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therainroguefanfiction · 4 years

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🔥 ℝise Ⱥbove I̾t ◈ Chapter 032 [Insanity Loves Company]

📑 Table of Contents | ◂Backward

Word Count: 2,728

⊱ ────── {⋅. 🔥 .⋅} ────── ⊰

〈“A knife in my heart couldn’t slow me down, my fire never goes out. I rise from my scars, nothing hurts me now. ‘Cause power is power, now watch me burn it down.” SZA, The Weekend & Travis Scott, “Power is Power”〉

⊱ ────── {⋅. 🔥 .⋅} ────── ⊰

“Oi.”

“Go away, I’m trying to fucking sleep.”

“Oiii~” Smack.

I shot up, glaring at the spikey chihuahua standing next to me, my hand on my stinging cheek. “What the fuck did you hit me for, Bakuhoe?!”

“Your next match is starting soon,” his vermilion eyes narrowed. “Your dumbass didn’t even watch the competition.”

“What’s life without a little surprise?” I hummed, stretching my arms above my head, my back cracking. Man, they really need to get some better fucking beds for the injured. This shit feels like a piece of springy cardboard. “Who am I fighting?”

He shrugged. “Some extra from class B.”

“That’s maddeningly unhelpful, mate.” I slid off the bed, pulling my boots on. “I’m leaving, Gran!”

She stepped away from Reggian and smiled. “Do your best, deary.”

I nodded, stepping out of the temporary nurse’s office and taking off toward the arena. I stopped just before the beam of light that peered into the dark hallway, waiting for Mic to call me out.

“You better not lose,” Bakugo grunted. “Only I’m allowed to beat your ass, got it?”

“So I’ve heard,” I chuckled, holding my fist up. “Top two, aye? You better be careful, bro. I might just take first place out from under you.”

He smirked, smacking his fist against mine. “Bring it on, you bitch!”

“Returning for battle number five, she heated up the competition in the first match, it’s class A’s Winchester!!”

I took a deep breath and stepped out into the light, heading for the arena. Dealing with all these eyes on me ain’t getting easier the second time around. The eyes, the eyes~! I snickered.

“Versus! He softened up the competition in the second match, it’s class B’s Honenuki!!”

Skeletor stepped out from across the arena, his shoulders slightly slumped. “What kind of lame introduction is that?”

I raised a brow at him. That was some kind of hint for his quirk, right? “Mic tries to be original, but most of the time his comments are just lame.”

He smiled but said nothing in return.

“Ready?! … BEGIN!!”

In a flash, his foot slid forward and the ground started to soften beneath me, my legs sinking into it. Is this… quicksand? Jeez, this guy’s gonna be a pain in the ass, ain’t he? After getting some rest, I should be able to teleport a few more times, at least, plus it’s not that far so it shouldn’t take much power. I focused on the strip of solid ground behind him and I teleported.

He turned his head and my flaming fist connected with his cheek, making him stumble backward. He lost his footing and fell into the softened ground, but he didn’t slowly sink like I had, he fell through it like it was water. A bead of sweat rolled down my cheek as I waited with bated breath.

“Winchester has pushed Honenuki into the softened ground he created trying to trap her!”

Oi oi, he ain’t surfacing bro. What if he can’t? What if he’s unconscious? He’s gonna fucking drown in that shit. If his quirk deactivates, it’ll harden again, right? Fuck. I groaned loudly, my mind protesting what I was about to do, but I knew I had to. Taking a deep breath, I stepped forward into the softened earth, forcing my body threw the substance toward the spot he had landed. It felt like I was trying to walk through four feet of snow mixed with Elmer’s glue.

“Is she crazy?! Winchester just willingly stepped into the softened earth created by her opponent! Just what is going through her head right now, folks?!”

Fingers curled around my ankle and yanked me down hard. I just barely managed to suck in some air before my head was submerged, my body falling deep beneath the surface, which shimmered as it reflected the sunlight beaming down on me. It was like I was underwater, but the water was thick and had murky. I squeezed my eyes shut as they started to burn. I tried to move my body but it feels so heavy, like the world is crushing down on top of me.

How long can I hold my breath again? Thirty seconds, maybe? Forty if I push myself, I guess. How the fuck do I get out of this mess? Damn it… if I lose here, will Toshi be disappointed? What about Aizawa? And Snipe, even? Have I given it my best shot? No… I don’t want to lose here. I want to show Toshi and Zawa how much I’ve grown since they first met me! I want to show them that their time wasn’t wasted on me!

