Disclaimer - I own nothing you recognise.
Written for; Hogwarts Assignment - Bioscience, EC - Zombie Apocalypse!AU
Other Challenges listed at the bottom.
Beta'd by Ace Panda
Word Count - 2853
Warning for Character Death and... blood? And things. Idk, is Zombies.
The Lucky One (Or So He's Told)
"It's the end of the world as we know it."
Regulus had heard those words so many times over the last week, they were practically on loop in his mind. There was talk of the rapture, of infections and spreading and bites, but what it all boiled down to was watching the people he loved die.
And then come back to life.
What it boiled down to, was being forced to kill them again, to make them stay down, because if he didn't, it would be the end of him.
The… things, because under absolutely no circumstances was Regulus going to call them zombies, were susceptible to blows to the head and fire. It was a shame that one of the sure ways to kill them was something that Regulus feared.
Regulus had attempted to stab Mr Kreacher, the family butler, with a kitchen knife and almost gotten himself bitten in the process.
Only knocking him back into the lit fireplace by accident had saved Regulus' life. The guilt Regulus had felt since then had been ever present, only growing with every life he took to save his own.
There was a camp, a safe haven, set on the coast, that Regulus was aiming for. He'd tried to get in touch with Sirius, his older brother, to no avail, and he could only hope that he'd find him there. Regardless that they weren't talking, Regulus needed his brother.
Their parents were… god only knew where. Regulus had no idea. They'd been on the continent, his mother having joined his father for a business trip. Regulus didn't know if they'd been…
He just didn't know. The only thing he knew was that he was alone. And he hated it.
…
He tried to keep to the countryside as much as possible, but it wasn't always feasible. He needed supplies, food and water and weapons, and he couldn't always get them from the abandoned barn houses he crossed.
It was in a small town that he found Barty. Cowering behind a large dustbin, he looked terrified, and though Regulus cursed himself, he couldn't just leave him there.
"Come with me," he hissed, keeping his eyes on the small cluster of… things, a little ways down the street. Regulus had learned that while their eyesight was shockingly bad, they seemed to have superpowered hearing and smell.
His bag heavy on his back, Regulus almost managed to get them to the town's edge before they ran into trouble. He slipped down a curb, landing with a clatter against a steel bin, which fell noisily beside him.
"Run," he ordered Barty, picking up a loose brick and aiming it at one of the things heading their way. It hit its mark, and the thing fell to the ground, twitching but not getting back up again.
"I'm not leaving you," Barty replied, his hands trembling as he searched around for something to use as a weapon. "Do you have matches? We need fire, they die with fire."
Regulus shook his head, pulling a frying pan from his bag. He'd found it in the last town he'd been in, and taken it just in case. Thanking his forethought, he murmured again," You need to run. I'll catch up."
Barty just shook his head. Regulus almost admired the stubbornness. It wasn't often he met a match for his own.
Looking back at the things, closer now, stumbling towards them, Regulus decided that a tactical retreat was probably going to be the only safety from here. Especially since the only weapon they had between them was a frying pan.
Gripping hold of Barty's wrist, he pulled himself up and set off running, pulling the other man with him, not giving him a chance to complain. The things were slow, slower than Regulus anyway.
"We need to find something to muddy the scent trail," he muttered. "Otherwise, it doesn't matter how far we go, they'll just keep following."
"There's a pond," Barty suggested. "On the edge of the town, just before we hit the country lanes. The water should stop them from being able to follow."
Regulus nodded silently, not relishing the thought of going through a pond, but knowing they had little other options.
...
The water in the pond was disgusting, and Regulus grimaced with every step he took. His boots squelched against the bottom. It's only redeeming feature was that it was relatively small. Climbing out, Regulus jumped when a frog hopped across the ground in front of him.
Barty chuckled. Regulus levelled a glare at him, but it only made Barty laugh louder.
"Come on," Regulus huffed. "We need to get the hell away from here and set up camp somewhere.
The two walked for miles. Regulus could only be thankful that Barty was physically fit and able to keep up. When they stopped in a clearing, they were both tired and hungry, but they were safe, or as safe as they could be, and that was all that mattered.
"Should we… make a fire?" Barty asked. It was sundown, and it would soon be completely dark. Regulus felt a shiver, but shrugged, not wanting to show any weakness.
"You do that, and I'll build us somewhere to sleep," he muttered, wandering away. He had a sleeping bag which he supposed would have to do them both. They could lie on it if he opened it up. It was better than lying on the woodland floor, and the nights were still warm enough that covers weren't completely necessary.
It took them a little over an hour to set themselves up, and when Regulus pulled crisps and energy bars from the bottom of his bag, Barty looked at him like he'd just lassoed the moon.
"Thanks," he murmured, when Regulus split his hoard.
"We're going to need more tomorrow," Regulus warned as he handed over a bottle of water. "Which means braving another town."
Barty swallowed but nodded. "I… thanks. For not leaving me back there. I…"
"Why were you by yourself?"
