Thanks to everyone for reading and all your kind reviews! It really means a lot and I love reading your comments. Hold on tight, we're about to take a lil trip into AU land :D
Beca finds herself stuffed in a closet, Chloe tightly wound around her. It's pitch black, and they're surrounded by blankets, sheets, and pillows - along with Chloe's duffel and Beca's backpack. They hear more pops, some are isolated, some are several in a row, along with an array of other noises, yelling, screaming, the sounds of chaos. Muffled voices come into their room, but quickly make an exit when it's deemed "all clear, no civilians, no patient zeros." Beca keeps her eyes shut tight, trying to will the images of what she just saw out of her mind. They were just shooting those people. Lined them up against the wall and pulled the trigger. They slumped down like ragdolls. And Patient Zero? What the hell is that all about? She must be dreaming, she thinks. There's no way this, whatever the hell this is, is happening. No. Way. And in a moment, everything she once thought important, became an afterthought, her only thoughts being how to get out of here alive, how to keep Chloe safe. Her phone iss buried in her backpack, Chloe's in her own duffel bag. She was afraid to move an inch, sure that a gunman was waiting outside, ears trained for movement he or she has been ordered to cease. Luckily both their phones are on silent, so she can breathe easier knowing they won't be going off and attracting any unwanted attention. They hear some distant rumbling, but the pops and rat-a-tats have been silent for a while. They can't stay in this closet forever. Beca releases her hold on Chloe just enough to put her lips to the redhead's ear.
"Hey," she breathes out, barely whispering. "We need to try and make a break for it. You trust me, right?"
Beca feels a sharp intake of breath from Chloe, but feels her nodding her head against her. Beca smiles, planting a soft kiss on Chloe's ear.
"I'm going to listen at the door for a moment, before opening it. Then just follow my lead."
Beca presses her ear up to the wooden door, closing her eyes as she focuses all her energy on listening. There were distant murmurs of something, definitely outside of the hospital. Their room seemed to be all clear at least. She waited and listened, her heart pounding as she reached up to the doorknob. Every movement was intentional, careful. She kept her ear to the door as she slowly turned the knob, her whole body tensed for what may or may not be waiting for them on the other side of this door. Chloe's hands dug into her as she was still clutching her haphazardly, her tension being released in squeezing Beca where she grasped. This would probably be a good time to open her eyes. One eye peeks out, as a sliver of light floods in. She waits there, looking for any movement. When all seems clear, she opens it up a little more, waiting. When she can finally get a good look of the room, and it's completely empty, she swings the door open all the way slowly. But they stay frozen for a moment, braced for anything and everything.
"Ok, we're clear," she finally whispers.
Beca stands up, reaching her hand out to help Chloe get up. They stretch out their limbs, as they were crammed in that closet a while. Beca tries to get a glimpse of what's happening through the small window on the door, while Chloe quickly puts her shoes on. As far as she can see they're clear but she couldn't get a very good look, so it still feels like they're going out blindly. They grab their bags, Beca throwing her backpack and and Chloe slinging the duffel over her shoulder. Beca reaches her hand out, which Chloe gladly takes, and they stand side by side facing the door. She turns to the redhead, looking into her eyes. Her mind is in overdrive. Fight or Flight. Today it might be a little of both.
"I don't know what's going to be on the other side, but whatever it is, we stick together and we keep moving, no matter what. Okay? We just need to make it to the exit and out to the car."
Chloe stares forward, nodding in agreement.
"Ready?" Beca asks, and feels Chloe squeeze her hand in response. She notices her free hand shaking as she reaches out to grab the door handle. Closing her eyes, she takes a deep breath, before, pushing it down as slowly as possible. Chloe is right at her back, their hands still grasped together. Beca peeks her head out, frantically searching left and right. Her stomach turns when she spots pools of blood and bodies in both directions. Hospital equipment, papers, chairs, and other stuff is strewn about. Emergency lights are flickering, casting dancing shadows on the wall that Beca keeps mistaking for human movement. She closes her eyes again, and just listens for a moment. There doesn't seem to be any more human presence nearby, so it's now or never. She turns her head to glance back at Chloe, who gives her a reassuring nod indicating she's ready for what's next.
