Warning: Chapter contains violence and disturbing imagery. Proceed with caution. (I will provide warnings like this in the beginning of chapters where they're needed.)

*Chapter Two: What's in the basement?

(October 4th, 2017, Wednesday Morning)

With one window down and the radio off, Natsu drove slowly to listen for anything that might be helpful. He wished his engine was quieter, but that was the problem with his truck. It roared, causing him to drive less than five miles an hour to avoid making noise.

The dirt road seemed to go on forever, but the odometer marked his journey at two miles. His eyes widened, Natsu realizing the path led straight into the woods. He knew it wasn't wise to drive past the tree line. Escape would be nearly impossible if he had to turn around quickly.

Weighing his options, Natsu parked ten feet away from the tree line. Cutting the engine off, he jumped out of the truck with a determined glint in his eyes. Max was coming home alive, no matter what Natsu had to do.

Following the scattered footprints, he headed into the woods. Immediately his surroundings became dark, the trees blocking the sun. He would be harder to see, but so would any zombies in the area. Knowing the black line was drawn miles away, there was a chance the forest was infested.

With one knife out, Natsu passed tree after tree with his eyes peeled. He listened, but nothing indicated he was in danger. Part of Natsu wondered if the footprints never belonged to Max. Maybe he was hiding out in one of the houses?

Shaking his head, Natsu dismissed that thought. Max would have come out once he saw Natsu driving outside, right? He couldn't let himself get distracted with stupid ideas. Carefully walking the dirt path, he avoided sticks and dead leaves to remain stealthy.

It reminded him of when he was eight, playing ninjas with Gray and Erza around the orphanage. Of course the only danger back then was getting caught and scolded. Now if he was found he might be bitten.

Bites equaled infection, so he stayed alert.

He was tempted to shout Max's name, but as soon as he opened his mouth, his throat locked up.

A sickening squishing sound came from his left. He stilled, recognizing the noise. He had heard zombies feasting many times. It was a sound that haunted his dreams.

Slowly, he turned his head, heartbeat doubling when he saw where the noise was coming from. Twenty feet away were two zombies, crouched over and eating something. The fresh blood spread over their mouths and hands had Natsu cringing. He couldn't see what they were eating due to the tall grass, but he couldn't help but fear the worse.

'Max.'

Realizing he hadn't been noticed yet, Natsu started backing up. He didn't know if they were walkers or sprinters, so he pulled out the wireless doorbell from his pocket to find out. Setting it down a few feet away from a thick tree, he hid behind it as he prepared.

Pulling out the remote, he quickly switched the battery around so it would work. He kept the battery in the wrong position when he didn't use it to avoid accidentally setting it off or wasting the charge. Taking a shaky breath to calm his racing heart, Natsu pressed the button on the remote.

"Ding dong!"

The air left Natsu's lungs once he heard a snarl. Feeling his body sweat with nerves, he took another deep breath to relax. He wouldn't admit it to other people, but he was terrified of zombies. Acting tough was a front. He was just like everyone else.

He wanted to live, and the undead were his biggest threat to survival.

Holding his breath, Natsu heard uneven footsteps approaching. He tensed when he saw a zombie stagger past the tree, languidly traveling as it searched for the source of the noise. A knife stuck out from its neck, causing Natsu's heart to drop.

He tried not to think about whose knife that was, wanting to focus on his enemy.

Seeing as it didn't run towards the sound, Natsu deemed it a walker, the slower of the zombie race. Glancing at the direction it came from, he saw the other hadn't followed. Grip tightening on his knife, he sprang into action.

In a flash, Natsu ran up to the walker, grabbing it by the shoulder before driving his knife into its skull. It went in easily since he used a strong and deliberate motion, but he struggled pulling it out. Body suction trapped his knife in the skull, blood and lack of air creating a suction that locked his blade into place.

The corpse fell to the ground, lifeless like it had been the first time the body died, only now it wouldn't come back to life.

Jerking the knife back and forth, Natsu tried removing it from the corpse. One sharp twist cracked the skull open to let air flow into the wound, freeing his knife. He wished he had a hunting or tactical knife, most being equipped to handle that specific issue.

Shaking the knife, he removed a bit of the blood before turning around. He wasn't fully turned before he heard rustling, jolting when he saw the other zombie staring at him a few feet away. Blood dripped down its chin as its red eyes zeroed in on Natsu, baring its teeth before sprinting towards him.

