Knightfall 2/3
Gods and Monsters
The band tries to survive, alone in this new world.
As you guys know/ should know, I kill people. If you thought it was just going to be Charles, sorry, you’re wrong.
Disclaimer: I do not own them, and all that stuff.
Warnings: Character death
Ten days ago, the world tried to end. It missed a few spots.
The snows continued, but so far they had been mostly flurries and not much was sticking to the road. So far it was still thin enough to drive through, so they needed to go find more supplies while they could. They still had food and drinks, but actually running out first would be extra stupid. Besides, if there was anything left in the stores, if the people who were left hadn’t already taken it all, time was... Well, they probably should have gone looking sooner.
The weather hadn’t improved, it was still heavily overcast all the time. Like the kind of light you get not long before sunset, weak and gloomy, but enough to see by just fine if you’re outside.
It was cold, colder than it had been, but so far not unbearably so since they had coats. And a fire, of course, they kept it burning all the time. Usually just one log at a time, to save wood, but with that room closed off, it didn’t take much to raise the temperature to a somewhat more comfortable level.
Supplies they’d gathered from the neighborhood were getting low.
Murderface wasn’t feeling well. Nobody was feeling especially well, but he’d had a pretty bad nosebleed the night before that hadn’t stopped for hours, and seemed weakened by it. He wasn’t going anywhere, but he was still giving advice.
“Firscht question: Toki, Schwischgaar, can either of you drive schtick?”
They looked confused.
“A car with three pedalsch on the floor? That you have to schift the gears by hand?” he helpfully added.
“Pfft, grampas car. No.”
“Noes, I tries it befores, but it makes bad noises and then it catches on fires.”
“Okay, Nathan and Picklesch, you’re the driversch. One of you pick one of them and go.”
Pickles shrugged. “I’ll go first, I’ve prahbly gat tha most snow drivin’ experience. Toki, you wanna cahm?”
“Sures?”
There were no comments or objections, so they left, taking both of the guns they’d found. The car had most of a full tank, the owner had filled it up not long before everything had happened, so gas wasn’t an issue yet.
Pickles drove carefully, but so far the tires were able to bite through the thin snow and find enough traction. The nearest corner store they’d noticed when they arrived was gone now, it had burned to the ground. They drove on.
Random debris made a few detours necessary, pushing them through a more residential area.
There seemed to be an excessive amount of graffiti for the end of the world. Some of it was helpful, such as ‘looters will be shot’ and more was just random. He noticed one that was probably a bible verse, but didn’t know what that might be. People tended to resort to religion when shit went all to hell. “Hey Toki, what’s thet mean?”
But Toki didn’t answer, so Pickles just shrugged and forgot about it. Further down the street, a couple bodies lay beside the road, partially covered in snow. The “you loot we shoot” looter warnings they’d seen painted in places were probably valid then.
Finally they made it through the maze of partially blocked streets, and found a grocery store. It was damaged, one corner was pretty much gone and the doors were smashed, but otherwise seemed to have survived. Pickles parked as close to the door as possible, locked the car, and in they went with guns held ready.
It smelled terrible, temperatures hadn’t gotten cold fast enough to prevent the cold case food from rotting, and even ventilated by the damage, it fucking reeked.
They grabbed carts and got started.
It smell wasn’t just the food either, they soon discovered. There were bodies in the canned vegetable aisle, and the floor dark with dried blood. The canned goods were mostly gone anyway, those always went first. They took all was left, this wasn’t the time to be picky.
The bread aisle was a bust, what little that remained was all moldy now.
The cereal aisle had fared better, there wasn’t a lot but at least there was still some selection. Cereal was good, you could eat it dry and pretend it was crackers or something. Not really crackers... Okay just dry cereal, but it was fine that way.
Distracted by his shopping, Pickles froze in shock when Toki suddenly turned and pointed his gun at him. Of all the times for him to lose his shit-
Toki fired, and a body fell with a thud behind him.
Ignoring Pickles, Toki went to it, picked up the guy’s gun and checked it. “He don’ts even got any bullets! Stupids!” He tossed the empty gun down on the body and turned back to his cart like nothing had just happened, throwing in more boxes.
“Toki, yer a liddle scary sahmtimes. But thanks fer thet.” They moved on.
Car loaded, they were a few blocks from home when five people stepped out into the road, guns raised. They clearly wanted the car, what was in it, or both.
Toki fired on them first, dropping one and hitting another. The rest scattered back, finding some cover, and returned fire. The rear passenger window exploded.
Pickles slid down in his seat as Toki fired across him, two shots into the bush where that shooter was hiding. He didn’t know if he hit him or not, but one on the other side broke cover and charged at them, he killed that one.
But another was coming, and the one in the bushes was still alive, emerging now. And Toki’s gun was empty.
“Pickle, gives me you’s gun! We can’t lets them follows us back!”
Pickles handed it over, still sitting as low as possible, practically on the floor. Could car doors stop bullets? He wasn’t sure at all. He found out all too quickly that they indeed could not, but wasn’t hit.