Beca is pretty sure she doesn't breathe the whole time they are making their way out of the hospital. She does her best to keep her eyes up and ahead, but the horrors on the floor beg for her attention. She hears Chloe gasp and whimper behind her as she also takes in the carnage all around them. They safely make it to an exit, pausing in a nearby corner to assess what may be outside and catch their breath.
Beca turns to Chloe, taking her face in her hands and leaning her forehead against the redhead's. She realizes that she's crying, Chloe's eyes running with hot tears as well.
"Are you okay?" Beca asks breathlessly.
Chloe fervently nods against Beca's forehead, her eyes tightly shut.
"We're almost there. We're almost there," Beca repeats, not knowing where they are almost at or really what to do when they get there, but she knows they just need an objective right now, something to keep them going.
"Almost where?" A tiny voice croaks out. Beca snaps her gaze up to Chloe, who's looking at her with a pained expression. Hearing the other woman's voice immediately brings a smile to Beca's face, but it quickly drops when she realizes she has no answer to the question.
"I don't know, but we have to keep moving."
"Why? Why can't we just wait for someone to come find us, a search team or something," Chloe asks, almost pleading.
Immediately Beca is hit with the recent memory of all those people just being lined up and shot down. She has a feeling that those uniforms pulling the triggers were the search team and she's not so sure they want to be found by them. She looks in Chloe's eyes, as she finds her words.
"I...um...don't think they're going to be looking for us here. This place has been swept. We need to get out of here Chloe. We need to find some help, find our friends!"
She has absolutely no idea what is on the other side of these doors, but she's hoping their friends being safe and alive is one of the things they find. And she suddenly remembers she has her phone in her bag. She takes it off her back, unzipping the front pocket and taking it out. Chloe gasps, taking hers out as well. Beca has a million missed calls from Jesse, Amy, her dad, and surprisingly - Aubrey as well. Along with that a slew of texts all panicked and full of questions.
She has a voicemail from her dad.
"Beca - something bad is happening. Please call me back, I need to know you are safe. They are locking the city down. Campus too. I have to go find Sheila. Beca, STAY AWAY from the uniforms, the strange ones. Go somewhere and hide. Be safe, I love you. I'll do whatever I can to find you."
And one from Jesse.
"B - I hope you're ok. I'm with Aubrey and Benji. We're safe. You know where to find us. See you soon I hope."
Amy's is short and to the point.
"This place is going to hell. What the fuck, America? Call me! ...Easy soldier - I'm putting the phone away, hey you don't have to -" click. That doesn't sound good, Beca thinks, her stomach dropping at the thought of what might have happened to her friend.
Aubrey's is panicked, but assertive.
"Dammit Beca Mitchell you need to call me back right now! and tell Chloe to call me! If you guys are together, be safe! Where are you?! Call me!"
She's glad they seem to be safe and that Aubrey, Benji, and Jesse are together. She wonders about the other girls, praying they're okay. And who the heck are they supposed to go for help, then? Even her dad is warning them away from the soldiers. What did he see? The thought sends shivers down her spine. She tries to call him back, but there's no service. Network fail.
"Eerrggh!" Beca yells in frustration, and let's be honest, a lot of anger as well. "Your phone working?"
Chloe shakes her head, indicating she has no signal as well.
"My dad said they've locked the campus down, as well as the whole damn city! Jesse's text said people are being evacuated."
"Yeah, that's what Aubrey's said," Chloe says, her voice still weak. "I hope they're okay, Beca."
"They're fine. They're all fine. Aubrey is with Benji and Jesse. I'm sure the other Bellas are safe too. Amy and Cynthia Rose could kick some ass and they'll look after everyone if they're together."
"We have to find them Beca!" Chloe yells, wincing a little as her hand immediately goes to her throat.
"Shh," Beca says in attempt to soothe her. "Please don't strain your voice. And we will find them, we will."
They stay silent for a moment, then Chloe softly clears her throat and asks with a raspy voice, "Do you think this is happening everywhere else?"
"I don't know," Beca sighs, shaking her head. She then realizes what Chloe was really asking. She grabs a hold of both her hands. "I'm sure you're family is safe. They're far away from here."
Chloe is shaking her head from side to side before Beca can even finish that sentence. "You don't know that," Chloe cries weakly.
"You're right I don't, but you just need to believe that or you'll make yourself crazy. Look at me, Chloe! They're safe."
Chloe takes a deep breath, leaning her head into Beca, and laughing softly, which takes Beca by surprise.
