The morning came like a punch in the face. Nick's head pounded with agony as he slowly sat up. The hangover he was experiencing was unforgiving. The pulsing rushed through his brain down to his tail. 'How did I get home', he thought. He looked up and noticed someone had changed the color of the living room in his apartment. And the furniture. And the posters.

"Damn it" he huffed as the pieces of the puzzle came together.

He looked over to Judy, who was asleep on her bed. Nick tried to recall the events of last night but thanks to the wonders of alcohol, He could not. He gave a half hearted stretch and slumped over to the bathroom to search for some aspirin to tame his pain. He opened the bathroom door and rummaged through the cabinet and turned up empty. He closed the cabinet door and faced the mirror hanging low, over the sink. His fur was matted and ragged, and his eyes half open and red.

"Heh" he said, pointing finger guns to his reflection. "Still got it" he said quietly to himself.

He dropped his paws to the sink and flicked on the faucet. The water was cold to the touch and sent a chill down his back. He cupped his paws and splashed water on his face to help wake him up. He wiped the grime from his eyes and sighed. He desperately wanted to be in his own home, where he could shower and take a questionable amount of painkillers.

'I bet Judy's morning isn't going to be better", he scoffed.

It wasn't. The blast of her alarm clock snatched her from her dream in an instant. The jolt awake made her head rush, causing a quick and painful head throb. Her hangover was just as bad, and her brain was just as slow. Her mind raced through deep sand trying to process the information she was receiving. Loud noise. Alarm clock. In My apartment. Morning. Nick in bathroom. Work today. Hangover. Need pills. She blinked slowly as her brain powered on. She flopped out of her bed, wearing an old gray "Carrot Days" t-shirt, and black gym short shorts. She stumbled to the kitchen and looked over to Nick as he was picking at his teeth in the mirror. She walked to the counter drawer and pulled out a half empty bottle of generic headache medicine. She looked over her shoulder to see Nick rubbing his head. She rolled her eyes and shook enough pills out for the two of them. She fetched two glasses and filled them with cool tap water.

"Carrots?" Nick stammered out, "Have you seen my phone?"

Judy slowly shook her head and walked toward the fox. His blue shirt was wrinkled and crinkled at the collar. His shorts bunched up around the legs and waist. The two looked like they had just fought a polar bear, and the bear had won. Judy's fur wasn't as bad as Nicks, but still enough to show the had not groomed herself yet. She stretched her hand out to offer the fox some relief from his headache.

"Hello sweet embrace", he said sarcastically, taking the pills and water.

"Good morning gorgeous", Judy snickered. She had never seen Nick like this before, unkempt and all. Nick downed the pills and patted her on the head.

"Thank you, long eared one."

Judy smiled, "No problem, orange one".

Nick hunched down a little like a cave fox and grunted,

"need food. Need sleepy. Need brushy". Judy giggled and did the same pose. "Hungry bunny eat fox", she said gnawing on Nick's arm, before jokingly sputtering like she had tasted a rotten carrot.

"You need a shower", she said with a disgusted look. Nick stuck out his tongue,

"I bet you're no better", he said, stepping towards the half awake bunny. She fained terror and threw her arms over her head, "Oh sweet death, I embrace thee! Make my hangover go away!" Nick chuckled, and looked around. "What time is it anyway?".

"Six in the morning. Enough time to grab a bite, drop you off and go to work" she said, more conscious than before. She patted her pockets and noticed her phone was missing as well. She walked over to the couch and flipped up a cushion to reveal the two missing phones, both dead.

"Here you go Nick", she said handing him one of the devices. "Huh", he said confused. "My battery was almost full last night. Weird." He shrugged and plugged it in the the wall charger on Judy's desk. "Hey that's mine!" Judy pouted, knowing she probably wouldn't have a phone all day. She rolled her eyes and went to her closet to find her uniform all nice and neatly pressed for the long day ahead. Her brain clicked into gear. 'Right. Shower first.'

"Wanna meet me at the cafe or.." she asked leading him to make a suggestion.

"And miss out on a chance to see your cute butt, pfft, no way." He called out from the Desk, trying to turn his phone on. His heart dropped when he realized what he had said. His face burned red and he didn't dare look up from his phone. Judy's face burned red as well, hearing that from Nick of all people. She couldn't tell if he was joking. A flash of memory came from last night's drunken tale. About what she said, and what Nick had said. 'Oh man. I almost told him about-' Her thoughts were interrupted by Nick's Phone vibrating from multiple notifications. The phone kept buzzing in his paw. When he clicked on one, another popped up. Phone calls, texts, voice messages. He looked over at Judy with a concerned look.