“Your determination is finally starting to awaken… little Winchester.”

Ugh, this fucking guy again. Get the fuck out of my head, you bastard, I don’t have time for another hallucination!

“I assure you, I am no hallucination.”

Yeah, sure, that’s what they always say. Fuck off, I’m busy.

He chuckled and I felt warm hands on my shoulders. “Your strength and control have risen since we last talked. I am impressed by your progress thus far. However, you still must find your resolve. Search hard, little Winchester, so that I may finally meet you in person.”

My resolve, huh… What is it I want from this life? Fame? Fortune? Sounds like a pain in the ass to me. I want… to repay the kindness that Toshi has shown me, the warmth he’s given me from the moment he met me. I want him and Zawa to look at me and smile, not of worry, but of pride. I want to get stronger, so I can make them proud, so I can protect Izuku and Todoroki, and Bakugo and the rest of those idiots in my class.

Except for Mineta. He can go choke on a dick and die.

“Onodero grows closer by the day. Only a Winchester has the power to stop his return.”

The pendant against my chest lit up in the darkness, the soft white glow shining through my shirt. It was warm. The warmth spread throughout my entire body, flames forcing their way to my skin. They started out as just small embers, pushing and shoving at the earth around me that did its best to suppress them. They steadily grew, encasing my body like a warm blanket.

“Use the power you were given to chase after what you believe is right. Never lose heart, little Winchester, for I am with you always.” A warm hand enveloped mine and I felt a wave of serene calm come over my mind.

I don’t know who the fuck you are or what you want, but I won’t fucking lose here! The calm faded as my blood boiled, my skin turning red as the flames pushed away from my body, spreading out until the entire pool of softened earth was boiling. I focused on my feet, using my fire to propel me forward toward the surface. My head broke through and I desperately gasped for air, coughing and wheezing as I tried to grab onto something solid.

“After one excruciating minute, Winchester has broken through the surface of Honenuki’s softened earth prison! Incredible!!”

My eyes stung from the dirt and concrete, my lungs burning angrily at being deprived of oxygen for so long. I forced my eye open, ignoring the tears that blurred my vision. He took a defensive stance, his eyes narrowed. I teleported in front of him, close lining his neck with my forearm, using all of my strength to push him backward. His feet dug into the ground, softening it to stop him just before he fell out of bounds.

I growled angrily, flames rising up from the softened earth behind me, swirling and morphing until they formed a phoenix. I thrust my hand forward and it released a high pitch caw before flapping its wings and dive-bombing. It hit him in the stomach, picking him up off the ground as it propelled him toward the wall. Inches before hitting it, the fire pulled back, curving upward and doing a loop before returning to me, flying in a circle above me.

I leaned over, my hands on my knees as I breathed heavily, unable to keep my eyes open. The phoenix cawed again before the flames slowly died out until embers floated across the breeze.

“Honenuki is out of bounds! Winchester advances to the next round!”

I fell to my knees, hanging my head. There’s no way in hell that was just another hallucination. It was fucking real, but what is it? He mentioned that fucking name again… Ono something? Seriously, what the fuck even is my life? I groaned, letting my body fall against the cold cement. It feels fucking amazing. I wonder how mad Todoroki would be if I hugged him and asked to be made into a popsicle.

“Winchester finishes off her second battle with a beautiful display of a phoenix! How cool is that?!”

“Are you alright, Jen?” Midnight kneeled beside me, her voice soft as her warm hand rested on my back.

I held my thumb up and grunted. “Can’t see, but I feel fucking fantastic.”

She sighed. “Honenuki, would you help her to the nurse’s office?”

“Yes, ma’am! Can you stand?”

I grunted again, pushing myself up. He grabbed my arm to steady me before wrapping it around his own.

“Careful of the steps,” he said just as my foot slipped.

“Maybe some warning before we get there next time, bro.”

He chuckled. “Sorry.”

I felt the warmth leave my skin and I assume we stepped into the hallway out of the light, our footsteps echoing down the corridor. The sound of the crowd faded as we walked farther.

“You’re pretty strong,” he commented. “I thought for sure I had you beat when you fell in! You must be pretty clumsy.”

I didn’t fall in, I jumped in, idiot. I didn’t know your fucking ass could swim through the shit. “Totally,” I heard a door slide open.

“Oh my, what happened this time?” Came Gran’s voice.

“I can’t fucking see,” I muttered. “And this one could probably use a kiss or two, too.”