"Fuck!"

Natsu gripped his knife, running away from the attacking zombie as it growled at him. Sticking to the trail, he led the zombie out of the forest and back to the dirt road. He didn't have time to get to the safety of his truck, the sprinter inches behind him.

Taking a risk, Natsu jumped out to the side while kicking his leg out. Tripping, the sprinter fell to the ground with a snarl. Natsu didn't hesitate to jump on its back, cursing when he dropped his knife in the process. The sprinter tried standing up before attempting to bite Natsu's arm that wrapped around its neck. While the zombie struggled in Natsu's grasp, he felt blindly at his hip for his other knife.

They rolled around on the ground, the sprinter trying to feast on his newest target while Natsu's heart pounded out of control. The disgusting smell almost overpowered him, Natsu's sensitive nose becoming a weakness to the decaying flesh, piss, and shit clinging to its body.

Barely managing to unsnap the strap around his knife, he brought it up and stabbed the sprinter in the side of the head. It took two tries before he pierced the skull, slicing into the brain.

The sprinter's body went limp, letting Natsu relax as he fell onto his back, heart pounding and body shaking. He sucked in gulps of air, but his lungs never felt full. His hands were covered in dirt and blood, pink hair sticking to his sweaty forehead as he panted. The shower he took yesterday was ruined, but he didn't care.

He was alive. That was all that mattered.

"Shit! That was too fuckin' close."

Minutes later Natsu stood, his breathing regulated. He dragged the sprinter's body to the side of the road so he wouldn't deal with it when he drove back. Grabbing his other knife, Natsu headed back into the woods.

Finding the dead walker where he left it, Natsu crouched down to inspect the knife sticking out from its neck. Swallowing, he realized he was right. The knife belonged to Max, the handle wrapped in masking tape with his name written in marker.

Natsu removed the knife, dropping it seconds later when he remembered the zombies had been eating something. Cursing, he made his way over to where he found the undead earlier. His heart dropped when he saw sandy brown hair attached to a devoured, bloody body.

"Damn it!" Grimacing, Natsu balled his hands into fists as he gnashed his teeth. It was Max's body. No doubt about it.

Dropping to his knees, he yelled when he realized there was nothing he could do. Max was dead, his motionless heart revealed through the torn flesh and broken bones. He couldn't be saved.

His eyes flitted to his face, Natsu's stomach twisting when he saw the mangled flesh. His head was split open, a rock beside him drenched in blood. If Natsu had to guess, he would say Max tripped while running away from the zombies, hitting his head on the rock.

'I hope the fall killed him,' Natsu thought, knowing it was less cruel than being eaten alive.

Natsu barely held back the urge to scream. It wasn't fair! Max didn't deserve to die! He wanted to save his friend, but instead he found him slaughtered and half-eaten. Why did it seem like all his roommates were destined to die brutal deaths?

Punching the ground, Natsu muttered to himself about self control. There was a time and a place for grieving, andtoffee base wasn't it.

He had to stay focus, or he might be next.

Natsu slowly walked back to his truck, his two bloody knives in his hands while he suppressed his emotions. He dropped his weapons on the ground, plopping himself beside them as he unzipped the extensions on his shorts. He used them and the grass to clean the knives off as best he could, knowing he risked blood contamination if he accidentally cut himself with them.

When they were relatively clean, he secured them to his belt. Using the bottle of hand sanitizer in his vehicle, he cleaned his hands and arms. They didn't know all the ways a person could get infected, so it was better to be cautious.

Deeming himself clean enough, Natsu started his truck. He drove into the woods, hoping there were no other undead in the area since he would have trouble turning around. Stopping, he hopped out with the tarp in hand. He hated that Nobarly was right, imagining the smug look on that asshole's face when he would have to turn in his weapons.

He felt a sharp sting in his heart when he drove Max's knife through the man's skull. It had to be done. Max couldn't go back to Fairy Tail to be buried unless he was confirmed dead, no chance of coming back to life.

Zero tolerance for zombies, plain and simple.

"Not fucking fair," Natsu muttered, spreading the dirty tarp out before grabbing Max's legs. He hated dragging his body across the ground, knowing it was disrespectful, but he couldn't risk getting infected. The tarp itself looked to be a hazard, dried blood from countless other bodies stained the blue material. Max wasn't the first to be laying on it, and as much as Natsu didn't want to admit it, he wouldn't be the last.

