I'm not being funny or anything but I haven't updated in ages and you've all been bugging me for an update and you don't fucking review -_- I don't think I've ever had to complain about reviews for this story up until now like seriously. The more you review the more better it makes me feel that I'm actually doing good with the story and that you're not losing any interest in it and its still going somewhere good. GOSH. It only takes like 10 seconds out of your life.

Disclaimer: I do not own R5, The Vamps and 5 Seconds of Summer, all rights go to Hollywood, Mercury/Island and Capitol Records!

Chapter 22
The Last Night

Taylor was a very lucky three year old. Rydel was expecting a nurse or a doctor to come out and tell her she's dead, but no, she wasn't. The worst she had was a broken arm and leg and if she did die it would have been because she'd of bled to death. Luckily she never. So after that Rydel and James came to the conclusion they do not want Taylor anywhere near where Rydel's dad is, so Taylor ended up moving in with James a little bit earlier than planned before he moved to Utah. Rydel still went and seen Taylor every day round James' and never went home til late at night or the early hours of the morning. Heck, sometimes she even stayed the night.

But then of course came the day where James actually had to move away to Utah, which was one of the hardest days of Rydel's life.

James walked away from the car after putting some of his stuff in, over to Rydel "You know, you can come live with us for a while to get away if you want?" James asked her "just, after we've moved in."

Rydel smiled slightly "Sure. I'll think about it."

James frowned before scooping her up into his arms for a long tight hug, she hugged back. He rubbed her back and pulled away, giving her a smile "I'm sure by the time I get back you'll have found a boy who loves you more than I do." he said, joking slightly.

Rydel scoffed "Yeah, sure. It'll take a miracle though." she said, thinking he was being serious by what he said. She wasn't going to find anybody like James ever again, lets face it. "Who knows, maybe I'll end up with one of those boys who pops into the store every now and then." she said bluntly "because lets face it, that's as good as I'll ever do."

James nudged her "Oh, stop being a downer. You can come visit me and I'll come visit you."

Rydel smiled, just as Taylor came over and crashed into Rydel's legs, wrapping her arms around and hugging her tightly. "Awe," Rydel said, pulling her away and bending down to her height and seeing she was crying. She hugged her "Don't cry, baby. I'll come visit you in a couple weeks. Please don't cry, or you'll make me cry." she said, resting her chin on Taylor's shoulder.

"Why c-can't y-y-you come?" Taylor asked.

"I just can't," she said, pulling away from the hug "now, dry those eyes and get in the car. I promise I'll come visit you and I'll bring you something. Okay?" She said, Taylor nodded. Rydel kissed her head and gave her another hug "Be a good girl now," she said, after hearing the car horn beep "and I'll see you soon." she stood back up from the floor.

James picked Taylor up from the floor as it seemed she wasn't going to be moving anywhere "Well then," he said "I guess I'll see you in a few weeks." he said with a small smile.

Rydel nodded "Yeah. See ya." she gave him a quick hug.

James flashed her another smile and turned around and walked towards the car. After watching James put Taylor in the car and he get in next to her, Rydel watched as the car drove away and waved at them as it disappeared down the road. She sighed and turned around, starting to think about how she would see them in a few weeks time.

But something was telling her that she wouldn't be.

1 Week Later

Rydel sat in the store behind the counter looking fed up, like she could commit at any time. Mainly because it was 5am and this the time the store normally opens at for people going to work. She was falling asleep at the counter as she never got a good nights sleep the night before. In fact, she was falling asleep that much she didn't even notice the door open to the store where a boy, about 17/18, with dark blonde hair walked in. he gave Rydel a funny look as he knew she was falling asleep. He shrugged and continued to go get what he wanted as well as what everyone else wanted.

He had a 9 – 10 hour car journey, depending on how fast the driver was, to get through.

