Dick's heart was pounding, as he and Leo desperately tried to fend off the mutants pouring through the front door of the mansion. They had been sleeping on the couches when they heard Morales' yelling, waking up just in time to see him overrun by the horde.

Running to the sliding glass back door, he yanked it open, as Leo fended off the mutants with his gun. Mutants were rapidly gaining ground on them, as they ran into the yard. However, more mutants were waiting for them just outside.

"Go over the wall," yelled Dick over the noise, "I'll cover you!"

"You sure? You can go fi-" Began Leo, but he had already begun firing his gun at the nearby mutants.

Hoisting himself up onto the back wall of the mansion, Leo did his best to balance on the wall, waiting for Dick, who soon followed, grabbing hold of his hand to pull himself up. However, as he tried to pull himself up, a mutant grabbed hold of his foot, yanking him downwards.

Before the mutant could pull him to the ground, Leo put it down with a gunshot to the head, making it fall down at the feet of the horde now gathering beneath them.

"You ready?" asked Leo over the noise, as Dick joined him standing on the wall. He nodded.

Dick and Leo jumped over the wall, breaking into a sprint from the ground, away from the mansion, dodging the wandering mutants around them. Eventually, they gained enough distance from the mansion, now in the middle of the forest, exhausted and out of breath. They were far enough from the herd to take a rest.

Sitting down on the forest floor, as the adrenaline gradually wore off, Dick began to notice a pain in his shoulder. He looked down at his shoulder, moving his bloodied shirt out of the way. A wave of shock hit him, as he studied the blood-stained cut on his shoulder.

He was bitten.


Alice and the others no longer heard banging on the door to the bedroom they'd holed up inside, the mutants having been drawn away by the gunshots downstairs and outside. It had been at least an hour since the mutants broke in, and they were fairly certain all the mutants had been drawn outside.

"Is it safe to go out yet?" asked Lily, looking around nervously.

"I think so," said Slade, "but we're still going to need to fight our way out once we get outside."

"It sounded like Dick and Leo went out through the back," noted Riley, "which means the front is probably the clearest exit, as long as we're fast enough."

"You guys ready?" asked Abby, grasping the doorknob. The others answered with a reluctant yes.

As soon as she opened the door, the group quickly but quietly moved downstairs, but it became clear; stealth wasn't an option. Mutants were everywhere, although less than before. Making a run for the front gate, the group powered through the mutants around.

Abby chopping mutants down. Riley shooting. Slade punching. Lily running. Through the chaos of it all, Alice spotted a familiar face among the mutants. Morales.

But it wasn't him. He was a mutant, coming at her, teeth bared. She solemnly raised her gun, putting a bullet through his head.

The group managed to push through the herd, making it out into the street. Instinctively, they headed for the forest.


Dick and Leo were ecstatic to hear the sound of the others approaching, running to reunite with them in a clearing. Dick did his best to avoid hugging Alice, something that didn't go completely unnoticed.

"You guys okay?" asked Lana.

"Yeah," answered Lily, "we're good. Where's Morales?"

"I saw him when the mutants busted in," Dick said, "he's gone. I think- I think he might've let them in."

"What? Why?" asked an exhausted Lily.

"Does it really matter?" retorted Slade anxiously, "We need to get the hell out of here."

"I say we set up camp in the forest for now," suggested Dick, "me and Alice can go off on our own to find somewhere more secure where we can camp for a while longer."

"You sure it's a good plan to split up?" questioned Slade, "We don't need to find somewhere secure today. We could just all go together."

"Yeah, I'm sure. It's not safe for us out here, especially with that herd nearby. Me and Alice are light on our feet, we'll be quick. Alice, you in?"

Alice nodded.


The idea of splitting up didn't exactly excite Alice, but after what just happened, she figured she could use some time to think. Dick was rather reserved during the walk up the road, quieter than usual.

A large valley-like gulch hung to the side of the room, something they were careful to avoid. It was about 20 feet at it's deepest, with exceptionally steep sides.

The sun was just starting to show signs of rising, as she and him finally came upon something promising; a large neighborhood, far away from the herd of mutants back at the mansion. Perfect to stay in until things settle down. They began to approach, swiftly entering the nearest house to scout.

