A/N: Proof that I'm alive! I've been trying to write more so if you follow me on tumblr at 1ooo-w0rds, you can see some of my work-in-progress. This AU is still being flushed out so watch out for a second part.

Real life news: It's been exactly 1 year since I've graduated college. Work has been good. Busy with an upcoming demo. Congrats to all recent graduates in high school, college and whatever. I wish good luck to everyone!

Survival

The clang of a metal shelf falling sent a shiver down Jason's spine. He tensed from his crouched position, slowly reaching for the baseball bat beside him. Turning his head slowly, he tried to find the source of the noise. His partners froze as well, trading tiny glances. Annabeth pressed her back against a collapsed shelf, gripping her hunting dagger in her right hand. Percy reached behind his back to where his revolver was. A low long groan cut through the air. Jason's eyes widen.

"Run…" Annabeth whispered right as an arm punched through the wall beside her shoulder. The blond ducked and rolled as her boyfriend shot the zombie's head. Blood and brains exploded, coating the left side of Jason's face as he clenched his bat and backpack. The trio dashed towards the exit. Jason held his arms up to cover his face as they burst through the smashed storefront. A chorus of low moans caused the hair on the back of Jason's neck to stick up.

"Go, go, go." Jason whispered as he shoved Percy in front of him. The groans and moans grew louder, attracted to the gunshot. Jason risked turning his head, seeing a gang of seven shambling zombies chasing them. "Fuck. Down the escalator!" He shouted ahead to Annabeth. The tall girl grabbed the railing, sliding down the frozen stairs with a piece of cardboard. Percy followed quickly but not fast enough for Jason. A grizzly zombie hand brushed the boy's arm. Jason pivoted, swinging his bat, and smacked the head of the zombie off. It flew, smashing into a pane of glass with a dead thud. A shaky laugh escaped his lips as the headless body fell, blocking the narrow stairs as he slid down the rail.

"Batter up!" Percy said with a grin before skidding to a stop, nearly crashing into Annabeth. "Annabeth! Oh…" Jason turned and swore. The entrance was barracked with tables, chairs and anything that wasn't bolted down. There were a few gaping holes in the wooden planks and shattered glass but nothing big enough for them to slip through quickly. It would take more firepower than Percy's revolver to get through. "Damn… Any ideas, Wise Girl?" Percy asked as he turned around. The horde limped towards them.

"I'm thinking." Annabeth replied as she scanned the remains of the old food court. All the stands ransacked of anything useful. Jason eyed the six remaining zombies. Their grayish flesh fell off their face, revealing melted rotting muscles. Clothes hung off their skinny starving body. Soulless white eyes looked back at Jason as a groan left their mouth. Jason clenched his bat, feeling heavy in his hand. Percy reloaded his gun as the trio slowly backed away, keeping a manageable distance between them and the undead.

"Please think faster." Jason whispered as they slowly approached the barrack. If they fought, they could take out three zombies but six outnumbered them. The closest zombie had stringy dark hair and an eyeball dangling out of its socket. It stopped moving. They all did. "Fuck…" Jason murmured, recognizing the deliberate pause. The zombie lunged, arms stretched out ready to rip into Jason's flesh. Jason lifted his bat to swing but before it could get into range, a black arrow bolt lodged itself in the zombie's head. "What?" Jason murmured as the other zombies started to move.

"Move!" Someone shouted as a black device skidded across the tiled floor. The device screeched like a scream, immediately attracting the rest of the zombie's attention. Annabeth dragged Percy behind a pillar. Jason rolled to a fallen table, pressing his back against the plastic. A shotgun fired. The blast ripped apart the zombie's torso as a mess of blood and guts rained. The body fell, revealing a figure covered completely in dark clothes. The horde roared and charged towards the figure.

They can't take on that many. Jason thought as he ran out of his spot. "Hey flesh eater!" He shouted, smashing his bat against the zombie closest to him. It buckled underneath the hit but reared up, ready to bite into Jason's shoulder. Percy unloaded a full round into it. The animated corpse dropped. "Nice!"

"Get down!" Annabeth shouted as Jason turned to see the zombie right behind him. It lifted its arm, about to grab Jason when a crossbow bolt caught the arm, lodging it to the pillar. Jason panted from his spot on the ground as the zombie waved its free arm at him, groaning and moaning. This used to be a person. Jason thought as he panted. Another shotgun round rang off, finishing the last zombie. Boots crunched the rumble underneath as they approached the trio.

"Are you just going to stare at it?" Jason blinked at the female voice. A pair of dark eyes stared at Jason over her black bandana. She tugged it down with her gloved hand, revealing her face. The girl was Jason's age with high cheekbones and dark tanned skin. Her lips sat in a stern line as she looked at the pinned zombie. The screeching stopped, leaving a dead silence. Behind her, another figure in black pocketed the device. The girl pulled out a pistol and shot the pinned zombie in the head. Jason flinched as blood splattered the pillar like an ink blob.

"Thanks for the help…" Jason trailed off as the gun barrel leveled to his head. Percy and Annabeth tensed but didn't move as the other figure lifted their crossbow. A heavy bolt loaded and aimed as Percy. The girl stared unfazed at Jason, finger on the trigger.

"Give me one good reason not to blow your brains out."

"Because I'm human!" Jason shouted trying to hide the tremor in his voice She was unimpressed as she cocked the gun. Jason's fingers clenched beside him, feeling the dust in his hands. He gritted his teeth, mentally calculating how fast he could disarm her. But Percy would be killed. Jason shook his head. He didn't want to die. Not now. Not like this.

"Because we have information!" Annabeth shouted as she stepped forward, hands out. The girl glanced at Annabeth but kept her head steadily pointed at Jason. "My name is Annabeth Chase. I have a contact, a medical student, Will Solace." The crossbow man lowered his weapon a fraction. The girl pursed her lips at the name. "He told us to head towards Berkley. To Jupiter Compound."

"Reyna," the bowman started in a calm tone. He tugged his scarf down, revealing another young face with round cheeks and deep brown eyes. The close-cropped black hair tried to give him a more serious presence. "They know Will." Reyna contemplated something for a moment before backing up and lowering her weapon. Jason sighed in relief as he stood up.

"You want to take them in? You're going to vouch for them, Frank?" She asked, tucking her gun in her holster. Frank surveyed them before nodding his head. The girl shook her head and held her hand towards him. Frank handed the black device to Reyna. It was a mobile phone pre-zombie apocalypse that flipped open. She held it up to her ear. "Hey Leo, sorry about cutting you off. Nope, not dead yet. Just took care of some zombies. No wounds." She listened to the speaker, looking around. "Yeah we got the supplies. Less than expected. Three survivors as well. Frank is vouching for them. We're heading back. See you soon."

"What does vouching mean?" Annabeth asked as Frank ripped out his crossbow bolts from the corpses. The undead flesh squished underneath Frank's gloved hands. Percy and Jason shouldered their bags. Reyna reloaded her shotgun, tucking an ear bud to continue her conversation with Leo. They moved quickly, knowing the gunshots would attract more zombies.

"It means, if you three cause any trouble," Frank started with a serious tone," I'll be exiled with you if we don't end up dead first."