Chapter Text
The sky felt heavy, clouds rolling in thick and staying for days on end. It had been 17 months since the entire world shut down.
No-one knew how or why the virus spread, but the town was quarantined within the week. After a month, half of the country's population was wiped out, and within the year, the military officials who had been planted to keep the spread of the virus under control were gone, either dead or infected. A lot of them deserted their positions, deciding to take their life into their own hands. Gerard couldn't blame them. It was kill or be killed. You couldn't stay in one place for too long, and sitting around under orders was like presenting yourself on a silver platter for the infected.
They were quick, flesh-hungry and fucking ugly looking. All it took was just one bite. They had two goals, eat and infect. If they were hungry, they'd tear your flesh apart, devouring you piece by piece. If they'd already eaten, they'd leave you for dead and let the virus take over your brain. Sometimes, they would tear you up, but leave enough of you so that what was left of you would still reanimate.
It didn't take long for the virus to take over every cell in your body once infected. From what Gerard had witnessed, you had around 5-8 minutes depending on the size of the person to drive a switchblade through their skull and destroy the brain before they turned. Generally, though, you don't wait. Just kill and move on.
Gerard didn't know what had happened to his parents. All he knew was that they didn't make it back from work the day the lockdown hit, and he never saw them again. It was just him and his little brother, Mikey, since everyone else they knew had been eaten or infected. They had been on the move since the military abandonned them, sleeping in cars or empty houses, ransacking supermarkets and gas stations for food and other supplies.
They had learned the hard way that you couldn't trust anyone anymore. Nobody looked out for anyone but themselves, and would kill you in your sleep for a pack of smokes. Gerard understood them though, because if it came down to it, he would do the same thing to protect Mikey. Plus, it had been 12 days since his last cigarette and he was going insane.
He didn't think there was anyone living left in Monroeville besides him and Mikey. They hadn't seen anyone for over three months, and the amount of infected they'd ran into had dwindled massively, probably because they were becoming weaker by the day, resting and waiting for some unlucky soul to stumble by.
"We should find somewhere to sleep, soon," Gerard mumbled to Mikey, staring up at the skyline. "Sun's settin' earlier and earlier by the day." His dark, shoulder length hair with inches of roots from his dye job growing out fell over his eyes slightly.
Mikey nodded, pushing his glasses up onto the bridge of his nose. "We should find something to eat, too," he suggested. "We ate the last of the snickers this morning."
"We'll head east towards the mall we haven't hit yet. There should be something there we can grab. Might even be able to rest there." Gerard scrunched his nose up at the map, turning it around a few times before settling on an angle and pointing. "This way, I think."
It was dead silent, only the sound of their shuffling footsteps for miles and miles. Gerard kept his fist firmly clutching his switchblade knife, Mikey staying tucked behind Gerard the whole time and glancing behind him every couple of feet.
Mikey's weapon of choice, a long stick with a kitchen knife tied to the end of it, had broken a week ago, blade snapping off inside an infected's skull. Mikey preferred to keep his distance when it came to the infected, whereas Gerard liked the thrill of being up close and watching the light leave their undead eyes as he plunged the blade through their sockets.
"Not far to go," Gerard reassured Mikey as the darkness began to enclose around them. "I can see it from here."
They approached the mall cautiously, Gerard stopping suddenly in his tracks and holding his hand up to Mikey, signalling for him to be quiet. After listening for any movement, Gerard was satisfied, and they slowly entered through the big glass doors.
"We'll search the first quarter of the mall tonight and barricade it from the rest until morning. You sleep first, I'll keep watch."
They made their way slowly through the mall, back to back, Gerard taking the lead. After the first few units were searched and cleared, they entered a small convenience store, Gerard's eyes lighting up at the packs of cigarettes lining the wall behind the counter. "Fuck yes!" He whispered, pumping his fist. After the store was deemed safe, Gerard ransacked the cigarettes while Mikey raided the shelves of food and bottles of water.
"You want tomato or chicken soup?" Mikey asked, searching the canned aisle for cans with tabs so they didn't need to risk sacrificing their only weapon trying to jimmy the metal open.
Gerard turned his nose up, inhaling deeply on the cancer stick. "Mmm, 17 month old chicken. Sounds great."
Mikey rolled his eyes, picking up his open backpack and holding it to the shelf to knock all of the cans into it. "Only you could be picky during the fucking apocalypse. Here, help me move these shelves out and we can use them as barricades."
