuckles at him. "Please continue to do you."
"Hey, hey, don't talk like that. Just because we've had close calls, and everyone now has had close calls, we can't talk like that. We are going to make it. No zombie is gonna make a meal outta us. No zombie, you hear!" Dave's voice breaks a little as his fists clench up. Egbert sits up and wraps his good arm around Dave and pulls him in.
"I'm sorry, Dave. I'm sorry. You are right. We'll survive. You did well last night. We all did well and we can make it." He glances up and sees John standing there. "Why don't the two of you catch up on sleep on a real bed? I think I'm going to let my bones rest here if Bro will continue the watch."
"Nothin' exciting to report out," the elder Strider calls back as John pulls Dave to his bedroom.
John tumbles them onto the bed and starts kissing away Dave's tears and grabs his hands to stop the shaking. He strips Dave of his tee shirt, tossing his aside as well. His kisses down Dave's chest, trying to will the sobs trapped inside away.
His hands slip under Dave's waistband and stroke his hips until his trembling turns to shivers of anticipation. John slides off of him to take off his own pants and to grab the lube and a condom tucked into Dave's nightstand. He pins Dave down again as soon as he pulls his pants off by straddling his hips. Dave gasps as their erections brush and John resumes kissing his collarbone and neck. He arches over the pale body below him as he balances carefully to free his hands. He coats his finger with lube, dripping some on Dave's stomach, before reaching back to touch himself.
"John, John!" Dave squirms under him, trapped to his boyfriend's whims. John moans into his neck as he stretches himself out with two fingers. Dave snatches the condom out of John's other hand and makes quick work rolling the latex down over himself. John pours more lube over that before stroking it smooth and lining himself up. He slowly sinks down on Dave's cock. Dave fights all instinct to keep perfectly still as John settles down on his hips. "Fuck, John."
John takes a moment to rest and adjust, laying more kisses across Dave's face, before starting to rock his hips back and forth. He pushes up with his thighs until Dave is barely still in him before slipping back down. Dave can't hold back the moans that accompany each stroke. He aids what he can with hands on John's hips.
"I love you, Dave."
"Holy fuck, I love you too. God how do you feel so good? Always feel good. make me feel good too. Everything is good. Fuck, you're good."
"Use a thesaurus, Dave."
"Awesome, amazing, freakin sweet, incredible, unbelievable, extraordinary, great, mind blowing, fantastic, excellent-" John cuts him off with a kiss and a grind downwards with his hips. "Oh fuck!"
John slowly increases his speed until the bed springs lodge a constant complaint against the rocking motion. Dave's words dissolve down into nonsense as John leans up to bounce at a different angle that makes his own moans choked gasps. John's hands press down on Dave's chest, his flexing fingers making trails of red over the muscle. Dave's tight grip on John's hips threaten to leave bruises.
John can't help but to lean over and taste the taut skin on Dave's throat as Dave arches back to get more leverage to thrust up into his riding boyfriend. John hovers as Dave's hips slam up into him in rapid thrusts that knocks John's lips against his collarbone with grinning kisses.
"John! God, I love you!"
His words set something off in John and Dave is pressed down into the mattress. John's hips are almost violently rocking back and forth in a frantic rhythm that has Dave writhing and gasping.
"Dave, Dave, Dave Dave Dave!" The chant of his name slides up in range as pleasure coils at his center until he could snap at the slightest touch. Which happens when Dave reaches up to gently stroke the side of his face. John goes rigid for a moment as he paints Dave's chest before collapsing down over him.
"John, as awesome as you are... do you think I could..."
John blinks at him for a couple seconds before realizing Dave was still hard inside him. He falls to the side, slipping off of Dave with a gasp. He knocks Dave's hands away as he peels off the condom, tossing it away for later clean up. He then wraps his hand around Dave's cock and pumps him quickly while planting kisses to his mouth until he is too breathless to kiss back. Then John slips down to murmur in his ear.
"Dave, god Dave, you felt so wonderful inside me. Letting me ride you until I came on your cock. I love the way you moan if you are fucking me or if I am fucking you. I love the way you say my name, Dave," he continues as he strokes Dave into a writhing mess until Dave clutches John's arm as he comes as well.
He shifts his grip to hold John's hand as he recovered from his orgasmn. "Wow."
"Nothing like sex to distract you from zombies."
"Is that what this was all about?"