Natsu fumbled to wrap him in the tarp by himself. It took him a while, but he managed to lift the dead body into the bed of his truck. Hoping his blood wouldn't drip from the tarp, Natsu closed the tailgate before placing Max's dirty knife in the back. Fairy Tail couldn't afford to lose any weapons.

A gust of wind blew by, but Natsu didn't react. The chilly weather didn't affect him like it did others, his body running hotter than most. He could go shirtless and be fine, especially after running from that sprinter. His shirt clung to his skin with sweat, pink hair wild from the run.

There were two types of zombies that Natsu knew about. Walkers and sprinters. They did just as their name suggested. All infected humans died, turning into sprinters moments later. Over time some of them slowed down while others stayed just as fast and alert as when they were turned. No one at Fairy Tail knew why the undead reacted differently to the virus.

Three months had passed since the outbreak, and they were still lacking so many answers to what was happening.

Fetching his wireless doorbell and remote, he switched the battery before putting it in his truck. It came in handy when trying to figure out what type of zombie he faced, one of his many tricks he used to survive when he was off base.

Except when he acted as a clearer. Then he charged with everyone else to kill as many zombies as possible.

Natsu grabbed the handle to his door to leave, but his ears picked up the sound of rustling leaves. He stopped, eyes flitting until he found the source. A sigh deflated his chest when he saw it was just a small deer grazing nearby.

His fingers twitched before he gripped the handle of one of his knives, only to stop when he realized there was a chance his knives weren't sterile. Even if he caught the deer, he might ruin the meat with infected blood.

It was probably for the best. He wasn't a hunter. However, there was no harm in watching, a soft smiling tugging at his lips as he watched it for a moment.

A squirrel scurring by scared the deer, causing it to run off down the path. Natsu's curiosity got the better of him as he followed, knowing there was no way he was catching up.

He was already out, Max was gone, and his bosy was coated in sweat anyway. It didn't matter to him if he walked down the path, taking the time to smell the roses.

Or in his case, the wildflowers.

He walked for a minute or two, wishing his friends were with him to see the gorgeous view. 'If only I brought my phone.'

With how shitty the world had grown, it was sometimes hard to see the beauty left.

Then a bird pooped on the toe of his foot, Natsu groaning as he decided he was done with nature for the day. He glared at the offending bird, eyes slowly widening when he saw light filtering in stronger in the distance. He thought the forest would extend further, but maybe he was near the end?

Natsu hadn't been to the country much. He used to live in the suburbs with his family, but at thirteen he'd been in an apartment with his dad. A twinge of pain spread through his chest when he thought of Igneel. Pushing that feeling aside, he wondered what was beyond the trees. He knew he should get back to Fairy Tail, but his curiosity was burning.

He followed the light until he made it past the clearing of trees. Adjusting to the light, Natsu blinked, slowly taking in the sight before him. He saw a grassy opening, a few more trees, but more importantly, connecting to the end of the dirt road was a house.

"What the?" Natsu took a few more steps, shocked to see the home. Glancing at the front door, he noticed it had no spray paint on it. "Shit," he mumbled, unsure if it was a good thing he found a house.

'What if someone lives there?' was outweighed by 'What if there's supplies inside?'

Running to fetch his truck, he drove it down the dirt road to the other side of the forest. With his mind preoccupied with the possibilities inside that house, Natsu forgot to look for danger. He didn't follow protocol, which stated he was to inspect the outside of the house before going in. Instead he went straight to the front door after jumping out of his truck.

He didn't knock on the door to see if any humans -or zombies- were inside. Instead he went right in once he found the door unlocked, turning on his headlamp so he could see.

He didn't call out or make noise to see if he could hear anything inside. Needing a win after finding Max dead made him careless.

Carelessness often got people killed.

Walking through the first floor of the two-story house, Natsu noted the old fashioned furniture and decorations. It was something he saw in older movies, nothing he would pick if he had a house of his own. He found himself in what appeared to be the living room, couches gathered around a coffee table with a tube TV sitting in front of a fireplace.

Smiling, he grabbed the pack of cigarettes on the coffee table, counting to see it was almost a full pack. They would last him at least a week if he rationed them.

Eyes flitted to a bookcase, noticing the small collection. Wanting a better look, he walked over to inspect the books, realizing the titles ranged from country living to gardening tips. He picked up one, seeing it covered how to preserve food grown naturally.

