Disclaimer: I do not own Soul Eater nor the lyrics to Wonderwall (cover) by Straight No Chaser.

Ripchord
by.
Poisoned Scarlett


Because, maybe, you're gonna' be the one that saves me


One week later found Soul loading up the tanks of gasoline in the back of the van one by one until all four were lined up neatly, checking them again to ensure they were safely closed before he shut the door. They would run through the tanks quickly once they hit the road. Soul scanned the street with unease, his hand touching the gun whose muzzle hooked in his pocket conveniently. He needed to work quickly: he didn't like being so exposed.

After conducting one last check, Soul jogged inside and was instantly met with Maka and, behind her, Akane. He spotted Kilik and Justin discussing some last-minute plans before Kim dropped by and barked at them to get moving. Tsubaki and Jackie were upstairs with the children, no doubt securing their jackets and trying to quiet a grumpy Anya—he could hear the little girl from all the way downstairs.

"Everything clear?"

"So far," Soul nodded at Maka. "We have to leave now so go tell everyone. I just need to go grab some last minute things from the storage, make sure to get the kids in when Kilik is in," he instructed and she nodded, already heading off to find the man. Soul watched her go for a second before heading to the storage room, which was really just a looted apartment on the second floor. He needed to grab a few of the luggage bags Tsubaki had packed up the night prior and, as he juggled four of them in his arms, wondered just what the hell she had packed! Her life or something? He rolled his eyes at his own cheesy joke and shuffled out of the apartment. He stopped when he heard steps behind him and sharply looked, freezing Akane before the boy relaxed at his more-friendly eyes. Sometimes Soul scared him, with his red and very cold eyes—eyes that thawed to a softer degree whenever Maka was around. It was what encouraged him to trust him a little more. If Maka trusted him, Akane saw no reason why he shouldn't, too.

"Hey, man," Soul grunted in greeting, hauling the bags in front of him. "You should be downstairs with Maka. C'mon, let's go before she starts freaking out," he smirked and the boy managed a tentative smile. He offered to help but Soul knew he wouldn't be able to carry even one – they were loaded to the brim, even the zipper looked like it was about to give at any moment.

"Soul,"

"What?" He grunted as he walked down the steps one by one, making sure not to let any of the bags tumble down. When the boy didn't continue, he stopped and looked up, finding him gazing down at him with troubled black eyes. "What's wrong, Akane?"

"I heard you guys talking last night," he quietly said. "I know it's not a good plan."

Soul tensed. "Listen, I've gone over the plan myself. We'll all make it out alright, don't worry about it."

"Will Maka make it okay?" He asked. He squirmed under Soul's measuring gaze and added, in an even tinier voice: "…I don't want anything to happen to her. I don't want her to go away like Tsugumi did," he hunkered down even more. "I don't know my daddy and my mommy's gone. I don't want Maka to be gone, too. I'll be alone."

"You won't be alone. You'll still have Clay and Anya—!"

"It's not the same!" Akane shouted then subdued. "I want Maka because she-she's like my mommy…before she was gone."

Soul shifted the bags, locking his eyes with the boy whose saddened eyes made his resolution all the more strong. "I won't let anything happen to Maka," he told the boy, who lifted his head up with hope. "I'll protect her."

"Promise?"

Soul smiled crookedly. "Yeah."

Akane nodded quietly and followed him down the stairs again, meeting up with a fretful Maka in the hall. She scolded him, telling him to never run away from her like that again, and grabbed his hand and led him to the car. Soul watched the boy look over his shoulder once before he looked back down at the bags, heaving them up again.

"I'll help you with that! Don't want ya' to throw out your back or something!" Black Star grinned, jumping right next to him. "C'mon, gramps! We're burnin' daylight!"

"Oi, watch it with the grandpa jokes! I'm getting tired of them!"

Black Star chortled and took two bags. Soul followed him to the van, both quickly loading it up as the others settled themselves inside. They all fit snugly, which was more depressing as they'd had more people than this. But they'd been taken by the undead one by one - the last one having been Asura. Soul shut the back of the van and Black Star stalled for time, digging in his pockets for the keys.

"I heard what you told that kid," he said. Soul looked at him. "That's a big thing you're promising him. I mean, not every plan is foolproof..."

"It's the truth," Soul told him, frankly. "She's not dying on my watch."

"Anything can happen."

"You doubt your plan?"

