Sorry for the wait on the update. I was gonna take a break until next Friday (which is when I break up from school) but it doesn't look like it's working. Oh.

Oh well.

Enjoy!

Chapter 19
The Apocalypse

Ellington yawned as Ross was telling the story, several times he did. He was tired and by the looks of it everyone else in the room was getting tired too. It was pitch black outside and you could barely see a thing, only a couple stars shining in the sky along with the shadows of the buildings outside. "Are you still listening?" Ross asked, looking over to Ellington who was barely able to keep his eyes open anymore.

"Hmm?" Ellington asked. He shook his head, wiping his eyes "Sorry, I'm tired. It's interesting, it really is... but... I want to sleep. When is this going to end?" He asked, trying not to be insensitive - but for the past few days, Ellington has been anything but sensitive.

Ross nodded "Yes! This is the very last part of 'mine-and-Rocky's-story-and-how-we-ended-up-here-today' story."

"How is it?" Riker asked, slightly confused "surely there had to be something that happened during this apocalypse that has suddenly made you want to go back to Utah."

Rocky shook his head "No. We were always going to do it. But we kept putting it off because the apocalypse kept on getting worse and more aggressive. We ended up back in LA anyway, but it took us longer to get there because of the amount of panic that was going on and people getting killed. I haven't seen more than five people this month. It's either because they're all hiding, dead, killed themselves or turned into a zombie."

"By we do you mean you two, Brad and Luke?" Rydel asked.

"Nope," Ross said "me, Rocky and Will."

"How come?"

"Because the day the apocalypse started, which is where I am at, is the last time we ever saw Brad and Luke."

Surprisingly Brad actually managed to keep up with the three boys this time, after tumbling down a small hill near the base. That wasn't fun. Luckily nobody noticed because they were all too focused on trying to get to the base.

They all climbed through the first fence they came too, given there was a giant hole in the side of it. All of them stood still when they got to the other side of it, seeing cars and other things over turned, things on fire and Rocky could have sworn he saw a dead body in the corner of his eye - but he chose not to look. "What the hell happened?" Luke asked.

Ross shrugged "Don't know. Wanna go in and find out?" Ross asked.

"It could be even worse on the inside."

"Oh, c'mon," Rocky said, walking backwards, but still facing the three guys, towards the base whilst they stood still "it's just a bit of fire and over turned cars. It can't be that bad."

Ross watched Rocky as he walked backwards, but saw something behind him that made his eyes widen "Rocky..."

"Ross, stop being a wuss and come on!"

"No, Rocky," Brad said, seeing what Ross was seeing "stop walking. Now. Get back here."

Rocky let out a laugh at how scared they were all being. They all had been working here for over a year now, they should want to go inside and see what was going on no matter how much they hate the place. As he went to go say something else, he felt his back collide with someone. But by the look on Luke, Ross and Brad's face it wasn't good and not who Rocky was hoping it to be.

Rocky stepped forwards and slowly turned around, where he got the shock of his life "Holy shit!" Rocky shouted, feeling his heart almost beating out his chest. he took a deep breath "Andy what the fuck are you doing dressed like a freaking zombie?" He asked. He'd only spoke to Andy a couple times, but he knew he was crazy and liked to do crazy things like this. "Are you going to answer me instead of groaning?" Rocky asked.

"Rocky, get back here now." Luke said, starting to feel that Andy might not be dressed up like a zombie.

"Andy...?" Rocky asked, getting slightly scared "are you okay?" he asked.

Rocky got his answer when he took a swipe at him "OKAY WHAT THE FUCK!" Rocky shouted, almost falling on the floor. He turned around and ran back over to the others "Something tells me he's not dressed as a zombie!" He hide behind Ross, holding onto him.

"Oh, you think?" Ross asked, sarcastically.

Luke shook his head "No... He can't be... It's impossible. They don't-They're fictional things in a movie or TV show. They don't exist!"

"Um, well.. whatever's going on in there," Brad said, pointing to the base as the zombie started getting closer to them and they had to take steps back just in case "they exist now."

"What makes you think it's the base's fault?" Ross asked.

"Oh, I wouldn't put it past them. They've done crazy shit before. Any money it was the scientists and this is what they've been trying t-" Brad stopped himself from going on. He could feel the eyes of the others looking at him "Um... I think this is what they have been trying to hide from us ever since we got back from Afghanistan..."

"Well, what are we gonna do?" Luke asked "we're running out of space to walk back on!" He said, looking back and seeing they were almost against the part of the fence that was still in tact.

