Fic: Let the Bodies hit the floor
Jan. 15th, 2012 11:40 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
kelly_girl
Title: Let the bodies hit the floor
Fandom: Losers
Rating: NC-17
Pairing: Cougar/Jensen
Genre: Zombie Apocalypse
Spoilers: Yes, for the movie
Warnings: It's the end of the world. Bad things happen.
A/N: Big thanks to![[livejournal.com profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/external/lj-userinfo.gif)
cougars_catnip for the excellent beta skills. Thank you for the advice and tips and encouragement.
Summary: Sometimes the zombies are not the worse part of a zombie apocalypse.
The smell was the worse, and that was saying something. The smell of recently dead or bodies that had been dead awhile didn’t bother him. He’d smelled that before, as well as bodies that had been burned. Bodies riddled with disease didn’t faze him but this, this was some strange miasma of all of those smells and more.
In every possible outcome to this plague, Jensen never anticipated actually having to live in a fucking zombie movie. He aimed and shot another revenant. The bullet tore into its lower face and Jensen cursed, knowing it would continue trying to kill and eat some dumb ass who couldn’t get off the streets. Head shots that hit the brain worked as well as making sure the head was completely severed from the body.
The truck swerved and he made sure his foot was caught firmly on something inside the vehicle. If he got thrown out, he was toast. He shot another zombie and this time the bullet hit its mark and the head exploded. Jensen tried not to think about the bloody meter maid outfit the thing had been wearing. It wasn’t a person anymore and he had to keep believing that or he‘d go crazy.
There was a roar behind him and the military grade humvee bounced as a revenant landed on it. He sprang on all fours for Jensen and suddenly there was nothing but a headless body. Jensen was wearing his glasses and a hospital mask but he still turned his head from the wet spray that reached his arms.
The humvee swerved again and the body rolled off. Jensen couldn’t spot where Cougar was hiding but he threw out a salute anyway. Jensen didn’t see any more revenants so he bent down and looked inside the vehicle at Pooch.
“You planning on swerving all the way to the store?”
Pooch laughed and swerved again. “It’s not like I’m doing it on purpose. The world goes to hell, the roads are going to be a little fucked up.”
Jensen stood back up and looked around. This part of town seemed deserted but one thing he’d learned in the last nine weeks since life ended as they knew it was this; revenants were sneaky fuckers even if they were brain dead. After they stopped for five seconds to scoop up Cougar from where he’d been stationed, they were out of the congested city with its tall buildings and many hiding places.
Twenty minutes later they were speeding down the highway, deserted cars and burnt out wrecks nothing for Pooch to get past. There was no one around but Jensen figured anyone with sense stayed hidden, not sure if the crazy strangers were more dangerous than the revenants.
Sometimes Jensen still can’t believe the world got fucked up by a plague that killed billions. Then the plague decided hey, let’s reanimate some of these people and send them out with a unquenchable hunger for blood, brains, fuck, let’s make it any body part they can latch onto! That way they get smarter, hold that primal brain together a little longer and infect more.
The fact that Max wasn’t behind the plague had been a relief in the middle of the chaos that rained down on them after civilization went FUBAR. They had no clue if he was even alive since they were mainly focused on not dying, killing lots of revenants, and making sure some scared asshole didn’t kill them. Clay became the Colonel again as he’d led them out of Massachusetts where they’d been visiting Jolene when the everything went to shit.
Jensen had collected his sister and niece as soon as his suspicious, paranoid mind had told him to. Two days later all flights were cancelled but by then they were holed up in an abandoned, McMansion near Pooch and Jolene’s house. They’d had more room to see people or revenants coming. There’d been searches for supplies and more guns and bullets. The team had showcased their talents and came through. Now they were on their way to a different kind of hell, one that used to be crowded full of crazies looking for that rollback deal. Jensen hated that damn smiley face with a passion.
He sat alone in the backseat while Cougar sat up front with Pooch. The sun shone down merrily on abandoned cars and a half burnt McDonalds and a Taco Bell with no windows. It would be jarring if he hadn’t seen other weird shit over the past few weeks. He saw Walmart coming up and hoped they could make this fast. Revenants weren’t the only thing they had to look out for these days.
There was probably some group set up at the store, staking claim on all the contents inside. Jensen figured they could probably use force, but he was not down with killing some scared, desperate civilians.
The parking lot of the super store was a mix of abandoned and wrecked cars, evidence of the total chaos that had happened when the plague turned to something worse. Cougar turned in his seat and climbed into the back. He didn’t say anything as he stood up through the sunroof and used the scope on his rifle to check out the store and surrounding area. Pooch parked near the back edges of the lot.
Cougar’s voice was quiet. “Three on the roof. Four on the ground in front of the doors.” He scanned the other buildings and businesses attached to the giant store, strip mall style. “Five more on the other buildings. Probably more hiding inside.”
Pooch, sighed and turned the car off. They’d need gas soon. This Walmart had gas pumps but with no electricity there was no way to get to it. Jensen cracked his knuckles. “Okay, we trade some shit if they’re willing to deal, including me and Pooch’s technical mojo. We get their gas pumps running again, they‘ll treat us like rock stars.” Jensen didn’t see Cougar roll his eyes but he could feel it. His best friend used eye rolls and smirks like a second language.
They walked slowly up to the building, trying to appear as if they were no threat. The guys in the front had guns that were not pointed at them, for which Jensen was grateful since these guys didn’t look all that skilled. There was a red headed woman in a black tank top and black jeans standing with the guys. She held a gun in her hand as she walked out a little to meet them but not close enough for them to grab her. Now, her? She looked skilled.
“Gentlemen, how can we help you?”
Since Pooch was the one most unlikely to piss someone off just by opening his mouth, he was the designated speaker. “You all doing some bartering?”
Red head’s eyes traveled over him and then over Cougar and Jensen. “What have you got to trade?”
Pooch pulled a small pouch out of his pocket and opened it. The diamond he pulled out was impressive. “We have this and also, we can get your gas pumps working. Be a pretty valuable thing to have. If you’re having any other technical problems we might be able to help with those too.”
A young guy with white-blond hair and a scraggly mustache sneered. “We ain’t letting you near our generators!”
The red head turned and glared at him. He shut his mouth and looked elsewhere.
Pooch shrugged. “I don’t blame you for being cautious, but we’re just three guys. Money isn’t worth anything right now so that’s where the tech skills and the diamond comes in.”
The red head stuck her hand out. “I’m Cassandra.” She turned to the boy that had interrupted earlier. “Go get Cane.”
He left with a mutter and a glare at them that said volumes about how he felt being the gopher. Jensen fidgeted under the stares of the men around them. He was capable of being still but being a little jittery made the guys focus on him and skip Cougar. He wondered if there were any more women around. Not that he wanted to flirt or anything. The man that appeared had red hair cut short in a military style. He looked a lot like Cassandra and Jensen figured they were fraternal twins.
He studied them as hard as Cassandra had, his blue eyes taking in their stance and the brown camouflage clothes they were wearing. His voice was deep and scratchy.
“Let me see.”
Pooch held out the diamond. The man inspected it in the sunlight. He held out a hand and Cassandra handed him a mirror so he could draw the diamond across it. The resulting sound and scratch had him nodding.
“Okay, what are you looking for?”
Pooch pulled out as piece of paper. “Blankets, shirts, socks, pens, batteries, duct tape, bandages. Some box cutters, canned food and sewing needles. Any antibiotic ointment and Tylenol you can spare.”
Jensen tried and succeeded in not snorting. They controlled a fucking Walmart. They could probably spare a lot, though it did depend on how much trading they’d been doing.
Cane put his hands on his hips. “You military?“
Pooch nodded. “Used to be. We were together for a reunion with our team when the plague hit.” They’d all agreed to use that story instead of the truth of them being at Pooch and Jolene’s for a quick visit when the reports of the new virus had started pouring in and everything went to hell.
Cane nodded. “Can you really fix the pumps?”
Pooch smiled and shrugged modestly. “Pretty sure I can. Between me and Jensen, we can fix about anything mechanical or computer related.”
Jensen stepped forward. “Speaking of, if you have any computers, I can get you hooked up to the new version of the internet. Me and some friends have been trying to get as many people connected as we can so we can share info and keep each other updated.”
Cane raised one eyebrow. “Interesting.” He jerked a thumb back into the cavernous, mostly dark store. “Cassandra will show you where we put the computers.”
He pointed at a silent man that had followed him outside. “William will get your stuff. If you want anything not on your list he’ll negotiate it out with you.”
