A.N: Hi guys! Gosh its been so long that I'd actually forgotten my login password XD

I apologize for taking so long. These past few months have been the worst and after a near mental breakdown to finally recovering, I've managed to update at least one of my fanfics. I'll update the BH6 one as soon as I can. I have to re-read the whole thing so I can get the flow back.

Please bear with me, you guys!

A BIG THANK YOU TO ALL THOSE WHO'VE BEEN STICKING WITH ME THROUGH THIS WHOLE THING! As always, I love you! And I'll try harder to bring you regular updates.

For now, Please ENJOY!

Chapter 16: Dream A Little Dream Of Me

"Why Jack?"

Familiar voices echoed together in union around him…

"Why didn't you save us?"

Jack stood alone, bare feet touching the ground and yet feeling nothing. He looked around him but there was only darkness.

"Why didn't you protect us?"

He spun around again. The echoing voices got closer and closer with each passing word; with each whisper… they were almost hissing…

With fear?

Or anger?

Or perhaps sadness…?

There was no ground beneath him and no sky above him… just a black void of nothingness that seemed to go on forever and ever.

"It's your fault!"

"All your fault!"

"We're dead because of you!"

"Ugh, stop it…" Jack closed his ears with both his hands and shut his blue eyes tight "Stop it!" He yelled at the voices that wouldn't leave him alone. He just wanted to be alone… but the voices…

He knew those voices… They were the voices that belonged to his friends. His new friends…

His best Friends… His only friends…

Everything stilled in silence, not an echo; not even a whisper. Jack slowly but reluctantly opened his eyes and quickly wished he hadn't.

In front of him stood Rapunzel; wearing the same clothes he always saw her in. Except that she was completely drenched in blood. Red covered her stripped shirt and her blue pant. Her once pretty golden hair was now covered in crimson red. Her clothes dirtied and tattered. But what scared him the most were her eyes. Her once expressive eyes looked utterly vacant now… they looked dead. She looked dead…

He heard scuffling beside him, only a few feet away. He forced his eyes to take their sight off the girl he once knew to look to his right. His heart skipped another beat. There was Hiccup; standing there with a missing arm and a nasty hole where his shoulder should be. Blood covered him as well. He would throw up if he could. But at the moment he could do nothing but stare at his former friend.

Jack's breathing got quicker as he heard a whimpering moan to his left. He knew who was making it, he didn't want to see, he didn't want to witness it… but his body seemed to move on its own accord as he found himself shifting his gaze to his left, Merida stood there, rocking slightly back and forth. A deep scar ran across her face, starting from her left temple to the right side of her chin. Her appearance matched her bright red hair. He always thought the color red suited her, but this…?

This was wrong in so many ways.

All of them had the same vacant look in their eyes and yet, it bore through Jack's crystal blue ones and into his soul. Almost as if their cold dead eyes were stealing the life from his. It felt like a red hot spear had pierced his heart. Their judgmental but empty gaze chilled him to his very core.

Jack staggered back; away from them but a little voice stopped him dead in his tracks.

"Why Jack…? Why did you kill me?" A small voice asked.

Jack was at the point of hyperventilating now. He jerkily turned back to look over his shoulder; eyes as wide as saucers.

A seven year old girl sat, cross legged on nothing but the black pits of emptiness. She wore a pink dress that ended just below her knee, if she stood. Pink rosy ribbons were tied neatly around at her thin waist. A matching pink hairband sat on her chocolate brown hair; neatly keeping the wayward strands in place. A flowery pink band was wrapped around her wrist; showing off her skinny arms. The tiny indigo earing she wore on her left ear sparkled at the invisible light that shown on it. It was a contrast with everything around her.

Unlike his friends, she wasn't drenched in blood. Her clothes weren't dirty or tattered. She simply stood there, quietly, like an angel. Her eyes weren't vacant but Jack almost wished they were because what he saw in them was much worse.

