Song: Kaleo - Way Down We Go

"Jonathan!"

"What?" The runner sighed. If he'd heard his name one time, he'd heard it a thousand times. Evan took hold of it, used it and abused it to the point where Jonathan was beginning to hate it.

He hopped down onto the roof below where Evan was leaning over the edge, peering down at nothing. The Asian looked over at him then looked back down. "I saw something."

"What kind of something?"

Evan shook his head. "I don't know. It was fast though. It knocked over that wooden stall on the edge of the market. I lost sight of it after that."

Jonathan crossed his arms, "Was it white?"

Evan pulled his brows together. "I don't know . . . maybe."

"It was just an animal. I've never seen it either, but every time I come down this way I catch a glimpse of it. Whatever it is, it's white and it's skiddish. So, I just ignore it." Jonathan made his way back up to the higher rooftops. "Forget about it, come on."

Evan didn't move for a moment, his gaze still focused on the streets below him. Jonathan thought the look on his face when he finally followed him up was one of disappointment with a hint of sadness. He didn't understand it at all but he wouldn't ask. That was a personal question and Jonathan avoided anything personal like the plague, or screamers in their case. Personal meant he would learn something about him and the more he learned the more he would end up caring.

Jonathan couldn't afford to care.

Evan fell uncharacteristically silent after the encounter with the mysterious white creature in the Southside markets. He was distracted and almost tripped on his feet three times. He didn't even have a smart ass remark when Jonathan looked over at him each time with a raised brow. In fact, Evan didn't even look at him at all. It was odd and Jonathan couldn't get over the fact that deep down he really wanted to know why.

Was Evan sentimental when it came to animals? Did he feel bad for it? Did he want to save it?

Who cares?

Jonathan shoved the thought aside and kept running. He loved animals himself, but he had never come across any just like he'd never come across a living human. Animals were just as scarce. They probably tucked tail and ran as soon as shit went down. They were smart. If he ever came across any, he didn't know whether or not he'd take them to the tower or not, but the more he thought about it, they were living things too just trying to survive. He'd be an asshole if he didn't help.

As soon as the thought crossed his mind he heard a high pitched meow coming from the rooftop they'd just landed on. He paused and Evan skid to a halt, his hands grabbing his shoulders before he ran into him with his entire body.

"What is it?" Evan spoke his first words in hours and he still seemed a little despondent.

"A kitten." Jonathan said and held up a finger. "Listen."

The small shrill sound rang out again and Evan turned his head, spotting a tiny tail peeking out of a gutter on the edge of the building. He bolted over and crouched, wrapping the small grey kitten in his hands. "It's only about a month old."

"Do you see anymore?"

Evan shook his head as he pet the tiny cat, rubbing behind its ears. "You're a little cutie. You don't have any family? Yeah, me neither."

Jonathan listened to Evan talk to the thing, blinking at the new information. Evan didn't have a family. But as soon as he stored the information Evan held the cat in the air and said, "Well, I do have family, but they're fucking crazy."

Jonathan rubbed his eyes. He didn't care. He didn't care. He kept telling himself that, but he still found himself wanting to know what Evan's tattoos meant. The ones he'd first seen that dark night in the corner store.

Evan caught his eye, "Let's take it back to the tower. It'll make some kid happy."

"That's probably not a good idea." Jonathan countered. He was trying to be logical about it.

"Why not? It's just a kitten." Evan smirked and walked closer, placing the tiny thing on top of Jonathan's crossed arms. "Look how cute he is. Just like you."

Jonathan felt his jaw clench and he knew that Evan saw it because the Asian broke into a smile. "And don't say it's because it's another mouth to feed."

"It's another mouth to feed." Jonathan said sarcastically as he took the cat in his hand, just one hand because it was that small. Or maybe he just had really big hands.

Evan huffed. "A very small mouth. Dude, you really need to start talking to people in there. They worship you, they want to hear you speak, want you to acknowledge them. So why not start off small and give the kids a cat. Let them know they don't have to cower when you pass by."

Jonathan rolled his eyes out of habit. "No one needs to get to know me. They don't have to set me up on a pedestal either."

Evan took the cat from him and started walking in the tower's direction. "Well, you're keeping them alive. If you didn't want praise you should've left them all for dead. You can't help these people and pretend they aren't there at the same time. You can't care and not care all at once. You either do or you don't."

Jonathan was hot beneath his mask but he followed Evan back anyway. The man was frustrating beyond belief but he had sense. He couldn't argue with that. They walked into the tower, sweat was running down both of their backs and soaking into their shirts. Jonathan noticed the way it stuck on Evan's muscles. He noticed everything and he wished he didn't but he'd always been so perceptive. Everything caught his eye.

Langley dropped from a metal bar in a doorway where she was doing pull ups. Her feet hit the floor with a silent tap and she smiled at them. "Aw. Did Cat find a little cat?"

Evan beamed and held it out for her. "I did. Well, we did."

"So cute." She hummed and gave it a rub. "What are you gonna with it?"

"He's gonna give it to the kids up there with Nana Maria." Evan turned to Jonathan and put the cat in his hands. "Aren't you, Anjo?"

Jonathan felt all the eyes in the room settle on him and he sighed calmly as he stared holes into Evan. "Yeah, I am."

