Author's Notes:

OOOO SHIT another update that quick? Hell yeah. I'm hella into this. I'm tryna live up to my hype before it dies down. But yeah, holy shit! I'm honestly reconsidering the ending for this. At first, I kind of planned this as a one shot and base it off that one Hamilton animatic (LAMS FOREVER cri). But.. hmmm I might change it up a bit. Or not. Who knows? *shrugs*
also WOOP, HERE COMES DANIEL.

They placed Nurf's corpse in their makeshift grave and buried him. They neared the entrance and David took note of how the windows were boarded up. By the time they got to the mess hall, David was removing his parka and wiping his forehead with his damp shirt. They've done so much in one day and he wanted to get cozy and sleep. But that was impossible. He gathered around the kids and introduced himself to the two boys who stared doe eyed at him, Max and Neil.

Maybe they're still shaken. David felt sympathy for these young souls. He cleared his head then explained their situation. He asked each of them how they found each other and this place. It was a nice distraction from everything. Even Gwen sat in a corner and listened. She participated when the air got thick and needed a new voice to speak up. Space Kid was the interactive one out of all of them. Preston refused to look at them, but couldn't help glancing time to time.

"Wow, the outside world seems hella scary," Max whistled. The other kids nodded in agreement. The brunette leaned back in his seat. These are kids. Where did they learn to speak so vulgar? He wasn't about to scold all of them but it pained him to hold back.

"How long have you been staying here?" he asked. Preston volunteered to socialize and said they've been in hiding since last week. They used to be a group and had adults by their side, but they didn't make it. Some risked their lives to bring the kids to safety. Max mentioned that Nikki—the girl outside—had a mom who looked after them. Then she just vanished one day and left them to fend for themselves. She never came back and no one knew what became of her.

"What have you been eating the past few days?" Gwen spoke up from her corner. They turned to her.

"The kitchen's stocked with canned goods. They won't expire soon." Neil explained. Food? Stocked up? David and Gwen enter the kitchen with Max and Neil leading them. It felt weird to have kids tour you around a place, like they knew more than you. But they did, and Gwen and David are only guests at the moment. He's not sure if they'll let the people who killed their friend stay but he knew the kids needed an adult.

"We've got a stack, actually. We don't mind sharing," Neil shrugged, chucking them a couple canned goods. Oh dear, these children were kind too. "Yeah, good job. With the way you're giving out our food to people like it's some charitable act, we'll lose our food supply to everyone that comes by!" the grouchy kid stomped and left the room. Quite the temper, but the kid's got a point. David raised an eyebrow at him.

"Forgive him. Max is a handful, but who isn't? We've all lost something," he looked down in deep thought. Neil looked like he was reconsidering giving them their food.

"We should get you guys a mat to sleep on. We've only been sleeping on sleeping bags," said another voice. Unbeknown to then, Space Kid had slipped in the room when Max exited. He surprised David by holding and tugging on his hand. Neil led them again to another room. Before he could change the topic, Gwen brought up the elephant in the room. She asked if anyone else actually came by and what happened. Neil spilt the story and said they were a couple of girls who needed to stay for the night. It was drizzling and they came to the cabin to seek refuge. Max had been wary but Neil let them in after seeing they were harmless.

"We gave 'em food too when they left. Who could go out on an empty stomach?" Neil frowned. "I know it wasn't the wisest thing to do. They could be in a group or they probably knew how to fight their way around. They could've stolen our food and supplies. But... they didn't."

"Yeah! We asked if they wanted to stay, but they insisted they had to keep moving. I was kind of sad cause it'd be cool if there were more of us," Space Kid said. Gwen helped Neil pull a couple mats and sleeping bags. They enter the room where everyone else was gathered and laid out their stuff. Preston was peeking out the boarded window. He looked nervous and was tapping his finger incessantly.

"What's—" Gwen was about to ask until they heard what got the kids on edge.

"It's them," David whispered. It was faint. David strained to hear it but it was there. Dragging footsteps on the ground. A monotone moan emitted from them. It wasn't just one, but two. Three. Four. He heard a grotesque gurgling and all sorts of groans.

