"Guys?" a tired voice asked them as Rudy's office door opened, a bright crack of light pouring into the room and illuminating Jack's peacefully sleeping form. "What are you still doing up?" He walked closer to them and Jerry held onto his note protectively. If Jack didn't die, he wasn't going to get rid of it, but no-one was going to see it either.
"We're writing about how we'd feel if Jack died," Kim whispered in a soft voice.
"You bunch of saps," Rudy snickered quietly. "He's not gonna die," he said wistfully, glancing briefly at Jack, who had taken to dangling an arm over Jerry.
"Rudy," Milton began gently. "We've gotta accept the fact that he may turn and one of us is gonna have to kill him," he said and Jerry felt himself shudder, Jack's fingers subconsciously gripping onto him.
"Jerry? Where's your usual joke in all this?" Rudy asked desperately, but Jerry had nothing to say. He couldn't; it was becoming harder and harder to deal with the fact he was going to lose his best friend, so much so that he was tempted to delude himself to everything that was going on just so Jack would remain alive.
"Where are you going?" Kim asked in surprise, turning over onto her stomach as Rudy began walking to his office.
"To write about my feelings like some old sap," he shot back in a hushed voice, shutting the door behind him.
"Even in a crisis, he's still Rudy," Kim pointed out. "Gotta love him," she said with admiration, unable to suppress her yawn.
Jerry could only nod in agreement. He was so tired and his eyes were drooping without his consent. Darkness was ebbing tantalizingly at the edges of his eyes and he felt himself slumping down against the sofa as he fought less and less against it, seeing Milton and Kim curl up in the floor before his eyes closed.
"Rise and shine guys!" a perky voice called some time later - had it been seconds? or hours? he had no idea - and Jerry groaned, swatting a hand out towards the sound of it to stop it, but hitting mid-air instead.
He wiped his eyes and sat up, blinking Jack's smiling form into view. He looked less ghastly than he had yesterday, the darkness around his eyes less prominent, although he still looked frighteningly pale. "What are you doing up so early?" Jerry asked in confusion.
Jack chuckled, a full blown smile reaching up to his ears. "It's one in the afternoon," he said in confusion and Jerry glanced at the clock in surprise. "Shouldn't have stayed up all night," he teased them.
"What were you guys doing up all night, anyway?" he asked, peering at them curiously and Jerry bit his lip, swallowing hard. Thankfully Jack hadn't seen the letters on the floor.
"What are you doing up right now?" Jerry deflected pathetically, making Jack raise his eyebrow.
"Jerry," Kim said in a low voice, rolling her eyes. "We were just watching for Zombies," she said, there being some truth to her lie.
"You're all really heavy sleepers," he said in admiration, turning around for a brief moment that allowed Jerry to scramble to stuff his letter in his pocket.
"What?" Milton asked.
"I've managed to spar with Rudy - albeit him being a bit reluctant - throw up some breakfast from the vending machine and none of you moved," he said in admiration.
"Well," Kim began in a flustered voice, subtly trapping her note under her shoe, waiting for the right moment to snatch it up. "We were tired!" she admitted, throwing her hands up in the air and Jack chuckled.
"Did you see any?" he asked.
"No," Jerry shook his head, slightly confused. Usually there were one or two that crept along that you had to be quiet to avoid, but there had been nothing, from what he had seen anyway. "I think our swag the other day scared them off," he said proudly.
"Think it'll work long enough to get some lunch?" Jack asked hopefully.
"Jack, you can't go outside," Milton warned him, taking pity on him.
"Come on," Jack whined, the action being very unlike him. "I'm tired of having to lay on that stupid sofa-"
"That sofa is not stupid!" Rudy interrupted him, bursting out of his office with dried, reddened eyes that he was rubbing furiously. "Bobby Wasabi himself signed it and polished it's century old oak legs with his bare hands," he said proudly, making Jack raise his eyebrow.
"Rudy," Kim called over to him, bending down at a corner of the sofa and holding the still-attached label between two fingers. "It was made in China and was ten bucks," she said bluntly, standing back up and walking to stand beside Milton.
"I was wondering why there was a ketchup stain on it," he muttered to himself, then he turned to the rest of them and folded his arms. "But if I'm with you, I don't see why you guys can't get some lunch and fresh air," he agreed with a smile.