"What is it?" she asked. "I.. I don't know.." The phone continued to buzz, "A bunch were from our co-workers, but I can't read them until it stops receiving them".

She walked over to the desk and stood with Nick. The phone buzzed for the last time, with a banner that read, "43 new messages, 27 missed calls, 7 new voice-mails". Judy looked at the phone, and back to Nick. His thumb clicked the text icon, the newest message from Clawhouser, the receptionist.

"911" 4:33am

Nick's fur stood up on the back of his neck and his heart pounded. He scrolled up.

"Please answer!" 4:21am

A chill washed over Judy. Nick continued to scroll through the messages, reading from newest to oldest.

"NICK!" 3:59am

"We need you here, now!" 3:35am

"Bogo is asking for all available officers" 3:01am

"Dude it's crazy busy right now, call me back ASAP" 2:43am

"Hey call me when you get this" 1:51am

"Hey Nick, would you mind coming in a little early tomorrow?" 12:27am

Nick reached the top of the messages from Clawhouser. Nick's heart pounded faster as his thumb trembled towards the back button, to the main messages screen. Tap. Nick's heart skipped a beat when he saw eight other officers, including the Chief of police, had tried to contact him. Nick clicked on the next text message but his phone went blank. He fumbled with the cable making sure it was plugged in as he desperately tried to power back on his phone. It lit up with the logo, then back to black.

"Come on damn it!" he whimpered out. The phone was completely dead, and needed time to charge. Nick dropped his phone on the desk and put his paws over his face. Judy Touched Nick's arm for comfort.

"Chief is going to kill me for not answering", Nick sighed.

"Well, us" Judy added, assuming since Chief had asked for all officers. Nick was scared of what Bogo was going to say. He peaked over to Judy, who also had a nervous look on her face.

"You know, I was wondering why my butt was vibrating all night", he joked, trying to lighten the mood.

"What do you think happened?" Judy asked, clutching Nick's arm. Nick walked towards the apartment room's only window and peered out to the streets. Empty. Nothing out of the ordinary for so early in the morning. Most mammals don't leave their houses until seven or eight. "You don't think.." Judy trailed on. "What?" Nick replied with a raised eyebrow. "Never mind", she stated, "Let's just get to the station".

"Okay but if we're already in trouble, then dibs on the shower first!" Nick pulled up his shirt as we walked to the bathroom. Nick wasn't ripped or full of muscles, but with the regular exercise, he was more fit then Judy remembered. Toned muscles shaped his fur and contorted his back. Nick closed the door and the water started. "Be quick!" she shouted.

Two quick showers later they were ready to go. Nick borrowed an XXL dark blue bunnies' sized hoodie that Judy had for lazy cold days, and wore his same shorts. Judy Put on a Black t-shirt and gray shorts, and had her pressed uniform in her arms. They grabbed their phones and walked out the door. Nick didn't own a car. He didn't necessarily enjoy walking everywhere, he simply just couldn't afford one. Judy, on the other paw, had a nice little four door "Chevette hare" that she had bought to travel home and back. They opened the main door to the streets and Hopped into her little red car. It was slightly cramped for Nick, due to it being "bunny sized". Judy plugged her phone into the car charger and started off towards the station. Nick plugged the wall charger into the car adapter and held the power button on his phone. The screen lit up and Judy started towards the station.

Nick's phone powered on and flashed a "Hamsung" logo, then the home screen. Judy Looked over to her partner in the passenger seat flipping this thumb around the screen.

"Anything?" she asked.

"All of the messages just say 'help' and 'come to the station'." He said laying the phone in his lap. A shrill scream startled the duo. They both scanned the empty street for the source of the commotion. Judy turned down a street to find someone laying on the sidewalk, blood soaked.

"Nick.." Judy pointed but Nick had already had his eyes locked on another body on the opposite side of the street. Judy stopped the car and reached to open her door. "Wait!" Nick said reaching over and grabbing her paw, stopping her from pulling the handle. "What?" she turned to Nick with wide eyes. She was always one to lend a paw for help anyone who needed it. She wanted to desperately jump out of the car and help the mammals laying on the sidewalk. But she trusted Nick with her life. She trusted his strange way of thinking and instincts.

"Judy, those guys are dead, and whoever killed them probably isn't far off. There must have been some kind of riot last night and-" a large paw slammed on the passenger window with a loud thwack, leaving a bloody mark.

The two let out a large gasp as Judy fumbled with the gear shift, throwing it into reverse. The tires screeched, as they accelerated backwards in a hurry. The assailant, large tiger, stood in the street, now in front of them. Judy raced the car back to the main road, and gunned it towards the station.