"Always the genius," Gerard grinned, patting Mikey's shoulder as he approached him. "This is why you're the brains and I'm the muscle."
Mikey scoffed, holding back a laugh. "Right, right."
They cringed as the metal shelves creaked and groaned while they dragged them across the floor, scraping harshly. "Fucking shut up," Gerard complained, shushing them angrily and quickly turning his head in every direction to make sure they hadn't attracted any infected.
Finally, barricades in place and cold soup drank, Mikey took off his jacket and folded it up into a makeshift pillow. He curled up on the floor in the corner of the room, and Gerard perched himself at the top of the escalator to have a full view of the entrance and their newly claimed section of the mall.
"Wake me in a couple hours," he mumbled sleepily, and Gerard just nodded, lighting up another smoke.
It was hard to not get creeped out. The only sound in the entire mall was Mikey lightly snoring, and everything was eerily still. Gerard wasn't sure how long it had been, maybe an hour or so, but he decided to let Mikey sleep a little longer.
He flicked his lighter and held it to the end of a fresh cigarette, cursing under his breath when it wouldn't light. He flicked it a few more times, then dropped it as he fumbled with it, cringing as it clattered to the ground and echoed all around them in the silence.
Gerard held his breath. Mikey jolted awake, shooting upright and jerking his head around to see where it came from. Gerard leaned over the balcony, hushing a quick "sorry Mikey. It was me, it's alright."
As Mikey was about to lay back down, there was a creak from somewhere in the mall. Gerard snapped his head towards Mikey. "Was that you?"
"I thought it was you." Mikey stood now, slowly and quietly, reaching into his bag to pull out a can of soup and clutch it to his chest.
"What are you gonna do with that? Nurse them back to life with cream of tomato?"
Mikey threw his hands in the air incredulously. "I don't have a weapon! Do you have another option?!"
Gerard was about to reply before there was another noise. This time it sounded like shuffling and then something moving. Gerard's eyes met Mikey's and they both widened as they realized it was the sound of the barricade being moved.
"Shit shit shit," Gerard whispered in a panic, quickly grabbing his switchblade from his belt and gripping it tight as he began to descend the escalator, signalling for Mikey to get back into the corner.
He pressed his back to the wall and started slowly creeping along it, eyes darting from side to side as he reached the edge. Inhaling a deep breath, he inched his head closer to peer around at the barricades.
"Jesus fuck!" He half yelled, drawing his arm back, switchblade at the ready.
"Woah woah, we're not infected! Don't shoot- or I mean, stab. We're clean!" The person held their hands in the air in mercy.
"Who the fuck are you?!" Gerard demanded, voice hushed but laced with aggression.
"What's going on?!" Mikey called out in a panic.
"Mikey, stay back! I've got this!" Gerard reassured him. "Who are you?!" His arm didn't falter as he stared the person down. "You better start talking motherfucker!"
"I'm Frank! Jesus, we come in peace!"
"We?" Gerard questioned, darting his head around to look behind Frank. "How many of you are there?"
"Just two," another voice echoed from behind the barricade. A tall man with long curly hair began to slowly edge out from behind it, glancing between Frank and Gerard and then opting to hold his hands up, too. "I'm Ray. Ray Toro, we didn't think there was anyone left in this town."
Mikey approached cautiously behind Gerard, standing half behind him, soup can still clutched in hand.
"Mikes, I told you to stay over there." Gerard spoke through his teeth, keeping his eyes on the two men in front of him.
"Seriously, dude, we're not gonna hurt you," Frank pleaded, eyeing up the blade hovering above him. "We didn't know you were here. I'd say I'm psyched to see actual people but you're kinda holding me at knifepoint."
Gerard looked at Ray, then Frank, then behind him at Mikey, who slowly nodded. Inch by inch he began to lower his arm, letting out a long breath and pressing his fingers into his eyes. "Sorry, man," he sighed, creasing his eyebrows together. "We haven't had the best luck when it comes to other survivors."
"Nah, man, don't sweat it." Ray stepped forward to extend his hand to Gerard, keeping his eye on the knife that Gerard was still holding by his side. After a good few seconds of contemplation, Gerard tucked the blade away into his belt and took Ray's hand, shaking it.
"I'm Gerard, this is my kid brother Mikey. It's just the two of us, too."
Frank began to rock back and forth on his feet, a grin spreading across his face. "So, now can I be psyched that you're not undead?"