Consequences

Disclaimer: I do not own Warm Bodies or anything related.

Warning! Strong language, violence, and blood!

"R!" R ran as fast as he could, but his legs were dead and unresponsive. "R help me!" Julie screamed for him but the closer he got, the further she seemed to really be. All around her were sinister forms, but they were not undead, they were very much alive, taunting and hurting her.

"Let her... go!" he tried to scream, but all that came out of his rotten lips was the glutteral moan of a zombie.

"Look! Another corpse! Kill it!" One of the men growled, lifting his pistol up. "Oh it's that corpse, hahaha! Look at him, he thinks he can save her!"

"Maybe we should give him a little show before we kill him, eh?"

"Ah! ...Stop it!" Julie cringed, trying to shy away from the evil men, but she was trapped...

"Leave... her alone...!" R groaned, tears welling in his eyes.

"Aww look at it, it looks like it's going to cry! Ah, let's just put it out of our misery..."

"No! R!" Julie's tears flowed freely down her swollen cheeks.

"Let... her go! Let her... go!" R's heart cried with Julie, but he was again unable to get anything comprehensible out, just growls and groans. And then the shot was fired, the last thing he saw where the men turning their evil intentions back toward their captured prey...

"R!'

R shot up from his sleep, gasping and panting for breath, sweat coating him. "No! No! Julie!" He pulled himself out of bed in a panicked rush. Not caring who he woke or what time it was, he ran out of the room. He was relieved and horrified to find that there was a dull bit of morning daylight streaming in through the dirty windows. How long had they slept? Far too long in R's opinion. "Hey! Let's go! Get up! Get up!" he said to the still sleeping soldiers, all but tripping over the junk lying all over the ruined floor while he frantically put his gear back on, grabbing his shotgun.

"R?" Kevin yawned, confused for a moment. His memory soon returned to him and he as well quickly got up, kicking the boots of the other men. "Come on, people! We a lost soldier to rescue!" he yelled at his troops. R was slightly pleased that the older man didn't refer to Julie as a 'maiden in distress' or 'the general's daughter'... but only a little, he was much to concerned about just getting to her and making those who took her pay.

They got their things and headed out again in the very early morning light. They found their path again, even though they knew it was probably going to lead right to a trap, they continued to follow it. They kept a steady job, trying to be silent but trying to be fast as well. They heard hissing in the distance, somewhere behind a building maybe, followed by rustling. Kevin glanced to the side and saw a couple Boneys shambling toward them, but they were moving far too slowly now to be a threat, so they ignored them. They had no time to wonder what was going on with the Boneys, but they could almost feel the hatred coming off those horrors. One of them seemed desperately furious at them, especially when they were ignored, and took off after them.

"Boney!" One of the soldiers yelled. It was closer to R's side now. "R! Look out!' R stuck his hands up and grabbed the Boney as it slammed into him. They tumbled to the ground but R wrestled it under him, unstrapped his shotgun from his shoulder and once again bashed another Boney in the head. He didn't slow down though, after the Boney stopped movie, he got back up, slinging his shotgun over his shoulder once more, and took off again. They were closer to the Purist's hideout than they originally though, taking them just two hours to find it. It was a large abandoned dock warehouse near the coast. The closer they got, the more they could smell rotten fish, oil and whale blubber.

"This way..." Kevin whispered to them, leading them around the warehouse. The entrance was too suspiciously unguarded. Circling around, they could just make out a few old dog cages around the building. By the way it smelled and the cages rattled angrily, they knew it was not dogs. "Looks like they were planning to set a trap for us, look!" Kevin pointed to the ground around the entrance. All over the floor was trash and waste, but underneath it were pressure plates and trip-wires. "Looks like they weren't aware of how easily Boneys could be dealt with now..." he muttered.

"Scott was the only vet that left... right?" One of the soldiers of the fairer-sex asked.

"I think a few others went with him too," Kevin shook his head. "But I don't think they ever ventured very far from their warehouse. I saw a lot of unlooted building as we went..." Kevin explained. "Which probably means they didn't have as many encounters with them," he shrugged.

"It also means they're weaker from the lack of food," another soldier smirked.

"Don't get cocky, they could still surprise us," Kevin scolded. "Come on, let's try to find a guarded area..." he ordered.

"...Why guarded?" R questioned in confusion.