Pooch nodded and sent Jensen a look that said, ‘be careful and watch your back.’
Jensen nodded and glanced at Cougar. One slight nod of his head told the hacker, Cougar would be going with him. The store was dark inside but there were candles everywhere lighting the way to different parts of the store. Jensen had never realized how dark a Walmart was without lights. There were a few people peeking out from blocked or covered aisles.
“Did you all have to clear out any revenants?”
Cassandra looked back at him. “You mean zombies?”
Jensen shrugged and dodged a brown spot on the floor. “Revenants, zombies. We heard they don’t just go for the brain, that any part of the body will help keep them mobile and searching for more.”
Cassandra nodded. “Yeah we saw some on the way here that were ravenous. Once we got here, Cane and I took some out and then a few people that lived close by came out of hiding. Others made their way here and figured a bigger group was better than being on their own.”
The computers were all near the back wall along with the silent huge flat screen TV’s. Jensen pulled open his backpack and tried to smile harmlessly as he pulled out his little sweetheart. He opened her up and tapped in a few commands. He looked around and noticed a few people had followed them from the front. He studied the computer products and picked out a few items. “Any computer you want me to do first?”
Cassandra pointed to five laptops and two net books. “If you can do some of these I can watch and do the rest.” She smiled and winked. “I’m a pretty quick learner.”
Jensen licked his lips and flicked a look at Cougar who was busy watching the people around them. Jensen sat on the floor and Cassandra sat beside him. Someone set a few lamps around them and Jensen chattered about movies and computers and his friends all across the globe that had kind of banded together to salvage info and figure out how to keep the internet going. He got one computer up and moved to the next, his fingers flying across the keys.
“I think it’s vital that we have communication with others so when a cure is found, we can get it to lots of people.”
A woman who was watching them spoke up. “Do you know if people are still getting sick and becoming zombies?”
Jensen shook his head. “I haven‘t heard of any new cases. I mean, all we’ve seen are revenants so we think either the virus is still killing people and making new revenants.” He sighed. “There’s just no way to know for sure at this point.”
Jensen walked Cassandra through setting up the third lap top. He pulled his computer over and asked for her email address. “I’ll send you mine and we can keep in contact. Right now, I’d advise against going into the city. Try to stay where there are less people. Too many hiding spaces and the revenants are learning.”
A tall pale man leaning against a shelf, laughed. “Learning? Learning what?”
Jensen barely spared him a glance. “Learning to not attack right away. They wait and watch. Once it’s too late to get out of the city quickly, they can come pouring out of buildings you swore were empty.
The man laughed again. “I think you just don’t want us going there. Maybe I want my own diamonds too.”
Jensen whipped his head around and stared at the man so fiercely he shut up and took a step back. Jensen stood up and approached him. He pointed a finger at the man but didn’t touch him. “You want to go to the city that’s fine. I’m telling you what’s out there in hopes that if you do make a dumb ass decision you’ll make sure you don’t take kids or anyone else that doesn’t really want to go.”
Jensen turned away and noticed Cougar standing straighter, his eyes focused on the other people around them. He’d keep a look out for any more troublemakers or fools that thought they knew the deal without having seen a man torn to pieces by these things.
Cassandra was studying them both, eyes narrowed as if trying to determine what the truth was. Jensen didn’t blame her. The revenants weren’t the only predators out there. Plenty of people were showing their true natures now and some were shooting first and not giving a fuck about asking questions later.
“Can you take a look at our generators? We got them from the farm Co-op down the street. We only turn on a few lights at night and those we make sure can‘t be seen from any windows.”
Jensen nodded. “Good idea. I don’t think any revenants not already out here will travel here but I could be wrong. A big shining beacon of light is probably not a good idea.”
Jensen followed her. They stopped after entering the big swing doors that divided the store from consumers. She grabbed some flashlights and handed one to him. He followed her around a corner and down a long corridor, both sides lined with huge shelves full of products.
The generators were in a small room that smelled like lumber and the sharp tang of propane. There was a small window built high up on the wall. It was cracked open a little to get some fresh air into the room. Jensen bent down to study the make and model. He was about to ask if he could take the smaller one apart when there was a curse and soft grunt from Cougar. Jensen barely had time to turn before something heavy hit him in the head.
~
Jensen woke up to darkness and a pounding headache. His arms were tied behind his back. He snorted. Amateurs. He flexed his wrists and felt the roughness that said standard rope. It was kinda fucked up that he could tell by feel and strength what he was tied up with. He put his head down and carefully shook his glasses off his face.
Once they were in his lap he managed to dump them on the floor and turn sideways so his fingers could reach them. He could hear someone else in the room breathing and he hoped it was Cougar.
He closed his eyes and let one of his fingernails trace the very small sliver of sharpness that was hidden in the part that held his eyeglasses up. The other side held a small lock pick that worked on most handcuffs. The side he needed held a razor that came with a very small rubber nip to prevent him from cutting his fingers up too bad. He’d bleed but not as much.
It took him a few minutes and he dropped the thing once. When he sliced through the last of the rope and broke free, he crawled over to the other person and sighed loudly in relief. It was Cougar. Jensen felt for a pulse. He relaxed when he got one. Jensen grabbed for the gun he knew Cougar kept hidden close to his dick. They’d been watching ‘The Long Kiss Goodnight’ a few weeks ago and Cougar had nodded at the doomed agent that hid a gun where lots of men were leery to search.
Jensen needed to get out of here with Cougs. They’d dragged Cassandra somewhere and he intended to help her, but this place was too dark and too big to try and risk coming back for Cougar later. He had no idea why the guys hadn’t killed them outright. Maybe they thought someone would come looking for them and the bad guys could trade them? He lightly slapped Cougar’s face then felt around Cougar’s head for any bumps or the wet stickiness that signaled blood. He leaned closer to whisper in Cougar’s ear.
“Come on, babe, we need to get the hell out of here. They took my comm so we gotta go save Pooch because it’s our turn.”
He kissed Cougar on the lips and felt the man stir beneath him and kiss him back. Jensen pulled back and laughed. “I hope you realize I’m going to call you Sleeping Beauty for a long time.”
Cougar shrugged and grabbed the hand, Jensen offered him. Jensen patted him on his shoulder.
“I got your gun. We need to find Cassandra and then get the hell out of dodge. Let the crazy fuckers have their own revolution.”
Cougar nodded and held his hand as Jensen felt along the walls for the door. When he found it, he cracked it open and saw a dim light down one end of a hallway. He followed the light and stopped right before a doorway. He heard someone getting hit, then a voice he recognized as the pale guy from earlier.
“Bitch. I’m going to teach you your place. Once we finish beating on your brother, I’ll drag him in here and make him watch.”
Jensen counted to ten and swung around the doorway. An oil lamp sat on a desk while pale guy was busy unzipping his pants. Cassandra lay on the floor, her hands tied and her face bruised. There were two other guys in the room. Jensen shot them first, then winged pale guy. He moved closer, knowing Cougar was collecting guns and covering the door. He slid his knife out from his boot and sliced the tape that held Cassandra’s wrists together.
Her mouth was a swollen mess and her shirt collar was ripped. Her pants were still on. She watched him while wiping at her mouth. “Thanks.”
Jensen held out his hand and Cougar put a gun in it. He offered it to Cassandra. “Not a problem. You want me to kill him?”
Cassandra’s eyes widened briefly, but she seemed to think about it before shaking her head. “No, me and Cane will deal with him and the rest.” She grabbed some tape off the desk and started to wrap the guy’s wrists, ignoring his whining about the bloody groove Jensen had put in his arm.
“Troy, I think I’m going to grant you and your buddies your fondest wish. A nice road trip to the city. I’m sure there will be some zombies there to show you around.”
She slapped his face lightly before standing and grabbing the oil lamp. She gestured for Jensen and Cougar to follow her. “I don’t know what happened to your friend, but I think I know all the sorry assholes that decided to throw in with this loudmouth piece of shit. We run into them, feel free to shoot them too.”
Jensen laughed. Out in the hallway, she led them back through a door and then another. They didn’t meet anyone. She avoided the double doors that led out to the store and walked down to a single swinging door and slipped through it. Jensen followed with Cougar coming last. They ended up behind some counter with a ‘Layaway’ sign plastered behind them on the wall. They eased down a aisle of shoes and met a woman in what used to be the baby aisle. She was tying a cloth over her thigh. She looked up and relaxed when she saw Cassandra. The red head knelt beside her. “You okay, Maria?”
“Stupid fuckers. They tried to drag my granddaughter away. Stabbed me in the leg.”
