⚠️Warning⚠️
Semi-Graphic depictions of violence, gore and indication of death

At first, Katsuki wasn't motivated to do much of anything. It has been a very long time since he has felt this hollow. This lost and empty. He feels almost like he's been abandoned in the middle of the ocean. In a way, he has been.

The next day, he awoke with a surge of determination. He packed the duffle bag with a few road snacks, counted his weapons, dressed, then grabbed the truck keys. He made sure to lock the door, then locked the gate on his way out.

He didn't need Izuku. The greenette is clearly just fine without him, so he'll be fine without Izuku.

Katsuki drove for about two hours, crossing the border back into Maryland, when the low gas light came on. Siphoning gas from other cars was God-awful. Worst thing he's ever done, and the effort was barely worth it. He only got a half-tank for the truck out of five other vehicles.

Why couldn't anyone have topped off their tanks before they fucking died? Morons.

In a small town, Katsuki pulled over and parked underneath a carport. He threw the dying leaves over the truck and covered the entrance of the carport with a tarp.

Good, not immediately noticeable. And he's got the key, so it'll be harder to steal... not that hot wiring isn't a thing.

He shrugged up the dufflebag, hiking down the deserted street. He slowed to a stop, staring ahead.

This is the first time he's traveled alone. Ever. Even before the apocalypse he's never been alone. There was always someone right beside him.

He'll just have to move faster.

~

"Oh, hell yeah." Katsuki grinned, setting the dufflebag down. He ducked under the partially open garage door and approached the motorcycle, running his fingers along the leather seat.

He looked up and glanced around, pursing his lips as he didn't spot any keys.

Inside he goes. He reached back outside, grabbing the dufflebag and pulled out his machete. Carefully, slowly, he opened the door leading into the house.

Sweet, keys right by the door. The door creaked as it swung open more and he paused.

Low growl to the right. Deep, threatening. Runner or Biter. Katsuki snatched the keys, just as the infected snarled and started running towards him.

He slammed the door shut, huffing as the Runner slammed into it, screeching.

"Damn," Katsuki sighed, tossing the keys. He made his way to the motorcycle, whistling. He looked through the Keychain, halting as he spotted the symbol. He then looked outside to the minivan in the driveway. "Mother fucker..."

~

A minivan does have more seats. And a/c. And holds more gas. Lucky him, this minivan had three quarters of a tank and the gas he siphoned from the(very beautiful) motorcycle nearly topped it off. He might just have to come back to it on the trip back to the farmhouse.

For now, he's stuck driving a dusty, faded blue soccer mom car with seven seats. Though, he's going to need more than just this to pick up his entire group. Can't exactly force this poor thing to become a clown car. He not sure it could handle that after two years of just sitting there, partially exposed to the elements. Lucky him, again, it was parked underneath a carport hanging off the side of the garage where the motorcycle had been fully protected.

The Runner had thrashed against the door and snarled all the way until Katsuki pulled away in their old minivan. He didn't bother with the radio station, but they did leave their cds' thankfully. Not so thankfully, it was a bunch of 80's tunes and children's show playlists.

It was maybe a quarter of a tank later that Katsuki arrived to a very familiar wall thrown up around a portion of a suburban neighborhood. His jaw tensed and he continued, almost prideful to see the gates open and hanging by a thread. Infected stood quiet in the street, swaying as if having trouble staying awake. Maybe it was. Izuku did say that infected need sleep as well.

Katsuki sighed and crept the van further up the street, towards the city. He's in a minivan, can't exactly take the trails around. He stopped outside the city. He'll be quieter by foot.

He hid the minivan. It's easier for it to blend in, being worn down and dusty. For good measure, he locked the car and stuffed the keys in with the truck keys, hidden in a side pocket of the dufflebag. Katsuki patted the machete at his side, then grabbed his pistol from the duffle.

Streets are so quiet during the day. Almost no wind, thank God. Cold enough as is.

He slunk low, stepping heel first, and pistol held in front of him at the ready.

He'll have to move quick, the sun will begin to set soon-

"Hey!"

The sharp whisper made Katsuki freeze in his tracks.

Oh, hell no.

His jaw steeled as he turned to face the voice. There stood Shindo Mutherfucking Yo. In the flesh. Not infected. Not torn to shreds and eaten like the waste of space he is.

"Katsuki..?"

Recognition made the ravenette pale, hope for help draining his entire body.

Katsuki's eyes swept his body and behind him. He sees about three more people, and just one gun. He has to stifle a smirk. He straightened his posture and approached.

"You're not dead. Damn. And I was hoping to stomp on your corpse. Or at least stab your fucking brain if you were lucky enough to be infected."

Shindo's jaw steeled and he lifted his shoulders in an attempt to appear taller. "We need help... please."

Ahh, make him beg, then don't help. Dangle hope above his head like a stray dog with a raw steak. Katsuki inhaled deeply through his nose, one hand on his hip, hand with the pistol waving nonchalantly. "Gimme a good reason why, and I'll give you a bowl of soup."

