As Our Train Car Derails

"As our train car derails and rolls into the ocean
I'll be honest I wouldn't miss a thing about these
cold-hearted towns and the distance between
everyone here and everything.

As the world flies by outside of my window
I'll be honest I wouldn't miss a thing.
When compassion is dead we'll drown ourselves
in a sea of paper that glitters like gold.

Some say that hate that it speaks in whispers
but I can hear their curdling screams."

-"Outbound" - Transit

AN: This is where this and "We'll Be Heroes Or Ghosts" (my zombie!faberry au) come together. Read the other if you want some background on Rachel and Quinn :]

Within three days, Cooper and Blaine feel more at home than they ever thought they would.

The boys are awoken on the morning of their first day at redstone by Tim knocking on their front door-

(which they both find odd because it's so civilized)

-and telling them that if they want to take a shower, Mrs. Shields, the nice woman a few houses down has a working shower. After getting dressed and eating something quickly from the bags of food they still have, they follow his directions and find themselves standing in front of a cute little yellow house. They share a look, wondering if they should knock, and Cooper can't help but feel awkward as he lifts his hand and knocks softly on her front door. Within a minute, a nice looking woman with short graying hair - she looks like she's in her sixties - opens the door, smile plastered on her face.

"You must be the adorable couple that Tim was telling me about!" She practically squeals with delight, "Cooper and Blaine, right?"

The brothers both smile before Cooper nods, "That's us."

"Well please, come in," She says, still smiling, "I was just making breakfast for my granddaughter and myself if you'd care to join"

Cooper initially protests, saying something along the lines of we don't want to intrude, but she insists and even though they've already eaten, they can't turn down home cooked meal. They haven't had one in weeks. The brothers then take their showers, which feels odd to both of them because they had long since said goodbye to running water, and leave the kind woman's house with their fingers laced and smiles on their faces.

By the second day, Cooper finds himself with Tim and a couple of other men, getting ready to go hunting after Blaine reveals that his boyfriend is an incredible shoot. Blaine, on the other hand, finds company with a couple of girls his age, who show him around town while Cooper is gone.

By the third day, the brothers seem to fall into a routine with their new found community, and though they both know that they need to head to Aspen eventually, they can't help but want to stay for a while. By the third day, the brothers feel like home.

Sometimes, Cooper feels like it's too good to be true.

He can't help but feel out of place when he and Blaine walk down the main street together, hand in hand, as the people sitting on their front porches wave to them. He knows that this is their place to find a new start, but sometimes he finds himself wondering how half of the people would react if they became overrun. Would they fight back? Or would they run inside and hide in their new found homes?

And though they've been a part of Redstone for almost a week now, Mike is still a little fishy to him. He knows - and Blaine constantly reminds him - that Mike is only a little rough around the edges because he has the responsibility of the whole town on his shoulders, but Cooper still can't help but feel a little uneasy around him. He pushes those feelings down, though, because Blaine is happy.

Blaine is happy because he can finally act like himself - he can talk to people his own age and hang out and not have to worry about an attack, and more importantly, he can walk down the main street with Cooper, hand in hand, and nobody even bats an eyelash. It's everything he's wanted since the wold went to hell.

One night - their seventh night in Redstone, if Cooper remembers correctly - Tim decides to have a bonfire just outside of town, for everyone to get to know eachother and let loose a bit. One group found some alcohol on one of their trips to gather supplies, so half of the town sits around the fire, beer in their hands and smiles on their faces as everyone talks in hushed voices. Surprisingly, Mike sits at the fire as well, to the left of Tim, surveying the people around him. When his eyes lock with Cooper's, they narrow slightly, and Cooper shakes his head and turns away, trying to ignore it.

"How did you and Blaine end up out here, Cooper?" The nice woman, Mrs. Shields asks from across the fire at one point, snapping Cooper out of his thoughts.

The older Anderson glances at Blaine for a moment before smiling warmly at her, "My uh… my parents were in Aspen when everything happened, and the two of us didn't really have anywhere else to go."

"Oh honey…" She says softly, "I'm so sorry…"

Cooper cocks his head to the side as if to silently ask why she's apologizing, but she doesn't get the chance to explain herself because then Mike is speaking up for the first time that night, voice hard. "You do realize that Aspen is overrun, right?"