They crouched instinctively and gathered behind Preston. They peeked from behind the boards and watched as three shambling figures walked from a distance. They were near but gladly weren't coming their way. They watched in mute silence as the creatures passed. There was something human about them, despite death coating their very being. He took note of how these people, now devoid of any life, still reacted to their surroundings. It was subtle but he saw how they twisted their necks and eyed their surroundings. They were inspecting.

David doesn't know if these things communicate with each other. Heck, he wasn't sure if this virus was a whole new entity that possessed them. It was a possibility that it took hold of their brain and learned to manage the controls. Was it a living organism that wormed its way there? If so, did these things... mate?

He squashed his perturbing thoughts away and focused on the living corpses. They multiplied and now flocked the forest. The cabin didn't go unnoticed but thankfully, they didn't sense anyone from the inside. They merely passed by. David's eyes flitted from one corpse to another, trying to memorize their face and thinking who they were in their life. He wished so bad for these people to find peace in the afterlife, even as their body roamed the earth. No one else might remember them or mourn for them, but he will. He watched with sorrow.

It made him sicker to realize some of the corpses that passed were newly turned. Fresh, red blood flowed from their open wounds. Their skin still had that fading glow that once indicated they were human. They didn't show any bluish pale complexion that the older ones exhibited yet. If the undead lasted longer, their skin grew bluish grey as their blood is completely drained from them. Their skin will turn dark and decayed; their eyes completely white and gone.

He slumped from the window and sat beside Gwen. There's only so much death he could take in one day.

"How can I feel sorry for something I haven't done?" He asked her silently. He felt a deep ache in his chest. He wanted to mourn for everyone that didn't make it—the people who've been too weak or unfortunate.

"You can't. The only way out of here is to survive." Gwen answered back. When he turned to face her, he saw a pained look on her face. This hurt her too and he knew there was nothing they could do to help those who are gone. He tugged on her shirt, willing to stop hurting herself. Gwen eventually sat down beside him and took a deep breath.

"We'll do everything we can to live for them. It's the least we could do when humanity is being pushed to the brink of extinction." She sighed. Gwen pulled up her hood to cover her face, something she did when she felt mixed emotions and didn't want David to see it.

"You can't say that," David frowned. He took her gloved hand and squeezed reassuringly. "We don't know what's happening out there. We can't see the bigger picture, but who knows? Maybe someone's forming a solution to all this. Maybe some bigger force is already acting on it and has yet to rescue us. We aren't alone," he brought their hands to his lips. There was doubt in his words, but he held it in for her. Even false optimism is hard to catch nowadays. He whispered a silent prayer and waited for Gwen to look at him.

"The world is a big place for just you and me. Everyone's out there and playing a part in this. It's not just a "who-dies-who-gets-to-live" game. Someone's working on it, I just know it." He closes his eyes. It pained him to bring his hopes us and he knew Gwen didn't believe him either. But she tightened her hold and suddenly, they were hugging.

David at that moment forgot that they were getting looks from the kids. They watched warily then turned back to the window. They knew when privacy was due. And he smiled despite the misery.

"I think we should get some sleep," Neil said, breaking their silence.

"You gotta be shitting me," Max droned. "While those things are out there?" He gestured to the corpses. Admittedly, it was difficult to sleep knowing that any moment could be their last. Who could sleep peacefully while the area is infested with danger? Sleeping will jeopardize their lives.

But David didn't miss the droopy eyes fighting to stay awake and a yawn escaping them. Max looked around guiltily cause he knew they all wanted to sleep. Their yawns betrayed their nodding in agreement to him.

"I'll take first watch," David volunteered. He ushered the kids to bed and promised to wake them up if anything suspicious comes us. It took a bit more persuasion for Gwen since she refused to let him stay up for them.

"You can trust me. I won't abandon you at the first sign of danger," David chuckled nervously, trying to bring her mood up.

