A:N: Holy crap! Two updates in a row?! Did I just- YEAH! I'm on fire! Lol, seriously though, I'm just kicking life in its busy butt and not doing the important things that I'm suppose to be doing. Why you ask..? Cause I'm a barf brain. OTL

Also YAY! Thank you guys for all the follows and favorites! I really appreciate it, I feel I can never be clear enough on that. BUT I LOVE YOU! SO MUCH!

Ok, so here goes... Enjoy!

Chapter 12: Would You Shoot Someone Even If You Knew They Were Human?

Rapunzel sat outside her house on the steps of her porch. She had her arms wrapped around her knees. Her eyes were half glazed and staring off into nothingness. It seemed as though her eyes were vacant, her long black eye lashes stuck to each other, still wet. Her face was red and puffy from all the dried up tears on her cheeks. She didn't hear the soft footsteps behind her. She didn't feel the warm body when he came and sat beside her. She didn't want to feel anything. He spoke after a long pause. "You okay?"

She shook her head ever so slightly and rested her forehead on her knees and sighed softly.

"Yeah, stupid question. Never mind."

Rapunzel lifted her head and blinked up at the night sky. The dark sky glittered happily, oblivious to her pains. Even the full moon looked like it was smiling down at her sorrows. Tears streamed down her face again as she spoke in a hushed tone. "Me and my dad used to stargaze on nights like this."

Jack didn't say a word. He tilted his head back to gaze at the sky too, patiently waiting for her to continue.

"He said that the stars represent the people who you've loved and lost," each one looking out for you in their own special way, keeping you safe from the evils that lurk in the shadows. "I used to believe that they were alive, that they were really out there… But now, to me, they're nothing more than ghosts in the sky."

Jack waited a while before he spoke to her, in the same hushed tone as she did. "Hmm, back home, we were told a different tale."

She tore her glassy eyes away from the mocking sky and looked at him. He was still looking up the sky; lost in his own sea of painful memories. He seemed even more handsome under the moon light. His snowy hair practically sparkling at the white moon rays but Rapunzel could focus on nothing but his blue eyes. There seemed to be so many emotions in them and so much pain as well. A burden too much for a single person to carry on his shoulders alone.

"We were always told stories about the moon and how that, when you look up at a full moon, it reflects the faces of the people you miss. The one person you long for the most…"

He continued "… and how if the person you miss is looking up at the moon too, they'd be reunited one day."

Rapunzel brushed away her lonely tear and looked at the moon this time. "But the full moon's tomorrow,"

"I don't think it matters… A moon's a moon."

Rapunzel gazed up at the moon in silence. Both of them stayed that way for a while longer until she spoke up again.

"My parents ar-were doctors…" She chocked, replaying the fun times she shared with her mother and father in her mind. "And I wanted to be one too… I wanted to be just like them. I spent so much of my free time watching them work. They taught me so many things. When I look at the moon… I do see their faces, but they'll never be able to come back to me."

"We'll figure out a way, Rapunzel," Jack assured her, placing her hand on her back. "We'll find a cure… Your parents are gonna be alright, I promise."

"Don't make promises you can't keep, Jack." She whispered brokenly.

"I'm keeping this one… you'll see." He said, tilting her chin up so he could see her eyes and she could see the seriousness in his. Before she could say anything though, the sound of someone clearing their throat made her go stiff with embarrassment. She pulled away from the snowy haired boy to look behind her.

"Ahem, am I interrupting something?" Merida asked with a smirk. Jack just stood and scoffed, helping Rapunzel up to her feet as well. She continued, "Ya okay?"

"Yeah… I think I am…" Rapunzel replied unsurely. She wanted to so badly believe in Jack's promise but she was just too afraid to. It wasn't that she thought Jack wouldn't try, she knew he would but she just doubted that it would do any good. It was just too late for promises.

"I searched everywhere, I couldn' find yer cat," Merida said climbing down the stairs to the other two.