Jensen looked around. “Where is she?”
Maria pointed to some big diaper boxes on the upper shelf. “She made a tree house up there a few days ago. After Phil and David ran off, I told her to hide.”
She accepted the gun Cougar handed her and looked at him like he was Santa Claus. His words were brief and made her nod. “She should stay hidden.”
They continued through the store, running into people trying to hide or injured by the men that had decided to try a takeover. They found the young guy that had scowled about the generators earlier. He was dead, his blood a dark puddle on the floor that they stepped around. Another boy lay further down the aisle, a hole in his head. Jensen shook his head and kept going.
Nearer the front of the store, a whisper of something made Jensen look up. He nodded at Cougar to turn on the flashlight they’d found. Pooch spoke before Cougar could hit the ‘on’ button. “Shit, look at you two. Is this a party or what?”
Jensen laughed softly as Pooch jumped down off a shelf that still held some boxes of paper towels. They all bumped fists before Pooch pulled out his gun. “Things got hectic up here and William told me to run for it. I saw some guys drag him and Cane off.”
Cassandra stepped up. “You see where they went?”
Pooch nodded. “One of them said something about the tool aisle.”
They split up, Jensen and Cougar heading one way after Cassandra told them where to go while she and Pooch approached from another way. Halfway to the aisle a man was standing guard. Cougar crept up behind him and put him in a chokehold. The man dropped to the floor. It was quieter than a gunshot and the man would be out for awhile.
“Where did you hide the rest of the guns?”
Jensen took a quick peep around the corner. Two men held Cane’s arms while another stood guard. William was beside him on his stomach, but Jensen couldn’t tell if he was alive. A fourth guy had one of Cane’s fingers placed in something that gleamed ominously in the flashlights and shadows. Jensen looked at Cougar and nodded. They came around the corner and Jensen shot the one man that was just standing there.
One of the men holding Cane got a bullet in his thigh and arm. The other man got one in the shoulder. The last man pushed Cane away and dropped the iron cutter. He turned and ran straight into Cassandra’s fist.
Cane smiled at them as Pooch helped him up. His lips were bruised and bloody. The skin around one of his eyes was already turning black. “Bet you guys will think twice when you hit up the next Walmart won’t you?”
Jensen laughed and checked the pulse of an unconscious William. “Damn right we will.”
The next hour was spent helping Cane and Cassandra root out the rest of the people that had switched sides. Then he and Pooch got the gas pumps running. By the time they gave Cassandra and Maria a quick maintenance lesson it was dark.
Cassandra watched Cougar and Pooch load stuff into the humvee. “Will you be okay driving at night?”
Jensen shrugged. “Should be. What are you and your brother going to do with those guys?”
Cassandra wiped sweat off her forehead. She looked bruised but stubborn. “Blindfold them and take them somewhere far enough where it’ll be hard for them to return. Nothing says they won’t be able to find their way back here but if they do, we’ll shoot on sight.”
Jensen figured it was as good a plan as anything. “Well, it was fun and we hate to shoot and run, but it’s time we head out.”
Cassandra gave him a hug and Cane shook all their hands before Jensen hopped in the back seat. Cane waved wearily and said. “Come back if you want to trade again.”
Jensen laughed. “We just might.”
Pooch drove off, dodging cars in the road. They weren’t planning on trying to go far but they’d had a brief discussion about wanting to get away from the unknown people in case another coup tried to happen. Pooch told them he’d seen a few places a couple of miles away that looked okay for the night.
An hour later they were settling down in the upper floor of a three story apartment complex. They could see anyone coming long before they’d get to the building. Jensen looked through the things they had and picked out some bread and tuna since he didn’t want to risk trying to build and maintain a fire that wouldn’t spread to the other apartments. The whole place looked deserted but there was always a chance someone was hiding very well or coming back.
They each would take four hours of guard duty and then Jensen would drive for awhile when the sun rose. Barring too many revenant related complications they should make it back to the house by sundown tomorrow. Jensen knew Pooch was eager to see Jolene and baby Thomas. Jensen was eager to see his niece.
Cougar had first watch and Jensen pulled out his laptop and found a Wi-fi signal. He loved geeks and their ability to roll with the fucking punches. He imagined the guys now in charge of the various data centers were pretty well stocked. All those rumors he used to hear about their apocalypse parties meant they’d been more prepared than anyone.
Jensen surfed the net for a while before unplugging and taking a nap. Cougar shook him when it was his turn. Jensen checked his watch. It was 3:00 a.m. He used water from his canteen to wash his face and walked the perimeter they’d set up. He woke up Cougar and Pooch at 6 a.m. and they headed out, back to base, otherwise known as home.
~
Jensen cracked open one eye as the humvee dipped and bumped along the rocky and torn up driveway. Over the past few weeks, the up and down rhythm was one he’d gotten used to and come to love. The house came into view, dark red brick and gleaming white columns. It looked like something out of ‘Gone with the Wind.’ The main thing they all loved about it? The cleared land around it that let them see someone coming from about a half a mile. Also, the fact that there were two lower levels, lots of rooms, and a garage that made Pooch drool helped.
Clay came out to greet them and took note of the bruises.
“Good times were had?”
Jensen laughed and watched Pooch and Jolene hug, little baby Thomas between them. “Yes, sir.”
They pulled into the garage where a tall, dark haired man smiled at them and started helping them with the unloading. He shook his head at their injuries.
“What happened? Someone not appreciate Jensen’s witticisms?”
Pooch laughed while Jensen gave Anderson the middle finger. Xavier Anderson had joined them in Virginia after he’d tracked them for two days before making himself known. He was a big, silent man who’d lost his two brothers to the plague’s first visit. They never asked if his family had stayed dead. He was dependable and had a small crush on Jensen’s sister, Linda.
Jensen figured he didn’t need to say anything because his little sister was awesome and could take care of herself. And Cougar told him to stay out of it until something actually happened then they could talk to the man together. Jensen accused Cougar of looking forward to threatening someone. They told Clay more details about their adventure with the recommendation that it would be okay to return.
Jensen went in search of his niece. He found her up in the attic. The house they’d commandeered was pretty big and so was the attic. She was reading a book and he smiled at her before pulling out his surprise. He’d grabbed five minutes after the chaos yesterday to hit up the superstore’s reading section. He’d taken a bunch of puzzle magazines and books.
“Mackenzie?”
His niece turned and smiled at him, getting up from her coloring and giving him a hug. He sat down with her and gave her the bag. “Got you some books. I didn’t know what you liked, so I tried to get a big selection.”
He smoothed a hand over her head as she looked over the books. She hadn’t spoken much since they’d been caught in an attack outside of Springfield.
They’d all been tired and while they were used to running on nothing but adrenaline, that too had eventually faded. Jensen tensed just as ten revenants had appeared around them. He saw one reach for Mackenzie as if in slow motion; gnarled dirty hand with torn and jagged fingernails crusted with blood and other things. She’d screamed, one of surprise and fear and her eyes had met his. Then instead of slow motion, it became a blur.
They knew headshots to the brain was the only way to kill these new creatures but Jensen picked up the machete he’d found two towns back and started swinging. The machete got caught in the third one’s neck and only pulled out with a wet sucking sound. By then, the other revenants were down and his sister had a grip on Mackenzie but she’d forgotten to shield her eyes from her favorite and only uncle going off the deep end.
Back then they hadn’t been sure if the virus was still spreading or not and everyone watched Jensen and Mackenzie to see if they got sick. They didn’t, but Mackenzie hadn’t been the same.
For awhile she’d been scared of him and it’d broken his heart. He’d given her space and was relieved that in about a week she crawled into his lap and let him hold her. Her words became fewer and fewer until she just stopped. He and Linda discussed it when Mackenzie was asleep. They knew there wasn’t much they could do. Kids dealt with tragedy in their own way and this was some fucked up shit to be going through.
Jensen stayed up on the attic for an hour, coloring and making up stories about the people and animals he colored. He talked to Mackenzie the whole time, hoping she‘d respond.
Later, Clay pulled everyone together and told them he and Aisha were going out the next morning. Their main objective would be finding food. Winter would be here before they knew it and they had to be prepared. Jensen thought that the winter would finish off the revenants. They were cunning but would they know enough to get out of the snow? How would that effect their hunting if everyone was inside trying to stay warm?
After almost everyone was asleep and the perimeter alarms set, Jensen made his way to his room, a kerosene lamp leading the way. They had generators but they only ran them for a limited time at night. His room used to be a giant closet. He’d cleared out clothes and the closet organizer and it was big enough for a full size mattress. Pooch helped him make an escape hatch that led to the attic just in case.