"What could you do?" Jerry asked incredulously, feeling a cheeky smirk form on his face. "You're about as useful as a split condom," he joked and everyone burst out laughing, although he only seemed to notice Jack's laughter over Rudy's face reddening.
"Do you want breakfast or not?" Rudy asked in a pinched voice, gritting his teeth.
"Technically, it's lunch," Jerry pointed out.
"Just go!" Rudy said dismissively, waving them off and Jerry grinned. "I'll catch up. I've gotta see a man about a sofa," he said darkly, walking off to his office and slamming the door behind him.
Jerry opened the door and they walked out into the courtyard, making their way to Falafel Phil's. Jerry found the absence of Zombies to be a relief, yet terrifying. The last thing they needed with Jack in his current state was Zombie's attacking them and another one of them getting bitten.
"Hey, Phil," Jack greeted him with a smile once they walked into the restaurant, then he took a step back in surprise. "What's going on?" he asked, looking at all the chairs stacked up on the tables and the dust, more than usual, gathering in the corners of the room.
"Oh, it is terrible!" Phil said in admonishment, bustling over to them. "The Zombie's are scaring away my customers faster than my sister when her potential husbands see she shaved her moustache," he said with a shudder.
"Okay..." Kim drawled, eyes flicking between Jack, Jerry, Milton and Phil. "Well, can we have some lunch?" she asked, following Phil towards the counter.
"Of course," Phil smiled at her. "That'll be five hundred dollars," he said briskly.
"What the heck is in that falafel?" Kim asked in shock, eyes widening.
"I'm kidding, usual price," Phil reassured her with a light chuckle. "It's just business has been bad since this whole brouhaha and I need the money or else I'll have to move out of my brother's basement," he said shamefully.
"We're sorry," Milton apologised gently.
"It's alright, there's a crawl space in the back of the restaurant," Phil said in a bright voice, his usual smile not meeting his eyes. "I'll be a minute," he said and he disappeared behind the counter to the ovens.
Everyone took a seat at a booth nearby the counter, leaving a place for Rudy and Jerry sitting by the wall so if Jack needed to run and throw up it would be easier for him, and Jack gave a pained groan, leaning over and clutching his stomach.
"Hey, Jack?" Jerry asked in concern, placing a hand on his shoulder and he turned to look at him. "You alright?" he asked.
Jack sat back up, coughing to clear his throat. "I'm fine," he said reassuringly and Jerry looked at him incredulously.
"You don't look fine," Jerry said nervously.
"How am I meant to look after being bitten by a Zombie?" he asked, folding his arms and looking ready for an answer, but the doors burst open and Rudy strode in, in an angry conversation with someone, stealing everyone's attention.
"Well I don't care if it was only an April Fool's joke!" Rudy argued down the phone and Jack raised his eyebrow. "I want my authentic thousand-year old oak crafted, Bobby Wasabi signed sofa," he said in a childish voice, then he straightened, stamping his foot on the floor. "You know what? Good day," he said curtly. "I said good day!" he shrieked, abruptly ending the call.
"Sorry guys," he apologised, pulling up a chair so he could sit with them. "Woah, Jack, you look horrible," he blurted out, able to see Jack in good lighting.
Jack's expression became hard and Jerry tried to hold in his burst of laughter. "Thanks," he drawled, narrowing his eyes in a glare. "I just love hearing that," he said in a sarcastically bright voice.
"Nah, little bit of hairspray and it'll fix ya right up," Rudy said playfully, and Jerry reached out to ruffle Jack's hair, a genuine smile appearing on his face before he swatted his hand away.
Phil walked back over with the steaming hot food a few minutes later and everyone sat forwards with hungry eyes. Jerry felt bad for Jack, since he couldn't eat anything without throwing up, but his stomach was rumbling and he needed to eat something, or else he was going to look like a Zombie before all this was over.
He set them down in "Okay, here is your falafel-" He broke off from his original sentence abruptly as he caught sight of Jack, his pale, sickly state more noticeable up close. "Jack, my friend, what happened to you?" Phil asked in concern. "You look like you have seen my sister," he said with a shudder.