“Of course, of course. Have a seat, my dears, I’ll fix you both right up!” I was led farther into the room and I felt hands gently push me down, my ass landing on the cardboard mattress. “Gimme some sugar~ Mwah~ Mwah~” She kissed him and then kissed me.

I felt my energy drain and I groaned, falling back and slowly opening my eyes, squinting against the white fluorescents above me.

“Thank you, Recovery Girl.” Honenuki bowed before turning to me. He looked disappointed, but smiled nonetheless. “Good luck in your next match.”

“Yeah, thanks.” I watched him leave before shifting so I was laying on the bed properly. Gran hummed a tune as she went back to her desk. The sound of a curtain being pushed aside made me glance across the room, meeting the pink eyes of Reggian.

He was laying at the foot of the bed, his feet tucked under his pillow as he played around on his phone. “Did ya lose, nerd?”

“No, I won.”

“Whack,” he propped his cheek against his hand, scrolling through his phone. “You look like you lost.”

I scoffed, throwing my arm over my eyes. “I didn’t fucking lose, you twat. I always look like this. It’s called resting bitch face.”

“Are you sure? Because your face looks like your mother was a piece of moldy bread that neglected you.”

“Oi, you were dropped on your head as a kid, weren’t you?”

“No, but I did, however, jump into a wall when I was three.”

“That explains a lot.”

“Rude.”

“Shut up, I’m trying to get my beauty sleep.”

“You’re gonna need a lot more than sleep to be beautiful.”

I threw my pillow at him and he laughed.

⊱ ────── {⋅. 🔥 .⋅} ────── ⊰

“Thank you, Recovery Girl, for healing my wounds~” Reggian bowed to her before turning to me. “Thank you, Winchester, for being the test subject on my new special moves!”

I scoffed. “You’re not fucking welcome.”

“I’ll have you know, you didn’t kill Pablo. He retired and is living happily with his sister, Clarissa the Cactus.”

“You killed his son.”

“How fucking dare you,” he huffed, putting his hand on his hip. “You better not lose and make me look bad, Winchester!”

“You don’t need my help to look bad, bro.”

“I will rip your lips off and sew them to your forehead like horns.”

“Dope, then I never have to speak again. Do you know how much fucking energy talking takes?”

We stared at each other for a solid minute before we both started to laugh.

Gran shook her head. “Kids these days.”

“Later nerd.”

“Later thot.”

Reggian opened the door and ran face-first into Izuku, their foreheads slapping against each other before they stumbled back. I laughed, “Dumbass!”

He glared at me before apologizing and leaving the room. Izuku stepped inside, clutching his left hand, two fingers swollen and badly bruised. Gran said nothing to him as she waved him over, healing the broken fingers before wrapping them in. “That should do it.”

The door slid open again, Toshi stepping inside before closing it behind him. Izuku gave him a nervous smile before speaking up. “That match with Shinso… I couldn’t smile through it like you would.”

Toshi sighed, rubbing his neck as he leaned against Gran’s desk. “I heard some of the things he said to you. It must’ve been painful knowing how much you could relate to him.”

“Yeah… but I still couldn’t go easy on him. I have to keep my eye on the prize, aiming for the top! Just like you said.”

“Oh, you poor little darling.” Gran sighed before turning to Toshi, annoyance clear in her voice. “Have you been putting too much pressure on him again!?” She slammed her arm backward, connecting it with his right side. He grunted in pain.

I grinned, moving to sit beside Izuku. “Gran is pretty hardcore. I love it.”

“Y-Yeah…” He nodded, eyes wide.

“It was necessary and that hurt!” Toshi responded, his voice gruff as his thin body shook.

“Oh yeah, All Might.” Izuku leaned forward, catching everyone’s attention again. “I had… some of vision in the match. There were… people. Maybe eight or nine of them? I’m not sure. When I was under Shinso’s control, it felt like my brain was full of fog or something, but when the vision appeared, it completely drove the fog away. That’s what I was finally able to move for a second – just my fingertips. One of the figures had eyes just like yours, All Might. Do you think… all the people that used One for All in the past were there pushing me on? Like spirits?”

“Spooky,” Toshi’s body was shaking, his face drained of color. “I’m a ghost?!”

“Ah! I thought you’d have answers!” Izuku cried.

I looked away, resting my cheek against my palm. At least I’m not the only one whose sanity is fucking slipping. Misery does love its company after all.

“Actually… I saw something like that, too, in my younger days.” Toshi responded. “That’s a clear sign that you’re getting closer to making One for All your own power.”

