13 comments/ 18169 views/ 23 favorites Survivors Ch. 01 By: kitten2010 Welcome once again to the wonderful world of Kitten and Gweall. Have you ever wondered what it's like when two authors work together? Tune in to my blog for a special interview with Gweall and visit his blog to see his interview with me! **************** Gavin threw another newspaper on their tiny fire. The scared faces around him were illuminated for a moment. He wasn't sure why he had been shoved into the leadership role and he was having a hard time adjusting to it. Of course, nothing was the same anymore. No one could have guessed what would happen. They'd all just thought it was another drug fad. Those things came and went. Drain just looked like another one of those things. Gavin didn't really know much about it. He'd never been part of that scene. Of course, before the disaster he'd seen a few of the people under the effect of it. People dubbed them the Drained, because it seemed they had all lost that spark that made them human. They were empty shells, standing on the streets until something provoked them and madness overtook them. The Drained were a danger to themselves and others. The drug was becoming a factor in more and more murder cases. When people started running in front of trains and cars, there was no doubt that it was Drain. They all thought the worst had come, but they had no idea. Desperate to get Drain off the street, people started to dispose of it in anyway they could think of. Some flushed it down the toilet, some threw it in the trash to be sent to landfills, other just dumped the dangerous liquid straight on the ground. Some said it had started in the Great Lakes, others said in California, and still others blamed the Everglades, but somehow, Drain had seeped into everything. Water supplies were poisoned by it. No one was safe. Gavin was one of the few who had been lucky enough to avoid it, but he knew it was only by chance. When Drain started to strike his city, he'd been out of the country. If he'd had any way of knowing, any sort of foresight he wouldn't have come back home. In fact, the next week no one was coming or going. The United States was one big quarantine zone. "Quit hogging the water!" Mel grumbled. Gavin's eyes darted to the scared face of the ten year old who was the target of the grumpy old man's comments. Emma slowly moved the plastic bottle away from her face and her lips started to tremble. Everyone was staring at Gavin, waiting for his verdict. "She hasn't gone over her share," Gavin said. That was the end of it. It felt strange to have authority. Gavin still felt like he was one of the least deserving of the power. He wasn't the oldest, in fact he was only twenty-five. He was a child compared to most of the others. He didn't have any special skills that set him apart. For some reason though, they all listened to him. "OK, I've had enough!" Rick shouted. "She's been drinking more and more of the water. The rest of us are thirsty here. We're the ones who have to carry it! She's a freeloader!" "She's a child," Gavin shot back. He didn't raise his voice at all. "She's drinking from her mother's share. If Dana wants to give part of her water to her daughter, then that's her business. No one is taking anything more than they deserve." Gavin hated having to moderate arguments like that. When it had first started, he'd never had to do it. Looking back, things had been pretty good, though it hadn't seemed that way then. The small group had come together purely by chance while trying to survive. The warehouse store they had found was like a Holy Grail of hiding spots. They'd wasted no time scouting the area and found it free of Drained, probably because electricity had long since gone out and there was no light or movement there. Alongside the others, Gavin pried the doors open and they carefully made their way inside. After finding it empty, they'd barricaded themselves in. They'd all been clinging to the hope that things would change. It seemed like they would be fine. With plenty of food and bottled drinks, they were sure they could ride out the scourge of Drain. Time lost meaning. Gavin couldn't remember how long it had been. The food and drink that had once seemed so plentiful now could be contained in two shopping carts. Gavin had to keep giving out smaller rations, just to be sure there would be enough. They'd all lost any excess weight. Tempers ran hot. It wasn't a good sign. Gavin wondered how much longer they would last. ~~~~~~~~~~~~ Pike walked through the streets quietly, on the lookout for any Drained. The streets were mostly quiet. He could hear a few screams in the distance but, as he had grown used to doing, he tuned them out. He didn't want to think about if they were the last breaths of a person, or the war cry of one of the Drained. The only thing he carried was a small backpack, one that a teenager would have used in high school. None of that even existed anymore. School, kids, life. It was all gone. All except for him and Mongo. Mongo was the raggedy old tomcat that had taken to his side at the beginning of the mini apocalypse that affected North America. The cat trotted by his side as if it were a dog, meowing occasionally and shaking its head, which only had one ear. The backpack contained a few sacred bottles of water, and some food. Though the food had gone stale a long time ago it was still edible. Besides that, two shirts and an extra pair of jeans. He wasn't really concerned with clothing and other material possessions. He could always loot one of the hollow stores if he needed something new to wear, which he usually did. The backpack was for carrying things he would always need and would need quickly. over his jeans were two identical black thigh holsters, each holding one browning hi power 9x19 mm pistol. The weight of the guns was reassuring and made him a little bit calmer as he passed through the street. He knew he would empty at least one of the guns to stop even one of the Drained. As he touched the guns on his legs for reassurance, he heard a strange sound. Like a mix between a roar and a screech. He put his back to the wall as he peeked around the corner. There, yelling at a wall, was a Drained. Pike drew his pistols slowly, careful to not make a sound. The poor shell of a man was kicking and scratching at a wall with a never ending fury. Pike frowned, before realizing what had provoked his attack. Above him, was an open window. In the cool breeze of the afternoon, it had flown open and was swinging back and forth making a quiet sound. His time surviving on the street allowed him the chance to learn about the Drained. They were very calm and mellow, until they saw any form of movement or sound. This one was probably standing in the middle of the street for days before the window blew open. Pike guessed he had been clawing at the creaking window for days because he had long since scratched away the skin on his fingers. Now jagged bone and scraps of flesh dangled from what used to be his hands as he clawed at the blood covered wall. Pike swallowed, and slowly stepped out around the corner, Mongo following close behind. He looked down at his feet quickly, making sure he didn't kick anything, before looking back up at the Drained who hadn't noticed him. He curled his hands into fists and banged at the wall with another roar. Pike's pistols were at the ready, but he prayed he wouldn't have to use them. He walked behind the Drained quietly, halfway to the next corner where he would be safe. As he took another step, his toe tapped an empty soda can. It clinked quietly, before settling again. He froze, and so did the Drained. The Drained man stood there quietly, searching for any sound with his ears. Pike raised the pistols, ready to fend off the attacker. After a terrifying thirty seconds, the drained went back to scratching at the wall. Pike sighed as quietly as he could, and continued to walk. He reached the corner and smiled. He was so happy about his narrow escape, that he didn't see the other Drained he ran into. He hit her chest and stumbled back. She turned her head to the side like a confused puppy, before opening her mouth and screaming. The scream echoed off the empty buildings of the city and they both stood there and stared at each other, shocked at the others appearance. Finally, Pike snapped out of his trance and bolted. He heard the man behind him leave the wall to pursue him with the woman. Their bare feet could be heard on the ground behind him, frantic to catch up to Pike. Mongo ran alongside him, meowing as they ran. Pike kept his pistols in his hands, but didn't use them. He ran around the next corner quickly, disappearing behind a tall building but he knew the Drained would follow him. They growled and roared as they chased him around the building. Finally, Pike gave in and turned. He fired his pistols quickly, while trying to run backwards as best as he could. A few bullets hit them, making them stumble and trip from the force, but not slowing them down any more than that once they got their balance again. Pike cursed and continued running. He jumped onto the trunk of a car, before using his momentum to carry him up and over the hood, landing on the ground again. He was beginning to run out of breath, and knew in no time they would catch him. He turned another corner and stopped. He raised his pistols and listened to them approach around the corner. Seconds behind him, they turned the corner. He unleashed a torrent of bullets into their bodies, aiming at their heads but missing his mark for the most part. The man stumbled back and fell, chest destroyed by the bullets. The woman still reached for him, staggering through the impact of the bullets. Her pale fingertips brushed his cheek as he fired a final round into her head. She fell back, and he was splattered with blood. He reached into his bag and pulled out a small rag, and wiped his face. He reloaded his guns, realizing he had used the last bullet in the last gun he had to end her. He thanked a god he didn't believe in for his survival, and stood up. He walked over to the woman, who was dead on the ground a few feet from him. He looked down at her as he wiped his pistols down. Mongo hissed at the corpse. She looked like any of the other Drained. Her skin had taken on the sickly gray pigment of one of the Drained. Her hair had begun to fall out and places, and what was still there was gross and matted with dirt and grime. Her eyes were open, and Pike had to keep from shivering at the gray eyes. The gray liquid that was Drain caused the affected people to turn the sickly pale gray color much like the liquid itself. They're hair, skin, and eyes were all a cold charcoal gray. But the thing that made him shiver the most was the eyes. The clouded gray eyes were blank and cold. Except for the small red ring that made up their iris. It was an eerie sight to look at. Her teeth had been broken from chewing on something that probably wasn't meant to be chewed on. Her nails were broken, but everything else seemed to be in one piece. Pike was relieved, if she had been an original user, she would have been faster. When the epidemic hit, it was made clear that there were two types of affected people. The first were the people exposed to the drug when it got into the water. These people made up most of the Drained. They were deadly, and fast, but not as fast as their cousins. The original users, the ones who came into contact with the drug itself and not the watered down version, were terrifying. They were ten times faster, deadlier, and smarter than their still terrifying counterparts. Pike didn't think he could survive an attack from even one of the original users, much less two. He searched them quickly, and came out with a new pocket knife from the man, and a thing of pepper spray from the woman's back pocket. He doubted they would need it now. The pepper spray wouldn't work on one of the Drained, but it would work on the many looters and other survivors of the mini apocalypse. He picked up his bag, and holstered his guns, before continuing on his way. The buildings were all hollow and dead looking. A few fires burned, but none were too large. Pike looked up at the sky and saw it was about to rain. He paused, and climbed through a broken window of a department store. He walked carefully through the dark store, until he found what he was looking for. He quickly pulled off a rain coat in his size and slipped it on over his backpack, before heading for the window again. He hesitated again, and then decided to head back. He hadn't heard the labored breathing of one of the Drained, even an idle one made a little noise. The building was as safe as anywhere else. He sat down in a corner in the back, and covered himself with a few thick jackets, using two rolled ones as a pillow. Mongo curled up on his chest, and fell asleep. Pike was asleep in minutes. **** Gavin woke up before the others, as was his habit. He liked to run laps around the shelves to stay in shape. Before the dark times, he'd been a marathon runner. That was probably the thing he missed the most. It was hard to get that runner's high when he didn't have the fresh air to breathe and the sun on his face. One thing that hadn't changed, though, was that running cleared his mind enough for him to think. The issue that was weighing the heaviest on his mind was the food and water situation. The more he thought things through, the more hopeless it felt. They couldn't just stay in the store forever, but the dangers of the outside world were way too risky. He found himself remembering high school and the parts in his history book about castles under siege. That was what it felt like. They would starve to death if they didn't find a way to replenish their source of food. The only solution was for one of them to venture out. Gavin knew right away that it would have to be him. He didn't trust Rick, Mel was too old, and he wasn't going to make David go and risk his life while leaving behind a family. It had been a long time since Gavin had been outside for real. For about an hour each day, they would all labor out in the garden section of the store, protected by black mesh and sturdy wire fencing as they catapulted bags of garbage out of the opening at the top. But that was disgusting and hard labor. He thought it might be nice to actually run for real again, but the danger of it still worried him. The idea of slowly starving to death was obviously more unpleasant to Gavin than the risk of being attacked by the drained. He slowed his pace and started to gather supplies from the other departments of the store. There were many things that he thought he might need, but ultimately he wanted to travel lightly. Once he had gathered enough supplies, he went to the school supplies section and wrote out a note. He felt like it would be easier to just leave, without explaining to the others. That would waste time and they might try to talk him out of it. He left the note on his bedroll and headed to the door. It took all of his strength to budge the barricade of shelves enough to squeeze through. He hoped that the others would wake up soon, because the small gap in their defenses left them vulnerable, though he doubted any of the Drained would be smart enough to shimmy through the space. Gavin squinted at his surroundings. His eyes took a long while to adjust to the sunlight. His knuckles were white from the tightness of his grip on the ax he carried, but his panic was for nothing because he seemed to be very much alone. Cars were abandoned, some even in the street. Every building had fallen into some form of disrepair. Trash littered the streets. Nothing grew but weeds. The city that had once been his home was now nothing more than a wasteland. Gavin tried to think of something close by that may have something he could bring back. He remembered that the dining district wasn't too far away. Optimistically, he grabbed a shopping cart and started to push it north. The wheels were rusted and turned with loud, tiny cries that were bound to attract something unsavory. He had made it almost halfway without incident and the thought crossed his mind that this might be easier than he expected. At that moment, he heard the screech of one of the Drained. It was coming at him, fast. Gavin didn't know what to do, but instinct took over his body. He hurled the ax at his attacker and felt his stomach turn when the heavy metal head of it split the Drained man's skull. Heart still pounding, Gavin looked around for any other source of danger. Once again, the world was still and abandoned. He approached his fallen enemy carefully. It had been a long time since he had dealt with the Drained, but he hoped that this one was actually dead and not just stunned. He threw a few rocks and was satisfied by the lack of a response. He tried not to look at the corpse as he pulled his ax from the carnage. Despite his efforts, he gagged a little. On edge, he continued his journey. He saw his destination before him. Gavin sped up, recklessly abandoning caution. The thought of food was so exciting that he could almost smell it cooking. He froze when he realized that it wasn't just his imagination. The aroma of food was in the air. Someone was cooking. ~~~~~~~~ Pike woke up and stretched. He pushed the pile of jackets off of him and stood. He stretched again and cracked his back before walking towards the broken window. He looked outside and the sun was shining. Birds flew through the air and chirped happily. This particular part of the street was clear of corpses and cars and debris. If he hadn't known any better, he was just looking outside a boutique store window after a morning shopping trip. Everything seemed so peaceful. The only thing even slightly out of place was the pale dead hand of a corpse from an alley across the way. A normal person, back in normal times, wouldn't have even seen it. But he had grown used to seeing such things. Mongo meowed loudly as he ran up to Pike's feet. He purred and rubbed against his leg happily. Pike reached down and pet him once behind his one ear, the other long since ripped off. The cat meowed again as it ran inside and jumped on Pike's backpack. "You already ate, did you?" Pike asked, his own voice sounding odd. "Where's mine?" He scratched the cat again. He had been a teacher before all of this happened. Juniors in high school. Unlike the other teachers, he enjoyed teaching, and loved his students. But when the shit hit the fan, he was surprised how prepared he was. With an unusually calm demeanor, he grabbed a bag, some food and water from his home, and left. He didn't know why he hadn't gotten sick. A lot of the people who remained healthy and Drain free were those who were paranoid about tap water. The ones who drank bottled water were the safest. City filters didn't remove the drug from the water and those who drank water from the tap were the first to go. Eventually, people were forced to drink or die of dehydration. Some chose death, others chose Drain. Pike had never been one of those people who only drank bottled water. He usually drank tap water. But he was never affected. When everything went to shit, word spread fast that it was only South America up to the United States that were affected.The other countries had quickly quarantined off everything. The affected areas were turned into one big quarantine zone. Some people who hadn't been affected had decided to stay and hold out in whatever spot they were, waiting for help. But Pike knew better. As much as people liked to pretend that the world was a good place, where strangers helped strangers, he knew otherwise. He knew that those who decided to stay and wait, would die. He wasn't willing to be another number in the growing body count. Survivors Ch. 01 He was headed for Canada. The nearest place that was unaffected. It would be impossible to get a ship and the supplies to cross an ocean, so Canada was the only option. Before they had been cut off from the outside world, there were rumors that Canada was accepting refugees. They would make sure you weren't a user, or under the influence of Drain in any way, and would let you in. But the trip was likely to kill you. It was just a risk Pike was willing to take. Despite the chirping birds and warm rays of the sun, Pike was well aware of the dangers outside. He walked the streets carefully, as he did everyday. He walked past a few cars with keys still in the ignition, but didn't bother stopping. Driving would have made his journey faster, but all of the corpses and stalled cars in the road made it impossible to get anywhere on wheels. He walked past an old apartment building and tried to keep his eyes down as he passed a corpse hanging from a broken window. The world had gone to hell, and he was one of the few people left. He hadn't really seen many survivors since he started his trip. The few he had were rogues, looting and pillaging to their hearts content. Now that society in the states had fallen, they were free to do what they always wanted to do, but couldn't under the watchful eye of the law. The scariest part is that those weren't the most dangerous survivors. The most dangerous were the people who desperate for survival and willing to do anything to stay alive, even if it meant killing another human being. They would kill you for food, water, guns, anything. They could have been good people before, but now they were fighting for their lives. A few people had flocked together, forming groups of survivors. These people weren't as dangerous. With some form of society, they retained their morals and humanity more than any other type of survivor. It's much harder to do something horrible when somebody is watching you. Sometimes the groups were even friendly, allowing Pike to stay with them for a night. There was safety in numbers, but there was also danger. More people meant more mouths to feed, more water to dish out, more noise to attract the Drained. Pike chose to stay on his own. He kept his own food and water, and watched his own back. The only company he needed was Mongo. The cat was all he had left in the world besides his pistols. He had never been a cat person before, but now he wasn't sure what he would do without the little