Jonathan brushed past him and he felt all that tension falling on his shoulders again. Evan was swaying his decisions and making him think about things he didn't want or need to. He was trying to get close and Jonathan didn't know if he could stop him. He would take his advice though and try to be kind to the civilians, because Evan was right, they didn't need to afraid of him. If they needed something, anything, he wanted them to have the courage to ask and they couldn't do that if he was intimidating everyone.

Jonathan just didn't like to be thanked.

Evan eyed him as he followed him through the hallway when they stepped out of the elevator. The people fell quiet as was expected at this point, moving like respectful followers at a church, nodding their heads in appreciation. Jonathan tried to catch their eyes and acknowledge them by nodding back. It surprised them to say the least. Evan smiled behind his back and it grew wider when he heard Jonathan actually say hello to someone for the first time.

They made their way into the mess hall and scavenged the cans of food for something the kitten could eat on. Jonathan settled on shredded canned chicken, but just the juice until the cat got bigger. They sat the cat on a table and Evan noticed how curious everyone was becoming when they realized what was going on. Their big tough savior was feeding a kitten and petting it gently. It was a side of him they'd never seen before. Neither had Evan.

He watched the knuckles of his hands as he rubbed at the soft fuzz. His eyes fell on his wrist and that bone that stuck out attractively. The veins that ran up his arms were the next thing that caught Evan's attention and he followed them up to his shoulders that were always so stiff and tense. He often wondered about his tattoos and if he had more beneath the clothes he wore. Jonathan was overall the most interesting and stubborn person Evan had ever met and he'd met a lot of people in too many foreign countries to count. But this guy . . . he held his attention and he held it tightly.

Jonathan glanced up at him, momentarily surprised at how hard Evan was staring at him. But his surprise faded and he went back to looking uninterested in everything as usual. He picked up the cat and moved past the crowd and down the hallway towards the nursery room.

Evan was right behind him, always, taking the handshakes that were offered, the ones that Jonathan would never accept. He returned the smiles, sometimes the hugs from grateful women. He always did it with his eyes on Jonathan's back, watching, waiting, and wondering if he'd ever break down and swallow his pride and accept himself for what he was.

A hero.

The kids fell quiet when he entered the room and they spotted the cat in his hands. Evan could tell they were excited but hesitant to approach him so he stepped up beside him and much to his surprise and more than a little to his amusement, Jonathan looked nervous. The runner looked over at him and said under his breath, "I don't know how to do this."

"It's simple." Evan reassured him quietly. "Get on your knees, drop to their level. Let them know they don't need to be scared."

Evan fell to his knees and Jonathan slowly followed, trying to make eye contact with the children, but it only made them more reluctant. He took a deep breath, "It's okay, the cat won't hurt you."

Evan nudged his arm and he bit his tongue. "And I won't hurt you either."

The Asian held his hand out for a small boy and he approached, a small grin spreading across his face. "It's a kitty."

"That's right. This kitty needs to be loved and taken care of. Can you do that?" Evan grinned as the boy smiled and nodded enthusiastically.

Jonathan cleared his throat and held his fingers out for a girl that wanted to move closer but she wouldn't. Until she saw his hand and she took it. He placed the cat in her tiny arms when he pulled her over and she beamed up at him. "Thank you, mister. You're very brave."

"Why is that?" Jonathan wondered as he watched her pet the fur ball.

"Because you stay out there with the monsters. I think they took my cat. He had an orange spot on his big furry head. I think they took my mom and dad, too."

The grin faded beneath his mask and he could feel Maria's eyes on him across the room. "I'm sorry. They took a lot of people."

"I know." Her voice was so tiny. She couldn't have been more than four. "But it'll be okay."

"How do you know?"

She smiled, "Because you're here. And Cat man."

Evan chuckled. "So I'm Cat man now? I really need to find my old t-shirt."

Jonathan stood without another word and left the room. Evan watched him leave and figured it was best to let him go and be alone for a while. That was a huge accomplishment for him, socializing with them and showing some sort of acknowledgement to the people of the tower. But Evan knew it was also too much. He didn't know much about Jonathan but he could read him well and he liked distance. Distance from everyone as much as possible.

"It's kind, what you are doing." Maria spoke over the kids who laughed and giggled as the cat tickled their fingers with his fur.

Evan looked up at her sitting in her usual place by the window. "What do you mean?"

"I see what you are trying to do with him. You're trying to get him to open up and I think that's exactly what he needs even if it's the last thing he wants." She sighed. "He's not the same man that took shelter in my shop that day the bombs fell. He's been shaped into something else entirely and he knows it. But he thinks that it's better that way. Then you came along and I can see he's struggling." She grinned at the confusion on Evan's face. "I only knew him briefly, but I remember hearing him laugh and seeing him smile. He was a normal man, but this has all taken something away from him and he feels it's best to be alone. That way he has nothing to lose. I was very surprised to see him letting you run along behind him. I think it surprised everyone."

"It surprised me." Evan added. "He's a very complicated person. He's a leader and he doesn't want to accept that. He wants to help everyone but he doesn't want to be thanked for it. He doesn't want the fame that comes with the service. That's what I want him to acknowledge. That he means something to someone, to all of these civilians, these kids."

Maria nodded. "And that's exactly what he wants to avoid. Affection, friends . . . you."

"Me?"

"Yes, you." The woman rested her chin in her hand thoughtfully. "He knows you are valuable, that's why he puts up with you. I take it he doesn't speak to you much?"

Evan smirked, "Only if it's necessary."

"He does that because he doesn't want to know you. I'm sure what he does say to you, is said with purpose and much deliberation."