Hell, these days they were all paranoid and didn’t question each others instincts. Cougar was already in bed. Jensen knew he wasn’t asleep. Even before the end of life as they knew it, Cougar didn’t sleep much. Now, he usually waited for Jensen to show up.
Jensen got undressed quickly and slipped in between the sheets. Cougar pulled him closer to kiss him goodnight but the kiss turned into another and another until Jensen laughed softly and crawled on top of his best friend. Cougar’s hands were warm, and he used his fingernails to lightly scratch Jensen’s back which made Jensen moan and press down harder onto the body beneath him.
Cougar really raised the stakes when those same hands carded through Jensen’s hair, pulling on the strands a little before holding his head still. He never thought about why Cougar might need to hold on a little too tightly, or why he himself wanted to be held tighter and tighter but they both wanted what the other could give them, now more so than ever. They fit and that’s all that mattered. Jensen sucked a bruise onto Cougar’s neck before whispering all the filthy things he had planned into his lover’s ear. Cougar laughed softly and it made Jensen’s breath catch. He loved this man beyond anything he ever thought capable. Later, after a few demonstrations of all the filthy things, Jensen laid a hand on Cougar’s chest and let himself fall asleep with the thump of Cougar’s heartbeat beneath his fingers.
The next morning, Jensen got up and fixed breakfast for himself and Mackenzie. Linda was still asleep but Mackenzie smiled at him and ate her oatmeal. When she went up to the attic, Jensen checked on his sister. She slept in a room next to what they called their clinic. She’d stocked it and requested things each time someone went on a supply run. Being an emergency room nurse gave her a lot of knowledge, and he knew he was more than lucky that she’d been on vacation for a week when the plague broke out.
Jensen heard a car approach and got up from the kitchen table and checked the front drive. The long driveway leading up to the house gave them time to see anyone coming. The car was unfamiliar and he hit the speaker button on the intercom system built into almost every room in the house.
“Got company coming in a car.”
He grabbed a sawed off shotgun from the hall closet and headed for the front door. Clay and Aisha were already gone and not due back until that night. Pooch was down in the sub basement. The intercom system clicked once and that was Cougar telling him he was headed for the roof.
Four men spilled out of the car and headed for the house, guns already out. Jensen opened the door and stepped out onto the porch. The men stopped and studied him while one of them stepped closer.
“Morning.”
Jensen nodded and held the sawed off loosely in one hand. “Morning. Something I can help you gentlemen with?”
The lead guy had black hair, a beer gut, and a smile that was so fake he shouldn’t have even bothered. “We’re just looking to trade.”
Jensen pretended to consider this. “What do you have to trade?”
This question seemed to stump all four men giving proof that they’d been coming to take, not exchange. The leader moved closer. “Back at our camp we got some meth, some cigarettes. We’re looking for some food, some liquor.”
Jensen sighed and shook his head. “You’re out of luck, fellas.”
Two of the guys were trying to move to the sides and flank him. Jensen pulled out the gun he had tucked in the back of his jeans and aimed it at the man on his right. He kept the shotgun on the leader. The man on the left snorted and inched closer. The lead guy smiled a nasty smile. “Unless you got another hand, you can’t cover us all.”
A bullet hit the ground right in front of the uncovered man. He jumped back with a shout.
Jensen smirked. “I don’t need another hand. Now you all can get back in your car and head out, or we can have a gunfight, then me and my friends will bury you somewhere nice after we cut your heads off.”
The leader snarled and backed up, his men following him while the man that had almost been shot looked around, clearly spooked. Jensen watched them drive off and exhaled. That was the first group of people they’d seen since they‘d moved in.
There was scrape of a shoe on the veranda above him, then Cougar climbed down and stood beside him, his rifle slung over his back. Jensen moved closer and bumped his shoulder against Cougar’s.
“Think they’ll be back?”
Cougar nodded. “As long as they think we have something they deserve, they will keep coming back.” Cougar watched him tuck the Smith and Wesson back into the waist of his jeans. “We should kill them if they come back.”
Jensen shrugged. It sounded cold but Cougar was right. Anyone that thought the revenants were the worse thing about this fucked up world wasn’t running into many people. Civilization had broken down so people had done the same.
Jensen spent a few hours with Pooch, helping dig a tunnel that would eventually come out into the woods that surrounded the back of the house.
Dinner that night was pretty good. Aisha and Clay had found a farm and scooped up some abandoned animals. Jensen refrained from asking which one of them had killed the chickens. He just enjoyed the food and laughed at Aisha’s story of Clay running from a pissed off bull. Aisha’s voice was full of gleeful joy as she described the situation.
“Then he took off his jacket and this seemed to make the bull even madder! It was if the bull hated that bright white shirt. He made this horrible noise and started chasing Clay again while Clay screamed like a little child.”
Everyone laughed at the grumpy expression on Clay’s face though he did smile a little and shake his head.
“Yeah, but I had the last laugh. Now he’s out there by himself with not even the chickens to keep him company.”
Jensen chuckled and sipped some wine. They had some tequila and some other liquor but they saved that for the truly good days or the spectacularly bad ones. After dinner, Jensen offered to hook up the projector so they could all watch a movie in the big bonus room. They ended up watching some old Abbot and Costello movies. Jensen fell asleep and woke up just as the movie ended. Cougar was running a hand through his hair and Jensen tried to covertly wipe the drool away, though by the way Cougar was smirking told him he wasn’t that successful.
Jensen got online later and discovered that one of the groups he belonged to was arguing about the need to restructure some hardware or the damage would cascade into a domino effect and knock out communications for most of Eastern Seaboard. Not everyone was aware the internet was limping along and with so many still missing or/and dead it might be awhile until someone discovered the problem. The building was 75 miles from Jensen‘s location. He responded that he could get it done and he’d let them know when he got to the place.
He downloaded three possible routes with switchbacks and other roads connected to those. Later, Jensen told Cougar and both decided it would be an all day job, possibly an overnighter. It depended on how many obstacles there were between them and the building. Lunch time brought more discussion as Clay said there were some things in that area he wanted to check out. Jensen spent the rest of the day helping his sister out and talking to his niece. He even got a smile out of her and he promised he’d bring her back some more books.
The next morning it was him and Cougar, Clay, Aisha, and Pooch. Jensen was used to saying good-bye to his sister and the rest of their friends by now. It had been awhile since his team had all been out together. On the way, they saw signs of people but never saw actual people. They could search but it would probably end with guns being pulled on them.
They took a break for lunch and ate it quickly. The revenants showed up just as Jensen swallowed his last piece of sandwich. There were 20 of them, ragged clothes, eyes empty and glazed over. Out of the corner of his eye he saw Clay and Aisha start firing on one side while Pooch and Cougar took the opposite side. That left Jensen to take of the revenants coming down the middle. The crack of gunfire was loud, but he ignored it and took out revenant after revenant.
He looked at Cougar for a moment and then had to swiftly duck as a revenant took a swing at him, hands curled up like claws. Jensen shot that one in the knees before going for the vital headshot. Just as quickly as it had started, the threat was over and there were twenty bodies lying around them.
Jensen and the rest reloaded and packed up anything they’d left out that was still viable and got back in the car. Four hours later they reached their destination. Clay and Aisha explored the surrounding area while Jensen, Cougar, and Pooch broke into the building. It only took Jensen an hour to find the problem, then another hour to fix it. He emailed his tech friends and recommended someone be placed here permanently.
Before he finished updating some stuff, a few people had volunteered. With the main problem fixed, Jensen relaxed. He found Cougar and Pooch in the lobby and they joked around a little before heading out to find Clay and Aisha.
The gunshots were the first thing that let them know where they needed to go. They screeched to a halt as Cougar fired his gun and Jensen shot from the passenger side of the truck. The revenants were vicious and determined. Out of the corner of his eye, Jensen saw Cougar jump off the top of the truck, then a revenant was right there in Jensen’s face so he got back to killing zombies while his friends handled their part.
Jensen didn’t know if there were more this time than earlier, all he could do was dodge and shoot and aim for the head. He ducked and rolled and shot another one, this one younger than the rest. Jensen blocked it from his mind and kept going. Soon, the shooting died off and the revenants were permanently dead. He’d never actually seen a revenant retreat. They all waited a few minutes to see if any more showed up. He could hear Aisha muttering something, while Pooch was checking the truck.
At first, Jensen didn’t know what he was staring at. He was bent over, resting his hands on his knees, trying to catch his breath when drops of blood appeared on the ground in front of him. He slowly looked up and there stood Cougar, a hand over the bite mark on his arm.