"I know," Gwen said. She took a second to think. "Wake me up when you feel drowsy. I'll switch with you, m'kay?" That, David agreed with. He could stay up for a couple more hours. He watched as the kids settled in and Gwen immediately hit the sack after taking off her shoes. She was knocked out in seconds. The sight of her reminded David just how much they've been through in the past few days. They walked and only stopped to gather supplies. They avoided anywhere overpopulated, they avoided anyone crying for help when they knew the place was infested, they avoided staying in one place for too long. Once they got their sleep in a shabby building or a secluded dark corner, they were moving on nimble feet.

But this place screamed at them to stay. They had food and the kids were alone. The forest gave life more than any stoned building could give. There were also lesser people—er, non-humans. When they entered the forest, David noticed the decrease in ambushes. There were no cars and no buildings. No place for the undead to hide from them before attacking. He could see them from a mile away and the forest provided a good source of alert for them. Nobody can walk quietly and that assured him of the lack of surprise attacks.

He's going to have to talk to Gwen about staying.

The night passes and the cabin goes completely dark. The windows that were boarded up supplied him filtered light. David was playing with the strands of his dark red hair as he tried to keep himself awake. His back leaned on solid wood as he blinked at the darkness. He's got sick of looking at the corpses outside so he leaned back and relaxed. He kept an ear out and memorized the sound of feet dragging across dried leaves. Sometimes, he'd hear them stop. Then they'll move again. He ignored the groans that mingled into one spine-chilling harmony. It sounded like a hymn for the damned.

He's jolted awake when a loud snap! rang out. It was the trip wire they activated around the mess hall. David scrambled to get up and look through the slits of the boards. One figure stood closer than the rest. He just... stood there. He was looking down at what David presumed was the source of the alarm. There was something odd about him as the figure just looked down. It's like he knew what he stepped on and was having second thoughts of crossing. David squinted at him. Something dangled around his neck.

Then the figure looked up right into him. David nearly stumbled back but held his ground. That thing can't possibly see him. He was probably looking at the cabin. But as David stared, the figure didn't look away. His head didn't turn to anywhere else. His gaze seems to lock on to the boarded window. David gulped, crouching slowly.

He can't see me, came David's small thought. His mind screamed at him to duck and hide, but he can't tear his gaze away from him. Others who noticed the strange figure ignored him a second later and went on with their way. They had the shortest attention span if they saw nothing that interests them. So why was this thing interested in their cabin?

David's heart pumped. He considered waking the other people in the room. He looked at the place he assumed where Gwen slept. But... he couldn't bring himself to disrupt their sleep, especially his friend's. She needed the rest and he refused to take that away from her. Plus, the thing's just standing there. David frowned and looked back.

He was still there, unmoving.

Yeah, nope. This is too suspicious. He scrambled back down and tried to locate Gwen. After several attempts, he shook her awake. She groaned and David feared for a second that the virus managed to spread to her in her sleep. But when she voiced out her concern, the brunette vanquished the thought.

"Um, something's not right," he mumbled. He brought her to the window to show the odd corpse who just stood there. He felt a yawn escape him and he didn't manage to contain it anymore.

"You need some sleep," Gwen said, patting him on his shoulder. "Thanks for letting me rest," she sat beside him.

"It's nothing. You'd do the same," David replied. He turned back to the window to point out the reason for waking her up, but words failed him. He stared unblinkingly at the spot the figure once occupied. He was gone.

"What is it?" Gwen prodded. His silence bothered her, but the disappearing act bothered him more. He swore that thing refused to move. Did he imagine everything? Impossible. There was no room for imagination at a dangerous time like this.

"I thought I saw someone standing there. He didn't move. He just stood there and watched our cabin," he explained. When Gwen looked outside, he sighed. "He's not there anymore. I don't think I imagined it. It's better to be cautious, right?" He asked then stood up to get a bigger view of the forest. The corpses still passed, but none of them was the odd creature that stood before the cabin.

"There was something on his neck too," he added slowly. When his friend looked at him questioningly, he raised his hand and sort of gestured a clamping motion. "The neck looked like something was choking it. A collar?" His face scrunched up in thought. Gwen nodded and kept an eye out. He found his designated mat on the floor and sleep hit him fast.

