Author's Notes:
I'm not sure if anyone has made a zombie au yet? But I'm pretty sure they're out there. I just wanted to contribute one for Danvid.
So in this AU, David and Gwen aren't camp counselors? They've never met the kids and Camp Campbell is a place they've never been to (they will soon). There are other characters I didn't include, since the campers probably haven't met each other. This isn't set in the camping universe but the cabins and what-not will stay.
This is greatly inspired by "The Zombie Song" by Stephanie Mabey (https://youtu.be/ZPNqub966Tw)
David hefted his bloodied bat, looking down at the mess he has made. The barbed wire did a number on the poor albeit ferocious thing. It was technically not alive anymore, he was sure of that. He didn't want to call them people—but that's what they were before they got turned into beasts. Beasts who had no mind of their own; who attacked people without hesitation because they no longer recognized what they were doing was wrong.
The thing that made them human got eaten away by the virus.
The man swiped his stray auburn hair away from his face, exhausted and terrified and feeling all sorts of drained. It had only been two weeks since the terrible event. He wouldn't call it an outbreak, 'cause God knows how long it's been out there, spreading slowly from one small group to another until it finally reached crowded cities. The only notification he got was when he was driving out of town to meet a high school friend of his, Gwen.
"Keep it together. I can't have you puking out your lunch and complaining you're hungry. We need to save our food till tomorrow," a girl whose brown hair was tied up in a high ponytail passed him by, not giving the dead thing in front of him a second glance.
"I'm- I'm sorry, I know, but gosh this is something no one should get used to." David eyed the corpse once more and trailed behind her. He lowered his spiked bat and fiddled with his backpack as a nervous tic. They both carried bags that contained their belongings. Water bottles, snack bars, some packed food that haven't spoilt yet, a flashlight or two, and the like.
"No one should," Gwen echoed. She turned back and laced her gloved hand with his clammy ones. "But this hellish nightmare should never have happened at all." She tightened her grip. Her unusually violet eyes stared at him with sympathy then it hardened. David knew it was something they learned to develop; to suppress your weakness.
David was failing at that moment. He took a shuddering breath and nodded slowly. He felt his heart beat rise. He was panicking again. Gwen sensed the change. She stopped and reached over to grip his olive green parka. He stumbled forward and right into her terrifying gaze. He almost felt compelled to hit the ground and kiss her combat boots.
"We're the only ones we've got, David. It sucks that this happened. It sucks that people died in horrendous ways. It sucks that we'll never meet the fucker who started all this so we can put a bullet through his head. But as humans, we need to adapt. We need to survive, even in harsh conditions," she released his parka, gloved hands holding his shoulders firmly. "We can only survive if we watch out for each other." She patted his shoulder reassuringly. David calmed his breathing and he was suddenly thankful for having Gwen there, despite everything that's happened.
"You're right," he managed a small laugh. "I'm being stupid. I'll try to keep it in next time so I don't freak out when we get in trouble." Then in a small voice, the man added, "I don't want to be the cause of your misery."
He knew Gwen heard, but the only sign of acknowledgement he got from her was a brief nod. She's putting up her walls again, and it's about time he do the same.
His reunion with Gwen went fairly well. That day, he took her out for lunch and they talked endlessly about their college lives and what went down. They were still close despite David transferring to another school. They talked about their old friends and David wondered if he should've rung up Jasper as well. But the day was reserved for his best friend and Gwen had that appreciative look on her face. Everything went crashing down when someone started screaming, then another. And suddenly, David was being pushed back by a stampede of people as they run the other way. He lost sight of Gwen when he got up on his feet.
"Shit, I think I see another one in the distance," the girl halted in her tracks, lifting her machete in a readying stance. David saw her glance at her watch and she cursed again. "It's a good thing we climbed that building to check out our surroundings. The horde will come in a few hours," the horde they've seen when they were up on the roof of a small building seemed to come from afar. It would take the slow bunch of them hours to get to where they were, but the size terrified David.
He has seen—or heard—a total of two hordes in the past two weeks. The last time, he was thankful he and Gwen were out of the vicinity. They simply heard from a guy from their group that have seen a huge clump of them. Cameron had been gone for two days and when they found him, he looked like he's lived through hell and back. He recounted his story of the horde and how he barely managed to escape.
