Author's Notes:

"One-shot", he says. "It'll be short", he says.

Never trust me with things like that. But anyway! Diarrhea's been a bitch. And yeah, yay! 

More stuff! Don't get too attached cause hMM.

Also um, incoming sort of necro fluff?? IDK MAN  

David swivels around in one place, machete held up in defense. His frantic gaze touched every square inch of the forest. It's impossible to calm his nerves when he could be human dinner at that moment. He's telling himself to be ready for any incoming attacks. There's no way for that man to be quiet in an area like this. He must've slipped away when David opened the door and walked out.

But why disappear all of a sudden?

Maybe that was it. Maybe he did want to eat David and he was smarter among the rest. He lured him in with kindness, visited him to drive him insane, and now he's baited him into his trap. David held his breath in, waiting for his ears to pick up on any foreign sound.

He squints at the darkness. Nothing. The best way to handle this is to go back to their cabin, secure their door with more than just a chain, and wake Gwen up. He should not pursue this mystery man. David sucked at following rules, even his own. He roamed around the cabin slowly, making sure to inspect every inch in front of him to prepare himself for a surprise attack.

It's not until he did a 180 around the cabin did he spot him. He stood idly as if he was patiently waiting for David to round the corner. The blonde didn't move. Neither did David, so he stayed where he was, holding the machete. Seconds ticked by where they stood like statues. A bead of sweat rolled down the side of David's forehead. This is ridiculous, he thought as they both had a stare down.

"Um, why are you back here?" He asked. David wanted to smack himself in the face. The heat in his face bloomed with every awkward second that passed.

The blonde man looked down, unsure and lost. Didn't he understand David? He looks back up and slowly offers up the chain to him again. Just like that morning. David gulps, looking around like this was all a joke and someone was watching this spectacle play out. He saw no ill intention on the other's face. David gripped his machete, feeling his resolve break.

"Why aren't you uh," he stuttered, "why aren't you biting me or anything?" He wanted the ground to open up and eat him alive. Holy moly, is this for real? David chanted in his head. He felt embarrassed in front of someone who could kill him in any second but chooses not to. Technically, David could kill him first 'cause he was armed but for some reason, he can't find it in himself to be the merciless killer Gwen taught him to be.

The other man unrelentingly offered the chain. Dropping the machete, David strode toward him and took the chain. He raised his weapon and pointed it at the other's neck, scared he'd launch at him the moment he came close. Instead, he saw the other stiffen visibly—a human reaction to fear. It was the reaction David was looking for. No corpse would react to being threatened. This man was very much alive, but somehow still infected.

"How are you...like this?" David asked, concern lacing his voice. He never knew what it felt for those who succumbed to the infection. The bite, he was sure that did more than sting. It hurt. But afterwards, what became of the people? Did the life leave their bodies as the virus took hold?

Or were they still there?

This man could be the answer to his questions. If these people were still alive but being unwillingly controlled, they had a chance. If there was a cure, they could bring them back! It could undo the apocalypse!

It was wishful thinking and he knew it. All the corpses they came by didn't have a beating heart anymore. It was just the virus thriving within them now. But this one...this one's still fighting for control.

Even if they were alive, they've killed a lot already. Those lost to the virus end up roaming the streets or getting beheaded. There's no way to undo the massacre conducted to save their lives. David had no ounce of guilt killing more just to save Gwen's life or the kids. It was either them or him. Kill or get killed.

But not him, supplied the voice in his head, only because this peculiar guy seems to be different from the others. Unusual thoughts slithered into his head. Is he basically half-human? Did he still feel and comprehend and love and hurt?

David wraps the chain around his hand, pulling the man closer to him and his blade. He lowers the machete once the other is a foot from him. He's holding the chain tightly behind his neck, restraining any movement should the man make any sudden attacks towards him. Better safe than sorry. He squints at him and takes in the other's face. Deathly pale for sure, but upon closer inspection, David almost laughs at how similar their hair is styled—only it fit David better, he thinks egoistically. They were even almost the same height.

"Can you hear me?" He tests out. He can see amusement flicker in the blonde's blue eyes and how his lips twitch to a smirk. David breathes out excitedly and lets out the biggest smile. He was communicating with the dead. Sort of dead. Undead?

"Oh my god, you can," he feels hysterical laughter bubble up from his throat, but he forces it down. The forest is too quiet. Being loud meant attracting unwanted guests.

