Judy looked up in shock, and slight fear, at the wolf squatting down across the fire from her. She assumed Nick wasn't the only one who had not gotten fully affected by the Nighthowler, but that only got her panicking that at any moment this guy could just go straight savage on her. The wolf noticed his guests fear and put on an amused smile.

"Don't worry I'm not gonna eat you, unless I get really hungry," he joked. That didn't really do anything to calm her nerves. "But like I said, I don't really have any idea how I wasn't affected," he shrugged as he continued to stir the embers in the fire.

"So you haven't gone savage? Not even once?" Judy inquired. The wolf shook his head, telling her he's the same mammal that he was before the day everything went wrong.

"By your reaction, I assume I'm the first non-savage you've met out here?" He presumed. Judy thought if she should mention Nick to this stranger, but she felt like she should keep that to herself. She remembers what he did to that other wolf when he saved her; she doesn't know how he'll react if she tells him about a half-savage. For all she knows he could be going around killing anything savage.

"Yah, I've been alone since day one. The only survivor I saw got eaten alive by that pack of wolves," she commented.

"Oof, what a way to go," he cringed at the mere thought of getting eaten alive; it probably isn't the greatest way to go. Suddenly, the wolves nose went up and he sniffed the air a few times. He excused himself for a second and went back into the other room. Judy watched him disappear behind the door and wondered what he was doing.

Well this day has been swell! Judy sighed as she felt her arm, pulling quickly away at the burning feeling she got from the pressure. Out of bored curiosity, the rabbit scanned around the room again, this time being a little less shaken up. At first she didn't see much of anything besides her stuff tucked in a corner, an old looking wooden chair sat a next to the fire, and… her eyes fixated on an object propped up in the comet next to the room where the wolf went in. It's been awhile since she's seen a gun outside of work. She's never liked the evil things, the thought of how much destructive power a single gun holds sends chills down her spine. It's pretty rare to see a civilian with one, especially a rifle like that. The only mammals aloud to own guns in this city were the T.U.S.K force for high risk situations. The only others who usually own guns are criminals, which raised suspicions about this wolf.

Judy shook her head, and thought to what was actually important: She needed to get going. She doesn't know how long she's been out, but she figured it's been awhile. Her plan of getting to the precinct today seemed to be torn out of the picture, now all she could think of was getting back home to Nick. Assuming that it's already almost dark, Judy knows she has to leave as soon as possible: as in now. However, remembering back to her attempt at getting up earlier there was no way she is in any shape running back to the apartment. "Damn it," Judy cursed under her breath.

"What's wrong?" Judy looked up to see the wolf coming back into room. Judy inwardly sighed, he wasn't supposed to hear that.

"It's just… I need to get back to my place," Judy told him.

"I don't think you'll be going anywhere for awhile," he told her. "Even if you weren't in this condition, it's nearly midnight and the streets are filled with savages." Judy stared at the wolf not believing him. How could it already be midnight? Was she really out for that long? Then she thought about Nick; she was supposed to be back by now and now he's there all alone. He doesn't know where she is, and she has no way of contacting him. She managed to not panic too hard, and told herself it's only one night, He'll be fine, I'll be back tomorrow and he will be fine.

"So?" Judy looked up at the wolf who was looking at her curiously, "I've been wanting to ask you this since I first saw you: what is a little bunny like you doing out here all alone?"

Judy glared up at the lupine with a frown, growing annoyed. She always hates when other animals underestimate her just because she's a bunny. It seems some things never change, not even in an apocalypse. "I was heading for the first precinct when I got ambushed by those wolves," she said with slight venom.

"The precinct? Why would you want to get there?"

"Supplies, survivors, and possible answers," she listed off as if it were obvious. "If there's anywhere with all those, it's at the precinct. I was so close too," she growled.

"Wait, wait, wait, hold on," he waved his paws through the air. He took a closer look at the bunny sitting in his camp, suddenly realizing something, "Your that bunny cop aren't you? Can't believe I didn't recognize you earlier with the amount of times I've seen you on the news. Always thought you'd be taller," he commented.

Honestly, Judy didn't know how to react to that. Mostly due to the fact that there is a certain group that don't necessarily like her due to her giving out false information about predators reverting back to their primitive ways. Though, she did take all of it back and apologize for everything, not all were willing to forgive so easily. Her hopes were he isn't one of those animals who would be willing to kill her for the stupid things she said. It would honestly be really easily, considering their in an apocalyptic wasteland where it would be super easy to kill her and not face any consequences.

"Supposed you'd be able to fend off anything this place throws at you, so how'd you end up cornered in a room about to be a snack?"

"Well, I did take out five of them with some tranque darts, but trying to take on an animal over twice my size while they are on super steroids is a situation where the odds aren't necessarily stacked in my favor. So I tried to run and eventually I got to a room and locked myself in; unfortunately, I didn't know savages could just bream through doors. The rest I bet you can probably guess." It is pretty easy to tell that Judy isn't very happy. Not getting to the precinct, getting chased down and nearly eaten, as well as not being able to get home; it was all starting to get on her nerves as the frustration built in her.