That was a lie. He hid the bite on his arm thinking it wouldn't do anything. He refused to believe he's infected. It wasn't until Gwen shook David awake at night that he realized they were in trouble. Cameron had already left two of their members in bloody pieces. He was busy trying to tear into one helpless girl's neck when David and Gwen slipped out.
It traumatized David and Gwen and every night, they slept in each other's embrace. They never spoke of the incident again, but they both knew the other was still shaken by it. They held each other like they'll never go through what Cameron has done. They protected each other. David knew he'd be lost without Gwen.
This also became the reason why they had to suppress weakness. Weakness... was inviting other people in. Weakness... was helping an already bitten person. Weakness... was joining in groups.
"I suggest we keep running and find a place to hide out in," David spoke up, feeling chills run up his arms despite his warm parka. Just the thought of the horde made him want to scream in frustration and fear and hide.
"That's a good suggestion," Gwen said offhandedly, stalking towards the shambling once-person. The thing's hand was outstretched. The brunette felt bile rise from his stomach as he saw the face. It was bitten and mauled beyond recognition. He couldn't tell if it was a she or a he.
It took Gwen two swings to send the creature falling to the ground. Her machete glinted in the daylight. The skies above them were growing darker and David remembered time was ticking. The sun will slowly disappear. He did not want to be out and about when the horde came in the darkness. So he caught up to her and they kept walking.
Walk. Walk. Walk. Run. Run. Run. Just like the day the infection got around and David didn't know what to do. He wanted his feet to take him far away from that place, but his mind shouted at him to find Gwen. She was probably swept by the group of people who ran. As the brunette ran, he twisted his neck around, anticipating the brown hair and violet eyes. He called her name out but it was drowned out by spine-chilling screams of those who got tackled down.
He avoided several infected people who reached out to him. He wanted so bad to reach down and help them, and he almost did, until the light behind their eyes vanished and their lips that once asked for help were now growling at him. He was devastated when he didn't find Gwen, but he knew he can't hang around long. Soon, he met an Asian girl with long black hair.
"If we're gonna survive together, it's important I know what to call out when I see a zombie after you," she said a little out of breath. The way she said zombie didn't sit right with the brunette. It sounded silly and if anything, he'd prefer to call them by another name like they did in The Walking Dead. She introduced herself as Darla. They hid and helped each other out for a couple days. And then Darla almost got killed when they were restocking on food supplies. Someone fired a shot, thinking they were infected, but soon as they yelled, people came out. David saw the familiar light brown complexion and violet eyes and suddenly he was hugging Gwen and crying on her shoulder.
"I think it's best we all get acquainted then," bellowed from the man holding the shotgun. Cameron.
David snapped out of his thoughts when he saw something from the distance. He and Gwen had wound up in the woods and just up ahead, there was a sign. The letters looked faded. He squinted to try to read the words but with no luck.
"You're seeing what I'm seeing right?" David hauled Gwen forward.
"A sign, yes David. Any person could see that." Gwen huffed, unamused but letting herself be dragged anyway.
Before they could come closer, a scream tore out from their right. David's head snapped to the direction just as Gwen did, weapons at the ready. That scream didn't sound anything like the ones he heard before. This one's feminine and younger.
"A child?" he voiced out his concern.
"Can't be," there was hesitance in Gwen's voice. No one knew what happened to the younger generation. They assumed they met their deaths earlier than anyone, seeing as they're helpless and small and—
"We should help them!" David ran forward. He ignored the rules Gwen set for them—the rules that determined their survival. Never be stupid. Don't go after damsels in distresses. Yet here he was, detaching himself from the one thing that gave him life and tearing through the forest to find the little girl.
"David, what the hell!" came Gwen's surprised shout. If there was one thing David had a soft spot for, it's children. The thought of being in the same area with a child being cornered by that thing and not being there to help said poor child gave him chills. It fueled him to keep running. From behind him, he could hear Gwen's heavy combat boots thudding on dry leaves trying to catch up to him.
Another scream, this time a boy's.
It was much closer now and David turned a sharp left. He froze, seeing a hulking figure crouched on the ground. The poor girl... it was too late. David's blood ran cold as the dying girl's eyes focused one last time on them before closing for eternity. Her green hair spilled in disarray below her. She looked no older than 10 and to see such a young life taken away...
