Morning Coffee And Sweet Surprises (Closed to Poprockz)

[Drobabes]

Vin reached back and ran his hand over the braid, smiling at how good of a job Sabastian has done. He stood up then, looking down into that beautiful jewel eye as he asked to share a drink later. Instead of answering right away, Vin bent down and stole a sweet kiss from the little blond, placing his hand on the bottom of his soft chin and stroking him gently. When he pulled back, his brown eyes were smoldering with lust for the little man.

"I'll be looking forward to it."
________

Cora nodded, crossing her arms and looking at the weapons. That uncomfortable pit settled back down into her stomach once again, but she ignored it and tried to cover it up with a bit of humour.

"Don't lose that bat, or I'll be the one handcuffing you."

She smirked at him, before turning to walk inside. Truly, objects weren't as important as his safety, but that was Quint's bat, and she didn't want to lose it if it could be avoided.
_______

After breakfast, the group found themselves getting ready to leave. Lizzy was busying herself with some parts, her brows knit and her eyes insanely focused on her task so that she could avoid looking their way. Not only because she didn't want to look at Tiffany, but also because she didn't want the last memory of Vin to be him walking out a door. It was morbid, but she couldn't stand the thought of it.

Cora was standing near Damien, her arms crossed and fighting not to reach out and grab his hand, and she was also trying hard not to let her eyes linger on Sabastian or Vin. It wasn't the first time they had all been in danger, and yet, it never got easier.

 

[Poprockz]

Damien noticed Cora's worried expression, the man smiling softly before leaning over and kissing her forehead before winking at her and grabbing his bat. Her gun was already in his holster, his own gun left with her for her own protection from zombies or otherwise. Hopefully today would go off without a hitch, the man very much still thinking about having a steamy little session with the love of his life. Speaking of which, perhaps if there was time, he might try looking around for rings for her.

Sabastian stood near Vin, the little man excited a bit to go to the store. Maybe he'd be able to find something sweet, or perhaps he could find something that Vin would like. Vin liked more natural flavors, so perhaps he could find some dried fruit or something that might whet his appetite.

In the corner of the room, Maverick sat in a chair, watching Tiffany as she awkwardly stood in the middle of the group. She tried to pretend that everything was normal, but the silence was a bit awkward, the girl seemingly very interested in her own nails. Maverick still hadn't trusted them entirely, so he had given Tiffany some pepper spray just in case. However, he had seriously told her that he was going to be pissed if she used it for anything other than defending herself.

Soon, they all headed out- Sabastian, Vin, Damien, and Tiffany. Things were a bit awkward at first, but Tiffany kept quiet most of the time, so it was at least bearable for everyone. In the grocery store, Damien took charge in assigning each of them to look for different things. Mostly he wanted non-perishable things that could really be stretched. Rice, oats, and things of that nature. However, he also wanted to make sure none of the became malnutritioned. In addition to that, he allowed Sabastian to grab some chocolate and dried fruit.

"Allowed" wasn't really the word though since Sabastian didn't ask and wouldn't have taken no for an answer anyway. Tiffany was at least able to grab a few things that were needed, though she grabbed the wrong things more often than not, Damien sending her back to try again. They decided to put all the food in a grocery cart, figuring that anything more than that probably wouldn't fit in the car.

The group finished in the grocery store and moved onto the ammo shop, the one that was nearer to the edge of the nearby forest, the rain still coming down pretty hard. Walking into the door, Damien ran his fingers through his wet hair, looking around to try to find the ammo he needed for Cora's pistol, going to one of the counters and checking.

Sabastian shook his head, droplets of water flicking from his blonde locks for a moment before he casually walked around the shop. He didn't really need a gun, so he grabbed a packet of peanuts near the register and munched on them a bit, Tiffany grabbing her own little packet of trail mix and eating nearby as well.

------------------------------------------------------------

Meanwhile, back at the auto station, Lizz was working on the cars while Cora and Maverick were left inside. Maverick mostly sat in the leather chair, the walkie talkie in his hand just in case. At one point though, he got up and looked out the window, wondering when they were going to come back. His eyes went to Cora and he spoke up for the first time since they left, "so... how long have you and Damien been together?"

It was an innocent question, but he was actually probing a bit. Her muscles indicated that she had suffered years of some kind of abuse, and if it was Damien doing it, he at least wanted to give her a talk about it before he left. If there was any way he could prevent that from happening again, he would do his best.

"I'm scared Maverick... I really think I should we should stop meeting."

"Hey, don't worry. We just have to make sure he doesn't find out. Just tell him you're going to a cleaning job or something like that. We just need to be careful, okay?"

He had been so naïve back then.

 

[Drobabes]

Jonathon hadn't known exactly where they had been planning on travelling too, but he had been tracking them for a while and listening in on their conversations. He knew they needed food and basic supplies, and they had mentioned getting more weapons, so he took a calculated guess and went to the closest gun store from where they were staying, imagining that they wouldn't want to travel far with how many zombies were lurking about. It paid off when he heard the group enter the building, and from his position on the second story walkway that led to the small offices, he saw his target-the steely eyed man who Kuznet had finally given the orders to bring in.

With sure, but quiet steps, he began to make his way across the building, dropping the tablet in a small cup of water as he walked. Now all he needed to do was wait for him to walk underneath, and, spill the contents onto his skin...
________

Cora had been looking through some of her old pictures on her phone, distracting herself from one anxiety inducing situation with another, albeit, easier to handle one. When Maverick asked his question, she looked up with a bit of surprise. Was he just trying to make small talk, or was he trying to be flirty again? Well, she supposed it wouldn't hurt to talk with him either way, as she was quite confident she could handle his flirtiness now.

"Together? Oh, a little before all this world ending business hit."

She left out the part about not having known him that long before it either. He didn't need to know that.

"What about you and Tiffany?"

