A/N) This is shorter, and from a different perspective.
Hope it's worth the wait anyway.
Thanks for all you're wonderful reviews from my previouse chapters, you guys brought sunshine to my week that was missing.
Motivation is your Superpower.
"Ok - so turns out we're further away than I thought." Buttercup was saying as her team follows behind her.
Butch sigs dramatically just to annoy her and judging by the sharp tick in her jaw - he grins - it was working.
"You know - that last ruin was pretty full - it's not like the life threatening situation we are in right now isn't worth it. Just look at all these cans!" Butch says as he falls into step next to the short dark haired girl. "It's not a complete waste of time and possibly life."
She glares at him from the corner of her eyes. "Shut up."
"It's true though - I've never even seen some of this stuff." Butch continues anyway, rummaging through the sack that's draped over his shoulder.
Mitch comes up and shoves at him lightly, freckles prominent against his face, he looks a bit worried.
Butch raises a dark brow at him in question. Mitch's eyes flit to Buttercups tense form and he tilts his head back to silently tell Butch to back up.
"What?" Butch asks after the fall behind the rest of the group, he finds a can of weird green things inside - he doesn't know what kind of food it is and he's pretty sure it'll be disgusting. Oh well. Beggars can't be choosers.
"Buttercup - she takes this sort of thing seriously." Mitch says, kicking a stone.
"Um- I repeat. What?"
Mitch rolls his dark eyes at him. "She takes her leadership thing seriously; if you push her buttons there she'll eat your face off."
Butch contemplates if that'll be a good thing or not. His eyes drift to Buttercups pinched face, her lips tight and her eyes narrow as she surveys their road back and looks up at the sky, Butch notices the sun is lower - real low, but they should still have a good while before the Zombie hordes come out - they should be at least close enough to make a run for it if they need to. But she seems worried. And Butch isn't sure if he should be too or not.
"She doesn't like failing - it's personal." Mitch finishes and nudges him in the arm.
Butch nods. Personal? That's weird. But then - so are a lot of other things around here. He sighs again and jumps across a particularly large crack to catch up with the petit brunet. "Hey - hey Buttercup."
She ignores him.
Of course she does.
Butch smirks and jumps in front of her, walking backwards to annoy her on purpose, his smirk only widens when she glares at him. Man - if eyes could kill - he'd be dead a thousand times over by now and - he doesn't think he'd mind much.
"Listen - if we don't make it before the hordes find us, we can just - I don't know, find a high spot and settle for a while. S'what me and my bro's did sometimes." Butch says, he's trying to be helpful, really but the look on her face crosses from worry to anger to determination. Well then -
"We'll make it. We have too - Blossom will have my hide if we don't." She looks away to make sure the others are still there.
Butch raises his eyes brows in confusion. "Blossom? What's that stiff have to say anything about this?"
Buttercup rolls her eyes. "She's my sister dumb-butt, she's also in charge of regrouping and making sure everyone's accounted for. She only lets me take groups out on my own because Professor made her. But - "Butch can't believe the momentary defeat that crosses Buttercups face when she doesn't meet his eyes he leans forward into her space.
"Buuuut?" He prods.
She rolls her eyes again. "But she's always up my case for being unsafe and reckless - so if we don't make it or if we are late she's going to rub it in my face and - and I'll probably feel guilty for the rest of my life if someone does die and -"
Butch stops cold, eyes wide. Buttercup runs smack into his chest.
"Ow - what the - "
"I don't think Blossoms' wrath is what you have to worry about right now B." He stiffens as his eyes take in the moving shadows. The others including Buttercup follow his gaze. Everyone tenses and pull out weapons.
There's something weird though - the Zombies they're - are they- ?
"Buttercup?"
She's got her gun ready. "Yah." She lifts it to aim.
"Um - " His heart jumps in his throat - they are! "Are those - those things - running?" He can hardly believe it. Oh Crap - they are running.
Buttercup grits her teeth so hard he wonders how she didn't break them. "Yup."
"So - should we?"
"You scared Butch?" She taunts.
He spits, the hordes gets closer. He thinks of Boomer - don't let the Zombies get you - he's not a coward, he's all for challenges and everything but - but - there's a first time for everything and something isn't right here. Dead flesh should not be moving that fast.
"We gotta go." He hisses.
"What?"
The hordes less than a few feet away, Butch sees them, yellow eyes glowing in the smog - they look - almost alive and - and viciously hungry. They're running and - and Butch suddenly feels like something punched him in the guts. He needs to tell Brick about this - and the only way to do that was to get the hell out of dodge.
"We're going." He snatches Buttercups arm and drags her away.
"What - hey! Butch! Cut it out you idi- Aaack!" She shrieks when he lifts her up and throws her over his shoulder. "Butch I'm gonna kill y - what are we running for?"