"Guarded means less traps," Kevin shrugged. "At least, I hope so. In any case, if we take them out quickly and quietly, it also means less men to worry about..." And so they crept toward a more guarded area. Kevin gave one of the soldiers a signal, who nodded to him and made her way into a building. They stayed still and silent until they heard gunfire go off. One of the guards on the room fell to his death, startling the others. Kevin gave the signal to attack and they swept in. R hesitated for a moment, seeing the familiar look of fear in the man's eyes as he lifted his shotgun toward him. Fortunately he didn't have to see it for long, Kevin shot him for him. "You can't hesitate, man. It's life or death no matter how you slice it," he chided him as gently as he could. "Get over it and quick."

R squared his jaw and nodded, willing the look of fear in the man's face to go away, leave his thoughts. He took a breath and nodded to Kevin, then followed them into the warehouse quietly. A few women were nearby and they raised their weapons, but the women didn't move an inch, didn't speak up, just stared at them with a hopeful, almost pleading look. It was then they noticed the blood stains and bruises on them. "What the hell..." one of the soldiers with them muttered. Those women were practically in rags, each doing some kind of menial task. One of them saw R and pointed to a door in the far hall. R saw the look of alarm and determination in her eyes and nodded.

"R- wait!" Kevin cursed again but followed him. "Damn impatient kid..." Kevin sighed. He gestured some of the soldiers to head around, surround the place if they could and relied on the women, obviously eager to help, to guide them through it. When they got to the door, Kevin placed his hand on his shoulder, stopping him and signaling him to listen. They pressed their ears against the door and held their breaths.

"...forced himself on you, am I right? Bet you liked it... bet you liked the smell of death all around you..." That was Tommy. "Maybe if I beat you half to death you'll-"

"-Go... fuck... yourself..." Julie's voice cut in. She was clearly tired and sounded pained as she spoke.

"Why would I do that when I have a nice little prize here to do it for me?" Tommy taunted. "You and I are gunna have some fun..."

"...I'd... sooner... fuck a Boney..." Julie spat.

"Hah! I'm sure you would!" Tommy chuckled. "Well, anyway, it doesn't matter. I'm going to have fun with you whether you like it or not. Now, it's time for your lessons..." there was a sound of wood scraping the floor.

"Get... off!" Julie's voice was indignant.

R bristled, his breathing hard with anger. "Now!" he hissed at Kevin, who nodded in agreement. They burst through the door, firing on the guards nearby, and stopped when they saw what was going on.

Julie was tied up in an old chair in the center of the room. She looked completely exhausted and had a tiny cuts on her cheeks that bled trails down to her neck, bruises dotting her neck and wrists where she was tied up. They had beaten her... Tommy was at the moment all but sitting on her lap on the hair, his face inches from her's while his hand was under her shirt. R felt impossible rage within him and was only stopped from going on a rampage, -or more precisely, going zombie and literally tearing him to pieces- when Julie gave him a subtle shake of her head. His eyes asked her if she was crazy for stopping him, and she managed a tiny smile and a little shrug, even as a few rebellious tears slid down her stained cheeks.

"Well well! If it isn't the little corpse!" Tommy sneered, laying a wet and sloppy kiss on Julie's abused cheek before lifting off her, stepping away before she could retaliate while whiping his lips from her blood. "How do you like my little pet?" he smirked. "I was just about to break her in..."

"Let. Her. Go," R enunciated, making sure they understood and heard him clearly. His shotgun trained on Tommy's chest. This wasn't his dream, he had control here! He would not let Julie suffer anymore! He would reach her in time this time! No matter what the cost!

"Let her go? Hmm, nah, you know, I think I like her just where she is for now," Tommy smiled cruelly. "I mean, later I might like her underneath me... or bent-"

"That's enough, Tommy," Scott's voice interrupted, having heard the commotion. He stood on the catwalk above them, watching them. "Finish this."

"Yessir," Tommy snorted and continued his glare at the 'whelp' that dared threaten him. Tommy lifted his pistol but R moved too quickly, his rage giving his feet wings. He smashed his fist into him, making the wider man gasp in shocked pain, then snatched his gun from his loosened grip and whacked him across the face with it. Tommy caught himself before he could fall, and glared, the gash above his eye burning. The 'corpse' still held his gun in his hand but wasn't pointing it at him. "What? Too scared to shoot me?"

