Archive of Our Own

Chapter Text

There were many stories about how the virus spread.

After many years, truths begin to exaggerate until they are completely new stories: Some claim it was the government, trying to gain control over their people and failing miserably, others claim it was an act of God, finally coming down to punish his children for their sins. But there is one real story, a miserable one, and it is that a broken father was trying to bring his son back to life, and ended up causing the end of the world as we know it. It’s sad, when you think about it. A desperate man was trying to bring life and caused so, so much death. How the virus spread, well, that’s less known. It’s speculated that his son, once infected, broke free from his house and it devolved into chaos after there, each person his son came into contact with was suddenly infected. People lost loved ones, parents, children, best friends, and the pain was unimaginable. No-one was prepared, everyone had to learn to adapt to survive. 

But hey, at least zombies are real!

There’s always a silver lining to every bad situation, at least, that’s what Tommy says. Being twelve years old and seeing your first zombie is pretty exciting… Until your parents start screaming at you to run, and you take off sprinting because your parents told you to. Until you turn around and the next zombies you see are your parents. Yeah, that one kinda sucked.

But Tommy adapted. For a while he hid, because what else is a twelve year old to do when your parents can’t be your parents anymore? He cried, he cried for a long time, days and nights, because he didn’t know what else to do. Hiding and crying was his life for a while, living off what food he could find, what food people were laying out in the streets for those who still craved something besides human flesh. In the first few months Tommy grew up very quickly, being stripped of his childhood, he embraced adulthood and all the challenges that brought about. He learned to feed himself, get clean clothes, find out where safety was, make friends, and above all, survive. Surviving was the hardest part. There were a lot of supplies those first few months, but things perished, people perished, and things became rougher and rougher. Tommy’s dad had a gun, and when he was brave enough to venture back to his house, he collected it from the safe and taught himself to shoot. He had to steal bullets, but then again, nothing was really stealing anymore. Money was worthless anyway. And it meant Tommy had a way to survive.

He spent his thirteenth birthday in an abandoned house, sitting into a corner with a backpack full of stuff, and knees to his chest. He’d quietly sung himself happy birthday before blowing out his lighter. Things hit him hard that day. And that’s the moment that Tommy realised this was really his new forever. His parents had wanted nothing more than for him to be happy in his life, they’d told him such over and over. And why shouldn’t he be? It’s a zombies apocalypse for fuck sakes! Tommy decided that he would either have fun, or die trying.

When he blew out his lighter, he wished for luck to be on his side.

Many months passed, and Tommy stayed true to his word. He took a car, taught himself how to drive, and set off for a new life of adventure. If he was going to survive the apocalypse, he was going to do it right- no reason he should be stuck in his hometown when there’s a whole world out there! More world means more food, more gear, more people. Human people. Tommy could sacrifice some unfamiliarity for this. It’s not like he has anything to lose.

As he passed the sign to exit the town he’d know his whole life, Tommy looked down into the seat beside him. There, open, layed a page in the journal that Tommy had begun to write in. At the top of the page in his scribbled handwriting, was the title of his new endeavour, ‘ Tommy’s Guide to Surviving the Apocalypse!’ 

Tommy smiled to himself as he drove down the open road. If he was going to live his life to the fullest, he may as well leave something behind. He knew he was going to die one day, but isn’t it nice to leave something behind? His parents left him behind to carry on their legacy, and Tommy would leave this. Of that, he’s sure.

He drove down the open road for miles and miles, losing track of time. At least he had an iPod and an aux cord, fully stocked with hours and hours of music, perfect for road trips, and for running over zombies (which Tommy found to be a surprisingly effective tactic). Eventually, his eyes had begun to gloss over, and he found himself yawning more often than not. He thought he should probably sleep. Cars were safe enough when you kept them locked at all times, and Tommy had sheets of tarp to tape to the windows, so people couldn’t see in.

Some people didn’t deal with the end of the world so easily. Losing everything can turn a man crazy, really bring out people’s bloodthirsty, animalistic instincts. Sometimes people are scarier than the zombies themselves. 

Tommy learned that hard way; you needed to be careful who you trust. 

But that wasn’t a now problem, Tommy instead focused on parking his car in a relatively safe spot, he saw a town was just up ahead, so Tommy drove in and parked in a small side street, hoping he didn’t draw the attention of too many people. Tommy was tired, but he waited up for another 30 minutes to make sure no one was approaching, before hanging the tarp up in his windows and pushing the passenger seat the entire way down to make more room in the car. 