Evan chewed at his lip and slipped his hands in his pockets as he stood there. "He . . . it took him forever, but he told me his name."

Evan felt himself smiling at his feet. "And his favorite color."

He turned his focus back to Maria and he found her watching him with a knowing grin. "He trusts you. He won't tell you that. You should tell him about yourself, open up to him. Even if he doesn't want to get to know you, he'll have no choice but to listen. He needs a friend, Evan, and I think you're the best one for him. You're everything he's been trying to run from."

------

"It'll be okay. Because you're here."

Jonathan tore through some old creaky cabinets in another abandoned house. There were always photos stuck to the refrigerators and he always ignored them. He did his best to not look at all the smiles, the arms thrown over shoulders, the lost memories. None of them were his and he didn't like to think about his own family back home staring at the photos on their appliances of him with his arms around his little sisters, smiling and happy. He didn't like to think about his older brother having to console his broken mother who would be grieving again over a son this time instead of her husband. He didn't like to think about what his family was going through.

Or Tyler's family.

He slammed the cabinet and it came off the hinges. The sound echoed around him and he stood there in silence until he caught his breath and composure, hearing familiar footsteps coming up behind him. He stood up straight and went through the other cabinets, avoiding Evan as best as he could. But the longer they worked around each other, the more houses they went through, the more empty nurseries they kept quiet about, the closer Evan tried to get. Not physically, but he was doing his best to get in his good graces for whatever reason.

Evan kept his mouth shut for the rest of the day which was both a relief and a curse. A relief because Jonathan wanted to punch him when he talked non-stop trying to get his attention. A curse because the longer he was silent the more Jonathan wondered why. It was all he thought about until Evan finally spoke when the sun went down and they were crawling through a window and sharing a bottle of warm water before they took a seat on separate beds.

"I have a family." Evan threw his shirt on the floor and laid back in the dark. "But is it wrong to literally not give a shit about what they're going through back home without me? Because I've been thinking and me being here is no different from me running across the world as far away from them as possible. I'm pretty sure they haven't known where I've been for the last three years so I guess it doesn't even matter."

Jonathan thought it over. "Why don't they know?"

Evan laced his fingers behind his head. "I ran from them the moment my dad died. He left me his fortune and didn't give a penny to anyone else. My own mother loathed me for it and I had complete strangers trying to claw their way into my life just to get a taste of fresh one hundred dollar bill. So, I bought a random plane ticket and ran. Didn't tell anyone where I was going, I just went. I've had better memories in the last few years of my life than I did growing up beneath a California millionaire. I never had real friends. I started to backpack across countries and I've met amazing people, seen the most beautiful things, gotten myself into the most ridiculous situations. And I did it all alone. For a while. I know they're my family, but I stopped caring a long time ago. They never loved me, they loved my money."

Jonathan closed his eyes. "Life is short. Live it however you want."

"That's what I've been trying to do, but I got stuck here in a zombie infested city with you instead. So, right now I'm just going with the flow." Evan grinned to himself.

"You and me both." Jonathan replied quietly and they didn't exchange anymore words.

--------

"No, dude. You're gonna got talk to him right now." Tyler shoved him in the direction of the barista who was eyeing him from across the room. "Get his fucking number and then I'll leave you alone about it."

Jonathan groaned and rubbed nervously at his neck as he approached the guy who always wrote his name a different way on his cup each time he ordered. "Hi."

"Hey."

"So, my douche bag friend insists that I get your number." He leaned against the bar and tapped his fingers as the guy started to smile. "You don't even have to call me, I just . . . I don't normally do this."

"Well, you should do it more often." The barista pursed his lips in thought. "You're cute when you blush. I'm Hayden, by the way."

Jonathan ducked his head and laughed. "I'm Jonathan, but you already know that. You have amazing artistic skills dude. I am thoroughly impressed that you can draw my name a different way each time. I mean, I've been in here like fifty thousand times and every time, it's different."

"I like to draw, sometimes paint."

Jonathan licked his lips. "Me, too. I'd like to see your work."

"Likewise." Hayden smirked and took Jonathan's cup from him and wrote his number on it, handing it back.

Needless to say, Jonathan was beaming when he got in the car with Tyler a few minutes later. Tyler was grinning like an asshole. Jonathan rolled his eyes. "Don't even say it."

Tyler back out of the parking spot and blurted, "I told you so!"

"I said don't say it!" Jonathan swatted at him. "I would've talked to him eventually."

"You're a goddamn liar." Tyler laughed. "I know you and you would not have said a word. You always wait."

"What's wrong with that?"

Tyler shrugged, "Nothing. But I think that guy will be ten times better than that bitch you used to date."

"Yeah, I think we both agree on that one. She was a fucking nut job." Jonathan laughed it off but he knew that anyone he ended up dating always seemed so amazing until he found out more about them. His ex was actually a self proclaimed palm reader and Hayden was bound to have a certain quality about him that Jonathan wouldn't like and end up driving them apart.

That was exactly the case and after a few months of amazing food, art, and sex they were saying polite goodbyes. He stopped going to that coffee shop and went back to fiddling with computers, hiking through the woods to clear his mind, painting on his walls in a once again empty house. But he didn't mind it. Being alone was something he excelled at.

Tyler was still there for him, still the obnoxious friend that came over with pizza, alcohol and video games to remind them both that they still had each other. Their friendship would never change and they'd keep holding each other together, keep sleeping all over each other on the small couch, keep pushing each other forward with life when they'd rather sleep it away.