Natsu didn't hesitate to gather all the books, bringing them to his truck. He didn't care if some of them were dirty and the covers were falling off. Fairy Tail could benefit from the knowledge.

Speaking of gardening, Natsu didn't go back inside in favor of looking at the back of the house. He wasn't going to make sure the place was clear. Instead he went to see if the house had a garden.

It did, but it wasn't filled with edible food.

Natsu covered his nose, disgusted with the scene he found. The vegetables growing in the garden were rotten, covered in bugs and flies. He guessed they hadn't been tended to lately.

He wished that was the only rancid thing he found, but unfortunately for him, it wasn't.

The sight in front of him was horrendous. Covering his nose did little to mask the terrible smell coming from the dead animal on the ground, five feet away from the edge of the garden. Maggots infested the creature's body. He could barely tell what it was, most of its body devoured, a chain running from the carcass to a post.

If he had to guess, he'd say it was a dog. What other animal would be chained up in a backyard? He had to wonder if the animal died in pain. Did it starve or was it eaten alive? Both fates were too cruel to imagine.

He wouldn't know either way. When animals got bitten they didn't die from the infection and come back. They either died from blood loss or survived. Natsu didn't know any animals who personally got bitten, and he planned to keep it that way.

Natsu had to force himself not to vomit. He had seen plenty of dead things in the last few months, but dead animals always got to him. He couldn't help but picture Happy like that, torn to pieces and left out as a meal for a traveling zombie.

'Zombie.'

Natsu looked around, finally making sure the area was clear of undead. As he scoped the place out, he noticed a shed. Quickly making his way to the structure, Natsu ripped the door open and started searching. He found what he was looking for, a shovel hanging on the wall.

Tucking his nose into his shirt, he made his way over to the rotting carcass and began shoveling dirt over it. It was the best way to get rid of the rancid smell. When he could no longer see the animal, he stopped shoveling.

Turning back to the garden, he decided to see if anything was salvageable. The tomatoes were decomposing, the lettuce a dark brown and moldy. He uprooted a few plants, only to find them devoured by insects. Cursing, Natsu gave up on the garden and instead decided to see what else he could find.

Making his way back to the shed, he cleared out all the tools he thought Fairy Tail could use as well as the bags of fertilizer and the large rain barrel. They had a job called 'maintenance' and needed all the tools they could get. One of the tools was a reel mower, something he hoped would help the base since the growing grass was getting out of hand.

Giving it a test, Natsu pushed the reel mower over the tall grass. It cut most of it, leaving behind dandelions and other weeds. The mower made a loud, continuous clicking sound, but it was quieter than a gas-powered mower. Speaking of which, he saw one in the shed, but he left it behind since Fairy Tail already had a few gas mowers they couldn't use because they wanted to conserve gas.

Natsu piled what he found in the bed of his truck, next to Max's wrapped body. No blood had spilled from the tarp, but Natsu knew he needed to get back to base quickly before it did. With water being precious, he would have to wait until it rained to clean any blood that coated his truck.

Infected blood was a hazard.

Natsu made his way back into the house, growling stomach guiding him to the kitchen. He ignored the dirty dishes in the sink, the smell coming from them making his nose wrinkle. It wasn't nearly as bad as the smell outside, something he could tolerate without feeling the need to vomit.

Natsu knew it was a bad idea, but he opened the refrigerator anyway. Met with the sight of moldy and spoiled food, Natsu gathered all the drinks before shutting the door for good. There were three bottles of water and a sports drink inside, something that would help replenish his energy.

Acting as a 'runner' now, Natsu took advantage of his situation and opened the sports drink. The date was still good, even if it expired in a few weeks. Time was something the survivors refused to give up on. Natsu had a calendar in his room to keep track of the days, not wanting to get lost in the new apocalyptic world. He wrote in a journal to keep track of his daily activities. He also had a watch, but he forgot it in his room.

With the drink half-empty, Natsu started rummaging through the cabinets. He pulled out every bit of canned food he could find, wishing they had more, but thankful it was something. Not only were there regular cans of food, the cabinets were stocked with mason jars filled with fruits and vegetables. He didn't know if they were still good or not, but it was worth taking back to base to find out.

Luckily the house was stocked with bags of flour and sugar, something Mira could use when preparing meals. Food was rationed, so the cooks needed anything they could get. He grabbed the box of trash bags under the sink and got to work, bagging up everything he could find that would be useful to Fairy Tail.

