Chapter Text
The spread began when they were all in LA for a Vidcon. There were stories on the news about a mysterious disease outbreak and how it made the recipient's skin rot away and reduce their brains to mush. It turned them into monsters. The outbreak had been held under control for a while, but it returned with relentless strength, taking over some of the biggest cites of the world. One of the only large cites to survive had been LA. It was well fortified, so naturally, people flocked there to escape from the spreading disease. This was where the YouTubers were holed up. All flights and transportation had been barred until further notice and any crossing of US borders was banned, to prevent unknowing victims from spreading the disease any further. That meant they were all stuck there.
Scientists were all over the issue immediately, but none could find a cure for the strange new flesh-eating virus. Mark should have worked in medical, but he didn't feel confident enough in his skills, especially since he dropped out of medical school before he could earn his qualifications. He knew more about biology and medical science than the average person, but he didn't consider himself smart enough to help with research.
Being legal residents of LA, Mark and his team had been granted access to a military-grade base camp, designed to protect the population in case of a crisis. He had insisted that Jack, Felix, and his other non-resident YouTuber friends be admitted too, but his request was denied. As a result, he refused to accept his own access and instead the group trekked out to find a place to make their own camp.
It was a long, dangerous journey and the infected seemed to be everwhere. Any humans that dared to travel were putting themselves at risk. Many lives were lost along the way, including some of their own. Most notably Ken, Marzia, and Signe.
After searching for weeks for a place, Mark and the other YouTubers had built up a fortress inside an abandoned sports stadium. Things were somewhat safe now, but food and supplies still needed to be maintained somehow and most of the residents were traumatized in one way or another.
Felix had seen a lot. His face and demeanor had been hardened by the shear number of the lives that were lost. The lives of people that were closest to him. But he didn't have time to cry about it. Something about living in this new reality made him grow up fast. After the death of his friends, nothing was the same. Anyone who dared to get close to him seemed to be fated to suffer. That's why he never spoke of Marzia. That's why he didn't laugh. That's why he isolated himself now, and hardly talked anymore.
Jack had seen the effects firsthand too. Arguably, he hadn't suffered as much as Felix, but he had still seen a few friends be taken down by the monsters. He shattered on the inside when Signe had been killed, but unlike Felix, he didn't let the negativity set in. That was just something that he did, no matter the circumstances. He carried on, for her and for the rest of their friends that he still had a chance to help.
Mark had been one of the luckier ones. Neither Amy, nor any of his other team members had been harmed during the journey, and for that he was eternally thankful. He was heavy-hearted for his friends' losses, of course, but nowhere near how torn up he would've become if his best friends hadn't made it through.
Once the group was in their new home, he had taken up the job of being leader to the others. He wasn't quite sure why they started following him initially, but he was happy to do it, if it meant keeping his friends safe from then on.