"What?"
"Since when did you become such an optimist?"
Beca chuckles. "Well, I think I have you to blame for that, actually."
Chloe pulls Beca in by the waist, holding her close. "I'm glad you're the one I'm with right now," she whispers into Beca ear.
"Me too," Beca breathes out and they stay in that position for a moment, enjoying the silver of serenity. Beca reluctantly brings them back to reality.
"I'm going to take a peek outside, see if I can see anything, and if it's safe. Stay here."
She inches around the corner, seeing that the inside set of doors have blown out windows. One of the second set of doors has the same issue, allowing a decent view of the immediate area outside.
"Looks like we're in the clear. You ready?"
"Yeah, but, where are we going anyway?"
"Radio station."
"Why there?"
"It'll be a safe place. There's an old bunker below it actually. Jesse and I found it one day."
"Well that's convenient," Chloe says, laughing.
"Yeah who knew, right?"
Beca takes out Chloe's car keys from her backpack before pulling the straps back around her shoulders. She looks at Chloe, taking one of her hands.
"Ready?" Chloe asks before Beca can.
"Ready. The car is out this door, to the right. We don't stop till we get there. Not for anything. "
And with that they make a break for it, the full sunlight hitting them with such force it's a bit startling at first and Beca can't see anything for a moment, just white. Her vision adjusts though and they are met with a sight no one can be ready for. There are bodies everywhere, some intact, some just parts, as well as bullet shells strewn about, and even some discarded guns, that look military-grade. Beca runs as fast as she can, making sure Chloe can keep up. She's still a little weak from being put under. There at least doesn't seem to be anyone around, she gladly observes, but that thought is quickly pushed away when a figure comes out of nowhere, lunging at them and she's suddenly knocked to the ground. She hears Chloe shriek and then she registers the sound of growling and snapping teeth. The thing that is crawling towards her seems to be wanting to bite her...like it wants to...eat her? This is not some zombie shit, she thinks. No way this is happening.
"Beca!" Chloe shouts and she looks up to see her holding a very large gun. She takes a swing, giving it a good whack in the head with the butt of the gun, which stops it's attack for a second. Chloe grabs Beca's hand pulling her up and before the thing can get back up, they are booking it towards to car. Beca sees more of these things as they run, each one turning their attention to the two girls and making their way towards them.
"Beca, what the hell is going on?" Chloe yells from behind her.
"I don't know just keep running I see the car!"
Beca presses the unlock button on the key fob. Another one of the blood-thirsty figures is heading right for Chloe just as they reach the car and Beca sees it before she does. She lunges at Chloe, grabbing her arm and yanking the girl out of its path just in time. The thing slams right into the car, knocking itself over.
"Holy shit!" Chloe shouts.
Beca opens the driver's side door, beckoning Chloe in. She climbs in after her, shoving the key in the ignition. She checks behind the car as she puts the car in reverse, seeing the figure back on its feet. She slams on the accelerator, ramming the body and knocking it backwards. Chloe gasps, putting her hand over to mouth. Beca turns the wheel, spinning them around to face forward. She puts the car into drive and steps on it.
"Beca, watch out!"
More figures appear, racing towards them, some faster than others. They make it out of the hospital parking lot, clipping one of the things as they left. It spins around violently, blood splattering the windshield. Both girls scream, Beca trying her best to keep cool and focus on getting them out of there and to the station, which is about 10 minutes away. This part of town seems to have been evacuated already, the only presence being the rageful human figures meandering about. She's worried about running into the uniformed guards, or whoever is taking control of this situation, unsure of their fate if they end up in their hands.
"I think we should pull over and walk," she blurts out.
"What? Why?" Chloe exclaims.
"Because I don't want us to get caught."
"Caught by who? If you're talking about those things, that's a guarantee if we get out and walk."
"They're not the only thing I'm afraid of."
"What are you talking about?"
Beca swallows hard "I just think...there might be other people out there who may seem trustworthy, but aren't."
"Who, Beca? Who are you talking about? Did you see something at the hospital?"
The images flash in her mind. She didn't know those people, but she won't forget their faces as the life was taken from them in a split second. Then she sees Chloe's face, and Jesse, and her dad, and her friends, and the tears come pouring out. She spots an alley, jerking the wheel to the right, taking a sharp turn and slamming on the breaks as she pulls on the car into the empty alleyway, her emotions getting the best of her.