“But what was it?”

“I think it’s like a trace of the user’s spirit that’s left behind in One for All when it’s passed on. Don’t worry, whatever you saw, it won’t be interfering with you or your progress in the future, I’m sure.” He answered, folding his arms. “In other words, the vision wasn’t what god rid of the brainwashing effects. Regardless of what you saw out there, it was your passion that allowed you to overcome Shinso’s power. Even if it was only long enough for you to wiggle your fingertips and expel some energy.”

Izuku’s face fell. “Man, that explanation is so not satisfying.”

“Forget about it!” Toshi cried. “More importantly, shouldn’t you be worrying about who you’re fighting next?”

“You’re right! Thank you both very much!” Izuku bowed before rushing from the room.

“You’re welcome!” Gran chirped, smiling happily.

“Well, if we’re confessing to our lapses of sanity,” I sat up straight, gaining both of their attention. “Izuku is seein’ shit, and I’m hearin’ it.”

The two exchanged a worried look.

⊱ ────── {⋅. 🔥 .⋅} ────── ⊰

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untcdstsofsmsh · 5 years

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Midoriya always seemed fine. So, when he was found dead in his dorm room. Everyone was at a total loss. It had to be fake. There was no one the new holder of All for One could be gone just like that. There was no sign of force entry nor that he did it to himself. Izuku Midoriya had just simply passed away in his sleep.

It should’ve never happened.

He remembered the morning he found out, running breathless to the dorms, passed shocked, terrified, crying students and a few teachers who had made it before him. Passed Mic, Eraserhead, Lemillion, Nezu--

All Might had seen death. Despite all his efforts, he’d seen the pale, unmoving bodies of the dead and the telling stink that followed. How his skin and hair lost color and movement. How he laid too still.

He had to be carried out of the room. Apparently, Bakugo was there earlier, made to leave in much the same way.

Inko cried. She knew. Somehow, she knew. The second she entered the office, she looked like she was expecting the worst. Aizawa had to tell her, had to explain everything that they learned since Izuku’s body was picked up. How they don’t know what caused it, but that general trauma from hero training still held the risk of death in some students. Head trauma, extreme stress -- especially with this year -- and a small collection of other things could’ve killed the boy.

Aizawa speaks and he speaks very matter-of-factly, almost coldly.

How he could, Toshinori would never understand.

At the end of it all, Inko just looks at Toshinori, shoulders slumped, eyes red and puffy, lips quivering. The question behind her eyes shakes the veteran hero to his bones.

Why couldn’t you save him?

His cremation and funeral are held a few days later. All of the first years are there to pay respects, as well as a few teachers, older students, Eri...

Eri doesn’t stop crying for the whole service. Aizawa holds her tight to his chest in his suit, whispering how it wasn’t her fault, how she couldn’t have saved him, how she can’t save him now, he’s gone.

Toshinori can’t stand being near the memorial, turns to leave, tries to find somewhere he can be alone to grieve again--

Bakugo stands, leaning against the large doorway, looking uncharacteristically vulnerable. Weak. His hair is barely styled at all, his suit worn properly but dirty from him lingering outside.

When Bakugo finally looks up at Toshi, that same question echoes in his eyes.

Why couldn’t you save him?

Toshi’s quick to leave the church.

The school closes for a week. The police insist on doing an investigation. The school encourages parents and guardians to give their children updated check ups, vaccines, everything they can to ensure their children are healthy.

Nezu tries to contact Toshinori. He refuses to answer his phone. Refuses to go back to the school grounds.

Instead, he rents a car.

He can’t drive.

He rents one, anyway.

Not being able to drive is half the point, after all.

Still, damn him, he manages to figure out just enough to drive to the underside of one of the smaller, lesser used bridges. Drive to it, under it and ram the box of fiber glass and rubber hard into a support beam.

He blacks out for a while. Just long enough to hear cursing. The door’s ripped open, there’s coughing -- the smell is terrible and he notes there’s no airbag smothering him -- and a familiar voice calls out for him.

“All Might! ALL MIGHT!”

Eraserhead scrambles to cut him free of the seatbelt, checking him over before wrapping his arms around Toshi’s long body. Despite the difference between them being just over a foot, Eraserhead manages to cradled Toshi’s head and spine while carrying him to the cleared ground.

He’s furious.

“What the FUCK did you think you were doing!?”

Toshi couldn’t wrap his head around it. Probably because of his own growing head trauma. Probably because he’s still stuck on how the underground hero found him. Probably, even more so, that he was stuck trying to read the hero’s expression beyond his anger.

