Survival is the Game of the Fine but Living is the Game of the Reckless

by Trouble_I_Knew_You_Were

Summary:

Neil Josten didn't think life could get any worse, but then, in the midst of an apocalypse, he meets Andrew, a bossy guy that will change the course of his life forever.
They go through their silly little adventures together.

Notes:

Hey, this is my first actual fanfiction, so apologies if it is not at all good. No promises on how often it will be updated, and no promises on how long it will be. This is entirely self-indulgent, so deal with it. But if you are reading, then hi, and thank you. I hope you like it!

Chapter 1: The Meeting

Neil Josten was in trouble.

Huddled beneath a desk, a knife covered in rust-coloured blood next to him, he tapped out a cigarette from the battered pack along with the lighter he kept in there, lit it up, and closed his eyes as the smoke hit his nostrils.

He slit his eyes open, eyeing the knife, wondering if it was something he could keep. He had left behind almost everything else that reminded him of his mother. The knife was the last remnant of her.

But could he really keep it? The blood covering it was likely to attract the zombies roaming around. It was dangerous. But to clean off the blood was to destroy the last piece of evidence of his mother. Except for the cigarettes. They were hers as well. Or had been, at least, until she had been stabbed by the very knife that Neil had been using to fend off the zombies himself. Now they were his.

And so was the guilt. But Mary had demanded it of him. They had always promised each other to look out for the other, even before the outbreak, and it had held through the unexpected turn of events. To stab her to prevent her from turning after discovering the fateful bite, and then to burn the body had been all he could do to protect his mother. His last act towards her was violent but he knew it was all he could’ve done to stop her body from being desecrated in other, worse, ways.

In more ways than one, it had been all his father’s fault. It had been his people, after Neil and his mother, that had chased them through a zombie-infested city, making enough noise to attract their attention, and then they had been swarmed, barely making it out.

Shaking his head, he carefully stubbed the cigarette out. There were only so many left in the pack, and inhaling the smoke for too long made him dizzy with memories that were best left forgotten.

The desk he hid beneath was old and stains from before littered it. Rings from coffee mugs and spilled food occupied the top of the desk from a time where they could afford to waste food and thought they had the luxury of time to clean it all up.

There were some Exy racquets and other random bits of equipment in the corner of the small office and he eyed them mournfully. Out of everything he missed from his old life, Exy was the most heart wrenching to lose. Neil hadn’t been able to play since he ran, his mother would never allow it, fearing their safety if they stayed in one place long enough to bother playing. His father had been too violent for Neil to ever miss him, and he’d been on the run from the man for longer than there had been an outbreak. Neil was hopeful the outbreak had killed his father, but he was sure it hadn’t. Nothing could kill him. And even if it did, his influence reached too far to ever truly die.

Groans carried through the thin wooden door from the corridor that led to a locker room, shocking Neil out of his musings. The zombies are close, he thought to himself, barely aware enough to notice anything beyond the haze of smoke that drifted through the room.

His eyes were glazed over, and he was sure that the zombies would be close enough to smell the blood soon. It wasn’t just the knife, after all, that was covered. Neil’s own shirt was drenched in it too, both old and new, from the numerous wounds he had gotten. The most recent being a scratch to his side that he must have gotten from a nail sticking out somewhere. He couldn’t believe it was anything else, or else he killed his mother for no reason. She had kept him safe, and now he was to do the same in her honour. But if he had actually been scratched or, god forbid, bitten, by a zombie, he was just as doomed as she had been.

There was no need for him to think about that for now though. He still had some time. There was a door between him and the zombies and he was armed. Everything would be fine.

Neil closed his eyes and, not for the first time, wondered if his mother was watching him, shame and fury rushing through her as she witnessed his slight body slide down the side of the desk. He could almost imagine the scolding he would get if she was here. She would pull him up and drag him out there if she had to, just to force him to get up and fight. She would force everything to be fine, and he would gladly go along with it.

I am fine, he chanted in his head, over and over, until his thoughts trailed off into oblivion.

 

-

 

A loud thudding seemed to reverberate through the desk Neil was sleeping under, and he blinked awake, his eyes bleary and itchy, cursing himself for drifting off without setting any sort of trap, though he was safe for the moment if the thudding was any indication. The door was holding. For how long was another entirely different question, and not one he wanted to examine.

Unfolding his body from beneath the desk, he stood, stretching his aching limbs. Whilst he was used to sleeping in strange places, it never made it any more comfortable on his body.

He knew today he would have to leave. Staying in one place for too long was always dangerous, especially with all the blood he needed to clean away.

The thudding continued, a steady beat, almost like music with the familiar rhythm.

Neil gathered up the knife, his ratty duffel bag, weighed down mostly by the binder hidden within, and, after staring longingly at an Exy racquet, picked it up too. It felt foreign in his grip, having not held one in years. There were so many different types of racquets and it was clear that this one was much too large for him to comfortably wield at his short 5’3”. Neil frowned. Putting it down, careful not to knock it against the wall.

The thudding still continued but it seemed to have moved closer to Neil from when it began, or Neil had moved closer to it.

Whatever was making the noise, Neil had noticed that the groans that had been there before had seemingly diminished. Perhaps a greater threat than any zombies lingered outside the small office.

Neil’s grip tightened on his knife as he approached the door with slow, deliberate movements.

Carefully, he leaned against the door, holding his breath as he listened against it, straining his ears. Somewhere beyond the door he could make out the light sound of footsteps, but they were drowned out too easily by the thudding that was making the door reverberate beneath Neil’s cheek. He gritted his teeth.

Neil slowly drew himself away from the door, changing his grip on his knife. Something was outside the door but what he wasn’t quite sure.

Neil, being as quiet as he possibly could, unlocked the door, cringing at the snick it made that seemed too loud and obvious to Neil. He knew the door would creak when it opened as it had when he had entered the room, but he was prepared to garner unwanted attention. He didn’t have much choice, what with how light his bag of supplies were now.

Twisting the knob, he kept the hand with the knife in front of him, holding it steady and preparing for a fight.

The scene he unveiled as he slowly pushed the creaking door open was not what he expected.

Dark, tar-like blood was pooled on the floor. Right beneath the zombies that were fallen, their brains bashed into mush.

They didn’t look like that when I arrived, he mused, casting a cursory eye around, but not wanting to look a gift horse in the mouth.

Suddenly, movement flashed before him, and a gun was being pointed at him by someone even shorter than him, dressed in all black, that only served to highlight his light blond hair.

Neil, brandishing his knife at the stranger, glared.

“Don’t get near me, I’ll stab your fucking eye out.” His voice came out steadier than his breathing did, ragged from the adrenaline racing through his system.

The stranger simply looked on dispassionately, already seeming to dismiss Neil, but Neil knew better from the calculating look in the strangers eyes. “Yeah, and I have a gun. Stand down unless you want your brains blown out.”

Neil bristled. He hated being told what to do, but he hated being threatened into submission even more. One of these days his mouth would get him killed. “Who are you?” he demanded, refusing to lower his knife.

This seemed to make the stranger smirk, and it only aggravated Neil more. “The one who will have the displeasure of cleaning your blood off of my clothes if you don’t stand down.”

Neil narrowed his eyes at the stranger, wanting to call their bluff. “Oh, yeah? Why don’t you just do it now, get it over with?”

The stranger only smirked harder. “Well, it would be a waste of bullets, wouldn’t it? Unless you are infected, of course? But then usually they aren’t quite so… idiotic as to request their own death.”

Neil ground his teeth together, but before he could say anything in his defence another figure approached the first stranger from behind, calling out, “Hey, Drew, what’s the hold up?” whilst swinging a crowbar covered in more of the black tar-like blood.

So, the stranger’s name is Drew? Neil thought to himself, examining Drew closer whilst he was temporarily distracted, but he didn’t get long before the attention was back on him.

“Sorry Kevin, I was just getting to know our little friend here.” Drew flourished the gun towards Neil and Neil barely swallowed his reaction to the name.

Kevin? It was all he could think. He felt sick. He was going to be sick.

Not Kevin, it can’t be the same person, it can’t. But it was. Neil catalogued the same dark hair and green eyes that stared at him every time he opened his binder. The same number 2 tattooed on his cheek.

Neil could only hope that Kevin didn’t remember him as well as he remembered Kevin, and he was immensely glad that even after the outbreak his mother had insisted on changing his appearance and dyeing his hair when possible to make him as unrecognisable as possible. He even managed to keep a supply of contact lenses around for the most part. His current eye colour was an unremarkable brown, a similar shade to the box dye of his hair.

Kevin turned an assessing gaze to Neil, flicking his eyes over him, catching on the knife, and just as quickly dismissing him. Neil relaxed a fraction. It was unlikely Kevin had any idea who Neil was if he dismissed the knife. “And who are you?” This question was directed at Neil.

“Neil.” He shrugged, as if he didn’t care about them, but the gun was still aimed at his head and he was outnumbered. If they tried to get into his bag and found the binder… Neil quickly shook his head of the notion, believing he could fight his way out of it if necessary.

“Nice to meet you, Neil.” Kevin gave him a curious look, and Neil hoped his disguise was holding up.

“You too, Kevin,” Neil mumbled back, slowly bringing his arm down with the knife in it. As he did so, Drew lowered his gun, before stepping close enough and grabbed Neil by the back of the neck.

Neil, startled, made a noise of surprise and looked at Kevin for help, but Kevin was staring suspiciously at Neil, almost scared.

Drew shook him. “Who sent you here?”

“No one.”

“How do you know him?” Drew jerked his head to Kevin.

“He’s Kevin Day, right? Famous Exy player?”

Drew sighed, stepping back and releasing Neil’s neck which he knew would have fingerprint-shaped bruises from Drew.

Neil rubbed at his neck and Drew just looked bored. “You heard the boy, Kevin. Still looking for Exy equipment?”

Neil quirked a brow at Drew.

“You’re looking for Exy stuff? Because I found some in there.” Neil motioned to the office behind him, and Drew eyed him suspiciously but sighed.

“Kevin, your unhealthy obsession better not kill me or else you’re screwed,” was all Drew said before walking into the small office, and coming back with the Exy gear.

Kevin cracked a big smile, even in the mess of blood and bodies, at the sight of Drew with the gear. Neil shyly looked away, not wanting to intrude on whatever was going on. He just felt wrong about it.

“Thank you, Neil.” Neil looked up to see Kevin smiling wide at him, and he was dazzled for a moment, having forgotten what it was like to be the subject to the force of one of his smiles before he could recover.

“Yeah, Neil, thank you.” Drew’s thanks was decidedly less genuine and accompanied by a stone-faced expression.

“Ignore him,” Kevin said, rolling his eyes at his friend.

Neil gave Kevin a small smile, but his gaze caught longingly on the Exy gear that Kevin was taking from Drew and putting away into a bag Neil hadn’t even noticed before now.

Kevin must have seen it because he, with only one look at Drew, said, “Come with us.”

Chapter 2: The Decision

Summary:

Neil has to make a decision.

Notes:

Hey, omg I was not actually expecting anyone to read this, so hi there! I can't say I'm going to keep up with regular updates, but I have some free time currently so I'll do my best

Neil gaped at him.

Kevin must have been getting impatient with Neil’s lack of action, though, because he jerked his head to Drew and huffed in annoyance.

Drew tilted his head to the side and Neil could feel the assessing look as it pierced through him. Neil felt the urge to draw back a bit from him, but knew that it was probably not a good idea. He didn’t know a lot about Drew, but he didn’t seem to have any qualms about hurting him. Stillness was the best for now, but that didn’t stop Neil from readjusting his grip on the knife by his side.

Drew seemed drawn to the small movement, narrowed his eyes, and then, to Neil’s complete surprise, laughed. Neil chanced a look at Kevin, but he only seemed annoyed with Neil, and not concerned for his friend.

Without warning, Drew got close enough to Neil that they were sharing breath. Even though the blond man was shorter than Neil, under his scrutinising stare, Neil felt the smaller of the two. Drew leaned in even further, close enough that Neil was struggling to make his eyes focus on the man’s face.

“You heard Kevin, the bossman. The bossy man.” Drew laughed like it was hysterical and Neil barely held back the flinch from the sudden noise. “Come on,” Drew whispered, sobering up in an instant, but not making any move to touch Neil.

“Why would he want me to do that? You don’t even know me.”

Drew just shrugged, pulling back so Neil could see his face clearly again. “Why does anyone do anything?”

Not bothering to wait for Neil to respond, Drew looked away from his face, back to Kevin. “He’s your responsibility now, Kevin.”

The words seemed to chill Kevin, making him stiffen slightly, before relaxing and glaring back at Drew, but he had already looked back to Neil.

Reaching a hand into his pocket, Drew grabbed the pack of cigarettes from Neil, and before he could even think to form a protest, he had slid one out along with the lighter and had started smoking. Drew inhaled, held it for a moment, and then blew it in Neil’s face as he tried to grab the pack back from him.

“Ah, ah, ah,” Drew chastised, not elaborating, but pocketing the pack into his own pocket instead. Neil belatedly realised that he was no longer holding the gun and he must have put it away at some point, but Neil couldn’t spot where.

“Neil,” Kevin warned.

Neil knew he shouldn’t agree. He would be putting them in danger if he went with them, just as his mother had been put in danger. He would be failing his mother’s dying wishes for him. To be free of his past. To be safe. He would be walking right back towards Kevin Day. For all Neil knew, he could be working with his father, though he didn’t seem to recognise him. And Neil knew he didn’t look like his father. And Kevin had so carefully packed away the Exy gear.

With dread pooling in his stomach, Neil made a choice he hoped he wouldn’t regret.

“Where are we going?” he asked.

Drew leaned in once more to whisper into Neil’s ear. “I hope you chose right, liar.”

Kevin just huffed, as if annoyed at Neil for taking time to decide, before turning on his heels and stalking down the hall.

He was in serious trouble now.

Chapter 3: The Monsters

Summary:

Neil, Drew and Kevin go outside and run into a surprise.

Notes:

3 updates in like 1 day. Hope you enjoy as I fear I may be in a slump soon, but for now all is well.
Also sorry for the shorter chapter lengths, I just find it easier to write multiple shorter chapters than one much longer chapter.
Edit: I renamed the chapter which I meant to do before I fell asleep last night, but oh well

Neil was beginning to regret his choice.

They had to pick their way through the zombies, dead on the floor. It seemed as if Drew and Kevin had done a good job at clearing the place, whereas Neil had just run past them and hidden in the first room he found.

Kevin had stopped a few times to pick through the various rooms that were attached to the hallway, and each time he had, Drew had peered in, not fearing a zombie attack, before seeming to clear it for Kevin whilst Drew would wait, keeping a watchful eye on Neil, outside. Each time Kevin came back out, his bag seemed heavier and Neil surmised he was raiding the place, though for what, Neil could only guess.

By the time they had reached the front doors of the building, Kevin seemed weighed down by the bag, but otherwise appeared unbothered by its added weight as he limbered up, doing a few quick stretches. Neil furrowed his brow, but didn’t say a word.

Drew turned to face him. “Don’t be a liability.” He cut a sharp look at Kevin, who only seemed to scowl back.

Neil rocked back and forth on the balls of his feet, double checking that his bag was secure and that his knife was gripped tight. Andrew caught the movement and eyed the blade. “It’ll go rusty if you don’t keep it clean, you know.”

Neil did know, but that didn’t mean he wished to part with the blood. The same blood that ran through his veins. That had run through his mother’s veins, and then onto the blade.

Choosing to pretend Drew hadn’t said anything, Neil eyed the double doors and the broken chain that was hanging off one side, waiting for one of the others to tell him what to do. It was easier to be a mindless soldier, marching on another’s orders, than to have to look out for himself at the moment. After all, in times of stress, people went back to their roots, and it had always been ingrained in Neil by his father that he was to follow orders, and then later, by his mother who had kept them both alive for many years.

“No need to be so talkative, Neil,” Drew said, elongating Neil’s name. “Whatever you do, when we get outside, don’t get bitten, or else I might have to shoot you. What a pity that would be.” Drew’s smile was back now and bigger than before. He didn’t seem to think it would be such a pity if Neil died. Neil wasn’t sure he disagreed.

Neil didn’t know what to say, so he remained silent, watching and waiting.

Kevin finally stopped stretching, giving Neil a disapproving stare, and then nodded at Drew. With no more acknowledgement, Drew shoved open the metal doors and Neil peered into the bright day light.

It didn’t seem possible for the sun to be shining so brightly when the turmoil within him was so dark and troubled, when his mother was dead. It had been raining when Neil was last outside, and Neil preferred it that way. It was easier to hide when any possible onlookers had their vision impaired.

The sports field that had probably once been neat, was now a mess of uneven grass and the running track had cracks where more plants grew. There were some downed zombies along the ground, but some of them were alive, though missing working limbs, only able to moan and groan on the ground, practically harmless unless you were to get too close to their teeth. Neil shuddered at the mere thought. Other than that, though, the area seemed clear. There wasn’t even any indication of how Drew and Kevin had gotten here.

Drew set off first, walking at a brisk pace with Kevin on his heels, not seeming to hurry as much as Drew was, though that was probably due to Kevin’s significant height advantage over Drew. Neil ran after them both, keeping up well, but feeling a little lightheaded from the lack of food and water of the last few days. His supply had mostly ended with his mother, only able to grab a few protein bars and a couple bottles of water.

Drew stopped short, staying close to the building, gun held up as he peered around the edge, before taking off, motioning with his gun for Neil and Kevin to follow. They both did, not wanting to be left behind.

Neil was behind Kevin, so he was the last to see where they were heading until Kevin stepped to the side. Beyond him was a car. A fancy-looking one at that. Somehow, it was still a shiny, metallic black, even in the middle of the literal zombie apocalypse, and Neil marvelled at the sight.

Drew was still marching ahead and motioned for Neil to hurry up and get in the back, holding the door open. When Neil was close enough, Drew grabbed him and helped Neil into his seat. In the middle seat. Because beside him was a Drew look-a-like. It wasn’t Drew, of course, as Drew was buckling into his own seat on the other side of Neil, but the man looked practically identical.

“Twins,” Neil mumbled.

“Obviously,” the man that was not-Drew-but-looked-like-Drew snarked back.

“Aaron,” the person in the driver’s seat warned.

“Nicky,” Aaron shot back in a mocking tone.

Kevin settled into the front passenger seat in front of Andrew, and Nicky eyed Neil from the rearview mirror. “Who’s our guest, Drew?”

“Ah, you see the little liar called Neil, too? I was hoping he was just a figment of my imagination, but Kevin got excited over him too.” Drew seemed to sag, as if upset Neil was real.

“I’m right here, you know,” Neil retorted at Drew.

“And I want to go to sleep now, so can you be quiet?” Aaron interjected.

Neil eyed Drew’s look-a-like but didn’t say anything else.

He knew he was in for a long ride to wherever it was they were going, if only because he was stuck next to Drew.

Chapter 4: The Nurse

Summary:

Neil and the Monsters reconvene with the larger group much to Drew's displeasure, and Neil gets a check up.

Notes:

hey there! I'm on a roll at the moment. Should I be doing other stuff? Probably. Will I continue writing? Absolutely
Enjoy!

After an hour of driving around back roads, Neil was feeling stiff and achy. His body wasn’t used to being a pillow for not only Aaron, but Drew as well. He had already tried to shove Drew off of him once, and he had been promptly taught not to do it again when he got punched in the stomach by a still-asleep Drew. He wasn’t even taking the chance with Aaron.

Kevin was snoring away from the front seat, and Neil had to wonder when the last time any of them had slept was.

Nicky was the only one still awake, besides from Neil and that was probably only because he was the driver. Neil had spotted the bags under his eyes and felt bad for him. He was currently fiddling with the radio, trying to find a station that worked, but Neil knew that it was unlikely that he would.

He and his mother had always taken turns driving and sleeping when they were on the run. So, even if Neil had never actually gotten his license, he knew how to drive. And when the apocalypse happened, the radio had been one of the first to go. At first, it had been emergency broadcasts, interspersed with regular bouts of music. Then later, it was just music, the hosts mostly having scattered, and putting on a playlist to automatically play in their absence. And then even later, when the power grids had failed, there was only static on the radios, only occasionally broken up by groups of survivors trying to contact others. Those were rare, and as time passed, they were getting even rarer.

Nicky eventually gave up with the radio, opting to switch to the CD setting, and letting whatever was already in play. Neil wasn’t familiar with the music, but he found his head nodding along, his fingers tapping out the rhythm on his thigh.

Another hour passed and Nicky was yawning regularly. If he wasn’t careful, Neil worried they’d swerve off the road. At least they were on some backroads, currently, though, because Neil had seen well enough the mess that littered most highways. The backroads were much clearer, and easier to navigate than the highway where there were so many abandoned cars, so many dead roaming around, waiting for anyone dumb enough to try and go the fast way.

“I can drive if someone can navigate,” Neil offered to Nicky.

Nicky just shook his head, eyeing Neil in the rearview mirror. “No, Drew would kill us all if I let you drive.” He didn’t elaborate and Neil didn’t ask.

Some more time passed before anything remarkable happened. Neil kept an eye on Nicky, noting how his eyes kept dropping closed and yet he refused to stop the car for even a moment. That was until Drew woke up suddenly and violently, hitting Neil in the stomach yet again, and Nicky hit the brakes, only seconds before Drew was throwing himself out of the car, hunched over as he moved off to the side of the road and threw up.

Nicky sighed, scrubbing at his face with both hands. Neil just watched Drew, waiting for him to do anything, but when he just wiped his mouth with a sleeve and walked back to the car a little unsteadily, Neil relaxed a bit. He couldn’t relax entirely, but it was the first time he had relaxed his muscles since he had met Drew.

Aaron woke up at the sound of Drew slamming his door shut again, and he blinked around, bleary eyed, before noticing Neil, scowling, and leaning against his door instead of Neil.

Kevin still seemed to be asleep, but Neil was trying to avoid looking at him. If he caught Neil staring, it just might make him think about Neil a little bit too hard, and he might remember the little boy from so long ago.

“Nicky,” Drew said in a sing-song-y voice. “Are we nearly there yet?”

Nicky turned a tired smile on Drew. “Almost. Abby will want to check him out though.” Nicky hooked his thumb at Neil.

“Mhmm,” Drew mumbled, before drifting straight back to sleep, his head flopping right back onto Neil’s shoulder.

Neil barely managed to stifle his groan, and Nicky chuckled.

“Just who are you?” Nicky asked. It took Neil a moment to realise he was actually being addressed.

“No one. Who are all of you?” Neil asked right back.

Nicky only grinned at Neil’s prickly persona, though. “Oh, I think we will get on well.”

Neil didn’t respond.

“To answer your question, I’m the terrible twins’ better, gayer, cousin. And all of us together? Well, the others like to refer to us as the monsters. Though that is entirely the fault of the terrible twins next to you.”

Aaron made a noise of protest at that, but Nicky just grinned at him. “Love you too, cousin.”

Scoffing, Aaron put his hands under his head and ignored him.

By the time night had fallen, Nicky looked like he was liable to swerve off the road from how tired he was, but the others had all woken up, except for Drew.

The car stopped, and Neil was confused for a moment until Nicky flashed the headlights at a gate in a random pattern, and they opened, admitting them into the strange compound-looking place.

“Home sweet home. Could someone wake Drew, now? He won’t want to miss this.”

Aaron glared at Drew before quickly tapping his arm before springing out of the car. Neil didn’t move quick enough and got caught by Drew, again, exhaling sharply as the air was beaten from his lungs.

“Are we there?” was all Drew asked, before noting Aaron’s absence and hopping out of the car, too.

Nicky got out of the car next, but Kevin waited until everyone had closed the doors before he spoke.

“You need to win them over if you want to stay here. I barely managed to get Drew to come here, and it was only because I convinced him we would all be safer in a larger group than alone, but that doesn’t mean that he doesn’t insist we all go when one of us has to go. Drew will not hesitate to throw you out of here if you don’t behave. Dan might try to stop him, but she wouldn’t win.” Kevin had turned to pin Neil to his seat with his stare. “Just do as you’re told and stay out of Drew’s way.” Neil nodded his acknowledgment.

Kevin opened his door, then stopped. “Come and find me after you’ve been introduced to everyone.” He left the car, leaving Neil alone.

Someone opened his door, and gasped at the sight of him. “Why didn’t you tell us you brought someone back?” It was a woman’s voice, but she was clearly angry.

“We only just got back, Dan, and he hasn’t even left the car,” Nicky placated.

Neil slid out of the car using the door Dan wasn’t holding open, only to barely stop himself from falling into a man with dark skin and his hair spiked up. “I’m Matt.” The man smiled, holding his hand out for Neil to shake. Neil took it, and Matt shook his hand firmly. “Abby will want to see you, come on, I’ll take you to her.”

Neil didn’t say anything. He just followed Matt as he led him through what looked like a village. Matt pointed out different people as they passed, but Neil couldn’t take them in, too overwhelmed by how untouched this place looked. Other than the tall walls that bordered the place, there was barely any sign that there was an apocalypse going on. It astounded Neil that anyone could live like this, in peace and harmony.

“Of course, there’s Dan. She’s not as scary as she seems, but she does help run this place really well. And Renee and Allison help out with whatever Dan needs them to. They’re a really good team. The monsters, you’ve met.” He frowned. “I hope they treated you well.” Matt was rambling on, and Neil just nodded when Matt looked at him, expectantly.

When they pulled up in front of a building, Matt scanned a key card over the door and it beeped, granting them access. “Here we are, Abby has probably been informed of your arrival by now. It’s standard procedure for everyone to be checked whenever they return from the outside, we have to be careful here.”

“I understand,” Neil mumbled, suddenly nervous.

Matt knocked on an innocuous white door, and a kind voice replied from within, “Door’s open, come in.”

Opening the door, Matt revealed a woman in a nurse’s uniform sat at a desk and reading something. “Ah, our new arrival. I was just about to ask for someone to send him down.” She rounded the desk and patted the examination bed for Neil to come forward. “Come on, jump up here and I’ll have a look to check for bites or other injuries.” She smiled, and Neil supposed others would find it relaxing, but he just found it grated on him. He didn’t want to be checked for injuries.

Matt looked between him and Abby. “Will everything be alright?”

Abby just nodded and shooed Matt out of the room.

“Alright, I’ll be waiting just outside, though.” He eyed Neil, unsure what to make of him, and no one acknowledged him as he left the room.

Abby tapped the bed again. “Come on, sit here, I promise there’s nothing I’ve not seen before.” She gave him a reassuring smile, but Neil didn’t feel reassured. He frowned, but complied, albeit slowly. “I’m Abigail Winfield, but everyone just calls me Abby. What’s your name?”

“Neil,” Neil supplied, helpfully.

“Lift your shirt,” she demanded, coming closer to him, ready to examine him.

Neil lifted his shirt slowly, watching Abby’s face for a reaction.

She couldn’t catch her wince in time, and Neil watched the shock and horror rush over her. “How...” She wanted to say more, but she refrained when she saw Neil’s blank-faced expression. Tears filled her eyes, but she didn’t let them fall and continued examining him.

Her gloved hands brushed lightly over old scars, at some points her eyes narrowed. When she saw his newest wound, clotted but still red and sore, she frowned sharply. “What’s this?”

Neil looked at his injury. “I caught myself on a nail.” Abby scrutinised his face, but he gave nothing away. She sighed, nodding, and then got him to take his trousers off. He was more relaxed now that she had moved on from his upper body. That was where the worst of his injuries were, from stray bullets to road rash to scars from old punishments from his father. His legs were better, but not by much. At least all his wounds were long healed.

By the end of the examination, Abby had bandaged Neil’s side where his most recent wound was and given him some painkillers for any lasting pain. Other than that, she cleared him.

“Please come back and visit if you need anything,” she implored.

“Of course,” Neil lied, but Abby seemed to know for she gave him a warning look that he promptly ignored.

“You can leave now, and tell Dan I said hi.”

Neil breathed a sigh of relief, slipping out of the door and back into the hallway where Matt was waiting opposite the door.

“Come on, I’ll take you back to meet the others. They all want to see our newest member.”

And so off they went, Neil trudging next to Matt as they walked back to the centre of the little village, safe from the zombies for another night.

Notes:

Thanks for reading! Any feedback would be appreciated, though don't feel pressured to say anything!

Chapter 5: The Foxes: Part 1

Summary:

Neil meets some of the Foxes.

Notes:

I'm on a roll with these chapters. Enjoy!

As Matt and Neil got closer to the centre of the village, Matt was still rambling on about everyone, promising Neil he would like all of them. Neil wasn’t so sure, but Matt seemed nice enough and didn’t raise any alarms in Neil. Unlike the monsters, as everyone seemed to call the group he had come in with. It made him wonder about what they could’ve done to upset someone like Matt, especially when he made a face when Neil decided to ask.

“So, what’s the deal with Drew and the rest of them?” Neil asked, genuinely curious.

Matt’s grimace was instinctual. “They helped me out of a bad spot about a year ago, but if I were you, I would stay away from them. They aren’t the best company, and Kevin is very single-minded, trying to get us all to play Exy. Like, I remember seeing his name on the sports channel, and he seemed nice enough, but then the outbreak happened…” he trailed off. At seeing the look in Neil’s eye at the mention of Kevin, Matt put on a smile. “They do say not to meet your hero’s, I hope he doesn’t disappoint.” Matt ruffled Neil’s hair, messing it up. Shrugging him off, Neil moved just out of Matt’s reach, something he had perfected with his father and never thought he would have to use against someone around his own age, but after hearing Kevin’s name and having all his scars seen, he felt too vulnerable.

“Have you ever thought about?” At Matt’s blank look, Neil added, “Playing Exy.”

Laughing under his breath, Matt looked at Neil. “I was worrying for nothing. You and Kevin will get along great.” Shoving his hands into his pockets, Matt shook his head at himself. “I used to, play Exy that is. So did Dan, and Allison and Renee.” Neil’s ears pricked up at that. “And Seth…” Matt trailed off, looking forlorn.

“Seth?” Neil asked, hoping he wasn’t making it obvious that he hadn’t been paying attention to Matt earlier.

“Yeah, he’s a year older than Allison. They’ve known each other since just before the outbreak. Started dating, too. They met through Exy, actually, here at Palmetto State.”

Neil sucked in a breath. “We’re at Palmetto State University? You mean… there’s an actual Exy court here?”

“Yeah, Kevin spends most of his time there. I’m pretty sure the only reason he leaves the court is to go and scavenge for some more Exy gear.”

“Wow,” was all Neil could think to say, impressed by Kevin’s dedication. It reminded him of before he had run and his world had been turned upside down. Of the one and only time he had met Kevin, playing Exy with him.

Before either of them could continue the conversation, someone rushed at Matt and hugged him tight, almost bowling him over.

“Matt,” she chastised, and Neil recognised the voice as belonging to Dan. He hadn’t really been able to see her earlier, so he took the chance to study her now. Next to each other, their height difference was almost comical. Matt was probably about a foot taller than Dan, but she seemed much fiercer than the chill guy Neil had met. Dan also had dark black skin and her brown hair was short. She wore cargo pants and a bright orange jacket. The colour of the Palmetto Foxes. Neil felt an almost grudging respect towards her and her ferocity.

When Dan finally released Matt and stepped back, she gave Neil a once-over. “Neil, it’s nice to meet you, the monsters told me all about you.” She smiled.

Neil tensed.

“No, they didn’t, don’t listen to her, Neil,” said an unfamiliar voice. A woman around the same height as Dan came into Neil’s view. Her hair was short and colourful. That boded well for Neil. If they had hair dye, he could keep his natural red hair from showing through. The woman wore a cross necklace and an oversized hoodie with a simple pair of jeans. She was smiling, but Neil didn’t trust her. There was something off about her that he couldn’t quite put his finger on.

Dan rolled her eyes at the newcomer. “Renee, please, I was just trying to make him comfortable.”

Renee smiled good-naturedly at Dan. “He didn’t look very comfortable,” was all she said. Dan gave him an assessing look, and then gestured for him to move closer to her. He did as she asked.

“Hmm, what did Abby say?” The question was aimed at Matt, but Neil answered instead.

“Nothing much, she just wanted me to meet everyone, said I was fine.”

Dan gave him a searching look, taking in Neil’s raggedy and blood-stained clothes.

“You need to get changed; do you have anything clean? It’s not safe for anyone to be walking around stinking of blood, it’ll only attract zombies.”

Neil, who had been so confused and distracted, had left his bag in the car. Where anyone could have touched it and gone through it. Neil’s heart lurched into his throat.

“Yeah, sorry, just left my bag in Nicky’s car.”

Matt and Dan let out a snort of laughter at that and Neil furrowed his brow. Renee took pity on him, patting him on the shoulder. “It’s not Nicky’s car, it’s Andrew’s. He doesn’t like it when people refer to it as someone else’s car.”

Andrew? Neil pondered, taking a moment to actually realise that she probably meant Drew. So, Drew’s just a nickname? Interesting.

“I’ll take him to the car,” Renee offered. Matt and Dan seemed uncertain, but Renee gave a reassuring smile. “I need to go and see Andrew anyway. Oh, Dan, you should probably go and see Allison, she mentioned something about Seth earlier.”

At hearing that, Dan’s eyes widened. “Thanks,” she mumbled before running off, presumably to find Allison.

“Come on, Neil.” Renee looped her arm into his and dragged him along. Neil was too surprised to put any effort into stopping her and she was surprisingly strong, so he was stumbling to keep up with her as she practically marched him away.

By the time they reached the car, where it was now actually parked under a shelter, rather than left abandoned right inside the gate, Neil had given up trying to be tactful and when they stopped he pulled his arm from her grip and found his bag on the back seat exactly where he had left it, the door unlocked.

He leaned in, quickly unzipping his bag where Renee wouldn’t see, and his face drained of blood.

Someone had been in his bag and pretended like they hadn't, putting everything back as it had been, except for the tags on the top layer of clothes.

Someone here might have figured out the truth.

Kevin might know the truth.

Neil was well and truly screwed.

Notes:

Let me know any thoughts on the fic so far, constructive criticism is welcomed :)

Chapter 6: The Foxes: Part 2

Summary:

Neil meets more members of the Foxes.

Notes:

Still going strong even though I should be asleep right now. Goodnight and enjoy the update :)

Trying not to visibly panic in front of Renee, Neil took a moment to breathe as he hunched over his bag, zipping it closed after poking around to check his binder was still in there. Once he had assured himself as best as he could that nothing had been taken, he hooked a strap over his shoulder.

“Is there anywhere I can get changed?”

Renee nodded, gesturing for him to follow her as she led the way to the door of the closest building, scanning a card to unlock it.

Neil was intrigued with how all the buildings still seemed to have electricity when most places, unless they had a back up generator, had stopped functioning. Renee must have had some sort of mind reading ability, because she turned to Neil.

“Dan, Allison and I managed to scavenge some solar panels and made some ourselves to keep this place running. We’ve even managed to get in contact with some other settlements and helped them out with keeping electricity running, since the main grid has been offline for a while now.”

“That’s impressive,” Neil noted.

Renee just smiled softly and waved a hand at him as they made their way down a corridor, lights flickering on as they went. “Thank you.”

When Renee walked up a flight of stairs, Neil followed, surreptitiously looking around as if Kevin were going to step out of the shadows at any moment and catch him out, but he never did and Neil just kept walking.

When Renee finally stopped in front of a door, scanning her card at the card reader, unlocking the door to a plain white room, she held the door open for him, stepping aside to let him pass and held out the key card to him.

“This is just a temporary card until we can get you a better accommodation sorted. For now, please settle in, this is your room for the foreseeable future. You have a roommate but only for a few days whilst he cools off. He should be by here in a bit. The bathroom’s attached and there should already be new toiletries in there.” Renee smiled, and Neil gave her an approximation of a smile back. As innocent as she seemed, Neil could sense there was something different lurking beneath the surface. There surely had to be if she had survived the four years since the original outbreak, though if she had been with Dan and Matt for that time, it was just as likely that they had protected her.

“Thanks.”

“Come and find me again when you’re changed, I’ll take you back to them. Dan isn’t finished with her interrogation, though I promise she means well. She just wants to make sure Andrew and the others treated you well on your trip here.” She smiled wide, but that didn’t distract Neil from how she hadn’t referred to Drew’s group as the monsters like everyone else seemed to.

“That’s alright, I’m fine, I can find my own way there.”

Renee’s smile didn’t even dim in brightness in the slightest and Neil couldn’t figure her out.

“That’s fine, I’ll let them know to go back to the building with Abby’s office in it.” She touched her cross necklace as she gave Neil one last smile. “Bye, Neil, settle in well.”

The door closed with a loud snick in the silence of the room and Neil sagged, feeling truly exhausted. He had been cataloguing everything all day and he hadn’t even managed to get any sleep on the drive back. All he wanted to do was crawl into bed, but he knew he needed a shower first.

Neil set about getting ready for a shower, grimacing at the sight of his bandaged side in the mirror above the bathroom sink, after having locked the door, his bag in the bathroom with him. He couldn’t trust anyone enough to leave it unattended now, even if he was only in the next room. He didn’t know who had access to his room, and he couldn’t chance someone going through his bag again.

Not wanting to waste water, Neil got in the shower, expecting cold water to spray onto his back, but instead, the scolding hot temperature shocked him so badly that he almost yelped. Luckily, years of practice at remaining silent stopped him.

Cleaning off the blood and heavy layer of grime that covered him after not showering properly for weeks, he let his hands rest in his hair, carding through it. He worried about the roots showing, but was simultaneously too tired to do anything about it. It was a problem that could wait until tomorrow.

When he was clean, the blood of his mother, among others, washed from his body and down the drain, he turned the water off, staring down at the drain. She was gone. She couldn’t guide him out of trouble anymore.

And Neil was in so much trouble.

He didn’t know what to do with himself.

All he could do was change into a pair of clean cloths after drying himself off with a clean towel that came with the room. They were so clean and fluffy, somewhere in the compound laundry was done, and not by hand. This place is like a well-oiled machine.

He took his time in the bathroom, brushing his teeth, washing his mouth out, and then going through his bag to check that everything was still truly there. Most importantly, to check if his binder was untouched.

Wrapped up in a couple of t-shirts his binder was hidden, seemingly undisturbed. Neil wouldn’t have even known anyone had gone through his bag if not for the fact that the tags on the top layer of clothes hadn’t been folded the way he ensured they always were.

Unwrapping his binder, as if it were some holy object rather than a glorified diary, Neil cracked it open to the first page. Kevin’s face peered back at him, faded and uneven around the edges, but Neil didn’t care about that. He cared about the money that was as good as useless that was spread throughout the binder, hidden in between pages. He cared about the secrets he had written on each piece of paper. The paper that held his life secrets, his biggest insecurities, his only love in the world.

Neil checked through every page of that binder, checked every hidden pocket, every nook and cranny, and not one thing was messed up. Except for one page. It seemed like an innocuous page, nothing more interesting than a fan admiring his heroes. It had been a cut out from a newspaper, showcasing Kevin and his adoptive brother, Riko’s, last win in a game, right before the end of the world. Neil had clung to it so fiercely, the only reminder he had of how life could be. How he wished his life was but knew it could never be. He hadn’t been so much as allowed to look at an Exy racquet when his mother had been alive, but now, he was free to do whatever he wanted. For as long as he would live before he inevitably got thrown out and tossed to the zombies to be eaten.

Rubbing a hand over his face, Neil barely restrained a groan. Someone had been through his stuff, and he suspected Kevin, but it was odd that he had taken evidence, though Neil supposed he needed something to prove Neil wasn’t who he said he was.

Packing his bag back up, he was thankful that at least the notes and coded messages at the very back of the binder hadn’t been of enough interest to take. Those were far more incriminating than a simple newspaper clipping if one knew how to decipher them.

Neil left the bathroom after repacking his bag, folding the tags on the top layer so he would know if someone searched his stuff again. His body was so heavy that when he spotted a bed, he tumbled down onto it, barely aware of his head hitting the pillow. His bag was clutched in his arms, and even though he didn’t feel completely safe, there was a locked door between him and everyone else, and that was more than nothing.

 

-

 

Groaning, Neil swung out an arm at whoever had just shoved at him, waking him up.

“I swear to god, if that demon has put a zombie in my bed for a laugh, he’s dead. Not even Renee can save him,” an angry voice gritted out. It wasn’t one that was familiar to Neil, and he blinked his eyes open to see a head of floppy light-brown hair and a gun aimed right at his head.

Neil clutched his bag tighter to his chest, clearing his throat. “Hey, look, I’m sorry. Renee said this was my temporary room, and I must have fallen asleep. I didn’t mean to, and I need to get going.” Neil made to get out of bed but the stranger stopped him.

“Jesus fucking Christ. They’ve been looking everywhere for you. Renee bet you had probably gone to hide away from her, and Matt bet that you were looking to leave this place. Guess nobody thought you had fallen asleep, though.”

Neil was bewildered and continued to just stare.

“I’m Seth.” He held out a hand for Neil to shake and he took it automatically.

“Neil.”

“I guessed,” Seth deadpanned. “Word of advice, get out of here whilst you can, before they think they can fix you.”

Neil looked him up and down. “Looks like they couldn’t fix you.” Neil had seen the track marks on both of his bare arms, too fresh when drugs weren’t really accessible anymore with the lack of anyone supplying them.

Seth just grunted, gesturing with his gun before he holstered it at his side. “Get out of my bed.”

Scrambling out of the bed, Neil secured his bag around his shoulders, going back to the bathroom.

He unzipped his bag and found that the tags were just as he had left them. Neither Seth, nor anyone else, had gotten into his bag.

Neil grabbed the still-unclean knife from a side pocket of his bag and secured it to his leg with the holster he had fashioned from a bit of rope he had found a while ago, wanting to be visibly armed before he left the room.

When Neil left the bathroom, Seth was gone once again, and had left a note behind on the bed on the other side of the room from where he had fallen addressed to him.

Neil,

Renee said to meet her at Abby’s office.

Stay out of my bed.

Seth.

Neil skimmed over the few lines, and crumpled the paper, stuffing it into his pocket.

He trailed a hand over the plain white bedspread that covered his new bed, and sighed wistfully, wishing he could just go back to sleep.

Instead, he marched to the door, unlocked it with his key card and let the door close behind him before he walked off, retracing the steps he had taken earlier to get to Abby’s office again.

Neil was grouchy and exhausted, but he would play by the rules here. They didn’t know he was putting them at risk, and the least he could do was be compliant when they wanted to see him.

When he reached the building that housed Abby’s office, Neil fumbled with his key card, waving it over the scanner until it let out a chirp of recognition and flashed green, unlocking the door for him.

Neil entered with caution, but when Dan ran out of the office down the hallway, he realised it was pointless. They already knew he was there.

“Neil!” she exclaimed, hugging him tightly. Neil, not knowing how to react, simply let his arms hang limp by his side. Dan pulled back and eyed him, holding him out at arm’s length to examine him. “Seth said he found you sleeping in his bed?”

“Yeah, sorry, I must’ve been more tired than I thought.” Neil rubbed at the back of his neck, almost sheepish.

Dan looked upset by what he had said, but before he could add more, she said, “No Neil, I’m sorry. I’m the one who insisted on meeting now. If you were tired, you should’ve just said. This can wait until you’ve rested.”

Neil shook his head. “It’s fine. I’ve had some rest, I’m fine. Besides, Kevin told me to meet him after I’d met everyone.”

She rolled her eyes. “Of course, he said that.”

Neil gave her a funny look but didn’t press it.

“Come on, Allison wants to meet you. She’s the last of us that you haven’t met yet, seeing as you saw Seth earlier. And the monsters had you all to themselves for hours. There are more people, of course, but you can be introduced to them later.”

Neil stopped short of Abby’s office when Dan griped his wrist and dragged him along the corridor after her.

“Who’s us?” Neil asked.

“Oh,” Dan laughed. “I thought you’d have been filled in. We’re the Foxes, the last recruits for the Palmetto State Exy team before it all went to shit. Pretty ironic if you ask me.”

Neil knew of the Foxes, had heard of their terrible track record for games, but it had still been a Class I Exy team. “The Foxes still exist?” he asked, incredulous.

Dan shook her head, sobering up a bit. “Kevin wishes. He would probably play against the zombies if they could hold a racquet. I wasn’t even here a full year before the lockdown happened and we had to remain inside whilst contractors built the wall to keep everyone safe.” Dan used air quotes when she said ‘safe’ and Neil didn’t blame her. A few of the other universities had done a similar thing to Palmetto State, but a couple of them had started too late into the outbreak. Cameras had been set up to live stream the destruction straight to the viewers at home, and people had watched thousands of students die. It was one of the biggest sources of the outbreak growing in scale.

“I didn’t think any of you played Exy?”

Dan laughed. “Matt would rather not play, especially since Kevin has been here. He can be a bit of a drama queen, sometimes. Allison still plays, though not with anyone else, other than Seth occasionally, and only when they’re together and Kevin isn’t in sight of the court. Renee plays when Andrew plays,” she scoffed at his name, but moved on quickly. “The rest of the monsters, bar Kevin, only play when Kevin makes them. And I play when I have time and around the others’ schedules.”

“What about the other teams?” Neil asked.

Dan looked away. “Most of them thought they’d be better off outside the wall. We’re most of what’s left of the actual members of Palmetto State.”

Neil saw a few tears glisten on Dan’s eyelashes and stopped pushing. He knew what he needed to know, and he wasn’t going to give his pity to someone who didn’t want it. And he knew Dan didn’t want it.

She swiped under her eyes before smiling at Neil again.

“Come on, let’s go.”

And so off they went, Dan leading the way, and Neil following, like he always had.

Chapter 7: The Foxes: Part 3

Summary:

Neil meets the rest of the Foxes.

Notes:

Hope you enjoy, also apologies for the inconsistency in chapter lengths.

“Finally,” a woman said when Neil and Dan entered. She was sprawled in an armchair, legs thrown up over one of the arms. Her eyes had rolled as she had seen Neil’s appearance as if it physically pained her, and Neil looked down at himself, trying to envisage what she saw, but all he came up with was that she hated his forgettable-looking street clothes. All his scars were hidden beneath his long-sleeved top, so he flicked his attention back to her, studying her.

Blonde hair fell in gentle waves around her head, and she had a perfect tan, probably artificial unless there was a lot of time to sunbathe here. Her nails were neat and manicured and Neil was baffled. How could anyone look as put together as this woman in the middle of a zombie apocalypse? Even her clothes seemed brand new, and possibly even designer, though Neil didn’t know much about that.

She gave of the air of a rich woman, and yet she was slouched in an overstuffed armchair, carelessly strewn about. Somehow, it still looked effortless.

The woman was eyeing Neil back, having gotten past her obvious disdain for him to peruse him slowly with her eyes. Neil remained blank-faced, not reacting, and folded himself into another armchair, turning away from her, but watching her out of the corner of his eye.

He caught Matt’s eye, and the man smiled. “Neil! Glad you made it, we were beginning to worry the monsters had gotten to you again. Or worse, just Kevin.” Matt shivered and Neil wondered why everyone was so hostile towards Drew and his group, but then again, Neil hadn’t had any chance to view their dynamics together yet. Judging from Drew’s sparkling personality, he was probably just as hostile back to them.

“Not yet, but that’s my next stop.”

Matt grimaced. “Jesus, Neil, no need to joke around like that.”

Neil only blinked. “I’m not joking.”

The blonde woman chose that moment to speak. “It seems Neil has the survival instincts of a lemming.”

Dan sighed loudly, clearly exasperated. “Allison, now is not the time.”

Ah, so this is the Allison that had problems with Seth. Looking her over, he couldn’t see what she saw in Seth, but maybe their personalities meshed well together. Who knew? Certainly not Neil who barely understood why people had relationships. His mother had made sure of that, though she never knew that even before they had run and she had started trying to beat it out of him, seeing how his father acted with his mother had been a bigger deterrent.

“Sorry, Neil,” Allison supplied at Dan’s chastising. She got up from her seat and sat on the arm of Neil’s chair. Her dress pulled up her thighs a bit more, and Neil averted his gaze.

Allison made a strange hmmm-ing sound as she got comfortable, leaning against Neil’s side.

Instead of acknowledging her, Neil turned back to Matt. “Why is everyone adamant in keeping me away from Kevin, and the others?”

Matt and Dan shared a look, but it was Allison that scoffed. “Did they truly do nothing on the way here?”

Dan interjected before Neil could respond. “Renee said that Drew and the others were all out cold for most of the ride, but I didn’t think she was telling the truth.”

“Why do you let them stay here if you don’t get along with them?”

Everyone turned to him as if they had almost forgotten he was sitting there.

“We’re not going to let them die just because we don’t like them!” Dan shouted, startling Neil.

“Until Renee says that we can kick them out,” Allison added.

“That’ll never happen, Allison. Renee’s a better person than all of us,” Matt added, holding his hands out to her in a placating gesture.

“Want to bet on it?”

“That’s enough!” Dan shouted, silencing Matt and Allison.

Allison sulked off of Neil’s chair and went back to her own, much to Neil’s relief.

“Where did you get those hideous clothes?” This was directed at him, from Allison as she gave his outfit a glare again.

“I had to pack quickly when I was evacuating.”

“We’ll get it sorted out later,” Allison declared.

A knock sounded at the door to the office and Dan went to unlock it, peering into the hallway, before opening the door wider and admitting Renee. Neil tensed at Renee’s sudden appearance before he could stop himself. He just hoped no one else noticed, but from the knowing glint in Renee’s eye, he knew she knew.

“I’m sorry to barge in, but Drew wants to see you, Neil. I can take you to him.” She held out a hand, smiling kindly at Neil, but he ignored her proffered hand.

“See you later, Neil. We’ll get you a more permanent room sorted soon,” Dan promised.

Allison and Matt echoed similar sentiments and Neil waved at them all as he followed Renee out of the room.

Before they could even leave the building, a door behind them burst open and a man started sprinting towards them, trying to catch up. Neil froze up, checking the man over for any visible weapons. There was a gun tucked into a holster on his body, but other than that he didn’t seem to be armed. Before the man even stopped, Neil had taken a few steps away from Renee and where the man would probably stop. He could see the surprise settle over the man’s features before it turned into a frown.

The man came to a stop far enough away from Neil that he knew he would be safe from any immediate danger. He was old enough to be Neil’s father with some greying hair at his temples, but otherwise his hair was dark, nothing like Neil’s father’s hair. He wore casual clothes, and towered over Neil.

“I’m glad I caught you. Renee, Betsy said she was having some issues with one of your inventions.”

Renee nodded. “Of course, I’ll go and help her once I’ve taken Neil to Andrew.”

The man was already shaking his head. “I can take Neil.”

Renee faltered, torn between helping this Betsy-woman or taking Neil to Drew as she had been told. She shrugged at Neil, before turning to the man. “Yeah, sure thing Wymack. Later, Neil.” She squeezed his shoulder apologetically and smiled.

Alone with a man as old as his father for the first time in years, Neil was struggling to breathe. He much preferred Renee to him, even if she was suspicious in her own right.

Wymack seemed to realise this because he backed up a little further from Neil. “Relax, son. Breathe. I’m not going to hurt you. We’re peaceful here. I protect my Foxes, and I just wanted to welcome you. I know they can all be a lot, especially Andrew and his lot. If they give you any trouble, you can come to me. Or Abby, or any of the rest of them, really.” Wymack gave him a smile, and Neil took in a calming breath. He didn’t sense any malintent from him, and the instinctual fear, whilst still there in the back of his head, was manageable and could be ignored.

“Thanks.”

Wymack smiled. “I’m David, but everyone calls me Wymack. I suppose I’ll take you to Andrew.” He grumbled under his breath and Neil’s lips twitched towards a smile at the cursing he could hear.

They walked in silence, and Neil noted the buildings around the place. Some were clearly newer structures, but they were well-put together, whilst others were clearly older, such as a large building they were moving towards. There were orange paw prints painted on the sides, and it would have been an eye sore if Neil didn’t know what building it was.

Wymack scanned his card and Neil followed him into the foxhole court.

Notes:

Thanks for reading! Have a good day, or night! :)

Chapter 8: The Foxhole Court: Part 1

Summary:

Neil goes to the foxhole court to meet with Andrew.

Notes:

Please enjoy :)))

Walking in silence, Wymack and Neil made their way into a room with a few comfy-looking chairs and a couple of couches scattered about. A TV was set up, but the thin layer of dust covering it belied how little it was used. Once upon a time, Neil presumed it had been used for analysing each team they were supposed to play against, but now Neil wasn’t even sure if it was plugged in.

On one of the orange walls, there was a scattering of pictures, but there were only a few, and they were discoloured, no longer vibrant. Neil wondered if any of the pictures contained people that had died from the outbreak and if that’s why a few were torn.

Wymack didn’t slow down as they walked into the room, and continued on until they reached the changing rooms, holding a door open for Neil.

“Go on in, I’ll let Andrew know you’re here.”

Neil scooted by Wymack, doing his best not to brush up against him. Noticing, Wymack moved away from the door, still holding it but standing much further back.

“Thanks.”

Neil ducked his head and went to sit on a bench to wait for Drew.

When a couple minutes passed, Neil was getting antsy. There was every possibility that Kevin had told Drew about the binder in Neil’s bag. The anxiety that gripped Neil’s chest with the thought made him rub his hands against his trousers several times before he got up.

He could run. That was always a possibility, but how long could Neil survive on his own before his father’s people located him again? Then again, what was stopping them from finding him here? His mother’s cardinal rule had always been to never stay in one place too long, and he had been prepared to go against it just because Kevin Day told him to come with him. Neil scoffed at himself, disgusted at his own weakness for the boy he remembered so clearly, but so desperately hoped didn’t remember him.

Neil couldn’t stay more than a few days, and then he would make his excuses and disappear. No one would come looking for him, no one would care. What was one more straggler just passing through? Hopefully, whenever his father tracked his movements down, no one would even remember him, and they’d remain safe from his wrath.

Tugging at the straps of his duffel bag, he adjusted the straps so they went over both his shoulders, securing it tightly to his body.

As Neil grabbed a hold of the door, ready to leave, he hurried out of the locker room, only to be stopped short by the pain ricocheting through his stomach and radiating through his entire torso, the air driven from his lungs. Doubling over, Neil wheezed, desperately trying to get air into his lungs. He raised his eyes to take in what had caused such damage and stumbled back.

Drew was holding an Exy racquet, a blank expression on his face.

When Neil collapsed to his knees, Wymack appeared from further down the hallway. “Andrew,” he chastised. Drew didn’t even blink an eye at Wymack’s warning tone.

Wymack stopped a little bit away from Neil and looked him over with concern. “Are you alright?”

Neil shrugged his shoulders, taking an experimental deep breath. “I’m fine.”

Wymack gave him a disbelieving look, but let it go. “Andrew Joseph Minyard, I swear to god if you hurt him…” Taking his hat off, he carded his fingers through his hair, exasperated.

Drew finally reacted to that. “He was going to run before we spoke.”

Wymack sighed, shaking his head. “I’ll stay in here whilst you two speak, then. Just shout if Andrew does anything, Neil.”

“I will.” He wouldn’t, but if it made Wymack feel able to leave them alone, he didn’t care.

Drew flicked his fingers at Neil, pointing them back at the door he came from. Neil followed the silent gesture, despite how he hated having his back to Drew, though it wasn’t like Neil facing Drew would stop him from attacking as he had just proved.

When the door had closed and Drew had locked it, standing in front of it, he finally spoke. “Kevin wants you here, but that doesn’t explain why you want to be here.”

It wasn’t a phrased as a question, but Neil took it as one anyone. “I thought everyone else was dead. I’m just happy to have found other people.”

Drew gave him an assessing look. “Oh look, your lying tendencies even stretch here. Why not stop lying, liar?”

Neil glared at him. “What makes you think I’m lying? Someone’s got trust issues.”

Finally, Drew’s blank mask slipped, his lips twitching up slightly.

“Next time we talk, don’t lie to me.”

“I’m not.”

“Oh, Neil… Your secrets aren’t hidden well enough to afford your lies to me.”

Tilting his head, he leaned back against a locker, crossing his arms and waiting for Drew to continue. Even as his heartbeat too fast, Neil remained impassive on the outside.

“What’s this? It’s very interesting, the things you can find just lying around.” Drew had pulled out a piece of paper from his pocket, giving it a glance, but Neil knew exactly what it was.

“What’s that? Where did you find it?”

“Oh Neil, I know you’re not that dumb. It was in a binder full of articles and images of Kevin. And a surprising amount of useless money.” He tilted his head.

Neil gulped. “It’s nothing, I was just a fan. It’s the one thing I kept to remember life before the outbreak, and to remember my love for a sport I haven’t played in years.”

Drew was convinced, Neil could see that much from his narrowed eyes. “I thought I told you not to lie.”

“I’m not.”

“If you want to see Kevin, I have to approve you. I don’t approve you. Fix it, or leave, but you’re not going anywhere near Kevin until you explain.”

“I can’t explain anymore than I have. Just because you don’t believe me doesn’t mean it’s not true.”

Drew sighed. “Kevin would certainly be intrigued by your meticulous guide on him. He doesn’t know what I found, but that can change.”

Neil froze. If Drew had been the one to find his binder, and hadn’t told Kevin, he was still safe here for the moment.

“I really wasn’t lying about wanting a reminder, but it was a reminder of what I could never have. The fame and fortune he had.” Drew scoffed at the mention of the fortune. “The money is just something I’ve been collecting in case it ever comes in handy.” Neil didn’t elaborate, and knew that Drew wouldn’t have seen the writing he had hidden on a few of the notes. He had also, thankfully ignored the random scraps of paper that contained contacts of his mothers. Neil had never had to use them himself, and he doubted he would ever get to, now. It was unlikely the phone numbers would even be active, but it was for the best that Drew didn’t know about any of it.

Drew narrowed his eyes at Neil, before jerking his chin. “Supervised time with Kevin on the court only,” he declared, throwing the racquet at Neil.

Neil barely caught it, too busy staring at it in awe. He weighed it in his hands, curling his fingers around it tightly.

“Hurry up,” Drew demanded from outside the changing room, before letting the door slam closed in Neil’s face.

He could only stare at where Drew had been before a smile broke out on his face.

An Exy racquet. He was holding an Exy racquet.

For the first time in a long time, Neil felt a spark of something suspiciously like hope light up in his chest.

He may be in over his head, but he could play Exy. Nothing else mattered.

Notes:

Thank you for your continued support, I hope you enjoyed the latest update :)))

Chapter 9: The Foxhole Court: Part 2

Summary:

Neil and Kevin meet on the court.

Notes:

Hello everyone! I hope you enjoy this chapter!

Neil couldn’t take his eyes away from the giant court that took up the middle of the room.

Despite the disuse of the court after four years of a zombie apocalypse, the place was still as shiny as ever. The barriers were still clear, not a smudge in sight, and the floor of the court itself was still clearly marked. In here, there was no sign of the horrors that ravaged the outside world. It was one tiny piece of normalcy.

The orange stands soared high into the rafters, and large screens that were currently blank were lifted high above the court to showcase the game below.

A figure stood alone in the middle of the court, the sound of an Exy ball being thrown into the side of the barrier reverberating around the empty space.

Neil watched in fascination as the figure threw the ball again and again, catching it with the Exy racquet each time. Neil marvelled at the pure show of skill and finesse, watching with hope shining in his eyes.

“Stop looking like that.”

“Like what?”

“Like he is everything you had hoped and more,” Drew muttered, crossing his arms as he came to stand beside Neil. “You’ve got issues.”

“Never said I didn’t.”

Scoffing, Drew flicked his fingers in the direction of Kevin. “Go and play. He’s been insufferable ever since you arrived.”

Without another word, Neil walked to the door to get into the court. Knocking, he waved when Kevin saw him, and Kevin caught the ball, holding it in his Exy racquet, allowing Neil entry.

“Don’t keep me waiting.”

“Drew wanted to have a chat.”

Kevin looked over at Drew who had moved into the stands, sitting down and getting comfortable, all the while keeping an eye on Neil. “He doesn’t trust you.”

Neil remained silent.

“Get some gear on, I want to see what you’ve got.” Kevin gently leaned his racquet against one of the walls enclosing them in before grabbing a bag and shoving it at Neil. “Don’t come back with that,” he gestured at Neil’s duffel before shoving him back out of the court doors, resuming his practice.

Drew rolled his eyes when Neil walked away from him and back to the changing rooms, before unfolding his legs where he had crossed them at the ankles and entering the court without knocking. Neil was curious, but only snuck a glance as he was leaving. All he could make out was that Drew had reached into Kevin’s pocket before he lost sight of them.

Neil changed as quickly as possible into the Exy gear, which wasn’t very fast. His hands were clumsy with the unfamiliar pieces, even as his eyes recognised what they were. He had spent enough time pouring over Exy magazines to know what each piece was called.

Casting a few furtive glances at the door in case someone would come and check on him, Neil ripped his shirt over his head and pulled on the body armour, securing them with the straps until they were tight on his body. None of it fit quite right but Neil didn’t care and was even glad for the oversized, bright orange Exy top that was buried in the bottom of the bag. It had a peeling number ‘10’ on but no name, like it was waiting for someone to claim it as their own. He recognised the familiar paw print on the back from the outside of the stadium and pulled it over his head. It fit well enough with all the body armour, but Neil was uncomfortable from the different weight, and tested out his movements.

Thankfully, it was much easier to put on the shin guards and socks that had been provided for him. He finished the ensemble by putting on the neck guard, adjusting it until he felt able to breathe and protected at the same time, grabbing the helmet, and pulling on the armoured gloves.

He stared at his duffel bag, unwilling to leave it out for Drew to root around again, or someone else, but also not wanting to take it with him. In the end, he opened one of the lockers with the key still in the lock and locked his bag in there, taking the key with him. He left the bag with spare Exy gear and picked by the Exy racquet Drew had handed to him as he left the room.

When he reached the court again, Drew was back in the stands and had made himself comfortable, a smile wide on his face, and Kevin was as grumpy as ever. When Neil opened the door to the court, he put his helmet on and then promptly got smacked in the face with an Exy ball.

Kevin cursed at him. “Poor reflexes,” he said as if making a mental note. Neil could only gape at him, shocked from the contact.

Neil would have threatened to leave, but he feared that he would never be on a court again if he did, so he elected to say nothing, instead. Keeping his mouth shut took a concerted amount of effort, but if he wanted to pass by and be forgotten he needed to remember to not do anything to make himself memorable.

“Get over here,” Kevin bit out, his patience waning.

Neil did as he was told, clutching his Exy racquet tighter.

“Catch the ball when I throw it to you,” Kevin instructed. It was all the warning Neil got before the ball was being launched at the plexiglass ceiling in such a way that Neil barely had time to hook the ball into his net before it would have hit him in the face.

Kevin nodded. “Good. Better. Again.”

Neil rolled the ball back to Kevin and Kevin launched the ball again, this time aiming it at one of the sides of the box. Neil had to run to catch it but managed it without letting it touch the floor.

“Good. Now, do five laps around here and a few stretches. Then the real work begins.” If Neil hadn’t loved Exy so much, he would have thought the glint in Kevin’s eye was evil, but instead, Neil saw it for what it really was, for what he was sure was reflected back in his own eyes: obsession.

Running around the court, Neil let his mind go blank and languished in the feeling of running and stretching muscles that had been cramped from sleeping under a desk and sitting still in a car. Before the apocalypse he had been running, and even after it was a skill most invaluable. He could outrun zombies any day.

