Been a while, huh? How is everyone doing?

To Amber rose: thank you! :)

To Guest: thank you, I'm glad you're enjoying the story! I was intending for it to be semi-thriller/horror, so to hear it kept you on the edge of your seat makes me happy, haha :D

To Gen X Solaris: I'm honored you think so! Thank you so much ^_^

To all who review: thank you for taking the time to let me know what you think about my story. It's such a pleasure to write this and it makes me so happy to hear that you guys are enjoying it. More chapters to come soon! God bless & happy reading! xx


.: 20 :.

On day one of not having Boomer with her, Bubbles didn't sleep too well knowing the goofy blonde wasn't next to her. She'd grown used to his presence, to hearing his soft snores beside her, and without him there... It felt weird.

After he'd left, Bubbles passed the time by going through some of the books in the office. It was a little difficult to hobble her way over to the bookshelf, but luckily it wasn't too far. Some of the survival books were great and she had nothing against flipping through them, but right now she needed fiction to pass the time. The sooner she could distract herself, the faster time would pass and the sooner Boomer and his brothers would arrive.

She searched through the desk in the front room and found a few decent-sized fiction books that a previous employee had left behind, so for the first few hours, Bubbles spent her time getting lost in one of them, which was, ironically, a book centering around a zombie apocalypse. It wasn't an easy read since some parts made her feel uneasy (after all, her reality was pretty much the same story, wasn't it?) but it was interesting enough that she got so into the story that she just barely realized it was getting dark outside. She didn't want to strain her eyes any more than she already was, so she forced herself to put the book down and try to get some rest, all the while tuning in to her surroundings for any strange noises that might indicate an infected had wandered into the campgrounds.

Bubbles spent the entire night dozing on and off. By the time dawn arrived, she was excited; Boomer and his brothers were probably on their way back and they'd be there by afternoon, maybe even early evening.

She continued passing the time by finishing the zombie book, then moved onto the romance novel. She kept an ear out for Boomer's voice, hoping she'd hear it soon, and all the while she kept off her ankle to let it heal. The ugly purple blotch that appeared after she sprained it was slowly fading; it wasn't as painful to put weight on it as it was yesterday, but she still kept off it to ensure it healed quickly and properly.

The afternoon came and went. Early evening arrived, then gave way to the uncertain darkness of night.

Bubbles could feel a sliver of worry start to gnaw at her, but she refused to give into it. Boomer had said a day or two, didn't he? Maybe he'd underestimated how many infected there actually were and was stranded somewhere. With how many infected had been there prior to their departure from Townsville, Bubbles wouldn't be surprised if the entire neighborhood was completely swarmed by now. It was wishful thinking on her part that he'd be able to zip in and out of the neighborhood as if there weren't monstrosities waiting to pounce.

Her romance novel forgotten, her thoughts shifted to the infected. Their behaviors were inconsistent from what she'd seen. When she first met Boomer, he'd told her they hated sunlight, yet the infected didn't seem to have any issues traipsing around Townsville in the daytime. Boomer also said they hated groups of people and would generally steer clear of more than one person, yet the infected had had no problem chasing Bubbles and Boomer out of his house and through the neighborhood.

While they were clearly operating on some kind of primal instincts, they also seemed to be... Evolving? That one evening spent in Boomer's house, when Bubbles had been on watch and noticed some of the infected sitting and rocking back and forth... What was that about? Why would they be rocking themselves like that, as if something truly emotionally distressing had happened to them?

And why were they able to move around in the sunlight? Bubbles didn't think Boomer and his brothers would lie about that detail so how were they able to evolve? She wasn't good at science—that was Blossom and Professor Utonium's forte—but even she knew that it was impossible for mutations to occur within days... Or was it?

What exactly did they subsist on, anyway? Her memory of stumbling upon City Hall was perfect, unfortunately, and the mangled bodies, though torn up, didn't appear to be eaten or bit into; at least not bit into as if someone had suddenly craved human flesh. Did they survive on blood alone? If that was the case, then why leave splatters of blood all over the city? And if they were cannibalistic in nature, why would they leave bodies strewn about instead of consuming them?

...Well, there went her appetite. Bubbles' stomach churned with nausea and she forced herself to stop going down that train of thought, instead deciding to come to the simple conclusion that nothing made sense about these creatures. They seemed to be walking contradictions, only aggressive for the sake of aggression itself.

The blonde looked out the window at the dark sky, stars twinkling eagerly against endless indigo. She wondered if maybe Brick and Butch had figured out anything new about the infected since they'd been right in the line of fire. Maybe once they got to the evacuation zone, they'd have useful information for the military and they could take back their world. Everything could go back to semi-normalcy; Bubbles could go back to college, Blossom and Buttercup and the Professor would be there with her, even Boomer and his brothers... Reality seemed to blur as unconsciousness slowly pulled her into its depths.

