Chapter Text
“We have to go back!” Wilbur yelled, fighting against his brother’s hold. Their father slammed the door to the abandoned house shut and immediately found an old dresser to barricade it shut.
“Wil-” Whatever Techno had been about to say was cut off as Wilbur elbowed him in the chest in his struggle to free himself from Techno’s arms.
“Let me go! Tommy’s still out there!” Wilbur's voice was beginning to turn hysterical as he fought harder. Unfortunately for him, Techno was stronger than he was. Granted the flailing wasn’t making it easy to keep his brother from running to his head.
“You saw him get bit,” Techno said, grunting as one of Wilbur’s arms smacked him in the face. “Even if the zombies didn’t completely get him, he’s going to be one of them soon.” His own words cut deep into his heart. His voice was bordering on pleading with Wilbur to face the reality of the situation and trying to keep up the strong appearance. When Wilbur didn’t relent in his fighting, Techno gave up and released him. The sudden loss of the hold caused Wilbur to fall to the ground. The dirt and grim got all over his shirt and hands.
“You don’t fucking know that.” Wilbur scrambled to his feet and turned to glare at his brother. Techno could see the tears welling up in his twin’s eyes. He could feel his own resolve cracking at the sight of it. “He could still be out there, hiding in some who terrified and thinking that we just aband-”
“HE’S GONE, WIL!” Techo shouted. The sudden outburst shocked Wilbur into silence. They stared at each other as something wet began to fall down Techno’s cheeks. Once they started coming, Techno couldn’t stop the sob that tore from his mouth. Wilbur watched his brother break down, unsure of how to respond. Techno never cried. “He’s gone and even Mom and Dad know it!” Techno gestured over to where their father sat against the wall, head in his hands as their mother knelt next to him. She had a hand on his shoulder while the other covered her own mouth as silent tears slid down her own face. Neither of them had said a word since they watched their youngest get bit by the zombie.
The image of the zombie pulling the young blonde boy away by his leg as he screamed out Techno’s name was an image Techno was never going to get out of his head.
Wilbur stared at the ground. His breath picked up as the reality of the situation finally hit him. Falling to his knees, he let out an anguished scream. He didn’t care if any zombies heard them at that point.
All he wanted was Tommy. But Tommy was-
Arms wrapped around his shoulders as his dad pulled him close. Wilbur gripped the front of his shirt, not caring as his tears and snot began to coat the material. Phil gently rocked them back and forth as they held each other and cried. He barely felt his mother run a hand through his hair as she knelt on the floor with them and rested her forehead in his brown curls. Techno moved to stand next to them, placing a hand on Phil’s shoulder. Together the four of them mourned the loss of their youngest. Tommy had been far too pure for the shit the world threw at them. He always managed to keep them all smiling even when he was terrified of what could happen.
“He was going to be six next week.” Their mother’s broken voice cut into the silence that had grown after Wilbur had stopped wailing. Phil lowered his head onto his son’s shoulder.
“I’m so sorry. I was supposed to keep you all safe,” Phil said, wetting Wilbur’s sweater with his own tears. “Fuck… I’ve failed you all.” Kristen put a hand on her husband’s cheek and forced him to look at her.
“Don’t you dare blame yourself for this,” Kristen said, firmly. “I don’t care what shit went down. Tommy’s death was not your fault. You are a good father.” Her voice wavered but only because of the tears that coated her own face. They pulled each other into a large group hug. None of them placed the blame on the others.
They had all failed him.
*******
Tommy had felt pain before, but no scraped knee compared to what he felt after being bit. It felt like a fire had been lit underneath his leg. Even moving his toes made him cry out. So he just laid still on the cold concrete of the alleyway he’d been dragged into. He didn’t know what had happened to the zombie that had got him. Everything was too blurry. Whether that was from getting bit or the tears that dripped down his face, he couldn’t tell. All he knew was his leg hurt and he was so scared. He didn’t know what was going to happen to him or where his family had gone. Did they leave him? He had heard Wilbur yell his name. They said they would keep him safe, but they weren’t here. He wanted to call out, but then the zombie might come back. The bit on his left leg flared with a sharp pain.
Was he going to become a zombie? He didn’t want to be a monster. He just wanted his mom to hold him close. He wanted his dad to tell him he was going to be okay and for Wilbur to sing him a song and for Techno to ruffle his hair. They were supposed to protect him. So where were they?
Did the zombies get them too?
The thought made him curl up, despite the pain. What if they were bitten too? Were they going to be zombies as well? He didn’t want them to be zombies. He wanted them to find him. Tommy didn’t even know how long he had been laying on the ground. It had to have been at least a day. The stars had come out and now the sun was coming up. It was hard to tell when one was dying.
He moved his bad leg closer, letting out a soft whimper.
The sound of faint footsteps made him freeze. Were the zombies coming back to eat him?
“Where are you going?” A voice made Tommy perk up slightly. Not zombies. Zombies couldn’t talk. The footsteps seemed to be getting closer. Tommy opened his eyes but everything was too fuzzy to see anything.
“I thought I heard something,” A different, much closer voice replied. Tommy moved to sit up but the pain was too much. He cried out and let himself fall to the floor.
“Mom… Dad…” Tommy said, hoarsely.
“Oh shit. There’s a kid over here,” The voice called out. It didn’t sound familiar. Tommy heard someone kneel next to him. “He’s been bit.”
“Fuck. How fresh is the bite?” The first voice was closer too.
“It looks to be a couple of days old, but I don’t see any black veins.” The second voice seemed surprised by this. Tommy’s muddled, five-year-old brain wasn’t processing what that could mean. He let out a whimper and lifted his hand up. He felt someone grab onto it gently.
“He there, bud. How long ago did you get bit?” They asked, softly. Tommy tried to look at their face. All he could make out was some black hair that was tied back by something white. Their face was too blurry to see.
“Hurts,” He sniffed.” I don’t wanna die.” His voice cracked as he felt more tears come. A hand touched his cheek and wiped some of the tears away.
“You’re okay. We’ve got you now, bud.” Their voice sounded nice. “My name’s Sapnap. Can you tell me your name?”
“Tommy,” Tommy mumbled. He could feel his eyes getting heavy.
“Hang in there, Tommy.”
“He probably doesn’t even know how long ago he got bitten. The state of the bite looks like a promising opportunity, though,” The first voice said. Tommy felt himself being picked up. The movement caused the fire to shoot through his body. His hands latched onto some fabric as he cried out. Sapnap gave him a quiet apology before he spoke to his friend.
“Dream, he’s a kid.”
“I don’t give a flying fuck how old he is. If he’s immune, I want to know,” The first voice snapped. Sapnap started to argue back, but Tommy couldn’t understand them anymore. Everything was beginning to sound so far away and his eyes refused to open. Just before he let himself sleep, one line slipped into his hearing.
“I think you’re gonna help us do some great things, kid.”
That was the last thing he heard before the darkness consumed him.