Sturniolo Triplets - Zombie Apocalypse

Taken

Warnings: Kidnapping, Held Captive, Cursing, Near-Death Experience, Being Chased

Nick and Chris meet some interesting people and they run into more trouble together

The Story:

Nick stood at the edge of a hill overlooking a smaller village, staring blankly at the abandoned scenery. It has been a week since what was supposed to be one of his best days turned into one of the worst. He and Chris made some progress in their search, but obviously not enough, since Matt was still missing.

Nick's inner voice tormented him. This is taking too long, what if we're already too late? He took a shaky breath, trying to push the thoughts away. But they clung to him like a leech, sucking away his hope.

Chris always seemed to sense Nick's internal struggle. "We'll find him," he cut through his toxic thoughts, his voice determined and serious, leaving no room for arguments. "Alive. And those assholes will pay."

That first night, they managed to spot three distinct sets of footprints, leading away from the cabin and into the woods behind it. They now only existed in their memory, but the mark they had left on Nick's psyche was deep and unhealed. Chris was already moving again, a few steps ahead, his normally bright eyes dimmed with constant worry. Every crunch of dead leaves beneath their feet echoed the weight of the past week.

That night had been the hardest. Hope had been high when they stumbled upon those footprints, but it withered when the tracks disappeared on the nearest road. The crushing realization that Matt could be anywhere and the footprints offered no clear direction almost broke them. But despair, they both knew, was a 'luxury' they couldn't afford.

In the following days, they continued searching in the approximate direction the footprints disappeared in. They were constantly on the move, stopping only to sleep and eat. Though, their meals were humble, consumed more out of necessity than hunger. They never seemed to have any appetite anymore. Sleep was fitful, plagued by nightmares of all horrible scenarios that might have befallen their helpless brother. Each dawn was met with renewed hope and each sunset with sinking hearts.

Yet, through it all, the bond between Nick and Chris had never been stronger. They shared the weight of guilt, the burden of loss, and the unwavering determination to find Matt.

Chris would occasionally place a comforting arm around Nick, a silent message that they were in this together. Nick would nod, taking a deep breath, the weight in his chest slightly eased by his brother's presence.

Their conversations were minimal, mostly filled with strategising or their memories of Matt. Such memories, though painful, were a necessary fire, reminding them of why they needed to push through.

They were both struggling mentally, willing themselves to remain firm and determined, not allowing room for any doubt about Matt's status, but it was getting harder and harder to ignore the grim reality; Matt had almost certainly been deathly ill when Nick left, so if his captors didn't provide the necessary medicine... Stop it, he's fine, Chris groaned internally, forcibly stopping any further thoughts of this kind.

Now, a week into their relentless pursuit, they found themselves on the outskirts of yet another small town, some miles away from the road the footsteps disappeared on.

This town was nothing out of the ordinary, both brothers were used to the sight at this point. They were lucky they still had each other, they kept each other aware and cautious, constantly on the lookout for potential danger – from the dead or otherwise.

Luckily, the town seems mostly cleared out, with only a few stray infected few and far in-between. Situations like these weren't too unusual, a lot of people were 'saved' by the military when they were first establishing safe zones, and most others chose to either flee in search of their families or felt safer in larger groups.