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They've been running for what feels like hours, their lungs are burning and their legs are aching, but the aggressive croaks and screeches behind them is what keeps them from stopping for rest. Two pairs of heavy boots thudding against the broken floor barely heard over the amount of creatures following closely behind them, a crowd too large to count. Mike gasps for breath as he keeps his head forward, eyes trained on the exit of the abandoned building he was scouting with Will before they ran into a large group of the undead, all walking and limping aimlessly around in an emptied shop. A shocked gasp had given them away. The creature's poor senses didn't hold them back from snapping their heads towards the sound, croaks escaping their wretched throats as their rotting limbs carried them to the two terrified boys at a seemingly impossible speed.
The two boys have their hands clasped tightly together as they run, not wanting to risk one of them falling behind into the flurry of things. They're close to the exit, legs seeming to pound against the floor harder as they reach closer to their goal. Will can feel his heart thumping heavily in his chest as he spares a glance behind them, whimpers choking him when he sees how close the creatures have gotten, nearly an arms length away. He turns his head quickly, panting and trying to focus on their exit, less than a thirty meters away.
"Come on! We're almost there, Will, just a little more!" Mike cries out in desperation, tugging on Will's hand as they approach the doors just meters away now. Most of them have been boarded up and chained together except for one, which they had used before to enter into the building just thirty minutes prior. Only the top half of the glass door had been broken when they arrived, a thick divide of metal going across the center kept the bottom part intact and forcing them to jump through. Will glances back once more, determining how much time they had to get through before the creatures reached them. He turns around quickly, words spilling from his lips before he fully processes what he's saying.
"Mike, you have to go ahead of me!" He exclaims, pulling his hand free but staying close. Mike looks bewildered at that, a question already forming before Will speaks up again, "We can't fit through at the same time! You have to jump first!" Will brings his arm out to push Mike further ahead of him, giving them some distance to jump one after the other. Mike looks like he wants to say otherwise, but they don't have enough time to argue with the way the creatures are catching up. He just nods and they rush towards the door with determination.
Mike reaches the door and, with the momentum he built up from running, jumps up and over the metal divider before tucking his arms to protect his face as he crashes to the ground and rolls. He barely gives himself time to stop before he's scrambling to get up and watch impatiently through the door as Will comes up. The creatures are right behind him, arms stretched out and Mike holds back a startled cry as one of them manage to grasp onto the waist of Will's jacket and try to tug him back. Feeling helpless from the other side, Mike can only watch as Will yelps and flails his arms, quickly ripping his jacket off and stumbling over his feet for a moment before he reaches the door and jumps. He grunts as he hits the floor, not as prepared as Mike was as he hits his shoulder on loose rubble. He struggles to get up for a moment, but manages with Mike's help.
They're both panting heavily, breaths hitching as they struggle with fill their lungs properly. They give themselves a moment to check their surroundings, making sure there's no other creatures that turned up during their time inside. The creatures that had been chasing them screech and groan as their bodies hit the doors, mind's and bodies too damaged and sick to make it over the divider. The doors shake dangerously, like they are threatening to break against the weight of all the bodies. The two boys don't take the chance to calm down or wait to see what happens, they both turn with their hands clasped and run towards the direction of their bunker, just ten minutes away and with the few supplies they managed to scavenge.
Their adrenaline is pumping as they reach their bunker, abandoned by a family that had taken them in and had been a little too on the mark about this whole outbreak. Unfortunately for that family, they didn't last long before each member was taken out one by one, some by infection, others by suicide. The fear that filled Mike and Will's bodies once they realized they were left alone was something that neither of them wanted to experience again, but that was impossible at this point in time. The only thing they tried to focus on was the fact that they at least had somewhere that was safe for them to stay, secure and away from the creatures. They still had each other and that was enough for them.