"Beca?" Chloe asks cautiously. "Beca...babe, we can't stop." Chloe is starting to cry now too. "Please...we have to keep going."
Beca gets a hold of herself, her breathing slowing down and steadying. She lays her head on the steering wheel, both hands still gripped tight on it. She feels the pressure of Chloe's hand on her back, rubbing back and forth in attempt to soothe her.
"Do you want me to drive?"
"No," Beca mumbles out, her head still down. "No I can do this," she says now lifting her head up and looking over at Chloe. "The station is not far. Maybe a 10 minute walk. We're right by,-"
"Walk?" Chloe asks, alarm in her voice. "Why do we have to walk? I don't understand. We're safe in the car."
"You just have to trust me on this, Chloe. We need to stay out of sight. A car will attract attention."
"Out of sight from WHO!?" she asks loudly, clearly getting frustrated.
"From the soldiers! From whoever took charge of this situation! They can't be trusted."
"Like the Army? I'm pretty sure they would be the best people to run into right now."
Beca shakes her head. "I'm not so sure Chloe," she responds dryly.
"Why not? What did you see?!"
"They shot them!" Beca shouts.
"What? Who shot who?"
"The soldiers! At the hospital. All those people dead on the floor, they killed them! Right after the lights went out and I went to go check outside, I saw it! They lined them up against the wall and shot them!"
Chloe looks at her, terror and shock on her face. "What?" she says, her voice shaking, almost a whisper.
"I'm not going to let that happen to us. To you!"
Chloe grabs Beca's face. "That's not going to happen. We're going to be just fine. As long as we're together."
Beca nods, tears streaming down her face. She hastily wipes them away, taking a deep breath. Once she composes herself again, she looks in the backseat for their bags and brings them up front, handing Chloe her duffel.
"We can't draw attention to ourselves. We have to walk from here. It's not far. You still trust me right?"
"Yes."
"I think we can follow this alleyway up to 9th, which is the east side of campus and that's where the radio station is."
Chloe looks at her in amazement. "How do you know that?"
"Just spent a lot of time wandering around the city I guess," she shrugs.
"You are a mystery, wrapped in a conundrum, you know that?"
"Um, thanks?"
"I mean that in the best way," Chloe says smiling and placing a soft kiss on Beca's lips. She leans her forehead on Beca's, each silent as they relish in a few moments of calm.
"We go on three, ok?" Beca says after a while.
"On three," Chloe confirms.
They count in unison and they're out of the car in seconds, starting their trek to the station by shuffling along the side of the alleyway wall. Beca is leading, her hand grasped tight over Chloe's. It's eerily quiet and Beca's just waiting for the worst to happen. An explosion. Gunshots. More zombie things. Something. They get to the end of a part of the alley, coming up on a cross street. Beca holds her hand up, signaling Chloe to stop, so she can take a peek around the corner before they cross. They press their backs up against the brick wall, waiting in silence a moment. Beca moves about an inch when a startling sound forces her back, flat against the wall, her hand over her mouth, Chloe doing the same.
The footsteps get closer and the words from the approaching strangers become clearer. Beca motions Chloe to follow her and they duck by the dumpster a few feet from them.
"Keep up, Riggins. We've got a lot more to patrol. And remember, you put down anything and everything that moves."
"But not everything, not everyone is infected. I don't understand why -"
"Shut the fuck up and listen to me. We have orders and you follow them, or you might just find yourself on the wrong side of this rifle. Do you understand?"
"Yes."
"Yes, what?"
"Yes, Captain."
"Good. Keep moving."
Beca catches the sight of the soldiers as they walk by the alleyway opening. They're in full uniform, but as she gets a better look, it's not one she recognizes. It's not a typical Army or National Guard or whatever US Armed Forces uniform. Who are they? Why are they so intent on just shooting everything down...without even a second thought?
Her heart and stomach drop to the floor when she hears the Captain say, "Go double back on that alleyway. Make sure there aint' any of those shitbag biters around."
"I didn't see anything when we -"
"Dammit Riggins! Just do it. That's an order."
"Yes, sir."