It wasn’t the most spacious vehicle. Five seats, but enough leg room for Tommy to sit comfortably in each. The width was the real issue, Tommy was a growing boy, and soon enough he wouldn’t be able to lay across the seats- sure, he had to curl up now, but at least his legs stayed on the chairs. Tommy pulled a pillow and blanket out off the backseat floor and arranged them across the backseats before settling in to let himself relax. He made sure his wristwatch alarm was still on, and drifted off to sleep.

______________________

Unfortunately, he was woken up before his alarm could go off. Tommy sighed, he hated when this happened. He hoped that it wasn’t a person, but by the amount of pushing of the car, there were definitely a few people out there, and probably zombies. People could have gotten in there by now, zombies are a bit dumb.

Zombies might be stronger than normal people, but when you get your brain ripped out, it’s not surprising that they get more stupid. Admittedly, Tommy noticed that zombies were getting a little more intelligent, learning to work in groups, but he supposed it was destined to happen. Something about evolution, he’d found a book about it, and though it took him a while to read, he now knew that things evolved. Survival of the fittest!

Tommy sighed and pushed down the tarp sheet, just enough for him to be able to peek out the window. He was met with at least four grey faces, bloodied and bruised, screaming bloody murder. Yup, those were zombies alright. And they had interrupted his sleep, and Tommy hates when things interrupt his sleep. He ripped the plastic down from the windows and crawled into the front seat, ignoring the bashing at his car windows and hoping that they didn’t break. He was quite attached to this hard, he’d taught himself to drive in it. Tommy threw the car in reverse and pulled out quickly to the beginning of the street, before throwing the car in drive and driving as quickly as he could into the mob of zombies. 

“Fuck.” Tommy mumbled, putting the car into reverse again. 

There were more of them then he first thought, not so easy to run over when you don’t have a clear runway, much more difficult to pick up speed. Tommy looked over his shoulder and tried his best to aim the car properly, hoping to take out the four or so stragglers. He didn’t need to kill them properly, just needed to get them down for a while. Someone else would usually come along and take them out. Tommy pressed his foot down on the accelerator and reversed into the pack of zombies, slowing down at the last second so he could press them hard between the wall and his car. One he was sure they wouldn’t come after him when he started driving again, he put his car in drive and headed out of the side street, back onto the main road. 

Tommy sighed, he didn’t get much fulfilment out of killing them or anything, they were once people too… But they weren’t anymore. He had to remind himself of that every single time. They aren’t human anymore, and Tommy needed to protect himself. He composed himself, breathing for a second, before his alarm went off. 

“Aw, this is bullshit.” Tommy grumbled to himself, they’d woken him just before his alarm. He’d been so caught up in the chaos that he hadn’t realised the sun was up. 

Tommy leaned over and reached under his passenger seat, pulling out the calendar he had stored under there, and went to mark off the day, but he stopped mid way.

“Oh.”

It was his birthday.

Tommy paused for a long second, his heartbeat ringing in his ears. He knew it had been a while since he decided to actually live his life, but not a whole year. Funny that he’d decided to leave town now. Maybe it was fate, because he’d been so caught up in making sure he knew how to survive, and knew how to have fun while doing so, he’d completely lost track of time. Tommy could feel tears rising to his eyes, he’d officially spent two birthdays without his parents, Two birthdays completely alone. Tommy shook his head and rolled his shoulder, no time to stew over things which were out of his control. One thing he could control was what he did today, and Tommy wanted to find a convenient store of some kind. Maybe he could find a birthday treat! He found that ‘used by’ dates were just up for interpretation, things mainly made of pure sugar tended to last a very long time. That would cheer him up, for sure. 

Tommy smiled as he pulled again onto the road, slowly trekking up the streets, making sure he didn’t miss any stores that might be on his way. He hadn’t seen anything yet, but he had seen a few houses that looked like they were possibly inhabited. A clear tell was usually furniture on the roof, it was a safe-ish way to get fresh air, without having to run the risk of getting chased by a zombie on the ground. Tommy’s old house didn’t have a way to get to the roof, no matter how hard he tried, and he liked fresh air too much to be trapped in his house everyday, so he had decided long ago that wasn’t somewhere he could stay.

He wasn’t one to judge others though. He could see the appeal of staying home, especially if you had others there. If you could be together, why not stay together? Tommy diverted his attention back to looking for a shop, it was like a side quest. 

