Oi, kept you waiting huh? Thought this story was dead? Nah. Just like a zombie it comes back to bite you. Haha, that aside, how have y'all been doing? Handling the situation? Staying healthy? Either way, lots of opportunities were given to me to keep writing. The plot of RWBYWD never died, I just never had time to write. But now that I do, here's that next chapter like... 4 years later. Thanks to the people who left comments during the wait, it really kept me going and had me not give up on the story. With more time to write, hopefully the next update won't take a year. And will be longer. Either way, stay safe, stay healthy, and read fanfics. Take care.


"Hey Yang… Yang? Wake up! Hey! Look! Listen!"

"Shuddap you stupid fair- Huh?" A blonde haired brawler blinked her eyes open. She was sitting in a meadow. There were assorted colours of flowers, all seemingly the same height. They sported reds, blues, purples and yellows, accompanied by a nice, warm sun shining down on them. Not a single cloud in the sky as a crisp breeze ran through the meadow and with it, a hint of sea salt. When the wind ceased, Yang could hear the sounds of waves crashing along a shore, dispersing with the sea foam it created.

"Where… am I?" The blonde asked no one in particular, looking to and fro from the spot she was in. She noticed that she was standing at the base of a hill, and behind her, the meadow faded into a bright light. She figured it was best to climb the hill.

She was confused, and lost, but the colors, the sun, the sounds of the sea, it all calmed her. Soothed her soul. She was safe here.

Yang soon found herself at the top of the hill, overlooking the white foggy mess laying behind it. However, what she did find was a trail. A nicely paved dirt road that extended from where she was, into the fog.

Without any real reason, she took a step onto the path and pushed herself forward. Step by step until she came right up to the fog. With a deep breath, the brawler walked into the blanket of clouds, meeting with only darkness.


"-We've come this far."

"Well, yeah but there's so much concentrated Grimm in this area it would be extremely hard to move a huge group if they have one."

"Then what if we moved them out in smaller groups?"

"That could work. But first we need to actually get there."

"Yeah, if only… wait..."

Yang could hear voices as she was slowly gaining consciousness. Her forehead was hot, and heavy. She was covered in blankets, and the feeling of foreign fabric against her skin was strange. Her purple eyes stared up at the unfamiliar ceiling. Aside from the voices, she could hear the pattering of rain against a window or something similar.

"Hey, are you awake?" Came a bit of a low, but feminine voice. Not one Yang heard before. She shifted her head to look at where the sound was coming from, which turned out to be to her left.

Adjacent to her was another bed, a nightstand with a lamp on it was between the two beds. In fact, it was similar to the apartment Weiss, Jaune and Ren stayed and met Emerald and Mercury. But on that bed were two people. One was a very flashy looking girl, with short hair, similar to her sister's, except brown. She was wearing aviators and sported a large brown coat with a green undershirt. Ripped jeans graced her legs and she wore what looked like brown cowboy boots?

Beside her was another brunette, except she had long brown rabbit ears, with equally long straight hair, light brown eyes, and a black hoodie with black leggings on her legs, wearing some red high tops on her feet. She was a faunus. Some people held prejudice towards them but Yang had no real opinion. They were just people with extra features. Not like she was one to judge. Though she noted this is the first one she's seen since the outbreak started. Neither of them looked like they were armed.

"Who…?" Yang tried to move her hands to try to sit up, but realized they were handcuffed together. That caused her to panic. "What? Hey, why am I-"

"Woah, easy there lion. You're only handcuffed cuz we don't know you yet. We just found you outside the apartment." The girl with the aviators spoke out. Meanwhile the bunny girl leaned over Yang and reached toward her eyes. The blonde shut them in reflex but felt something warm and heavy be removed from her forehead, leaving a slight damp feeling. When she opened her eyes to check what it was, the object in question was a white, and damp hand towel. That made her realize that she was being taken care of… and naked.

"Start talking. Please." Yang said with a sigh. She was confused, and afraid, but she could tell that these two were at least not going to kill her, yet anyways. She stopped struggling and laid there covered in warm blankets.

"Well, we're from Beacon Academy, part of the Search and Rescue team." The flashy girl started. "Oh, I'm Coco, and that's Velvet." She motioned toward the rabbit girl, who took the towel, a bowl of water, and moved out of sight behind a door behind Coco. "We found you, wet and out cold near the apartment. Which is really weird, considering we just stopped here to rest. How did you get there? You were soaking wet and shivering like you were gonna die." Coco finished and paused, letting Yang interject if she wanted.

