We sat outside the grocery store. Sobs split the air, the quiet noise deafening in the silence that surrounded us. Some were huddled together, using each other for comfort. Others, like me, sat alone wondering what had happened to the world. It was so unreal, the dead preying on the living. Maybe it was some sick form of karma, just revenge for all of the animals we've killed and eaten. I hope the others are okay. There weren't many in our small group, only 12 of us, our families dead from what we knew. Quinn, Puck, Finn, Kurt, Mercedes, Santana, Tina, Mike, Karofsky, Sam, Artie, and me were the only ones here. Someone cleared their throat, gathering my attention. I turned toward the noise.
"I uh, hate to break up the whole mourning time thing but we have a problem," Puck spoke quietly, his voice cracking. A shaky finger pointed towards the street where a corpse limped towards us. We all got to our feet, ready to run if we had to. Just as soon as the corpse had appeared, more began to flood from around the corner. The corpses mobbed the street, with more still coming. Finn led the group back behind the store, away from the dead ones. We broke into a run when another group of corpses joined from the side. I heard a squeal from behind me and risked a backwards glance. Artie was stopped, the corpses coming dangerously close to him. I watched Sam split off from group, running towards him. I followed. When I got close enough, I could see the wheel of his chair had a branched lodged in it, preventing movement. I could also smell the unpleasant rotting flesh.
"We have to get him out of the chair!" Sam said urgently. We gripped his arms and lifted him up. When we had gotten turned around, a mob of corpses had cut us off from the group.
"Guy! We need to go!" I heard Quinn scream.
"This way," Sam cut right, going around the corpses. They just followed us. I looked over to get a better grip on Artie when I saw a corpse nearing Sam.
"Sam!" I screeched. The sound coming from my mouth contrasted so greatly with the notes I had sung not an hour ago. He turned quickly. The corpse grabbed at him, dislodging his grip on Artie. I dropped Artie's other arm and grabbed the back of its head, trying to pull it away from Sam. The other dead things were getting closer and closer. Out of the corner of my eye I saw Finn and Puck running towards us. They grabbed the corpse and threw it to the ground.
"You okay?" I asked, breathless. He nodded, moving back towards Artie, who lay on the ground. Before he could get there, a corpse lunged. Artie cried out in alarm, squirming away as quickly as we could. The other things were closing in on us alarmingly fast.
"Help me!" he screamed. Sam and Puck ran towards him, trying to avoid the corpses as they went. My eyes went wide when the corpse sunk its dull teeth into his arm. A scream echoed off the grocery store, filling our ears. They pulled the things off of him, grabbing him and running towards the others.
"Rachel, let's go!" Finn called to me. I followed them back, my mind reeling.
Artie was propped against a tree. We were on some street somewhere, probably miles from the grocery store. It felt like we'd been walking for days.
"What do we do with this?" Tina asked. "He needs the hospital,"
"I think it's just a few blocks that way," Mercedes pointed down a street.
"What are we waiting for then?" Santana spoke now. "Let's go," Kurt leant down to pick him up when a very un-Artie like groan escaped his lips. Kurt froze.
"Artie...? You okay?" Quinn stroked a hand down his forehead. Suddenly, his hand sprung up and grabbed her wrist, pulling it towards his open mouth. She squealed and leapt backwards. Dark eyes met ours as he used his arms to propel himself forward. We all backed away.
"Oh my god," Mike clasped a hand over his mouth. His head flopped about as her crawled towards us. Obscene grunts escaped his gawking mouth.
"What do we do?" my tiny voice entered the conversation. "We can't take him with us but we can't just leave him," Many of us exchanged grim looks before Mike stepped forward.
"I'll do it,"
"Do what!" Karofsky exclaimed. "Kill him?" He sounded horrified.
"Hate to break it to you, but he's already dead," Puck replied. "I guess that bite infected him. And if we leave him, he could kill people,"
"Artie would want us to," Quinn agreed. Everyone looked uncomfortable, shifting about.
"Well, what do we, uh, use?" Mike looked down as he spoke. We all looked around, searching for something. There was nothing in sight.
"A rock?" Finn sounded ready to puke. Mike grimaced as Sam handed him a large rock. He gulped, turned away, and plunged the rock into our friend's head. I clamped a hand down over my mouth and turned the other way, hoping to keep down the bile threatening to rise in my throat. One last gurgle and his body went limp, slumping on the ground. I heard someone gag behind me, but my head was pounding so hard I barely noticed.
About 3 hours, 2 shovels, and a lot of effort, a suitable grave had been dug. His body was wrapped in a sheet we had gotten from the abandoned store across the street and lowered carefully into the hole. Dirt fell down on him until we couldn't see the white of the cloth anymore. A grave marker fastened of two sticks was stabbed into the ground. I leaned back into Finn's warm embrace, looking up at him. After a minute I spoke.
"It's what he would've wanted. Right?"
Oh yeah...Pre-existing Rachel/Finn and Quinn/Puck relationships.