Tommy chuckles to himself, his whole life is like a video game, one of those R rated zombies games that his parents never let him play, and this was a small adventure you get from an NPC to get an achievement. 

“I could play those games now.” Tommy said out loud. He was met with silence… which was to be expected. Most things Tommy said were met with silence, maybe met with the occasional guttural scream of whatever he was fighting, but that was about it. 

Tommy turned right at a roundabout which led him down a street of houses with broken windows, doors hanging off hinges, and remnants of people’s lives littered onto front yards. Tommy knew this place must have been one of the first to go in the town, maybe the people had managed to contain the worst of it to this street.

Tommy would never know. He wouldn’t dare stay around long enough to ask.

He kept on this road, slightly picking up speed in hopes that it would lead him somewhere. He figured it was unlikely there would be a town with no store. That just didn’t seem right. Sure, he hadn’t been many places in his life, but he wasn’t stupid. People need food stores to survive, so towns have food. It’s as simple as that. Nevertheless, Tommy hadn’t found anything yet, and was tempted to just book it down the highway to whatever town came next, praying it would be more successful. But, he didn’t, because if Tommy was anything, he was stubborn, and stubborn people will keep driving around a half abandoned town in order to get birthday snacks.

Afterall, you only turn 14 once!

He took a left at the end of the street and the sight brought tears to his eyes. He could recognise those colours anywhere. 

7/11!

“That’s a win, boys.” Tommy yelled, as he pressed his foot on the accelerator and drifted into the carpark. Oh, this was the best day, he just hoped that there was still stuff left on the shelves- perishables went first, but people were still trying to get their hands on anything they could. Tommy couldn’t blame them, food is food. 

He parked right out the front of the convenience store, and leaned into the back to grab his gun. He didn’t want to use it, but it was always better to be safe than dead. Tommy dodgiley tarped up his windows (to give the abandoned car feel), grabbed a bag and got out of his car, making sure to lock it behind him. 

Tommy quickly surveyed the area, making sure there were no zombies or people in sight, and when he felt like he was safe, he slowly opened the door to the store, gun drawn and ready. His body was tense, prepared for something to jump out at him at any moment, but nothing came. On the balls of his feet, he walked into the store, careful not to run into the knocked over shelves or whatever the goop on the floor was. His shoes were already dirty but I didn’t feel like cleaning off whatever that was. Tommy toed through the aisles, there wasn’t much left in the store, and some of what there used to was spilled across the floor.

“What a waste.” He mumbles to himself, as he stands on what looks like it was once a granola bar. Those things have a long shelf life, clearly someone wasn’t thinking when they threw it on the ground. 

Tommy reached an aisle which seemed to be somewhat intact and started searching the shelves. There really wasn’t much, a bunch of old containers, or things which would be way past their use by dates now. Clearly, this place had been cleared out a long time ago. Still, Tommy pushed back mountains of cardboard trays which once held snacks in them, in his painstaking quest to find someone good. 

Tommy was up to his elbow reaching in the shelf, when his hand grasped something which crinkled. A smile crept to Tommy’s face. It was definitely plastic. 

Grabbing onto the plastic, he pulled his arm back and was presented with the best sight he’d seen in a long time. 

Jolly Ranchers. 

He hadn’t even known they sold those around where he was, he never had them, only heard about them in films and TV shows. The bag was family sized too. Bingo! He ripped open the bag and reached his hand in, grabbing the first one he could and sticking it in his mouth.

“This is awesome.” Tommy sighed to himself, “Happy Birthday to me.”

He figured he should probably get back on the road, it was never a good idea to stay in an unfamiliar place for too long, unless you were going to stay there permanently. Tommy headed back to the door, making sure he once again avoided the goop on the floor. He opened the door a smidge and surveyed the area, ensuring he wouldn’t run into any stray zombies that had turned up while he was inside. Tommy couldn’t see anything, and decided it was safe to head out the doors and back to his tarped up car.

Tommy jogged back to the driver’s door and pulled it open before slumping in his seat, pulling the door closed, and sighing, eyes closed and head back. Tommy popped another Jolly Rancher in his mouth and tasted the sweet sugar.

He then felt a piece of cool metal against his skull.

Tommy tried to control his breathing as he opened his eyes, not daring to turn around and meet whoever was in his backseat. Plus, he didn’t need many context clues to understand the piece of metal at his head was a gun.