"I… I don't know. The last thing I remember was getting lost in some alleys…" The blonde sighed as she tried to recall the events before she passed out. She remembered the whistle, Emerald and Mercury, and leading the Grimm away from the outpost. "It was cold and I collapsed…"

"Well, yes you had scratches and bruises, but it looks like it came from you falling down on the ground. We checked you for any bite marks or wounds but you were clean." The brunette motioned toward Yang's body. To which Yang breathed a sigh of relief. "Alright."

"So yeah, all we're doing is looking for survivors to bring back to Beacon. There were reports of a large settlement being built in the harbor, and we figured it would be smarter to relocate everyone to Beacon. Lots of food, water, and room for everybody." Coco nodded. "Plus… the harbor is kind of… the heart of the Grimm lands…" The brunette said slowly. Yang remembered how the crate dropped and Grimm came spilling out. If that was the truth and the harbor was indeed where the Grimm was the thickest, then she would need to get Weiss and everyone else out immediately.

"Beacon? You mean the Academy up on the hill at the edge of Vale?" Yang shot the question during the pause.

"Yep, the military set up base over there. We were the ones selected to make first contact with the harbor." Coco responded, seeing that Yang had another question, she paused to let her speak her piece.

"Have you gotten there yet?" Yang asked, stretching out her legs and her arms since she was still a bit stiff.

"Not exactly. Just like you, we got a bit lost trying to avoid the main roads, so we took a break here. Do you know how to get there?"

"Yeah… I'm with that group actually. I led some Grimm away from them and got lost on my way back. I'm going to return as soon as you guys let me go."

Coco smiled and crossed her legs. "Just what I wanted to hear. You help us get there and we will do our best to help all your people get to Beacon."

As she finished speaking, Velvet returned to the room with a folded up bundle of clothes. Familiar orange and black, which was Yang's clothes. She placed them next to Yang's head. "I hope you can help us out. Oh, what's your name? Coco forgot to ask haha…" The bunny girl gave a nervous laugh.

"Yang… And sure. If you promise you're here to help us get out, then I'll make sure you guys get there. Just… let me go." She sighed and slowly slid her hands up and out of the bedsheets, the steel cuffs still there around her wrists.

"Sweet. Let me help you get those off, and we can talk more." Coco nodded and stood up, moving to Yang's side and plucking a key out from her jacket pocket, unlocking it and setting the blonde's hands free.

Yang quickly grabbed her clothes and pulled them under the blankets, slipping them on carefully. Her mind was still wandering though. 'How did I even get here?' She thought. It wasn't long before she was in clothes once again. With that she swung her legs over the edge of the bed and sat up, facing both Coco and Velvet. "Looks good. When the rain lets up, we will start to move again. For now, how about you and I go search the building for any supplies while Velvet here prepares dinner?" Coco suggests as she motions to Velvet, who doesn't seem to mind the idea.

"Sure. But where's my stuff?" Yang asked as she looked around for her backpack and gun.

Velvet pointed behind her, where she had left and returned with Yang's clothes. "It's there, but as for your gun we uh… stashed it for reasons."

"Besides, you won't be needing it in these close quarters. I'm sure you know how to use this." Coco tossed Yang's metal bat toward her, which was caught and hefted. "We'll just check a few rooms, see if there's any survivors, and then return here."

"Isn't leaving Velvet all by herself dangerous?" Yang asked as she looked the faunus up and down. She was thin, very lithe, and really cute with the bunny ears. Not someone who looks like they could defend themself.

"Are you checking her out?" Coco nudged Yang, who flinched in response. The faunus in question squeaked and blushed, averting her eyes from the blonde and turning slightly.

"What? No, now is not the time for that. I am just worried about leaving someone behind." Yang responded, gripping the bat a bit as she felt a bit embarrassed she was caught observing the bunny.

"I'm kidding. She can just keep the door locked and won't open it until I radio us in." Coco laughed and held up a small black and yellow walkie talkie. "Hopefully that helps you open up a little. If you have any more questions you can ask. But let's go." The brunette stood up and headed towards the area where Velvet came back from.

"Hang in there Weiss… I'm coming back." Yang whispered a promise before looking toward Velvet, who was in the small kitchen area. She had moved away from Yang and was mixing up some things in cans and swaying her hips in rhythm. There was a question she was supposed to ask but… for some reason she couldn't remember, as something had distracted her. Yang quickly moved toward the area Coco disappeared to in embarrassment.

The area in question was a hallway, with a closet door where she assumed was a washer-dryer combo, and the door to the apartment hallways, is what she guessed, considering Coco was leaning against the wall with a dirty looking iron rod that actually was just a fire poker.