She sits her phone down and gives him her full attention, resting her chin on her hand with a soft expression. She was much less tense now that she believed there was something truly kind about the man.

 

[Poprockz]

The party in the ammo shop was soon done grabbing what they needed, all of them heading for the door. Damien was the first one, reaching for the door and opening it before pausing to look back at them. Tiffany was lingering by the counter, a bit absorbed in her own thoughts.

"Tiffany, we need to go. Come on." Damien called to her from inside the doorway.

She almost rolled her eyes but stopped herself, instead clearing her throat and nodding, "sure, I'm coming." The woman started to make her way over, Sabastian taking the opportunity to slip past Damien to the outside. However, once he walked out, he felt a particularly wet splash come down on him, the little man standing there in shock for a moment before he wrinkled his nose and turning around, glaring at the building. Just his luck that some of the water would splash down on him there. He sighed and continued on, walking out as he waited for the rest of them.

They then started heading out, going a bit slower so that the sound of the cart didn't attract too much attention. It was at that point that Sabastian started to feel a bit odd. He tried to ignore it, continuing on until he simply stopped unexpectedly.

Something was wrong. It had crept up on him, but that feeling of unease and slight dizziness had escalated to something entirely different.

Sabastian's hands shook as he ran his fingers through his wet, blonde locks anxiously. What the hell was going on? Why did he feel so odd? He couldn't see it, but his violet eye was morphing; instead of just his iris being violet, his entire eye from white to pupil was starting to turn violet.

He was scared, but he wasn't sure what to do or what to say. Tiffany looked over and noticed his mannerisms, rolling her eyes and walking over. "Jesus. You get a little bit of water on you and you instantly start shaking like a wet dog. You probably don't even have a fever." She pent over near his face, putting the back of her hand on his forehead.

The blonde wasn't sure why, but he couldn't handle her being so close and touching him, the panic in him rising as he tried to give her a soft shove away. What happened was entirely different than intended though, as the woman was sent flying as though he had smacked her hard. Tiffany hit the ground hard, screaming as she landed on her shoulder.

Damien had noticed Sabastian being a bit off, but this was shocking. She had looked like a ragdoll as she was flung away from him. He ran over to Tiffany and checked to make sure she was okay, looking around to see if her scream had attracted any zombies.

"Ngh..." Sabastian grabbed his patch and ripped it off, clutching his eye for a moment before looking at Tiffany with a panicked gaze. What had he done? He hadn't meant to hurt her, just to get her away from him. It almost felt like he was slowly fading away, reality becoming more and more difficult to hold onto. With a sudden realization, his heart dropped into his stomach: he was losing control.

With a wide-eyed terrified look, he said, "RUN. NOW. GO AS FAR AS YOU CAN, JUST GO." His voice was more serious than anyone had heard him speak before and it was clear that this wasn't a request. Immediately after, he turned and ran as hard as he could into the woods, his consciousness slowly dropping away from him. He was so afraid, he wanted nothing more than to run into Vin's arms to be held until it passed, but he didn't know if it would pass, nor did he know what was going to happen to him. At some point he stopped, and from that moment on, there was nothing.

-------------------------------------------------------

So they had been dating for a couple weeks, most likely. That definitely wasn't long enough to wreak such physical and emotional trauma upon her, so Damien was probably safe then. Maverick's face seemed to relax a bit, a grin coming to his face. "Shucks. Not bored enough of him yet to be interested in a quick threesome before I go then... That's too damn bad." He snapped his fingers in a show of disappointment, though he wasn't truly disappointed.

"Tiffany and I? Damn... several years? I mean, we're not really dating, so I wouldn't really say we're together, but we've been close for a long time. She helped me through a really tough time, so she's been stuck with me ever since." He looked down and fiddled with the walkie talkie a bit before walking back over to the chair and dragging it over to the window. The man then sank into it and leaned back in a relaxed, sprawled position.

 

[Drobabes]

Jonathon stood above the party, observing stiffly. After a moment of brief hesitation, he left, grabbing his own radio from his back pocket to report in and command his own soldiers. Things had not gone as planned, and now he needed to make sure that nothing happened to Cora.
________

Vin had walked out the door last, having, surprisingly, found a good pistol for himself. He was busying himself with loading it and getting the clip back in when Sabastian had stopped. He had looked over to the little blonds face, trying to see what was bothering him, but the expression that he saw there made a disgusted feeling twist in his gut.

He wasn't sure what was happening. Was there a horde of zombies heading for them? Did they need to drop their supplies and run? He would never find out, as just as he opened his mouth to ask, he watched in horror as Tiffany's body went flying through the air.

His head whipped back around, after having watched her land, and when his eyes saw Sabastian's face, he let out of noise of shock and fear and took a step back. He didn't raise the gun to him, but his hand gripped it tightly with fear, adrenaline kicking hard through his veins.

"RUN. NOW. GO AS FAR AS YOU CAN, JUST GO."

His voice made Vin jump, almost dropping the gun from his hands, and then he watched as the little man took off running.

"Sabastian!" he yelled after him, turning and starting to follow.

"SABASTIAN!"

He wasn't thinking; all he knew was that, as terrifying as that had been to see, what was even more terrifying was watching his back as he quickly disappeared from his sight, and possibly, his life.

...he didn't make it very far. Delvin sprinted after him as hard as he could, but before he even got a few car lengths away, he heard them-the grunts and strange, moaning, screams of the infected. With his heart feeling as if it were being ripped in half, and not even realizing that he had tears streaming down his face, he turned and ran back to Damien.
________

Cora smiled softly, simply staring at him for a moment before she answered.

"I don't think I'll ever grow bored of him. He's the only one that's ever captured my heart, and many have tried."

Her gaze travelled to the window for a moment, her expression becoming just a bit worried, before she looked back to him.

"A really tough time, huh?"

Cora's hazel eyes stared at him for a long moment then, giving him the same quiet, hard to read look as she had given Damien back in his cabin, and then she sat up a bit and leaned back.