“You’re going to give us everything you found in there, then give us the keys.” A low voice said from behind him. He said ‘us’- so great- there must be more people with him.

Tommy quickly glanced to his passenger seat and realised there was a man sitting next to him. Not just a man, a whole, grown, adult man, who could easily take Tommy down.

“Will that be entirely necessary, boys?” Tommy nervously laughed, “I’m a bit attached to this car, I must admit.”

The voice from behind him let out a low chuckle, “I wasn’t giving you the choice.”

“Yep. Right, right, understood-” Tommy began to say before being cut off by the voice beside him.

“Oh shit, Techno, put the gun down.” The man in the seat beside him said.

“Why?” The voice behind him asked.

“He’s just a child.” The man next to him let out a small laugh, as Tommy turned to face him, “Are you even old enough to drive?”

Tommy scoffed, but he felt the metal be removed from his head, “One, I am not a child, dickhead. And two, I don’t really have anyone to give me my licence, now do I? I can’t just walk up to the nearest zombie DMV and say ‘Oh! Hello sir, may I please get my driving licence?’ because they would eat my brain.” 

There was silence for a moment.

“Why does the zombie have to be a he?” A third voice asked.

Tommy whipped his head around to see two people in the backseat. They looked older than Tommy, definitely. One of them, the person who held a gun to his head- Techno?- was a broad man, with pink hair which was currently platted. Tommy wondered how he managed to find time to keep dying it pink, figured there’d be bigger things to worry about. The other man wasn’t as big, but looked taller, as his knees almost touched the seat in front of him. Tommy decided right in this moment that he didn’t like the man and the stupid beanie he was wearing.

“I don’t like your face.” Tommy told the man.

The person in the seat beside him laughed again, “Wow, Wilbur-”

“Wilbur?” Tommy cut him off, “Stupid name to match your face.”

Tommy watched as the man with the pink hair let out a small smirk. Oh, he wasn’t getting off easily.

“Don’t you laugh,” Tommy told him, “What type of name is Techno? Do you think you’re a spy or some shit? Is that your spy name?”

“Are you old enough to swear?” The man in the seat beside him asked.

Tommy narrowed his eyes at him, “What’s your name?”

“Phil.”

Oh. Tommy pondered for a second.

“Yeah, that’s a pretty cool name.” Tommy admitted, “But can you guys please get out of my car now?”

As much as Tommy was enjoying talking to other semi-stable human beings for the first time in a while, he didn’t enjoy getting threatened, and knew he wouldn’t enjoy having to share his Jolly Ranchers with anyone. His parents had taught him that sharing is caring, so it wouldn’t be too long before he would have to offer his sweets to others. 

The three people in his car seemed to have an unspoken conversation, giving each other looks and gesturing until eventually the two in the back slumped back dramatically.

“Are you alone out here?” Phil asked.

Tommy scrunched up his nose, “What’s it to you, old man?”

“Not everyday you see a kid out here, mate. I was just wondering.” Phil put his hands up, defensively.

“Yeah, ‘cause I’m just built different.” Tommy replied, putting another candy in his mouth.

Phil did have a point though. It was rare to see kids out by themselves- some were lucky enough to be able to stick with family, and others joined up with others in groups. Other kids… Usually weren’t so lucky. But Tommy had learned how to survive, and he sure as hell didn’t need anyone interfering with it.

Phil was silent again for another moment, then smiled and spoke up, “How would you like to travel with us?” 

“Why would I do that?” Tommy deadpanned back to him.

“Because, safety in numbers.” Phil answered.

“‘Cause there’s three of us and one of you.” Techno said.

“It would be the obvious choice.” Wilbur added.

Tommy looked at each of them, sure they made good points, but they were forgetting one crucial point, “There might be more of you, but I’m obviously better off. You were the dickheads trying to rob a stranger.”

That made everyone very defensive.

Wilbur scoffed, “Do you know how difficult it is to get a good, working car nowadays? Someone broke our last one-”

“I didn’t see the pole.” Phil said sheepishly.

“And yours was right out in the open! Plus, it stood out, clean besides the blood- do you wash it or something?” Wilbur finished.

Tommy shrugged, “There was a carwash.”

“That still worked?”

“Yeah?” Tommy said, like it was the most obvious thing in the world. Because it was. If the carwash didn’t work, the car wouldn’t be clean. This ‘Wilbur’ character really was struggling, “Now look- boys. I don’t mean to offend, mainly because I think you would put a bullet in my head, but I really best be going.”