There were more bodies laid around the streets, along with more upright mammals, whom were covered in blood. They passed a large building that had caught fire sometime in the night, and now was smoldering black, releasing white smoke. Nick looked to the sky to see multiple smoke clouds accumulating. Nick shook his head and flipped on the radio, hoping for some kind of clue of what happened. Along flat tone exited the car's speakers. Nick flipped the dial to the next station.

"This is the Zootopia emergency broadcast system. This is not a test. All residents are encouraged to evacuate the city. Please be advised. Zootopia has issued a state of emergency. Reports of savage attacks have been confirmed throughout the city, from both prey and predators alike. Please be advised. Residents are encouraged to leave all belongings, except essentials, behind and evacuate to safe zones outside of the city. Safe zones outside of the city walls include Taylor high school, Bunny burrows. Cresson high school, Cresson. Samsig stadium, Wichworth. The long flat tone repeated. Judy was visually shaking, holding a paw over her mouth. "Oh god, Nick", she turned to him. Nick met her stare with his bright green eyes. 'This is the Zooto-' Click.

Nick turned off the radio, "Judy, those mammals weren't savage". She looked back at the road, which was littered with bodies. Neither of them said a word for the rest of the drive.

Judy pulled to the front of the station, and keyed off the ignition. The walkway and stairs leading to the building were soaked with dried blood and the remains of dozens of bodies. The doors were smashed in and windows broken, but blocked with multiple desks, filing cabinets, and a vending machine. The stench of iron and rotting open wounds filled the air, staggering the fox and bunny. Nick looked down at Judy for a moment, before taking a step towards the carnage.

"Nick!" Judy whispered. Nick turned and put a paw up, indicating he'll be cautious. Nick continued toward the makeshift barricade, tiptoeing around pools of blood and body parts. Judy followed, lightly grabbing Nick's bushy tail. Judy gagged at the sight of mammals missing limbs and said missing limbs. At the top of the steps, Nick peaked over the wall of office furniture to see three officers lying face down in a mess of blood and trash. The front entrance looked like a tornado had come and threw everything that wasn't bolted to the floor around. Nick gestured to Judy that the coast looked clear. Judy looked up with scared eyes and a twitching nose. Nick was terrified of course, but standing in the open didn't make him feel better either. He put a paw on her cheek, and nodded. She put her paw over his, and took a deep breath, before nodding. The fox got a foothold in the desk and lifted himself up and over, stumbling to the ground. Judy followed but landed a bit more gracefully. The two looked around at the damage and listened for signs of anything. The wind fluttered a few papers around and the distant sound of car alarms echoed. They quietly walked past the three former police officers. Judy took note of the teeth and claw marks, along with a few bullet holes in each of the bodies. Spent shell casings littered the floor like ants. She guessed about a hundred handgun cartridges and shotgun shells laid around their feet. Nick took notice of the casings and made sure not to kick any by accident. "Nick held up his paw, stopping Judy in her tracks. A whimper could be heard coming from one of the detective offices. Nick looked around for a blunt object of sorts, when his eye caught what appeared to be a chair let. He scooped it up and walked towards the door. Judy swiped a police baton from the ground before following. Nick's hand trembled as he reached for the half open door, pushing it open. He flinched when a yellow mass caught his eye, leaned against the wall.

"C.. Clawhouser?", Nick choked out. The yellow cheetah Didn't move. His eyes stared straight ahead, overlooking the two corpses in front of him. His paws and fur were stained with blood. Laying beside him, was the standard issue handgun, slide open revealing it had no more ammunition in the magazine. The larger the normal cheeta was breathing normally, with a slight whimper every few breaths.

Judy spoke up. "Are.. Are you okay?". A single tear fell from the cheetahs chubby cheek, eyes still fixed straight ahead. "I think he's in shock, carrots", Nick explained. Nick kneeled down next to the pudgy officer, and placed a gentle paw on his shoulder. In almost a completely calm voice, Clawhouser spoke, not removing his eyes glued to the wall ahead.

"You didn't answer your phones, guys. We really needed your help. It doesn't matter now, I guess. Everyone's dead so". Clawhouser gave a light shrug. Judy was fighting back tears.

"What.. what happened?" Nick asked, not ready for an answer. "Well", Clawhouser started, "There was a lot of them. Then there was more." he started to shake, keeping a calm voice. "They just kept coming'. They just kept trying to bite us. They just kept killing." He pushed Nick away and stood up, picking up the firearm. He pushed a button the the empty magazine fell out with a clank. Clawhouser started to cry as he reached for his last magazine in his belt.