"Oh… It's okay. Pascal knows how to take care of himself. But thank you for trying." Rapunzel knew her pet well. He might be a house cat but he was still a cat. Cats were great in taking care of themselves. Pascal had proved that on a number of occasions.

"We should probably get going, Punz. Hiccup's waiting for us back in the car. And knowing the trouble-magnet that he is, he might be battling an alien-robot-zombie right about now."

Rapunzel giggled lightly but agreed. The four of them began walking towards the Chevy. Rapunzel tossed one last look over her shoulders at her house. Right after she gave her father the sedative and ran out of the room, Jack and Merida carried her dad to the basement where they were sure it was for his own safety as well as for their own. They didn't know how long the sedative would last after all; it was just too risky to just leave things as they were. Hiccup would've helped but he was busy carrying Toothless to the car to make sure the loyal canine was okay. She hadn't dared to go upstairs, she couldn't, so she had found the porch welcoming her to sit on it and drown her sorrows by herself until Jack came along and made her feel a little better. She wondered if she would ever be able to come back home again. The thought brought tears to her eyes again but she managed to keep them at bay. There was no use crying over it now. It's not going to solve anything. Crying wasn't going to make her get back her old life; it certainly wasn't going to bring back her parents. So she wouldn't cry. She would be strong and would face whatever the future had planned for her.

They reached the car to find Hiccup tucked away in the back seat; cradling a black lump of fur on his lap. He looked up at them and smiled.

"How is he?" Rapunzel asked out of concern as she got into the car with Jack and Merida.

"He's fine, just a little bump on the head, is all." Hiccup said, stroking his dog's neck just below the jaw. "Right, bud?"

The dog whimpered a little in response but then managed a bark.

"He's just in a little pain I guess… But nothing major to worry about." Hiccup said; his eyes softened in sympathy towards the animal.

"Maybe I have something that'll help," Rapunzel said pulling out the last syringe from her pocket.

"What is that exactly?" Hiccup asked with concern and doubt, not that he didn't trust Rapunzel but it wouldn't hurt to be careful; especially when it came to the ones you love.

"It's just Morphine. I read that it can be used on dogs too." Rapunzel said pulling the cap off of it.

"You sure?"

"Yeah… Provided you know the right dosage." She added. She knew a thing or two about the things they used and how they used it in the medical field. Looks like all those extra hours spent in the internet learning about drugs really paid off.

"And you know the right dosage?" Hiccup asked, re-adjusting his dog so that Toothless's head was up against his shoulder and it's rear was facing Rapunzel.

"Yeah, I do," She replied confidently. Toothless gave out another whimper when it felt the little prick of the needle. Hiccup whispered soothing words to his best and only pet. It seemed to work as the animal calmed down instantly and snuggled on its owner's lap before falling into a peaceful sleep.

"He's going to be just fine," Hiccup chuckled light heartedly, bringing his head up to meet Rapunzel's eyes. "Thanks."

"It was nothing,"

"And how're you doing?"

"I'll be fine too…" She said extending her hand to pet the dog before turning around to get into a more comfortable position in the front seat. It was going to be a long drive.

Once everyone had buckled their seatbelts, Jack had eased the vehicle out of the open drive way and was now speeding through town. They drove for hours at varying speeds. Rapunzel couldn't sleep because of the harsh winds constantly attacking her face due to the bashed open window. Even if the window was closed she doubted she could go to sleep tonight.

Merida on the other hand, was resting her head on the side of the window and was out like a light; even snoring slightly. Serves her right for staying up all night the day before. Her bow and satchel; that contained only one arrow now; sat by her side. She still gripped it tight even as she slept.

Hiccup was looking at the scenery that went by. It was the usual, nothing out of the ordinary… Oh! Except for the fact that man-eating-immortal abominations lumbered here and there. Though they didn't seem to care about them driving by, which was about the only good news he got all day. Looks like they can't sense us from a certain distance and even if they did, they were just too slow to do anything about it. I wonder where the other people are. The ones who weren't turned into zombies yet... Probably all dead.