Opening the door to the pantry, Natsu nearly cried in joy. Sitting on the floor was a large bag of cat food, dog food, and a twenty-four pack of bottled water. A tear fell down his cheek when he saw the food was tuna-flavored, thankful he had something Happy would actually eat.

Natsu frowned when he realized he hadn't found a cat yet. He wondered if it was somewhere in the house or if it had been outside like the dog. Hoping for the latter, he knew it wouldn't survive long being trapped indoors with no one to feed it.

Leaving out a few expired granola bars to eat on the drive back, Natsu cleared out the kitchen and loaded the bags by the front door. It wouldn't be long before the bed was filled up, but luckily he had a crew cab, giving him room in the backseat for items. He could also pile things on the passenger seat.

Natsu wished he had a trailer for his truck. Fairy Tail could use more furniture, even if the couches and chairs in the house were dingy and smelled weird. Anything was better than nothing. Tearing apart the dog toys in the living room, Natsu collected the squeakers. They could come in handy when trying to distract a zombie.

Entering the garage, he found an assortment of tools the base could benefit from. He grabbed things that could be used as weapons, mainly some hunting items like cleaning knives and processing kits, hoping Freed would be pleased with his haul.

"Wonder what's up there..."

When the living room and kitchen were mostly cleared, he made his way upstairs. The wood creaked under his weight, but his mind wasn't thinking about danger. He figured if he hadn't heard anything yet that meant nothing was home.

He was wrong.

Natsu went into the first door on the left, realizing it was a bedroom. His eyes widened when he noticed a gun cabinet next to the dressers, the clear glass revealing a shotgun and a hunting rifle. Without hesitation, Natsu kicked at the glass, shattering it so he could grab the weapons and the boxes of ammo at the bottom.

"Well this will help..."

Knowing how scarce firearms were, Natsu immediately went to his truck and put them under the backseat for safe keeping. He wouldn't be able to fit much more into his vehicle after he loaded the trash bags full of supplies, which were still sitting by the door. Natsu didn't worry about anyone occupying the house. The dead animal and rotting garden assured him whoever used to live in the house was no longer around.

They were probably caught up in town when the outbreak started. Not many people survived that horrific day. If it weren't for his friends, Natsu wouldn't have survived either.

The dead animal and dying garden weren't his only clues. There were no vehicles around the house, no tire tracks besides the ones from his truck. It was a shame, really. If there was a vehicle he could try to siphon the gas, but he wasn't very good at it. He saw a water hose out back, but it wouldn't help him now.

Walking back to the house, Natsu gave it a real look over. The paint outside was faded, peeling in some areas. A window in the front was cracked and dirty, not allowing him to see inside. Two chairs rested on the porch, but he didn't want to bring them back to Fairy Tail due to the torn material and musty smell coming from the fabric.

Overall it was an old house in the middle of nowhere, but Natsu was thankful for it. Max died, and that would haunt him for a while, but at least he wouldn't be going back to Fairy Tail empty-handed. He was glad he brought his truck, even if he would waste a decent amount of gas during the trip.

Natsu ignored the pictures on the wall when he walked back into the house. He didn't want to be reminded that someone lived there before the outbreak. It was easier to disassociate himself by avoiding the photos.

Going back to that first room with the gun cabinet, Natsu checked the dressers and closets. He found outfits for a man and a woman, including hunting clothing. "Alzack can use these," Natsu mumbled as he gathered them into his arms.

After dumping the clothes into his backseat, he went back to the room, finding an old sewing machine and supplies on the top shelf of the closet. With limited electricity, they couldn't use the machine, but the excess thread and needles would be helpful. Natsu left the room, a bag of sewing items and more clothes in hand.

Walking downstairs, Natsu made his way to the front door again. He was about to touch the knob when his sharp ears picked up a clicking sound behind him.

Natsu dropped down and spun, ditching the items in his hands and gripping the handle of his knife. Searching the area, he didn't see any movement, but he was positive he heard something. Pulling one of his knives out for protection, he asked in a firm tone, "Hello?"

Waiting for a reply that never came, Natsu tensed. He jerked his head around to make sure he was still alone, fearing an ambush. He'd never experienced one before, but it was a possibility, even with the human population dwindling.