David was closing the distance before he could blink. He hadn't even noticed the three other kids when he came up behind the monster and beat him to a pulp. He let his rage overcome him and swung like the world depended on him. He hit, and he hit, and he hit. The sickening crunch of nails and flesh should overwhelm him, but it didn't. That was a young child. She had so much to live for.
"David, stop! He's dead already!" Gwen was in front of him. While he was engrossed with trying to justify the girl's death, his friend had stepped forward to protect the kids. Counted them off and herded them together.
He dropped his bat and sobbed. He couldn't do this. It was so unfair to people who got their lives taken too early. He was so mad but he didn't know whom to direct it to. He let the tears fall.
Gwen enveloped him in a hug. He calmed his breathing. One, two, three...
"Thank you, mister." Came a small voice from behind Gwen. Others followed in mumbling their thanks.
There are kids. And they were alive. Three of them.
"How long have you been out here?" David said in time with Gwen's "it's not safe out here." They shared a quick glance and turned back to the children. They were quite a group. The pale, large boy who towered over their group introduced himself as Nurf. The lanky boy with the bowl cut bowed and said he was Preston. The smallest of them seemed to be the only one smiling after seeing David and Gwen's entrance. He also wore a bowl on his head and introduced himself as Neil.
"But they just call me Space Kid 'cause I wear this cool helmet," he knocked his knuckled against the bowl on his head.
"He wears it 'cause he thinks it'll protect him from the virus," Nurf explained. David didn't want to mention their other friend and felt embarrassed to ask. Heck, she still laid there, below the bloodied mess that David's wrath conducted. He cleared his throat and caught Gwen's eye. She knew this wasn't the right place to talk. Not with death's scent lingering around them.
Never join with other groups. The rules repeated itself in his head. He took one good look at Gwen, searching for signs that she'll up and abandon them. He knew her friend wasn't the type to do that to him. But rules were rules, and David was afraid she'll let it come between their friendship. He had nothing to worry about. The girl had already hidden her machete and was talking to them placidly. She asked where they came from or how they got there. Preston's eyes lit up.
"We were hiding out in this—hmph!" Nurf clamped his hand over the boy's mouth. They shared a heated stare, the other one frightened.
"Is something wrong?" David asked hesitantly. Nurf looked at David and gave him a suspicious once over. Then at Gwen.
"It's just the two of you, right?" He asked, looking around as if there were other people about to jump on them. Gwen and David nodded.
"We hide in this place called Camp Campbell. It's a cool looking camp site that looks like it's been abandoned for a while. Max and the other Neil are there! We kind of had a fight since we heard something outside and wanted to investigate it but Max said that we were asking for a death wish!" Space Kid tugged on David's hand sweetly and it made his heart jump. He can't help but agree with Max's decision.
"They stayed while me, Nurf, Preston, and Nikki went out. We thought if we saw survivors, they'd help us. We could go find the safe haven together and we'd be safe!" Space Kid jumped. That's when David's heart plummeted. From all his years of being acquainted with horror movies, he knows there isn't a real safe haven. People aren't generous like that in times like this. Especially in times like this. Gwen mirrored the expression on his face and it'll hurt to tell this kid it didn't work out that way. He kept his mouth shut.
Preston and Nurf gave their friend a deadly glare once he spilled his mouth, but soon relaxed when everything was fine. Gwen and David understood their caution. In fact, he was impressed. They knew when to be careful. But one look at Space Kid contradicted that thought.
Gwen told them of the incoming horde that shocked them to silence. They've never seen a horde, nor will they want to. This quickened their pace to reach their destination, the so-called Camp Campbell. By the time they saw a building—a cabin from the distance, the sun has decided to lay low for the night. They hurried, ducking low as to not attract attention. Gwen and David flocked the group of kids just in case something decided to show up.
They were almost there.
"Another thing I forgot to mention," Nurf stopped. The cabin was close to see now and David thought it looked more like a mess hall—a place where activities and breakfast and lunch is held.
"We set up traps. It's nothing big, but it'll alert us of any incoming people. It's a trip wire and if someone or something trespasses, it'll make this loud noise," Nurf held his arms up. "It might not be the best, since being quiet and hidden is the best option, but you never know when someone's sneaking up on you." He said.