Hiccup shivered at the thought…

He's mind was flying a mile a minute. He wondered if the whole town; his home town was now nothing but a waste land filled with only death and soulless creatures. He wondered if, leading to some other place was a good idea right now. For all they knew the other towns and cities could be infected even worse than theirs was. The communications were all down, so how would they know? He wondered why no one came to help; surely someone from outside their town knew what was happening here. How could they not know? Something this big no less.

Then again, it's only been less than a day…

Hiccup didn't know and the unknowns had him feeling very uneasy. Then again, he's been having an uneasy feeling since the time he woke up in the morning. And it was definitely not the Burritos he had the night before either. This was something else entirely. His attention shifted back to the driver seat when he heard Jack curse.

"Dammit!"

"What's wrong?" Rapunzel asked.

"The car's outta fuel." Jack replied sullenly.

"Can't we make it a little farther? At least till we're out of town?" Hiccup piped in.

"We can't. There's still a long way to go and the car doesn't run on air, genius." Jack said gruffly. "We'll have to stop for gas soon."

"I don't see a gas station anywhere," Hiccup muttered, squinting at the front windshield.

"Yeah, I can see that Mr. Binoculars," Jack quipped sharply. "Why don't you state the obvious some more?"

Rapunzel winced at Jack's snarky attitude and switched her worried gaze between the two boys and then spoke up. "Maybe there's one up ahead."

"Maybe…" Jack whispered; his features softening a bit. He didn't mean to snap at Hiccup… It's just that he was getting a little frustrated and unfortunately, the scrawny kid was in the line of fire. Jack wasn't used to apologizing; to anyone for that matter. So he kept his mouth shut, in case he said anything else that he would silently regret.

Hiccup sighed and pushed himself closer to the door and rested his head on the window and silently watched the dark scenery as it went by. He understood the other boy's frustration. If the car broke down here; in the middle of nowhere then they were in some deep shit.

Luckily for them though, a gas station did come up soon.

The Burgess Petroleum

The car hadn't broken down but it was almost running on fumes. They parked the car at the station and got out only when Jack gave them the all clear. Merida had woken from her slumber by the sound of squeaky car doors opening and closing. She yawed and got down to stretch her legs along with the others. Long car journeys were just not her thing; she couldn't stand being cooped up for so long. She stretched her hands above her head and rolled her shoulders to get the kinks out of her neck. Sleeping against a window of a moving car was a big no from now on.

"Wait… How the hell are we gonna pay for the gas?" Jack asked just realizing that none of them had any money on them. Well, at least he didn't.

"You can use my credit card," Rapunzel said pulling out a shiny golden card from her back pocket and handing it to Jack. She received questioning looks from her friends so she shrugged and answered their unasked question. "I had the card when I went to the drug store in the morning. How else was I gonna pay for the medicine?"

"Nice…" Jack took the card from her and handed it to Hiccup; wordlessly hinting that he should pump the gas.

"Um… I'm going to go to the rest room," The blonde girl said shyly, walking past the pumps to the seemingly quiet convenient store. It was lit up bright but a look through the transparent glass window showed that no one was inside but that didn't mean the store was empty.

"I'll come wit ya," Merida said as she jogged a bit to catch up with the golden haired girl.

"Be careful," They heard one of the boys call out. Rapunzel turned back and gave them both an assuring smile and a little wave.

The girls were half way into the store when Merida poked the other teen with her elbow playfully. "I saw the way ya look at 'im," Merida chuckled. "Ye like 'im, don't ya?

"What?! No…! I-it's not like that…" Rapunzel tried convincing the red head but the amused look on Merida's face told her she wasn't buying a single minute of it. "He's… I'm… I'm just not his type." She said with a defeated slope of her shoulders.

