Chapter Text
Somewhere in the south of Thailand, in the middle of the forest
Two weeks after the beginning of the zombies apocalypse
Way stands in front of the windows, a wall of glasses. He has the feeling of living in an ice castle. A fortress in the middle of the tropical lush forest. The rain is heavy, drops of water dance slowly on the windows, Way thinks it is beautiful. How could it be so beautiful when the world is on the edge of the end? Way trembles. He wants to laugh and cry at the same time. A scream explodes inside him.
“They will come Way, you said it before, you trust them.” Pete says,
Around them, violoncello music plays in the air. It’s Way favorite piece, Bach: Prélude, Cello suite Nr.1. Pete put it earlier, he knows Way relaxes when he listens to it. He knows his lover needs peace for his mind. It’s been two weeks now since the beginning of the zombie apocalypse. They are safe where they are. Pete built this place to be a fortress against this world of madness: as a businessman, the stress and anxiety almost made him insane. One day, he made the decision to create a place where he could go there alone, out of the world and self-sufficient for months if he wanted. But, he never thought it could have been for the zombie apocalypse, he would need it. The day before the end of the world, Pete took Way’s hand and they flew to this place; Pete just said “Let's get away from this world”. Way smiled and nodded. The private helicopter landed them, here, in this isolated place and disappeared in the sky. They were alone. They only wanted to be in peace and far away for a few days. It has been two weeks. They saw with horror what happened, they realized with anxiety they couldn't do anything, hidden in their fortress. But Way didn’t want to give up to his team, to his family. He sent the geographic coordinates to them. With all his trust, all his hope.
Now, Nina Simone sings with Emil Latimer Black Is The Color Of My True Love's Hair , and Way has pearls of tears in the corner of his eyes. He knows they will come, they will all come back to him. But he is afraid, he doesn’t want them to be in danger, to be hurt. He loves them all, has a family, has brothers, maybe some as lovers. Ways laughs, yes maybe he has a dirty mind, but his feelings are real. Emil Latimer sings, with his cracked voice, he sings about his lover, about never looking behinds, someone will always love you. Way breaks, his cries explode in the air, the strong man can no longer stand. He is so afraid, he hates to be the one safe and be so helpless. Then, he feels strong hands holding him from behind, kisses as butterflies on his skin neck. Voice murmuring: “they will come Way, trust them”. They will come , Way murmurs for himself…
Somewhere in the south of Thailand, on the board of the forest
They drive for so long, they are all exhausted. The rain is heavy, nobody talks in the car. Kenta’s injury looks bad, he has a bad one on the cheek. They did all they could to care and patch it right. But, he needed real medicine cares, something they couldnt offered because is the fucking apocalypse. They drove out of the cities for a week now. They traveled in the countryside for days, driving at night, staying safe in abandoned places during the day. They crossed zombies, but not so many since they were out of crowded places. One day, they were out of guard, they entered a market to take groceries and supplies. Babe sensed it too late: two zombies got out of the fridge when Kenta opened it and attacked him, Charlie who was beside just had the time to beat it with a hockey stick to save him. But Kenta fell hard, his face hitting an iron bar in his fall. The blood made the zombies crazy and all the team had to fight to take out of the place Kenta and Charlie alive. It had been a hard and painful reminder that they are not safe anywhere.
Babe feels bad for a few days, he has the sensation something very bad will arrive soon, again. He even observed Jeff more carefully, if he could see change or worries in his attitude. Maybe he saw something, maybe he knows what will happen and who is gonna be in danger? But, Jeff is a quiet young man, he said nothing and showed no clues. But Babe knows something bad will happen, soon. And it drives him crazy.
They drive in the daily light now, there is no need to drive only at night. They do not cross so many zombies since they are near the entry of the forest. The rain is heavy, Babe hates it because he can’t see the road clearly. Beside him, Alan has a serious face, he doesn’t like it either. Too many things could happen when you do not have the entire view. On the back seat Kenta and Sonic are quiet too. They all can feel the situation could take a bad turn at any moment.
***********
In the other car, following behind, Kim drives with all his attention on the road. He offered to drive because he used rain and bad roads. He prefers to be the one in control. They haven't had good sleep for some time now. They are all exhausted. Beside him, Jeff dozes, his head knocking the window from time to time. Kim doesn’t know how it happens exactly, but the young man becomes more and more of a close friend. Kim trusts him with his life and he knows Jeff feels the same for him. He looks at the mirror to see the passengers in the back seat. North and Charlie are all smiling while cuddling the puppy. Both men look like little kids when it is about this dog. And the dog does nothing to stop them: the big ball of furs is on the back, head on the side and tongue out of the mouth while Charlie and North pat it belly. Kim smiles, yes, even if it’s the end of the world, there is nothing as good a time with an adorable puppy.