Butch huffs, glances around to make sure everyone's following, they were, good - "You blind, girl? Those things are freaking running - we need to get out of here."
"Butch we can't just - "
"Yah we can - I'd like to live to tell the others about this."
He feels her tense as he jumps over a large crack. "Put me down."
"Wha-"
"Put me down idiot! It'll be faster."
He does. They bolt, the Zombies have seen them and - and they're growling? What?
Butch dares a look behind him. A Zombie face stares right at him. Robin shrieks bloody murder and - and they're on top of them. Butch's gasps as one takes a deadly swipe at him - they have - claws? Claws?!
Since when did -
Another deadly swipe, he dodges locks the arm and attempts to break it off. It doesn't.
No – no, no, no, no, no way - how -how, his thoughts break up, he can't think.
Zombies - monster - something's wrong - what's happening? -Gotta tell Brick- they have more teeth - can't let them bite or scratch - we're dead - how is this - what's - we - Brick an' Boomer - damn.
He glances around, hardly breathing, there were so many, he stabs one violently in the eye, it shrieks and almost claws his face off. He catches Buttercup fighting like a deadly ball of anger, shooting and slashing at these things like a crazy person. He twitches - his mind is losing focus - he's shutting down - oh god, the last time this happened - Brick - Brick almost died and -
Butch lets out a yell when one actually gets a hit across his chest. Good thing he had that weird leather vest thing on this time. Or he would have been infected and -
"Buuuutch!"
He startles as he pulls his knife out of the Zombies throat, Buttercups scream sounded - scared - he turns to look where she is.
She's fighting - someone was laying at her feet -
Oh - oh no – no, no, no, no, no, no, no!
"Buttercup!"
"It's Mitch - we - we haveta - get out!" Her voice cracks, Butch shudders, the Zombie horde was gonna kill them all, unless they get away. He sees a broken building and the stairs that go around it - they look slightly intact. Here goes nothing. He lets out a horrible battle cry runs towards Mitch, drags his groaning body and drapes it over his shoulder. "
"Go, go, go, go, GO!" Buttercups screaming as she shoots like a mad person.
Mike, Robin and the twins follow behind, covering Butch as he runs screaming towards the run down building hoping beyond anything that that those stairs would hold their weight.
"Buttercup!" Robin gasps and turns to go back, Butch dares a glance, his heart drops like a stone, Mike grabs Robin by her arms to stop her from going back. Buttercups eyes meet his and - and for a moment he thinks she knows.
Getting out of this one - might not happen after all.
No, no, no, no, no, no, no, no. . .
"Butter - "
"Move it idiot!" She shrieks, blood staining her face - he's not sure if it's hers' or the weird gunk those freaks ooze when they get stabbed -
He freezes to his spot. Mike shoves at him, the twins push.
He shakes inside but starts moving and gets them to the top of the building. His breathing is ragged and the sky is nearly pitch black now. There's a sour smelling air blowing and the sweat on his forehead prickles as it slides down his face. He puts Mitch down. The boy groans.
Robin lets out a choked sob.
Mike looks like he's going to puke and the twins hold hands like they're going to die if they don't.
Butch stand, his knees don't want him too - he needs to - silence suddenly fills his ears. The savage sounds and gun sounds have stopped - Buttercup - Buttercup's dead?
He - he doesn't think he can handle that.
Sure, he hasn't known her for very long but - but those few days feel like - years. His whole life and - and she can't be dead.
He falls to his knees and forces the heels of his hands to his burning eyes. She can't be -
Something crackles - he hears a scuffle. His eyes open and he drags them up from a pair of dirty tapping boots to the girl wearing them. She looks awful. And he feels like he could pass out. She wipes her mouth with the back of her hand and spits.
"Miss me much?" She gives him a shaky smirk.
His stomach flips, his head detaches from his head and floats and he never dared - not once -dared to think he could be this relieved and happy over anyone -
"Y-yah." He says shakily. '"You ok?"
She nods and tears her eyes away from him towards the groaning boy behind Butch. "But Mitch isn't."
Butch rips his eyes away from her and looks at the poor guy on the ground, Robins face is red from crying and Mike walks towards the edge of the building to throw up over the side. Buttercup walks towards them and kneels next to Mitch, her fingers shake as she reaches for his sweaty forehead to push away the boys brown bangs. She lifts his shirt arm - and then Butch sees it . . . the deep bite mark in it - it cracked the leather he was wearing and it was grey, deep, and ugly and the skin around it was already turning yellow.
Butch feels like throwing up now.
"Buttercup –Mitch, he - "
She closes her eyes and shakes her head, Butch thinks she's going to cry for a second - And Then she lets out a shaky breath, her bright eyes shiny as she looks at him, lips paling.
"He's been infected."
A/N) Hope that was fun!
Let me know what you thought, I love knwing what you think!