Tubbo picked his backpack up off of the ground, and it suddenly felt so much heavier than before. All that was in it was a few snacks, packed kitchen knives, and a bee toy, yet it felt like he was carrying two hundred tons on his back.

The group moved swiftly through the forest, Tubbo constantly glancing behind him, in hopes that Tommy would be following, a large grin on his face as he rambled about some random thought he had.

A part of Tubbo's mind knew they were telling the truth, but the rest of his mind clung tightly to the almost non-existent thread of hope.

The group was travelling quicker than normal, wanting to move out of the loud forest. The sun was beginning to set, and the group almost wished they hadn't left the temporary camp.

As the sky sorted through its rainbow of calm color, eventually the sky was a dark blue, almost pitch black. The moon, thankfully, was kind enough to pour its light over the land, allowing the group to see.

The forest slowly began to spread out as they walked, and soon enough there were barely any trees, and a town in sight. The town had no light, so it was most likely abandoned, like every other town. Tubbo hasnt seen any live humans in ages, he was beginning to think the group might be the last ones for a few states.

Once they got close to the town, they began creeping around, now setting their feet down carefully and silently. They were hidden in the shadows of the once bright and joyful buildings, the only sound they could hear were crickets. They buzzed and chirped in Tubbo's ears so loudly, he couldnt hear if any zombies were nearby.

Phil, the one who was leading them along, suddenly paused, holding up a hand. The other three froze at his signal, although Techno seemed a bit more shaken. Tubbo felt sympathetic for the man, knowing that his fans would he making fun of him for being afraid, saying that he lied about being the true Blood God. But even gods learn to fear when they're not playing a video game.

Returning his attention to Phil, Tubbo didnt dare to breathe. He opened his mouth, about to whisper a question, when a zombie came charging down the road, letting out a strangled cry of agony. Blood still rushed and leaked from its wounds, and its eyes were only pale. It was clear this was someone that had just been turned, and is still in the process of it.

Tubbo's mind flashed to Tommy again, and the boy was harshly reminded of the knot of awful emotions in his stomach. He mentally slapped himself, obviously not physically doing it because of the environment they were in, attempting to get himself to snap out of it.

Even after the turning zombie was long gone, Phil still remained frozen. Tubbo knew better than to question the tactic, because at that moment a small crowd of full zombies hurtled their way after it.  Thankfully, nothing saw them,and Tubbo let out a quiet sigh of relief when they began moving again.

"Loot that house, take anything you can find. Me and Wil are going to go to the one next to it, you know what to do when you need help." Phil said as he gestured to two houses. He said when, not if, but when, Tubbo's mind whispered to him.

He nodded to Techno, and the two began exploring the house. It was an older kind of house, and by the way everything was set so neatly, Tubbo quickly made two observations.

One; No zombies had been in there.

Two; The house must have been worth a fortune for all of the stuff inside.

A floorboard creaked down a hallway, and immedietly Tubbo and Techno got their weaponry out. Tubbo held a long, sharpened kitchen knife, and Techno held a spear-like pole.

Fear welled up in Tubbo's chest, and he begged that the zombie of his friend wasnt here. It was highly unlikely, but Tubbo's seen even impossible things happen.

He and Techno gingerly stepped towards the hall, and Tubbo pulled out a flashlight and turned it on. No sign of a zombie, the hall was a dead end. Every door on the hallway was closed, too.

But he was so sure he heard something.

Tubbo squinted. "Hello? If you're not a zombie, we won't hurt you... Please come out?" He called softly, and immediately two voices, almost silent, started up.

Tubbo took a step closer, holding the kitchen knife out infront of him. He closed one eye, fear slowly rising up inside of him, clawing at his mind.

Suddenly, the door swung open, and a man slightly taller than Tubbo lept into the hallway, holding a pistol towards Tubbo. Tubbo yelped and took a few steps back, his mind begging for mercy, even though the man couldnt hear.

"Make one wrong move, and I'll shoot!" The older boy shouted, flicking the pistol between Techno and Tubbo's heads.

"Zak! Dont hurt them! And stop shouting, the zombies will hear you!" Another man, about an inch or two taller than the other, stepped out.

Tubbo looked at them, his mind paying attention to their physical traits. The one with the pistol, who Tubbo guessed was named Zak, wore a black hoodie, and on the front was a piece of artwork, bearing the words "3 Mil". He had raven black hair, and he had glistening brown eyes.

The other boy, the taller one, had piercing emerald eyes, and the only thing that prevented them from driving fear into Tubbo's heart was the kindness and fear that reflected his own. He had brown hair, and he wore a black and red hoodie. Tubbo felt like he would be one of the kind people that, although they were a stranger, would always offer their help.

"Please! We weren't going to hurt you, we just needed supplies- and- and we didnt know you were here!" Tubbo cowered, throwing his hands above his head.

"We searched the other hou- What's going on in here!?" Phil and Wilbur rushed to meet them, Wilbur looking like he would gladly tear Zak's eyes out, and the gun out of his hand.

"What are you doing in our house!?" Zak hissed, sounding as if he was holding himself back from shouting. Darryl reached over, grabbed Zak's arm, and muttered something to the boy as he lowered the gun, pointing it away from Tubbo.

"We're trying to survive, as every other unturned human." Wilbur said, his voice dripping with more menace than Tubbo liked. The boy winced, scooting backwards a bit more before slowly standing up, and Techno stood infront of him. The older held his spear with a firm grip, and Tubbo was almost certain that through the mask, he was strongly glaring, alert and ready to thrust the spear into anyone.

"Hmm." Zak hummed, appearing slightly disappointed that he didnt get to shoot anyone.

"Sorry about him, he's only trying to protect us." His friend cut in, the emerald-eyed one. He stood infront of Zak, glancing warily at the weapons pointed at them. "We dont mean harm, right, Zak?"

"Sure." Zak grumbled, glaring at the intruders. Something about the way he spoke seemed off to Tubbo, his voice sounded like it used to be so much more happier, while now it sounded like he was struggling to breathe.

"Come on, Bad. We need to hide," Zak rasped, and Tubbo blinked at 'Bad'. Something was so familiar about that name, but he couldnt pinpoint it. Bad was about to say something, but Techno spoke first.

"Bad? Like, BadBoyHalo? Skeppy?" He asked, lowering the spear. Tubbo's mind grasped at the point, and it clicked in his mind like two gears that had just been set correctly.

"Techno?" Darryl asked, his eyes wide. Zak still glared, and for some reason Tubbo felt as if he could see hunger in his eyes.

And he was staring directly at Tubbo, his mouth slightly open, and it was only then that Tubbo realized the boys skin was pale, and his eyes were slightly pink...

Wait, Tubbo thought, horror encasing the knot of dread.

Zak's being turned, isnt he?