She dozed off and the night passed seamlessly.


Day three came and went. Bubbles slowly began to feel more worry and anxiety picking at her thoughts. She was trying to stay positive and optimistic about Boomer returning, but it was getting more difficult to do so when she was really starting to feel concerned. She didn't like being by herself and, although the camp was mostly safe and isolated from the rest of the world (as far as she knew), it was only a matter of time before something stumbled into these woods. Her ankle was getting better with each day she stayed off it, but eventually she might have to leave. She didn't like that thought at all; what if she had to run before Boomer got back? What would happen if he did manage to make it back only to find an empty cabin and no Bubbles? He'd think she abandoned him, or worse, that something had happened to her.

The thought of Boomer making it back to camp only to find no one and nothing was heartbreaking and nearly brought her to tears.

She would've spent the day reading but she was sick of poring over literature when half of her heart was out there somewhere, potentially stranded or worse. She wished she could've gone with him.

She spent much of the fourth day outside, as her ankle felt alright enough to put a little weight on it. She didn't do anything strenuous, of course; she merely sat in one of the wicker chairs outside the office cabin and basked in the sunlight that streamed down through the treetops. It wasn't too bad out; the humidity was relatively low and it felt about eighty degrees outside, so it was a pleasantly-warm day with nary a cloud to be seen.

Bubbles didn't like to think about it, but she had to have some kind of backup plan in case Boomer didn't return. Where would she go and how would she manage to get there without being caught by an infected? She could be stealthy when the situation called for it, and a positive was that her shoes were light and didn't make any sounds, but the biggest question was location.

Boomer had initially said the rest of the world was dealing with infected, but no one really knew what was going on thanks to the radio towers being out of commission. Bubbles' phone died the day Boomer left, so checking to see if anything was updating was no longer an option.

Worst case scenario, if she had to leave, would it be safe to leave the only place she'd ever lived? Granted, this camp was miles from Townsville (and a decent distance away from the tunnels as well; it was pretty well-hidden, a perfect vacation spot actually), but Bubbles was only familiar with the Pokey Oaks region. What if she encountered hostile human beings? What if she ran into hordes of infected? She'd have no idea where to go or where she would end up. The only place she knew a little bit about was Citysville, and that wasn't even an option at this point.

...It was times like these that she wished her sisters were here. Blossom was good at brainstorming and Buttercup was good at poking holes in any plans they came up with because if Buttercup could figure out ways to foil a plan, so could the opposing party; it helped to ensure all their bases were covered.

The biggest problem was that Bubbles had no clue where the other evacuation zones were, or if any of them were even still around for that matter. Who knows what was going on with the rest of the world? For all she knew, every zone had been overrun and there was no chance of safety anywhere. Maybe humanity was screwed and she was one of a select few still alive and kicking.

And if she did have to go toe-to-toe with an infected, how would she defend herself? She wasn't violent by nature, so how would she fight off a creature that was probably ten-times stronger than her? It was easy to fight for someone else, like if Boomer required her assistance in kicking infected butt, but for herself it was a bit harder to rationalize hurting something, even if that "something" was trying to hurt her.

How the hell was she going to survive out there if she did end up leaving?

It was day five when Bubbles began to lose hope.

Much like her sisters had initially told her the rescue team would only take a few days, Boomer had said he'd return within a day or two at the most. She knew it was possible that something had happened to prevent him from returning on-time—she refused to consider that something had happened to him—but Boomer was quick and could think on his feet even in a bad situation. He'd find a way to get himself to safety and, eventually, back to her.

...Wouldn't he?

Why was he taking so long? Had something happened, and what of his brothers? He was supposed to be meeting them back at his house which shouldn't have been a problem since the boys found weapons, so why wasn't he back by now? What was the hold-up?

Had he forgotten about her? If so, how do you forget about a human being you supposedly care about?

Or worse, had he and his brothers decided to ditch her just to save themselves time and trouble?

She began to feel betrayed when day six came.

Thoughts of Boomer's sweet nature began to distort until Bubbles' memories of the funny blonde became something to criticize. She loved him, but... He was clearly loyal to his brothers, which she understood, but what if he'd gone off with them? What if, after reuniting with them, they really had decided to ditch Bubbles in favor of saving themselves?

That would explain why Boomer took one last look at the campgrounds before he left. Maybe he was trying to memorize everything because it was the last time he'd ever have to be there and he was just trying to sear his time with Bubbles into his memory. Maybe when he got to his brothers, he'd convinced them that something had happened to Bubbles and that they should move on without her. It didn't help that she would be considered a burden what with her sprained ankle...