Once he finished his laps, he started on stretches, until Kevin called him back to the centre of the court.

“Try and score into the goal against me.” Kevin got into a defensive position facing Neil, and threw the ball into the air.

Neil’s racquet clashed with Kevin’s as they fought for the ball, but Neil’s arms gave way first, unused to such strength battering in on him. Kevin let out a frustrated sigh. “It’s like you aren’t even trying. Again.”

Neil got back into position, this time anticipating Kevin’s throw and swiping it from the air as soon as it left the net of Kevin’s racquet. Neil ran and counted his steps, pivoting just before Kevin was about to collide with him, throwing the ball into the goal, barely scraping the edge, but the board lit up with a score of 1-0. He barely restrained his yelp of excitement, but Kevin still looked annoyed.

“That was pathetic. Your aim needs work.”

Neil gritted his teeth, his happiness dimmed by Kevin, but he was determined not to say anything.

Kevin let out a string of curses in French at Neil’s silence, and the abrupt change made Neil wary. Does he know?

He couldn’t. It wasn’t possible. Especially if Drew hadn’t said anything to Kevin.

When Kevin took a deep breath, and spoke to Neil again, this time in English, he relaxed. “Time for some drills. No more playing until you can do it perfectly.” Disappointment washed through Neil for a moment, but if the drills were anything like what Kevin had been doing when Neil had arrived Neil would be happy. Exy was Exy, even if it was only learning the building blocks.

“Have you ever even played before?”

“As a child.”

“Hmm.” Kevin disappeared off the court for a bit, leaving Neil to contemplate what he meant. When he returned moments later with some cones and a bucket of balls, Neil watched him with fascination as he laid them all out.

Once they were set up to his liking, he grabbed a ball, and flicked it with his racquet, knocking each and every cone over, as he picked up another and another and another.

Neil was awestruck. He was clumsy in comparison to the accuracy Kevin was showing he had, and, Neil noted, that he was playing right-handed. Not even his dominant hand, and he was better than Neil could ever be.

“Now you try.”

Neil scooped up one of the balls that had come to a stop near him, and threw it at the first cone. He knocked it over, but it wasn’t with all the force Kevin had used. It was weak, and the cone took its time toppling over. He did it again with the next cone, but this time, he barely grazed it and the cone teetered a bit before remaining upright, stubbornly refusing to fall like its comrade.

Kevin was grabbing Neil’s racquet before he could pick up another ball. “Hold it like this,” he instructed, readjusting Neil’s grip before stepping back. “And stand like this.” Kevin moved Neil until he was satisfied. “Better?”

Experimentally, Neil scooped up a ball and threw it at a cone. This time, there was much more power behind it and Kevin grunted out a pleased sound. Neil smiled widely. “Much.” When Neil remembered Drew, he looked up and found the man watching with interest in his eyes, his smile cruel, and he quickly moved away from Kevin, who only mumbled in French again about how strange Neil was.

After that comment, Neil was certain that Kevin didn’t know who he was, and he relaxed more, getting into the swing of things. His aim was still unsteady, but the force behind it was already much stronger. By the time Kevin called it a day, Neil was exhausted but happy, unable to contain his smile.

Drew just glared at him as he went back to the changing room, Kevin staying behind to clear the court up again.

Neil figured if the lights were working, the water would be, and took a chance on using the locker room showers. He was pleasantly surprised to find individual stall walls and doors had been added and grabbed his duffel bag and a towel before stepping into the small cubicle. It was a hassle trying to get his gear off in the cramped space, but Neil was glad he had chosen to do it when he heard the door to the changing room open and someone walked in.

He washed quickly, surprised to find a few half-empty bottles of soap to clean himself with. When he was clean again, he checked his side. The bandage had been soaked through with fresh blood and Neil cursed himself silently for reopening his wound by moving too much, but he wasn’t too mad.

He rewrapped it in the gauze he had in his bag before getting dressed again, and exiting the stall with his bag over his shoulders, holding the Exy gear he had borrowed.

Sat on the bench in the middle of the room sat the man who had driven him to Palmetto. Nicky.

“Hey there, stranger,” he greeted.

“Hello,” Neil replied.

“Sorry I haven’t been around. Drew can be a bit… a lot. But he asked me to speak to you before he left with Kevin.”

“That’s fine,” Neil said, confused as to what Drew could possibly have put his cousin up to.

Nicky nervously fidgeted as Neil packed away the borrowed kit. “You can keep that, by the way.” Nicky was gesturing to the kit bag and Neil looked at him in shock.

“No, I’m fine, I don’t need it.”

Nicky rolled his eyes. “We all know Kevin’s going to make you play. You’ll need it.”

Not wanting to be rude, Neil accepted it without any more arguments, even if it left a bad taste in his mouth, his stomach knotting uncomfortably.

“You’re invited to come out with us in a couple of days,” Nicky suddenly blurted out, startling Neil.

“Where?”

Nicky fidgeted with his hands in his lap. “We go out to grab supplies every so often, as Drew refuses to let anyone else take his car.”

“Didn’t you just come back from a trip?”

Nicky nodded. “Yes, but we didn’t find what we were looking for in Millport.”

So that’s where I was, Neil thought. He hadn’t looked at the signs on his way into town, or on his way out. He hadn’t cared. It was just another place in a long list of places Neil had stayed in.

“What were you looking for?”

Nicky looked uncomfortable and shifted on the bench. “You’d be better off asking Drew.” He rubbed the back of his neck with a hand before supplying Neil with a bright smile. “Anyway, now that I’ve done his bidding, we can get to know each other.”

Neil grimaced. “I’m kind of tired.” He yawned for a better effect.

“Oh,” Nicky’s face fell. “Maybe tomorrow?” He was hopeful enough that Neil couldn’t decline again even as he warned himself of the danger’s of making attachments. If they got to know him, they would remember him. If they remembered him, they would die when his father found out.

“Sure.” Nicky brightened up.

“Do you need any help finding your room again?”

Neil shook his head. “I’m fine.”

Nicky frowned but nodded, leaving the room but pausing in the doorway. “Neil?” He looked at Nicky. “Don’t let Drew get to you. He isn’t bad, he just cares about us.”

With that, Nicky left the room, allowing the door to swing close and leaving Neil alone once more.

Neil sat in the locker room, and stayed there until he fell asleep lying on the bench.

Notes:

Thank you for all your support I really appreciate it! :)))

Chapter 10: The Psychiatrist

Notes:

I hope you enjoy this chapter! :)))

Neil awoke with a start, finding one of the twins hovering above him, just watching him. Neil shivered and consequently fell off the bench he had slept on. All his muscles hurt, but he didn’t care, he had endured worse, and he had slept well, even if he had forgotten to take his contacts out yet again and his eyes were burning.

The familiar weight of his duffel bag attached to him calmed at least some of his racing thoughts, but not all.

“You’re a light sleeper,” whichever twin it was noted.

Neil just blinked, trying to clear his fuzzy vision, resolving to replace his contacts as soon as he had a moment alone.

“Yeah?”

The twin scowled. “Just an observation.”

Looking down at the floor, Neil blinked rapidly, trying to get his eyes to focus and stop burning. When the floor finally came into focus and he could see his shoes, he looked back up. With his vision unimpeded, he took in the man. His blond hair was ruffled, and his face was set in an expressive scowl.

“How long have I been here?”

The man screwed his face up. “How would I know?”

Definitely Aaron, Neil decided.

Sighing, Neil stood and stretched his limbs out. “Doesn’t matter. Now, can you get out of my way?”

“Why should I?”

“Because I’m bursting for a piss.”

Aaron physically recoiled as if Neil had slapped him. “Whatever,” he mumbled. “I’ll let everyone know where you are, but for future reference, I’m not ever being on Neil babysitting duty again.”

“That’s fine. I can look after myself just fine on my own.”

Aaron rolled his eyes in a way that screamed, yeah, right, and Neil just turned his back on him, making his way to a bathroom stall.

When he heard the locker room door open and close, he took out his contact lenses, throwing them in the toilet and putting in a new pair, flushing the toilet and leaving the stall.

He washed his hands and gave himself a cursory glance in the mirror, mostly checking that all his scars were hidden and that his hair and eyes were unrecognisable. When he was satisfied with his perusal, he made a note to do something about the roots peeking through at some point soon. At the very least, he could give dying his hair a bright colour like Renee if he was that desperate.

When he finally made his way back into the main locker room area, the place was empty, but there was a note left on the bench. Neil picked up the note with his name scrawled across the top of it before flipping it open.

All it said was:

Abby’s office.

Nothing else.

Neil folded the note and put it in his pocket, his hand grazing the knife handle holstered to his leg and grimaced at the reminder that he needed to clean it.

Rubbing his hands over the front of his trousers, he contemplated what to do.

Finally, he decided against cleaning it now. He was clearly expected elsewhere, and he didn’t want to risk the ire of anyone here.

Fingering the knife handle the entire way to Abby’s office from the Foxhole Court, he remained vigilant, ready for anyone to jump out and accuse him of lying and revealing the dangerous truth. Even if no one knew currently, it was only a matter of time before Kevin remembered. Then Neil would have to drop everything and run, not that he planned on being there long enough for Kevin to remember.

Reaching his destination, he used his key card and entered the building, jogging to Abby’s office. The door was closed so Neil knocked, not wanting to interrupt anyone by barging in.

“Come in,” came a gruff voice from inside.

Pushing open the door, Neil entered, taking stock of the occupants. There was Wymack and Abby, both standing in one corner, looking expectantly at Neil. Wymack was the one who had invited him in, and was standing furthest from the door. Dan was sat in the armchair that Allison had claimed the day before, Matt sitting on the arm of her chair, holding her hand and bent over to whisper in her ear. On the other armchair, the one Neil had been occupying the day before, sat an unfamiliar woman, her light brown hair cut unevenly in a way that tried to appear genuine and down to earth but only made Neil question the woman’s sanity. She smiled warmly at him over a mug of something that was still steaming.

“Hello Neil,” she greeted. Neil thought about darting out of the room for only a moment before Dan looked around Matt to see him.

“Neil! Aaron told us he found you, but we weren’t sure if you would come to us or not.” She and Matt shared a look, full of heavy meaning. “We didn’t get to make full introductions yesterday, as Betsy here was busy elsewhere, but she became unexpectedly available to meet this morning.”

“I’m the only trained psychiatrist here, and there are no shortages of disagreements that require my intervention. Among other things,” she added with a bright smile, taking a sip from the mug. Neil watched on silently, leaning against the door.

Matt chimed in when the silence stretched for a little too long to be comfortable. “She just wants to have a discussion with you. It’s standard procedure here. Being in such confined spaces can make people a little edgy, and we know Kevin is the worst to be around.” He added the last part as a joke, chuckling, but Neil didn’t find it all that funny. He wondered why they didn’t think Renee was the most difficult to be around but he kept those thoughts to himself.

“I have my own office where we can have this conversation,” Betsy said, motioning for Neil to open the door as she got to her feet and said her farewells to those in the room. Neil didn’t expect any of them to say bye to him, but they all did and Neil mustered up a quiet goodbye in response.

He followed Betsy, the psychiatrist, up a set of stairs to a door that was decorated with fake flowers taped to it. His disdain for her only grew when she opened the door to her office and quotes filled the walls, along with her professional qualifications. Neil had been hoping she had lied to them, but it appeared not, much to his chagrin.

“Do you want some hot cocoa?” she asked, but Neil was shaking his head before she even finished speaking.

“No thanks, I don’t like sweets all that much.”

She smiled and fixed herself another mug. “That’s a unique trait, Neil. Do you mind if I call you that?” Neil shook his head, and she continued, “I heard that you’re going on a supply run with Andrew in a few days. He said he would pick me up some more cocoa powder, though, I must confess, I think he gets it for himself more than for me.” She grinned and leaned over the desk she had settled behind as if trying to be conspiratorial.

Neil just shrugged, keeping his face neutral.

“The others are expecting us to have a conversation so that you can be assessed in case going back out there is too much.”

Neil just shrugged again, keeping his mouth shut.

“Do you want to hear my observations, Neil?” He shrugged again. “You seem to be trying to hide, but I promise you, we are here for you. Everyone here understands how difficult life can be, everyone has their own stories, a lot of them even from before the outbreaks. This is a safe space,” she coaxed, but to no avail.

“I don’t particularly like being analysed,” he said, curtly.

She smiled at him. “We can sit in silence for an hour if you’d like, but these sessions are mandatory.”

“Sessions? Plural?”

Nodding, Betsy took a long sip of her drink. “Ouch, that’s hot.” She fanned her hands at her mouth. “Every few months I do a check up on everyone. Just like how Abby does check ups on everyone when they return from outside.”

Neil relaxed a bit at that. He wouldn’t be here long enough to worry about future check ups, with Betsy or Abby. All he would have to do is run off from Drew and the others when they took him out and then he’d be home free, free to be alone again, always running. He would miss Exy, but he had lived without it for years. He could live without it for the rest of his life. He had already lived longer than he had ever expected, and he had a chance to play Exy. He could be happy with just the memory of his brief time on the court and dream about what his life could’ve been like.

By the time Neil had finished thinking about his future, Betsy was looking at him expectantly. Neil just shrugged.

She sighed. “If that’s what you want, you can sit in silence.”

Betsy spent the next forty-five minutes talking about what life was like at Palmetto, and how he would be assigned a job at some point, probably after he had been given a proper room.

Neil mostly tuned her out, electing to observe her and the room instead. It didn’t reveal anything that Neil didn’t already know, but it was interesting to see a glimpse into a normal person’s life. It was something he had never had for himself, from his own actions and his mother’s, her instructions to always keep moving forward, to never look back, to leave no trace behind forcing Neil to trudge onwards.

By the time the hour was up, Neil was anxious to leave, the thoughts of his mother evoking a grief he didn’t want anyone to bear witness to. When Betsy called an end to their session, Neil walked out of the room without a word, finding the nearest unlocked door and disappearing inside the room.

He shut the door carefully, not wanting anyone to hear it close, before resting his head against it.

The grief ripped through his chest and one hand grazed against his knife, but simultaneously he thought about how disappointed she would be in Neil and his choices, and some of the grief lightened, allowing him to breathe steadily again.

His eyes fell closed as he let himself feel and fall apart, knowing when he left that room he would need to be put back together.

And whatever pieces of him that were Neil Josten would be for he had no other choice.

Notes:

Thank you for all the support, I really appreciate it! :)))

Chapter 11: The Calm Before the Storm

Summary:

Neil spends time with the Foxes.

Notes:

I hope you enjoy! :)))

Neil gathered his thoughts once more, and turned to examine the room he had rushed into. It was fairly neat with a couple of single beds, two desks and two dressers. It was very similar to the room he had been given, but he could tell it belonged to someone from the way the sheets were wrinkled as if someone had carelessly put the bed back together.

Most of the room was plain, empty of anything even remotely linking to a personality. Neil would have gone through the dressers, but that was a step too far for him. Instead, he leaned an ear against the door, straining to see if he could hear anyone out in the hallway. No movement sounded, and Neil carefully opened the door and looked into the hallway through the slit he had made.

No one was there and he opened the door wider, hurrying out and closing the door just as quietly. Rushing down the hallway, Neil hoped Betsy wouldn’t come out of her office and see Neil, he didn’t want her to know anything more about him.

By the time he was walking down the stairs, he was cringing at the thought of passing by Abby’s office, and elected instead to find an alternative route out. There had to be more than one exit door.

Wandering around the building, he steered clear of Abby’s office, keeping an eye out for any doors that looked like they would lead outside. He found a couple and tried to scan his keycard to open them, but they flashed red, making Neil frown. He tried a few times, but they never opened and he resolved himself to continue looking. Each door he found had a similar reaction, and he grew frustrated, wondering how angry everyone would be if he just broke the lock.

Scrubbing his hands over his face, he let out a long, low groan.

Resigning himself to his fate, he hurried to the one exit he knew would open, past Abby’s office.

When he reached the door, he saw that it was standing open and cheerful laughter rang out as people talked over each other. There was no way he could slink by unnoticed but he gritted his teeth and gave it a go. Maybe if he was fast enough, they wouldn’t try to speak to him.

He had no such luck. As soon as one of them spotted him in the doorway, his name was called and he was pulled to an abrupt stop when all the other occupants of the room spoke too.

“Neil!”

“Come and eat with us, Neil.”

“Neil, where have you been?”

Shoulders slumping, Neil pushed his hands into his pockets and backtracked until he was leaning in the doorway. Everyone was looking at him.

Allison was sat with Dan and Renee, and Seth was over on the other side of the room with Matt, one of the twins who scrunched his nose in disgust at Neil’s appearance, and a happy-looking Nicky. Abby and Wymack were sat at her desk, and Kevin and the other twin, this one smiling but the look in his eyes was cruel, were sat on the examination bed.

They were an odd bunch, mismatching styles and expressions. They didn’t even seem particularly comfortable with each other’s presence, but they were all there. And they had invited Neil, probably the oddest of them all, to join them.

“What are you having?”

Dan smiled. “Pizza.”

Kevin scowled. “Pizza isn’t healthy, Dan.”

She rolled her eyes. “Your attitude isn’t healthy, Kevin.”

Neil examined the twin besides Kevin. The malicious glint in his eye too emotional to be Drew, but the chilling smile was familiar. Neil had seen him don it before, and supposed he was trying to mess with Neil.

But it was the twin Neil presumed to be Aaron that spoke up. “Who said anything about us all eating together?”

Frowning, Dan didn’t say anything. Allison piped up, though, turning her nose up at him. “Shut up, Minyard. We-“ she motioned around the room, “-are all eating together.” The unspoken, so we can keep an eye on you, hung heavy in the air.

Nicky smiled at Allison, almost as if he was afraid she would snub him too, but she remained impassive.

Neil wanted to back away from the tension in the room, but knew he couldn’t. They had insisted he eat with them, and when they all heard his stomach rumble, Dan and Allison stood and pulled him to sit with their group, Allison giving up her seat for Neil before perching on the arm of the chair again and smirking at Seth. Seth narrowed his eyes at the hand she placed on Neil’s shoulder, and Neil did his best to shrink away from her without offending her.

Wymack stood then, clapping his hands together. “Come on, all of you, stop messing about.” That part seemed to be aimed at Seth and Allison. “Get your asses over to the diner. It’ll get busy soon and I’m starving.”

At Wymack’s orders everyone got up and started filing out of the office, leaving Neil to follow at the back. Before he could leave, though, Abby called him back, stopping him in his tracks, not that the rest of them seemed to notice, too busy talking animatedly to each other. Or in Kevin and Drew’s case, staring blankly at anyone that tried to speak to them, though Drew did it with a smile.

Neil turned to face the only two occupants of the room left. “Are you feeling alright, Neil?” Abby asked, wringing her hands together as Wymack stood behind her.

Neil nodded. “I’m fine.” He followed after the others, trailing after them as they made their way through the village they had somehow created and kept running through the years.

Nicky fell back to match Neil’s pace when he saw him, leaving Aaron and Seth to glare at each other, with Matt in between them.

“Neil!” Nicky’s exuberant cry made Neil wince. Nicky babbled on about anything and everything that came to mind, from the weather to the clothes he was wearing. Nothing serious, but enough for small talk. Neil mostly tuned him out but chimed in with non-committal responses every once in a while. Nicky didn’t seem to mind and his excited chatter followed Neil until they were sitting down at a table and giving Matt their preferences.

Everyone was chatting, good-naturedly. Even Kevin was speaking now and again, even going so far as to smile every once in a while. Seth sat with Matt and they were talking about something, whilst Aaron stared off into the distance. Nicky at some point turned to him and started talking to him too. He was more engaged in the conversation than Neil had been, and Neil was happy to be allowed to just observe.

Neil watched the table of people, all talking and laughing, except for one. Drew seemed far away in his own mind somewhere far from here. His unfocused eyes staring at nothing made Neil wonder what could possibly have pulled the man away from the light-hearted table conversations.

Just before Neil could look away, Drew’s eyes snapped to focus on him for a moment, taking in his appearance before dismissing him like he did everyone else, but Neil couldn’t help but wonder why he had barely said a word to anyone when even Kevin was being pleasant.

Neil sat in relative silence, chiming in when one of them tried to include him in conversation but for the most part just watching. It made his chest hurt with an emotion he refused to name, and he pushed it aside.

This moment of peace was enough.

Notes:

Thank you for reading! I really appreciate all the kudos and comments I've gotten! :)))

Chapter 12: The Exy Court

Summary:

Neil eats with the Foxes before running off to play Exy.

Notes:

Hello! I hope you enjoy! :)))

By the time the food arrived, Neil was starving, his stomach practically making his entire body shake. When Neil gave it more than a second of thought, he realised he couldn’t remember the last time he had eaten a meal that consisted of more than a simple protein bar.

The large dining area smelled of greasy pizza, and Neil could barely contain his groan when he saw a few people coming over to the table, holding several pizzas each. They all greeted Dan and Matt, smiling widely at them and joining in on a conversation they had started. Neil tuned them out, thanking servers as they placed the pizzas along the table, ready for the group to take slices as they pleased.

Neil was too distracted by the food that he didn’t say a word as he dug into his pizza, and he barely even glanced over at the rest of the table. A steady stream of chatter surrounded him, and Neil was content to sit there and stuff himself full until he couldn’t eat anymore.

That was until someone kicked him under the table. He turned in the direction he thought it had come from and saw Drew watching him. Neil scowled back, slowing his eating to a more normal pace. To a pace that didn’t scream, I’m starved and on the run.

Drew didn’t say anything, just continued to watch Neil as he ate. Neil didn’t speak to him either, choosing to pretend he didn’t notice even as he covertly snuck glances at him every few seconds.

Neil had polished off his third helping before his grumbling stomach had calmed enough for him to concentrate on anything other than the food in front of him. He looked over to Matt patting his stomach and Allison dabbing her mouth with a napkin.

Everyone was so calm and happy, even Drew seemed calm.

Neil didn’t trust it.

He had never trusted happiness. It had always been torn from him, first by his father who had made his life miserable until his mother had taken him, stolen five million dollars from his father, and fled into the night. And then later, with his mother, she had never let Neil do anything that could endanger them. Neil had never been anywhere long enough to make friends, and the people he did speak to, he had to lie to. It made for a very lonely time. He rarely admitted to his lack of happiness, for he didn’t believe it was essential for life, but in the rare moments he would admit to his loneliness, his chest would hurt.

He stifled the urge to rub at his chest, instead wiping his hands on his trousers. Allison wrinkled her nose, but refrained from saying anything to Neil, instead turning to Nicky. “I hope you are sorting his wardrobe soon, or I might have to take matters into my own hands. The sheer ugliness of his outfits gives me a headache.”

Neil’s eyes widened, alarmed. Allison wanting to change his clothes wasn’t a surprise from her first reaction to him, but he didn’t think she would actually be able to do it. He feared the clothes she would dress him in as he took in her short, hot pink skirt and heels that was not conducive to running.

Drew laughed at whatever expression of horror Neil couldn’t scrub off his face, and everyone turned to look at him as he doubled over in his seat, wiping at tears in his eyes. “Neil. Oh, Neil,” he got out between bouts of laughter. “Poor Neil. Pitying you seems a waste but I’ll make an exception this one time.” Drew was still laughing, and everyone was looking concerned now.

Kevin was the one to take the lead. “We should leave.” He made to grab Drew’s arm, but Drew jumped up from his chair and was around the table, and tipping Neil off his chair before he could.

“We should leave.” The way his eyes drilled into Neil’s had him wanting to shrink away. “I’m changing it to tonight.”

Voices around the table all vied for his attention then. All of them were arguing with whatever Drew had just said, but Neil blocked them out in favour of watching Drew, trying to find some sort of meaning to his words hidden on his face. He came up just as blank as Drew’s face was devoid of anything other than the smile.

“What are you changing to tonight?”

Drew gave him a perplexed look. “You’re dumber than I thought, and that’s quite a feat since I already believed you to be too stupid to live.” Neil shivered at the words, letting them sink in. “We’re going outside. Tonight. Meet outside your room at ten thirty.”

With no more words said and no acknowledgement to the others that had slowly been raising their dissent to a shout, Drew turned and walked out of the room, leaving Neil standing and confused. Nicky pulled him back into his seat.

“Don’t worry, Neil. It’s not that bad when you’re not alone,” Nicky tried to console, but that wasn’t what Neil’s mind was catching on.

He turned to Kevin. “Exy practice in an hour?”

Kevin perked up. “I expect you to be warmed up before I get there.” Neil nodded his assent, and Kevin went back to the others’ conversation.

Neil made his excuses and fled from the table, picking his bag up from where he had shoved it under his chair, hurrying to the Foxhole Court.

If he had to run tonight, he was doing it after he had played against Kevin once more.

Neil didn’t notice the footsteps that caught up to him as he scanned his card to get into the Foxhole Court, too lost in his own thoughts, and he practically jumped out of his skin when Matt touched his shoulder, jolting him back to reality.

Matt immediately put his hands up. “Sorry, man. My bad.” He shoved his hands into his pockets when Neil nodded. “If they’re giving you any trouble, you can let any of us know. We can keep them off your back.”

“They’re not. Everything’s fine.”

Matt seemed unconvinced. “I’ve known them a year.”

“As I said, nothing I can’t handle.”

Matt scraped a hand through his hair as Neil opened the door that would lead him into the lounge. Matt followed him inside, quietly, thinking.

“Before they got here, I had a bad habit. Needless to say, they broke it when they took me outside the walls. Here, they have to play along, but out there-” Matt motioned to somewhere neither of them could see beyond the walls, “-they have free reign to do whatever they want. Say the word and we’ll stop them.”

Neil was tempted to, could even feel the words on the tip of his tongue, but he knew it wouldn’t get that far. He would run before any of Drew’s plans came to fruition, and it was the best chance he had.

Matt sighed when Neil didn’t say anything. “Take this.” He held out a phone to Neil, similar to the cheap models Neil and his mother had used to communicate with each other. Neil had long since found them useless, the lack of power almost anywhere meaning there was no charge left and nowhere to charge it again. He and his mother hadn’t needed to really split up since the first outbreak, anyway, so it hadn’t been a big problem for them.

Neil made no move to take the phone from Matt, and he could see the frustration in his eyes. “You don’t have to take it, but think about it. Please. It’ll make us all worry less if we have a way to contact you.”

Neil didn’t move, but Matt showed it to him before placing it on the console where the TV was. “Take it with you.” Neil blinked, and Matt sighed. “I’ll see you later.”

“Bye,” Neil replied, barely noticing the uncomfortable feeling in his stomach as he rushed to change out now that he was more familiar with all the gear.

As he stretched and ran, warming up, the feeling in his stomach only grew and he thought about the possibility of never seeing these people again. It was probably the last time Neil would see people that weren’t trying to kill him, and it was a bittersweet thought. If he kept ahead of his father, he could probably outlive him, and then he would only have to contend with the dead.

The kindness they had shown Neil, a stranger and a liar, was baffling and he didn’t understand why there was some small part of him that wanted to stay. His mother’s primary rule was to never stay in one place too long. He had never had a problem following her instructions before, but now… Now he wasn’t sure he would be strong enough to do what he needed to.

Instead of thinking about his plan, he put all his focus into Exy. He was still so new to the sport, but Kevin hadn’t turned down his offer to play. Neil did wonder just how they would play a game between just the two of them, but Kevin would figure out something for him to do.

Neil went into the cupboard he had seen Kevin go into the day before and grabbed the bucket of Exy balls and the cones they had used, setting up the cones on the court.

Neil adopted the stance Kevin had corrected and scooped up one of the balls with his racquet. He eyed the first cone in the lineup and aimed at it, putting power behind his throw. The ball knocked into the cone, still not as good as Kevin, but better than the day before, making the cone spin into the one next to it and knocking them both down. Not what Kevin wanted, but it sure is one way to get the job done.

Smiling slightly to himself, he straightened the second cone and fired away at it. This time he barely grazed it.

Over and over, Neil threw the ball at the cones until his arms ached almost pleasantly. Until someone knocked on the door, making Neil come to a stop as he glanced over at the visitor. Except it wasn’t just one, but many, all of them wearing the same orange and white uniform as Neil. All of their jerseys had names and numbers on. When he spotted two Minyard jerseys he did a double take. Neither of the twins had seemed to share in Kevin’s obsession with Exy, and from what Neil had learnt, they had all only joined Palmetto last year, which confused him as to why their last name was printed on a jersey.

Matt walked towards Neil, his eyes taking in the number ‘4’ and ‘Boyd’ on his jersey.

“I thought no one liked Exy except for Kevin?”

Matt rubbed the back of his head. “We all play every once in a while. It’s a good for moral, and an even better way to blow off steam.”

Neil could imagine. The violent sport was definitely one way to blow off steam.

There were too many of them gathered on the court to all play on one side, but noted that they could almost play five-a-side Exy.

Everyone fell into doing exercises, Dan doing her best to lead them, though Drew mostly ignored her instructions, doing the bare minimum with a dull smile.

Neil was already warmed up, but figured another stretch wouldn’t harm him.

He followed along until Dan was finished and then they all broke off, following Kevin’s direction as to what position they were playing. Neil ended up as a striker, facing off against Kevin. Drew was in the goal for Kevin’s team, whilst Renee was in Neil’s goal. Seth was a striker alongside Neil. Dan was the dealer for Kevin’s team. Matt and Allison were on Neil’s team as backliners, whilst Nicky and Aaron were on Kevin’s team as backliners.

They all found their places on the court and Neil couldn’t help but savour the anticipation in the air as the ball was thrown and Dan snagged it before anyone could stop her. She turned and swung towards Kevin, shouting at him, and Kevin caught it without a second glance. Neil was running towards Kevin, attempting to block his throw, but he failed and then Drew was throwing the ball towards where Dan was waving with a careless flick. It landed perfectly in Dan’s net.

She launched it to Kevin when he ran across the court, and Neil sped up, hoping to intercept it this time.

He barely snagged it from the air before he was throwing it towards Seth, who caught it but was immediately taken out by Kevin who had changed course and couldn’t stop in time.

Seth cursed him out, and Kevin turned from him, throwing the ball to Allison. She harrumphed and the game continued, just as violently as it had started.

Exy sticks clashed and Neil’s arms were straining to keep the racquet up by the end of the game. Neil’s team had ended with a massive loss, with almost every shot Neil or Seth threw at the goal, no matter how accurate, being blocked by Drew much to Neil’s frustration. Though it annoyed him more when he didn’t move at all as Seth and Neil launched shots wildly at his goal, sometimes managing to snag a goal here and there, Drew stood in the middle of the goal, leaning on the racquet that was almost as tall as him.

Kevin didn’t bother to celebrate his win, instead marching up to Neil and beginning to lecture him on what he could do to improve. Neil, eager to learn, made mental notes that he knew he would never be able to put into practice.

For the first time in his life, Neil almost felt as if he belonged somewhere. This group of mismatched people had one common thread. Exy. Even if they all wanted to deny it, it was what kept them together and sane amidst the chaos of the world.

Neil would be sad to leave, but he was resigned.

When he slinked off to change again, he went to the showers with his duffel bag, not wanting to be in the main room in case the others wanted to change. Sure enough, voices filtered through to the showers from the locker room as they chattered amongst themselves about the game and what they would have for dinner.

It was all so normal it almost brought Neil to his knees.

Notes:

Thank you for reading and for your contiued support! I really appreciate it and I hope you're enjoying the story so far! :)))
I may have to slow down on updates soon, unfortunately, but I will do my best to still regularly post. Thank you for bearing with me. :)))

Chapter 13: The Last Supper

Summary:

Neil has a final dinner with the Foxes before he leaves Palmetto.

Notes:

I hope you enjoy this chapter! :)))

Washed and changed, Neil emerged from the showers, two bags slung over his shoulder as he ambled to the locker he had claimed as his. He couldn’t afford to be weighed down by the gear on the road, or else he would have happily taken the kit with him.

Matt and Seth were talking amongst each other, sharing tips on what they needed to do better next time, though Neil presumed it was mostly to stop Kevin from berating them, as he was keeping a careful eye on them even as he spoke to Drew.

Nicky and Aaron were talking in German which pulled Neil up short as he stared at them. He was shocked that they knew how to speak it and he felt the familiar panic setting in. They kept casting looks at him and Neil was suddenly glad he was leaving tonight. Neil would have thought they were doing it to trick him into saying something to them, until he actually deciphered the words and realised they wouldn’t be speaking German if they knew that Neil could understand them.

None of the others were reacting to the German and Neil presumed it was a semi-regular occurrence for them.

“How long do you think he’ll last?” Aaron asked Nicky, still in German.

Nicky shrugged and cast yet another look at Neil. “Hmmm, it depends how long your brother plans on keeping him around.”

Aaron scoffed. “I bet he’ll last a week.”

Nicky snuck another glance at Neil who was openly watching them. “I think he’ll stick around for at least a month.” Nicky sounded hopeful, and Neil felt bad about crushing it. “Besides, he’s hot, and everyone else here is boring.” He wiggled his eyebrows at Aaron.

He rolled his eyes back at Nicky, disgust coating his voice. “Shut up, Nicky. Don’t be so disgusting.”

Nicky just laughed, which finally caught the attention of Seth and Matt, though Kevin was too busy talking to Drew about his performance.

“What’s going on?” Matt asked Nicky.

Nicky shrugged, but it wasn’t as casual as he had wanted it to be. “Just the usual. Aaron doesn’t like me talking about my love life because his is so empty.”

Matt stifled a laugh at the outraged look on Aaron’s face. Neil didn’t manage to stifle his laugh though and winced at the scathing look Aaron sent him.

Neil turned to leave the room to escape Aaron’s wrath after setting his bag in a locker, but was pulled up short by Matt. “Hey, come and have dinner with us before you go?” He looked hopeful so Neil turned away mumbling a non-committal response as he exited the locker room.

 

-

 

Back in the room assigned to him at last, he fell down onto the bed that wasn’t Seth’s. He didn’t want to call it his bed because it was so temporary. There was barely anything that was actually his, and even those things he sometimes had to throw away.

Neil sighed and laid down on his stomach, quickly taking out his contacts and placing them in their case before closing his eyes. He needed rest and he didn’t have time to care about being fully dressed. He tucked himself under the covers, holding onto his bag and fell into a light sleep.

Movement from the door woke him. He scrambled to put in his contacts before the door opened and he sat up, grabbing for the knife in its sheath under the covers. When the door opened, revealing Nicky with a bag, he relaxed slightly.

“Andrew says to wear this.” He held out the bag to Neil. When he made no move to grab it, he just put it on his bed. “And to take those out.” This time, Nicky pointed at Neil’s eyes.

“Wha-?” Neil was too stunned to form words.

“The contacts. Andrew wants them out.”

“But how-?”

Nicky smiled, shaking his head. “They’re easy to spot when you know what you’re looking for,” was all he said.

Neil had finally caught up with everything and took his hand away from the knife to grab the bag and try to give it back to Nicky. “I have my own clothes.”

Nicky gave him a once over. “You are aware that they’re ugly, right?”

“They’re not ugly, they’re practical!” Neil cried.

Nicky cringed. “Oh, poor, sweet, innocent Neil. You are so lost in your delusions that you can’t see how ratty those clothes are. Accept the new ones, if only so that you will stop being an eye sore.”

Neil took offence to that, and tried to bite his tongue. “I’m not an eye sore! These are perfectly fine and normal clothes. I don’t want anything flashy.”

“Good thing these aren’t flashy. Be ready by ten thirty!”  With that, Nicky dashed out of the room, throwing a box into the room that he must have left by the door, and then slammed the door shut so Neil couldn’t get to him.

Neil sighed, resigned. It was likely Drew wouldn’t let him leave if he didn’t get changed.

He opened the box first, finding a pair of worn combat boots. They seemed better than his worn sneakers, but he didn’t like the idea of being pitied. And the thought that they were a gift was even worse.

When he upended the contents of the bag all over his bed, he stared in horror at the clothes. There were cut outs on the long-sleeved shirt, and it seemed to be designed for style over durability. Neil couldn’t wear it. His scars would be visible.

The trousers were fine; cargo pants with plenty of pocket space and made out of thick fabric. They were certainly newer-looking than his clothes and Neil wondered where they had come from.

Pushing it all from his mind, he slowly put on the new clothes in the bathroom, finding a light jacket in the box as well. Thankfully, when he looked in the mirror after putting the top on, he saw that there was another layer of fabric beneath the rips the same shade of black as the rest of the shirt. He didn’t really understand what made this better than his usual outfits, but he was more relaxed knowing that his scars would be hidden.

All the clothes, even the boots, fit him perfectly, and he wondered how Nicky had known his size.

After he shrugged on the jacket, he looked at himself in the mirror. His eyes, their true colour still hidden underneath his contact lenses, were brown, but he leaned closer and he saw the little ring around the edges that didn’t seem to quite match up.

Neil walked back out of the bathroom and noted the clock on the wall that ticked silently. It was eight thirty, and he had two hours to kill before he needed to leave. For now, he would keep the contacts in.

He made his way back to the diner he had been in earlier, and found everyone at the same table again, though with the exception of Kevin and Drew who were nowhere in sight. Aaron was sat next to Nicky and on his other side, there was an unfamiliar girl.

She held out her hand to Neil when she caught him eyeing her. “I’m Katelyn, Aaron’s…” she trailed off, looking at him. He gave a small, sad shake of his head, and she sighed. “Friend,” she finished off.

Neil was slow to take her hand and let go as soon as she let him. “I’m Neil.”

She sat up straighter in her seat. “You’re new! I thought I hadn’t seen you before. All my friends want to meet the new guy, since we rarely ever get newcomers, and when we do, they usually end up leaving after a few weeks.” She frowned. “Are you free tomorrow? I can set up time for them to meet you.”

Neil was stunned, and Aaron was watching him carefully. “Erm… I’m not sure what I’ll be doing tomorrow.”

Allison winked at him, taking in his new clothes appreciatively whilst Seth glared at him. “He’ll be free around lunchtime.”

Neil wanted to protest but couldn’t get a word in over Katelyn’s excited chatter about her friends. He mostly tuned her out, instead focusing on the food that was arriving at their table. It was set out on the table buffet-style and consisted of an array of foods. There was some rabbit, but also beef, and chicken. Neil knew they must have had a farm somewhere in the area if they had so much meat.

There were plates of roasted and sautéed vegetables, and the aromas were delicious. Different types of sauces were in pots, ready to be ladled out onto plates. To eat like this regularly was not something Neil had thought was possible for anyone, let alone himself, even if it was only for a short time.

He took a little bit of everything, too fascinated by the array to leave anything out. He barely restrained a groan at how good it all tasted after so long eating canned food.

Everyone at the table chatted as they ate, but Neil, once again just listened in, too busy eating to participate. Dan was talking about how she had scored against Renee, and Renee was smiling and congratulating her. When Matt leaned closer to Dan to join in on the conversation, he gave her a quick peck on the top of her head, and she beamed at him.

Seth was trying to avoid talking to anyone, watching Allison, and Allison kept looking at Neil, speculatively. Whereas Nicky was trying to get her attention about the state of Neil’s clothes and Aaron and Katelyn were whispering too quietly for Neil to hear.

Dan managed to engage Neil in conversation a few times, but Neil always redirected it to someone else after a few minutes.

Once again, Neil felt that unnamed emotion tugging at his heart as he watched them all eat and laugh together, but he also felt the absence of two of them more keenly than the others seemed to.

By the time dinner was over, it was ten and Neil had thirty minutes until he had to leave. He headed back to his room, Seth and Nicky following, and fell down on his bed. Seth went to the bathroom and Nicky smiled at Neil. “Are you nervous?”

“No.”

Nicky seemed anxious as he fiddled with a piece of string. He wouldn’t look Neil in the eye as they waited, even after Seth came out of the bathroom and left the room again. They sat in silence as Neil watched the clock tick away on his time here.

Five minutes before they had to be ready, Nicky suddenly stood up, looking Neil in the eyes. “Don’t lie to Andrew, do as he says, stick together, and don’t get bit. Those are the rules when we go out like this.” He stared pointedly at Neil’s eyes until he sighed.

“Not until we get outside the walls.”

Nicky shook his head, pulling a phone out of his pocket, newer than the one he had left behind at the Foxhole Court. “Oh, Andrew messaged to say clean your blade. We don’t want to attract any unwanted attention.”

Neil grimaced, seeking the knife. Would he actually be able to use it again without thinking of his mother? He wasn’t sure and suddenly he itched to light a cigarette.

Nicky shoved him into the bathroom. “Go on. You don’t want Drew to have to tell you in person.”

Neil turned on the tap and pretended to clean off his knife, but he pulled the blade from its sheath and couldn’t tune out the memories attached to it. He re-sheathed it without cleaning it.

Instead, he took his contacts out, putting them in their case, and the case back in his bag, fishing out a gun and a pack of ammunition that he shoved into his pocket.

Drew was standing in the bedroom and Nicky was nowhere in sight when Neil exited the bathroom. “Your stupidity knows no bounds.”

“Clearly,” Neil deadpanned.

Drew eyed the knife before plucking it out of the sheath before Neil could stop him. “Clean it or your death will be slow.” The stone-faced expression on his face made Neil shiver.

“I can’t.”

“For someone who seems to lie so much, you’re extraordinarily bad at it. Look at your eyes, little liar. Blue! Who would have known.” It was framed as a statement, and Neil took it to be sarcastic.

“I’m not lying.”

Drew stared at him until Neil felt stripped bare by his gaze. “Hmm, I would have to disagree. Did Nicky not tell you the rules here?”

Neil didn’t bother responding, holding his hand out for his knife.

“I don’t think so. I’ll be keeping a hold on this one until you can be trusted not to get us all killed.” The knife disappeared, and Neil frowned as Drew produced a shiny clean one. “Take it.”

Neil took the knife at Drew’s order.

“So, you can follow some rules, at least.” Drew patted him on the head. “Come along now, we have places to be.”

Out in the hallway, no one was there, but Neil didn’t bother asking where they were, following Drew all the way to the car, his duffel still slung over his shoulder.

In the car, Neil sat in the back between Drew and Aaron once more. A car behind them was loaded up with a few more people and Drew let out a sharp curse. “I told them to let us leave alone.”

Kevin turned from his seat in the front. “They don’t trust you with Neil.”

Drew didn’t respond and everyone remained silent in the car as they waited on Nicky who had gotten out to speak to the car behind them.

Neil wondered how easy it would be to slip past them all. He knew it wouldn’t be as simple as it had once been to lose them in a crowd, but he knew didn’t think any of them cared enough about him to worry if he ran off. They couldn’t, and Drew would stop them from going after him.

Neil closed his eyes and tried to get some sleep whilst he waited for his chance to escape.

Notes:

Thank you for reading and for all the support I have received! :)))

Chapter 14: The Runaway

Summary:

Neil goes outside and everyone runs into a surprise.

Notes:

Hey, I think the updates are going to be one a day from now on (I could be wrong) but I'm not going to have as much time to write. Thank you for your patientce. Enjoy! :)))

Neil awoke to low voices talking near him. He kept his eyes closed and pretended to still be asleep as he listened in.

“Why does he always carry that bag around with him?” Neil heard someone say in German.

Nicky said, “I don’t know. Why don’t you ask him?”

Neil yawned and stretched his arms in front of him as he blinked his eyes open before Aaron could respond.

Aaron grumbled at him, but other than that didn’t acknowledge him. Neil shied away from Drew, remembering the last time he had been in the car with a sleeping Drew, and he rubbed at his stomach, wincing at the remembered pain.

Aaron met Nicky’s eyes in the rearview mirror. “Why don’t you ask?”

Nicky rolled his eyes. “Because you asked me.”

Neil watched the conversation until Nicky saw him and gave him a smile. “Hey Neil,” he said in English.

Neil yawned before he got out a quiet, “Hello.”

Neil turned in his seat as much as he could until he could see out the back window of the car. Another car was following behind them, and Neil presumed Nicky had been unsuccessful in making them stay behind.

Nicky must have noted Neil’s glance, as he said, “It’s only Seth and Allison. The others are going to wait anxiously until we come home.”

Neil nodded, unsure whether Nicky was even looking.

The sky was dark, and the moon was out. Both cars had their lights on so Neil could make out some of their surroundings. The road was lined with streetlamps that probably hadn’t worked for at least two years, and there were a few buildings – rest stops – dotted here and there as the miles dragged on.

“Where are we?” Neil asked Nicky.

“We’re on the way to Columbia. Not sure how close we are, but I haven’t seen any zombies so we’re not close enough, yet.”

The rest of the journey passed in a tense silence. When Kevin woke up, he poked at Drew, moving away so that Neil was the one to get hit. Drew didn’t even seem to realise what had happened, but Neil rubbed at his chest.

“How long?”

“Thirty minutes, tops.”

Drew nodded, and crossed his arms as he settled in, waiting for the time to pass.

When Nicky turned the headlights off, so did Seth and Allison, and both cars slowed significantly until they rolled to a stop.

There were buildings shadowed by the darkness of night, and the whole place looked abandoned. Windows were broken on several of the buildings and little pieces of glass glinted in the moonlight, but Neil couldn’t decipher much else.

Drew slouched in his seat, unsnapping his seat belt. “Kevin, Neil, you’re with me. Aaron and Nicky, wait in the car or grab stuff. But be armed.” He then moved over the backseat and reached into the boot of the car, picking out a few guns and a lot of ammunition.

Kevin got out of the car and actually opened the boot, perusing the contents before picking up a large rifle which he strapped to his back, and a crowbar which he weighed in his hands before tucking it under his arm. Then he called through the car, “Aaron, Nicky? The usual?” When he got sounds of assent, he picked out an axe which froze Neil’s blood at the sight, and passed it through to Aaron. Neil couldn’t take his eyes off of it, and only vaguely saw the impression of a baseball bat covered in metal pricks being handed to Nicky.

When Drew shoved the back of Neil’s head, he finally looked away and shuffled out of the car after him. Drew watched him but Neil pretended to be too lost in thoughts of anything other than his father and axes.

Drew disappeared for a moment before coming back with bandolier with knives strapped to it, handing it to Neil. “I presume you know how to use them. If not, use your gun.”

Neil took the knives mutely, strapping it over his chest.

“Just who are you, Neil? Where did you come from?”

“I’m Neil Josten,” he said, hesitating with indecision. It was unlikely anyone would figure out who his father was just from an area. And Neil could see Drew was already sniffing out his lies, it was better to stick as close to the truth as possible. “From Maryland.”

“Interesting.” Drew looked at him. “Finally, some truth. Will you give me another?”

“Will you give me a truth in return?”

Drew smiled slightly. “You think you’re in a position to negotiate? I could leave you here. I could kill you.”

“You wouldn’t though. Kevin wants me here and the others would be mad. And for whatever reason, you do what you can to make Kevin happy.”

“How astute. Still stupid, though.” He sighed. “Fine, a truth for a truth.”

“Why do you do what Kevin wants?”

“I made him a promise.”

“Which was?”

“Answer my question next. Why do you lie about your name? No one should be able to look you up anymore.”

Neil swallowed. “I don’t like the reminder of my father. What did you promise Kevin?”

“Protection.” Drew watched Neil. “What’s your real name?”

Neil felt his hands start to shake. “I can’t tell you.”

“That’s not an answer.”

Neil huffed, running a hand through his hair. “Fine, my mother called me Abram since I’m named after my father.”

“Abram,” Drew sounded out.

“My turn. What are you protecting Kevin from? He seems capable of defending himself.”

Drew sighed. “You needed to know this anyway so you don’t go jeopardising everyone’s safety with your little fanboy act. Riko and his family.” Neil made a small sound of surprise. “No more truths now.”

“Please?”

Drew stiffened. “I hate that word.” He stormed away from Neil, meeting up with Kevin.

Nicky had gotten out of the car. “What was that about?” he asked, but Neil shrugged him off. Nicky left him to go over to Seth and Allison who were arming themselves with more weapons than any of Drew’s group had.

Somehow, Allison was still wearing a skirt but at least she had switched out her heels for sneakers that were somehow still bright white as if they had never been worn before. She also had an excessive amount knives and guns strapped to her body, but Neil wasn’t judging her. By the way she was throwing a knife in the air and catching it, she was capable enough of using the weapons.

Seth, on the other hand looked stressed and worn out. Neil felt a kinship with him, even when he was moody. He seemed to have a vitriolic hatred for Drew’s group, but they antagonised him too, so Neil couldn’t solely blame him. He was sure being around them constantly would wear anyone down.

When everyone was geared up, Kevin made a few silent hand gestures and they all split off, going their separate ways.

Neil followed Drew and Kevin, tightening the straps of his bag where he had it on his shoulders. He would walk with them until Drew stopped watching him, and then he would slip off when they were distracted.

He was so jittery with the anticipation but he forced his body to be still, to listen for anything that could kill him.

As a group, they entered an old shop. Neil found some hair dye on the floor, reached to pick it up, and immediately recoiled kicking it away when he saw the red hair on the bottle. Drew raised a brow at him but Neil continued poking around.

He found a few sealed bottles of water and stuffed them in his bag. He would need those for the journey ahead.

Kevin was poking through a shelf of tins, and Drew was in the pharmacy section. Neil went to the hair dye section and found some to make his hair black, gratefully stuffing them into his duffel.

A noise from the entryway had them all pausing and looking up. A zombie was ambling in and Neil reacted quicker than he thought he could, reflexively throwing a knife straight into its eye. Black blood spewed from the socket but it dropped to the floor, unmoving and Neil collected his knife, wiping the blood off on the zombie.

“So, you do know how to wipe a blade, after all.”

Neil gritted his teeth against the burning need to shout at him.

Kevin came to his rescue when he asked Drew, “Which one looks better?”

Drew didn’t seem to care. “Just take them all.” Kevin nodded and loaded them all into a bag.

They left that store, and went into the next one. Again and again, they moved through different stores, running into a few zombies that he or Kevin would take down. Drew never lifted a finger to shoot the zombies.

When they heard a shout, all of them jumped to their feet. Kevin took the lead, Drew running after him, and Neil followed, keeping enough distance so that he could see what had happened and run before anyone would notice.

A man was on the ground in the middle of the street, someone towering over him, and Neil recoiled when he saw a face he never wanted to see again.

Neil turned on his heel and ran.

He couldn’t stay.

He had been found.

Notes:

Thank you for reading. I apologise that I'm leaving this on a cliffhanger but I should have an update out by Sunday. I hope you liked it! :)))

Chapter 15: Ghosts from the Past

Summary:

Neil runs from his past.

Notes:

Hi there! Apologies for the lack of updates today. It's been a busy couple of days and I didn't have access to a laptop to write, but I do now. I hope you enjoy reading! :)))

Neil darted as quietly as he could around every corner that led him further away from her. The woman that helped his father to haunt him.

Even when he had lived with his father, she had what made Neil want to run away.

Lola Malcolm should have been dead. Instead, it was his mother that had departed from this plain. Neil hated Lola with a passion that was surpassed only by that of his absolute fury at his father.

Lola gloating above Seth’s prone body on the ground had stirred up too much in his head to think properly.

Neil’s blood was pounding so loud in his ears that he couldn’t tell if he was alone or not. He frantically looked around, wild-eyed. He watched each building as his panic built in his body, forcing adrenaline to pump through his blood.

He could have run for miles, but he had to clamp down on his fear first. And on the anger that made him far too reckless to live. At least, that’s what his mother had said about his temper, often comparing it to his father’s to the point where Neil could hardly stand the emotion that was bubbling beneath his skin.

Breathing getting increasingly ragged, Neil fought off the wave of dizziness that threatened to overcome him, sagging against the brick wall of a building that looked like it had been abandoned long before the first outbreak, four years ago. The rough brick texture beneath his hands helped to ground him and he worked to steady his breathing and his temper.

Once he thought he was calm enough, he continued to pick his way through the streets littered with abandoned cars and dead bodies, along with a few undead. He mostly managed to silently get rid of them as he went, even as he wished one would make its way over to Lola.

There were less than he thought there should be for an area as large as Columbia, but he presumed they had mostly scattered elsewhere.

Too distracted picking off another zombie, Neil didn’t notice the two people near him until they had already seen him.

“Over here,” came a familiar voice. Neil had jabbed a blade into the zombies skull and let it fall limp before turning to where the voice had come from.

Familiar long, blonde hair greeted him, but it was the person holding a serrated blade to her throat that caught Neil’s attention.

The black number ‘1’ on his face was a stark contrast to the pale skin that shone in the moonlight. He looked almost ethereal as his hand hovered over Allison’s throat.

“Well, well, well,” Riko said. “What do we have here?” He looked down at Allison who had shut her mouth after getting Neil’s attention.

“No one,” Neil replied. “I’m not looking for trouble.”

“Too bad.” Riko’s lips twitched up in the imitation of a smile. “You’ve already found it.”

Neil clenched his jaw and was glad he was still holding a blade so he wouldn’t have to reach for one. His aim could do with some practice if he was going to be throwing it though, and he didn’t want to risk hitting Allison or Riko when her neck was so close to his blade.

“As I was asking my little friend, here, you haven’t happened to see a tall man with a face tattoo of the number two, have you? I seem to have lost him.”

Allison widened her eyes at Neil, but Neil ignored whatever she was trying to tell him, opting to do what he thought best, instead. Neil had only been watching the scene unfold in front of him up to that point, but then he squinted, as if only just taking him in for the first time. “Wait,” Neil gasped, taking a step forward. “Are you Riko? Riko Moriyama?” Neil let his body shake with rage, that he covered with excitement.

Riko surreptitiously pulled Allison in for an awkward hug, as if to pretend that was all he had been doing from the beginning. His blade hovered near her chest instead of her neck and she seemed to relax and take a deep breath.

“I might be.”

“I’m such a huge fan! I never thought I’d see the day where I got to meet one of my biggest heroes!” Neil gushed, finding it difficult to muster up enough excitement to make it believable. He still wasn’t sure it was enough, but from the look of horror on Allison’s face, she was either worried it would get her killed faster, or Neil seemed like he was telling the truth.

Riko beckoned him closer, and Neil followed his direction, even as it irked him to no end. “If you know who I am, then you must know Kevin?”

Neil thought about it, then nodded. “Yeah, but I’ve not seen him. When did you last see him?”

Riko paused before responding. “We had a little bit of a spat, and he stormed off on his own. I’m worried at what it’ll do to him, being out on his own.”

Neil nodded, as if he was sympathetic, getting close enough to Riko that he could pat the arm hugging Allison. “Who’s this?”

“Oh, she’s a dear friend and told me she had seen Kevin, but couldn’t remember where.”

She snarked, “Like I’d ever be friends with dirt like you.”

Riko grimaced but had the sense to smile at Neil. “She’s joking, does it all the time.” His grip on her tightened until she paled and Neil thought he could see a small spot of blood through her top. Her eyes widened as she looked at Neil, and Neil had a horrible sinking feeling. The blood needed to be covered before more of the undead came out of hiding for dinner.

Neil patted Riko’s arm again, and Riko remained unaffected, but didn’t tense. Without preamble, Neil grabbed Riko’s arm that was holding Allison to him with the blade and brought it forwards. “Allison, down.” She fell to a heap on the ground and Neil pulled Riko forwards, forcing him to trip over her body and land on the ground, as Neil grabbed the blade that fell from him, wiping the blood on the tip of the blade on Riko’s clothes.

Riko lurched to his feet, but Neil was already pulling Allison away from him, hurrying away to find somewhere to hide from him.

Neil cursed his foolishness as he saw the questions in Allison’s eyes that she wouldn’t yet voice. His mother had taught him better, had taught him that the trail of casualties that they had left behind were unavoidable and necessary for their survival.

Saving Allison from whatever Riko had planned was certainly not something his mother would approve of, but Neil couldn’t bring himself to regret his actions.

When Neil and Allison had run for long enough that he felt it was safe to slow down, he disappeared into the first building he saw that seemed like it would have something to cover the blood that had seeped into Allison’s shirt. He held up a hand for her to wait outside whilst he checked the building, and when he heard quiet footsteps behind him, he wielded his knife until he realised it was Allison. He gave her an annoyed look, but said nothing as they split off to clear the place.

When Neil decided it was safe, he closed the door and locked it, hoping it would deter any unwanted visitors. Or at least slow them down enough for Neil and Allison to get past.

“Allison,” he called, and she walked towards him, holding a bandage and a new top that she must have found somewhere on the shop floor.

“Ugh, he ruined my favourite top,” she complained.

Neil didn’t respond.

She rolled her eyes at him. “Sorry, you don’t care, do you Mr. I-Love-Riko-and-Hate-Fashion?”

Neil held up a hand. “I saved you back there.”

She burst out laughing before covering her mouth to muffle the sound. “Did you? Or did you just get to meet your hero?”

Neil scowled. “I don’t care for Riko.”

“Good.”

Neil strode away to look for supplies he could take with him as he ran, whilst Allison got changed and covered her wound.

“He’ll pay for what he’s done. To Kevin and to me,” she was muttering as she approached Neil.

Neil chose not to say anything, and Allison watched him methodically go through the shelves of food to see what was still in date and appeared edible.

She worked with him in silence, and passed him food that she thought would be fine. He rejected a few of her picks, for nothing more than to not weigh his bag down too much.

Allison was the first to break their comfortable silence. “I’ll need Aaron to have a look at me before we leave. I can’t risk having a scratch from a zombie within the walls.” Neil gave her a quizzical look. “Riko’s grip was rather tight and he’s about as interesting as the dead.” She shrugged and Neil burst out laughing, which caused Allison to laugh and they had to wipe at their eyes to catch the tears that would have fallen.

“He is quite different to how he appeared in interviews.”

Allison scoffed. “If you believe anything, let it be that Riko has always been insufferable, and it’s only gotten worse. Why do you think Kevin ran from him?”

Neil just nodded, and Allison paused in her work. “Have you seen Seth?” she asked, and Neil cringed.

Allison’s eyes narrowed on his movement and he just shrugged.

“Tell me,” she demanded.

“Drew and Kevin were with him.” It wasn’t really a lie, but Neil felt a strange, uncomfortable sensation in his stomach at saying the words.

Allison visibly relaxed, and colour Neil hadn’t noticed had left her face, returned. “Good, I need to ream him out myself. We got separated when Riko cornered me and some woman that Riko was directing ran after him. I was worried.”

Neil nodded and didn’t say a word.

“Take me to them.” It was a demand and Neil wanted to refuse, but something in him wouldn’t let him, even as he saw the horrors Lola had inflicted upon others in front of him. Even as he thought of the horrors Lola had made him inflict on others at his father’s orders, and what he was sure she would do to him.

As worried as Neil was for his own safety, Allison’s demand overrode his mother’s rules which he had already been trampling over. As much as Neil hated orders, it was something his mother had ingrained in him, accidentally.

“Fine,” Neil said, feeling his stomach churn.

Allison stood and led them out of the shop, pausing in the doorway, indecision chasing him. He should run and leave Allison with the cars, but Lola was out there, seemingly searching for Kevin. As long as she didn’t see Neil, she wouldn’t know he was a better target. He could drop Allison off with Drew and Kevin and make a run for it then.

There were too many enemies circling around them for Neil to want to do any of it. All he really wanted was to run, but with Allison, that wasn’t an option.

Hurrying back towards where Neil thought Drew and Kevin would be, Neil failed to think of another possibility. The one where everyone was killed, and he was the only one left behind. Again.

That would certainly make him memorable.

Notes:

Thank you for reading! Have a lovely rest of your day/night! :)))

Chapter 16: The Idiot

Summary:

Andrew's POV. They confront Lola.

Notes:

I hope you enjoy the chapter! I thought I'd try something different this time. :)))

Andrew Minyard was having a bad day.

First, the man who admitted the name Neil was a lie, and had then told Andrew his name was Abram, had disappeared and Andrew didn’t have time to find him.

Second, Seth Gordon was being held at gun point, and it would be on him if he died. He couldn’t afford to be kicked out of Palmetto with Kevin at his side.

The woman that was bracing herself above Seth had hair lighter than his own, and the sneer on her face was cruel in a way that Andrew recognised. He could pinpoint every single time he had ever seen someone look like that in his life, but the memories weren’t pleasant and rather distracting at the present moment.

One of Seth’s hands was moving towards a fallen gun, but the woman was kicking it away from him before he could even come close to it. Andrew watched dispassionately, having pushed himself and Kevin behind the cover of a wrecked car.

The woman seemed to be questioning Seth, and Kevin was shaking next to him, but remained silent.

“Do you recognise her?” he asked Kevin in a quiet whisper, needing as much information as possible to properly assess the situation.

Kevin shook his head, and had paled enough that Andrew knew he would need to get him a drink soon when it was safe for him to fall apart.

Andrew had his gun out already, but he slipped a knife from one of the arm bands he wore beneath the sleeves of his hoodie. Palming it, he moved his wrist in a few slight moves to get used to the weight. This knife was a new addition, and he needed to be able to move with it as smoothly as with the others.

Kevin barely glanced at the knife, used to his behaviour, and too wrapped up in his own panic. A panic that Andrew had seen exactly one-hundred-and-thirty-three times over the last year he had known the man.

For now, Andrew would wait. The woman was still talking, and Seth seemed to be talking back.

Kevin nudged Andrew’s side, and he sent him a scowl. “Aren’t you going to do anything?”

Andrew kept the minor annoyance of Kevin’s question tucked in the recesses of his mind, to be unpicked later with Bee.

“Quiet, Kevin, or she might hear you.”

Kevin didn’t say another word and they both watched as the woman kept her cool. Andrew was waiting, but Kevin didn’t need to know for what.

Andrew narrowed his eyes as he saw movement behind the woman and Seth. Two figures were trying and failing to be stealthy. One, which looked like Allison, but was not wearing the same top as before, stopped dead in her tracks as she saw the woman and Seth.

From this distance, Andrew couldn’t quite make out her expression, but he could imagine the horror. Perhaps somewhere deep inside he felt sympathy, but if he did, it was buried too deep for him to notice.

Kevin hadn’t noticed the two people that were picking their way closer, but Andrew expected nothing else. Once the panic set in, only booze and sleep were important enough to Kevin to bring him out of it.

It was fortunate for Allison’s sake that the woman hadn’t seen her. Seth didn’t appear to have seen her either, but he was now picking up his volume. He wasn’t exactly a pleasant person most of the time and Andrew closed his eyes against the headache Seth was bringing on.

The other figure along with Allison finally took a step that allowed the moonlight to filter down over his face. His body was hunched over, and his bag was overstuffed. The clothes he wore were covered with a bit of dirt, and he was closing in on where Andrew and Kevin were hiding.

They made eye contact and Abram gestured silently to Allison.

The idiot was going to do something he would regret.

Andrew would let him. He didn’t owe him anything. They had made no promises to each other except a truth for a truth. So long as he kept Kevin and his family out of it, Neil could get himself killed and Andrew would be glad for it.

Andrew kept the knife in his hand hidden where Abram wouldn’t be able to see it.

When Abram pushed Allison in front of him, she turned to throw him a glare, but when she turned back around, she met Andrew’s eyes and threw him a nasty look. She crouched as she ran to the car they were hiding behind before she hissed out, “Why aren’t you helping him?”

Andrew simply shrugged. “What business is it of mine?”

She was shaking with fury, but bit back on saying anything more. Abram hadn’t joined them behind the car, instead opting to run behind buildings until he was closer to the woman and Seth.

Andrew watched with interest. Most of what Abram had done had bored him, except lying about his name. That had been an annoyance and a curiosity.