"Jonathan?"

"Hm."

"I love you, man. I'm sorry shit didn't work out."

"It's fine and I love you, too."

"Good, you better."

"I do."

Tyler smiled and stretched his long leg out and touched his foot to the side of Jonathan's face. "I know you do."

"What the fuck! Get it off!" Jonathan flailed. "You bitch!"

All he could hear was that laugh of Tyler's that turned into a wheeze the harder it became.

-------

Jonathan woke with a start in the middle of the night with a thin layer of sweat dusting his skin. He took a deep breath and he smelled the rain water in the air as his pounding heart settled back into a relaxed rhythm. That smell of pavement and dirt mixed with salt from the nearby ocean filled his nose and he opened his eyes when he heard a deep roll of thunder above. Lightening flashed and he slowly sat up in the small bed. He could make out Evan's sleeping form on the other bed with each brief flash of light. He never moved even as the storm raged on outside.

Jonathan stood and stretched, making his way over to the open window where he stared out at the empty city as it was drenched relentlessly, endlessly. The wind was chilled and he pulled his mask down around his face to let it blow over him in waves. He closed his eyes and breathed it in and for a moment he felt like he was home, standing on his bedroom balcony as one of many thunderstorms blew through his small town. It was those kind of nights that made him want someone to share it with. It was that feeling that ran through him, that peace and contentment that made him want someone that felt it too. But as soon as the storms were over, so was the feeling.

Thunder rolled again. He opened his eyes and rubbed at the slight scruff that was accumulating on his face. They needed to head back to the tower soon. They both needed a shave and haircut. It was definitely past due time for a hot shower. He leaned against the windowsill and watched the storm for so long he started to see the sky lighten in the distance as the downpour faded into a steady drizzle.

There was something so peaceful about a dead, broken city. The emptiness was sad. The streets filled with echoes of lost memories, lives forgotten with the fear that had flooded them in mere minutes. It was almost like a dream he was living in, like he was trapped in one of those old Chernobyl photos of a world that was knocked off it's feet and forgotten. Yet it spoke to his soul and he felt more in touch with himself here than he ever did at home. He stood there for so long thinking about it, his toes felt like they were asleep.

He thought about his family again. What Evan had said about his own had him wondering more and more. It had a thousand questions lining up on his tongue, but he couldn't ask. He wouldn't allow himself to. He scrunched his brows together as he waged his daily war with himself, but it had only started when Evan ran his way right into his life.

"You have a nice face." Evan's voice quietly interrupted his brooding and he turned to look down at him laying there in the morning light. "You should show it more often."

Jonathan didn't say anything, just turned his head and wondered why Evan was the first to know his name, the first to see his face, the first person he let tag along. The first one he trusted enough to sleep in the same room with.

Evan knew he'd gotten under his skin, even if just by a sliver of a centimeter. He'd done it because Jonathan was working extra hard at tuning him out. So Evan took it upon himself to piss him off to the best of his ability. He talked his fucking head off.

"I have a younger brother and an older sister and a gold digging mother." Evan struck up conversation for the tenth time in an hour as they rummaged close by the Southside market again. He couldn't help but keep a watchful eye out for that mysterious white creature that he wanted nothing more than to catch a glimpse of again. "What about you? You look like the kind of guy who has little sisters that pester the shit out of you. I can tell because you have a remarkably high tolerance for me."

Nothing, no response. Evan smirked and crept up behind him as he picked through a kitchen, ignoring him to an impressive degree. He got close to his ear and whispered, "I know I'm right."

Jonathan flinched and spun on him. He huffed dramatically and pulled his mask down so he could breathe in the stuffy room. "What, damn it!? Right about what?"

Evan grinned at him, feeling no shame in taking a moment to stare. He was pretty fucking attractive. "That you have little sisters."

"I do and you're acting like one of them. I also have an older brother, a broken mother, and a dead dad." Jonathan threw his words out and went back to searching. "Now, fuck off."

"Sorry, Charlie." Evan bit as his lip and backed away, feeling victorious as he picked through another room.

His name was Jonathan.

His favorite color was blue.

He was sexy.

And he had a family back home.

Evan hummed to himself. The list of things he knew about him was slowly growing.

------

Jonathan granted Evan one wish and that wish was to go back to the room that he had been staying in before the bombs fell because why the hell not? It was a quick trip and Jonathan hadn't explored it before. He followed him down through the intersection, the same one that they met on that night and they kept running through it. Evan recalled every desperate breath he'd taken that night, each fell of his feet as he ran, stirring up dust as that scream pierced his eardrums. He remembered the moment he lost sight of her. It was fast and the crowd had been thick and he couldn't even hear himself yelling her name.

The building caught his eye and he peered through the front doors with his black knife in one hand, flashlight in the other. He crept inside with Jonathan right behind him as they stepped up the staircase until they reached the top floor. Evan half hoped that Lucah would be in the room waiting when he opened the door, but she wasn't like he knew she wouldn't be. It hurt nonetheless. Nothing had changed, his clothes were still hanging in the closet, some still in the suitcase on the bed. His camera bag was resting untouched on the desk by the open windows and he pulled the bag over his head and then flipped open the luggage on the mattress.

"What are you looking for?" Jonathan asked mindlessly as he searched the medicine cabinet in the bathroom out of habit.