They drive like this for an hour, deeply entering the tropical forest. The rain is no more intense now, they can see clearly the road and the surroundings. Car’s Babe is about to take a bridge that crosses a river, when Kim sees it: upstream there is a heavy pile of debris and tree trunks that come directly to the bridge. It’s too late to stop Babe, the car is already in the middle of the way. With a panicked voice Kim takes the CB and warns the other car: “Babe weighs on the gas now! You have to fucking get out of the bridge! Trunks will crush it!”
Everyone in the car watches with horror the pile of debris and trunks crash violently into the bridge structures. It’s Jeff’s scream that makes Kim realize he has to push the brake if he doesn’t want to crash the car and all his friends in the river. At the same moment the car stops suddenly making the tires scream, Kim, Jeff, North and Charlie watch with horror the bridge break down in pieces, while Babe’s car speeds up to reach the safe side.
************
Babe has no time to think, he understands by Kim's panicked voice he has to act fast, or die slowly. He pushes his right foot on the gas and the left one on the clutch while shifting gears. No one will die under his protection. Babe senses the tension inside the car, beside him, Alan’s silence is louder than scream. The car moves on the side, by the rear view mirror he can see the half of the bridges breaking and falling in the angry river, the part where they are will follow soon, too soon. Babe smirks, “No way I fucking die here!”. At the moment they hear an awful noise like thunder and they feel the ground under the car collapse, the car reaches the safe ground. The front tires grip the road as the back of the car is taken away by the rest of the broken bridge. In a scream, Babe pushes the gas aggressively and the car jumps on the safe road.
****************
In the other car, North and Charlie scream with horror starring powerless Babe’s car fighting to reach the other side. Even the puppy, sensing the gravity of the situation, howls desperately . Jeff has the sensation to be out of his body, he has the sensation to watch a horror movie, the one he loves and his family as principal actors. Beside him, Kim is livid.
When they reach the other side, they all scream in happiness. Kim repeats, “They are safe now. They are safe now.”
For a moment, nobody talks. They just breathe, they try to calm down their heartbeats that beat like insane drums. They are safe. But they are on the other side, and them, they are stuck on the wrong side. Between, there is a gulf with a powerful torrent of water where trees and rubbish violently carry all the anger of nature. Kim and the others get out of the car, stand on the edge and look at their lovers on the other side. “They are alive” murmurs Charlie with a smile, grabbing his brother’s hand, while Jeff trembles violently, struck by a vision, a very bad one.
************
“Everyone is alright?” Babe asks nervously, still gripping the steering wheel.
It’s Alan who reacts first, turning his head to look at Kenta and Sonic worries in his eyes. Both men nod, their breath loudly, but they are fine. They know they could all die a moment before. Then Babe looks at the mirror and realizes the situation: their lovers are stuck on the other side. There is no way to cross it safely now.
“Fuck” He says angrily between his teeth before grabbing the CB.
**********
“What are we gonna do?” North asks calmly, as he sensing the electricity in the air and not wanting to call the thunder.
“We have maps, there is another way. Since the beginning Jeff and I studied the area, there are many hiking trails. Upstream, there is a suspended hiking bridge. We took time to color all the different ways on the maps if maybe something happened.”
“And something happened.” North said worriedly as he looked across at his lover.
At that moment, the squeak of the CB makes them jump and Babe's voice is heard. Charlie is the one who jumps for grabbing the CB. “Babe! Are you alright?”
“Yes, Love, I am , we are all. You? Everyone?” Asks Babe with worries.
“We are, but we are stuck on the other side! Kim and Jeff have plans. Babe you have to trust us, to trust me. I’m gonna reach you, no matter what.” Charlie says his voice is serious but his eyes have pearls of tears.
“What’s the plan?” Babe asks.
“Hey Babe, it’s Kim. There are maps in the car. There are green lines about the main roads, and there are lines in blue about the alternative trails. We’re gonna take it on our side, to the south. About 10km from here, there is a suspension bridge, for the hikers, that crosses the river. Meet everyone there.” Kim says, looking for the others for the approbation. They all nod.
After a moment of silence, the CB squeaks, Babe’s voice is heard: “ Alright. Meet you all there, we'll continue with the car. Take all you can carry, but don't overload. Charlie? I love you, I wait for you.”
“Love you too Babe, love you so much! Trust me, I’ll make it for you!” Charlie says, trying hard to keep his smile to not break into tears.
“Kim? Please, come back to me my love. I need you.” Now Kenta's voice is heard, making everyone realize the febrility and the danger of the situation.
“I promise Kenta, and I will never leave you arms again.” Kim says on the edge of the murmurs. They all retrain their tears now.