Rydel jumped out of her skin and almost fell out of her seat when she heard a basket get put on the counter. She opened up her eyes where she saw the boy. She'd never seen him before in her life surprisingly. She looked at the basket and saw it was half full "Jesus Christ you're hungry."

He shook his head "No. it's not all for me, I have a ten hour car journey with those three out side." he said motioning towards the door.

Rydel nodded, being able to tell he wasn't from this country as he hand an accent. She couldn't tell if it was Australian or not. It sounded it. She looked outside where she saw the usual blonde boy with his brown haired friend, or brother, that always flirts with Maia, and some other boy – he was smaller than them. "Huh, funny," she said, starting to pack it all into a bag for him "I always see the blonde and the taller brown haired one come in here every so often. Mainly because the brown one always flirts with my friend Maia."

he let out a soft laugh "Oh, so you're the blonde friend that looks like you wouldn't let him anywhere near her," he said, making Rydel give him a funny look. He laughed "Sorry, me, them three and my other friend were in Afghanistan over a week ago and it got brought up."

"Oh! So you're all army boys." Rydel teased with a smile.

He shook his head "No. well... only for a month we were but... yeah. We decided not to do that—it's complicated. I shouldn't even be telling you anyway."

"Yeah, like I'll remember the conversation anyway," she sighed "so where's your 'other friend' then? What's he called."

"Ashton. He erm... died when we were in Afghanistan. He got shot to death."

Rydel frowned "I'm sorry," she said, the boy smiled weakly "ummm... so... what's your name?" she asked, deciding to keep the conversation going as she was on to packing the last bag.

"Luke," he answered, Rydel nodded "how come you were nearly falling asleep? I mean, I don't blame you, it's 5am but you look like you've barely had any. Trust me, I know what that's like. I didn't sleep at all for a while after Ashton died. Are you missing someone?" he asked.

Rydel shrugged "Something like that. But, they're not dead, they're alive," She said, her eyes widened when she realised how that sounded "Oh my gosh, I am so sorry, I never meant it like-"

Luke shook his head "No, no, I know you meant, it's okay," he sighed, taking the bags in his hands "but I'm sure whoever it is you miss, they'll find a way back to you someway. Because at you have the reassurance they can come back any time they want."

Rydel nodded. Looking him up and down. "Where are you even going?" Rydel asked, commenting on his black t-shirt and camo trousers.

"Utah," he said, making his way slowly towards the door "it's great. Well, what I do is anyway. But, I can't tell you what I do and where I do it because I'll get hung and then mysteriously 'disappear'." he said, making him and Rydel both laugh.

Rydel smiled, having her arms folded – now in a more cheery mood "Well, thanks for that Luke. You cheered me up a little. I hope I see you again when you come back from Utah with your three friends out there."

Luke shook his head "No, you won't. This is the first and last time I'm coming here. The only reason I came was because we all got the week off and they didn't want me to go home back to Australia cos they thought I would kill myself over Ashton – they haven't said that to me, but I do have ears which they seem to think don't work," he explained, again making her giggle "but who knows. Maybe I might come back one day."

Rydel nodded "Good luck."

"Thanks." Luke said, leaving the store as Rydel waved to him.

Rydel sighed happily, sitting down on the stool behind the counter with a smile on her face. She knows that conversation wasn't much, but he made her laugh and smile a little. Nobody's made her do that for a while now. She had the feeling that today was going to be a good day.

CRASH

Rydel turned her head to the door that was at the back. She furrowed her brow as she was pretty sure there wasn't anybody here but her. Martha wasn't coming till later. Slowly she got from her stool and walked slowly towards the door. When she reached it, she pressed her ear to it to see if she could hear anything. Rydel put her hand on the door handle and swung the door open and screamed her loudest when she saw someone stood there, looking like a freaking corpse and breathing heavily.