"No. I just thought I'd make you bleed first," R glared back, then tossed the gun away. "Blood for blood."

"Oh-ho! So you want to a have a rematch, do ya?" Tommy hesitated a moment before he got back onto his feet. "Sounds good to me! I've been meaning to get some reve-" R didn't let him finishing, striking him in the face with his fist. "Fuck!" Tommy squealed in pain, his already injured nose from where Julie already punched him aching severely, blood flowing freely once again. Broken now. "You fucking bastard!" Tommy screamed and charged at him. R wasn't exactly the best at fighting, having had little to no training recently, but the little he remembered served him well enough. He quickly spun away, ducking to avoid the older man's reach. "It'll be so good to finally end you! Like the monster you are! Fighting and killing is just basic instinct to you now, isn't it? Come on, freak! Show everyone your true nature!" Tommy taunted.

R's fists tightened. He felt completely conflicted by this. He wanted to fight him, wanted to make him bleed for what he did to Julie, for what he did to Susan, make Scott pay as well. To his shame, he took pleasure in the idea of making them pay. He also hated it just as much. He hated causing pain, making people bleed, he hated it with just as much passion. He wished so badly that everyone would just stop fighting, stop killing, learn to accept one another... he so desperately wanted to stop all of this... but he knew that just wasn't a realistic sentiment. There would always be people like Tommy and Scott, who had strayed so far that they actually took pleasure in hurting and killing others. Not even zombies did that! Sure, the immediate relief you'd feel when you eat was nice, but it was short-lived and, at least to him, left you feeling empty and remorseful afterwards.

Maybe it wasn't a good idea to reflect on things at a time like this?

R felt himself fall backwards with a particularly strong kick to the chest. He gasped for breath but didn't have time to recover, another kick to the ribs made him groan in pain. "That's right! Take it like the undead freak you are!" Tommy sneered. R glared and turned on the floor quickly, tangling his legs with his enemy's until he twisted enough for Tommy to lose his balance and stumble. R got to his feet and kicked him in the same spot he was kicked in.

Repeatedly.

"I'm. Not. The. Monster. Here. Tommy!" R snarled, each word punctuated with a hard kick before he stepped back. He knew he wasn't proving a point by literally kicking a man while he was down, but he couldn't stop himself even if he tried.

"Oh... sure you're... not..." Tommy groaned.

"At least I don't kidnap people and torture them for pleasure! Not even zombies did that! No, I'm not the monster here! You and your friends are! You and Scott!" R snapped. Tommy was still and wheezed for a few minutes. "I hated what I was! I hated having to hurt people, but it was something I had to do to survive! It was-" R made the unfortunate mistake in believing the man was out for the count. Luckily, his reflexes had improved quite a bit and he managed to jump back when Tommy tried to upper-cut him. "-An instinct I could not control!" He continued. R ducked another swipe of the man's beefy fist, however, he cringed in pain as a strike he wasn't watching for hit him square in the stomach, making him stumble back, but raising his arms he blocked another swipe.

"Shut up! I don't give a damn for your excuses!" Tommy snapped irritably, already sounding out of breath, though it could very well just be due to being repeatedly kicked in the ribs.

R ducked again and then saw more Purists around them, most looked pissed... but some looked thoughtful... this could be good. He took a breath and continued. "I wanted so badly to help people, to not attack them," he nearly fell backwards when a punch to the side of his head jerked his head to the side, but he retaliated quickly, using Tommy's attention on his face to strike him with his foot, kicking him in the knee. Tommy wobbled slightly but it was all the distraction R needed to bring his own fist down, slamming it into the man's face. Fresh blood gushed down the man's face, getting R's hand messy.

"It wasn't until someone treated me like a living, who showed me compassion and trust, that I changed! I fell in love with her, even when I was still a monster... I fell in love and decided to protect her. Then I was reborn! We can all be reborn, don't you see? Every one of us! Not just the former zombies!" R argued, though now he was mostly talking to anyone who would listen.

"Shut up!" Tommy yelled, getting very angry. "You're just saying this to save your sorry ass!"

"Kill him, Tommy!" Derrick, Tommy's brother yelled.

"No! I'm not! I don't care if I die right now! It's the least that I deserve for all the pain and fear I caused!" R yelled back. "I was given a second chance! It's not something someone like me deserves, but I was! All I want now is to redeem myself! Make up for my horrible actions, help rebuild society! I want to help people! Save people! Keep them from harm!" he argued. R jumped away from a kick and stepped to the side quickly, rushing him and beating his fist into his neck. Tommy made a gargled gasp, crumbling to the floor momentarily, again wheezing for breath. R took the opportunity to chance a glance around the room.

More than a few of the Purists now looked thoughtful, some even looked like they could be convinced to turn back to their side. "Everyone deserves a second chance," R said again. "Everyone deserves happiness, even you," he frowned. He was still incredibly pissed at him, and in all honesty, still wanted to make him pay, but he was trying to make a point. "I hate you for what you did to Julie. But I'm willing to give you another chance," He offered his hand, knowing that Tommy would not accept it but hoping the others would see that he at least attempted it. He knew this was a dirty trick, but it was the only thing he could think of at the moment to make people see he was willing to make peace.

"Fuck you, you lying bastard!" Tommy yelled with a strangled cough, slapping R's hand away as predicted. "I'll... kill you all! Like you said you deserve!" he yelled, rushing back onto his feet and attacking the younger 'man' again. R's eyes widened as the man barreled into him. R tightened his body, anticipating the attack and winced when the wider man tried to knee him in the stomach. R pushed him away and rammed his fist down on his head. Tommy fell to the ground but was not done yet. Flipping back around he punched R in the back of the knee, forcing him down as well. Tommy grabbed him and attempted to punch him in the face, but R punched him first.

R expected to hear chanting for them to fight or kill each other, but no one said anything, just watched with bated breaths. R and Tommy rolled, trading brutal punches and tearing into each other. R felt fine with getting beat on and feeling his blood, he knew he healed faster and wouldn't suffer very many repercussions, no permanent marks, but he was making a mess out of Tommy. R blocked his face, exposing his stomach, but held in his groans of pain as the man viciously kicked him. When Tommy produced a previously hidden knife, R knew he had to work quickly to disable him. Tommy slashed at him, trying to trap him down and impale him, but R twisted and kicked his hand, knocking the knife away, sending it skidding across the floor. R grabbed the wider man by the shoulders and forced him back down, then put his weight into his attack, slamming Tommy's head against the concrete floor.

Tommy's eyes bulged in shock, but R didn't stop. R pinned him down, punching hard, similar to what he had done before and beat Tommy until the older man stopped moving. Tommy's blood splashed on his already grimy face but he didn't stop. When the light in Tommy's eyes faded, R forced himself to stop. Half of him hoped he hadn't kill him, but another part of him really couldn't find it in him to care so much. He knew it would bother him later, but right now all he could see was the image of Tommy hurting Julie.

R gasped for breath, trying to calm down as he stood shakily to his feet, his body shaking as he lifted his head to the people around him. "Why?" He yelled at the other around the room, tears of anger and grief leaving clean trails down his cheeks. "Why do I have to keep hurting people? Tell me!" he demanded, but no one spoke. "I don't want to hurt anyone anymore! Why can't you just let me stop? Why can't you let all of us try to make it up to you?" he begged. "Why can't you just... stop... all of this..." he said brokenly, his shoulders shaking with silent sobs.

"Because you're a lying piece of filth," Scott answered calmly, his eyes holding no pity. "You were there when my son was killed, weren't you? Julie was part of the team that went with him, the day she 'disappeared'. She had gone off with you, after my son was viciously mauled to death and eaten by one of you!" Scott yelled. "You're the cause of all our pain! You killed my pregnant wife and then my son! You destroyed everything! Everything I ever loved is gone!"

"I know!" R yelled back tearfully. "I have nightmares every night over people I made suffer! Do you think it's easy for any of us?"

"It doesn't matter. For your crimes you should die! Now! Kill him!" Scott ordered. There was a pause where Kevin's men and Scott's men eyed each other and their leaders.

"Let this end, Scott," R glared at him. "Hasn't there been more than enough bloodshed and suffering? Things need to change! The virus is leaving, don't you see? It's only strongest now in the Boneys! If we work together we can destroy it once and for all and start over!" R argued. He could see some of Scott's men lowering their weapons, looking like they were willing to listen, but R could still see the fury and blood-crazed look in Scott's eyes.

Scott refused to listen, the pain in his heart too great. "I'll never join you! I'll never accept or forgive you! Not after what you've done! Kill him!" He yelled again.