Cooper feels a flare of anger at the way the Mike talks down to him and though he wants to yell at him for being rude, he just grits his teeth and mutters out, "No. Obviously we didn't know that. We haven't been there yet."

Mike chuckles, he actually fucking chuckles, before replying, "It's a lost cause."

Cooper immediately stands, unable to control himself. "Don't you dare try to tell me that our parents-" He's cut off, though, by Blaine grabbing his hand to silence him. And then he realizes that he said our parents, and he really hopes that nobody noticed it. When he glances around the fire and just sees apologetic, sad faces, he ducks his head. "I should probably get to bed. I'm sorry about that."

Cooper manages to say goodnight to the group around the fire and stands a few minutes later, Blaine close behind him, and makes his way back to their new found home. When he tries to turn and go inside, though, Blaine grabs his hand and drags him further down the street, past Mike's house and toward where their car is parked. It isn't until they're almost in the woods that Blaine stops walking and turns to face Cooper. "What are we doing, B?" The older brother asks, frustrated.

"We need to talk," Blaine explains simply.

"And we couldn't talk inside?" Cooper asks, smiling slightly.

"No," Blaine smiles back a little, "Because you'd just try to ignore it and go to bed if we went inside."

Cooper just shrugs because he knows Blaine is right, "Alright. What do you want to talk about?"

At that, Blaine sighs and looks down, nervously kicking the dirt, "Coop… I just… I was thinking that maybe we should consider staying here… You know, for good."

"What?" Cooper breaths, "But what about mom and dad?"

"You heard what Mike said," Blaine says sadly, "Even though he's kind of a dick, he's right. Aspen is probably overrun. I've head that from a couple of people around here… Hell, that girl Kayla I was hanging out with the other day is from Aspen, and she said it didn't look too good…"

"Why didn't you tell me this before?" Cooper whispers back, his heart sinking.

Blaine sighs, "Because I didn't want to upset you… But…"

"But now I'm already upset, so it's okay?" Cooper finishes, fuming. "We came out here for mom and dad, Blaine."

"I know we did," Blaine counters, "But did you ever think that this might be as good as it's going to get? I mean, what are the chances that they're even alive?" Blaine's question hits him hard, but before he can argue, the younger boy continues, "This place is great, Coop. There's a lot of people here, and they're all working together to keep it safe… And all they see us as is boyfriends, Cooper. Boyfriends. Not brothers. Isn't that what you want? Cause it's sure as hell what I want…"

"I…" Cooper starts, his heart practically breaking for his little brother. "Of course, it's what I want, Blaine. You know that."

"We can start over here, Coop," Blaine says softly, taking a step forward, "Not as brothers, but as boyfriends. Nobody will care here…" He leans forward to kiss Cooper softly, but as he does, he's interrupted by someone speaking from behind them.

"Brothers, huh?"

Both boys' head spin around in time to see Mike, of all people, walking into view, a smirk spread across his face. They're both silent as he walks up to them and speaks again, "I knew there was something off about you two, but this? Man, this is just fucked up."

And when neither boy knows what to say in response - when they're frozen on the spot, hearts pounding - Mike continues, "You know, I thought it was hard to let a couple of fucking faggots into my home, but brothers? Jesus."

"I-" Cooper starts, but Mike cuts him off.

"You must be really fucked up, Cooper. The world is ending and all you can think about is trying to fuck your brother? Poor kid is probably so screwed in the head thanks to you, that he just goes with it," He spits, smirking at him.

And without warning, Blaine takes two long strides forward before delivering a blow straight to Mike's jaw, then kneeing him in the stomach and dropping him to the ground, muttering, "Don't fucking talk about my brother that way," through his teeth. Though the man is much bigger than him, Blaine does it with ease, and Cooper can't help but think that the kickboxing he started up after his accident has finally paid off. The thought is short lived, though, when Mike immediately leaps to his feet and lunges forward, grabbing ahold of Blaine and pulling his gun out of the waistband of his jeans and pressing the barrel flush to Blaine's temple.