End part one
Fandom: Losers
Rating: NC-17
Pairing: Cougar/Jensen
Genre: Zombie Apocalypse
Spoilers: Yes, for the movie
Warnings: It's the end of the world. Bad things happen.
A/N: Big thanks to
cougars_catnip for the excellent beta skills. Thank you for the advice and tips and encouragement.Summary: Sometimes the zombies are not the worse part of a zombie apocalypse.
The smell was the worse, and that was saying something. The smell of recently dead or bodies that had been dead awhile didn’t bother him. He’d smelled that before, as well as bodies that had been burned. Bodies riddled with disease didn’t faze him but this, this was some strange miasma of all of those smells and more.
In every possible outcome to this plague, Jensen never anticipated actually having to live in a fucking zombie movie. He aimed and shot another revenant. The bullet tore into its lower face and Jensen cursed, knowing it would continue trying to kill and eat some dumb ass who couldn’t get off the streets. Head shots that hit the brain worked as well as making sure the head was completely severed from the body.
The truck swerved and he made sure his foot was caught firmly on something inside the vehicle. If he got thrown out, he was toast. He shot another zombie and this time the bullet hit its mark and the head exploded. Jensen tried not to think about the bloody meter maid outfit the thing had been wearing. It wasn’t a person anymore and he had to keep believing that or he‘d go crazy.
There was a roar behind him and the military grade humvee bounced as a revenant landed on it. He sprang on all fours for Jensen and suddenly there was nothing but a headless body. Jensen was wearing his glasses and a hospital mask but he still turned his head from the wet spray that reached his arms.
The humvee swerved again and the body rolled off. Jensen couldn’t spot where Cougar was hiding but he threw out a salute anyway. Jensen didn’t see any more revenants so he bent down and looked inside the vehicle at Pooch.
“You planning on swerving all the way to the store?”
Pooch laughed and swerved again. “It’s not like I’m doing it on purpose. The world goes to hell, the roads are going to be a little fucked up.”
Jensen stood back up and looked around. This part of town seemed deserted but one thing he’d learned in the last nine weeks since life ended as they knew it was this; revenants were sneaky fuckers even if they were brain dead. After they stopped for five seconds to scoop up Cougar from where he’d been stationed, they were out of the congested city with its tall buildings and many hiding places.
Twenty minutes later they were speeding down the highway, deserted cars and burnt out wrecks nothing for Pooch to get past. There was no one around but Jensen figured anyone with sense stayed hidden, not sure if the crazy strangers were more dangerous than the revenants.
Sometimes Jensen still can’t believe the world got fucked up by a plague that killed billions. Then the plague decided hey, let’s reanimate some of these people and send them out with a unquenchable hunger for blood, brains, fuck, let’s make it any body part they can latch onto! That way they get smarter, hold that primal brain together a little longer and infect more.
The fact that Max wasn’t behind the plague had been a relief in the middle of the chaos that rained down on them after civilization went FUBAR. They had no clue if he was even alive since they were mainly focused on not dying, killing lots of revenants, and making sure some scared asshole didn’t kill them. Clay became the Colonel again as he’d led them out of Massachusetts where they’d been visiting Jolene when the everything went to shit.
Jensen had collected his sister and niece as soon as his suspicious, paranoid mind had told him to. Two days later all flights were cancelled but by then they were holed up in an abandoned, McMansion near Pooch and Jolene’s house. They’d had more room to see people or revenants coming. There’d been searches for supplies and more guns and bullets. The team had showcased their talents and came through. Now they were on their way to a different kind of hell, one that used to be crowded full of crazies looking for that rollback deal. Jensen hated that damn smiley face with a passion.
He sat alone in the backseat while Cougar sat up front with Pooch. The sun shone down merrily on abandoned cars and a half burnt McDonalds and a Taco Bell with no windows. It would be jarring if he hadn’t seen other weird shit over the past few weeks. He saw Walmart coming up and hoped they could make this fast. Revenants weren’t the only thing they had to look out for these days.
There was probably some group set up at the store, staking claim on all the contents inside. Jensen figured they could probably use force, but he was not down with killing some scared, desperate civilians.
The parking lot of the super store was a mix of abandoned and wrecked cars, evidence of the total chaos that had happened when the plague turned to something worse. Cougar turned in his seat and climbed into the back. He didn’t say anything as he stood up through the sunroof and used the scope on his rifle to check out the store and surrounding area. Pooch parked near the back edges of the lot.
Cougar’s voice was quiet. “Three on the roof. Four on the ground in front of the doors.” He scanned the other buildings and businesses attached to the giant store, strip mall style. “Five more on the other buildings. Probably more hiding inside.”
Pooch, sighed and turned the car off. They’d need gas soon. This Walmart had gas pumps but with no electricity there was no way to get to it. Jensen cracked his knuckles. “Okay, we trade some shit if they’re willing to deal, including me and Pooch’s technical mojo. We get their gas pumps running again, they‘ll treat us like rock stars.” Jensen didn’t see Cougar roll his eyes but he could feel it. His best friend used eye rolls and smirks like a second language.
They walked slowly up to the building, trying to appear as if they were no threat. The guys in the front had guns that were not pointed at them, for which Jensen was grateful since these guys didn’t look all that skilled. There was a red headed woman in a black tank top and black jeans standing with the guys. She held a gun in her hand as she walked out a little to meet them but not close enough for them to grab her. Now, her? She looked skilled.
“Gentlemen, how can we help you?”
Since Pooch was the one most unlikely to piss someone off just by opening his mouth, he was the designated speaker. “You all doing some bartering?”
Red head’s eyes traveled over him and then over Cougar and Jensen. “What have you got to trade?”
Pooch pulled a small pouch out of his pocket and opened it. The diamond he pulled out was impressive. “We have this and also, we can get your gas pumps working. Be a pretty valuable thing to have. If you’re having any other technical problems we might be able to help with those too.”
A young guy with white-blond hair and a scraggly mustache sneered. “We ain’t letting you near our generators!”
The red head turned and glared at him. He shut his mouth and looked elsewhere.
Pooch shrugged. “I don’t blame you for being cautious, but we’re just three guys. Money isn’t worth anything right now so that’s where the tech skills and the diamond comes in.”
The red head stuck her hand out. “I’m Cassandra.” She turned to the boy that had interrupted earlier. “Go get Cane.”
He left with a mutter and a glare at them that said volumes about how he felt being the gopher. Jensen fidgeted under the stares of the men around them. He was capable of being still but being a little jittery made the guys focus on him and skip Cougar. He wondered if there were any more women around. Not that he wanted to flirt or anything. The man that appeared had red hair cut short in a military style. He looked a lot like Cassandra and Jensen figured they were fraternal twins.
He studied them as hard as Cassandra had, his blue eyes taking in their stance and the brown camouflage clothes they were wearing. His voice was deep and scratchy.
“Let me see.”
Pooch held out the diamond. The man inspected it in the sunlight. He held out a hand and Cassandra handed him a mirror so he could draw the diamond across it. The resulting sound and scratch had him nodding.
“Okay, what are you looking for?”
Pooch pulled out as piece of paper. “Blankets, shirts, socks, pens, batteries, duct tape, bandages. Some box cutters, canned food and sewing needles. Any antibiotic ointment and Tylenol you can spare.”
Jensen tried and succeeded in not snorting. They controlled a fucking Walmart. They could probably spare a lot, though it did depend on how much trading they’d been doing.
Cane put his hands on his hips. “You military?“
Pooch nodded. “Used to be. We were together for a reunion with our team when the plague hit.” They’d all agreed to use that story instead of the truth of them being at Pooch and Jolene’s for a quick visit when the reports of the new virus had started pouring in and everything went to hell.
Cane nodded. “Can you really fix the pumps?”
Pooch smiled and shrugged modestly. “Pretty sure I can. Between me and Jensen, we can fix about anything mechanical or computer related.”
Jensen stepped forward. “Speaking of, if you have any computers, I can get you hooked up to the new version of the internet. Me and some friends have been trying to get as many people connected as we can so we can share info and keep each other updated.”
Cane raised one eyebrow. “Interesting.” He jerked a thumb back into the cavernous, mostly dark store. “Cassandra will show you where we put the computers.”
He pointed at a silent man that had followed him outside. “William will get your stuff. If you want anything not on your list he’ll negotiate it out with you.”
Pooch nodded and sent Jensen a look that said, ‘be careful and watch your back.’