"Split up in twos," Ross said "I'll go with Brad, Luke you go with Rocky. We'll meet back here. Okay?"

Rocky laughed "Haha, no," Rocky said, becoming serious "if this is the start of the freaking apocalypse you're coming with me. Brad and Luke can go with each other."

"Sounds good to me." Luke said.

"me too." Brad said.

It looked like Ross had no choice but to go along with this. He sighed "Alright, on the count of three, me and Rocky go left, you two go right, go inside the base and well... Find out what you can." Ross said, everyone nodded and agreed "ready? 1... 2... 3!"

They did what they agreed to do. Ross and Rocky went left, Brad and Luke went right – going to find the nearest entrance to the base that they could. Ross took as many glances back over his shoulder as he could to Luke and Brad to make sure they were okay and they were, by the looks of it they had already found their way into the base. He looked in front of him where Rocky was a little bit ahead of him, and he glanced back to where the zombie was to find it had gone in the direction Luke and Brad had gone.

Ross stopped running "No..."

Rocky also stopped running when he saw Ross staring back in the direction of the zombie, Luke and Brad. He ran over and grabbed him by the arm "C'mon! You can't worry about them right now!" Rocky said, dragging him away.

In the corner of Rocky's eye he saw a hole in the side of the base directed Ross in that direction, they ran round the boxes and cargo that were outside, in their way of the hole. When they got to it, Rocky let Ross go in first before they followed.

They found themselves in the middle of one of the many hallways in the base. The sound of screams in the distance, along with growls and groans and whatever other noises zombies like to make could be heard in the distance, along with the smell of smoke and god knows whatever else. Everything was a mess in the corridor they were in, there were things on the floor like paper, clothes, blood and what not. "I don't even know where to start." Ross said, looking left and right.

"We could start by looking for Will."

"Rocky, this place is huge. Like the sahara desert huge! I don't even know why we split off from Brad and Luke, we're going to end up splitting off in ones! We'll never find them or each other. That zombie followed them. What if it catches one of them?" Ross asked, beginning to panic for Luke and Brad's safety. He ran his hands through his hair, trying to calm himself down.

Everything was going to shit ever since Ashton died.

Everyone's pretty much been depressed and on edge, not really paying attention to what they're doing, and now zombies exist.

Jeez, it's like if Ashton never died none of this would have happened.

Rocky walked over to Ross and placed his hands on Ross's shoulder, shaking him "Dude! You've bigger things to worry about right now!"

Ross nodded "Right, Will... Where will he be?" Ross asked.

Rocky turned round and began running down the hallway, expecting Ross to follow him "C'mon, we'll go check his office." Rocky took a very quick glance over his shoulder and stopped running when he saw Ross hadn't followed him.

He was gone.

All that could be heard was Ross's footsteps in the distance going down the opposite of the hallway. "I'M GONNA FUCKING KILL YOU!" Rocky shouted, immediately running in the direction Ross had ran in.

Brad and Luke ran round the base as fast as they could, looking for someone who knew what was going on. But all they found were people running around, freaking out, firing guns and fighting off zombies that were coming near them. They stayed well out the way, trying to go unnoticed. Every time they tried to talk to someone who wasn't getting attacked, they wouldn't talk. They ran away from them.

Brilliant. Possibly the end of the world and no fucker is helping them.

They continued running around trying to find someone, but stopped when they turned a corner as they needed their breath back. Brad leant against the wall whilst Luke stood up, bending over forwards. This hallway was a mess too. The red light above them was flashing and all the automatic metal doors that cut off the hallways were open. You'd have thought they would have closed them, especially where most of the zombies are.

But the whole base is pretty much swamped with them. Most of the zombies have escaped to the outisde world. God knows where it's going to go from there. "You'd have thought they'd have shut the metal doors." Luke said, gasping for breath.

"They only close them on emergancies... Fires... floods... break ins. You know, stuff like that." Brad said, struggling for breath himself.

"This is an emergency!"

Luke took a deep breath, standing up straight and picking up a piece of wood that was on the floor. Brad came off the wall and signalled for Luke to continue walking down the hallway, that was when he noticed Luke with a limp "Are you okay?" Brad asked, concerned as this was not the time for Luke to hurt himself. Especially his legs.

Luke nodded "Yeah, just back then... I was running and my ankle rolled. Luckily I managed to pick myself up."

