Day After: (1D vs The Walking Dead)

Chapter 2

"I tried to wake you both up; slapping your faces, yelling into your ears, pouring water over your heads. Got no response." Liam was on the brink of shedding a few tears, "I was scared, man. I didn't know where everyone else was, and the only people who were actually here with me, were unconscious. I thought I'd just lost two of my brothers right in front of me, in the very wrong case scenario even. I didn't know whether to believe your pulse or not. Then I saw those...those things, those monsters coming towards us. So I grabbed the security gun and cleared off the area. Didn't know what the hell I was doing. Just followed my instincts." Louis rubbed his back to try and calm him down. He was still quite traumatized. "Where are-" "I don't know. I don't know where anyone is. But this note has got to be our motivation. They're waiting."

There was a long pause. A pause immersed in confusion, doubt, fear, self-pity, grief, anguish, misery, and pain. They struggled to feel comfort in the thought of hope. Was there really any? "What's going on?" Zayn broke the agonizing silence. "Is this real?" he continued. Liam was focused on his wounded fingers, not wanting to look up. Louis' face showed that he had just come into a deep, significant realization. "You guys don't remember? I think I do." said he. They waited for him to continue explaining what he remembered. But instead, he stood up in a flash. "Oh shit, it's all coming back to me. Get out of here." His firm words sent a rush down their spines, and immediately, they got to their feet. "Get stuff." Louis bolted around the tour bus, getting valuable items in places he could actually reach. The other two followed.

Louis and Zayn grabbed all the necessities they could find such as food, water, knives, medicine, money, phones, and clothes and stuffed them inside a duffel bag while Liam kept on lookout. They then made their way towards the front exit by the driver's seat. Upon opening the beaten door, a hungry, rotting face of an inhumane create emerged, its torn arms were extended towards them. Their blood ran cold with fear. Zayn, who was face to face with this monstrous being, had flushed in such pail complexion. "Zayn!" Liam cried out. Zayn wasn't moving. He was petrified. Traumatized.

Liam made his way as best as he could through the debris and misplaced objects to rescue Zayn. The thing clinged onto his sleeve and took slow but suspenseful steps on the short stairs. Liam grabbed Zayn's shoulders, lifted him up, and fled to the back exit. Behind them, Louis, who looked speechless, took out his knife from his back pocket and stabbed the thing through its eye. A feeling of uncomfortable guilt overcame him. He could still see the once-human in this creature.

"Liam, slow down! I see the moon!" Louis shouted from behind after they exited the tour bus through the back and walked a few yards already. They were leisurely hitchhiking on the road with fear that grew at every step. "What?" asked Liam. "I said I see the moon! It's almost night time. We've got to find somewhere to stay." Louis answered. "We can't stop anywhere. Not now. Not here. Look behind you. Those things- zombies- are coming out of nowhere by dozens to hundreds. And I'm sure as he'll these kitchen knives won't help us last the night. We have to keep going, even if we don't know where we're going; we're going." "Well, we need to pause so you can settle Zayn down. Quick, find something we can hide behind." suggested Louis.

In the distance, they saw an area in the freeway that was packed with vehicles. None of them were moving. There was still no sign of life. But this area could be useful. They ran over to it and Liam checked inside a car before gently putting Zayn down inside. "Zayn." he called, taking his hand and rubbing it. "Zayn," he said just a little louder. His eyes were shut and he was not making a single move. Somewhere along the sudden attack of the zombie in the front exit, he had fainted. He hadn't woken up since then. Grieved and sick at heart, Liam looked up at Louis, who wished he had something nice or encouraging to say, but he didn't, and he needed it as much as Liam did. "How is he?" Louis broke the silence. "Well, it doesn't take a doctor to know that he's petrified. These things aren't easy with him. Pretty sure it's not easy for anyone, if someone's even out there. But the thing with Zayn is, he looks at the underlying circumstances of everything, you know how he is. He over thinks. He's sensitive. It's bad enough for all of us, knowing this is what humanity's come down to. Where's our families? What about our faith? It's probably worse for him. He'll wake up, eventually. I just hope he gets some time to process everything or else he could break easily."