“Come back to me Jeff.” Alan says, his voice cracked at the end.
“Always my love, always.” Jeff replies, his eyes closed.
“North! I fucking promise you if you play the heroes, I will find you and kill you another time to be certain you understand how idiot you are!” Sonic almost screams in the CB, making everyone laugh, because yes, the situation is also ridiculous. It’s the zombie apocalypse and they are separated by an insane river. No road anymore.
North replies with a smile: “I love you too Sonic. I promise to push Charlie in front of me if something bad happens.” North says before a slap hits him behind the head. “Hey!” Charlie protests with a laugh.
“Okay kids, be safe, we will reach you at the other side.” Alan declares, before the CB silences.
For a moment, nobody talks. They look at each other, they are all by themselves now. They have to stay alive. Charlie claps his hands, turns around and opens the trunk of the car. They have to go, or die.
***********
Alan, Babe, Kenta and Sonic stare at the other side of the chasm. They waited until their lovers were out of sight to move. They saw them take the supplies, grab all they could carry, wave at them one last time and one by one rush into the dense forest. When it’s obvious they will not come back, restraining a sigh, they leave. Babe looks at the mirror, the scene of destruction gradually moves away. He grits his teeth, he doesn't like the situation at all, he feels helpless. He hates it.
“They are strong, they are gonna be alright. We are gonna meet them soon. I know it” Alan's voice is strong, like the man. With this statement, he calms down the anxiety that dances heavily inside the car.
They all want to believe it.
*************
They walk for two hours now. The trail is not especially difficult, but the rain made a mess with the ground: it is slippery and wet because of the mud. North and Charlie fell earlier and their clothes are now wet and cold. But, they don't have the time to stop and change, they have to continue before the sun goes down.
They walk in silence, Kim in first line with the map, followed by Charlie with a very happy puppy running with a leash in front of him, followed by Jeff and North at the end. They didn't see any zombies, but they heard some. They have the feeling they are there somewhere with us, but maybe not near enough to attack them. “Maybe they are just idiots.” North had suggested, making them giggle for a short moment. Maybe, they thought, but it has been enough to light up their journey.
At one moment, Kim stops abruptly, and points at one of the trees nearby.A zombie stands straight in front of a tree, its head resting on the trunk. The zombie turns his back on them. He doesn’t do anything but growls. Kim puts his finger on his lips, silencing the others. They all nod, Charlie taking his puppy in his arms. With precaution, they all walk away the more silently and fastly they can. If there is one here, there are more somewhere. They will not wait to know it.
After another long and hard twenty minutes to walk on the muddy trail, they finally arrive at the suspended bridge. But this is not what they have expected. The bridge looks old, broken and is made of wooden planks and ropes. They stare in silence for a moment. Jeff doesn’t like it, it’s what he saw in his vision: this bridge and Charlie painfully screaming his name. He saw himself safely at the other side and Charlie falling in the darkness screaming his name. But Jeff will not let his vision happen. Charlie will go first. If someone has to fall, it’s gonna be him.
“Well, if this is our only way to cross, let’s have some fun guys! But don’t let Sonic know I go first, he will kill me. I'm not joking, please, don't." North says it with a smirk, but nobody is a fool. He is afraid. They are all.
They nod, stare seriously in his eyes and grab him by the arm telling him to take care and let him go first. Far away, they hear the thunder. A storm is approaching. This is not good.
North puts his first step on the bridge, they all restrain their breath. He firmly grabs the ropes and moves forward slowly. The bridge looks solid enough. After a moment, he is in the middle of the way. The thunder explodes nearby now, the storm comes to them. They have to move faster if they want to cross before the heavy rain.
“You go Charlie. I’ll be just behind you.” Jeff says without staring at his brother’s eyes, pushing him to the entrance of the bridge.
But Charlie stops him: “Jeff, what are you hiding from me?” Charlie asks with worries. He knows too well his little brother to be fooling by him. He knows something is wrong.
Before he could react, Jeff had already put the puppy in a backpack on Charlie’s back and pushed both his brother and the puppy on the bridge. Charlie doesn't have the choice but to go.
Charlie goes with determination. It’s something Jeff always admired about his brother, he is a strong and happy person. Maybe the only one Jeff knows who can handle things with such a powerful optimistic way. After a few steps, he is already in the middle of the bridge, while North is now on the other side, safe. Jeff smiles, maybe all is gonna be alright after all. Not all of his visions come true.
The sky is dark now, the rain drops heavily on them. Charlie crossed the bridge, he is safe now. It’s Kim's turn now. Jeff wants to be the last one, he wants to be certain his vision was false this time. At the moment he turns to his friend to lead him the way, the thunder explodes above them, making both of them jump. It’s at this moment Jeff realizes something is wrong with Kim. He is livid, his eyes are unfocused, he breath is harsh.