Andrew hadn’t seen a gun on Abram, and wondered why he would risk approaching such a volatile woman with a knife.

The woman had started to trace a blade over Seth’s face, though she wasn’t stupid enough to draw blood out here.

Andrew heard a familiar noise coming from all around them, and shifted to get ready to move. No one else had noticed the noise, too engrossed in whatever was going to unfold in front of them.

Except for Abram. He had been pulled up short at the sound that had tugged at Andrew’s ears, though he seemed confused, as if he couldn’t place it. Idiot.

After a moment, however, he continued forward. Andrew tracked his progress, and saw the subtle shift in the woman’s body language as she realised someone was following her.

Abram was going to get himself killed, and Andrew didn’t feel glad for the mess being cleared off of his hands as he had thought he would. It confused him, and his hand squeezed unconsciously over the knife covered in flaking, dried blood that he had confiscated from him earlier.

Abram’s hands were shaking slightly, and he seemed to take a calming breath before he cleared his throat, making the woman’s head snap up. Andrew couldn’t see her face, but he moved out from behind the car he had been using as a cover, and hurried closer, motioning for at least Kevin to follow him. Allison could move or stay, it didn’t matter to Andrew, so long as she stayed out of his way.

 When they were all safely hidden behind another car, this one mere feet away from Seth, the woman, and Abram, Andrew peered through the windows. If he shot the woman now, it would gather more attention than he wanted. It would be too loud, and he didn’t want Aaron or Nicky to come and investigate. They would just get in the way as Abram was.

The woman was talking to Abram and Abram had pulled a knife, but he was shaking and his grip looked weak.

“Who let a child like you wander around?”

Abram didn’t respond, but his trembling stopped.

“Hmm? Is he you’re friend? Maybe you’ll answer my questions.” She turned to look at Seth, smiling at him. “Doesn’t that sound nice? I’ll leave you alone.”

Seth rolled away from her now that he was able to. He moved away from her, too slow for Andrew’s liking, but he managed to scoop up his fallen gun.

“I don’t even know who he is,” Seth lied.

The woman watched him, tilting her head. “Well, that’s curious, isn’t it? Why would a stranger save you?” She laughed and Abram shrunk back before recovering.

“I don’t know.”

The woman tapped her chin with the tip of her knife. “Well, he’s not working with me, so he’s a liability. As are you, if you don’t tell me where Kevin is right now.”

Seth pulled the gun up in front of him, and pressed the trigger as he aimed it at the woman. He was shaking too badly for the bullet to hit her, and instead Abram went down.

Andrew surged to his feet, a steady hand aiming at the woman.

“You fucker!” the woman screamed at Seth, throwing her knife just as Andrew pulled the trigger.

Abram had thrown himself at the woman when he had seen the knife, knocking them both over and making the bullet soar over their heads harmlessly.

“Shit!” the woman shouted again, shoving Abram off of her. She rounded on where Andrew had shot at her from, but he had hidden away again before she could see him.

She reached for a weapon that wasn’t there, and scowled.

The noise that had been quiet enough no one else had noticed earlier, was now much louder. The groans and shuffling feet of the undead were fast approaching them. More than Andrew had anticipated.

Blood was coating the street and Andrew had to hold back a long-suffering sigh when Aaron and Nicky appeared between a couple of buildings. Nicky was holding his bat, whilst Aaron was carrying a box of medical supplies.

The woman screamed again at the sight of more people approaching, before shouting at the surrounding buildings, “We will find you Kevin, and you will regret the day you ran away from us!” She ran off, not wanting to stick around when she was so clearly outnumbered, and with the undead approaching.

Andrew tucked the knife he had out, away, trying to stifle some of the scent of blood that was drawing them closer.

It was a fruitless task though, as when he looked over at Abram and Seth, Abram was bleeding from a wound in his stomach, and Seth had a knife sticking out of his abdomen with a growing pool of blood spreading out around him.

Andrew clenched his jaw.

They would soon be outnumbered by the undead. They couldn’t hold all of them off for long.

But Abram was trying to save Seth, folding his hands over the other man’s wound.

Without a conscious thought, he rushed over to Abram and Seth. “We have to move. Stifle all the blood you can, and get your asses up.”

With gritted teeth, they both did as requested, leaning heavily on one another. Allison tucked her body under Seth’s free arm, helping, even as she got blood all over herself.

“Follow me,” he ordered, turning on his heel. He grabbed Kevin who was still hiding behind the car, and hurried to his brother and cousin, keeping an eye out for any threats.

Their mismatched group picked their way through buildings, Andrew and Kevin taking the lead. Andrew shot anything that moved, whilst Kevin swung his crowbar at anything that came too close.

Between the two of them, the group was protected, even as the trail of blood behind them was growing.

Andrew would protect his family with his life, and if Allison, Seth and Abram were in the group too, he would extend his protection to them for the time being.

Even if Abram was an unrelenting idiot.

Notes:

Thank you for reading! I hope you have a lovely day/night! :)))

Chapter 17: The Reckless becomes the Foolish

Summary:

Neil and the others have to get back to the car.

Notes:

Hi, I hope you enjoy this chapter! Thank you for all your comments/kudos, I really appreciate it! :)))

Neil sagged against Seth’s body, holding onto the wound in Seth’s abdomen as he gathered his strength to haul them both faster. Allison was helping on Seth’s other side, and she was sharing the burden, but they were falling a bit behind the main group.

Aaron kept flicking glances at them as he rummaged in his bag of medical supplies.

Seth was sickly pale and Allison kept watching him, but no one said a word, and Seth and Neil were biting back exclamations of pain as they picked their way to wherever Drew declared safe.

Neil could feel the blood racing down his chest from his wound, but his top was soaking up a lot of it.

If they got out of this alive, Neil would need to apologise. He had dragged his own mess to them accidentally, even if Lola hadn’t realised who he was. Soon she was bound to figure it out. Though, it certainly was interesting to find out about Riko’s violent tendencies. He could at least sympathise with Kevin who had somehow had to put up with Riko for most of his life. It was a miracle they were both alive.

Black spots were flickering in Neil’s vision, and he recognised the precursor to passing out. He tried to take in deep breaths and remain upright, but his body was beginning to feel heavy. The loss of blood was weighing heavily on him, even as he fought against it.

Unfortunately, he was no match for the blood loss, and his hearing was the next to go. He had blacked out before he even felt his legs give way.

 

-

 

Groaning, Neil tried to throw his arm over his face but hissed out at the sudden pain that exploded in his chest instead.

Voices floated around him. “He’s waking up.”

“Good, someone needs to yell at him for his incompetence.”

“Shut up, Andrew. We should be happy that he’s waking up at all.”

“He’s very lucky.”

Someone scoffed. “We met the same little liar, didn’t we? Or has the shock hurt your memory, Kevin? I’d say we were all rather unlucky by his miraculous survival.”

Someone close by whispered, “I should’ve aimed better.”

A woman cooed, “No, no. You did great, babe. You did so great.” Neil could hear the wobbly notes in her voice and could imagine her face covered in tears.

Neil groaned again and this time scrunched his eyes before peeling them open. They felt as if they had been glued together, and he had to blink several times before the hazy room came into a sharper focus.

“Wh-What-“ Neil tried to speak, but his tongue was stuck to the roof of his parched mouth.

Aaron helped Neil to sit up, working methodically in a way that caused Neil minimal pain. He propped him against a wall. Nicky was quick to push an uncapped water bottle into his hands and encouraged him to drink. Neil took a few large mouthfuls, until he felt a bit better and then tried again.

“What’s happening? Where are we?”

Nicky looked at Drew, but Drew was only watching Neil.

Neil took a look around. Next to him, sitting up in a similarly uncomfortable-looking way was Seth, who had a bandage around his abdomen where a knife had been. The gauze was already soaked through with blood and Aaron was watching him.

Kevin was leaning against a wall opposite Neil so he could watch with Drew besides him. Allison was sat beside Seth, holding onto one of his hands.

“We were waiting on you. Now that you’re awake, we can go again. There’s nothing more we can do for you or Seth here,” Aaron said from where he was watching them both closely.

Neil nodded and bit back his groan. “Well, I’m fine.”

Everyone narrowed their eyes at that, but he ignored them. In favour of looking for his bag.

He let his eyes trail over the disused office space. A few desks and rolling chairs were dotted about, and Neil realised he was sat on a desk. He looked beneath it, and found his bag and the bandolier of blades he had been given.

He turned, swinging his legs off of the desk and letting them dangle. He couldn’t reach the floor, and he shuffled closer to the edge of the desk until his feet reached. His chest was burning, but he moved carefully. When his feet touched the ground, he slowly put all of his weight on them, holding onto the desk until he was sure he was steady.

He took another swig from the water bottle before wiping his mouth with the back of his hand. Everyone was still watching him warily.

“We need to get back to the cars,” Drew finally spoke up. “Seth, walk or be carried, but keep up.” With that, Drew gathered his weapons and walked to the lone door in the room. He pushed against it, leaning on it as if listening for anything beyond.

Aaron blocked Neil’s view of Drew. “Take it easy, I wasn’t able to do a lot. You’ll probably still feel woozy until we can get back and get you treated properly.”

Neil barely restrained his cringe. He couldn’t run now. Not when he was so weak. He would just be doing his father a favour if he went off on his own now, and Neil wasn’t feeling particularly charitable at the moment.

He tried to reason that he would only have to stay a few days to rest up and then he could go off on his own.

Aaron gave him a lingering look, before moving to check on Seth. Neil went to pick up his bag, but Nicky beat him to it. “No, no, no. Doctor’s orders.” He waggled a finger in Neil’s face. Nicky then made Neil put an arm over his shoulders so that he could help support him. “We can’t have you getting lost or falling behind. Dan would never forgive us.” Nicky smiled, but Neil just looked blankly at him.

Looking at Seth, Neil could see that he was getting a similar treatment to Neil, which at least made Neil feel a bit better. Seth actually tried to start arguing with Aaron, but when Aaron gave a gentle prod to his wound, he shut up and scrunched his face in pain. Allison took his bag, and Aaron supported one side whilst she took Seth’s other side.

Kevin kept his hands free from anything other than weapons, and he and Drew took the lead, setting a pace that jolted Neil with every step, but he kept up without complaint. They had to move fast as Neil and Seth were covered in blood and the undead would be lured to them before long.

The group made it out of the building and hurried through unfamiliar streets. Neil hoped the cars were close by as he saw the first undead wandering towards them. It seemed more confused than they usually were, but Drew shot it down before it could latch onto the scent of blood.

They hurried along as a group, Neil gritting his teeth, until they were in streets that Neil vaguely recognised. He had never been to Columbia before so he knew that it must be because they were nearing the cars.

Neil found a renewed energy coursing through him which dulled the pain from his bullet wound as more undead popped into view. Drew took care of as many as he could, but soon Nicky was struggling to grab a weapon, and a glance behind him confirmed that Allison and Aaron were also arming themselves. Neil struggled for a gun that Nicky was carrying, barely clasping his hands around it before the undead were surging dangerously close.

The group was split up as the undead came closer, no one able to keep up with Drew and Kevin as they ran ahead to the cars, trying to carve a path out that the others were too slow to follow.

Neil grabbed the bandolier of blades from where it was hanging on Nicky’s shoulder before darting away from him. The undead were after blood, and Neil was sure he stunk of it with his open wound. He didn’t want to put Nicky at risk any more than he already was, and he could fight better without having to look out for Neil.

Seth’s group was now surrounded by the undead, and Neil yelled, grabbing some of their attention as he steeled himself to run, ready to lure the zombies away.

“Over here! Fresh blood! Come and get it, assholes!” Neil taunted before taking off at a dead sprint, grabbing several knives and throwing them with an accuracy honed over many years, straight at the heads, forcing them to drop like flies.

Neil fired a few shots at the horde surrounding him, and a few more dropped, but he was quickly realising he had bit off more than he could chew. He hoped that the others were fairing a bit better than him at least.

The adrenaline running through him was the only thing that kept him going. He could feel blood pouring openly down his chest much faster than it had been, but he just kept going even as he could feel the pain catching up to him.

He would find a way out of this. He always did.

The horde was closing in, some of them were close enough to touch, and Neil fired the rest of the bullets into the mass, but there were too many for him to take down alone.

He felt three lines of fire scratch through his arm where his sleeves had been pushed up, and he sucked in a sharp breath.

It was over. His life was over.

He hoped that the others had gotten out, that they had managed to get to the cars.

But most of all, he hoped his actions weren’t all in vain.

He hoped they got to live the life that Neil never had the chance to.

Neil slashed the knives in his hands out, taking out more undead, but there were still more hiding behind them, ready to leap at him and Neil’s strength was waning.

He felt a sharp sting on his uncovered arm, and he reflexively punched the knife through the head of the zombie whose teeth were still embedded in Neil’s skin.

All he could do was stare in shock at the bite mark on his arm, even as he was still cutting into the undead.

Death had come for him, and Neil was barely able to resist its call. His recklessness had once again become foolishness, and he knew his mother would hate him for ignoring her lessons.

He had held the horde off for as long as he could.

He closed his eyes, and surrendered to the mass.

Notes:

Thank you for reading! :)))

Chapter 18: A Survivor and a Liar

Summary:

Andrew's POV. The gang goes home.

Notes:

Thank you for the comments and kudos! I hope you enjoy this chapter, I've been experimenting a bit with different POVs but idk if I'll continue or not. Enjoy! :)))

Andrew and Kevin had rushed to where the cars were parked. It wasn’t far from where they had lost the rest of the group, but the horde was getting bigger and they didn’t have a lot of time to get to the others.

Instead of waiting around for them to find Andrew and Kevin, Andrew revved his car’s engine, already scowling at the thought of what he was going to have to do. Abram would owe him a car wash after this.

Securing his seatbelt, Andrew honked his car horn and floored it, attracting the undead to him just in time for him to run them over. He felt their heads burst beneath the tires and the satisfaction was almost enough to drown out the rest of the emotions raging within him.

In his rearview mirror, he could see Kevin following behind him looking decidedly uncomfortable and agitated. Andrew just flicked a little finger wave at him as he continued driving over the bodies on the ground. Kevin kept swerving, as if trying to avoid them, but the ground was too littered in bodies for him to be able to completely avoid it.

Maybe he’d wreck Seth’s car. Andrew smiled at the prospect. Seth really needed to learn his place, and Andrew knew that he loved his car more consistently than he loved Allison. Maybe if Kevin didn’t wreck it, he would do it himself.

His contented thoughts slipped away along with his smile when he saw the horde that was closing in on a group. It either had his brother or his cousin, and neither was an acceptable loss. He couldn’t break his promise to Aaron, and he would raze this entire city to the ground if anything happened to him.

Grabbing his gun off of the passenger seat, he slowed down as he drove, knocking over weakening and decaying bodies that hadn’t had sustenance in so long. It was surprisingly easy to knock them down and drive over them, just a little bumpy, but he didn’t mind.

When he saw the familiar head of blond hair, he honked the car’s horn again. He noted that all of them seemed to have found their way together except for Abram who was just trying to make Andrew’s life harder, apparently. He would have dealt with the loss of Abram if only Kevin wouldn’t complain about his absence.

Kevin’s car had gone around the horde which had converged on the group and was clearing space for them to hop in. Allison, Seth and Aaron all jumped into the back of his car, whilst Nicky rushed to the passenger side. Andrew was still too busy running over the undead and scanning the area for any signs of Abram to pay much attention to Kevin’s frantic gestures to the others. He would be fine to drive out of Columbia until he found somewhere to stop and switch over with Nicky.

Andrew spared Kevin a dismissive look and flick of his wrist, and Kevin sped off. If Seth was going to survive, he needed help and quickly. Andrew had seen the stab wound and had thought it best to leave the knife in, but Aaron had insisted on removing it and bandaging the area as best he could, just to make sure in their rush that Seth wouldn’t accidentally make the wound worse.

Now that the people were driving away, the zombies seemed confused for a moment, wandering aimlessly until they caught something – or someone – else. Andrew idled along behind them as he watched where they were going.

Driving behind a building that had a decaying sign, declaring it as “Ed n’  T ilight”, Andrew saw the surging mass of decaying bodies before him, all gathered together. It was a common habit of the undead when they had found something to eat, and Andrew revved his engine loud enough to rouse their attention away from whatever it was they had found before driving straight into the mass. He was willing to take the risk of running whatever they had over, even as he considered it would be Abram.

His hand tightened on his gun. It was probably already too late for him if it was.

Andrew kept a steady pace forwards over the undead, reversing over the bodies he hit, and then forwards again, until he reached the centre of the mass.

Abram was fighting off over a dozen zombies but he seemed barely aware that he was doing it. The blood loss he had suffered wouldn’t allow him to protect himself for much longer based on the stain covering his top.

Andrew pressed on the horn to get Abram’s attention.

Abram turned to look at him. They made eye contact.

He seemed entranced and Andrew leaned heavily on the horn again before reaching over to the passenger side door and getting ready to open it.

Finally, Abram took the few steps it would take to get to Andrew’s car, and Andrew shoved the door open, hauled Abram in, fired a few shots out at the undead that were trying to crawl into the car after their dinner, and slammed the door shut again, before reversing away, tyres screeching.

Abram was slumped in his seat but Andrew elbowed him. “Seatbelt, or else I might think you want to be die. Maybe I’ll drop you off at an all-you-can-eat buffet. I’m sure the zombies will enjoy it.”

Abram didn’t respond, but weakly tried to put his seatbelt on, blindly trying to engage it, before Andrew couldn’t stand the pathetic-ness of it all and clicked it in himself.

They were racing down the roads that led back the way they had come, and Andrew adjusted the rearview mirror. Nicky really liked to change everything in the car just to fuck with Andrew, though secretly, Andrew didn’t mind nearly as much as Nicky thought.

After a few minutes of silence, Andrew spoke again. “Don’t be getting blood on my seats. They’re premium leather and it’s rather difficult to get the car booked in somewhere to be cleaned nowadays.”

Abram let out a small grunt, but his eyes were closing.

“Oh Abram, falling asleep? Really?” Andrew spared Abram a look, who was trying to blink and keep his eyes open. “Nothing to say?”

Something strange, akin to panic, was bubbling up in Andrew’s chest at Abram’s lack of response, and he pushed the car even faster.

He changed tactics.

“Why was Nicky not with you?”

Abram groaned at that, before rubbing his face with one hand. “I was helping him.”

Andrew threw him a concerned look. “Well, I wouldn’t say killing yourself would help Nicky. He’s rather sensitive, you know. I’d rather not have to deal with him moping around just because of you.”

“The others were becoming overwhelmed. Thought I’d lead some away…” Abram’s voice was fading, and Andrew couldn’t do anything about it whilst they were in the middle of nowhere.

The rest of the drive passed in a blur, but Andrew remembered every second, counted every breath Abram took, noted every tree they passed, until they were back at the gates leading into Palmetto.

He leaned on the horn until someone opened the gates for him, and then he drove right past the parking area, until he was in front of the building that housed the actual infirmary.

Climbing out, he unsnapped Neil’s seatbelt and hauled him out, taking them both into the infirmary where Aaron and Abby were waiting for them.

Aaron’s face was sullen, but it assessed Andrew and when he saw no injuries, his shoulder’s relaxed. Then he noticed Abram and he was taken from Andrew.

“What happened to him?” Abby asked, cutting away the material stuck to his chest with blood.

“He got shot by Seth.” It was unnecessary to add that it was Seth’s fault, but Andrew was in a shit-stirring mood. Sure enough, Allison was peering around a curtain at him.

“Shut up, Andrew.”

“Seth shot him. Maybe he should spend more time working on him aim and less time shooting himself up, and then maybe he wouldn’t be injured either.”

“Last I checked, you didn’t shoot the woman, either,” Allison snapped back, her grip on the curtain turning white.

Andrew smirked. “If the little liar hadn’t interfered, she would be dead.” And so would Seth, he thought, but didn’t say.

Allison stormed up to him, and looked him in the eyes. Whilst she was taller than him, he just affected a casual stance and watched her with a bored expression, enraging her more.

“Say one more word, Andrew, and I swear, I will-“

Andrew cut her off. “You’ll what? Hurt me?” He slid a knife out from the bands covering his arms, pushing it against her stomach. “I would have to advise against that unless you want a matching scar with your boyfriend?”

“You’re insane,” she seethed but stepped back.

Aaron stepped in and dragged her back to Seth’s bedside until Andrew couldn’t see her anymore.

Andrew instead cast a disdainful look at Abram. His body was covered in a sheen of sweat and the blood on his skin was a stark contrast to the paleness of his skin.

Abby turned her attention to him. “You can go, Andrew. I’ll let you know his status in a few hours.” She pulled the curtain around Abram’s bed to emphasise her point, and Andrew reluctantly left.

With nothing he wanted to do, he went for a shower, trying to cleanse himself of the past few hours of madness. For now, Abram and Seth were alive, but who was to say what a few hours would do.

Though, Andrew was sure the little liar wouldn’t have survived this long just to be taken down by friendly fire.

Notes:

Thank you so much for reading! I really appreciate it and I hope you enjoyed this update! :)))

Chapter 19: Bite Marks and Truths

Summary:

Neil and Andrew have a talk.

Notes:

Thank you so much for all your lovely comments and kudos! I really appreciate it and I hope you enjoy this update! :)))

Fire felt like it was racing through his chest, his lungs, and suffocating him.

He couldn’t breathe, and he couldn’t think.

Everything around him was hazy, voices sounded too distant, he couldn’t make his eyes focus on anything more than fuzzy splotches.

Neil wanted to scream but he couldn’t draw in enough air.

Help me, was his last thought before oblivion took him away, trapping him within himself.

 

-

 

Neil flicked open his eyelids and immediately squeezed them shut again. The light was too strong and he turned his head to the side, before peeking again.

This time he saw a curtain, pulled so that he couldn’t see beyond. He moved his head so it was facing the other way and peeked again. A chair was set next to him, and it was currently occupied by a sleeping Drew. Neil had to blink a few more times to be certain that he wasn’t imagining it, or mistaking him for his twin brother.

When Neil tried to push up, he let out an involuntary groan of pain, loud enough to wake Drew who instantly lurched forwards like he was about to attack before he blinked his eyes open and settled back into his chair.

A grave expression was carved into his face. “Hmm, look what the cat dragged in,” Drew said, before yawning and stretching. “Can you speak or does the cat have your tongue, still?”

Neil tried to lift his hands in front of him as his mind tried to piece together what he remembered. His memories were fractured, though, likely due to the blood-loss he had suffered. When his hand caught on something and he could lift his arm up no further, Neil looked at himself.

He was cuffed to the bed with metal handcuffs on both of his wrists and both of his ankles.

He gave Drew a confused look, and he laughed. “I require words, Abram, or else I’ll let the cat drag you back out again.”

Neil swallowed, his throat too dry, and attempted to speak. “Why-?” He broke off in a coughing fit and Drew held a bottle of water up.

“More words, Abram, and then you can have a refreshing drink. I just want to make sure you aren’t in a biting mood.”

Neil was getting more confused by the second, but he tried to clear his throat and try again. “Why… am I here?” he struggled to get out. “Where –“ he broke off, coughing. “Where is anyone else?”

Drew feigned hurt, slapping a hand against his chest and miming clutching at his pearls. “Is that anyway to speak to the one who is protecting you right now? I’m hurt, really,” he deadpanned. “As for the here, it’s because you were shot.” He narrowed his eyes at him. “Do you remember what happened?”

Neil thought about it, trying to push past the headache he was getting. “I-I think so,” he whispered, parched. “Can I have water now?”

Tapping a finger to his chin, Drew pretended to think about it, whilst eyeing him. “I suppose so.” He held up his finger then. “If you explain what happened.”

Neil was too thirsty to think it through and reached for the water Drew was still holding. “Yes, yes, whatever.”

Drew unscrewed the cap and handed it off to Neil who thankfully could reach his mouth, and began gulping the refreshing water down. Drew tried to take it away from him, but Neil continued drinking just to spite him.

He felt his sleeve slip down and he paused his drinking, chancing a glance at his bare forearm. From this angle, he could see the slight indentation of teeth marks, and he froze, his headache getting worse as the memories of fighting came back to him.

Throwing the bottle away from him, he attempted to scramble away from Drew who was also eyeing his arm. “Stay away,” Neil warned, but Drew wasn’t paying attention to his words.

“Interesting,” was all he said in response as his hands hovered over the bite mark.

Now that Neil noticed it, he could feel the lingering pain in his arm, and he could feel the pain of scratch marks that he couldn’t see on the same arm. Tugging his sleeve down, Neil turned away from Drew, hoping the other man would drop it.

“I-I didn’t know,” Neil stuttered, trying to get his erratic breathing under control as Drew continued to stand over him and stare.

“And yet, you’re still in the land of the living.” Drew tilted his head as if it would give him a better understanding of Neil. “Rather curious, don’t you think?”

Neil shrank in on himself. Drew was a calculating creature, and he was sniffing out Neil’s lies too easily. He was a predator circling its prey as it bled out. Drew didn’t just want to go for the kill, he wanted to savour it.

Taking shaky breaths, Neil tried to calm his racing heart but it was having no effect. Drew’s looming presence was too menacing, and the pain in Neil’s body was too overwhelming.

“Maybe you need a bit of encouragement to loosen your tongue?” Drew tipped his head up so he could look at the ceiling.

“How about a truth for a truth?” Neil suggested. He knew he had to tell Drew, but that didn’t mean he was happy about it, at least this way, he could get information in return.

“Fine, me first, though.”

Neil gestured for him to ask.

“Why haven’t you joined the undead by now?”

Neil sucked in a breath. “I’m… I’m not sure. I thought I was going to die. I’d accepted it.” Drew gave him a searching look, before accepting his answer.

“Your turn.”

Neil searched for something to ask. Drew was mostly still a mystery, so much so that he couldn’t see where to start with his questions. “Why do you hate the word ‘please’?”

Drew stiffened, but forced his body to relax. Neil had hit a nerve. “I’ve heard it too often.” It was a vague, unsatisfying answer, but Neil knew it was what he was trying to give back to Drew so he couldn’t complain. “Why did you go off on your own when Seth was being threatened by that mad woman?”

It was Neil’s turn to stiffen. “Some people fight and others take flight in dangerous situations. I guess, I like to run.” It wasn’t the truth Drew wanted from the way his eyes narrowed, but it was the only one Neil was willing to give to him.

Drew looked like he wanted to ask more, but instead he gestured for Neil to ask another question.

“Who did you hear it from too often?” Neil asked, careful not to say the word this time.

Drew looked him dead in the eyes, as he said, “Myself.” Sucking in a breath, Neil let it out in a rush and felt crimson gathering in his face. He had pried too deep, and he knew he wouldn’t be allowed another question.

To Neil’s surprise though, Drew asked him one more question. “Are you a danger to my family and this community?”

Neil pondered the question. Lola hadn’t seemed to recognise him, in fact Neil was certain that she had been asking after Kevin, which meant that she wasn’t looking for him, even if his panicked haze made him doubt that. “Not anymore than Kevin is with all his enemies.”

Drew scowled but accepted it with a nod. “You get one more question.”

Neil tried to think of anything he could ask, and blurted out the first thing he thought of, his thoughts snagging onto Drew’s strange mood swings. “Why are you sometimes so cheerful and others you’re more-“ Neil was lost for words and he gestured at Drew as if that filled in the blank until he thought to say, “-serious?”

Drew raised a brow. “I’m always serious, but if you must know, they give me little pills to make me happy. It’s a condition from the great people of Palmetto after Aaron’s mother disappeared.” He smiled widely at that, and Neil could see that he was not clouded by whatever they gave him. He wanted to protest and say that Dan and the others he had met didn’t seem like the type to order that, but Drew anticipated it. “I said the people of Palmetto – it is a democracy after all, and you’ve not met most of the people here that do the grunt work.”

Neil had more questions, but he knew he wouldn’t be allowed anymore, and Drew seemed tired of their game.

“Sleep some more, Abram, and then your fate will come to a vote.”

With those not-so-comforting words, Drew left Neil, disappearing behind the curtain that was pulled around Neil’s bed.

Left alone with his thoughts, Neil closed his eyes and let his mind drift away once more.

Notes:

Thank you for reading! I hope you have a great day/night! :)))

Chapter 20: Hospitals and Visitors

Summary:

Neil wakes up and sees the Foxes.

Notes:

Hey! I'm sorry for the brief chapter, I wanted to get something out today, but everything's pretty hectic in my life rn. So enjoy! :)))

When Neil next awoke, it was to Dan hovering over him, with Aaron beside her trying to shoo her away.

Somewhere behind them he could make out Abby Winfield’s voice telling them both to give him some space.

“But he’s awake!” Dan protested before she was dragged away by Matt who had snuck up behind her.

“Give him some space, Dan,” he chided, and she mock pouted at him, before bursting into laughter.

She gave him a look that Neil couldn’t decipher and Matt sighed into her hair as he rested his head on top of hers, hugging her from behind.

Beside them, Renee was giving Neil a kind smile, as she watched on. “I’m glad that you’re awake Neil,” she said softly.

Allison and Seth were nowhere to be seen but Neil put them out of his mind when Nicky burst through the curtains surrounding his bed, a stern expression on his face. “Aaron, I’ve been looking all over for you. Andrew asked for you.” Nicky hadn’t seemed to notice Neil until he finished speaking, but when he did, his frown dropped and he smiled wide. “Neil! You made it! Andrew wouldn’t tell me where you were. He said he left you to die.” Nicky did a much more exaggerated pout than Dan had done.

Neil opened his mouth and croaked out, “He left me here, didn’t he? Probably didn’t expect me to last for long.”

Nicky opened his mouth to protest but Aaron jabbed his elbow into his stomach and Nicky remained quiet as he sent a glare to his cousin and rubbed his injury.

Instead, Abby stepped forward and asked Neil, “How are you feeling?”

Neil took a mental inventory of himself and shrugged. “I feel fine.” In actuality, his shoulders burned, though he knew it wasn’t serious. He had had much worse in the past and this was more like a hindrance to him playing Exy than a life-threatening condition, which almost upset him more. If he had to be there to rest and heal up, he wanted to be able to play Exy.

Everyone watched him as he struggled to sit up but managed it all on his own after waving off offers from help. Nicky said his farewell’s to Neil and dragged a scowling Aaron from his little cubicle.

Neil was glad to see that his arms were still covered and the handcuffs had been taken off, but he felt a distinctive itchy sensation around where the bite mark and scratch marks were on his arms. He tried not to make it too obvious as he scratched it a little to relieve the itch and no one seemed to notice.

Before the staring and silence could become uncomfortable, Allison burst into the room, several bunches of bouquets and balloons trailing behind her. Her eyes landed on him immediately and Renee stepped closer to help her untangle the balloons as Allison gave Neil a bouquet. “Here, this is for you,” she said.

Neil took it, not understanding why he was getting flowers.

His blank face must have given him away as Dan and Renee started to arrange the ballons and put the flowers into a vase that Allison had put in a bag and Matt moved to sit on the edge of his bed. “You really went all out, Allison.” He looked impressed. “Everyone else who comes in here is going to get jealous.”

Allison hmphed, but didn’t deign to say anything else, turning her nose up at Matt, who only laughed quietly.

“Is Seth getting a similar treatment?” Neil asked.

Everyone looked at him in silence, but it was Allison who spoke. “When he wakes up, his room will have already been decorated.”

She didn’t seem outwardly upset or distressed, but she was definitely not in a good mood. Not wanting to upset her, Neil didn’t ask anything more about Seth.

“Thank you,” he whispered quietly when everyone had finished decorating.

“It’s from all of us,” Dan said.

“Even the cousins?”

Matt nodded. “Yeah, surprisingly. That’s why there are so many flowers.”

Neil couldn’t imagine Kevin, Aaron or Drew picking flowers, but perhaps Nicky did. He seemed like the type. He didn’t particularly seem all that cut out for a zombie apocalypse. Not that it mattered since he was still alive after four years.

The others all settled around the small curtained off room as Abby watched over them, keeping an eye on Neil for a bit before she disappeared too. The others were all talking, but Neil wasn’t paying it any mind, instead just basking in the warmth of their presence. It had been so long since he was last in the presence of a group of people that didn’t mean him any harm, and he relaxed into it.

It feels nice, he decided as he let himself smile at the group.

Renee caught his eye and smiled back, kindly. Everything will be alright, it seemed to say. And for once, Neil was inclined to believe it, or at least pretend.

Notes:

I hope you liked it, I was going for something pretty lighthearted, mostly to make myself feel better, and what better way to do that than having the Foxes interact with each other! Updates may become slower and/or shorter as I will probably be back at uni and I need to earn some money to help pay the bills, etc. This is not a haitus!

Thank you for reading! I'm really thankful for all the support I've gotten, so thank you! <333

Chapter 21: Medicine and Hospitals

Summary:

Neil makes a possible discovery

Notes:

Thank you for all the kind comments and support! I hope you like this chapter! <333

The group stayed together until Wymack came in and shooed everyone but Abby out of the cubicle. His voice was gruff, but kind and Neil could almost let himself relax, but there was still a bit of that instinctive fear about men old enough to be his father that wouldn’t stop nagging at him in the back of his mind.

Wymack carefully folded himself into the chair that Allison had vacated next to Neil’s bed and muttered something about “gossip” and “foxes”. Neil wasn’t really sure what he was talking about, so he just remained silent and still until Wymack finally looked at him.

“How are you feeling, kid?” Wymack asked, hands clasped together between his knees. Abby was watching Neil, as if she was looking for any signs of something wrong.

“I feel fine,” was all Neil said. He slumped his body in a seated position on his bed. He was bored, and even if he was in pain, it wasn’t as bad as it had been.

“How is the pain? Is it manageable? Do you want anything for it?” Abby had fluttered closer to Neil and was eyeing him carefully.

Neil tried to wave her off, but accidentally winced at the sudden movement of his shoulder. She eyed him and he kept his mouth shut.

“I’ll be right back,” she said, eyeing Wymack.

Now that Neil and Wymack were alone together, Neil was a bit more nervous. Abby seemed too opposed to injuring people and Neil was sure Wymack wouldn’t have done anything with her there. Now that they were alone, though…

“No need to look so nervous, kid. I don’t bite, and I certainly don’t hit.” Neil would believe it when he saw it. “How are you getting on with everyone here?”

Neil had the urge to wipe his hands on his legs, but he refrained. He was going to be kicked out in his vulnerable state and he was going to die. “They’re…” he started but stopped, trying to think of what to say. “Very enthusiastic,” he finished with.

Wymack gave him a knowing look. “You get used to it. At least they haven’t scared you off, yet. We wouldn’t want you running off on your own.”

Neil forgot how to breath. Does he know? Does he know what I tried to do? Do the others? Thoughts swam around Neil’s head, and he couldn’t breathe. His head was so full of noise and his sight was fading away, being replaced by visions of him being ousted. Why haven’t they thrown me out already? Neil questioned, feeling the itch in his legs that always urged him to run.

Wymack sighed heavily, drawing Neil away from his panic. “Are you sure you’re alright? You’ve gone quite pale.”

Neil nodded. “I’m fine,” he said after he was certain his voice wouldn’t waiver.

Abby came back in, ending the conversation as she handed Neil some tablets. “Take one now and then again in six hours if the pain still persists.” She smiled and Neil accepted her offering gratefully, taking one of the pills and swallowing it dry.

Wymack cleared his throat, and Abby sent him a look that Neil couldn’t see from where he was. When Abby turned back to Neil, she rolled her eyes at him and Neil hid his smile behind a hand. Based on Abby’s answering smile and Wymack’s grumbling, he hadn’t hidden it well enough.

“How’s your arm?” Abby asked gently. Neil froze as Abby reached for his arm, unable to do anything, even to protect himself. He hadn’t even allowed himself to think about it. He’d denied his previous scratch was from a zombie because he hadn’t turned into one, and there was only a fifty percent chance he would have, but a bite? He should have turned by now, and it felt impossible that he hadn’t. It also appeared from when he first awoke that they had assumed he would turn as well, but when he’d awoken again, he had been free to move about.

“My arm?” was all Neil could say.

Abby touched his sleeve. “May I?” Numbly, Neil nodded, still too consumed by all his thoughts. A bite was a hundred percent effective in making someone a zombie. And he remembered being bitten.

Abby twisted his arm this way and that, looking at it all over, examining all the skin, as if it held the answer to all their questions.

But Neil knew what his arm had looked like before, there were no secrets stamped onto his skin. There was nothing that could make sense.

Abby’s eyes studied the bite mark carefully. “Do you know why you didn’t turn?” she whispered.

Wymack could still hear her, though, but his eyes remained on Neil’s arm, on the broken skin where teeth had pierced.

Shaking his head, Neil said, “No.”

“Can I take some blood?” Abby asked, looking at Neil with hope.

Neil nodded, waiting for her to explain.

“Thank you. I think you might be just what we need to ensure we survive. I’ve been expecting someone to be immune, and I’m glad you found us here. I’ll be right back.” She ran off, probably looking for needles. Wymack sat back in his chair, staring at Neil, contemplating something from the looks of it.

“You sure are tough, kid,” was all he said, and the words warmed Neil’s heart in a strange way. The man had done nothing to bring any harm to Neil and he hadn’t said or done anything alarming. Neil thought he could get along with the man, even if he was a bit gruff.

Notes:

Thank you for reading! I hope you enjoyed this chapter! <333

Chapter 22: Immunity

Summary:

Neil gets blood taken and learns about Seth

Notes:

Hey! Thank you so much for reading. I really appreciate all the comments and kudos and everything I've been getting! I hope you enjoy reading! This one is pretty short but I hope you enjoy it, regardless! <333

Warning: Mention of needles

Abby didn’t take long and before Neil could have thought of a response to Wymack, she was already cleaning the crease in his elbow, and tying something around his upper arm.

She hummed quietly as she worked. “Are you sure you want to do this?” she asked, seeming to falter in her work.

Neil nodded his hand, holding his arm out to her, firmly. “Yes, it’s fine. I want to help.” He wasn’t sure that he really could help, but he was willing to give it a shot. Finding out about his likely immunity certainly had its perks, and if those perks extended to others, then Neil didn’t see the harm. So long as it stayed well out of his father’s hands.

Abby smiled, meeting his eyes, before concentrating back on his arm. “Thank you, Neil.” With the skill of someone well-versed in the blood-taking department, she inserted the needle into his arm and pulled the blood from it. Neil watched in fascination as his blood filled a vial that was attached to the needle.

Wymack had turned his head to the side, avoiding looking at Neil’s blood being drawn, a hand over his mouth. When he noticed Neil watching him, he gave him a weak smile. “Sorry, kid, I can usually handle blood, but it’s the needle that I really hate.” He attempted to move so that he was looking more at Neil, but Neil shook his head at the older man.

“You don’t have to do that. Just be comfortable.”

Wymack just grunted but did turn in his chair again. Abby sighed quietly, but she was close enough that Neil heard her, but she had a fond look on her face.

The needle withdrew and Abby smiled up at Neil. “There we go, all done.” She pressed a piece of cotton to his inner elbow to stem the flow of blood. “Thank you again.”

Neil waved her off, whilst holding the cotton ball to his arm. “It’s fine.” In reality, Neil’s head was swimming a bit, and he presumed it was from blood loss. That gave him pause, and he asked, “When I was brought in, how much blood had I lost?”

Abby paused from where she was about to disappear with the vial of blood. She eyed him. “It was difficult to tell since we don’t have everything we need here, but I’d say enough that you needed a transfusion. Not enough to truly be life-threatening at that point, though. Any longer and it could have been.”

Absently, Neil nodded along to what she was saying, thinking it all through. He had been very lucky to have survived this long, but he had. He didn’t want to waste the life he had, but he also knew he was limited in what he could do.

“Is there any reason that you asked? Any symptoms?” Abby fretted.

Neil shook his head emphatically. “No. Everything’s fine, I was just wondering.”

She tilted her chin in acknowledgement and hurried out of the cubicle.

Wymack sat forward in his seat again. “How are you actually feeling?”

Neil swallowed back his automatic response of, I’m fine, when Wymack sent him a knowing, and decisively disapproving, look. “I was just a bit dizzy, that’s all. I feel better already.” Neil tried on a smile to prove his point. By the look on Wymack’s face, Neil didn’t think he had really succeeded. To try and distract him, Neil blurted the first thing he thought of. “Where’s Seth?”

Wymack frowned down into his lap, looking deeply into the hands that he rested on his legs. “He’s in the room next door. He’s not woken from the wounds inflicted upon him, yet. Aaron has been trying to help him consume water without choking.” Wymack rubbed at his temples. “Don’t bring it up with Allison; it’s a bit of a sore subject right now.”

“Will he be alright?”

Wymack sighed as if weighed down by burden’s that were too heavy for him to bear. “Honestly? I’m not sure, kid. He could recover but he could also never wake up again.”

Neil didn’t ask any more questions after that and Wymack didn’t say anything either. They sat with each other in a comfortable silence.

Notes:

Thank you for reading! Have a really good rest of your day/night! <333

Chapter 23: Does He Care?

Summary:

Andrew's POV and his thoughts

Notes:

Hi, sorry, this one is very brief and not the best, but I wanted to post something today as I am very busy and almost accidentally deleted all my files instead of just accidentally deleting most of them. I hope you like it though! <333

Andrew’s day had gone from bad to worse.

Abram was stuck in the infirmary, and Andrew was in a sour mood because of it. He had hoped Abram would be thrown out, so that he could wipe his hands of the man, but alas, much to Andrew’s chagrin, he would be staying.

Every time Andrew closed his eyes, he could see an imprint of the bite mark on Abram’s arm. It was a large, ugly thing, but Andrew would understand if Abram didn’t think so. He had spotted some of Abram’s other scars when he had been in the cubicle, and he was certain that Abram wasn’t aware of it. They had looked worse than any he had seen before, including himself, and he knew he was littered with scars. He could remember how he got each and every one of them in perfect detail.

Questions upon questions filled Andrew’s head about Abram and his past. Some of the scars he had seen seemed unlikely to have come from simply surviving outside a sanctuary from the apocalypse.

Andrew wondered, for the first time in a while, whether he should make more of an effort with others, perhaps find out more about them. Or one of them in particular.

Abram was a popular topic for discussion even with Nicky and Aaron. Kevin only spoke about Exy and with Abram happy to play, too, Kevin liked to talk about his strengths and weaknesses, and complain about how long it would be before Abram would be back on the court and be able to play against him.

Andrew was tired of their constant chatter, but even now, in the room they shared, he wouldn’t make them be quiet. He simply ignored the stairs of the others as he abruptly got up from the beanbag chair he had been lounging in and walked over to a desk where he picked up a book at random, sat back down, opened the book to a random page, and slapped it over his face.

Nicky’s concerned voice was the first to speak up. “Uh, are you alright, Drew?”

Andrew made a noise that sounded like an affirmative, but was muffled by the book on his face.

Nicky hesitated too long before speaking again, and Aaron cut in. “What’s with the book?”

Andrew lifted the book from his face, before looking at his brother, annoyed, but unable to properly express it, even as his hand tapped a violent rhythm on his leg. “They’re for reading,” Andrew said.

Andrew had taken a pill earlier, but it was slowly wearing off, ready to let him wind down for bed, but it was still restraining him more than he wanted it to.

“Yeah, no shit, Sherlock.” Aaron rolled his eyes at him, and Andrew threw a sharp smile back.

“Sherlock was a detective, which you’re clearly not. He wouldn’t ask about the book.”

Aaron grumbled something under his breath in German but Andrew chose to ignore him once more, settling the book back over his face, but he tensed, aware of every move made in the room.

Flicking the book off of his face, it landed on Kevin’s lap who yelled a disgruntled, “Hey!” at Andrew, before snapping his mouth shut again at the look Andrew wielded in his direction.

Stretching his limbs, Andrew got up and walked into the bedroom. He needed some rest if he was going to get through Abram’s disruptive presence until he inevitably got himself killed. If it wasn’t by a zombie, then it could be by any number of things. Not least, Andrew himself.

He relished in the thought as he sat on his bed and lit up a cigarette that he fished out from his pocket. It was crumpled from the short time it had been stuffed in his pocket, but he didn’t mind.

He dragged in a toxic lungful of smoke before blowing it out above him, relaxing into the familiar rhythm.

His right hand wandered to the band around his left arm, caressing the material, and relishing in the noticeable bump of a blade beneath the surface.

He would find out Abram’s secrets, and then he would take the necessary action.

Why am I so preoccupied with Abram? Andrew wondered, thinking quietly to himself. He was a puzzle that Andrew was unused to, a new challenge that he had lacked for so long. Maybe he’s just the newest, shiniest toy? Or maybe he will prove to be just like the rest. Andrew may have thought it, but he didn’t believe that Abram was like the others. Not with the scars he had.

Andrew spent the rest of the evening, even after Kevin and his family had gone to bed, lying awake, thinking about Abram and just who the secret-keeper was.

Notes:

Thank you so much for reading! I hope you have a good rest of you day/night! <333

Chapter 24: Discharge from Hospital

Summary:

Neil gets discharged from hospital

Notes:

Hey! Thank you for reading! Enjoy! Thank you for all the comments and kudos! <333

Neil spent the night in the infirmary much to his chagrin. He had hoped he would have been able to leave, but apparently he wasn’t allowed to as Abby wanted to keep him overnight to check on him. He couldn’t blame her. After all, he wasn’t entirely certain that he was immune, despite Abby’s beliefs otherwise. He could just have been having a delayed reaction to the bite.

When he woke up the next morning, he was taken aback to find Drew hovering over him, a manic smile on his face and a knife in his hand.

“What are you doing?” Neil asked.

“Standing here,” Drew replied, unhelpfully.

Exasperated, Neil sighed. “But why are you standing here?”

Drew shrugged. “Why does anyone do anything?”

Annoyed, Neil didn’t push Drew to answer him again.

“Did you want something?”

Drew just stared at him, flicking the knife between his fingers. “To see if you were still alive.”

Neil pointedly looked at the knife. “With a knife?”

“Better to be safe than sorry.”

Neil could appreciate it. “Thanks,” he said.

“I wasn’t doing it for you.”

“It’s what I would’ve wanted.” Neil smiled at Drew. Drew scoffed at him, but flicked the blade of the pocketknife away, and put it away. “Does this mean I’m cleared to leave?”

Drew stepped away from him. “You’re asking the wrong Minyard. Do I look like a doctor to you?”

“Obviously,” Neil deadpanned. “It’s not like you’re identical twins or anything.”

Drew didn’t move for a second, but then he laughed. “Oh, you’re rather funny, aren’t you, secret-keeper?”

With that, Drew left and the opposite side of the curtain swept open, revealing Aaron. “Abby wants me to look you over before we let you leave.”

Neil nodded and let Aaron look him over. “What a great bedside manner you have.”

Aaron scowled at him. “You can leave.”

With Aaron’s clearance, Neil got out of the bed. His shoes were on the floor, waiting for him. He looked under the bed and found his duffel bag waiting for him. Without looking back at Aaron, Neil speed walked out of the cubicle and right into the next one by accident. He hadn’t realised they were so close together.

Seth was lying in the bed there, looking fragile, his face ashen. He looked unwell, and Neil swallowed at the sight of him. No one was waiting for him. He had no belongings in the room. Even the flowers and balloons Neil had been given were absent from his room. He was hooked up to a machine that was beeping to the rate of his heartbeat.

Suddenly, the beeping became one continuous noise. Neil scrambled over to him, shaking hands reaching out to do whatever he could.

Before he could even touch Seth, Abby and Aaron had pushed him away and they huddled around his body, stopping Neil from seeing him. They were whispering to each other, grabbing things from a table, before someone Neil didn’t know pulled him out of the cubicle and shoved him away, duffel bag falling down his shoulder.

He watched the cubicle until he was eventually pushed out of the infirmary and into the hallway where Drew was waiting, leaning against the wall.

Notes:

Thanks for reading! This one was a bit short because I've been so busy with my personal life and uni recently. Hopefully I'll get some more time to work on this fic soon! <333

Chapter 25: Fox Tower

Summary:

Neil goes to Fox tower

Notes:

Hi! I hope you like it! Thank you for all the comments and kudos! I really appreciate it! <333

Drew beckoned for Neil to follow, and he did. Drew was leading them through a maze of corridors and hallways and when Neil recognised the same stairwell for the third time, he knew that Drew wasn’t lost, he was just trying to confuse Neil.

At some point, Drew had led them down a set of stairs into a basement-like area, but it was just a corridor, too long to feel like it belonged to just one building. It was likely that they were tunnels below ground to connect the buildings to each other, and they were walking through them. Eventually they seemed to go back to surface level, but they kept climbing a steep set of stairs until Neil saw windows that let in some light.

They walked for a long time and Neil could feel the toll it was taking on his sore, tired body. They had been walking quickly, but Drew started to slow as if they were getting closer to wherever they were going.

They kept walking in silence, sometimes going up the stairs and then down a different set of stairs, until they stopped at a door that was unmarked. It wasn’t particularly notable, but Drew swiped a key card over the scanner, and the click of the door unlocking was loud in the silence. He pushed inside, not bothering to hold the door for Neil, and Neil shoved his way into the room before the door could close and lock.

The room had one orange wall, the signature colour of Palmetto State, and a couple of beanbags littered the ground facing a TV that was currently playing an old Exy game. In one of the beanbags, Kevin was watching the screen, his leg jumping up and down, and he didn’t even seem to notice Drew and Neil’s appearance.

Neil wondered who was playing, but Drew kept him moving through the room, guiding him back to a hallway, past Kevin, and then to a door he opened to reveal a bedroom. There were four beds, each in various states of disarray.

“Aaron has a night shift in the infirmary tonight, so you will stay here.” Drew had sat down on the bottom bunk of one of the beds.

“Where’s Nicky?” Neil asked, remembering him.

Drew flapped his hands around in a dismissive gesture. “Nicky is where Nicky wants to be.”

Well, that didn’t explain anything. Instead of pushing it, Neil surveyed the room a bit more closely. Several nightstands were dotted around the beds. The bedspreads were various colours and patterns, the one Drew was sitting on was plain white, but the one above it was orange, covered in white paw prints. A few stray clothes littered the floor near the other two beds.

Neil shrugged his duffel bag off of his shoulder, dropping it to the floor. “Which one is mine?”

Drew pointed to the one the furthest away from his bed. It had polka dots with different colours on it, but Neil wouldn’t complain. It was better than going back to the room he was supposed to be sharing with Seth.

Drew went to the window as Neil settled his bag on his bed for the night. He opened the window and started smoking. Neil hadn’t even realised he had been holding a cigarette.

Neil went up to him and grabbed the cigarette from his hand, inhaling the smoke, and letting the comforting memories of his mother overcome him, pushing back her last moments. Drew let him keep it until he wanted another drag. He blew the smoke into Neil’s face, making Neil cough.

Neil contemplated asking Drew about why he was allowed to stay, but thought better, instead blurting out the first thought that came to mind.

“Will Seth be alright?”

Drew raised an eyebrow at Neil, taking another drag from the cigarette. “Must I remind you again? Do I look like a doctor to you?”

Neil sighed. He should have known that was the answer he was going to get.

They remained in silence, Drew looking out the window whilst Neil stared hard at him, trying to figure him out until Drew had finished the cigarette, put it out against the windowsill, and flicked it out the window.

They were three stories up, and Neil couldn’t see it on the pavement below from where he was.

A knock on the door startled Neil out of his thoughts about Seth and Drew and his mother, but Drew was already striding out of the bedroom to get it. Neil followed several paces behind him.

Drew opened the door a crack and looked out, one arm tensed as if he was about to grab a knife, before his body relaxed and he swung the door wide open. “Matt,” Drew acknowledged.

“Is Neil here? Jamie said they left him with you.”

Neil appeared in front of the door, and Matt seemed relieved to see him alive and well.

“Thank god, you’re here, Neil. We’ve all been so worried when we heard you got discharged a bit earlier than we expected and then none of us could find you. Welcome to Fox tower,” Matt said with forced cheer, brushing his fingers through his hair repeatedly, as if he was still trying to calm himself from his worry.

“I’m here, I’m fine.”

Matt looked at him, appraisingly. “I can see that. Come on, get your stuff. I have a spare bed in my room that you can have.”

Drew stepped in front of Neil, blocking his way to Matt. “He’s staying here tonight.”

Matt tensed. “He can stay in my room. I know you guys don’t have enough space for him as well.”

Neil butted in before Drew could respond. “Thanks Matt, maybe tomorrow night? I’m still really tired and I think I want to crash early.”

Matt looked at him, unsure, until he said, “That’s fine, man. Just take it easy.” Drew slammed the door in his face before Neil could say bye.

Notes:

Thank you for reading! Have a lovely day/night! <333

Chapter 26: The Roof

Summary:

Neil and Andrew go to the roof

Notes:

Hi! I hope you like this chapter! Thank you for all the kudos/comments, I really appreciate them! <333

Neil pondered Drew’s actions as he stared at the door until Kevin threw some popcorn at him. “Stop just standing there, you’re blocking the screen.”

Neil moved away instantly, and Kevin relaxed back into his bean bag chair. Drew had already disappeared back into the bedroom. Not knowing what to do, Neil sat down in the bean bag next to Kevin and looked at the screen.

Old games were playing that must have been recorded and Kevin was intermittently writing notes and eating popcorn that Neil hadn’t noticed him grab. They stayed like that until the door to the suite opened again and Nicky came in, dressed in a feather boa and a sparkling cowboy hat.

Kevin scoffed at him when he saw Nicky but Nicky just stuck his tongue out in return before turning his attention to Neil. “Neil! Good to see you! We all thought you had died, but you’re here!” Nicky was wobbling as he tried to keep himself upright by leaning against the door.

Kevin made a noise of displeasure. “Nicky, you can’t drink so much,” he admonished.

Nicky just waved his concern off. “It’s fine. Andrew totally told me to go for it. Speaking of, where is he?”

Nicky was speaking too quickly for Neil’s sluggish, tired brain to keep up with properly so he remained quiet as Kevin pointed at the bedroom door. “He went in there, but it’s your neck that you’ll lose.”

Neil clenched his jaw at Kevin’s warning, trying to trap his own words, his own questions, from escaping. It wasn’t fair to ask others about Drew, and he didn’t think Drew would take kindly to finding out about Neil prying.

Nicky stumbled a few steps further into the room before he collapsed on top of Neil in a bean bag chair. Neil tried to shove him off, burdened by the uncomfortable weight, but Nicky wasn’t budging. Instead, Neil tried to slip out from beneath him, finally managing to get himself free.

Nicky was snoring before Neil had even gotten to another bean bag chair and he rolled his eyes. He stifled a yawn before disappearing down the short hallway that led to the bedroom. He had noticed another door there before and figured it was a bathroom.

He relieved himself in the bathroom before hesitating outside of Drew’s door. He had heard Kevin’s warning, but all his belongings were in there, and he knew Drew had already gone through his things once before. At least he had seemingly kept what he found to himself, or else Kevin might have had some choice words to say to him.

Before he could overthink it, he knocked once. He waited until he heard movement behind the door and the door lock clicking. Drew didn’t say anything, but Neil knew it was as good an invitation as any and pushed through the now-unlocked door.

Nothing much had changed about the room. Even Neil’s bag seemed to be exactly how he left it, though he knew Drew could have easily left it how it was.

Drew himself was standing back by the window, still smoking and looking out below. He didn’t bother to acknowledge Neil as he stood behind him, watching. Drew smoked his cigarette down to the filter before putting it out and brushing past Neil on his way out the door. Neil stepped back as much as he could to make more space for Drew.

He followed him past Kevin who was still too engrossed in watching old Exy games and making notes to really notice them, out of the suite, and up a set of stairs that led to a door. With a few well-placed hits, the door swung open and revealed the roof. From his vantage point, Neil could see all across the expanse that was beyond the fence that kept them all safe. The tower wasn’t particularly tall, but it was on a hill which made it seem taller than it actually was. Beyond the walls protecting them, Neil could see the overgrown weeds that contrasted sharply to the neatly trimmed bushes and grass all around Palmetto.

Apart from a few cars that had clearly rusted beyond the walls, Neil couldn’t particularly see anything else that alluded to the end of the world. It was rather shocking, especially when he took a closer look within the walls. They seemed to stretch on further than Neil could see, and he presumed a lot of the land would have been taken up for farming and helping them continue to run the place. Neil was still waiting to be assigned a job, though that wouldn’t matter if he turned and destroyed the peaceful place.

“Why are you here?” Drew interrupted Neil’s thoughts and he was much further away than Neil had anticipated, sitting on the ledge of the roof, legs dangling off, staring again.

“I thought you’d prefer to keep an eye on me, make sure I don’t turn. Gives you an excuse to kill me, at least,” Neil half-joked.

Drew turned to look over his shoulder at him. “Do you really think I need an excuse?”

Neil shrugged, walking over to sit next to him on the ledge. “I mean, I don’t think Matt or Dan trust you very much. If you started killing people for no reason, they might have something to say about it.” A cool breeze ruffled his dark hair, pushing some of it into his face, and reminding him that he’d have to dye it again soon.

Drew slid him an annoyed look. “Why did you follow me out here? I could push you off and make it look like an accident.”

“You could,” Neil conceded. “But suspicion would still be thrown towards you. Is anyone aware that you’re not taking your medication as often as you should?”

Drew shook his head. “Are you resorting to blackmail? I thought you were above that.”

“No you didn’t,” Neil countered.

“Some of them are aware. Getting addicted to the things won’t do anyone any good when we run out, and there’s no place to go to get taken off them safely.”

Neil nodded along with Drew’s explanation, feeling awkward for making him reveal something even though it’s what he wanted. “When we met, my mother had died not long before. That’s why I was hiding, all alone. I needed time to regroup and replan.”

Admitting it out loud somehow made Neil feel lighter. He had been carrying around his mother’s ghost with him and it was weighing him down significantly. Having aired it out, now he felt much better.

Drew watched him, and Neil shifted uncomfortably. He knew they weren’t playing their game of truth, but he still felt like he had owed Drew for the honesty he had received.

Before long, Drew was smoking another cigarette, but this time, after he took a drag, he handed it to Neil, who held onto it until Drew wanted it back. They passed it back and forth between them until Drew finally stubbed it out.

He got up, stretching, and then disappeared back into Fox Tower. Neil watched him leave, taking only a minute before deciding to go after him, back to the suite.

Notes:

Thank you for reading! Have an amazing day/night! <333

Chapter 27: Freak Outs and Movie Nights

Summary:

Neil spends some time with the Foxes and has a realisation

Notes:

Hi! Thank you for reading, I hope you enjoy it! <333

The door slammed shut just before Neil got to the hallway. He watched it, unsure what to do. He wasn’t sure if Drew wanted to see him. Loitering in the hallway until one of them came looking for him seemed like his best option, especially if he wanted to keep his distance and not grow too attached to those he needed to leave soon.

Lola had seen his face. Whilst she may not have put the puzzle together in their brief scuffle, she surely would soon, and then she’d know who else to look for to get to him. If he didn’t leave soon, they were all in danger. As soon as Lola remembered him and told his father, Neil was fucked.

He felt his breathing pick up speed, and could barely tamp down on it, forcing himself to breath at a regular pace. His vision was fading in and out and his palms were sweaty. His heart was beating too fast.

If he didn’t want to be caught, he had to rest up, heal, and leave. He was pretty sure that he was immune to a bite and a scratch, but he still couldn’t fully comprehend it. If he was immune, then surely his mother should have been, too? Neil felt sick to his stomach. He hunched over and dry heaved on the floor, swiping at his mouth. If he was right, he had killed his mother for no reason.

He was shaking and so unaware of his surroundings that when Matt touched his shoulder, he lashed out, punching at him. Matt backed up immediately and held his hands up placatingly. Neil regretted his actions immediately. He had been trying so hard to stay calm and subdued in order to remain an unnoticeable traveller. There are gone. Barely a blip on the map. Hitting Matt was not conducive to that. Neither was his freakout.

Pulling himself together the best that he could. He straightened himself out, crossing his arms safely across his chest where they couldn’t reach Matt, and gave Matt a small, regretful smile. “I’m sorry, you startled me.”

Matt seemed concerned. “Are you alright?” he asked, his brow furrowing as he dragged one hand through his hair.

Neil tried to give him a convincing smile, but he knew it didn’t work when Matt’s frown deepened. “I’m fine,” Neil said anyway.

Matt hummed before nodding. “Do you want to come to my room? The girls are in there, we’re all watching a movie.”

Neil wanted to say no. Dan barged out of the room, spotting Matt. “Good, you haven’t left yet.” She paused when she noticed Neil there. “Neil! Come in!” She grabbed Neil’s arm and pulled him after her into the room. Neil didn’t have a choice in the matter.

He stumbled behind her, trying to avoid knocking into her when she finally stopped in front of a sofa with Allison and Renee on. A couple of cushions were scattered around in a comfortable-looking pile on the floor.

Renee scooted over to make Allison scoot over and offered the seat to Neil. He felt uneasy about taking it, but he couldn’t outright say no without being rude.

Complying with Renee’s offer, Neil settled himself stiffly next to her. She smiled at him. “Hello, Neil. How are you feeling?”

Neil shrugged, uncomfortable, certain she could see through his lies with her too-knowing gaze. “I’m fine. How are you?”

Renee went to pat his knee, until she noticed him tense further at her approaching touch, before tucking her hands together on her lap. “I’m good, thank you for asking.”

“What’re you watching?”

Allison chimed in. “Dan picked out some superhero movie.” She scowled. It clearly wasn’t her first choice.

“Would you like anything to eat, Neil?” Renee asked, holding out a bucket of popcorn and a bowl of M&M’s towards him.

Neil eyed it suspiciously, but his stomach grumbled. “Sure,” he mumbled, taking a handful of popcorn.

Whatever Matt had gone to get was forgotten once Neil was sat down and eating. Matt and Dan sat on the pile of cushions and blankets and watched the movie, seemingly enraptured.

For the rest of the movie, Neil sat there, overthinking everything, too tense to pay attention to the movie properly. He caught a few action sequences that all blurred into one, but nothing else.

When Allison said, “Next time, we’re watching a movie that I picked,” Neil didn’t react to the cushion Dan threw at her.

“There was nothing wrong with the movie. Neil seemed to enjoy it, didn’t you?”

Not wanting to upset Dan, he nodded. “Yeah.”

Allison scowled at him but Renee looked at Neil, as if she could tell he hadn’t been paying any attention.

Neil shied away from her, making excuses to leave. “I’m pretty tired. I think I should go to bed.”

“Of course,” Matt said, getting up and stretching. Dan followed him and helped Neil to his feet, giving him a quick hug. Neil didn’t have time to tense up.

“I’m glad you came over, Neil. It was nice to spend time with you,” Renee said, still on the sofa.

Neil didn’t say anything back to her, just hurried out of the room before one of them could rope him into watching another movie and trapping him for another few hours.

By the time he got back to Drew’s suite, he was yawning and he ignored Kevin and the still-sleeping Nicky and went straight back to the bedroom. Drew watched him, but Neil didn’t care, crawling straight into bed and closing his eyes. He fell asleep almost immediately.

Notes:

Thanks for reading! I appreciate all the kudos/comments! <333

Chapter 28: Back to the Foxhole Court

Summary:

Andrew's POV. The Monsters go to the court and Andrew talks with Renee.

Notes:

Hi! I hope you enjoy this update! Thank you so much for all your support and kind words! <333

Andrew watched Abram closely.

He had left the suite hours ago, and had returned tired enough to not even bother getting changed before falling asleep.

Maybe he should have followed him, but so long as he wasn’t around his family or Kevin, it was fine. The others had Renee looking out for them. They would be fine.

He flickered his lighter on and off as he watched Abram’s chest rise and fall evenly. Peeking out beneath the collar of his top, there was a small scar. It would have easily been missed if he hadn’t been paying such close attention to him. It seemed too perfectly shaped to have been an accident and Andrew had to wonder if it was from his life before. And if it was, what could have happened to him.

Andrew shook his head at himself, trying to clear away his thoughts. He didn’t need to think about Abram and his scars. He had bigger problems to worry about. Like Kevin.

Leaving the bedroom, Andrew walked back out into the main living area of the suite. Kevin was slumped in a bean bag and Nicky was snoring in the other one. Kevin was glaring at him but made no move to wake him up.

When Kevin noticed Andrew, he paused the game, as if he hadn’t watched the exact same game at least twelve times by now, and looked at Andrew like an excited puppy. “Time to go,” Andrew said, and Kevin was out of his seat, hauling Nicky up with him who only blearily blinked awake before falling back asleep against Kevin who was scowling at him again.

Andrew left the suite, not bothering to wait for Kevin and Nicky to follow, and went outside to where he had told Nicky to drop his car off, earlier, before he went off drinking. His car was the only one in the lot and the setting sun was glinting off the shiny, black doors and straight into his eyes. He ignored it and got into the passenger seat. He couldn’t be seen driving around here, and it was almost time for him to have another dose.

Nicky had woken up a bit by the time he got in the driver’s seat and only yawned once. Kevin loudly complained about not being in the front, but Andrew gave him a look – a little pull on the leash that connected the two of them – and Kevin got in the back without any more complaints.

Nicky drove over to the Foxhole Court and Kevin got out of the car, pacing outside until Andrew got out as well and went to unlock the doors.

Behind him, Nicky asked Kevin, “How are you doing, buddy?”

Kevin made an unhappy noise at the term. “None of your business.”

Nicky sighed heavily. “It’s like pulling teeth with you lot. None of you ever want to talk, except Aaron. I wish he didn’t have to work tonight.”

Kevin made a displeased noise. “Seth is in the hospital and as shit a player as he is, we need him if we want a team when the apocalypse is all over and done with.”

Andrew looked behind him as Nicky and Kevin had stopped. Nicky was watching Kevin, surprise and shock painted all over his face. “You don’t give a damn about Seth’s wellbeing. You really only care about Exy. It’s the end of the world, Kevin! Get that in your head! There won’t be any Exy games again that require rules like that.”

Kevin sneered. “Like you really care about that homophobic asshole, either? Everyone will need something to come and watch o give them entertainment at some point, you know. Even if nothing goes exactly back to how it was before.”

Andrew just watched on, entertained for once.

They squabbled between each other for a while, Kevin starting to hurl insults at Nicky’s competency on the court, and Nicky throwing them right back at him when he pointed out his hand. Kevin’s scowl darkened at that, and Andrew stepped up to them, dragging Kevin away. “Get changed,” he ordered. “I don’t want to be here all night. Some of us need to sleep.”

Nicky and Kevin both grumbled under their breath but didn’t say anything else to each other. Whilst they got changed, Andrew went up to sit in the rows of abandoned spectator seats. The garish orange colour was too bright under the lights Kevin turned on, ad Andrew attempted to get comfortable on the hard plastic, settling in for the evening until they could leave.

Nicky and Kevin were on the court and had played a terrible game against each other. Nicky was on defence, and Kevin was on offence, trying to score against him. They both had made their fair share of mistakes which only seemed to aggravate Kevin who would say something and aggravate Nicky.

By the time Renee showed up with a box of food, Andrew readily accepted it, digging in immediately. He was starving, having missed food since breakfast.

“Aaron said you probably hadn’t eaten, and I know you can’t take a dose on an empty stomach,” Renee explained when Andrew gave her a questioning look.

“And who said you’d find me here?”

“No one, but we all know Kevin rarely goes anywhere without you and you weren’t in your room. There are only a limited number of places you would be right now.” She smiled, but Andrew didn’t bother with giving her a smile back. She wouldn’t care, she never did. Her past meant that she understood Andrew and wouldn’t expect pleasantries from him.

“What did you really want?” Andrew knew she would seek him out just for company, as he would with her, but he also knew that she wouldn’t come out so late, normally.

“Now that we know Neil is staying, I wanted to know if he’s one of yours or one of mine.”

Andrew had been expecting her to bring it up, but he still hadn’t come up with a satisfactory answer to her question, yet. “I’m still not sure,” he murmured, thinking about it.

Renee nodded. “That’s fine. Unless there’s anything you want, I should get going now.”

Andrew shook his head. “No, no, go on back home. It’s past time I took a dose so I’ll be useless until tomorrow.”

She smiled and waved as she disappeared from the court, and Andrew looked down at Kevin and Nicky who were still too busy arguing with one another that they hadn’t even noticed Renee walking past them.

Andrew sighed, ate the food Renee had brought him, and took a pill that would keep him subdued and help him fall asleep until morning. Kevin and Nicky would come and get him when they were done on the court, and Nicky wouldn’t risk hurting Kevin if Andrew was nearby. They were safe enough.

Notes:

Thank you so much for reading! I hope you have a wonderful rest of you day/night! <333

Chapter 29: Brink of Death

Summary:

Seth's fate is decided

Notes:

Hi! Thank you so much for all the support! I hope you like this chapter (this is the one I accidentally posted too early and then deleted like immediately - sorry about that!) <333

Neil was groggy the next morning, but he felt much better than he had. Even though he needed a shower and had fallen asleep in the clothes he had worn the previous day, he felt refreshed, as if sleeping in an actual bed in an actual bedroom was some miracle cure. Even his gunshot wound hurt less than it had the previous day.

No one was in the bedroom when he woke up, so he grabbed his bag and headed into the bathroom to clean himself up and relieve himself.

When he was dressed and ready for food, he left the bathroom, and went into the cousins’ small kitchen. He raided the cupboards, trying to find something that was close enough to a healthy breakfast. They had cereal that had a best before date of the previous year, but it was open and half-eaten, so Neil didn’t care. After rummaging around in some more cupboards he found a bowl and a spoon and had some cereal. It was stale and lacking any real flavour, but he appreciated that it was something other than protein bars.

He ate whilst standing at the counter, scarfing it down much quicker than he probably should have, but he didn’t care. His stomach was rumbling, and he wasn’t sure if he had actually eaten anything the day before.

When he finished his meal, he cleaned up and put everything away, as if he’d never been there in the first place, before grabbing his duffel bag and leaving the suite behind. He needed something to do for the day, other than resting because he was bored, and he knew that if he didn’t keep his strength up, he’d just get himself killed the moment he stepped foot outside of Palmetto again.

In the back of his mind, thoughts of Lola plagued him, but he pushed them away as best as he could. He couldn’t focus on her right now. She wasn’t here, so that meant he was safe for the time being. And he would be long gone before she came here.

He was a little bit confused about her being out there, looking for Kevin, and what sort of relation she had to Riko. He wasn’t her boss, but there was no reason Neil’s father would want Kevin. It didn’t make much sense, and it gave him a headache just trying to think about it.

He wandered up to the rooftop of Fox Tower and sat down for a bit, looking over the place. The place was buzzing with activity in the morning and everyone was rushing about, trying to take part in their daily tasks. For the briefest moment, he wondered what it would be like, being part of a community. He had never stayed in one place too long before the outbreak, and after, there weren’t any people that could make up a community even if he’d been able to join them.

Neil sighed as he rested his elbows on his knees, his chest feeling tight with an unfamiliar emotion.

After a while, once the bustling area had become much more sparse of people, he let himself back in to Fox Tower and walked back to the cousins room, not expecting to find anyone there.

To his surprise, however, Drew and Aaron were both in there, whispering to each other in German whilst Kevin sat near them, trying to figure out what they were saying.

“What’s going on?” Neil asked in English, not wanting to give away another secret for free.

Aaron looked exhausted and let Drew fill in the silence. “Apparently, you are wanted back in the infirmary. Abby finished looking at your bloodwork.”

Neil was antsy to get the information about his immunity, and took off ahead of the twins and Kevin before they could even tell him to stop or slow down. He walked all the way down the stairs to the basement and then followed the long, underground hallway. He followed the trail Drew had taken him on, though he tried to avoid doubling back on himself. Faintly, he could hear the sound of Drew and Kevin’s voices, but he couldn’t make out what they were saying.

By the time he got to the doors that led to the infirmary, he saw Renee loitering outside. She gave him a tentative, but sad, smile when he approached the door, but didn’t say anything as he pushed in. Adrenaline and worry flooded into his body as he thought about all the reasons that Renee would be looking at him like he was about to get some bad news.

Inside the infirmary, there was an abundance of people, all of them talking rapidly to each other and none of them giving Neil a second glance.

Neil’s stomach dropped as it always did when he knew bad news was coming his way. He had never been to a hospital before, but he knew it was never good when all the available staff were busy and moving around one particular cubicle. For a brief second, Neil thought it was the cubicle he had been in, but then he remembered Seth and his heart flatlining.

Neil felt sick as he moved closer, trying to get a glimpse at the bed between all the people.

A gap opened up between a few people and Neil could see Seth lying on the bed. He looked too pale, too sweaty, to be healthy, but there was a shallow movement from his chest.

Neil moved closer, pushing past a few people that complained, and got a better view of Seth. His hair was limp, the bandage around his abdomen where he was shot was red with blood, and even more blood was pooling around the bandage. The bleeding was too fast to be safe, and his breathing seemed weak, staggered.

The monitor that checked his heartbeat was too slow with each beep, and getting slower.

The room was spinning around Neil. It was his fault if Seth died. He had been the one to try and help him escape from Lola. If he hadn’t set everything into motion, he might not be on the brink of death.

Someone pulled Neil away, and more people swarmed around Seth again, blocking his view. Allison stood in front of him, her face tear-stained and her hair limp. Her eyes looked empty and desolate, and from that, Neil knew Seth wasn’t going to make it.

His guess was confirmed when the heart monitor let out a long and agonising beep, and the frantic people all stopped. Defeated. There was nothing more they could do, and Allison’s eyes filled with tears once more.

The infirmary’s door opened again and Renee, Drew and Aaron all walked in. Aaron went to Seth as if he could do anything. Drew moved Neil, and Renee hugged Allison, who buried her head in Renee’s hair.

All Neil could do was stare as Drew pulled him away, over to one of the other cubicles that wasn’t surrounded with people.

“Abby will be over in a moment.” Neil heard Drew say it, but he couldn’t process it, still trying to catch a glimpse of Seth, alive and well. But he wouldn’t.

He saw someone leave the cubicle with Seth and walk over to Allison. They said something to her and she let out an agonising, keening scream.

Seth was dead.

Notes:

Thank you so much for reading! I hope you have a wonderful day/night! <333

Chapter 30: Burning Bridges

Summary:

Andrew's POV. Allison and Neil have to face what happened

Notes:

Hi! I hope you like this chapter! Thank you so much for all the comments/kudos/just general support you've all shown me! <333

Whilst Aaron had gone to help with Seth, Kevin had moved to sit on the other side of the curtains, where he would be hidden from view. Andrew was annoyed that Kevin wouldn’t follow him straight into the cubicle, but he could understand his hesitance. He didn’t want to get in the way, and right now, now that they all knew Seth was dead, Kevin would only get in the way and get himself in trouble that he would inevitably expect Andrew to get him out of if he didn’t stay still.

Anyway, Andrew was busy guarding Abram currently. If Abby was to be believed, he was important, unfortunately for Andrew. It meant that he would have to be on guard, especially against the woman that was currently crying to Renee.

It was only a matter of time until she decided to get angry at any of them. She would blame them for taking him outside, she would blame Abram for interfering. And she would be hell-bent on getting revenge for a man who wasn’t worth her time. If she knew how often Seth had come to his room to try to get some drugs, she wouldn’t be happy.

Abram was sat on a bed, watching the scene before him with a sad, wounded look on his face. It twisted something unpleasantly in Andrew. “Stop looking like that,” he said.

Abram was shocked enough that he scowled. “Looking like what?”

Andrew shrugged. “Doesn’t matter.”

Abram gave him a nasty look. “Whatever,” he mumbled.

Andrew would have closed the curtain to separate them from the rest of the room if Abby hadn’t appeared from the throng of people that were surrounding the bed that Seth had been staying on. “Oh, look, Abby’s here, time for a check-up!”

Neil seemed unhappy about having to see Abby, but made no move to get away from her as she closed the curtains to the cubicle behind her, as if it offered any sort of privacy when Allison was still sobbing. It was really starting to grate on Andrew’s nerves.

Taking a calming breath, his fingers itched to grab a cigarette and start smoking. Instead, he flicked his lighter on and off. Abby sent him a disapproving frown, but he just flashed a bright smile at her in return.

She shook her head at him before turning her attention to Abram who was sitting on the edge of the bed. Andrew leaned against the wall, watching over him, still flicking his lighter on and off.

“Neil,” she began, smiling brightly at him even if there was a hint of darkness in her eyes. She hated losing people, and she would hate what had to be done next even more. “Thank you for coming as soon as you could. I’ve examined your blood and I think that your immunity is inherited.”

Abram made a noise of distress and looked lost and pale, sat there on the bed. Abby looked at him in concern. “Are you alright?”

Abram nodded. “I’m fine.”

Andrew wasn’t fooled and neither was Abby but she let it go. Andrew noted it to bring it up at some point.

“It’s too early to tell if it can extend to protect others, simply due to other’s DNA will not match up with yours. Do I still have your consent to continue trying to make a cure or a vaccine of some kind?” Abby looked so hopeful, her hands clasped together in front of her, and Andrew knew that Abram wouldn’t be able to resist saying yes. He seemed to have some sort of saviour complex that he really needed to work on.

“Yeah, I don’t mind.” Abram seemed unsure, as if this wasn’t a choice he expected to have.

Abby nodded, satisfied. “Thank you, Neil.”

Abram looked away from her, almost as if he was embarrassed and mumbled something unintelligible in response. Abby was kind enough to ignore it and bid them farewell.

Once she was gone, Andrew noticed that Allison had stopped crying quite so loudly. Either she had been removed, or she had calmed down a bit. When the curtain was drawn back roughly, Andrew was annoyed to discover it was the latter option.

She had marched over to the cubicle and was already pointing her fingers at Andrew and Abram, before she noticed that Kevin wasn’t there. She stomped in her heels around the cubicle until she spotted Kevin and dragged him into the space.

Kevin was too shocked by her anger to dig his heels in, and too much of a coward to attempt to fight back. Andrew would have to pay her back if she wasn’t careful. He had made a deal and he wasn’t keen on breaking it.

Getting right up in Kevin’s face, she fumed. Dropping her hand from his arm, she balled them in fists by her side.

She screamed in his face, “This is all your fault!”

Kevin blanched, but didn’t dispute her claim.

Andrew stepped between them when Allison moved as if to slap Kevin. She shrunk back. “Run along. You don’t want to do that.”

Allison glowered at them all, grief wracking her frame.

Andrew had been a good enough deterrent for now. She wouldn’t lay another hand on Kevin.

She turned her sights on Abram, latching onto his arm and shaking him slightly. “If you hadn’t gotten involved…” she trailed off, gasping as she tried to catch her breath again. “If you hadn’t done any of that, he might still be alive!”

Abram didn’t fight back against her. He looked resigned, like he agreed with everything she was saying. It only infuriated her more. Andrew considered stepping in, but he wanted to know what Abram was capable of, how he would react. How dangerous a person he really was.

When she shook him again, Andrew took one step closer. “Should you really be doing that?” he asked. “Aren’t you going to be late to the cremation?” Andrew pretended to look at an invisible watch on his wrist, tapping it. “It’s soon, no?”

Allison, fuming, stormed out with one last shake of Abram.

Kevin looked like he needed a drink, which wasn’t so different from what he usually looked like, but Abram looked haunted.

Not wanting to get roped into fixing him, he tapped Abram on the shoulder to get his attention. “Follow me.”

As if following orders was all he was made for, Abram woodenly slid off the bed and waited for Andrew to move. Andrew took hold of Kevin’s arm, guiding him from the infirmary, not needing to look behind him to know that Abram was there.

He sighed. It was going to be a long day if this was how it had started, and Allison might become a problem if she couldn’t get her emotions under control.

Notes:

Thank you so much for reading! Have a lovely day/night! Not sure if tomorrow's chapter will be delayed or not as I have a date today, but hopefully it'll be up as usual! <333

Chapter 31: Processing Takes Time

Summary:

Neil processes everything

Notes:

Hi! Thank you so much for all the comments/kudos/general support! This chapter will be a little shorter than the previous one's as I've been busy this weekend, so apologies for that. I hope you enjoy it anyway! <333

Neil was too stunned and regretful to do anything other than what he was told. If Allison had told him to leave, he would have, no questions asked, without being properly healed. He’d get himself killed if it would make her stop from making accusations left and right, if it would relieve the burdened feeling that was weighing him down.
He followed Drew back through the maze of corridors and stairs, until they made it back to Fox Tower. He was practically vibrating with pent up energy. He wanted to run, even if he knew it would be unpleasant to say the least with his injuries. He wasn’t used to being so cooped up for long. Outside, he was always having to run all the time, everywhere. Or fight.
Inside, he was a mess of emotions and feelings that he hadn’t had for a very long time. He hated himself for what he’d done to his mother, and how it had not been necessary. He hated that his father had forced them to run. He hated that he had caused yet another unnecessary death. Because Seth was his fault. If he hadn’t interfered the way he had, Seth probably wouldn’t have been shot. And he hadn’t even redeemed himself by getting Lola shot, either.
But Neil was also desperately, hopelessly sad and alone. He knew his time here was running out and he had nothing outside of the walls to go back to. His mother was dead by his own hands. His father was busy trying to hunt him down to kill him. Lola had already come too close to actually finding him.
Clicking his fingers in front of Neil’s face, Drew was trying to get his attention. Neil startled back, realising how close they’d gotten to one another. They were the only two in the hallway, the suite door open and Kevin nowhere in sight.
“Are you going to follow me? Or are you staying here?” Drew gave him an assessing look. “I can’t decide if you’ll throw yourself off the roof and save me a job, or not.”
Instead of bothering with a response, Neil trudged up the stairwell to the rooftop. Drew followed him close behind, making comments about Neil being a nuisance and taking up too much of his space. Neil chose to ignore him.
When they reached the roof, a light drizzle had started. Neil loved the rain and how I could cleanse. Whenever it rained, he was always eager to be outside in it, no matter how many times his mother told him that he would get sick. He didn’t care about that, because the feel of the rain on his skin made him feel alive. It was a small happiness, but it was more than he usually had before he and his mother ran away from his father.
He got so lost in the familiar feel of the rain on his skin that he forgot entirely about Drew’s presence on the roof as well. He didn’t even notice when he started smoking, thinking that the familiar cigarette smoke was just a figment of his imagination, from a much simpler time.
He inhaled the smoke greedily, noticing that sometimes it was stronger and sometimes it was not as strong, almost as if it was dampened by the rain, but also as if it was being moved closer to him and then taken away again.
He was too lost in memories to really grasp onto the thought, though, and it was gone before like a scarf blown away in a strong breeze.
He sat up there, in the rain that was steadily getting heavier, thinking about his mother and cigarette’s. And a very small part of his mind that was anchored in the present, latched onto the one who had followed him up there. Even as he didn’t say anything, he thought about him.

Notes:

Thank you so much for reading! Have an incredible day/night! <333

Chapter 32: Life Moves On

Summary:

Neil does his best to ignore Allison.

Notes:

Hi! Thank you so much for all your support! I appreciate it so much! <333

When Neil had finally trudged back down the stairs, he looked at Drew’s door uncertainly. He had left the other man on the roof and he was shivering, wet-through from the rain. He briefly wondered if Drew had even noticed that he had left, or that the rain had only gotten heavier, but he didn’t linger on the thought for long as he was startled by a touch on his good shoulder.

Instinctively, Neil brought his other arm up to punch whoever had grabbed at him, but he paused just before he hit Matt in the chest. It would have been his face if he hadn’t been so much taller than Neil. His shoulder was hurting him from the movement and he did his best to ignore it, even as Matt gave him a concerned look.

“Are you alright? That’s where you got shot, right?” Matt motioned to Neil’s bad shoulder.

Neil did a half-shrug with his good shoulder. “I’m fine.”

Matt looked exasperated by his lies, but Neil thought he’d done a good job. Clearly he hadn’t.

“You’re soaked through!” Matt exclaimed, finally noticing Neil’s drenched state. He was sure that with how his hair had grown out and how he had it dyed, that he looked like a drowned rat. Part of him thought he felt like one, too. “Come on, let’s get you warm and dry.” Matt ushered Neil into his room, guiding him with a hand on his good shoulder. He could definitely feel Neil’s slight shivers.

Neil didn’t want to accept the kindness Matt was offering, but he had no choice. “Thanks,” he mumbled out.

Dan, who was sat on the sofa in front of the TV, looked over at them both as they entered the room. “You found him,” Dan said with a smile, even though it looked stretched thin, like she was only wearing it to try to be polite. Neil could see the redness around her eyes though.

He made as if to leave, but Matt kept him in the room with a firm hand on his shoulder. “Come on, you’re staying here tonight. So is everyone else.”

“Even the cousins and Kevin?”

Allison interrupted his question with her arrival, Renee right behind her. Both of them fell into the room, and Allison’s sadness seeped over everything. Neil audibly gulped at the sight of her, wanting to flee, but still unable to. She spared him an expressionless glance before retreating to the kitchen attached to the main living area.

Renee gave Neil a warm smile, as if she was trying to make up for Allison’s sadness, but it did little to change the sombre mood in the room. It also didn’t help Neil to feel any more at ease with Renee. She seemed too kind to have survived in the world for this long, even behind the walls. There must have been more to her than he knew, but that made her unpredictable. For all he knew, she could be the first one to turn on him, to tell the wrong person he was there.

She disappeared off into the kitchen after Allison, but Neil still felt unsettled by her mere presence. Thankfully, neither Dan nor Matt commented on the tension radiating out of him. He wondered if they knew about Allison blaming him for Seth’s death, and he wondered if they would agree with her. Afterall, he did.

Maybe it would have been best for everyone if he had run away when he had the chance instead of coming back to play hero to the people around him. It only ever ended in disaster.

Matt interrupted his miserable train of thought when he clapped Neil on the shoulder. “Well, that was fun.” Dan hushed him, but he moved out of her reach so she couldn’t tap him on the leg. He just rolled his eyes at her and sat down on the other sofa in the room, leaving Neil to decide where he wanted to sit.

He ended up choosing to sit next to Matt, who moved over to make space for Neil. Allison and Renee returned to the living area with a bowl of popcorn and mugs of hot chocolate. Renee offered the mugs she was holding to Matt and Neil, whilst Allison gave the spare one she was holding to Dan before sitting next to her. Dan instantly pulled her into a hug.

Matt took his mug, leaving Neil staring uncertainly at Renee’s outstretched hand. Not wanting to be rude now that everyone was staring at him in confusion, he took the mug from her with a forced smile. She just gave him a genuine smile in return before disappearing back into the kitchen, presumably for her own mug of hot chocolate.

Dan spoke before Allison could say anything, despite her having her mouth open, ready to speak, and she got an elbow in the gut for it. “Let’s watch something!”

Allison flicked a hand at Matt. “He can choose.” Dan raised her eyebrows at her, whilst Matt remained unmoving, as if too shocked to move.

Dan asked, “Are you sure?”

Allison only shrugged.

Renee returned with a pensive look, but flashed a smile when she noticed Neil staring at her before she settled in on Allison’s other side, shifting close to her for comfort.

Matt and Dan shared another look, before Matt got up and put on a random DVD. Neil forced himself to pay attention to the movie, forcefully avoiding the eyes of Renee and Allison. Everyone sat quietly as the movie played, and eventually Dan, Allison and Renee had fallen asleep.

Matt got up and gently placed a blanket over all of them, taking the empty mugs from their hands and quietly making his way into the kitchen to wash them up. Neil slung his duffel bag back across his shoulder, standing in the middle of the room.

When Matt came back in, he turned the lights off, and motioned for Neil to follow him.

Inside the bedroom, there were three beds. Two of them looked like they had been used before, and Neil had to school his features to stop his flinch from showing. Matt pointed at the only bed that seemed like it hadn’t been slept in.

“Take that one, the sheets and everything are fresh. You’re staying here from now on. The monsters can deal with it.”

Neil looked pointedly at the other two beds in the room. “Which is yours?”

Matt motioned to the bed that was closest to the door. “That one’s mine. Allison might come in at some point and take that one.” Matt pointed at the bed with rumpled sheets that he knew must have been Seth’s.

Maybe they were trying to torture him into confessing who he really was. They probably knew he was lying about everything and were sick of it because they believed Allison when she blamed him for Seth’s death.

Instead of showing any of his inner turmoil, Neil just nodded and went to the bed that was now his, smoothing a hand over it. It felt cool to the touch, empty and lifeless, and for a moment, Neil flashed back to a too-cold hand quickly warmed by cooling blood before everything was seared off with scorching flames.

He excused himself to the bathroom to get changed.

Notes:

Thank you so much for reading! I hope you have an amazing day/night! <333

Chapter 33: Keeping Busy

Summary:

Neil gets a task

Notes:

Hi! Thank you so much for all the support, I appreciate it so much! <333

Neil slept terribly. It didn’t help that Neil had nightmares that kept waking him up suddenly, and then he also wasn’t used to people moving about whilst he slept, and each time someone moved, like when Allison crawled into Seth’s bed, or when Matt shifted in his sleep, it woke him up. He wouldn’t tell them, of course. He didn’t want to seem rude and ungrateful when they were providing him with so much, but he couldn’t help his constant yawning when he got up.

Luckily, Matt didn’t comment on it, too tired himself. They took turns using the bathroom before Neil had to figure out where to leave his bag. He knew he shouldn’t be taking it everywhere with him, but he didn’t have anywhere secure to leave it, and with the supplies he had filled it with, people might start asking questions if they looked inside.

When Neil couldn’t spot anything that looked more secure than a simple drawer, he decided he would keep his bag with him for the rest of the day until he could work out an alternative arrangement. Keeping his bag with him wherever he went was probably only useful outside the walls, where there was no certainty that he’d ever be back to the same place. But here, when there was protection all around, he knew it just made him stand out a bit more, and be more memorable. Especially as there was no way he’d be able to run in his condition. His shoulder still burned with pain, and the searing feeling radiated through his chest, though a bit less intense than it had been only a few days ago.

Resigned to his fate, Neil grabbed his bag and walked out of the bedroom, quietly. Allison was still asleep in Seth’s bed, and Dan and Renee were still curled up with each other on the sofa now that Allison had left them. Matt was in the kitchen, and Neil went in after him.

“How’d you sleep last night?” Matt asked, stifling a yawn.

Neil didn’t manage to stifle his own yawn. “Fine. Is Allison okay?”

Matt shook his head, looking sadly down at his hands that were washing up a mug in the sink. “I’m sure she will be, but she needs some more time. She and Seth were in the middle of an argument, and she doesn’t want anyone to know how much it hurts her.”

As quietly as they were speaking to each other, it still seemed to wake Dan and Renee up as they both joined Matt and Neil in the kitchen. Wordlessly, Dan made herself a cup of instant coffee, whilst Renee grabbed sugar and milk.

When they both had mugs of coffee, they finally spoke. “What were you two chatting about before we came in?” Dan asked, arching an eyebrow at Matt.

Matt replied, “Neil wondered about Allison, that’s all.”

Dan gave a small smile to Neil. It seemed genuine enough even if it seemed tired and a bit strained. “We’ll all be alright. Don’t worry about it.” Dan waved a hand, as if trying to clear the air. “Did Matt tell you that you’re staying here from now on?” She was eyeing Neil’s bag.

Neil shrugged one shoulder. “Yeah, he mentioned it.”

Dan was still looking at his bag, and he adjusted it on his shoulder. She didn’t say anything about it though, being distracted by Renee who engaged her in conversation and led her back to the sofa.

Matt was watching after her, keeping an eye on her the whole way to the sofa, as if she was at risk of being shot next.

Neil knocked his good shoulder into Matt’s in a supportive gesture. “She can look after herself.”

Matt nodded his agreement, but still watched over her from where he stood in the kitchen.

“Is there anything I should be doing? I feel like I should have been put to work by now. I don’t want to be an imposition, or anything.”

Successfully drawing Matt’s eyes away from Dan, Neil wanted to smile, until he saw Matt’s look of utter confusion. “What are you talking about? Imposition? I swear to god if that’s what the monsters have been telling you, I’m telling Dan to have them kicked out.”

Neil vehemently shook his head, knowing that it would do him no good if Drew thought he’d tried to get them kicked out. “No, no. They haven’t said anything like that. I just… I feel like I’ve been given a lot and none of you have asked for anything in return.”

Matt nodded his acknowledgement, but had a thoughtful look on his face. “I think the most we all want you to do is rest and heal up.” Neil knew he didn’t want to just rest. He was bored and the thought of staying in a bed all day made him tense, only able to think of the nightmares that he could only vaguely remember from the night before. “But I can tell that you don’t want to do that. So, you can just shadow one of us until you’re cleared to actually do any work. It’ll teach you what you need to do.”

Neil gave him a real smile, grateful that he could at least learn what would be expected of him even if he wasn’t allowed to do anything, yet.

“Today, you’re with me. I’ll talk with the others to see who you get to follow tomorrow.”

Notes:

I'm literally waiting on a train so idk if there'll be an update tomorrow. I'll do my best though!

Thank you so much for reading! Have an excellant day/night! <333

Chapter 34: Belong?

Summary:

Neil learns about jobs

Notes:

Hi! Thank you so much for all the support you've given me! I appreciate it all so much! I hope you enjoy this chapter! <333

Neil was watching Matt as he carried large boxes of produce to a truck. Apparently, they were supposed to transport the food to storage to make sure it kept and didn’t go bad. Neil was forced to just sit inside the air-conditioned cab of the truck, watching, tapping his fingers on his legs.

He was bored, and the day was dragging. If he had realised they wouldn’t let him do anything other than watch tasks that he was capable of helping with, maybe he wouldn’t have said anything, and just found something he could do on his own.

A knock on his window startled him, and he manually wound the window down, seeing Matt who looked rumpled and had a few sweat patches. It was warm outside.

“I think I’ve got the truck loaded up, want to come check?”

Neil nodded, sliding out of the truck and following Matt around to the back. All the crates were stacked on top of each other in the bed of the truck. There were probably about a dozen and Neil was impressed. He hadn’t been allowed to walk around the place, probably because they all thought he’d try to help, and so hadn’t had a chance to see just what the operation looked like. Judging from all the crates, though, Neil would guess it was big, and he already knew it was successful enough.

“Why do you guys even need to do supply runs if you can make everything here?” Neil asked, genuinely confused now.

Matt shook his head, securing a rope over the top of the crates. “Some things we can’t make here. Like very processed food. And we have to stock up for the warmest months. They can be killer. Maybe you’ll get to help with some canning.”

As dull as it sounded, it was more interesting that just watching, so Neil nodded eagerly, making Matt chuckle as he finished securing the crates to his truck. Once he’d tugged a few times to determine it was secure, he got back into the cab of the truck, Neil following behind him.

When they were both strapped in, Matt put the truck in drive, taking off down the dirt road until they met back up with the more main roads through Palmetto. Neil hadn’t realised how big Palmetto was until Matt had driven at least a mile down a dirt road and he couldn’t see a wall in sight, though he knew it was there somewhere since they hadn’t left Palmetto.

When they got to another road that diverted into two different directions, Matt took a left turn and took them down another dirt path. Neil wasn’t sure why they hadn’t paved them since they seemed to be fairly well-used but he didn’t ask.

Neil could feel his whole body being intensely shaken by the road, and he swore he was thrown out of his seat and into the air more than once, until they slowed outside a warehouse. “This is where the food goes for storage and to be canned. Let’s go.”

Neil followed Matt into the building, letting Matt lead the way. He navigated the place easily, and they ended up in an office with a window to look out on the factory floor below. Most of the space was taken up with crates like the ones in Matt’s truck but there were a few people milling about in groups.

They didn’t seem to be doing much, but Neil thought it didn’t look like a nice place to work, regardless. It was quite dreary and too dark. It was depressing.

Matt pointed at the window. “That’s the storage area. They’re probably discussing what they want to do with it all and how to make space for more.” He motioned for Neil to follow him back out of the office. They walked down a short hallway until they were in a large room that looked at least a little sunnier than the one downstairs and it had air conditioning. “This is the place where the canning takes place. I do a bit here and there, but Dan tells me I’m just supposed to supervise and courier everything.” He shakes his head. “I’ll show you what to do, but usually you should wait for everyone to be told which foods they should be canning and which food they need to send off to one of the kitchen’s around here, and which ones to the few shops we’ve managed to set up.” Matt was grinning, proud of what they had achieved at Palmetto, and rightly so. Neil had never seen anything like it. Not in all the years since the first outbreak, and to be functioning so well in only four years…

“Sounds good to me. Do you need any help unloading the truck?” Neil asked, already knowing the answer.

Matt shook his head, a guilty look on his face. “Nah, I’ll get one of the others to help. Dan’ll kick my ass if I make you do any heavy lifting. She wanted you to stay on bed rest, but Renee talked to her a bit. Convinced her.”

Neil had to work hard to keep his eyes from narrowing sharply at the mention of Renee. He couldn’t ask outright since they all seemed to love her, but he didn’t trust her motives for helping him. There must be some reason why she wanted him to be able to look at all the jobs. Maybe she was tired of him not doing anything to help out when he caused so much pain and suffering. Maybe it was something else.

“You alright, man?” Matt asked, concern in his voice that jerked Neil out of his thoughts.

He nodded quickly. “Yeah, yeah I’m fine.”

Matt looked sceptical. “Okay, just wait here, I’ll be back in a bit.”

Neil nodded, going to stand against a wall, watching everyone as they filtered in and out of the large room. They were all smiling, even though he was certain they knew about Seth’s death. They didn’t seem to care, though. He caught a few of them whispering and looking his way, but when they saw him looking back, they quickly averted their gazes, but didn’t stop whispering.

One girl tried to approach him, but he brushed her off, immediately. He didn’t feel up to talking to any of them, especially when they all seemed to know who he was. A few times he heard Drew’s name and his ears perked up trying to hear anymore of the conversations, but they were speaking too quietly.

They all seemed to be waiting around for something and Neil wondered what that could be until Matt came back, his forehead gleaming with sweat but carrying three crates stacked on top of each other. Matt called out random names, getting them to collect the crates from him.

“Supplies in this one.” He pointed at a crate. “Food in this one.” He pointed to a different crate.

Everyone converged on the crates, collecting everything they would need, but Neil stayed back, waiting for Matt to come over to him. When he did, he was holding a large jar, and some corn. He had a few other tools too, but Neil wasn’t familiar with them.

Matt moved a crate close to them to use as a table and set the supplies down. “Dan wouldn’t want you doing this, but it’s your choice. Watch me first and then decide, okay?” Matt rushed to add before Neil could say he would do it. “We don’t want your shoulder to worsen.”

Neil frowned but nodded, watching Matt intensely as he walked him through how to can the corn to preserve it. He made mental notes of every step and repeated them to himself until they were never going to leave him. On the bright side, even if he never got to put his knowledge to use here, it would help him later on.

Neil decided to give it a shot, though, despite Matt’s weak protests. “Please don’t strain yourself, Dan will kill me.”

Neil just waved him off. “I’m fine.” He canned the corn and his shoulder was aching so badly he worried he might’ve torn his stitches. He didn’t let the pain show on his face, though Matt was eyeing him warily.

“No more canning for you today. I should get you back to the Tower. Dan’s been messaging me non-stop asking about you.” He pulled out a phone and navigated to his texts. Sure enough, he had at least a dozen, all of which mentioned Neil’s name.

Neil followed him out without a word to the others who were still canning food. If they wanted to gossip about him they could, but he wasn’t going to give them anything real to talk about. He didn’t want to put people like Matt in danger, even if he didn’t care about any of the others there.

The drive back was smoother than it was on the way to the warehouse. Matt must have been driving slower.

“So, did you speak to any of the people there?” he asked.

Neil shook his head. “No, but only one of them tried to speak to me, and it was after she’d been talking about me.”

Matt chuckled, and shook his head. “Damn, you’re a vault. I fear no one will ever win the bet.”

“Bet?” Neil asked.

Matt gave him a worried look. “Uhh, yeah. Sorry, we make bets about everything. You can’t know the bets that you’re involved with, though.” Matt was rubbing the back of his neck and looked sheepish.

Neil just sighed, rolling his aching shoulder, only to make the pain so much worse. “It’s fine.” He was going to find out what bet they had. He needed to know what their stance on him was otherwise he’d have to run sooner than he should.

“Sorry, man,” Matt said again, but Neil just waved him off.

“Don’t worry about it.”

Matt looked relieved and the rest of the journey passed quickly, the only sound coming from the speakers that were playing a song Neil didn’t recognise.

It was a comfortable silence, and Neil decided he could fit in there, even if it was reckless.

Notes:

Thank you so much for reading! I hope you have a great day/night! <333

Chapter 35: Abram and Exy

Summary:

Andrew's POV. Andrew and Kevin talk and Renee asks a question.

Notes:

Hi! Thank you so much for all your support! I appreciate it so much! <333

Rubbing his aching temples, Andrew gritted his teeth.

Kevin had not shut up about Exy since Seth’s death. It was like it was the only thing he cared about. And it was a sport that barely anyone knew how to play or even cared to learn. Andrew himself had only chosen to learn it because it was something to do with his time in juvie, some way to get out of the confines and down to the community centre to play against other teams.

Yapping away about Exy this and Exy that, Kevin was ranting about having to replace Seth and how difficult it would be to recruit anyone else. He was acting as if anyone actually cared about his obsession. Well, he supposed Abram seemed equally as obsessed, though he actually managed to hide it a bit better. Or at least, he wasn’t currently talking Andrew’s ear off about the sport.

Andrew was considering breaking off a promise for the first time in his life because he just couldn’t stand to protect Kevin if he wasn’t going to give Andrew some time for peace and quiet when a small knock sounded at the door, interrupting Kevin. Andrew got up immediately, ignoring Kevin’s annoyed protests, and answered the door, a bored look on his face. He really should try to find some more pills, but he’d run out. At least he had used them sparingly, so he wasn’t going cold turkey. He didn’t fancy having to lock himself into a bathroom for a week like he had to Aaron.

Renee’s smiling face dimmed a little when she noted his expression, but somehow, she was still happy as ever. Even though Andrew knew just how vicious she could be, sometimes he wondered how she had survived everything she’d been through and still managed to come out with a smile for everyone.

“Did you want something?” he asked, leaning against the door frame and blocking Kevin’s view of their visitor as best as he could.

Kevin tried shifting him out of the way with an annoyed, “Andrew,” but to no avail.

“Hi Kevin!” Renee greeted, and Kevin tried to move Andrew once more before he gave up.

Muttering a quiet, “Hi Renee,” he retreated back to the beanbag he was sitting on, muttering obscenities aimed at Andrew under his breath. Renee must have heard some of them, because she stifled a laugh with her hand.

She took a second to recover before she answered Andrew’s question. “Dan wants to know if Neil can shadow any of you whilst you work? She doesn’t want him doing anything physical, so he’d just be watching. Wymack told her to ask you.”

Renee was straight to the point as always, not beating around the bush, which is probably what helped to build the trust and friendship they had developed with each other. Well, that and her own past was really what cemented it for Andrew.

He sighed. “If he must follow one of us around, it can be me. Ask Nicky and Aaron if they want him to follow them around. They can tell you themselves. They are grown up boys, after all.”

Renee smiled at him with a nod. “Alright, I’ll let the others know. Have a good day,” she said with a wave.

Andrew waved back. “Bye-bye, Renee.”

Closing the door, he turned back only to remember Kevin was in there, waiting for him. Suddenly, he wished he had gone back up to the roof, or followed Renee to wherever she was going. Instead, he was now going to have to listen to Kevin and his Exy obsession. Maybe he should set up a game on the TV for him to watch and analyse until he forgot he was ranting about recruiting new team members.

“When will Neil be able to play Exy again, Andrew?” Kevin asked, before Andrew could do anything to distract him.

Andrew shook his head. “Ask him yourself. Actually, let’s go and find the little liar, shall we?” It wasn’t his best idea, but it was better than having to listen to Kevin whine about Abram and Exy and Seth.

Kevin agreed silently, putting his shoes on and waiting impatiently at the door for Andrew. Sometimes, he thought he was like a dog, waiting for its owner, lost and lone in the world since it was abandoned.

As tired and annoyed as he was, Andrew found a slight interest perking up within him at the thought of finding Abram. He was starting to enjoy their time together a little bit too much for his liking, especially with all the secrets still between them. On both sides.

Notes:

Thank you so much for reading! Have a lovely day/night! <333

Chapter 36: Replacements

Summary:

Neil shadows Renee. Tensions rise.

Notes:

Hi! I hope you enjoy this chapter! Thank you so much for all of your support, I appreciate it so much! <333

Neil was bored.

It had been a few days of him settling into his new routine. Each day he would grab a bite to eat with Matt, and then he would go off and watch one of the others working as he tried to figure out which job would be best for him without even being allowed to really do anything.

The day after he had shadowed Matt, he had shadowed him again, watching him do all the same things and speaking to him about his options in the farming area. The day after that he had been shadowing Renee. As much as he had been uncomfortable with the idea of it, it hadn’t gone anywhere near as badly as he would have thought. She seemed genuine in her kindness, but that just made her all the more of an enigma to Neil. He knew there was something she was hiding, and she knew the same about him, but she never pushed, and out of all of them, she was the one that hadn’t asked any questions about his past. He’d appreciated it, but he also quickly decided that her job was not for him. Apparently, she spent most of the day teaching exercise classes in one of the sports halls.

He had been surprised by the amount of people there, and he had tried to be as out of the way as he could, ending up sat on some benches left to one side of the room. He had wanted to get involved in the exercise, but it seemed to mostly be relaxing, which was not his preference. He much preferred the violence of Exy, but he was sure the people there didn’t want to be violent.

It had been a long day, but it wasn’t the worst. He had been allowed to join in a few times when they weren’t using their arms, and Neil had, but he didn’t want to be a teacher. It was too many people and too high a risk that they could find out the truth and find out the danger they were all in.

After Renee’s classes finished, they left the hall in search of dinner.

“We should eat with the others tonight,” she suggested. Neil was surprised by her idea, mostly because he wasn’t sure he should be there. He still felt the guilt of Seth’s death weighing heavily on him. “Tomorrow, you’re supposed to shadow me whilst I teach some of the children, but after that, one of the others has you. I thought you’d like to see them before you spend an entire day with one of them.”

Neil understood her reasoning, and actually found some appreciation for it. She was right, of course, he should go and see what everyone thought of him now that Seth was dead. “Yeah, okay, sure,” he said, making Renee smile brightly at him. He was still struggling with her kindness, but he was getting more used to it now that he’d had to spend so long with her.

Grabbing a phone out of her pocket, Renee sent a text off to someone, probably to let them know they were all having dinner together. When her phone made a noise, she smiled and read whatever it said. “Do you mind what we eat tonight?”

Shaking his head, Neil did a half shrug. “Not really. Anything is fine.”

Absently, Renee nodded her head at him, but she was already engrossed in responding. When she put her phone away again, she got Neil’s attention and gestured for him to follow her. They walked above ground back to Fox Tower. From the outside, the building seemed to tower above everything else, which was probably mostly due to the hill it was on. Neil wasn’t used to walking to the Tower outside yet, but he’d noted the way enough now that he was certain he could at least try to find it. If all else failed, he would probably be able to just look up and find it that way.

Together they trudged up the stairs, though Renee definitely seemed to be much perkier than he was after mostly sitting on a bench for the last few hours. He stretched as they walked in silence, trying to appease his aching muscles. He really wished his recovery would speed up so he could do some exercise at least. It would be bad news if he lost it all and then had to run for his life.

Renee dropped him off outside the suite he shared with Matt before escaping into her own room with a, “See you in a bit.”

Neil stared at her door for a moment before his eyes were drawn to a different door. Drew’s suite door was closed and no sound was coming from inside. He wondered where everyone was. Before he could do something idiotic, like going over and knocking, he unlocked Matt’s door and stumbled inside. No one was home, as was evidenced by the note left on the fridge in a quick scrawl from Matt, but he was welcome to any food he found if he was hungry.

He figured if they were all having dinner together and Matt wasn’t there, then he had time for a small snack, and he was starving, having not eaten since breakfast. Renee had offered him some of her lunch, but he didn’t want to impose on her anymore than he already had.

Rummaging through the cupboards, he happened across bread, and in the fridge he found cheese and tomatoes, and some other vegetables. He made himself a sandwich and ate it quickly, as if afraid of being found out. He cringed a little when he heard footsteps out in the hallway before the door opened allowing Matt to enter.

Neil hurried to clear the side of the crumbs he was sure had dropped, but it was too late. Matt had already seen, but the confusion on his face made Neil pause. The panicked haze in his mind dropped enough that he could think clearly. Matt didn’t care if he made a mess and didn’t clean it up immediately. That much was abundantly clear from the clothes he had strewn on the floor around his bed. He didn’t need to feel so guilty.

Matt cleared his throat. “Is everything… okay?” he asked, as if unsure what he was walking into.

Neil shook his head to clear it. “Yeah, everything’s fine. I was just clearing up.”

Matt nodded but didn’t say anything else. He stared into the kitchen for a moment before disappearing down the hallway to the bedroom, probably to get ready for dinner. Neil cringed at himself for a moment longer before finishing cleaning the kitchen and going to sit on the sofa in the main living area. He flicked on the TV whilst he waited for Matt, and the last DVD they had watched started playing. It was some random superhero action movie, but Neil couldn’t really get into it.

When Matt finally came back out, he sat beside Neil and they watched the movie together quietly until there was a knock on the door. Matt opened it and let Dan in. She smiled at Neil. “Neil, I heard you’re having dinner with us. Come on, we’re eating at mine.”

Neil trailed behind Matt and Dan as they spoke quietly to each other, staring at each other with such an intense love that Neil had to concentrate so as to not stare, unused to seeing people being so openly affectionate.

Just as they were about to enter Dan’s room, the cousins and Kevin leave their room and meet them in the hallway. Nicky smiled at him, but Aaron scowled, and Drew looked lost in thought. Kevin was eyeing him as if assessing the damage done to him.

“Well, you can walk around, I don’t see why you can’t play Exy.”

Drew turned to look at Kevin. Neil couldn’t see his expression, but judging from the annoyance on Kevin’s face, it wasn’t good. “I though I said no more Exy for the rest of the day, Kevin. Don’t make me put you in time out.”

Matt and Dan were watching the interaction go down between Kevin and Drew, exchanging worried looks, but Nicky and Aaron didn’t seem to care, getting closer to Dan as if that would make her open the door quicker.

It seemed to work, as she unlocked her door and let them all inside, bar Kevin and Drew who were still facing off outside. Neil cleared his throat, ready to go and get them, but then Kevin broke eye contact with Drew and Drew turned back to them all, smiling victoriously. “There we go, he just needed to remember who was in charge.”

They walked into the room, Drew brushing past Neil, close enough to whisper, “Don’t be so afraid. He’s all bark and no bite.”

Neil stared after him in confusion, before following them all into the room. He was the last one in, and everyone else was spread about the room. Renee and Drew were sat together, Nicky and Aaron were together along with Kevin, and then Allison, Dan, Renee and Matt were all together. Allison looked wrecked, and Neil doubted she had left the suite at all since she found out about Seth.

Neil didn’t know who to sit with, but he felt awkward being around Allison, and he was invited by Renee. As much as he didn’t particular want to sit with her, it was better than being alone and targeted by Allison, even if he did deserve it for the damage he had caused.

Renee smiled at him when he approached but Drew just stared at him. “Oh goody, just the one I came to see.”

Confused, Neil crossed his arms across his chest as Renee excused herself to go and check on the food in the kitchen. Apparently he was getting a home-cooked meal tonight. Drew was giving him an assessing look.

“Renee said you’d come, but I thought you’d run off when you saw Allison.” Neil’s eyes widened in surprise and Drew rolled his. “Oh, come on, surely you must realise that everyone can see the guilt you feel.”

“They haven’t said anything.”

“They’re being nice.”

Neil knew better than to point out that he had brought it up.

“I’m only here to speak to you. Are you aware of who you’re paired with after Renee?”

Neil shook his head. “No.”

Drew nodded his head as if that was what he was expecting. “Ah, well, this ought to be a nice surprise for you. Well, surprise. It’s me, and I’m temporarily taking over one of Seth’s shifts until we find a replacement.”

Neil’s stomach dropped. He was going to be taught Seth’s task. Like he was a replacement.

Neil struggled to keep his shock and horror of off his face, and he regretted the sandwich he’d eaten earlier.

Before he could say anything, Renee was returning, announcing dinner was ready.

He got a plate, but he didn’t remember grabbing it, and he sat with Drew, though he didn’t remember sitting back down again.

He ate in a haze and disappeared back to his room before Matt could speak to him, pretending that he was exhausted after a long day.

Notes:

Thank you so much for reading! Have a great day/night! <333

Chapter 37: Anticipation

Summary:

Neil is anxious about spending time with Andrew

Notes:

Hi! Thank you so much for all of your support, I appreciate it more than I can say! <333

The next day passed in a blur, much to Neil’s chagrin.

He wasn’t ready for his day with Drew, and Renee hadn’t helped settle his worries. She had taught some younger people English and maths and had offered to let Neil teach at a few points with her guidance. He hadn’t been very good at it. It had been a long while since he’d last been in school and passing grades were all he really aimed for. Except for in his language classes. But that was thanks to his mother.

At lunch when Renee had offered him a whole sandwich, he had taken it, but only because he realised she must have brought one for him, and he knew if she was friends with Drew she wouldn’t be trying to kill him when Drew wanted him to suffer through the next day.

Neil had eaten with Renee quietly and she had been lost to her phone, texting someone. It could have been Drew, since she was smiling a lot, though that wasn’t really any different from her usual expression.

Without thinking first, he said, “Renee?”

“Hmm?”

Neil paused, embarrassed heat flooding his cheeks when he realised he didn’t know what he wanted to ask her. She was looking at him questioningly and Neil felt like his heart was going to burst out of his chest with how fast it was beating. He needed to think of something to say, anything.

“Are you and Drew dating?” was what he ended up asking, much to his own horror. But it was too late, he had already said it. He couldn’t take it back.

Renee, who looked like she was trying to stifle a laugh, cleared her throat. “Does he know you’re asking me this?” she questioned. When Neil shook his head, trying to hide his cringe, she nodded to herself. “Well, alright then. I would appreciate if you didn’t go around telling the others anything, but we are not dating.”

She folded her hands in her lap. “But you spend a lot of time with him.” It was the only thing Neil could think to say and he wanted to kick himself.

She simply quirked a brow at him. “So do you.”

Apologetically, Neil looked at her. “Sorry. It was rude to ask. Just pretend I didn’t say anything.”

She smiled kindly at him. “You don’t have to pretend that you didn’t want to know. But it’s best if the others don’t know. They like to make bets about me and Andrew, and Andrew isn’t such a fan of people gossiping about him.”

“But you’re telling me all of this.”

Renee looked at him as if she wasn’t sure what to make of him. “Neil, Andrew would have told me if he didn’t want you to know, like he said that he didn’t want the others to know.”

Dumbstruck, Neil gaped at her, mouth open and closing like a fish out of water. Before he could come up with a response, Renee looked down at her phone.

“Oh, look at the time. Come on, I have another class to teach now. Do you want to help with this one? I’m teaching them Spanish.”

“Uhh, I’ve not really learned Spanish before, so you’ll be teaching me as well.”

She nodded as if she understood. “That’s fine, feel free to listen in to this class as well, then.”

Neil was interested in learning a new language to add to his rusty repertoire. He knew German and French pretty well still but most of his other languages were long gone, and Spanish hadn’t been one he’d been good at in the first place. He hoped it was a bit easier a second time around, even if it probably wouldn’t help him all that much in the grand scheme of things.

The rest of the afternoon passed him by quickly. The Spanish class finished far too soon, and Neil was ahead of everyone else there, having quickly picked back up from where he had left it. Though, where Neil had learned key words about locations and descriptions, he had never taken the time to learn much more than the basic pleasantries. His knowledge was lacking in a lot of the more basic areas, but at least he knew simple structures of the sentences.

After teaching Spanish for a bit, Renee switched over to teaching Religious Education, which she seemed well-versed in. She didn’t do it in a God-fearing way, either, which Neil could appreciate. If there was a God, they had long been abandoned by it, and Neil wasn’t afraid of one. He had been up against much worse, after all.

By the time Renee was finished teaching for the day, all of the students in the lecture hall looked enthused but tired. Renee was kind enough not to set any homework for them, but it seemed that she mostly was teaching an ever-changing class. It made Neil wonder just who was doing what jobs. He wondered if even the youngest of the children had to help out where they could, or if they were leaving based on the level of work being set.

It all left Neil with a lot more questions than he thought it would, but he wasn’t sure he wanted to let himself ask any more questions to Renee, unhindered after embarrassing himself at lunch. He didn’t even get a chance to before she was inviting him to have dinner with them all again. He accepted.

 This time, the cousins and Kevin were absent and it was a noticeable difference. Matt came and sat with Neil whilst the girls all stayed together. Allison kept looking in his direction, but he kept shrinking behind Matt. If he noticed, he didn’t say anything and Neil appreciated it, even if he didn’t fully understand why he wouldn’t call Neil out on his strange behaviour.

Instead, Matt struck up a conversation about his day. He did most of the talking, and Neil chimed in here and there with a comment, but other than that, he got to stay quiet. It made him wonder what dinners with them all would look like if Seth was still there, which in turn made the guilt he felt heavier, and made him more aware of Allison.

By the time dinner was over, Neil wanted to escape again, but he knew he would have to face Allison eventually, if only because he would surely have to shadow her at some point.

When he and Matt got back to their suite, Matt stopped him with a hand on his good shoulder. “Hey, you’re acting weird. Don’t say it’s because you’re tired or fine, or whatever. I can tell that’s not it.”

Neil paused, unsure what to say. “I was just lost in my head about tomorrow.” It wasn’t quite the truth, but it was close enough.

Matt nodded in understanding. “Ahh, the monster. If you don’t want to shadow him, you can follow me around for the day again. Or Dan. She was opposed to you shadowing him whilst he’s filling in, but he was insistent that you learn. I’m more concerned he’ll figure out a way to dump you outside the walls with no way back, though.”

Neil hadn’t even considered that would be an option, but now that he was thinking about it, he wondered if Drew would go that far. “Would he really do something like that?”

Wincing, Matt rubbed the back of his neck. “I wouldn’t put it past him. He’s done some bad stuff in the past.” He seemed to be remembering something before he snapped himself out of it. “He shouldn’t do anything bad. He knows the consequences of it, but if he does do something, come to one of us immediately. Or call.” He fishes something out of a pocket. “We know you didn’t take the phone offered before, so take it now. If only to give us a peace of mind. Call if you need anything. I mean it, Neil.”

Numbly, Neil took the phone without really meaning to. “I will.” What he was agreeing to, he wasn’t sure. He wasn’t one to make promises either, though, as his mother always told him they were sacred and should never be broken. Though, the promises he had made to her in her final moments were scattered along with her ashes.

Satisfied, Matt nodded. “Good. Now, it probably is time to get some sleep. I don’t know about you, but I’ve got an early start.”

They both went through their nighttime routines and got into bed, quietly. Tonight, although Neil had never really had to share a room with him, it seemed that Seth’s ghost was hanging heavily in the room, or else it was his lack of presence that was polluting the atmosphere in the room. Either way, it was noticeable and Neil struggled to sleep, tossing and turning in bed until he eventually succumbed to his exhaustion.

Notes:

Thank you so much for reading! I hope you enjoyed! Have a great day/night wherever you are! <333

Chapter 38: Patrol: Part 1

Summary:

Neil learns a new job

Notes:

Hi! Thank you so much for reading! I hope you enjoy! <333

I am so sorry for the massive delay in updating this. I have been so busy with my dissertation and uni work and everything going on in my life rn. Good news is I've finally sorted out most of that stuff and have finally finished my dissertation (I think)! Bad news is, I still have exams and a few lingering things to sort out, so updates will still be slow. However, as an apology for my long absence, I am adding 3 new chapters all at once. So please enjoy!

Neil woke up early the next morning. Matt wasn’t awake yet, and he wasn’t sure that the sun was even up, but he was too restless to sleep for any longer. He got out of bed, moving quietly around so as not to disturb Matt. He grabbed the first clothes he could find, and left the room to go to the bathroom.

He showered and got ready for the day quietly, contemplating what Drew could possibly be making him do. Whatever it was, he knew that it wouldn’t be pleasant. He didn’t really want to be Seth’s replacement, which seemed to be exactly what Drew was trying to do.

By the time he left the bathroom, Matt was up, and the smell of coffee wafted over to him. He usually wasn’t a fan of the stuff, but this time when he was offered a mug, he accepted it gratefully. He would need all the energy he could muster for whatever Drew had up his sleeve. He was sure that even though they all seemed to be under strict orders to not let him do anything, Drew wouldn’t follow the same rules as the others.

Matt drank quietly as Neil rifled through the fridge, coming away with eggs and bacon. When he held them up for Matt to see, he got a nod, and Matt found the frying pan and a couple of plates.

Neil got to work on making food for the both of them. Whilst he was cooking, Matt spoke up, having had enough coffee to make sense. “Oh, Neil, Abby invited us all to have dinner with her and Wymack later. You in?”

Neil wasn’t sure what to say. He felt awkward about eating dinner with Abby when she had seen all the scars covering him and had patched him up, but if the day went as badly as he thought it might, he’d probably end up seeing her regardless. And that wasn’t even taking account of Wymack who Neil didn’t know enough to be comfortable around. He worried he would freak out around him again.

The smell of burning eggs brought him out of his thoughts, and he quickly plated the eggs with an apologetic grimace. They weren’t too bad, but they were still burnt at the edges.

“Neil?” Matt prompted.

“Uh, sure.” Neil was awkward about it, and had spoken without thinking.

Matt smiled brightly at him. “Perfect. I’ll let them know to expect you.”

Texting the others, Matt sipped at his coffee whilst Neil made the bacon, thankfully not burning it as well.

They ate together, before Matt had to rush off to work. Neil couldn’t leave until he was picked up by Drew. He expected he would have been called by now, but Drew hadn’t knocked on the door. Neil was waiting anxiously, unsure what he should do whilst he waited.

Doing the dishes settled his nerves a bit, and made him feel like less of a burden. He hated feeling like he was stealing from them and giving them nothing in return. By the time he finished, Drew still hadn’t turned up, so he decided to clean the kitchen, and then the living room. By the time Drew turned up, Neil had worked up a sweat and his shoulder was aching. He would never admit it to anyone else, but he thought he might have overdone it.

Drew had a bored look on his face, but he seemed at least like he wasn’t on any medication. Neil hoped that meant they wouldn’t have to talk a lot, because he wasn’t sure how successful he’d be at keeping the pain out of his voice.

Jerking his head for Neil to follow, he walked to the stairwell, taking them downstairs and Neil hurried to keep up, hopping down the corridor with one shoe half on and the other in his hand.

Drew was already in the car by the time Neil made it outside. He had only stopped because he had heard the main building door open and close, and also because he had seen only one car outside.

Tapping his fingers in an agitated rhythm on the steering wheel, Drew audibly sighed when Neil finally got in, and he took off before Neil could even get his seat belt on.

Drew took a route that Neil was unfamiliar with. Instead of heading towards the heart of the village, they instead drove towards the wall. Neil belatedly realised he had been so preoccupied worrying about taking over Seth’s spot, that he hadn’t bothered to ask just what Seth’s job had been.

Glancing at Drew out of the corner of his eye, he contemplated asking the blond man, but instantly decided against it when Drew scowled at something ahead of them. Neil focused back on the front windshield and saw a car park, with a few cars parked in it, though they all seemed to be much dirtier than Drew’s and Neil saw many dents and scratches that Drew’s car somehow lacked, even though he did take it out of the safety of the walls.

Drew parked the car, leaving it and walking to a small booth where the person attending it took one look at him and started rummaging around behind him.

Neil stood next to Drew, trying to peer into the booth, but Drew shifted to block his view. Neil rolled his eyes but didn’t try to get past him again.

“Did you bring any weapons?”

Neil startled. It was the first thing Drew had said to him since he’d picked him up. “No.”

Drew cleared his throat, getting the attendant’s attention. “Double,” he said, gesturing to Neil. The man seemed to understand what he wanted because he nodded and went back to rummaging around.

When the attendant popped back up, he was holding two bags that he handed over to Drew without a word, though he didn’t look him in the eyes. It seemed Drew’s reputation preceded him. It did make him wonder just why he and Renee were so close. What could Renee possibly be hiding?

Drew handed a pack over to Neil and he took it, surprised at the weight.

“What are we doing?” Neil asked, looking around the area. There was no one else in sight apart from the booth attendant, but there was a door that seemed to lead through the wall.

“I hope you practiced your aim.”

“What?”

“I’d rather you don’t shoot someone else by accident.”

Neil snarked back, “That was Seth’s forte, not mine.”

Drew smiled. “Ah, I knew the quiet, innocent thing was an act. Showing your true colours now that we’re alone, are you? Insulting a dead man? That’s low.” Drew clicked his tongue and wagged a finger in Neil’s face.

Neil cringed, he hadn’t meant to break his façade. “What are we doing?” he asked, changing the subject.

Drew looked at him like he knew what he was doing, but went along with it regardless. “Time for patrol. Well, it will be once the previous shift gets back here.” Drew tutted, looking at his wrist like the time would magically appear, considering he didn’t have a watch, only a black arm band.

Neil took the opportunity to look through the bag he’d been given. It seemed to have some food and water in, along with plenty of bullets, a couple of small guns, and a few knives. It was like a personal, mini-armoury, perfect for travelling.

He was impressed, once again, with the organisation it must have taken to bring everything together.

Notes:

Thank you so much for reading! Have a good day/night! <333

Thank you so much for your patience with me through this time, but I will strive to update at least a little bit more regularly!

Chapter 39: Patrol: Part 2

Summary:

Neil goes on patrol with Andrew

Notes:

Hi! I hope you enjoy this chapter! <333

Thank you for putting up with me again! :)))

A couple of people in mismatched clothing eventually came out of the door and grinned at Neil, ignoring Drew completely. They actively avoided him as they walked back to the booth that Neil and Drew had gotten their packs from.

Without waiting for them to do much more, Drew took off towards the door that led to a dark stairwell. The stairs looked a bit rickety – the type of metal stairs that seemed to be barely held together.

Following Drew up the stairs, he shrugged the bag on and tried not to wince as it settled on his injured shoulder. He quickly took it back off, uncomfortable with the weight and not wanting Drew to notice.

Drew didn’t say anything until they reached the top of the dark stairwell and opened the door. Light blinded Neil after being in the dim space and he blinked until his eyes adjusted, following Drew outside.

Outside, the breeze moved small tendrils of Neil’s hair to tickle his cheeks. He brushed them away with the back of his hand, but gave up. He probably needed to get someone else to cut it and deal with it. Someone that could actually see all of his hair. It made him miss his mother.

Cigarette smoke drifted over to him and he looked over at Drew who had a cigarette in his hand and was blowing the smoke Neil’s way. Waving a hand in front of his face, Neil shot Drew a dirty look, but Drew only quirked an eyebrow, took another draw and blew more smoke into Neil’s face.

“What do we need to do?”

Instead of answering, Drew took off, walking along the wall. Neil hadn’t realised that the wall had a walkway on it, but it did, hidden slightly by sheets of metal that matched the metal below it that seemed to be used as guard rails to stop them from falling, and also to help make the walls taller.

Glancing over one side, Neil could see how far the drop would be, but couldn’t linger long. Drew was walking perfectly in the middle, looking straight ahead. If Neil hadn’t been watching him so closely, he would have noticed how he tensed and relaxed with every step. Something seemed to be agitating him.

“Keep up or go home,” Drew called from over his shoulder, barely bothering to turn his head. Neil heard him perfectly anyway, and walked quicker to catch up.

When they came across a booth-like structure that was situated at a corner, Drew opened the door and sat in one of the chairs available. Neil followed his lead, but shut the door behind him, stopping the wind from blowing at them.

Neil wheeled his chair a bit closer to Drew. “What are we supposed to do?” Neil asked again.

Drew dropped his bag to the floor, rifling around until he had grabbed the food and water that they had been given. He set them aside and then grabbed out the weapons, letting them cover the floor. He looked at Neil like he was stupid. His cheeks flushed with embarrassment. “Do as I’m doing.”

Hurrying to copy what Drew had done, he spread out the weapons he had been given, feeling secure with the familiarity of a gun in his hand, and cringing away from the blades.

Drew pointed at one of the guns, explaining the stats of it, and Neil absorbed it all, unused to hearing him talk so much and revelling in it. He moved on and did the same, periodically checking in with Neil to make sure he was keeping up. “There’s a quiz at the end of class, Abram. Keep up. A failing grade could be deadly.”

When Drew had gone through all of the weapons, he asked, “Do you know how to use all of them, or should we fit in some target practice?”

“I know how to use them.” Neil tried to ignore the blades that he knew better than Drew if what Drew had said about them was enough to go by. He knew how to gut a zombie, head to toe, with a simple flick of his wrist. Long forgotten memories filled with blood and screams tried to overwhelm Neil but he forcibly pushed them all back, trying to keep his mind clear.

Drew seemed uncertain. “I’d have more faith in your abilities if you’d shot that woman.”

Neil scowled at him. “She moved.”

“People do that. Funny thing, really.”

Neil huffed, but didn’t comment any further. He needed to keep a clear, calm air about him. “Where’s Kevin? I thought he didn’t leave your side.”

“He’s taking the day off. This was more important.”

“Me?”

Drew scoffed. “You’re nothing.”

“Hey!” Neil started, but Drew interrupted him.

“Quiet! Listen.”

Neil concentrated on the sounds he could hear. Breathing – both his own and Drew’s, the squeak of his chair as he shifted his weight… Nothing else, unless he strained his ears.

And then he heard it. A low groaning that was trying to get louder.

“Is that-?”

Drew nodded. “Yep, time for your first lesson of patrol. Don’t let them get close.”

With that, Drew left the room, gun and ammunition in hand, and let out a bunch of shots. Neil clumsily followed him, finding the few zombies that Drew had gunned down easily enough. He took up position beside him and they worked together to quickly pick them all off. None of them got close enough to even attempt to touch the wall, and Neil was satisfied with his accuracy. He missed a few times, keeping count of how many he missed. His competitive streak was coming out though, because he didn’t miss nearly as many as he thought he would. They weren’t all perfect headshots, though and he did have to shoot some of them several times. From what he could tell, Drew hadn’t had the same issue. All the zombies Neil had seen him take out were with one shot to the head. It was impressive and terrifying. Drew didn’t even stop smoking through the whole ordeal, and when the last of the zombies was down for good, he just walked back into the booth.

Neil stared after him in shock, unmoving for a moment until Drew flicked him an annoyed look. Hurrying back to the booth, he got inside and wished for a heater. His hands were cold and his limbs were stiff from having to aim and shoot for so long.

“Does this happen regularly?”

“Often enough.”

“How long is a shift?”

Drew shrugged. “Depends. Today, it’ll be a shorter one, though. They don’t want an amateur with me for long up here. Accidents have been known to happen.”

Shoulder throbbing, Neil shifted uncomfortably in his seat. What he hadn’t noticed until just now, when his adrenaline had come down, was that the recoil had injured his shoulder more. He wanted to put a hand to it, but he didn’t want Drew to notice.

“Is there a bathroom up here?”

Drew pointed to a bucket in the corner of the cramped room. “It’s right there.”

Neil cringed. He had hoped for a separate room so he could use it as an excuse to check his shoulder.

“Gross.”

“Can’t argue with that.”

Silence took over the room for a moment, too overwhelming for Neil with the pain making his thoughts fuzzy.

“Are you going to throw me over the edge?”

“What makes you say that?”

Neil paused in disbelief. “Are you saying you wouldn’t push me?”

“I’m asking why you think I would.”

“Because no one trusts you, especially with me.”

“Do you trust me?”

“I don’t trust anyone.”

“That’s the truest thing you’ve said yet.”

Neil rolled his eyes. “Whatever.”

More silence shrouded the room.

“I’m not sure,” Drew eventually said.

“Of what?” Neil asked.

“If I would push you. Depends on what you were doing.”

“Well can you tell me what I need to do so you won’t push me?”

Drew just looked out of the large window that took up the entire outside-facing wall of the booth. “Where’s the fun in that?”

Notes:

Thank you so much for reading! Have an amazing day/night! <333

Chapter 40: Patrol: Part 3

Summary:

Neil and Andrew encounter people while on patrol.

Notes:

Hi! I hope you like this chapter! Thank you do much for all the comments/kudos! I appreciate it so much! <333

Neil spent the rest of his shift with Drew in silence, both of them watching the window for any signs of movement. It was towards the end of his shift that something interesting finally happened.

Drew was the first to notice the movement, but the lack of groaning was what really got his attention. He kicked at Neil’s chair and Neil startled up, squinting at whatever Drew was looking at. The sun was still high in the sky, so it wasn’t too difficult to see the group that was heading for the wall. It didn’t seem to be made up of anyone that Neil recognised, but that didn’t mean a lot. They were too far away to really make out what they looked like.

Somehow, Drew had gotten a hold of a pair of binoculars and was using them to better assess the situation.

“Who is it?” Neil asked, still trying to get a better look at the approaching people.

Drew grunted, and took longer to respond than Neil thought he would. Probably because Neil had interrupted the silence.

“It’s fine, just some people that need to be let in. They were doing the patrols outside the walls, but we need to make sure that they’re not infected. Come on.” With that, Drew got up, grabbed his bag, filled with weapons, and left the room, going back to the stairs they had walked up. Instead of exiting the stairwell the way they had come in, Drew took a sharp turn at the bottom of the stairs, going through a narrow passageway that ended in a door.

He unbolted the door from the inside, opening it to reveal a small room that had yet another door.

“Come on, Abram, don’t keep everyone waiting.”

Neil went into the small room as well, both of them barely fitting, and Drew closed and locked it with a key. Before he opened the next door, he told Neil, “Come on, get a gun out. Or are you worried you won’t be able to shoot straight?”

“Aren’t you worried I’ll shoot you?” Neil snarked back.

Drew just laughed. “You don’t have the guts. You still feel too guilty about Seth.”

He was right, and he knew it, which just made it worse for Neil. He couldn’t even lie and try to bluff his way out of it. Instead, he got his gun out quietly and checked that it was still loaded. He clicked a bullet into the chamber and stayed beside Drew as he unlocked the next door. It led them outside this time, but they were caged in by wire fencing, as if they were in a cage.

Drew stepped close enough to the fence that one of the people outside could have grabbed him and pulled him closer. Neil tensed his body, preparing himself to defend Drew if needed.

Drew took out a clipboard from his bag that somehow Neil hadn’t noticed. His observation skills were lacking and he made a mental note to pay more attention to his surroundings, and not just the people. “How many of you left here?”

The leader of the group stepped forward. He was tall with shaggy hair and his clothes were dirty and a bit torn. Neil wondered what had happened to him.

“Five left, five have come back, Minyard. It’s been a long day, let us in.”

“It’s been a long day? Well, why didn’t you say so sooner,” Drew said in a deadpan tone that made the leader take a step back from him. “If you were doing your job, we wouldn’t have had to shoot anything.”

“We?” the leader questioned before his eyes landed on Neil. They widened a bit at the sight of the gun aimed at his chest and held his hands up. “Woah, hey. I’m not doing anything. You don’t need to shoot.”

One of the other members of the group stepped up to their leader. “We haven’t even done anything, no need to get hostile. We’re all working for the same goal here.”

Neil didn’t lower his gun, even as it made his shoulder burn more. He was sure he had torn his stitches, but he just hoped that it was wrapped up enough that it wouldn’t lure the undead right to their door. Being out in the open like this was worrying to Neil, even if he was protected.

“Any bites, scratches, or any contact at all with the undead?” Drew asked.

The leader nodded his head. “Yes to contact, no to bites or scratches.” Drew gave them a scrutinising look, but didn’t mark anything down on the sheet of paper that Neil could see had questions on.

Shifting his position, Neil accidentally stretched his sore shoulder, and he felt a little bit of blood trickle down his arm.

“What type of contact? And how many of you were in contact with the undead?”

The girl who had tried to tell Neil to put his gun away stepped forward. “It was just two of us, Maggie and Elliot.” She pointed them out, probably for Neil’s benefit as Drew was already looking them over.

“Come closer,” Drew demanded, and Maggie and Elliot obliged. Maggie was walking with a bit of a limp, but Elliot seemed to move fine. Their clothes were equally as dishevelled as everyone else in the group and Neil couldn’t see anything that would give anything away. Their arms and legs were covered, and the skin he could see seemed clear of any marks.

Drew had them walk around a bit, following directions, but Neil’s shoulders were starting to ache and he dropped his arms down for a moment. The blood that had been running down his arm reached his fingertips and he shifted his hand to keep it hidden, not wanting Drew to see his injuries.

Whilst he was preoccupied with hiding the blood however, he felt the air shift, the wind change directions, blowing from behind him. He looked up immediately, trying to see if there was any change to their surroundings.

The girl, Maggie, shifted her stance, no longer limping as she continued to follow Drew’s directions to walk closer. She was too eager, and the limp she had sported before was gone. Everyone took a step back from her as she lunged towards the fence that Neil was standing behind, her skin turning sallow as she groaned and clawed at the wire fence as if she could get through. All it was doing was cutting into her skin, and muddy brown blood was seeping from her cuts.

She was turning and Neil did the first thing he could. He shot her in the head as her arms reached through and grabbed onto Drew’s forearm, pulling him forward against his will.

She fell back, sprawled on the ground, muddy brown blood splattered around her in a halo.

Everyone stared at her, at what she had tried to do, until Neil cleared his throat. “Anyone else affected?”

Drew turned to him. “Let the rest of them in, lock the gate and then follow me. Leave them out here.”

Drew moved into the small room and closed the door behind him whilst Neil let the other four back in. They were quiet, probably in shock, but Neil wouldn’t leave them until he was certain that they weren’t going to turn as well.

“Elliot, was it?” he asked, pointing at the man who had been doing as Drew said along with Maggie, the woman he had killed. Elliot nodded. “Do you believe you and the others are safe? Have any of you been scratched or bitten by Maggie?”

“No, I swear we haven’t.”

Neil didn’t trust his word. Pulling his sleeve up, he let the blood drip freely onto the ground. It would need cleaning up later, but it was better to be safe than sorry with letting people back into Palmetto.

None of them reacted. Their skin stayed the same colour. Neil prodded at his shoulder a bit more to coax more blood to flow, barely containing his wince. Still none of them reacted.

“All of you need to prick your fingers. Show me the colour of your blood.”

Obediently, they all used a clean blade to cut their finger. All of them bled pure red, and Neil relaxed.

“Stay away from the edges. Don’t get grabbed. Someone’ll be back for you soon.” With that, Neil left them to find Drew. It wasn’t difficult. He was waiting in the small room that served as an entryway.

Drew gritted out, “Are they all safe?”

Neil nodded, but it was too dark for Drew to see. “Yes.”

He heard a strange noise, like scraping on the walls, and then the light turned on. “Make sure I’m not infected,” was all Drew said before he was tugging his arm bands off from his forearms.

White lines criss-crossed across his forearm as it was revealed to Neil, and he flinched. A new scar would be red, but he couldn’t see anything but the white lines. It reminded him so much of his own scars that he had to work hard not to touch them, to make sure they were still there and still healed.

“Do you want to eat me, right now?” Neil asked, holding out his arm that was covered in his blood.

Drew recoiled in disgust. “No. But you’re nothing, so it wouldn’t matter anyway.”

Neil rolled his eyes, but he was satisfied that Drew was fine. There weren’t even indents in his skin where Maggie had grabbed his wrist. “You’re all good then.” Drew immediately pulled his armband back on and Neil watched every movement. “We should let them all back inside. We don’t want to leave them out there for too long with all that fresh blood.”

Drew made a noncommittal sound and opened the door to let them all in, then opened the door that would lead them down the hallway. Neil led them through, and Drew stayed behind. Neil opened the door back into Palmetto and he sighed in relief.

Here, he could almost pretend everything that happened was just a nightmare, that it wasn’t real. That he hadn’t added to his body count.

Notes:

Thank you so much for reading! Have a wonderful day/night! <333

Chapter 41: Protection

Summary:

Andrew's POV. Just thinking.

Notes:

Thank you all so much for bearing with me as I get back into the swing of updating. <333

I hope you enjoy this chapter, though I know it's a little short! :)))

Also, I created a side blog for AFTG in general @aftg-all-the-way on Tumblr. I've not posted anything yet, but I'm going to try to keep you updated via this if I think I'm going to have to take a break, etc.

Andrew shook his arms out, alone with his thoughts once more.

Abram was really something different, something he had never seen before.

Andrew had climbed up the stairs until he reached the top of the wall. From there, he stared down at the people below. He could see Abram, who was staring back towards the wall, a contemplative look on his face. He stayed there, staring for a good few minutes before he went inside and Andrew watched after him.

He had Andrew intrigued. He never did what Andrew thought he would do.

Slinking around the top of the wall, Andrew watched over the landscape with tired eyes. Dispassionately noting that someone was going to have to clean up the blood outside the wall soon if they didn’t want it to dry.

Sighing, he pinched the bridge of his nose, feeling a headache coming on. He lowered his head to the railing, crossing his arms in front of him, subconsciously touching his arms, feeling the uneven bumps that covered them.

Footsteps sounded behind him, and he plucked the cigarette out of the hand that was holding it in front of him, already lit up.

“That was mine,” a voice complained.

“Not anymore.”

“I helped you,” Abram retorted.

Andrew took a long drag from the cigarette, letting the smoke out slowly. “You checked if I was infected. Doesn’t count.”

Andrew turned his head to the side to better see Abram. He rolled his eyes at Andrew before pushing back from the railing. “Are you going to dinner at Abby’s tonight?” It was an abrupt subject change, and Andrew narrowed his eyes.

“Maybe.”

“See you around, then.”

“Be back here tomorrow morning.”

He thought he saw Abram roll his eyes and mutter something under his breath, but Abram walked off without another look. Andrew couldn’t stop staring at him, at how he was fine after enduring so much. After being bitten.

He would have to go to dinner tonight. He couldn’t let the others go without him if Abram was going. No matter what everyone thought, it wasn’t confirmed that Abram truly wasn’t contagious, and he would protect his family to the end. Even against Abram.

Sighing, Andrew leaned heavily against the railing once more. Abram seemed unreal to him. Something to long for that would only bring destruction to him and everything around him.

With that, Andrew put out his cigarette and returned to his room to get ready for dinner.

Notes:

I hope you liked the chapter, thank you so much for reading! :)))

Chapter 42: Dinner with Abby: Part 1

Summary:

Neil goes to dinner and sees a surprise guest

Notes:

Hey, I know this is another short one, but thank you for bearing with me whilst I get back into the swing of things! Go follow me on tumblr for updates, etc if you want @aftg-all-the-way (please don't feel like you have to)
<33333

Neil navigated his way back to the suite he was sharing with Matt easily enough. He knew he needed a shower before he could go for dinner, and it was already getting late.

When he unlocked the door, Matt was sat on the sofa, Dan next to him, both of them watching a movie. Matt turned his head when Neil opened the door and waved at him from behind Dan’s head. Neil acknowledged him with a quick nod before disappearing into the bathroom.

Showering quickly and efficiently, he dressed in the first things he picked up out of his bag and checked his roots and contacts before dragging a hand over his face, tiredly, and leaving the bathroom.

“Hey, Neil!” Dan greeted him. She was in a pair of shorts and a t-shirt. Matt was dressed similarly and was taking a long drag from a bottle. “You’re just in time. We were just about to head over to Abby’s.”

Neil forced a small smile onto his face. “Cool. I’m ready whenever.”

Matt laughed a little before Dan elbowed him sharply in the stomach.

“Let’s get going before all the food goes cold and Wymack decides today’s the day he’s tired of us all,” Dan said, humour in her voice that Neil didn’t entirely believe.

Nodding, Neil dutifully followed Dan and Matt out of the suite, and they hurried out of the building and down the street. A few people stopped Dan or Matt to talk to them on the way, but it was only briefly, and before long they had reached a nice, two-storey house. It had a small, but well-looked after lawn at the front, and matched a short row of houses to either side of it, all similarly sized.

It all looked so normal. Something that Neil hadn’t experienced in so long, perhaps even ever. His childhood home was nothing like these small, but pretty houses, and the memories it housed were far too ugly for him to let himself think about in a place that seemed so untouched by the horrors of the outside world. The buildings weren’t dilapidated or trashed. They didn’t even seem to have flaking paint, all seeming pristine in the darkening sky.

Neil couldn’t help but compare himself to the house. He was scarred. His clothes were raggedy, and not entirely clean, but it was tough when he was constantly on the move and the world had come to an end. He didn’t belong in a house like that, at a clean dining table, laughing as people talked about their days.

Dan seemed to sense his hesitance and walked over to him, Matt in tow, and linked an arm with his, dragging him forward to the house. “We’re here if you need anything,” was all she said, before Matt knocked on the door before opening it.

Inside, a rush of noise reached them, and Neil suddenly felt that maybe he could just blend in with everyone else. It seemed like this dinner wasn’t as small as he had feared.

Dan was the first to be noticed when someone finally came to investigate the knock on the door, and she was ushered into a hug by Abby. Neil tugged his arm free, which caught Abby’s attention. She turned to give him a hug and he subtly stepped away from her. She gave him a searching look before backing away and hugging Matt instead.

“Come in, come in! Dinner’s almost ready, so just find a seat. Everyone else is already here.” Abby gave them all a wide smile, urging them to follow her as she rushed away.

Following Dan and Matt, Neil was having trouble taking in everything all at once. There weren’t as many people as he had imagined, it was just they were all talking over each other. Kevin was slumped in a chair, a bottle of booze held tightly in one of his hands. He was gesticulating wildly, and Neil could see his drink sloshing in the bottle, threatening to spill everywhere.

Nicky was talking with Kevin, but Neil wasn’t paying much attention to him. He was more caught unawares by Aaron who was sat, talking to a girl that Neil thought that he should recognise.

Across the room, Drew was sparing pointed glares at his brother, and Renee seemed to be trying to distract him. When he seemed to become aware of Neil, however, he turned his glare from his brother to Neil.

“I thought you weren’t coming.”

“I never said I wasn’t,” Drew replied, calmly.

Neil stifled the urge to roll his eyes at Drew and turned away from him and Renee before Renee tried to get him to come over. He had seen her ready to raise her hand and call him over.

Dan had split off from Matt and Neil and had gone to sit with Allison who wasn’t looking like her usual self. Neil had become accustomed to her wearing skirts and heels, her hair being impeccable, and manicured nails that matched whatever outfit she decided to wear, but today, she was dressed almost as shabbily as he was, her hair a dishevelled mess and dark circles under her eyes like she hadn’t been sleeping.

Neil had to look away before he became overcome with guilt at what he had caused.

Swallowing, Neil took a seat at the table furthest away from everyone. A plate was set up in front of him and Neil looked down at it as Matt sat next to him, in between Neil and Nicky.

Neil gave him an appreciative smile before lowering his head back down, exhaustion making him wish he’d declined the invite and instead just stayed in and slept. It was going to be a long night, if the increasing noise was anything to go by.

Notes:

Thank you so much for reading! Have a lovely day/night wherever you are! <33333

Chapter 43: Dinner with Abby: Part 2

Summary:

Neil has dinner with Abby and everyone.

Notes:

Hi! I hope you like this chapter. Thank you so much for your support! <333

P.S. The next update may have been influenced by The Tortured Poets Department, but what can I say? I have brain rot over this album

Wymack bustled into the dining room from the kitchen where he must have been helping Abby out with the food. He carried in what looked like a large turkey, though Neil couldn’t be sure, since it had been so long since he last ate one. He set it on the table, eyeing Drew like he thought he would do something. Neil tried to avoid looking at either of them.

Abby came in next, followed by a woman Neil tensed up to see. The therapist, Betsy. He breathed slowly in through his nose and let it out in a quiet rush. Matt looked at him, but Neil just shrugged off the questions he saw in the other man’s eyes.

Everyone settled around the table, quieting momentarily whilst Abby and Betsy put down the food they had brought in. Abby shot a smile at him once she was settled in her seat. “I’m so glad you could join us, Neil. Have you met Katelyn?” She gestured to the woman sat next to Aaron. Neil internally winced when he remembered he had met her before.

“Thank you for having me,” Neil said, mildly. “We’ve met briefly before,” he added, looking towards Katelyn. She was frowning down at her plate, and Aaron seemed to be whispering something to her. Drew was watching them with a calculating look in his eyes, and Neil got the distinct impression that he was plotting something. Something that nobody would like the outcome of.

Matt seemed to notice the tension, too, and chimed in. “The food looks delicious, Abby.”

Nicky perked up. “Yeah, I bet it tastes so good. It feels like ages since we last had dinner here.”

“It was literally barely even a week ago,” Kevin said, ending his sentence with a hiccup.

“I swear it felt longer than that,” Nicky complained, draping himself dramatically over his empty plate.

Drew pulled his attention to Nicky. “Come now, Nicky. Stop sulking.” Nicky stuck out his lower lip in a pout, aiming it at Neil, who just shrugged. Drew switched his gaze over to Betsy. “Lovely to see you again, Bee. I didn’t know you’d be here.”

“Andrew, as always, it’s good to see you to. How are you doing?” Betsy replied.

“You know how it is, Bee. Always trying to keep them in line.” Drew cut a sharp look towards Aaron and Katelyn, and Neil tensed slightly.

Abby clapped her hands, drawing everyone’s attention to her. “Let’s eat before the food goes cold.” She smiled brightly, and Neil thought it reminded him a little bit of Renee’s unfailing optimism.

Everyone started helping themselves to the food piled onto plates. Everything smelled delicious, and Neil felt his stomach grumbling. It had been a while since he had eaten a home-made meal. He couldn’t even remember when he had last eaten one as good as this one.

He helped himself to seconds and thirds. Everyone else did the same, mumbling enthusiastic comments to Abby or Betsy. Wymack grumbled once or twice that he had helped, but Abby snorted and Betsy smiled while shaking her head at him.

“We all know you can’t cook for shit,” Nicky said quickly adding, “Coach,” onto the end when Wymack sent him a glare.

“Anyone else have anything smart to say?”

No one said anything.

“I didn’t think so.”

Towards the end of the meal, Neil spared a glance at Allison. He should say something to her, but he didn’t know what. It very much seemed like his fault that she had lost Seth, and he didn’t want to make it worse. Any hope of being unmemorable had disappeared the day Seth had died. He could have just been a bad memory, but instead, he knew she would never forget him. That no one would. Though they may forget his name, and where he came from, and all the other little details, he will still exist in their memories as the one to kill Seth.

Allison had hardly eaten anything from her plate, and Dan was leaning towards her, whispering quietly. In fact, Allison had barely spoken at all throughout the meal, and Neil could feel that guilt washing through him like a living creature.

By the time the dinner was over, Neil was itching to run, though he knew he couldn’t leave. Not yet, at least.

He helped take everything back to the kitchen and stayed to clean up, letting everyone else trail out of the house before him. He waited until he had heard the last person leave, and Abby had insisted he leave, before he left her house, walking slowly down the street until he was out of sight of anyone else. Then, and only then, did he run. He ran until the dark sky had lightened to a dull grey and a miserable drizzle of rain washed over him. He ran until his legs hurt and his lungs burned, and then he ran some more, until he collapsed, sitting under a tree in an unfamiliar part of the compound.

Alone at last, and exhausted, Neil looked around at the quiet landscape, not even birds chirping to break up the silence, before he laid his heavy head down on the ground, and watched as the rain fell past.

Notes:

Thank you so much for reading! Have a good day/night! <333

Chapter 44: Checking in With Andrew

Summary:

Andrew POV. Early morning.

Notes:

This one is exceptionally short, but I'm so distracted by TTPD... Why has she released so many songs??? I'm going feral over here

On another note, if you wish to get more info about releasing chapters for this fic then go check me out on tumblr @aftg-all-the-way

The sun had fully risen by the time Andrew got out of bed. He was definitely running late to his shift, but he couldn’t care less about that. The dinner last night had been mind-numbingly boring, and Aaron had brought the girl.

He yawned, stretching, as he heard movement in the room. Kevin grumbled something, and Andrew gave him a deadpan look.

“Time for your meds.” Kevin blearily looked at him.

Andrew barely restrained himself from lunging for Kevin, though he considered it. It would be funny to see the look on his face.

“There aren’t many left. I was going to leave it for today.”

Kevin gave him a searching look. “But… you’re on patrol.”

“Mhmm, and?”

“With Neil.”

“I’m aware.”

Kevin sighed, dragging a hand down his face. “It’s too early for this shit. Take them or don’t, but don’t tell the others I didn’t try.”

“That’s the spirit, Kevin.” Andrew patted him on the cheek as he walked past, leaving their bedroom in search of food.

He rifled through a cupboard until he found a chocolate bar and then fixed himself a coffee, leaving enough in the pot for Kevin to have some. He’d be grumpy otherwise, and a grumpy Kevin wasn’t a Kevin he wanted to deal with.

As he was drinking, he wondered if Abram had been waiting for him for a while. He wasn’t sure, but Abram probably wouldn’t wait around forever, though Andrew would very much enjoy it if he could just do as he was told.

Finishing his coffee, he decided he should probably head out.

It would be another long day, he feared.

Notes:

Thank you so much for reading and dealing with me! Have a lovely day/night! <33333

Chapter 45: Do You Have No Bed?

Summary:

Neil is late for his shift with Drew.

Notes:

I hope you like this chapter. It's a bit short, but I'm still just listening to TTPD obsessively. :)))

Falling asleep was not what he had planned, but the exhaustion from the previous few days must have finally caught up to him, because Neil woke up to the sun shining brightly into his eyes, glistening on the wet grass surrounding him. He was still under a tree, and he rubbed his eyes tiredly.

Rushing to his feet, he dusted himself off. “I’m so, so, so late,” he muttered to himself, squinting up at the sky. His mouth was too dry, but he didn’t have time to go back to his room.

Neil couldn’t quite remember the direction he had come from, but he figured he would eventually come across the wall or somewhere he recognised if he just picked a direction and headed that way.

It took probably about thirty minutes at a light jog before Neil had finally found the entrance he had taken yesterday to the top of the wall. Several people were milling about the area, and he ducked his head, going up to the booth he and Drew had gone to the day before. He didn’t look at whoever was manning the booth this time and just took the bag and supplies, opening it and searching for a drink almost immediately.

Only after he had sated his thirst did he look around and try to find the one person he was supposed to meet up with that he definitely shouldn’t keep waiting.

When his eyes landed on a familiar pair of hazel eyes, he steeled himself against the glare being sent his way. He approached Drew, making sure to keep an eye out for any weapons that would embed themselves into his skin.

“You’re late.”

Neil nodded. “I’m aware.”

Neil noted that Drew was holding a steaming mug of what smelt like coffee. His own mouth watered, but he swallowed it back.

“Where were you?” Drew asked, not moving.

“I accidentally overslept.”

Drew gave him an assessing look. “You look like you slept in the mud.”

Neil barely hid his cringe as he mentally tried to assess himself. He could feel the crusted dirt under his fingernails, but he had hoped it wouldn’t be that noticeable. “I went for a run and sat down for a bit under a tree and lost track of the time,” Neil blurted, surprising himself with his honesty.

Drew smirked. “Looks more like you had a nap. Do you have no bed?”

Neil rolled his eyes, refusing to engage anymore. Drew seemed to let it go.

“I’ve been warned to be on my best behaviour today, or else I’ll suffer the consequences,” Drew whispered, mockingly. “So, here.” He handed Neil the mug of coffee he had been holding.

Neil eyed it suspiciously before taking it. “Thanks,” he said after a short, awkward pause. As much as he wanted it, he didn’t trust that Drew hadn’t done something to it.

“Relax, I wouldn’t poison something so obvious.” Neil didn’t think he was joking, but Drew laughed and walked off towards the wall.

Neil followed uncertainly. It was going to be an interesting day.

Notes:

Thank you so much for reading, have a lovely day/night! <333

If you want more updates on the fic then go check me out on tumblr @aftg-all-the-way

Chapter 46: The Trouble with Helping

Summary:

Neil and Andrew run into some trouble

Notes:

I hope you like this chapter. I'm still getting far too distracted by TTPD, and I expect I will for a while (and also I should actually submit my dissertation, etc) so the updates might be quite short for a while

Thank you for all the support, though! <333

Neil took a small, experimental sip of the coffee Drew had given him and had to refrain from letting out an audible sigh. It was just the way he liked it, and it was better than he could usually make it himself.

Satisfied that he wasn’t going to be poisoned, Neil followed after Drew, catching the door just before it could slam shut in his face and then taking the stairs, quickly catching up to Drew. Drew stopped at the top of the stairs, forcing Neil to slam to a halt or run into him. The sudden stop jolted Neil’s hand and his coffee sloshed onto his hand, burning him.

Neil maintained his composure, but he still sent a glare to the back of Drew’s head, and quickly wiped his hand off on his trousers. Like he knew exactly what he was doing, Drew slowly moved forward again. When they reached the top, however, Drew pulled out a gun from the pack already on his back.

Aiming it in front of him, Drew crept along, as if something was wrong. Neil scrambled to palm a gun in one of his hands, not willing to let go of his coffee. He sipped at it, allowing it to course through him and warm him from the chill that was suddenly engulfing him. He knew something was very, very wrong.

Drew motioned with one hand behind his back for Neil to stick close.

Creeping their way along the top of the wall, Neil noticed blood stains on the ground that hadn’t been there yesterday. What had he missed?

Looking around, Neil was too distracted to see when Drew lifted his gun, but the shot echoed around the empty air. Neil looked back just in time to see a body fall off the side of the wall.

Drew dragged him down quickly, just before another shot echoed out. It had been aimed right at Neil.

“Dammit,” Drew muttered. “It’s an ambush. They were planning this. They’ve really stepped up their game to try to get to Kevin.”

Neil didn’t have to ask who Drew was talking about. It was pretty obvious it was the same people he was running from, plus some other random stragglers. And Riko Moriyama.

“How did they even get here?”

Drew cocked an eyebrow at him. “They flew here.”

Neil scrunched his brow up.

Drew sighed. “Scaled the wall. Obviously.”

Neil belatedly saw the rope swinging further down the wall. “Right.”

He quickly drained the rest of the coffee to give him something else to do and put the mug down. Drew flashed his eyes between the mug and him but then looked back around the wall, surveying the area.

“There’s one over there,” Drew whispered and pointed in the direction the last shot had come from.

“We need to sneak up on them and surprise them.”

Drew seemed surprised that Neil had said that, as if he wasn’t sure that Neil could actually come up with a plan that might just work. “And here I thought all your plans would clearly end with you dead.”

Neil had some choice words to say to that, but decided against it. Now wasn’t the time for an argument.

They had to be focused and work as a team.

Neil did think about how of course this happened on the second day he was working in this area. Maybe he should have taken Matt up on his offer of shadowing him again. Though, Drew may have been alone if it wasn’t for him.

Shaking his head to clear his thoughts, he retightened his grip on his gun and took the lead ahead of Drew.

Notes:

Look for updates on tumblr @aftg-all-the-way

Thank you so much for reading! Have a lovely day/night! <333

Chapter 47: Teamwork Makes the Dream Work

Summary:

Neil and Drew work together to take down their enemy.

Notes:

Hi! Thank you so much for reading! <333

Staying low, Neil and Drew made their way towards where the shots had come from. Neil was leading them, and Drew was following him, sticking close behind much to Neil’s surprise. Although he wasn’t entirely comfortable putting his back to Drew. He was just as likely to protect his back as he was to stab him in it.

Neil knew he was probably being dramatic though. It wasn’t Drew’s style, and the coffee he had given Neil had seemed to almost be a gesture of peace.

They crept forwards, keeping up a good pace and it wasn’t long until they managed to get close enough to the person that had been shooting at them for Neil to peek around the corner and aim his gun at them.

Drew peeked out beside him, and let out a small chuckle at the sight before them. The man was dressed in all black, apart from the red accents on the zippers. His outfit was sleek and clean, and it felt like a uniform of some sort, rather than a mismatched outfit comprised of whatever was most practical. It sort of reminded him of Allison, who was always perfectly made up. But it wasn’t quite the same. It felt too much like a uniform for Neil to really compare the two.

Getting close enough so he could whisper in his ear, Drew pulled Neil’s gun down, aiming it at the ground. “What are the little ravens doing here? Dressed like that, as well.”

Neil’s brow furrowed. “Ravens? As in the Edgar Allen Ravens?”

“Ah, yes, you are rather familiar with them, aren’t you? Or perhaps you are only... familiar with a couple of them.” Neil had to try not to cringe at the reminder that Drew knew of his binder.

“They’re here for Kevin, aren’t they?” Neil asked, trying to keep them on topic.

“And a point goes to you, Abram.”

“What are we going to do with this guy?” Neil asked. “Do you want to bring him in, or do you want to dispose of him?”

Neil looked at Drew when he didn’t say anything for a moment. A vicious smile was painted across his face, and it made Neil want to shrink back. He hadn’t known someone could make such an expression.

“I’m sure the others will have a differing opinion, but I say we dispose of the trash after we get some information out of him.”

Neil nodded in agreement and raised his gun once more, this time aiming for the man’s shoulder. Drew was similarly aiming his gun at the man, but he was aiming at the man’s leg.

Drew barely whispered, “Three, two… one.”

They both fired their guns at the same time. The man came crashing down, screaming in agony.

Before Neil or Drew could move towards the Raven, a gasp tore their attention behind them, to the top of the stairs. Nicky was standing there, looking directly at where they were crouched. It was likely that he had been there for long enough to see the Raven fall.

Drew lurched to his feet, running to Nicky, grabbing him and forcing him down. They whispered frantically to each other, before Nicky stopped resisting and slumped to the ground. Drew motioned at Neil to stay where he was, but Neil knew if someone didn’t grab the Raven, that they would probably lose the guy. He was incapacitated, but that didn’t mean he would be for long.

Neil shook his head at Drew before crawling towards the fallen Raven. The man was still groaning in pain, but he was quieter now. Neil held his fingers to the man’s pulse and found that it was beating frantically. It was still strong enough that Neil knew he would survive, though.

Getting to his feet, Neil looked around for any other attackers. When he couldn’t immediately see anyone, he figured it was safe enough to walk around, and grabbed the rope he had seen earlier – the way the Raven’s had broken in.

Taking it back to the incapacitated Raven, Neil tied his hands together, cut the rope and then tied his legs together. He tugged on the rope, finding that it held firm. He didn’t want to think about how he had been taught how to do all of that. He was just going through the motions.

A tap on his shoulder made him reach for his gun that he had set next to him whilst he worked.

He raised it, pointing it at… Nicky. Drew was behind him, scowling and looking around, but Nicky was giving Neil a nervous smile.

“You and Drew work together and look what happens? I guess teamwork makes the dream work, huh?” Nicky chuckled nervously, and Drew’s scowl deepened.

“Nicky…” Drew had a warning note in his voice that made Nicky visibly still.

“Right, sorry. I was sent to check on the guys that were on the shift before you. They hadn’t come down yet. Have you seen them?”

Neil hadn’t seen them, but he remembered the blood stains on the ground that hadn’t been there yesterday. He could probably guess where they were.

Notes:

I hope you liked this chapter! Have a lovely night/day wherever you are! <333

Updates on Tumblr @aftg-all-the-way

Chapter 48: A New Strand

Summary:

Neil and Drew find the missing lookout.

Notes:

I hope you like this chapter!!! <333

I'm still very much in TTPD brain rot era, but I have officially done my dissertation and now I just have 4 exams to do before I graduate!!!!

Drew directed Nicky to take the Raven that was tied up downstairs. Neil watched as they left as Drew pulled his gun back out.

“Follow behind me,” Drew ordered. Neil wanted to argue, but something about Drew’s tone warned him off.

They moved at a brisk pace towards one of the booths that acted as a shelter for those on watch. Drew knocked on the door. When he got no answer, he pushed the door open, facing some resistance as if something was blocking the way.

Neil helped him, pushing against the door, and with a grunt they managed to get into the room.

It was a mess. The chairs in the room were overturned. Blood splattered on the walls and floor.

Two bodies were on the floor, one of which had been moved when they opened the door. That explained the resistance.

Drew looked down at them, nudging the one closest to them with his foot. He blocked most of Neil’s view of the room and Neil tried to peek over his shoulder.

“Go tell someone to come clean this up.” It was an order, but Neil wasn’t certain he should follow it.

“Drew…” Neil wasn’t sure what to say. “I can help with this. I can be useful.”

“You’re an enigma.”

It wasn’t acceptance, but Neil took it as such, and he started by righting the chairs and straightening the room up. The blood would be harder to hide, but Neil had learned some useful tricks over the years. He remembered his mother instructing him how to clean blood stains from his clothes, and he figured it would work well enough on the fabric of the chairs.

They worked in companiable silence for most of the time they cleaned. It was only when Drew left to get more cleaning supplies that Neil noticed something odd. The hairs on the back of his neck stood on end. One of the bodies, who’s face he didn’t recognise, wasn’t exactly as he had seen it just a moment ago. He rubbed at his eyes with the backs of his hands, hoping he had just dreamed it.

He blinked. The body had seemingly moved again, an arm that was out of place of where it had been.

He had never known that a transformation into the undead could be so slow. In fact, one of the main pieces of information that had come out before the world had ended, had been that a transformation into a zombie only took a couple of hours at most, and that was on someone who was alive and healthy. For a dead person who was then turned, it would be almost immediate, and the closer to death, the quicker it happened.

Scrambling out of the room, Neil pulled his gun. Questions were racing through his head, but he didn’t have time to think them through.

How have they turned? There were no marks on them apart from the wounds that killed them. Why did it take so long? Did the Ravens plan this all along?

Neil turned around, facing the way he was going as a realisation hit. Maybe they’ll all turn. An infected one managed to get in here somehow, and it was probably the Raven.

Neil frantically searched for the other Raven that had been killed, but he couldn’t spot them. He also couldn’t see Drew, and it had been too long.

Closing the door to the lookout space, Neil hoped the zombie wouldn’t figure out how to get it open, as he raced down the stairs, looking for Drew or Nicky, or anyone that might have seen them. The place was eerily quiet, unusually so, and Neil knew something much bigger was wrong.

He closed every door he passed, just in case there were any zombies.

He ran all the way back to the building that housed his room before he saw anyone. It was Dan, and he frantically shouted after her, as she was walking down the hallway, away from him. “Dan! Something’s wrong!”

She turned to him, a look of grief in her eyes. “I know. There’s a new strain of the virus.”

Too shocked to move, Neil could only stand there and gape at her.

They were so totally fucked.

Notes:

Thank you so much for reading! Have an amazing night/day wherever you are! <33333

Check out Tumblr @aftg-all-the-way for updates

Chapter 49: Broken Fights & Bright Lights

Summary:

Neil helps Dan.

Hurrying down the hallway after Dan, Neil was surprised to find that she was leading him to her room. She pushed in first, hesitating at the door until Neil had caught up with her.

They walked in together, Neil slightly behind Dan as she pointed to a door that led to the bedroom. “She’s in there. I don’t even know how it happened… Can… can you do it?” Neil didn’t need her to clarify what she meant. He had done it before, and he would do it again to protect himself.

Neil refrained from asking who he was killing. He would see soon enough.

Striding towards the closed door, he gave Dan a small, reassuring smile. “It’ll be fine.”

She didn’t say anything, just watched as he disappeared into the bedroom.

Neil looked around and saw that the place was trashed. Someone had tossed all the furniture and ripped up the bedding where they could. The mattresses on the beds had springs poking out of them, and white stuffing covered the floor.

He thought he heard the door to the suite open somewhere behind him and someone talking, but the voice was too muffled for him to make out what was being said. Before he could even think of turning back, however, Allison stepped into view in the room. She looked crazed, bloodthirsty even, and she was trembling, looking right at Neil.

Slowly, so as not to startle her, he took his gun out and brought it up in front of him, aiming it.

Frantic knocking on the door distracted him just as he pulled the trigger, shooting just past Allison’s head.

Neil cursed, aiming his gun again, just as the door burst open and Dan frantically yelled, “Stop!”

Neil paused all movement, but Allison didn’t. She took the time of his distraction to pounce on him, digging her teeth and nails into him, biting into his shoulder that was still not entirely healed from where he had been shot.

He cried out as the burning agony coursed through him. His body was rejecting the change that Allison was trying to force upon him. He was blinded to everything but the feeling of pain and her teeth in his skin. It seemed to go on forever, and the world faded away from him.

Before he could entirely pass out, though, the pain let up so suddenly that he was dizzy. He felt too disconnected from his own body to do anything other than lay there, blinking hazily up at the ceiling. It was a bright, harsh white, like a hospital.

He drifted in and out of awareness for what could have been minutes, or hours or days. He couldn’t tell. All he knew was that the agony had dulled to nothing more than a distant memory.

When he finally came back to himself enough that he could move freely, he felt like he was being blinded by the lights that shined overhead. They made his eyes sting and tear up until he had to squeeze them closed again.

Lifting his head up after a moment, he squinted as he looked around. Guess I’m in the infirmary again.

Sighing, he carefully lifted himself up onto his arms, testing how it felt. His body protested, but only because it felt stiff. Any pain that he felt was minimal and barely even noticeable anymore.

His throat was parched, and he searched beside the bed until his hand landed blindly on a glass covered in condensation. He greedily drank the water from it, before laying his head in his hands and scrubbing at his eyes.

Shuffling out of bed, Neil got himself steady on his feet before wandering off to find a bathroom. He needed to clean off the sticky sweat and blood that he could feel over his skin.

He was quick and methodical and was done in the bathroom quickly, heading back towards the bed he had been assigned. No one else was in the infirmary, and the curtains were drawn tightly. Neil frowned, opening them. His eyes stung at the sight of sunlight and he quickly closed them again, glad that they had been closed when he woke up.

Wandering towards the exit, Neil found that the door wouldn’t budge.

He was locked in, with no one in sight to let him out.

Notes:

Thank you so much for reading! Have a great day/night wherever you are! <333

Go check out @aftg-all-the-way on Tumblr for updates!

Chapter 50: The Other Side of the Door

Summary:

Andrew's POV. Whilst Neil was elsewhere, Andrew goes upstairs

Notes:

I know this one is super short. I apologise, it was just a quick, easy thing to write. I'm hoping the next chapter will be longer, but we'll see

Andrew let himself into the supply closet that was stocked to the brim with products to help get rid of blood fast. They didn’t need to attract any more of the undead to them if they could help it. Not that the Raven cared. He just wanted to cause pain, and make him break his promise.

It was inside the supply room that he first felt the air shift, as if the world was holding its breath. It was such an unusual sensation that he shivered, abandoning the supplies he had come for. He made sure he had a gun out. The last thing he needed was to be taken unawares. He was reassured to have his knives by his side, but he didn’t want to risk getting too close again. Luck was bound to run out at some point.

He peeked out of the supply closet, looking around for any sign of movement. When he saw nothing, he hurried back up the stairs.

Abram, he thought. It was the only thing on his mind. He scowled, even as he pushed himself to go faster and faster up the stairs. He had seen Abram shoot. He couldn’t always shoot straight, but he wasn’t half-bad. Andrew just hoped it would be enough defence for whatever was happening.

Andrew didn’t pause before rushing towards the room he had been cleaning up with Neil. Not even at the new blood marks that he saw. It just pushed him harder.

Opening the door, Andrew recoiled at the scene before him. One of the dead was eating the flesh of the other, completely feral in its need to eat, devour, consume.

Without blinking an eye, Andrew levelled the gun at the zombie’s head and pulled the trigger, splattering its brains out. He did the same to the other body, just to make sure it wouldn’t get back up again.

Without missing a beat, he strode out of the room, back down the stairs. He needed to find Nicky and the Raven. He was sure the Raven had something to do with everything and if he was infected, Andrew needed to get Nicky away from him, now.

He wouldn’t let himself think of any other outcome. Nicky would be safe.

Notes:

Thank you so much for reading! Have an enchanting day/night wherever you are! <33333

Go to @aftg-all-the-way on Tumblr for any updates on the release schedule, etc!

Chapter 51: Interrogations

Summary:

Andrew's POV. Andrew looks for Nicky.

Notes:

Thank you so much for reading! I hope you like this chapter! <333

On the ground floor, Andrew walked along the corridor, pulling open the door that he hadn’t shown to Abram.

Following the stairs down into the dark, he heard the rattle of something hitting against metal. He hurried his steps, but slowed down as he neared the bottom.

Nicky’s voice floated up towards him. He sauntered over to the bright light that was shining directly into the eyes of the Raven. He saw the Raven was locked up in a cell, his arms tied up still. But he was angry. His nostrils flared and his eyes seemed bloodshot.

Andrew took a step away from the bars, turning to face Nicky. “Did you have any trouble?”

Nicky shook his head. “No, no.”

“Did he scratch you?”

Nicky held his arms out. “Not that I noticed. Why are you asking that?”

Andrew turned his scrutinising stare back towards the Raven. “The others turned.”

Nicky’s gasp was audible. “Neil?” he whispered.

Andrew shook his head. He couldn’t think about Abram right now. “I haven’t seen him.” He turned his attention fully to the Raven. “Your little friends are dead. They turned. I think it would be wise to tell us what you know, or else you’ll end up like them.”

The Raven laughed maniacally, spitting as close to Andrew as he could. “I’m dying either way. This is just more fun.”

Andrew slipped a knife out from one of his arm bands, throwing it in the air and then catching it again. “Oh yes, this will certainly be more fun for me.”

The Raven didn’t even seem to notice and didn’t cringe away from Andrew like others often had. He had gained a bit of a reputation and he was known to be brutal. It was why the Foxes required him to be medicated for at least some of the time.

“This one’s no fun, Nicky. Get whatever information out of him that you can about his friends and then he’ll be disposed of as is fit.”

Nicky looked lost, but he nodded regardless. Andrew walked back to the stairs but turned back at the last moment.

“Don’t let him out of there. He’s more dangerous than you think.” Nicky walked closer to him and Andrew lowered his voice. “I think the Ravens have brought a new strain of the virus to us.”

Nicky froze and Andrew assessed him. His cousin may be annoying and over the top sometimes, but he would protect him as best as he could. And the best way to do that was to give him all the relevant information.

“But… he can’t be carrying the virus.  He’d have already turned. Right?”

Andrew shook his head. “I think they can last longer before they turn. Keep space between you because I don’t know how it spreads. Don’t let him near you Nicky.”

Nicky nodded his head, jerkily, like a marionette doll, before Andrew turned his back. Now that he knew his cousin was safe enough, he could go search for Abram.

Notes:

Have a lovely day/night wherever you are! <333

Updates about this fic @aftg-all-the-way on Tumblr.

Chapter 52: Interruptions

Summary:

Andrew's POV. Andrew searches for Neil.

Wracking his brain for where he thought Abram would go, Andrew realised he would run. But he wouldn’t risk leaving anything behind, not with how he had carried his bag around with him for days before he finally gave up.

He had run that morning, and he would run again now.

Andrew hightailed it back to the building they lived in, knowing that he wouldn’t get there before Abram, but hoping that he could maybe get there before Abram left.

When he got to the building, he scanned his card and sprinted up the stairs, stopping when he reached their floor. Rushing to Abram and Matt’s door, he listened against it. He didn’t hear noise coming from it, but he paused, hearing noise from somewhere else in the hallway instead. It sounded like things were being thrown and people were shouting.

Andrew walked towards the door the noise was coming from, frowning because it was Renee’s room. He pulled out his gun, aiming it towards the door as he knocked.

No one answered, and Andrew kicked the door in.

Dan was in the main part of the suite, an unhealthy pallor to her skin, as she stared at the bedroom door. The noise was much louder now, and gunshots went off, deafeningly loud. Andrew didn’t even need to ask Dan to know that Abram was in there. It was in the way her hands shook and she inched towards the door. But when that gunshot went off, she rushed towards the door.

Throwing it open, Andrew was right on her heels, aiming his gun at the scene in front of him.

Abram was on the ground, gun in a limp hand on the floor next to him. Allison was straddling him, trying to chew on him.

Andrew let out a loud yell before diving onto Allison, prying her off of Abram. He held her against a wall, holding her wrists in one of his hands and forcing her face into the wall so that she couldn’t try to turn him.

Andrew searched out Dan and gestured with his head to Abram.

She approached, abandoning the caution she had shrouded herself with. It seemed that she no longer cared about whether or not she would get hurt, or perhaps she believed Abram was truly immune to the virus.

She crouched next to him and seemed to try to rouse him awake. Andrew thought he saw a small flicker of his eyes as she turned his head this way and that, but he didn’t fully open them. Dan winced when she touched the back of his head, and her hand came away red with blood that Andrew knew belonged to Abram.

“I’ll get Abby and take him to the infirmary,” Dan promised as she caught Andrew’s gaze. He immediately hardened his features when hers softened, and she looked away.

“I’ll take care of her,” Andrew promised.

Dan immediately jumped to her feet. “No. You’ll leave her alone. Lock her in a room, but don’t try to hurt her.”

“How boring,” Andrew said, but didn’t dispute her wishes. So long as Allison was away from his family and they were safe, he didn’t particularly care what happened to her. The most annoying part would be Kevin’s constant grumbling about not having a full team of people that are good at Exy.

“I mean it,” Dan warned, pointing a finger at him.

Andrew grinned and Dan flinched at the menacing sight. “I’m aware.” He sighed when she wouldn’t stop staring at him. “I promise not to hurt her unless it is necessary.”

Dan seemed satisfied with his answer, if a bit sad to have to leave Allison in his care, but he wouldn’t break his promise. “I’ll be back soon.”

With that, Dan left Andrew to deal with an unconscious Abram and Allison who was struggling to free herself and who was trying to break free from his ironclad grip as she grunted and growled at him.

How he had ended up in this mess, he didn’t know, but he hoped tomorrow would be an easier day.

Notes:

Thank you so much for reading! Have a lovely day/night wherever you are! <333

Go check out @aftg-all-the-way on Tumblr for updates!

Chapter 53: Escaping

Summary:

Neil escapes from the room.

Neil was trapped.

He couldn’t leave the room he had been contained in. He had to stay put. His skin itched with the urge to run and run and keep running until Palmetto was a distant memory left behind and nothing more.

Frustrated, he carded his hands through his hair, wincing only slightly at the dull ache in his shoulder. He wracked his brain for ideas on how to leave, but short of trying to break open the windows, he couldn’t think of anything. And that wasn’t a particularly appealing thought, seeing as he was particularly sensitive to light at the moment.

He listened out for any noise that would tell him what was happening, but he couldn’t hear anything. He was all alone, no one was going to let him out. Panic gripped him in its tight, vice-like grip and Neil swallowed back the scream that wanted to rise in his throat. He had to keep calm or else he wasn’t going to be able to figure out a way to leave.

He leaned against the door, desperately trying to catch any noise, but there was nothing. He slammed his hands into the door. The wood shook but held firm. Neil cast around for anything else he could hit the door with, eyeing one of the chairs next to the beds.

Grabbing it, he threw it as hard as he could against the door. It smashed into the wood, and it made a crack, a chunk of wood falling to the floor from the door. Neil threw the chair again and again against the door until the crack was big enough for him to look through and reach through.

He pressed his face to the crack so he could look through. He saw the hallway beyond the hospital room was empty, and the lights flickered ominously. When he looked up a little bit, he could see a plank of wood in front of the door, barricading him in.

Yelling, “Anyone there?” Neil didn’t wait long for a response. With one hand, he pushed up at the wood that was barricading the door shut, pushing it up with all his strength. He grunted at the weight but eventually managed to lift it up enough that it wasn’t blocking the door, and when he leaned on the door for support, he fell right through, snatching his hand back before he could get hurt.

In the hallway now, Neil looked around. Around the door he had just exited through, there was blood smeared around. On the floor, there were also splashes of blood. Neil tensed. If he hadn’t realised something was wrong before, he definitely did now.

More doors along the hallway were similarly barricaded like his had been, and he went up to the one closest to him, knocking and calling out quietly, “Is anyone in there?”

No one responded, but a moment later, heavy banging and scraping sounded against the door. Neil took several steps back, his heart racing. A low, groaning noise came from the room, and his blood cooled, turning to ice in his veins at the familiar sound.

The area was abandoned for a reason. Quarantined, Neil thought.

Instead of sticking around, he ran down the hallway, trying to find a way out of the building. He didn’t need to be quarantined, but if he was there…

He looked at his shoulder, seeing the bite he remembered he got from Allison. He winced at the gruesome sight. The skin on his shoulder was in tatters, and he thought he could see a gleam of white bone.

He’d been bitten. And he hadn’t turned. As they all knew he wouldn’t. So why had they locked him up? Why had they left him?

He thought back to being on the wall, on seeing those people turn. It had seemed different to what normally happened. They turned slower, or something else was turning them. It made him wonder how long he had been alone. Did everyone think he had turned? Did they even care? Would he still turn?

Neil couldn’t think about that at the minute. He just had to focus on getting out.

Notes:

Thnak you so much for reading. I hope you liked this chapter! Have a fantastic day/night wherever you are! <333

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Chapter 54: All Alone

Summary:

Neil is all alone.

Walking in the centre of the hallway so as not to be too close to the doors on either side of him, Neil stayed quiet but alert, looking for any sign to show him how to leave.

There were a few loud thumps against the doors and walls on either side of him, likely from whoever was trapped trying to escape like he had. Every time he heard some sign of life, he had a small urge to go and help them, but then he would hear the groans beyond the door and know there was no saving them. There wasn’t a cure.

Eventually, he reached the end of the plain, white, sterile corridor. A single door that was shiny white was the only change in scenery. The doors that lined the sides of the hallway had all been a dark wooden colour, almost luxurious, and definitely there for aesthetics. It was almost a letdown that the door in front of him was so sleek and modern.

Neil tried the handle on the white door, but it didn’t budge. He patted himself down, looking for his key card. He found it in one of his pockets. At least they didn’t take it. It didn’t fill him with confidence that they hadn’t, though. It seemed like he was walking out into a trap. Or that they believed he wouldn’t retain the ability to use it.

There was a box next to the door with lights blinking on it. Neil swiped his card against it, and he waited as he heard a beep and then a click. He looked behind him to make sure no one else had managed to get out of their rooms, and when he turned back, the white door was hanging slightly open.

He walked through, straight into a different corridor, though this one looked a bit more lively and less clinical. There were a couple of plants in pots dotted around next to small benches or comfy-looking armchairs. The walls were white, with a wood panelling lower down. It was all very sophisticated and gave Neil the impression of a world long-gone.

The doors in this hallway were firmly closed and each one had a small box next to it with lights flashing, just like the door he had come through. He wondered if his key card would work on any of them. And then he wondered who would be occupying the rooms so close to the infected.

Neil leaned against one of the doors at random, listening intently for any noise beyond. There was nothing. Not even the faint sound of breathing or footsteps. Complete and utter silence.

Swiping his card, he heard the beep and then the door clicked open. He opened the door cautiously and looked around. No one was there. It seemed almost abandoned. It was eerie. The room was littered with clothes all over the ground, and a bed in the middle of the room had crumpled sheets. Whoever had been here had left in a hurry.

Neil spied a couple of shiny wrappers, but they were torn open and whatever food they had contained had been eaten much to Neil’s disappointment. Near them, however, was a water bottle. It seemed full and sealed. Neil picked it up, his throat parched. He downed the entire bottle before he even realised he had it open.

A couple of other water bottles were around, and he collected them up. If he couldn’t leave this place, he would need a food source if he didn’t want to starve and die.

He went around the other rooms and found various items. Clothes, some protein bars, more bottled drinks – one of which he was sure was just vodka in a water bottle – blankets, bandages and other medical supplies. Those were scattered throughout the place, and he set to work on quickly bandaging his arm up, after pouring the vodka onto it to sterilise it first.

He hissed in pain, his eyes scrunching shut, but he persevered. He was the only person he could rely on. He was on his own now, and this whole thing had proved that he couldn’t rely on others. They would betray him. They wouldn’t kill him even if they needed to.

He was disgusted with himself, but he took a deep, calming breath. He had to remain calm, and think of a plan to survive. He couldn’t keep winging it. Especially with Lola and his father’s other men out there searching for him.

Neil fell into a fitful sleep in one of the rooms that he could lock from the inside, after barricading the door shut so no one could sneak up on him. He held tightly onto a pair of scissors in one hand and a scalpel in the other. He wouldn’t get any sleep if he hadn’t.

Notes:

Thank you so much for reading! Have a fantastic day/night wherever you are! <333

Go check out @aftg-all-the-way on Tumblr for updates!

Chapter 55: The Search

Summary:

Andrew's POV. Searching for Neil.

When Dan had come back with Abby, Andrew had been made to take Allison into a room for isolation. When he had gotten back to Renee’s room, Abram had disappeared. He had asked Dan what had happened to him, but she was tight-lipped even if she seemed afraid.

Before Andrew could do anything else, Matt came into the room and glared at him, coming to stand between him and Dan. He wouldn’t have hurt her, but he wasn’t surprised they thought he would. Not when they knew about what he had done to those guys a few years ago.

“Where is he?” Andrew asked Matt this time.

“I can’t tell you,” Matt said, sorrow in his eyes. Andrew narrowed his own eyes at the man. He knew but he wasn’t going to tell him.

“Why not?”

“We can’t risk you going after him and putting us all at risk.”

“You really think he’s going to turn? Even after what Abby said?”

Matt didn’t say anything for a moment, mulling over his words. “There’s a new strain. Many people are having to be isolated right now. The only way to know for sure who will turn and who won’t is by waiting. This variant is much sneakier than its predecessor.”

Andrew scowled at him. “Where’s Abby?”

Matt sighed, but Dan pushed past him to answer. “She’ll be back in her office soon enough.”

Andrew nodded, leaving Dan and Matt in favour of going to his own room. Kevin and Aaron were lounging around the room.

“Stay here,” Andrew ordered. “I’ll be back soon.”

Aaron opened his mouth, but Andrew was already closing the door on him and walking away before he could hear what Aaron wanted to say.

He made his way to Abby’s office, on a mission for information that was being denied to him. He would never endanger his family, and certainly not purposely. But he was also intrigued by Abram and his resistance to the virus. He was sure he would be fine, but only if he didn’t try to run away because he thought everyone had turned on him and lost hope. If he thought he could run, he would.

Abby’s office was empty when Andrew arrived, but it was a mess, like she had grabbed what she needed and rushed off to help. He hoped she had at least patched Neil up before locking him away, but he doubted anyone would get that close to an uncertainty like him.

Andrew paced as he waited for Abby to return from wherever she had disappeared to, and took the opportunity to read through some of her notes. She had a file labelled Neil on her desk that was open and she had clearly been looking through obsessively. It had notes about blood types and things Andrew didn’t understand, but he recited it in his mind so that he could ask Aaron about it later.

When he heard footsteps outside the door, Andrew went to sit behind the desk, facing the door and watching as Abby walked in. She jumped, surprised by his presence, and cautiously closed the door behind her. “Andrew,” she said. “What a surprise to see you here. Can I help you?”

Andrew smiled, nodding. “Yes, you can tell me where he is.” Andrew didn’t specify who he was talking about, and Abby’s paling face told him she understood.

She visibly swallowed before she centred herself. “Neil is fine. He’s just been given a room to stay in so we can observe him for a little bit.”

Andrew scrutinised her, but found there was nothing useful he could get from her. She would remain tight-lipped about this even if Andrew threatened her. There was no point in him burning bridges unnecessarily even if he wanted information.

“If that’s all, I have some work to do. You’ll get to see Neil in a few days if all goes well.”

Without looking at her or acknowledging her words, Andrew strode out of the room, brooding. He would just have to wait until he could get more information. Or until Abram was released. He wasn’t happy with the outcome, but it was better than being completely in the dark about Abram’s whereabouts and wellbeing.

Notes:

Thank you so much for reading! I hope you have a brilliant day/night wherever you are! <333

Go check out @aftg-all-the-way on Tumblr for updates.

Chapter 56: The Reunion

Summary:

Neil and Andrew reunite and make a promise.

Neil spent what felt like weeks in the building. The only company, the noise of those who had turned. They had gotten louder as the days had progressed, and he distantly wondered if Allison was in one of the rooms.

He had been preserving the food he found and limiting what he could eat. He spent most of his time lounging around, not wanting to expend too much energy. He had realised when he had awoken that there was no way out unless someone from the outside was willing to let him leave.

He couldn’t see outside. There were no windows in this part of the building. He had gone back to the room he had awoken in a few times, and the light from the sun had hurt less each time, but he tried to avoid going too often since his presence seemed to rile those who had turned. They were probably starving, and he was the closest meal they had. He just hoped the doors would be strong enough to hold them.

The constant boredom had him vibrating with tension most of the time, but he also knew he was growing weak from the lack of food. Whoever had put him here hadn’t expected him to survive for very long without turning. Though, at least the good news was that he hadn’t turned, even if he was going to starve to death at this point.

He had lost all track of time by the time he heard a noise that was out of place. It was a door opening, and he bolted upright from where he was lying on a pile of blankets on the floor. He reached for whatever was closest to him and wielded it as a weapon. When he realised it was an empty plastic bottle, he winced a little bit at his shortsightedness, but accepted it regardless.

“Abram? Come out, come out, wherever you are,” came a sing-songy voice.

Scrambling to his feet, Neil ran into the hallway and came face to face with Drew. He had dark circles under his eyes that hadn’t been there the last time they had seen each other, and bruises littered the skin Neil could see.

“What happened?” Neil asked, breathing the question out so quietly it was barely audible. He reached a hand to hover over the mottled skin, and Drew watched him closely, not moving.

“People should learn to answer questions when they are asked. It is basic courtesy after all.” Drew’s smile was too bright, and Neil knew something was wrong.

“Are you alright?”

“Never better,” Drew said in a chirpy voice that disconcerted Neil.

“Okay,” Neil drew out the word, unsure of what to do. “Why are you here?”

“Well, I finally found where they were keeping you!” Drew was talking fast, his words almost slurring together, and his eyes had an unusual sheen to them. “It’s time to leave.”

Neil could only stare at Drew in utter confusion. “I’ve not seen anyone in who knows how long, and now it’s time to leave? No explanation? No nothing?”

“I’ve been trying to find you. I didn’t know where they were keeping you.”

Neil steeled himself. “Why did you want to find me?”

“Getting down to business, I see.” Neil just stared, unamused, at Drew. “What would it take you to stay?”

“What?” That was not what Neil had expected Drew to say.

“How can I convince you not to run after this?”

“Why?”

“Kevin wants to play Exy and I don’t like playing with him.”

Neil shrugged. “Just get someone else to play with him.”

“He requested you.”

“I’m not going to run.”

“Liar.”

Neil sighed. “Don’t let this happen again.”

“And you’ll stay? And convince Kevin to stay?”

Neil took in a deep breath, thinking very carefully about his next words, weighing up what he could do. “I promise, so long as I am protected from danger, as well.” It would keep his father’s people away, even if Drew didn’t fully know who he was protecting Neil from. He had faced them before without fear, and as much as Neil doubted it, if he did get hurt, he could easily cut his losses and run without breaking his promise.

“Deal.” Drew held out a hand for Neil to shake, and they clasped their hands together.

Something passed between them that Neil couldn’t quite explain but it was there and gone too fast for him to examine it further.

“Deal,” Neil echoed.

And so, Neil made another promise that he couldn’t break.

Notes:

Thank you so much for reading! I hope you have a fantastic day/night wherever you are!

Go check out @aftg-all-the-way on Tumblr for updates!

Chapter 57: You Are Nothing

Summary:

Neil is freed by Andrew.

Notes:

Sorry for missing updates. I'm literally doing exams rn and it's a lot. I'll try and post more frequently, but we'll see how it goes.

Thanks so much for reading though!!! <333

Neil followed Drew as he led them out of a door that seemed to match up perfectly with the wall, invisible unless you knew what you were looking for. Neil cursed himself silently for not seeing it sooner, but he was too hungry to really focus on anything other than the smell of freshly cooked food that awaited them outside of the building.

Neil stared longingly at the tray on the ground that held chicken and mashed potatoes and a variety of other vegetables. His mouth watered, and he attempted to tear his gaze away form it before he embarrassed himself.

It was too late for that, however, when Drew spoke. “Well, someone is certainly appreciative.”

Neil cast a suspicious look at Drew. “Did you make this?”

“No, I just delivered it from the kitchen. Dan wanted you to have something to eat, and Kevin insisted it be a healthy, full meal.”

Neil’s stomach grumbled loudly, cutting Drew short, and he stared at Neil’s stomach as if it had personally offended him.

“Eat up, before your stomach calls for those that have turned and we become the meal.”

Neil barely restrained himself from grumbling about how annoying Drew was, but by the knowing look on Drew’s face, Neil knew his annoyance still showed on his own face.

He dug into the food, ignoring the cutlery as he fell upon the food, ravenous after too long without food. He barely registered the people around him and Drew, or the bright light of the sun shining high overhead.

Only after eating until his stomach was too full to stuff anymore in, did Neil take note of all the smaller details around him. The sun reminded him of how much time had passed, and he turned to Drew who had been watching over him with a contemplative expression. “How long have I been in there?”

Drew seemed to be scanning his face, contemplating what to say.

“Don’t lie to me.”

Drew held his hands up. “I wasn’t going to.” Neil cocked an eyebrow at him. “You were in there for a week. They wouldn’t tell me where you were, and I had to do a lot of searching.”

Neil almost fell over. “You’ve been searching for me?”

“Obviously.”

“I thought you didn’t like me.”

“You are nothing to me. That doesn’t mean I like to lose track of people, especially those I’ve shared secrets with.”

Neil just nodded, fiddling with the edge of his fraying shirt. He needed a shower desperately, but he hadn’t had access to anything more than bottled drinking water and he hadn’t wanted to risk running out when he had no idea when he would find freedom.

“Are the others aware that you have come to get me?”

Drew shrugged. “They can deal with it.”

“But –” Neil tried to protest.

“Nothing. They will deal with it.”

Neil accepted Drew’s response with a short nod.

They walked in silence back towards an area Neil recognised. He really needed to learn what everyone called it, especially if he was going to stay there long-term, which it seemed he would have to.

Neil didn’t notice Renee until it was too late. She had launched herself at him for a hug and she almost managed to bowl him over completely. Dan pried her away, and Matt clapped him on the shoulder, looking relieved to see him.

“Man, I’m so glad you’re here, Neil. How’re you feeling? They wouldn’t let me see you or talk to you before they took you away. I’ve been so worried.” He glanced over at Dan, and she guiltily looked down.

“I’m sorry you had to go through that alone. If I had seen any other way around it, I would have chosen it immediately.” Dan seemed to be near tears and Matt barely spared her a glance.

“Don’t worry about it, Dan. I’ve been through a lot worse than a bit of isolation. It was practically a vacation for me.” Neil tried to laugh, to cut through the awkward tension, but everyone was looking at him with concern.

“Are you alright, Neil?” Renee asked, reaching out as if to comfort him. He shrugged her away, and nodded.

“Yeah, I’m fine.”

The words had slipped out before he could think to stop them and he glanced towards Drew who seemed to be unimpressed, but still smiling faintly, as if he couldn’t help it.

“I’m pretty tired though,” Neil added, trying to take their attention away from what he had said. “And I could do with a shower and a change of clothes.”

“Of course,” Dan was nodding and ushering him inside and up the stairs to the suite he shared with Matt. “If you need anything, please let us know. I’m really sorry about leaving you alone.”

Dan was remorseful and Neil wasn’t cruel. He didn’t even blame her. He had been bitten. “Don’t worry about it. No harm, no foul.”

“Yeah, I guess.” She looked off into the distance. “I’ll leave you, but we’ll all be back around later to check on you.”

He nodded, resigned, and then she left him. Alone once again, Neil yawned. He needed to sleep and clean up.

He showered quickly, not bothering to dry himself off properly before getting dressed and falling into his bed. It was strange to sleep on a mattress after a week of sleeping on the floor with only a few blankets to separate it, but it was nice.

He fell asleep quickly, forgetting to even check his duffle bag and his belongings. It was a problem for another day when he wasn’t so tired.

Notes:

Thank you so much for reading! I hope you have a phenomenal day/night wherever you are! <333

Go check out @aftg-all-the-way on Tumblr for updates!

Chapter 58: Good Ol' Fashioned Stress Relief

Summary:

Andrew's POV. Andrew and Renee meet up.

Andrew was pacing in his own room. He needed to check on Abram, but he knew no one would let them see each other alone.

Nicky was watching him warily from his own bed, and Aaron was nowhere to be seen. Andrew had a sneaking suspicion that he knew where he was, but he wouldn’t ask Nicky about it. He couldn’t keep anything to himself.

“Did the Raven talk?”

Nicky shook his head. “No. And I think you were right, about him turning. He was acting strange, talking nonsense.” He shook his head again. “I left him down there, and put a sign of warning on the door.”

Andrew nodded. “Good.”

The bedroom door opened and Kevin stuck his head in. “Renee’s here.”

Andrew followed Kevin back out to the main room of their shared suite. Renee was standing in the doorway, as Kevin had said, watching him with an assessing look.

He nodded at her, and she walked away. Kevin was used to their quiet interactions, and only watched.

When Andrew made to move to leave, Kevin stepped in his path. “Don’t stay out too late. Exy practice tomorrow. Neil will come, and he will play if he is fit. If not, he will watch and learn.”

Andrew didn’t particularly care for Kevin’s orders, but he needed Kevin to stay here and not leave, so he would acquiesce for now. It would do him not harm, anyway. He just had to make Abram go, and that would be easy enough. He was as much of a junkie, if not more so, for Exy as Kevin was.

“I’ll be back when I’m back. Stay inside, and have Nicky keep you company.”

Scoffing, Kevin pulled a face. “But he’s so loud,” he complained.

Andrew didn’t bother responding, just walked out of the suite and down the hallway until he reached the stairs and took them up to the roof. Renee was waiting for him, hands already wrapped up, and holding a bottle of water.

“Ready for some good ol’ fashioned stress relief, Drew?”

Andrew wrapped his own hands with the hand wraps Renee had left out for him near the door. He didn’t bother responding with anything more than a grunt, and an evil glint entered Renee’s eyes. She was as nice as they come, but she had a darker side that she would let out when necessary. It made her a good ally to have, and their little agreement meant they would always be on the same side.

Once they were both ready, they circled each other. Renee threw the first punch, catching Andrew off guard and he grunted at the pain that exploded in his stomach. He wouldn’t be surprised to see bruising tomorrow.

He returned the favour, and they traded blows until they were both sweaty and out of breath. Andrew’s excessive energy had dimmed, and he felt level, normal. He didn’t feel like he was itching to be out of his own skin and right next to Abram.

“Want to talk about it?” Renee asked, gently.

“Not particularly. Are you here to scold me?”

“No, Drew. You know I wouldn’t do that. I was against them keeping you in the dark about it all, but I’m glad he’s alright. I know you are, too.”

Andrew scrubbed his hands over his face. “Can we just not talk about that right now?”

Renee nodded, and changed the subject. “I’m surprised you’re still sticking around.”

“Why?”

“You’re not the type to want to be around others. Especially when it’s been proven that large numbers of people don’t make you safer.”

Andrew contemplated his answer. “I never thought this would be something I’d do either, but this place has enough people to keep Kevin happy, so I guess I just have to deal with it.”

Renee smiled knowingly, but didn’t say anything further about it. “If you could pick any food to eat for the rest of your life, what would it be?”

Not even having to think about his answer, he said, “Ice cream. Or sweets in general. But definitely ice cream.”

Grinning, Renee replied, “I should have known. But I think it would get too boring. And definitely too sickly. I’d probably want pie, because there are so many types. It could be sweet or savoury.” Renee looked longingly off into the distance, watching the landscape around them. “I miss pie,” she whispered, wistfully.

“Make some, then,” was Andrew’s response.

Immediately, Renee brightened up. “Of course! Want to help me make pies?” Andrew just stared at her and she laughed. “I was kidding!”

They sat on the roof, letting the cool breeze wash over them as they chatted about unimportant things and hypotheticals that could never happen. Andrew’s mind calmed, and his thoughts felt more focused, and he knew his drugs were wearing off. The crash wouldn’t be fun, but talking with Renee was nice. It had been too long since they’d done this last. Too much had happened and changed for them to find a time to spar again.

Andrew laid down on the rooftop, staring up at the sky, zoning out of whatever Renee was saying, as he stared at the darkening sky and the stars that were twinkling into existence. His thoughts inevitably drifted towards Abram, circling around his wellbeing, his promise, his mere existence.

It was becoming a problem, his obsession with the man. But he couldn’t bring himself to care.

Notes:

Thank you so much for reading! I hope you have an extraordinary day/night wherever you are! <333

Sorry for any delays! I'm currently going through exams and trying my best to keep up with this at the same time!

Go check out @aftg-all-the-way on Tumblr for updates!

Chapter 59: Freedom

Summary:

Neil gets used to being free.

Notes:

I'm sorry for going MIA for a little bit again! I am still in exams, so please bear with me. I hope you like this chapter! And thank you so, so much for all your support! It means so much to me

At some point, Neil woke up. It was dark outside and there was no one in the room. He guessed they probably didn’t want to disturb him, but for a moment, he thought he had dreamt escaping that never-ending hallway. It was only the sight of the other beds in the room that reminded him he wasn’t alone.

He got up, yawning and stretching. It was cold in the room, and he threw a hoodie on to ward off the chill.

Almost tripping over his duffel bag in his haste to find real food, Neil was suddenly reminded that he hadn’t checked to make sure no one had looked in it. He hadn’t even known where it would be if he had looked for it, not able to remember where he had put it last. The fact that it was out and in his way definitely tipped him off that someone had moved it, but whether they had snooped, he couldn’t be sure.

Unzipping the bag, he looked at the contents. It was all folded in the same way, the tags on the clothes on the top folded just so. He unpacked the bag, noting that everything was correct and undisturbed.

Once he came to the conclusion that no one had rifled through his bag, he let out a relieved breath and slumped back on his heels on the floor. He packed everything back up, paying attention to how he organised everything.

Moving it under his bed, he stored it the best he could before leaving the room and resuming his interrupted quest for real food. He would welcome anything so long as it wasn’t a bar of some sort. He had eaten too many of them over the week he had been locked away and he didn’t think he could stomach one more.

The main room of the suite was quiet and dark as Neil crept out of the bedroom. He switched on the light and the room lit up in a blaze. He winced, a headache beginning to form in his temples from the light.

Rifling through the kitchen cupboards, he couldn’t find anything other than coffee. There was a note on it though, and Neil picked it out, seeing his name written in a scratchy handwriting.

Neil, was all it said. He presumed it was labelled for him to take it, and he was grateful. If nothing else, the coffee would wake him up. His sleep schedule was definitely ruined, but he expected nothing less. He had lost track of time for the most part when he was locked away.

He brewed a mug for himself and checked the fridge. There was a plate, covered in clingfilm. It also had a note with his name, but this one was folded in half. Taking it out, he opened the note and read.

Neil,

Heat this up in the microwave, and eat.

Love, Dan, Matt & Renee

Blinking stupidly at the paper, Neil just stared at it until his eyes became unfocused and then until the fridge started beeping because it had been open for too long. Grabbing the plate out from it, he closed the door, and stared at the plate that had been made for him. It wasn’t a healthy meal, but it looked good enough. If he had to guess, he would say it was likely leftovers from the diner. It was just some slices of pizza, but it looked so good.

After heating up the food and fixing his coffee to his preference, Neil sat down on the sofa and dug in. It was so good he almost moaned at the taste. It had taste, and that’s all he could ask for after a week of bland food. He had gotten used to good food too quickly here, and he wasn’t sure how he was going to survive without it. He wasn’t sure how he had ever survived without it.

When he finished, he washed up the plate, wrote a thank you note, and made another cup of coffee. He was feeling too cooped up inside and wanted to get out, so he headed to the first place he could think of. The roof.

Notes:

Thank you so much for reading! I have you have a monumentally great day/night wherever you are! <333

Go check out @aftg-all-the-way on Tumblr for updates!

Chapter 60: Belonging

Summary:

Neil goes up to the roof.

Notes:

I have officially finished my exams so hopefully I'll update more often!!! But this next month and a bit is going to be a bit hectic so please do bear with me!!!

Thank you so, so much for all the support! I really appreciate it! I hope you like this chapter! <333

Neil was quiet as he left the suite, making sure he didn’t slam the door. He didn’t want to disturb anyone. Or have them find out that he’d woken up. They would probably want to talk to him, now that he had eaten and had some sleep.

Echoing each footstep back at him, the stairwell felt alien in the darkness. No lights lit the way, and Neil trailed one hand lightly against the wall so he didn’t run straight into it.

When he reached the top, he found that the door was slightly propped open and he opened it further, wincing at the loud hinges. If anyone was on the roof he had completely blown his cover.

Peeking out, Neil saw a familiar face peering over at him, twisted into disapproval.

“Oh, it’s you,” said Drew. “Please, by all means, make yourself at home.” Drew spread his arms out, encompassing the rooftop. “It’s not like I was here to be alone.”

Wincing, Neil stepped out fully onto the rooftop. “I’ll stay out of your way.”

Drew audibly sighed. “Do as you wish.” The cherry red end of his cigarette flared brightly as he inhaled, breathing in the smoke.

Stepping closer to Drew, Neil inhaled the familiar, comforting smell of the smoke, a reminder of who he was and what he was supposed to be doing. If she was watching him right now, he was sure her disappointment would be too much to bear. Luckily for him, she wasn’t here.

Irritation and frustration coursed through him at the thought of his mother and he flung his hands out. “Why do you care whether I stay or go?”

“I don’t.” Drew waved his cigarette around. “You seem to think you are anything more than nothing. What has you under that delusion? I only care about whether Kevin stays or leaves.”

The words were familiar, and it relaxed Neil. He was only here because of Kevin, and he could deal with that. He needed himself to be invisible, not noteworthy enough for others to want him to stick around. Sticking around only to keep someone else was fine. No one knew him. No one cared about him. No one would hurt him. That, Drew had given his word for.

Sucking in a breath of the cool night air, Neil felt better than he had in over a week. He was invigorated. His shoulder wound hurt, but it was bearable, barely an ache in the back of his mind.

Going outside had not only cleared his head, but lightened his burden. Drew had lightened his burden.

He sat outside with Drew for a little bit. Both of them with a cigarette in hand. Drew smoked, and Neil just held his. They sat in silence, until the early signs of dawn crept up on them. And then they sat quietly, as the sounds of the world below started to come to life. All the while they watched, and if anyone had looked to the top of Fox Tower, they would have seen two figures, sitting close together, legs dangling off the side of the building. Friends, some would call them. Lovers, others would say. The truth was neither, and Neil felt a sense of peace he hadn’t felt in so long. Protector and nothing. It was what they were, and Neil was content with it.

Notes:

Thank you so much for reading! I hope you have a terrific day/night wherever you are! <333

Go check out @aftg-all-the-way on Tumblr for updates!

Chapter 61: Comfort

Summary:

Neil and Andrew spend time together.

Notes:

Sorry for the break I took. I just really needed some time off from doing anything!
I'm still rather busy, running around the place, so please do bear with me as there will be some slower updates, but I hope that by next month everything will havw calmed down a bit.

Comfort wasn’t something Neil was used to. As soon as he felt himself relaxing, he wanted to throw his guard back up, but he couldn’t. He was too tired, too raw from the emotions of being abandoned, too comfortable.

As he thought about it, Drew stabbed out his cigarette, grinding it into the roof like it had personally killed his mother.

“Don’t be ridiculous. A cigarette didn’t kill my mother, I did,” Drew said, startling Neil. He hadn’t realised he had spoken out loud.

Trying to tell if he was joking, Neil looked at him quizzically. “Are you messing with me?”

“I don’t tend to lie. Especially not to those in my inner circle.”

Neil didn’t know what shocked him more: Drew telling him about killing his own mother, or that he was now in Drew’s inner circle.

“Don’t look at me like that.”

“Like what?” Neil wasn’t sure how he was looking at the man who stood above him.

“Like I’m an answer.”

Not knowing how to reply, Neil just kept staring up at Drew.

Eventually, after a minute of them staring at each other, something passing through Drew’s eyes that Neil couldn’t understand. Grabbing his hoodie, Drew shrugged it on, breaking their eye contact before he meandered off the roof.

Too stunned to move, Neil just watched Drew leave him alone. It was only when Drew reached the door that he turned his head and called over his shoulder, “Are you just staying here forever?”

Taking it as an invitation, Neil got to his feet and hurried after Drew. Drew had slinked away into the shadows in the recesses of the doorway, and had let the door close behind him. Neil had barely managed to grab the door before it had closed all the way, and he threw himself after Drew. He heard footsteps descending the stairs and followed behind, catching up with Drew when they arrived on the floor that had his suite.

Unlocking his door, he stared at Neil. “Come on, Abram. Unless you want to pick my lock again.”

Numbly, Neil followed Drew into his room. It didn’t look like anyone else was there, and he was glad for it. He wasn’t in the mood to see a bubbly Nicky, or a brooding Aaron.

“Where is everyone?” Neil decided to ask as Drew settled himself into a beanbag and motioned for Neil to do the same.

“Sleeping. They had a bit of a late night.”

“Right,” Neil said, remembering what had happened last night. How he had come back. Escaped.

Sighing, Drew looked at Neil. “Do you want to talk about it?”

“Not really.”

“Good.”

Going over to the small TV set up, Drew found a selection of DVDs and held one up to Neil.

Not even looking at the cover, he said, “Sure.” He wasn’t fussy about what they watched. He honestly didn’t care that much.

Drew got the movie set up and settled back into his beanbag chair. They both settled down and watched the movie in silence. That strange feeling of comfort never left Neil, and he eventually grew tired enough, watching that movie, Drew beside him, that he fell asleep once more.

Notes:

Thank you so much for reading! I really appreciate it! <333

Go check out @aftg-all-the-way on Tumblr for more updates!

Chapter 62: A Cigarette Didn't Kill My Mother

Summary:

Neil overhears a conversation

Neil awoke slowly to voices talking quietly. He recognised one of them as Drew. Both of the voices were talking in German.

He stayed still, not wanting to let them know he was awake.

The unfamiliar voice said, “Why is he here?”

“I already told you, Nicky. He is here because he is helping.”

“He’s asleep on my chair,” Nicky said. “And anyway, I thought you wanted to keep him quarantined?”

The noise of shuffling, and then a body hitting a wall sounded. “I said I wanted you to be safe. He is safe to be around.”

Nicky’s voice was shaky when he responded. “I’m sorry, Andrew. I was just kidding. I swear – hey!” Nicky cut off mid-sentence. A yelp filled the quiet.

Somewhere, a door opened, and another voice joined the mix. It was similar to Drew’s but Neil knew it wasn’t him. Aaron. “What is going on out here?” he asked, sleepily, speaking in German.

Nicky let out a panicked noise.

“Drew? Get the knife away from him. Put it down. Whatever he said, he was being stupid. Ignore him.”

Listening to what was going on, Neil recalled the words Drew had said to him. A cigarette didn’t kill my mother, I did. It seemed they had something in common.

His own mother had always said she wanted to die from her smoking habit, that old age or sickness would be a blessing for her. And yet Neil had taken away that one wish of hers. She probably could have lived longer than she did. It was likely that she was also immune. Or he hoped she had been. Even if that was a more devastating outcome for him.

He supposed he would never truly know.

With a big yawn and a stretch, Neil sat upright on the beanbag chair, startling Aaron.

“Why are you here?” Aaron demanded, switching to English.

Nicky let out a warning noise, and Aaron looked back to Drew. Whatever he saw on his face, he took a step back.

“Whatever, just let Nicky go.” Aaron held his hands up in a placating gesture and Drew held onto Nicky for a moment more before letting go of him and stepping back. Nicky rubbed at his neck and winced slightly, covering it when he saw Neil looking over at him.

“I have to go. Bye, Neil.” With that, Nicky dashed out of the room. He wasn’t even wearing shoes.

Staring after him, Neil didn’t say anything. Aaron soon followed Nicky out the door, but he at least stopped to get dressed and eat something before he left.

Drew was still facing the wall that Nicky had been pinned against, his fists balled tightly at his sides. With a huff, he went into the bedroom and slammed the door behind him, leaving Neil all alone in the main room of the suite.

Notes:

Thank you so much for reading! I really appreciate it! <333

I'm getting back into the swing of things now, so I should be uploading a little more often, but I have quite a few busy weeks coming up. I'll try to stagger my updates so that it won't be too long in between posting, but I'll have to see how it goes!

Go check out @aftg-all-the-way on Tumblr for updates! <333

Chapter 63: We're Going to the Court

Summary:

Andrew's POV.

Notes:

There will be no update tomorrow, but I'm hoping to get another update out before the end of the week! I hope you enjoy! <333

Andrew stared at the bed where Kevin was resting. To his knowledge, the man hadn’t moved all night, too scared to deal with whatever was going on. It wasn’t that it surprised Andrew, it mostly just disappointed him.

Kicking the bed until Kevin blearily looked at him, Andrew knew today was going to involve a lot of babysitting. He hoped Kevin hadn’t tried to drink himself to death. Again. Either way, he was going to practice and he wasn’t going to complain that Andrew wasn’t.

“Up. Get dressed for the court.”

Before Andrew even had the chance to say anything else, Kevin was swatting sleep away from his eyes and jumping into action, albeit with a bit of a stagger as he gripped his head. Now that Kevin had shifted, an empty bottle of vodka came into view. Kevin must have been curled around it, like it was a teddy bear, and he was a child. Andrew would have scoffed, but he was so numb he couldn’t even be bothered to do that. It had been a long night, and Nicky had made it a long morning.

Swiftly walking back out into the main room of the suite, Andrew went straight to the small kitchenette, grabbed a probably expired lollipop and unwrapped it. It was something to keep his mind off of everything. Bee had told him the trick, and he had done it mostly because of her annoying insistence, to the point where he now grabbed a sweet without thinking about it.

Andrew lived for the solitude of moments like these, where he could just bask in the taste of the lollipop and forget about all his promises and responsibilities for a moment. Of course, it lasted only a moment. One of those responsibilities had tried to creep up around him.

Throwing his arm out, he felt his fist slam into something human-shaped. Abram.

“What was that for?” he asked, rubbing his arm where Andrew had hit him.

“Nothing.”

He could feel the petulance dripping off of Abram, but he chose to ignore it, brewing a pot of coffee instead. Abram, wisely, didn’t ask him anything else. He wouldn’t have liked the answer anyway.

Once they had both had a coffee and Kevin was out of the bedroom, mostly dressed, if a little off-kilter, Andrew spoke up. “We’re going to the court, armour and clothes will be provided.”

“Hey, you said–“ Kevin burst out, but Andrew interrupted him.

“I said, armour and clothes will be provided. You were in no fit state to leave for the court like you were.” Sometimes Andrew wondered why he had agreed to be Kevin’s babysitter.

“The court.” Abram brightened up instantly. He should be furious about how he had been treated. He should have been calculating revenge. Hell, Andrew would help if he wanted it. But instead, he was distracted by the most simple things. A court. Exy.

Notes:

Thank you so much for reading! I hope you have a lovely day/night wherever you are! <333

Check out @aftg-all-the-way on Tumblr for more updates! <333

Chapter 64: Anger & Exy

Summary:

Neil and Kevin go to the court.

Neil played a hard game against Kevin. They practiced drills, running up and down the court, passing the ball to each other, bouncing it off the walls. Drew just watched on from the sidelines, not even flinching when a ball was thrown towards him. He looked downright miserable, sat on a bench.

Catching his stare, Drew seemed to quirk an eyebrow at Neil, causing him to look away, something he couldn’t place fluttered to life in his stomach. A second later, he was hunched over, gasping for breath. Kevin had thrown a ball at him.

Gesturing angrily for Kevin to come over, Neil snapped at him, unable to restrain himself after everything. He needed somewhere to let his frustration out, and it seemed the court would be the place. Barely glancing at Drew’s bored expression, Neil continued on his tirade, but Kevin didn’t back down. He got closer to Neil’s face, and shouted.

“Get the fuck off of me, Kevin,” Neil fumed.

“Make me,” Kevin said, grabbing onto Neil’s arm and shoving him toward the exit. “Get dressed. You’re done.”

Neil wrenched his arm free from Kevin’s grasp and ran in the opposite direction. The element of surprise gave him a much-needed boost, and Neil ran until he knew it would take Kevin a moment to catch up. He had good stamina, but he wasn’t as fast as Neil, his tall frame weighing him down.

A rap on one of the walls had Neil looking over his shoulder at where Drew was standing. He gestured at Kevin to open the door, and Kevin stormed out, angrily, not saying a word to Drew who closed himself in the court with Neil.

“You’re not in court gear,” Neil said, lamely.

“You are,” Drew replied.

Sighing, Neil took a step back away from Drew. He needed to keep a cool head. He wasn’t supposed to be hot headed. That wasn’t the type of person Neil was created to be. But it was who Abram was. And it gave Neil conflicting feelings. Drew knew the partial truth, but the others didn’t to his knowledge. If he said anything…

“If this is about Kevin…” trailing off, Neil braced himself for the force that was Drew Minyard. There was a reason Kevin had gone to him for protection, that Neil had done a similar thing.

“Why would it be?” Drew blinked at him.

That gave Neil pause. “Because you protect him from threats.”

Drew laughed. “You’re no threat to him. And maybe, sometimes, he deserves it. He drives everyone else insane, anyway.”

Neil got lost in thought over Drew’s words. It was too open and honest for Neil to properly respond. He had no experience with honesty, having to hide who he was, any defining features about himself, for so long.

For the first time, Neil realised how close he and Drew were standing. One of them or both of them must have moved closer together. Hastily stepping back, Neil put distance between them, causing a frown to mar Drew’s face.

A loud, echoing cough had both of them turning to face an intruder. Neil’s guard went up at the sight of Wymack. It was unusual for him to seek Neil out, and Neil preferred to spend as little time as possible in the imposing man’s presence.

Black, flame-shaped tattoos curled up and over the man’s exposed arms, and Drew gave him a bored once over.

“You’re looking good today, coach.”

Wymack rolled his eyes, muttering something to himself as he approached. Each step he took echoed throughout the court, sounding like a familiar death knell. Neil had to fight back his urge to run in the opposite direction to the man. It took everything in him to stay still and not bolt for the locked door.

“How many times do I have to say, call me Wymack or David. I’m not a coach anymore, Andrew.”

“Oh, but it makes me so happy to call you coach, coach.” That got a laugh out of Drew, but it ended abruptly as he moved closer to Wymack, in between him and Neil.

Wymack seemed to notice Drew’s move as well, but didn’t call him out on it, only turning to look at Neil over Drew’s shoulder. “Abby wants to give you a check up. She said she had some things she needed to discuss with you.”

Before Neil could even acknowledge what Wymack had said, Drew cut in. “We’ll visit when I’m ready to leave.”

Wymack gave him an assessing look. “You’re not even dressed to be on the court.”

“But I could be. And neither are you, coach.”

Wymack just sighed, as if he was used to this. “Be at Abby’s office by dinner,” was all he said before he turned away.

“Yes, coach. Of course, coach,” Drew called after him, causing a grin to tug at Neil’s face.

When the door was closed and locked behind Wymack, and they could no longer see him, Drew turned back to Neil.

“I’ll be back.” With that, Drew rushed off, leaving Neil alone with his thoughts once again.

He worried that Drew would be angry about his altercation with Kevin, but he had seemed much too calm about the whole matter. Almost too calm. Neil didn’t like it. He was waiting for the other shoe to drop. Would Drew get him back when he least expected it? Would he orchestrate the others to lock him up again?

The thoughts rushed through Neil’s head, making him antsy to run, until Drew returned, decked out in goalkeeper armour, a matching Exy racquet held in one hand.

Without a word, Drew got in goal, leaned back, and watched Neil. Scooping up a ball, he fired at Drew who didn’t even flinch as Neil missed the goal by a hairsbreadth.

They continued on like that. Anytime Neil got a shot that would hit the goal, Drew threw it to the back of the court, forcing Neil to run after it and catch it. Whenever Neil missed the goal, Drew didn’t move, just staying still and leaning on his racquet.

Neil worked out his frustration with everything and everyone, throwing ball after ball at the goal, missing or being blocked each time. He was rusty after everything but he still loved being able to play. It cleared his mind, and he sunk into the familiar rhythm until he was sweaty and exhausted, and could no longer lift up his Exy racquet.

Squinting at him from the goal post, Drew decided it was time to stop, pulling off his gear without a word, not waiting for Neil to do the same. He scooped up some of the scattered Exy balls and deposited them into a bucket in the corner of the room. Neil just watched, barely able to keep his eyes open. It seemed that everything was catching up to him, even after time on the court.

He wouldn’t be able to keep his demons away forever.

The thought scared him, but also powered him. He had to be better, do better.

Notes:

Thank you so much for reading! <333

Check out @aftg-all-the-way on Tumblr for more updates! <333

Chapter 65: Amusement & Exy

Summary:

Andrew's POV. Andrew playing against Neil

Notes:

This will be the last update this week, I think. There will be more in the coming weeks, but I am going to the Era's Tour so I won't have access to be able to write! Just wanted to let you know and keep you updated! <333

Andrew was sat, watching Abram and Kevin play. He saw how they worked in unison. How Abram did whatever Kevin demanded of him. The whole time with a smile on his face.

Junkie, Andrew thought, derisively.  And yet, he couldn’t take his eyes off of the court where Abram and Kevin worked well, falling into a routine like it was meant to be.

Slowly, the game seemed to get rougher, and all Andrew could do was watch it unfold. He wanted to know what Abram would do, how he would react. Kevin, he knew, would simply get mad and react violently. Or get black out drunk. It was how he was raised, but he only allowed it because it helped him keep his deal. If he could get Kevin drunk enough, he would stay out of the way.

Only, this time he couldn’t get Kevin drunk. He had responsibilities to uphold. He had to face it stone cold sober. And that meant violence was on the cards.

Andrew was at the court door in a flash when he saw how heated Kevin and Abram were getting. He had to separate them. And, not for the first time, he wondered about what pushed him to do such a thing.

Reacting as if on instinct, Andrew knocked, on the door, demanding Kevin leave. When Kevin left, he gave him a dirty glare, but Andrew didn’t care.

Instead, he just rushed onto the court, ending up standing right in front of Abram. Barely even aware of his actions, or of anyone else’s, he leaned closer to Abram, peering at him, into him. Kevin had long since left, scampering to hide. Or, more likely, to find some vodka. Or Wymack. Even though the man wasn’t officially in charge, he still had sway over the community. He was the one who had ultimately swayed the others to let Andrew and Kevin stay at Palmetto. In a way, he owed the man a great debt. And he knew, Wymack had done the same for Abram, even if he did flinch away from Wymack. It just made him want to uncover his secrets.

He was lost in his thoughts, and surprised by how close he and Abram were now standing. Startled, he hardly noticed Abram was talking.

“–not in court gear,” he heard Abram say.

“You are.”

They went back and forth, exchanging barbs, and Andrew felt strangely comfortable in his presence. It was unusual for him. But he was learning that a lot of things were unusual in regard to Abram. He barely spoke to anyone apart from his family and Kevin. And Kevin was like a member of their family at this point. They all had messed up backgrounds. If he was being honest with himself, he would count Renee as an important part of his family, but he would never protect her like he did Aaron and Nicky. She could look after herself. She had proved that much.

Wymack appeared out of nowhere, getting between him and Abram, trying to break up their conversation. Andrew understood why, he probably thought the worst, but wanted to believe the best.

Their conversation was short, and Andrew left mid-way through. He didn’t need to hear another Wymack lecture, or else he’d break into the man’s room and steal his whiskey. The man had hoarded the good stuff.

Andrew got changed into his court gear. In another life, he would have gotten a scholarship to a school for his Exy skills, maybe Palmetto itself with the rumour of Wymack’s soft heart being true. He didn’t play unless he was forced to, or unless he was bribed. Unluckily for him, Wymack knew the best ways to bribe him. And it made Kevin want to stay when he played, so he would go to the court and try to appease Kevin, even if he wouldn’t know immediately. It would make him happy enough, and jealous enough, to prove that he was the best. And the only way he could do that was by staying here. He would compete more against Abram until Andrew decided to play with him of his own accord. It would displease him, and that made it all the more fun for Andrew.

Dressed, he headed back out to the court, holding his racquet, ready to stand and watch Abram as he would try and fail to score on him. It would anger Abram too, and that made him want to smile.

He got into position, barely aware of his own movements, too enthralled by Abram’s confusion. He had clearly noticed Andrew was in court gear now, but he seemed unable to comprehend why that was even when he was standing in goal.

Eventually, Abram threw a ball at him, although it was hesitant. He had not really seen Andrew in action, and Andrew was resting his arms above his racquet, watching Abram lazily. He didn’t even flinch when the ball bounced to the side of the goal, missing it completely.

Frustrated, Abram picked up another ball with more force and threw it again. Again and again they went. Andrew blocked every throw that was half-decent and stood still for the other throws. It didn’t give him much of a workout, but it was easy work. And with each ball he threw, Abram got more and more agitated. Maybe, if Andrew was lucky, he would see another side to Abram.

Andrew could barely contain the laughter that wanted to come out of him as Abram struggled to lift his arms enough to throw the ball at the goal. When he failed, Andrew decided that it was time to stop, and began taking off his kit, removing his helmet and leaning lazily against his Exy racquet.

It had been a fun practice. Another unusual thing that happened because of Abram.

Notes:

Thnak you so much for reading! <333

I had to write this chapter from McDonald's so I hope it's not too bad!

For updates, check out @aftg-all-the-way on Tumblr! <333

Chapter 66: Pain & Punishment

Summary:

Neil is taken to Abby's office.

Getting dressed took too much effort.

Neil had overworked himself, and was now paying the price for it. He was in desperate need of a shower and he could barely even get out of his court gear, his arms hurt so much.

Groaning, Neil attempted to lift his shirt over his head. It was a slow, painful process, but he eventually managed to peel away the clothing. He knew Drew was somewhere, but he had locked himself away in one of the shower stalls, so he didn’t have to worry about Drew seeing his scars. Though, at this point, he wondered if it would really be that bad. Drew already knew something was up with him. What more of a problem would it cause if Neil simply confirmed what he knew all along?

Still, Neil had more self-preservation than to just expose all his secrets like that. If he wasn’t careful, he wasn’t certain Drew wouldn’t try to get rid of him because he was putting Kevin in danger just with his mere presence. Though, it seemed as if Kevin caused enough danger on his own anyway.

When Neil finally got undressed, he showered, taking the time to let his muscles soak in the blissfully hot water and relax. Distantly, he could hear movement in the locker room, and he presumed Drew was just finishing up. He doubted the other man would wait for him, but he remembered well enough where his room was, and then he could ask Matt or Dan or someone else to take him to Abby’s.

Without leaving the shower stall, Neil dried himself off and got dressed again. He was clean and even though his arms ached, it reminded him that he was alive. That he was free to push himself past his limits and no one would punish him for it. Although, he was still a bit wary of seeing the others, he was ready to push it all aside. He wouldn’t have begrudged them if they had chosen to just shoot him then and there, but instead they had given him a chance to heal, to not become a monster. For that, he could be grateful, even if the whole experience was going to haunt his dreams.

When he emerged from the shower stall, his sweaty gear bundled under one arm, he almost bowled straight into Drew. He was leaning against the wall that separated the main part of the locker room from the attached bathroom, and staring straight at Neil.

“What do you want?” Neil asked, deciding it was better to get whatever Drew wanted to say out of the way.

“Now, now. That’s no way to address someone who is here to help you.” Drew stood straighter, moving away from the wall. “You took a little while to get dressed, didn’t you? I’ll be sure to let the others know you are not to play again until you recover.”

Neil rolled his eyes and scoffed. “Kevin would drag me here regardless.”

Drew was already shaking his head. “Oh, no he wouldn’t. He won’t play with injured players. He wants everyone at full health. Today was an exception, and only because I made the decision. And the others will revoke your access to the court until Abby clears you.”

Neil ground his teeth together. There was nothing he could do or say to take the edge off of being cooped up and recovering if he wasn’t even allowed to play. It was the thing that helped clear his mind.

“Come on,” Drew said, startling Neil back to the present where he was walking away. “Let’s get you to Abby.”

Trailing behind, Neil tried not to look as miserable as he felt. It wasn’t easy, but he distracted himself as he saw the stadium from outside. It was massive, and not as gleaming white as it probably once was. Huge, bright orange paw prints dotted around the outside of the stadium and Neil was saddened by having to leave. With each step he took away, he feared the peace he had been able to achieve on the court would dissipate. He had no way to regain it.

Each step felt weighed down, as if there were invisible shackles on his ankles, keeping him from running straight back to the stadium. He felt as if he were a prisoner, on the way to accept his punishment, unable to fight back against the oppressive hold his own body had over him. It was a traitor, and in Neil’s life, traitor’s always paid with their own blood.

Neil was so distracted by the impending sense of doom weighing him down that he barely noticed that they had reached their destination, until Drew coughed next to him, and gave him a pointed look.

Startled, he looked around, noting they were in a familiar hallway. Drew knocked on a door, and pushed it open before anyone could reply. Drew wasn’t the kind of person who waited around to be told what to do. Neil liked that about him, surprisingly.

With a steadying breath, Neil followed Drew into the room.

Notes:

Thank you so much for reading! <333

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Chapter 67: I'm Staying

Summary:

Neil goes to Abby's office

Notes:

Hi all, I apologise for the delay in uploading a chapter, it's been a hectic month and then I got too ill, so this is the first time I've had the chance to post <333

Abby was sat at her desk, talking to the therapist, Betsy Dobson.

When Neil and Drew entered, they both looked up. Betsy greeted them with a warm smile, while Abby looked more assessing and concerned, though there was still warmth in her gaze.

“How lovely to see you, Andrew,” Betsy greeted.

“Ah, Bee, I thought I wasn’t seeing you until next week. What are you doing in here?”

Smiling, Betsy moved away from Abby and closer to Neil and Drew. “I was just catching up with Abby, but I see you are in need of her assistance.” Turning to Abby, she waved. “I’ll get out of your hair, please let me know if you need anything else.”

 Neil refused to acknowledge Betsy, even if he wasn’t as wary of her as he was at the beginning. He just couldn’t handle more than one medical professional poking at him today. To be honest, going to see Abby today was far out of his comfort zone, especially when he knew she would never clear him to go back to playing Exy with his arms as useful as limp noodles.

Snapping him out of his spiralling thoughts, Drew broke the awkward silence that had enveloped the room when Betsy had left. “Abby, coach said you were expecting us?”

Nodding, Abby tried to hide the way her eyes narrowed on Drew. “I was only expecting Neil, though it shouldn’t surprise me that you’re here as well.”

Drew flashed her a charming smile, and Neil couldn’t look away until Abby started talking again.

“Neil,” she addressed him. “I need to do an evaluation with you, just to see how you held up, and if there’s anything you need. Betsy will also need to talk with you, but that can wait as I’m sure you are tired and hungry.”

Feeling drained, Neil didn’t bother with anything more than a shrug of his shoulders in response.

Patting the examination table for Neil to sit on, Abby set to work on sterilising her hands and putting gloves on. She certainly knew what she was doing, and even though she had seen him before, seen his scars before, Neil couldn’t shake the anxiety that he was feeling about being exposed in front of someone again. Not to mention Drew’s presence made him hyper aware of everything.

“What is this examination going to consist of?” Neil asked tersely.

With sympathy in her eyes, Abby turned to face him. “Nothing more than reflex testing and I will need to take a sample of your blood again to see how the pathogen in your blood has been dealt with.”

Most of what she said went right over Neil’s head, but he got the general gist of it. She just wanted to take his blood. He could keep all of his clothes on. Relief swept through him, and he glanced at Drew out of the corner of his eye. Drew was still next to him, though he was looking around as if looking for something to do to stave off boredom.

Sitting down, Neil kept an eye on Abby as she was preparing. “Neil, do you want Andrew to stay or go?”

Before Neil could even think of responding, Drew said, “I’m staying.” Abby turned to Neil for confirmation and he just shrugged. He didn’t care either way. He doubted Abby would purposely try to hurt him, but it seemed as if Drew didn’t trust anyone. And to be honest, Neil was a little bit relieved to hear that.

Neil’s check up was quick. Abby took his blood for testing and checked out his arm when he winced at her prodding. She banned him from the court for at least two weeks, and he would have argued but Drew had already sent the message out to everyone. His words kept replaying over and over in Neil’s head. I’m staying, I’m staying, I’m staying. He had never thought two words would have such a profound impact on him, but somehow they had.

By the time he could leave the office, Neil was ready to go back to sleep, but Drew dragged him to one of the dining areas. No one he recognised was there, and Neil supposed that was kind of the point.

I’m staying, I’m staying, I’m staying.

Drew deposited him at a table and then left to get them some food. When Drew came back, it was with Kevin and his family in tow. Aaron gave Neil a nasty look, but Drew settled himself next to Neil on one side and Nicky sat on the other, forcing Aaron to sit further away from.

The conversation at the table was light. No one wanted to talk about the problems that loomed above them. Though, an undeniable tension laced the air, and it caused the hairs on Neil’s neck to prickle.

Every time someone new came into the dining area, Neil tensed, ready for a fight, or to be dragged off because he actually was diseased. It didn’t happen though, and Neil ate quietly.

By the time dinner was over, Neil was practically falling asleep in his seat, but Drew wouldn’t leave him behind, forcing him to stay awake and help him drag Nicky back, who had had a bit too much to drink.

Nicky was heavy, and Neil’s abused arms protested, but it took his thoughts away from his worries and forced him to concentrate on the task at hand. It was easy. Simple. Nothing like his time trapped. It stopped him from thinking, just for long enough.

By the time Neil had dropped Nicky in his bed, Drew was waiting for him at the bedroom door. I’m staying, he had said. But did he really mean that?

He couldn’t, Neil thought. He doesn’t know what he’s getting himself into.

Notes:

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Chapter 68: Midnight Rendezvous

Summary:

Andrew POV. Neil and Andrew on the rooftop.

Notes:

Sorry for the delay in posting, I got really sick with the flu after my graduation!

Andrew watched as Abram settled Nicky into bed. Abram looked exhausted. Dark, heavy bags made him look like he had two black eyes, tight lines around his mouth belied the tension in his body. Abram had gone through hell, and he wasn’t out of it yet. Andrew could see the worry, the fear, that he would be taken away residing within him. But he wouldn’t be. He would be tested regularly, sure. But Andrew would not allow them to separate him and Abram again.

When Abram finished settling Nicky into bed, he turned towards Andrew. With a flick of a finger, Andrew beckoned Abram to follow him out of the room.

With nothing else to do, Abram shrugged, walking silently towards him, and Andrew set off, aiming for the rooftop. Nicky’s loud, drunken chatter had eaten away at him, and he just needed some space to breathe. He knew everything would be alright for however long he sat on the roof for, even if he hated heights.

On the rooftop, Andrew sat on the edge, letting his feet dangle down. Abram sat down beside him, mirroring his pose. Before Andrew could even get a cigarette out, Abram was handing him one, and Andrew took a long drag on it. The smoke drifted up into the dark sky, the sun having set hours ago.

Abram, predictably, was the first to break the silence.

“Does Nicky usually need escorting to his bed?”

Dropping his head to his hands, Andrew rubbed the heels of his hands into his eyes. “Sometimes. Just wait until you see Kevin.”

A peek at Abram showed that he was smiling, if only slightly.

“Yeah, I can imagine.”

Silence collapsed into the space around them, as if it was blocking everything else out. Only the rhythmic inhale and exhale interrupted the silence. Down below, everything was dark, no lights were on, but Andrew could imagine the few people hurrying back to their rooms, or out to be a guard. After the attack, everyone was more vigilant, and no one wanted to attract unnecessary attention. More than a few people he knew had been put in the building with Abram. And none of them would ever see the light of day again unless Abby could make a cure. He knew Aaron was working on one, but he wasn’t sure if it would be enough. From what he could tell, the virus was evolving in a way it had not done before. It was getting worse, spreading quietly, with no one aware.

Absently, Andrew noticed Abram taking away his cigarette, but he didn’t smoke it, instead just inhaling the smoke that was wafting off of it. Andrew wondered why he did that, but he wasn’t going to pry about it today. Not when Abram was still so wrecked about being locked away.

“Why was I placed in that building instead of shot on sight?” Abram asked.

Startled, Andrew took a moment to process what he had asked, deliberating on the most accurate reason. “Because there was hope you wouldn’t turn. Abby wanted you secured somewhere; Allison wanted you dead. Really, it was hit or miss, but as you may have noticed, Abby won, and got the others all squared away, too. Not that they are fairing very well. Most of them are husks of who they once used to be.” Andrew wrinkled his nose, disgust waving through him.

“What about you?”

“Me?”

“Yeah, you. What did you want to happen?”

Andrew snorted, the sound so unlike him that he paused in surprise for a moment. “I rarely get a say in these things. Of course, I voted whatever I thought would make Allison’s head explode fastest.”

Abram seemed to deliberate his answer, and so for a while, they stared out at nothing, silence descending upon them once more.

“What option did you choose?” Abram asked.

Sighing, Andrew rubbed his hands down his face, exhaustion weighing down his shoulders. The last few weeks had been too much. He had had to be too vigilant. “I voted that we should just let you wander around and resume your life as normal.”

Feeling Abram’s stare burn straight through the side of his face, Andrew steeled himself and faced him. “I thought I was nothing.”

Rolling his eyes, Andrew replied, “You are.”

“I thought that would mean you would want me gone.”

“I never said I didn’t.” Andrew was careful to avoid saying anything that would catch him in a lie.

Abram just gave him a knowing look, and Andrew, shaken by being truly seen, settled back down.

They spent the rest of the night in silence, smoking cigarettes and basking in the freedom of being on the rooftop.

Notes:

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Chapter 69: Reflect

Summary:

Neil needs to get his head on straight.

Rubbing his sore eyes, Neil silently slipped back into the room he shared with Matt.

Spending all night on the roof was not conducive to sleep. Drew had remained stoic the rest of the night and was still there to Neil’s knowledge. It was strange that he wanted to stay there for so long. After spending the night up there, Neil’s hands were freezing.

Taking measured steps, Neil scurried to the bathroom, hoping he could clean himself up quietly and pull himself together into some semblance of normal. He wasn’t exactly happy with everyone at the moment, but he could understand the need. In fact, he knew he would act worse, choosing to kill anyone who was possibly infected instead of waiting to see what would happen.

Not running into anyone, Neil let out a quiet breath, slumping against the bathroom door. Taking a moment to compose himself, he locked the door behind him, wincing at the snick of the lock snapping into place.

Waiting a moment, listening intently for any sign that someone had heard him, he heard nothing alarming. Turning on the faucet, he let the water trickle out, mesmerised by the movement of the flow, how it could wash away so much, and yet be so ineffective at cleaning him.

Suddenly, he snapped his eyes up to the bathroom mirror above the sink. For a moment, his reflection startled him. He hadn’t thought about how his eyes would remind him of his father, or how his roots would be starting to show after too long without access to hair dye. That no one had brought it up as an inconsistency, Neil didn’t understand. He hoped they hadn’t noticed, but he knew it was probably something else. Past mistakes had taught Neil that being prepared for the worst was always best, and that he should just assume they were going to use it against him. There was every possibility that they would discover who his father was, and would give him up at the first opportunity.

Gripping onto the edge of the sink, Neil slumped forwards, resting his head against the mirror, and staring down at the water that was swirling around in the basin. He had to leave, but he couldn’t, not after he had made that deal with Drew. He couldn’t break a promise like that. Yet, he wasn’t sure he could believe that Drew would be able to uphold his end of the bargain.

Everything was slowly slipping out of Neil’s grasp and it felt as if it was swirling down the drain with the water, escaping him. He didn’t know what to do.

“How have I made such a mess of everything?” he muttered to the sink. “I should have run and never looked back as soon as I was able to.”

Frustration mixed with confusion and Neil fell to his knees, defeated. Just by being in this bathroom he was going against Drew, even if only slightly. He never should have agreed to anything.

Getting back to his feet, evening out his breathing, Neil cupped his hands under the stream of water until there was enough to splash in his face, cooling him down.

He couldn’t fix his problems right now, but he could try and rely on Drew until the time was up. He had relied on his mother for long enough, this could not be so different.

Notes:

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Chapter 70: Breakfast

Summary:

Neil and the gang have breakfast after a long night

As quietly as he had entered, Neil left his room, sneaking back into Drew’s suite. He could hear the soft snoring of people asleep in the bedroom, and he relaxed as he settled onto one of the bean bags. If anyone came in, he would be the first to know.

Before long, sleep dragged him under, where he slept long and hard, until a noise awoke him.

Startled, Neil sprung to his feet, reacting on instinct. Drew appeared in the doorway, a plastic bag in one hand that looked like it was going to split under the weight of whatever it was carrying.

The smell of bacon and eggs wafted from the open doorway, and Neil stood, a silent sentinel, as Drew started emptying the bag of boxes of breakfast. Drew handed one to Neil and Neil took it, grateful when his stomach grumbled loudly.

In silence, standing and watching each other, Neil and Drew ate, waiting for the others to wake up on their own.

“Did you sleep at all last night?” Neil asked, confusion marring his brow.

Shrugging, Drew replied, “A bit.” Neil wanted to push further to figure out where and when he had slept, but he knew Drew wouldn’t appreciate him prying.

When Neil finished his breakfast, he threw the empty takeaway box into the bin and headed to the bedroom. Someone should wake the others up before the food got cold.

Nicky was splayed on the bed, the covers half kicked off of him, a mess of brightly coloured clothing scattered around his bed. Gently, Neil tapped Nicky on the shoulder. “Time to wake up, Nicky. Drew got breakfast.”

As if those were the magic words, Nicky sprung upwards, barely missing bashing his head into Neil’s. “Food?”

Neil pointed to the door that led into the main part of the suite. Taking that as enough information, Nicky flopped back on the bed, and held up one finger, signalling he needed time.

Next, Neil went to Kevin who was snoring softly, a bottle of vodka nestled next to him, cradled to his chest like a baby.

Ripping it away from him, Neil inspected the bottle, finding it to be mostly empty. The man himself smelled strongly of a long night of drinking. Discarding the bottle on the floor, Neil shook Kevin, but he didn’t wake. Next, he tried ripping his duvet away from him which resulted in a quiet groan and some batting hands. Finally, Neil decided enough was enough, and shook him harshly, practically rolling him off the bed. “Rise and shine, sleepyhead. Breakfast is here.”

Slitting his eyes open, Kevin glared at Neil, though he seemed to be suffering worse from a hangover than anything else. Drew had probably known that when he had gotten breakfast, too.

“Get up,” Neil said once more to Kevin before walking towards Drew’s twin. He was breathing evenly, but Neil couldn’t tell if he was faking it. Instead of poking him awake, Neil said, “Aaron?”

In response, Aaron groaned and lifted his head to meet Neil’s calculating stare. “I’m awake, leave me alone.”

Shrugging, Neil wandered back into the main room, not bothering to make sure anyone was following. They would get up eventually, and Drew hadn’t seemed all that bothered by it.

“What’s the plan for today?” Settling in at the small kitchen table, Neil flicked his eyes around the room. It probably needed a clean, but it wasn’t that bad.

Drew shrugged. “You and I are going out. The rest are to stay here.”

Neil levelled a look on Drew. “They’re not going to be happy about that.”

“I know.”

In the kitchenette, Neil and Drew waited for the others to emerge. They waited around the table, soaking in the silence.

After around half an hour had passed, Nicky slumped out of the bedroom, bedraggled with dark circles under his eyes. Behind him, Kevin and Aaron looked to be in similar states, though Kevin’s was much worse on account of his hangover.

Without any fanfare, Drew stood from where he was sat at the table, boxes strewn about, and Neil followed suit, both of them heading to the door. Nicky was the first to catch on.

“Hey, where are you taking Neil? I thought we got to have breakfast together?” Nicky whined.

Drew said, “If you had gotten up on time then you would have eaten with Neil. But you didn’t.”

“Not fair,” Nicky said, with a humph.

“Bye.” Neil waved as Drew slammed the door shut behind them, locking the others in. Turning to Drew, Neil asked, “Where are we going?”

“Outside the walls.”

Notes:

Thank you so much for reading! Sorry for the delay in updates, I got sick again and have been busy trying to sort out some personal stuff. It's still not sorted out yet, but I'm hoping it will be resolved soon so I can get regular updates out again!

Check out @aftg-all-the-way on Tumblr for more updates! <333

Chapter 71: Freedom, but at what cost?

Summary:

Drew offers Neil a chance at freedom, but what will the price be?

Blinking, Neil was too stunned to say anything. Was this it? Was he finally being kicked out?

Instead of saying anything to reassure Neil, Drew just started walking towards the stairwell, expecting Neil to follow him.

Neil, as any sane person would, decided to follow Drew. They had made promises to each other. Nothing would happen to him, he had to trust in that.

By the time he caught up to Drew, they were already close enough to the car that Drew pressed a button on his keys to unlock it.

Drew opened the passenger side door for Neil, and obediently, Neil got in. The door slammed shut on him, and in the silence that followed, Neil could have sworn he heard a clock ticking down, reminding him of the meagre time he had left.

Before he could linger on the sound for too long, Drew got in the car and reached into the backseat, procuring a plastic bag he passed to Neil. “Take it.”

Cautiously, Neil took the bag and peered inside. It contained a few pieces of dark, heavy fabric, and a small metal case. Curious, Neil extracted the case, peeking over at Drew to find him drumming his hands on the steering wheel.

Inside the case was a solution that held brown eye contacts. Mouth gaping, Neil looked over at Drew. “Why?”

Shrugging as if he hadn’t just handed Neil an out and anonymity, Drew simply said, “For freedom.” He gave Neil a knowing look, and Neil felt red heat flush his cheeks at being seen like that.

“I thought freedom came with a price?”

“It does. Take my offer and you will pay it and live to tell the tale.” He paused. “Or don’t.”

A shiver ran down Neil’s spine at the foreboding words.

Uncertain, he stared down at the clothes and contacts in his lap.

He had a choice to make.

Notes:

Thank you so much for reading! <333

Chapter 72: Ravens Always Survive

Summary:

Andrew POV.

Music blaring out the car speakers, Andrew leaned his back against the driver’s side door, smoking. The windows were up, but he could feel the vibration of the music he had put on anyway.

Smoke invaded his lungs in a comforting embrace before he exhaled, watching as it drifted away, lost to a slight breeze. It was a mild day, not that the weather would have stopped him. After staying up with Abram for most of the night, he realised what he had to do.

And now, they were outside the safety of the wall, off into the unknown. He had set specific instructions to Renee that morning to ensure that Kevin and the others would be taken care of. She knew how to deal with the annoying drunk and had more patience than him, anyway.

Abram, on the other hand, was busy changing. He had taken Andrew up on his offer, but he didn’t know the full extent of it yet. Andrew was just hoping that Abram wouldn’t act too out of line. He needed to look like he was in control for what they were embarking to do.

In the sky above the car, Andrew watched as a bird lazily flew in circles around them, probably wondering if they had anything to eat. It’s raven black feathers glinted in the slight sun, and it seemed content enough to just continue circling around them. Andrew was honestly surprised that it was still alive after all these years. How it hadn’t been eaten by anyone hungry enough, he didn’t know.

The click of the passenger side door opening brought Andrew’s attention back to Abram who was getting out of the car and stretching his legs, now dressed in the clothes Andrew had provided, contacts in. He looked fake, but Andrew knew it was only because he had seen something far more real than what was in front of him right at that moment.

“I see you agree to the terms.”

Scoffing, Abram replied, “Obviously.” A pause. “Thank you for the contacts.” Abram seemed to shrink in on himself even as he walked around to see Andrew better, reaching out and snatching the cigarette out of his mouth.

Andrew let him inhale the smoke for a few seconds before taking it back. “It seemed wise to have your appearance be different considering what you have told me. The place we are going is dangerous, and it will be even more so if someone realises who you are.”

“Where are we going?”

Andrew let a small smile play on his lips, taunting in nature. “You’ll see. You have to trust me, though.” His tone turned serious, and his eyes flashed with warning.

Abram nodded his understanding, and walked back around the car, settling back into his seat. Stubbing out the cigarette on the ground, Andrew dumped it in the overgrown grass on the side of the cracked road, and got in as well.

It was time to go and pay the Ravens a visit.

Notes:

Special extra update today as a little celebration!

Thank you so much for reading!

Check out @aftg-all-the-way on Tumblr for more updates and a special announcement!

Chapter 73: Journey into the Unknown

Summary:

Neil and Drew journey together to their destination.

Trees and decaying corpses blurred as Neil and Drew drove. They were alone, it felt as if there was no one else in the world that was alive, and Neil was struck by the familiarity of this situation. And then he was struck by memories of his mother. The burnt smell of her flesh as he set her alight. The look in her eyes when she knew she had been bitten. The haunting sound of her final breath.

Music blared from the car speakers, startling Neil out of his reminiscing. Drew was tapping his fingers absently against the steering wheel to the beat of whatever song was playing. It wasn’t one Neil recognised but that didn’t mean much.

Staring out at the open road, Neil tried to decipher where they were going. He didn’t have much to go off of, just that it required him to change for safety reasons, which seemed strange to him.

The drive seemed to drag on for hours, and the sun had risen above them by the time they made a stop. It turned out it was only to refuel the car, but Neil took the opportunity for a toilet break. It wasn’t like there was anyone to stop him, and with the knowledge that he was basically immune to the virus, he wasn’t too worried about getting bitten. He knew he was capable of killing a zombie before it killed him. Drew had also provided him with a gun, and a few knives, but Neil had left the knives in the car.

Their brief stop didn’t last long, and before they knew it, they were back on the road. More hours passed and Neil lost track, losing himself to sleep for a short while. He awoke some time later to Drew slowing down.

“What’s going on?” Yawning, Neil rubbed the sleep out of his eyes.

“Morning, sleepyhead.”

Bright sunlight filtered into the car, blinding Neil and forcing him to blink rapidly to adjust his eyes to the light. “What time is it?”

“Only four. A while left to go though.”

Neil eyed the speedometer and saw they were driving much faster than they ever would have been allowed to before the world went to shit. He appreciated the hurry, though, but was concerned with when they would arrive at their mystery destination.

“Where are we going?”

“You’ll see,” is all Drew replied with. “Be prepared for an unpleasant welcome, though.”

Unease churned in Neil’s gut, but he trusted Drew to not kill him. Or he mostly did, anyway. Either way, it didn’t matter, it was already too late for him, but he supposed Drew would probably want to keep him alive, if only to get a cure from him.

The journey went by quietly. They passed buildings that were overgrown with weeds and grass. Occasionally, they saw a house that had a tree growing through one of the windows. Cars were parked haphazardly around the place, some broken down in the middle of the road, but Drew expertly steered them through the maze with no issues. Neil couldn’t shake the feeling that Drew had done this journey many times before.

Eventually, just as night was starting to fall and the sky was darkening as the sun was setting beyond the horizon, they pulled up outside of a tall wall. It was more imposing than the one that Palmetto was in – far taller, and less mismatched. It was entirely made of some sleek, black material, no stains in sight. The grass around the place, and the road leading up to the gates were neatly kept and well-maintained.

The whole place screamed of wealth, and the before times. It almost looked normal, if he could call it that with the giant wall around it.

Staring up in wonder, Neil chanced a glance at Drew. He was frowning deeply as he studied the place they were seemingly about to enter, a furrow marring his brow.

“What is it?”

“Nothing,” Neil hurriedly said, looking back at the wall. “I’m fine.”

Drew scoffed and said nothing more as he inched the car towards the gate. “Leave the talking to me.”

Nodding, Neil balled his hands into fists as he settled deeper into his seat. Whatever they were about to face, Neil didn’t think it would be pleasant.

Notes:

Thank you so much for reading!!

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Chapter 74: Confrontation

Summary:

Andrew's POV. Andrew and Neil are with the Ravens.

Looming high above them, the walls that surrounded the compound made the place seem impenetrable, but Andrew knew the truth. Kevin had found a way out. It had been difficult, and Andrew had helped, but he had gotten out. They all had.

Slowly inching the car forward, Andrew flicked his eyes around, checking for any movement nearby. When he found nothing, he pressed down on the car horn. Abram’s eyes went wide but he stayed still, following Andrew’s instructions.

Maybe he can be trained after all.

Still holding down the horn, Andrew waited for someone to come and let him in. They weren’t friends, but they knew his reputation, and whilst he would rather not have to batter his car driving through their wall, he would do it.

After only another few seconds, a gate cracked open, revealing an inner layer of security. They were allowing them in.

Carefully, Andrew drove the car forwards, gazing at the large red ravens painted on the shiny, black walls. Abram likely thought he was signing their death warrants, but he didn’t even know the half of it yet.

Once they were within the first wall, the gate closed behind them, sealing them into an enclosed area. Barbed wire separated them from the rest of the compound, and spectators were gathering around, watching the commotion.

Opening his door, Andrew slowly got out of the car, being sure to not make any sudden movements. He didn’t bother to remove his arm bands, and he knew no one else would dare touch him. Not when he was there as part of Palmetto and they all knew it. If they believed he was theirs, they wouldn’t bat an eye before beating him half to death and then expecting him to do his best scavenging supplies.

He could feel Abram staring a hole into the side of his head but he ignored it, waiting for him to do the same. He heard the click of the door opening and then Abram’s boots crunching on the gravel beneath them. The place would have been nice if not for the end of the world happening.

Andrew walked over to Abram’s side and together they sauntered up to the guards who had fallen away from them since they had driven in. They eyed Andrew warily, and tensed up. Andrew stared them up and down, dismissing them as if they were nothing he couldn’t handle. They sneered, but didn’t get any closer.

Suddenly, the crowd that had gathered on the other side of the barbed wire parted, and the man of the hour came out. Beside him, Abram tensed, but only slightly. He was trying to seem as unperturbed as Andrew was. It would’ve been impressive if it wasn’t so idiotic. He had no idea what he was facing.

“Why, hello, I didn’t think you’d come and see me again.” Riko feigned swooning, and the crowd laughed at his antics, taken in by their leader.

“I didn’t think I’d have to, but it seems you haven’t gotten the message. Leave us alone.”

“Whatever do you mean?” Riko asked, making a big show of looking confused. The crowd went along with it, all shrugging and murmuring.

Tapping a finger on his face, Andrew feigned ponderance. “Looking for Kevin,” he ticked off one of his fingers. “Sending some of your little soldiers to infect us.” He ticked off another finger. “Trying to recruit our people.” Another finger ticked off. “Need I go on?” He arched a brow.

His teeth gritted, Riko smiled. “I fear I need to have a talk with my people. They would never do any of that after our last talk.”

Seeing right through his lies, Andrew sighed heavily. “Will you at least invite us in so we can discuss this over a meal? After all, I’ve come all this way and me and my companion are starving.”

Grimacing, Riko nodded. “Yes, of course, what kind of host would I be if I didn’t allow that? First though, my people will check that you are not infected. Can’t risk biological warfare in my home, now, can I?”

“Mmm-hmm,” Andrew agreed half-heartedly.

Besides him, Abram tensed noticeably. He had been bitten, any cursory look would find that. And if they discovered he was immune? It would lead to too many problems for them right now. It’s why Andrew had made him change. They wouldn’t recognise him as he was. Not with how insignificant he was.

Instead of waiting for Abram to get them both killed, he gently rolled up the top layer of Abram’s sleeves, leaving the skin covered with the part that matched. Abram let loose a long breath and Andrew showed off what could be seen of his arms. It didn’t need to be a thorough search, after all, they should have turned by now if they’d been bitten.

“Fine, let them enter,” Riko commanded, and the barbed wire fence was opened, making way for them to get back in the car and drive through, following after Riko’s retreating form.

Chapter 75: Cat Got Your Tongue?

Summary:

Neil and Andrew make it to the heart of the Ravens' territory. What will they do?

Eyes wide, Neil was taking everything in. He had not been expecting Riko to act so nonchalant, but he could see the tightness in his shoulders as he retreated. This visit had clearly been a bit of a surprise, and if Lola was working with him, then Neil could imagine that Riko and his father would get along well.

In the car, Neil pushed up his sleeves fully, able to see the bite mark on his arm. It itched and he did his best to ignore it, but Drew was staring hard at his arm. “Why are you staring at me?”

“What, I don’t get a thank you for making you wear that?” Drew acted mock-offended and feigned a dramatic gasp. “How ungrateful you are. You never would have been allowed in had they seen that. I did you a favour.”

Taking a deep breath, Neil counted to ten in his head. “I don’t think I would have objected to not going in.”

Laughing, Drew slapped his leg. “Oh, you are such a jokester, Abram!” with the back of his hand, he wiped tears from his eyes. “If they knew you were immune, they would do far worse than your friends at Palmetto.”

Clenching his jaw, Neil said nothing in response. He didn’t want to have to listen to Drew’s nonsense, but he knew he had to if he wanted to stay alive in Riko’s territory.

“What? Cat got your tongue? I didn’t think you knew how to be quiet!” Drew exclaimed, practically jumping up and down in his seat. They had yet to actually set off, and those who were watching the two of them were eyeing them suspiciously.

“Let’s just follow Riko,” Neil gritted out.

It seemed as if for the first time Drew noticed that they were being watched. Waving and smiling he stared everyone in the eyes until they looked away. “Oh, Riko won’t be happy with them,” Drew noted, dismissively.

Finally, Drew started the car up again and they followed slowly after Riko. Neil was half tempted to tell Drew to put his foot on the accelerator but he would prefer to make it out of there alive and killing Riko didn’t seem to be a good way to make that happen. Not that he thought letting Riko live was a good idea either.

As they drove, Neil took in the sights. There wasn’t a lot to see. They had a lot of land all hidden behind their big wall. All of it was neat and well-maintained. Even the grass was cut to perfection. Rows and rows of plants were growing in the distance, all evenly spaced out, all practically identical. Neil wondered how the plants even looked identical.

There were very few actual buildings. Most of them were small, clearly for storage purposes. Occasionally there was a bigger building which appeared to serve food. Just like the walls, it was decorated in black and red. The Ravens’ signature colours.

As they continued to drive forward at a snail’s pace, Neil noted that they seemed to be heading towards a familiar building. Ice shot through his body. His hands clenched into fists. His muscles locked up.

It was a place he had never wanted to visit again. A place that had haunted him in his dreams for so many years.

They were approaching the Ravens’ court. The court on which Neil had witnessed his father murder a man. On which Riko and Kevin had seen his father murder a man.

Forward they went, until they reached the car park. It was neat, all the cars looked identical and were parked in an identical manner. The only noticeable difference were the license plates, but even then they were mostly the same with just a number changed.

Instead of parking the car in one of the empty spaces, Drew abandoned the car in the middle of the car park. Jumping out of the car, he headed towards where Riko was waiting for them in front of the stadium.

Trepidation rushed through Neil as he looked up at the shiny, black stadium with red accents. It was so clean, and identical to how it had looked the last time Neil had been there.

Dread making his stomach twist in knots, Neil followed Drew’s lead. He had to trust him in there if he wanted to survive, and Drew hadn’t let him die yet.

With one final breath of fresh air, Neil followed Riko and Drew into the dark pit of the Ravens’ stronghold.

Notes:

Thank you so much for reading!

Check out @aftg-all-the-way on Tumblr for more updates! <333

Chapter 76: Really Inconvenient Décor

Summary:

Neil and Drew finally meet Riko and Tetsuji.

Notes:

I'm so sorry for the break, I've had a pretty hectic month, but here's an update!

Thank you so much for reading and sticking with this despite the breaks!

Darkness embraced him.

Blinking, Neil tried to get his eyes to adjust to the dimness. It seemed as if there were no lights on at all, but Neil spotted a few candles flickering around the place in sconces.

All the walls were painted black. The only other colour were patches of red that broke up the depressing feel of the place. Not that it did much to help.

There was no one around other than Neil, Drew and Riko, but it felt as if someone was watching him. Only moments after the sensation started did he spot a camera that was facing them. Surreptitiously, Neil flicked his eyes around, counting how many cameras there were. Way too many for a place like this. It made him wonder what they could be hiding that needed so much security.

Riko marched them all down a maze of hallways that seemed to descend ever lower into the pits of the structure. Shivering, Neil shuffled closer to Drew. Noticing the movement, Drew seemed to slow, though Neil couldn’t entirely know for sure, but he thought his gait had changed.

Shouldering Neil, Drew sped back up, catching up to their tour guide who was still silent. Absently, Neil rubbed at his arm, and slid the blade that Drew had passed him up his sleeve.

Finally, they reached their destination. Riko opened a door that led into an opulent room. There was red plush carpet and chandeliers on the ceiling made from gold. A stark contrast to the dim hallways with pure black tiles.

Luxurious settees were spread around the room, and Neil could have sworn he glimpsed a water fountain as they were led through the room and into a smaller office space. It was still luxurious but there was a desk and bookshelves lining the walls.

Closing the door behind Neil, Riko went to stand next to the desk. A squeak sounded, and then the chair swivelled around, revealing a man who looked like an older version of Riko. They had the same black hair and brown eyes, and the same evil look on their faces. Neil knew who he was. He was the coach of the Edgar Allen Ravens back when the world functioned normally, before the apocalypse. Tetsuji Moriyama.

Propping himself against the door, Drew looked around the office before whistling. “Nice place you got here.”

Sneering, Riko replied, “It’s the nicest place you’ll ever see. Don’t expect to see it again.”

Not bothering to reply, Drew grabbed a cigarette and lit it. Quickly, the office filled with smoke and the air became hazy. As they were so far underground, there were no windows to air out the place, and Neil tried to hide his grin.

“Put it out,” Riko demanded.

Smirking, Drew just took another drag and blew the smoke at Riko. “Good luck trying to get the smell out of the carpet. It’s really inconvenient décor you have.”

Neil was having a difficult time staying quiet, but he managed to stop himself from laughing. Barely.

Clearing his throat, Tetsuji stood. “Would you like to take a seat?” Waving his hand around at the chairs available, he looked expectantly at Neil and Drew.

Pushing off the door, Drew sat in the seat closest to the door. Neil took the one next to him. Riko remained standing by Tetsuji’s side.

“And put that out before I decide to throw you to the hordes.”

Maintaining eye contact, Drew took one last drag before burning the cigarette onto the fancy upholstery of the chair. “Of course.”

Riko twitched as if wanting to hit Drew, but a glance at Tetsuji seemed to tell him not to do it.

“To what do I owe this pleasure?” Tetsuji asked, finally seating himself again. The pretence of manners made Neil tense up in his chair. He remembered this sort of diplomacy from the meetings he had attended with his father. If anyone noticed, they didn’t say.

Drew smiled. It was a scary smile, filled with teeth. He looked deranged. “Skip the pleasantries. I’ve brought bargaining material. And you will give me what I want for it.”

Arching a brow, Tetsuji leaned back in his chair, clasping his hands together on his desk. “That’s very presumptuous of you, but I will humour you. So, what, may I ask, are you asking for?”

Silence, then…

“Kevin. His complete freedom from you. You will not look for him, and will not take him under any circumstances.”

Eyes wide, Neil looked at Drew. Out of everything, he wasn’t expecting that to be what he asked for, but he shouldn’t have been surprised.

“And what do I get in return?”

“The cure.”

Chapter 77: The Cure

Summary:

Andrew's POV. Andrew and Neil make a deal.

Notes:

Thank you so much for reading!

I'm updating again today as an apology for not updating in a while. I won't be updating every day but I aim to not wait so long to post next time!

Keeping one eye on Abram, Andrew watched for any reaction. When all he saw was a slight stiffening, he returned his full attention to Tetsuji, ignoring Riko completely.

“There is no such thing,” Tetsuji boldly stated.

“There is now.”

“How can we trust that this is real?”

“Have I ever lied to you before?” Andrew replied, sweetly.

Tetsuji stared hard at him, not replying.

“Give me one month to bring it to you for you to test.”

Raising his eyebrows, Tetsuji leaned forward. “How bold of you to ask me for a bargain when you don’t even have proof.” Letting out a cold laugh, he settled back in his chair, pointing a sharp finger towards Andrew. “No deal.”

“Oh, but I do have proof.” Grinning, Andrew turned to Riko. The boy was practically trembling in Tetsuji’s presence. He pretended to be so big and tough, but when it came down to it, he would always bow to the strongest person in the room. He was a coward, and Andrew would not rest until he had proved that to Kevin and everyone else.

“Show me,” Tetsuji demanded.

“Take me to my car,” Andrew aimed at Riko. When Tetsuji waved his hand at Riko to do as Andrew had told him, he reluctantly moved towards the door, opening it and leading Andrew out.

Sending one last look to Abram, Andrew left the room, hoping that Abram would be smart enough not to say anything. Or to show anything. They couldn’t reveal their hand just yet.

Once they reached the car, Andrew opened the boot. Inside, tied up and medicated, was one of the zombies that Riko had sent into Palmetto.

Eyeing Riko carefully, Andrew gestured that he needed to help.

Striking up a casual conversation whilst they worked together to get the subdued zombie out of the car, Andrew asked Riko mundane questions. Answering with clipped responses, Riko just seemed to try to ignore him, but that wouldn’t do.

Something had shaken Riko, and it didn’t take a genius to realise it was because of who he was seeing and what had been done. Whilst they may have thought the zombie was down for good, it hadn’t been, and in the aftermath, this one had been captured.

“So, Riko, have you been experimenting lately?”

“Experimenting? I’ve been trying to survive, just like everyone else.”

“So, you know nothing about why your guys turned much later than they should have?” Andrew smiled. “We know about that.”

Swallowing, Riko looked anywhere but at Andrew. “I don’t know what you’re talking about.”

“No? How strange.” Dropping the topic, they worked in silence as they retraced their steps back to the office. Tetsuji didn’t like to wait, and he was afraid Abram might have said something.

Entering the office once more, Andrew set the zombie on a settee, dirtying the fabric with blood and gore. Recognition flashed in Tetsuji’s eyes, but he was much calmer than Riko, and much less obvious.

“I take it you recognise him?” Andrew asked, not really expecting an answer. “He turned, you know. Tried to turn a whole bunch of others as well. Luckily we have the cure.”

Turning to Abram, Andrew gestured for him to roll up one of his sleeves, properly this time. Obliging, Abram revealed a bite mark.

Jumping away, Riko scurried over to the door, and even Tetsuji seemed rattled.

“Get him out of here, you’re going to kill us all,” Tetsuji demanded.

“Why should I? He’s harmless after all. Cured.”

“You insolent little-“

Andrew cut him off. “I can prove it.”

Removing a small vial from his pocket, Andrew held it up so the light could be reflected. Pretty colours danced on the ceiling.

“Come here,” Andrew told Abram. He didn’t use a name, he had promised him safety, after all. It was better they think him a pet and disposable than anything useful. They understood that. Kevin had been that to them.

Slowly, Abram approached until he was standing before Andrew. He could see so many thoughts running through his eyes, but he ignored each one of them in favour of the one question he could answer.

What was he doing?

Manoeuvring Abram so that his arm was in front of the zombie’s mouth, he closed it’s jaw around Abram’s arm, hard enough to cut through the skin, hard enough that he should turn. Quickly, he handed the vial to Abram who consumed it in one fell swoop.

“What the hell-“ Riko started, but Tetsuji cut him off, taking out a gun from his desk. Sleek and white with words in Japanese script written on it, it was beautiful but deadly. And it was aimed right at Abram.

“Give me one reason as to why I should not kill him.”

“I can tie him to a chair if you wish so that you can see he won’t turn. Not after he took the cure.”

Thinking about it for a moment, Tetsuji seemed to weigh the possibilities. “And I will get the real cure if I abide by your ridiculous demands?”

“Exactly as I said.”

“Tie him up, and lets wait.” Casually waving his gun at Riko, Tetsuji added, “And take care of the trash, would you? It’s bad enough it’s on my furniture, I don’t need it to be elsewhere.”

Riko seemed to blanch at the body on the settee. “Of course, Uncle.” Bowing his head, he took out his own gun and shot three bullets straight into the zombie’s head.

“And clean up the mess,” Andrew added, smiling wickedly. Glaring, Riko seemed to consider aiming his gun at Andrew, but when Tetsuji snapped his fingers, Riko immediately obliged, dragging the body out the door.

With that, Andrew sat Abram in a chair and began the long process of tying him to it. It was going to be a long night of monitoring Abram if they wanted to make it out of their alive and unscathed.

Sighing, Andrew dropped down into a chair and looked over at Abram who was tied down. “I don’t know about you, but I need to sleep. Wake me only if the world’s ending. Oh, wait. It already has.” With that, he promptly fell asleep, though it was light enough that he stirred when Riko returned and he heard every sound in the quiet office.

It would be a long time before they were allowed to leave.

Chapter 78: Deal or No Deal

Summary:

Neil POV. Will the cure work?

Strapped down to a chair, Neil was tired. His muscles ached, his body was stiff. He had been sat down in the chair for too long. He needed to move. Only, he couldn’t.

“How much longer do you want me to stay here? If I was going to turn, it should have happened hours ago.”

Besides him, Drew was snacking on a chocolate bar. A rare commodity that Neil hadn’t tasted in far too long. His mother had always told him it was too unhealthy, and they needed to be ready to go. They could only ever carry what was absolutely necessary and chocolate was not part of that. After a while, he had an aversion to it.

Tingling, his arms hurt. He couldn’t move an inch thanks to Drew’s handywork. It was both impressive and terrifying at the same time.

A guard entered the room, looking Neil up and down before he stepped back out of the room and Tetsuji stepped in. Cane in hand, he was imposing as ever, and looked entirely unbothered by what was going on. Neil supposed it was a common occurrence for him to have people tied up, ready for death if he so chose.

“Ah, you’re still awake. Good.” Lowering himself into a chair, Tetsuji leaned back and put his cane down beside him. “The decision has been made about your fate.”

Tensing up, Neil had to fight the urge to squirm under Tetsuji’s unforgiving gaze. The man made the memory of his own father pale in comparison.

Drew, on the other hand, seemed perfectly content to just eat his pile of snacks. He had demanded them and Riko had run off to grab them, much to his chagrin.

“What’s the decision?” Neil broke the silence. He was tired, and his common sense had long since fled. He wasn’t sure he’d had any since at least trusting Drew, though he was still alive so it can’t have been that bad of a decision.

“If you can last one more hour, you will be free to go. We will contact you on our own terms to make this deal at a later date. It seems you have a real cure.” The last part had a hint of surprise and Neil had to bite back a reaction. He knew he was immune already, so did Drew, so what had he been given? “An agreement will be sent to you when we are ready. Nothing has been agreed just yet.”

“When should I expect a response?” Drew asked, mouth full of chocolate. Tetsuji grimaced.

“At our convenience.”

Of course, Neil thought bitterly to himself. Why would he make this easy?

“Another hour it is then,” Drew replied in a cheery voice. “I do have a lot else to do today. I didn’t think you would waste my time as much as you have. I’ll be sure to let Palmetto know of your co-operation.”

Tetsuji seemed to jerk back at the venom in the last word. Righting himself almost immediately, it wasn’t fast enough. Everyone had noticed just how rattled Drew made him. Neil stored that away to ask about later.

Without another word, Tetsuji got up from his seat and left the room. Whilst Neil was certain that there were cameras watching them, he didn’t know for sure, but Tetsuji’s willingness to leave him alone spoke volumes about the level of security at Edgar Allen.

Another hour it would be.

He only hoped it would go quickly, as his arms were numb.

Chapter 79: To Truly Escape

Summary:

Neil and Drew leave Edgar Allen.

Notes:

Thank you so much for being patient with me. I'm so sorry for not updating sooner! Thank you for sticking with this. It's been my lifeline for creativity and I'm so thankful that anyone wants to read it. Again, thank you, and I hope you enjoy this update!

Quick was not the right word for the time as it trotted by. No one came to distract him from counting down the seconds, and he was so engrossed, he could do nothing other than wait. Moving wasn’t an option – he was still tied to a chair – and Drew didn’t seem inclined to share any of the food he had ordered with Neil. Not that he expected it, but his stomach had started audibly grumbling.

By the time the hour was up, Neil was reciting the alphabet backwards just to keep himself alert. Hours had already passed by, and exhausted didn’t even begin to describe how he felt. All he wanted was to curl up and go to sleep, but he wouldn’t do that until he was out of Edgar Allen and back in a bed. It was odd how used he was getting to having a bed. Years without one, sleeping on floors, or makeshift beds, had made Neil feel as if he could sleep anywhere, but only a few weeks with a real bed and he couldn’t imagine living without one. He was becoming spoiled. This was not the life he could live.

Untying him, Drew stepped back as the bindings fell away. “Thanks,” Neil mumbled to him. Drew didn’t respond.

Tetsuji and Riko were back in the office, both had examined Neil before he had been allowed freedom. They had deemed him acceptably human “for a pet”.

“We will get back to you about the finer details of this arrangement. We will give you a date for the specified amount of cure to be made. Don’t push your luck.”

Sauntering over to the zombie that had originally attacked Palmetto, Tetsuji pulled out a gun and shot the bullets straight into the head, no hesitation.

That was as much of a dismissal as Neil needed. He rushed out of the room, following the maze of rooms and corridors out to Drew’s car.

Drew wasn’t far behind, and together they got in the car, as Drew revved the engine.

***

Back on the road once more, they were free. Neil no longer felt restricted, though his suspicion of Drew had increased as the silence between them stretched as they passed miles and miles of abandoned land.

In some places, the grass was uniform, plants were tended to, but those were few and far between, and there were fences around the properties.

“Why did you do that?” Neil finally asked, vaguely remembering the echo of a gunshot. “Is there really a cure?”

Smiling, Drew looked at Neil. “Abram.” He sighed. “Are you always so dense? Did you seriously not realise what was happening?”

Thinking back on it, Neil thought about the vial he had taken a drink from. “What did you give me?”

“Water.” Exasperated, Drew stopped in the middle of the road, after all, it wasn’t like there were any other cars.

“So, there’s no cure?”

“Oh, there is a cure alright.” Grinning wickedly, Drew turned so he was looking out the drivers’ side window.

“They’ll kill us all if there isn’t one ready, Drew.”

Laughing, Drew turned to Neil. “They’re already planning on it. I just needed to buy us some more time.”

Time? For what? But Neil didn’t get to ask his questions as Drew started driving again, this time turning on the stereo system. For the rest of the drive, conversation died off, the music blasted out, and Neil tried to not fall asleep. After all, there was no telling where Drew would drop him after that fiasco.

Chapter 80: Home Sweet Home

Summary:

Neil and Drew return to Palmetto.

Notes:

Thank you so much for reading!!! I hope you enjoy this chapter!

I started therapy today, so if the next few uploads are sporadic, I'm probably trying to not emotionally rely on these little guys to the extent I usually do lol.

Will try to be consistent though!

Familiar scenery began to appear as they drove onwards. First, Neil recognised the cars that had been abandoned and moved to the sides of the road. Then he started to recognise the trees and other plants. Not long after, Palmetto came into view. The bright orange on the walls were a dead giveaway, and Neil wondered why they were still so adamant on the colour choice. Surely it attracted all sorts of unwanted attention?

Abruptly, Drew turned the stereo off, filling the car with an eerie silence, broken only by the noise of the engine. Snapping his head towards him, Neil searched for any sign of what he was thinking.

“When we get in, they’ll want to know what happened. Leave the talking to me,” Drew ordered, sensing Neil’s stare. “Don’t say anything about what happened. Just go in and get some sleep.” Drew glanced over at Neil. “You look terrible.”

“Gee, thanks,” Neil replied, flatly.

“I’ll call for you when I’m ready,” Drew continued, ignoring Neil. “I expect you to show up.” The words held a finality that told Neil he wasn’t going to get any answers now.

Dropping heavily back into his seat, Neil stared up at the ceiling of the car. It was plain, boring, forgettable. How he had always meant to be.

***

Drew had driven them into Palmetto without much fuss. The gates had opened without any fanfare, as if he had planned it. They weren’t required to take any sort of test, which surprised Neil. It was almost like no one knew they were back. It felt the complete opposite to being on Riko’s territory.

Driving close to the building they lived in, Drew dropped Neil off, acknowledging him only with a slight tilt of his head as Neil quietly said goodbye. As soon as Neil had the door closed, Drew sped off, disappearing around the corner of the building and out of sight.

Quietly, as he had been ordered to do, Neil went to the suite he shared with Matt. He supposed he probably wasn’t supposed to be there, but he was tired and it would allow him to sleep with some semblance of hiding from Drew and his orders. After everything that had happened that day, Neil needed some time to process, but he also knew he would speak to Drew when he called. He needed to understand what was happening.

Sneaking back into his suite was easier than he had imagined. It was late, and the halls were empty, save from a few people Neil recognised from seeing in the diner, or elsewhere. They didn’t even spare him a second glance, and Neil knew they weren’t who Drew had warned him about. No. He had been warned against telling Matt, or any of the others. Neil knew it would be easy enough, but Matt had also seemed to be pretty insistent when it came to some things, so he would have to be careful.

The main room was dark, apart from the television which was on, playing quietly, and covering up the noise of Neil walking across the room. He toed his shoes off quietly, picking them up to minimise the noise he would make. Vaguely, he could see the outline of someone on the sofa, asleep, and relaxed as he slipped into the bedroom, closing the door, and turning the light on. No one was in the room, so he wasn’t disturbing anyone.

Getting changed, he turned the light off and crawled into his bed. At least Drew’s order of sleep would be easy to follow, Neil thought to himself, as he let himself succumb to the darkness.

Chapter 81: Missing or Not?

Summary:

Neil is confronted.

Notes:

Thank you so much for reading. Enjoy!

Loud voices out in the main room of the suite woke him. His head pounded and he felt as if he had slept for only a couple of minutes.

Groaning, Neil rubbed his hands over his eyes and stretched. His mind was fuzzy but he could vaguely recall the events of the previous day. Taking inventory of himself, he noticed his limbs ached from being tied to a chair but other than that, he seemed fine.

Glancing at the window, Neil saw it was light outside, much more so than it should have been. He always started his day early, but it seemed as if he had overslept.

Rolling out of bed, he tugged the sheets around him in a cocoon. If he was going to have to face the people outside, he needed some level of protection against his bare chest. At some point in the night he must have taken his shirt off and he couldn’t find it, but he knew the people beyond would hear he was up and coming running in soon enough. He didn’t think he’d have enough time to cover his scars.

Sure enough, as soon as he took several steps in the direction of the door, it burst open, revealing several faces peering in at him as if he was some strange specimen that they wanted to study.

Matt stood at the front of the group, Dan standing just to the side, but trying to push through. Renee and Allison were there too, but they stood further back. Allison was trying to squeeze between Matt and Dan, but Renee had a hand on her arm, and was murmuring something into her ear which made her back off a bit. They talked quietly, but animatedly, behind Matt and Dan who were covering the doorway.

“What happened?” Dan was the first to talk directly to Neil and it startled him. He wasn’t expecting it when he was so stuck on the previous day.

“Huh?” was all he could reply with. His voice wasn’t yet warmed up for the day, and his body was slow to responding.

Frowning, Dan shared a look with Matt and they both came into the room, no longer just hovering in the doorway. “Neil? Do you remember what happened yesterday?” Dan’s voice was soft with concern, and Neil had to refrain from scowling at her.

Nodding, he yawned, but looked around, his eyes wide as if he was taking everything in for the first time.

His room was a mess. Clothes were everywhere, including his own. He knew he would never do that, and panic flashed through him, suddenly making him much more alert.

The front door of the suite opened. Nicky came barrelling in, a blur of colour and noise with Aaron following slower. They both looked stunned when they got to the doorway of Neil’s room.

“What happened?” This time the question was asked by Nicky.

Renee shot a warm smile at Nicky, but Allison just glared at the loud, uncouth man. “Did you not notice Neil’s disappearance?”

Feigning ignorance, Nicky popped his eyes wide open to an almost comical extent. If Neil hadn’t been so rattled by the barrage of people and onslaught of questions, he might have found it in him to chuckle a little bit.

“But Neil is right here.” Nicky emphatically waved his arms in Neil’s direction.

Allison scowled and opened her mouth to say something, only to be interrupted by Dan. “Did he put you up to this?”

Aaron, who had remained quiet up until that point, stepped forward, rolling his eyes. “Ignore him, Nicky knows he disappeared.”

“Did your brother take him?” Dan asked, keeping a neutral tone.

Shrugging, Aaron held his hands out. “I don’t know. I’m not Drew’s keeper.”

Sighing heavily into her hands, Dan scrubbed at her face. “Alright.” Snapping her fingers, she pointed at Matt, Nicky, Aaron and Allison. “You all leave.”

Looking like he was about to protest, Nicky held his arms up, but Aaron was already shoving him out the door and back to their own room. Matt nodded at Neil, and leaned down to kiss Dan on the cheek before leaving. Allison followed closely behind, and they whispered to each other. Neil got the uncomfortable feeling they were talking about him.

Once the room had cleared of everyone except Dan, Renee, and Neil, the tension that Neil hadn’t noticed, finally lifted.

Renee walked up to him, practically gliding across the floor. “You know I am here to talk to you whenever you may need to. Our conversations can always be private if you wish. I won’t even tell Drew about them.” Dan stepped out of the bedroom, closing the door behind herself. “Please, feel free to talk to me anytime.”

Looking her up and down, he thought she was being honest, but he could feel she was holding something back. Behind her smile, she had something else she wanted to add, but she was holding herself back for some reason.

“Uh,” Neil got out, still not sure how to respond.

Up until that point, Neil had mostly just been listening and observing. He wasn’t ready to talk, and he wasn’t sure what he’d be allowed to say. He really needed to speak to Drew himself before anyone else.

“I’ll think about it.”

Smiling brightly, Renee said, “Thank you, I’m glad.”

Neil wasn’t sure if he’d said the right thing after all.

Chapter 82: He Always Acts Weird

Summary:

Andrew's POV. The Foxes confront him.

Notes:

I hope you like this chapter! Thank you so much for reading, and thank you so much for all the support!

Silence blanketed Palmetto in the darkness of the night, his breathing the only thing to disrupt it. The slight glow from his cigarette lit up his face, but there was no one around to notice. All alone, Andrew contemplated the day he had just had. 

Inhaling the smoke, thoughts of Abram swirled through his head. How he had trusted him, despite his lack of knowledge. Abram could have done a lot to ruin his plan, and yet he just went through with it, seemingly uncaring of his own safety. How he had survived so long, Andrew would never know. 

By the time his cigarette was down to the butt, Andrew was starting to drift off. He knew he would have to speak to Abram eventually, but he knew facing him right then would not have been ideal. Instead, he curled up on the roof, staring up at the stars. He didn’t worry that he would be disturbed. No one had ever come up there uninvited before, except Abram. 

Rest should have been easy, but instead it was fraught with nightmarish memories of a life he had long since given up. As far as he was concerned, everything in his past was dead, eaten by the hordes of zombies that had overcome the world. 

*** 

Morning sunlight woke him up. On his back, staring at the sky, one arm hovering over a sheathed knife, Andrew yawned. He was certain that if he looked in a mirror, the dark circles under his eyes would be more pronounced. 

Whilst it was fairly bright, he could tell it was still early enough that no one else would really be awake. He was glad for it. Anyone talking to him would put him in a sour mood. 

Slowly getting up, he stretched his sore muscles, preparing himself for the day. He needed a shower desperately. 

Sauntering back to his room, hands in his pockets, he quietly whistled a tune. It was low enough that he knew no one would hear it but him. 

When he got back to his suite, he opened the door, locking it behind him. The place was quiet. Everyone had to be asleep. He knew they would never get up this early on their own. He rarely did, but he had needed the space to think, and knew he would need to return early. 

Without disturbing the others sleeping, Andrew retrieved his clothes and then hurried through a shower, trying to make it out before the others woke up. He didn’t want to have to deal with Nicky right then. 

Feeling sluggish and low energy, Andrew knew he needed a pick-me-up, but his usual one wouldn’t do for the conversations he would have to have that day. Instead, he opted for a hot chocolate, piling as many sweet things into it as he could. He even added a candy cane, just because he could. 

Mug in hand, Andrew left the suite in search of breakfast. His stomach had been growling since the night before and he was finally fed up of it. It was still early, but he knew the diner opened up to give those with early shifts a chance to eat before they left, so he knew it would be open. 

A few hours later, and he was finally ready to face Abram and the torrent of questions he could feel even without being close to him. 

He had noted the lack of Abram’s presence in his suite that morning, and was ready to chew him out about that, as well. 

Returning to his suite, he found it empty of everyone except Kevin who was snoring soundly. The empty bottle of vodka beside his bed, telling Andrew he wouldn’t be awake for a while longer. 

Instead of checking in with the others, Andrew instead tucked himself up in a beanbag chair. If Abram wasn’t there, he would simply wait for him to come by. He refused to go and look for him, even if he did want to check him over himself. 

The door handle turning snapped Andrew out of his thoughts. Aaron came in first, followed by Nicky. Both of them held grim expressions on their faces. Nicky didn’t close the door behind him, and before Andrew could even think to ask why, Allison, Dan, and Matt all appeared in the doorway. As soon as they spied him, they rushed past Nicky and Aaron. 

“Where have you been?” Dan demanded. 

Lazily, Andrew looked her up and down. “None of your business.” 

“Nicky and Aaron told us they didn’t know where you were. And Neil was missing yesterday. Have anything to say about that?” 

Shrugging, Andrew simply rolled his head to look at the ceiling. “Do you have a reason to barge in here and interrogate me like this?” 

Huffing, Allison interrupted. “He’s acting weird.” 

Snorting, he replied, “He always acts weird.” 

“I mean more so than usual,” Dan said, annoyance flashing across her face at the grin on Andrew’s. 

“Look, I’ve got no patience for this. Nothing about me concerns you. Now leave.” He dropped the grin from his face, and he saw Matt blanch even as he clenched his fists and tried to remain steady. 

“Tell us where Neil was yesterday. Tell us what happened,” Matt snapped out, taking a step forward, only to be halted by Nicky and Aaron standing in his way. 

“Ask again later. But hey, maybe you should stay in your own lane, Allison.” 

Allison stormed out of the room, and Dan looked between Andrew and Allison, conflicted, before eventually running off after Allison. Matt stayed behind, glaring at Andrew who only raised his eyebrows. “That was too far. Say something like that to her again, and I’ll -” 

“You’ll what?” Aaron asked, stepping forward, crossing his arms. It was times like that, that Andrew really understood they were brothers, even if Aaron seemed to have trouble with it. He recognised himself. 

“Hey Matt, dude, please just, please leave. Alright? I’ll come check on you later, but,” Nicky glanced nervously back at Andrew. “Just, go.” 

With a stiff nod at Nicky, Matt turned to leave. Nicky shut the door behind him, hitting the lock. 

“Well, that was interesting.”

Chapter 83: Thanks

Summary:

Neil and Renee talk

Notes:

Thank you so much for reading!

Curling up in a hidden corner of Palmetto sounded more than appealing to Neil. He was trapped in a room with Renee. Dan had left him, the traitor, though he supposed he couldn’t judge her too harshly. She didn’t know about how uncomfortable Renee made him.  

Once she had proposed talking to her, Neil had completely clammed up, instinctively. The only person he really wanted to talk to was Drew. It seemed as if that wouldn’t be happening.  

“I understand if you need to take your time. Or if I’m not your preference of confidant. I just thought it would be easier than explaining anything to Dan or the others. I know they can come off a bit... abrasive, sometimes, but it’s only because they care.”  

Walking to the kitchenette, Renee rummaged around in the cupboards until she found what she was looking for. Shooting a look over her shoulder, she asked, “Drink?”  

Staring blankly at her, Neil could only open and close his mouth, scarcely able to make a sound.  

“Uh, sure, a coffee would be great. Thanks.” Rubbing the back of his head, Neil settled himself onto the sofa in the main part of the suite. His body thanked him, but as his eyes drifted shut, he jumped up. A coffee would do him some good.  

Quietly, Renee hummed an unfamiliar tune under her breath as she prepared the drinks. Feeling awkward, Neil quietly flicked the TV on, letting it play whatever had been left on last. It seemed to be a movie Neil didn’t recognise. On the screen a man got shot and kept going as if nothing had happened. Neil knew that wasn’t how it worked. The inaccuracies were enough to make him wish he’d turned it off, but before he could make to, Renee was coming over with two drinks in hand. “Oh, I love this movie!”  

Surprised, Neil took the coffee from her, sipping it. The bitter taste didn’t register until he’d downed half of it, but he knew the caffeine would wake him up soon.  

They sat quietly, watching the movie for a good thirty minutes before Renee shifted slightly. Neil wouldn’t have noticed if he hadn’t been paying such close attention to her. “I can tell them that you aren’t ready to talk to them, if you want.” It was a quiet offer. “They won’t push if you ask them not to, but being new is difficult. So, I can tell them. If you want.”  

“That’s,” Neil struggled to find the words to express himself. His sluggish brain wasn’t working properly just yet. “I would appreciate it. I think I’d like to speak to Drew first.”  

“As would I,” Renee said, sending Neil a warm smile. “Do you want a refill?” Nodding at his empty mug, Renee started to get up.  

It was only at that point that Neil realised his mistake. He was shocked that he hadn’t watched her make it, hadn’t made sure she hadn’t poisoned it. She could have done anything, and Neil had been so out of it, so in need of something to ground him, that he didn’t even think of it as a possibility. His mother would have hit him for his carelessness.  

“Uh, sure. Thanks.” Neil felt like an idiot, both for his lack of vocabulary, and from what he imagined his mother would say if she saw what had happened.  

“No problem. If you want, I’ll send Drew over here? I’m sure you’d prefer that to my company. But thank you for letting me stay.”  

Neil didn’t quite know how to respond to that. Renee never acted how he thought she should. He hadn’t expected her to excuse herself, but he didn’t have it in him to question her. She hadn’t pushed Neil to answer questions he wasn’t sure he knew the answer to.  

“Thanks, I’d like to see him.”  

“Of course. You don’t mind if I take my coffee to-go, do you?”  

Neil shrugged. He doubted Matt would mind. She lived on the same floor anyway. “Sure. Thanks again.”  

“Anytime.” Bringing his coffee to him, she gave him another kind smile and left, presumably to find Drew.  

He supposed he was going to get a private conversation with him soon.  

The thought didn’t fill him entirely with anticipation.

Chapter 84: All You Have To Do Is Ask

Summary:

Neil and Andrew talk

Notes:

My cat is so adorable, he's licking chin's as a sign of affection. I think Andrew and Neil's cats do the same to them, but they would never admit to anyone else that it happens

Thank you so much for reading! <333

Leg bouncing in anticipation, Neil waited. His coffee was gone too quickly, and he fiddled with the empty mug in his hands. Thoughts raced through his head, questions for Drew, but also questions for himself. Why had he gone through with it? Why had he trusted Drew enough to do everything he had said? Why was he waiting to talk to Drew before he made any decisions? None of it was like him.  

The sound of shuffling outside the door drew Neil’s attention. He was on edge waiting, and he practically flew out of his seat when the door opened, revealing Drew. He was dressed casually, but it didn’t take away from his intense stare, or the dark shadows that had deepened under his eyes. In his hands, he had a mug of his own, steaming.  

Silently, Drew made his way into the room, standing in front of the TV, facing Neil.  

“Renee said you were looking for me?” Drew started, offering a branch.  

Tightening his hands around his mug, Neil tried to get his muddled thoughts in order. “Why didn’t you tell me the plan?” It was the first thing Neil could think to say, and his accusatory tone made him want to cringe.  

“Ah, starting with the big questions. I propose truth for truth.”  

Glaring, Neil felt his lips flatten into a line. “Fine.”  

Drew’s eyes lit up in a strange way, and he took a long sip from his mug. “I needed you to act shocked, and I don’t think you’re the best actor.” Another sip. “Why did you go along with it?”  

Taken aback, Neil opened and closed his mouth a few times. “I - uh.” Neil could feel his face flushing. “I wanted to know what you were doing,” he hedged.  

“Abram, we both know this game is better when we are honest and not hiding things.”  

Rolling his eyes, cheeks still hot, Neil looked at his mug in his lap. “I didn’t think you’d lead me astray,” he said carefully.  

“That’s more like it.” Neil peeked up at Drew and saw him sitting on the console that held the TV, sipping at his drink.  

“Can I be honest?” Neil asked, quietly.  

Drew just gestured broadly. “The floor is yours.”  

“My head’s a mess, and I don’t know what I want to ask you. I have so many questions, but I can’t - I don’t - know where to begin.”  

All Drew said in response was, “Then don’t.”  

“But-”  

“I will go through it for you, piece by piece. All you have to do is ask.” Drew seemed to recoil even as he said the words, as if he wasn’t sure he should have said anything.  

Rushing up, his drink sloshed over his mug, and he muttered something under his breath that sounded like, “A pipe dream.” Unsure as to what he meant, Neil went to follow, but a single hand signal stopped him dead in his tracks. A louder, “Stay, tell the others what you wish,” was all Neil needed to sit back down, dazed and confused by the dangerous cyclone that was Drew.  

Chapter 85: Truly Carefree

Summary:

Neil and the Foxes. Just a little bit of a fluffy chapter, I hope you'll agree!

Dazed, Neil just stared off at where Drew had been, imagining he could still see him. He sat there for a while, just mulling everything over in his head. He could tell the others what he wanted, but he didn’t want to betray Drew’s trust like that. Knowing Drew had promised to protect him, Neil couldn’t bring himself to say anything that could damage his reputation in the eyes of the others. 

Eventually, he managed to shake himself into a more awake state. Noticing his mug was still in his hands, he went to clean it, tidying up the side whilst he was at it. Renee had mostly cleared it, but there were a few crumbs, presumably from where someone had made a sandwich at some point. 

Once he was satisfied, he headed back into his bedroom. He hadn’t been ready to get up when he had, and his body still ached. Deciding he’d done enough talking for one day, he got back into his bed, curling up, fully dressed, under the covers. 

*** 

Persistent hands roused him from sleep. Groggily, he opened his eyes, coming face to face with Allison who was peering closely at him. She looked perfectly put together, not a hair out of place. He wondered how someone could be so well-groomed in such dire times. 

“Oh good, you’re awake.” Clapping her hands together, she smiled. Neil smothered his groan with his pillow, hiding. Her voice was loud, and his head pounded. 

Shuffling from somewhere further away caught his attention. “Hey, give him some space, he seems pretty tired.” Neil vaguely recognised the voice as belonging to Matt, but he was too tired to verify. “Hey, Neil, sorry about that-” 

“Hey!” 

More shuffling noises accompanied the shout, and then the door closed. 

“Sorry for disturbing you. She was just getting impatient. Take all the time you need.” A pause. “Oh, and if you need anything, don’t hesitate to ask.” The door closed again, signalling Matt’s exit. 

Stretching, Neil noted the light coming through the windows was angled differently. It had to have been a few hours, and he did feel more rested. Getting up, he yawned. Time to face the wolves , he thought to himself, Or Foxes . He smothered a laugh. 

Forgoing putting contacts in, seeing as the Foxes had already seen him without and had yet to ask any questions, Neil walked into the main room, combing his hair with his fingers. 

On the sofa, Renee, Allison and Dan sat. Matt was in the kitchen. The others weren’t there. 

“Neil!” Dan called. “Come sit with us.” Getting up, she patted the spot where she had been sitting. Before he even thought about it he was shaking his head. 

“No, no. You keep the seat. I want a drink anyway.” 

Allison watched him with an intensity that made him uncomfortable. “Sit. We’ll sort out everything.” 

“I-” Neil started, but Allison got up and started pulling him by the arm to sit on the sofa, putting him next to Renee, and perching herself on the arm of the sofa. 

“There, isn’t that better?” 

Renee sent a friendly smile at Neil. “How are you feeling, Neil? Do you want anything?” 

“I’m fine. Thanks, though,” he barely remembered to add. 

“What do you want to watch?” Dan asked. At some point she had moved to the TV and was now pulling discs out of the cabinet. “I think we have a few that we haven’t watched before.” She held up a handful of cases. Not recognising any of them, Neil just sat quietly, watching as the others all debated on the movie. 

Allison was interacting with everyone, but she felt distant, and Neil felt the immense guilt of Seth’s death hovering over him, pressing in on his shoulders. 

“Stop that,” she demanded, snapping her fingers in his face. “Stop looking at me like that,” she said before Neil could ask what he had done. 

“Sorry,” was all he could say. 

Matt and Dan were both on the floor, debating which movie to watch. Dan wanted to watch an action movie, but Matt wanted to watch a sci-fi. 

Renee watched on with a smile, though she sent a couple of her own glances towards Allison, concern and care evident in her eyes, even to Neil. 

Eventually, Matt and Dan agreed on a movie, and put it on. Everyone fell silent as it started, but then Matt got up, shouting. “I haven’t prepared the snacks!” 

Dan snorted. “You should have thought about that before I put the movie on.” 

Rushing into the kitchenette, Matt started making a microwavable bag of popcorn to share. As surprised as Neil was that there were still microwavable bags of popcorn, he shouldn’t have been surprised that the Foxes had some. 

When he returned to his seat, popcorn in a bowl, Matt offered it to everyone. Neil declined, but Allison and Renee gladly accepted. Dan accepted as well, but started chucking bits at Matt’s head. Turning towards her, Matt threw some back, and soon the movie was forgotten as they threw popcorn at each other. 

Squished against the side of the sofa, Neil couldn’t help but laugh. For the first time in a long time, he felt truly carefree. 

Chapter 86: Therapy Is Important, But Crime Is Better

Summary:

Andrew POV. A session with Bee

Notes:

A bit of an early update this week. I thought everyone could do with a bit of an escape after the events of this week. I really hope you are all doing well despite everything <333

After leaving Abram, Andrew went up to the roof, running into Renee who was waiting for him. He told her what she needed to know. She had agreed with the plan. And then, he spent the rest of his day in solitude. 

The first thing he did in the morning was to go see Bee, saving her from having to get someone to grab him for an appointment with her. It wasn’t as if he didn’t want to go, he just lost track of the days sometimes when he had so much to do. 

Reaching her office, he noted her door was open and she was standing, preparing drinks for them both. She had probably already asked someone to go and get him. Unfortunately for him, he would miss scaring whoever had been sent this time. 

Without knocking, he walked straight in, settling himself into a chair and placing a small ornament on her desk. She never asked where he got them from anymore, he’d proven it to be a bad idea. That particular ornament had come from a house he had broken into a few days prior. 

Turning around, Bee put a hand on her chest over her heart. “Oh my, Andrew! You startled me.” A warm smile crossed her face. “Would you like a drink?” 

Nodding eagerly, he smiled back at Bee. She was nice, and somehow, he hadn’t driven her away just yet. “Yes, please.” 

“Oh, always so polite.” Handing him the mug she had already prepared, she settled into her seat across the desk from him. “Did you get my message?” 

“You sent a message?” 

Shaking her head, she sighed. “You came here before they got to you. I guess that’s better than usual, although now they’re going to have a terrible time trying to track you down.” Andrew grinned at hearing that. “I wanted to discuss where you were the other day, if you would like to.” 

“Of course, Bee. What do you want to know?” 

“I just need to make sure you weren’t in any more danger than usual. Where did you go?” 

Knowing his answer would upset Bee, he wanted to avoid it entirely. “Well, I went to the dining hall for food. There’s only so long I can stand being around Kevin before his whining about Exy forces me to take a break.” He tapped a finger against his chin. “I’ve been doing my regular patrol shifts.” Looking up, he tapped his finger once more before pointing it at Bee. “Ah, yes, I went to go see a dear old friend at his home base.” 

“Which friend?” Her tone suggested she didn’t believe for a minute that he was truly unbothered by everything. She was wrong, but she had yet to learn that, it seemed. 

“Riko. I thought I’d drop by and say hello. We had a friendly little chat.” 

“For almost eighteen hours?” 

“Well, it was friendly for me.” 

“Andrew...” 

“I brought the new one with me. He needed to meet them. He needed to know what he was getting himself into.” 

“Are you trying to make him run?” 

Shrugging, Andrew took a sip from his mug. She had made him hot chocolate, exactly how he liked it, with extra whipped cream and marshmallows on top. “You know how it is. If he runs then he’s not worthy.” 

“We’re trying to make him stay , Andrew.” 

“You think he’d stay if we kept things like the Moriyamas from him? He’s too suspicious for that. He’s like a... well, like a fox. He’ll run regardless of what we do. He won’t stick around.” 

Bee seemed to process what he had said. “He’s stuck around this long. You’ve seemed so sure he would leave every session, and yet he is still here.” 

“I don’t want to discuss him anymore.” 

Nodding, Bee easily changed tactics. “Why did you want to visit Riko?” 

“He won’t leave Kevin alone. I promised to protect Kevin, and to do that I need Riko to leave him alone. He can’t go back there.” Bee nodded along. “I figured we could bargain with him, force him to stay away.” 

Frowning, Bee took a sip of her own hot chocolate. “From what I know of Riko, if he wants something, he won’t just give up on it. Not unless you give him something good enough in return.” 

Grinning, Andrew set aside his mug and leaned forward. “I offered him a working cure.” 

Bee’s mouth dropped open. “There isn’t one!” 

“No, there isn’t. Just someone who is immune.” His lips twisted, thinking of Abram. 

“Andrew, what are you planning?” 

“Perhaps it’s best you don’t know. Plausible deniability and all that.” Picking up the ornament he’d placed on her desk, he held it out for her. “Here. Take this.” 

Lips flattened into a straight line, Bee took it and sighed. “Thank you, Andrew. I guess that will be all unless you have anything you want to say?” 

“Nope.” With that, he got up and walked out of her office. He had other places to be. 

Chapter 87: Deadly

Summary:

Andrew POV. A plan coming together

The infirmary was rather dull. More than once, Nicky had suggested decorating it to look more interesting, but everyone had vetoed that. Thankfully. 

Standing over a bed, Aaron was tending to a patient, administering medications and checking vitals. Andrew tilted his head, watching with fascination. It was rare he got to see his brother truly engrossed in something. 

Waiting for Aaron to be done, Andrew walked around the infirmary. Surprisingly, it was rather empty with only a couple of beds taken. Memories played before his eyes, Seth, and before that, Abram, and then memories of when he had first arrived. Kevin had been taken immediately to the infirmary, his hand shattered. Nicky had suffered a leg injury as well, and they had both been forced into a bed. 

He could remember every word they had said, every medication they’d been given, every procedure they had undergone. The curse of never forgetting sometimes felt like he was crushed under the pressure of memories. 

Touching his arm bands, reminding himself he was in the here and now and needed to talk to Aaron, helped to ground him, to settle him. 

Abruptly turning from the bed, he wandered over to the bay of windows. It was bright outside, the sun had long risen and was high in the sky, even as he could see the breeze that belied the chill in the air. 

A phantom touch on his arm made him spin around, blade already in hand. The person in the bed recoiled, arms waving. “I’m sorry, I’m sorry. I thought you were the doctor.” Panic tinged their voice and Andrew moved away from the bed. Clearly, he had been too distracted. He could not continue to let himself be so distracted. 

Wandering back over to where Aaron had been helping a patient, Andrew coughed once, announcing his presence to his twin. Aaron ignored him, in favour of his patient. Leaning against a side table, he crossed his arms, waiting for Aaron to talk to him. 

Eventually, after what was longer than necessary, Aaron finished up with his patient. Andrew tilted his head towards the door, indicating for Aaron to follow as he set off. Footsteps behind him told him that Aaron was following. 

Once he was in the hallway, he found a door that he knew led to a small office. He wasn’t sure who it belonged to, but he knew it would be empty at this time. 

Aaron closed the door behind him, but left a hand on the handle. “What do you want?” 

“How would you like it if I told you I knew how to get rid of Riko and his friends?” 

Sucking in a loud breath, Aaron sputtered. “You can’t be serious?” 

“Deadly.” He chuckled. “It requires your assistance, though.” 

“What do you need?” 

Andrew grinned. His plan was coming together. 

Chapter 88: Die Trying

Summary:

The week is coming to an end. Neil has so little time left.

Notes:

Hi everyone! Sorry for the lack of uploads recently, I've had a lot on my plate, and life has been a bit hectic. I'm trying to find a place to move to, so I can't promise it'll be better until I find a place and get settled. It's all very complicated lol, but hoping it works out soon! Wishing you all the best! <33333

Time was running out. Drew had filled him in on the plan, and Neil still didn’t believe it would work. It couldn’t. But they didn’t have any more time to come up with something better. So, Neil had resigned himself. At least, if it didn’t work, he could run, though it seemed less and less likely as the days passed. 

The more time he spent with the Foxes as a whole, the more he saw the dysfunctional family for what it was – a home to so many. Meals at Abby’s happened frequently, and Neil was constantly dragged along. Tension radiated in the air whenever Dan and the others saw Drew and his lot. It would always dissipate when Wymack started ordering everyone around, instructing them what they needed to do, though. 

Neil had yet to be around Wymack on his own, and for that, he was grateful. As nice as the man seemed, Neil knew first hand that looks could be deceiving. Abby, on the other hand, was someone he didn’t want to piss off. She was lovely, until someone was hurt, and then she was all business. He feared for those that hurt the ones she cared about, and tried to stay out of her way, not that she let him get around her too often. 

A couple of times, Betsy had joined everyone for food at Abby’s and Neil had found her to be amicable, if a little too much for his taste. Regardless, Drew seemed to get along with her well, though her ability to remain positive concerned Neil sometimes. They were in an apocalypse, and she seemed to have no problem with it, offering hot drinks to anyone who went near her. It was all a bit disorienting for Neil. 

Despite the flurry of activity in Palmetto, Kevin was still the same as ever. Neil wasn’t even sure he knew what they’d done almost a week ago considering he had been the same as ever. 

Early morning light filtered into the suite, but Neil had been up since the sun had risen. He was dressed, as Kevin had demanded of him from the night before, and was anxious to get going. Waiting felt like torture, but he would endure it, for at the end he would have a taste of what he wished he could have forever. 

Quiet footsteps outside the suite door had Neil rushing to open it, eager to get out of there. Outside, a tired looking Aaron and Nicky were standing to the side, with Kevin and Drew leading everyone downstairs. Nicky gave Neil a smile and a small wave when he spotted him, whilst Aaron just scowled. 

Descending the stairs in silence, they all filed into Drew’s car, which was parked right outside of the building, despite all the signs that declared vehicles should not be there. 

“You two took too long,” Kevin complained loudly from the front seat. Neil, who was squished between Nicky and Aaron tried to get his seatbelt on. 

“You’re the one who wanted to get up early. You know I need my beauty sleep,” Nicky whined. 

Scoffing, Aaron leaned over Neil to get a better look at Nicky. “Stop complaining, cousin, or he’ll make us all get up even earlier.” 

It was a short ride of quips back and forth between the group. Neil tried to stay out of it for the most part, only talking when someone spoke to him directly. He was too anxious to talk and had too many other things on his mind. He just wanted to get there. 

When the car stopped outside the stadium, Neil wanted to rush in ahead of everyone else, but waited for the others to get out. There was probably a reason he had been sat in the middle. He couldn’t run off if he was trapped there. 

Slowly, the others unloaded out of the car. The only person who seemed as awake as Neil was Kevin, but he was barking orders at the others, telling them where to go and what to do. No one seemed particularly happy about it, but they were all too tired to argue and proceeded into the building. Nicky split off to grab the racquets from the storage cupboard, along with the balls, whilst everyone else went straight into the changing room. Neil cringed a bit at the idea of standing in the changing room with the others, and wished he’d volunteered himself to collect the equipment they would need instead. 

Regardless, he went to the locker marked with his name, marvelling at it, at how permanent it made him seem. Grabbing out the clothes, he went to a toilet stall, hoping the others wouldn’t ask any questions. 

Once he was changed, Neil got out of the stall and was met with the accusing stare of Aaron. Ignoring it, he saw Drew waiting for him with Kevin, neither of them talking, just watching him as he made his way over to them. 

“You need to practice. And I will teach you how to improve. But you must come here more often.” Kevin was talking before Neil stopped walking. 

“I know. I will.” 

“Good.” Kevin nodded at Drew. 

“Come along then, before I change my mind.” Drew walked off. 

With that, Kevin and Neil followed, but Aaron stayed behind, presumably to wait for Nicky who had just walked into the changing room. 

“Time to work hard,” Kevin said, quietly enough that only Neil heard. “Or die trying.” 

Sharing a secret smile, they walked out to the court. 

Chapter 89: Don't Tell Kevin

Summary:

The Foxes work on their Exy skills

Notes:

Hi all. I'm so sorry for the long wait for the next chapter, I know how annoying it is. I fear there will be a few more slow chapters whilst I try and get back in the swing of things.
Things have been so hectic in my life, what with my mother being a homewrecker, and me making my therapist cry with my life. In between looking for a place to move and a new job, I'll update when I can.
Thank you so much for all the support!!!

Taking a long drag from his water bottle, Neil wiped the sweat away from his brow with one arm. Kevin had them working up a sweat, running around the court, trying to catch the ball from impossible angles. 

In the goal, Drew stood, leaning against his racquet like he was about to fall asleep. He had barely moved the entire time, and it was frustrating Neil. He wanted the practice against someone who would actually try, though Kevin had pointed out more than once that Neil was lacking in the ability to even get the ball to the goal without being intercepted. 

Yelling pulled Neil out of his thoughts, and back into the present. From where he was, he could see a door had opened, and Aaron and Nicky were standing in front of it, blocking whoever was trying to come in. Kevin walked over and started gesturing wildly, and eventually they all stepped back revealing Matt, Dan, Allison, and Renee all dressed in full court gear. 

Surprised, Neil put his bottle down and started towards the door, only to be stopped by Drew extending his racquet to stop him in his tracks. Throwing a questioning look towards him, Neil complied. 

“Try again, and don’t tell Kevin.” 

The words confused Neil and it took him a second to process Drew going back towards the goal and what it meant. As soon as he understood the meaning behind his words, Neil got into position, a ball scooped up into the netting on his racquet. Breathing in deeply once, twice, three times. He threw the ball with all his might, aiming for a spot that Kevin had taped earlier. Words about the importance of working on precision echoed in his ears as the ball landed exactly on the tape. Drew hadn’t moved an inch. 

Scooping the ball into his own racquet, Drew launched it straight back at Neil. He didn’t catch it, instead having to run and grab it from where it ricocheted against the court walls. 

Once again, Neil got into position and threw the ball, aiming for the same spot. This time, however, Drew lazily blocked it, bringing his racquet up barely fast enough to deflect it. 

Neil’s jaw clenched. His hands tightened around his own racquet, hard enough his gloves squeaked in protest. This time when Drew threw the ball back towards him, Neil was anticipating it and his racquet clipped it, not stopping it but sending it on a more unpredictable path. 

Cursing to himself, he ran after it, finally managing to secure it with his racquet. This time, he threw it towards the goal without even looking, just wanting to do something with his pent-up frustration. He turned to watch the progress of the ball, and saw Drew, getting into a position to stop it. Even when Neil tried to be unpredictable, Drew seemed to always be ready for it. It was kind of annoying. 

However, Drew had gone to the spot where Neil had been practicing precision, and had ignored the other pieces of tape. Even in his frustration, Kevin had hammered in the importance of precision, well enough that Neil was able to, fairly accurately, blindly throw the ball. 

Before Drew could shift his position to correct his mistake, the goal lit up red, and a point flashed on the screen above, announcing the score. 

The court doors opened and the Foxes streamed in. Matt and Dan made a beeline directly to Neil, with Renee and Allison staying back to whisper to each other. Matt and Dan both hugged Neil fiercely, shouts of excitement coming from them. 

It was minutes before they pulled away and Dan clapped her hands together, getting everyone’s attention. “Come on! Let’s get started! Kevin,” she turned to address him specifically. “Do you have any suggestions for what to do? Like whatever you were teaching Neil?” 

“Yes,” was Kevin’s only answer before he started barking demands at everyone. Allison groaned and complained the entire time, but with Dan and Renee with her, it seemed more joke than serious. 

Slowly, as the hours passed by, the Foxes worked on their precision and ability to pass. They learned to work as a team, and Neil couldn’t help but feel drawn in by it all. 

He was attached. 

Chapter 90: Manipulate

Summary:

Neil and Allison talk

Notes:

Hi everyone!!! I'm happy to announce I'm finally getting back into the swing of writing this fic so maybe there will be more updates coming in the future than there have been!!!

Thank you all again for your support!!! I appreciate it so much, and reading your nice comments make me tear up a bit <333

Hours later, Wymack found them all, and called them to a stop. He waited not-so-patiently at the door to the inner court, as Dan led them all through a cool down. 

By the time they were all filtering out of the court, Wymack had walked into the lounge to wait for them all to gather after changing, saying something about how he didn’t have any air freshener so they had to shower first. 

Neil was the last out the door, opting instead to clear the court and put the equipment away. He didn’t feel comfortable changing around the others yet and there was only so much he could handle in one day. The euphoria of playing wasn’t enough to drown out his mother’s voice telling him it was unwise to show others what lay beneath his clothes. 

Surprisingly, Allison also opted to stay behind to clean up the court, and the others left them both, choosing to have a shower. 

In no rush to get changed, Neil ambled about the court, revelling in the sheer size of the place. Eyeing the rows of seats, he could almost imagine the people sitting in them, cheering, but he knew he would never experience it properly. Not in a world so destroyed. 

Lost in his own world, he didn’t notice Allison sidling up to him. She hadn’t picked up anything, leaving her racquet leaning against the court wall to free up her hands. “Ugh, I always forget how heavy the racquets are. And my manicure is probably going to be chipped,” she complained, leaning against Neil. 

Side stepping her, Neil shrugged. “Why’d you come and play then?” 

Pulling her gloves off, she tucked them under her arm, examining her nails closely. “Dan and Renee said it would be good for me to get out.” She pulled a face at that. “And,” she said, softly. “I want to remember him for who he was. Not how it ended.” Tears clouded her eyes, and Neil awkwardly looked away, unsure how to deal with her emotions. Running her pinkie finger under her eye, Allison quickly swiped away her tears before they could fall. “Anyway, what did you do the other day? When you left?” 

The change in subject surprised Neil, and caught off guard, he stammered out an automatic response. “We went to negotiate with Riko.” 

“Negotiate what?” 

Neil clamped his lips shut, mad at himself for being so open. She could have asked him anything, and the guilt would have made him truthful. Most of the others who had died in his path, he hadn’t known, or hadn’t stuck around to see the aftermath. 

“Negotiate what, Neil?” Allison asked again, pressing him. 

Sighing, Neil relented. Drew had told him he could tell the others the truth if he wished. “For Riko to leave Kevin alone, Drew would give Riko a cure.” 

Laughing, Allison shook her head. “Now why would Riko believe we had a cure? He knows we don’t have the technology he does, and even he hasn’t managed to find a cure.” 

Removing his own gloves, Neil pulled up his sleeve, revealing the fading bite mark. 

Swearing, Allison hovered her hands around his arm. “Why didn’t you tell anyone before? Dan’s going to have a fit.” 

“It’s fine.” Rolling his sleeve down, he felt a sliver of relief, hiding himself once more. 

Humming as if she disagreed, she pursed her lips but didn’t say anything more, instead, leaving him alone in the court to clean up the rest of the mess. 

Chapter 91: Deals and Promises

Summary:

The Foxes have a meeting and find out about the deal Andrew made with the Moriyama's.

Notes:

Seeing as I'm finally getting back into the swing of writing, I thought I'd update another chapter for you today!!!

Thank you so much for reading and for all your comments!!! <333

By the time Neil finished collecting all the balls and put the racquets away, the sweat that covered him had dried into an uncomfortable film. He desperately needed a shower, and hoped the others were done in the changing room.  

Wymack was sitting on a table as the rest of the group filtered out into the lounge. Neil noted that everyone except Allison and Renee were there, and rushed to get a shower.  

Despite knowing he had the changing room to himself, Neil still took his clothes with him into the shower stall, just in case someone wandered in to find him.  

The confined space made it difficult to shower and change, but not impossible, and he was glad there was still some left-over hot water. It was pleasant, and something he was still getting used to again.  