“Where are you off to?” Phil asked.

Tommy drew a blank. He hadn’t thought that far- only that he was going to start driving and didn’t plan to stop until he found something fun to do. Maybe he’d head out to the ocean, find a boat. Surely zombies couldn’t swim, plus, rich people owned boats, and therefore Tommy would be rich and awesome.

“Somewhere poggers, probably.” Tommy replied.

“What?”

“Look, do you know where you’re going, kid?” Techno asked.

Tommy sighed, he was really fed up now, “Boys, it was great meeting you. Please, get out of my car.”

“We just-” Phil began.

But Tommy was really done. He didn’t want these people in his car (which was still tarped up), he didn’t want to be in this town anymore, and he wanted to just drive and eat his candy and many find somewhere a little isolated to leave his car, as a birthday present. So yeah, Tommy was fed up, so he did the only thing he could think of doing at that moment. Tommy lifted the gun that he had in his hand and pointed it directly at Phil’s head.

“Get out of the car.” Tommy told them, clicking off the safety. 

Tommy felt the gun return to his head, “You don’t wanna do that.” Techno growled.

Tommy laughed, “I’m no pussy, Techno. Get the fuck out of my car.”

Tommy looked to glare at Techno and Wilbur in the back, daring either of them to move. Techno was staring back at him, looking ready to shoot at any moment, and Wilbur looked like he was about to jump out of his seat to kill him. Great.

Phil let out a small chuckle, “Mate, I was just going to make you an offer.”

Tommy turned back to him and raised an eyebrow, “What?”

“Phil,” Wilbur said, “Please, we can find another car.”

“Wil… Stop that. He’s a kid.” Phil said, and turned his attention back to Tommy, “We’ve heard of a safe haven, not super far from here. If you’d like, you can come with us.. Or we can come with you, and direct. But, if you say no, we’ll leave.”

Tommy stared at him for a moment, and slowly lowered his gun. That… That was a tempting offer. Tommy would admit that he loved the adventure that came along with surviving, and the thrill of making it to the next day, but, he wouldn’t mind the safety. The last time Tommy felt truly safe was when he was with his parents, back before he had to worry about getting mauled every time he stepped outside, back before he knew how to drive, or shoot, or go multiple days without food. If these people were telling the truth, then he’d be getting a pretty good deal, all he’d need to do is drive them there and then he could leave them, then maybe he could get his own house, preferably one without zombies. 

“Are you shitting with me?” Tommy asked.

“ Shitting with you?” Wilbur responded, chuckling.

Tommy flipped him off, “Yes, are you shitting with me? If I say yes, is this going to get me killed?”

“No, mate.” Phil laughed, “And if you change your mind at any point, we’ll leave you alone.”

“So you’re saying I could just fuckin’ dump you in the middle of the highway if you annoyed me and that would be fine?”

“Yeah, I guess.”

“Deal.”

Tommy reached his hand and shook Phil’s, then more reluctantly did the same to Techno and Wilbur. Maybe this could be fun after all. Now Tommy would at least have other people to play eye-spy with, because it’s not nearly as fun when you play by yourself, tend to get it right the first try.

Tommy put his gun in the glove box and asked everyone to take the tarps down from his windows, if he was going to drive he needed to be able to see. Tommy also figured if they were going to be driving for a while he’d see if any of the petrol pumps had anything left in them to fill up another few containers. 

“Can someone stand watch, make sure I don’t get killed?” Tommy asked, grabbing two empty containers out of his boot and walking over to the first pump. 

He watched as Techno pushed Wilbur out of the car with a gun and made him stand guard, with Wilbur mumbling something about getting stuck with the shitty jobs. Surprisingly, he managed to actually fill both containers and put them in his boot. Clearly not too many people tried to actually leave this town. Maybe they were a close community or something, that would be nice. 

Tommy threw the containers back into the boot and slid into the driver’s seat, “Everyone, please buckle up.”

“Thought you didn’t care about road rules?” Phil teased.

Tommy turned to him, deadpan, “I don’t care about licences, but seatbelts save lives.”

Phil laughed and clicked his seatbelt in, as Tommy pulled out of the 7/11 and drove out of town, continuing down the highway he'd travelled on yesterday. Tommy liked driving, it made him feel pretty grown up, especially when he didn’t really have anyone to watch him grow up. He let him prove to himself that he could still do all those adult things that came along with growing up. Plus, driving was pretty safe in the grand scheme of things.