"I was with some others but," Barty shook his head. "They decided I was a weak link, said they didn't want to deal with me anymore. I guess I was slowing them down."
Regulus felt himself growing angry. He hadn't even know this man for a full day, and yet he was furious that people thought he was weak.
"They're idiots," Regulus announced. "You kept up with me just fine."
The grateful smile on Barty's face warmed Regulus far more than the fire did.
…
They got lucky the following day. Regulus found a shop on the outskirts of town that hadn't been completely raided, and he filled his rucksack up with ready-to-eat foods and bottles of water. He knew they had to be getting closer to the camp, a few more days at most, and he was so ready to be able to relax.
"What's your favourite colour?" Barty asked out of the blue as they walked.
Regulus looked at him out of the corner of his eye, and smiled slightly. "Navy. You?"
"Green, I think," Barty replied.
"You think?"
"All this walking through the green countryside is making me rethink," Barty replied with a grin.
Regulus chuckled, then asked, "Favourite food?"
"Pizza."
"That was fast."
Barty shrugged. "Who doesn't like pizza?"
"Depends on the toppings. If you're one of those heathens that put pineapple on a pizza, I'm leaving you here."
Barty wrinkled his nose and Regulus couldn't help but think he looked adorable. "Nah, I'm more for pepperoni."
Regulus nodded approvingly. They continued asking random questions like that until the sun started setting in the sky once more.
After setting up camp with the same proficiency as the night before, Regulus leant himself back against a fallen log. "A couple more days, and we should be safe."
Barty nodded. "It'll be good to not have to worry about every rustle… especially when we're in woods where there's nothing but rustling."
Regulus snorted. "You're not wrong." Tilting his head back, he looked up at the stars. "Hey look, you can see Cygnus." He pointed out the constellation. Barty shuffled closer to look.
"How can you tell?"
"My family are big on stars," Regulus explained. "That's how I got my name. How we all got our names. My older brother is called Sirius, my father is called Orion."
Barty nodded. "At least your name has meaning, right? I was named after my father, destined to fail to live up to his name."
Barty's tone was bitter, and Regulus shifted to squeeze his hand in silent support..
"I know a thing or two about shitty families," Regulus admitted after a long moment. "I was forced to kill the only person who ever truly cared about me. The family butler, Mr Kreacher. He… he was turned. I didn't…"
Barty swallowed hard. "I killed my father."
They fell into silence. When they curled up together on top of the open sleeping bag, Regulus didn't say anything when Barty laid closer than he had the night before.
...
"Son of a bitch, there's more of them," Regulus shouted, picking up the closest thing to him, which happened to be a broken tree branch. He clobbered the thing in the head, twisting to do the same to another. He couldn't keep track of Barty, and his panic worsened with every second that passed without him in his line of sight.
Then there was light, and Barty was holding a tree branch, lit with fire at one end, brandishing it at the things. Regulus jumped out of the way, panting heavily as Barty fought off the things.
"Jesus Christ," Regulus bit out, when the last of them was on the floor. Barty was struggling to breathe when he dropped the branch, and Regulus silently handed him a bottle of water.
"I hate to rush you, but we need to keep moving."
Barty nodded, taking a long gulp of water. "I know. But first," he fastened the lid back on and looked up to meet Regulus' eyes. With one long step, he stood in front of Regulus and wrapped a hand around his neck, pulling him closer to press their lips together. When he pulled back, he said, "That was entirely too close for comfort."
Regulus didn't know what to say so he just nodded. Barty's cheeks flushed.
"I… erm…"
"It's fine," Regulus assured him.
"I've wanted to do that since about half an hour after I met you."
"Yeah?"
Barty nodded. "Yeah. I… I'd like to do it again…"
With a wide smile, Regulus wrapped an arm around Barty's shoulders. "Maybe when we're not surrounded by smoking things, yeah?"
"Still sticking with calling them 'things,' huh?"
Regulus snorted as the two started walking. "I refuse to use the word 'zombie' in a serious manner."
"But… that's what they are."
"Nope. Things. That's what they are. We are not in some stupid Hollywood movie, dammit."
Laughing, Barty shrugged. "If you insist."
"I do insist. If this were Hollywood, you'd be a female and I kinda like you exactly as you are."
...
"Here, there's a barn," Regulus said, pointing to a barn in the distance. "Stay behind me until we know if it's safe."
Regulus checked around the barn gingerly before he pushed open the doors. It was empty inside, and Regulus smiled with relief. It would be nice to have real shelter for a change.
The two ate in companionable silence before they lay down on the sleeping bag, much comfier over a pile of hay than it usually was on the hard ground. Barty didn't hesitate to slot himself against Regulus, with his head on his chest and his arm over his waist.
Regulus wrapped his arms around Barty in turn, pressing a kiss to Barty's head.
Regulus woke suddenly. It took him a moment to realise what had woken him up, but a shuffling footstep and hard breathing had him sitting up, staring around.
A thing was in the barn, nearing them with alarming speed, and Barty was closest.