They all walked down the corridor, looking through the doors into rooms to see if anybody was in them but nobody was. The sound of groans were heard from behind and in front of them, along with screams, crashes and gun fires, but in the distance. Luke sighed "Damn. Ashton is so lucky right now."

"Yeah," Brad agreed with him on that one, right now he was wishing he was Ashton "very lucky. But hey, we might make it out of this okay? So don't go thinking that, alright?"

Luke nodded, looking at Brad "Did you say Ross gave you that bandana?" Luke asked, Brad nodded "what for?"

Brad shrugged "I don't know. He didn't want it. He gave it to me, I said I didn't want it and he told me I didn't have to wear it, so I made a joke out of it and wore it. I kinda forgot it was on my head to be honest," he said with a small laugh "oh well. If the apocalypse happens, and it looks very likely that it is going to... Good luck. I have a feeling we'll end up getting split up and if we do, at least I have this to remind me of Ross," he pointed to the bandana on his head "don't really have anything of you and Rocky. Not to be mean or anything."

"No, no, I get you. All you'll have to remind you of Rocky is his hilarious attitude and me because of the quiff Rocky has threatened to cut off many times."

Brad laughed "Oh, yeah. Didn't he actually chase after you with a pair of scissors?"

Luke nodded "Yeah, but Ashton tripped him up and he ended up stabbing himself in the leg. I've never seen a leg bleed like that..."

Brad went to go say something to add onto that hilarious and gory memory, but stopped when he heard something. He stopped Luke from walking as well as himself. Luke went to go ask him what was wrong but heard what Brad could hear.

Zombie noises.

They looked at each other and turned their heads in front of where they were walking to see about six zombies heading their way, walking. "Oh, lord no..." Brad said, seeing out the corner of his eye Luke held up the piece of wood he had in his hands "Luke what the fuck is a piece of wood gonna do?"

Luke shrugged "I don't know. I saw it in Shaun Of The Dead... hit 'em round the head and they die. Lets hope this works."

after Luke finished saying that, the zombies in front noticed they were both there. And when they did they were pretty much doomed. Why were they doomed?

"Emergency. Doors closing."

The metal doors were closing.

"SHIT! SHIT! SHIT!" Luke shouted.

Both of them turned around and began running as fast as they could towards where the metal door was that they ran through, seeing it was beginning to close. And with the zombies hot on their trial pretty much they were fucked if they didn't get through it.

"Come on Luke!" Brad shouted, seeing he was miles ahead in front of him and Luke was beginning to trail behind.

Luke tried running as fast as he could but his ankle started to play up again. "I'm trying!" He looked behind him where the zombies were at least six or seven metres behind.

Brad ran his fastest and luckily for him he made it past the metal door. When he did he turned around seeing Luke was nowhere near the door and it was half shut "COME ON LUKE!" Brad shouted, starting to became full of fear for his friend that he was close to tears. He wanted to go back through the door for Luke but he knew if he did Luke wouldn't forgive him for risking his life like that. Especially if the doors shut and he didn't get Luke through them in time.

Luke was that type of guy.

Luke picked up his speed, seeing the door was going past half way and he had only just gotten half way to the door. He was petrified. Just as he thought he was picking up speed.

He fell.

"LUKE!" Brad shouted. Hearing Brad's voice, it brought Luke back to Earth and he jumped back up off the floor as quick as he could and tried to run like a lightening bolt when he saw the door was now past half way and could only fit two people through it, three if someone was really skinny.

Brad put his arm through the gap that was left in the door for Luke to grab onto once he was near it "LUKE! COME ON HURRY!"

"I'M NOT GONNA MAKE IT!" Luke shouted, as he was nearing the door and it was shutting.

"YES YOU ARE! I BELIEVE IN YOU! WE ARE GOING TO SURVIVE THIS EVEN IF I HAVE TO COME THROUGH THIS DOOR FOR YOU RIGHT NOW. SO COME ON!"

Luke felt a rush of adrenaline run through him and suddenly he was taking off like a cheetah chasing a deer and he was almost at the door. Now that he was Brad was confident that he was going to make it so pulled his arm back through. The door continued to close.

Just as Luke was about three metres from the door, it came to the point where only one person would be able to fit through it. "NO! NO! NO! NO! NO! NO! NO! NO! NO! NO! NO! NO! NO!" Luke shouted, hearing the zombies behind him and seeing the door closing and only being able to just see Brad.

"LUKE!" Brad shouted.

For Luke it was too late.

The door shut as he finally got to it.