Jack blew out a tired breath, folding his arms. "I got bit by a Zombie," he said bluntly.
"Oh no!" Phil shrieked, the plate of falafel - the one that he had probably brought out for Jack - going flying onto the floor. "A Zombie turning in here could get me shut down for good!" he said fearfully, his eyes wide.
"Relax, Phil," Jack reassured him. "I haven't got to the last stage yet," he said, slight relief in his voice, although it put everyone - mostly Jerry - on edge to know that he could begin turning at any moment.
Oh thank goodness," Phil said, nearly passing out with relief. "In my country, they say that if you get infected, you will turn very slowly and painfully while your eyes explode from your sockets and your innards fall from your mouth-"
"Phil!" Rudy exclaimed loudly, his mouth full. "I'm eating!" he said, gesturing to his falafel, crumbs falling from his mouth onto the table.
"Sorry," he apologised sheepishly.
"It doesn't seem to be that bad," Jerry said, looking at Jack. So far, thankfully, no Zombie's any of them had came across look like "Although Jack and I did see one with no legs and it's intenstines hanging out," he admitted and Jack chuckled quietly, nodding his head in remembrance.
"Suddenly I'm not hungry anymore..." Rudy said quickly, swallowing his current mouthful and pushing his food away from him.
"Me either," Milton shook his head, his holder colliding with Kim's chips. Her appetite didn't look as keen anymore either.
"Thanks Phil," Jack said sarcastically, getting up from the booth and everyone, bar Jerry, following suit.
"Was it something I said?" Phil asked in confusion, looking around the empty restaurant with a wistful look.
Jerry sidled up to him and placed a hand on his shoulder. "It was everything you said, yo," he told him and Phil nodded in understanding. Jerry turned his attention to the leftover food. "I'll just take this," he said, picking up the holders and following everyone out of the restaurant.
It had been exactly five hours, fifteen minutes and five seconds since everyone had last gone outside or done something moderately productive. Jack was still restless, pacing around the sofa and staring at it hatefully every few seconds, Milton and Kim were playing jacks with both of them accusing the other of cheating just to liven the game up, Rudy was staring in aggravation at Jack's pacing and Jerry was so bored he was resorted to staring at the clock until all the saliva was drying out of his eyes.
Rudy sighed and tapped his fingers rapidly against his thighs, finally jerking and standing up. "Jack will you please lay down?" he pleaded with him, an almost manic tone to his voice.
Jack whirled around and threw his hands up in exasperation. "I'm tired of laying down!" he exploded, making Milton and Kim jump and throw the jacks up in the air. "And excuse me for trying to stave off a symptom that could turn me!" he yelled angrily, his eyes wide and blazing.
Rudy looked taken aback at Jack's tone and took a step back. "No, I just meant you're making me nervous, and I don't do well when I'm nervous," he said in a hurried voice, looking like he was about to start biting his nails.
"Fine," Jack relented, sighing heavily as he made his way back over to the sofa, sitting down with an ugly frown marring his face. Jerry walked over to him and sat down without saying a word, both of them almost instantaneously gravitating towards each other.
"I hate this," he murmured quietly, looking at him for some resolution, but Jerry didn't have any to give. He just wrapped his arm around Jack's shoulders, shuddering slightly at the faint feel of his bones beneath his skin. "And I hate them!" he hissed in a louder voice, giving the sofa cushion behind him a violent thump with his elbow.
Jerry just stayed silent and watched Jack as he looked to be mulling over something. He just hoped Jack wasn't thinking about how to convince any of them to shoot him early before he ended up with mottled grey skin and a hunger for their flesh.
"I'm gonna call my Grandad," he said finally, biting his lip as he reached into his pocket to pull his phone. "He might be able to help," he said, scrolling through his contacts.
Jerry's brows furrowed in confusion. "But you said he never picks up when-"
"I'm gonna turn into a Zombie here," Jack cut him off harshly, making Jerry recoil and take his arm away; he never usually yelled at him. His eyes softened, and he looked apologetic. "Another missed phone call won't do any harm, will it?" He pressed the green button and held it to his ear, the sound attracting everyone's attention and they came to sit around the sofa.
"Hello?" Jack said into the phone, a light smile on his face. "Grandad?" he asked.