"Hey. Thank you, for last night. Those oils helped."

She was still curious how he had known, but she didn't want to directly ask and open up that can of worms if it was a painful thing for him to talk about.

 

[Poprockz]

The sweet, grumpy man that Vin loved had been buried and now slumbered within him. His body was another matter. It was as though he was possessed, all four of his appendages coming out and lashing at anything within reach. Several trees were knocked over, crashing to the ground around him. The zombie looked around, his lips drawn up in a snarl. He ran forward, not paying any heed to what was in his way because it could simply be swatted to the side or jumped over.

A squirrel tried to run up a tree but one of the appendages whipped out and grabbed it, squeezing the animal until it burst. It all happened so quickly, the blood sprinkling onto Sabastian as he continued on. Only punished trees and carnage marked his path, any animal unfortunate enough to get anywhere near him became just another stain on his clothes and skin.

---------------------------------------------------------------

It didn't take long for the booms of destruction to reach Vin, Tiffany, and Damien's ears, all three of them able to hear the destructive nature of Sabastian's induced insanity. Tiffany's arm was dislocated, Damien helping her up before seeing the zombies shambling toward the group. Her scream had drawn them, the smell of the blood from her cuts not helping any.

He was bewildered and frightened for Sabastian, not knowing what in the world had triggered him, nor whether the little man would ever recover. All he knew was that they needed to get out of there, or they wouldn't be alive to welcome him back if he did return normal. The man turned from Tiffany and yelled out to Vin, his voice trying to reach him over the groans of zombies and the booms of the forest, "we need to get back to the auto-shop now, Vin. We can't go after him yet." He didn't know what Sabastian's state of mind was right now, but it was obvious that he was highly agitated and unable to control his strength. If Vin went after him now, Sabastian might do something he would regret later. If he didn't directly hurt Vin, then it was likely that a tree would fall on the tall man.

With Vin coming back over, they just needed to get Tiffany... "Fuck!" Damien swore as Tiffany had just bolted toward the auto-shop on her own, likely confused and terrified from what just happened. "Shit!" He shot a zombie that was headed toward her, trying to keep them from coming too close as he started to chase her.

---------------------------------------------------------------

The man simply quietly nodded in acknowledgement of her comments, wondering what it was like to have a love like that. Sure he had dated and loved several women, and men for that matter, but it had never seemed to scratch that itch in the back of his mind. Those relationships always ended badly, and only left him with scars.

"Hey. Thank you, for last night. Those oils helped."

He grinned, putting his hands behind his head and bringing one of his feet up to rest on his other leg's knee. "No problem, sweet cheeks. I was hoping you'd give me a bit of a sexy reward for my kindness, but I suppose gratitude is better than nothing." The man smirked and looked out the window, his eyes not betraying a hint of how nervous he was for Tiffany right now. He hadn't actually done it to get anything from Cora, but she didn't need to know that. Better that she thought he was just an asshole; he didn't care. As long as he had something to protect, he didn't care what anyone else thought of him.

BOOM!

Maverick almost fell out of his chair at what sounded almost like thunder. Instead of booming once though, there continued to be booms and crashes, the man quickly getting to his feet, all muscles tensed. Something was happening. It sounded like bombshells or trees falling, but he didn't know why there would be either one of those sounds. He quickly moved to the front door, opening it and fixing his eyes on Lizz. "Lizz! You need to come back inside now!" If something was going on, then they needed to have the protection of the walls and needed to try to stay out of view if at all possible.

 

[Drobabes]

He had caught back up with Damien just as he heard the crashing, and with wide eyes, he looked behind him just in time to see a tree falling down. What the hell was happening? Was Sabastian really losing control like he had feared?

"we need to get back to the auto-shop now, Vin. We can't go after him yet."

He looked back at him, his eyes wide with fear and barely controlled panic. He heard what he said, but it took his mind a moment to catch up, only really doing so when he saw Tiffany bolt, and then Damien running after her. From that point on his fight response took over for him, forcing him to raise his gun and start shooting the horde as they all ran back to the shop.

"Tiffany stop! Come back to us! Come back here!"
________

Lizz banged her head hard on the undercarriage when the first boom rang out, causing a cut to form and blood to start dripping down her face. She didn't need to be told twice as Maverick yelled at her, and with quick movements she scrambled out from under the car and ran into the shop.

Cora knocked over her chair, running to the window to look out. She recognized that booming crash, and her thoughts raced as to what could be causing it. Had they come across another zombie like Margaret? Was Sabastian out there fighting them?

She took Damien's pistol out and cocked it, quickly switching the safety off.

 

[Poprockz]

Tiffany continued to run as though the devil was chasing her, and in some ways Sabastian had truly looked like a demon from her perspective. She didn't think they had done this on purpose since they all seemed shocked and Sabastian seemed horrified, but at this point she was simply terrified and wanted to go back to Maverick as quickly as possible to warn him.

Behind her, Damien was doing his best to run and shoot at the same time. It frustratingly made him unable to catch up with her, always staying a bit behind. He knew Vin must be panicked and distraught, and Damien himself felt similarly, but he would focus on his emotions once everyone else was safe and the situation was contained. Tiffany was being extremely foolish in running away and ignoring their pleas for her her to come back, and he feared what might happen to her. It wasn't for his sake, but for Cora's. He would think it was a pity, but he wasn't emotionally invested in the woman; Cora wasn't either, but that gentle heart of hers would certainly cause her to shed tears.

There it was, the auto shop. Tiffany felt a bit of relief come over her even in her panic as she rounded the corner, seeing Maverick at the window as he waited for her. They made eye-contact and Tiffany focused on him, the girl starting to run forward only to be sent tumbling to the pavement unexpectedly. She clutched her shoulder with a whimper of pain, not noticing that there had been a zombie dragging itself across the ground in her path.