Shooting back, Toki managed to drop the last two. The clip hadn’t been full to start with, and his gun was empty too now.
They made it the rest of the way home with no more trouble.
*****
A few days later, Murderface was feeling somewhat better, and wanting them to make another run. “We need to schearch further away before the schnow’s too deep for the car. Which should be any day now.”
“You go this time,” Nathan pointed to him. “I mean, you’re okay now? And you know about all this stuff, you might find things we wouldn’t think about.”
Murderface couldn’t argue that point, so he just shrugged. “Fine. Hey Toki, you wanna go again?”
“Yeah sures.”
Pickles explained the best he could where they’d already been, so they could look in new places. “An’ if ya find a liqueur store...” It was funny they hadn’t seen any before, but it would just be their luck if this was a dry city. Of course they all wanted booze, if only to forget everything for a while.
Toki grabbed his gun and tucked it into his pants, and picked up the bat they’d found.
“Ya fergit yer outta bullits?”
“Noes, but nobody outs there knows that.” It was a scary gun, the threat might be enough.
They drove, the car slipping and sliding a bit, but never quite slipping completely off the road. This was probably its last trip.
“Maybe we finds some goils too, and repopulates the worlds?”
“I don’t think any of usch schould be reproducing after what we juscht lived through. If we even schtill can.”
They drove in silence for a bit. There were people up ahead, but they hurried inside a building before the car got anywhere close.
“Moiderface? You gots the bomb sicks?”
He sighed. “Yeah I thinks scho, schouldn’t really be happening thisch fascht but it fitsch. You’ve been puking too, right?”
“Noes? Am I supposeds to be? I thinks it’s just yous.”
“I know Nathan and Schwisgaar have been schome, not schure about Picklesch. You really haven’t? At all?”
“I says noes.”
“Maybe... maybe you’re schpecial. You’re the one who killed him, maybe that changesch schomething.”
“I couldn’t has dones it if you didn’ts keep him distracteds like you dids. Ands if they hadn’t wore him downs foist. I’s not special.”
“Schit!” Murderface suddenly stopped the car, then leaned out and puked. “Guessch I’m not doing asch well asch I thought. You might have to go in the schtore alone, Toki, I’m not schure I’m up for it.” He puked again, then closed the door and drove on.
*****
Back at the house, the others were organizing what was left of their supplies. Not much food at all, except for stuff that had to be cooked, if they could ever figure out how to do that. But they were all notoriously bad at cooking, even with electricity and modern appliances, so that was a last resort. It would depend on what Murderface and Toki could find.
They hadn’t seen any sign of their neighbors lately, maybe they’d left, or maybe they’d died of something. Or maybe they were just holed up too. It was colder now, definitely below freezing, so being outside wasn’t very fun. There were no fresh tracks in the snow, that was all they were sure of.
“Should we be worried, Nathan?”
“In general? Yeah. What the fuck are you talking about?”
“Ya know how in tha movies an shit, whenever they’re all lost in tha snow, sahmbody always gets eaten. And yer part cannibal.”
“What the fuck, Pickles, NO! I’m not going to eat any of you!”
“Ja, Pickle, what de fucks?”
Pickles threw himself back down in front of the fire, they joined him. “Well this whole things is rally fecked up! They told us all those years that we were gonna save tha world or sahmthin’, but everything’s ruined now! And I’m pritty sure Murderface knows way more than he’s tellin’ us about all thet radiation stuff.”
“He does.” They looked at Nathan. “I mean, he admitted he knows more, when we were searching houses together. But he said he won’t tell us or we’ll like, imagine everything?”
“I knows I woulds. But we ams okay, right? Murderface was the sicks, but he gots better, and de rest of us ams okay.”
“I don’t know! We’ve all puked some, is that bad? But not lately, at least I haven’t.”
Pickles shrugged. “In my case, it might’ve been withdrawals, I dunno.”
“I hasn’t lately eithers, I guess we ams okays?”
“None of us are okay if they don’t find more food. But I’m still not eating you! And don’t any of you eat me either, because that would really suck.”
*****
Murderface spotted a relatively intact convenience store, it probably had gas but the car still had a quarter tank and was going to be useless before long, so Toki just went in and collected all the snack foods and drinks that were left. It wasn’t a huge haul, but it was decent. Sadly, no booze at all, not even a single beer.
They finally found another standing grocery store, it didn’t look like there was anyone in it.
“You wants me to go alones? I don’ts mind.”
“Yeah, schorry. And take the bat.”
Murderface watched him move cautiously into the store, bat held ready, then slumped back in his seat, feeling lightheaded. Kid could take care of himself, which was more than he could personally say. He was puking blood now, that was a very bad sign. Toki hadn’t seen it, but he wouldn’t be able to hide it much longer.
Toki, and maybe Pickles, were still asymptomatic, but there was little hope that any of them would escape in the end, not after this much exposure.
If they were no longer seemingly immortal, then the job was done.
Unfortunately, so was the world.