They’d been on the road for a few minutes when Phil spoke up again, “I realised I never asked your name.”

“Tommy Innit, biggest man alive, at your service.” Tommy smiled, shooting Phil an over emphasised wink.

“Stupid name.” Wilbur said from the backseat.

Tommy scoffed, “Your name is Wilbur. Sounds like you’re fuckin’ 80 or something, bitch.”

“Shut up, child. How old even are you? 12?” 

Tommy rolled his eyes, “All have you know I am not a child, thank you very much. I am the biggest man alive and I am a whole fourteen years old.” 

“Fourteen?” Phil questioned.

“You look twelve.” Techno added.

Tommy flipped him off.

“You’re only fourteen?” Phil asked again.

Tommy nodded, “Yeah, fourteen. It’s my birthday today, actually. That’s why I went into the 7/11, I got a treat. You can have some if you want, they’re Jolly Ranchers.” He motioned to the bag which was sitting on the edge of his seat.

Phil looked over at Tommy for a moment too long.

“What are you staring at, old man?” Tommy asked him.

Phil shook his head, “Nothing. Happy birthday, mate.”

“Happy birthday.” Wilbur and Techno chorused from the backseat. 

Tommy gave them all a half-hearted smile, or as much as he could without taking his eyes too far off the road. Though he didn’t want them to feel bad for him, he also hadn’t spent much time with other people in a long time, and hearing people say happy birthday to him was almost enough to make him tear up. He didn’t though, because even if these people seemed okay, he still couldn’t show any signs of weakness around them. People will take advantage of anything. 

“So, fellas.” Tommy said, “Where exactly are we going?” 

He realised he should have probably asked that earlier, it’s never too late to ask the burning questions.

“Well,” Phil said, “We’ve been hearing about this place for a while, from people we’ve spoken to and over the radio-”

“There’s no need for the whole backstory.” Techno interrupted, “It’s a big place with big walls. We have the coordinates, don't know the name.”

Tommy nodded. Right. Very vague, but big walls were always a plus. And if they’d heard about it from multiple sources then it probably has some aspect of truth to it. Tommy wasn’t surprised that he hadn’t heard about it before, it’s not like he really had any way of communicating with anyone too far away, and he hadn’t intended to, either.

“Right.” Tommy said, nodding, before putting his full attention back on the road to keep driving.

______________________

Night began to fall when Tommy drove into the next town. This one looked a lot more like he’d expected towns to look like- it’s what his old town looked like. 

Streets were lined with houses with broken windows, rotting bodies of zombies laid on the road, and furtature had been strewn onto front lawns. It wasn’t particularly appealing, and probably very dangerous, but Tommy also knew there would be some good finds around. Sometimes people left essentials- rope, matches, blankets, jumpers- just laying around because they either left and didn’t think about it, or died. Both rough options. 

Tommy slowed down as he entered the town, “We should probably find a house or room to crash in tonight, the car won’t be big enough for us all. Plus, I need to piss.”

The three all let out soft laughs, “Yeah” Phil said, “Maybe head a bit further up the street, then we’ll go scope out a place, sound good?” 

Tommy nodded and slowly rolled up the street, careful to avoid any bodies in the road, they were already dead, he didn’t need to mess them up more. At the end of the street he turned left and pulled the car into park. They were in front of another row of houses, but off the main strip, so hopefully they were able to find a place to camp out.

“Before we get out, can you tarp the windows up again?” Tommy asked.

The other three nodded and got to tarping the windows, before they all gathered their essentials for the night in, throwing them into backpacks.

“You really brought your bags when you were coming to rob me!” Tommy exclaimed, “That’s fucked, you’re all fucked.”

“Sorry, kid. You know how it is.” Techno shrugged, picking up what looked like a machine gun off the floor and walking up to one of the houses.

Tommy scoffed and jogged to keep up, “No, I don’t know how it is.” He mumbled.

Tommy felt a hand on his shoulder and looked up to see Phil, “Techno and I will go in first. You stay between me and Wilbur.”

Tommy rolled his eyes, “I’m not a fuckin’ child, nothing’s going to-”

Tommy was cut off by the sound of a few gunshots ringing through the house.

“We’re clear.” He heard Techno yell from inside.

Phil headed in and Tommy lingered, wide eyed, in front of the door.