Reaching out, the zombie grabbed her ankle and yanked her back with considerable strength, its teeth then sinking into her ankle and ripping a large chunk out of her. With wide-panicked eyes, the woman screamed and flailed, trying to crawl away desperately. It must have hit a major artery because blood was quickly seeping out onto the ground.

With a shot of gunfire, the zombie slumped, Damien having put it down a little too late. Maverick saw it all happen as though it was in slow motion, the man flinging the door open and sprinting toward her without a second thought. He hadn't even grabbed a weapon before going to the pink-haired woman, quickly reaching her and scooping her up into his arms with cover fire from Damien and Vin. The man then ran hard back to the auto-shop, going inside and sitting down on the floor with her in his arms still, the man unwilling to let go. He ripped off his shirt, wrapping it around her ankle in a futile attempt to stop the bleeding. It was obvious that she had lost too much blood; in Maverick's heart of hearts he knew there wasn't anything that could be done for her.

She knew it too. She could feel some dizziness from the bloodloss and knew that her time was short.

"Let go..." tears streamed down her face, the woman weakly trying to push him off, though she was only able to set her hand on his arm.

"No."

"I'm going to turn, Mav."

"NO."

"Please... I can't drag you down with me. Not this time."

"I will hold you until I want to fucking let go Tiffany!" He roared, squeezing her even tighter against his chest. She couldn't feel her wound anymore, her body starting to feel cold, so the gesture itself didn't hurt her, not physically at least.

"... You're such an asshole, Mav."

"I know."

She choked out a little laugh, clearly in shock, the woman reached up and stroked his face, her blood smearing against his skin from her gentle gesture. "Live for yourself now, and for fucks sake, find a way to be happy. I'm- I'm sorry. I've been-" Tiffany's breath shuddered before she finished her sentence, "selfish."

He reached up and set his hand over hers. "You..." The man almost couldn't continue, crying softly as he rocked her back and forth. "Please don't..."

She looked like she wanted to say something more, but she couldn't muster up the strength, simply looking up at his face as the life started to leave her eyes.

 

[Drobabes]

His warning went unheeded, and though he tried to catch up to Tiffany, much like Damien, he kept having to slow down to shoot the zombies that were trying to come in from behind them. He saw the zombie on the ground, and although he tried to warn her, it was too late.

Cora watched with horror from the shop window, and although she too wanted to run out there, she knew it would only put Damien in danger if he was distracted with her well being. When Maverick came through the door, she took one last glance outside to see that Both Vin and Damien were close behind, and then she went into action.

She stuffed the pistol in her pants, ran over to the closest pile of clothes and grabbed a shirt, and then she ran and grabbed a wrench. She then quickly scampered back over to where Maverick was holding Tiffany, and, grabbing her leg, she started to try her hardest to make a tourniquet, cursing herself for not having practiced this earlier when she had time and wasn't under pressure.

When the boys came running in, Lizz sprinted to the doors, locking them quickly and then starting to look around for something to block the window. As soon as Cora looked up and saw their faces, and with her hands were still busy trying to tighten the wrench, she asked where Sabastian was. Why wasn't he with them? Was it as she had thought?

Delvin looked down at her, horror in his eyes, and before he even said anything she already knew.

"He ran away from us, towards the woods, when we heard the explosions. I don't know what's going on."

It was only half the truth, of course, but he couldn't risk Maverick or Lizz knowing what he really was. Especially Maverick, and especially not now.

Cora looked away, tears stinging her eyes as she finished securing the tourniquet with a knot, and then she stepped back and took the pistol out of her pants. Pointing it down at Tiffany, she nodded towards Maverick, telling Vin he needed to get him to let her go. Holding the zombies off from outside would be impossible if Tiffany turned right now and got them all killed.

Lizz was in such a state of shock that she didn't have time to process exactly what was going on, and after she had done a, admittedly, half-ass job of securing the window, she ran over to Maverick.

"Maverick, Maverick look at me. Let go of her."

She starts to tug on his arms, Vin stepping up behind the man to help her get him off.

"She could turn, you need to get back, please Maverick!"

Now she was crying, the pain of her parent's deaths still fresh on her mind. And although she didn't like Tiffany, she hadn't wanted her to die, nor to see Maverick in such pain.

Cora simply kept the gun trained on Tiffany's forehead, but she didn't dare to pull the trigger until she knew for sure. Either the women died, turned, or by some miraculous chance, survived the blood loss.

 

[Poprockz]

"Maverick, Maverick look at me. Let go of her."

It was like hearing her voice from underwater, it barely registered and he simply swatted the woman's hands away as she tried to get him to let go of Tiffany. To him, it felt like if he let go of her, then she really would be lost to him forever. She was so young, the woman having had so much time to heal her scars and maybe find someone who would love her as she was, and now all of that had been taken from her in a cruel twist of fate. That fact filled him with anguish, the man's shoulders shaking as he cried over her.

"She could turn, you need to get back, please Maverick!"

"I don't care! Stop it, Lizz!" Maverick again tried to rebuff Lizz's efforts, not quite in his right mind at the moment. When Vin tried to pull him off, he fought to keep her in his arms. "She's still alive, let me go! She might still pull through! Get the fuck off me, man!"

Damien looked over with a pained look on his face, his eyes taking in the sight of the man holding her desperately. For a second he could almost see it as himself and Cora, knowing if she died, he wouldn't care if she turned and took him with her. Walking over quickly, he moved to help Vin taking one of the man's arms while nodding at his other arm to Vin then looking at Lizz. "Make sure she comes out of his arms and then get back, okay?"

With that, they separated the two of them. Tiffany slumped to the floor and Maverick seemed to struggle against them for a moment or two until he saw her laying on the floor in a small pool of blood. He suddenly slumped in their arms, eyes fixed on Tiff, his closest friend.