The action happens within a matter of seconds and by the time Mike is backing up slowly with Blaine in his grip, Cooper's gun is already out and pointing at the larger man, "Let him go," He manages to growl out.

Mike laughs darkly, "Why? So you can keep fucking your brother on my property? No. Maybe I should just kill the both of you so nobody else has to deal with your shit."

"If you hurt him, I swear to God, you'll be dead before you hit the ground," Cooper mutters, holding his gun steady.

"Careful," Mike says, smirking, "Try anything, and I'll blow your baby brother's brains out."

"You wouldn't," Cooper hisses back.

"You wanna bet?" Mike replies, still smirking. He cocks the gun, "How else do you think I keep these people safe? You two are weak. You're not helping my community at all. Why the fuck would I keep you two sick fucks around?"

"Then don't," Cooper practically whimpers, "Let us go, and I swear we'll never bother you again."

"Why in the world would I do that?" Mike asks, "When I could rid the world of you two myself…"

"Please…" Cooper begs, and he can feel tears forming in his eyes at the terrified look on Blaine's face. Blaine, his baby brother, who hasn't said anything. Blaine, who he's supposed to look after and keep safe. "Please."

Mike's gaze softens for a split second as he stares at Cooper, and then to his and Blaine's surprise, he lets go. He pulls the gun away from Blaine's head, and he just lets go. Blaine falls as he does, and scrambles to his feet before sprinting toward Cooper, tears now steaming down his face.

It isn't until Blaine is about a yard away from Cooper, that a single gunshot rings out in the cool air.

Blaine drops to the ground immediately, and without a second thought, Cooper raises his weapon again, staring at Mike for a split second with dark eyes. Then he pulls the trigger. The larger man falls to the ground as well, bullet piercing straight through his chest, and when Cooper decides that it's safe, he drops to his knees in front of Blaine.

"Blaine," He sobs, reaching forward, "Please be okay…"

His shirt, just around his shoulder blade is already soaked in blood, and Cooper fears the worst when he reaches forward to flip Blaine over. He's not sure if he's more relieved or worried, though, when Blaine starts coughing when he turns his body. His eyes are shut tight in pain, but they open when he hears Cooper voice softly asking Blaine?

"C-Coop," He manages to cough out, staring up at him.

"I'm going to get you out of here, B," Cooper says softly. He then grabs Blaine under his armpits, though the younger boy winces at it, and lifts him to his feet. When Blaine can't stand on his own, Cooper pulls one of his arms over his own shoulder and carries him toward their unlocked car and pulls him into the passenger seat. "I'll be right back, okay?" He asks quietly, "I need to get some things."

Blaine just nods quickly in response, still conscious, and at that, Cooper slams the door and begins sprinting toward their house. He can hear the commotion from the people at the fire, making their way toward the sound of the gunshot, and he can only hope that he has enough time to grab their clothes and first aid bag before they find Mike. He runs through the dark house toward the bedroom, and is suddenly thankful that he and Blaine never unpacked. All of their clothes are still in their duffel bags and he zips them up and throws them over his shoulder before running toward the kitchen to grab the bag with all of their bandages medication in it.

When he glances out the window, ready to leave, he sees Tim and a couple of other people walking quickly past the house and knows that he doesn't have much time before they find Mike. When the coast is clear, he exits through the back door of the house, forgetting food because he doesn't have near enough time to look for it, and sneaks toward the car.

Thankfully, everyone is out in the woods, looking for the source of the gunshot when Cooper makes it back to Blaine, and when he's sure that they have everything they need, he starts the car and peels off down the main street. Everyone is either in their houses hiding, or looking for who made the noise, save for Mrs. Shields, the nice old woman, and her and Cooper lock eyes as he drives past her, standing on the side of the road.

Cooper turns left, opposite of the way they came to Redstone the first time and hopes that they don't run into any trouble before they find somewhere safe. He's been this way once, hunting with Tim and a couple of other people, and they didn't run into any zombies, so he hopes for Blaine's sake that it's safe. He takes a left onto some deserted looking dirt road and speeds down it, hoping that they can find a house or something at the end of it because Blaine needs medical help. Now.

Blaine.

He turns to look at his brother in the passenger seat, who is gripping his shoulder, eyes shut tight in pain.