"Huh, guess you are as tough as they say," he nodded. Judy tilted her head slightly, who? She thought. Maybe he meant just what the general public says, maybe. "Yah, I saw you get chased into that apartment complex by that savage and decided to help you. Lucky I got there when I did or else that wolf would have been eaten good tonight," he chuckled. Yah, hilarious, Judy rolled her eyes. "Then I carried you here, patched you up, and waited until you got up," he stated plainly.

"Thanks, by the way, for doing that. I really do owe you. I'm Judy, Judy Hopps; though I suppose you already knew that."

"Yah, but it's still nice of you to introduce yourself," he grinned, "I'm McCabe."

"McCabe…?" Judy pressured, hoping to get a little more out of him.

"It's just McCabe," he told her. Judy nodded, wondering if there was a story behind that.

Judy pondered for awhile, scooting a little closer to the fire to get warmer. What is she going to do when the sun rises tomorrow. Should she try again and attempt to get into the precinct? Or should she head home, rest, heal, then try again another day. She knows what she wants to do: she wants to get back to Nick and make sure everything is okay with him; Ever since this whole thing happened and the whole thing with him being a bipolar savage, she's been really clingy with him. She already thought she had lost him once, going through that again might break her. However, though her heart was telling her to turn back, she knows she's way to close to back down now. If she doesn't go after it now, then who knows when her next opportunity will be. It was the most logical and smart thing to do, but there's a problem. If she has any more encounters with savages, chances of survival in her current state aren't high. But I need to get there, I just need to, she screamed in her mind, I just know I'll fine SOMETHING. The 'why' was justifiable, it's the 'how' that's pinned her to the ground. Well, I could always same for help, the bunny looked back at the wolf who had cracked open some kind of soda and was now drinking it. She's seen first-paw that McCabe is more than capable at taking out a savage, plus that gun, as much as she hates them, might be useful.

"McCabe," she spoke up, catching the dark wolves attention. "I need to ask you a favor."

"Let me guess, you want me to take you to the precinct," he said, taking another sip of his drink.

"How did you,"

"Know? You don't hide your emotions very well. Plus, it was kind of obvious," he stated matter-of-factly.

"So, is that a yes or a no?" She questioned, hoping to high heaven he would agree to help her. If he didn't, she doesn't know what to do.

McCabe stared down into the crackling flames and thought about it. He weighed his options, wondering if doing this would be worth while. It could possibly benefit him, especially if he would be able to salvage a few things. Finally, with a shrug of his shoulders, he said why not.

"Wait, so you'll take me?" She asked, her excitement rising.

"Yah, I've got nothing better to do, so I might as well get you there," he nodded. Judy smiled and felt relived that one of her problems was being solved. Hopefully getting there would also help solve a lot more of her problems, as well as answer her questions. "But might I suggest that you get some rest. You're not looking that great and some sleep would do you good." Judy didn't have any arguments there; she already felt like she was going to fall asleep at any moment.

"I think your right," she yawned out, "And thanks." McCabe smiled at her and said it wasn't that big of a deal. Well, it means a lot to me, Judy thought to herself. She leaned up against the wall behind her and closed her eyes, letting the sweet embrace of sleep overtake her.

Judy suddenly found her running up flights of stairs, hoping that she would be able to get to him in time. With everything going on around her, the thoughts going through the bunnies head aren't very pleasing. She needed to get to the fox, her determination getting her to run faster. Eventually she came to Nick's room; she scrambled for the key to the door, opening it as soon as she possibly could. The door flung open and Judy took a few steps in before coming to a halt. As she closed the door behind her, an eerie feeling crept through her body. The whole room was dark, the only light being the sun bleeding through the curtains. She nervously swallowed and took a nervous step forward.

"Nick," she said in almost a whisper. The floor freaked with every step she took which only added to the uncanny feeling she was getting. Her fur was standing on end and she could tell something wasn't right. But even with her instinct telling her to get out of there and run, she proceeded forward without caution.

"Nick?" She called out slightly louder. This time she heard a series of shuffling noises coming from Nicks bedroom. Her ears perked at attention, walking over towards the room. She pressed her ear to the door, seeing if she could hear what was going on in there. Whatever it was she heard, it stopped. Now she was a little hesitant with proceeding. Judy has no idea what's on the other side of the door. It could be her friend and partner who could possibly be in trouble, or it could be a savage animal who wouldn't think twice about tearing into her throat. In her mind, the risk of opening the door and finding out is worth anything that might happen.

She pushed the door open and took a peak in. All she saw was a bed and a pile of sheets. Her head tilted in confusion, wondering where Nick could be. Judy fully opened the door and took a full step in. She looked around for the fox, but he was nowhere in sight.

"Nick?" Judy jumped back as the sheets next to her started moving. What the hell? She thought. Nick must have gotten himself stuck in the sheets. She bent down and started digging the fox out, only to be met with a harsh reality: Nick had gone savage. As soon as she pulled off the last sheet, Judy met the eyes of a savage Nick. She remembers back at the Museum when he was only pretending; she hadn't been scared back then because she knew he was only acting. There was no acting this time, her friend has gone full savage.