For a minute, everyone stayed still. That is, until Tiffany's arm went out, pushing her torso up a bit as those cobwebbed eyes looked up at Cora. It seemed like she was getting her bearings, the zombie letting out a little snarl and trying to drag itself closer to Cora.

"Tiff..." Maverick choked out, "Tiff no..."

 

[Drobabes]

Vin grabbed the man, holding him with strength and sympathy as they both pulled him back. Once they had him, Lizz did as she was told and then she moved over to stand near Maverick, her eyes locked on Tiffany.

For that brief, tense moment, Cora stood watching and waiting...hoping. But, just as they all feared, the women turned.

"I'm sorry" she cried, and then she pulled the trigger.

 

[Poprockz]

At one point, Sabastian came upon a large grizzly bear. His eyes locked with the bear and he started toward it with his teeth bared and his face contorted into a deranged snarl, the bear not recognizing that this small little man was currently the most dangerous thing in the entire forest. It raised itself on its hind legs, looking to scare Sabastian before ripping him to shreds. He didn't stop though, reaching the bear and wrapping an appendage around each limb and lifting the bear over his head. The large carnivore only had but a moment to regret its decision before it was ripped limb from limb, covering Sabastian in a shower of red.

He paused though, the smell of the bear seeming somewhat appealing in his possessed state. Setting it down, he crouched over the torso and started ravenously eating its uncooked meat, grabbing handfuls of it before feasting on the flesh. Soon he was full though, the zombie getting up and continuing its aimless journey.

------------------------------------------------------------------

Tiffany's body jerked and then slumped to the floor once more, truly lifeless this time, the bullet having performed its mercy. Maverick went limp, feeling broken as the tears streamed down his face. Why had it ended up like this? Why hadn't he insisted on having her stay back? They didn't know the face she made when she smiled genuinely, the way she kicked his ass into gear when he hadn't been able to get up in the morning, the soft kisses of gratitude she would leave on his cheeks... He would never get to feel that soft little hand of hers squeeze his as they laid next to each other, two people just trying to make the best out of their own lives.

"No..." Maverick sunk to his knees, a look of despair on his face as he looked at what once was Tiffany.

Damien pursed his lips, letting go of the man's arm gently and walking slowly over to Cora. He didn't really have to say anything, simply pulling her into a hug and closing his eyes for a moment. God, what the fuck was even happening? Sabastian was MIA, Tiffany was dead, and there was the possibility that several zombies might try to come inside.

 

[Drobabes]

Unbeknownst to the group, Jonathon had ordered two of his loyal soldiers to thin out the horde that was heading their way. He gave them careful instructions not to kill every zombie, to let just a few of them run up on the shop, but if they showed any signs of actually being to break through, he wanted them gunned down with their civilian pistols. They were all wearing their civilian clothes, just encase any of the group had come up on them, so they would be able to cover up who they really were.

While his own personal lackeys were busy with this task, Jonathon carefully followed the trail of destruction that Sabastian left. He had noticed that Sabastian had been able to smell him before, despite his best efforts, so this time around, he gave him a wide birth and stayed downwind. He also kept his sniper rifle out, just encase, although he had no intention of approaching the zombie until his bodies metabolism was able to eat through the drug. Even then, he possibly wouldn't approach himself.
________

Cora let the pistol come down to her side and watched as Lizz went over and hugged Maverick's back, trying to comfort the man through his shock and pain. When Damien wrapped her up in a hug, she only let him hold her briefly before she handed him his pistol and turned her body away, her eyes on the window.

"Help me secure that better. And let's make sure the door is secured."

Despite the way her body was shaking, right now, she was all business. She would not be able to rest until she knew it was done, and then, only then, would she allow herself to think of her friend. That stubborn little man that was still out there somewhere in the rain, and possibly already beyond their reach.

Vin was crying again, although he didn't notice it. He felt the wetness on his face, but as he made his way over to a plastic tote, he simply thought it was from the rain or perhaps blood.

He picked the plastic bin up and then spilled it's contents out onto the ground. Once it was empty, he began to grab all of Lizzy's things and stuff them inside, along with some bottles of water and food.

"Vin, what are you doing?" the little women asked, her voice cracking from her own tears.

"As soon as we finish off the rest of the zombies, your fixing that car and leaving."

"What? I...I can't I can't just leave you!"

"Don't fucking argue with me Lizzy!" he growled, turning around and pointing a finger at the door.

"Didn't you hear those noises? It's not safe for you here. You are going, and you are not going to stop until you get there, do you understand me?"

She stared at him, pain and fear in her eyes as she knew he wasn't going to let her out of this one.

 

[Poprockz]

Continuing on, Sabastian came upon a regular zombie, the shambling corpse pausing and looking at him as he approached, seemingly unable to move. The blonde's crazed eyes fixed upon the zombie, snarling angrily as the zombie started to bleed from its ears, eyes, and nose. Sabastian's gaze intensified, the zombie gurgling as it fell to the ground like a sack of potatoes. If one were to saw open the zombie's head, they would find a mess of brain mush inside.

With the zombie's presence gone from his notice, Sabastian moved on and left the corpse behind, his consciousness still locked away inside him.

---------------------------------------------------------

Taking back his pistol, Damien took a deep breath and nodded. It was obvious that Cora was intent on getting everything under control again, and he had to commend her level-headedness. He went to the windows, securing them thoroughly with the shutters the shop likely used when they were closed each night. Once that was done, he got the desk out of the office and set it near the door in case they wanted to barricade themselves inside. He could hear the group of zombies outside, but it didn't sound like there were as many as he had feared there would be.

"Didn't you hear those noises? It's not safe for you here. You are going, and you are not going to stop until you get there, do you understand me?"