"Pfft," Black Star snorted. "I doubt the people who're gonna' make it work! Not everyone can be as great as me!"

"Snob," Soul huffed but it didn't hold its usual bite. Soul looked down the street that was gradually lightening with the rising sun. It was bare of anyone, just brimmed with the debris of a ruined civilization. The streets were all deserted at early dawn, mostly because the undead couldn't really see in the dark and preferred to hang around the hospital nearby when night fell. It was an observation they'd made throughout the days. However, the instant the sun rose, they could all bet the undead would roam around the streets with more confidence. "You would do the same for Tsubaki."

"Eh?"

"You like her, right?" Soul rose a brow. Black Star stubbornly looked away but his heavy frown only told Soul what he already knew. "So quit criticizing me and get in the car. We're wasting time."

"So, what, you like her, too!" Black Star shot back, startling him.

"Tsubaki? She's nice and all but—!"

"Not her, Maka!" Black Star scowled, eying him. "If you like Tsubaki, I don't think we're gonna' get along."

"We don't get along," Soul reminded, annoyed. "And I don't like her so heel, kid," he smirked as Black Star bristled at the unsightly nickname. Then Soul released a breath, troubled. "She's too young for me. She's seventeen, dude."

"So now you admit you're old?" He taunted. Soul glared terribly. "She's gonna' be eighteen and you're only twenty. It isn't that bad of an age-gap," he nudged him with his elbow. "Besides, I went to high school with her. She digs older men," he winked and Soul rolled his eyes. "Trust me. She's worth it."

"Not worth going to jail for," he mumbled back.

"Pfft, you talk about jail like we still have cops around!" Black Star guffawed. They both rounded the car and got inside, Black Star gunning the engine and Soul stifling a yawn in his hand. "Cops are gone, Soul," he said, the first time he'd used his name without sneering it. "I'd say, take it. Not like you'll get another chance," he backed up down the driveway, ignoring the curious look Tsubaki gave him when she heard him.

"Tch. She acts fifty. I think she's a cougar," Soul grinned wickedly and Black Star burst out laughing hard enough to warrant a smack on the head by Kim. In the backseat, Akane curled on her lap, Maka blinked at the twinkling look Soul shot her through the rear view mirror and couldn't help but to feel as if she'd missed something.

"Yo, so, any of you guys know how to read a map? Cuz I'm lost already!" Kilik pipped up, sheepishly.

"Hand it to me, young man! God has given me the gift of map-reading!"

Kilik slowly moved the map out of Justin's way. "Uh, thanks but no thanks. I can figure it out, gifted one."

"Pass the thing over here! I need my old man to read it for the young me!"

"For fucks sake, Black Star, you call me old one more time and I'll kick you outta' the car!"

"Be careful, man, you might get an ulcer with all that anger - OUCH!"

"Black Star," Tsubaki warned and swatted his arm when he tried to hit Soul back, losing control of the wheel for a second. "Focus on the road! This is no time to be fooling around!"

"Fooling around? He punched me! That hurt!"

Viciously, Soul grinned, "Shut up and drive, kid."

"Humph!"

"God," Kim groaned with exasperation and jumped when Justin grinned at her, nodding his head very positively.

Things went wrong thirty minutes into the ride. The streets had been decidedly empty as they made their way to the freeway; a lot emptier than they expected. Even Kilik had murmured that it was too quiet. That was because, as if the undead had been privy to their plans, a great mass of them swarmed the freeway entrance. And by the time they realized they would not be able to bulldozer through them, they had all gathered together in a tight ball and run towards them with bloodlust in their eyes and black blood in their mouths.

Black Star had tried to turn back, to find another route, but it was futile when a Runner leaped on top of the hood; snarling from outside the window shield and banging its fists on the glass hard enough to crack it.

"KYAAA OH MY GOD!" Kim squealed with sheer terror, slamming her eyes closed and burying her face in Anya's hair when the window by Kilik's side shattered. He cursed and used the butt of his gun to break through it before the glass could hurt anyone, shooting some of the Walkers who immediately swarmed to the break in their defenses. Black Star managed to shake them off with sharp turns but driving away from the incoming horde only gave them a reason to chase and the longer they followed, the more commotion they caused, and the more of the undead that crept out from their caves joined in on the anticipated bloodbath.

"There!" Soul pointed to an alley.