She sees him appear at the opening, his gun up and he takes small steps forward. This is it. She couldn't protect them. They're going to die in this gross alleyway, at the hands of some scared shitless soldier, because those are the orders. She puts her arms around Chloe kissing her on the side of the head, tears running down her face. Chloe's eyes lock on hers and Beca looks back into the bluest of blue eyes, praying it'll be quick. Praying Chloe won't feel any pain.
She hears the crunch of gravel underneath the soldiers feet. He's just about to the end of the dumpster, one more step and they'll be face to face with their fate. He steps in front of them, just as startled as they are when he sees them, immediately aiming his gun at them. Beca looks up into his face, and she can see the terror in his eyes. He's shaking, beads of sweat running down his face. She pulls Chloe closer, shutting her eyes tightly.
The painful silence is broken when she hears, "You see anything?!"
She opens her eyes back up, locking in on this soldier Riggins's eyes. He swallows hard, still shaking, still aiming the gun right at Beca's head.
"Riggins!? Do I need to come hold your hand you piece of shit?"
"No!" he suddenly shouts. "All clear, Captain."
The tightness in Beca's chest releases, as the realization that he is going to spare their life registers. He fishes something out from behind his back, presenting a handheld gun and an extra clip. He hands it out to her, pressing it into her when Beca makes no movement to take it. "Take it, please," he whispers. She removes a hand from around Choe and grabs hold of it, looking up into his eyes, silently thanking him. He nods in acknowledgement and before she knows it, he's walking away, and rounding the corner, out of sight. Their voices become more distant as they walk away, and they wait there until they hear silence for a good 5 minutes before making a move.
Beca looks down at the gun and clip in her hands, having absolutely no idea how what just happened, happened.
"I can't believe that just happened," Chloe whispers, vocalizing Beca's thoughts.
"We may not be so lucky again. Come on, let's keep moving."
She stuffs the gun and clip in her backpack, and pulls Chloe up on her feet.
"You okay," she asks, the redhead visibly shaken.
"Y-yeah. Let's just get to the station. I don't like being out here."
"I'm going to take another look just to make sure we're clear to cross."
Chloe nods and Beca walks to out to the opening, inching her head out to get a look both ways. She lets out a sigh when she sees and hears nothing, at least nothing human...or whatever else is out there.
"Ok, Chloe. Let's go." She puts her hand out, which Chloe gladly takes, squeezing tightly.
They make a break for it, crossing safely to the other side. They make their way down the passage, inching along the sides. They're at the end of the alley now. The quad is just across the way, the station in their sight. They look around, taking in their surroundings. Beca sees a huddle of figures in the distance, not far from their path to safety.
They're crouching down, huddled together at the opening of the alleyway. "What do we do?" Chloe asks. "Those things are going to see us."
Beca takes out the gun, Chloe's eyes widen at the sight of it. Beca looks up into those wide, blue eyes and leans in close. "Don't worry, I'll protect you," she whispers against her lips. She feels Chloe smile against her, letting out a breath. "Do you even know what to do with that thing?"
"Well from what I've read, you just pull the trigger," she says smirking.
"Smartass. Just...be careful. Guns freak me out."
"Me too, but I'm not about to let one of those things get the best of me. Or you."
"Let's just get this over with," Chloe sighs.
Beca nods in agreement. She puts her backpack back on, holding the gun in her right hand, Chloe's hand in her left.
"Yippie-kai-yay?"
Chloe laughs and repeats, "Yippie-kai-yay."
They make a run for it, Beca keeping her focus on the radio station's door, her eyes only darting away from their target to make sure none of those things get too close. They reach the door to the station, and she reaches for the handle, her heart dropping when it doesn't budge.
"This is not happening," Beca says under her breath.
"What?" Chloe asks, as she looks around at the menacing bodies closing in on them.
"It's fucking locked! Jesse!" She pounds and pounds on the door, screaming for help. "Jesse! Aubrey! Benji! Someone! Please help us! The door is locked!"
"Beca! What do we do!?" Chloe cries. "Those things are getting closer...oh my God, they're running! They're running towards us!"
Beca whips her head around to see a small herd of people, if that's what you can call them because the look on their faces is almost inhuman it's so rageful, and that sends chills through Beca' body. They both have their backs pressed up to the door, hands clenched together. Beca has the gun up and is aiming it back and forth at each thing, their growling, a growl that's almost like a shriek at the same time, getting louder as they approach. She squeezes the trigger and fires off a bullet towards the closest one. It hits it square in the head, and it crumbles to the ground, unmoving. Beca freezes, her arm still outstretched. Chloe looks at her, then at the body on the ground, and back at her, wearing a shocked expression.