"Put it on speaker," Rudy told him in a hurried voice and Jack did, pulling it away from his ear, pressing a button and holding it near his mouth.
"Jack?" a rough, accented voice asked through the phone, sounding in disbelief himself. "It's great to hear your voice again, bud," he said happily.
"Yeah, you too," Jack replied, managing a weak smile, even though his Grandad wouldn't be able to see it.
"Hey, look, sorry I ain't been pickin' the phone up, it's just Sherrif McDowd's been needin' some help down at his office," his Grandad said and Jack made a face of understanding, seemingly more for himself than anything else.
"No, it's not a problem," he said dejectedly, shifting into a more comfortable position, sitting up attentively and crossing a leg underneath him.
"How's everythin' on your end?" he asked and Jack looked up, looking around nervously and biting his lip. "Is your Mum alright?" his Grandad asked.
Jack sighed, trying his best to keep it quiet. "Uh," he began awkwardly, tapping his fingers on the edge of the phone. "Well, she's dead," he said abruptly, not wanting to beat about the bush this time. "She got bit and I killed her." The minute the words left Jack's mouth, his face fell, like it was just hitting him that his family were all dead and the last surviving member was all the way in Texas.
"Jesus..." his Grandad gasped in shock. "I'm sorry to hear that, son," he consoled in a soft voice, then a loud creak was heard from his end of the receiver, probably as he moved in a chair. "Who are you stayin' with now?" he asked.
"Jerry, Kim, Milton and Rudy," Jack said with a sad smile towards them and Jerry rubbed his shoulders, moving closer to him and Kim came to sit beside him on the arm of the sofa. "I told you about them before all this happened," he reminded him.
"Are you alright?" his Grandad asked hurriedly and Jack bit his lip, his breathing becoming heavy. "For the love of God tell me you're alright," he pleaded with him.
"I wish I could," Jack said regretfully, then he took a deep breath. "I... Well, there was a fight between my friends and I and a bunch of Zombie's and I got bit," he admitted.
There was a long pause before Jack's Grandad said anything.
"First your Dad, now you and your Mum?" he said rhetorically, and Jerry could practically picture the crestfallen look on the man's face. "I didn't sign up to lose the only family I got left when this goddamn apocalypse started," he muttered in a tired-sounding growl. "Get on the first flight you can to Maypearl, your friends too," he ordered.
"What?" Jack said in surprise, abruptly straightening. Jerry shot an anxious look towards Kim behind Jack's back, she just shrugged.
"I think I know somethin' that might save you," his Grandad said and at that, everyone became attentive, especially Jack.
"You think?" Jack asked uncertainly.
"It's better than nothin' ain't it?" his Grandad offered aimlessly.
"I guess," Jack shrugged.
"Good, I'll see you bright and early," he said in a pleased voice. "And from what you told me about Rudy, don't let him read the map," he warned, making the rest of them laugh, except Rudy.
Jack chuckled at the look Rudy was currently giving him, and smiled. "Bye," he said into the speaker, ending the call. He took a deep breath like some worldly feat had just been accomplished; in a way, it had.
"What did you tell your Grandad about me?" Rudy asked in an affronted voice. Jack chuckled nervously and tucked his phone back in his pocket, shuffling on the sofa.
"This is great!" Kim exclaimed, a grin lighting up her face that Jerry, and Milton and Rudy, had no qualms about sharing. "You could be saved after all," she said happily.
"Looks like we're going to Texas," Jack said with a faint hint of optimism. It was the most positive he had looked about the whole situation in a while.
"I just have one question," Jerry interjected with a mischievous twitch of his lips and Jack looked at him with slightly raised eyebrows. "Do we have to wear those funny ten galleon hats?" he asked, suddenly finding it a lot easier to make a joke than he had been.
There was a split second of silence and everyone giving Jerry incredulous looks, before he grinned sheepishly and everyone burst out laughing, the strangely merry sound filling the Dojo.
So Jack might be able to be saved after all! xD I'm so sorry it took me so long to update, writing was just the last thing on my mind. Either way, I hope you all liked this chapter and that you'll review. :) Let's try and get over 30 (or 35; stop being an optimist, I know :P).