"Well that, and I love you."
"I love you too, John."
"So they have really backed down?" Egbert asks as he climbs through the window.
"As far as I can tell. Haven't seen an undead soul. Makes me wonder."
Egbert waits a beat for Strider to tell him before prompting, "Wonder about?"
"If the zombies have souls. Like if they are still trapped in those rotting bodies and we are saving each one that we permanently stop. If they are even still aware of being undead. How much zombie movies miss in trying to capture realism. What's rucking them up if they aren't here? Who is left in this city that doesn't want to eat my brains? The usual."
"Deep thoughts there, Strider."
"I'm as deep as the Mariana's Trench when I'm high. Used to get high all the time at my favorite record store before it burned down. Haven't touched the stuff since though. Maybe I'm having a flashback to the good old days as my brain tries to escape this hell. But honestly I want to know what is out there that's better than our bed and breakfast buffet that we set up in the lobby."
"That is a very good question."
"Not that I am itching to go out and look."
"Also very good. I don't want anyone going out after yesterday's close call."
"Though listening to the brats get it on in the other room is not my favorite way to spend a Saturday."
"Is today a Saturday?"
"I have no earthly clue. I didn't pay attention before the world ended. Sure as heck ain't gonna pay attention now. If I don't have to work, it's a Saturday." Egbert chuckles and they fall into companionable silence for a while.
"We will have to move eventually. Supplies are getting low."
"I know."
- Day Thirty -
For once, the adults aren't on the fire escape when Dave sees movement. It's not down at street level but just above the skyline. He stares at it trying to decide if his mind has snapped or if he is really seeing a military grade helicopter buzzing around out there. He recognizes the building it drops down in front of and is on his feet before he knows it.
He could bring back help, because he is sure that zombies can't fly helicopters and military means that they have weapons and probably supplies like food or water. All much as Egbert and Bro tried to hide it, Dave noticed the way his portions were getting smaller. He didn't quite know what they were waiting for. Well maybe they were waiting for a sign like this. If they could get to where that helicopter landed then they could get help. And he knew where it was, well he didn't know the exact name of the place and he didn't remember the street it was on, but he knows that it serves- served the best hamburgers and shakes in the little diner on the ground floor. But there was no way that Bro would know that place and Egbert wouldn't let him go out. The helicopter would take off before they got through arguing with him if they believed him at all. Egbert wouldn't want to go that direction, farther into the city in the first place. John wouldn't stay here alone despite the fact he should. But help is right down the street.
The arguments run through his head as he ducks back inside and grabs a water bottle before going to his room. John is still passed out on his bed, curled up and adorable. Dave smiles to himself and leans over to place a kiss on his temple. He picks up his sword and goes to his window.
He doesn't have a fire escape out his window like in the main room but there is a drainage pipe down the side of the building that he used once before to get away from one of Bro's strifes. He remembers that the apartment two floors down stands empty and unlocked.
Maybe Egbert won't be mad at him when he comes back with the Army behind him, he thinks to himself as he uses all those 'ninja' skill Bro taught him to get down the pipe.
"Dad?" John whispers. "Dave's gone."
Egbert's eyes go wide and he quickly glances over at the untouched barricaded door and then over at Bro who is thankfully sitting away from them. He looks up at John again with the question "Are you sure?" in his eyes.
John nods and swallows hard.
With a heavy heart and the taste of fear in his mouth, Egbert stands and walks over to Bro. He rests a heavy hand on his shoulder. Orange eyes glance up at him over the top of those angular glasses.
"Dave's gone out." Egbert clenches down and catches Bro's shirt as he tries to launch himself to his feet.
"What!? This isn't a cute prank, Egbert." Bro glowers at Egbert. He pushes to his feet despite Egbert's heavy hand bunched in his shirt.
"Not a prank," Egbert argues quietly.
"The door's not opened and I'm pretty sure he didn't teleport himself out. And we broke the fire escape weeks ago," Bro snarls, throwing his body around for emphasis and a bit to get out of Egbert's grip.
"I- I think he went... out the bedroom window," John offers timidly.
"You were in there! Why didn't you stop him?"
"I was asleep!"
"Brilliant boyfriend you are!" Bro snaps, orange eyes flashing dangerously at the boy.
Bro is slammed up against the nearby wall, his head smacking against the drywall. "Do not blame my son. No one but Dave is to blame. He knows what might happen. He knows the consequences. He knows what choice he made."