Jensen nodded and glanced at Cougar. One slight nod of his head told the hacker, Cougar would be going with him. The store was dark inside but there were candles everywhere lighting the way to different parts of the store. Jensen had never realized how dark a Walmart was without lights. There were a few people peeking out from blocked or covered aisles.
“Did you all have to clear out any revenants?”
Cassandra looked back at him. “You mean zombies?”
Jensen shrugged and dodged a brown spot on the floor. “Revenants, zombies. We heard they don’t just go for the brain, that any part of the body will help keep them mobile and searching for more.”
Cassandra nodded. “Yeah we saw some on the way here that were ravenous. Once we got here, Cane and I took some out and then a few people that lived close by came out of hiding. Others made their way here and figured a bigger group was better than being on their own.”
The computers were all near the back wall along with the silent huge flat screen TV’s. Jensen pulled open his backpack and tried to smile harmlessly as he pulled out his little sweetheart. He opened her up and tapped in a few commands. He looked around and noticed a few people had followed them from the front. He studied the computer products and picked out a few items. “Any computer you want me to do first?”
Cassandra pointed to five laptops and two net books. “If you can do some of these I can watch and do the rest.” She smiled and winked. “I’m a pretty quick learner.”
Jensen licked his lips and flicked a look at Cougar who was busy watching the people around them. Jensen sat on the floor and Cassandra sat beside him. Someone set a few lamps around them and Jensen chattered about movies and computers and his friends all across the globe that had kind of banded together to salvage info and figure out how to keep the internet going. He got one computer up and moved to the next, his fingers flying across the keys.
“I think it’s vital that we have communication with others so when a cure is found, we can get it to lots of people.”
A woman who was watching them spoke up. “Do you know if people are still getting sick and becoming zombies?”
Jensen shook his head. “I haven‘t heard of any new cases. I mean, all we’ve seen are revenants so we think either the virus is still killing people and making new revenants.” He sighed. “There’s just no way to know for sure at this point.”
Jensen walked Cassandra through setting up the third lap top. He pulled his computer over and asked for her email address. “I’ll send you mine and we can keep in contact. Right now, I’d advise against going into the city. Try to stay where there are less people. Too many hiding spaces and the revenants are learning.”
A tall pale man leaning against a shelf, laughed. “Learning? Learning what?”
Jensen barely spared him a glance. “Learning to not attack right away. They wait and watch. Once it’s too late to get out of the city quickly, they can come pouring out of buildings you swore were empty.
The man laughed again. “I think you just don’t want us going there. Maybe I want my own diamonds too.”
Jensen whipped his head around and stared at the man so fiercely he shut up and took a step back. Jensen stood up and approached him. He pointed a finger at the man but didn’t touch him. “You want to go to the city that’s fine. I’m telling you what’s out there in hopes that if you do make a dumb ass decision you’ll make sure you don’t take kids or anyone else that doesn’t really want to go.”
Jensen turned away and noticed Cougar standing straighter, his eyes focused on the other people around them. He’d keep a look out for any more troublemakers or fools that thought they knew the deal without having seen a man torn to pieces by these things.
Cassandra was studying them both, eyes narrowed as if trying to determine what the truth was. Jensen didn’t blame her. The revenants weren’t the only predators out there. Plenty of people were showing their true natures now and some were shooting first and not giving a fuck about asking questions later.
“Can you take a look at our generators? We got them from the farm Co-op down the street. We only turn on a few lights at night and those we make sure can‘t be seen from any windows.”
Jensen nodded. “Good idea. I don’t think any revenants not already out here will travel here but I could be wrong. A big shining beacon of light is probably not a good idea.”
Jensen followed her. They stopped after entering the big swing doors that divided the store from consumers. She grabbed some flashlights and handed one to him. He followed her around a corner and down a long corridor, both sides lined with huge shelves full of products.
The generators were in a small room that smelled like lumber and the sharp tang of propane. There was a small window built high up on the wall. It was cracked open a little to get some fresh air into the room. Jensen bent down to study the make and model. He was about to ask if he could take the smaller one apart when there was a curse and soft grunt from Cougar. Jensen barely had time to turn before something heavy hit him in the head.
~
Jensen woke up to darkness and a pounding headache. His arms were tied behind his back. He snorted. Amateurs. He flexed his wrists and felt the roughness that said standard rope. It was kinda fucked up that he could tell by feel and strength what he was tied up with. He put his head down and carefully shook his glasses off his face.
Once they were in his lap he managed to dump them on the floor and turn sideways so his fingers could reach them. He could hear someone else in the room breathing and he hoped it was Cougar.
He closed his eyes and let one of his fingernails trace the very small sliver of sharpness that was hidden in the part that held his eyeglasses up. The other side held a small lock pick that worked on most handcuffs. The side he needed held a razor that came with a very small rubber nip to prevent him from cutting his fingers up too bad. He’d bleed but not as much.
It took him a few minutes and he dropped the thing once. When he sliced through the last of the rope and broke free, he crawled over to the other person and sighed loudly in relief. It was Cougar. Jensen felt for a pulse. He relaxed when he got one. Jensen grabbed for the gun he knew Cougar kept hidden close to his dick. They’d been watching ‘The Long Kiss Goodnight’ a few weeks ago and Cougar had nodded at the doomed agent that hid a gun where lots of men were leery to search.
Jensen needed to get out of here with Cougs. They’d dragged Cassandra somewhere and he intended to help her, but this place was too dark and too big to try and risk coming back for Cougar later. He had no idea why the guys hadn’t killed them outright. Maybe they thought someone would come looking for them and the bad guys could trade them? He lightly slapped Cougar’s face then felt around Cougar’s head for any bumps or the wet stickiness that signaled blood. He leaned closer to whisper in Cougar’s ear.
“Come on, babe, we need to get the hell out of here. They took my comm so we gotta go save Pooch because it’s our turn.”
He kissed Cougar on the lips and felt the man stir beneath him and kiss him back. Jensen pulled back and laughed. “I hope you realize I’m going to call you Sleeping Beauty for a long time.”
Cougar shrugged and grabbed the hand, Jensen offered him. Jensen patted him on his shoulder.
“I got your gun. We need to find Cassandra and then get the hell out of dodge. Let the crazy fuckers have their own revolution.”
Cougar nodded and held his hand as Jensen felt along the walls for the door. When he found it, he cracked it open and saw a dim light down one end of a hallway. He followed the light and stopped right before a doorway. He heard someone getting hit, then a voice he recognized as the pale guy from earlier.
“Bitch. I’m going to teach you your place. Once we finish beating on your brother, I’ll drag him in here and make him watch.”
Jensen counted to ten and swung around the doorway. An oil lamp sat on a desk while pale guy was busy unzipping his pants. Cassandra lay on the floor, her hands tied and her face bruised. There were two other guys in the room. Jensen shot them first, then winged pale guy. He moved closer, knowing Cougar was collecting guns and covering the door. He slid his knife out from his boot and sliced the tape that held Cassandra’s wrists together.
Her mouth was a swollen mess and her shirt collar was ripped. Her pants were still on. She watched him while wiping at her mouth. “Thanks.”
Jensen held out his hand and Cougar put a gun in it. He offered it to Cassandra. “Not a problem. You want me to kill him?”
Cassandra’s eyes widened briefly, but she seemed to think about it before shaking her head. “No, me and Cane will deal with him and the rest.” She grabbed some tape off the desk and started to wrap the guy’s wrists, ignoring his whining about the bloody groove Jensen had put in his arm.
“Troy, I think I’m going to grant you and your buddies your fondest wish. A nice road trip to the city. I’m sure there will be some zombies there to show you around.”
She slapped his face lightly before standing and grabbing the oil lamp. She gestured for Jensen and Cougar to follow her. “I don’t know what happened to your friend, but I think I know all the sorry assholes that decided to throw in with this loudmouth piece of shit. We run into them, feel free to shoot them too.”
Jensen laughed. Out in the hallway, she led them back through a door and then another. They didn’t meet anyone. She avoided the double doors that led out to the store and walked down to a single swinging door and slipped through it. Jensen followed with Cougar coming last. They ended up behind some counter with a ‘Layaway’ sign plastered behind them on the wall. They eased down a aisle of shoes and met a woman in what used to be the baby aisle. She was tying a cloth over her thigh. She looked up and relaxed when she saw Cassandra. The red head knelt beside her. “You okay, Maria?”
“Stupid fuckers. They tried to drag my granddaughter away. Stabbed me in the leg.”
Jensen looked around. “Where is she?”