Louis nodded with a burden. They knew they could not just be sitting there, waiting. In this glum world, any wrong move now meant death. And not just an ordinary death, but a slow and painful death, feeling each and every tear and scratch and bite. Liam remembered something Louis had to say earlier.

"Hey. What was that thing you rememb-"

"Shh! I hear something. It could be one of those things again." Louis said abruptly, trying to control his panic.

"They're zombies." Liam reminded.

"Shh!" Louis took his head out of the too run down 1960s corvette and stood outside of it. He listened to the one sound that disturbed the silence. He heard it. He placed his hand on his back pocket where his trusty knife lived, ready to lift it up at any time. It was a familiar moan and heavy breathing. Louder and louder, closer and closer. It was no where to be seen. Liam cursed quietly once he heard the noise for himself. He stuck his head outside of the car, scanning the whole area and even trying to look inside cars. It was brutal, just helplessly hearing the sullen sound of a killer.

Then, there was an angry, surprised scream followed by "Ugh! Get off me!" Something was gushing, crunching, and oozing. Liam turned around with the worst case scenario in his mind- that one of his best friends left him right before his eyes. But it was the other way around. "Mate! You alright!?" asked Liam with relief. Zayn had stabbed the zombie in its forehead several times. "Here's your knife," He mumbled to Liam. Louis looked stunned, just standing there. "Your fans are a little different nowadays, Zayn." he commented, but Zayn was so obviously not in the mood.

They were glad their pal was back. They couldn't afford to lose any of them. The feeling of fear dragged on as the sky grew darker and darker. "It's a disease," Louis uttered. "What?" Zayn was astonished. Louis glanced at both of them, his sharp eyes were conniving and pitiful. "This plague, it's a disease. I remember it on the television news. It's some epidemic that's spreading quickly. No cure, deadly, contagious. Self-explanatory. I don't remember the major cause, but once these people die, their brains reactivate. Their bodies come alive again, and they're nothing but monstrous animals craving the flesh of their own kin. Their soul is gone, it's not them or who they were or who they will ever be. I remember it now. I can't believe it." Louis buried his face in his hands, not wanting to look at anything. "This can't be happening." Zayn shook his head in such disbelief.

"What do we do? Are we supposed to be dead?" Liam questioned. "The lady on the news- she said you can't get bit or scratched, you'll 'turn' in a matter of seconds or minutes. It's highly contagious. And there's no turning back." Louis continued. Liam turned around and looked at Zayn. They all must've thought the same thing. Zayn knew what deadly thoughts were going through their heads. He removed his shirt, slowly and carefully because he was sore and aching. He looked at his toned muscles, then turned his refined shoulders and checked them. He stretched his well built back muscles and took a good look at that, too. "I wasn't bit or scratched or anything. If I was, I would've felt it. And I didn't feel anything." he informed them. Before putting his shirt back on, he looked at the shredded sleeves. "One of them pulled my sleeves, that's it." Liam or Louis did not doubt him. They were relieved.

"If any of us gets bit or scratched," Zayn said. "Don't hesitate to tell." Liam finished his sentenced."We have to find people. There's still people out there. I mean, there's got to be, right?" Louis asked with dead hope in his eyes. "What are we gonna do? Hitch-hike with all these zombies roaming streets while our only weapon is a kitchen knife? We won't get far. If there's any other plan, I'll take it." Liam said, doubting their survival. Zayn leaned over the back of the driver's seat as he looked hopelessly down on the floor. The worry was unbearable. The silence was as loud as it had ever been. Louis suddenly began taking out his stress and anger on the front passenger's seat, violently punching its back. No one questioned his frustration. Though, it shook the car and finally he stopped and sighed. "Wait- be quiet." Liam hushed them. He heard a sound of clinging and clanging, the noise of metal hitting against each other. He looked up, then they all looked up, and there was the shiny metal with the reflection of the bright sun gleaming on their faces. Keys dangling, slowly swinging back and forth as the noise of the clashing metals died down. "We must be quite stupid to not have checked that." Said one. Louis reached out to it, "Only one way to find out." He mumbled before grabbing it and twisting it. Then came the loud, rumbling noise of the engine that they crossed their fingers for. Music to their ears.