| In Which Everything Goes Wonderfully Wrong

Rory stared at the lump in the ground with a blank expression, his hood pulled over his head to hide his tear stained face and puffy eyes. They hadn't dug the hole deep enough. He couldn't even do this right. He was never good enough for Alaina.

"Rory."

A gentle hand rested on his shoulder but he didn't waste the energy to turn and look. It didn't matter. Nothing mattered.

"Alaina was the light of this house."

Jude's quiet voice spoke and Rory's jaw clenched at the tears threatening to leave his eyes again.

"She was smart, probably smarter than the majority of us. I couldn't count all the fights that were stopped because she walked in the room. How many times she calmed Ezra down from a panic attack. How many times Dax gave up on his ridiculous plans because it would put her in danger. All the times she held Kyle's hand when she worried about her brother. All the times she made me feel like I was needed. We thought we were taking care of her, but... I think it was the other way around."

Rory sniffled, refusing to look back at Jude, whose hand only tightened its grip in attempt at reassurance.

"And I killed her."

Rory stated in a stern tone, shaking the hand from his shoulder and wiping a stray tear from his eye. Jude sighed quietly, sitting down next to the grieving man.

"You didn't kill her Rory. You did what you thought-"

"I killed her, Jude!"

Rory cut him off with a hurt yell, causing the smaller boy to jump. His wide, wet, intense stare finally met surprised baby blues.

"And Ezra's right, the others are probably dead too."

"Ezra's drunk, he didn't mean that. He knows Kyle can handle herself."

"Please," Rory scoffed.

"They left at 7 in the morning. It's past 10, the sun went down hours ago. If they do come back it'll be with a bite mark."

As if on que the sound of a door slamming shut followed by yelling and screaming echoed inside the house. Rory and Jude shared a worried glance before quickly getting to their feet.

"Told you."

Rory sighed as he opened the door, Jude spared him a glance before walking inside.

"It hurts! Oh god!" Dax moaned and groaned loudly from where he was draped over Kyle's shoulder.

"Where have you been?" Ezra's angry shouts filled the room. Kyle dropped Dax on the couch, a loud pained groan coming from the large man.

"The suns been down for hours, I thought you were fucking dead!"

"Shut up, Ezra," Kyle panted, sweat dripped down her forehead as she glared at him.

"I'm sorry, but we really don't have time for this right now-"

"God damnit, it hurts!"

"What happened?"

Jude asked in a worried tone, running up to examine Dax for wounds. His eyes widened when he got to Dax's hand, a deep bite mark on the skin between his pointer finger and thumb

"He's bit."

"It hurts! Oh fuck! I'm gonna die!"

"You're not going to die! Stop being such a pussy!"

Ezra yelled in Dax's direction before turning back to the red head in front of him.

"Go get the bottle of Vodka from our room, it's in the black bag at the top of the closet. I'll heat up a knife."

Kyle's brows knitted, although she nodded her head before they separated in search for the supplies.

"Rory..."

Dax called out to the slim man sitting on the armrest of the couch. His voice exaggeratedly pained.

"Rory, come close."

Rory rolled his eyes as Dax grabbed the sleeve of his hoodie, pulling him close.

"What do you want?"

"If I die... you're still..." he breathed in heavily, "...the weakest one here."

Rory patted his shoulder as he pushed him away.

"In your last moments you still disappoint me bastard."

He got up from the edge of the couch, moving to the other side of the room.

Kyle quickly ran back into the living room, grabbing Dax's hand and without warning pouring alcohol over the bite mark. The pained yell that came from Dax's lips was much more real this time, his eyes squeezing shut at the stinging feeling. Soon Ezra was also rounding the corner, a blazing red knife in his hand.

"Get him something to bite down on,"

Ezra yelled over his shoulder as he sat down on the coffee table in front of Dax. Jude quickly obliged, disappearing down the hall and reappearing with a T-shirt in his hand.

"What're you gonna-"

Ezra shoved the shirt into Dax's mouth,

"I'm going to cut you're hand off before it moves up your blood stream. I heated up the knife up so it'll cauterize the wound as I cut. Hold his arm still."