After drying himself off and getting dressed, Neil left the changing room, and joined the others in the lounge. He was the last one to arrive, and his choice of seat was limited. Drew caught his eye, and Neil went over to him, sitting in the only available space, which happened to be next to Kevin.  

Not bothering to move to make any more space for him, Kevin seemed unbothered as Neil tried to squeeze himself in between him and the arm of the sofa.  

Once he was finally settled, Wymack clapped his hands together. All chatter ceased immediately, and everyone turned their attention to him. “Thank you all for gathering. I know it’s been a while, but I have a few important updates for you all.”  

Glancing over Kevin at Drew, Neil frowned at the look of boredom on Drew’s face.  

“As I know many of you have wondered, the other day Andrew Minyard took Neil to Edgar Allen to meet with Riko and Tetsuji Moriyama. It was not an authorised visit, but they made a deal, that if it works, will keep us all safer from them.”  

Everyone burst out shouting then, demanding answers and explanations.  

“We need to provide a united front to the rest of Palmetto and Edgar Allen so get it all out of your system now.” He pinned Drew with a sharp look. “We’re all very disappointed in you.”  

“Oh, coach. Don’t be like that. We all know that no one expected any better from me.”  

Grumbling under his breath, Wymack slapped a hand against his face. “Less of the attitude, Minyard.”  

Dan was the next to speak up. “How could you do that? You put Neil in danger and didn’t even bring appropriate back up. And to top it all off, we haven’t even been told what deal you made, yet.”  

Wymack, for his part, looked contrite if that was even possible. Rubbing the back of his neck, he said, “Yeah, you’re not going to like it. Apparently, this little fucker, has promised the Moriyama’s some sort of vaccine against the virus.”  

More shouts of anger and disbelief followed Wymack’s statement. Matt and Nicky both stood up and began arguing with Wymack.  

“Enough!” Wymack shouted, his booming voice carrying over everyone else. “Obviously we don’t have such a thing to bargain with. But he demonstrated using Neil. And now, we are being tasked with coming up with an alternative solution to this predicament.”  

“If I may, coach?” Drew raised his hand up, waiting to be picked. “I propose we poison them. Simple.”  

Dan burst out in anger, “We are not murderers, Andrew!”  

He shrugged. “Suit yourself, but I’d guess again.”  

Everyone gaped at him, apart from Renee, who seemed to already know what he was talking about.  

“Whilst I don’t agree with his reasoning, I don’t think it’s something we should dismiss outright,” Renee said, breaking everyone out of their shock.  

“Fine,” Dan said, crossing her arms, but clearly unhappy with the outcome.  

“If no one has any objections, then I suppose that’s the plan.” Wymack seemed resigned even as a familiar fire burned bright in his eyes.  

Closing his eyes, Neil leaned back into the sofa, relaxing. The plan was crazy, but if they were all going through with it, they had a higher chance of succeeding.  

“Now we just have to tell the rest of Palmetto,” someone murmured.  

“Damn it,” Matt said loudly. “It can’t be Drew.” A collective groan escaped the group, including Wymack, and Neil had to smile, just a bit.  

Chapter 92: We're All Going to Die

Summary:

Just a short chapter, preparing for Edgar Allen.

Notes:

Hey, sorry for this one being so short, I'm back to having a lot going on and I need some time to process, but didn't want to leave you with nothing. I hope you like it regardless, and I am slightly ahead with chapters just in case! However, as a treat, I will upload another chapter soon!

The rest of the week seemed to fly by, and before Neil knew it, it was time to go back to Edgar Allen. Kevin had been in a particularly bad mood, and there had been a flurry of activity as everyone available was tasked with preparing the so-called “cure”.  

Wymack had ended up announcing the deal to all of Palmetto, with the backing and support of the Foxes as a whole. Neil still thought it was odd that out of everyone to take over Palmetto, it was the notoriously bad Exy team who seemed to be separated into their own specific groups, an obvious divide between them. Not to mention, to even be a Fox, the unspoken second chance requirement didn’t exactly make them ideal candidates for the job.  

Aaron and Nicky were loading the car with vials of the “cure” when Neil stepped outside. Inside the car, Drew was leaning out of the driver’s side window, a lit cigarette in his mouth. He plucked it out when he spotted Neil, holding it out as he approached. Grateful, Neil took it, steadying his nerves as he inhaled the smoke, half-hearted apologies to his mother running through his head.  

Flashing an encouraging smile, Nicky hurried away, followed by Aaron, as Neil settled into the passenger seat of the car. “Do you really think this is going to work?”  

“No. I think we’re all going to die,” Drew replied, deadpan.  

“Fine.”  

Without another word, or any sort of big goodbye, Drew and Neil left Palmetto behind, driving towards Edgar Allen. A quick glance up at the sky showed dark clouds. It seemed a storm was rolling in.

They would have a lot to face in the coming hours.

Chapter 93: Danger

Summary:

Neil and Andrew arrive at Edgar Allen.

Notes:

As promised, here's another chapter to make up for the last really short one! Hope you like it!!!!

The journey was arduous, and Drew stopped more than once to let Neil out to stretch his legs, neither of them in a hurry to arrive at their destination. Nothing dared approach them, as if all the creatures could sense the tension in the air, and dared not disturb them.  

The sun had risen and set twice by the time Neil and Drew could see the looming black of Edgar Allen’s walls. The longer than usual drive was due to the onslaught of rain, making it too hazardous to keep driving. At least the weather kept most of the zombies away from them, in shelter somewhere.  

Drew rolled down his window as the car inched forward, his arm resting against the door. Neil took only a moment to steal himself, glad he had remembered to put his contacts in earlier.  

Before the car even had a chance to roll to a stop, the gates opened, admitting them into Riko’s clutches. The man himself was standing at the front of the welcoming committee, though Neil thought it looked more like a dictator about to sentence him to death. He swallowed the bile back, scanning the faces of the crowd behind Riko.  

Stepping up to the open window, Riko offered Drew a sharp smile. “Ah, what a pleasure it is to see you. I didn’t think you were going to show. I trust you are both well.”  

“Bad weather,” was all Drew replied with, a mask of indifference sliding over his face.  

Neil made a noncommittal sound at the back of his throat.  

“Well,” Riko clapped his hands together, and a boy with 3 written on his face stepped forward from the pack. “Jean, help them unpack the car. As for you two,” Riko’s gaze switched between Neil and Drew, cataloguing everything. “You will follow Jean’s directions. He knows where to go.”  

Before Neil could even think of what to say in return, Drew had rolled the window up, ending the conversation. Based on the glimmer of violence in Riko’s eyes, he wasn’t pleased with being dismissed.  

“He seems happy,” Neil commented, breaking the stifling silence of the car as they waited for the rest of the crowd to disperse.  

“Stay alert,” was all Drew said in response.  

When it was only them and Jean in the immediate area, Neil got out of the car. The thud of his footsteps on the cement beneath him sent an unfamiliar ache through his chest.  

Jean rounded the vehicle to be next to Neil, a pale, silent ghost. Neil vaguely wondered if he wanted to be a Raven, or if he was forced into it. After all, Kevin had the same tattoo on his face, and he seemed to want to be as far away from Riko as possible.  

“Bring a few doses,” Jean ordered, a slight accent affecting his speech.  

A snarky comment already forming on his tongue, Neil was disappointed when Drew appeared next to them, doses already in hand.  

“Good. At least Kevin has trained one of you well. Follow me.” Neil’s urge to reach out and strangle the boy was immense, but one quirked brow from Drew was all it took him to back down. He had to follow his lead on this one. It was the only way they’d make it out alive. If that was even still a possibility.  

Dread pooled deep in Neil’s stomach as they followed Jean into the same building as last time, taking the same turns, the same corridors and staircases. All of it felt like some sort of perverted dream. And at the end, a nightmare was waiting for him.  

Next to where Riko was lounging casually on a plush chair, Lola Malcolm stood, her brother next to her. Shivering, Neil accidentally met Romero Malcolm’s eyes and looked away as fast as he could. But it wasn’t fast enough to avoid Romero’s hostile assessment, his eyes crawling over Neil like oil.  

Too many memories tried to take him under as a glint of something at Romero’s side flashed at Neil, a neon sign begging him to looklooklook . But he didn’t want to. He knew what he would see, what he would remember, and he couldn’t handle it when he was Neil Josten.  

Somewhere in the room, he could tell Drew was assessing the situation himself, trying to gauge if Neil could handle this. Not that Neil could back out now. It was far too late.  

Clearing his throat, Riko brought everyone’s attention back to him. Jean hurried to his side, standing next to him like a bodyguard. Or a lapdog , Neil thought to himself.  

Still, unease settled coldly into Neil’s veins, keeping him alert. Something in him was nagging that something was wrong, but he had yet to figure out what.  

With Riko lording over the room, expecting everyone to watch him, Neil didn’t have much of a chance to uncover what was making him so anxious.  

Having been so stuck in his own head, Neil hadn’t been paying attention to what Riko had been saying, but when he tuned back in, he heard Riko telling Lola to take the doses from Drew. In doing so, the shadows behind her parted just enough for Neil to make out the familiar blue eyes that stared at him whenever his contacts were out.  

Nathan Wesninski.  

Neil’s world went bright, then too dark, his vision narrowing down to a pinprick of glacier blue that he felt piercing down to his soul.  

His father was here.  

Neil was going to die.

Chapter 94: Trap

Summary:

Neil and Andrew uphold the deal with Riko.

Notes:

Thank you so much for reading! I hope this chapter isn't too emotionally devastating (like my life lol)!

I hope you enjoy as much as you can! Love you all <333 and I appreciate all the support!!!

Sensing the change in Neil, Drew casually shifted in front of him, protecting him, and warming Neil’s heart, despite the ice freezing his veins. 

Finally, with his view of his father obscured, Neil took a deep breath. But he didn’t have long. 

Riko clapped his hands, smile sharp and deranged, eyes intent on Neil and Drew. “Why so hostile? I thought we were all friends here.” His face darkened. “Or was that all talk?” 

“We will be done once you accept the delivery. And our deal.” Drew sounded bored, but Neil could see the slight tension in his shoulders. 

Face scrunching, Riko carelessly flicked his fingers. “Well, we have brought a little friend for you to help test out the serum.” 

Romero pulled forward, and Neil finally saw his father in all his glory. 

Skin was starting to peel from his face and hands. His clothes were tattered. Any sort of recognition Neil had worried would be in his eyes was absent. 

“This hasn’t been tested on those who are this far gone, Riko. This was not part of the deal.” 

“Oh, don’t be like that. I simply wanted to reunite Nathaniel here with his father.” 

One step back, two. Neil made for the exit, but was caught by Lola before he could get far. “Hello, Junior. It’s been a while. I thought I recognised you before, but now the resemblance is uncanny,” she whispered in his ear. Shuddering, Neil tried to pull away from her restrictive arms, but she pulled a knife and held it against his heart, the threat obvious. 

“Riko... ” Drew took a menacing step forward, but Romero stepped in front of him before he could advance any closer. 

The rattle of a chain snagged everyone’s attention. Nathan was standing, tugging at the chains that held him securely to the wall. 

“I so wish Nathaniel could join his father, but alas, I want this to work better.” Riko gestured at Lola to bring Neil closer to him. Once she had shuffled him within reaching distance, Riko smiled again. “I feel this is a cause for celebration. The lost Wesninski, back with his father once again. And I know just what we should do.” 

From where Jean had been sat idly by, he got up to his full height and approached Neil, his eyes empty of all emotion. The glint of metal in his hands barely registered to Neil before it collided with his body, sending all the air out of him in a big whoosh . 

“Let me go, or you’ll regret it,” Drew said, voice deceptively calm. It was the only thing Neil had to hold onto as he rode out the pain. 

No one listened to him. Jean took another hit. Neil could hear the impact as it hit his body, but he barely registered the pain this time. 

A scream startled him out of the trance he was falling into. Red covered Drew, and spurted out from Romero. Chains rattled harder this time, a guttural, raw scraping sound accompanying it. 

Behind him, Neil could sense Lola’s hesitance, torn between her loyalty to Riko, and her loyalty to her brother. 

With a snarl of anger, she let go of Neil and ran over to her brother, ready to fight off Drew.  

Finally free, Neil backed away from where Jean stood before him, wary of the boy that he didn’t know what to make of. Prepared to square up against him, Neil was surprised when he saw Jean falter. Mouthing the word, go , Jean quickly turned to deal with the mess in the rest of the room. 

Riko was held at knifepoint by Drew, whilst Lola and Romero circled around them. Nathan was in chains, but with the way the plaster was cracking around them, Neil didn’t want to be around for what would happen when they gave way. 

Adrenaline pumping fast and hard in his veins, Neil jumped into the fray, tackling Lola. Romero turned his attention to Neil, trying to pry him off where he held onto Lola’s neck, choking her. Distantly, Neil was aware of Drew being pulled away from Riko by Drew, but not before he got a few good hits in, knocking the boy unconscious, if only briefly. 

Jean hurried to where Neil was being pinned to the ground after being overpowered by Romero, urging them to move away, gesturing wildly at Riko’s body and Nathan breaking out of his chains. 

Sharing a look, they got off Neil, letting him up, but only so they could run for cover as Nathan finally freed himself of his restraints. No one wanted to be around a furious zombie on the loose. 

Sneering at where Neil was still prone on the floor, Lola and Romero hurried from the room, ignoring Drew’s scowl, and following where Jean and Riko had run. 

Rattling from Drew’s direction had Neil sitting up, prepared to throw himself over the man, but Drew was just trying to get out the way the others had. 

When he seemed to realise it was pointless, he moved onto the door they had entered from, finding that firmly locked as well. It seemed they were trapped with the zombified version of Nathan Wesninski. 

And he was advancing slowly towards Neil, seeming to savour his kill, just as he did in life. Neil was at least glad he could keep him busy and buy Drew some time. His life would at least be worth something if could just save this one person. 

When Nathan lorded over Neil, there wasn’t a hint of recognition in his familiar eyes. It was only a temporary relief, until Nathan bit down on his arm, tearing away a big hunk of flesh. 

Closing his eyes against the pain, Neil grit his teeth, and hit out with his other arm, forgetting whether or not he was armed as he came face to face with his father. 

Before he could do more than uselessly shove at the man, however, a different pair of hands tugged him to his feet and away from the zombie. 

Stumbling over his own feet, Neil was barely able to keep up with Drew as they ran out of the room, sprinting for their lives. Drew seemed to know the way, guiding them both out without making any wrong turns, and Neil was pushed back into the passenger seat before he could even really fathom everything that had just happened. 

His father was here . And he was undead. 

Chapter 95: Safe

Summary:

Neil and Drew may have gotten away, but for how long?

Notes:

Hey, I'm so sorry for the break again - my life has been a bit of a mess - turns out not everything is better lol. My mother is very into gaslighting and other fun little abusive tactics so I've had very little motivation to write.

Anyway, I hope you like this chapter!!! And thank you for reading!!! <333

On the way back, Neil listlessly stared out the window as the scenery passed them by, too caught up in everything that had happened to properly take it all in. 

Once they had gotten far enough away, however far that was, Drew pulled the car over and stretched his limbs, before getting out to rummage through the boot. Neil could only watch on, only half aware of Drew’s movements. The rest of him was still stuck in that room. 

Nathaniel, he could hear his father’s voice taunting him somewhere in the back of his mind, Lola and Malcolm’s voices also joining in until there was only a high-pitched whine in his head. 

Suddenly, Neil’s door was thrown wide open, and his first instinct was the jab out with his arm, struggling against his attacker. He wasn’t going to go down without a fight, and if they thought he was, they had another thing coming. 

“Abram,” a familiar voice hissed. “Stop.” 

Frozen by the command, Neil’s limbs turned to ice. 

“I suppose you’re not entirely without brains,” was Drew’s only reply as he took Neil’s arm in both of his hands, turning it this way and that. 

When Neil tensed under Drew’s probing touch, his hold on Neil’s arm tensed and Drew leaned closer to inspect the injury. 

Neil had yet to fully look at the wound his father had given him, had yet to think about what it meant that his father had turned when he himself hadn’t. So, when Drew brandished his arm, Neil was forced to see the ragged edges of flesh, bright red with his blood. Somehow, all Neil could think to say was, “It’ll scar.” Just another reminder of his father. Of how he had truly failed his mother. 

“You still had some secrets up your sleeve, Abram,” was Drew’s only reply. “Now you have a scar to match.” Despite his abrasive tone, Drew’s touch was gentle as he disinfected Neil’s arm. 

“Thank you,” Neil said, watching Drew focus on helping him. He had only ever been able to rely on one person to help him and patch him up, and even that was rare. His mother had been a volatile woman, and had often made him patch himself up, just so she knew he could. 

Drew didn’t respond, but Neil noted how his head lowered just a fraction more, his jaw clenching tight. 

“I’ll explain for a secret,” Neil blurted, breaking the silence. 

“Hmm? Seemed pretty self-explanatory to me.” Drew kept his head ducked, rummaging in the small emergency kit he’d grabbed. 

“Then you can have anything you want for a secret.” 

Letting out an exasperated sigh that caused goosebumps to run up his arm, Drew relented. “Just one.” 

Restraining a shudder, Neil smiled. “So, what do you want?” 

“Anything is a very broad spectrum. I want nothing.” 

Neil’s heart stalled. “But...” His mind flicked back over conversations with Drew, but it was difficult to concentrate when Drew was staring at him like he could read his mind. 

“Never mind,” Drew said. In his hands, a needle and thread were waiting to pierce Neil’s skin. “Tell me a secret I don’t already know.” 

Ready for Drew to start sewing his arm up, Neil almost forgot he was supposed to answer. The first thing that came to his mind was the one thing he didn’t want to talk about, but his mouth was already open, forming words before he could stop himself. “I killed my mother for no reason.” 

Drew pursed his lips, but didn’t reply, just continued sewing Neil up. 

“She was attacked. She knew it was the right thing to do. But now... after–” –  my father – “ that , I know she was the one immune, like me. It makes me no better than him . ‘ The Butcher ’,” he said in air quotes, scoffing. “I thought I escaped, but instead, I turned out just like him.” 

A sharp tug of the needle through his skin caused Neil to stop his spiral into self-hatred. Eyes meeting Drew’s, Neil took a deep breath. 

“You are nothing like him. For one, you’re not undead. And two, you said she asked you to do it. She knew it was right, so did you.” 

Nodding, Neil slumped forwards in his seat, but Drew kept a steady hold on his arm, finishing up the stitches neater than Neil could. He produced a clean, white gauze, and applied it to Neil’s fresh stitches. 

“I gave you mine, now it’s your turn.” 

Chapter 96: A Secret For A Secret

Summary:

POV Andrew. Spilling a new secret to Neil.

Notes:

Hey! Things are looking up; I'm interviewing for some jobs and I've found a place close by that I can rent so here's another chapter!!!

Hope you enjoy!!!!

Go look at my Tumblr @aftg-all-the-way for more possible updates.

Also, side note, I'm looking for anyone that wants to be a beta reader! It's optional, and it's just temporary as me and my friends have all become too busy atm!

Thank you so much for reading!!! <333

Andrew was stuck staring into Abram’s eyes, contact-free now that they’d left Edgar Allan. He had long since memorised Abram’s face, but he still took his time scanning it again, trying to find any sign that he would understand what Andrew wanted to say.  

Sitting back on his heels on the torn-up road, Andrew packed the first aid kit back up, buying himself some time. The entire time, he could feel the startling blue eyes tracking him. Surprisingly, he didn’t mind it that much, though his skin prickled under the intensity.  

“My armbands,” Andrew started. “They’re not an ironic joke.” He chanced a look up at Abram. Abram just smirked.  

“Well, here I was thinking they were just to distinguish you and Aaron.”  

Rolling his eyes, Andrew walked back around the car, putting the first aid kit away before getting into the driver’s seat and lighting up a cigarette. Miniscule shakes wracked his hands, but he hoped Abram wouldn’t notice. He almost wanted to scoff at himself for his nervousness, but all he did was bring the cigarette to his lips, breathing in that choking smoke.  

Abram was still staring at him, but he’d moved his attention away from Andrew’s face and down towards his arms. They sat in uncomfortable silence whilst Andrew took drag after drag on his cigarette. When he had smoked it down to the butt, he flicked it out of his open window and blew the last of the smoke into Abram’s face. Abram didn’t flinch.  

With both hands free, Andrew tugged down his armbands, careful of the blades he knew were hidden, sheathed in the fabric.  

Slowly, as his arms were revealed, so were the raised, jagged white lines that ran horizontally across his arms. Some were neater than others, some were more faded. All of them told a story he didn’t let many see.  

“How -,” Abram stopped, started again. “When – who – why?” His words were still jumbled but with an almost undetectable edge to them. “Andrew,” he said, eyes so serious, Andrew couldn’t help but be pulled in by them. “What happened? Tell me. Please.”  

“I hate that word.” His jaw clenched and he flexed the muscles in his arms as he tried to hide his flinch from Abram.  

Realising his mistake, Abram seemed to take a different approach. “Does it have anything to do with your scars?”  

Nodding, Andrew confirmed. “Yes. At least in part.”  

“Do the others know about them?”  

“Nicky does, and so does Aaron. No one else. Except you, now.”  

Abram seemed to be absorbing the information. Andrew knew he wouldn’t ask any further if he indicated he didn’t like the line of questioning anymore, but Abram had opened up, and he felt it was fair to share at least some of his issues.  

“You can touch them if you like,” he offered, surprising himself by his casual tone. He didn’t let anyone see his scars, let alone touch them. Abram made him ignore all of his rules about people and it was infuriating at the same time it was exhilarating. He supposed Kevin may just have been right to make a deal with him, and perhaps Kevin had somehow, despite all the odds, at least somewhat fulfilled his end of the deal.  

Even with permission, Abram moved slowly, constantly keeping his eyes on Andrew’s face, ready to pull away if Andrew so much as hinted at wanting him to stop.  

Abram’s hands were cold when they touched his skin. The soft touch sent goosebumps up his arm, as the rough calluses scraped over his raised skin. Andrew had never felt self-conscious about his scars, but he had always preferred to keep them a secret, something that the world never had to know about. After all, it was the world destroying him that had led him to do this to himself.  

When Andrew traced his own scars, he recalled every time he had cut himself, what had led up to that moment, where he was. But when Abram touched his scars, he felt a sense of peace and comfort he could not recall having felt before. The closest he could compare it to was when he was living with his foster mother and she had tried to adopt him, but the memories along that path were treacherous and partially the reason for all of his scars. Looking back, had he stayed, he probably would have been dead by now, and he was in some ways grateful he wasn’t. Like right now.  

Abram stared with a sort of reverence as he continued stroking over Andrew’s skin. He suppressed a shudder, not ready for Abram to stop just yet. He rarely let his arms out to breathe the air, and this was pleasant. Not something he would have expected, but Abram always seemed to be full of surprises.  

Clearing his suddenly dry throat, Andrew broke the silence. “They’re from before.” Before everything went to shit . Or perhaps it was always shit and now it was just more noticeable . The thought made him twitch his lips into a smirk.  

Abram seemed so entranced, just lightly tracing his arm, dragging his nails across the bump of a scar here, and smoothing his fingers over a patch of skin there.  

The goosebumps were a full body affair now, and Andrew wasn’t sure how oblivious Abram truly was to the effect he had on Andrew.  

Lips tilting up into a lightly mocking smile, Andrew raised a brow at Abram. It took several long seconds for Abram to stop touching his arm, but when he did, he practically leaped back into his seat on the other side of the centre console, face flaming red.  

Amusement twinkled to life within him, and he buckled his seat belt, turned the car on and set off once again, ready to go back to Palmetto.  

Chapter 97: Drew, Drew, and More Drew

Summary:

They're back at Palmetto! Safe and sound!

Notes:

Thank you for reading!!! I hope you enjoy this chapter!!! <333

Cheeks flushing red, Neil distanced himself as much as he could from Drew in the enclosed space of the car. His arm was paler than the rest of his skin, but it was just as muscled. In a way, it reminded Neil of his own scars. Surprisingly, the revulsion that usually followed any thoughts of his own scars never came. Instead, there was an unfamiliar feeling in his stomach that made him edgy and nervous. It wasn’t the usual feeling of panic he got when he was in danger. It was something new. Something unexplored.  

Drew didn’t move to put his armband back on, instead opting to leave the skin exposed and bare. Neil could barely snatch his eyes away from it, and often found his eyes wandering back to stare unbidden by his mind. Thankfully, Drew didn’t say anything to him about it, even though he was sure he had noticed.  

The rest of the way back to Palmetto was quiet, broken only by the hum of the engine. They stopped twice to refill the tank and again for Drew to rest, but they made it back quickly regardless. If they had been followed, it was at a significant enough distance that they weren’t in imminent danger.  

Neil was dreading having to face the Foxes. He knew how nosy they could be. He had been surprised that Drew hadn’t asked him anything about his father after what had happened. He just hoped he would continue to keep his mouth shut about it.  

Familiar mismatched walls came into view, forcing Neil out of his worrisome thoughts. Just before they drove inside after they were spotted, Drew finally seemed to remember he was only wearing one armband, and was quick to put the other one back, obscuring the view Neil had been entranced by the entire way back. He felt a flash of what he thought was disappointment, but he squashed the thought, knowing that couldn’t possibly be what it was.  

Too soon Neil was forced out of the car, Dan demanding answers about how it went whilst Matt tried to get her to calm down so they could actually hear what Neil had to say. Off to one side, Nicky and Kevin were surrounding Drew. His identical twin, Aaron, was nowhere to be seen. Renee and Allison were just behind Matt, arms linked. Beyond them, the people of Palmetto gathered. News spread quickly that they had returned and everyone wanted to know how it went.  

“They took all of the vials,” was all Neil could think to say, feeling like he was drowning with so many people surrounding him and wanting to know what happened. He couldn’t bring himself to talk about his father and Riko finding out who he truly was. He figured Drew would do that soon enough, anyway.  

Matt finally seemed to get Dan to back off and Neil walked through the crowd, ready to just sleep in a real bed for at least a few hours.  

Among the crush of people, Neil easily managed to blend in, and it wasn’t long before he was back at his room. Choosing clean clothes, he went to the bathroom for a shower. When he had dressed himself again, he looked in the mirror. His icy blue eyes stared back at him. All he could think about was the last time he’d seen his father. How his eyes were the same blue, but with the barely noticeable, tell-tale signs of infection. The crazed glaze and popped blood vessels. Although, the crazed glaze wasn’t exactly a new thing for Nathan Wesninski.  

Pulling his thoughts away from his father, he looked at his hair. The roots were coming through, but his facade was already so fractured that he wasn’t sure it would do much to re-dye it anyway. Or at least not the colour he had.  

Frustration had him pound his fist against the wall next to the mirror. His skin split from the impact, but the sting grounded him once more. Running his hand under the water to wash off the small bit of blood, he then bandaged his knuckles. He wouldn’t have bothered if not the risk he could infect someone else, even if he wasn’t infected.  

When Neil got back into his room, Renee was perched neatly on the edge of Matt’s bed, opposite Neil’s.  

Pausing, frozen, in the doorway, Neil took her in, a deer-in-the-headlights look on his face. She was smiling gently, as usual.  

“I’m sorry to intrude. I just wanted to check in with you. You seemed a bit-”  

Neil cut her off. “I’m fine,” he said with a bit more force than was believable.  

Renee’s smile still didn’t falter. “Andrew told me you might need someone to check on you.”  

“He-”  

Renee put her hands up placatingly, cutting him off this time. “He didn’t tell me why. You are more than welcome to, but you don’t have to. The others are worried as well. They thought perhaps I was the best fit to come see you.”  

“I’m fine. The others can ask me themselves if they don’t believe you.”  

Nodding, Renee took his answer as it was, a dismissal. “I’ll be around if you need me.” She walked out of the room, her serene smile never once leaving her face. Whilst Neil knew more about her, that didn’t mean he fully trusted her yet, and he didn’t want to talk about his father to anyone. Or at least, anyone who didn’t already know. And it seemed Drew had kept his secrets so far.  

As Neil was settling down into his bed, covers tucked snug around him, the bedroom door opened again, permitting a wave of noise into the room.  

“Hey, dude. How are you? Sorry if we overwhelmed you when you got back. Dan just wanted to know if we were safe for now.”  

Wiping a hand over his face, Neil looked over at where Matt stood next to his bed and groaned. “Yeah, I’m fine. Don’t worry about it, it was just a long trip. I’ll explain more later, but I’m pretty sure we’re in the clear for now.”  

Matt gave him a genuine smile. “Cool. I’m glad it all went well. Just let us know if you need anything.”  

“Will do.” He wouldn’t, but there was no need to say that. “Well, I’m going to try get some sleep. Wake me if you need anything.”  

“Of course.” They both knew Matt was lying. Matt gave him a bit of an odd look, searching for something Neil didn’t know, and then he left, opening the door to a barrage of noise before closing it again and letting Neil finally relax.  

He really did need the sleep, and the bonus was just that he could mull over exactly how to explain everything when they eventually decided to question him. He was sure Drew would spill the beans at some point if he knew the significance of Neil’s name, but for now Neil felt secure enough that Drew wouldn’t do that yet.  

The thoughts of Drew grew less and less relevant as Neil drifted off to sleep, and eventually, the last thing he saw in his mind's eye before falling asleep was Drew’s scarred arms and his blank face.  

Notes:

Btw I'm still looking for a beta reader! If anyone is interested, let me know :))) My Tumblr is @aftg-all-the-way

Chapter 98: Cured

Summary:

The Foxes have a conversation.

Notes:

Hi all!!!! I'm so sorry I've been MIA, so much has happened lol!
I moved, my mother threatened to kill me, my friend fell down the stairs, I got really sick, y'know, the usual.

Anyway I hope you're all doing well and enjoy this update!!! <333

Matt had woken Neil up the next day, early enough that none of the Foxes had eaten breakfast yet. Renee and Dan had left to go and get enough food for all the Foxes. Neil didn’t understand why they bothered, but he accepted the food without too much fuss when it was set in front of him in his and Matt’s living room. Dan and Renee sat either side of Allison on the sofa, Matt was sat on the floor in front of them. Aaron had come in with Nicky, much to Neil’s surprise, though he suspected it was at Drew’s behest when a little while later Kevin turned up looking worse for wear, Drew practically stepping on his heels to keep him going.  

Nicky spared a worried glance towards Neil before turning his attention to Matt and the girls who were making conversation. It seemed a little bit too awkward to Neil. Aaron seemed to be paying attention to the conversation, but he wasn’t speaking.  

Kevin sat stoically beside Drew, both of who were watching Neil intently. Trying to hide his nerves, Neil shifted and continued eating, pretending not to notice.  

They sat together, making small talk and eating breakfast together, until Drew decided it was time. For what, Neil could only guess. Drew made a quiet noise, grabbing everyone’s attention immediately. It seemed as if they had planned this, and Neil narrowed his eyes on the most likely culprit, Drew.  

A knock on the door startled Neil into twisting around, but he could practically feel Drew smiling behind his back at his reaction. Whatever was going on, Drew had clearly had a hand in it.  

Matt got up to answer the door when no one else made a move, and revealed a very tired looking Wymack, followed by Abby and Betsy. Abby gave Matt a smile and Betsy loudly exclaimed, “Matt! It’s been too long!” Matt laughed at her outburst.  

“It’s barely been a week.” He smiled to show he was just teasing, and Betsy gave him a warm smile as Abby squeezed his shoulder as she scanned the room.  

When Abby’s gaze landed on Neil, she hurried over to him, and Neil noticed the first aid kit in her hands. Definitely Drew’s doing , he thought.  

“Neil, how are you feeling?” she asked as she kneeled beside him on the floor. Her eyes were assessing as they looked over his arms, but he was wearing long sleeves, having hoped no one would remember to ask.  

“I’m fine.”  

Someone scoffed. Neil turned to find the culprit.  

Kevin was still staring at Neil. Drew was looking up at the ceiling, affecting a nonchalant demeaner. Neil shot a glare at him.  

“Really, lying will get you only so far in life. Unless your plan is to die,” Drew said in response to Neil’s glare.  

Frustrated, Neil looked away from him and back at Abby who was watching him carefully. “Neil, how are you feeling? Andrew told me a bit of what happened.”  

With everyone’s attention on him, Neil couldn’t very well ignore her without making a big deal out of it, so he settled for levelling a look that could kill at Drew and then pulled his sleeve up to reveal the bandage he hadn’t removed.  

Abby peeled it back and made an about face at the wound it had hidden. “Next time, bring him to me, Andrew.”  

Neil chanced a glance at his injuries himself. “What’s the issue? It’s better than some stitches I’ve had.” He cringed at what he had revealed in his attempt to defend Drew. He didn’t even really know why he had bothered to. Drew was more than capable of looking after himself. Out of the corner of his eye, Neil saw Drew eyeing him up like he could read Neil’s mind and agreed with the sentiment. But there was a flash of something else on his face that was there and gone so quickly Neil thought he had imagined it.  

Wymack shuffled over to get a better look at Neil’s arm, but didn’t say anything about it as Abby tended to the wound, carefully disinfecting it and re-bandaging it.  

Everyone had remained quiet whilst Abby concentrated on Neil, but as soon as she was finished, Wymack broke the silence from the rest of the room.  

“Neil, Andrew, tell us what happened with Riko.” He made a gesture to the wall, as if trying to gesture to Riko himself, far, far away.  

Ignoring Wymack entirely, Neil looked to Drew. “Have you not told them?”  

He shrugged. “Where’s the fun in that?” He seemed to be truthful, but Neil could tell there was another unsaid part. The, I won’t tell them anything you don’t want them to know , part. Neil appreciated it. It wasn’t something he felt confident with, but the fact Drew would keep his secrets safe even with what it could cost them all to do so, warmed Neil and he felt heat rise to his face as he realised he’d been staring at Drew for too long.  

Quickly averting his gaze, Neil looked down at his hands that were tucked in his lap and tried to organise his thoughts. He hadn’t thought much about how to explain any of it, and he knew he owed Drew an explanation about who he was, since he was willing to risk so much without knowing. The rest he had gotten had given him at least some clarity on that issue at least.  

Instead of answering Wymack, Neil instead turned to Abby who was still kneeling beside him, but now she had a cup of coffee in her hands. “My blood... I know it makes me immune... but... could it turn others back?”  

Abby looked down into her mug, brow creased as she thought. Slowly, she nodded her head. “I think so, yes.” She looked to Aaron as if to confirm.  

“It’s very possible with all the tests we’ve run. It’s not definitely confirmed, but it is likely.”  

Neil thought he was going to be sick. “I think they believe the serum will work.”  

Chapter 99: Frustrations and Explanations

Summary:

Neil and Andrew give a real rundown of the events that happened at Evermore to the rest of the Foxes.

Notes:

Hey, sorry for the long absence!!! Moving has been very stressful and we don't have any furniture yet lol!!
Here's a chapter to tide you over!!! I'm actually so sorry and hope you like it!!!! I didn't realise quite how long it had been!!!

Thank you all for reading and enjoy!!!

“Well, that’s good, right?” Matt asked, clearly confused by Neil’s reaction.  

Neil swallowed and pasted on a blank expression, too aware that he had let too much slip in front of such a large audience.  

“Clearly it isn’t,” said Allison, her tone curt. “Otherwise, the rest of the monsters would look happier.”  

“Hey!” Nicky protested. “I take offense to that.”  

Huffing, Allison folded her arms and turned her nose up. “Here I thought you lot didn’t care what anyone thought of you.” Allison leaned forward, angling for the killing blow, but before she could, Dan waved her hands in the air in a motion of peace.  

“Stop,” Dan cut in, preventing Allison and Nicky from bickering anymore. “Andrew,” she levelled a stern look at him, he just smiled in return. “You will explain what happened.”  

“Oh, Dan. Where’s the fun in that?”  

“Andrew,” Wymack’s gruff voice barked, causing Neil to jump in surprise. He had almost forgotten Wymack was there, too engrossed in the way the Foxes could interact with each other so casually.  

“Alright, coach, no need to get so worked up,” Drew held his hands up in a placating gesture, but his expression was mocking. Neil saw Dan purse her lips but she refrained from saying anything. “Riko was Riko.”  

Wymack muttered something under his breathe that sounded like he was pleading for patience. “And what, pray tell, does that mean?” Betsy gave Wymack a patient smile, but Neil could see the strain in her eyes.  

“It means he wanted proof. And Neil got more than he bargained for.” Drew laughed like the whole situation was hilarious. Neil belatedly realised it was the first time since finding out about Abram that Drew had used his fake name. Somehow it warmed him that he was keeping it secret, but there was also a twisting in his gut that was displeased with it as well. Neil didn’t understand the feelings, and pushed all of them aside to examine later. Now was time for answering the group’s questions, and it appeared he would have to get a hold of himself and answer for the both of them.  

“Riko brought in some dangerous guys that I’ve had run-ins with in the past.” The truth escaped his lips almost unbidden. “One of them was turned. He was given the serum and then he bit me whilst the rest of them ran for safety. Drew got us both out. That’s all that happened.”  

Dan exchanged a worried look with Wymack. Abby’s hands were fisted in her lap. Matt and Allison shared a look. Nicky and Aaron acted unaffected, but surprise was still visible in their eyes, though subtle. Renee was the only one that looked truly calm and unaffected by the revelation, almost like she had expected it.  

“Understating everything as usual, I see,” Drew said, breaking the tension in the room, but immediately putting Neil on edge.  

“I just said what happened. You’re welcome to add more details if you must.” Neil said it, but he didn’t really mean it. He just had to hope Drew wouldn’t say anything about how familiar Neil had seemed with Riko’s lackeys.  

“Fine, fine. That’s all that happened.” Drew made a shooing motion with his hands. “Now all you little birdies can go and scatter the news.”  

“They tried to kill you?” Abby asked.  

“Are you both alright?” Betsy asked, concern lacing her voice, shifting in her seat.  

“They’re keeping the turned inside their walls? Are they trying to get themselves turned?” Dan burst out with at the same time.  

Neil felt himself shrinking into himself, trying to become invisible in this group of people. By all accounts he should be unremarkable, but for whatever reason, they were all staring at him and Drew had chosen to let him stay.  

“Why don’t you go and ask Riko? I’m sure he’d be happy to demonstrate what happened again.” Drew’s smile was deadly.  

For the first time in the conversation, Kevin spoke up. “I need a drink.”  

“And that’s our cue to leave,” Nicky said, getting up and following Kevin’s hasty departure.  

Wymack groaned as Aaron and Drew followed Nicky out, and then stood up himself, stretching to his full height. Neil barely held back from flinching, but he caught himself before Wymack could see it.  

“Now that we know what happened, I think we need to prepare for the fall out, and let everyone else know of our success. Then we can celebrate. Dan?”  

“Yes, yes, sure. Let’s go get it sorted.” Dan flicked her hand at Matt and Allison. “Neil, stay here and get some rest, we need you to heal up.”  

“I’m fine,” Neil protested weakly, but no one paid him any mind.  

As Wymack, Abby, Betsy, Dan, Matt, and Allison filed out of the room, they each gave him a kind smile, as if trying to reassure him all would be well.  

When the door closed behind them, Neil felt as if he had been drained of energy and was glad he hadn’t had to follow them.  

When he turned his attention back to the room, he realised one person hadn’t left. “Do you mind if I stay for a little while?”  

Uncertainty raced through him, but Neil steeled himself against it. “Sure. It’s fine.”  

Renee smiled kindly at him. “Thank you, I know I can make you uncomfortable. Sometimes the others can just be rather exhausting at times, and everyone is alright for the moment.”  

“Okay,” Neil mumbled, unsure what else he could say.  

Renee got up and fixed herself a cup of tea from the kitchen in the suite. She offered Neil one, but he declined, watching her as she moved and trying to get a better read on her. Only he couldn’t.  

“You can ask me, you know? I can’t grow if I try to outrun my past.”  

“Ask you what?”  

“About what Andrew and I have in common. Or anything, really. I don’t wish to make you uncomfortable.”   

That startled Neil enough to earn a laugh. “I didn’t think you did it on purpose.”  

Renee smiled indulgently at him, and Neil decided a few questions wouldn’t hurt.  

Chapter 100: To Be Trusted?

Summary:

Neil and Renee have a long overdue chat

Notes:

Thanks for bearing with me! It's been a struggle to find time to write between looking for a job and furnishing the house. And my housemate fell down the stairs. And my cat went missing for a bit so it was all a lot. But anyway, I hope you like the new update!

Once Renee settled back onto the sofa, cup of tea in hand, Neil asked, “You and Drew. How are you friends? No offense,” he quickly tacked on. “It just doesn’t seem like you two are alike at all.”  

With that one question, Renee’s whole demeanour changed. Her usually warm smile lacked its usual sincerity and her eyes seemed to be looking at something far in the past, shadows flashing across her face. For possibly the first time, Neil felt like he was seeing the real Renee.  

“I wasn’t always like this,” she gestured to herself, and Neil took in her soft-looking wool cardigan, coloured hair, and silver cross necklace that she was now fiddling with.  

Neil couldn’t help himself, and his face bunched up, except for his eyebrows that almost touched his hairline. “Everyone has a past,” she explained. “Mine is what made me into who I am today, but Andrew and I, we understand each other. And I think we would as well.” Neil’s mouth fell open. “Drew hasn’t told me any of what you may have told him. It’s obvious your past is a fraught one and I will not pry, but I will listen if you ever want to talk.”  

Searching her for any clues as to what her past might have entailed now that she was being open, Neil was surprised to find that there was also a peace in her body language that Neil knew he had never achieved.  

When it had been quiet for too long, Neil realised Renee was waiting for him to reply, and his face felt warm at his lack of social awareness. His mother had drilled it into him before the world ended, but it had seemed he had let his social skills go with her. “Thank you, but I’m fine.”  

“Very well.” She nodded as if that was that, and then took a sip of her tea. She took a moment, just staring down into her mug before she continued. “My name wasn’t always even Renee. But Stephanie took me in, changed my name and gave me a new chance at life. A better life.” Wistfully, Renee’s gaze flicked to the window, as if she could see Stephanie out there somewhere.  

Neil felt the irony of her words. Whilst he had changed his name many times to escape his previous life, the new lives he had been given had barely been worth living. It was only for the fact he wanted to escape his father and his mother’s insistence that he had kept going for so long.  

“I needed the chance Stephanie gave me, and I will always remember her for it.” Her lips tugged down sharply. “I have done some terrible things, Neil.” She turned her gaze so she was looking him directly in the eyes now, and it unnerved him to have the full force of her attention on him when she was finally being honest about who she was. “And something tells me you have, too, even before the world went awry.”  

Neil found himself nodding before he could think better of it. Her truth was digging into his own.  

“But they are a part of me, and so I have embraced them. My faith is what keeps me grounded now, and I choose to see the best in everyone, but I still understand the evil that lurks in the world.” A self-deprecating laugh escapes her lips. “When I was ten, I joined a gang. There weren’t a lot of options for me when my mother had some dangerous partners. I made my way through the ranks, my age and gender making me an unlikely suspect.” Neil nodded, still unsure of where she was going.  

“There was one man, higher up the ranks than I was. He taught me how to fight. And he attacked me. I knew from his surety that there had been others before me, and I knew if I didn’t do anything that I would be responsible for those after me. And so, I did the only thing I could think of. I used the skills he had taught me, the knives he gifted me, and I gutted him.”  

Neil sucked in a sharp breath at the revelation. He had known something was off about her if she was hanging around Drew, but everyone else seemed to love her. It was odd to see her in the clothes she wore every day and trying to imagine her killing a man.  

“I even got away with it. The gang leader found out, and instead of killing me himself, he promoted me, and staged it to look like the man I had killed had been killed by a rival gang. I was so embroiled in that life; I had no way of getting out. It was only when I was arrested for being part of a gang, that I had a chance to escape. I knew enough to escape prison time, and send a lot of other people to prison instead. My mother and her boyfriend included.” She took a longer sip of tea this time, as if she needed a moment to gather her thoughts. “Last I heard, they died in there.”  

“I’m...” Neil wasn’t sure sorry was the right word, but he couldn’t decide what would be more appropriate.  

“I’m not upset over it, though I know I should be. But they were the ones that led me into a life of crime in the first place. Since being with my adoptive mother, Stephanie, I learned how to be a better person.” Her smile was bittersweet.  

“Where is Stephanie?” Neil asked, unsure he wanted to know the answer.  

Renee’s face crumpled. “I’ve not heard from her in a while. She knew I was here but she was overseas for her job when everything went down.”  

“I’m sorry.” At least this time, Neil knew it was the right thing to say.  

Swiping under her eyes, Renee straightened her back and gave him a reassuring smile. “Thank you, Neil.” She paused, as if thinking about something. “If you would like, I can teach you how to use my knives? It can be a useful skill.”  

“I’m fine, but thank you,” he declined as politely as he could. She didn’t need to know about his extensive training with the weapon from his own father.  

“The offer is open, though maybe Andrew would be a better teacher than me.”  

“Drew?” Neil questioned.  

“Yes,” she smiled fondly, and it almost brought her demeanour back to the usual one he was used to seeing that unnerved him. “He keeps them for me now. I told him I wasn’t afraid of my past, and he asked if I was so unafraid, why were the knives hidden? When he put it into perspective, I allowed him to take them from me so that he may feel safer, as they brought me comfort in my own time of need. And he was right. I wasn’t truly embracing my past with them hidden away like a shameful secret.” She shrugged.  

Neil watched her. “But, everyone says that you’re such a saintly woman.”  

Renee laughed loudly at that. “Neil, I am a bad person trying very hard to be a good person. I don’t want my past to ruin my future.”  

A knock on the door startled both of them out of their conversation. After checking with Renee, Neil called out for whoever it was to come in.  

Matt poked his head around the door, surprise etched on his face. “Dan asked me to come and get you and Renee.”  

“Great,” Neil mumbled, dragging a hand down his tired face. Louder, he said, “Coming.”

Chapter 101: Let Old Fears Lie

Summary:

Neil POV. Updating the rest of Palmetto and trying to put his fears to rest.

Notes:

Hi!!!!! So so so sorry for not posting for ages. It turns out a new job can be exhausting!! Wrote another chapter, and I hope you like it!!!
Thank you for all the support!!!!
<333

Following Matt and Renee, Neil trailed behind them, trying to process everything Renee had told him. He at least felt a little more at ease with her presence knowing that she was not as innocent as she seemed, though he wasn’t sure a person could change so much. After all, he hadn’t changed all that much from the scared little kid he had been, running away from his father. How could it be possible for her to have gone from living a life of crime, to one of peace and religion?  

When Matt reached the door to the building, he paused before opening it, taking a deep breath. A sense of foreboding overcame Neil as he realised there were probably many people waiting for them out there, and not just the Foxes. Neil took a deep breath himself, steeling himself and quieting his thoughts on Renee. He could come back to them later, and he couldn’t afford to be distracted with what he was about to face.  

As Matt pushed open the door, Neil could hear the noise of a large crowd beyond, all talking over themselves. The noise was an intense wave, and Neil barely avoided flinching at it as it hammered down over his ears. When he reached the open door after both Matt and Renee had gone through, the noise had died down a bit at the movement, but Neil could see their expressions of unease and mistrust, as they looked towards him.  

Dan was standing at the front of the crowd, Allison beside her trying to placate them, though Allison was more interested in checking out her latest manicure than helping with crowd control. When she saw them approach, she let out a loud huff. “Finally, Matt, I didn’t think it would have taken this long, or I’d have done it myself.”  

Matt shook his head, sighing. “I didn’t want to interrupt, Renee and Neil were talking.” That seemed to get Allison’s attention and she looked between Renee and Neil, a considering look on her face, as she tapped one of her long nails against her chin.  

“Very interesting indeed.”  

Renee sidled up next to her and whispered something in her ear. Whatever she had said seemed to be enough for Allison as she adopted her bored expression once more, and nodded at her.  

Dan was splitting her attention between the crowd and Matt until he hurried over to her to help out with controlling the crowd. Neil, unsure what to do, just stayed put in the doorway. Dan and Matt seemed to have a short conversation, with a lot of hand gestures and head shakes, until Dan finally seemed to relent on whatever she was asking about and focused solely on trying to calm the crowd down.  

“Quiet, everyone!” she shouted. “We’ll begin the discussion in a moment!”  

Neil, who was still stood in the doorway, decided that it would be best for him to be away from the angry crowd. He didn’t need everyone getting a good look at him, after all. He couldn’t trust all these people, they owed him no loyalty. Right as he backed up, he hit something solid and a hand clamped down on his shoulder as a mouth brushed up against his ear. “Where are you going, little rabbit?”  

He would have jumped if not for the strong grip on his shoulder holding him down. An unrecognisable flutter of something akin to fear rushed through his stomach. “Drew? What are you doing here?”  

“I was invited,” he deadpanned. Neil couldn’t see his face but he was sure Drew was using his dead-eyed stare.  

Turning to face him, Neil tilted his head at Drew in contemplation. “By who?”  

Throwing a thumb over his shoulder, Drew pointed behind him, causing Neil to lean so he could see better. Behind Drew stood Wymack, a frown on his face but a lightness in his eyes.  

When Drew cleared his throat, Neil turned his attention back to him, and only then realised how close he had gotten to Drew. Their chests were almost touching, and if Neil breathed in at the same time as Drew, they would brush against each other. Their closeness had Neil’s thoughts quieting, and for a moment, all he could do was stare at Drew with wide eyes.  

It took Drew lightly shoving Neil’s shoulder that he was still gripping for him to stumble back, off balance.  

They left the building as a small group, and distantly, Neil wondered where Kevin and the others were, and why they didn’t have to be there.  

Dan beamed when she saw them all, and hurried over to them, leaving Allison, Matt and Renee to control the crowd who were getting more antsy with Drew’s presence.  

A few unsavoury words could be heard from the loud crowd, but they all ignored them in favour of watching Dan make her way over to them.  

“Neil, Drew, I’m so glad you made it! I wanted you here to help explain how Riko will react.” Her tone and expression grew somber as she spoke, and Neil had a sinking feeling in his stomach.  

“Why not ask Kevin?”  

Dan looked at Neil and shook her head. “You heard him. He’s probably downed a whole bottle by now. I need someone coherent.” She flicked her eyes over at Drew before quickly turning back to Neil. “And you seemed to know some of his people. We need to know what they’re capable of, and I can’t keep this quiet. Everyone knew you two were going to Edgar Allen, and now they want to know what happened. We made them wait too long.”  

Wymack came up next to Dan and patted her on the shoulder, giving her a proud smile.  

“What do you need us to do?” Neil asked, getting down to business.  

“Tell us what we can expect from Riko now that he thinks he has the cure. Tell them all what happened in your own words. Leave the rest to me.”  

Nodding, Neil absently started picking at the bandage around his newest bite mark. He knew Palmetto knew of his immunity, but he wasn’t sure it was the smartest idea to tell them all he had been bitten again so recently. They might try and have him locked up again. He shivered at the thought, and beside him, Drew went rigid as if he could sense where Neil’s thoughts were heading.  

Drew put a hand on Neil’s shoulder, grounding him and guiding him in front of the crowd. Neil couldn’t muster up the energy to send him a glare, so instead focused on the warmth of his palm through his shirt.  

After a short introduction from Dan, Neil recounted the story to the rest of Palmetto, Drew chiming in as he saw fit, adding reassurances, and platitudes. If Neil didn’t know any better, he would have thought Drew was concerned about the people of Palmetto, but it was more likely he was doing it for his own gain.  

By the time they had recapped everything, the people of Palmetto had settled down and a couple had even started cheering that everything had gone according to plan. Except it hadn’t, not really. Not when Riko had brought his father out, turned, and had him attack. And Neil wasn’t sure Riko could be trusted at all. Not with his connections and capabilities. Still, he wasn’t going to say anything in front of such a large audience.  

Dan took the attention upon herself as she explained they would have a celebration. It seemed they had only a few chances to celebrate, and they wanted to make it as extravagant as possible. Dan assigned people in the crowd tasks that they gladly accepted, and finally, once she had finished, she let them all go about their business once more.  

Turning to them, a big smile on her face, Dan clapped her hands together. “That went well.”  

Allison scoffed. “It would have gone better if you would have let me clean Neil up a bit first. He’s atrocious to look at!”  

Neil wanted to feel offended, but he was too preoccupied with his thoughts about Riko and what he might do if he figured out the cure wasn’t real. And what it meant that he had the turned behind his own walls, in the same room as him.  

Drew seemed to sense his thoughts once again and broke into the conversation between Dan and the others. “This one has something he’d like to add.” He pushed Neil forward as he said that, and the Foxes turned to look at him.  

Rubbing the back of his neck, Neil looked between Drew and Dan before he started. “It’s just... What is he going to do? When he finds out it doesn’t work, I mean? Won’t he come after Kevin?”  

A bright, unusual laugh escaped Drew as he burst out, doubling over himself. “Oh, what a treat. You think he would abide the deal at all? That’s what the cure is there for. He won’t be able to. And if he tries, we will be ready.”  

Dan looked at Drew with surprise but nodded her agreement. “Yes, I- that's exactly what we’ve been planning for. Neil, it was unlikely from everything Kevin has told us, that Riko would stand down. Losing Kevin was a big blow, and he will try anything to get him back. We never expected to stop him, but the cure will at least slow him down.”  

Wymack stepped in then. “It’s why Kevin isn’t down here, and instead is up there drinking.” He gestured at the building they were approaching as a group. “He knows Riko is coming for him, he just needs to learn to trust us that we’re prepared. Before you came down, everyone was briefed on what to do if Riko retaliated.”  

Neil nodded his understanding, and started up a light jog, away from the group. He could feel Drew’s eyes on him as he moved away, but the others all continued, unbothered, back to their rooms. Neil just needed some time to process everything, and running was his best escape.  

Chapter 102: Cold Hands and Warmer Hearts

Summary:

Neil is left alone with his thoughts and hte party begins

Notes:

Apologies for not posting earlier. I've been exhausted since going to a festival, but it was definitely worth it lol!!!!

Thank you for reading!!! I hope you enjoy this chapter <333

The days passed in a blur of work. Neil was back to his usual rotation of shadowing people and keeping lookout. Those who saw him in passing kept a wary distance from him – whether it was due to his connection to Drew, or his own actions, he wasn’t sure, but he was glad they didn’t try to bother him. He was still out of sorts from seeing his father with Riko, and that Riko knew who he was.  

The sky was bright and clear, and there was a sharp chill to the air that cut through Neil’s borrowed jacket. He hadn’t seen Drew or Kevin since the meeting, and he wasn’t sure how to feel about that. He wanted to storm in and force Kevin to be less of a coward, but he also didn’t want to have to see what kind of state he was in. The fact he hadn’t seen Drew either likely meant that he was dealing with a very drunk Kevin, and that wouldn’t put anyone in a good mood.  

Rubbing his hands together and blowing on them, Neil walked back and forth to try and keep the chill out as he stood high on the perimeter walls, keeping lookout for anything unusual. Everyone had been on high alert, and there were double the amount of people on patrol than before, with groups leaving to scout more often and trying to bring back more supplies to stockpile.  

So far, no one had seen anything unusual, but it settled Neil’s nerves that no one was letting their guard down, though he wasn’t sure how long it would last. The much-anticipated celebration of their ‘victory’ over Edgar Allen was that evening, and he feared he would be the only one prepared if anything happened. It would be just like his father, and likely Riko as well, to attack when they least expected it.  

A bird cried overheard, and Neil startled, almost knocking into another person on lookout duty. When they realised it was Neil, their eyes widened, and they scurried away from him. It was a little insulting, but it made him wonder what their reaction would be if they found out who his father was.  

Just thinking about that made Neil want to run, his legs ached to move fast and take him somewhere far away, but even if he did run, he didn’t know where he would go. And how could he leave Drew behind? And the others who had been so kind to take him in?  

The bird called out again, and Neil shook his head at himself, reaching for the knives at his waist to reassure himself that he was safe and could defend himself. His other hand sought out the mark on his arm under the sleeve that was still bandaged. It had healed well, but it was an ugly sight.  

As the hours dragged on, Neil felt as if he was freezing to the bone, and he wished that he’d added more layers, but he had already borrowed one of Matt’s jackets and hadn’t wanted to be an imposition on him more than he already was.  

By the time the sun had set, Neil could see several fires being lit within Palmetto’s walls. He wasn’t in a celebrating mood after being left to his thoughts all day, and was planning to just continue keeping watch well into the night. He doubted anyone would miss him, since almost everyone would be there. No one would notice he was still keeping a lookout.  

Shoving his frozen hands deep into his pockets, he hunched into himself as some of the others trickled out of the walls to join the celebrations. He was so caught up in his own thoughts of being cold and wanting to run to warm himself, that he didn’t even notice that one pair of footsteps was getting closer to him instead of further away.  

A throat clearing had him startle and spin around, coming face to face with Drew. His hair was in a disarray as if he had tugged his hand through it more than once, and there was no one with him, which surprised Neil. He figured Kevin would refuse to leave Drew’s side since they got back, but apparently not.  

A cigarette was already lit up and held out to him, and Neil accepted it, despite his frozen hands. “Thanks.”  

Drew didn’t bother to acknowledge him beyond a mere tilt of his head. They stayed silent, watching over the darkness that he worried would hide an enemy attack. Watching, waiting, the cigarette burned to the filter before Drew suddenly moved, heading back the way he came. Neil watched in confusion as Drew abruptly halted, and turned back around, arching a brow. In the light from the lamps, his expression flickered in and out of bright relief. A quick flick of his hand cleared up any confusion, and Neil was compelled to obey despite his own protests. He was a firefly to Drew’s bright light.  

Together, they made their way out of the walls, leaving a couple of people on guard duty, and they headed to the party that was in full swing down below.  

Neil just hoped he wouldn’t regret following Drew.  

Chapter 103: Blue-Eyed Demon

Summary:

Kevin is struggling.

Notes:

Sorry for the long wait time for a new chapter, life has been super busy!!! If you want to read the life updates, they'll be at the end!

I hope you enjoy the chapter!!!

Lounging on his bed, Andrew looked out to see Kevin sprawled on the floor, bottles of liquor all around him. He hadn’t consumed all of it, but he had the majority, with his cousin coming in at a close second. It really all seemed like a waste to him. Not that it had stopped him from partaking either, but he knew his limits and wouldn’t let himself get too wasted, unlike others.  

On the floor, Kevin moaned and his arms flailed as if he were looking to shut an alarm off. Possible because he was trying to shut an alarm off, but it wasn’t his. It was Andrew’s. He’d set it just to annoy Kevin, and a smirk graced his lips as he watched Kevin groan before finally getting up onto his unsteady feet.  

Kevin ran a hand over his face as if that would help clear his mind, and tried to find the source of the noise, but Andrew had made sure to hide several alarms in the room. Even if he turned one off, it wouldn’t stop the alarms.  

A thump at the door, shifted Andrew’s attention to Nicky. He glared around the room, taking in the mess on the floor, and the rumpled state of Kevin, before turning to Andrew.  

“What is all this noise?”  

Andrew shrugged, turning his attention back on Kevin, who was now glaring at Andrew as if that would solve the problem.  

“Seriously, Andrew?” Kevin slurred, still drunk from his binge.  

He only shrugged again, pissing Kevin off more.  

“He’s not going to answer, Kevin. Just find the damn alarms.”  

Nicky, at least, seemed to know Andrew well enough to predict he wouldn’t do anything. Kevin, on the other hand, was a whiny child that relied heavily on him and liquor as an unhealthy crutch. But who was he to judge? He had vices of his own that were bad enough.  

“You’re cleaning up this mess.” Kevin pointed a finger at Andrew, who only shrugged once more. He wished the big man would be quiet. He usually knew not to mess with him, but it seemed he was getting far too comfortable. Andrew would just have to remedy that later.  

“Come on, Kevin, just leave it, and help me.” Kevin, reluctantly, did as Nicky said, but he muttered under his breath and glared at Andrew with murder in his eyes. Unlucky for him, he wasn’t a murderer. Perhaps if he was, he wouldn’t be so scared of his own shadow.  

As they searched the room for the sources of noise, Andrew closed his eyes. It wasn’t comforting that the first thing he saw in his mind was a familiar pair of blue eyes.  

Instead of trying to sleep, he pushed off his bed and stretched, ignoring the look of disdain and disapproval dripping from Kevin. Nicky looked as if he were about to stop Andrew, but with a flick of his eyes, dropped it and stepped aside for him to leave the room.  

Outside, he could hear laughter as people were preparing for the celebrations to begin. He didn’t see much point in going since Kevin was currently refusing to leave their room, which meant he’d been drinking himself to death every night since Andrew had returned. He wasn’t handling anything well, and Andrew had to take a steadying breath just to think about it. Otherwise, he would call him out on his behaviour, and that would cause problems.  

Opening a kitchen drawer, he pulled out a handful of candy, and started eating it. If Kevin was going to be in a mood, he at least deserved some sugar for the inconvenience.  

A knock on the door raised an eyebrow. No one came to his room. Except for one person. He sighed and prepared himself to deal with the blue-eyed demon that seemed to haunt him. If he were on his meds full time, he would probably have assumed him to be a figment of his imagination. Now he just wished he were.  

Keeping his expression neutral, he opened the door, about to mock Abram’s manners, when he came face to face with Dan Wilds. She would never voluntarily come to visit him, and it put him on edge that she was in his doorway.  

“Oh, hi. I wasn’t expecting you to answer.” Despite the surprise on her face, she kept her tone even. Slamming the door in her face was easy, and he turned back to the bedroom where the noise had finally subsided.  

He stopped in the doorway and Nicky took one look at his expression and rushed to the door. He greeted Dan before leaving the room and closing the door behind him. At least he was smart enough not to invite a woman into the room. The last woman he’d been left all alone with had met a terrible fate. Not that it bothered him, but he thought he might be kicked out if it happened at Palmetto.  

Resting in the doorway, Andrew surveyed the room. Nicky had managed to get Kevin to clean himself up a bit and lay down on his own bed instead of the floor. Even the bottles were tidied up, though still on the floor.  

Kevin grunted when he realised Nicky had left only to be replaced by Andrew, and turned over on the bed, burying his face in the pillow. “I want to sleep.”  

“Don’t lie.” It was the first thing Andrew had said in days, and it got Kevin’s attention.  

He sat up quickly in his bed. “What?”  

Andrew didn’t bother to repeat himself.  

With an air of drama, Kevin splayed himself on his bed with a big sigh.  

Andrew almost commented on it, but then Nicky came into the room. Andrew turned and saw the grimace on his face.  

He spoke as he approached. “She asked if we’d seen Neil. He’s expected at the party, but no one has seen him.”  

Expelling a sharp breath, Andrew went to his closet to find something warmer. He’d need it if he were going to find Abram.  

“Hey, wait, what are you doing?” Kevin asked from the bed. He scrambled onto his feet when he saw Andrew putting on a hoodie, and grabbing shoes. “Where are you going?”  

Nicky winced at Kevin’s words, knowing Andrew didn’t take well to demands. “Dan asked us to help find Neil.”  

Kevin looked like he’d been slapped in the face. “You can’t leave me.”  

“Then come with me.”  

Notes:

I've been working full time, fell in love, went to a gig, cut off contact with certain family members, and trying to keep up with all my friends so I haven't had much in the way of spare time.

I can't promise regular updates, but I can promise I will not abandon this fic until it is done!!!