Bubbles struggled with that thought because she knew it couldn't be true. Boomer cared for her, he said he loved her! He wouldn't have locked her away in a mudroom only to practically sacrifice himself if he didn't care enough about her to save her life... Okay, so maybe that sounded a little funny even to her, but Boomer did love her. He didn't seem to be the type to lie about that sort of thing and she was pretty sure that guys like Boomer didn't just go around saying "I love you" without meaning it.

So then, if all the cards pointed to him genuinely loving her and caring about her... why wasn't he coming back?

She felt guilty for thinking such treacherous thoughts, for wondering if he'd ever do something so cruel as to leave her behind, and she felt even worse at the thought that something had happened to him to prevent him from getting back to her... Or even from getting to his brothers.

What if an infected caught him? What if he was bitten, what if he was dead? And if something had happened—though she convinced herself that no, Boomer was too smart, too fast to let anything happen to himself—how dare she think about whether or not he'd betrayed her. How dare she think so poorly of the one person that decided to stick with her despite her initial coldness towards him.

Did she even deserve someone like Boomer? Bubbles was sweet and generally open to all who wanted to know her, but she'd been a bitch to him when she'd first met him, hadn't she? Why would he want to come back to someone like her, someone who spent all their time worrying, complaining, and crying? She was stupid for thinking he'd ever liked her.

Bubbles spent a good chunk of that night trying not to cry (and failing miserably). It hurt her deeply to think that in one fell swoop, she'd lost her family and now Boomer, and maybe she deserved it. Maybe she didn't deserve to have someone as bright and cheerful as Boomer Jojo be in her miserable little life.

Maybe she didn't deserve anyone at all.

...And maybe she didn't deserve to sit there feeling sorry for herself. It was day seven when Bubbles broke out of the downward spiral of her thoughts and began to consider setting out for Boomer's house to see what was going on.

She knew it might be a suicide mission; after all, Boomer didn't strike her as the type to renege on his promises unless something physically prevented him from keeping his word, so if he wasn't returning, something had to have happened. She might very well be walking into a trap; whoever or whatever had incapacitated Boomer might do the same to her, but wasn't it worth it to ensure Boomer was alright?

Okay, so maybe that was a stupid plan. If Boomer had been trapped and, well... If something had happened to him, would it really be a good idea to set herself up for the same fate? He would've died in vain if she ended up getting herself killed.

Bubbles chewed her bottom lip thoughtfully. Now that she could walk again, maybe it might be a good idea to consider getting to one of the evacuation zones on her own. She hated the thought of leaving the campsite, especially when Boomer might arrive any day now with his brothers in tow, but she also had to think about herself. If she stayed here at the campgrounds, eventually she would run out of food and be forced to go out in search of more. Worse yet, there was always the possibility that infected would discover this place and she'd really have no choice but to leave.

It bothered her to think about what could happen if she left. What if, after leaving to find an evacuation zone herself, Boomer and his brothers showed up to an empty campground? She could see the disappointment and hurt on Boomer's face in her mind's eye, and it tugged at her heartstrings. She hated the thought of anyone being left all by themselves, but if Boomer never came back...

On day eight, Bubbles had everything that she'd need packed and ready to go. Her ankle felt as good as new and she hefted her backpack onto her shoulders. She wanted to depart that very day, but something in her gut told her to wait just a little longer, if nothing else then for Boomer's sake. Give him one more day to make an appearance and if he didn't, well... She'd find someplace safe and then try to find him. She'd find out what happened to him even if it killed her.

After all, what good was it to remain the sole survivor when everyone you know and love are probably dead or monstrous?

She was supposed to leave on day nine but it was day nine when everything came crashing down.


Bubbles was halfway through a can of pears, savoring the sweet juice and thinking of the journey to come, when it happened. She'd been lifting a spoonful to her lips when a few quick knocks broke through the quiet of the room like thunder. This particular morning had seemed ominous, as if the little creatures of these woods knew Bubbles was about to embark on a foolish journey for the one person she'd come to care greatly for. She'd woken up to utter quiet, the only sounds greeting her ears being the few raindrops falling onto the tin roof from the trees above. A few spotty rain showers had passed over the camp through the night, leaving the outside world relatively wet, but it had succeeded in knocking down the humidity again.

The knock was almost... Urgent? No, not quite urgent, but it was definitely trying to get her attention. Or, well... Whoever was out there was trying to get someone's attention. If luck was on her side, whoever was out there didn't know that a small woman was staying all by herself in this particular cabin.

Bubbles set her makeshift breakfast down onto the desk and reached down to retrieve Buttercup's bat from where it lay. She crept towards the stained glass door, relieved that the frosted colors sort of helped to mask her appearance as she tiptoed towards the door.

Gripping the bat as if she were ready to hit a home run, Bubbles positioned herself next to it. The knock came again after a few heartbeats, more insistent than before, and she gripped the bat even tighter.

"Bubbles?"