What he saw in them was pain and hurt and betrayal.

Each one of her emotion where like unbearable daggers through his heart. Tears were streaming freely down his face but he made no attempt to stop them. Far too focused on the little girl who was tearing him up inside with nothing but her gaze. He could barely choke out her name but somehow seemed to manage it.

"Emma?"

"You killed me, Jack."

"No… no I didn't… I'm sorry," He pleaded with the girl in front of him who began to stand up. "I'm sorry, Emma… Please… Forgive me… I tried. I tried to save you."

Emma tilted her head. "You said you would always be there for me…" She stood straight, facing him; her hands hung limply at her side.

"I know… I know. God, Emma… I-I let you down and I'm so sorry for that… " His voice crackled.

Jack choked out another sob when he saw crimson red starting to stain his little sister's frilly pink dress near her stomach. God! This can't be happening… not again! Please! He couldn't deal with this again! He barely could the first time.

"But you weren't… I believed in you…And you killed me," She said ignoring his depress and the agony she was causing him by just her words. Crimson tears rolled down her cheeks, staining some of the frills it landed on bright red.

"Emma…" was all Jack could get out at this point. He didn't know what else to say or what else to do. How was he supposed to ask his sister to forgive him when he couldn't even forgive himself? He didn't even deserve to say her name. She deserved a better big brother. One, who would protect her; One, who didn't screw up as badly as he did; One, who would always be there for her no matter what.

He had failed her, he knew that. He wished he could have stayed and made things right but he couldn't because his parents wouldn't believe him either. They thought he was a killer… A cold blooded killer who killed his own little sister. He could clearly imagine his parents' disapproving looks. "No son of ours would attempt to kill his own sister."

"But I didn't mean to… It was an accident, I swear," He whispered to the invicible voices "I didn't kill her… She's not dead. She can't be."

"But I'm dead… and Its. All. Your. Fault."

"No…" he whimpered and fell to his knees; his legs unable to hold his weight any longer. He hunched over and wrapped his arms around himself desperately trying to hide away from the voices, from his dead friends, from his little sister… from everyone.

Suddenly, his blue eyes snapped open in shock.

His eyes widened more when he brought his right hand up. He was clutching onto something with a death grip. His vision was blurry due to the hot tears that remained there but he could easily make out the object he so hated with very fiber of his being.

The colt… The gun that ruined his life and almost ended his sister's.

He could see and feel every detail on it as clear as a crystal now; very screw, very edge. The nickel plated colt rested on his rigid hands; mocking him, showing off its ivory handles and decorative engraving; tormenting him. He wanted to get rid of it but found that he couldn't… For some reason he just couldn't.

It shouldn't be so god-damn hard to throw away the one thing he hated most in his life and yet, there he was… clutching onto it like it was some sort of a lifeline for him. How pathetic was that?

Out of the shadows, people began to appear all around him. All the people he had let down… His parents, David, his friends, his little sister… and the list went on. Their voices were all jumbled up… merging into one.

He grabbed his head to clear them away but it didn't work this time… If anything, it only made the voices angrier and their echo got louder and louder until they were at the point of screaming.

ALL YOUR FAULT!

ALL YOUR FAULT!

ALL YOUR FAULT!

They were screaming it over and over again. Like a damaged messed up record player…

His mind whispered to deaf ears - Stop it!

…

Please…

I can't take anymore…

Jack lifted his head up to find the colt, the one he held once, the one he hated, being pointed right at him; right between his tear filled eyes. Before he could prepare himself for the pain the invisible fingers pulled at the trigger…

BANG!

"Gah!" Jack gasped and bolted up right. He wiped a shaky hand across his sweaty forehead and over his eyes then combed it through his messy white hair. What a freaky nightmare… He looked over at his sleeping friends who were oblivious to his distress. He planned to keep it that way. He scooted away from the booths silently, mindful not to disturb the others.