Feeling stupid for not checking every inch of the place before he started picking it clean, Natsu stood up. Zombies snarled, moaned, and groaned when they heard noise, sometimes growling when it was dead silent. A zombie wouldn't be able to resist the noises Natsu made, so he was pretty sure it wasn't one of the infected.

With his headlamp still on, Natsu started walking towards where he thought the sound came from. There were three doors he didn't try going in when looking around. He wanted to get the more valuable items before wasting time on closets or restrooms.

Slowly gripping the doorknob of the first door, he twisted it to push it open. He was met with the sight of an empty bathroom, mind telling him to check the medicine cabinet later for any first aid items or pills. Grandeeney needed more supplies with how often everyone got injured.

Closing the door, Natsu made his way to the second. He jerked it open, finding a closet full of clothes. After making sure it didn't have anyone inside, he shut the door.

'Only one more to go,' he thought, moving in front of the door. Grabbing the knob, he tried twisting it.

Nothing.

Frowning, Natsu realized it was locked. "Is someone in there?" He didn't expect an answer, but his eyes grew wide when he heard something on the other side of the door. It sounded like creaking wood. Confused, he knocked. "Hello?"

He pressed his ear to the door, jaw dropping when he heard a soft sniffle followed by someone taking a shaky breath. Someone was alive. "H-hey!" He knocked again, hoping they would respond.

He couldn't believe he found someone. It had been well over a month since Fairy Tail found its last survivor. The infection spread so quickly, they assumed they were the only ones left alive in Magnolia.

The person on the other side had gone silent, so he knocked again. "Can you answer the door?"

The sudden sob caused a random thought to pop into his head. 'What if the person is a witch?' He shook his head, knowing there was no way a zombie from the video game 'Left 4 Dead' would become real. Then again, no one thought zombies would exist in the first place, but here they were, stuck in the zombie apocalypse.

If he saw a tank running at him he would probably shit his pants, much like the zombies did. Though, he suspected they did it because they didn't know any better, their minds simple.

"Hello?" Natsu asked, looking down to see a small gap under the door. Getting on his knees, Natsu took off his headlamp to shine it through the gap. Green eyes widened when he made out two pale legs, crimson liquid dripping down them.

"Shit! Are you bleeding?!"

His only response was sniffles before he saw the legs shifting until they were too far away, the sound of creaking increasing as darkness swallowed his vision.

Feeling himself getting irritated, he yelled, "Answer me! If you're bleeding you need help! Just open the door!"

The silence made him grit his teeth. Why wouldn't they want help? He clearly wasn't a zombie, so he posed them no threat. Standing up, Natsu failed to keep his voice calm. "If you won't open the door, I'll just have to open it myself! Stand back!"

Without thinking, Natsu took a step back, lifting his leg before he kicked at the door, next to the knob. Wood cracked and his foot throbbed as his heel sunk into the hollow door. Holding back a growl, he kicked it again, breaking through the flimsy wood to the other side.

He already saw Max dead. He wasn't going to let anyone else die if he could help it. The person was bleeding, and he needed to help them. He didn't care if they wanted it or not. The human race needed to stick together if they had any hope for survival.

Natsu put his headlamp back on his head before pushing his hand through the hole, fumbling with the other side until he found the doorknob. He flicked the lock to gain access to the room. He opened the door, nearly tripping down the stairs when he took a few steps forward.

"What the fuck?!"

Holding onto the door frame, Natsu reeled back. Tilting his head down, the light showed a flight of stairs leading down to what appeared to be a basement. The air in front of him was colder compared to the rest of the house.

Taking a few hesitant steps down the stairs, Natsu kept his mind sharp as he looked around. He couldn't see much with his simple headlamp, but it was better than nothing. Despite it being a stupid question, Natsu asked the darkness, "Is... anyone there?"

His ears perked up when he heard something shuffling against the ground. Confused, Natsu tried looking around. At the bottom of the stairs he saw concrete.

With a tight grip on the wooden rail, Natsu made his way down the stairs, heartbeat picking up every few steps at the uncertainty he faced.

"Hello?" Natsu whispered, feeling a familiar tick of fear building in his chest. Despite knowing a zombie wasn't down there —there was no way it wouldn't snarl at that point, he felt afraid knowing that something was down there and wasn't talking back to him.

'Is this a trap?'

Hands shaking, Natsu stopped. Closing his eyes, he focused on the slight sounds he heard. Breathing filled his ears, labored if he had to guess. Furrowing his brows, Natsu opened his eyes to look over the stairs and towards the basement. His eyes widened a bit when he realized his headlamp wasn't the only thing providing the area with light.