"I had a satellite phone." Evan said and he heard the surprise in the way Jonathan walked back in the room. "Don't get excited. It doesn't work. Despite how durable those things are made, they can't survive going over a waterfall and hitting rocks apparently. It's a long story."

"Well, maybe the techies at the tower can look at it and get it working." Jonathan remarked and helped him in his search. "That could be our way of getting in touch with someone on the outside."

Evan glanced over at him as he pulled his mask down again and dug through the drawer in the nightstand. He was scruffy and dirty and he was hot. Evan could watch him all day now that he could see that clean jawline and those lips that got more and more red the longer Jonathan worried at them with his teeth.

"I can feel you looking at me." He grumbled.

Evan chuckled as he watched Jonathan get to his knees and look beneath the bed. "Sorry, I'll just look at your ass then. It's just as nice as your face."

He crawled halfway beneath the bed and came back out with a big phone in his hand that he tossed into Evan's pack when he spun him around. "There, found it. Let's go, it's getting dark already."

"Aye, aye Captain." Evan gave the room one last look, swallowing down the feeling that settled over him when he saw the way the sheets were still how they were when he had woke that day. He could still see so clearly exactly where he'd slept and where Lucah had. He shut the door and he didn't know why. Maybe to preserve what memories were left of that life. He shook the feeling away, instead focusing on the way Jonathan looked as he glanced back up at him as they descended the stairs. He focused on the way the muscles pulled beneath his shirt as they jogged down the road, concentrated on the way his eyes were always looking around them, always paying attention to every detail, every sign of danger.

The sun was setting and the streets were getting darker, almost to the point where they had to squint to see ahead of them. Jonathan grabbed Evan's arms out of instinct to stop him in his tracks when they both heard a scream. They immediately looked at one another as they stood in the empty road.

"It's not dark yet." Evan commented when he heard it again. They spun around trying to pinpoint where it was coming from.

Jonathan heard it echo again down an alleyway. "That's not a screamer." He started running for it. "That's human."

"What? Wait!" Evan called after him and sprinted in his footsteps as the light faded around them faster and faster. Soon there would be more screams and they definitely wouldn't be human. They both ran a little faster.

The sound led them into an abandoned bakery where it got eerily quiet when they entered. Jonathan wiped the sweat off his face. "Hello?"

"Who's there?!" A woman called out defensively.

Evan hopped over the counter and into the back room where he flashed his light across a gruesome scene. "Holy shit."

There was a puddle of blood around the woman. She had long dark hair that was stuck in a sweaty mess around her neck as she heaved in breaths. Another scream left her mouth and Jonathan was beside Evan in seconds, shining his light on her. He cursed when she held her arm over her eyes as the light blinded her. Jonathan saw the tattoo on her wrist and felt the world settling on his shoulders. "Livia?"

"Yes." She groaned and held her swollen stomach. "How do you know me?"

"Your mother." Jonathan fell to her side. "We all live in the hospital, about a hundred and fifty of us. Your mother is there. Evan!"

Evan fell down beside him. "Yeah, I'm here, sorry! What do I need to do?"

"Hold her hand. Help her." Jonathan instructed. "This baby needs to come out. Right now. The sun's almost gone and we don't have time. I'll go barricade the door and you start pushing, got it?"

She nodded and held back her scream as best as she could, squeezing Evan's hand until his fingers turned white. He brushed the wet hair from her face, "Deep breath."

He settled between her legs and set his flashlight on the floor. The smell of the blood was overwhelming. There was so much of it and it was only then that he realized how pale she was. "Good. Do it again. Breathe and push."

She didn't hold back the scream that time and Evan saw a head of hair showing just slightly. He felt his heart jolt, "Okay! Almost! I see it, keep going, you can do this."

Livia gasped in a lung full of air and pushed one last time before Evan saw the shoulders come free and he pulled the baby the rest of the way out. It cried and Livia collapsed on the tile floor out of relief and exhaustion. Evan was covered in blood and he didn't know where to go from there because he heard the screams starting to fill the streets. "Jonathan!"

His footsteps slid to a stop beside him and he took out a blade and cut the umbilical cord and pulled his shirt off, ripping it in places and wrapping the baby up. Evan was in a daze as Jonathan pulled him to his feet and placed the bundled baby against his chest and tied the shirt in a knot across his back. Evan looked down at the crying lump on his chest and realized that they were about to run. "No."

Jonathan grabbed his jaw with bloody hands and made him look at him, "Yes. That door isn't going to hold. You're gonna get that baby back to the tower."

Evan shook his head, "There's no fucking way we'll make it."

"Go!" Livia yelled as loud as she could, which wasn't very. She was weak and pale and Jonathan was by her side.

"Can you walk?"

She gave a small laugh and shook her head, "No, you need to leave me."

Evan was about to puke. "What? No! We can just hole up here and hold them off until morning!"

"She's lost too much blood! She won't make it until morning!" Jonathan yelled back. The baby cried even louder and Evan was about to panic.

Livia pulled Jonathan close, "Listen to me! Save my child, get to my mother. Save yourselves. Please, go!"

The runner nodded and Evan was trembling he was so fucking mad. His knees almost buckled when she looked up at Jonathan and said, "There's a way out in the back. I won't become one of those things . . . kill me."

It happened fast, Jonathan touched his forehead to hers, she whispered something to him after he turned off his flashlight, then Evan heard the snap of her neck and the thump of her head hitting the hard floor beneath her. Everything after that moment was a blur, like he was running in a dream, Jonathan was pulling him down the pitch black streets as glowing green eyes began cutting them off, forcing them to find detours. They cut through buildings, but they never stopped running. The baby was crying, he was crying, Jonathan was yelling at the top of his lungs as the tower grew closer.