"How do ya know?"

"I just do…" Rapunzel pressed on sadly and began twirling her hair between her fingers subconsciously. "He's Jack Frost… the coldest guy in town." Why would someone like him like a girl like me?

"I know that… but he doesn' seem like that when he's around ya…" Merida shrugged and walked deeper into the store leaving Rapunzel to ponder over that statement.

Meanwhile- Outside

"Dude… You were totally checking her out, weren't you?" Jack smirked smugly, tipping his head at the fiery haired girl who just walked into the store.

"Wa-was not!" Hiccup sputtered as he pulled a black nozzle and punched in the numbers after he inserted the golden card.

"Then watch where you're pointing that thing, Loverboy." Jack chuckled, leaning against the side of the car, one foot on the ground and the other on the rubber wheel.

Hiccup turned completely red when he realized that he was pointing the nozzle at the door handle bulge instead of the fuel pump. He chuckled nervously in embarrassment and awkwardly opened the gas cap and put the nozzle into the hole before starting to pump the gas into the vehicle.

Jack shook his head and chuckled. He pulled a two chocolate bars from his hoodie pocket and offered one to his companion. Hiccup took the offering shyly; embarrassment still evident on his face. He was doing everything he could to resist laughing out loud at his friend… Wait, Friend? Did he really consider this guy as his friend now?

Don't get too attached, Jack Something reminded him in the back of his head.

"I'm sorry, Jack."

Whoa… that was random. Jack turned his head to face the other teen. "What for?"

"I wish I could've been more useful…"

"What are you talking about?" Jack still had no clue as to what Hiccup was trying to say.

"Back at Rapunzel's house…"

Oh…Understanding finally dawned on Jack. Was that what was bothering the guy all this time? Jeez… why didn't he just say something earlier instead of being all broody and sulky about it? He chuckled to lighten things up. "It's cool man. I didn't expect a first timer to shoot a bull's-eye anyway."

Jack would know all about that now, wouldn't he?

"NO! DON'T!"

The boys heard one of the girls cry out and their heads snapped up at that. Both of them dashed into the store in light speed. Jack and Hiccup barged into the store to find Rapunzel and Merida standing in front of a man who was probably in his twenties, pointing a rifle at the two of them. They saw him jerk his head and his rifle at them when they entered and both stilled instantly.

"Wh-what the hell is going on here?" The man asked to no one in particular.

Jack and Hiccup had their hands up in surrender. They didn't answer the man just tried to move closer to Rapunzel and Merida; to protect them if need be. But the man's yelling made them stop where they were; again.

"Don't come any closer!" He yelled, aiming the barrel between the boys so he could quickly shoot at the one who moved forward first.

"Okay, okay…! Just calm down, pal," Jack said slowly in a low steady voice. He could see the man's eyes were dilated, he was drenched in sweat, his body was visibly shaking; including the weapon he was holding. Jack could tell that this guy was a trigger-happy-moron just by looking at him. He learnt that little talent from his experiences in the Juvie so he had to play carefully here. "We're not here to hurt you."

"You-You're all one of them," The guy said, training his rifle back and forth between the four of them.

"One of who?" Hiccup asked, though he already knew the answer to that. The guy must be an employee of the store judging by the clothes he wore. That would sorta explain the rifle too. Most stores these days; especially the privately-run ones took precautionary measures like this- especially now with all those people going missing. But Hiccup wondered if this man even knew how to use the weapon.

"The Zombies, man!" The man's panicked eyes jumped to his right at something they couldn't see before his eyes shifted back to them. "Ricky… M-my little brother… He-He's freaking dead! S-some guy came in here asking for help and passed out… looked pretty sick so Ricky and I decided to h-help him but… but the next thing I know he's attacking my brother! It killed him, man! It almost killed me! Oh-god! Oh-god!"