"NO!" Brad shouted, hitting the door "LUKE! COME ON! NOO!" He hit the door with his fists as hard as he could, but all that was happening was the sound of metal being hit echoing throughout the hallway. "No..."

He felt like he was going to cry. He hit the door one last time and pressed his ear against the door, only hearing the moans and groans and growls of the zombies. He let out a sob and felt tears stinging at his eyes and he stepped back away from the door with his hands over his mouth.

Luke was gone.

There was no doubt about it.

Instead of letting the tears sting at his eyes, he let out another sob and ended up on the floor on his knees crying – along with letting out screams over Luke. "NO!" Brad shouted through tears, getting angry at himself.

"Brad?" A voice shouted their name from the distance.

Brad turned around on the floor, on his knees, and saw someone standing at the other end of the hallway with something over their mouth. It was a tall figure and they were getting closer to him. He couldn't quite make out who it was with the red light flashing and with it being dark. "Brad are you okay?" He asked.

"Ashton...?" Brad asked, confused, but still with tears down his face.

"No," the voice said, who was now standing in front of him "it's Ross." he took down the cloth that was over his mouth.

Ross grabbed Brad by the arms and pulled him up to the floor "You have to wear this," Ross said, pulling out another piece of cloth from his pocket "the gas that's spilling out from the scientist department, it's making people hallucinate. Including you obviously if you thought I was Ashton," he explained whilst tying it around Brad's mouth and nose "I found Will. He's with Rocky now after Rocky nearly kicked my ass from running away from me. He explained everything. It was the scientists of course. Their fault. He told me the thing about the gas," that was when he noticed Luke wasn't there "Where's Luke?" he asked.

Brad felt like he was going to collapse on the floor again and cry like he was before "He's dead," he said, making Ross's face fall as Rocky and Will turned round the corner and were coming towards them both "I could have saved him... but I didn't. I should have."

"W-where?"

"Behind that metal door. It closed before he got past it and about six or seven zombies were chasing after us," Brad said, wiping away tears from his eyes that were falling. He sighed and dropped his arms by his side "Is this it, Ross? Is this the end of the world? Just like that."

Ross's eyes began to shine with tears as Brad spoke. All he did was nod "Yeah," he said, it coming out a whisper "this is it. The end."

Brad shook his head, seeing a door. A door that looked like it led to where Luke was. A thought came to Brad's mind and even though he knew he didn't stand a chance against six zombies he didn't care, he needed to know if Luke was alive or dead "I've gotta go save him." Brad said, going towards the door.

"What?" Ross asked, watching him as he went towards the door "Y-you can't. Six or seven zombies Brad. You can't face them on your own."

Rocky and Will came to a stop when they got near Ross. "I have to try," Brad said, standing in the door way of the door "I could have saved Luke the same way I could have saved Ashton. If i'd have tried hard enough."

"Brad, you do realise if you do this I will never see you again because there is noway Rocky is going to let me come with you. He wants to leave now. He and Will gave me five minutes to find you and if I didn't find you we had to leave them. Them five minutes ended a minute ago," Ross explained, his voice cracked "now please. Brad. Come on. Leave him. He's obviously dead if he got ambused by that many zombies."

Rocky grabbed Ross by the arm, trying to guide him away "Come on. We need to go. We won't survive here much longer..."

Ross pulled his arm away from Rocky's grip "I'm leaving without him."

"Brad, listen to Ross and come on." Will said.

Brad shook his head. Ross had enough, he stepped forwards to go grab him and drag him with them – he was not letting him die to go find someone who was already dead. He knows it sounds harsh but it's true. If the roles were reversed, Brad wouldn't want Ross to go or he would go with him. So it was either Brad came with them or Ross went with him.

As soon as Ross took one step forwards, Brad took off through the door.

"BRAD!" Ross shouted.

When Ross went to go run after him, Rocky grabbed hold of him tightly. "ROCKY GET OFF ME!" Ross screamed, violently thrashing in Rocky's grip to get out of him – suddenly becoming full of rage "BRAD!"

"Will help me!" Rocky shouted.

Will came over and grabbed Ross by his arm and Rocky had his other one and they started to pull him away from the door. "GET OFF ME! BRAD! COME BACK!" Ross shouted, full of anger and rage that he was sure to put a hole in a wall if he was released from Rocky and Will's grip. He was starting to cry too, but he was trying not ot do that "BRAD!"

But hearing the sound of zombies grunts and a painful scream broke Ross and his knees suddenly went weak and he collapsed on to the floor in tears "No... Brad..."