"D..don't!" Nick stammered out as Clawhauser loaded his weapon. He pointed the now loaded firearm at Nick, who was shuffling on the ground.

"Oh guys", he sighed. It's not your fault. Nick's heart pounded in his chest like a drum. Some blood dripped from Clawhousers arm, trailing from an open bite wound escaping the torn fabric. The pistol started to shake in his hand as tears fell from his puffy eyes. Judy slowly and calmly walked up to the large cheetah. The gun snapped from Nick to Judy, stopping her in her tracks. Bated breaths escaped Clawhouser between tears. He lowered the gun and fell to his knees, sobbing loudly.

"When you get bitten, you turn into one of them", He said through the sobs. "I.. I don't want to be like them.. I.." He handed the gun to Judy, and fell backwards, propped up against the wall.

"I'm so scared". Judy looked back at Nick with worried eyes.

"Clawhouser, if you wan.." Judy stopped, noticing he was no longer breathing. Judy felt tears forming in the pit of her eyes, and felt Nick's warm arms wrap around her. Nick sniffled,

"We need to go". Judy nodded and they walked out the door. Nick took her paw and walked towards the parking garage of the station, where the armory was located. They slowly peaked out of each door the crossed and each wall they cornered. Down the stairs and into the enclosed storage facility. The door to the armory was open, and blood smeared. They entered expecting the worst. It was nearly empty. All of the lockers cleaned out except for a few loose shells. They opened each duffle bag and each compartment, searching for something to aid their journey to, wherever.

"Okay, carrots", Nick said counting the last few rounds. "With the gun from Clawhouser, we have Two handguns with 5 magazines, and seventy rounds total, one shotgun with one box of twenty five shells, a baton, and this cookie I found in Fangmires locker". He looked over at Judy, who was failing to hold back tears as one rolled down her face.

"Fangmeier", she whispered. Nick bent down to Judy and hugged her tight.

"I.." He started, "I know it looks bad. But we'll make it through this". He gave a genuine smile, "Come on, fluff, let's go. There might be others that need our help". She wiped her tears away and sighed.

"Okay, Nick. Let's go save Zootopia again". She buckled the police belt around her waist, loading the two magazines into the designated pockets, and holstered the handgun. Nick loaded the sixth and final shell into the pump action shotgun, caressing it in his arms. His belt holstered his handgun and the one extra magazine, and the nineteen loose shells for the shotgun. They exited the armory and entered the garage without a vehicle in sight.

"They must have all gone out last night", Judy said looking up to Nick. "I'd trade this shotgun for a vehicle larger than your clown sized car, carrots", he said hanging his head low, walking towards the stairs.

They walked less cautiously than before, having already walked passed this area. They stopped at the final steps of the stairs, hearing an unpleasant grunt.

"Oh buddy, I'm so sorry", Nick said under his breath, sighting the familiar large yellow cheetah. His eyes were a crimson red, and his mouth hung open. He stumbled around, arms limp, tail down, and ears low. Judy knew what needed to happen, she just wished it wasn't him. He was always eating donuts at the front desk, making small talk and gossip. He was her first real friend in Zootopia. 'I wish we had talked more, or hung out more.. I just thought..' She closed her eyes and took a step forward, but was blocked by Nicks paw. She looked up at Nick who had a look she had never seen before.

"I'll do it", he whispered. She knew Nick loved Clawhouser. He was someone everyone just got along with and just liked. Nick un holstered his handgun with his free paw and took aim. His paw shook slightly with his finger on the trigger. Clawhouser turned and noticed the two finally,

grunting and stumbling towards them. Nick's ears drooped down as he squeezed the trigger.

Blam

Shot rang out and echoed down every hall, living the partners ears ringing. The halls echoed with moans and shuffling. The shot rang like a dinner bell to every undead mammal in the area. Nick was staring down at Clawhouser, with a new bullet wound in his head. The cheetah was motionless. A tear fell at Nick's feet when he holstered his gun once again. Judy grabbed his arm and pulled him towards the exit.

"Nick, we gotta get out of here", she said hurried, not wanting to stick around to see more familiar faces. They climbed over the wall and saw the approaching undead. They both looked at each other, and ran for the car. They both slammed the doors shut and Judy jammed the keys into the ignition. The car roared to life, and they were off. She swerved to avoid any and all undead mammals, trying to keep up her speed. She turned down road after road until finally she saw a sign, "Bunny burrows: 284 miles". She turned onto the road and gunned it. Nick reached out and turned on her phone that was still charging. Her phone was smaller than his, fitting easily in his palm. The logo lit up the smaller screen and went to the home quickly turned it from vibrate to silent, knowing the onslaught of cries for help were coming.