She took a deep breath "Okay! What kind of fucking prank is this?!" she asked, loudly and angrily. She waited for a response and all she got was a groan. "Are you going to answer me?" Rydel asked, arms folded. Still nothing. Now she started to become a little scared as she started walking backwards and whoever it was in the cupboard started walking towards her "Uh... do you speak english? Hola, Buenos dias, Bonjour..?"

Rydel screamed and ducked as the person swiped their arm at her "WHAT THE HELL?!" Rydel shouted, starting to look for something that could help defend herself. She crawled along the floor quickly in the search for something. That was when her eyes landed on the chair she was sat on. She smirked and ran over to it. She grabbed hold of it by the legs and turned around "Don't come anywhere near me or I swear I will use it!" she threatened.

But the 'person' completely ignored her, they started walking towards her. She shrugged "You asked for it." she said before smacking it and the stool broke into pieces. All she had was the legs in her hands. She panicked and threw the sharp end of the stood leg towards the person where it went straight through their forehead and they collapsed. Rydel gasped "Oh my fucking god! I just killed someone!" she screamed, walking over to them "oh jesus, I'm going to jail." she said, starting to panic.

She pulled out her phone from her pocket and quickly dialled James' number as she didn't know who else to call. She couldn't call Maia because she was probably still in bed. But when she called James all she got was:

This number has been disconnected. Please try again later.

"What...?" Rydel muttered under her breath. She knows Utah doesn't have the best phone connection, but what the hell. Rydel looked on the floor at the 'person'. She cocked her head as there wasn' something right about it. Covered in blood, torn clothes, pure white eyes with no pupils or colour. "What are you? A freaking zombie?" She asked, slightly sarcastically as right now she wasn't so sure.

But then she heard another noise come from the back of the store where she saw two more zombies stood there. Her eyes widened "Oh you are fucking kidding me."

"Wow..." Ellington said, not really having anything to say about it. He was too.. taken back. "That explains a lot."

Rydel nodded, still staring up at the same stars like the others "Except when we go to Utah I have no hope that James and Taylor are alive, because I know they're not." she said quietly and her voice cracked.

Riker sighed "What even happens when we get to Utah anyway?" Riker asked "what? We just do what Ross and Rocky are going to do and that's it... go our separate ways again?" he asked, not really liking the idea of them going their separate ways. He sighed again "You still haven't told us what you're going to do."

Ross tilted his head on the ground so he was looking at Rocky who was opposite him, looking directly at him and Rocky nodded at him. "It's complicated to explain," Ross said, returning to look up at the sky "I have three options. Actually, four. The forth one is just leave everything as it is and let it resolve on it's own, but I ain't going to do that because that could take forever. The first option is this 'cure' that I don't even think they made in time at the base, aka the scientists – I'm sure there's a technical name for them, I just don't know it because I wasn't involved in any of that – and spread it round the world. But again, that could take forever cause... the worlds a pretty big place, you know."

Ellington nodded "Yeah, but at least it's something."

"Yes, but there's also the chance that it might not work." Rocky added "anyway, Ross. Continue."

"Then there's this big massive red button Will told us about, you press it and well... erm... bye, bye Earth." Ross said awkwardly.

Rydel looked at Ross "Please tell me you're not using that option." Ross shook his head and Rydel sighed with relief "Phew. Don't really want to watch that happen."

Riker became confused "How does that button end the world?"

"Well, in each country there's quite a few nuclear warheads planted under the ground, obviously in places where people can't dig them up. Once they get blew up, that's it. Radiation poisoning everywhere, everything gets destroyed in it's way, everybody and everything dies. It's over. That's the last option if the next option I tell you about doesn't work."

Ellington scoffed "Sounds like something off a bad sci-fi show or movie."

"I know right?" Rocky agreed with him "i said that the first time Will ever told me and Ross." he said, making everyone slightly chuckle.

"So what's the last option?" Riker asked.

Ross sighed "Basically... erm... I don't know how to describe it," he said, struggling to find words of how to actually explain it "um... no really I don't know how to explain it without using something as an example, but then it sounds sad. Like, laughable sad."