"OPEN THE GATE!" He looked back and grabbed Evan's outstretched arm and pulled him ahead.

The gates opened and they ran inside while the defenders closed it behind them within seconds. The screams cried out behind them and as soon as they crashed through the front doors to the hospital, Evan fell to his back trying to breathe. Jonathan fell to his knees beside him, then to his back as they both gasped desperately for air. There wasn't a sound other than the babies muffled crying and the air leaving and filling their lungs faster than they could use it. Jonathan rolled to his side and with one hand tried to unravel his torn shirt from around Evan and the baby.

That's when Evan glanced around and saw everyone starting to filter out of the rooms and into the open. He reached his hand up out of pure respect for the guy and pulled the mask back up over Jonathan's nose before anyone had a chance to see. His crystal eyes locked with his and he didn't need to thank him because the short lived look he gave him was enough. Evan gave him a small nod and fell back to the floor. Jonathan felt every muscle in his body turning to jelly. His fingers could barely work at the fabric that had the baby encased. Evan's fingers joined the struggle until they heard a familiar voice.

"Why are you all just standing here?! Scotty get them some water! Lui double up the guard on the gate, there's a fuck ton of those things out there! Murphy get that baby up to David and Brock now!" Langley shouted out the orders while everyone else had just been standing there in shock at the sudden commotion and the unfamiliar cries of a newborn.

Everyone gave her a nod and moved quickly. The baby's cries were suddenly distant after Murphy unraveled it from Evan's heaving chest and made a beeline for the elevator. Scotty slid between the two men on the floor and Marcel helped him sit the both of the up so they could drink the water he gave them. It took them a few minutes more of deep calming breaths before either one of them could think straight. They were given their space and helped to their feet. Langley took a step back and looked them over.

"What the actual fuck happened to you two?"

Evan almost wanted to laugh at the absurdity of it but he couldn't find the strength to. All he had left was enough to pull his camera bag over his head and lean against someone. That someone happened to be Jonathan who had the same idea because he was leaning into him just as hard.

Evan sighed and slipped an arm around Jonathan's waist. "Long story short, we found Maria's pregnant daughter, delivered the child at sunset, then ran for our fucking lives."

Marcel looked back out of the door. "Where's her daughter?"

"Dead." Jonathan deadpanned and swayed a little but Evan held him up with his weight. "I need to tell Maria."

Langley shook her head, "No, you can tell her tomorrow after you two have had a shower and some sleep. You look like you slaughtered a fucking cow."

"I would rather that have been the case, to be honest." Evan said without a hint of a joke in his voice and he felt Jonathan eyeing him from the side.

"Go." She shooed them off towards the elevator that was coming down again. Murphy stepped off a few moments later.

"Okay, the baby is going to be fine." She said and helped them into the lift. "You guys okay or do you need help getting in the shower?"

Scotty appeared from behind and pulled her away, "I'm sure they can manage on their own, you pervert. Back off."

"Hey, I was just offering, asswipe. I'm sure you help Marcel shower all the time." Murphy squinted as she walked away.

Scotty perked up and winked, "I do, actually."

She rolled her eyes and Evan watched the door close in the front of them before it carried them up a few floors. Jonathan was silent beside him until they tried to move down the hallway to the showers. His knees kept buckling beneath him every now and then and he groaned when they did. Evan was in no better condition and sank down onto a bench when they finally made it into the warm room.

The apology slipped from his lips as soon as Jonathan sat down beside him. "I'm sorry . . . for what I did. I choked again, but was there really no way we could've saved her?"

Jonathan's head rest against the wall behind him and he closed his eyes, "Can't save everyone."

Evan blinked and he pondered. It was true they couldn't save everyone and definitely not a woman who was bleeding to death in the middle of the night in an unfortified building surrounded by monsters who were coming after her and her screaming child. There was no getting around it and he understood why Jonathan did it, why he ended her suffering instead of dragging it out. He understood why he didn't pull her along, she would've slowed them down too much and they wouldn't have made it anywhere near the tower before they were overrun. He shuddered at the thought of those jagged fingers reaching out to claw at his back, those teeth, that scream.

His eyes snapped open when he stumbled upon another thought, "Then why did you save me?"

It was a question that Jonathan himself had often wondered about. Why did he save Evan? Why did he think it best to drag him into a building that night and hunker down instead of leaving him for dead and running for help? But even back then he knew there wasn't going to be any help and he thought if he could save him it would maybe make up for the man he had to leave behind to die just minutes before. Maybe he just couldn't stand the thought of having the option and not choosing it. He really couldn't say, other than it would've went against everything inside of him to leave the man lying there after he'd given him his own knife and knocked a little sense into him amid all the madness.

Jonathan opened his eyes and let his head roll to the side. "I have no idea."

Evan was staring at him and Jonathan could see the beginnings of a smug grin pulling at his lips. So, he turned away. "But if I ever figure it out, I'll let you know."

He heard a soft chuckle before Evan got to his feet and held out his hand for him. "I think you actually like me and you just don't want to admit it."

Jonathan gave him a blank stare and took his hand, wobbling and grabbing at the chest high tile walls to steady himself before he ducked into one and cut the water on, letting it get hot. He knew Evan was going to get into the stall right next to him, he didn't even question it, he just knew as soon as the man got back with their soap and towels he was going to stay as close as he could.