Kyle and Jude grabbed his arm and Ezra lifted the knife. Dax tried to pull away, spitting the cloth from his mouth.

"StopStopStop! Wait!"

Ezra paused with an annoyed sigh.

"Dax!"

"I know, I'm sorry! I just wasn't prepared."

"Okay, well now you are."

He lifted the knife, holding Dax's hand still on the table.

"Wait! Wait! Wait! Wait! Wait!"

"What?!"

"Rory, pass me the Vodka."

Without question Rory handed Dax the bottle. He tipped it back, gulping down a good bit before pulling away with a sour expression and wiping his mouth.

"Okay."

He let out a deep breath, holding the liquor tight in his opposite hand.

"I'm ready."

Rory gently put the shirt back between his teeth and Dax nodded at Ezra to continue.

The knife came down with as much force as Ezra could conjure, a hissing sound came from his flesh as he cut the small limb off. A muffled scream filled the room as Dax began to struggle.

"Rory, get something to wrap his hand with."

Kyle's voice echoed somewhere in the background but Ezra couldn't hear anything over the sound of screaming and the smell of burning flesh.

I guess 'one quick swoop' was out of the question because he was attempting to saw through the bone now. His stomach turned, the gruesome sight making him feel sick. You'd think for such a small bone it'd be easier to break. Blood spewed from the wound, his last white t-shirt now stained with Dax's blood. He couldn't stop. He had to make sure Dax didn't turn. They couldn't afford to loose another, not again. No matter how annoying that another is. Blood squirted up at Ezra's face as he finished off the hand. He quickly grabbed the vodka and poured it over the wound before falling from the table, bile making its way up his throat and to the bloody carpeted floor. He wiped at his face, blood and puke smeared on his hands.

"Ezra."

He could barely hear the voice calling him over the pounding in his head. He tried to breath in, tried to take a deep breath and just stop freaking out but he couldn't. His lungs betrayed him as if he were drowning underwater.

"Ezra."

Dirty blonde hair and light sunspots filled his vision as Rory stepped in front of him, a hand landing gently on his shoulder. Tension grew inside the anxious  man, taking over his face and each of his limbs.

"You did it. It's over, just breath."

He tried to calm down, tried to breath like a normal fucking person but he couldn't.

His heart hammered in his chest so loud he swore the others could hear it. He heaved in, trying again to take in a breath.

"Ezra..."

Kyle's soft features came into view, a gentle hand wiping the blood from his face with a cloth.

"Take your time. In and out. It's okay,"

A warm hand engulfed his and the ginger began to gently stroke his hand with the cloth, wiping away the gross fluids that stained them.

"Take care of Dax..."

Kyle was talking to someone behind him but her eyes stayed on Ezra's dirty hands. Everything felt so intense but she felt like a life boat saving him from the harsh waves. Her kind, freckled face was soft despite the worry behind her bright green eyes. He focused on counting each of her freckles until his heaving calmed down, small amounts of oxygen finally relieving his lungs. His shaky hands stopped Kyle's movement, intertwining their fingers tightly. Kyle turned to look at him, green eyes finally meeting blue.

"I thought you were dead..."

A worried expression crossed Kyle's face before she lifted a hand to caress Ezra's bloody cheek.

"I will always make it back to you."

                                 ***

After checking for infection, skinning, and cutting them up Ezra waited for the two squirrels to cook on the stove. Only half an hour of waiting and the candles under the stove top were finally heating the thinly sliced meat.

"It's pointless to be mad at her."

Rory chuckled from where he sat on the counter. Ezra ignored him, pushing the squirrel meat around lazily.

"Dax's good at sweet talking, it's not Kyle's fault she's manipulated so easily."

Ezra sighed,

"I just thought she was smarter than that."

"Than Dax?"

Rory scoffed,

"I think just about anybody's smarter than him."

Ezra turned away from the stove, rubbing his face in frustration.

"I want to be mad at them. At both of them, mainly Dax of course, but I can't be."

His hands gripped the counter behind him as he spoke. He was confused and mad and relieved and tired all at once.