"Wow, what the—I don't know what to say," he looks around, then back at the man. There on his lips was a perfectly executed smile no corpse has ever done. Yeah, nope. Not entirely dead yet. This man was alive and gosh, he looked more human than ever. David notices he's been staring at his lips for too long and quickly looks back up, avoiding another awkward situation he did not want to be put in.

But wait. He looks back down again unabashedly. The man's mouth had not been covered with blood. Hasn't he eaten anyone—or anything recently? He asked shamelessly in his head. It's normal to be curious! He reasoned. Did corpses need to eat to stay the way they are? Or was eating a past time? He surely didn't look like he's been getting anything to eat.

In fact, he didn't look as disheveled as the others. The only thing tainting him was the dark splotch of dried blood on his white polo's sleeve and the dirt on his jeans. Besides that, he looked pretty much intact. David's mind went back to the figure he saw coming towards them with a gnarled face and he shivered.

The man in front of him tilted his head in an act of confusion. David had been quiet and the other must've known something was on his mind. "Sorry, I was just thinking," he mumbled. With their distance, he's pretty sure the other could hear him even as he talked under his breath. He unwinds the chain from his hand and backs away. He doesn't let go of the chain just yet.

"Y'know, it'd be nice if you had a name," he found himself saying. His blue eyes widened a fraction. Was he really befriending a corpse? Before David could open his mouth, he heard the loud snap of their trip wire activate. "Fuck!" a foreign voice cried out. David turned his head to the direction the sound came from. His ears strained to hear more. Without letting the chain go, he tiptoed backwards until his back hit the wall of their cabin. The collared man followed just as quietly.

"What are those things?" another voice said.

"An alarm system, dumbass," the same man who cursed out replied. "There might be people inside," he said.

The brunette fails to make out the words they exchanged. He saunters slowly from the other side of the cabin, careful to mute his footfalls. These could be dangerous people with dangerous intents and he was pretty much outnumbered at the moment.

"... inside there?" the voices came closer. David edges closer but halts when the chain pulled taut. He looks back at the other. "What are you doing?" he mouthed silently. The man stood there and refused to move. David pulls on the chain again but the man doesn't budge. He shakes his head no.

"Dear gosh," he mutters under his breath and reluctantly lets go of the chain. He didn't need him tagging along. He puts a machete between them just in case he tries anything funny. The other man backs away instead, giving him one long look in the eye before disappearing behind the corner of the cabin. David's heart rate picked up. Where's he going? His attention was brought back to the intruders when the two men's bickering became loud enough. He froze on instinct. They were right there.

"Looks cozy enough," the other man said. His voice sounded uncertain. "What if there are other survivors in here?"

"Fuck it, I say. We'll just have to break in," said his partner, chuckling horrendously, "and take it from them." David's face contorts into horror. These men didn't want to negotiate. These are monsters who stole from others and we're happy to leave other survivors with nothing else—and David's not about to stand by and let them take what's theirs.

Merciless. Be the merciless killer you're taught to be. "Do you want us to die?!" A flashback of Gwen holding his face with trembling hands came to him. She had angry tears running down her face as she stared into David's terrified pair of eyes. Their escape hadn't gone unnoticed and his former companion—Darla—clearly bitten and far gone is now coming after them. Right behind her was Cameron. They were backed up in an alleyway and Gwen was pushing him to face his fears. Long story short, something snapped inside of him when he saw Darla's lifeless eyes; how he didn't want this suffering for her. He didn't want it for anyone. He swung his weapon like a madman.

Back in the present, he takes a shuddering breath in after that short memory. Summoning all the courage he needs and remembering to put up his walls, he steps aside and swings the machete with all he's got. He's given a few seconds view of the two adult men who stood in front of their door, one holding a club and the other...a gun.

David's weapon catches the man holding the club in the shoulder. The man yowls and stumbles, dropping the club in his surprise. The other man backs away and is fumbling to put the gun up. David kicks the club away and zeroes in on the gun before another figure beats him to it. David spares a second of shock as he sees the familiar outline of his... friend. Blonde hair, striking blue eyes, and terrifying strength he didn't know the other possessed.

He pulls the man backwards, effectively making him drop the gun, and sinks his teeth deep into his shoulder. He snakes a hand around the man's mouth, successfully muffling out his dying screams. The blonde's eyes were feral and something about him looked different from the other corpses when they attacked. Proven so when he tears out a chunk of flesh from the poor man beneath him and he spits it out. David wonders why for a second then freezes when his blue eyes land on him. Oh, right. Unfinished business.