“Techno is a god with weapons.” Wilbur said, “You coming in?”

Tommy slowly nodded and went in, with Wilbur following behind him. Sure, Tommy can clear out houses when he needs to, but never that quickly. He hadn’t even noticed Techno go inside. It made Tommy wonder how much they’d killed before, and if they’d ever killed someone who wasn’t a zombie. 

He tried not to think about it too hard, but he also decided he would make sure he keys and a gun were on his person at all times, just in case. 

Tommy and Wilbur followed Phil up the stairs, to where he figured all of the bedrooms would be. The house was nice enough, layout wise- a big living room, kitchen and dining room downstairs- but it was clearly emptied out a long time ago. There were pictures of the family that once lived here on the walls. Usually that was a sign that the people weren’t lucky enough to escape. He felt a pang in his chest and wondered if anyone would ever walk into his old house and feel the same thing.

They met Techno in one of the bedrooms upstairs. He was standing next to an open window, leaning casually against it.

Wilbur laughed as he walked into the room, “Zombies clearly got fucking owned.”

“You know it.” Techno responded, “I even cleaned up.”

“You’re a good one.” Phil said, patting Techno on the shoulder and dumping his backpack on the floor. WIlbur joined Phil in that action, then flopped on the bed.

Tommy lingered again at the door, taking in the sight before him. It was all well and good in the car, Tommy knew what was happening- he was driving three people to a place. Everyone sat in their seats and there was the occasional conversation. But now, Tommy was a lot more unsure of what to do. Sure, he figured the three must know each other, but it was jarring to see just how comfortable they all were in each other's space. Techno walked over to sit with Wilbur on the bed, banting like it was nothing. It led Tommy to wonder if they were all related. It led Tommy to linger for his own sense of familiarity, for his own sense of home. But that had gotten unfairly stripped from him, he couldn’t get it back.

So, Tommy awkwardly stood at the door, not knowing where to sit, or what to say.

Phil seemed to notice that and waved him over, “We’ll probably all sleep in here tonight, safer if we’re all together. You can have the bed, if you’d like-”

“It’s my turn to get the bed,” Wilbur said, turning his head to face them, “Techno got it last time.”

Phil laughed, “You can share the bed with Tommy.”

Wilbur rolled his eyes and turned back to Techno, reaching out to undo his current hairstyle.

Tommy nodded, “Alright. I’m, uh- I’m gonna go piss.” He said, and left his bags on the ground, hoping that they would still be there when he got back. It had some of his needed supplies in there, so keeping it was preferable. 

There was an ensuite to this room, so Tommy slipped in there and locked the door behind him.

______________________

Techno and Wilbur waited until Tommy was in the bathroom before turning around to face Phil.

“What the fuck?” Wilbur asked Phil, “Since when do we pick up random people? That’s not on, Phil!”

“Agreed.” Techno said.

Phil sighed with a small smile on his face, “Lower your voice, Wil. He’s a kid, and he was alone. What was I meant to do?”

“Uh, tell him sorry and let him go?” Wilbur answered.

“Shoot him.” Techno added.

“Not tell him where we’re going.”

“Let me shoot him.”

“Ask where his parents are.”

“I feel like you don’t like the shoot him idea.”

Phil laughed, “You’re both chaotic shits. Come on, he’s a kid out there alone, I feel bad for him, plus, he seems sweet!”

“All he’s done is insult me!” WIlbur exclaimed.

“Deserved, nerd.” Techno nudged Wilbur.

“Whose side are you on?” Wilbur accused him right back.

“Alright, that’s enough.” Phil said, “I’ve decided I want him to join us, and even if you try and deny it, I know he’ll grow on you.”

“Like a rash.” Wilbur mumbled. 

Tommy opened the door and gave them all a smile, “Best piss I’ve ever had. Fancy bathroom too! Warning though, the tap water’s brown.”

Phil laughed and looked over to Wilbur and Techno, saying ‘See?’ with his eyes. 

Tommy sat back down next to Phil and grabbed a bag out of his jacket, throwing it on.

“So, Phil.” Tommy said, “Have you had any luck with the lady zombies? I know I sure have.”

Phil let out a loud laugh which gained the attention of Wilbur and Techno, both of them spinning their heads around to see what the commotion was about.

“No, can’t say I have.”

Tommy sighed, “How lame.”

______________________

Phil stood up and closed the bedroom door, double checking it was locked before he rolled out his sleeping bag and positioned himself on the floor.