⨉ ⨉ ⨉
Now in the safety of the bunker, Mike collapses to the floor and leans against the wall, trying to calm his rapidly beating heart and soothe the sharp pain in his lungs. Will stays standing, body stiff as he stands near the wall adjacent to Mike. He's panting with a hand on his chest , eyes slightly unfocused as he stares ahead. His bare arms are smeared in dirt and minor scratches from the fall, dark t-shirt covered with the dust of concrete and sticking to his body with sweat. Mike looks over once his breathing has regulated more, struggling to stand for a moment before he makes his way over to Will. He ignores the burning in his thighs and calves, too concerned over the look of fear that is crossed over Will's face. Mike gulps thickly, a hand gently coming up to rest on Will's shoulder. "Will.. what's wrong? Are you okay?" He can't help the way his voice quivers through the question. Will flinches slightly at the sound of Mike's voice, or maybe the hand that touched him, his head shakes side to side seemingly without the owner realizing it. "I-I'm fine.. I think. Maybe I'm just still freaked from getting grabbed." Will's voice is rough and uncertain, like he doesn't believe himself. Mike frowns at that and once again looks at Will's face, taking note of the distant look in his eyes. He then gives Will's body a thorough once over, eyes flickering over every part he can see. He focuses his eyes on Will's waist, covered with his t-shirt that sticks to his skin with swe-... not sweat.
Mike can't help the small cry that escapes his lips at the sight of Will's waist, his t-shirt that was seemingly stuck to his skin with sweat, was now carrying multiple tears across each side and accompanied by dark liquid soaking the tattered fabric. Will barely registers the sound, too focused on the sudden ringing in his ears. He winces and brings a hand up to hold his side, "My sides are sore, I-I need to rest, I think." He stumbles over to the couch across the room, nearly tripping over the rug on his way. Mike scrambles after him, still holding onto Will's shoulder.
"N-no, Will, you're hurt! I need to check it a-and clean you up!" Mike can't help the feeling of his stomach dropping, the thought of Will being injured sends fear shooting through his whole body. He rushes through the back end of the bunker to grab their limited medical supplies before running back to Will, who has laid himself on the couch haphazardly. He's still panting and his eyes are staring up at the ceiling, pupils slightly dilated and skin shiny and pale. "Will, can you hear me?" Mike speaks softly but urgently, hovering over the couch and leaning down to press a hand to Will's forehead. His skin feels clammy and cold, and Mike does not like that feeling. He bites his lip to try and stop the tears from clouding his vision, he has to keep his focus on helping Will.
Will nods his head slowly, and his voice is soft as he answers, "Yeah, I-I just need to rest." Mike's hands tremble as he reaches the hem of Will's t-shirt, "I n-need to take your shirt off to get to the injury, Will." He tries to ignore the blood that is gathered on Will's palm as he drops his hand from his side to allow Mike access to his shirt. "Injury..?" Will speaks, confusion clear in his voice.
Mike grabs scissors from the medical kit, deciding to cut the shirt away to avoid moving Will's body too much as he's not fully aware of how bad the injuries are. He barely processes what Will said as he stares at the four large, jagged tears across each side of Will's waist, bleeding steadily and slowly starting to soak the couch beneath him. He whimpers at the sight and clenches his fists before reaching for large gauze pads to press to each side of Will's waist. Will manages to look down at what Mike is doing and jolts when he sees his sides, a pained gasp falling from his lips as his mind starts to register the pain. "Y-you got grabbed, Will. Th-that creature got you when it grabbed y-your jacket." Mike shakes, eyes trained on the gauze that slowly becomes saturated in dark blood. Will whimpers when the pads are pulled away, clenching his eyes shut tightly. "F-fuck-!" Will trembles when Mike presses fresh ones down firmly.
"I-it'll be okay, Will, I got you. It'll be o-okay." Mike tries to affirm, the shaking in his voice giving away his uncertainty but he keeps a firm pressure on the wounds. They're quiet for the next few minutes as Mike focuses on stopping the bleeding as best as he can, the only other sounds being Will's whimpers and hitched breaths. The bleeding seems to have stopped after those minutes pass, but Mike holds his breath as he continues on to the next step of treating the wounds.