"Kyle said they were just messing around, that they just wanted to pretend the world isn't as shitty as it is for a couple of minutes. It is though. It's shitty and dangerous and one slip up can cause the most catastrophic damage."

"Trust me, I know."

"Sorry..."

He turned back to the stove, the meat slowly browning in the pan.

"What I want to know is how Dax got his damn hand bitten," Rory huffed.

"We didn't get that far."

"Yeah, 'cause you blew up on her before she could finish."

"I was worried, okay? Hop off my dick."

Rory chuckled. Ezra flipped the pieces of meat over, the smell causing his stomach to growl.

"Go get the others, dinners almost ready."

Rory nodded before jumping down from the counter and heading down the hallway, knocking on each door as he did.

Kyle stared down at Dax's limp figure, his mahogany skin was unusually pale. The shirt wrapped around his wrist drenched with blood.

After hiding under that damn car until the sun went down the hoard of zombies gave up. When it looked safe they made a run for it. Not even thirty minutes after fleeing from their hiding spot one of the walking dead had snuck up on them. The low growl caused Kyle to turn her head, a surprised scream escaping her lips as she came face to face with death. Her life flashed before her eyes. Ollie, Ezra, her parents, Dax, Rory, Jude and her other friends. Memories reminding her of the good days flashed through her mind like a picture book. Without thinking Dax had grabbed the zombies face, inches from Kyle's neck, pushed it to the ground and shot it in the face. Dax had saved her without any thought for his own safety. She never would've taken him as the type to put his life on the line for others.

There was a knock on the door and she turned to see Rory leaning against the open frame.

"Ezra cooked dinner."

"Okay." Kyle nodded, turning back to Dax's pale figure. Rory took a step closer,

"How's our favorite jack ass doing?"

Kyle sighed, her brows knitted.

"He lost a lot of blood but..."

She shrugged.

"He won't turn."

Rory's hand landed on the back of Kyle's chair, glancing over Dax's limp body with a disappointed expression.

"Sucks it was his trigger hand. He was a good shot-"

"He'll learn how to shoot again."

Kyle stated in a harsh, stern tone, cutting the dirty blonde off defensively. Rory raised his hands in defense, a startled expression on his face, blindsided by the sudden outburst.

"Woah."

"Shut up Rory."

Without another word Kyle shot up from her seat and stepped past Rory with a bump of his shoulder. Rory watched Kyle with raised eyebrows and wide eyes.

He looked back to Dax as he lowered his hands.

"Was it something I said?"

When Dax's limp figure made no effort of communicating Rory stepped towards him, leaning against the chair in the middle of the room lazily.

"You know dickhead, I think I like you better like this."

He sighed, looking the man up and down.

"It took losing a hand to finally shut you up, huh?"

He looked back at the door once more, checking to make sure no one was around before plopping down in the chair.

"I usually talk to Jude about my problems but... I don't know what to do. "

He huffed with a shake of his head. This was ridiculous. He was practically talking to himself, and even if he wasn't, Dax was the last person he'd ever share his secrets with.

"But I can't this time because it's him I'm worried about."

It was silent for a second, Rory debating if he could even say the words out loud.

And then,

"Jude told me he's in love with me."

He rubbed his face in frustration at his own words. It felt surreal to say it out loud.

"He thinks it's why I left. I mean, that was  part of it but... I don't know.

Everything was so suffocating.

Ezra is so overbearing, acting like a fucking dictator all the time when everyone knows he's scared of his own shadow. Kyle babies him like he's a child. The only reason she's even with him is to replace the need she has to find her brother.

...And you."

He growled.

"You fat fucking oaf. You were the worst of all of them."

Jude was the only person he could confide in and when he threw that fat fucking curveball at Rory it changed everything. He felt so pressured to make some kind of decision, he felt so confused and alone. He wasn't alone though, he had Alaina. It's too fucking bad he didn't appreciate that until it was too late.

"I couldn't even take the pressures of the real world when it was thriving. I was just some drug addict high schooler with shit for brains parents. Turns out you can't change no matter how hard you try."

He cleared his throat and stood up deciding he had spent enough time talking about his sob story.

