The door slams shut behind him and he fumbles with the multitude of locks decorating it.

Nick's breathing is harsh and quick, only further fueling his racing heart. His bag of canned goods rolls off of the spot he threw it and spills its contents onto the hardwood, the sound catching his attention and sending him into a panic.

He presses his back against the door and tries to catch his breath as he watches the last of the cans roll away from the point of impact.

"J-just the bag…" he mumbles to no one. He tries to laugh despite himself, but the sound dies in his throat as the scenes from the city around him flash back into his head.

Animals were dying everywhere.

Those...things were eating them!

But...why were monsters chatting so casually amongst each other as they chowed down?

If these things are zombies, then they're not any kind of zombies he's heard of before. These ones still maintain their intelligence once they get back up. They die, they rise, they talk and they eat. One of those things does not belong!

The world has lost its mind.

And Judy…

She…

The sound of running outside his apartment door sends Nick spinning in a circle, trying to stay as far away from any sources of movement as he can. He stares at the door with wide eyes and waits in the terrible silence.

The only sound he can hear now is his heart trying to beat out of his chest.

He thinks that maybe the source of the noise has passed by. Maybe it was another resident of the apartment complex running for the safety of their home. Nick's breathing starts to slow down.

But then-

THMP THMP THMP!

Nick almost throws up as the sound of someone pounding on his door reaches his ears. The knocking only grows in intensity as the seconds pass.

Then a voice he thought he would never hear again rings out.

"NICK!"

The fox's heart drops as he recognizes the sound of his best friend's voice coming from the other side of his door.

It can't be her. It CAN'T be!

"Nick, please! They're coming! Let me in!"

Fighting against his instincts to help her, Nick forces his paws over his ears and crouches down, trying to shut out the noise of his favorite bunny crying out for help. He tries clenching his eyes shut, but can see nothing but the smiling face of the optimistic rabbit flashing behind his eyelids.

"NICK! NICK, HELP!"

He's in hell. This can't be real. It's a nightmare. It HAS to be!

"NO! NONONO AHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH~!"

The sounds of violence break through the barrier of his paws.

He looks up at the door, the sounds of Judy's agonizing wails burning themselves deep into his brain, destined to haunt him forever.

His eyes scan the door as screaming stops. In its place, a loud chewing sound echoes across the walls of his room. But something is obviously out of place.

Slowly and with trembling legs, Nick stands back up. He moves a bit closer to the door, just so he can place his ear against the wood. Something becomes painfully obvious the moment he gets a better listen to what's going on in the hallway.

He gives a great heaving sigh and bangs on the door.

"HEY! YOU'RE NOT FOOLING ANYONE WITH THOSE NOM NOM SOUNDS!"

"Yes I am! Oh...I mean, uhm...blood blooood blood?"

The exhausted fox collapses with his back against the door and slides the rest of the way down. On the other side, he can hear whoever is at his door scampering around doing...something.

"Nick! Can I come in?" her voice asks in a much more pleasant voice. He sees that she's quick to give up on her 'Save me!' act.

"Why would I let you in?" Nick scoffs and crosses his legs to make himself a bit more comfortable. His movement draws some increased scampering just outside the door. It sounds like she's scratching at the bottom of the door. What, does she think she can just DIG her way under the door?

"Uh, why wouldn't you? We're partners, remember?" she shoots back.

Nick's temper starts to rise.

"No, JUDY is my partner. Whatever you are, whatever became of her...you're not Judy. You're just one of the monsters out there killing everyone you can get your rotten little paws on."

A loud but less forceful thump hits the door.

Was that her head?

"Nick...I AM Judy…" Her voice is much more sullen now, sounding like she's genuinely upset at his apparent lack of trust in her. A lightning bolt of pain shoots through Nick and his first thought is that he just hurt his best friend's feelings.

But then he remembers why she's doing this.

It's what they do.

They use the bodies of the ones you love to get you.

"I want her back...give her back…" Nick whines, feeling his composure starting to fail him. The scratching sound comes back in full force.

"Stop that!" Nick barks.

"NO!"

"What are you even doing?! That's so annoying!" The fox holds his ears back down against his head, trying to shut out the incessant scritching.

"Then open the door and I'll stop!" she yells back, only increasing her efforts.

"If you were Judy, why would you want to get in here and kill me?!" Nick's anger reaches a boiling point, offended at this creature's use of his loved ones against him.

The scratching stops.

"I...don't want to hurt you…I just want us to be partners again…" she whines.

"If I let you in here and you bit me like you're obviously trying to do, I'd die. I'd die a slow, horrible death and I'd end up just as rotten as you!"

"Nick, I swear! It's not as bad as you think! It's actually pretty neat, not having to breathe and all. I ran the whole way here at a dead sprint and I'm not even tired!" she boasts.

"Forgive me for disagreeing, but I REALLY don't find the idea of being a decaying corpse appealing in the slightest," Nick spits. A loud groan of frustration comes from outside his door.

"You're going to make me pull my ears off! Nick! Just...please, let me in."

"No."

"...Yes."

"No!"

"Yes!"

"NO!"

"YES!"

"I'd sooner jump out my window than let you turn me into one of those things," Nick's tone lowers as he pulls his knees to his chest.

"Well, don't do that. If you die like that, you won't come back! I don't want to lose my partner!"

Who does this zombie think she's fooling?

"MY PARTNER IS DEAD! I saw her get flung around by that infected tiger! I tried to save her but I couldn't! I couldn't and now...now...she's gone…"

Nick buries his face into his arms and sniffles, letting his emotions break through his mask. It's just too much to bear. She was the one mammal who saw him for more than just a crooked thief and he let her get killed. It's all his fault.

All his fault.

All his fault.

"...Hey, please don't cry. I mean, yes, I am dead, but I'm not gone. I'm right here, right?"

"No, you're not. You're not Judy."

"Yes! I! AM!"

"No."

"Yes!"

"No!"

"Yes!"

"...Yes!"

"NO! FOR THE LAST TIME, I'M NOT J-"

A small grin spreads across the fox's face, parting the trails of tears staining his muzzle.

"Oooh, you sly fox."

Her words hit Nick in the chest like a bullet and suddenly he's seeing stars.

"...You...dumb bunny…"

They stay silent for the next few moments as it starts to sink in. This undead creature of nightmares is actually somehow Judy Hopps. His best friend and partner.

"...Hi, Carrots."

"Hey yourself, Slick." Her voice is one of relief in the fact that he finally accepted her true identity. Besides for the clicking of her jaws together, she almost sounds just like herself. If he closes his eyes, he can almost pretend that he didn't see her eating the armadillo lady that she rents her apartment from.

"I'm still not letting you in."

"NICHOLAS WILDE, YOU LET ME IN THIS ROOM OR I SWEAR-"