Chapter Text
…..
”Okay, your turn.”
“I don’t think I can do it.”
“Maura, it’s the zombie apocalypse. You’re going to have to do it sooner or later.”
“I’ll do it next time, I promise. Can you finish it?”
“Fine. But just remember, the time’s going to come when you don’t have a choice.” Jane shrugged and popped the last bit into her mouth. “You ate Chef Boy-R-Dee. I don’t know why Spam is such a big deal.”
“I was out of my mind with grief, Jane. Mr. Dee and I forged a special bond in the morgue while you were…sick.”
Both women knew the unspoken. Jane hadn’t simply been sick; she’d been hours away from suffering the same fate that had befallen the rest of the shambling undead. Only a last ditch should-have-been-fatal blood transfusion from Maura had saved the day. And her humanity.
“Hmmm, suit yourself,” Jane said. “But don’t come crying to me when you’ve eaten nothing but Turkey Jerky for a week.”
“At least I know what animal it’s from,” Maura replied, wrinkling her nose.
“You know, that’s the same face I made whenever I had to eat broccoli.”
Maura closed her eyes and sighed, “I would kill for broccoli.”
“If there’s a silver lining to the zombie apocalypse, we’ll likely never see broccoli again. Yay!” She placed two guns on the table. “Okay, Sprout, you lost the bet. You have to clean the guns.”
“I know, I know.”
Maura pulled the kit out of her bag and carefully laid out the wire, cloth, and solvent. Jane pulled up a chair near the bedroom door, and like a cat, kept one ear open towards the downstairs of the two-level home they were using for the night. They had argued the finer points of safety, weighing the pros and cons. Was it safer to stay on the first floor, where escape would be immediate in the event of danger, but where they could get trapped if both doors were blocked? Or was the second floor best, where they would have time to plot an escape, but an escape that would mean having to find a way out of the bedroom window? In the end, they both agreed that a small moment to catch their breath would be worth spending 10 minutes tying together sheets to make a rope they may never need. Though they could never fully relax, it was a welcome reprieve.
Jane sat back in the chair, gun holstered but always at the ready, and a Blackhawk tactical knife clipped to her belt loop. They had four guns in total, and had taken only two from the BPD weapons room, along with the two knives. They had sacrificed carrying more weapons for more ammunition, and they both knew it would be important to keep them in good condition. As she watched Maura meticulously disassemble the first pistol, she thought back to their last moments in the station.
They didn't have any difficulty moving from room to room, and Maura wondered aloud if being the last two left in the building was the best thing to happen. Still, they tread with caution, creeping silently down the hall until reaching the weapons room. Of course it had been picked over by the time they got to it, but the armoury man's own gun safe still stood in the corner, and Maura was surprised when Jane reached under the desk and peeled away a piece of paper taped to the underside.
Seeing Maura's expression, Jane smirked. "I always was the old man's favourite. When I won the accuracy contest my first year on the force, he never let the guys live it down. Said I could always come to him if I ever needed anything." She rotated the tumbler according to the instructions on the paper. "He'd be happy to know I came to him." The steel door unlocked with a thud and slowly opened, revealing its contents. Jane whistled. “He was holding out on me.” Inside were 3 bolt action Remington rifles and 6 handguns that made Jane swoon. She picked up the hefty TOZ 36 and shook her head. “Six handguns and 4 are foreign made? I’m disappointed.”
Maura took stock of the guns: a TOZ, 2 Berettas, and a Heckler and Koch. “The Glocks are from Austria. Named after Gaston Glock,” she informed her. “He was six for six.” Seeing Jane’s disappointed expression, she offered, “The Remingtons are American.”
Jane sighed. “Let’s go with the Glocks. That gives us 4 9mms. Won’t have to worry about specific ammo for specific guns.” She reluctantly put down the TOZ. “I never fired that one...” She began passing Maura small boxes of ammunition. “I’d love to take one of the rifles, but we can’t afford the bulk. We will take these, though.” Carefully, she unclipped two scopes. “We can use these like binoculars. Take one. The cleaning kits, too.”
They worked quickly but with precision, mindful not only of their surroundings, but of the packs they had to carry. Not an inch of space was wasted, and when they were finished, they slung tightly compacted bags over their shoulders.
“Okay,” Jane said, pleased with their progress. “Now back down to the basement. If we can get to the gym, I’ve got some spare clothes in my locker.”