He hoped this diner were one of those with the open roofs. He needed to get some fresh air… this place was making him claustrophobic. He felt like he had hit the jackpot when he found a door that led to the roof. It was one of those diners with the huge air vents everywhere. Good… he thought as he opened the last metal door with a creaking sound and stepped out into the night. He went to one of the edges of the roof and sat down; his back resting against the wall; head leaning back, eyes closed.

Whenever he felt like this back at David's place, he'd always go out the window of his room and sit up on the slanting roof. It always helped calm him; the wind brushing against his cold cheeks and gently caressing through his hair; looking up at the wide open night sky, stars and especially the moon.

He pulled out his gun and held it in his hands. His fingers traced the beautiful engraving on its barrel, memorizing each curve and swirl it made while his eyes were still closed; thinking back to how it came to be in his possession in the first place. That dreadful night. The night he would never be able to forget. He opened his eyes slowly, head facing the sky above. His sight fell on the moon. It was huge and bright and… red?

What the-

Could moons turn red…? It was a faint red, easily mistakable for orange if you weren't concentrating. Nevertheless it illuminated the night; glowing as brightly as ever. He heard the creak sound of the door again, letting him know that he wasn't alone anymore. The metal door was too heavy for the soft winds to move by themselves so he knew someone had followed him, but who?

Then he heard the voice he knew even before he identified its owner.

"Couldn't sleep, huh?"

Jack shrugged but said nothing and kept his eyes glued to the moon.

"I knew I'd find you up here," Rapunzel said again as she came to sit beside him. She sat so close that their shoulders were almost brushing. She had heard his gasp earlier. She could tell it was some sort of a nightmare; and a bad one at that, by the looks of it. It really didn't take a genius to figure out he'd come up here.

"Yeah? How come?"

Rapunzel wordlessly pointed up at the moon and smiled at him; almost sympathetically. "Wanna talk about it?"

"Not really…" Jack sighed. He brought his head down; stealing his gaze away from the moon. It was no use… He couldn't see his sisters face up there; no matter how hard he tried to focus. Something was wrong… Was she okay? Was she hurt! God, had the zombies gotten her too? He wished someone would just answer his questions already. Any truth was better than not knowing anything at all.

His worries didn't go unnoticed by Rapunzel even though the tufts his snowy bangs fell over his eyes; hiding his watery blue eyes from her. She could feel the worry radiating off of him in waves. The poor guy was so stressed out.

"Talking always helps me…" Rapunzel tried again; tried to get him to open up. Come to think about it, she knew nothing about him; only rumors to go on. Rumors that she believed were wrong and false. She prayed he would just talk to her about his problems for once. Please don't shut me out, Jack "It'll help you too…"

She wouldn't get it even if he told her… "Ever feel like, you can never redeem yourself? Like, no matter what you did, it always ended up being a mistake… Mistakes that would cost people their lives?" He asked, turning to look her in the eye; not expecting her to understand him.

Rapunzel opened her mouth to say something but closed it again; not knowing what to say. She stayed silent; begging him to continue. Granted, she didn't understand; not yet anyway. She wasn't a mind reader to read his thoughts or understand his cryptic words. But she'll be damned if she didn't help him find some peace of mind at least. She saw him longingly look back up at the moon again; begging it to answer his questions; to answer his silent prayers

"You see someone up there, don't you?" She asked as softly as possible. She wasn't going to insult him by pretending to not notice he saw someone's face in the moon; or at least wanted to see.

"I used to…" Jack replied with sadness. "Now I can't see her anymore."

Her? Rapunzel felt uneasy all of a sudden. He saw some girl's face in the moon? Who was she? A childhood friend? Or a close neighbor perhaps… or maybe his girlfriend from back home? She felt a strange sensation overwhelm her. Jealousy? Was she jealous? Oh gosh… She was.

Stop right there, Rapunzel. You're here to help Jack, don't make this all about yourself and start jumping into conclusions. Just because it was a girl, didn't mean it was a girlfriend. Though that wasn't enough, curiosity got the better of her "Who is she?"