Maria pointed to some big diaper boxes on the upper shelf. “She made a tree house up there a few days ago. After Phil and David ran off, I told her to hide.”
She accepted the gun Cougar handed her and looked at him like he was Santa Claus. His words were brief and made her nod. “She should stay hidden.”
They continued through the store, running into people trying to hide or injured by the men that had decided to try a takeover. They found the young guy that had scowled about the generators earlier. He was dead, his blood a dark puddle on the floor that they stepped around. Another boy lay further down the aisle, a hole in his head. Jensen shook his head and kept going.
Nearer the front of the store, a whisper of something made Jensen look up. He nodded at Cougar to turn on the flashlight they’d found. Pooch spoke before Cougar could hit the ‘on’ button. “Shit, look at you two. Is this a party or what?”
Jensen laughed softly as Pooch jumped down off a shelf that still held some boxes of paper towels. They all bumped fists before Pooch pulled out his gun. “Things got hectic up here and William told me to run for it. I saw some guys drag him and Cane off.”
Cassandra stepped up. “You see where they went?”
Pooch nodded. “One of them said something about the tool aisle.”
They split up, Jensen and Cougar heading one way after Cassandra told them where to go while she and Pooch approached from another way. Halfway to the aisle a man was standing guard. Cougar crept up behind him and put him in a chokehold. The man dropped to the floor. It was quieter than a gunshot and the man would be out for awhile.
“Where did you hide the rest of the guns?”
Jensen took a quick peep around the corner. Two men held Cane’s arms while another stood guard. William was beside him on his stomach, but Jensen couldn’t tell if he was alive. A fourth guy had one of Cane’s fingers placed in something that gleamed ominously in the flashlights and shadows. Jensen looked at Cougar and nodded. They came around the corner and Jensen shot the one man that was just standing there.
One of the men holding Cane got a bullet in his thigh and arm. The other man got one in the shoulder. The last man pushed Cane away and dropped the iron cutter. He turned and ran straight into Cassandra’s fist.
Cane smiled at them as Pooch helped him up. His lips were bruised and bloody. The skin around one of his eyes was already turning black. “Bet you guys will think twice when you hit up the next Walmart won’t you?”
Jensen laughed and checked the pulse of an unconscious William. “Damn right we will.”
The next hour was spent helping Cane and Cassandra root out the rest of the people that had switched sides. Then he and Pooch got the gas pumps running. By the time they gave Cassandra and Maria a quick maintenance lesson it was dark.
Cassandra watched Cougar and Pooch load stuff into the humvee. “Will you be okay driving at night?”
Jensen shrugged. “Should be. What are you and your brother going to do with those guys?”
Cassandra wiped sweat off her forehead. She looked bruised but stubborn. “Blindfold them and take them somewhere far enough where it’ll be hard for them to return. Nothing says they won’t be able to find their way back here but if they do, we’ll shoot on sight.”
Jensen figured it was as good a plan as anything. “Well, it was fun and we hate to shoot and run, but it’s time we head out.”
Cassandra gave him a hug and Cane shook all their hands before Jensen hopped in the back seat. Cane waved wearily and said. “Come back if you want to trade again.”
Jensen laughed. “We just might.”
Pooch drove off, dodging cars in the road. They weren’t planning on trying to go far but they’d had a brief discussion about wanting to get away from the unknown people in case another coup tried to happen. Pooch told them he’d seen a few places a couple of miles away that looked okay for the night.
An hour later they were settling down in the upper floor of a three story apartment complex. They could see anyone coming long before they’d get to the building. Jensen looked through the things they had and picked out some bread and tuna since he didn’t want to risk trying to build and maintain a fire that wouldn’t spread to the other apartments. The whole place looked deserted but there was always a chance someone was hiding very well or coming back.
They each would take four hours of guard duty and then Jensen would drive for awhile when the sun rose. Barring too many revenant related complications they should make it back to the house by sundown tomorrow. Jensen knew Pooch was eager to see Jolene and baby Thomas. Jensen was eager to see his niece.
Cougar had first watch and Jensen pulled out his laptop and found a Wi-fi signal. He loved geeks and their ability to roll with the fucking punches. He imagined the guys now in charge of the various data centers were pretty well stocked. All those rumors he used to hear about their apocalypse parties meant they’d been more prepared than anyone.
Jensen surfed the net for a while before unplugging and taking a nap. Cougar shook him when it was his turn. Jensen checked his watch. It was 3:00 a.m. He used water from his canteen to wash his face and walked the perimeter they’d set up. He woke up Cougar and Pooch at 6 a.m. and they headed out, back to base, otherwise known as home.
~
Jensen cracked open one eye as the humvee dipped and bumped along the rocky and torn up driveway. Over the past few weeks, the up and down rhythm was one he’d gotten used to and come to love. The house came into view, dark red brick and gleaming white columns. It looked like something out of ‘Gone with the Wind.’ The main thing they all loved about it? The cleared land around it that let them see someone coming from about a half a mile. Also, the fact that there were two lower levels, lots of rooms, and a garage that made Pooch drool helped.
Clay came out to greet them and took note of the bruises.
“Good times were had?”
Jensen laughed and watched Pooch and Jolene hug, little baby Thomas between them. “Yes, sir.”
They pulled into the garage where a tall, dark haired man smiled at them and started helping them with the unloading. He shook his head at their injuries.
“What happened? Someone not appreciate Jensen’s witticisms?”
Pooch laughed while Jensen gave Anderson the middle finger. Xavier Anderson had joined them in Virginia after he’d tracked them for two days before making himself known. He was a big, silent man who’d lost his two brothers to the plague’s first visit. They never asked if his family had stayed dead. He was dependable and had a small crush on Jensen’s sister, Linda.
Jensen figured he didn’t need to say anything because his little sister was awesome and could take care of herself. And Cougar told him to stay out of it until something actually happened then they could talk to the man together. Jensen accused Cougar of looking forward to threatening someone. They told Clay more details about their adventure with the recommendation that it would be okay to return.
Jensen went in search of his niece. He found her up in the attic. The house they’d commandeered was pretty big and so was the attic. She was reading a book and he smiled at her before pulling out his surprise. He’d grabbed five minutes after the chaos yesterday to hit up the superstore’s reading section. He’d taken a bunch of puzzle magazines and books.
“Mackenzie?”
His niece turned and smiled at him, getting up from her coloring and giving him a hug. He sat down with her and gave her the bag. “Got you some books. I didn’t know what you liked, so I tried to get a big selection.”
He smoothed a hand over her head as she looked over the books. She hadn’t spoken much since they’d been caught in an attack outside of Springfield.
They’d all been tired and while they were used to running on nothing but adrenaline, that too had eventually faded. Jensen tensed just as ten revenants had appeared around them. He saw one reach for Mackenzie as if in slow motion; gnarled dirty hand with torn and jagged fingernails crusted with blood and other things. She’d screamed, one of surprise and fear and her eyes had met his. Then instead of slow motion, it became a blur.
They knew headshots to the brain was the only way to kill these new creatures but Jensen picked up the machete he’d found two towns back and started swinging. The machete got caught in the third one’s neck and only pulled out with a wet sucking sound. By then, the other revenants were down and his sister had a grip on Mackenzie but she’d forgotten to shield her eyes from her favorite and only uncle going off the deep end.
Back then they hadn’t been sure if the virus was still spreading or not and everyone watched Jensen and Mackenzie to see if they got sick. They didn’t, but Mackenzie hadn’t been the same.
For awhile she’d been scared of him and it’d broken his heart. He’d given her space and was relieved that in about a week she crawled into his lap and let him hold her. Her words became fewer and fewer until she just stopped. He and Linda discussed it when Mackenzie was asleep. They knew there wasn’t much they could do. Kids dealt with tragedy in their own way and this was some fucked up shit to be going through.
Jensen stayed up on the attic for an hour, coloring and making up stories about the people and animals he colored. He talked to Mackenzie the whole time, hoping she‘d respond.
Later, Clay pulled everyone together and told them he and Aisha were going out the next morning. Their main objective would be finding food. Winter would be here before they knew it and they had to be prepared. Jensen thought that the winter would finish off the revenants. They were cunning but would they know enough to get out of the snow? How would that effect their hunting if everyone was inside trying to stay warm?
After almost everyone was asleep and the perimeter alarms set, Jensen made his way to his room, a kerosene lamp leading the way. They had generators but they only ran them for a limited time at night. His room used to be a giant closet. He’d cleared out clothes and the closet organizer and it was big enough for a full size mattress. Pooch helped him make an escape hatch that led to the attic just in case.