That seemed to jostle Maverick out of his haze of grief, the man looking up at Vin. "It's not safe for her to go alone either." His voice was a bit quiet, lacking his usual zeal. He personally agreed with Vin; getting Lizz back to her hometown was the safest option for her, but anything could happen to her in between this little town and Vin's sister's cabin. It didn't even occur to him to come with her though, not thinking Vin would want them alone together, especially considering his own track record so far for being a selfish flirt.

 

[Drobabes]

Jonathon took his time following, occasionally stopping to take a few photos, both for Kuznet and himself. When he came across the other zombie lying dead in the path, his curiosity was piqued and he stopped for a long moment, examining the corpse. At one point during his inspection, his radio clicked to let him know that they were already almost finished, and were now just watching the shop.

"Good. Come pick me up when you're done, and pull out one of the bags. We have an interesting specimen to take back to the lab."
________

"It's not safe for her to go alone either."

Vin looked at him, his face wild with an unreadable expression before he suddenly turned away from them and started knocking things off the workbench, cursing loudly as he did so.

Cora had gone over to help move the desk in front of the door, thinking better safe than sorry, but when she heard the crashing of tools on the floor, followed by Vin yelling, she jumped and looked over.

"D-Delvin," she stammered, having not seen him like this before.

"Delvin, calm down, please. We'll go out and find hi-"

She let loose with a startled scream as she suddenly heard the window shatter, and when she looked over, she was shocked to see a hand sticking through, clawing around wildly. There was no way it could get through the metal blinds, but it was startling nonetheless.

Vin had heard her soft plea, but he hadn't cared. He had continued to rage in the corner, only stopping when he heard that scream, and when he turned around and saw what was causing it, his eyes narrowed. Stalking over towards the window, he picked up one of the heavy metal tools that he had knocked over-some kind of clamp, and once he was within reach, he took his rage out on that arm. The metal flew through the air, and with a sickening, squelching crack, he broke it in half.

 

[Poprockz]

Maverick simply watched everything with a blank expression, not being able to summon up the presence to care whether Vin was raging or not. He almost didn't care whether they left him there or not; fading away while cuddled up in Tiffany's bag almost seemed like a kind way to go out.

Over in the office, Damien had been grabbing one of the little filing cabinets to use for the barricade as well. He had heard Vin raging in the corner, but he ignored it. Just like Cora had pointed out, safety was a priority, and it wasn't as though anything they said would make him feel better. The fact of the matter was that Sabastian was in the forest alone, possibly frightened, possibly deranged to a point of no return.

This had been Sabastian's worst fear- a nightmare come to fruition. Though he hadn't truly hurt anyone, who was to say that it wouldn't happen again or whether they would be able to get away from him in time. There was no real way to comfort a man who realized all of this and still wanted to charge into the woods after his blonde sweetheart.

At Cora's little scream though, he dropped the cabinet and reached for his pistol, though Cora was currently between himself and the arm so he wasn't going to point it at her. Instead, he watched as Vin came over and punished that zombie arm for intruding on their shelter.

They needed to secure the premises by getting rid of the remaining zombies, but he wasn't sure what the best way to go about it was.

 

[Drobabes]

Lizz had also let out a little scream, flinching and clinging to Mavericks back until Vin broke it's arm. She then watched as he grabbed it and shoved it back out the window, although it did little to deter the zombie on the other side. She saw Cora starting to walk over to him, and before she could get very far, Lizz called out to her.

"Cora don't. Just leave him, he won't stop until he's calmed down."

And it was true, as already Vin was taking his anger out on the other arm that came through the window. And once that one was broken, he looked up at the chain that could lift the blinds up. He only stared at it for a moment before he started walking over to it, his intention seemingly to lift the blinds up so he could have better access to the snarling beasts.

Lizz watched him, half wanting to stop him, but also kind of hoping that he did take his anger out on them-funneling them through the window and killing them off one at a time. She also knew that he was more than capable of doing it with how strong he was, especially when he was so angry.

Turning back to Maverick, she swallowed back her tears and tried to gently pull the man's head down to her chest, or at least, her shoulder. Tiffany might have done something despicable last night, but neither of them deserved this.

 

[Poprockz]

Damien moved closer to the window, pistol at the ready in case Vin needed some back up. Otherwise, he was content to let Vin vent his anger on the undead. After all, it was a constructive release of that tension, and it would make it all the more safe once Sabastian returned. If he returned, that is. Damien didn't want to think about that though, the man wanting to hold onto the hope that they would recover the frightened little blonde in one piece.

A little hiss was heard from the floor, Bowie raising himself up and staring intently at the window. No one had noticed, but the little snake had slithered in during all of the commotion, ending up near Cora's foot almost as though he wanted to protect her.

Maverick felt Lizz's gentle hands pulling him toward her comforting embrace. He didn't feel like he deserved her comfort, not having been able to protect Tiffany. That pink-haired woman was the real victim, and he wished to God that he had been taken instead. Maybe then he would at last feel like he had done right by Tiffany and... Delilah.

Still, he had no strength anymore to do anything but lay his head on her shoulder as silent tears streamed down his cheeks. What was he supposed to do now that his purpose in life was gone?

 

[Drobabes]

Cora had listened to Lizz when she advised not to go near him. She knew him better than they did, and although it scared Cora a little to see him like this, she understood that some people simply had to express their fear through anger.

When she heard that hiss from Bowie, she quickly looked down, and then her eyes went to the rest of them, slightly worried that they might have noticed his odd behavior. Relieved to find that they hadn't, Cora quickly bent down and picked him up, and then she disappeared into one of the backrooms with him.

Vin had lifted the blinds up just enough for them to stick their heads in, and once inside, he went to town. Bashing each skull in with accuracy and efficiency, he killed every single zombie that came through that window, quickly pushing them back through and out into the rain once he was sure they were dead. It didn't take long for him to finish them off, and when it was done, he stood there panting and dropped the clamp, hearing the dull thud as it fell heavily to the ground.

Meanwhile, in the back room, Cora took just brief moment to sit down and bring Bowie up to her eyes.