The return trip down stairs was met without incident. Jane rolled her extra shirt and sweats into the bag, and kicked off her boots. Slipping into her running shoes, she carefully placed the boots into her locker and turned the combination. “What?” she asked a very amused Maura. “I might come back for those. Wouldn’t want anyone taking them.”
Without another word, they made their way to the garage, where they both nearly jumped out of their skin when Maura’s car alarm beeped in the darkness. The trunk opened, oblivious to their racing hearts.
“Jesus, you’d think for the price you paid, there’d be some kind of stealth alarm,” Jane said, trying to hold the flashlight steady in the wake of her nerves.
Maura stopped in her tracks. “Wouldn’t that defeat the purpose?”
“Get your stuff,” Jane replied, deflecting the question. “I don’t see anything, but let’s not push it.”
Nodding, Maura grabbed her work out clothes and pushed them into her bag. She looked into the trunk and sighed dramatically.
“What is it?”
“My Louboutins,” Maura lamented.
Jane’s mouth twitched. “See? Now you know. Should we run them back and throw them in the locker with my boots?”
With one last look of longing, she said, “No. If someone comes along, they deserve to have some beauty in their lives.”
They had plotted their route out of Boston before they left the morgue, and now, after two days on foot, they found themselves almost 25 miles outside the city.
"Do you know why I suggested we go this way?"
Maura didn't bother looking up from her task. She carefully slid the damp cloth through the chamber. "You said you felt it was safer. The interstate might be quicker, but the 'zombs' would see us coming a mile away."
"And then you said, 'There hasn't been enough empirical data collected to know for certain if they can see a mile'," Jane parroted.
"You make me sound like Cher." She pulled the cloth through one more time. "So what was your other reason? I'm assuming you have one, since you asked the question."
Jane tapped her heels and looked at the floor. "Natick, Massachusetts. It was me and Frost's first case. We got a tip that our suspect was hiding at his mother's house."
"Not much of a hiding spot," Maura remarked.
"Not much of a suspect in the brains department, either. But damn, he could run. We chased him for almost 20 minutes. Up fire escapes, over roof tops, through windows. Finally, Frost has had enough - he jumps from the fire escape into the garbage bin." Jane laughed at the memory. "I come around the corner and there's Frost handcuffing the guy to the railing, with all this..." Jane gestured all over her body, "Food and garbage covering him, head to toe. He was not happy."
"Poor Barry," Maura said. "He does love his clothes." When there was no response, Maura lifted her head. "What?"
"You said 'love' not 'loved. Present tense."
"Of course. Until there comes a time when we might know otherwise..." She shrugged and returned her attention to the table.
Jane watched quietly, admiring the able skill in which Maura broke down, and now reassembled the weapon. Hands that were so precise and deft with a scalpel were just as sure with the gun.
"Do you think it's possible? Someone we know being alive?'
Names went unspoken.
Maura handed the weapon to Jane for her inspection. "I don’t see why not. We are."
.....
…..
The fall air whistled through the cracks, as if the old house itself was moaning. Dusk had cast everything into semi-darkness, and the second floor bedroom was even darker with the curtains drawn.
"That's going to drive me crazy," Jane complained.
"It is a bit jarring," Maura admitted. "It wouldn't pass a home inspection."
There was something so abnormally normal about the idea that made Jane chuckle. "Pretty sure the owners aren't looking to sell." She cautiously pushed the curtain open and lifted the scope. "How long do you think it will take us to get to Westover?"
There had been some hesitation when they finally got away from the BPD building and sorted their bearings. On a rooftop, they turned on one of the handhelds from the station, and scrolled through the standard emergency channels until they came across an automated message:
Westover Air Base is deploying evacuation order #448, as per the Emergency Terrorist Act. Safety measures have been put in place. Those seeking asylum are asked to proceed with caution. Westover Air Base is deploying evacuation order #448, as per-
"Is that good or bad?" Maura asked.
"Not sure we have any choice but to find out," Jane admitted.
Maura looked off to the side and made her calculations. "Natick is 25 miles outside of Boston, so we're walking 13 miles a day. Slower than the average 3-4 miles per hour a healthy person can walk, but circumstances are extenuating. At our current rate, I'd say 5 days."
Not taking her eyes away from the window, Jane said, "We could make it in 4, if we walked faster.”
"I'd rather not sacrifice caution for speed," Maura replied. Pulling back the blanket on the bed, she sighed. "I'm not sure I'll ever get used to sleeping in a stranger's bed."
Jane snickered. "Can't handle the germs, huh?"
