Actions

Work Header

Rating:
Archive Warning:
Categories:
Fandom:
Relationships:
Characters:
Additional Tags:
Language:
English
Stats:
Published:
2019-11-29
Completed:
2019-12-18
Words:
37,962
Chapters:
10/10
Comments:
37
Kudos:
146
Bookmarks:
33
Hits:
2,052

Life Among the Dead

Summary:

AU mid-season 8. A spell gone wrong sends Dean and Sam to an alternate universe where a virus has ravaged the world and left zombies in its wake. Yet in the hellscape they find an unexpected gift of loved ones still alive and fighting against the swarms of undead. As they try to find their way back to their own world and survive day to day, they realize what the spell was really for: to try and save the lives of this other world's Dean and Sam. The Dean and Sam who are now missing and had been bit.

Notes:

Boy howdy has this fic been a while in coming. It started years ago in a drafted email and this year's NaNoWriMo yielded a lot of fic, including parts of the "Not Torn Asunder" sequel and another much shorter fic that I'll post in a bit. But mostly it was to finish this which thankfully didn't get too beastly.

For those wondering about the relationships: this entire fic is still geared towards Dean and Sam getting back to each other and becoming the brothers they deserve to be. I've never really done relationship fics in Supernatural so this is sorta new for me. I've certainly done relationship fics (see my huge 'verse of Bilbo Baggins/Thorin Oakenshield "the changed future" for proof of that) but never in Supernatural. So. Hang with me. I left the relationship tags in but in all honesty, except for the Sam and Jess, they're all very much hinted at or at a super beginning stage. Nothing explicit.

This story is complete and will be published as my schedule allows.

Chapter 1: The Prologue

Chapter Text

The candle was nearly down to the base, the light flickering and almost non-existent. It was still bright enough to be seen, outside of the building, which meant that sought after light, that separation from the darkness, was their worst enemy.
Well. Not their worst. No, their worst was still out there, moaning, shuffling, and hungry. Always hungry, never full.

She pushed her blonde hair out of her face, spreading the sweat more than taking it away. She could feel it curling against the nape of her neck, sticking and reminding her of the incredible heat. Hell hadn't even been this hot. And she'd know better than anyone else. Without power, there was no A/C, there was nothing except for the oppressive heat, the silence that wasn't ever really silent, and then, the darkness.

Yet they still didn't move.

Soft footsteps told her it was human before her senses did. She mentally cursed herself and wiped at her forehead again. Her negligence would cost her or someone else. If she wasn't paying attention, if she wasn't using her abilities to the max, they were all going to die.

Silence followed, only broken by a single breath. Then: "Is it working?"

She cast her gaze out over the two prone forms. Unconscious since they'd fallen, the chills hitting later than they'd expected, they would have looked asleep if it wasn't for the blood they couldn't quite wipe clean. It always came welling back to the surface.

"I don't know," she finally said. "It might be. I won't know until..." Until they woke up. Until they died. Until they turned.

Another long silence followed her unwelcome statement. "It has to," came the response at long last. "It has to. We need them. They're our only hope, y'know?"

With a sigh Ruby pulled her hair off her neck. The sudden cool feeling faded quickly, but the moment had been enjoyed while it lasted. "I know, Jo," she said. "I know."

Ahead of them, Dean and Sam slept on, silent, still. Ruby shut her eyes and pleaded to a god that would never listen to the likes of her. Please, please let them wake up.

Please let them come back.