Okay, so my computer went kinda wonky when I was trying to upload this so if there are some grammatical errors I apologize O.o Hope you like it!! :D
It had been a stupid decision, Tallahassee had to admit that. He was usually the last person to admit his mistakes but he was more than willing to accept the blame for this one. Camping, Jesus Christ, what did he think was going to happen?! It had started off innocently enough; he was tired of being in the car and even more tired of breaking into houses for shelter at night. He missed the stars, the feel if the November air on your skin early in the morning. A big rule about Zombieland: never stay outside longer than necessary unless you want to become someones lunch. Goddamn, he hated that rule.
They'd made it to Colorado earlier that morning and had decided to stop for the night in this run-down little ski town. Hell, he couldnt really say "run-down", it had probably been a thriving community before the zombie plague hit it. Still, the fact remained that it was deserted now and thats all that could be said.
They found a nice little cabin with the windows still intact near the edge of town, surrounded by trees on either side. Believe it or not, a forest was incredibly useful in Zombieland; more trees meant less people which also meant the zombies had very little interest in the area. Sure, there were a few here and there as they entered the town, but most went down with a few shots or a well-aimed door. For the most part, the town really was empty.
It was only after they'd settled in for the night that Tallahassee realized there was a little camping area about a mile down a trail behind the cabin. It was probably designed for the Spring season considering it was overgrown and covered in a thin layer of ice by now. Still, it didnt stop him from yearning for the feel of sleeping underneath the stars again.
It had taken a lot of convincing to get Columbus to agree to the idea. Little Rock agreed right away (she'd never been camping) and Wichita agreed after a few moments of consideration. Columbus was another matter entirely. He brought up the possibility of a freak snowstorm, or hypothermia, or even bears for Christsake. Bears, of all things to be worried about in a world overrun by zombies, the kid was worried about bears. Between the three of them theyd finally managed to convince him but he still didnt seem happy about it.
After staking out the camping area repeated for over two hours and deciding it was indeed zombie-free, Tallahassee grabbed a tent, some sleeping bags, and, of course, guns, and hauled them out to the site. In just under an hour hed set up a campsite that even a scout master would have been proud of.
The evening had started out nicely, they roasted marshmellows (which never, ever go bad), played charades, and talked about their lives before Zombieland; it was almost like things were back to the way they were before the plague. But nothing is ever that simple, not in this world.
The zombies had been attracted by the fire, which was small, just barely enough to light their faces, but they could smell the smoke and followed it back to the campsite. There was no telling how many of them there were, only that they appeared out of the trees like fucking wood nymphs. The group scattered, Wichita grabbing Little Rock by the hand and bolting back toward the cabin. Tallahassee grabbed the stick hed been poking the fire with and jabbed the flaming end into one zombies eye, grabbing Columbus by the arm and following the girls.
They shot, blindly in the dark, a few muffled falls hitting the ground after each round. They had just about made it back to the top of the path when Columbus decided to take a rather round-about detour and fall in a frozen creek. The zombie that had been trailing him didnt have enough time to stop and ended up impaling itself on a protruding tree branch. Tallahassee grabbed the kid by the arm again, jerked him up and continued to run.
They werent sure where the girls were or even if theyd made it out but the only thing that mattered now was getting to the truck. Tallahassee opened the door, practically throwing Columbus inside and sliding in next to him. One of the zombies slammed into the door hard enough to crack its skull the second the door closed. With a few carefully aimed shots, both men managed to take out the remaining hoard that came scrambling in from the trees. And then things were silent. For a long time, neither man moved, peering out into the darkness and waiting. When nothing else came, Columbus let out a long, slow breath.
"That was so fucking stupid." He breathed, his shoulders trembling with each word.
"Shh..." Tallahassee held up a finger and looked toward the cabin, listening carefully. He could faintly hear furniture being moved around, chairs pushed against doors and wood breaking and being propped against windows. After a little while, the curtain in the front window pulled back and Wichita and Little Rock peeked out, noticing them as well. Tallahassee let out a breath he hadnt realized hed been holding. The girls are alright.
Columbus took a bit of comfort in that but he was still too shaken to really appreciate that fact. "That was so fucking stupid." He muttered again, shaking his head. "So fucking stupid"
"Christ, I get it kid, I fucked up. You happy?" Tallahassee snapped over his shoulder. He wasnt too happy about nearly becoming a zombie snack either.
"No, Im not happy!" Columbus snapped back, gesturing wildly with his hands. "We nearly became fireside chow for a couple of fucking cannibals!" He was still shaking, the cold water doing nothing to help with that. "Jesus!"
Tallahassee ignored him and dug into one of the bags in the backseat. He pulled out a walkie-talkie (thank God for the inventor of these things) and flipped it on. "Hey Wichita, can you here me?"
Crackled static reached him for a few seconds and he forced himself to wait. He knew they had one in the cabin, hed seen it on the table. After a few more minutes, an answer crackled through. "Yeah, you guys alright?"
"We're fine. You?"
"Same." There was a pause and a brief laugh. "Little Rock said she doesn't want to go camping again anytime soon."
Tallahassee chuckled. "Dont worry, I think I learned from this little adventure." He glanced over at Columbus before continuing. "Ya'll just stay put, well come get you and get the hell outta here."
"Its okay. Look, its late, why dont we just stay here tonight and well leave first thing in the morning?"
Tallahassee hesitated before replying. "Alright, I guess. Do you want us to come in?"
Wichita laughed again. "I dont think you could even if you wanted to. We barricaded everything pretty hard."