Dropping the dirtied gauze, Mike reaches for the medical kit again and pulls out a saline and large syringe, hands trembling as he fills the syringe and brings it towards one side of wounds before squeezing the end and carefully but steadily shooting the solution across the tears. Will tenses at the cold feeling but clenches his teeth through the cleaning process. Mike isn't very skilled with treating wounds, but he's hoping that what he's learned from others in passing is enough.
Once he's cleaned the wounds, he grabs a few small tissues and carefully starts dabbing around the tears to dry it, wincing at Will's shallow, quick breathing and the way his stomach is rising and falling with the motions. "I'm sorry, I'm trying to be careful." Mike doesn't expect an answer from Will, just continues drying the wounds and then moves to grab a disinfectant, applying it to a small tissue and then dabbing it on the injuries before he's on the move for more pads and some wrappings, silently cursing because he knows that these wounds need stitches, but their lack of supplies don't give them the choice to do that, so he's holding onto hope that just wrapping will suffice. He turns back over towards Will, items in hand. "O-okay, I know you probably don't want to, but I-I'm gonna need you to sit up for me so I can wrap you up. I'll try to be quick." Will's face twists as he's guided to sit up with the help of Mike, hands clenching tightly onto the couch cushions as he holds himself up in an upright position. Mike gives a quick squeeze to Will's hand before grabbing the large gauze pads and lays them across the wounds on each side as gently as possible, apologies falling from his lips at every noise Will makes. He tapes the pads down before reaching for the roll of wrap, fabric stretching as he pulls it around Will's waist tightly before pinning it in place.
Will sighs deeply and moves to lay back down on the couch, but is stopped by Mike's hand. He groans and manages to catch Mike's eye for a moment, eyes still hazy and unfocused. Mike gestures to their beds in a back corner, "I think it'd be better for you to lay on the bed, it's c-cleaner and more comfortable. I can help you and then I'll bring some water and pain meds." Will sighs and struggles to stand up, but he eventually gets up with the help of Mike's grip on his arms and they make their way to the bed where Will slowly lays down and hides the whimper of pain with his forearm thrown across his mouth. Mike frowns and rushes to get the meds and water from their small pile of resources. He gives them to Will and then lays a blanket over his body, incasing Will in warmth and some sort of comfort.
Sitting at the edge of the bed, Mike traces his eyes over Will's face and reaches out for his hand to squeeze it. "I'm s-so sorry." He speaks quietly, sadly. Tears gather along his lash line and threaten to fall, "I'm sorry I c-couldn't protect you, I promised you that I-I'd always protect you. I failed you, Will, I-I'm so sorry." Mike cries and drops his head onto Will's hand that's held in his grasp. Will squeezes Mike's hand as tightly as he could, "You shouldn't apologize, Mike, you did protect me. See? I'm r-right here, you cleaned my wounds and we're both safe. Look at me, Mike." Will demands quietly, waiting until Mike raises his head and meets his teary eyes. "You did protect me, okay? Thank you." Mike's lip trembles as he gives a small nod, "O-okay."
Will smiles slightly, more of a grimace but it was something, and gently motions for Mike to lay next to him. "Come here, you need to rest too. We'll figure something out later once we've gotten more rest." Mike just shuffles carefully over Will's legs and lays himself next to the wounded boy, careful to not aggravate the injuries with his movements as he settles down with his head pressed gently against Will's shoulder, hand holding onto Will's bicep. Will has his eyes closed, breathing still not fully back to normal, but much better than it was. Mike takes a deep breath and spares one more glance at the bandaged waist before he's closing his eyes as well in an attempt for sleep and tries not think back to the amount of blood he saw on the couch after Will got up. He falls asleep restlessly with his heart pounding in his chest.