"Go on, do it," Riker said "I'm sure we could do with a laugh."

"Basically, it's like um... that episode of... er... Doctor Who."

"Oh jesus," Ellington said, rolling his eyes "so what you're saying is we're living in our own little Doctor Who episode?" he asked, making everyone lightly chuckle. He shook his head "Go on."

"You know with The Master?"

"There was a lot of episodes with the Master in it, Ross, you're gonna have to be more specific than that."

Ross let out a soft laugh "The one with Martha and Jack. By the end of the last episode he's in they break something and it rewinds time back to before the Master took over the Earth? And because they were at the very heart of it happening they were the only ones who could remember it happening."

Riker furrowed his brow "You guys have a paradox machine?"

"No! It's not a paradox machine. He said that's the best as he could compare it too, not that it was actually that," Rocky said, shaking his head at Riker's stupidity "it's actually called the Epoch machine and what you do is that you set a time and date, do some other shit, pull a lever, press a couple buttons along with some other scientific shit and BAM. Your back to wherever you wanted to be. But in this case it's before the zombie apocalypse so we can stop it from happening."

"Oh..." Rydel said, finding it slightly impressive "so, what day are you going to set it too? The day before it happened?"

Ross shook his head "No. A month or two before Ashton died because that's when they started planning it, and the day before the apocalypse happened we weren't even at the base. We were getting ready to go back. And a month or two before, we were at the base. So therefore when we get back to that time, me or Rocky can run in and destroy their plans for what they did to cause the apocalypse from happening."

Riker smiled "Then everybody who died and we loved comes back and lives, but doesn't remember the apocalypse... wow... that's a good idea. I like that one better. Even if we're the only five that'll remember it."

Ross frowned "That's the thing though... you guys won't. You're not coming in with me and Rocky in the room when we do it. I don't think you guys want to remember all this suffering and loneliness."

Ellington scoffed "You can think again. We haven't travelled all this way for nothing, Ross and we're not turning back now."

"Yeah, a week ago we didn't even know who each other were," Rydel said "and now it feels like we've known each other for years, and you've known someone for what feels like years you don't turn your back on them that easily. You help them."

Rocky laughed "That's funny, because when we met you Rydel you said you don't trust us or will do nothing to ever help us at all on our way here. Like save us from zombies which you've only done once or sacrifice yourself like I almost did when I fell down the verge."

Rydel shrugged, with a small grin on her face "Yeah, but things change and people change their minds."

"Right," Ellington said "so have we reached an agreement? We're coming with you to this Epoch thing and we're going to do it with you so you're not the only one who remembers and goes insane?" he asked.

Ross sighed, looking at Rocky and Rocky nodded as if giving him permission "Yes... you can all come with us."

Rydel let out a laugh "I'm gonna be honest here, tomorrow's the last day of the apocalypse, technically... and... I didn't think I would make it to the end."

Though none of them really expected to make it to the end because they thought the apocalypse would go on until they were old and dying anyway. They never thought for a second that if the apocalypse was only going to last for a year and half because two strangers had a plan to stop it from going any further, that they would make it to this point.

And they were absolutely correct.

Because only two of them were going to make it to the end.

They just didn't know that yet.

Yeah... so... the next chapters going to be fun to write... Not. It's just a chapter Livvy & Laina have been dreading ever since I told them about it. Its um... yeah. But don't worry, it makes up for it straight after :)))))))

But yeah, I'm gonna copy & paste what I said at the start of this chapter

I'm not being funny or anything but I haven't updated in ages and you've all been bugging me for an update and you don't fucking review -_- I don't think I've ever had to complain about reviews for this story up until now like seriously. The more you review the more better it makes me feel that I'm actually doing good with the story and that you're not losing any interest in it and its still going somewhere good. GOSH. It only takes like 10 seconds out of your life.

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