Jack stayed quite for a long while. That almost confirmed her fears but then he spoke up and completely took her by surprise "My little sister."

Rapunzel couldn't believe the relief that washed over her. Now she felt a little silly for thinking and feeling that way in the first place; maybe even a little embarrassed.

The little girl's face blinked into Rapunzel's mind. That brought her back to the rumors about him. Were they true? Did he actually murder his own sister in cold blood? But looking at his sorrowful face she doubted it. So what happened? Where was his sister? Or his parents… Why did he live with his uncle? So many questions filled her mind. She didn't even know where to begin asking him. Would he even answer them? She realized that she wanted to know everything about him. Everything about the smiling happy brunette boy she saw in the photograph in his room "What…" She cleared her throat; trying to think of the right thing to ask "What happened to her?"

The answer wasn't given to her immediately. But when it came she wasn't prepared for it. He was so blunt with it, not even attempting to hide the disgust in his voice. "I shot her…"

"Y-you-" Rapunzel stuttered. She was speechless. So they were true after all… He did kill his sister… but why? It didn't make a nick of sense. She was so sure Jack wasn't a bad guy. She couldn't take her eyes of him. He turned and met her sight and she knew right then, that things weren't as they seemed. She could see it in his eyes. It's not that he was lying… It's just that there was more to it than that. A lot more.

"She was in a coma for six months because of me," He continued; analyzing Rapunzel's gaze… He hated people judging him; hated how they assumed they knew the truth. They always fabricated lies that were most easy to go with, to suit the situation. But not her… It's been years since he told anyone about it. There was no one to tell it to; not that he would if there were but still. But with Rapunzel it was different. He couldn't fathom why he could open up to her so easily. He barely knew her… But there was something about her; something that he couldn't quite put his finger on.

He was sure she knew the many floating rumors about him.

Oh, he knew all about the rumors too but frankly he couldn't give a damn. Some were fake and some were pretty close to the truth. But honestly, he didn't care what people thought about him or what they spoke about him. Maybe he did at first but not now.

He was in a dark place back then, hanging out with the wrong kind of people; people like Pitch Black, doing things that he wasn't proud of… but at that point, none of it mattered. What's one more bad deed on a long list of bad deeds, right?

Hell, he'd spent more time at the police station than he did at home. He was a little glad for the rumors too though; it kept people away from him. They left him alone and that's exactly what he wanted them to do.

But with Rapunzel it was different. He wanted to be around her and spend time with her. He wanted Rapunzel to know the truth. Suddenly someone else's opinion mattered to him. He didn't want her to think he was some kind of a monster so he decided to tell her about his past…

His mistake…

His regret…

Phew, I feel so happy about updating. Feels like I just had a dose of happy juice! ^o^ I hope you guys liked the chapter. We're finally gonna find out more about Jack's past and why he is the way he is.

Time for the most important part!

SHOUT OUTS!