"PLAN B!" Justin shouted, holding onto the clutch overhead tightly to keep himself from getting pushed onto Kim, who held Anya and Clay close to her bosom. Jackie held onto her, too, scared out of her mind. "If you go down that alley, you'll be sure to arrive at Locke Street! Just as—!" Justin winced when his head crashed against the window with the sharp turn. "—God willed it…"

"Fuck this! We have to abort and go back!" Kilik shouted, cursing when another Runner tried to force its way through his window. Kilik shot it in the mouth. "WE HAVE TO GET OUT!"

"Don't even think about it! That'll make things worse!" Soul shouted back. He looked through the side mirror and saw that the horde was steadily being left behind but it would not be long before they caught up with them again. There were not many places to run, either. Black Star had taken the secondary route in case this happened. "Black Star, go down that street! One more and we'll be back on course!"

They made a series of turns as they took the secondary route, which turned out to be safer than their supposed 'safe' primary route. Soul kept a look out for any unwanted visitors and Kilik kept his own eyes sharp on their flank, his gun tightly held in his hand in case anything jumped out from the shadows. They passed by several smaller groups of the undead and one big group that was too slow to properly respond to their passing by. It was only when they were near the edge of the town that his muscles unwound and he dared to take a deep breath.

"Got some stragglers," Kilik warned demurely, narrowing his eyes at the figures he could see chasing after them. He was sure they would follow the trace of gasoline and fresh human blood even though he couldn't see them anymore.

"If we keep going down this street, there's the Costco! We can hide there until we figure something else out—we have to fortify the windows if we want to keep going!" Maka shouted, some hope in her words. The window shield was particularly bad, shattered down the middle. But she focused on the enormous shopping center, whose impressively bricked and fortified structure offered safety for a few hours. "If it's open, we can go in through the – !"

"Parking lot!" Black Star interrupted. "Go through to the storage, right? Got it!"

Maka glared. "Is it even open?"

"Shit," Black Star blinked and stared at the closed overhead doors and abandoned scissor and forklifts. "Someone has to go inside and open it for us! The stores gotta' be open!"

"I'll do it!" Maka shouted, unbuckling her seat belt. She passed Akane off to Jackie, who took him with wide eyes. "Kilik, hold them off the best you can! You, too, Tsubaki!" Both nodded and kept the muzzles of their guns aimed outside, the kids sinking low in their seats with their hands covering their ears. Maka heard Clay clinging onto Kim as he sobbed, the guns scaring him, and ran faster.

"Maka! Get back—dammit!" Soul cussed, chasing after her.

"Whoa, dude—!" Black Star cursed when Soul ran out, already hot on her heels. He reached back and barked for a rifle, Kilik handing him one instantly. "You see 'em?"

"Not yet but I can feel them. They're close," Kilik gripped his rifle tightly, his finger already on the trigger. Tsubaki kept her arm outstretched and steady with the handgun, silent as she waited. Black Star looked to where Soul and Maka had gone during all the panic and dearly hoped they would be able to open the overhead door for them.

"Why did you follow me?" Maka shouted once inside the store, both running as fast as they could. Maka could run faster, of course, but slowed so Soul kept up with her. But he was picking up speed as it were so soon they were back on track, searching for the back door that would lead to the large storage rooms.

"Because you'll get yourself killed if I'm not here!"

"I survived a long time before I met you, Soul!"

"Yeah, well, that was before you met me," he smirked briefly and they both found the button that would open the overhead door. He heard gunshots outside: the undead had finally caught up with them. He pressed one, cursing when it opened the wrong one. "I think it's the fourth door?"

"Sixth one!"

"Fourth!"

"Sixth!"

"Fuck it, fourth and sixth!" Soul snapped and flicked both switches, watching them clamor open. Maka had been right; of course she had. She always had an eye for detail and, as Black Star screeched inside, Soul cursed when Runners managed to get inside as well.

"CLOSE IT!" Soul bellowed, taking out his gun. "STAY IN THE CAR!"

"Soul!" Maka anxiously shouted, feeling vulnerable unarmed. Soul tossed her the long kitchen knife he had on his belt and made sure to keep her behind him at all time, his eyes set on the three Runners who hung toward the back, their growls reverberating through the storage room as they watched them through blackened eyes. They were waiting for the chance to strike?

"Th-those aren't Runners, Soul," Maka whispered, pale-faced. "They're Biters! They have to be! They're too calm!"

"You call that calm?"