"C'mon Yang, let's go." Coco grinned and pushed open the door into the hallway


The two of them had been searching room after room, knocking, and then checking to see if the door would just be open. If not, move on. There was no need to kick doors in. Too much noise. There were no survivors, but quite a few undead. Yang would knock them down with her bat, and Coco would impale them with her fire poker. There were barely any words or sounds, just hunting. This was a problem for the blonde. Under normal circumstances, she would have been more outgoing, more friendlier, but with the situation and desperation growing out from people, she didn't know who she could trust. She had to question everything, and everyone, and that never really was her style. But with life at stake, she had to stay on her toes.

After searching all the floors for any survivors, the two began to return to the room they started at. There were no other living beings, just a lot of Grimm. It had saddened them to know that a lot of people didn't make it, or were just too scared to check their doors.

Sitting back on the bed she had woken up in, Yang sprawled out and sighed. Velvet was finished making some heated up baked beans, and a can of peaches for each of them. It was a small meal but at least a somewhat filling one. With all of them having eaten, they still couldn't leave since the rain was still pouring. With how dark it was and the rain still there, they had all agreed to go back in the morning.

Yang laid back on the pillow and stared at the ceiling. 'Did I manage to save the outpost? Is Weiss safe? Are they all okay?' The questions ran through her head.

A small cough came from the other bed, which snapped Yang out of her thoughts as she instinctively looked over. Coco was standing there with her hands on her hips. "Now I know you may be comfortable, but that is Velvet's bed you know."

"Coco! It's fine Yang, I can sleep on the couch. You know she was just recovering today." The bunny reacted sternly to the other girl's words.

"Really? With the way she took care of the Grimm I couldn't even tell she was just out cold a few moments ago. I'm sure she will do the right thing and let you have the bed." Coco looked toward Yang and raised a brow, as if goading Yang into letting Velvet have the bed.

Yang smiled a bit from hearing the two argue. "Coco is right. I feel fine Velvet. You can have the bed." The blonde began to swing her legs over the edge of the bed once again before a hand was placed on her chest and pushed her back onto the bed.

"Nope, you collapsed, and you need to rest up more for tomorrow. She's gonna get the bed." She shot a glare at Coco, who quickly put up her hands in surrender. Velvet then turned to Yang, and she felt like she was being stared down by a viper, rather than a rabbit.

"Okay okay… If you say so." Yang sighed and realigned herself with the bed. Without Weiss or her friends, she felt kind of… less energetic. She usually wasn't this quiet or subdued, but she felt like with all the worries on her shoulders, she just couldn't bring herself to be cheerful. The blonde sighed and closed her eyes as the room went dark. There was no 'good night' or 'sleep well.' Just silence and the rustling of fabric as people got settled into their beds.

"Or you two could share the bed~ Yang wouldn't mind it I bet." Came a voice in the darkness.

"Nooooooo!" A sort of wail came from what Yang assumed was Velvet, and the comment brought a rush of blush to her face, thanking the darkness for concealing it. Then all went quiet for a while.

There was one thing nagging at Yang though, and she figured she should still ask.

"How long was I out for?" Yang asked the void of darkness.

"About 3 days. Now hurry up and sleep so we can get going early in the morning tomorrow if the rain lets up." Came a familiar, low voice.

'3 days?!' Yang scrunched her eyebrows together. Now she was curious what was happening at the outpost. Surely they think she didn't make it. That gave her a small chuckle in planning her big return. Just some wishful thoughts.


The next morning was quick, with breakfast done by Velvet. More beans and orange juice. The three were seated at the little table letting the food settle. The sun was just beginning to shine over the mountains.

"Yang there's one more door I wanna check. I skipped it cuz we started on the next floor, but there's another room on this floor that I didn't check yet." Coco finished off her meal with a swig from her water bottle, and gave Yang the agenda. "I could hear sounds coming from next door, which I thought would have been drowned out by your snoring."

"I don't snore. Do I?" The blonde looked to the rabbit, who sheepishly shrunk in her chair. That was all Yang needed to know to get her answer.

But yeah. Not your usual knock. We're gonna get inside. If they're looters or something, we can deal with them. If they're survivors, we need to make sure they get out." Coco stood up from the chair and placed her hands on her hips, giving herself a much needed stretch. "Velvet can you start packing up our things? As soon as we finish with this room we'll head out."

"Sure thing Coco, and as usual, don't push yourself Yang. I'll be upset if you do." The brunette directed her stern gaze to the blonde. Which was funny considering how fast she recovered from being too shy to answer the snoring question.

"Sounds good. If it's just more Grimm I'll have 'em knocked out in no time." Yang stood as well, heading to grab her metal bat and get her legs stretched out before they moved out.