“Kim, what’s wrong?” Jeff asks with worries, he never sees him this way.
In front of him, Kim closes his eyes firmly, he clenches his fists. Jeff sees that he is trying to regain control of himself. Then, Kim opens his eyes and looks at Jeff with a serious face: “I'm afraid of heights. I… I will not make it this time. I’m sorry… Just tell Kenta I…” But Kim doesn’t have time to finish his sentence, Jeff angrly cuts him. “Oh no, you are fucking tell yourself what you want to tell to Kenta because you and I will cross this bridge together. Right now.”
And before Kim could react, Jeff pushes him on the first step on the bridge. They take a few steps on the bridge.
At one moment, Kim trembles. His breath is short, he knows he must move forward, but he has the feeling his feet are so heavy. He is terrified he will slip and fall in the darkness above. Kim is a strong man, but right now he hesitates, he doubts himself. His vision is fuzzy, he has the feeling of falling, he can’t control a ball of panic that explodes inside him. I’m gonna die here… I'm an idiot… As he stops in his walk, he murmurs “Kenta I’m so sorry…” He has the sensation that it's the end. Althought, in an instant, Jeff is aside, his warm breath caressing his neck’s skin. Two strong and warm arms enclose him, suddenly he has the sensation to fly, to be safe. “I am here. You are not alone. We are gonna do it together. Trust me.” Jeff says at Kim’s ear, letting time for his friend to recover from his panic attack. Time passes, they stand there, without a word, waiting for Kim to be ready.
“Okay. Let’s do it Jeff.” Kim says after a moment.
Without realizing, Kim, closely followed by Jeff, steps almost on the middle of the bridge. Jeff continues to push him, not giving him time to think about the situation. On the other side, North and Charlie cheer for them. Step by step, they walk through the wooden planks. They are going in a good rhythm, they are in the middle of the bridge now, they make it, they are gonna be alright. Jeff smiles, yes, they are all good. Then, lightning tears through the sky above them and a few seconds later, Jeff hears Charlie's screams. A cry of terror like he's never heard before. His brother and North scream pointing to something behind them. Another lightning breaks the dark sky and Jeff sees it: on the beginning of the bridge there are zombies, a mass of zombies. Some are already stepping on the wooden planks. The rope bridge begins to sway dangerously under their weight. They have to hurry. Now.
Jeff pushes his friend with force in front of him, they don't have time, they have to cross it, fast as possible. But the weight of the dozen zombies and the fall of some of them cause the bridge to lean dangerously to the side, towards the abyss.
“Jeff, we're not gonna have enough time.” Kim seems lucid now, the adrenaline of the danger clears his mind.
Jeff nods, he turns his head to see the situation. Even if they walk fastly, the zombies will reach them or will make them fall. So, Jeff has an idea. A stupid one, but still one. He opens his backpack and grabs a hatchet. At the same time, he circles his feet around the ropes of the bridge and his left hand passes over another,holding on as best he can, leaving his other hand free with the hatchet. Kim stares at him, in horror he understands what Jeff is willing to do. Even if he says no with his head, Kim knows they don't have another choice.
“Kim, listen to me, trust me, okay? We fight or we die!” Jeff almost screams the last part. The rain is intense now, the thunder and the lightning are furious in the sky.
Mumbling, between his teeth “It’s always the quiet one who is the most insane”, Kim holds on as best he can with the ropes. The fall will be painful and violent. He knows it.
They look into each other's eyes, behind them zombies dangerously nearby growl. Kim nods to Jeff, on Jeff’s lips a sweet smile dance, despite the situation, he is serene. I’m sorry Charlie, I love you Alan. He closes his eyes and with a powerful move cuts the rope. In front of them Charlie, North and the puppy scream in terror. Once the first rope is cut, all goes mad. The bridge lost its balance tilting the structure on its side. The half of the zombie plunges into the darkness below. But some are hanging on, and are on the verge of catching Jeff's foot. In a scream Jeff moves with anger to cut the others ropes. Before the fall, Kim has managed to grip him with his legs and one arm around his torso, grabbing furiously with his other hand the rope. He shouts: “You fall I fall!” With these words, the last rope is cut. The half of the bridge, where the boys are, falls in the dark while the other part where zombies are does the same on the other side. For a moment, Kim and Jeff have the sensation to fly. Then the pain is so vivid, the impact against the stone wall is so violent, their breath is taken away and they lose consciousness. Above them, the cries and screams of their friends tear through the electrified air of the storm. But they don't hear, they are suspended in the void, unconscious. Kim and Jeff are suspended in the air, only the ropes of the broken bridge hold them to the falling death.
To be continued