furball. The cat kept him sane in the worst times. Pike nearly pissed himself when his ankle was grabbed as he was walking. He quickly drew a pistol and aimed down, kicking his foot away from the hand and jumping back, in the process. On the ground was a dying woman. He sighed a little, and lowered his pistol. He didn't put it away though. She coughed and stared up at him with sunken eyes. Pike crouched down, hands resting on his knees. The woman was starving. She was thin and her skin was sickly pale, but not gray like one of the Drained. She had a large bite on her leg where one of them had bitten her. It probably kept her from moving, from looking for food. Food was scarce, but it was there if you looked. Her once clean blue jeans had been dyed red with her blood. The bite had become infected and it was clear she wasn't going to make it. Pike sighed. He stood up again and checked his pistols. They were both full, and he had another case of ammo in his backpack, plus a few stray bullet in his pockets. The woman couldn't speak, but she begged with her eyes. Pike raised the gun again, and fired once. Her hand fell from his shoe and her eyes remained open. Pike tried not to look at the large hole he had made in her head. He searched her quickly. After finding nothing in her pockets he stood to leave. He knew the gunshot would be attracting the Drained and fast. Mongo sniffed the corpse once, before following Pike down the road. His small padded feet made no noise as he walked, but Pike's were different. He began jogging quickly. He had fired a gunshot before and then taken his time to leave the area, and almost paid for that mistake with his life. He broke into a run when he heard a few screams from the Drained, probably standing where he had been only a minute ago. He knew they weren't close, but if they heard him and began to chase him, he wouldn't get far. He turned quickly, and slipped into a restaurant. He needed food anyways. After finding a few scraps of frozen food in the kitchen, he found a full tank for the barbeque outside and cooked the frozen burgers. He ate quickly and was smiling at the feeling of a full stomach, it wasn't something he got often. Mongo meowed hungrily, and Pike gave him the last bite of burger. The cat purred and rubbed up against his leg, before turning towards the back door of the restaurant and hissing. Pike got down behind one of the tables on the back patio. Mongo jumped up on a table, not willing to hide from whatever it was that startled him. The back door swung open. Pike, unable to see above the person's knees, watched quietly. The person was obviously male, the large hiking boots and jeans told him that much. He didn't know if it was a Drained or not. They usually didn't walk around unless they were chasing something, but he had been wrong about that before. He bit his lip as the person (or thing) walked past the table he hid under. He stopped, and Pike froze. "Hey, kitty. What are you doing out here?" The man spoke. Pike almost sighed. He was human. That didn't eliminate all the threat though. He slowly drew a pistol, and held it to his chest. The man stood at the table a second longer before walking past. Pike could hear Mongo purring and assumed the man had taken the time to stop and pet him. He walked to the barbeque and pause. Pike watched as he turned his hand over, putting the back of his hand a few inches above the grill. "You been cooking, kitty?" The man whispered. Pike watched as an axe came into view. It was only a small axe, but that didn't mean it couldn't kill him. The man turned slowly, looking around the 'empty' patio of the restaurant. He began walking more quietly, prepared. He turned back and checked behind the grill, and Pike made his move. He stood, pushing the table over as he went. Mongo meowed and jumped off the table as it fell, annoyed that Pike had ruined his perch. Pike aimed the pistol at the back of the man's head quickly. The man froze, and raised his hands. "Drop the axe." Pike said, trying to keep his voice from shaking. Shooting a Drained was one thing, shooting a person was another. The man did as he was told, and the axe fell to the ground. Mongo ran to it and sniffed it, hoping it was food. When he found only cold metal, he turned up his nose and walked away. "I was just looking for food, I'm sorry if I crossed into your turf." The man said, hands raised. "Do you have any other weapons?" Pike asked. "No." He said. Pike glared at the back of his head, before using one hand to search him quickly. He spun him around and searched his front pockets. He pushed him back a few feet and backed up himself, keeping his gun raised. "Who are you?" Pike asked. "Gavin. My group is holed up down the street. We were running low on food so I went out looking for some." Gavin explained. Pike was silent. "Your group?" He asked, he wanted to be sure this guy wasn't some psycho with a gun and a gang. "Yeah. We're living in a department store. There's a family of four, an older guy and his grandson, and a few others." Gavin said. His breath was uneasy and he was beginning to sweat. Pike squinted at him, their stare off was interrupted when Mongo began licking the mans shoes. Pike rolled his eyes and lowered his gun, putting it back in it's holster. "Mongo." He growled, and picked the cat up. "Is he yours?" Gavin asked, beginning to relax. "I guess. He's just a stray who stuck to me." Pike shrugged, and put Mongo down on a table. "Where's your group?" Gavin looked around. "I don't have one. Mongo and I go at it alone." Pike leaned up against the table and scratched the cats one ear. "Isn't that dangerous?" Gavin frowned. "Is anything not dangerous these days?" Pike asked, and as if on cue there was a distant roar. "I suppose not. I smelled the food so I just thought I'd check it out. I'm sorry for stepping into your personal bubble." Gavin joked. "It's fine, sorry to say there's nothing left though. There was just a few burgers left and Mongo and I finished them off." Pike said. "That's alright. I'll find food elsewhere." Gavin shrugged. There was an awkward silence before Pike pushed himself off the table and grabbed a backpack lying on the ground that Gavin hadn't seen before. "I need to get moving. Good luck to you." Pike waved. Gavin waved back, but then realized there was only one way out of the restaurant and he had to follow Pike. "Actually, I'm heading the same way." He laughed as they began walking down the street. "I see..." Pike said a little distantly. "Where are you headed?" Gavin asked, pushing his shopping cart in front of him again. "Canada." Pike said, keeping his replies short. It didn't do him any good to get to know someone. They would only die. "Oh, yeah. I've heard rumors that they take in refugees." Gavin said. "Yep. So I guess that's where I'm headed." Pike shrugged. "I haven't heard any news from there in a long time though. Are you sure they're still helping us?" Gavin asked. "I don't know. But there aren't a whole lot of other options." Pike said. "I know...You could always join our group." Gavin said. "Safety in numbers." He smiled. "Thanks, and no offense, but I would rather not sit around and wait to starve to death like thousands of others." Pike mumbled. "But what if somebody does come? We're in L.A. One of the biggest cities in America. They're bound to send someone to look for us." Gavin said. "And if they don't? Then I wasted my time. I'm not going to sit around and wait to be saved. I'll save myself." Pike stopped walking and stared at Gavin with his cool blue eyes. "That's understandable..." Gavin said thoughtfully. "This is it. I suppose my hunt for food is abandoned for the day." Gavin said. The truth was he didn't really want to be out here alone. Getting caught by Pike made him realize how easy it would have been for him to walk right behind a Drained and not even realize it. "Maybe another day." Pike said, looking up at the large building that had been barricaded well. He could have been mistaken but he thought he saw a few faces peeking out behind the boards covering the windows. Suddenly, a loud roar came from down the street. Gavin and Pike both turned. Down the block stood the largest Drained Pike had ever seen. It was clear right away that this was one of the original users. He broke into a run and Pike couldn't help but squeal a small squeal of fear when the large man clipped a car with his hip, sending the car into a spin onto the sidewalk. "Holy fuck!" Gavin took a step back. "Gavin, I think I'll take you up on that offer to join you guys. Even if just for a little bit." Pike said, in a petrified voice. "Understood." Gavin said, and both the men ran to the front door of the department store. They began tugging at the large wooden boards the group had nailed to the front of it. Gavin had gone out the back way before, and this door remained barricaded well. They could hear the group on the inside pulling away the barricade to let them in. The drained roared again, and the sound of another car being crushed could be heard. Pike turned just in time to see the large man step on the corpse of a fallen drained. He almost gagged at the sound of his head being crushed like a grape. He pulled out his pistols, and unloaded a barrage of gunfire into the chest of the drained man, who hardly paused. Gavin pulled frantically at the boards, tearing them off and getting many splinters in the process. "Gavin!" Pike shouted, as his guns made a terrifying clicking noise, proclaiming that they were empty. Mongo hissed wildly at the incoming man, but refused to leave Pike's side. The door finally flung open, and the two men toppled inside. The group of people began frantically pushing shelves and other heavy objects up against the door. There was a large bang as the drained man hit the door. A few people fell back at the force, and the others slid back quite a way, struggling to keep their footing. Without missing a beat, the man hit the door again, and again, and again. "This isn't working!" A woman Pike didn't recognize shouted. "Oh, really?" A young man said rudely. "Through the back, go!" Gavin shouted. The group retreated back. Gavin and Pike were left with their backs against the door, trying to hold the drained back. "Canada doesn't sound so bad now, does it?" Pike said, as the man hit the door again. "Nope. How would you like some company on that trip?" Gavin asked. Before Pike could answer, the metal that made up the doors bent. At the next hit, the wood of a couch that was pressed up against the door gave way and cracked. "Go!" Pike said, and the two took off. Gavin slid to a stop and made a sharp turn. "Where are you going?!" Pike asked, looking back at the door that was one more hit from giving way. "We have a few bags prepared for if we have to make a quick escape, we need them!" Gavin said. Pike followed him and Gavin threw him a backpack, before jumping at the sound of the door breaking through. The roar of the Drained echoed in the large store. Gavin ran frantically, his footsteps echoing along with Pike's in the halls. Their feet slid across the floor every time they turned. Pike was worried they would never meet this mythical back door, when he saw the woman from before holding it open. They fell through, back into the daylight of the sun. Gavin grabbed a bunch of chains sitting near the door, and chained it shut, before throwing a few metal bars between the handles, just in case. The group took off down the street. Finally, they got a moment to breath. Gavin handed a bottle of water out, for the group to share. Pike was surprised when he was thrown one. "For saving our asses." Gavin said. Pike nodded thankfully and drank the precious water. "Who's he and why the fuck does he get our water?" The young man from earlier stood up from where he had crouched to catch his breath. "Shut the hell up, Rick. We wouldn't be alive if not for him. Be a little grateful, would you?" Gavin rolled his eyes. Pike almost laughed at the sour expression that crossed the man's face. "So, that was fun." Pike said, as Mongo ran up to his side. The cat jumped up on a stack of boxes to be eye level with Pike. "Yeah. So, you were saying about Canada?" Gavin said, finally catching his breath with a sigh. "You were serious?" Pike raised an eyebrow. "We have nowhere else to go." Gavin shrugged. The group looked at Pike with wide eyes, filled with the terrors they had seen in the past year. Pike looked around the group and was about to refuse when a little girl ran from her mother's side. "Kitty!" She shouted, and picked up Mongo off the stack of boxes. Mongo purred happily in her ear. His eyes shut and he enjoyed the attention. "Emma!" Her mother whispered, trying to pull her back from Pike's side. "Well, I suppose I can't let Mongo live without the attention of a little girl. So..." Pike sighed. Gavin smiled. "What the hell are you talking about?" Mel said. "We're going to Canada." Gavin smiled. Survivors Ch. 02 Kitten2010 has already posted chapter 01. Chapter two, enjoy. ~~~~~~~~~~~ "What does it look like?" Gavin asked, as he watched Pike look over a map he had taken from a gas station. "Not good. It's a long way. I think our safest route would be up to Seattle and then hijack a ferry across to Victoria," Pike replied, pointing to the speck of water on the map. "I went that way once, before all this happened. It took about five hours to get across the water. But, if we go that way, we won't have to deal with any Drained," Pike said, still staring at the map. "Okay. What about getting there?" Gavin asked. "I think instead of going up north past Sacramento, we'll cut through Nevada," Pike said. He had to change his entire route to fit a group now. We'll walk up the 447," He reasoned. "Walk? When you said you were going to Canada I kind of thought you had some form of transport," Gavin frowned. "The roads are too crowded with corpses and cars. Unless we're on a motorcycle, we're not getting anywhere. Plus, most gas stations are dried out," Pike said. "Well shit," Gavin sighed. "I don't know if we can make that kind of trip. We're not exactly a fit group, you know," Gavin said, pointing to the group behind him. The two kids were eating some scraps of food they had found in the gas station when retrieving the map. The old man, who Pike met earlier, was whispering to his grandson, Rick. "It's our only option. Otherwise we'll be cutting through a bunch of medium to large cities. More supplies, but a hell of a lot more dangerous," Pike shook his head. "Well... we can't do anything but try I suppose," he sighed. Pike stood up. "I just need to make one thing clear, Gavin," he said, Gavin listened closely. "I'm not responsible for anyone in your group. You're all welcome to follow me, but my only goal is to get to Canada," Pike said. "I understand. Thank you for letting us come along, though," Gavin nodded. "You're welcome," Pike said, it felt strange to revert back to manners and common courtesy after all the time that passed. He took a red pen that he had also taken from the gas station, and drew a fat red line on their path. He looked at the map one more time before shoving it in his pocket and sighing. "Let's get moving," he smiled. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ They hadn't been traveling more than an hour or so before the group started to slow down. Gavin hoped that Pike wouldn't be frustrated. While Gavin had no issues keeping up, the children complained of hunger, thirst, and aching feet and Mel was much too old to be making such a trip. "I think we should stop for a minute," Gavin suggested. Pike seemed irritated. "This isn't a good place." "I know it's not, but the kids aren't going to quiet down unless they get something to drink and I don't think the old man can hang at this pace." Pike sighed, annoyed. "Fine. I'm going to check that gas station," Pike said. He walked off towards the dust covered gas station, leaving the group standing next to an abandoned car. Mongo ran after him quickly, meowing quietly as he went. Gavin watched Pike walk away and sighed, shaking his head. He hated feeling like a burden. He pulled his group into a huddle. "Look, I know this is tough, but we have to keep going." "Why does he get to decide how fast or slow we go?" Mel grumbled. Gavin's eyes darted back to Pike. "Because, he's the only one that's made this trip before," Gavin said. The truth was, Gavin didn't want his group to become such a hindrance that Pike would go on without them. Having been isolated so long, it had been a long time since Gavin had been attracted to someone. Pike's short black hair and brooding expression was enough to drive anyone crazy. His deep green eyes were surrounded by dark half circles, the sure sign of an insomniac, and his pink lips looked perfectly kissable. As dangerous as it was, Gavin was finding himself more and more distracted by the man. He was torn up by it, feeling guilty for having such feelings so quickly. "Look, it's safer in a group. If one of the Drained shows up the more of us there are, the quicker we can get rid of the threat. It's just a fact. Pike has firearms, I have an axe. What else do we have?" "You're the one that ruined what we had," Rick accused. "We had it great there!" "How much longer did you think it was going to last?" Gavin whispered fiercely. "We couldn't have stayed there forever. And yeah, sure it would have been nice to have had the chance to plan for this, but shit happens, Rick." "Hey!" Pike called from the gas station. He waved them over. Gavin rushed to him immediately. "What did you find?" The rest of the group followed and Gavin turned and rushed to silence them. A group of horses were eating the overgrown grass behind the gas station. "Anyone know how to ride a horse?" Pike whispered. When he looked around at the silent crowd, he rolled his eyes and tiptoed closer to the creatures. One looked up at him, lazily chewing on the grass. Pike shushed the tall animals and tried to get closer without startling the beasts. Gavin followed closely behind Pike and edged in front of him. "You shouldn't approach them head on like that," Gavin said. He grabbed Pike's hand loosely. "Here, do what I do." Gavin demonstrated how to approach the horse slowly from the side, keeping his body tilted away from the animal. He continued to hold on to Pike and stopped him when one of the horses appeared startled. Gavin reached into his backpack and found the meager carrots they still had from their garden in the store. The orange roots were about as long as his pinkie finger and about as big around. He made a soft humming sound as he approached. Finally, he was able to get one of the horses to accept the food. "Well damn, Dr. Dolittle. You sure do have a way with animals," Pike whispered, in a fake southern accent. Gavin smiled. "I was a large animal vet before everything started." "Well who would have guessed," Pike chuckled. "A lot more useful than a High School teacher," Pike rolled his eyes, and winked when Gavin looked a bit shocked. "Really? Teacher?" Gavin shrugged. "Wouldn't have guessed. Do we have any rope?" "Let me check the gas station." Pike said, and carefully backed away from the horses. Once he was a safe distance, he jogged to the dead building. He returned a few moments later, a piece of thin yellow rope in hand. "This is all they have," he mumbled, and handed it to Gavin. Gavin fashioned a halter using the rope and once he was finished he slipped it onto the horse, still moving slowly and cautiously. The horse seemed nervous, but didn't rear back. He tried leading it a bit and found that it cooperated. The previous owner of the animal must have trained it well. After a little work, all six horses had their own halter and were getting used to the company of people again. "Well. This was fun and all, and it never occurred to me to use horses, but we need to get supplies. This will make the trip a lot faster, but we still need food," Pike said. "We're going to have to split up. I know it sounds so horror movie stereotype, but we need to get everything before nightfall. So, old guy and asshole, you guys are looking for water... as much of it as you can find." Pike threw an empty backpack at the pair who scowled at him. "The Mister and Misses, you guys are going for food. Find what you can and bring it back here." He threw them each their own bag. "The tykes can go with you, more hands to carry food," he said. Gavin glanced at Pike. "What do you need me to do?" he asked. His tone was good natured. He didn't mind that Pike was taking more of a leadership role. It was nice having someone to share the responsibility with. "You're with me, we're on weapons duty," Pike smiled, showing a row of white teeth. Gavin nodded. "Aright. Let's go. Stick together and be safe." ~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Gavin kept Pike in his peripheral vision as they scoured the rural area. Pike's face was set with determination. Gavin desperately wanted to strike up conversation, but he didn't know what he should say. Every time he thought he had something witty to say, he got distracted by the way Pike bent down to examine something. Finally he awkwardly cleared his throat. "So... I'm sorry if we're slowing you down," he said. "It's fine, I have to agree that there's safety in numbers. More eyes to watch my back, I guess." Pike looked up long enough to give a small smile. Gavin couldn't help but grin at Pike's smiling face. He felt like he was in high school again, on that first-crush roller coaster of emotion. "Yeah, it's safer this way. I know some of them are a little... well, fucking annoying, but they all have their strengths. Hopefully you'll be able to see that before they drive you completely insane." "Hopefully," Pike laughed. "Hey, I bet we can find something useful in there." Pike pointed at an old looking hardware store. Gavin nodded. "Definitely. Let me go in first though." Gavin kicked the door open. The hinges were so far gone that the entire door crashed down, sending a cloud of dirt and dust flying. Not his smoothest moment, but Gavin hoped that Pike would somehow not notice. He stepped inside the store, floorboards creaking beneath his weight. It seemed quiet and abandoned inside the hardware store and he motioned for Pike to