"Wow, that's... actually really smart." Gwen commented.
"It is. Neil made it!" Space Kid said. He pointed at what David now dubbed is the mess hall. "The other Neil. He's really smart." And they were how many years old? David can't imagine how creative these kids were. He can't wait to meet the other two!
"Gwen?" He hung back and let the kids find the trip wires they set. He knew this was overwhelming right now and he put Gwen first before anything else. Except that time he charged into the forest looking for the child.
"Might not be the best option, but it's the only option," she says light-heartedly. She smiles at him and pushes his shoulder jokingly. "Seriously, if we ran in there and everyone was infected, I'd be beating the fuck out of you right now." She was laughing.
"I'm sorry!" David laughed, the weight coming off his shoulders a bit. "Geez, your words hurt me, Gwen. Watch your language," he sighed. At that moment, he felt like his old self. It was like another day of goofing around with Gwen. But it wasn't. And his happiness was short-lived when a scream captured their attention. Then voices shouting.
The kids. How could they be so dumb to let them go unsupervised?
"Over there!" Space Kid waved from a distance. Both brunettes ran without a moment to spare. They heard someone else cry out from the mess hall and David briefly turned his head to see the two other kids peeking out.
"What the fuck is going on?" said the small boy with the blue jacket. David had no time to worry about his inappropriate language. Gwen was ahead of him and saw her take out her machete. But she faltered. He too slowed down when he saw what was happening. Preston was on the ground, backing away. He didn't look like he had any bites on him nor blood. But it never hurt to check.
In front of him, Nurf had blocked the thing. The monster. Seriously, David's going to have to come up of a name for them.
He almost shouted at Gwen to help, but saw the reason for her pause. Nurf's arm was bleeding. A lot. And he still fought the infected.
"Nurf, what the hell?" Preston was outright weeping on the floor. David helped him up quickly. Nobody still made a move to intercept the two. Nurf was already a goner but from the way he's fighting, it looked like a personal fight between them.
"I have to end this," Gwen clutched her machete, stepping forward. But they were unsure steps. Nurf finally pushed the corpse off him and he collapsed backward. That's when Gwen struck. David sent a silent prayer above that she had not went for Nurf. Once the threat was killed, everyone looked at the boy on the ground nursing his wound.
Preston sprinted to him but David was quick to catch his arm. "Y-you didn't have to do that, you fucking idiot!" he bursted forward but David's grip on him was tight. His haunting green eyes met violet ones in a silent agreement. Gwen's grip on her machete tightened and her eyes fought to stay dry.
"You... you're the idiot. You didn't see that thing coming for you. I can't stand by and let you—" he yowled in pain. The infection is starting to spread. Nurf eyed the machete in Gwen's hand and gave it a fearful look, then acceptance. This young kid knew what needed to happen.
"Don't you dare touch him!" Preston was yelling, but it was futile. Everyone who saw what happened knew what needed to be done before the virus settles in.
"Make it quick—um, I never got your name," Nurf exhaled deeply like he was fighting for one last breath. His fingers drummed on his arm nervously.
"Gwen. My name's Gwen," she said, then turns to the man. "That's David." Nurf nods like he's accepting his fate. He grunts in pain and closes his eyes. Now's the time to do it.
When Gwen brought down her machete, she brought with it all her force. David knew she did not want this kid to suffer any longer. He averted his eyes out of respect. One cut did the trick. The sound as metal hit bone resonated in the forest and it'll haunt him for the rest of his days.
The boy in his grip went lax and he heard him sobbing. Gwen ushered them to get to the mess hall and offered to bury him. The kid, Neil, gave her his shovel, his choice of weapon. It's the least she could do, she said. David wanted to help since it would take a while and surely, the horde will reach them soon. The kids nodded and even looked relieved when they left. It scared them. They scared them.
"You know, what you did was right, right?" David broke the silence. They dug quick and stopped only to catch their breaths. Gwen nodded.
"They were going to be exposed to things like that eventually," David mumbled. It was a terrible thought. But as they dug, they were mindful of their surroundings. Surprisingly, the forest was inhabited lesser. That should be expected. The cities had a bigger population than those in the country side. It was very fortunate for them—except that they knew it won't be peaceful for too long.
Time is still ticking.