"Do that again!" Chloe shouts and Beca aims the gun at another approaching figure. A loud bang behind them makes them both scream and they turn around to meet a face that sends a wave of relief through Beca's body. The door is unlocked and they are ushered in, the door slamming shut quickly, and being relocked just as two of the figures slam into the glass, growling and snapping.
Beca throws her arms around their savior, never feeling happier to see him than right now. "Oh my gosh, Jesse!"
"I'm glad to see you guys," he says, giving Beca a firm squeeze back before moving to hug Chloe.
"We didn't think you were here when no one would answer us, or that you couldn't hear us down in the bunker," Beca explains, catching her breath still. "I thought we were dead meat."
"I'm so sorry Bec...it just took me a minute to up and out of that bunker. Who was shooting by the way? Oh my God, is someone hurt?"
"We're fine," Chloe says. "Beca shot the gun."
Jesse turns his head towards Beca, shock on his face. Beca smiles nervously, holding up the gun and shrugging.
"Holy shit," he whispers.
"Yeah...I'm a pretty good shot it turns out."
"Huh. Good to know."
They're attention is beckoned again to the door as the growling and scratching continues. "Come on," Jesse says. "We should get back down there, out of sight."
Jesse and Beca lead the way to the bunker, Chloe following behind. He opens the door, hidden under the carpet.
"Jesse?" They hear a tentative voice call out. "Everything okay?"
"Better than okay, actually..."
As Beca and Chloe climb down the ladder, they see Aubrey and Benji, whose expressions immediately change from hesitant and scared to relieved and overjoyed as they see their friends.
"Chloe!" Aubrey shrieks, running into her friend's arms. Tears run down each woman's face as they hug each other, glad to be together again. Beca gives Benji a squeeze before turning to Aubrey, who walks right up to her and brings her in for a hug. Beca hesitates before returning the pressure.
"I can actually say in full honestly I am happy to see you, Beca Mitchell."
"Wow. Thanks Aubrey. Glad you're here too."
Aubrey breaks away, keeping a firm grasp on Beca's shoulders. "And thanks for keeping Chloe safe."
Chloe comes up behind Beca, wrapping her arms around her and resting her chin on her shoulder. "She was amazing," Chloe says adoringly, kissing her on the cheek. Beca's blushes, looking down.
Aubrey raises an eyebrow, smirking a little. "Hmm...who knew?"
Beca rolls her eyes, and Chloe turns her around in her arms, placing a passionate kiss on her lips. She feels embarrassed as she knows all 3 pairs of eyes are gawking at them right now. She pulls away, blushing. "Geez, Chloe. We're not alone anymore," she whispers.
Chloe just giggles at her. "Yeah well we're alive and with our friends. Thanks to you. It just got me a little worked up is all."
"Well just try and keep your toner in your pants, it's a small space," Aubrey says dryly.
"And there it is," Beca retorts.
Aubrey just rolls her eyes at her, letting out a huff and Beca chuckles, because it almost makes everything feel normal, but she quickly remembers that nothing is normal anymore. "So does anyone know what the hell is going on?" she asks, bringing them all back to the grim reality of the situation.
Jesse sighs, and runs his hands through his hair. "All we know is there's been some sort of outbreak. A virus or something. Benji and I were walking home from rehearsal and suddenly all hell broke loose. Military personnel, or whoever the hell they are, started invading the campus, rounding people up."
"It was all very...hostel," Benji interjects. "We saw them just...sh-shoot some people down. For no reason!"
Jesse nods in agreement. "We made a break for it, trying to dodge the soldiers. That's when we ran into Aubrey. I remembered about the bunker, so we came here. Then we saw those things start roaming around. We thought we were safe when we made our way of the soldiers' path, but then these things came flying at us, like they wanted to eat us."
Beca swallows hard at Jesse recount of the day's events. Is it still the same day? A sense of time has gone completely out the window. She feels Chloe's grip on her tighten.
"So what do we do now?" Chloe asks. "Where can we go?"
"I dunno," Jesse answers grimly. "We can't trust those soldiers. For all we know, they'll shoot us dead the second they see us."
