Percabeth One-shots (Percy Jackson Fanfiction)

Apocalyptic Love pt. 18

Earlier updates of this "short story" can be found in my other Fanfiction "Apocalyptic Love"

Word count: 700+

PERCY JACKSON
(Shock horror- it's a PoV change!)

Annabeth did her part well.
Percy watched as the guards ran around the structure, towards the distressed cries of the furthest guards.
"Run for the trees. But stay in the shadows. Everyone pair up." Percy instructs.

Piper and Jason run forward first, running at a diagonal. Hazel and Frank run after, both sending careful glances backwards, checking for danger. Thalia and Nico run next, shouldering their backpacks.
Percy looks over at Grover and nods. Together, they run at an opposite diagonal to Piper and Jason.

Percy looks over his shoulder when another gunshot goes off. He hopes that it was Annabeth who fired...and not the guards.

"Come on man, we're almost at the tree line." Grover says to him, pulling him forward.

Percy shakes his head to clear it, before running harder to catch up to the others.
The group slowly comes together, leaving only a small distance between each pair.
"Keep an eye out for walkers." Percy whisper-yells to the others.

They run a little longer, listening out for the groaning of walkers.
As well as this, Percy listens out for any more gunshots.

He hears nothing.

Only the thundering sound his companions make on the forest floor.

One crumples leaves, another snaps a stick underfoot. Percy winces at the noise, and calls for a stop.

They are 1 metre in.

"Climb." He says. "Two to a tree. Make sure it's stable. You do not want to fall into a herd of walkers."

They nod and search for high trees, with leaf coverage.

The group distance themselves a little, just as Annabeth had instructed.

She had said earlier that if one pair was to be attacked by walkers, that at least then the others would be able to get away.

"Unless you know you can save them without dying yourself, or you know they aren't bitten...do not try to save a pair overcome by walkers." She had looked sternly at Percy when she said this, knowing of his tendency to play the selfless hero.

"Better for you all to survive...but if it comes down to it- you need to think of numbers and your own survival. I'm sorry." Annabeth had said quietly.

The group knew that she had the most experience out with the walkers. And that she had seen groups crumble before...one man taking down another in a selfless act.

But of course, she also didn't know of the strong friendships they all have.

Percy sighs.

He looks at Grover who is starting to climb a tree. He couldn't imagine losing any of these people. But this was not about him or his friends.

This was about the world.

And it's survival.

~~

He heard a chorus of groaning a little while later.
At first, he thought he was just imagining things...but with the accompaniment of shuffling feet, he knew that walkers were approaching.

They must have heard the gunshots.

"What's that sound?" Grover whispers to him from one branch above.

"Walkers. And a lot of them."

Grover clears his throat, and looks down.
Percy identifies his actions as nervousness.
"As long as they don't see, smell or hear us...we should be fine." He says, half trying to convince himself.

"It's not us I'm worried about. We are all up in trees...but Annabeth...."

Percy sucks in a breath. Annabeth will be fine, he tells himself. Out of all of them, she's the least likely to die.

Percy's body goes rigged against the trunk of the tree. The first few walkers are now in view. They aimlessly shuffle at a slight diagonal, towards the direction Annabeth last was. And towards the trees that Hazel, Frank, Thalia and Nico occupy.

He hopes that they will see sense...and stay quiet.

It's too early into the journey to lose anyone. But then again.. this is an apocalypse.

Any one of them could die at any time.

The question is no longer how they will die...but when they will die.

Percy's mouth opens in shock, and his hands clench.
He hears the walkers, the wind, the gunshots...but he also hears a scream.

A girl's scream.