Half the angry words don’t register. He’s mad. Mad Toshinori would try and take his life. How he couldn’t kill himself because his ‘favorite’ died. How he couldn’t do this shit and not expect it to impact the kids -- HIS. KIDS.

“I killed him.”

The words are just enough to stop the raging river of rambling.

“... What?” There’s a warning there. Whatever Toshinori would say next better not be some bullshit self-deprecation. It better make the most fucking sense out of everything he’s ever said or done, or else.

“I killed him.” The words nearly choke him the second time. Tears well up in his eyes. “I... I’m responsible for Midoriya Izuku’s death.”

“Idiot.” Barely restrained anger is spat out in just one word before Eraserhead wills himself to calm down. “He died from unknown causes. The best we have to go off of is stress from that’s happened this year. You couldn’t control any of that.”

“It’s stress from his quirk.”

That catches his attention. Toshi breathes deep and explains everything. Each question is answered simply. Every secret about his quirk -- the quirk he’d given to Midoriya -- is laid out for the boy’s teacher to know.

When everything is said and done, Aizawa sits there, dumbfounded and ignoring the distressed calls over the small radio at his hip. He turns down the volume of Present Mic yelling for confirmation of locations, sits down next to Toshinori and stares at the car wreckage.

“... He was a child.”

“They’re all children.” Toshi pushes himself up from the ground, reasonably sure that nothing vital was broken or punctured and... well, if it was, it still served his purposes. “We expect the same out of all of them. This one just took a different route.”

“You gave him a power no child could ever hoped to master,” he presses, standing to follow the tall, slouching man. “And now that he’s shown he couldn’t have handled it, you try and dismiss it?!”

“If you have such deeply held issues with what I’ve done, then leave. Pretend you didn’t find me.”

“And then what?” The snap in Aizawa’s voice is harsher than usual. “Let you wallow in your self pity as you try and off yourself again?”

“Let me be, Aizawa-san.”

“So you can run away from this?”

“There’s no USE for me, Aizawa!”

The shorter man stops, lips pressed tight as Toshi’s voice raises to a shout.

“I had... One fucking job. To protect that quirk. To pass it down to a hero worthy of it. To train and protect them until they had it mastered. I was it’s keeper for well over thirty years, and just when I thought I could say I’d done at least a half decent job at this one thing my life was set up to do, I lose them both. One for All, a quirk with no equal, and Young Midoriya...”

The closest thing to a son he’d ever have.

He breathes deep. It hurts to breathe. Hurts to move. The adrenaline from the crash starts to lessen and he can finally feel the headache, the familiar ache of his ribs, a growing pain in his leg and arm.

Aizawa moves to catch him as he finally buckles under the pain.

“I’m useless,” he continues on. “This life... it has nothing else to live for.”

“Idiot,” Aizawa hisses to him. “You have forty other students waiting for you, at least half a world full of fans who’d worry--”

“All of who wouldn’t forgive me for what I’d done to that boy.”

“God DAMMIT, ALL MIGHT.” Pale fists bundle into piles of clothing, calm facade broken again to show his growing anger. “Fuck your self-righteous pride for one god damn minute and think beyond yourself!”

Toshi can’t help but flinch. Between his growing headache, vulnerability and Aizawa’s diminishing patience, it’s hard to put on a brave face. It’s hard to want to.

What was the point anymore?

“The amount of god forsaken hubris,” he hisses, “it takes to think so highly of your bad decisions is mind boggling.” Aizawa breathes, his dark eyes burning into Toshinori’s skull. “To think, your stupidity and grief can absolve you from everything else you’ve committed yourself to. You’re not done here, not with students who need your guidance, not with people who look up to you. And if you can’t see the worth in a life where you’re still needed, then consider it fore-fitted to me.”

Aizawa leaves him on the ground to stand, Toshinori blinking up at him incredulously. “What?”

“Your life belongs to me, now.” The pale man breathes deep and slow before pulling out the radio at his side. “You don’t get to decide how it ends, anymore.”

Not giving the blond a chance to argue or protest, Aizawa turns to report their location. Within minutes (tense and quiet) an ambulance arrives and carries Toshinori to the nearest hospital.

He hates hospitals. It doesn’t matter, though, because Aizawa makes it clear his threat isn’t just for show and tells Recovery Girl to call him as soon as Toshi starts acting like a fool. She seems surprised, but doesn’t question it.