"Not all are bad," Chloe says. "Remember, Beca! That one soldier...Riggins! He let us go. He looked right us, had his gun pointed right in our faces and he let us go. That's how we got the gun Beca has! He can't be the only soldier with a conscious."
Beca can't help but smile at Chloe's persistent optimism. "Yeah, but how can we know who to trust and who not to trust?"
"I don't know," she concedes, "but we can't stay here forever."
"It's not so bad," Jesse says. "But you're right, we can't last long. Realistically speaking we only have enough food and water, not substantial food I might add, to last us a few days.
"Have either of you talked to anyone else?" Aubrey questions.
"No...our phones aren't working. I had some messages from my dad and Amy, but I have no idea where would be right now. What about you?"
"I talked to Cynthia Rose for a minute. I was frantically calling everyone the second we got here. She was with Amy, actually. Cynthia Rose said they were heading to her friend's place in the city. I don't know if they made it."
"Amy got cut off by some soldier in the middle of the voicemail she left on my phone," Beca says, frowning. "I hope they're okay."
"They're fine," Chloe affirms. "Those are two tough girls. They won't be taken down easily, not without a fight."
Beca nods, knowing and believing the truth to that last bit Chloe said, but the uneasy feeling in the pit of her stomach makes her question the first. "What about Lily...Stacie...the other girls?" she asks.
Aubrey shrugs, sadness and fear washing over her face. "I-I don't know. I couldn't get ahold of any of them." Tears are welling up in her eyes, spilling down her cheeks. Jesse puts an arm around her, wiping the tears away. "We're going to find them. I promise. And they're going to be be just fine."
Aubrey sniffs, a weak smile forming at her lip, as she nods at Jesse's encouraging words. "Thanks, Jesse. You know, for a Treble, you're alright."
"I can see your toner through those jeans," Beca deadpans.
Aubrey snaps her head up, glaring at Beca, and under normal circumstances she would probably have a string of well thought out retorts to fire back. But again, these aren't normal circumstances, and she ends up just shrugging, even laughing. "Yeah, well...considering what's going on right now, I figure there's no time for silly rules like that."
Beca raises and eyebrow and looks at Chloe, who has her lips pursed together, her eyebrows skyrocketing upward as well. They both burst into laughter, Aubrey, Benji, and Jesse joining in. "It really did take the zombie apocalypse for Aubrey Posen to loosen the reigns!"
The laughter dies down as that ridiculous pair words seem to sober the moment.
"Do you think that's what's happening?" Benji asks.
"I mean I've seen enough movies to know that we can't be too far off," Jesse says. "I haven't exactly seen anyone come back to life, but they're definitely not human on some level," he finishes grimly.
"Chlo, what did that soldier call them?" Beca asks, racking her brain to recall what he said.
"Double back and see if any of those shitbag biters are in the alley."
"Biters!" she exclaims, answering her own question. "He called them biters."
"Whatever they are, they sure as hell want to do more than bite us. I swear I saw one drooling," Jesse says, scrunching his face in disgust.
"Maybe it had a crush on you, Jesse," Beca snorts.
"Ha-ha. Next time I'll be sure to try and score the digits from the thing that's trying to eat me."
"I'm just sayin...might as well make some lemonade from these damn lemons the universe is raining down on us."
Before he can respond, Aubrey is cutting in, shutting up their laughter.
"As cute as your bromance is right now, we really need to figure out what we're going to do. Nobody is coming to rescue us and we need to make a game-plan! We need a strategy!"
"Aubrey, chill out. I was just trying to lighten the mood. I think we all understand, as much as we can at least, the situation at hand."
"Don't tell me to chill, Beca! We need to arm ourselves and figure out an exit strategy! Or figure out how to make this place a more permanent, sustainable residence!"
"Aubrey, please calm down. We're all scared here and getting into a fight won't help anything," Chloe says sympathetically, her hand resting on Aubrey's shoulder.
Aubrey turns to her best friend, tears on the verge of spilling over. She chokes them back, closing her eyes for a moment to compose herself. Chloe wraps her arms around her, pulling her in for a hug.
"It's okay to cry you know."
Aubrey nods into Chloe, pulling away and swallowing hard. "I'm fine."
"Aubrey..."
"I'm fine, Chloe. Let's just get our heads together here and figure out what the hell we're going to do."
"Anyone have any suggestions?" Beca says.
"Do you think there's any chance of a refuge center?" Chloe asks.