David returns to the older man slumped on the floor, clutching his shoulder and pathetically reaching for his weapon. "Who the hell do you think you are?" The man spat out. David kicks the club further and places his boot on his hand, threatening to crush it. His own hands turn clammy. He could never do it, but it helped to put up a false bravado.

"The owner of this camp," he swallows, glaring down at him. "Who do you think you are, intruding here and doing things as you please?" He frowns when the other man shows no signs of apologizing. His glare hardens when the other man mirrors his gaze.

"I'm the man who's going to take what you've got. Scared yet, little boy?" He laughs darkly and before David could react, the older man pulls out his hand from beneath him and tackles him to the floor. In his shock, he falls and lets go of the machete. The two of them wrestle on the ground, David blocking the hits the man showered upon him. Sensing a pattern to his hits, he lands a blow when he found an opening and catches him by the middle. With the weight off him, he scrambles to get the machete just in time to see him coming for him. He pulls back and with all he's got, plunges the weapon forward.

Rip. Straight through the man's stomach. His hands never made it around David's neck. Caught up in the action, it takes a second for him to register that they weren't alone. Another figure jumps from behind him and David is taken aback, watching as a corpse tore into the poor man. Blood spills forth from his open wounds and it cascades down his body. The brunette looks around in panic, knowing the commotion must've brought enough attention to them. The infected were trudging towards them.

He yelps when he feels someone tug on his sleeve. It was his friend. He looks very distraught and seemed to be urging him to move. The man motions to the forest, a clear pathway for them, and looks at David expectantly. They had to move now but he promised not to leave the others.

A corpse barely manages to catch him by the elbow. David lands a blow to his neck and retreats fast. He bangs a fist on their door. "Gwen, wake up! Lock the door. Whatever you do, don't go out. I'll lead them away!" after snatching the chain from the blonde, they both make a run for it.

David hopes Gwen and the kids will be okay. He curses as he passes by the gun and drills it into his head to snatch it up when they come back. He manages to dodge a couple more of them. The blonde is surprisingly keeping up with him. He wonders what might've happened if they got off on a bad start.

David wouldn't be alive right now, that's for sure.

They keep running and David makes sure to get their attention to lead them away from camp. The duo runs into the forest, dim but the moonlight providing them the outline of their path. They run for a long while, unsure of the time but David knew it'll be hours before the sun rose. His heart pounded with every step away from their camp. It ached to be away from Gwen but he knew he was doing this to save them.

A few hours ago, he thought he'll never see those blue eyes and matted blonde hair anymore. He didn't think he'd be putting his life at risk by teaming up with the man as they ran for their lives. Correction, his life. The man was already infected, but who knew what a second bite will do to him? Did corpses bite other corpses? They slow down after a measurable distance and almost sigh in relief when they spot a cave nearby. He feels his guard go up when he realizes it may not be unoccupied. Thankfully his friend senses this and goes in first, scouting around while David waited at the opening. It seemed like a convenient hiding spot—too convenient.

A small thought occurs to him as he's catching his breath. If there were others who ran as fast as that half-corpse, humanity is most definitely eff'ed.

The familiar set of blonde hair pops out and signals him it's safe. He inspects the cave and feels dread settle on the pit of his stomach. It was pitch black. From a few blocks away, his eye catches the silhouette of other figures. His hand blindly reaches for the chain connected to the man's collar and wraps it around his hand. He enters with reluctance and hides as the corpses shamble away.

David sits on the cold hard ground, breathing hard and letting the events of today catch up to him. Guilt ate at him unceasingly as he thinks of the danger he put the camp through. He hopes Gwen woke up in time to heed his warning. He hopes Gwen's there to clean up his mess. He lets his tears choke him as he sobs in the dark cave.

It wasn't until cold arms wrap around him did he remember he was not alone. He flinches at his friend's attempt at comfort and tenses when he puts his cheek on David's shoulder. The fabric of his shirt turns damp from the blood dripping off of the man's mouth. That's right. He tore into his victim's flesh. David is suddenly filled with the urge to back away now! But every fiber in his being reasoned not to. If he wanted to kill him, he could've done it before. He had every chance to yet, here's David, very much alive and not infected.

The blonde takes his hand and lifts it so that the palm is facing upwards. The brunette waits with strained calmness as his fingers meet his palm. He's writing. In the darkness, he couldn't see a thing so he relied on his touch.