"You're going to be okay, B," He says softly, "I've got you."

Blaine just nods quickly, "L-love you."

At that, the tears that Cooper had been holding back since Mike held the hun to Blaine's head spill out, down his cheeks. "I love you too, B."

It isn't until they've been driving down the dirt road for almost ten minutes that Cooper glances down at his gas gauge and curses under his breath. The empty light is on, and he's not sure how long it has been, but one word comes to mind. Mike. He must have siphoned the gas out once they got to town that first night. Cooper knows he had almost half of a tank when they got there, and he hadn't used his car since.

If he could, he'd shoot Mike again for that.

Another five minutes of driving, and the car begins to slow to a stop.

"No," Cooper breaths out, "No, no, no, no, no!" He slams his hands on the steering wheel as they come to a complete stop on the side of the road.

"E-everything okay?" Blaine coughs, looking over at Cooper.

"Yeah," He lies, tears welling in his eyes again, "Everything's okay, Blaine." He takes a shaky breath, his heart sinking, "I need to get you out of the car, okay?"

Thankfully, the headlights are still on when Cooper gets out of the car, and he decides that if they get up on the side of the hill, he'll be able to see alright, and hopefully patch Blaine up. Hopefully. He walks around the other side of the car to Blaine, opens his door, and carefully pulls him out and lifts him up, thankful that he's relatively small. He carries Blaine up the hill without much trouble and lays him down on the grass. It isn't until he sees Blaine in the light that he realizes that the front of his shirt is bloody, too.

The bullet went all the way through?

He's not sure if he's relieved or not at the thought, because even though it's a bad wound, it means there shouldn't be any fragments left inside of him. He doesn't have much time to think about it, though, because suddenly, Blaine is coughing and gripping tight onto the front of his hoodie.

"I'm going to go get bandages," Cooper tries to explain, going to stand, but Blaine stops him.

"Please, J-just stay here," He requests hoarsely, causing Cooper's heart to drop to his stomach.

No. Blaine can't die. Not now. Not like this.

"Please?" Blaine asks again, opening his eyes to stare up at Cooper.

The older boy swallows the lump in his throat, "Yeah. Okay."

Their moment is interrupted, though, when Cooper hears the sound of a car coming down the dirt road. And then he turns to see the headlights.

Fuck.

He can only hope that it's not someone from Redstone coming to kill the both of them when the car comes to a stop on the side of the road.

When he sees two girls getting out of their car, though - two girls that he doesn't recognize - he decides that they can't be too much of a threat, and immediately starts running down the hill, whispering, "I'll be right back," to Blaine before he does so. He hurries down the hill, arms raised to show the girls that he's not a threat, and can only hope that they can help.

When he gets closer, he can make them out a little better. Neither girl can be more than eighteen. One is a brunette with long hair, and soft, caring eyes. She studies Cooper with a worried expression on her face, and he immediately likes her. The other girl has short, chin length blonde hair. Her eyes are a little more hard, piercing, and she looks hardened. Like she's the leader of the duo. When she sees the blood on Cooper's clothes and hands from Blaine, she immediately raises her gun, eyes dark. "You're not bit, are you?" She asks, voice hard.

Cooper's hands are still in the air, and he hopes that she understands that he's not trying to hurt her before he speaks, "N-no. Please, I need your help."

"What is it?" The brunette speaks up, eyes still soft on Cooper.

"My brother," He whimpers, breaking down slightly. The lump in his throat returns as he speaks, "He – he…"

"Has he been bit?" The blonde asks, eyes traveling over his bloody body again.

"No," Cooper replies, gulping, "Shot. Please. You have to help us. I'm begging you. I… I can't lose him… Please." His voice cracks at the last please and he looks down, tears escaping from behind his closed lids again.

It's silent for a long moment and Cooper doesn't dare look up, fearing that they might actually leave him there. "Alright," A soft voice finally breaks the silence, and his head snaps up. The blonde smiles sadly at him, and he takes it as his cue.

"Thank you," Cooper breaths, voice cracking, before running back up the hill, tripping over himself as he does so. The girls follow close behind, and they're right there behind him when he picks his limp brother off the ground and mutters, "Hang on, Blaine."