The older man nodded even though should couldnt see. "You have guns?"
"Plenty. We have a full duffle bag in here."
"Good. Well, if you get into trouble..." He faded off, letting the silence speak for itself.
"You too." Wichita finished and the static faded out, leaving them in silence once more. Tallahassee sighed and switched off the walkie-talkie, turning to face Columbus. The younger man was curled against the window, arms wrapped around his knees, and staring outside at the empty streets.
"You alright?"
"'m fine.." He replied after a second, not looking at the older hunter.
"You still pissed?" The silence that greeted him was enough to answer that question. With another sigh, this one irritated, Tallahassee climbed over the front seat, turned the engine so the battery came on (always leave your keys in your car for a quick escape), and flipped on the radio. The stations were all out, obviously, but CD selection never hurt. He picked ACDC and slipped it in the disc drive, waiting until the music came on before relaxing into the seat and listening to the familiar guitar rifts echo through the speakers. He cleared his mind, let himself get lost in the music, and, just for a little while, forget everything else.
Nearly an hour had passed by the time the CD ended and flipped back to the first song. Tallahassee stretched, wincing as his back popped, and looked back to see Columbus still curled against the window. He hadnt said anything since the music started and he figured the younger man must have fallen asleep.
"You know, you can stretch out back there, itll be more comfortable." He commented half-heartedly, stretching his legs out in the front seat to prove a point. Upon still receiving no answer, he looked back with a scowl. Seriously, if the kid was still pissed at him this was getting old. "Hey, spit-fuck. You gunna answer me?"
Still nothing. Tallahassee muttered something unflattering under his breath and climbed back over the seat, landing next to him. "Alright kid, this is getting pretty fucking stupid if you're still-" He stopped, noticing something off about the way Columbus was sitting. The younger mans face was pale in the dim light and his breathing was shallow and uneven. Even in the darkness, Tallahassee could see his wet clothes still clinging to him like a second skin.
"Shit!" He muttered, sliding across the seat and gather Columbus in his arms. Columbus! Hey, kid! Answer me! He slapped the side of his face a little sharper than he meant to and was relieved when the younger mans eyes fluttered open.
"-the hell?" Came the weak response.
"Thank God..." He didn't waste time with formalities and simply began stripping Columbus down to nothing but his boxers.
"Wh'tre...you doin?" Columbus mumbled, his words slurred and hard to understand.
"Gettin' you warmed up." Tallahassee muttered back, reaching into the back part of the Hummer and grabbing a handful of blankets.
The shift of air across Columbus icy skin made him shiver. "Cold..." He mumbled, burying his face against Tallahassees shoulder.
"I know kid, but youll be a hell of a lot worse if you stay in those wet clothes." Shit, hed completely forgotten about Columbus taking a swan dive into the creek. He should have been paying more attentionthe kid damn near had hypothermia by now. He adjusted the blankets around the younger mans body, pulling him close and grimacing at his limpness. Keeping one blanket around his shoulders, he propped Columbus against his chest and wrapped another blanket around both of them, hoping to seal in the warmth that he desperately needed. He half expected the younger man to struggle or fight back or at least make some kind of aversion effort but he remained lax and unmoving against Tallahassees chest. That bothered him even more.
"Why didn't you change when we got in the car?" He snapped irritably, keeping his voice low to try and hide the concern in it.
"Didn...think about it..." Columbus mumbled back, shifting just slightly so he was a little more comfortable.
"Yeah, well not thinking about it could have killed your dumb ass." Tallahassee grumbled, all too aware of the icy skin pressed against him. "Goddamn, and I thought you were supposed to be the smart one in this group."
There was a weak chuckle followed by silence. After a few minutes, judging by how still and quiet hed gotten, Tallahassee figured Columbus had fallen asleep. Thats why he nearly jumped when he heard his voice. "'m sorry..."
"The hell are you sorry for?" He asked, looking down at the younger man still bundled against him.
"It was stupid...shouldn't have made you worry..."
Tallahassee let out a breath and shook his head. "Ah shit, kid. Im the one who should be apologizing. You're right, camping was a bad idea and it put all of us in danger. I should've listened to you."
Columbus smiled tiredly, his breathing becoming a little more regular. "Why start now?"
The older man just rolled his eyes and tightened his hold on the kid in front of him. Yeah, yeah He mumbled though he was relieved to feel some of the warmth returning to Columbus skin. Comfortable silence filled the cab of the Hummer and it wasnt long before both men were asleep.
OOOOO
The banging against the window early the next morning nearly had Tallahassee reaching for his gun until he realized it was Wichita. She and Little Rock had managed to break their way out of their reinforced cabin and were standing outside the drivers side door.
"Are we interrupting something?" Wichita called in, smirking at the sight of the two men bundled in the backseat.
Tallahassee started to say something rather unpleasant in reply but Columbus shifting against him and sitting up caused him to stop. "I may have to use you as a heater more often." He joked but there was a definite seriousness in his voice.
The older man flashed him a lopsided grin in return. "I'll take you up on that offer." Leaving the proposition at that, he unlocked the doors and climbed into the front seat, letting the girls get in.
"Don't feel like you have to stop on our account." Wichita teased, noticing the scowl on Tallahassees face and the crimson blush on Columbus.
"You know, I havent had target practice in a while." Tallahassee muttered, shooting a look her way. "Maybe you should be the target?"
Wichita simply rolled her eyes and Little Rock giggled in the backseat as the Hummer shifted into drive and pulled away from the tiny cabin. One thing was for sure, camping was not on the top of the list any more.
Hope you all liked it!! :D