Rocky kept hold of Ross as he fell to the floor crying.

"Jesus Christ," Ellington said "were you his best friend or in love with him?"

"That's what I wondered too the whole way through their friendship." Rocky said.

Ross smacked Rocky across the head and nodded for Riker to hit Ellington for him and he did. Rydel let out a soft laugh before frowning again "That explains why you think Brad and Luke are dead." Rydel said.

"They have to be," Rocky said "there is no way they could have survived that. Especially Luke. He was a gonner the moment he fell over." He looked down to the floor, playing with little bits that were near him.

Everyone stayed silent for a while, not saying a word. Rydel turned her head to where the door was of the apartment, but there wasn't a door there so she could see right out into the hallway. That was where she could have sworn she saw a child stood at the corner outside, but they ran from the corner as soon as they saw Rydel looking at them. She furrowed her brow "Guys, there's a little girl out there in the hallway," Rydel said, not taking her eyes from outside "least it looked like a little girl."

Riker looked at Rydel like she was crazy "No way. There can't be..."

"I'm not kidding you." Rydel said, still looking.

"No, you had to be seeing things, Rydel." Ellington said.

Ross shrugged "I don't know, like. We haven't searched the rest of the apartment block... there could be people here."

That possibility was huge. But it only made them all wonder more. Rydel was thinking nothing of her past life until Riker spoke these words:

"Yeah, but we're in a zombie apocalypse, Ross. I doubt the Dad of a kid, let a lone a Mom, would let their – however old this little girl is that Rydel is claiming to see – young daughter out of their sight."

Rydel's head turned almost immediately to Riker when he said that. She jumped up from the floor. "Rydel, what are you doing?" Rocky asked.

"Going to go see." Rydel said, almost being at the door.

"No," Ross said, getting up from the floor "don't be so fucking stupid. It's pitch black. You won't be able to see and you don't have anything to defend yourself with."

"I have my fists and my legs that's enough."

"I don't care!" Ross raised his voice "you can go look in the morning when it's daylight and you can actually see where you're going and what you're running into! Now sit back down!"

Rydel glared at Ross "You're not the boss of me. You can't tell me what to do."

she went to go anyway but Ross grabbed her by the arm roughly and pulled her back, having her almost inches away from her "No, but ever since you've joined me and Rocky on this journey you have been in our care. And it's our job to make sure you are looked after and you stay safe. So you're not going anyway that will jeopardize your life. Now sit back down!"

Rydel pulled her arm from Ross and shoved him "Don't fucking touch me like that again you fucking ass hole!" She snapped, storming away from him through to the next room in the apartment – even though there wasn't a door or anything more than a broken bed in it.

She didn't mean to snap at him like that but the way he shouted and grabbed her reminded her of the way her Dad use to treat her.

Ellington gave Ross a slow clap "Well done. And I thought I was good at pissing her off."

Ross turned round and glared at him "Shut the fuck up," Ross said, going over to where he originally was "it's not my fault the way she acts. It's whatevers happened to her in the past and during the apocalypse. It changes people you know."

Riker nodded "Yeah, but I mean the way she treats us... It isn't a mean way," he spoke quietly so she couldn't hear them "it's more of... don't do this or don't do that because it'll hurt you or you'll die or i'll kill you for it. You know, almost how a Mom would act towards her child."

Ellington scoffed "Well, the way she's just been acting about seeing a little girl... she may as well have been a Mom."

Everyone either let out a small laugh or smiled at that comment.

But then their smiles dropped when they came into realisation.

"Oh shit, good one Ross." Ellington said, putting his head into his hands – feeling like a complete dick for some of the comments he's said to her these past few days.

I want you all to do me a favour, regarding the video I want to do for this story, and PLEASE I need you all to do it. I need you all to go listen to "Beside You" by 5 Seconds Of Summer & tell me if I should use it or not because I think it really DOES remind me of this story so much. So PLEASE do that for me. Pretty please? Cos this depends on whether or not you want a video for this story or not. Thank you if you do!

Oh! & to make it up for the lateness of this video I made a Luke/Ashton video. It's got nothing to do with the story but I feel if I had of given the chance to show their friendship/relationship then it would of been how it is in the video I made :) If you don't know who is who out of Ashton & Luke, Luke's the one with the quiff and Ashton's the one that you probably find adorable and just want to hug. Just saying. Here's the Link: www. youtube watch? v = n4K7kPzAnFc

If you can't get the link from here it's at the top of my FF profile as usual :)

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