"Fuck you."
"Did you not do the same?" Egbert pointedly looks at the discoloring still present on Bro's cheek.
"Let me go so I can go after him."
"No."
"Fucking let me go!"
"What direction did he go?" Egbert counters.
"It doesn't matter! I'll find him!"
"You'll get yourself killed. You could get him killed if he's not dead already."
"DON'T YOU DARE SAY THAT!" Bro roars. His voice rings in the silence as Egbert continues to calmly stare him down.
"You can't go after him. All you can do is hope and pray he comes back. All we can do is get ready to leave. We will not survive the wave that he is sure to bring home."
"Fuck you." The venom in his voice is countered by the pitiful sigh of defeat.
"We are all fucked if we don't work quickly." John stares at his father's use of a curse word. Bro doesn't stop glaring but nods all the same.
John stands watch at the door that leads out to the parking lot which slopes down to the cars. Egbert and Bro carry the bags and boxes of their supplies down to the least damaged truck. Ammo is the most populous of their supplies as food and water are getting low. The heavy metal boxes thump and clink together in the bed of the truck. When John mentions that the cab only holds three, Bro growls out that he'll tie Dave to the roof in punishment. John tries not to laugh at the resulting mental picture.
He hadn't seen a zombie so far. He knows he's close as the buildings get more nostalgic despite the trash and debris. (He tries to ignore the splashes of blood.) This place had such good food that he would take the bus all the way in even on crowded Saturdays. He even tried to bring a date there but they had no taste. Didn't stop him from enjoying his burger and shake. He can almost taste the grease from his memories.
Just a couple more blocks.
Then he'll be able to ask for help.
The sun is hot and creates sweat marks on Bro's polo and Egbert's sleeveless shirt. John manages to stay in the shade but still the air billows hot breaths at him. He keeps his head and eyes constantly moving. He scans the nearby streets and alleys and checks the corners of the building. His palms are slick against the grip of his pistol. He's twitchy as the heat creates shimmering mirages along the asphalt and he has to continually restrain his gun to his side. It wouldn't do to shoot his runaway boyfriend.
No one wants to bring up what they will do if Dave does not return by nightfall. With their food stuffs already at the bottom of the stairwell and their constant exterior activity, they are just asking for nearby zombies to stop by. And Egbert was correct in his assessment that they can't rely on their luck to survive another wave of zombies. If there are no attacks during the day then they might make the night but will have to depart in the morning, younger Strider or not.
Well this isn't supposed to happen, Dave thinks to himself as bullets shatter the corner of the building is hiding behind. He obviously is not of the shuffling undead or even one of the speedy not quite alive infected. He is absolutely human by all standards of appearance. He even wore a relatively clean shirt. The color of his blood would also confirm his humanness, he thinks wryly as he looks down at his hand covered with red instead of black.
They should definitely know what the other looks like based on the mound of bodies building up against the side of the barricade. Dave had caught a glimpse of the pile of fresh meat that was being used as bait just before the nearest gun had swung towards him.
Thankfully instinct had kicked in and he had ducked behind the nearest car. He had put his hands up for them to see just as soon as the volley of bullets stopped beating against the metal of the trunk.
"Human! I'm human! Hey, don't shoot! No cravings for brains here!" Dave called out. He tried standing up again but another volley kept him pinned. "Dudes! Seriously! I just wanna get some help for me and my Bro, well my boyfriend and his Dad too!" There was no way they couldn't hear his words in the otherwise deafening silence. "Can you guys NOT shoot a survivor!"
"Kid! Get outta here. Orders are to purge! Zomb or human!"
"Quiet corporal."
"Run kid!"
"Shoot him, he could still be infected. No immunization."
Dave's blood ran cold and he used the panic to get to the street around the corner with bullets flying around him. The hot lancing pain through his side only made him stumble the last step into safety.
Oh that's funny, it hurts to laugh, those guys were supposed to be safe.
None of them are particularly religious. Bro just had his exposure to it through living in part of the bible belt. Egbert used to go to synagogue, taken by his mother through his childhood and then through early adulthood by habit. He continued the tradition with John until an incident at their local synagogue make them draw away and they never found another one. Nonetheless, the three of them are silently praying to any higher being above them that Dave would return, that he wasn't lying in one of the streets dead or worse turned. Bro's guts clench at the thought. He wouldn't be able to strike down Dave. He would rather be turned himself. And he knew John wouldn't be able to either. That left Egbert. Bro prayed that Egbert would be able to do what he could not.