"D?" he voiced out after he stopped. The cheek on his shoulder moved as if he was nodding. He writes again. "A?" Another nod.

"N." He mumbles. "I", "E", "L", he spelled out. The man drops his hand but his cheek doesn't leave his shoulder. "Daniel," he says under his breath.

"Is that your name?" David turns a fraction but remembers he couldn't see him. He feels another nod. "Wow," he breathes out. There were so many things about him that surprised David. If this was the only way for them to communicate, then he'll offer his hand up to him anytime.

"I'm David," he adds. He shifts in his spot, uncomfortable with the weight on him but hoping to god he doesn't move away. "I wanted to um, say thank you for almost everything," he chuckles. "I know this is something so...extraordinary. You saved my life more than I could count," he says. A small voice in his head tells him to shut up because it felt like he was dangling his life in front of a hungry beast.

He doesn't. "I wish you could talk so I'd have someone to talk to," he finds himself laughing despite their situation. He feels his fingers carve something out on his palm and he waits patiently for him to respond. It felt like years before he could finish his sentence. Some of the letters seemed incomprehensible to David but he put it together, fixed it and got:

'I am talking to you'

"This still baffles me, honestly. How does your mind even work? I've got so many questions," he says excitedly but the other just drops his hand like it was something he did not want to talk about. David jumps when he hears a growl emanate from his mouth, the vibration cold on his shoulder. He grips the machete on instinct, but goes slack when the growling stops. He relaxes, counts to ten, and takes a deep breath. If he listened closely, he could even hear the other mewling. A small ounce of sympathy bubbles up inside him for the poor boy.

The rest of the night is spent in that cave, waiting as the slow ones finally moved past their hiding spot. David feels a weird sense of calm when Daniel doesn't remove his cheek from his shoulder. In a way, it alerts him of his presence. He's there and not crouching behind you, ready to take a huge chunk of your flesh.

He almost falls asleep if it weren't for Daniel nudging him awake. David swears he forgets he's with someone infected and in that moment, he was hiding out with a fellow survivor. As they leave the cave, chain in hand, he realizes he wasn't just an ordinary corpse or—dare he say, survivor.

And he doesn't want Gwen to meet him.

Regret fills him immediately at the thought. It would be his life on the line if Daniel turns out to be a smarter version of these walking infections. But... he also didn't want Gwen to take Daniel away from him. His chest pounded heavily. His stomach dropped. It was difficult explain the feeling but David knew he felt something; a sort of protectiveness over him, perhaps.

Daniel looks back at him as if he knew his eyes were on him this entire time. The brunette looks away like he wasn't just caught.

As the huge mess hall came into view, a mix of emotions flood into him. He stops in his tracks, pulling Daniel back with him. The man stops and walks to his side. David doesn't even bother to raise his machete.

"Would it be wrong if I said I didn't want them to meet you?" He says embarrassingly. Daniel tilts his head to the side. "Um, I kind of don't want them coming after you," he trailed off uncomfortably. The blonde raises his head like he understands. David fidgets with the chain in his hand. He looks over his shoulder at the mess hall then back to Daniel.

The man had a smile on his face, eyes half-lidded as he focused only on David. He turns beet red as taboo thoughts infiltrate his head—thoughts you shouldn't be having in the middle of the night with a half-corpse who follows you around. But David can't help it 'cause those blue eyes never looked so alive and that smirk did things to his stomach.

He coughs and forces himself to look away from his tantalizing gaze. His eyes land on the cabin not too far and an idea goes off in his head.

"I guess we're spending the night somewhere else. Come on, I've found us a place." He tugs the chain and leads Daniel to the cabin they emptied out in the morning. They slip inside and David is careful to sweep the broken glass aside when he smashed through the windows. He closes the door and finds a place to tie the chain to. He's smart enough not to let him go free while he's sleeping.

"I hope you understand," David mutters as he ties his chain around the metal frame of the bunk beds. Daniel looks at him calmly. He crosses to the other side of the room, satisfied with the distance, and sits with his back on the wall. Daniel slides down to the floor, copying him.

"Goodnight," he says. Two of them stare at each other, the atmosphere thick and David can't explain why. He wills the blush away from staring at Daniel too long.

Anyone could see it. Maybe David really was an idiot. He closes his eyes for the night and hopes to every deity out there that he wakes up alive and uninfected.