"Bowie," she said, pain lacing her voice.

"Somethings happened to Sabastian. I don't know what happened, but we have to help him. Can you find him Bowie? Please?"

At last the tears began to break through her wall, and her voice shook as she tried to breathe normally.

"I don't know what mindset he is in, and I don't want you to get hurt, but I know he's out there all alone. We can't...I don't want to leave him alone. I can't leave my friend, Bowie, I can't..."

She let him down into her lap so that she could cover her face with her hands. The thought of Sabastian actually having turned twisted a hot knife through her heart, and she didn't know if she could handle this. Not him, not one of the few true friends she had ever made.

 

[Poprockz]

Damien watched calmly, poised to help if need be. It seemed that his support was unneeded though, as Vin soon made short work of the zombies. Once it was over, he lowered his pistol and put it in its holster, wondering what they should do now. His head turned to look out the window, the sounds of loud booms still coming from the forest intermittently. If it was any indication of Sabastian's state of mind, then he thought to himself that they should wait until the booms stopped to go after him.

"Let's go out once the crashes stop," he said seriously, a look of stoic worry on his face. He didn't want Vin going out on his own prematurely, so he was going to do everything in his power to reign the man in until it was safe to go into the forest.

The snake seemed to be listening to her pleas, though it was difficult to tell since that grumpy little bull-snake face didn't give much indication either way. However, the snake raised itself up a bit in her lap, Cora able to feel a soft boop on her nose before the snake slithered down her leg and away. While it almost appeared as though the snake simply disappeared into a hole in the wall, the snake actually made his way outside and toward the forest.

-------------------------------------------------------------

A few hours later, things had seemed to calm down, the booms having stopped and everyone having calmed down. It had been decided that Lizz was to be accompanied by Maverick. He hadn't expected it, but it had actually been Lizz who asked him to come with her. The man had agreed immediately, not really having any other direction to go. At least this way, he could continue to atone for his failure.

Damien had come to Cora, crouching down in the backroom and explaining exactly what had happened. He thought she had a right to know, and he wanted her to be prepared in case the worst should happen.

-------------------------------------------------------------

Sabastian blinked, slowly coming back to himself and finding that he was simply standing in the middle of the forest. He was disoriented and afraid, seeing all the trees around him having been knocked over. Had he been far enough to avoid disaster? His mind was blank, not remembering a single thing after having told them to run. He smelled blood, the little man looking down to find that he was absolutely drenched in it from head to toe. It wouldn't have surprised him if someone had told him that he looked like the girl from the movie Carrie.

Vin's face flashed in his memory. He had looked horrified, looking at Sabastian like he was a monster... Maybe he was. The blonde (or at the moment red-head might have been more accurate) held up his shaking hands, looking at his blood-stained skin.

Still a bit affected, he couldn't quite get a handle on his senses enough to smell that it was all animal blood. He could taste its metallic tinge his mouth too, making him gag and vomit. Seeing the fresh, uncooked meat of something unidentifiable, he heaved once more, his body not allowing him to stop until it was all out of his stomach. Even then, it took about ten minutes to stop dry-heaving.

To his horror, it occurred to him that he could very well have turned around and killed them all before heading back into the forest. The thought of Damien, Tiffany, and Vin... ripped to shreds, pieces of them strewn about the place... Even eaten by him. It was more than he could bear. He screamed with everything he had, a single, high-pitched scream of pure emotion. The little blonde wasn't sure what he felt, all of his emotions melting into one white-hot jumble of chaos.

He dropped to his knees, slumping over onto his side a moment later. Pulling his knees up, he curled up into a ball and simply trembled, staring at the way in which he had come. His eye was now normal, the violet having retracted back into just his iris. What would he do if he had ripped apart the man he held most dear? The woman who at the very least didn't deserve to be ripped apart? His former boss who seemed to have changed for the better? His appendages wrapped around him protectively, as though trying to keep the fear at bay.

There was a rustling nearby, Sabastian slowly turning his head to see... Bowie? The little danger noodle slithered up to him, having waited until it was safe to get closer. While the humans couldn't feel it, the telepathic connection to other undead had been extremely strong and chaotic just like his state of mind. This made Sabastian extremely easy to find since he was like a blazing beacon, but Bowie had to stay a certain distance until his mind was under control in order to avoid being affected. Slithering closer, he moved so that he was cuddled up against the little man's chest, simply keeping him company as he shook like a leaf and gently held the serpent against him.

 

[Drobabes]

"Let's go out once the crashes stop,"

Vin had glanced over at him, running a hand up through his hair, which had become somewhat loose from the braid, as a look of defeat and fear clouded his features. His shoulders had dropped, but he had nodded to let him know that he had heard him and agreed with it.
________

In the break room, Cora had watched as Bowie left, and although she was still scared, she held out hope that the snake could find him.

When Damien came in a short while later, she had listened, and, when he was done, she had wrapped him into a tight hug and cried. There were no words that could express the fear coursing through her; not only for their own safety, and for anyone who might have possibly crossed his path, but for Sabastian's as well.

We're they finally going to have to grant him his request? The favour that he had asked of Damien when they first found him at the mansion?
________

Vin sat in a chair, staring out the drafty window with his hands crossed under his chin. Lizzy and Maverick had left some time ago, and since then, he had simply been waiting. He hadn't heard the loud crashes in some time, and he had seen Cora loading the pistols just a few moments ago.

It was almost time to go, and yet, he was terrified now to leave.

"Damien..."

It was the first thing he had said in hours.

"What are you going to do if he still hasn't calmed down?"

 

[Poprockz]

"What are you going to do if he still hasn't calmed down?"

The man stiffened for a moment, turning to look at Vin. He knew Vin already knew the answer to that question, but if he needed to hear it out loud, then he would have to put it out into the open. "If he hasn't calmed down... Then I'll make sure he doesn't have to continue to live like that. I don't know if I ever told you how we ran into him before."

