And you decided whether you saw beauty or destruction

Under

(Apocalypse)

[This is the point where you start asking me to write stuff, liked an au? Ask me to write more of it. I'm mostly working on a long term project, and I need breaks from it]

Connor was cornered. That was a sentence that once upon a time would've had a much more different meaning, but would have felt just as final as it did right now; mainly because Connor was dramatic.

So, when Connor said he was cornered, he meant by the re-animated corpses that had taken over the city like a plague, and not any other way one could be cornered. He was with his back to a dead end, and his face to a horde, no way to escape, and no ammo.

Connor got out his bat, the one he had grabbed from his own house, it was old but did the job, and it was all Connor had left, he was regretting never adding nails to it. He was fighting off the first few approaching zombies when the ones in the back started dropping like flies, one after the other in complete silence, and then the ones closer, and so on, until one fell close enough that Connor saw the make-shift arrow.

When Connor looked up again he saw a figure, bow still held, with a good amount of unused arrows, they were around Connor's age, and when they approached he recognized them immediately. Evan Hansen just saved his life, and was now walking towards Connor angrily, weapon still somewhat drawn, and Connor was amazed by the role reversal.

"What the hell were you thinking?"

"I was scavenging, obviously"

"Who the fuck scavenges alone in the fucking apocalypse?"

"I don't see you with company either"

"I can take care of myself; I'm not the one that ran into a horde"

Connor wants to call him out on his logic, but Evan just saved his life, so Connor keeps quiet, instead he watches as Evan starts pulling the arrows from the double dead corpses.

"Were you looking for food or medicine?"

"Why would I tell you?"

"Information for information"
Connor thinks it over, and decides that Evan Hansen is probably the least likely to fuck him over, particularly if he knows who Connor is bringing the supplies to.

"Medicine; and water if there's any, Zoe isn't doing so well"

"She's still alive then... what does she have?"
"Hold the fuck up, you promised information"
Evan shrugs, pulling another arrow out of a corpse, some of them are the kind Connor had seen on stores, he wondered where he got those, or his bow for that matter.

"I have a plan to get to the pier, and some good news about what waits there"
Connor relents.
"I'm not actually sure, she's coughing a lot, and has high temperature, might get a fever soon"
"Oh, I took the things for those already, they're in my base"
"I don't have any more information"
Evan pulls out the last arrow, some had to be abandoned, but he retrieved the good majority, and all the store-like ones, he turns to Connor and smiles in amusement.
"I'm going to be gone tomorrow, it won't matter"
"Part of your plan?"

"Yep"

The quiver Connor saw was actually attached to a backpack, obviously sewn in place by hand; Evan fixes it on his back and turns toward the way he came.

"Coming?"

"Whatever"

Connor falls into step with Evan, who moves faster than Connor expected.

"So, I got my hands on a very good radio, and I don't know if you remember Jared, but he was with me, and he knew how to get it to broadcast"

"Kleinman, right? I never got why you hung out with him"
Evan shrugs, but despite his use of the past tense, his tone indicated that he thinks Kleinman is still alive, they were just not together anymore.

"The military was trying to gather survivors, apparently they plan to ship anyone not infected abroad, lock down the country, and keep the problem here"

"That's why you want to get to the pier"
"Basically"

Connor wants to ask what happened between him and Kleinman, because even without reading into how Evan tells it, Connor can tell he's alone, and has been for a long time; but Connor doesn't have anything to offer in return. Evan stops in front of a subway entrance, and then turns to Connor.

"Are you claustrophobic?"

"Your base is underground"
"The subway system is the fastest route to the pier"

"That's kind of brilliant, actually"

"Thanks"

Connor starts the decent, he hears Evan let out a chuckle behind him, and then the footsteps following, Evan has to unlock the gate for him, and then tells him to be careful with his feet. They use the normal staircases exclusively, the mechanical ones have the barriers up, and Connor knows that's Evan's doing.

Evan guides him all the way down, and then a bit more, into a car that's stopped before reaching the stop, everything is surprisingly well lit, but Connor can't ask about it. Connor waits outside the car as Evan goes in to look for the medicine; it's a minute before he comes back with two boxes.

"Ok, this is a free one because my mom would never forgive me if I didn't explain the medicine to you"

He holds one of the boxes, it's thicker than the other one, but the other is wider, in a sense that the second probably holds pills on tablets, and the first looks like it could have a bottle.

"She takes this once every eight hours"
He gives it to Connor and then holds up the other box.
"Only use this if her fever gets really bad, ok?"
"Got it"

"Good, now hand me your gun"

"What?"

"Chill, I'm just giving you ammo, I don't use firearms, don't deal with hordes"

"Fine"

He gives him the gun, Evan runs back inside the car, and comes back much sooner, he gives the gun back to Connor, fully loaded, and two boxes of ammo, one open.

"This is for the misunderstanding at the beginning of the year"
"I thought that's why you saved my life"
"No, that was mostly a coincidence, I didn't really recognize you until later"

"Same"

"Let me walk you out"

Connor follows Evan back outside, all the way to the surface door, Evan unlocks it but looks like that's as far as he'll go, and even though Connor was expecting it, it still rubs him in the wrong way.

"I can't leave this door open forever Murphy"

Connor nods, walks up, stops in the middle of the staircase, Evan has already closed the metallic bars.

"You better not die"

Evan grins at him, something Connor doesn't want to name in his features.
"You too"

Connor leaves.