"You know, I think this is the most words I've been able to get in with you around."

                                 ***

Kyle watched Ezra from their bed, the pillow soft under her tired head. The dark haired man took a swig from his bottle of vodka before putting it back down and continuing to load and clean their weapons. Over half the bottle was used on Dax's wound, the other half quickly downed by the man it belonged to. Kyle thought back to the black bag at the top of their closet. When she found it earlier it was under a ratty blanket, obviously hidden in plain sight. When Kyle unzipped it she was surprised to see at least 5 bottles of alcohol inside, some half drank and other not yet opened.

"Why are you staring at me, weirdo?"

Ezra didn't even have to turn around, he could feel Kyle's eyes boring into the back of his skull. He quickly finished loading the gun in his hand, closing the action and setting it down in the pile to the left of him.

"I'm just thinking..."

The tall man stood up, taking his bottle with him as he stumbled closer to the bed.

"'Bout what?"

He plopped down on the bed next to Kyle, beginning to play with her short curls. His expression was soft as he stared down at his girlfriend, a small goofy smile on his lips.

"I'm worried."

Ezra role his eyes.

"Dax'll be fine."

He pulled the bottle up to his face, examining the one or two sips left at the bottom.

"It'll take more than a bite to kill that fat, chaotic bastard."

Kyle's brows knitted.

"I'm worried about you."

Ezra's face contorted before he threw back the last of the bottle with one quick gulp.

"You don't need to worry about me."

He wiped his mouth on the back of his sleeve.

"It's the others you should be worried about. Dax's injured, Rory's sister died, we all have problems. Mine are the least concerning."

Kyle's hand gently grabbed Ezra's long face, forcing their eyes to meet. The bored look on his face changed when he saw how serious Kyle's expression was.

"Just because the others have problems doesn't mean yours aren't valid. You matter more to me than anyone."

Ezra bit his bottom lip, he couldn't tell if his cheeks were warm because of the sappy stuff Kyle had just spewed or the alcohol flowing through his veins.

"I need you."

Ezra glanced from Kyle's bright green eyes to her chapped lips. The red head snaked an arm around Ezra's waist, pushing his dark hair away from his face with the other hand.

"I will do anything to keep you safe."

Ezra wrapped his arms securely around Kyle before their lips met. He couldn't help the smile that pulled on his lips as he kissed her, his hand roaming under Kyle's shirt.

"I love you."

Kyle stated confidently as Ezra moved down to her neck, sucking and kissing every piece of skin he could reach.

"I love you-"

The sound of shattering glass and a piercing scream interrupted the young adults, both of them quickly pulling away.

"That sounded like Jude."

Without another word Ezra was off the bed and grabbing a gun, heading down the hall at a fast pace. Chaos came from the door at the end of the hall attracting everyone in the houses attention. Ezra slammed the door to Jude's room open, his eyes widening. The window had been shattered to pieces, a zombie bigger than any Z he'd seen before slammed its fists angrily against the closet door in attempt to get Jude out.

"What the fuck?"

Ezra had never seen a Zombie like this one before. Although it looked rotted and greying like all the others it was too big and too strong to be a regular Z. It turned to the drunken man with pitch black eyes and it's jaw unhedged as an inhuman screech loud enough to bust an eardrum came from its mouth.

Ezra quickly aimed his gun, shooting it right between the eyes. It fell to the ground with a heavy thud, the house suddenly becoming silent.

"What the fuck is that?"

Rory's voice came from the door way and Ezra turned to see him and Kyle staring at the unusually giant Z laying dead on the ground. Jude peaked from the closet,

"Is it dead?"

"Yeah..." Ezra kicked its limp leg.

"It's dead."

Another loud, ear piercing screech came from somewhere outside, the sound echoing though the sky. They were calling for back up. Whatever these new Zs were, they were smart.

"We have to leave."

Jude turned from his broken window to the others in the room with wide eyes.

"More are coming."

Ezra nodded. He was right. They couldn't stay here any longer. The house they called home for the past few years was no longer safe. The electric fence wasn't high enough to keep these monsters away.

"I'll get Dax."