follow. "Smooth," Pike mumbled as they stepped inside the dusty building. The air felt thick and clouded. Pike wrinkled his nose and stepped forward. "Since the door wasn't broken down, and I haven't seen any broken windows, I think we should be clear of Drained," Pike said. Gavin nodded. "Let's hope so." He started to scan the items on the shelves. All of it seemed like it could be useful, but he wasn't sure what would be so vital that it'd be worth the effort to carry it. "Ugh." Pike pinched his nose as he stepped over a corpse. A shotgun was lying next to the man, probably the shopkeeper, who had long since blown away most of his head. Pike pulled it out of the man's hands and checked it for any ammo. "Empty, but keep an eye out." Pike carried the shotgun with him as he walked around the counter. He picked up a box and shook it. He opened it and put the few shells in his pocket. There was a small hunting knife behind the counter as well. He grabbed it and threw it gently at Gavin, who caught it with ease. "That axe is a little on the big side, that might come in handy," he said. Gavin nodded his thanks and examined the knife closely. It would definitely be good to have a backup weapon. A small voice in the back of his mind told him that it might be wise to keep the knife a secret. Either he was having a premonition, or he had officially gone insane. He sighed and moved along the shelves. "Do you think a tool kit would be worth the effort?" Pike thought for a moment. "I don't know...." he bit his lip. "No, too heavy. We need to travel light," he said, continuing to search the shelves behind the counter. A small glimmer caught his eye. He turned and his eyes went wide at the sight of a full syringe of Drain. He didn't know what it was doing there, or how it got there. But without saying a word to Gavin, he grabbed it and shoved it into his back pocket. "Look for tools that could double as weapons though. I'm sure Rick or David could handle a sledgehammer." He continued on. Gavin nodded. "Yeah, David definitely could. Of course, don't underestimate Dana either," he chuckled. "She's pretty damn scary, especially when it comes to protecting her kids." "Her? Nah, she's so small," Pike laughed. He picked up a chainsaw. "Useless without gas, I guess," he said, throwing it back down with a loud clatter. "What about Mel. I don't mean to sound cold, but what help is he? He's like 100," Pike mumbled. Gavin struggled to do the diplomatic thing, but he honestly couldn't think of an answer. "He's Rick's grandfather. He doesn't really do anything, but... I mean, we can't just leave him behind. That'd be too cold." "It's a cold world now, Gavin. It's just something you have to get used to. If you don't......" Pike left the rest hanging. Gavin shook his head. "I know you're right, but if I give up on there being good in the world... then why even bother trying to make it to Canada?" Pike couldn't help the laugh that came forward. "You know, before this all happened. I think I would have shot myself if I ever said my dream was to run to Canada." He smiled. Gavin chuckled. "Fucking Canada," he sighed. "Do you really think it's better there? Like... my fear is that we'll get there and it'll all be for nothing and everything will turn to shit." Gavin clenched his fist and then sighed and let it go. "Do you see why I have to cling to my illusions of goodness?" "Because Canada sucked to begin with. If there's Drained there too, then I'm coming back to America. If I'm going to die in a zombie apocalypse, I'm going to die somewhere that doesn't suck," Pike laughed. "You just have to believe that it's okay there. Because if it's not then we're all fucked," Pike said seriously. Gavin nodded. "You know..." He started to speak his mind, but thought better of it. "I guess we'll just have to hope for the best." "That's all we can do... Oh! Look!" Pike picked up a full box of ammo for the shotgun. He shook it happily and smiled at Gavin. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Dana and David move quietly through the grocery store. It had been looted awhile ago, and most of the shelves were bare. Every now and then there was a stray can, or an overturned box that had been left when the looters had to escape fast. The picked these up quickly, before moving on to the next store. They continued walking through what was once the nice part of town. The many shopping centers and gas stations provided a small, but decent, food supply. Emma and Peter chased each other through the empty store, giggling quietly. Even after all that had happened, they were still kids. Dana watched as Peter tripped on his own feet, before getting up and chasing after Emma again. David smiled at her as they continued walking through the store, grabbing what little they could find. A lot of the food had expired, but some cans still remained. After so many months, it was nearly impossible to find fresh food anymore, Dana couldn't help but miss their garden. Before everything had happened, they had been a relatively happy family. But of course, like any married couple, they had rough patches. They had been married for over ten years. Things were becoming dull, the kids put a lot of stress on them, and they hadn't had sex in God knows how long. David worked so many hours and Dana was a stay at home mom. They had been about to split up, when the shit hit the fan. Dana had been getting gas after picking up Emma and Peter from a school soccer game. The gas station was bare, and she could only see one clerk inside the mini mart. She had begun pumping gas when she saw a homeless man not too far away. He smelled terrible, even from the moderately large distance. Dana hated it when homeless people would ask her for change. It made her feel like a bitch when she said no, or like an idiot if she said yes. She knew it was rude of her to think of all homeless people as lazy bums, but she couldn't help it. She frantically tried to get the dumb machine to accept her credit card, but it was taking forever. As the man headed straight towards her, she silently begged the machine to work. Suddenly, the man broke into a run. As the machine accepted her card, she gave up and slammed the door to the car as she locked herself and the kids inside. The man screamed as he threw himself up against the car door. In a panic, she started the car and drove off. The kids cried in the back seat of the car as she pulled up to their house, only eight blocks away. She hustled the kids inside, grabbing their soccer gear. As she shut the trunk, she could barely make out the sight of the man from the gas station in the distance. She stared for a moment, as he continued to sprint at full speed towards her family. She had never been more scared in her life than on that day. Sure the entire event, even this moment in the grocery store, was terrifying. But there was nothing more horrid than seeing her first Drained. She and David had been very much focused on family time, and the like. So they had never even purchased a TV. After an hour of the man attacking their door, they wished they had. They attempted to call the cops, but no one ever answered. After calling their friends for help, and getting no replies for the first six calls, they finally found out from a friend who was in Italy for a week that this was happening all over. That's when they had run from their home to look for help elsewhere. Dana jerked out of her memories when Emma screamed. She ran in the direction her daughter had disappeared in and turned the corner to see two Drained sprinting at full speed from the other end of the long isle. Dana grabbed the first thing available, a metal shelf that had fallen from its rightful place, probably when someone had frantically looted the store. She picked it up, and as the first Drained reached her, swung. There was a sickening sound as the metal shelf destroyed the Drained man's head. He swung to the left, hitting the other row of empty shelves and falling to the floor. By now, the second Drained had reached her. Recovering from her earlier swing, she sent the shelf flying in the other direction, hitting the Drained woman on the right side of her head. She wasn't hit quite as hard, and attempted to stand when she hit the empty shelves. She scrambled, emaciated limbs slipping and sliding on the tiled floor beneath her. Before she could stand, Dana took the shelf, and aimed it down. She hit the woman repeatedly in the back of the neck, the sound of bones popping echoing through the store. She notice the first Drained was beginning to stand, recovering from the attack he had received. Suddenly, David slid into the isle, shoes squeaking on the floor streaked with blood. He took a hammer that had been hanging from his belt, and swung at the man. His head crunched again as another trench was added to the once round skull. They continued to beat the two Drained who had been stupid enough to attack their family, until all that was left were two bodies with only bloody mush and chunks of bone as heads. That was another thing Dana thought was funny. With their relationship being torn apart, and their sex life a bore, this was the thing that had pulled them back together. When they ventured outside the house, they had the unfortunate (or fortunate, depending on how you look at it) experience of killing their first Drained. The homeless man wasn't the strongest out there, and was an easy opponent compared to what they would face later in the mini apocalypse. But when that first splatter of blood hit Dana in the face, and David heard those first screams of a dying Drained, the fire in their lives had been rekindled. After that, they never had another thought about splitting up. They both loved the heat of the moment, the screams of pain, the spray of blood, and the cold feeling of a heavy weapon in their hands. Maybe they had gone a little crazy once things went to hell, but it usually worked out for the better. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Rick was definitely not happy about the way things were going. He did not trust the new guy at all and he knew that Gavin was just trying to get laid. That was the only reason they were being bossed around by the freak. He sighed as they carefully went to search for water. His grandfather was moving slowly and it was clear he was in pain. They went inside the gas station and started to look around. Survivors Ch. 02 Before the Drained really started taking over, Rick was just an average guy. Sure, he owned four too many guns, and drove a beat up pick up. Sure, he had cursed at more than one guy at a bar. Sure, he was on trial for murdering some faggot boy. But he was still just an average nice guy. His parents had died when he was young, leaving him with his grandfather. The old man was just as big of a monster as he was. He swore at children, and chased off anyone who he thought was "racially diverse", but he was the nicest guy around. If, of course, you were a drunk white republican. He had been accused many times of being racist, but he couldn't see how it was racist, if everything he was saying was true. Rick had been at his court hearing when the Drained finally gotten to be too much for people to handle. He watched as the freaks broke through the doors of the courtroom. The large room was filled with screams as they began attacking people. Rick and Mel dashed from their seats in the court, to the back, where there was a door behind the bench. Rick shoved a Drained off of him, when the emaciated pale man jumped on his back. He sent the drug user flying into the judge. It hadn't been his original intent, but it was funny as hell as the older man screamed when the Drained bit into his neck. Rick couldn't help but laugh as the man died in front of him. He showed him, the dumb fuck was going to send him to jail! When the Drained finally took over, it gave Rick and Mel the chance to really live. They didn't have the rules of society to keep them in check anymore, just that faggot Gavin. "This is bullshit," Rick said, once he was sure that no one would hear. "He just thinks he can come and boss us all around." "I'm twice his age, no way I'm going to let a little punk like that boss me around. I don't give a damn what the situation is," Mel chimed in. "You know what, fuck Gavin and his little boy toy," Rick said, turning towards Mel. "What are you thinkin'?" Mel asked. "I think we're going to find a whole hell of a lot more than water on this little trip of ours," Rick gave a wicked smile. Survivors Ch. 03 This chapter was really broken up into two separate chapters, so sorry if it seems weird in the middle. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ "You're a fucking idiot," Rick scowled, as they looked at the familiar 'Welcome to Las Vegas!' sign. The sign that used to twinkle and sparkle with lights was now barren and dead. Pike thought he was even able to make out the chew marks on the side, from where an infected had been gnawing on the metal. He assumed it had attacked the sign when there was still power. The lights probably drew it over. "Calm down Rick, it was an honest mistake," Gavin said. "No, he's right. I probably killed us all," Pike said bleakly. "Don't think like that. Most of us will stay out of city limits and only one or two will go in for supplies. It will be fine." Gavin smiled and rested a hand on Pikes skin. Mongo licked his fluffy paw before running it over his one good ear. Pike picked him up and turned him onto his back, scratching his belly as the cat purred and shut its eyes. "I'll go. It's only fair. I'm the one who messed up on the guestimation of how many supplies we would need to bypass a major city," Pike nodded. "Then I'll go with you. You have the sneaky thing going for you, and I can probably carry more supplies than anyone else here," Gavin said, and Pike knew he was right. He had to pull his gaze away from Gavin's tight muscles before he was caught staring. "If we both go and something happens, then we're screwed. The group will be left alone," Pike waved to the rest of their little clan of survivors. He couldn't leave them without a leader. As much as he didn't hate some of them, they weren't capable of leading. "Then there's only one other option," Gavin said. "We all go," he finished, when everyone stared at him waiting for the 'one other option'. "What?!" Rick shouted. "Are you fucking crazy?" Pike shouted at the same time. "Bringing all these people into a major city will kill us," Pike said. "There's no way we can move through the streets without being caught." "More people means less time in the city since we can carry more supplies. Less danger because we'll be able to fight off a few Drained if they come anywhere near us," Gavin reasoned. "And if one of those big ass mother-fuckers comes for us again?" "Then we're fucked anyways," Gavin replied, a little pale at the thought. There was a silence in the crowd. "He's right," David said from the back of the group. "Emma will be quiet, she knows how to survive." The little girl blinked with wide eyes as her mother stroked her hair lovingly. Pike sighed. "Okay. Lets go then, we're wasting time. I want to be out of here before sunset." Pike put Mongo down. "I can't believe I'm fucking doing this. You're going to kill us," Rick said again. "Then you're free to stay here. Alone," Gavin didn't even look at him as they headed into the city limits. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ The city suddenly didn't seem so bright and full of life like it had before the shit hit the fan. Cars, and buses, and other vehicles lined the street. Corpses nearly outnumbered the cars. They walked as quietly and as carefully as they could, stopping at any gas station, store, market, or anything else that might carry supplies they needed. "Pike." Gavin whispered, nodding his head to a large grocery store. Pike nodded silently, and motion for the group to follow Gavin, who entered the building first. He stepped inside, and scanned the dark isles. Grocery stores were never safe. Just like Police stations, hospitals, and churches. Those were the places people flocked too when something happened. That's where they died, and normally that's where they would stay. Once they had 'turned' users weren't much into moving unless it was to chase something. It was almost eerie the way they could stand stone still. Most drug users, of any kind, were twitchy and jumpy. But they had a predatory air about them, stay perfectly still and your prey won't see you until you're already on it. It was ironic that this should happen while Gavin thought of the very thing he was afraid of happening. He didn't even see the 'corpse' as he stepped past it's head. That is, he didn't see it until it wrapped his hand around his ankle. It roared loudly, and tugged him to the ground. He couldn't help but let out a very unmanly yelp as the once business man crawled up his torso. He clawed frantically at his body, tearing at the clothes at pale thin skin underneath. He shoved at the roaring man above him, his nails breaking from malnutrition. A shot rang out and he looked up to see Pike holding a gun. The drained collapsed and Gavin groaned. Pike knelt by him. "Hold still," he said, and quickly tore open Gavin's shirt. He revealed the thick red lines of blood where the drained had scratched at his skin. He groaned as Pike touched the wounds. "You'll be okay, but it's going to hurt like a bitch for awhile." He gestured down to where the drained had scratched through his pants and onto his thighs. "I'll let you keep those on," he winked, and stood up. Gavin grunted and stood, blood dripping onto the ground. "Maybe we should go back, he's not at his best he could put us all in danger." "Dana," Pike frowned. "No, she's right. We should leave and come back another day, or I could leave and you all keep scavenging," he said. "We're already too deep to go back. We'll stay here tonight and at least let your wounds scab over," Pike said. "There's a warehouse across the street. You all stay and look around here. I'll go scout it out and we'll stay there. This place has too many nooks and crannies," Pike stood, grabbing his pistols and heading back out the way they came in. ~~~~~~~~~~ "This sucks," Rick complained as he followed Pike into the empty warehouse. Pike allowed Gavin to lean on him as they stepped into the plain building. "Get to sleep. We'll be up at down to move out," Gavin said, grunting from the pain. Pike agreed, and set himself and Gavin up to get some sleep. ~~~~~~~~~~~ Pikes eyes were wide open. He couldn't fall asleep, all he could do was listen to the steady breathing of Gavin next to him. The air was cold and crisp, and he couldn't help the small but repetitive shivers that ran up his spine every four or five seconds. "I swear to god, Pike. Swallow your pride and come snuggle. It's freezing," Gavin mumbled, half asleep. "W-what?" Pike scowled at himself when his teeth chattered through the word. "Ugh, fine." He scooted over, his back resting against Gavin's chest. Instantly he was warmer. He smiled to himself and sighed. "I want to say thank you again, Pike. For sticking with us. I think without you we would have died in that stupid store," Gavin mumbled into Pikes ear, making him realize how close the other man really was. Close enough for him to feel the small twitch in Gavin's pants. "It's no problem, really." Pike felt his breathing begin to speed up. He felt Gavin's hand snake around his waist. "I mean, thank you for staying with me. Not just leaving me," he continued. "G-gavin," Pike went to sit up, but Gavin held onto him tightly. "Please, just wait," Gavin whispered, and Pike froze at the intense sadness in Gavin's voice. "Please, Pike. Don't reject me. I know that in this kind of time, it's not the first thing on everyone's minds, but it's been so long," he laughed bitterly, though Pike could still hear the sorrow. "We can't, Gavin. I don't know if you forgot, but we have a crowd of other people in the building. They could wake up," Pike said. He couldn't believe he was even talking about this. "Please, Pike. I just need... something," Gavins voice was hardly above a whisper, but was filled with desperate need. Pike turned onto his other side, so he was facing Gavin in the darkness. "Okay... but be quiet about it, huh?" Pike joked, but even behind his nonchalant tone, his voice was drenched with just as much need as Gavin. He let his hand slip down and grasped at the bulge in Gavin's pants. Gavin whimpered and thrusted into Pike's loving embrace. He grinded his hips against Pike's hand, through his thin pants and annoyingly thick boxers. He wished he could just strip and bend Pike over to fuck him right there, but he knew it was out of the question. He bit his lip as he felt his dick surge with pleasure. He felt Pike move against his leg, feeling the hard dick hidden by the sweat pants Pike wore. They both breathed heavily, but tried to stay quiet in the dark and silent room. Gavin grunted, and let out a high pitched whimper. Pike, somehow understanding the intense language of need, reached his hand inside the waistband of Gavin's pants. He felt Gavins cock immediately slip into the O-shaped ring of his hand and thrust in and out. Gavin gasped silently as his cock began to cover Pike's closed hand in his seed. Pike finally pulled his cum-soaked hand out of Gavin's pants as his dick began to go flaccid. Without a word, Gavin pulled Pikes hand to his mouth and cleaned it off quickly, lapping up the last drop of cum from Pike's fingertips. "Please, my turn?" Pike begged, Gavin nodded in the darkness and moved to let Pike hump into his hand. Pike brought himself to orgasm quickly, filling Gavin's hand with seed. Gavin brought his hand up, expecting pike to lick his fingers clean as he had, but when Pike simply wrinkled his nose, he smiled and cleaned his hand by himself. "More protein," he joked. Pike grumbled and let his head fall back down. "How can you joke after you just came? I just want a sandwich," he mumbled. Gavin groaned and laid down with him. "I haven't had a sandwich in so long," he replied, feeling sleepiness take over him. "Isn't it just the little things you miss? You know what I want?" Pike asked. "What?" "A coke," he groaned. "It's been so long since I've had a nice cold soda I would kill for one. I'm not even kidding. If we come across a drained that was an original user, and it had a coke clenched between it's teeth, I'll fight that shit to the death." "I'll back you up, if I get a sip," Gavin mumbled, and before Pike could answer, they were both asleep in each others arms. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Emma woke suddenly, soft sounds coming from somewhere nearby. She frowned and stood up. The little bit she remembered before the outbreak seemed nice. She remembered going to soccer, and watching T.V. with her parents. She even remembered school. But it was like it was all something that somebody had told her about. Not something she really remembered. She had grown used to the dark, and the angry howls of users. She had grown used to the sight of blood, and the dead men twitching at her feet. She knew not too much longer and she would be needed to fight, too. There was always talk about how everyone in the group needed to pull their own weight or they were only dragging the group down. She didn't want to be dead weight. She stood and walked over the sleeping forms of the rest of the group, heading towards a small door in the side of the building. A shadow passed by and she frowned. Were there more people here? Maybe they weren't alone, maybe they- Her thoughts stopped when she pulled the door open and was faced with four drained. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ The high pitched childish scream pierced Pike's ears like a bullet. He was on his feet before his eyes were even open, his pistols drawn. Gavin was up quickly next to him, axe in hand. All over the warehouse people stood, readied. "Who was that?" someone shouted. "Is everyone here?" Gavin asked. "Maybe it's an outsider," someone else offered. "Shut the fuck up," Pike shouted, and all went quiet. The tiny pitter patter of feet broke the sound, along with the heavy thuds of running drained. "Emma!?" Dana shouted, realizing her daughters spot was empty. As the little girl came into the dim light that the moon allowed for, through the single window up near the ceiling, she was quickly followed by three drained. Gavin swung at the first one, axe connecting with the man's skull as he fell to the ground. He pulled at his axe, trying to wedge it out of the screaming and flailing man's head. The second drained ran to him, arms outstretched. Pike aimed carefully, and fired. Gavins ears rang and his legs throbbed as he was reminded of the cuts on his body. The third tackled Pike before he could aim again, and he landed hard on the ground. His head hit the concrete floor of the warehouse as he was thrown back. He jammed his pistol in the drooling drained-woman's mouth and fired. He rolled the still corpse off him and was met with the groans and gags of the rest of the group as the woman's brains rained down on them all. "Gross, Pike," Gavin grumbled, as he sat back on the ground heavily, blood beginning to seep from his wounds again. Pike opened his mouth to say something, when the chilling sound of a shotgun cocking pierced his mind. "Shut your mouth, faggot," Ricks voice floated to Pike's ears. "Wow, how did I know this was going to happen." Pike rolled his eyes without looking up, but felt the stab of pain as the barrel of the gun was pressed against the back of his head. "I said shut your mouth," he snapped. Pike did as he was told. "Rick, put the gun down. We don't even have any ammo for that," Gavin rolled his eyes. "Wrong, cocksucker. I picked some up a couple of towns ago. Kept it to myself," he smiled. Gavin glared at him. "Put the gun down, and we'll forget this ever happened, and you won't be booted out with the drained," Gavin said. "I don't think you're in any position to be giving orders," Rick spat, "Everybody against the wall." They all moved silently over to the wall, held at gunpoint by Rick and Mel, who had taken Pike's pistols. Even Mongo happily skipped over with Pike, meowing the whole way. "Shut that cat up," Rick hissed. "Mongo!" Pike snapped, and the cat happily jumped onto his chest, latching his claws onto his shirt and digging into the skin. "God damn it, stupid cat," he mumbled and hissed at the pain as the tabby tried to pull himself up. He helped him up and allowed him to sit on his shoulder, though it bent his head at an uncomfortable angle. He tried to stifle a laugh as Mongo began licking his ear. "You, where did the drained come from?" Rick asked, pointing the shotgun at Emma. "Don't point that thing at her!" Dana shouted. "I swear to god I'll blow your head off, bitch. Get back," he said, aiming the gun at Dana instead when she stepped away from the wall. "I heard a noise, and thought it was people. I opened the door and they chased me inside," she answered. "Did you close it?" Rick asked, frowning. When she looked confused, his face turned red and he shouted. "THE DOOR!" She went pale and looked towards the shadowed spot that the door was hidden in. As soon as they all turned, two more drained came charging in, the sound of more footsteps following. Rick scowled and cocked the shotgun, turning it onto the drained, and blowing ones shoulders clean of a head. The other was hit in the chest, and stumbled back. He had aimed too far away and the bullet only tore up the mans chest, as he began to slow down, before he picked up speed again. Mel watched, not moving the pistols away from the rest of the group, as Rick took out the flow of drained one by one. As soon as he realized the crowd wasn't getting any smaller, he ordered Emma over to the door. "Close it!" he shouted, as he covered her with the spray of shotgun fire. She screamed and cried as she shoved it shut, nearly getting caught by several different drained in the process. Mel screamed as a hidden drained bit down into the soft skin of his neck, and began to tear him to pieces with nails that had long since flaked and chipped away to form sharp claws. The woman beat him furiously, biting and scratching between screeches of anger. Rick aimed, and fired, hitting both of them purposely in the head. They both fell still, and Rick grumbled. "Poor old fuck." He picked up the dual pistols off the ground and admired them, before making Pike pull off his holsters and carefully fumbled them around his waist, trying to keep one gun aimed at the group the whole time. Emma hugged her mother's leg while she sobbed, her father standing not far. "What the fuck do you think you're going to do now, Rick? You're partner in crime is dead, and you can't do shit without that gun on us," Pike snarled. "Easy, butt-boy," Rick sneered. "I take everything I need from this pathetic little group, and I'm on my way out of vegas," he smiled, and backed up towards the small piles that held everyone's possessions. Almost everything in the group was owned by the group, and distributed evenly. However people still carried with them individual purses or backpacks for the few private items they had left. Rick went through the group bags first, loading up his own backpack with food, water, and ammunition. Pike gulped when he began rummaging through the bags of the individual members of the group. The screeching of Drained could be heard from outside, Pike doubted he thought about how he would be leaving exactly, with the warehouse apparently surrounded. "You hear that? They're all over the place out there, the longer you wait to leave the more there will be. You should take off now," he said, as Rick tossed Gavin's possessions aside after he turned his backpack inside out, making the other man scowl. "Shut the fuck up." Rick ignored him, and picked up Mel's bag. After finding nothing of worth, he reached for Pike's. "Stop!" Pike shouted, stepping towards Rick, who raised the gun. "Pike, just let him go through your shit!" Gavin said, when Rick rested his finger on the trigger. "Just leave, Rick!" Pike said, as a few drops of sweat fell down the frame of his face. Rick turned his head and narrowed his eyes. "There something in here you don't want us to know about, butt fucker?" Rick asked. Pike swallowed. "I just want you gone," he said, his voice unusually calm. Rick picked up his bag and Pike shut his eyes, waiting for the rain of terror and hatred to fall down upon him. "The fuck?" Rick mumbled, he held up the small glass vial of gray liquid. He dropped the backpack and a few more vials rolled out. Everyone in the group froze. The air was so still and silent it felt more like clay than air. "Is that..." Dana's voice trailed off. "Oh my god," Gavin whispered. "You're a user. What the fuck!? I knew I should have left a long ass time ago," Rick raised the vial to smash it on the concrete ground. "Don't!" Pike shouted, and dove for the falling vial. He caught it in his hands and sighed with relief and Rick aimed the gun at his head. "Get away from me you fucking drained piece of shit." "I'm not like them! I'm fine, look at me! We've been traveling together for a long time now and you didn't even know! I'm fine!" Pike shouted frantically, looking back and forth from the group to Rick and then back to the group. Even Gavin looked pale and sickened by the realization. Pike clutched the vial to his chest and began scooping up the others that had rolled away from the back pack. "You crazy mother fucker. Those shit heads out there turned just from drinking the diluted shit, and you're here chugging it like it's goddamn Gatorade!" Rick swore. "Pike how could you lie to us like this? You put all of us in danger!" Gavin said, growing more furious by the second. "I'm fine, look at me. I don't look like them!" Pike pointed at one of the dead drained. "No, you'd look like that big ass mother fucker who attacked us back in L.A.!" he screamed. "That won't happen to me!" Pike shouted. "Why the fuck not!?" Their screaming had aggravated the drained outside, who continued to beat on the door and walls. "I don't know!" Pike said, with a sigh. "I don't know, okay. I drank tap water back when all of this started and I never got sick. When things got really bad I needed something to take the edge off. Hon-..." he choked back a sob. "Honestly when I found the first vial I thought I might as well go out with a bang. I was hoping I would just get sick like the others and it would all be over," Pike sighed. "I didn't change and I just kept using it to take the edge off of all of this crazy bullshit," he mumbled. "It helps me cope with this 'Night of the Living Dead' shit." Survivors Ch. 03 "We cope with it without that crap, you can to!" Gavin whispered, voice low with rage. "I can't stop," Pike shook his head. "I've tried a couple of times but every time I do..." he just shook his head and stopped talking. Gavin sighed and paced the floor, no longer worried about Rick, who kept the gun aimed at Pike. The moaning and screaming of the Drained hit their ears like waves at the beach, a never ending stream of noise. "SHUT. THE FUCK. UP!" Gavin screeched at the door. "They're not going to stop, Gavin," Dana said, face pale and staring off into space. Gavin kicked the wall a couple of times before pacing again. "This is your fucking problem," Rick laughed, and pulled the gun off Pike. "I'm out." He smiled, and headed for the door. "Where the fuck are you going? You'll let them all in and get caught in the process you moron!" Gavin shouted. "That's what he's for." Rick said, after a moment of thinking. He pulled Pike up by his collar and dragged him to one of the two doors. "What are you doing?!" Pike screamed at him, trying to pull out of his grip. "Let him go, Rick!" Gavin shouted. "Fuck you, Gavin," Rick laughed. "I've wanted to say that for a really long time." He threw Pike towards the door and put a gun to his head. "Open it," he ordered. Pike stared at him like he was insane, and then looked at Gavin, but was hit in the head by Rick when he tried. "Open the fucking door, and pray you can run fast," he said, securing the backpack of stolen goods to his back and readying his guns. "B-but..." Pike stuttered. "Do it!" Rick pushed the gun into his temple. Pike looked at Gavin, before opening the door, and rushing out. He squeezed himself through the initial wall of screeching drained, and was gone. ~~~~~~~~~~~ Watching Pike shove his way through the crowd of Drained was the most terrifying thing in Gavin's life. His heart skipped a beat or two when he vanished into the mass of gray flesh at the door. But Rick's plan worked. In seconds, all the Drained had left the door and followed the moving object they wanted so bad. At least, his plan worked for a second. He came out from the shadows a moment too soon, eager to leave, and was met with one Drained who happened to stumble over it's feet and stay a split second longer. It turned, and bit a large chunk out of his neck. Rick gurgled in pain as the sub-human beast clawed at the rest of his body, painfully so. Gavin grabbed the gun that had fallen from Rick's hand, and ended the beast's sad life. He stared down at Rick as he choked on his own blood, and scowled. "If you were anyone else I would end your life for you. But, I don't think I feel like it," he whispered the second part, and stood up. He walked back over to the group and grabbed his stuff, shoving it in his backpack again. "Where are we going?" Dana asked, holding Emma to her side, she had finally stopped crying. "We're going to find Pike," Gavin said, as if it was the most obvious thing in the world. He looked up when everyone was silent. Dana, Emma, David, and the few other pale faces that remained in the small group stared at him blankly. "He lied to us," Dana said. "He's been drinking all of our clean water. He could have been drinking infected water all along and would have been fine!" another member called. "You don't know that, I'm sure there was a reason he wasn't drinking un-bottled water," he said, though he didn't really believe it. "He's a user, Gavin. You've kept this group safe so far, don't let us down now," David spoke up for the first time since Rick had taken them hostage. "He IS a member of the group. I'm going to find him. Are you all coming or not?" He stood up, backpack ready. The blank faces and lack of an answer was an answer enough. Gavin scooped up Pike's dual pistols, his axe, and threw the shotgun at David. "Fine," he said, and stormed out of the building onto the dark and dangerous streets of Las Vegas. Gavin shut the door as quietly as he could, and was silent. He listened as a swarm of Drained ran by, knocking each other into walls and tripping on their own pale feet. He sighed quietly as the hallway outside went silent. He cautiously moved to the broken windows of the apartment building he was in. He peered out the shattered glass and withered wood. A few drained wandered the street, but otherwise it was empty. "Damn it, Pike. Where are you?" he whispered. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Pike hit the floor hard, scraping his hands on the rough concrete. He grunted and forced himself back up, his feet scrambling beneath him. He finally got his footing again and headed for the door. He felt the tight grip of a Drained's hand on his neck, and was jerked back roughly. He heard more than felt the unsettling snap in his neck and winced. As the man began wailing on his upper body with gray fists, Pike tried to crawl away. He finally managed to land a solid blow to the Drained man's jaw, which sent him falling backwards. Unhurt, he sat up and reached for Pike again. Pike didn't give him the chance, and was gone before he could do any more damage. The sharp stinging pain ran up and down his neck and upper back. His hands were bleeding from his fall, and he hadn't eaten or had any water in the three days he had been evicted from the group. He fell to his knees in the middle of the street, ready to just wait out the rest of his short life in that very spot. He raised his heavy head and looked with sagging, drooping eyes at the crashed van. It had, at some point, slammed into a street light, and the hood was crushed. The drivers side door was flung open, the seat belt hanging not far from the ground. Blood smeared the seat. The back doors had also been flung open, probably by looters not long after it crashed. It had been picked clean of anything useful a long time ago, but there was one thing that drew Pike to it. It had a mattress. That simple, stained, bare mattress seemed like the holy grail at that moment. With legs so weak that his knees shook he lifted himself from the dirty ground and stumbled to the van. He pulled himself in, and laid down on the mattress. Several springs jabbed at his injured back, and a corner of the cheap mattress was soaked with some mystery substance, but it was so wonderful it almost made him cry. He sighed a sob of happiness and looked at the doors of the van. 'If I could just close them, it would be dark,' he thought to himself, mind dizzy and wandering in the haze that was starvation, dehydration, exhaustion, and Drain withdrawal. For some reason, the dark sounded almost as nice as the mattress. With a shaking hand, he pulled himself up and shut one of the door. He reached for the other, but as he watched his pale hand struggle for the handle, he blacked out. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Gavin had given up. Pike was gone. Subconsciously he knew that the reason he was giving up was because, despite what people used to say on those mystery shows about 'not knowing' being the worst part, he didn't want to find Pike's mutilated body on the street somewhere. He would rather not know. He didn't have a whole lot of hope left in the world, but Pike was one of the few sources of the nearly extinct emotion he had left. He picked up a crowbar off the ground of the apartment he had hid in, and left. The hallways were now empty, and he walked quickly but quietly through them. He stepped out onto the street, bare and gray, and began heading back to the warehouse. He was sure the group wouldn't be there anymore, but he had nowhere else to go. He had been walking for almost four days, and knew it would take him even longer to get back now that he was exhausted and not well rested like he had been when he left his small band of survivors. He kept his head down as he walked, looking at the ground in front of his feet. It was a dangerous thing to do, especially in a big city like Vegas. But he knew that if he looked up at the ruined decay of the city he would lose it. How was a man supposed to keep his sanity when he had nothing left to be sane for? As he stepped over a piece of soggy newspaper that had been trampled and rained on so much it was now illegible, he felt the need to finally look up. Before thinking about it any farther, he glanced up. The sight before him made him nearly heave. A large white delivery van sat, crashed on the side of the road, and in the back was a man. A man with black hair that was dull from malnutrition, and pale hands to match. His head dangled off the back of the van, as if he had passed out while attempting to close the door. This wouldn't have bothered Gavin so much, he had seen more than his fair share of corpses in his time as a survivor it was weird to NOT see a street filled with piles of people who weren't strong enough to survive. The real chilling part wasn't the man, but what was next to him. A one eared orange tabby cat. "Mongo?" Gavin said out loud. The cat, who had been staring at him the whole time, meowed at him loudly. "Pike!" Gavin broke into a run, reaching the dead man in second. As he lifted his head, he was met with a small groan of pain. Not dead, just unconscious. He nearly cried with relief. "Pike, wake up. It's Gavin. Pike, I found you!" He tried to coax the smaller man to open his eyes, but the pale lids stayed shut. A roar from behind him made him shiver. He looked over his shoulder but saw nothing. "Mongo, get in the van," he said to the purring cat, who listened and jumped up on Pike's back, walking down his legs and flopping over on a part of the back of the van that wasn't covered by the mattress Pike was lying on. Gavin stepped over Pike, and pulled him all the way into the van. When he made sure he wasn't sitting in some awkward position, he moved to close the door. He froze and backed up when the slender figure of a drained woman walked by. He knew any sound or movement would get her attention, even closing the door. The small sliver of light that was left from the back of the van, allowed her shadow to dance over Pike's pale face, and Mongo as he stared at the door, tailed puffed up and looking like he was ready to bolt any second. Gavin knew he wouldn't, he had survived with Pike this long, he knew to be quiet when he needed to be. As the woman passed by, Gavin listened as her footsteps faded away. He sighed with relief and peeked outside, before shutting the door of the van. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Now in the complete darkness of the delivery van, Gavin reached into his single bag, and pulled out the small portable lantern he kept for emergencies. They had very few batteries, but this seemed like a good time to use it. After he set it up for a little light, he pulled out his last bottle of water, less than a quarter of the way full, and a protein bar. The small bars were pure gold in this harsh time. Quick and easy meals meant to fill you up and give you energy. He had found the bar a long time ago, when his group first made their home in the store, and had kept it for a dire time. He figured this was as dire as any. "Pike, Pike wake up. I have food," Gavin pleaded. Pike groaned when Gavin tried to hold his head up. Lifting the bottle of water carefully, and flipping the red cap on it up, he carefully dribbled a few drops of water onto Pikes dry tongue. His eyes opened, and Gavin couldn't help but notice flecks of gray clouds in the once blue eyes. "Gavin?" he asked, licking his lips in search of more glorious water. "Shh... just drink," he carefully held the smaller man while he drank the last of their water. When he finished what was left of the bottle, his eyes were already clearer. "M-more?" he rasped. "That's all I had, I'm sorry." Gavin threw the bottle aside. Mongo let out a small meow and ran to check out the discarded trash. "Here, eat this. It will make you thirsty again, but you need the energy," Gavin unwrapped the bar and held it to Pike's lips. He expected the man to argue and refuse, complaining it was Gavin's last bit of food, but he didn't. Instead, he graciously took the chocolate cookie dough flavored power bar and chewed quickly, swallowing the bar in seconds. "Where are we?" he asked. "A few days away from the warehouse. I went looking for you after Rick made you run," Gavin anwered. "The others?" Pike asked, rubbing his head. Gavin was still cradling him in his arms and neither seemed to really notice. Gavin just shook his head in response to the question. "Are you hurt?" Gavin asked. Pike seemed to think for a minute. What did hurt mean anymore? Hurt meant you were dying. It used to mean you were in pain, but everyone was in constant pain now. You were always bruised, or scraped, or hungry, or thirsty. You were always hurt. "No," he said, not sure if he was lying. "Sit up," Gavin said, they were speaking in hushed whispers. He supported Pikes back and helped him sit up, the man grunted, and put a hand to the back of his neck. "What's wrong?" "I don't know... I got grabbed... or something?" Pike shrugged. "I'll be okay," he nodded. His hands were crusted in dried blood, and his knees were just as bad. As Gavin looked him up and down, he noticed the black colored veins that ran up and down his limbs. The gray shadows in his eyes were still thick, he wondered if it clouded his vision. "You look sick," Gavin whispered, not sure he wanted to hear the words. Pike looked down, anywhere but at Gavin. "It's the withdrawals," he whispered. His hands shook and there was a thick sheet of sweat on his paler than usual skin. Gavin stared at him for a moment, before pulling one of the small vials out of his pocket. Pike's eyes went wide. Without a word he reached for the gray liquid desperately. Gavin pulled it just out of his reach and their eyes met. "We need to talk," Gavin said. Pike glanced at the vial again, and nodded, leaning back against the wall of the van. Gavin lowered the vial out of Pike's reach, but kept it in his lap. "You lied to me," he whispered, anger lacing his voice. "Can you blame me. I saw how you all reacted," Pike pulled his knees to his chest. It hurt his back but he needed something to hold to keep his body from shaking with pain. "We reacted like that because you put all of us in danger! All of us, Pike!" Gavin lost his temper and shouted. "I didn't mean to," he whispered. "I tried to stop, I swear I did. But believe me, it gets a lot worse than a little sweating," Pike wiped his forehead, several beads of sweat falling from his hand and in seconds his forehead was coated again. His cheeks were flushed, the only part of his body that had any color. He looked like a corpse. "If you just stuck it out-" Gavin started. "You don't think I tried? Do you think I just quit until I could find a new vial?!" Pike yelled. Everything went quiet for a moment while they both cooled down to an angry simmer. Pike took a deep breath. "It gets so much worse. Last time I tried I started going blind, and my hearing was going too. My veins get like this," he held up the nearly white arm with black throbbing veins, "and start to swell until it feels like my limbs are nearly going to fall off," Pike explained. "I... I saw someone once... who couldn't find a fix," he continued. Tears were beginning to form in his eyes and slowly began to roll down his cheeks. "They just rotted away while they were still alive," he finished in a whisper. "Drain makes you nearly invincible... as long as you don't stop," Pike clenched his jaw as he stared at Gavin with cold stone like eyes. Tears rolled down his cheeks faster, and he was rocking back and forth the smallest amount, Gavin doubted he even knew he was doing it. He wiped away Pike's tears, realizing they were a thick stormy gray color. He pulled him in close for a hug, and pressed the vial into his hands. "I'm going to go look for more water. Whatever you do while I'm gone is your business. I won't be here for this." He stood up and opened the van door, vanishing before Pike could say a word. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Pike had gotten lucky. He found a bag of half eaten stale chips, and a whole bottle of water. He had been gone just over two hours and was nervous about going back. He had never seen someone use Drain. Would he be all high as if he was on speed? Or would he be mellow like he had taken sleeping pills? Would the effects still be there after two hours? Would he return to find the van shaking and roars coming from inside? As he walked down the dark streets, he was happy to see the van was not roaring or shaking. He opened the door, and what little sunlight was left as it set washed over Pike. An empty vial lay on the floor of the van, rolling towards Gavin as it fell out of the van and broke on the street. Pikes skin wasn't healthy looking, but it was no longer white. The black veins had gone, and his eyes were clear again. He even smiled at Gavin as he stepped inside and shut the door. He had been sitting in the dark before, but Gavin turned the light on now. "Dinner," he tossed the bag of chips at Pike, who flinched and lost his smile as Gavin moved to the opposite side of the van and sat down, refusing to look at him. He held the bottle of water in one hand, not opening it. "G-gavin... I'm sorry... you have to understand I-" "I don't have to understand anything. I told you, whatever you did while I was gone is your business. I don't care," Gavin snapped. It was a lie, of course. How could he not care? "Then don't be a dick to me about it," Pike snapped back. Gavin looked at him and both of them shared a cold glare. "Don't you know how much I care about you? Shit, Pike. I thought it was obvious from a couple of nights ago. That wasn't just a quick way to get off," Gavin said. "I wanted to be close to you," he sighed, and put his head in his hands. It was silent for a moment and then Pike moved. He shut off the light and crawled over to Gavin in the dark. "I don't want to know how much you care about me," Pike said quietly, "because if I care, that means it will just hurt more when I lose you. It's hard enough to survive in this world now, Gavin. I don't need to pile on extra grief while I'm at it," he whispered, obviously having a hard time getting the words out. "There's a simple solution to that, Pike," Gavin said. "What?" he asked. "Don't. Lose. Me." Gavin punctuated the words with a kiss in the darkness of the van. Pike returned it without hesitation, wrapping his arms around Gavin's shoulders, and running his hands up through Gavin's hair. Gavin framed his face and held him tighter. Their tears mixed on their cheeks, and as they finally pulled apart for air, they chuckled a little bit. "I need this, Pike. I need something to want to survive for," Gavin whispered. "I know... me too," Pike nodded in the darkness. "You can survive for me, and I'll survive for you," Gavin whispered. Gavin felt his head move up and down, as Pike nodded again. "I'm sorry," Pike whispered again. "I know... I don't blame you for it... I just... I'm just angry," Gavin said. Pike nodded a third time in the dark, unable to force out any words. "How often do you need it?" he asked. "Every couple of days. It's getting harder and harder to find though," he replied. "We'll figure it out. Don't worry," Gavin said. Pike kissed him again, and they shared another moment of togetherness, before they sighed and Pike slipped down to rest his head on Gavin's chest. Gavin massaged his neck with one hand, rubbing his lower back with the other. They were lying down on the mattress, propped up on the wall of the van. Mongo purred loudly, and climbed up Pike's back and laid down on his head, just under Gavin's chin. "Can you survive for Mongo too?" Pike chuckled. "I guess I don't really have a choice," he smiled in the dark, and pet the stray alley cat. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~ "So what's the plan?" Pike asked, as he pet Mongo. Survivors Ch. 03 "I don't know. Do we try to meet back up with the group or go at it on our own?" Gavin asked. Pike seemed to think a minute. "We should try to find them. Even if they don't want me to be with them, you can still-" "No, remember what we just said?" Gavin asked. "We're here for each other. I'm with you, no matter what," Gavin held Pike's hand to his chest. Pike nodded. "Okay. Then why don't we meet up with them anyways. If they reject m... us... then we're on our own. Or we're on our own already. Either way, finding them first gives us another potential option," Pike shrugged. Gavin nodded. "Where do we look?" Gavin asked. "Behind you," Dana's voice reached their ears. Both men jumped and turned around, looking at the small group of survivors. "Jesus Christ," Gavin put a hand over his heart as it pounded in his chest. "Boo," David chuckled. "How did you guys find us?" Gavin hugged all of the members of the group. "It's not hard. In an empty city, if it's not roaring, it's friendly," David shrugged. "You weren't roaring," he laughed and slapped Gavin on the back as they hugged. "Yet," Dana added, bitterly glaring at Pike, who kicked the street with his eyes down. "Yeah... about that. He can't quit. I'm not the leader of our group anymore, if you want us back, I'll gladly take that role again if you want me to, but I'm with Pike." Gavin wrapped a hand around Pikes slim waist and pulled him to his side. The members of the group all looked at each other. "Gavin... we can't risk it," David shook his head. "I know it's a risk. But what isn't a risk anymore?" Gavin reasoned. They all seemed to hesitate. "He's a waste of resources. As far as things go, he's already dead," David said. Gavin resisted the urge to lash out at him, mainly because he knew what he was saying was true. "He's not dead yet," he whispered in a low voice. David sighed. "Whatever, but if anything happens it's on your heads." David poked Gavin in the chest and looked at Pike, both men nodded. "Now, can we please get out of this place?" Another member of the group asked. As mongo hopped out of the van, the group headed for city limits as fast as possible. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Survivors Ch. 04 So it was pointed out to me in the last chapter that I seemed to have made a mistake in which one to post, and it ended up posting the last few pages of the chapter before it. This is the correct chapter and instead of making you all wait for the finished product (This has actually been finished for years, I just have taken forever and a half to upload it) I decided to just post it all at once, hence the length of this chapter. It's actually supposed to be four or five chapters separately. I'm sure you won't have too many complaints, though. Enjoy, and keep your eye out for my brand new story coming out soon! ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Pike stumbled and fell to the ground. He supported himself with his arms and knees as his head spun. He felt Gavins arms wrap around him and pull him back to his feet, his knees buckling again and he was supported completely by Gavin, as he swung him up and into his arms. Pikes head rolled against his chest as he was carried, feeling Gavins heavy footsteps take them a couple of steps farther. He knew Gavin was tired too, it was hot, they had run out of water the day before, and everyone in the group other than Gavin had agreed that giving Pike any of their resources was a waste, so he had gone two days with no water, and no food. "We can stop here, it's too hot to continue walking with no water." David said. Pike felt Gavin tremble, as his knees buckled and he dropped Pike to the ground. Pike groaned as he rolled a couple of times and stopped. "Pike, I'm sorry, are you okay?" Gavin put a hand on his shoulder, Pike couldn't open his eyes. The sun was too bright and everything would spin and he would only pass out, talking was out of the question too, so he just nodded his head slowly. Gavin pulled him up, resting him against what felt like a brick wall. Pike finally forced his eyes open and regretted it instantly, the room spun and he felt like he had chugged a bottle of tequila. If there was anything in his stomach to throw up, he would have. "I'm going to go look for something for you to drink." Gavin put his hand on Pikes arm. Pike used what was left of his strength to reach for Gavins hand. "Too...dangerous..." he whispered, throat raw and dry. His lips were cracked and bleeding, and his tongue felt like sandpaper. Even Mongo barely kept up with the group, as if the two were tied together. He now lay in Pikes lap, panting. "He's right, we're just outside of Reno. We need supplies but you can't go alone..." David looked around the group. Only Pike, Dana, himself, Gavin, his daughter, and two or three other stray people they had gathered back in L.A. remained. Their group had shrunk down to almost nothing. "I'll go, Dana will handle things here, and you two." He pointed to two people who stood in the back of the small run down hotel room, he doubted the hotel was anything to ooh and aah at before the apocalypse. "You two come too." THe two seemed shocked, but nodded quietly. "I'll be back soon, alright. Just relax." Gavin kissed Pike on his forehead, and left. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Gavin threw the two water bottles they had found in his bag, and they continued scavenging. The city was picked clean, even more so than the usual wasteland of a town they saw while traveling. They had been scavenging for nearly three hours and had come up with the two water bottles, one only half full, and nothing else. "This place is dead, even more dead than usual." David grumbled. "Well, we're only on the outskirts of town...maybe if we go in deeper." Gavin said carefully. "No, we can't risk it." David snapped. Gavin nodded. It was weird not being 'in charge' anymore. But he didn't exactly feel like it was a giant loss. He knew what David felt now, the concern for the group was the only thing on his mind. "Do you hear that?" David stopped walking. Gavin pulled himself away from his thoughts and perked up his ears. "Hear what?" He asked, being 'shushed' by David immediately. Then he heard it. "That..." David whispered. "Is that..." Gavins eyes lit up. "Music?" One of the two they brought along with them spoke out loud. Gavins heart fluttered, it was very faint, but even he could practically feel Iron Maidens 'Hallowed be thy name' pumping through his veins. He looked over at David and saw his eyes watering, he was crying. "I never thought I would hear music again..." He whispered. For a solid minute they simply stood there, listening. Then Gavin frowned. "Why are we hearing music? There must be other survivors here." He grabbed the gun at his side and readied himself. "Why would they be playing music? A drained would hear them from a mile away!" The man who had announced what they were hearing earlier said. "Maybe..." David trailed off. "Maybe they have supplies." He said quietly. They were all thinking it, he just had to be the one to say it. Since leaving L.A. they hadn't been forced to be 'that group' yet. The group of marauding savages that killed for what they needed. Yet. "We'll just go see, maybe they'll want to join us." "Or we join them..." Someone offered, Gavin wasn't sure anymore who was talking, he was too wrapped up in the music. "Just keep your heads low and we'll see what the situation is." David said, he tucked his gun back into the front of his jeans, and headed towards the sound the music was coming from. At first it was hard to pinpoint where the sound was coming from, but when they turned the next corner, heading deeper into the city, it was pretty obvious. In the middle of the city, was a park. The park must have been popular before the apocalypse, green grass and a small pond. Gavin guessed it must have been occupied by ducks, or fish, before hand. But now the grass was dead, and only a few brown patches remained at the edges, and the pond was filled with a sickening brownish liquid Gavin feared was now used as a bathroom, since he could smell the foul mixture from where he stood more than a block away. The next horrid smell to reach his nose was that of the dead, piles and piles of corpses covered the street, some drained and some human. But the most impressive thing was the 18 wheelers turned on their side to form a large wall around the park. There was a small gap between two of the Semis, apparently an entrance to the park behind the overturned trucks. It was covered with barbed wire, and traffic spikes, several limbs from drained stuck to the metal coils and were rotting away. The trucks themselves had wire covering the top, with several men on each side of the truck with guns pointed down, scanning for any enemies. "Wow...." Gavin whispered. "Talk about firepower..." David muttered. "It's pretty impressive, 'innit?" Gavin froze as he felt the barrel of a gun pressed into the back of his head. He assumed David and the others felt the same thing since not a single breath escaped, it was as if they were frozen in time. "Move." he felt the gun jab him in the back of the head, giving him a headache. They stepped out from the side of the building and Gavin was allowed to see their capturers. Three men and one woman stood behind them. "We don't want any trouble, we just heard the music..." Gavin said. "Well, considering you obviously haven't been here long, I'm guessin' y'all are nomads..." The woman spoke again. "But where's your supplies, and the rest of your group I assume. There's no way you would travel with a group this small...too dangerous. I assume since you've survived this long you're not complete morons." She chewed on a toothpick. Gavin glanced at David who looked at him silently. "Well? I'm waitin'." She said, shoving Gavin with the gun again. "We were just scavenging for supplies, we didn't know this place was taken...We'll leave." Gavin said. "That wasn't my question. Where's your group and supplies?" She asked again. "I don't know what you're talking about." Gavin said. "Alright then." He heard the gun cock behind him and shut his eyes. "They're in the old run down hotel outside town, by the highway." He opened his eyes to see David pointing in the direction of their group. "David!" Gavin snapped. He heard the woman laugh behind him. "Wow, strong group ya' got here, bud." The gun was pulled away from his head. "Maybe you're willing to die for a bunch of strangers, but I'm not." David said quietly. "You're forgetting that group of strangers has your wife and kid in it." Gavin snapped, David looked guilty but his face didn't give any other emotion away. "Move." The woman jabbed them in their heads again, forcing them to move towards the large barricade of trucks. A loud howl pierced the air and Gavin glanced to see three Drained sprinting towards them, shouting and snarling. Gavins eyes went wide and he began to back up, David doing the same. "I said move!" The woman nudged them again, not even looking at the Drained. "Are you insane?" Gavin couldn't decide if he should run and risk getting shot, or stay and definitely get mauled to death. "Shut your mouth and keep walking." She rested her finger on the trigger. Gavin, dripping beads of sweat, did as she said and walked, eyes shut as he waited for the clawing biting users to reach them. Three shots rang out, within milliseconds of each other and he looked up to see that none of their capturers had moved their guns, but the many men on the semis were focused on the now bleeding out drained. Before he realized what was happening he was shoved into the enclosed used-to-be-park. He couldn't believe how many people were in the park. It was more people than he had seen in a long time. "Holy shit." David whispered. They didn't have power, but there were several torches lining the 'streets' which were just cleared out rows that people were walking on. Kids chased each other in circles, running after mostly flat basketballs. Men and women walked the streets with guns on their backs and holsters on their hips. Even though everyone in their small group carried at least two guns and one close range weapon, they looked undergeared compared to the people wandering the streets. "Excuse the excess of weapons. There's a hole in our walls somewhere and drained keep getting in. People are nervous." The woman holding a gun to Gavins head muttered. Gavin walked along as they were led to a bus in the center of the 'town'. Unlike the busses that made up the walls of the town, this bus sat on its wheels as any bus should. The windows were cleaned but were covered in barbed wire and fortified with crudely welded bars. Each rim was decorated with foot long metal spikes, covered in blood and a few fleshy bits. Other than that it looked like an average school bus. It even had the words 'Mcmanus Elementary' printed on the side in black writing. "Inside." The woman pushed Gavin in first, followed by the others. "Sit." She said, and they all took a seat in the rows of uncomfortable blood-stained seats. Her and her small possy of men stared at them carefully for a few minutes. "Who are you?" She finally asked. David opened his mouth to speak and she shushed him before he could even get out a word. "I was talking to your leader." She pointed at Gavin. "I am the leader." David frowned. The woman leaned on the drivers seat of the bus and laughed. "You might think you're a leader, but you're not. Who are you?" She asked, directly at Gavin this time. "My names Gavin, we're just a small group making our way through the city. We are just passing through." He said. She stared at him coldly. "Where are you headed?" She asked. "Canada." She scoffed at his answer. "Why not just stick it out and wait for rescue?" She asked. "We were, at first. We came from L.A." He said. "We ran out of food in the store we were holed out in, and then our place got over run by an original user." He explained. "An original user? We haven't seen any of those yet..." She mumbled. "Are they a pain?" "A pain? Yeah, I guess you could put it like that." He said, remembering the large lumbering man who had easily thrown a car half a block just by bumping it with his hip. "We have food, and water. You're free to stay here as long as you want." She said, before heading for the exit. "Wait, what? You bring us in here at gunpoint and then tell us we're free to go?" Gavin said, confused. "If any of you decide to stay that just adds more to our numbers, which is good. If you decide to leave then thats your choice. We try to keep some sense of civilization here, and although helping others is a thing of the past in most places, it's not here." She said. "What's your name?" Gavin asked. "Ariel." She smiled, and stepped off the bus. "This bitch is crazy." David muttered. "But she has water...what more could we ask for than that?" One of the two men they had brought along with them stood up and ran off the bus, his feet hitting the dirt and he headed for the nearest building. Gavin watched as seconds later he came back with a full bottle of water. Even though his brain screamed at him to be cautious, watch the mans Adams apple bob as he swallowed the water made him almost cry he was so jealous. Finally, he couldn't take it anymore and he followed David and the third man off the bus and into the building. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Gavin had begun to worry about Pike and the rest of the group when he had reached his third bottle of water. Which just so happened to be the time when his small group was led into the city by three armed guards. One of which was carrying Pike in his arms like a small child. "Pike." Gavin ran over to the guard and took Pike into his own hands. "He ain't lookin' so good." Ariel walked up behind Gavin. "Here, baby. Have some water." Gavin flipped the top of his own bottle open and carefully poured some of the clear liquid into Pikes mouth. He coughed and sputtered before greedily drinking all of the water in the bottle. "You said you had food?" Gavin looked up at Ariel. "He hasn't eaten in days." "Yeah, right in there." Ariel pointed to a small shack across the 'street'. Gavin carried pike into the shack and saw it resembled an old diner. He set him down in a booth and Ariel set down a plate with, and Gavin had a hard time believing what he was seeing, a steak. Not only was the steak still steaming it was so fresh, a pile of fries and a small dollop of ketchup decorated the plate. "Oh my god." David muttered. "Holy shit." Pike muttered. "Even in my delirious steak...er...state...I can't believe that shits real." "I can smell it, it's most definitely real." Someone in the back of the group whimpered. Gavin cut off a piece of the medium rare steak and fed the first bite to Pike, who melted even further into his arms. "Oh good god I never thought I would taste steak again." He groaned. As Gavin fed himself a bite he melted just as Pike had. "How?" He asked Ariel. "We got a butcher here in town. Lucky enough to have caught us a few steers from a ranch outside of town. Slaughtered two of 'em fresh this mornin'." She drawled. "We cook it all over a fire pit on the north side of the park." She explained. "Got a small garden growing, barely enough to keep us all alive, but we got potatoes, carrots, some other veggies here and there." She pointed to the fries. "Feel free to have some." She nodded towards the rest of the group who quickly dug into their own plates brought to them by the armed men who patrolled the 'town'. "This is incredible." He muttered. "Yeah, it's a little hard for most people to believe when they first get here. Most don't want to leave." She said, sitting down across from Gavin and Pike. "I can see that." Gavin smiled, and Ariel smiled back. Pike looked at them back and forth before sitting up on his own in the booth, and taking another bite of steak. "Yeah, I could see that. But, we have a plan. Sorry to disappoint." He growled, over his bite of steak. "Of course, Gavin told me all about it. But just stay here a couple of days and rest up before moving on your way. Wouldn't want anything bad to happen to y'all." She winked at Gavin before walking out. Now that the two men sat alone in the booth together, Pike scoffed and rolled his eyes. "Did you see that?" He asked. "See what?" Gavin asked, watching Ariel walk around outside and chat with people. "The way she was looking at you. She looked at you like you looked at that steak." Pike said, as he ate the last bite. "What? You're crazy. Not more than an hour ago she had a gun to my head." Gavin said, eating a few fries. "Yeah, right. Don't you remember when you were in Junior high and when you liked someone you were a total ass to them?" Pike asked. "Pike, you're dehydrated and starving, shut up and eat your fries." Gavin pushed a fry into Pikes mouth, and went back to watching Ariel through the window. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ "This is ridiculous, what does she have that I don't?" Pike asked out loud, as he watched Gavin and Ariel down below. He had taken a liking to sitting on the tall branches of the trees that covered the town. Right now Gavin was helping Ariel plant some new vegetables, he had done nothing but help her in the four days they had been in what the locals had named 'parktown'. "Boobs?" David asked, as he leaned up against the tree, looking up at Pike. "Shut up." Pike snapped. "Pussy?" David laughed. Pike took off his shoe and hurled it at the man below, as he ran off laughing. He sighed and jumped down out of the tree, followed by Mongo. He pulled his boot back on and leaned against the tree the same way David had. Mongo meowed at him and Pike bent down to pick him up, petting him as he held him close to his chest. "She's crazy. If all I had to do was put a gun to Gavins head to get him to like me I should have had him from day one in that diner." Pike grumbled, as Mongo purred, hugging Pikes chest. "I knew it was a stupid idea. This world doesn't have any space for love anymore. Just hate and a lot of bullets." He sighed and dropped the cat back down to the dirt as Gavin and Ariel walked up. "Hey, Pike." Gavin pulled Pike to his side and kissed his forehead. "Hey." He grumbled. "Ariel is going to do another patrol of the wall, drained are still slipping through somewhere, and I was going to help her. Want to come?" He asked. "I'd rather shoot myself in the foot." He whispered. Gavin rolled his eyes. "Okay, I'll be back in an hour or so. Wait for me in the bus?" Gavin asked. Pike nodded and watched the two walk off. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ "So, how long have you and Pike been together?" Ariel asked as they walked along the wall of buses. "Since L.A. He's the one who helped us escape the original user, and the one who let us tag along with him to Canada." Gavin explained. "That's cool, but I meant, together together." She smiled. "Oh, uh." Gavin blushed. "Not very long. Back in Vegas some shit went down in our group and it brought us together, in a weird way." Gavin said. "Hm, interesting. You don't look gay to me." She laughed. "I don't know, I've never really been the labels kind of guy." He shrugged. "Right. So you do like women?" She asked. "I've dated a few, yeah," Gavin shoved his hands in his pockets. "Interesting." She nodded, and they continued to walk in silence. "So, tell me about the original user you guys encountered back in L.A. what are they like?" She asked. "Big, and with a bad attitude. He definitely wasn't a happy camper." Gavin shook his head. "Are they as mean as regular drained?" Ariel asked. "Meaner. They're basically like drained on steroids." Gavin laughed. "God, I can't imagine dealing with one of them. It's still hard to believe how all of this went down, you know? Like everyone just thought it was another drug craze sweeping the nation and then...." She looked around before making a 'boom' sound and miming and explosion with her hands. Survivors Ch. 04 "Yeah, it's crazy." Gavin nodded. "Sometimes I think about how things used to be and think about how much they've changed. But then I look at a situation and realize nothings changed. It's the same ol' drama with dirty clothes and no cheeseburgers." Gavin laughed. "Depends where you're at, we have a hand crank meat grinder here, you know." Ariel nudged him. "Cows to make cheese, too." "Damn that sounds nice." He laughed. "It is, you should stay. You're no nomad. You were forced out of your permanent home, but this could be your home now." She said. "No, I couldn't leave Pike. I think I love him." Gavin smiled down at the 'town'. A few specks of people walked by and he knew somewhere down there was Pike, waiting for him. "Theres no room for love in the world now, Gavin." Ariel said. "I disagree, I think that's exactly what the world needs right now." Gavin said, as they strolled around the large wall that surrounded Parktown. It was made up of scraps of metal and barbed wire. Where they had gotten so many supplies Gavin would never know. "Hm, if you says so." She shrugged. "What's with that cat he always has trailing behind him?" She asked, looking down at the small groups of people. Gavin followed her gaze and finally spotted Pike sitting on the roof of one of the small buildings, Mongo sitting by his side. "I don't know. His names Mongo. He and Pike are just two of a kind I guess." Gavin shrugged. "Weird... I never did really like ca-" Ariel was interrupted in mid sentence by a loud roar. They both looked up to see the sickening sight of one of the walls bending like it was made of rubber, before it collapsed. A cloud of dust rose up, and everything was oddly still for a moment. Everyone in the town was froze, looking at the brown cloud that swarmed around the fence line. Ariel and Gavin were silent, the only sound that could be heard were their pounding hearts and ragged breath. Before the dust could settle a very large bare foot stepped over the fallen fence and the figure attached to it moved into sight. It roared and it didn't take Gavin long to realize that it wasn't a regular Drained. "You were wondering what an original user was like?" He asked. He heard Ariel swallow loudly. Suddenly hell broke loose, and the original user took a running start, heading towards the first group of people it saw. Before they could even react, it pulled back a large muscled arm and slammed it into the crowd, sending four people flying. Gavin and Ariel broke into a run, heading for the town below. As they reached the first rows of buildings, the danger increased as a hoard of thirty or more Drained stormed through the same destroyed fence. Gunfire lit up the dust that now covered the town and screams could be heard everywhere. Ariel called out orders, demanding everyone retreat to an emergency exit behind the town somewhere. "Pike?! Pike where are you?" Gavin shouted of the crowd. "Gavin?" Pikes voice came to his ears, though it was impossible to tell from what direction it came. Gavin turned, unable to see in the dust and finally he took off in a random direction and prayed it was the right one. He stepped on something and heard a yowl and a hiss, he looked down to see a long tail under his boot. "Mongo! Where's Pike?" He asked the cat, scooping him up into his arms. "Gavin!" This time Pikes call wasn't questioning, it was begging. He wasn't looking for Gavin, he was crying out for help. Gavin found one of the small buildings that littered the town and dropped Mongo onto the ground. The cat ran off into the dust and Gavin began scaling the uneven wall of the building. Soon he stood above the dust and was able to see most of what was happening. Drained covered the town. Groups of people hid behind men with assault rifles and shotguns. Some ran blindly away from the town only to be chased down by the much faster drained. Gavin saw all of this and more, but the one thing he didn't see was Pike. He scanned the crowd and finally his eyes landed on Pike, unconscious on the ground underneath a large oak tree. Even from the distance Gavin could see blood pooling around him. He cursed silently and jumped from the roof of the building. His ankles protested the rough landing but he ignored the pain as he forced his way through the crowd, shoving past men and women and punching Drained if they even looked his way. Finally he arrived at the small grassy clearing that Pike sat under. He shook him quickly and swore. "Pike. Pike! Wake up damn you!" He shook the thin shoulders under his hands. Pike moaned and his eyes fluttered open. "Where did that asshat with the crowbar go? He's going to taste lead." Pike grumbled and reached for his twin pistols on his hips. "Forget about that, we need to go." Gavin pulled him up and as he turned to find a fast escape route, he was met with the cold eyes of an original user. "Oh fuck." They both whispered. The user roared and turned its large body to face the two men. As it began to charge, Pike pulled out his pistols, standing shakily on his own two feet. Gavin reached for the shotgun he had slung across his back and cocked the large gun. He took aim and waited for the creature to get closer. Pike began firing, his own weapons capable of longer range than the shotgun. The bullets sunk into gray flesh but did little to slow the behemoth. Pikes pistols made a hollow clicking sound and he swore, fumbling to reload the guns. Gavin fired, only getting two shots off before his own gun was empty. The behemoth was now only ten feet away and closing. Pike looked up into the cold eyes, seeing his death nearing rapidly. Suddenly a flash of orange and white streaked across the dusty air and the original user spiraled to the side, roaring. Gavin took the chance and dropped his shotgun, pulling Pike by the hand towards the exit that Ariel had been yelling about. As he tripped over his own feet Pike looked back to see Mongo hissing and clawing at the users face. The monster swung blindly, falling into buildings and trees as the cat clawed at its eyes and scurred over its shoulder, jumping onto a tree to try to escape now that Pike had gotten a chance to escape. "Mongo..." Pike pulled against Gavins hand. "Pike, I know you love him but he's just a cat we have to go!" Gavin shouted and pulled harder. They approached the fence where one piece of sheet metal was being held open by Ariel who ushered them through. Gavin stepped through first and began pulling Pike through the hole. "No!" Pike finally snapped out of his trance and yanked his wrist from Gavins. "I won't leave him!" He shouted and ran back towards the user. "Pike you fucker get back here!" Gavin shouted and dashed through the fence, but was shocked when David, Ariel, and several others held him back. "Gavin we can't wait, they'll see us soon, we need to go, there's no way he's going to make it back." Ariel said. "You don't know Pike." Gavin said. They watched as Pike ran back towards the original user, throwing his pistols to gavin as he ran. The lumbering mass of gray flesh stood, wiping the blood out of its eyes, searching for the cat that hid in the tall branches of the tree. Finally it spotted him and reached for the cat, who hissed and swiped at the gray hand that was easily three times the size of its own furred body. Without a second of hesitation, Pike grabbed a knife out of the hand of one of the fallen citizens of Parktown and ran towards a parked car only five feet or so behind the behemoth. Several Drained had spotted him and were hot on his heels. He jumped onto the hood of the car, scrambling up the windshield onto the roof and kicked off the edge of it, landing on the back of the original user. He dug the knife into the gray flesh, forcing a roar from the beast below him. Mongo yowled as the branch he was standing on was released by the user and it shook and swayed from the backlash. The monster tried to reach onto its own back to pull Pike off but was unable to grab him, missing by only centimeters. Pike lifted himself onto the large shoulders and held out his arms. "Come here, Mongo." The cat ran daintily across the branch and leaped into Pikes arms. Pike took a step back, his foot planted between the monsters shoulder blades. He got a two step start, using the gray bald head as a springboard, he launched himself onto the roof of a nearby building. Just as he kicked off the original users head, the rest of the Drained had finally caught up to him, and launched themselves off the same car, landing on top of the user. Five or more drained hit him on the back, bouncing off like blunt darts. They landed on their asses on the ground and crawled back up to their feet in time to see the original user turn and growl loudly at them. They roared in return and the user lashed out at them. The car was sent flying into the wall of a building and several more Drained came to back up their own kind. Soon it was a group of fifteen or so Drained growling and hissing at the single user, who would take out two or three with a single fling of his arm. As badly as Pike wanted to stay and watch the outcome of the fight, he knew the winner wouldn't be satisfied with the one win. He took off, jumping from rooftop to rooftop. His ankles and knees screamed and his arms burned from holding Mongo so tight. He dropped the cat onto the roof beneath his feet. Mongo meowed happily and ran along side him, soon taking the lead. He led Pike through the dust and debris towards the fence, sliding through the gap Gavin held open and Pike followed less than a second behind. Both Pike and Mongo panted, Mongos small pink tongue hanging out from his mouth, and Pike resting his hands on his knees as he tried to catch his breath. "He's not just a cat." Pike swiped back his pistols from Gavin, and walked slowly as he returned the holsters to his hips. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Mongo frolicked alongside Pike as the group walked down the highway. Empty cars littered the road, and they walked around them, searching for supplies as they went. Since the attack on Parktown, Ariel and her crew had taken up with Gavin's group. Now twenty people strong, it took a lot more supplies to fuel their little group. A lot of supplies, and a lot of lies. "Gavin, I think Pike is getting sick," she whispered in his ear, they both glanced over at the pale man who had his hands bunched into fists inside the long sleeved black shirt he wore. He was sweating as if he had a fever and his steps were uneven. His glazed over eyes stared at the ground. They had left Portland four days ago and were just now approaching Seattle. Gavin could practically taste freedom. The groups had been together over a week but it wasn't making things any easier. It had been several days since Pike's last fix, but that didn't distract him from the attention Ariel was giving Gavin. They constantly got into fights, usually over nothing. "Don't think I'm through with you just yet," Pike grumbled and leaned against a wall. Since the second group had joined theres, Gavin's group had agreed to keep Pike's... condition... a secret. Gavin didn't know how much longer he could keep it under wraps. His half of the group had been searching for a vial of the drug for days but were unable to find anything. As they got closer to the border between the states and Canada, they saw signs of more military presence. More tanks littered the streets, dead soldiers, drained in soldiers uniforms, guns, even some in Canadian military apparel. It was obvious the government had tried to contain the riots and outbreaks closer to the border, it looked like they had been pushed back. "Gavin," David called him over. The group stopped and took a rest, while Gavin and David talked to the side. Gavin kept his eye on Pike, who took the chance to go behind a destroyed car and vomit. "What's up?" he asked. "There's a police station around the corner, I saw the sign awhile back. We might be able to find something for him there, they confiscated a lot of that shit when everything went down." David looked towards Pike who was sitting on the sidewalk, against a car tire. A puddle of puke was a few feet away from him, gray swirls staining the liquid. "How do we explain it to the others though?" Gavin asked. "Tell them we're looking for weapons, it wouldn't hurt either. We're damn near out of ammo." David checked the clip in his pistol before pushing it back in. "Good plan. Okay, everyone," he said, turning back to the group. "There's a police station down the block. Keep your eyes open for weapons and any other supplies," Gavin said, loud enough to have their attention but quiet enough so that he wouldn't attract any unwanted attention. The group nodded and gave a mumble and groan as they stood up and began walking in the direction David led them in. Gavin, Pike, and Ariel took up the rear. Mostly because Pike couldn't keep up. Gavin was watching Pike, and Ariel was watching Gavin. "You okay?" Gavin asked, letting Pike lean on him as they walked. "Fine," Pike said, his breath labored. Gavin could feel him shaking under his arm. He pushed up his sleeve, careful not to let Ariel see. His veins were varying shades of black and gray, and they pulsed heavily. "Liar." Gavin gave a sad smile. "I will be," Pike mumbled, tripping over his own feet. "Easy." Gavin stopped, and lifted Pike into his arms, cradling him like a baby. Pike wrapped his arms around his neck and held on tight, but not soon after his head rolled back and he passed out into a feverish sleep. "Gavin, we need to leave him, he's slowing us down," Ariel whispered, once Pike was out. "It's not happening, we take care of our own here," Gavin muttered, breaking into a sweat from carrying Pike. "Fine, but don't let him drag you down, Gavin." Ariel shook her head. "I heard that," Pike grumbled, eyes still closed. "Quiet you, go back to sleep," Gavin instructed, now covered in a fair sheen of sweat. Pike moaned quietly and fell asleep again. "Gavin, I'm going ahead with a small group," David said. "We'll wait here," Gavin said, after assigning a small group to go with David. The rest of the group sat down, all holding guns and keeping their eyes open for any Drained. They sat in a small circle with dusty cars in an uneven circle around them. Blood spattered the windshields of three of them and one of the doors was left open on another, the battery long dead. "Do you think..." the voice went silent suddenly, when the man realized the whole group turned to stare at him, even