Quickly throwing a hand over the headlamp, Natsu's eyes focused on the sliver of light coming from a wall. Squinting his eyes, he saw what appeared to be a dirty window, placed at the top of the wall. It was opened, allowing light to trickle in, but it wasn't enough to tell what was in the room.

Hand falling, Natsu let his light shine. His grip tightened on his knife, hoping his reflexes would kick in if needed. He knew he was going about things all wrong, but he couldn't help himself. After seeing Max dead he wanted to help. If only the person wasn't being so difficult.

'What if there's more than one person?' Natsu thought, feeling hopeful. More people meant a better chance at fighting back against the undead. They had to reclaim their city eventually, but for now they focused on surviving one day at a time.

Reaching the bottom, Natsu let go of the rail. He looked at the ground first, seeing specks of red on the concrete. It had to be blood. Natsu couldn't imagine it as anything else. Slowly, he looked up, letting his eyes wander over the floor.

Looking at the wall closest to him, he noticed a few shelves with boxes on them. It didn't look abnormal, so he kept searching. His eyes froze when he saw a small lizard, crawling on the wall. He let out a laugh as the thing tried to scurry away from him, but he stopped once he heard someone let out a violent cough.

Head snapping to the direction of the noise, Natsu's breath hitched when he finally saw the person he was looking for. Jaw going slack, he looked at one of the corners in the room where someone was crouched, blood and dirt clung to the ground under them.

His eyes raked over the person, realizing it was a woman. Tearing his eyes away from hers to glance around the basement, Natsu could see they were alone. That meant she was alone. 'Unless whoever's with her is out right now,' Natsu reminded himself, not wanting to lessen his guard.

Staring at her, he tried to take in her features as best he could. She had dark blonde hair with dark eyes. Her face was dirty, as well as the rest of her exposed skin. He saw the tremble in her busted lip, the tear tracks on her cheeks, and the puffiness around her eyes.

Her hand twitched, calling his attention. She clutched what looked to be an ordinary steak knife, unknown blood clinging to the surface. Natsu didn't know if it was infected blood, animal blood, or human blood.

He hoped to hell it was from an animal.

Looking at her bare feet, Natsu saw they were the source of the blood on the ground. The sides of her feet were torn up, so he could only imagine what the bottoms looked like. Blood wasn't only on her feet. Crimson covered parts of her legs and arms, small and large cuts adorning random parts of her body. Her skin held burn marks and dirt, but no bites.

At least from what he could tell. That was a good sign, meaning the chances of her being infected were reduced.

Two large scars stood out from the cuts. They were jagged, one running across her upper right arm while the other snaked over her left shoulder and ended shortly below her collarbone. They looked fresh, the skin still pink as it healed.

Looking back at her face, Natsu was rendered shocked when he realized he found a person alive. "Umm, uhh..." Blinking, Natsu slowly lowered his knife, sliding it back into its cover on his hip. The girl's fearful eyes tracked his movements, her hand shaking as more tears rolled down her dirty cheeks.

Raising his hands in surrender, he tried to show her there was nothing to be afraid of. Being bigger than her, he worried she thought he was a threat. He wasn't the type of person to hurt someone for no reason, but she didn't know that.

Gulping, Natsu realized he never found a survivor by himself before. Once when he was in a larger group they found someone, but there were others to help the person while Natsu scavenged for supplies. He couldn't remember the protocol for finding another person alive.

Opening his mouth, he paused, trying to think of something to say to cut through the silence. In a broken whisper, he mumbled, "H-hey..."

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I hope you caught the foreshadowing in this chapter, if not, I'm going to point it out. The survivors don't know what's going on. They don't know for sure why the apocalypse happened, or all the ways to get infected. They only know so much, but they will learn as time goes on. (They have their theories, which will come out later)

I did a ridiculous amount of research on reel mowers by the way. (Actually I've done and I'm still doing a lot of research for this story) I even tested one out in a store to hear what it really sounds like in person since YouTube videos can only do so much. I want to make this story as accurate (for a zombie apocalypse au) as I can.

I would love to hear your thoughts about this chapter. Any ideas on who the mystery girl is? I'll give you a hint, check out the summary.

Up next, Chapter Three: Hostile

Thank you for all the support last chapter! I appreciate every favorite, follow, and review!

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