⨉ ⨉ ⨉
Sleep was never something that lasted long these days, but there are some days where you can rest easy all you need and not have to worry about your next supply mission or how to ration your food. Tonight, it seems like it's one of those nights. Mike wakes up in the same position he fell asleep in and, checking the battery powered clock, he finds that they'd been sleeping for well over seven hours. It's passed midnight, the bunker seems extra quiet and Mike isn't sure whether to be glad or nervous about that fact. The room is dimly lit up with small lamps scattered around, giving just enough light to see without it being too much. Once Mike is more coherent, he immediately turns his attention to the body he was resting on, heart in his throat as he watches Will's chest with bated breath. He counts, one.. two.. three... and then Will's chest slowly rises before falling down just as gently, allowing Mike to let out the breath he was holding as his stomach flips. Will is okay.
Mike swallows and tries as carefully as possible to leave the bed without jostling the other boy around. He manages to get out, and then heads to their supplies to count what they've got left so he can come up with a plan for how he'll get more resources while Will is in his current condition. They've got enough for at least 2 more weeks if they ration everything well enough. Mike isn't planning on going anywhere until his love is healed, not even thinking about leaving Will alone. He glances over to a small shelf, raking his eyes over the emergency weapons they have. It's not much, just a revolver and a couple batons, and they don't bring the revolver anywhere due to the sound and lack of ammunition, the 6 bullets already loaded inside being all they have. Mike sighs and turns towards the couch, stomach rolling at the mess of blood on the couch, just knowing that it's Will's blood makes him want to throw up. He tries to clean it up a bit, just in case Will sees it as he doesn't want the boy to see how much blood he'd lost. Mike is so scared for Will. He closes his eyes tightly and throws away the bloodied rags and gauze before walking to a little bucket of water and getting a clean rag to wipe himself up a bit, ridding himself of the dirt and dried blood.
He gets a fresh rag damp and walks over to Will's sleeping form, body covered with the blanket and breathing evenly. There's a light sheen of sweat covering Will's body, but Mike sits beside the boy and gently starts to wipe him clean, trying not to disturb his slumber. Once cleaned well enough, Mike stands back up and goes over to the bucket to drop the rags beside it before leaning his hands heavily against the table and drops his head between his shoulders as he sighs heavily. He tries to swallow down the lump that forms in his throat but it's no use, his lip trembles and his eyebrows furrow as tears built up and slip through his closed eyes, he can't help the slight hiccup that falls from his lips. He feels like a failure, he couldn't protect Will like he said he would, he should have made Will go through the door first instead of him because then he wouldn't be stuck in bed with eight deep wounds in his stomach. Mike whimpers as he continues to blame himself for not being good enough. He barely managed to get them back to their bunker safely, but at least he got them back to safety. They made it out of the building, they made it back to their bunker, and they were safe... right?
"Mike..?"
Mike freezes at the call of his name, opening his eyes but only staring down at the table he was leaning on, he couldn't bring himself to look over, he could feel his stomach fill with dread and he didn't want to know why.
"M-Mike..!" Will's fear filled voice jerks Mike out of his stone-like state, his body turns around quickly and rushes over to Will who is now awake but he's just.. laying there, eyes open and yet still not fully focused. Mike leans over and gently places his hand on Will's cheek, holding his face as he tilts Will's head towards him. "Will? Baby, I'm here. Tell me what's wrong, are you hurting?" It's a sort of stupid question, but Mike is panicking. He watches as Will's eyes flicker towards him but not at him, he watches as tears fill Will's beautiful eyes and slide down his temples. "M-Mike, I c-can't see.. e-everything is s-so blurry." Mike's heart drops, feeling like his breath just got punched out of him. He turns his focus to the blanket and slowly pulls it back to check the bandages.
Will is shaking, small gasps spilling out as he cries in fear, he holds a hand out to grip Mike's forearm. "Don't go anywhere, I need to f-feel you. I'm s-scared, Mike." His grip is weak and shaky around Mike's arm. Mike tries to hide his sob when he sees the bandages, what were once a clean white color, now completely soaked red. The sheets underneath Will are no longer the happy yellow they once were, now soaked into a deep, dark red. Will hiccups, the movement causing blood to seep through the already saturated bandages, "Mike.. M-Mike, it hurts!" Whimpers spill from Will continously, the grip on Mike's arm getting weaker as the pain slowly becomes unbearable. The cries cause Mike to jump into action, gasping loudly as he looks around frantically for the medical kit. "It's okay, baby, I'm here, it's okay. I-I need to change your bandages, okay? We gotta clean you up, baby. Y-you'll feel better, okay? I'm here." Mike's hands are trembling, eyes searching the room until they fall on the medical kit... empty. He can't help the quiet, pitiful curse that escapes. He knows that Will heard it, he couldn't hide it.