X-rays. Casts. Oxygen. More x-rays to make sure his already jumbled and incomplete organs were as good as they could hope to get. It was a horrible visit, punctuated by Gran Torino’s and Recovery Girl’s very quiet visits. All Might doesn’t speak when given their rare inquiries: what happened? How? When? Why? He doesn’t speak and he doesn’t stop their assumptions: they know enough to know what he’d say, don’t they?

Aizawa comes in like a force of nature, anger simmering just below the surface the second his eyes land on Toshinori. Then he raises a bag of food.

“You will eat, All Might.” The forcefulness of his voice is a little startling, but his motions to prepare his meal are slow and careful.

Their visits continued on like this for a while, either with Aizawa bringing food or him coming with the accompanying nurse sent to help him eat. His anger came and went, but was always quiet and blunt.

It continued when he arrived to school again, Aizawa not leaving his side for a minute or otherwise forcing him to follow the other around. Paperwork, meal breaks, lesson planning -- anything short of restroom breaks meant Aizawa was there.

“I meant it when I said your life was mine, now.”

Toshi couldn’t help feeling like he had just burdened Aizawa with another responsibility. An entire other life to have to guard for however long he could. A fool to guide out of self-destruction.

It would just have to be that way, for now...

#death #child death #trauma #grief #grieving #long post #suicide #attempted suicide #((hey so this ask fucked me up))#((like legit man I got so upset))#((But I finally answered))#((I'M SO. FUCKING SORRY.))#((don't look at me this is all crap))#((sorry I can't write Aizawa))#((bad end AU here we go))#ask to tag #Anonymous

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zombierunfiction · 7 years

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Season 1 Mission 9: Recovery

Nearly a week later Charlotte had completely healed from her late night run and was slowly getting closer to Sam. They spent a lot of time when he wasn't watching out for the runners spending time together. He showed her all around Abel including the closet where they kept the board games that they had found from runs.

Charlotte actually felt hopeful for the first time since the event happened. Currently she was sitting in the mess hall talking to Jack and Eugene over bowls of oatmeal.

"So Charlotte how's it going on those runs? I've noticed our sports bra supply is getting bigger." Jack said with his playful british accent.

Charlotte rolls her eyes. "Hey there's a lot of women here in Abel and sports bras are a need."

"Your last run yesturday brought in 8 of them!" Eugene said being one of the few Americans in Abel.

"Not my fault." Charlotte said holding up her hands. "Besides if i remember correctly Sara brought in several pairs of underware the day before."

Both Jack and Eugene started laughing hard as Janine steps over. Charlotte had yet to meet her in person but she looked exactly how she imagined the land owner to look. Dark brown hair with a deep farmers tan that melded well with her green eyes.

"Runner Five we need you to go on a run." Janine said briskley.

Charlotte raised an eyebrow. "I didn't hear any annoucement."

Janine rolls her eyes. "Well now you have so get your gear and let's go." She said roughily as she walked out of the mess hall.

"Woo... someone has a bee in their bonnet." Jack whispered as Eugene gently pat Charlotte on the arm.

"Go on. It might be important." Eugene said as Charlotte nodded and quickly walked to the packs. She got her pack on then grabbed her axe tieing it into her pack. She put on her head set then walking towards the gate.

"Raise the gates!" Sam says as the alarm goes off while the gates rise. "Runner Five, ready... gates are open... covering fire." The gun shots start to ring out. "and... go!" Sam said as Charlotte took off away from Abel. "So... just checking my mission sheet for your status... yeah, that's not a mission sheet. You've seen my office or should i say, corrugated iron hut we decided was no good for a latrine, with enough electricity from the generator to power the transmitter, but not enough some days for, oh, I dunno, light?" Sam said almost bitterly.

Charlotte chuckled. "You're office is just like you Sam. A mess but a very organized mess."

"I'll take that with the love that was intended." Sam says with a grin. "Did you hear that Janine? It's okay. Don't you worry about me Runner Five. Just trying to keep everything together here while Janine..." There was rustling around before Sam taks away from the mic. "What are you doing with the electricity, Janine?"

"Remember, you're in MY house Mr. Yao." Janine states harshly.

Sam chuckles slightly. "Yeah, I thought we did away with private property after the whole, you know, end of civilization? Remember that?"

"I remember this place was my farm house before all of you arrived. And I remember I am the only one who knows where all the junction boxes are, because I wired the place myself. So, yeah, those tools we were expecting from the military base would be pretty useful right now. Any word on that?" Janine said sounding rather miffed.

"Ah, yeah... right, right, right... Yeah, so uh... we're sending you back to your helicopter today, see if there's anything you can, uh, find in the wreckage. And I've got a surprise for you..." Sam said with a smile as foot steps run over as Sara runs over with a green army hat on that held her hair under her hat.

"Hey there Five! Remember me, your old pal, Runner Eight?"

Charlotte shook her head. "Of course I remember you Sara."

Sara smiles. "We're on the road together again. Isn't that great?" She says coughing roughily. "We're making good pace here, Five. We're heading into hostile territory. You remember from your first run in? But if we just keep running, and don't stop for too long at the chopper, we'll be just fine."

"Joy. Not like I am dying to go back there... besides I jumpped out and parachuted down." Charlotte said as she jumpped over a stump.

"I'm pretty interested to see what we'll find in that chopper, you know. That's why I volenteered for this duty." Sara said as Charlotte glared at her.

"This isn't about you still thinking I brought down the copter is it?"

Sara looks at her. "You can't be to careful. I know what people say. 'Don't think about the past, just keep your eyes on survival' but I-" Sara started coughing hard again. "Well I just can't help wondering about things. I mean, I've got the same problems as everyone else. Lost my husband and my two boys back when the dead took the east. Had to take them out myself when they came back. Only had a shovel to do it with." Sara said as she ducked under a tree branch. "I never would have thought I had the strength in me, but you know!" She laughs breathlessly. "Like they say, we didn't know ourselves 'til this happened. You never know what you're capable of."

Charlotte looked at her for a moment before looking ahead of her. That was an understatement. She was in the same position. She had taken out several of her former neighbors when the outbreak first began and it was surprising her reaction to it. She had none. She didn't feel anything when she had to take out the neighbors that had welcomed her into their Northumberland neighborhood.

It distrubed her.

"Well, I won't ask your story. You'll share it when you're good and ready. No one's story is ever good, is it, Five?" Sara asked as they got up onto a small hill that led down a road. "Anyhow, I didn't expect to wind up somewhere like Abel Township. For a while there, I thought I might go mad! But turns out... I can run really fast. I always ran at school and college back when I was a girl, and that's a useful skill these days. Useful enough for me to earn my keep... in lots of places." Sara starts to cough again before taking a deep breath. "Oh this damn cough just won't quit!"

Just as Charlotte was about to comment the sound of a distant cough is heard. Both girls stopped and looked around, listening.

"I know I cough loud, but that wasn't an echo." Sara whispered.

"No... someones out here other than zoms..." Charlotte whispered back before a groan hit their ears.

"We've got more company!" Sara shouted as she grabbed Charlotte's wrist taking off down the road as zombies began chasing them quickly.

"Hey Runner Five, Runner Eight - you're out of range for Runner Eight's transmitter, but I guess you can still hear me. You're getting close to the chopper, and we've got more movement - hostiles behind you, just like we expected, but something up ahead too." Sam said.

"No kidding Sam!" Charlotte shouted as she dodged away from an abandoned car following Sara.

"Watch yourselves, because I -" Sam sighs heavily. "Janine, is this really nescessary?"

"Unless you want the whole base's electricity to go down in the middle of the night, I've got to replace this wiring right here." Janine said matter-of-factly.

Sam sighs heavily. "Yeah, apparently it can't wait. They're switching off transmission AND scanner."

"So complete radio silence?" Sara said.

"Only for a few minutes! You're on your own guys, You'll be fine." Sam consoled.

"Unless we turn on each other, hey?" Sara joked as the distant coughing happened again. "Who is that coughing?"

"Okay... I'll be back in just a few minutes. Sorry about this guys. You know, if i could it all myself..." Sam says slowly.

"You've be a very valuable asset to this base, Mr. Yao." Janine said as static comes over the radio before silence hits them.

The coughing continued then began having a wheezing sound joinning it.

"So we're on our own, huh? Just as we reach the chopper, and..." Sara said as they got to the trees where the wreckage of the chopper laid among broken trees. "holy... is that..." Sara said as Charlotte looks in horror.

"My pilot... yes..." She breathes as she looked back seeing the zoms and seemed to lose interest in them. They walked towards it slowly.

"That girl... she's reanimating from the dead right now. She must have been left half eaten like that, strapped into her seat in the chopper..." Sara said as the woman was fighting against her seat belt. Her face was half eaten as she fought hard. The sound of fabric ripping is heard. "Now she's... oh hely mary, mother of god!" Sara said fast.