. . . . .

When David woke up the next day, the cabin wasn't dark anymore and sun shone through the cracks. Some of the kids were awake and eating from cans. Gwen scrambled up when she saw him open his eyes. He was handed their packed food from the day before and he immediately gobbled it up.

"Morning, David," came a sleepy voice. Space Kid smiled at him. He smiled and greeted back. Once breakfast was done and they all fixed themselves up, David wore his olive green parka over his dark t-shirt and approached Gwen. She was fiddling with the loopholes of her jeans.

"How was last night?" he asked.

"Nothing came up. Just the usual," she sighed and swept her brown hair into a tight ponytail. She brushed her bangs away from her eyes. "The thing is, a group of them stayed over. The horde's gone but some lingered." David watched as she checked herself. Her hands brushed over her machete and her head snapped to the window.

"You down for taking out some trash?" she smiled at him mischievously. David reciprocated the smile. He headed back to grab his bat and they watched from the window. They counted the heads and formulated a plan to stay close to each other. Don't stray. Don't go after them once they're out of the area. And don't hesitate to kill.

Together, they walked out the cabin, making sure to close the door behind them to keep the kids safe. They moved as one. In a fluid motion, Gwen was the first to swing and take down one of the undead. They were slow in reacting so by the time David swung his bat, three of them were down.

Gwen panted alongside him as she hacked at their bloody faces, aiming for the necks and the heads. They had no room for missed shots. They swung and battered the corpses. David stumbled back when he saw another one come out from behind a tree, but quickly composed himself and got back on his feet.

Without knowing it, he slowly separated from Gwen. There was no room mistakes too. He can't turn his back on them once they've spotted him. So he moved forward. David was panting hard and quietly revelled in his work. Nobody else came for him. No one in sight.

He was ready to turn back and make his way to Gwen but something stopped him. His bat was resting on his shoulder when he caught sight of white. It was in his peripheral vision and he quickly turned to the direction. There was another figure close by. He wasn't alive, he was infected. His dirty white jeans looked like they've been dragged on the ground; his bloodied white polo indicated the location of the bite. His skin still glowed and David wondered how long since this person had been bitten.

His eyes settled on the silver collar around his neck. It was chained and he saw it reach the ground. This is him. This is the man who stood before their cabin that night. Until now, he made no move to come forward.

His grip on his bat tightened. Then the figure moved back into the trees and disappeared. No. He can't let this one go. He looked over his shoulder, praying to anyone out there that Gwen doesn't kill him when he gets back. He runs quickly to the place he last saw him and there he was, taking slow and sure footsteps away from him. But David's boots were loud against the crunching leaves and this made the thing look up.

Again, he did not move forward like the other corpses did. He didn't crave to eat and bite and maul him. He observed, and David observed back. Something was wrong with him. He circled the man in white, taking note of his dry blonde hair and the striking blue eyes that followed his movements. In the past two weeks, he has never seen an infected person stand steadily. They constantly moved and swayed. They didn't stand in one place for too long looking at cabins at night. This one looked like he had a mind of his own.

"Jesus, you creep me out," David said to no one in particular. He readied his bat as he circled him. The figure followed him with his eyes. Then he did something David didn't think the undead could do. He responded to him by tilting his head.

He froze in his tracks and stared at him with wide eyes. He responded to him. That was not something people could do once the virus took them. He knew. Before he and Gwen found each other, Darla tried to communicate with them. She wanted to see if they understood and can respond beyond the infection. Maybe there was still something human beneath all of that.

But every time she opened her mouth, she failed. Darla never quit. She talked to them and David honestly thought she was going crazy. None of them gave any signs of responding.

Until now.

He was brought back to reality when the man slowly made his way to him. David's eyes hardened and he lifted his bat menacingly. Again, he was surprised when the man's eyes followed the bat. He saw him stop and David was seriously having a panic attack right now. He shouldn't be able to comprehend his actions. He shouldn't be so... observant. The corpse kept walking. David lowered the bat and felt his resolution crumble.