Will inhales shakily, dazed eyes flickering to try and meet Mike's tear filled ones. He smiles slightly, lips trembling, "M-Mike, I know we d-don't have supplies left, it's o-okay. I-I know." Mike turns to him and sobs as he reaches to grip Will's hand. "I'm so s-sorry, I th-thought we h-had more. F-fuck, Will, what do I do? I-I can't-" Will cuts him off with a weak squeeze of his hand. "Just hold me, p-please."
Mike squeezes his eyes closed and slowly climbs back into bed, he sits next to Will, unsure of how to hold him without causing more pain. Will reaches out to grasp Mike's hand again, "Please, hold me, that's a-all I ask." His breath is getting shallow and uneven, he tries to move his body to press himself against Mike but he's too weak, "Please.." Mike cries as he pulls Will's body into his arms, not caring about the blood soaking into his clothes, he holds Will tightly to his body and wails. "I'm sorry, I'm s-so sorry, Will, please.. I said I-I'd protect you, I'm s-supposed to prot-tect you..!" Will tries to smile, loosely holding Mike's arm between his hands and bringing it up to his face, feeling the warmth sink into his skin as he closes his eyes.
"Y-you've protected m-me so well, Mike," Will inhales shakily, pressing in close to hear Mike's heartbeat, "I'm s-so grateful f-for.. for everything y-you've done to k-keep me safe. I l-love you.. so much." Mike's cries only get louder as he holds Will's body closer, cradling his head to his chest and gently stroking his hair.
"W-Will..! Baby, please, stay w-with me! Don't l-leave me." Mike can feel Will's grip slipping, moving to hold his hand tightly and pressing his face into the top of Will's head, "P-please don't go, I c-can't live without y-you. I love you, t-too. I'm s-sorry." Will takes another breath, mustering up the strength to speak, one more time.
"It's o-okay, Mike. I'm o-okay." Mike shakes his head, tears blurring his vision as he cries out in agony. "N-no, no, no, n-no! Will, please, d-don't do this! I n-need you!"
Nothing.
Nothing.
Mike wails once he feels Will go still in his arms, chest falling once more before it stops all together, Will's hand that was loosely holding onto Mike's now completely slack. Mike shakes his head back and forth, crying out as he holds Will's face in his hands and looks down at him. He chokes on his sobs as he looks into Will's eyes once more before reaching out to gently slide them closed, whimpering and repeatedly caressing his love's hair.
He doesn't know how long he sat there, holding Will's lifeless body in his arms, and he doesn't care. He feels empty inside, his chest aches and he cries until his throat bleeds. He can't bring himself to let go, he finds no reason to, his one and only reason for living has just left him alone. He hiccups and glances around bleary-eyed, "I don't know what to do, Will. You were my only reason to k-keep fighting this s-sickness, I'm n-nothing without you. I h-have nobody." Fresh tears fall down Mike's cheeks, leaving behind a burning a trail. His eyes fall on the revolver settled on the shelf, staring at it as he brushes his fingers through Will's hair.
He glances down and swallows, gently moving to lay Will's body down on the bed, covering him with the blanket once more and then slowly climbing off the bed. His legs tremble, weak, as he stands and makes his way to the gun to grab it and then make his way back to the bed.
He lays down softly, pulling Will's body close to his and loads the gun, looking at it and then over at Will's face, emotionless and yet so peaceful looking. Mike sniffs, "I'm sorry I couldn't protect you in this lifetime, my love, but I promise I will stay by your side for the rest of eternity."
Nobody is around to hear the sound of a single gunshot.
Nobody is around except for the two souls with the promise to stay together, a promise that will be kept in this lifetime and forever on.