Toki came back, pushing one heaping cart and dragging another, flinging stuff into the backseat haphazardly. This was a big haul, it would last a while.
Murderface was feeling worse. “Do you think you could drive usch back?”
He frowned at the snow-covered road. “If I tries, we probably nots makes it.”
“Well if we have to walk, I’m definitely not making it. Okay I’ll do my bescht then.”
On the way home by a different route, they saw the bodies. Someone had lined them up along the side of the road. Most of them had burns, open sores, and patchy hair.
“Holy shits, ZOMBIES!”
“They’re not zombiesch, they were juscht too closche to the bombs. That’sch what happensch.”
“I don’ts wants to turn into zombies!”
“There’sch another schtore, run in and schee what you can find.” Murderface pulled up to the door.
“But there’s zombies out heres!”
“Pull your schit together! Anyone who looksch like that isch way too schick to hurt you. Thisch isch the lascht schtop we’re making, scho make it count.”
“Fucks! Okays fine, but if I turns into a zombies I’s eating you!” He grabbed the bat and went into the store.
Car loaded with what additional little he’d found, they headed home. Murderface was fighting to make it, to at least get the supplies back to the others. He’d always read that when you improved, you might get a few weeks, but he’d always had terrible luck, worsening again after only a few hours.
He stopped to puke again, no hiding the blood this time. “Schit! Toki, I can’t make it, you have to drive. We’re not far, I’ll give you directionsch.”
Toki got out and came around to his side. “Oh, blood pukes, nots good.”
Murderface slowly inched himself across the bench seat to the passenger side and Toki got behind the wheel.
Although he’d said he didn’t know how to drive stick, he knew enough to manage, only stalling once as he tried to get moving. His shifting was pretty rough, but Murderface told him when to shift and when to turn. Coming out of a turn was harder, the jerks making the car want to slide on the snowy road.
They came way too close to going off the road, more than once.
But every time, even when they were sure they were fucked and this was the end, the tires managed to bite in just enough to stop the slide.
Somehow they actually made it home, and Murderface was looking even worse now. All the jolting probably hadn’t helped, but he’d done the best he could. Toki misjudged the distance and bumped the back wall of the garage, but they’d fucking made it.
The others heard and came out to help unload the loot.
“Moiderface is real sicks, gets him inside.”
Nathan opened the car door. “I’ll get him, you guys help Toki with all this. Hey, that’s a lot of food, good job!”
It took them several trips to unload everything, and Nathan didn’t come back to help.
They found them in front of the ever-present fire, and joined them.
“Murderface, dood... Nathan is he..?”
“I’m not dead yet, asscholes. But scheriouschly, when I die? Don’t burn me, don’t waschte the wood. You’ll need it.” He took a deep breath, which led to a coughing fit. Blood sprinkled the mattress. “I guessch thisch provesch we’re not invincible after all. At leascht not anymore.”
“He says he’s bomb sicks.” Toki was sitting knees to his chest, with his arms wrapped around. “He pukes blood when we’s at the stores.”
“Thanksch, Toki, tell everybody. But I guessch it doeschn’t matter now.”
“You’re not gonna die, Murderface!” Nathan sounded convincing, but all of them could hear the doubt under the surface.
“Yesch I am. It’sch okay, juscht keep me company? I don’t really wanna die alone.”
“Well dis ams so cheerfuls. Don’ts be worries, Murderface, we will stays wit’ yous until de ends.”
“He’s naught gonna die!”
“He’s probablies going to dies.”
“THIS SUCKS!”
“Schtill not dead here.”
*****
Murderface died in the night, while they were sleeping. They woke up but he didn’t. They’d tried to stay awake but hadn’t wanted a scene, their presence was enough.
Respecting his request to not be burned (at least for now), Nathan and Toki carried him out to the shed and laid him out in a funeral pose. The outdoor temperature were never above freezing now, he’d remain as he was until they came back for him, until it was time.
Back inside, they all sat together in silence, a Murderface-shaped hole aching in them all.
Now what, would they all die? But everybody seemed to be okay, for now at least.
How do you mourn when the whole world has died?
No Viking funeral, no drinking, no nothing. Just numbness.
The world didn’t care that Murderface was gone, the world didn’t care about anything anymore, it was sick and dying itself.
Toki got up and added a new log to the fire, and they all sat staring into the flames.
There was just nothing to say.
*****
The looters, or whatever the fuck they were, came two days later.
None of them had left the house since Murderface’s death, just existing in a shocked silence for the most part. A heavier snowfall had rendered the car useless now, so that was no longer a priority anyway. And they had enough food to last a while.
They weren’t group who dealt with loss well.
Pickles was sitting on the porch, despite the cold, when a Jeep with large mud tires turned down their street. “Hey doods, we gat people!” he yelled toward the door, "They’re cahmin’!”
They started for the door to see for themsleves, but suddenly shots rang out! Nathan tackled Toki and Skwisgaar to the mattresses. “Stay down!”
“But Pickle is outsides!” Toki was trying to squirm free.
“I know! