Thomas wasn't getting better. He slipped in and out of sleep often. His words fell slowly past his lips between shallow breaths. Alex did his best to help, but he wasn't a doctor. In his wake, Thomas complained about headaches, and a sore throat. If he was lucid enough to discuss his sickness. Usually, he just mumbled about his wife.

Alex stayed by his side most the time, too scared to leave him. If he let his guard down for a second a zombie or dog could come along and find Thomas' defenseless body. If he wasn't there to keep Thomas warm, he may just slip away with the frost. Alex couldn't risk it.

For hours, they laid there, listening to the wind. Every time Thomas fell asleep, Alex fiddled with his rosary and practiced his faith. Even with his anxieties, his mind couldn't help but wander.

His son was alive. He just knew it. If he was safe, then so must Eliza and little Angie. He knew his wife well; she would do anything to protect their children. And, unlike himself, she had the experience to survive in the wilderness.

He passed the time by imagining their smiles. What would he do upon seeing them other than break down and cry? He wrapped his arms tighter around Thomas and pretended he was holding his family.

Oh, Eliza. He couldn't wait to kiss her.

And what of Angelica, Pegs, and their father? Were they safe as well? He dared to hope.

His gaze traced over Thomas' sleeping face. How will Thomas fit into this? Devotion swelled in his chest when he looked at him. He couldn't abandon him, even if it were for his family. No matter what happens, they were getting through this together. They had to. Alexander didn't know how he'd go on without Thomas.


Alex had trouble sleeping most nights. He woke with every creak of the old house - and there were a lot of creaks. He avoided the bathroom mirror whenever he ventured in there. He couldn't handle the weight of the bags under his eyes.

He struggled to find food for them in the little house. Once the last scraps had vanished, Alex gathered all his courage and prepared to face the frigid outdoors.

Before he left, he stood before Thomas. Gently, he shook his shoulder until he woke. His eyes slowly slid open. Alex watched his lips twitch up into a smile.

"I have to go." Alex said. "We need food."

Thomas nodded minutely, sweat covering his forehead. "I'll stay here."

Alex huffed a short laugh. The most humor he's felt in a while. He whispered, "Good call."

Thomas reached for his hand and squeezed it. Alex could hear how stuffy his nose was in his voice. "I love you sooo much."

"Yeah." Alex squeezed his hand back. Thomas' eyes closed and he let out a rough cough. Alex stepped back, feeling their fingers lose contact. "I know."

He left before he could overthink it. They needed food; he's the only one who could find it. Their gun didn't have many bullets left. Each one had to count.

Snow crunched under his shoes, as he climbed over drifts. He kept an eye out for any animals, but the woods were silent. The cloudy sky offered little hope for sunlight. Alex tried to keep the house in sight, but it was soon lost behind the trees.

Alex found a spot to rest at the base of a tree. Even though the air felt hard and cold in his lungs, his body felt hot from the walk. He held his gun in his lap and waited in silence. His only hope was for a critter to walk by.

Alex focused on his breathing and maintaining his energy. He had never hunted before, but he knew hunters had spots where they hunkered down and waited. Kind of like fishing, in a way. Alex let out a slow sigh and waited.

The trees were his only company; strong and sturdy above him. He watched them as he waited. When he lived in the city, he believed forests to be still; but that wasn't true. The forest danced before him in a slow, somber ballet. Branches swayed in the wind. Snow blows across the ground like a light mist. A single bird swoops past the treetops. Ever moving, ever so slightly.

Something darts across his vision. Alex points the gun towards it and fires. The sound of the gunshot echoed off the trees, but nothing dropped dead. He missed. Alex lowered the gun and looked around, but the little creature was gone.

"Shit." Alex muttered under his breath, sitting back against the tree. He felt his pulse in his hands. He needed to shake them to make the sensation stop. He got comfy against the trunk, knowing it'd be a while until his heart rate and the forest settled.


In the silence that followed, hours later, Alex saw another jolt of motion. This time, he could clearly see it was a rabbit. It's fur blended in with the frost, but Alex could see it's wide eyes. He moved slowly while positioning his gun. He couldn't just shoot wildly; he'd never hit it.

He aimed at the rabbit and tried to ignore his guilt. He was by no means a vegetarian, but it felt worse to be the one to shoot it. Alex imagined it was a zombie instead of a fluffy bunny.

He fired. The rabbit dropped to the floor and painted the snow red.

Alex blinked. No- no way! He didn't just- he totally did!

He stood up as quickly as his freezing body would allow. A little laugh escaped his lips as he made his way over to the dead rabbit. It's crumbled form wasn't a pretty sight, and Alex groaned upon looking at it.

"Oh, this is going to suck." Alex said to himself as he realized he brought no bag to put the body in. He picked the rabbit up by it's back legs with minor gagging. He held the rabbit at arms length away from him at all times.

He quickly figured out which way he came from and started his treck back to the house. He had a man waiting for him.


Thomas was awake when Alex came back. He smiled at him sleepily and mumbled under his breath. Alex had left the rabbit in the kitchen - it only felt logical - before he came in to check on Thomas. Alex crawled into the bed next to him and placed his hand on Thomas' forehead.

It felt warm and sweaty. Alex pulled his hand away, running it through Thomas' hair instead. Thomas blinked slowly, reaching up and taking Alex's hand in his own. He squeezed it, and Alex smiled.

"How do you feel?" Alex asked.

Thomas didn't respond at first. His face twisted in a snarl and he groaned. He held Alex's hand tighter and stayed still for a long moment. Then he let out a sigh and grumbled, "Headache."

Alex sighed to himself, his chest twisting in sympathy. He leaned down and kissed Thomas' sweaty forehead. Thomas made a small noise as Alex sat up. He said quietly, "I got some food."

"I'm proud of you." Thomas responded, his voice a little slurry. He moved to sit up, but Alex pushed him back down. Thomas' other hand landed on his hip, guiding him closer.

"I have to figure out how to cook it first." Alex said, grinning. Thomas leaned up and dropped a featherlight peck on Alex's cheek. He felt his skin heat up in a blush. Alex glanced away, muttering, "You need to rest."

Thomas groaned again, his face scrunching up in pain. He threw his hand over his eyes and hissed, "Head hurts."

"I know, dear." Alex sighed, moving out of bed to start their meal. He had to figure out how to start a fire indoors. There's no way he's going back outside again today.

Gathering his thoughts, he stood in the kitchen. The sink was wide and deep, plenty of room for a makeshift fireplace. He grabbed curtains off the window and tore them apart with a knife. He tossed the little shreds into the bottom of the sink. He continued gathering scraps of fabric from around the house to put in the sink. Then he moved on to paper. Once he was satisfied with his base, Alex searched through the drawers until he found a box of matches.

He lit the pile on fire and watched it burn for a few seconds. Then he turned to the nearest cabinet door and ripped it off its hinges. He hit it against the wall until the wood splintered in pieces.

Alex tossed those bits of wood into the fire. Once he thought the fire would burn long enough for him to leave it, he turned to the rabbit carcass on the counter. Blood had gathered beside it, and Alex couldn't look the rabbit in the eye.

He held his knife tighter in his hand and groaned. This was going to suck.


Skinning and dismantling a rabbit carcass was probably the grossest thing Alex had ever done in his life. So far. But once he had chunks of meat on a skillet over the fire, and the smell of cooking food filled the air, Alex figured it was worth it. At some point he had to open the window to let the smoke out; the fire alarm blaring loudly in his ear. Thank god that still had batteries. So useful in the apocalypse.

Alex removed its batteries and stuffed them in his pocket. He felt much like a squirrel, searching for anything that might be useful in the future and hiding it away somewhere.

He stayed beside the fire until the rabbit meat was cooked through. He found bowls in the cabinet and scooped the rabbit into two of them. He remembered where the silverware was and grabbed some forks.

There was a simple kind of nostalgia to just being in a kitchen. Knowing that supplies were in these cabinets; simple, domestic tools that he had taken for granted. Alex much preferred a fork and bowl to his hands.

Thomas was asleep when Alex came back in, but he woke as soon as Alex sat down on the bed. He smiled at Alex and slowly sat up. Alex placed a bowl in Thomas' lap and leaned against the headrest. He watched Thomas slowly pick up the fork and stab a chunk of meat.

They clinked their forks together and tried it at the same time. Alex didn't mind the flavor; warm and a little earthy. He admitted, he could have added some spices, but he didn't think about it until they were already eating. And now he was too hungry to stop and grab the salt.

Thomas moaned and leaned his head against Alex's shoulder. He mumbled something around the meat that almost sounded like "I love you."
Alex smiled, and said, "It's pretty good."

They continued eating in silence. Alex finished all his quickly, and wished to get more, but he wanted to ration the rabbit as long as they could. Thomas finished his as well and then immediately wrapped his arms around Alex, slumping against him.

"Feel better?" Alex asked.

Thomas moaned in response, burying his nose into Alex's neck. Alex chuckled and ran a hand through Thomas' hair. Thomas' lips moved against his skin, "I think 'm gonna die."

"You're dramatic when you're sick." Alex told him in a whisper.

"You're warm." Thomas responded, snuggling closer.

Alex winced when Thomas sneezed on him. He groaned and said, "Oh my god, you nasty-"

"You can't be mean to me, I'm sick." Thomas said, squeeze Alex closer. His voice sounds nasally and thick with his flu. Alex eventually gave up and slumped back against the headboard.

Alex rubbed Thomas' back and grumbled, "You're lucky you're cute."

Thomas made a happy noise as he relaxed against Alex. It wasn't much longer until he fell asleep on top of him.


The rabbit only lasted them two meals. After that, Alex had to bundle up to try to hunt another. He sat in the frigid cold for hours all day before he had to head home while the sun was going down. He crawled into bed beside Thomas, hungry and empty-handed.

The next day, he went out again, sitting in the cold until his body grew numb. He stayed out there long enough he almost felt one with the trees. Still, frozen, alone.

This pattern continued for another two days until Alex felt sick with hunger. Thomas spoke less and less as the days passed. His temperature never seemed to drop, and his breathing grew shallow again. Alex gave up praying, God wasn't listening.

On the fourth day with no food, Thomas didn't wake from his slumber. Alex rested his head on Thomas' chest, silently listening to his slow heartbeat. His chest heaved with each breath. Alex wanted to cry, but he didn't have the water to spare.

"If you die, I'll kill you." Alex whispered, pressed his face against Thomas' chest. "Please, stay with me."

He eventually gathered his courage and limped out into the snow. His footsteps were slow as he dragged his legs through the snow. His breath felt hot passing his chapped lips. He could hear a pounding in his ears as he trudged to his hunting spot.

His boot hit something hard and he tripped. Alex fell into the snow, grunting in the impact. His shaking body couldn't get itself together enough for him to sit up. He laid still, his heart racing, his breathing shallow.

Alex closed his eyes, feeling the coldness from the snow seep into his clothes. He sighed, feeling his last bits of fight leave him.

I'm sorry, Thomas. Alex thought, a sigh leaving him. He could feel as the snowflakes slowly gathered on his back.


Some strange crunching grew closer, waking Alex from his hazy slumber. The crunching was accompanied by a distinct sniffing noise. Alex shifted minutely, the snow molding around him. Then- a bark.

With more barking, something stepped next to Alex's head. He felt the soft pressure of a dog's nose against his hair. The dog dug some of the snow away, still barking. Alex shifted a little more, but his body simply wouldn't listen when he thought get up.

"There she is!" A voice said, and suddenly more footsteps crunched up to him. Alex's mind couldn't quite catch up with what was happening, but he knew he wasn't alone anymore.

Someone dropped down next to him, and Alex could feel slight pressure against his numb back.

"She found someone!" The same voice called.

More people ran up to him, and Alex's head rolled dizzily as he was moved to his back. Alex groaned and blinked at the light. He couldn't tell their faces, but he saw three people kneeling over him. And a dog. Said dog started licking his face, which only made the air against his skin feel colder.

"Holy shit!" A second voice said, shocked. "Is- is that Alex?"


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