"No, that's not it at all. You'd be surprised at how well I've trained my mind to ignore certain...unsanitary aspects of our journey. I'm finding the not knowing has been unexpectedly difficult."
Turning, Jane looked at her with concern. "What do you mean?"
She smoothed out the pillow and shrugged. "What happened to the person who used to sleep in this bed?" she wondered. "Are they on their way to Westover, or are they going somewhere else? Are they alone or with a loved one? Or are they dead? Or infected?"
"Come on, let's get you into bed."
Jane coached Maura onto the mattress, gently swinging the blonde's legs up and removing her shoes. She pulled off Maura's socks and replaced them with a fresh pair. It was another advantage of not taking the interstate: basic supplies were easier to find, and after almost a month in the morgue, something as simple as a clean pair of socks did wonders for their morale. She slid into the bed beside Maura and waited for her to nestle into her side. When she rested her ear against her heart, Jane said nothing. Three nights into their journey, and this had already become a routine; Maura seemed to need the reassurance that Jane's heart was indeed beating, that she was alive and well beside her, before she could fall asleep.
"I have to believe everyone's made it, even the owner of this bed. Until there comes a time when we might know otherwise..." She could feel Maura's smile in the dark. Kissing the top of her head, Jane whispered, "Go to sleep. I'll wake you up in 4 hours."
.....
"What is it?" Maura asked, immediately rousing when Jane stood up.
"I spent 10 minutes inching my way off the bed to not wake you," Jane replied. "Go back to sleep. It's nothing."
The order was too late, however, and Maura sat up, immediately reaching for her gun.
"Maura, really. It's nothing except the fact you're warm and soft and I almost fell asleep."
"The advantage of not being able to see your face in the dark is that it increases my ability to detect the lie in your voice. What aren't you telling me?"
"Fine, Matt Murdock. Come to the window."
The night was black and moonless, covering everything in darkness. Having been awake as the light changed, Jane's vision was already accustomed to the shift, and she waited for Maura's eyes to do the same. When she felt Maura tuck in between her and the window, she parted the curtains an inch and poked her scope in the space.
"It's a gut feeling I had earlier." She stopped Maura's objection before it was uttered. "I wasn't worried. If I thought it was serious, I would've said. I promise." This seemed to appease her, and Jane continued, "I thought I saw someone."
"What??"
"I couldn't tell for sure. At first, I thought it was a zomb, and by the time I got a second look, he was gone."
"Okay, first, you know I hate it when you call them 'zombs'. Second, what made you change your mind?"
"I can't explain it. That's why it's called 'a gut feeling', Maura."
"Very funny."
"I don't know," Jane shrugged. "He moved differently. Like with a purpose. Though he didn't have much to worry about - this area looks pretty clear."
Maura hummed. "In fact, it's been mostly clear since we left Boston, hasn't it?"
She was right - beyond a few potential ambushes that they avoided without notice, they had come across very little trouble. The sightings were definitely fewer the farther they got from the city. Whether it was just due to the reduction in population or something more, Jane wasn't sure.
"There!" She whispered, as if her discovery could hear her. Handing the scope to Maura, she said, "Between those two big trees, about 5 streets away."
Maura brought the high-powered lens to her eye. It didn't take long before she noticed the anomaly. "It's a fire!"
"Yep. Ballsy. Though maybe he figures he's high enough up that no one will notice." Unlike the two of them, the stranger was on the top floor of an eight storey building.
"We need to contact him," Maura said.
"What?? Give me that." She took the scope from the bewildered blonde. "We have no idea who that is, or even how many there might be. Besides, he's not looking for company - he's got the curtains pulled, just like us." She took another look into the night. Out of the blue, she began to chuckle.
Maura shifted against her. "What is it?"
"I just realized, he's hiding out in the police station."
"All the more reason to make contact. He could be a police officer."
"Or, he could be a whackjob who found a safe place to hide." Turning Maura around in her arms, she kissed her forehead and said, "Go back to bed. You didn't get enough sleep."
"And you didn't get any. It's your turn, go." She saw Jane's expression in the dark room. "I won't do anything stupid. I promise "
"You're incapable of doing anything stupid," Jane said, but let herself be led over to the bed. She flopped down and took a moment to enjoy the feel of Maura removing her shoes and socks. "Just... don't do anything, okay? Keep watch and wake me at first light."
Maura nodded. "Okay."
As Jane settled into the sheets, she said, "We're not wasting time tomorrow trying to find this guy, right?"
She was asleep before she heard the answer.
.....