The ravenette swallowed and stepped to the side to show another man, held up by the tallest of the group. He had a very poor, makeshift tourniquet tied around his thigh. His jeans below his knee were torn and Katsuki could clearly see a very infected bullet wound in his calf. The man was deathly pale, breath shallow and wheezey, cold sweats misting his forehead and drenching his shirt. The man is in rough shape. Katsuki almost does want to hand over some of his food.

"Tobey got shot a couple days back when we were running from the herd you and Izuku created."

Katsuki's breath caught. Tobey... he knows that name. Recognizes it very well. Izuku begging that name to stop in one of his nightmare fits rung clear in his head. He never said the name when awake, when telling Katsuki of what happened, didn't even name him when they were caught by the group, far too terrified to bring him up, to remember him, and here the filth stands. Right there in front of Katsuki, having the gall to still be living and functioning properly.

He scowled deeply, pity gone in a flash, stomach burning in hatred.

Shindo swallowed hard, spotting the quick change in Katsuki. He slowly stepped back in front of the sick man, wincing at the sharp glare shot at him. "Now," he started, almost breathless, "I don't know what Izuku told you-"

"Don't you fucking try to weasel outta this, you piece of shit!" He didn't restrain one bit. His voice echoed through the empty city, startling the men in their new hideout. "The end of the world didn't give any of you a pass to be a sick fuck!"

"Quiet man," one of the men in the back stuttered, Shindo slinking back and beginning to close the door.

Groans and snarls poured out windows and alleys, crooked doors being pushed open. Katsuki heard a Runner cry.

"Dude, you're gonna get us all killed!"

Katsuki narrowed his eyes. "That's the fucking point."

The Runner shrieked again, hopping on a car for a better vantage point, Biters dragging their feet behind them.

Shindo slammed the door shut and Katsuki raised his gun. Just one pull of the trigger and the glass was shattered. Their safety shield gone.

Immediately, men shouted in distress, the infected started pouring towards them. Katsuki huffed and began to step back.

"You fucker!" Shindo cried desperately, grabbing onto Tobey with the other men. "Burn in hell!"

Katsuki shrugged, arms raised. "Already am!" He pointed again. He almost grinned at the fear swallowing Shindo whole. "I'll give you a chance to survive. I'll give you the same chance you gave Izuku." He lowered the gun, trigger too easy to pull.

Shindo cried as he fell to the ground, clutching his knee. He released Tobey, jostling his injured leg cause him to wail in pain.

The man with a gun shouted and pointed at Katsuki, so he dodged behind a truck. The unknown man shot, and before he could take another, the Runner leapt off a car and into him, tackling him to the ground.

Katsuki grit his teeth and closed his eyes.

He tried to block out their screaming, tried to block out the sounds of fingers tearing into flesh, squelching of intestines in mouths, stomachs bursting in rotting hands-

~

Only one of the headlights worked on the next car. Thankfully the sun was beginning to rise and he knew this area well. He'd driven it for two years and barely survived, scavenging off it for another two.

This car was a much bigger car compared to the minivan. Built like a tank, sits eight. He kinda likes it. Someone else can drive the minivan once they reach it.

Maybe Mr. Aizawa. He's like a soccer mom. A very, incredibly grouchy soccer mom. The soccer mom that attends matches with alcohol in his waterbottle or thermos. The one that wears sunglasses to hide his hangovers and passes out in the bleachers. The tolerable soccer mom.

He sighed, slouching in the driver's seat.

Katsuki doesn't even know how to face them. Just rolling up in a car with a bag of guns and road snacks after weeks of being gone. What if something happened to one of them? What if he could have prevented it?

Will they hate him? Unlikely, but they could still be angry with him.

A shock of blond hair cut in front of his car, startling Katsuki and forcing him to slam on the brakes. His breath caught, knuckles whitening in his grip on the steering wheel as tears welled up in his eyes for the second time in fourty-eight hours.

-----

1799 words

More cliffhangers:)

Good or bad?

I suppose it's a good thing I got so far ahead and didn't post any of it all immediately. I want to start off saying I hope everyone is having a much better New Year than I am. I haven't been able to write all week.

If you read my one-shots, then you know I have a horse. He passed away sometime the night of the 3rd or early morning on the 4th. It happened suddenly, no one saw it coming, and there was nothing we could do, so I have been struggling with that.

But, I do want you guys to know I'm okay. I'm processing it better than I thought I would. I got into contact with a previous owner of his and learned more about his past that was a mystery to me before. He actually had a cancerous tumor the size of a grapefruit that she had taken care of long before I met him. I had also learned, unfortunately, that he had been sold to me illegally and this woman had been searching for him the last two years, only to finally find him the day after his passing.

Both of us received closure, her happy to know this horse she rescued years ago had lived his last two years fat, happy and spoiled, and me knowing so much about his past I thought I'd never learn.

I saved some of his tail for myself and I'm looking into having some of it made into a ring for me to wear always, just so he'll always be with me.

And I don't intend to make any of you sad with this, I just want you guys to know how much I love you and I appreciate all the support you guys give me. Writing really has helped me a lot through hard times and I don't ever plan on giving it up.

I do still plan on writing fanfiction, but my New Years Goal this year is to actually start on a book to hopefully be published someday.

Again, thank all of you so much for sticking with me and supporting me! Until next week ;)