"You... you can have me, just let her go in peace..." R said to the room. "All I care about is her safety..."

Julie had remained silent through all of this, just like the rest of them. She wouldn't stand for it now though, he would not give up! Not even for her! "R! No!" Julie gaped, unshed tears blurring her vision. "Don't do this!" Julie pleaded to the men in the room. "Please!"

R watched as Scott's men lifted their weapon at him and prepared for the worst. His eyes met Julie's. "Julie... I'm... I'm sorry I couldn't keep you safe. I love you..." he whispered to her.

"R-! I... I love you too," Julie whispered back, fear and despair gripping her heart.

Was this the end for him?

TBC...

A/N: Wow! Cliffhangers galore! Now, it's not often I do it, but there has been very rare instances that I'll write a bit of tragedy in my stories... you never really know what I have in mind! XD (Cue evil laugh!) The suspense! The suspense is even killing ME! And I'm the one writing this crap!

Shout-Outs:

AnthonyC22: She has her dad to thank for that! The Boneys will be dealt with soon...

Reader1352: I loooove tension! Writing it is so much fun!

bonesbemmettlover: I take it you liked it? LOL!

Fuinn13: Thanks! Yeah I read the book first (multiple times) and then watched the movie (multiple times), so I had quite a bit of useful information to work with!

Katie T: How did you imagine him before? Actually, believe it or not I wrote these chapters before I saw that scene in TWD! Kudos in waiting until noon lol... unless you wake up at around that time, like I do? Lol!

OmatikayaClan: Hahaha! You thought THAT was a huge cliffhanger? How'd you like this one? Nah, I'd never do that to Julie lol.

warmbodies1d: "Almost" crying? Looks like I didn't do a good enough job! Don't worry, I invest myself too lol.

No One: Uuuugh, please don't mention sparkles... I can't go into most girly stores anymore because of that lol. Anne Rice. Bram Stoker. That's where it's at! I'm an evil genius then? Thanks! R is kind of like a puppy, have you seen the behind the scenes, when "Julie" knocked over that little plastic thing in the jet, "R", (or Nicholas over-acting it maybe lol), stares at it with such a crestfallen expression lol everyone laughed. Yeah, he's a cute puppy most of the time, except when he's in bed... then, well, I dunno, if I carry on with that line of thought it'd get kinda gross, so I'll just shut up now lol. You know I thought about getting the zombies to help too, but thought it'd be too easy lol.

coadhpgg: You know I've been meaning to tell you, whenever I read your username, I read "Copenhagen" lol. Anyway! Did R kick ass enough? I'm glad my nearly fetish-like love of character development bled into my abilities as a writer! I love gradual development! I did it to DEATH in my Chronicles of Narnia story, drove my readers completely nuts lol. Aww shucks, thank you so much!

TeaLeaves: Thanks! I'm glad you like my portrayals! I was very worried I'd write them OOC! Cliffhangers are sooo much fun to write lol! That's the point! Makes the readers keep coming for more! XD

brigid1318: Like I said to OmatikayaClan, I'd never do that to Julie, or anyone for that matter lol, not my style... though if I really had to write realism, I might write a very very vague mention but not much else. Would it really effect R that much? He's had to kill to survive before, and this time he would have had to kill to keep those he loved safe... but I wrote it so it's up to the reader to decide if he did or not.

Girl In RandomLand: It wouldn't make any sense for R to be captured... he wouldn't be captured in the first place, he'd just be shot and killed. That wouldn't be much of a story, would it?

Rue Bladesinger: I hear ya! Steam says I have 550 hours on Skyrim (which really isn't that much) but I only have 148 hours on Fallout New Vegas lol.

leiahlaloa: Wow! Consider me speechless! I've never received such an in depth review! Thank you very much. I'm honored you think I excelled in my attempt to blend the movie and book, was a little tricky since they're both sort of different. To tell you the truth, this is maybe the second time I attempt such large-scale action. A few years ago, maybe even just one, I wouldn't be able to pull it off! The most I could write is maybe a paragraph or two lol. My original characters I would flesh out more if I gave myself more time, but because of my rigid outline I created, there isn't much room. I chose to focus on R's development and "redemption" and his blossoming romance with Julie. Don't worry, I won't judge ya, I have other friends who love twilight. I have issues with the author mostly, but I can understand!