For the entire time, the figure did not outstretch his arms. They stayed locked on his sides. Usually, the infected would reach out to their prey. This one didn't—another thing that surprised David.

Common sense flooded him when the man was within reaching distance and he brought up his bat. He saw the other flinch unexpectedly, but the brunette did not swing. He placed the bat between them and pointed it at the other's chest. The man clad in white seemed to relax before walking up to the point of the bat. He didn't move closer.

David gulped as he watched him stand several feet away from him. Every molecule in his being screamed at him to run—to swing his weapon and get away from this situation. The way the other looked at him gave him a weird feeling in his stomach. He made up his mind. As long as the other didn't move, he wouldn't attack.

And that was the stupidest decision David made.

They shared a minute of staring at the other. David was as still as a rock. He felt his face heat up when he realized this person actually once looked good—attractive, even. Smooth, masculine jaw and a firm chest. His blonde hair was styled in a way that accentuated his face. And his eyes... Upon closer inspection, the man's blue eyes had the same intensity as Gwen's violet eyes.

He didn't stand idly like he thought he would. He too was examining David like a specimen. David stepped back in shock. His eyes flitted to the bat when he saw the other reach up and hold it.

"What the h—" his gaze shut him up. The figure turned his head slowly to his left. David, although hesitantly, followed the direction and he felt fear crawling up his throat. There were more of them. The shambling lot of them weren't too far. If he swung now, the commotion will attract their attention.

He turned back to the man in front of him. He can't comprehend the look he was giving him. Did he plan this all along? Did he intend to lure him out here to get his friends a buffet? This was the smartest one David has met ever since the spread began. But if so, why hasn't the figure moved to get their attention? Instead, David's breath hitched when his hands slowly forced David to lower the bat. He was more shocked when his dirty hands made their way up David's arms and shirt.

He made a mistake. He let his guard down and now he was getting punished. He should've swung when he had the chance.

But the man did not bury his teeth into him. He rubbed his hands across his arms, smudging them with dirt and dried blood in the process. David cringed, feeling all sorts of terrified at the moment. He watched him smudge dirt onto his parka and his shirt. He stared at this being's eyes. They weren't focused on him like a hunter relishing its prey.

Then his hands came up to his face and David's insides froze over. The being in front of him rubbed his thumb across his cheek and David's nose twitched at the foul smell he was putting on him. His eyes lit up when something crossed his mind. Was he being coated in his scent? In movies, the survivors coated themselves in decaying blood to trick the undead into thinking they were like them. Most of the time, it worked.

Was that what this man was doing? David's mind whirled with thoughts. He can't believe his eyes. Then the man let go of him. With unsteady hands, the corpse reached for the chain that connected to his collar and offered it to him.

Oh boy, David was having weird thoughts. His face heated up when the man stared at him almost pleadingly. The crunching leaves stole his attention from him and he nearly shrieked. The group of them were in the area. They seemed to be walking towards them, but their focus wasn't on David. He took the chain reluctantly and the man looked physically relieved. David didn't know the cause for this relief but as the others neared them, he felt his flight or fight response act up.

He raised his bat. But the other was quick to move it down. David's eyes whipped to the other. He was quick like he knew David's reaction. He stared fearfully at him and momentarily got lost in his blue pupils. He was rendered speechless when he saw the power beyond his gaze. This was not an ordinary infected person. All the corpses he has seen never showed signs of life—of any trace of humanity. But this one proved him otherwise. It was there, flickering and fading, but so recognizably there.

It wasn't until he blinked did he realize the group of living corpses were right there. He completely went brain dead when he has having a stare down with the man in front of him. That's not something he'll ever do in his lifetime again. His muscles went lax when he realized he was not in immediate danger. They didn't go for him. The undead beings walked past them, he and this... creature. This man.

If the man were alive right now, David was sure he'd be looking smugly at him. As if he had something to prove. The chain felt heavy in his hand and he gulped. The group cleared and they walked far off in the distance. It was just him and this peculiar being that's left.

Two things crossed David's mind at the moment. One, what in heaven's name just happened?

Two, dear God, Gwen was going to kill him for ignoring their rules.