The path home seems much farther than it did going in. Maybe it's the heat. Maybe it's the lead in his limbs. Maybe it's the gaping hole in his side.
He can barely hold onto the handle of his sword. Bro will tan his hide with his belt if he loses it.
There is an air of finality as Egbert starts loading the food as well just as the sun starts to touch the tops of the tall buildings. Bro's face gets a pinched look behind his shades and John starts shifting his weight from foot to foot, watching the adults as much as the streets. He dreads both the moment when Egbert declares the plan and Bro's reaction to such a plan.
Just a couple more blocks. Come on, Strider. Just a couple more. Then home.
He feels slightly delusional and more than a little woozy. His shirt and jeans were ruined and he could feel wetness in his shoe. He's so messy sometimes. Bro hated when he would get dorito crumbs all over the futon. Mostly because he would discovered them upon his cheek the next morning.
He's made a mess of things again.
The last bag lands with the other just as movement catches John's eye. He stares at the spot a little longer to make sure its not just another ripple of distorted air.
"There! There! Down there!" Both adults grab their weapons as they follow John's pointing arm. "Dave!"
Bro darts forward faster than the Egberts can track. They follow quickly, John overtaking his father with long strides. He's close enough to see Dave stumble and Bro slide the last few feet to get under him. The first thing John notices as he gets close to where Bro is cradling Dave against his chest is that there is too much red even for Dave's usual choice in clothes. And some of that red is on his lips and chin and now on Bro's hands. Bro's shaking hands.
"Cavalry arrived. And by that I mean military, but they have friendly fire turned on. I saw a helicopter. Landed by the burger joint. Know the place, Bro? They are purging the city apparently of black and red and everyone is a target and I can't run faster than bullets. Bet you can, Bro."
"Dave, you fucking imbecile," Bro growls out, a choked sob deflecting his anger.
"Heh, like moron, like imbecil, I guess." Dave takes a shuddery breath that ends with coughs that bring up more blood. "But yea, the bastards aren't gonna help us out. The military dogs shot me as if you couldn't tell and not by accident. Hey, I made an anime reference, Bro. One last one. Military dogs, heh."
"Shit, Dave," Bro says softly. "Good one."
"You guys need to get out of here before they get here. Dunno if on my trail," he breaks to gasp again, "but damn, bullets hurt. At least I'm human to feel it. I feel like I could pull a reference for that too."
"Dave shut up!" John yells at him, dropping to his knees. "Stop talking. Just stop talking so we can save you." His hands get covered in red too as he tries to find the wound. His brain is screaming at him to get pressure on it, pulling from his first aid lessons.
"John, John, Johnny boy. Shit. We didn't get to the petname stage. I had a bunch lined up for you."
"Shut up!" Tears are streaming down John's face. Blood smears on his cheeks as he instinctively tries to wipe them away.
Dave sorta smiles up at him, the blood staining his lips and teeth. "I can't stop talking, John. It's a Strider thing. Motormouth is our middle name. And besides," cough, "if I stopped talking," cough, "how else would I get to say that I love you, John Egbert." He shudders and then goes still, his eyelids drooping and the smile fading.
"Dave!" John screams his name and pulls on his shirt. Bro bows his head over Dave. Egbert holds onto John's shoulders, gently pulling him away. "Dave!"
With shaky hands, Bro closes Dave's eyes. Egbert notices how pale Dave is when contrasted with Bro's fingers.
"It's a miracle he got this far."
"Nah." Bro pauses to swallow down a pitiful noise. "Nah. It's a Strider thing. Always come home." A tear drop falls from his chin to splash against and mix with the blood on Dave's. "Always told him to come home."
"Dave," John sobs. "Goddamnit, Dave. We are supposed to go to Rose's together. Fuck. What am I going to tell her?" Egbert finally pulls him away and draws him into a tight embrace. John buries his face against the comforting chest.
"Human. Thank God he died human," Bro murmurs.
Except for John's whimpering sobs, silence falls around them. Egbert wonders about the blood trail, but can't break the vigil to make mention of it. The absence of zombies has to mean than the military presence Dave spoke of must be having an effect. Though it was still a bullet that had- Egbert balks at the thought.