Hell, these days they were all paranoid and didn’t question each others instincts. Cougar was already in bed. Jensen knew he wasn’t asleep. Even before the end of life as they knew it, Cougar didn’t sleep much. Now, he usually waited for Jensen to show up.
Jensen got undressed quickly and slipped in between the sheets. Cougar pulled him closer to kiss him goodnight but the kiss turned into another and another until Jensen laughed softly and crawled on top of his best friend. Cougar’s hands were warm, and he used his fingernails to lightly scratch Jensen’s back which made Jensen moan and press down harder onto the body beneath him.
Cougar really raised the stakes when those same hands carded through Jensen’s hair, pulling on the strands a little before holding his head still. He never thought about why Cougar might need to hold on a little too tightly, or why he himself wanted to be held tighter and tighter but they both wanted what the other could give them, now more so than ever. They fit and that’s all that mattered. Jensen sucked a bruise onto Cougar’s neck before whispering all the filthy things he had planned into his lover’s ear. Cougar laughed softly and it made Jensen’s breath catch. He loved this man beyond anything he ever thought capable. Later, after a few demonstrations of all the filthy things, Jensen laid a hand on Cougar’s chest and let himself fall asleep with the thump of Cougar’s heartbeat beneath his fingers.
The next morning, Jensen got up and fixed breakfast for himself and Mackenzie. Linda was still asleep but Mackenzie smiled at him and ate her oatmeal. When she went up to the attic, Jensen checked on his sister. She slept in a room next to what they called their clinic. She’d stocked it and requested things each time someone went on a supply run. Being an emergency room nurse gave her a lot of knowledge, and he knew he was more than lucky that she’d been on vacation for a week when the plague broke out.
Jensen heard a car approach and got up from the kitchen table and checked the front drive. The long driveway leading up to the house gave them time to see anyone coming. The car was unfamiliar and he hit the speaker button on the intercom system built into almost every room in the house.
“Got company coming in a car.”
He grabbed a sawed off shotgun from the hall closet and headed for the front door. Clay and Aisha were already gone and not due back until that night. Pooch was down in the sub basement. The intercom system clicked once and that was Cougar telling him he was headed for the roof.
Four men spilled out of the car and headed for the house, guns already out. Jensen opened the door and stepped out onto the porch. The men stopped and studied him while one of them stepped closer.
“Morning.”
Jensen nodded and held the sawed off loosely in one hand. “Morning. Something I can help you gentlemen with?”
The lead guy had black hair, a beer gut, and a smile that was so fake he shouldn’t have even bothered. “We’re just looking to trade.”
Jensen pretended to consider this. “What do you have to trade?”
This question seemed to stump all four men giving proof that they’d been coming to take, not exchange. The leader moved closer. “Back at our camp we got some meth, some cigarettes. We’re looking for some food, some liquor.”
Jensen sighed and shook his head. “You’re out of luck, fellas.”
Two of the guys were trying to move to the sides and flank him. Jensen pulled out the gun he had tucked in the back of his jeans and aimed it at the man on his right. He kept the shotgun on the leader. The man on the left snorted and inched closer. The lead guy smiled a nasty smile. “Unless you got another hand, you can’t cover us all.”
A bullet hit the ground right in front of the uncovered man. He jumped back with a shout.
Jensen smirked. “I don’t need another hand. Now you all can get back in your car and head out, or we can have a gunfight, then me and my friends will bury you somewhere nice after we cut your heads off.”
The leader snarled and backed up, his men following him while the man that had almost been shot looked around, clearly spooked. Jensen watched them drive off and exhaled. That was the first group of people they’d seen since they‘d moved in.
There was scrape of a shoe on the veranda above him, then Cougar climbed down and stood beside him, his rifle slung over his back. Jensen moved closer and bumped his shoulder against Cougar’s.
“Think they’ll be back?”
Cougar nodded. “As long as they think we have something they deserve, they will keep coming back.” Cougar watched him tuck the Smith and Wesson back into the waist of his jeans. “We should kill them if they come back.”
Jensen shrugged. It sounded cold but Cougar was right. Anyone that thought the revenants were the worse thing about this fucked up world wasn’t running into many people. Civilization had broken down so people had done the same.
Jensen spent a few hours with Pooch, helping dig a tunnel that would eventually come out into the woods that surrounded the back of the house.
Dinner that night was pretty good. Aisha and Clay had found a farm and scooped up some abandoned animals. Jensen refrained from asking which one of them had killed the chickens. He just enjoyed the food and laughed at Aisha’s story of Clay running from a pissed off bull. Aisha’s voice was full of gleeful joy as she described the situation.
“Then he took off his jacket and this seemed to make the bull even madder! It was if the bull hated that bright white shirt. He made this horrible noise and started chasing Clay again while Clay screamed like a little child.”
Everyone laughed at the grumpy expression on Clay’s face though he did smile a little and shake his head.
“Yeah, but I had the last laugh. Now he’s out there by himself with not even the chickens to keep him company.”
Jensen chuckled and sipped some wine. They had some tequila and some other liquor but they saved that for the truly good days or the spectacularly bad ones. After dinner, Jensen offered to hook up the projector so they could all watch a movie in the big bonus room. They ended up watching some old Abbot and Costello movies. Jensen fell asleep and woke up just as the movie ended. Cougar was running a hand through his hair and Jensen tried to covertly wipe the drool away, though by the way Cougar was smirking told him he wasn’t that successful.
Jensen got online later and discovered that one of the groups he belonged to was arguing about the need to restructure some hardware or the damage would cascade into a domino effect and knock out communications for most of Eastern Seaboard. Not everyone was aware the internet was limping along and with so many still missing or/and dead it might be awhile until someone discovered the problem. The building was 75 miles from Jensen‘s location. He responded that he could get it done and he’d let them know when he got to the place.
He downloaded three possible routes with switchbacks and other roads connected to those. Later, Jensen told Cougar and both decided it would be an all day job, possibly an overnighter. It depended on how many obstacles there were between them and the building. Lunch time brought more discussion as Clay said there were some things in that area he wanted to check out. Jensen spent the rest of the day helping his sister out and talking to his niece. He even got a smile out of her and he promised he’d bring her back some more books.
The next morning it was him and Cougar, Clay, Aisha, and Pooch. Jensen was used to saying good-bye to his sister and the rest of their friends by now. It had been awhile since his team had all been out together. On the way, they saw signs of people but never saw actual people. They could search but it would probably end with guns being pulled on them.
They took a break for lunch and ate it quickly. The revenants showed up just as Jensen swallowed his last piece of sandwich. There were 20 of them, ragged clothes, eyes empty and glazed over. Out of the corner of his eye he saw Clay and Aisha start firing on one side while Pooch and Cougar took the opposite side. That left Jensen to take of the revenants coming down the middle. The crack of gunfire was loud, but he ignored it and took out revenant after revenant.
He looked at Cougar for a moment and then had to swiftly duck as a revenant took a swing at him, hands curled up like claws. Jensen shot that one in the knees before going for the vital headshot. Just as quickly as it had started, the threat was over and there were twenty bodies lying around them.
Jensen and the rest reloaded and packed up anything they’d left out that was still viable and got back in the car. Four hours later they reached their destination. Clay and Aisha explored the surrounding area while Jensen, Cougar, and Pooch broke into the building. It only took Jensen an hour to find the problem, then another hour to fix it. He emailed his tech friends and recommended someone be placed here permanently.
Before he finished updating some stuff, a few people had volunteered. With the main problem fixed, Jensen relaxed. He found Cougar and Pooch in the lobby and they joked around a little before heading out to find Clay and Aisha.
The gunshots were the first thing that let them know where they needed to go. They screeched to a halt as Cougar fired his gun and Jensen shot from the passenger side of the truck. The revenants were vicious and determined. Out of the corner of his eye, Jensen saw Cougar jump off the top of the truck, then a revenant was right there in Jensen’s face so he got back to killing zombies while his friends handled their part.
Jensen didn’t know if there were more this time than earlier, all he could do was dodge and shoot and aim for the head. He ducked and rolled and shot another one, this one younger than the rest. Jensen blocked it from his mind and kept going. Soon, the shooting died off and the revenants were permanently dead. He’d never actually seen a revenant retreat. They all waited a few minutes to see if any more showed up. He could hear Aisha muttering something, while Pooch was checking the truck.
At first, Jensen didn’t know what he was staring at. He was bent over, resting his hands on his knees, trying to catch his breath when drops of blood appeared on the ground in front of him. He slowly looked up and there stood Cougar, a hand over the bite mark on his arm.
End part one