Nick released a ferocious snarl, causing Judy to jump back in fright. As Nick started walking forward towards his new prey, Judy continued to back up pleading to wake up from this nightmare. Those cries would go unheard. Judy narrowly dodged an attempt Nick made at pouncing on her. He growled in frustration and clawed at her, this time catching the rabbit in her side. Judy screamed in pain, and whined as she clutched onto her now bleeding side. She saw Nick was going to go for another attack and acted quickly by doing a fast sucker punch straight to the side of his head. The fox took a few dazed steps backwards, snarling in annoyance.

"Nick, you've got to snap out of it, please!" the rabbit begged, wincing from the wound on her side. She was hoping that she would be able to break through go him. But Nick was too far gone, the affect of the drugs turning him into a totally different person.

The fox quickly recovered from the hit Judy delivered, and flipped right back around to face the trembling bunny. He walked forward again, this time making sure his food had no where to go this time as he backed her into a wall.

Judy silently cursed at herself when she felt her back press against a dresser. There was no room for her to move, the only path she could take would be right through the fox. She started preparing herself, seeing as that was the only option she could see. Of course, then she remembered something that would be her saving grace. The dresser she was backed up against, in the bottom drawer Nick kept an extra tranque gun always loaded just in case of emergencies. This was emergency enough.

Without turning around, Judy opened the drawer and began to rummage through it trying to find the famed thing. All the while, Nick took his time. He looked the bunny up and down, studying her every move. His natural instincts were to attack her and eat, but something was stopping him. A sense of familiarity came from his prey, but he didn't know what to make of it.

Judy wanted to scream with joy as she finally gripped onto the gun. She didn't let Nick get any closer as she pulled the gun out and pointed it towards the approaching savage. "Nick, please don't make me do this," she whimpered out. It pained her just pointing the gun at him, but if she had to she was going to shoot him.

Seeing the weapon drawn caused the fur on Nicks back to raise and he growled angrily. Judy saw that there was probably no way she was going to get through to him, as much as it pained her to admit, and with a lot of apprehension she pulled the trigger and let the dart fly. The dart hit with a meaty thud as it hit Nick in the shoulder, causing the fox to reel back. He looked down at the object protruding from his leg, he examined it for a moment before biting down on it and pulling it out. He turned back towards Judy, now only feeling anger towards her.

Judy's eyes grew in fear as she thought the dart didn't work. How did that not work, what the hell, she panicked. Nick took a few steps forward which soon turned into stumbling. He shook his head trying to clear his head, but the drugs in him were finally affecting him, eventually causing him to collapse to the ground. The bunny stared down at the unconscious fox, her heart pounding. Nick had only been a few feet from her when he collapsed, close enough that he could feel his breath.

When she finally realized that Nick was out cold, she collapsed next to him and began slowly crying. "Oh, Nick, why did this have to happen to you," she sobbed. She knew there is a cure for this, but with this attack being on such a massive scale she didn't know when he would be able to get it. She's unsure on a lot of things concerning the future.

"No, I'm not going to give up on him; he wouldn't on me," She told herself. She walked back over to the dresser where she got the gun and fished for the handcuffs he also kept in the drawer. She dragged the foxes body to his bed and cuffed his paws to the headboard.

Judy sat on a stool next to his bed and took a long deep breath. So much happened today, so much change in such a small amount of time. She didn't know how to cope with it all. Everything had gone to hell and she was stuck in the middle of it all. And now she has to worry about Nick and how she's going to deal with him. She needs to find the cure for him and quickly. "I'm going to find answers, Nick, I promise."

The rabbit was dragged away from her dream as she felt herself being shaken awake. She groaned and clenched her eyes shut at the soreness she was feeling.

"Guessing you aren't feeling the greatest," she heard McCabe say with slight sympathy.

"What was your first clue," she growled, finding her way to her feet. She stretched out her aching muscles to try and loosen them. The burning feeling slowly started to diminish, but not going fully away. She heard McCabe call her name and she looked up just in time to see something flying towards her. She caught the object and saw it was a granola bar.

"Eat up, we're leaving in five," he told her, disappearing into the back room. Judy quickly downed the food, realizing just how hungry she was. Luckily it was meant for a animal larger than her which made it perfect to fill her up.

After she was done eating, Judy walked over to her stuff and readied herself for the day in front of her. The only bad thing now is that her right is incapacitated at the moment; hopefully she won't have to use it any time soon in the future.

Just as Judy finished readying herself for the day, McCabe walked back out of the room wearing a completely looking outfit, including a Santana covering his muzzle.

"Uh, what's with the," she said, gesturing to his face.

"I may not be infected, but I don't want to take any chances," he stated, which actually made a lot of sense. "Alright, now that I've answered that let's get going," he said opening up the door and walking out of the apartment, Judy following him closely behind.

Another chapter done and over with; hope whoever is reading this story is enjoying it so far. Sorry for the slight delay, I've been slightly busy lately.

Thanks to everyone who has Favorited, Followed, and commented on this story. As always I appreciate every comment and look forward to what you all have to say.

Keep On Keeping On

Peace Out