And he did. Evan came back from the lockers and placed them both some soap and shampoo on the tile wall between them. Jonathan gave him a nod instead of a thank you and they stripped, tossing their bloody clothes into a pile. Jonathan untied the handkerchief and added it to the pile and he still wasn't used to it. He felt naked. He was already naked standing there as the hot water scorched his skin, but his mask off always made him feel vulnerable. Especially when Evan was looking at him like he was a phenomenon that only came around once a year.

Halfway into rubbing himself down, he could hardly stand on his feet anymore so he leaned against the wall and took a few breaths. When he opened his eyes again Evan had his arms draped over the wall that separated them and he was grinning again. "Need a hand over there?"

Jonathan sighed and washed at his face a little harder. Evan grinned even wider until Jonathan wiped the water from his face after he rinsed and looked over at him seriously. "You know, I get the feeling that you bug the hell out of me so much because you don't want to be alone."

The shock was clear on Evan's face and he felt the heat running up his neck and into his cheeks, but he threw his defenses up just as fast. "Well, Jonathan. I get the feeling that deep down you're not the kind of guy that walks around with a stick up his ass. You see, I'm pretty good at reading people and the way I see it is that you and me, our personalities should actually be reversed. Me, be the uptight loner and you be the one with the lighthearted attitude. But something happened to the both of us and we're both dealing with it the best we can. You, shutting everything and everyone out. And me, making jokes and trying to lighten the mood to take my mind off of the fact that we're living in a fucking zombieland with nowhere to go and no one to help us. So excuse me for trying to make you smile every once in a while."

They fell silent and simply looked at one another and Jonathan felt something pass between them, some sort of understanding and he knew then that Evan had been stripped of something too. Something that had flipped a switch in him just like the what had happened to himself. He squared his shoulders and blinked at the Asian, "So . . . who did you lose?"

Evan licked his lips, turned into the hot water, and glanced at his feet. "I lost my best friend."

Jonathan watched him and he kind of felt like an asshole for thinking that Evan was simply obnoxious and nothing else. But he was much much more than that, he was complicated and there a reason for the way he was.

"I lost my best friend, too." Jonathan said quietly and looked down at all the blood spiralling down the drain at his feet. "I suppose that's something else we have in common."

Evan hummed and gave him a rather sad grin that faded as he cut his water off. He hesitated before he grabbed his towel. "Can we maybe do another quick run through the Southside markets?"

Jonathan raised his brow, "Why? We just did."

Evan let the disappointment roll through him, "Yeah, I know. I just . . . ."

It clicked in Jonathan's head as soon as saw Evan swallow and turn away, wrapping his towel around his waist. "Evan."

"Hm?"

"When you say you lost your friend . . ."

Evan didn't look back, "I meant that I lost her that night and I don't know if she's dead or alive."

Jonathan rinsed, shut his water off, and dried himself before wrapping the towel around his waist. "So why do you want to look at the Southside markets? Is that where you lost her?"

"No. But I think I saw her there. I think you've seen her, too."

Jonathan stepped toward him and caught his arm when he tried to move away again. He took a second to eye all of his tattoos again, the ones he hadn't really seen since that dark night in the convenience store. They were impressive, some were words written in a language he didn't speak. The heat that spread through him slapped him in the face and brought him back to the present.

"Your friend isn't a person, is she?"

Evan shook his head. "She's an albino German Shepard with eyes that are bluer than yours and if she's alive then she's alone. I'll go look for her myself."

He made to leave again and Jonathan wrapped his fingers around his forearm again. "No. We'll go look together tomorrow after we rest. Okay?"

Jonathan didn't know what he was doing. He was doing Evan a favor, reaching out to help him and it felt so odd. He didn't even do that for the civilians, or the others that he'd known since day one. But he knew no matter how much Evan got on his nerves or how polar opposite he seemed sometimes, they were a lot a like and they were a team.

He clenched his jaw when Evan's eye ran over his face again like they had been all day, that look of pure and honest interest. It was like he was trying to get beneath his skin and Jonathan could feel it working. Evan gave him a nod. "Okay. Thank you."

Jonathan let him go and rubbed at his neck involuntarily. "Let's go get some clean clothes."

"That's the best idea you've had all day." Evan said, his attitude slowly getting back to what Jonathan was accustomed to. He didn't know if he could handle Evan so serious all the time. It only made him more interesting. It only made he want to know about him even more than he already did.

His knees shook the entire walk to the elevator. Evan giggled at him but was biting his own tongue when he almost fell when the elevator jolted upward to the laundry level. Jonathan was so close to laughing and it scared him because when he thought about it, he couldn't remember the last time he had.

"What was their name?" Evan asked.

"Who?"

"Your best friend."

Jonathan's mouth felt dry but he forced out a name he hadn't said since the day he died. "His name was Tyler . . . and his eyes were bluer than mine."

"I'm sorry."

"Yeah, me too." Jonathan rubbed at his eyes. "What's your dog's name?"

Evan grinned as the elevator came to a halt. "Lucah."

A whistle rang out as soon as the doors opened. Murphy looked them both up and down with a small bundle of clothes in her hands. "Good God, I've died and gone to heaven."

"I thought heaven would be nicer than two beat up men in a hospital elevator." Evan quirked and she smiled wickedly.

"Dude, I'll take anything at this point." She laughed when Evan stepped off the elevator and twirled for her. "Anything except the techie. He's a douche bag."