"Hey," said Dick, speaking for the first time in quite a while, "I'll be right back, 'gonna go see if anything useful's upstairs. If this place checks out, we could brings the others over to set up camp, they're only about a thirty-minute walk away."

"Mhm." Alice replied, continuing to search the downstairs for anything useful, as he walked upstairs.


Dick's mind was racing. He wasn't ready to die. And yet, that was exactly what the searingly painful bite on his shoulder said. He was going to die, as much as he tried to tell himself otherwise.

Numbly walking to the upstairs bathroom, Dick pulled back his shirt in front of the mirror, revealing the roundish mutant bite on his right shoulder. The pain had cooled down somewhat since he was bit, but he could feel the fever setting in. Regret, among other emotions, quickly set in. Why hadn't he been more careful?

He didn't even fully remember how it happened, the adrenaline preventing him from taking notice. It wasn't until he and Leo reached the forest that he realized. He wasn't quite sure why he decided to keep it from the others, perhaps to avoid the drama. What did it matter?

Looking into the mirror, he began to think of how much he'd changed. Emotionally. Physically. Mentally. The ways he'd helped keep the group alive, to keep himself alive. In and odd way, it made since to him. His story was over, and he was beginning to accept that.

Taking one last look at his bloodied and dirty face in the mirror, Dick walked out.


Alice noticed the unsettling look on Dick's face, as he entered the downstairs kitchen.

[I'll never forget what happened next. I had suspected from the way Dick was acting that something was wrong, but I wasn't prepared for it. Not nearly.]

"Dick," Alice asked, in the most casual way she could, "everything okay?"

"Not-...Not really," Dick replied nervously, "There's something I need to tell you...you should probably sit down."

She began to get worried, sitting down next to Dick on the sofa.

"What is it?"

"Alice...finding shelter isn't the only reason I brought you out here."

"Just tell me."

"It's not really something I can tell you...it's better if I show you."

Pulling back his shirt, Dick revealed the bite on his shoulder. Alice froze.

"W-what happened?"

"It was back at the mansion...I think. Me and Leo were trying to get out...one of them must've managed to get to me. I don't really remember, everything was kind of a blur."

[It all happened so fast. The news hit me like a train. Once the numbness wore off, reality set in; Dick, my oldest friend, was bit. I knew exactly what it meant.]

"...Why didn't you tell me? Or the others?" Alice's voice was beginning to crack, and she had to take a moment to compose herself.

"I don't know...I guess I just wanted it to end quietly, you know?"

She didn't know how to respond, even if she could manage to talk without choking up.

"Alice..." Dick continued softly, placing his gun in her hand, "you know what I'm asking."

And so, for the first time since that night back when she first arrived at the cabins, Alice began to cry, gingerly taking Dick's gun into her hand without a word.

"Here," he said, with a somewhat strained voice, removing his hat, and handing it to her, "I want you to have this."

She stood, staring at the stained, scarred gray hat in her hands. The same one she and Dick found on their first supply run together. Something strange followed. Leaning forward slowly, she kissed him. It was unexpected, and something she'd never done before, yet it wasn't awkward or strange. It felt right.

"...Thank you-..." Alice said softly, to avoid her voice breaking, "...for everything."

"Thank you."

Pulling away, she took a step backwards, into a moment that would be immortalized in her memory forever. He sat there, looking straight at her, as she raised the gun to his head. The sun was rising in the background, her sight obscured by tears. She tried, but her finger seemed almost incapable of pulling the trigger.

He nodded softly, silently beckoning her to fire.

Finally, she closed her eyes, and pulled the trigger. The gunshot was deafening. Then came silence. Dead silence.

[Listening to the silence after the gunshot, my eyes still tightly closed shut, I knew things had changed. After the refugee camp I had promised myself not to let myself get too close to anyone, and in that moment I knew I had failed.]


The sun's rising was well-needed, keeping Alice warm as she walked back to the others in silence. The gulch she and Dick had passed on their way to the house sat beside her, mutants looming around close by. She was numb at this point, walking like a machine.

One particular mutant got a little too close for comfort, prompting her to pull out her knife. Grabbing it by the arm, she swung to the side with all her strength, pushing it towards the gulch. Once its feet were over the edge, its grip on her shirt was the only thing holding it up, which she quickly broke, sending the mutant falling into the gulch. It didn't kill it, but it wasn't able to climb it's way out.