"Wake up," Regulus shouted, jumping over Barty and punching the thing in the head, making it stumble back a little. He carried on, anything to keep the thing away, but he heard a squeak and had to turn to make sure Barty was okay.
It was a mistake and he knew it. Teeth sank into his arm before he could rip away from the grip. A gunshot sounded and the thing fell to the floor. Regulus tugged his sleeve down and turned to find Barty holding a shotgun in shaking hands.
"Hey, hey, it's okay," Regulus comforted, approaching slowly and pulling away the gun. "You okay?"
Barty nodded but fell against Regulus' side. Regulus hugged him tight, his eyes scanning the barn. When he didn't see anything else, he leant the gun against the wall.
"Let's head out," he suggested. "Neither of us is going to get any more rest."
Barty nodded.
"You pack up our things, I'm going to see if there are any more guns around here. It'd be useful if there's a handgun, just in case."
…
Regulus cursed himself silently as the two walked. He noticed that Barty was looking at him worriedly, but he'd pulled the sleeve of his sweater down before he could see the bite mark.
How could he have been so careless? He was an idiot. Barty… Regulus sighed, drawing another worried look. At least they were nearing the safe camp. Barty… he'd be safe. He'd be looked after there, and he wouldn't have to worry about the things anymore.
He wouldn't be alone.
Regulus had many regrets, but that would never be one of them.
He stumbled. He was finding it more difficult to breathe, and his arm was throbbing painfully, the feeling moving up towards his shoulder.
Letting himself fall, he landed hard on his knees, his rucksack falling into the leaves with a crunch beside him.
"Reg?"
Barty sat beside him, putting a steadying hand on the back of his shoulder. "You okay?"
Regulus shook his head. "Really not," he groaned. "But… I got you this far. The camp… it's only a few miles away, okay? You can get there. It's all countryside, you'll be safe."
"Reg… what? I don't…"
Regulus pulled his sleeve back, revealing the mangled skin of his arm. It was inflamed, purple around the edges.
Barty stared in horror at the bite mark. "You… you got that for me," he whispered. "Because I wasn't fast enough."
Regulus shook his head tiredly. "I got it because I couldn't let you die. You… you were made for more than mindless hunting, Barty. You were made to be more than one of those things."
"So were you," Barty replied, helping Regulus to lay down, his head in Barty's lap. Barty stroked a hand through the brown strands. "You… I don't want you to die."
"I'm not afraid of dying."
"What are you afraid of?"
"Fire. Which is why… when the time… you have to kill me. You can't let me die and come back, because I can't… I don't want…"
Tears fell unchecked down Barty's face, but he nodded. "I get it. I promise."
…
Regulus was sweating profusely. He felt awful, and he knew, he knew that his time… it was almost over. He'd fought for hours, unwilling to leave Barty until the last moment.
This… this was that moment.
"You get to that safe camp, and you live. Do you hear me?" he forced out, his arm heavy when he reached up to pat Barty's cheek. "You live, and you do great things."
"I don't want to without you," Barty whispered, his eyes filling with tears that had been appearing on and off since he'd first seen the bite.
"Do it for me," Regulus demanded. "And when… when you've lived a life full of memories, you can come find me, okay? I'll be waiting for you."
Barty nodded. "Promise?"
"I swear."
Barty picked up the handgun that Regulus had found in a small box in the barn. They'd kept it close by, just in case. It felt heavy in his hand.
"When… when you get there, see if you can find Sirius. Tell him… tell him I love him."
Barty nodded. "I will. I know… I know that we haven't known each other long, but… but you… I…"
"I know. I know. I love you too."
Barty put the gun gently against Regulus' temple. "I love you," he murmured. "I'll see you when I have a lifetime of memories to share with you."
Regulus smiled, his eyes gazing up into Barty's.
Barty pulled the trigger and cried.
…
When Barty made it to the safety zone, he was checked thoroughly before being granted asylum. They stripped him, checking every inch of him for bite marks or infected wounds.
"You were lucky to have made it here alone," one of them commented, watching him with something akin to awe.
Later, when Barty sat down beside the lake, he looked up at the stars. He felt numb. "How am I the lucky one?"
Written for;
Harry Potter Hunger Games - Haven / Guilt / "It's the end of the world as we know it." / Regulus / Fire
Character Appreciation - 14. Saving Someone's life
Disney - Shere Khan - Someone scared of fire
Dark Lady - 19. A horrific discovery
Book Club - Katherine - Fear / Sundown / Brick / Numbness
Showtime - 9. "What are you afraid of?"
Lyric Alley - 13. How am I the lucky one?
Ami's Audio - 9. Multiple people dying.
Angel's Arcade - Big the Cat - Pond / Frog / Purple
Sewing 101 - Fabric - 3. Knife / Pattern - 1. Regret / Colour - 2. Navy
Feline Fair - 5. Burmese. Someone who doesn't like to be alone.
Slash September - RegulusBarty
Auction - Regulus Black