The blonde and brunette duo moved to the adjacent door, which was a ways down the hall from their room. Yang's head still slightly hurt, and it felt like she was forgetting something. The pattering of rain on the hallways window began to start strong. The outside morning light was now being covered by the gray clouds, so only the dim lighting kept the hallway visible. The smell of blood wafted through the halls, from the few Grimm they dispatched yesterday. The question hit Yang about how to get inside if they weren't going to knock.

Coco apparently had the answer for that. She plucked out some tools from her purse, winked at Yang, and went to work on the lock for the door. Yang's lips curled into a grin. "I knew you were a bad girl. The style, the attitude, of course you would know how to pick a lock. Sneak out a lot huh?"

The stylish brunette didn't reply, only giving a knowing grin as she fiddled with the lock. "If we alert one of the Grimm, it's going to be a big, big party. So let's just keep it nice and quiet" She smirked as she twisted the pin and the sound of a lock sliding away was heard. "Bingo."

Yang readied her metal bat as Coco slowly pulled the door open, and motioned for Yang to go in.

The room was just like the others, a hallway, a closet, and that would lead into the bedroom with a connected kitchen. The room was quiet, and Yang slowly walked in. "Hello? This is the police, here to rescue you." Yang whispered out loud, Coco's face scrunched up in confusion, and amusement.

"Really? The police?" The stylish brunette giggled.

"Shuddup! What am I supposed to say? 'Sorry we broke in, we're here to help.' Like anyone would buy that!" Yang whispered back angrily.

Groaning was heard from around the corner, like, a breathy, dead groan. Yang and Coco quickly snapped into position, ready to fight. The blonde peeked around the corner of the hallway and into the main room what she saw struck fear into her very soul.

The sheets were tossed about, and a fresh crimson color. The lamp was knocked over, the sliding door leading to the balcony was also open, as wind and rain blew into the room. The kitchen had pots and pans scattered, fresh food, cans and blood was everywhere. The groaning was coming from a Grimm. But standing there, in the center of the room, was a massive creature. It stood around 8 feet tall. It sported a goat's head with gnarled, twisted horns that scraped along the ceiling. Thick, muscled arms covered by a tattered red shirt. Jeans that were torn open, revealing strong plantigrade legs that resembled a goat, complete with hooves. The fur on its legs and face was damp, as if it came from the rain. There were parts here and there with decaying flesh and bone. Whatever it was, it was an amalgamation of human, faunus, and Grimm.

It was holding the Grimm by the head, before it tore off it's arm and began to chew on it. The Grimm could only groan and let it's blood drip onto the floor. The blonde could only stare in horror at the sight. She could hear Coco slowly shuffling towards her, a cold hand laid itself atop Yang's forearm.

The goat thing suddenly snapped its neck toward Yang, and she threw herself back in fear, her bat clattering along the carpeted floor. The blonde bolted for the open door, her arm reaching out for the stunned and bewildered Coco, snagging her around the waist and throwing her out the door. She quickly grabbed the door and slammed it, pushing against it. She braced herself, praying to the Gods and Goddesses that whatever that thing was didn't just slam into the door and kill them both.

Coco groaned as she stood up, having been thrown on her butt by the scared brawler. She pulled up her fire poker and peeked down the hallway to see if any Grimm were on their way to them. "What the fuck was that Yang? What did you see that made you decide to ragdoll my ass?" The brunette said with annoyance. She didn't see what Yang saw.

Yang's heart was beating a mile a second, she kept herself pressed up against the door, her feet firmly planted, her body slanted to leverage herself against any force that dared try to open the door. She couldn't stand the sight of that thing, and it was eating Grimm, but it didn't look friendly at all. She could feel the killing intent it had as it looked in her direction.

Suddenly, the sounds of groaning and scratching snapped Yang out of her thoughts. The Grimm locked in the other rooms were beginning to stir. They were trying to investigate the sounds Yang and Coco had made, scratching and pushing on their doors. "We gotta run… we gotta get back to Velvet and leave this place!" Yang said with urgency. The confusion on Coco's face was evident. "Alright, I'll believe you I guess." the brunette sighed.

With that, Yang and Coco dashed from the door, heading to their room.


Velvet was busy stuffing clothes, cans and water bottles into backpacks when her ears picked up the thumping from what she had assumed was the two girls. She hurriedly began packing faster, thinking something bad must have happened if they were freaking out that badly. The door burst open suddenly with a loud slam, which startled the poor bunny. But what she saw scared her even more.

As Yang and Coco came into view, one more annoyed than the other, their faces suddenly turned to pure horror. They weren't looking at Velvet, rather, something behind her. Before Velvet could even say anything, the glass door to the balcony shattered. It was as if everything slowed to a crawl for the unsuspecting faunus.

"VELVET!"