"Speaking of techies, we have a broken satellite phone that I want him to take a look at. It's in Evan's pack downstairs." Jonathan mentioned and Murphy gave them a small salute as she swapped places with them in the elevator.

"I'll get right on it." She said and before the doors shut she motioned at Jonathan. "Your face, Anjo, I like it. See you guys later."

The doors closed and Jonathan sighed. He scratched at the stubble on his face again. "I need to shave. This is fucking aggravating."

Evan ran his hands through his hair, "Yep. I need a trim. Can you cut hair?"

"No, but Langley can." Jonathan pushed open the doors to the laundry that was empty. He rummaged with the Asian for new clothes, anything that wasn't soaked in blood was fine with him. But they both found almost identical pants and shirts like they had on before. Something caught Jonathan's eye while Evan was pulling briefs up his sore legs. He unfolded the shirt in his hands and did his best not to stare when he turned to Evan and said, "Here, I'm pretty sure this is yours."

He tossed the fabric at him and he watched the smile spread across his face. Evan sighed with contentment when he pulled the cat shirt over his head, the same shirt Jonathan had found him in. It had a few holes in it, but it still fit his personality like a glove. Jonathan put more distance between them and turned away when he felt himself wanting to grin.

"You know, this is kind of weird." Evan said as he finished dressing himself.

"What?"

"All of this." Evan motioned between them with his hands. "Me and you, we've never talked like this before. Like we're just two normal guys, maybe even friends."

The anxiety twisted in Jonathan's stomach and he was pushing him away in his mind as fast as he could, shutting himself back down. He'd let his guard down for just a moment and here they were, swapping stories, sharing pieces of their pasts. He never meant to let him in as much as he had. So he shook his head and denied it. "We're not frie -"

"Jonathan." Evan cut him off short and curt. "I said maybe. You don't have to let me in and I don't have to be your friend. That's fine. But I'm by your side almost every waking hour. The only thing I want is to understand you a little better. I like hearing you speak, it's almost like you're a real person and not dead inside."

Evan picked up a new pair of shoes and socks and exited the room, leaving Jonathan standing there feeling lost in a world he thought he knew. He did what he did best though and stopped thinking about it. He dressed, grabbed a bite to eat, then went back down to the bottom floor where he found his handkerchief sitting there on a table waiting for him, clean and dry. Evan was in a nearby chair, letting Langley cut his hair down to a more decent looking mess on top of his head. Murphy was in front of him in a heartbeat with an electric razor and a beautiful smile.

"Shave?" She asked sweetly. "It must get itchy beneath that mask of yours."

"It does and yes, I'd appreciate it." He sank down into a chair. "I'd do it myself, but I can't lift my arms right now."

"Not a problem, babe. Leave it to me."

For the first time in weeks, he relaxed even if it was short lived and after his face was as smooth as a baby's ass he went back upstairs and fell onto a bunk where he slept for what felt like days. It was enough to get him going again and he was up and moving before everyone else. Everyone except for Evan, who was standing in the lobby by the front doors fiddling with his camera. Jonathan approached him and right before he tied the mask around his neck and pulled it up, he saw a flash and looked up to find Evan smiling.

"Sorry, just making sure this shit still works." He lied then tucked it into his bag and opened up the doors. A gust of warm air blew past them and Jonathan pulled his hat on while he walked past him and back out into the world in which he belonged. The world that was empty and quiet and dead.

They ran, putting the previous days events behind them for the time being. Jonathan would talk to Maria when the day came to a close, check on the baby when he felt the need, just to make sure that he had indeed saved the child and didn't let it die against Livia's wishes. No one else needed to die because of him.

His lungs were still sore but the more he ran the more comfortable he felt once again. Just another day on the rooftops, but today they had a destination; the Southside markets just as he'd promised Evan. Evan, who had also lost a friend in the chaos. But maybe they could find her. Maybe Evan could have something good come out of all this and find what he'd lost. Jonathan had hope for him and just as soon as he started thinking that it wouldn't be the worst thing to try and be his friend, the man came up from behind and flicked him hard on the ear and ran off laughing when Jonathan tried to chase him down and murder him.

He was back to being an obnoxious asshole and Jonathan went back to hating him, but he deep down he knew he really didn't. He just hated how cheerful he made himself seem even when he knew now that he wasn't. He hated that Evan was trying to work his way even further beneath his skin, trying to get to know him, trying to be his friend. He hated that he ran so well and that his laugh was actually quite nice to listen to especially when he was telling him a story while they sat up in a safehouse in the dark waiting for sleep to take over. He hated that he actually, honestly liked him. He hated that Evan was just as fucked up on the inside as he was. They just both had their ways of hiding it.

Evan's laughter died down when Jonathan let him go as they reached the markets. He shoved him playfully and blew him a kiss, laughing when Jonathan rolled his eyes. The sun was beating down on them as it rose in the sky. Jonathan was wiping his forehead and about to comment on how quiet it was when a flash of white caught his eye. Evan bolted, jumped down into the streets and rolled to his feet before sprinting after the quick creature that had already disappeared.

Jonathan followed after him, "Evan! Wait!"

"No!" He yelled back and took off into an alleyway. "I saw her!"

Their footsteps echoed against the dirty buildings, but so did the sharp snapping of metal on metal and the shrill cry of a dog in pain. The dread ran up Jonathan's spine with the sound of Evan's voice as he screamed, "LUCAH!"