"Possibly, but how do we know it's actually safe. We all saw what those soldiers are capable of," Jesse says grimly.
"They're following orders! That's another thing me and Chloe overheard. I don't think they're actually on the lookout for normal human beings. For all we know, we're enemy #1."
"Well who do they expect to be left if they just shoot us all down?" Chloe says. "I just don't understand!" Beca grabs Chloe's hand, giving it a reassuring squeeze. "Honestly," she continues, "it's like we're the enemy!"
"Maybe whatever is happening will be taken care of in a few days. Maybe we just need to wait it out,' Benji says, trying to sound optimistic, but his tone is betraying him because she can tell he doesn't quite believe what he is saying either.
"Yeah, maybe," Beca offers, and he gives a small smile in return. She looks at the people before her, wondering how they got here, wondering how she got here. She looks over at Chloe, her blue eyes locked on hers. She feels a shift happening inside her. She recalls a favorite song lyric, there's a fighter somewhere underneath this skin and bones. And for the first time she actually believes it. But it's not just because she is literally having to fight for her life now. Back in the hospital, she let her instincts kick in. She let herself fight without shame, because she knew what she was fighting for. And that's what changed everything. She was fighting for herself, she was fighting for Chloe, she was fighting to see the people she loved another day. Maybe it's because she was born into a world she didn't fit into. But the world was changing and now she finds herself more confident than ever. Because when you're fighting for your life, in whatever capacity, all the bullshit goes out the window. There's no time for second guessing. You go with your gut. You learn to trust yourself. And for a long time, she's doubted her gut, believing it was wrong, unsure of its way of thinking. She always felt like she was made wrong. She didn't think like anyone else or act like anyone else. But maybe there was nothing wrong with that after all.
They hunker down for the night. Beca is wrapped around Chloe in a corner of the small room, each holding on to each other for dear life. The others are asleep, but Beca can't seem to get her mind to calm down. She takes a deep breath, and feels Chloe stir in her arms.
"Sorry didn't mean to wake you. Go back to sleep," she whispers, giving Chloe a kiss on the head.
"What's wrong?"
"Nothing, I...just have a lot on my mind I guess."
"Want to talk about it?"
"I guess I...I'm just really scared, Chloe. I have no idea what to do and I don't want to let you guys down."
Chloe shifts so she can look at her. "Beca...the reason you and I are alive right now is because you got us here. You were so brave back in the hospital and the entire journey here. You remembered about this place. You got us to our friends. You've been amazing so far. I think we're pretty lucky to have you."
Beca blushes at Chloe's words. "Thanks...I just want to keep you all safe so bad. And find the other girls. Find my dad. I know he and I haven't been close in a long time but that doesn't mean I wouldn't miss him if something happened to him. We just seemed to make some actual progress the other night and now the world's going to shit and I'll probably never see him again and I have no idea what to do and I'm so scared something is going to happen to you and I, -"
Chloe leans up and captures Beca in a kiss, successfully cutting off her rambling. She pulls away only slightly. "As long as we're together, we'll be safe. You make me feel safe. And we'll find them. All of them."
Beca smiles at Chloe, and leans her head down to nuzzle her face in the crook of Chloe's neck. "Hey Chloe?" she mumbles into her neck after a few moments.
"Hmm?"
Beca pulls back and looks Chloe in the eye. The pace of her heartbeat is suddenly something she's very much aware of and her breath becomes more rapid. She swallows hard, knowing this may not be the perfect moment. It's not romantic. It's not picturesque. And even though Chloe deserves all those things, she doesn't want this to go unsaid any longer.
"Beca, calm down," Chloe says, noticing her hitched breaths. "What's wrong?"
Beca laughs softly, releasing a breath. "Nothing...well, so to speak," she says with a smirk. Chloe smiles back and reaches a hand up to stroke Beca's cheek.
"I just um, need to say something. Just in case there's a chance I won't get to again."
Chloe looks at her expectantly, her hand still on Beca's cheek. Needing a bit more courage, she leans in, pressing her lips firmly against Chloe's.
"Chloe, I, -"
CRASH!
Loud commotion above them interrupts the moment, and all their attention is drawn to whatever is happening upstairs.
"What was that?" Chloe asks.
Beca looks up, following the sound with her eyes.
"I don't know...but I don't think we're alone anymore."