Betaed by iamjasonssmirkingrevenge


Jason had actually been expecting a bit of chaos inside the store - food on the floor, broken windows, lack of basic supplies - but there was nothing like that. Everything stood in perfect order, like the store had just closed for the night. He wasn't able to determine if this was good or bad. Because yes, it might mean that everybody had evacuated and the infection never reached the town. But there were cans of food right in front of them, hell, even flashlights and batteries, right where the cash registers were, undisturbed. Unless everybody in the town already had a fully stocked underground shelter, why didn't they get supplies before leaving?

While the others grabbed cans of food, he opened a couple of packages and tossed one flashlight to Damian. The kid snarled at him, but he caught it and turned it on. Jason grabbed one for himself. He had picked one up for Tim, too - he couldn't stop thinking about having left him outside - and looked around the shelves and to the pile Bruce and Dick were making on the floor.

"We'll need water, too," he muttered to himself. "Hey, guys, I'm heading to the back."

Dick looked up at him and then glanced at the aisle Jason's flashlight was pointing to. He frowned. Clearly, he didn't like the situation any more than Jason did, but he knew that they needed the supplies too, and the sooner the better. Bruce didn't even lift his head.

"All right, be careful."

Jason lifted his arm to wave but ended up deciding against it. He rolled his shoulders, straightened himself up, and started walking.

The murmur and noises from the others died out quite soon. It seemed to Jason like the darkness was swallowing him. The lights from the car barely illuminated the packages on the shelves, and soon the only light was the one from his flashlight. He was already missing the others. He felt like an idiot; it was just getting water, and it was faster if he went alone. Still, he was regretting going back there alone. He couldn't return empty handed, though, and he wasn't going to ask anybody to walk with him like he was some kind of scared boy. Over his dead body. Which, might be quite soon, considering. Was that someone breathing? He repressed a shiver.

He looked around the shelves - nothing but cake mixes and sugar. The water had to be in the back. Why did it have to be in the back? Goddammit. He couldn't use his shotgun while carrying the flashlight, but at least he could hit somebody - something - with it.

Jason jumped back when he saw something shine in front of him. He had reached the end of the store. It was just the reflection of the light in the water. He let out a shaky breath and put the flashlight between his teeth. He was determined to get enough water for everybody for a couple of days at least. With a grunt, he grabbed all the bottles he could lift, and juggled them for a minute. He had to put the flashlight in his belt, but better to see the floor than leave himself defenseless. He'd swear he could still hear someone breathing, though, and now he could feel it on his back.

Damian didn't know why were they all so worried. He'd seen a lot of situations like this in his video games. The good guys always got out safely, and they were clearly the good guys. Even Drake, because Dick trusted him and Damian trusted his brother, even if he would never tell him that. Jason had saved him, too. Everything would be all right. Damian glanced up at the glass doors at the front of the store and saw Drake's silhouette against the lights. Nothing surprising there. Soon Jason would be back with the water and they could leave.

Dick opened the doors and starting passing Drake the cans they had picked up. Just as Damian started walking over to help, he heard a dull thump from the back of the store. He walked back there, shining his flashlight down the aisle.

"Jason, are you there?"

As the words left his mouth, Damian suddenly remembered that Pennyworth had been a good guy too, and he wasn't with them anymore. He looked back at his father, suddenly insecure about the whole situation. Bruce was soon in front of Damian, shielding him with his body.

"Jason?"

Bruce's deeper voice echoed, and this time they got a response.

"Run!"

Jason was running towards them, holding a couple of bottles of water in one arm and the shotgun in the other. There was nothing behind him, but when he reached them, Damian recognized that oddly sweet smell clinging to his clothes.

"Get the fuck out of here, they're coming!"

Without a word, Bruce grabbed Damian and dragged him towards the door that Dick was holding open for them.

"To the car, hurry! Go, go, go!"

Tim jumped into the passenger seat, and Damian found himself squished between Dick and Jason in the back seat when the first of the creatures appeared behind the glass doors.

Soon, they left the town behind them. Damian started to relax, and the yelling around him died down. While the lack of panicked screams from Drake was soothing, he remained uneasy. Maybe it was the weight of the water bottles that had been dropped in his lap, or the sound of the liquid whenever the car hit a bump reminding him of the other liquids dripping from those things. He even felt some actual wetness.

Jason leaned forward. "Hey, Tim, here."

Drake looked back at Jason, surprised, and took the flashlight from him. Then Damian noticed the source of the wetness and his unease.

"You're bleeding."

"Eh?" Jason turned to look at him in surprise.

"Bleeding. Your clothes have blood all over them."

Most of Jason's shirt was, indeed, covered in blood, and the stain was slowly spreading to the upholstery and, to Damian's horror, his own clothes. Damian tried to move away, startling Dick, who was practically asleep.

"Who's bleeding?"

Jason stared at them, wide-eyed, and Dick bent over Damian to take a closer look. The silence inside the car didn't seem soothing anymore.

"How exactly did you get hurt, Jay?" Maybe it was Damian's imagination, but Dick's voice sounded strained. "Did you get bitten?"

Bruce hit the brakes, making Jason wince in pain. Over Dick's head, Damian saw Drake's panicked expression, and then everybody started yelling at the same time.