Panting for a moment, she began to notice a figure in the distance, obscured by the trees. It was walking far too normally to be a mutant. She could hear a mutant coming from behind, forcing her to turn around to confront it, annoyed by its familiar moaning.

However, when she turned around, the mutant was far closer than she expected, just barely too far away to grab her. Suddenly, it fell forward, gripping her feet. She lost her balance, nearly falling backwards into the gulch. The mutant advanced, now grabbing her knees. She slammed her knife into the mutant, but it's skull was too strong to be stabbed from above, leaving the knife imbedded in its head. She unholstered her gun, finally putting the mutant down with a shot to the head, but not before it pushed her backwards.

"Hey!" An approaching male voice called out, just as she fell backwards down the gulch.

She did her best to control her fall, but quickly found it impossible, as she tumbled down the gulch. The adrenaline kept her from feeling the majority of the bumps and slams from rocks she rolled over, her mind in a panic. Suddenly, her head hit something hard. Everything went black.


Riley had started to become worried, which, at that point, was the only thing keeping him awake. The skin around his eyes was tinted dark from the lack of sleep he'd had lately. He was sore all over. Alice and Dick hadn't returned yet, and that could mean quite a few things, none of them good. He did his best to stop thinking about it, but it'd been hours. They were his two best friends, and the thought of something happening to either one of them made him nervous.

He, Lana, and Abby were sitting together, waiting with the others for Dick and Alice to return. They occasionally had to deal with a mutant or two, but things were mostly quiet.

"Why aren't they back yet?" Whispered Lana in frustration.

"I'm sure they're alright," assured Abby, "they're probably just lost or something. Trust me, they'll show up."

"They always do." Riley agreed unsurely.


Alice...you know what I'm asking.

Thank you...for everything.

Everything.

Alice's final conversation with Dick plagued her dazed head, as she sat up inside a tan green tent. She had been covered in a blanket, bandaged throughout her body. Things began to clear in her mind, as she came to her senses. Feeling her head, she found it painful to the touch. Much of her body was full of scrapes, her blonde hair in a fray. She could hear voices and commotion outside, from what sounded like a camp full of people.

"Hello?" She moaned.

"Good," A female voice outside the tent said before entering, "You're awake."

The woman popped her head in, obviously having been monitoring the tent, waiting for her to awake. She was a rather tall, somewhat skinny woman with shoulder-length, choppy, dirty-blonde hair and prominent hazel eyes. Her ski-slope nose hosted a small cut covered by a band-aid, her youthful face betraying the rather mature manner about her. She looked to be in her twenties, but Alice couldn't be sure.

"Who are you?" Alice demanded, alarm in her voice, finding her weapons missing.

"Calm down," the woman said calmly and firmly, "I'm not going to hurt you. Can you tell me what happened?"

"I was walking to-...I got attacked by mutants. I fell."

"Good, good. From the way you're speaking, I don't think you have any significant mental damage. Do you have a group in the area?"

[I thought about telling the woman about the group, but I wasn't quite ready to trust her. She had an oddly disarming way of speaking, as if she was trying to gain my trust, and that made me somewhat uneasy.]

"No...I'm alone."

"Can you tell me your name?"

"Alice."

"Thank you, Alice," the woman continued, extending her hand, "My name's Vera Gaskell. One of our supply runners, Dylan, found you at the ravine. You're lucky that fall didn't do any damage too serious."

"Where am I?" Alice cautiously shook the woman's hand, finding it to have a firm grip.

"You're at our camp...a community." Vera said, pausing for a moment afterwards.

"Well Alice...welcome to Safe Haven." Vera concluded, with a smile.


Author's Note: My goodness, I crammed a lot into this chapter! It took a little longer than I'd hoped to publish it, sorry! I hope none of you had any massive problem with Dick's death. Like I said, things are getting darker. On a lighter note, I've had the skeleton of the story planned from the beginning, and were getting into a time in the story which I'm very excited for.

p.s. Huge shoutout to FromTheClouds for patiently waiting so long for her OC, Vera, to be introduced.

Reader-made OC Credits:

Leo - Created by Grimrephr

Abby - Created by TheInternetSassQueen

Vera - Created by FromTheClouds