"Run!" Charlotte shouted taking off grabbing Sara this time as the pilot broke free of her seat belt and scrambled after them fast. "Holy shit i thought she died in the crash!" She said as they weaved through the trees.

"Good thought. Damn who was this girl? A sprinter?" Sara asked as Charlotte lept over a boulder chancing a look back seeing the pilot stumbling after them groaning loudly.

"She was just my ride. I didn't even know her name." Charlotte said fast.

"Hey Five. I've got a plan. We've got to find out what's in that chopper! So if you - I know how this sounds, but just trust me -" Sara starts.

"Yea like that's not the first time I've been told that." Charlotte said with a laugh.

Sara smirks. "If you circle round that way, she'll chase you. I'll head back around quietly to the chopper to see what I can find. Deal? Okay I'll catch up to you. Remember - the newly reanimated are the quickest. Run really fast!" Sara broke off heading in one direction as Charlotte headed off fast. She heard the pilot running after her hot on her heels.

It took her a bit to finally shake the pilot but after dropping down a small hill and running up the other side. She jogged over to Sara who was picking at the chopper. In the distance zombies were groaning and the snapping of branches signalling their approach.

"I lost her. Thankfully." Charlotte said as she took off her bag.

"Good. Got them!" Sara said as she was stuffing the electronic equipment into her bag. "Here, I can't carry all this, you take some." Charlotte nodded taking the rest of the electronics. Sara reached in the dash and pulled out something. "Well, you know what I found back there?" She pulled it out showing Charlotte's Mullin's Base Military ID.

Charlotte looked at it. "My ID." She said simply. "Still think I'm the one who shot it down?" She asked almost bitterly.

"It's looking pretty good for you. There's your picture, there's your military cred. Guess you're just a raw recruit like the rest of us, huh?" Sara said as Charlotte gave her a look.

"If being a lieutenant is a raw recruit then yea." Charlotte said sarcasticly as she reached for the ID only for Sara to pull it back.

"Now, I hope you don't mind, Runner Five, but I guess I'll be handing this to the head of runners when we get in. Just because, you know, a bunch of us were wondering who you really were, and this... Well this is looking really great for you. Imagine what I would have to do out there If I'd found someone else's ID in that chopper?"

Charlotte glared at her and stood up zipping up her pack. "Stop speaking in riddles Sara. I don't appreciate it."

"Just imagine. Wouldn't have wanted old Sam to hear that. He's a good kid." Sara probed zipping her bag.

"Don't you dare-" Charlotte said just as static came over their head sets as Sam's voice appeared again.

"And... we're back!" Sam said excitedly.

"Yep. Got you all hooked up again back here. Even boosted your signal a bit." Janine said.

Sam chuckled softly. "Did I miss anything?"

Charlotte stared at Sara for a long moment. Sara had started out very suspious of her and even when she found proof, she still seemed hesitant. And to bring Sam in on this was bellow the belt.

"No Sam you didn't miss anything." Charlotte said tensely as Sara and her started to jog away from the chopper.

For a bit the two ran in silence before Sara pushed her mic up so Sam didn't hear. "You know, Five, I didn't know whether to trust you at first. i've been in that military base myself, you know. Never saw you there." She said simply. "But I guess people move around a lot. Yes I was there, well, it must have been nearly five months ago! Just after the outbreak hit." Sara said running along the road they took to get there. "They gave us all these shots, told us it might be a vaccine. Might be a punch in the eye, you know?" She chuckles softly.

Charlotte looked at her with a stone face. The military had taught her that no matter your personal feelings fellow soliders stuck by you. They trusted you until you gave them a reason not to trust you. She had done nothing to Sara to warrent the mistrust.

"A lot of people thought they had a vaccine back then. Remember how they said on the news? 'It's like small pox; it's like rabies! We'll have a vaccine in a few weeks.' Yes pie in the sky! But a bunch of us thought we could make it to family down south. We'll I guess you know how those journeys turn out. I was lucky to find Abel Township before I got bitten." Sara coughed hard again.

"Is this conversation going to continue on or do you have a point somewhere?" Charlotte asked.

Sara looked over at her. "I keep in contact with a bunch of those people back in the base, and I guess it's my job to say you and me - we've got to talk sometime, Five. About Project Greenshoot?" Charlotte looked at her in shock.

Sara was her contact about Project Greenshoot.

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Season 1 Beginning

#zombie #zombies run #zombiesrun #zombierunapp #run #runner 5 #runner five #runner5 #runnerfive #fanfiction #fanfic

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