Damien crossed his arms and looked out the window at the forest before his gaze returned to the other man. "When Cora and I went to my home to get some things, my mother had completely turned into what you saw at the diner. She locked Daphne in her closet and did things to myself and Cora, though Cora was able to get the closet open and Daphne gave her life to free us. Once we were free, we found Sabastian in the closet with the eggs. He asked us to kill him."

He paused, remembering how Sabastian had almost gotten his wish if Cora hadn't dismissed his request. "He was afraid of what he might become, and he didn't want to become that sort of being. I believe that's still how he feels, so if he's gone completely turned to the point of no return, I will grant the request he made at the very beginning."

His face softened for a moment, "but if there is any way we can save him, I won't hesitate to do so."

 

[Drobabes]

"If he hasn't calmed down... Then I'll make sure he doesn't have to continue to live like that."

The hands that were under his chin only moved far enough for him to bring his thumbs out and rub them up the sides of his face, holding his temples as he listened. He knew part of the story, but having the details filled in did little for him in that moment. All he knew was that Sabastian had asked to be put down if he ever became...whatever he had seen when he looked into that fully purple eye. Madness? Simply rabid? He didn't know.

Cora sat the pistols down on a chair, fresh tears spilling down her face as she listened to what Damien had to say. She tried not to think about that option as she moved around the shop a bit more, grabbing just a few more things.

"but if there is any way we can save him, I won't hesitate to do so."

Vin finally looked up then, his eyes red from the stress of it all, and his expression haunted. He looked like he wanted to say something, but just then, Cora walked up to him and shoved a sleeping bag into his lap. Surprised, he looked into her tear stained face.

"It stopped raining, but he's still going to be cold" she said quite seriously. The next thing that she handed him was the bottle of rum that Sabastian had found.

For a long, tense, moment, Vin simply stared at it, unwilling to take it. Sabastian had asked to have a drink with him-a date. Their first official date. Vin had wanted to tell him over that drink how he really felt, that he loved him and he thought he might have loved him like he had never loved anyone before. Now he might never have that chance again.

"Take it" she said, a sudden fire in her voice. She sounded angry, but just as quickly as Vin looked up at her and she saw the tears threatening in his eyes, she softened her face and quieted her voice.

"He's going to be scared, Delvin. He's going to need all the help he can get, and he needs us."

He reached out then, his hand shaking as he took the bottle, and then he stood up. He looked out the window one more time, and then he shook his head.

"Let's go get him."

 

[Poprockz]

Damien watched the exchange and nodded. It was good thinking on Cora's part to bring warmth and booze. After all, if Sabastian was still turned and they had to put him down, they would want to bury him. In that scenario, they would likely put his slim body in the sleeping bag before finding a suitable place to lay him to rest.

"Let's go get him."

The three of them set out, being careful to look for any zombie stragglers. Oddly enough, it seemed like they had taken out the entire hoard between their bullets and Vin's clamp. It was silent as they walked across town, pausing just at the edge of the forest before entering to find Sabastian. Even without zombie-sense like Bowie's, it wasn't hard to follow where he had gone. All they had to do was to follow the blood and broken trees.

Looking around as they walked, Damien thought to himself that Sabastian must have really gone over the edge to make this much destruction. A normal zombie seemed dead-set on killing and eating the living, wandering aimlessly otherwise. A fully-turned human zombie was cunning, though usually arrogant as well, and the half-zombies were just normal people. There was no indication that any of the zombies were prone to such unbridled violence for no reason at all.

When they came upon the pieces and limbs of the bear, Damien pursed his lips. It was obvious that Sabastian had killed the bear, but it looked as though part of it had been eaten as well. He wondered if that had been the little blonde or whether another animal had gotten to it in the meantime.

Soon the trail ended, and at the end of it was Sabastian. The blood-soaked man was still curled up on the ground, shaking. His eyes almost looked glazed over, though one could see that his violet eye was back to normal. It hadn't been obvious that Bowie was there, but the snake soon raised its head from Sabastian's arms, looking at the approaching trio while his little tongue flicked out. Since the snake wasn't trying to prevent them from coming closer, Damien wondered if the snake was trying to tell them that it was safe to approach. Although, he wondered to himself just what the hell Bowie was doing out here anyway. When and how had he left the shop, slithered across the town, and found Sabastian in the forest?

 

[Drobabes]

As they walked Vin's fear only continued to grow. With each horrific sight that they passed, from the mangled pieces of animals, to every redwood that had been so easily uprooted, to the sight of the bear-which had seemingly been eaten, his stomach wanted to upheave itself. This all simply seemed like too much, like it wasn't real. Had Sabastian really lost himself? What were they going to find at the end of this trail?

Cora had been walking stiffly behind them, her every nerve on fire from what she was seeing. She had been exposed to many horrific sights, so she didn't feel the need to vomit from the gore alone. However, she shared in their fear of just who, or what, they would find when the carnage finally came to an end, and that made her shaky.

At last, after what seemed like hours, they found him.

Cora let out a shaky, tear filled breath of relief as she lowered her gun slightly, just thankful that he was alive and someone else hadn't found him. When Bowie lifted his head up to greet them all, she started to cry again, not being able to hold it back.

"Oh thank god" she breathed through her small sob.

"You found him, thank you Bowie."

Delvin barely heard her words-not that they had been very loud to begin with, but as he took in the sight of the little blond laying there on the cold, muddy ground, everything else seemed to melt away. He still feared what had happened to make that kind hearted soul become such a vessel of destruction, but, it didn't stop him from trying to approach him; to comfort him.

Very quickly he sits the bottle of rum down on the ground, and then he unfolds the blanket, starting to approach.

"Sabastian?"

His voice was full of pain, fear, and hope. He didn't want to lose him, and even if there might be a chance that this happened again, in that moment, he didn't care.