"Alright, listen to me," Jack said gruffly, his eyes met those of the girls and he subtly gestured for them to move back from the overly agitated man before continuing. "We are not Zombies, understand? Do we look sick to you?"

"You stay where you are or I'll shoot!"

"Whoa, whoa! … Okay, just Relax." Jack winced. Crap! This isn't working. They might need to find a different way to deal with this situation. He felt bad for the sorrowful man in front of him. He couldn't imagine the feeling of losing a sibling; especially a younger one… He came close to it once though.

But this was not the time or the situation to be feeling sympathetic towards a man who was trying to kill them; for assuming they were Zombies of all things. Jack reached for his gun as slowly as a snail but Hiccup; who noticed what Jack was trying to do, nudged him with his elbow subtly and shook his head. There's an easier way to deal with this. Guns will only make it worse, Jack.

Jack begrudgingly agreed with Hiccup and left the gun where it was.

"Rick-He-he told me that the whole town was infected b-by those things b-but I didn't believe him… Oh-god! Why didn't I believe him a-and now he's dead! My little brother's dead! He's the only family I had left! Why?!"

The twenty-something man broke down and sank to his knees; devastated by his own sorrows. Hiccup took this opportunity to move a little forward. The girls were almost by their side; just a few more steps and he would reach them. He saw the man left his head to look at them; his eyes were burning with a sense of rage; of revenge. He raised his rifle so that it was pointing directly at Merida, who was comparatively the one closest to the grief-stricken man. "You're here to kill me too… But I won't let that happen… I won't let you kill me! I'll avenge my brother by killing every last one of you sick-freaks… starting with you,"

"No, no, no! Wait!" Hiccup said leaping in front of Merida with his hands in the air. "Listen, you can come with us. We'll hel-"

BANG!

Rapunzel's scream tore through the silence that had followed the gun shot. Blood splattered on both hers and Merida's face.

Hiccup was propelled back onto Merida. His faded green shirt began to turn into the color red as he slumped lifelessly into her arms.

Reality crashed down on them; hard.

"Nooooooo!"

I did warn you...

*Backs away very very slowly...*

Ummm... I... didn't mean to kill Hiccup... but... um, I can explain...

*runs away as fast as possible*

SHOUT OUTS!

AvaniAcrux: Yes, its absolutely illegal. BUT I LIVE LIFE ON THE EDGE! jk, gosh, trust me, it pained me to hurt Toothless but if this really was a real life story I'm sure even the animals wouldn't be spared. But yeah... something tells me your gonna be even more angry at me for this chapter. *braces myself* Ummm... Here are some cookies...? (::)(::)(::)
Dreamer: Haha, *nervously chuckles* Well... I killed one of them... O_O Um, Oops.. (Ahem, moving on...) Oh, I do love reading your theories, even for my other fic. It's always so much fun and I find it very interesting how you always manage to find so many clues and hints. Sharp! *wink wink* And as for your assumption, You bet I have a plan and its one that I guarantee will shock and surprise you. (hopefully). AND HECK YES I'M GONNA SCOLD YOU! I told you I love reading your theories and ramblings! ^o^ And I can't wait to see what you come up with as the story goes forward. (::)(::)
LoneWolfPunk101: OMGosh! Thank you! (Although, I feel you'll take away the cookie you gave me after reading this chapter... uh, Go Cookie Power? Please dont take away my cookie.) As for your question, I try to update every Saturday or Sunday. (keyword: TRY) Lol, here's another cookie so you'll forgive me? (::)
KawaiiAriel: YES! ME TOO! I included some Jackunzel as well as some Mericup in this chapter... Although the second ship might as well sink now since I basically killed Hiccup. (::)
SlashGuitarist 2.0: Oh, there's plenty of that coming. MORE GORE! SO MUCH MORE! and lol, thank you! ^_^

Alrighty... Um, stick around, this isnt over yet. Not by a long shot. I'll see you next week!
Take care, guys!
Bye!