the half conscious Pike. "Do you think... I mean it's obvious they couldn't hold down the fort here. Do you think Canada is still even... I dunno..." He didn't finish the thought, and he didn't need to, the same thought had been running through all of their heads here. They had all had some small glimmer of hope that there was some sort of control this close to the border, but it was obvious there wasn't. "Of course, I mean we have to take a ferry to get across to Victoria, there's no way the drained made it past that, right? And on the land to land borders, there's like an actual border, I mean a wall and stuff right? They could just lock it down and nothing could get in or out, right?" someone else chimed in. Gavin didn't know the two men, they had come with Ariel's group. "Yeah, of course," Someone else answered. They all nodded silently, not really believing what they had said. David and the others returned quickly, a few bags in tow. "There wasn't much, I mean, they cleared out the police stations and hospitals first when the shit hit the fan, so it was pretty cleaned out," David said. "Did you find any?" Pikes rough voice rose to the groups ears. He had been lying on the ground on his back, but now he had flipped over onto his stomach and one of his pale gray arms was stretched out towards David, fingers grasping at the air. Gavin could see him shaking uncontrollably and his eyes were clouded and his veins were now completely black. "Find any what?" Ariel asked, looking at Pike. "What's wrong with him? He's not contagious is he?" Her eyes went wide and about half the group stepped away from Pike. "Please..." Pike clawed his way to Davids boots, grasping at the legs of his jeans. The sight made Gavin sick. It was easy to forget Pike was a junkie when he was 'high' so to speak. He looked and acted fine. But a few days without drain and he began to look and act like something out of 'Night of the Living Dead'. David looked from Gavin to Ariel, and finally his eyes landed back on Pike. He reached into his pocket and pulled out a small ziploc bag with two half filled gray vials inside. Pikes eyes went wide and with an animalistic grunt he pulled his upper body up higher, reaching for the vials. He still fell a couple inches short and he swiped at air desperately, drooling down the front of his black shirt. David, with a disgusted look, dropped the bag onto the group. It landed in front of Pike, who tore it open with his teeth, ignoring the ziploc seal and quickly opened the top to one of the vials. He tossed it backed, letting the dusty mercury-looking liquid slip down his throat. "The fuck!?" Several of the new people swore. Pike coughed and dropped the glass vial. It shattered on the concrete and he put his head down onto the warm asphalt. He sighed and clenched and unclenched his fists. His skin faded back to a dark tan color, and his hair got its sheen back. His veins disappeared beneath the bright skin, and he just generally looked brighter. It was as if someone had flipped a technicolor switch on an old black and white movie. He pocketed the other vial and stood up, with the help of Gavin. "He's a fucking user?" Ariel pulled a gun on Pike, and then suddenly there were guns everywhere. What was left of Ariel's group aimed at Pike, and Gavins group aimed at Ariel. Everything went silent as the standoff continued for several minutes. "Ariel, drop the guns. He's fine, look at him. He's not turning into some muscle head junkie anytime soon. It's a long story," Gavin explained. Mongo hissed at Ariel and stood in front of Pike as if he was guarding him. "You all are seriously okay with this?" she addressed the rest of the group, ignoring Gavin. "No, but we don't have a whole lot of a choice. Even if it's not perfect, this is our family now and we stick by our family. Gavin and Pike have saved our lives more than once and we owe them some courtesy," David said, the unofficial leader of a group within a group. "You're fucking crazy," Ariel swore. "Gavin, cut the shit. You like me and I like you, come with me and we'll be fine. The rest of your group can come, but not him," she said, staring at Pike, who scoffed at her. "Bitch please..." he sighed. "Pike, quiet," Gavin shushed him, receiving an angry glare. "I love Pike, Ariel. We're just friends, I thought you knew that?" Gavin shook his head. "Gavin, he's a user. He's a danger to everyone here-" "Okay listen up, sugar queen. I'm sick of this shit. Ever since you dragged us into your little kingdom at gun point you've been all over him. Are you deaf? He just said you have no chance with him. How does it feel that he picks a drug addict over you, that's gotta hurt, huh?" Pike said, stepping away from Gavin so that Ariels gun was pressed up against his collarbone. "He's just confused, he doesn't know what he really wants," Ariel scowled. "Really? Are we pulling the 'it's just a phase' card now? He's like 30!" Pike snapped. "Hey... wait... what, how old do you think I am?" Gavin frowned at Pike. "Shut up, I'm busy beating sluts off you with a stick," it was Pike's turn to shush him. Gavin scowled at him. "I'm 25..." he grumbled. "You're a danger to everyone here, one day you're going to drink that shit and you're going to turn, just like everyone else," she whispered. Survivors Ch. 04 "Don't count on it, bitch." Gavin's eyes went wide as Pike and Ariel stared down. He never knew Pike could get so catty. "Come on, we're leaving." Ariel holstered the pistol she had pointed at Pike and turned, the rest of her group following. "Gavin, are we just going to let them go? We're stronger with them with us," David whispered. "We don't have a choice, come on," Gavin said, and the group picked up their supplies before walking off in the opposite direction as Ariel's group. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ "This is nice," Pike laughed as he shut the door to their room. Shortly after they split up from Ariel, the sun began to set and they looked for a place to stay for the night. They had found a hotel that, for some reason or another, remained untouched by the drained and was still locked down. Other than a few broken windows were people had snuck in and looted anything good, it was empty. It was secure enough that the group decided to take a bit of luxury and get their own rooms. The few couples in the group shared and the single people got their own. Privacy was something that most of them had completely forgotten about since everything had started. It was rare to even go to the bathroom alone, much less sleep and change clothes alone. Well, Gavin wasn't completely alone. As he stripped off his shirt and readied himself for bed, Pike stared at him from a chair near the door. He watched as Gavin bent a dropped his pants, leaving him in only a pair of boxers. He licked his lips at the slight tent in the material as Gavin looked over his shoulder at Pike. "Are you looking at my ass?" Gavin asked. "No," Pike said honestly, a turned his head a bit so he could get a better look at Gavin's bulge. "You're awful." Gavin laughed as Pikes own jeans began to tent. "Hey, I'm only human," He shrugged. Mongo had been sleeping on the bed and looked up as Pike walked over and picked him up. "Out," he whispered, and put Mongo on the fire escape outside the window. The cat meowed once and then ran off when he noticed another cat in the alley below. Gavin laughed and watched as Pike unbuttoned his own shirt. "Oooh, the kid is at a sleepover and the adults have the house to themselves?" Gavin pulled Pike close to him once the shirt was off. "Yep." Pikes hand immediately went down to Gavins crotch and grabbed the prize he found there. Gavin let his head roll back as he squeezed Pike's ass above his jeans. "These are annoying," he growled, and unbuttoned the offending clothing. He yanked them down and was greeted with Pike's tight green briefs. His erection could be easily seen underneath the thin material and it only grew by the second as Gavin returned to squeezing Pike's firm ass. "A room to ourselves. We're not going to get this chance again for a loooong time," Pike said, as he laid his head against Gavin's strong chest. "Nope, better make the best of it," Gavin whispered, and pushed Pike back onto the bed. He yanked the briefs down and Pike's erection slapped his stomach loudly. He wiggled underneath Gavin's hungry eyes and gasped when he felt Gavin's hot mouth swallow his entire cock. He groaned and thrusted his hips into Gavin's mouth. Gavin sucked him eagerly, making Pike moan and squirm. He reached up his hands and massaged his chest as he sucked, before running his hands all the way up past Pike's collar bone and released his cock from his mouth, kissing Pike firmly on the lips while caressing his face. Pike could taste himself on Gavin's tongue but didn't care, the kiss was so sweet it would have made him swoon had he been standing. He pressed two hands against Gavins chest and pushed him onto his back on the bed. He straddled his waist, feeling Gavin's cock slide between his firm ass cheeks. Gavin grabbed his hips and Pike felt his cock twitch in excitement. Pike began to tease Gavin, wiggling his hips and letting his cock ooze precum onto his chest. Gavin growled and rolled them over again, pushing his legs up to his chest. Pike grunted and felt the head of Gavin's cock at his entrance. "Forgetting something?" he giggled, and stuck his tongue out. Gavin growled and reached onto the floor, pulling a bottle of lube out of a pair of jeans. "Expecting this were you?" Pike said, shocked. "Oh don't play innocent, these were from your jeans." He held up a row of condoms. Pike blushed and smiled. Gavin let Pike's legs drop, and rolled a rubber onto his cock. Pike took the chance to swing one leg over his shoulders and turn himself onto his stomach. He pressed his face onto the mattress and wiggled his bare ass in the air. "I'm waiting," he taunted in a sing song voice. Gavin bit his bottom lip with an evil smile and tore the cap off the small bottle of lube. He pushed the tip of the tube into Pike's small opening, making him gasp, and squeezed. When he was sure Pike had a fair amount of lubrication, he tossed the bottle aside and lined himself up. Grabbing Pike's hips, he slowly pushed his hard cock inside Pike's tight channel. Pike let out a long, low moan as he was filled in one fluid push. Soon he felt Gavin's balls slap his ass and the hard length stopped deep inside him. He gasped and panted his pleasure as his cock dripped precum beneath them. "God you're tight," Gavin grunted. "..big..." was the only word Pike could gasp as Gavin pulled his cock from his ass, and pushed in again. Soon they picked up the steady rhythm of fucking and Gavin had Pike moaning for release. Pike gripped the sheets as Gavin fucked him steadily, before reaching one hand down to stroke his cock. Gavin slapped his hand away and began stroking it for him. Pike gasped as he came, his cock spurting cum into Gavin's hand. He cried out as Gavin fucked him harder, grabbing his hips and grunting as he filled the condom with his own cum. Pike whimpered and ground his ass back on Gavin's cock as he came. As Gavin slipped out, Pike whined at the empty feeling inside him. He rolled over, onto Gavins chest and watched as Gavin licked his cum off of his hand. He pulled the condom off and tied it before throwing it in the trash across the room. He hugged Pike tight to his chest and Pike shut his eyes, breathing in the scent of sex. "God that was good," he sighed. Their release came quick, but it was something both of them had needed and neither were disappointed. "Hell yeah it was," Gavin laughed, and massaged Pike's flaccid cock. "Ugh, don't' get me started again." Pike groaned and rolled, pressing his back to Gavin's chest and his ass to his cock. "You're no fun," he whispered, and kissed Pike behind his ear before they fell asleep. ~~~~~~~~~~~ Pike yawned as the morning sun shone on his eyes. He stretched and opened his eyes and froze as he looked down the barrel of a rifle. "Uh... Gavin." He nudged his sleeping lover. "Huh?" he groaned, face in the pillow. "Wake up." He nudged him harder. "Ow, don't hit-" He rolled over to glare at Pike and was greeted with a rifle of his own. "Hello..." he said. "Get up," the soldier behind the gun ordered. They both stood up out of the bed slowly, and got dressed when they were handed their jeans and shirts. They were backed out into the hallway where the rest of their group stood with guns on them as well. A handful of soldiers, Canadian and American, held guns and watched them as they walked over to line up with the rest of their group. "Who are you?" Gavin asked. "We ask the questions," one soldier snapped. "You're soldiers, does that mean that you guys have a base somewhere? That the border held?" David said, hopefully. "No. We're holed up in a building not far from here. We got separated from our group and all of our communications broke down. We have no way of contacting them at the border," one soldier, who was clearly in charge, said. "Pat them down for any weapons." "The hell?" One soldier pulled out the small gray vial from Pike's jeans. "Yeah, that's mine," Pike replied, reaching for the vial. "You're a user?" The soldiers all turned their guns on him. "He's fine, he won't turn, we don't know why," Gavin stood up for him. "That's the biggest crock of shit I've ever heard," the soldier said and cocked his gun. "Wait, if he's telling the truth Bill will want him," a different soldier interjected, pushing the first soldier's gun down a fraction of an inch. He glared at Pike for a moment longer before dropping the gun. "Fine, we bring them to Frankenstein," he grumbled, and before they knew what was going on they were being marched out of the building. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ "Immune?" The man they called Bill stepped out from behind a stack of books. He had thick glasses on his nose, making his eyes seem unusually big. He was unshaven and his white lab coat was stained with what looked like mustard and various other substances. "That's what they say." The soldier waved his gun at Gavin and Pike. "Is it true?" he asked Pike, who only nodded. Bill's eyes went even wider and he rubbed his hands together. "Let me take some blood!" "Wait what? Hey man I don't like needles," Pike's eyes went wide. "Don't touch him!" Gavin struggled against a guards grip as the man approached Pike with a vial and a needle. "Hey I need that, that is my bodily fluid and you can't take it." Pike pulled his arm out of the doctors grip. "You have to understand. If you're immune to the effects of the drug we can possible make an antidote, a cure for this thing!" Bill explained. "Wait what?" Pike asked. "Okay everybody, just slow down, and no drawing fluids until we get the whole story," Gavin said. The soldiers nodded and Gavin was let go. "Fine, the last thing we need is more tension," the man in charge said. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Pike, Gavin, and the rest of their crew sat stunned as the soldiers finished their story. They had been planted on the border between the U.S. and Canada just as things started going out of control. When the defensive line had been pushed back even farther, they had gotten left behind. Them, and the scientists. They had been sent to the front line in the first place to study the effect of the drug and see if they could make some sort of antidote to the effects, something to calm all the people down after taking the gray liquid. They had had no such luck. Another thing they didn't have was communications with the border. In the heart of Seattle they were just out of reach of their companions, if they still held the border. "Last we heard, they were falling back and locking everything down. The U.S. was considered a dead zone," one soldier said, sadly. "But we don't know if that happened, right?" Gavin asked. "They could be taking people in still." "What people? There are no more people. You ARE the people. I'm the people. ALL THE PEOPLE ARE IN THIS FUCKING ROOM!" the soldier in charged stood up and shouted, screaming. Guns were drawn in a heartbeat and the room froze for a second before Pike relaxed. "We're all just on edge. Everyone just calm down. We're not enemies here," he said, and sat back down. Everyone else did the same, albeit slowly. "So then where do we go from here? Blood?" Gavin looked at Pike. "No. It's pointless. I don't have the tools I need here to even make a cure. The base we had before was over run a long time ago. Other than a few first aid kits, I've got jack," the doctor shrugged, and leaned on an old table. "So... then what? We head to the border? Keep going?" Pike asked. "We've tried. All the roads there are completely shut down. It's too packed with cars and trucks and blockades to even walk there. Plus in a group this size, with so much shit lying around, every time we try we end up waking at least six drained," a soldier spoke up. His name tag said 'Wilson' "Okay..." Gavin said, hesitantly. "What about not taking the roads." He stood, looking out one of the dusty windows. "What are you talking about?" Pike stepped up to him, looking out the window. His eyes went wide when he understood. In the distance, the murky water of the Puget Sound. A large black sign sat, decaying and dead from disuse, but enough letters clung to the board to make out the words 'Ferry to Victoria BC' ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ "Anyone know how to drive a boat?" Pike asked. "We'd need something bigger than a single person boat. We would have to use one of the ferries for a group this size," Gavin added. "Are there any ferries even out there?" Wilson asked. "I can see one. It's not docked though, just floating around out there. I think it's anchored..." Pike mumbled, pointing through the window. "We'll have to go get it. Pull it back in somehow... we'd also need fuel," Gavin said. "They fuel at the port, I've watched them do it again. I bet I could figure it out," one of the soldiers said. His badge said 'Rossy' and under than 'Engineer' "So if a group of us go and retrieve the boat, and a group stays here to refuel and cover our asses I bet we could be out of here in half an hour, tops," Gavin claimed. "You're all insane," the apparent leader of the soldiers, his badge said 'Steffy', spoke up. "Do you have a better idea?" Pike raised an eyebrow. He rolled his eyes and shook his head. "Good. Then lets go catch us a boat." ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ After taking a second to make a plan, they were ready. Gavin, Steffy, and David all decided to go for the ferry. There were no other boats around, so it was decided the best swimmers would go. The boat was just far out enough to be a challenge, but the swim wouldn't kill them. They had stripped down to their boxers and briefs, leaving their clothes at the shore so as not to weigh them down. They each carried a small knife as their only protection. The other team, Pike, Rossy, the doctor, and a handful of nameless soldiers would all be staying to defend the port while refueling, and to refuel the ship itself. "Everyone ready?" A round of head nods were shared. "Good, then lets hope that shit isn't too cold," Gavin said, and dove in head first. He popped back up to the surface and hissed. "Holy balls!" he swore. "What?" Steffy asked. "I don't have mine anymore. I'm pretty sure they froze off," he hissed. He began swimming in small circles to warm up and eventually stopped shivering. By the time they were all in the water and warm, it was time to go. They took off for the boat, each using their choice of swimming style. "Hey, Rossy..." Pike whispered. "Yeah?" he responded, as they all watched them swim. "Did anyone ever find out if Drained could swim?" He looked over at the crew of soldiers. They all shifted silently, looking around before looking back at the small band of swimming men. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Gavin reached out and grabbed the mossy chain of the anchor, lifting himself partially out of the water. It was slippery, but he thought he could hold on. With a grunt he began pulling himself up the chain. His muscled strained, but held his weight as he pushed himself farther and farther up the chain, followed by Steffy and David. He grabbed the lip of the boat and pulled himself up and over. He sat on the deck, panting as the other two yanked themselves up. They stood, after catching their breath and unsheathed their knives. They walked the deck slowly, careful to not make any noise. A few dead littered the deck, blood splattering the boat. Gavin didn't doubt that whatever did that was still on board. "Lets keep it quiet, maybe we can take it down or lock it in a room or something," Gavin suggested, pointing to the dead. "Or throw it overboard, can they swim?" Steffy asked. They all froze and glanced at each other, before continuing on silently. They left the boat deck, and headed towards the first deck level, interior section. The boat had several levels to it. The first deck wasn't much more than a loop around the boat leading to the bow and back. The second was at the same level as the deck, but was encased with walls and glass windows, and had stairs leading to the second interior, and the second deck which hung about the first, just over the stern of the clipper. The last section was the captains quarters, a small encased section of the boat up at the very top, and that was where they were headed. They made their way through the empty first interior room quickly, climbing the steps with hurried movements, everyone was shocked when Gavin froze. Suddenly everything was deathly still. David was about to ask Gavin what the hell had happened, when he heard it. He froze and it was Steffy's turn to be confused. He opened his mouth to speak and David whipped around faster than any human should ever move and covered his mouth, with eyes that said "shut the fuck up". Gavin looked back at them, and then forward towards the door leading to the second deck. It was laying partially open and he gently nudged it the rest of the way. The sound that they had heard was the fast, shallow breathing of Drained. A lot of Drained. A sea of pale gray flesh greeted them, a hundred turned backs, all rising and falling in rabbit like movements. Lights were torn from the ceiling, and paintings from the walls. Tables and chairs were overturned, windows broken, blood splattered everything. The only light in the room came from the sunlight outside. Gavin turned to face the other two men. He motioned for them to stop, and wait. He pointed to himself and then at the small stairway leading to the captains quarters. Steffy nodded but David shook his head. Gavin nodded, and the two men stepped back, shutting the door behind them quietly, looking through the broken glass of the door as Gavin faced the Drained again. He inched his way forward, avoiding all the broken glass on the floor. He reached the first mass of Drained and shut his eyes, praying for a second. He sighed quietly and stepped into the mob. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Pike stood guard with some of the other soldiers as the others prepared to fuel up the boat. The streets were quiet, and the only sounds that could be heard was the sound of the water gently lapping at the docks. He looked over his shoulder at the ferry and saw two figures step out onto the deck. He frowned when he realized Gavin wasn't one of them. He turned around and walked to the end of the dock, looking for the third man, but couldn't find him anywhere on the boat. "Pike! What are you doing? Get back in formation," Rossy ordered. "Where's Gavin?" Pike ignored him. "I don't know but staring isn't going to help anyone. Get back in line," he repeated. Pike swallowed hard before stepping back into ranks with the soldiers, still glancing over his shoulder now and again to see if he could find Gavin. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Gavin was very glad he was still wet from the swim, because there was a good chance he would piss himself. The path to the control center of the ferry was littered with drained, all in a hibernating state. He knew one single wrong move would wake all of them and he wouldn't stand a chance. He carefully shimmied his way through the minefield of twitching sleeping monsters, and it was only as he got close enough to read the keep out signs on the door to the control room that he realized what he thought was just the wall,was really an original user. Gavin blinked, this one was big even by their standards. He towered so high that his neck was bent at an odd angle to fit himself in the room. There was no way he walked up the stairs and through the narrow doorway that led here, he must have changed right here in the room as there was no way for him to get in or out. His breathing was loud and shallow, rattling the chandelier that stood in front of him. His back was against the wall, and his eyes were open but unseeing. His lips were peeled back to reveal his unusually white teeth, though bits of red stained a few spots from whatever it was that pissed him off last. Gavin realized what it was when he took one step closer and saw the body of a regular drained, only missing it's entire head. Gavin gulped and tried not to puke. He took one more step and his toe bumped one of the empty bottles lying on its side. It made a soft 'clink' and rolled a few inches, bumping into one of the cold grey bare feet. Survivors Ch. 04 The drained tossed his head back and let out a scream so loud Gavin threw his hands up to cover his ears. The entire crowd of Drained, including the original user groaned and growled, a few snapped their jaws or swiped at the air, before falling completely still again, as if nothing ever happened. Gavin let out a silent sigh, checked to make sure he hadn't wet himself yet, and continued working his way through the crowd slowly. For such high end predators, they were surprisingly hard to wake. Gavin scraped by them, bumping into them sometimes, and even pushing one back a few steps when he was in the way. He stumbled two steps back, bumping into another one, and then they both settled and went back to their shallow breathing. Gavin finally reached the stairs and climbed the metal steps quickly but quietly. His hand rested on the railing, sliding up with him as he went. He reached the door to the control room and his hand was on the handle when he noticed something... off. The room was suddenly silent. The entire time since the second he stepped foot into the room, it had been filled with the raspy and labored breathing of the drained. When he had gotten across the halfway point, he realized more than half of the noise came from the original user, his breathing louder and deeper than all of the others. Now the breathing had stopped. He turned his head slowly and was met eye to eye with the original user who stood near the steps. At first he prayed the grayish eyes were just unfocused and glazed over, showing he was still in his hibernative state. But after only three seconds of eye contact, the behemoth blinked. He stood staring at Gavin, as if he couldn't believe someone would be so stupid as to wandering into their little den. Gavin couldn't believe it either. He continued turning his head and was met with at least 40 pairs of eyes, as if he was at a rock concert and he was the one on stage. All of them were silent, just staring at this stupid stupid man who had wandered into their home. Gavin couldn't help but agree with them. "Balls..." he whispered, and all hell broke loose. The Original user screamed at him, nearly shattering his ear drums and stirring the rest into action. They began to fling themselves as the stairs, over the sides, climbing the walls, climbing each other, anything to get to Gavin. He should have been dead in seconds but the quantity of drained and the actual space in the room worked to his advantage. They stumbled and tripped over each other, covering the original user with their bodies in a desperate attempt to get at their prey. Gavin turned the handle and realized it was locked. With one desperate punch he broke the window, severely cut and bruised his hands, and opened it from the inside. He scurried into the room and slammed the door shut behind him. He grabbed a desk that sat not far from the door and as they began to pound on the metal structure and sent their arms through the jagged glass covered window, tearing their arms to shreds, he shoved it in front of the door. As he took stock of the situation, it was made clear why all the drained had gathered where they did. In the control room were two half rotted corpses. The men must have locked themselves in the room to escape the carnage outside and starved to death. "Sorry guys," Gavin kicked on of the bodies aside and searched for the button he was looking for. His makeshift barricade was beginning to give way, and through the faces and bloody arms of the drained he could see the Original user shoving his way towards the door. Gavin was well aware that if and when the behemoth reached his destination, he would be out of time. He scanned the control panel filled with buttons and switches of every kind. Finally he found the one he was looking for. The sound of the anchor being lifted filled his ears and he kicked the ferry into high gear,heading towards the docks. He had no idea how to drive the boat, but he would figure it out. Finally the Original user reached the door and with one solid hit,the lock broke and the desk was flung aside as the door slammed open. Gavin turned to face the massive figure that filled the doorway, keeping any other drained from getting in. He sighed with relief, and then took it back when he saw the metal frame of the door beginning to bend from the force the behemoth put on it. The sounds of creaking metal filled the cabin and as he finally broke through the door, Gavin could only think of one thing to do. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Pike continued to watch the streets for any signs of trouble and was pleased when there were none. "I wonder what's taking them so---" as Rossy began to ask the question, he caught sight of the raising anchor as it rose to the deck. "Look, they did it!" He pointed, as everyone turned to watch, the only thing they noticed was the sound of shattering glass. They all looked towards the control room at the top of the ferry, and at the insane sight of an original user falling from the window. He fell the three stories and landed on the railing of the boat, on his back. The crack was so loud it hurt their ears from where they stood on the docks. He slowly slid into the water, still screaming and flailing. Seconds after he had broken through the window, another figure was seen, this time jumping through the shattered glass. "Gavin?!" Pike shouted. Gavin hit the roof of the second floor and rolled down the sloped surface. He was followed by what can only be described as a sea of drained. He held onto the lip of the roof as drained tumbled over each other, flinging themselves into the water below. Eventually the flood ended and Gavin pulled himself up, but the roof was to smooth an wet from the recent rains. He slipped and was once again holding himself by his fingertips. He held for a second before he dropped to the deck below, landing on his ass. He sat on the deck in pain for a moment before David ran over to see if he was okay. He was on his feet, though it looked like he was limping. The ferry started heading towards the dock, and Steffy could be seen steering the ship inside. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Fueling the boat didn't take long and soon they were off, the doctor steering them via map. The boat ride was long but Pike was happy to be back with Gavin, who only seemed to bruise his tailbone with the fall. They had been sitting in the dining room quietly, holding hands while Gavin rested from his fall. They were talking quietly when Gavin noticed how pale Pikes skin was. "You already need more? You just had some not that long ago," Gavin said, concerned. "I know... its getting worse. I used to only need a little once every two weeks and now..." he looked down at the gray flesh of his hands and winced. "How much do you have left?" Gavin asked. "Half a vial. Not even enough for one fix," Pike shook his head. "Well we can search the boat, maybe-" "I looked already. Where do you think I got the half vial?" Pike sighed. Gavin could see the black lines in his eyes. "I guess its about time I kick the stuff anyways. They wouldn't let me into Canada if I was using." Gavin could see the fear in his eyes as he looked at the half empty bottle. He walked to the side of the boat and looked over the edge. For a moment Gavin thought he was going to jump, but then he turned back and hugged Gavin. "Why don't we go hole up in the medic area? I saw a bed in there." Gavin stood with help from Pike and right before they were going to disappear, the doctor popped up, a brochure in hand. "Says its a three hour trip but we don't exactly have the route memorized, so it will probably be longer than that." They nodded their thanks and left. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Gavin watched as Pike squirmed in agony on the bed. His skin was such a color that he could have mistaken him for a Drained easily. His hands shook and black liquid spewed from his eyes, mouth, and ears. He cried quietly as he began sweating gray liquid as well. Gavin had finally had enough when Pike began vomiting an hour ago, now he had brought the doctor in to help him with Pike, who didn't even know he was there, much less the doctor. "This is bad..." the doctor said. He removed the thermometer they had stolen from one of the shelves and shook his head. "107," he mumbled. "What? But he's freezing!" Gavin held the back of his hand to Pikes forehead. He was cold to the touch and was shivering. "Its not like we have ever dealt with someone detoxing from this, before," The doctor shook his head. "Its already been three hours, how much more of this is he going to deal with?" Gavin used a white rag to mop the gray sweat off his forehead, it had long since dyed the cloth black. "The better question may be how long until we come into port? They won't let him in like this," the doctor said. "Will you check with the others. See if we can't get an estimated time?" Gavin asked. "Sure, let me search through this place, too. They might have some sedatives or something in here. He's going to need help getting through this." he nodded and left. Gavin held pike's ice-cold hand and wiped the pools of liquid from under his eyes. The gray eyes opened and nearly made Gavin pull his hand away it was so similar to a Drained. "You should just leave me," Pike whispered, his breathing was wet and labored. Black liquid leaked from the corner of his mouth as he spoke. "Fuck that, we made it this far," Gavin said, holding Pike's head up so he could get a drink. "But, they won't let me in," he said, through his rough breathing. "Then we'll wait this out until they will," Gavin whispered and kissed his damp forehead. He licked his lips, without think about it, and was surprised that the fluid was sweet. He put his fingers to his lips as if any of the liquid still remained. "It's Drained. It's like it leaks from yours pores when you're detoxing. Tastes like cherries, right?" Pike smiled a tired smile. For a moment Gavin worried, and then he calmed down when he realized he had barely touched the stuff, much less swallowed enough to turn him into a raging lunatic. "I guess. Get some sleep, love," Gavin said, he stroked Pike's hair until he was passed out again. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Pike opened his eyes nearly two hours later. The room seemed darker than it should have been, and it was as if all the sound in the world had been muted. The room was empty, and the door hung open. He pushed himself so that his legs hung over the cot and he rubbed his forehead, a headache starting right behind his eyes. He remembered his vision fading, shortly after his last conversation with Gavin. The last thing he remembered was someone coming in and stabbing him in the arm with a needle full of something. Whatever it was, it had knocked him out good. "Gavin?" his own voice was muffled as well. He stood and walked on shaky legs to the door, looking up and down the hall before he stepped out. He walked on unsteady feet until he reached the room before the control room. He stumbled up the steps and heard voices coming from inside. He leaned against the door frame, pushing the door open the rest of the way. "Pike? What are you doing up, go back into the infirmary right now." Gavin grabbed his wrist and put his other hand around his waist. "No, I'm fine... I think," Pike put a hand to his forehead. "I'm just a little dizzy, is all. Everything is so quiet." He stuck a finger in his ear and wiggled it in small circles, opening his mouth wide as if trying to pop his ear after a long flight. "There's nothing wrong with your ears, you're just used to the heightened senses Drain gives its users," the doctor spoke up. "You'll get used to it. I'm sure it's a lot darker, too," he smiled. Pike nodded. "He'll probably be weak and irritable for a while, but it will pass as his body gets used to surviving without the drug again. I think the hardest part is over." He smiled and walked back over to the control panel. "Where are we?" Pike asked Gavin. "Almost there, twenty minutes tops. We got lost, which is why it took us more than twice as long as it should have," he glared at the men leaning over the map, who shrugged and looked busy. "Oh... I am actually feeling kind of tired, will you take me back to the infirmary?" Pike asked. "Of course, love." Gavin held his hand and wrapped his arm around his narrow waist as he led him back down the stairs and down the hall. As he laid Pike on the bed, he was shocked when Pike's small, but muscular, arms pulled him in. He gasped in shock as he was flipped over Pike's chest and landed on the cot beside him. He was about to say something when he felt Pike's hard-on press into his own groin. "I thought you were tired?" he raised an eyebrow. "I am, tired of you not fucking me silly." He kissed Gavin and shimmied his pants off, leaving his shirt on. Gavin tore off his own shorts and threw them aside, leaning over just far enough to shut the door, nearly falling off the small cot. "We have to be quick, we don't have long. We don't want them to come looking for us." Gavin began stroking his own cock, already halfway hard. "I don't know, that could be kinky," Pike winked and helped Gavin. Soon he was as stiff as he had ever been and was sucking on Pikes pink nipples hungrily. Pike reached over to a drawer and grabbed a small jar of petroleum jelly. He smeared a small glob on his lovers dick, before forcing a finger into his ass and lubing his hole as well. Gavin rolled Pike onto his stomach and braced himself with a hand above Pike's shoulder on the bed. He used his other hand to guide his cock in, and once he slid home he began massaging Pike's perfect cheeks. He spread his legs a little wider, pushing Pike's out with his own, and began fucking in and out of him with a slow but steady pace. Pike moaned into the single pillow on the bed and fisted the sheets. Gavin could tell he really was still tired, but he could also tell that he needed this. He needed him. As he began picking up speed, he lowered himself so that he covered Pike completely, pumping in and out of his ass faster and faster as they both began to climb to orgasm. Pike humped back on Gavin's dick, desperately needing to feel the sheets beneath him rub his cock. Any friction was welcomed. Gavin bit down on his shoulder and sucked hard, knowing that he would leave his mark on the man beneath him. Pike screamed as he exploded, covering the sheets with his cum. Hearing Pike's cries of pleasure pushed Gavin over the edge and he pumped Pike full of his hot seed. "God, Pike. I love you so much," he nearly sobbed into Pike's shoulder. "I love you too, Gavin. Whatever happens, we'll be together, right?" Pike asked, as they both came down from their high. "No matter what," Gavin whispered. He kissed Pike lovingly, covering the left side of his face with kisses from his hairline to his chin. Pike smiled softly and began drifting off, exhausted from their lovemaking. The last thing he felt was Gavin pull out of him, leaving his ass empty but satisfied. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Pike opened his eyes and stared blankly into the tabby cats own yellow eyes. "Mongo..." he groaned and pushed his face into his pillow. The cat meowed and hopped onto his back, kneading the spot between his shoulder blades before lying down contently. "Mongo, get up," Pike heard Gavin enter the room. "How long have I been out?" Pike asked as the cat was shooed off his spine. "Not long. Ten minutes maybe. I know you need more rest, but we can see the army ships in the distance, we'll be nose to nose with them in five minutes tops. We made it!" Gavin kissed Pike. Pike smiled and kissed back, before pulling away. "What's wrong?" Gavin asked. "Just feeling sick." "I talked to the doctor some more, he said you wouldn't be back to normal for a few more days. Just try to take it easy, okay?" Gavin asked. Pike nodded and leaned against his chest. Mongo circled their legs and eventually stretched up on his hind legs and used Gavin's leg as a scratching post. "Ow, fucking cat!" Gavin kicked Mongo gently, who whined in annoyance. He jumped up onto the bed, before jumping onto Pike's shoulder, forcing his head at an odd angle. "You're a spoiled brat, you know that?" Gavin waved a finger at Mongo's face. The cat hissed and swiped at him lazily. "Asshole," Gavin muttered as he checked his finger for scratches. "He likes you," Pike said sarcastically, and pulled the cat from his shoulder and into his arms. Mongo purred as he was held like a baby, his tummy scratched. "Jeez, get a room," Gavin rolled his eyes and started to leave. "Come on, I can't wait to see other people. It's going to be amazing," Gavin smiled, and they headed for the deck. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ When they arrived, everyone but Wilson was on the deck, he was steering the ferry through the crowds of boats. Everyone looked stoic and serious, when they should have been crying with joy. "What's going on?" Gavin asked. Only two people turned to look at him. Neither of them said anything, only nodded at the boats. Gavin stepped up to the railing and looked. A few Drained littered the decks, growling and screaming at them as they went by. Corpses hung from the rails and floated in the water. All of them wore soldiers uniforms. "That doesn't mean anything," Gavin whispered. "So they lost a few boats, so what? I'm sure the shore is still secure," he continued, not really believing the words himself. As they approached the docks, they were met with trash and body ridden streets, beached ships, and broken barricades. "They didn't survive," Pike whispered, as they stared out into the dead landscape. "No one survived. As far as we know we're the last people alive," one of the soldiers said, his voice hollow. They stepped off the ferry and walked through the abandoned streets. No one spoke. "W-what do we do now?" Pike asked, looking at the band of soldiers. Mongo had stopped purring. "We... we... fuck if I know," the doctor sat down and pulled a crushed box of Camels out from his pocket, lighting up. "We survive," Gavin said. He grabbed Pike's hand, and looked out at the broken windows, and overturned cars of the city. They all looked at the landscape that should have been their safe haven, but turned out to be a continuation of their own hell. Pike glanced over Gavin and down at the bundle of fur he was holding with one arm. His pistols were still at his hips, and Gavins shotgun on his back. The soldiers were armed to the teeth, and even the doctor carried an ancient revolver in his hands. He looked at all of these things and he knew that what Gavin had said was true. They all didn't fight this long for nothing. They weren't ready to give up yet, and never would be. He had Gavin, and Gavin had him. Mongo resumed his purring, even after Pike put him on the ground. The wind howled through the empty streets, the only soundtrack to their endless days of hunting, scavenging, hoping, and most of all... Surviving.