Egbert can trace Dave's line of thought. He saw the helicopter and thought whoever was flying it would be able to help them get out of there. With supplies at least. Egbert still couldn't understand why he went without telling them though.
His musings are interrupted by the loud sound of a engine reverberating down the silent streets.
"Those sons of bitches," Bro snarls as he stands, lifting Dave's body with him. "Get to the car and get out of here. I'll cover you."
"And you'll catch up later," Egbert supplies forcefully.
Bro just grins wryly at him, a manic angry gleam in his eyes. "Get my boy out of the city, Egbert." Bro holds Dave out and Egbert's arms slip underneath and take the weight. Bro draws his swords with a metallic ring and turns back to the coming military presence.
"Bro!" He glances over his shoulder and sees John holding out his handgun to him. "Take some down for me." A fresh wave of tears flows down his cheeks as he turns and follows his father to the truck.
Egbert slips into the front seat and places Dave gently next to him. John enters from the other side and pulls him close as Egbert starts the car.
The military engines get louder as they turn the corner into line of sight and the buildings are no longer blocking the sound. John turns and watches out the back window when he hears a sharp gunshot and the squealing of brakes. Bro had shot out a front tire and the jeep careens onto the sidewalk to be stopped by a metal newsstand. Bro empties the clip at the jeep as the occupants attempt to right themselves from the impact. John can hear return fire as his father pulls out of the parking lot away from the battle. John hears human screams and a battle roar and sees splashes of red.
The men in the jeep won't follow them as John and Egbert speed away. They somehow get to the edge of the city without using a highway which Egbert assumes would be watched. The truck cuts into the flat open land for an hour before Egbert finally turns towards the larger roads. The empty space is unnerving after living so long in the urban environment, but the lack of movement, military, human, or zombie is comforting.
John's sobs eventually quiet down as he runs out of tears just before Egbert passes a wide open field. He gently pulls over to the side and sees the ground is soft from farming that probably happened just before the outbreak. He throws together some tools from the supplies in the back and creates a makeshift shovel. It's slow work under the hot Texan sun, but Egbert only breaks to get some water.
The grave isn't as neat as he would like it to be, but it will keep him safe from scavenging animals or a wandering zombie. He pulls out one of the blankets from the back and lays it at the bottom. He gently lifts the body from John's arms and places it on top, gently folding it over. John stares at the blood on his hands numbly as his father starts replacing the dirt.
When Egbert takes another water break, John leaps to his feet from the high truck bench. He picks up the shovel and continues the work.
He taps the top of the mound to tamp it down before angrily tossing the tool into the back of the truck. Egbert is right there to wrap him up in a hug as a fresh wave of grief hits him. Egbert allows him a moment to get it all out before guiding him back into the car. John still slumps against him, occasionally wiping his tears away.
His hiccuping breath is eventually lulled to sleep by the monotonous landscape and steady roar of the engine. He drifts off into a restless sleep where memories tug at his heart and pull tears from closed eyes.
- Day Thirty Seven -
Rainbow Falls, New York.
There is a soft metallic whirring noise as the gates slowly opened. The driveway twists its way through an evergreen forest. They hear the rushing of the river Rose mentioned in their chats over the years before they see the white geometric building. A tall willowy woman in a lab coat and long scarf and a young woman in a short comfortable skirt are waiting for them as they pull up to the front of the house.
The Egberts exit the car and John catches Rose glancing over his shoulder at the truck as she hugs him even before he can clear the door. He just shakes his head and swallows back a choking sob caught in his throat. Her eyes widen as she realizes the implications. John just holds her tighter as the shock goes through her.
"Ms. Lalonde."
"Egbert. I've made a cure."
Fin
A/N: My usual day after ramble. Happy Fourth of July everyone! No I am not quite sorry to write this, especially like this. And I did cry writing it. But now I kinda just smile at it as I know I am going to make everyone else cry. Perks of being an author. Well, like usual, please leave a review if you want. Feel free to fav/follow me for more stories though I probably won't have another holiday one until Thanksgiving. Check out my profile for the others, I rotate between PWP, fluff, and sadstuck. I also write bigger longer stories and currently have one half way published (sorry it's taking so long). I have a couple other stories in the works plus I've been writing for Striderclan on tumblr. My personal tumblr is AeacusTero. Feel free to pester me at the same chum handle when I am online. Thanks for reading.