“I never get why you don’t just let me drag a mattress in from another room.” Techno commented, rolling out his sleeping bag too.

“Not our house.” Phil said. And that was it. Tommy liked that, he wouldn’t want a stranger coming into his house and moving everything around, even if no one used it anymore.

“You’re a good man.” Tommy told Phil, who simply laughed and told him to go to sleep.

Tommy made sure his watch alarm was set, and got under the covers. They were a bit dusty, and smelt a little, as they hadn’t been used in a while, but it was significantly more comfortable then his car, so really, Tommy couldn’t complain. 

“Night.” Tommy said to the room.

He received a chorus of ‘Night, mate’, ‘Farewell’, and a grunt in return. WIlbur had terrible manners.

Tommy poked his bed mate. Then poked him again. And again.

“What do you want, gremlin?” Wilbur whispered.

“Goodnight.” Tommy responded, raising his eyebrows.

WIlbur sighed, “Goodnight. Now sleep.”

“Bossy bitch.” Tommy mumbled before rolling onto his side and closing his eyes. He felt safer knowing his gun was under his pillow. But in all honesty, he would allow himself to admit that he didn’t think anything bad was going to happen. It was smart to be vigilant, but sometimes you had to let your guard down, just a little, in order to have a good time. 

______________________

Tommy woke up just before his alarm, clearly those zombies from the prior morning had fucked up his sleep schedule, and it would be a bitch to try and get back in order. Going to be at a reasonable time last night probably didn’t help either.

Tommy was always restless in the mornings, itching to get up and do something, so he grabbed his bag and tiptoed into the bathroom, taking his journal and a pen out of his bag. 

 ‘ Tommy’s Guide to Surviving the Apocalypse!’ 

I have a few rules to surviving the zombie apocalypse. And if you’re reading this, then you probably shouldn’t really trust these rules because I'm probably dead and that’s not a good thing! Anyway. Here are my first 5 tips for surviving (trust me, you’ll need them).

#1: Visit a library. Now. I know it seems crazy, because who has time to read when you could be fighting zombies? But I’m guessing the internet doesn’t really work, and you’ll need a way to figure out how to do things. Get every book that looks semi useful (and if you’re someone who likes to read, there are fun books there too), and you can use these books to survive. Trust me. I learned about plants from a book. They’re good for food.

#2: Get a car. I don’t care if you don’t know how to drive. It’s pretty self explanatory. You just use two feet. One for each of the foot buttons, and then you go fast or slow. Don’t be an idiot, though. Wear a seatbelt and lock your car. If possible, get tarp to put over your windows, and then your car can become your own private travelling home! Isn’t that awesome?

#3: Keep a calendar. Nothing is going to be able to keep track of time besides you, and I’ve found it to be a fun routine every morning to cross off the day! (For example, I found out it was my birthday one of the days, it was actually yesterday at the time of writing). It’ll be handy to know when the seasons are changing too, to make sure you’re prepared. 

#4: Learn how to shoot a gun. I don’t really like guns, but they’re effective when it comes to killing zombies when you need to. I try to avoid it but when it comes down to you or the zombie, you won’t want the zombies to win. Also, remember to shoot twice. Sometimes they don’t die straight away and you wanna put it out of its misery. It was human too. 

#5: This ones important. If you have people to stay with, then stay with them. Not worth going out on your own if you don’t have to. Not only is it safer in numbers but it gets lonely when you’re by yourself. So just… Take my word on that one!

And remember to have fun!

• Tommy

Tommy closed the book as his alarm went off and headed back into the bedroom where everyone was beginning to wake up.

“Morning, mate.” Phil said.

“Morning.” Tommy said back, walking over to the bed and pulling the gun out from under his pillow.

“Did you sleep with that the entire night?” Wilbur asked.

“Yeah,” Tommy replied, “In case your weird lanky self crossed the bed barrier.”

“Bed barrier?”

“Yeah, the middle of the bed. I get one side, you get the other.”

“You’re a menace.”

“Shut the fuck up.” Tommy rolled his eyes, putting his gun and journal away.

“Alright, we're ready to hit the road again?” Phil asked. 

Tommy nodded, and heard what might have been a groan of agreement from Techno and Wilbur. The four of them headed back out the house with no issues and into the car, then taking the tarp down and settling themselves in.

“Strap in, boys!” Tommy smiled, “Let’s hit the road.”