"Runners wouldn't have hesitated!"

Soul saw everyone in the car watch them anxiously. They couldn't necessarily do anything without putting the children – as well as themselves – in danger. Not until the Biters moved away enough for Kilik to come out and help him out.

"He's coming!" Maka alerted and Soul shot his eyes to the sneaky one who'd slowly moved to the side before springing into action. He came faster than Soul anticipated and even the shots to his chest didn't stop him, only made him more hungry to tear into him. Biters were certainly harder to take down, he realized with panic, a lot harder as he got his head but he still kept coming.

"DON'T STOP SHOOTING!"

"Maka—!" Soul gasped, his eyes wide when she stepped in front of him and stabbed the knife into the Biters neck deeply. She shut her eyes when it spat black blood at her face, twitching but dropping to his knees when she jerked the knife across its neck. She made sure not to ingest it, keeping her mouth firmly pressed closed, and pushed it off her to stab into it again until it didn't move anymore. But in the time it had taken her to bring down this Biter, the other two had made their moves, and recklessly dove after her despite Soul being there with a gun aimed at them.

They had already deduced who'd be an easier meal for them.

Maka's head cracked against the cement as she held one off, its teeth chomping at her. But it was only for a split second – then gunshots rang loudly and the undead slumped against her lifelessly. The third one was also shot down, this time by Kilik, who smirked at the clean neck shot he got despite being further away.

"Maka!" Soul shouted, hauling the body off of her. He knelt beside her, helping her upright. "Maka, are you hurt?" He helped her wipe her face of the black blood, his eyes darting to every part of her body to see if she had any marks anywhere. But she was clean and Maka smiled at him, letting him bring her into his arms for a second before he let her go.

"I'm fine, is everyone else okay?"

"Yeah," he replied, his heart calming. She smiled up at him.

"SOUL!" Black Star suddenly screamed. "DODGE!"

"Wha—?"

That sickening sense of dread, it was back and stronger than ever. She saw it crawl up on its broken arm, the one Kilik had shot, its mouth wide open to reveal its blackened teeth; its tongue lolling out, desperate to taste flesh. It had bid its time, she realized, waited for the right moment to attack. It was going for Soul, too, not her and it would get him in his arm if he didn't move. She really didn't think about it, shoving her hand into its mouth and pushing it away from Soul. She simply did it: let it bite her hand until fresh red blood spurted. It hadn't even hurt as bad as she thought it would, even as she pulled back and Soul shot it three times.

But the storage had become deadly silent, save for her own uneven breathing as she stared at her bloody hand. It wasn't black with blood, it was red and she already knew what would happen. When she looked up at Soul, saw his numb expression, she wondered if this was how she looked when Tsugumi took that bite for her. She wondered if this was what she felt, that sense of fierce if not frightened accomplishment that she had protected someone dear to her even at the cost of her own life.

"Maka…" Soul strangled out.

"NO!" Akane shrieked from the car. Maka turned to the boy, her heart aching at the sight of his watery black eyes. "NO, MAKA! NO!"

"Akane, don't get close to me! Tsubaki, stop him!"

"Makaa!" he sobbed, trying to break free from Tsubaki's arms. Kim turned Anya and Clay away from the sight, leading them inside the store along with Jackie, whose eyes brimmed with tears.

"God has spoken," Justin whispered, his voice gradually becoming louder. "God requires a sacrifice! With this sacrifice, we can be assured our longevity! God makes no mistakes!" Justin shouted, staring at Maka. "She must die."

"Get the fuck inside!" Kilik hissed at him, grabbing him by his sleeve and shoving him in the direction Kim had gone. "INSIDE!" Kilik sneered, holding his gun out when Justin opened his mouth. That was the last thing they needed, Kilik thought as Justin disappeared inside the store, for the damn religious freak to go preaching that Maka was some sort of sacrifice.

Maka stood up with Soul's help and tried to ignore how her hand pulsed with an unholy pain, pain that reached all the way up to her shoulder before bouncing back down to her hand. Something like regret was in Black Star's eyes but she held no grudge against him. If it had been her time to go, it had been her time to go, and one way or another Death would have found an opportunity to strike. She only wished it hadn't been so soon, maybe after her birthday. She guessed she wouldn't ever be able to know what it felt like, to be loved by a man, but Soul crushed her to his chest and held her just as tight.

She supposed that would be have to be enough for this life.