RedLegoManiac: Lol, well, there are ships but no shipping wars in the story if that's what you're asking. As for what the ships are, you'll find it very obvious as you read more. (::)(::)(::)
LoneWolfPunk101: *gasp* COOKIES! Thank you! Haha, and I donno a thing about concussions either. XD Never had one and never seen any of the people I know have one either. Just go with the flow on this one. But… maybe you sleep it off? Sounds about right. (P.S Never allow me to treat anybody, I'd probably end up killing them) (::)(::)
OneWhoDreamz: Hey there! XD I'm actually feeling a little proud that you haven't been able to predict it yet although I'm sure you will in the future. Well… I've actually decided to reveal Jack's past… WITH A BANG (*wink wink, see what I did there?) And I guess their 'breather' will never truly be a 'breather' as long as a freaking Zombie Apocalypse is going on, huh? Poor guys, why must I torture them so. Yes, suspense will do that to you XD And I'll accept anything at this point. *grabs plushy cat beanie from you* YAY! MORE COOKIES! I'm so happy! *hums in delight* And yes, that's Jim Hawkins. Like I've mentioned before. I hate creating OCs. The only OC in this story is David. Here are some cookies from my side. (::)(::)(::)
Guest: I guess? But this fanfic will mainly be focusing on the story and action rather than the shipping wars. XD (::)
Infrared-Ultraviolet: C7- XD first off, thank you for emotionally investing in this story. I know it's really hard to do. Second off, no need to worry but I will take you guys for one hell of a roller coaster ride so be prepared. Just sayin. And IKR! Teenagers, ugh! No priorities what so ever… Thank god I'm no longer a teenager… ^_^… O.O Wait! Also, lol, totally Jack and Hiccup are the best. The whole gang tbh. I mean, the dynamic between the four are just too darn brilliant. It makes me wonder why it's not an official movie or show yet. Methinks you'll have to wait a little longer to find that 'David smoking' part out. Yes, please do. Alert me if I make any more of such mistakes in the future. But don't take too long cause of the stupid site rules of auto deleting saved docs. (::)(::)
C8- Thank you! It's all gonna start adding up soon. Also, after you pointed the 'vail' thing out I couldn't stop giggling either XD OMG. And YAY! I'm so happy that your willing to give it a go. And also, CHALLENGE ACCEPTED! But like I've said, this fanfic won't be concentrating on the ships too much. Consider it an added bonus if you will. (::)(::)
C9- IKR. Poor Merida, can't find a decent arrow selling merchant online and must resort to websites like eBay. XD And yeah, I'm super glad you're enjoying the little crumbs I keep sprinkling here and there. And for what it's worth, I'd be pretty useless in a zombie apocalypse too. I'd probably be one of those characters who dies first (for very obvious reasons.) And about the Toothless having a Hiccup GPS on him, you have no idea XD (::)(::)
C10- YES HE IS! It's Jack! And thank you! I think the relationship between Jack and Merida is really unique and just too much fun to write. Pfft, tell me about it. Crows are very mean indeed. One of my friends got pecked by one once. XD It was a hilarious story. (::)(::)
C11- Hehe *blushes* Oh, stop it you. *giggles* Thank you! I do put in a lot of effort and I still have loads of things planned. Just stick with me. (::)(::)
C12- HAHA XD NO! NO HIJACK PLEASE! XD We're Jackunzel shipper *shakes you violently* YOU MUST'NT LET IT SINK! GET A HOLD OF YOURSELF WOMAN! *slaps you too* And IKR XD Protective Zombie dad… Never thought I'd get to write that in my lifetime. XD And yes, resourcefulness is all their middle names at this point. Thank you for individually responding to each chapter. It really lets me know what your thoughts are for each one and I LOVE READING them! So some cookies for each review. It's only fair. (::)(::)
AvaniAcrux: D'awwww! Thanks for the effort! (And stupid internet around the world tbh) And oh gosh, extremely sorry for making you wait this long. Jeez! I feel bad! AND IKR! Treasure planet's is one of the most amazing 2D movies out there and why is it so damn underrated!? *flips table* A cookie to calm us down. (::)
KawaiiAriel: Lol, oh yeah! Now that you mention it…. XD (::)
RandomnessOreo: Awww. (::)Thank you! (But sadly) There aren't that many big four zombie fanfics out there. T-T And the ones that are there haven't been finished or updated in a long long time and I'm sobbing.
ChaosKitten16: Thank you for the yummy cookie! *nom nom nom* And also thank you for giving me the push. I don't think I would've updated any time soon if you hadn't. Well, my schedule was a chapter every two weeks. But as you can see, it's all messed up now. (::)

And that's it from me for now. See you guys next time!
Love you!
Please leave me a review! It helps me during the darker times.
BYE GUYS! Have a good week ahead!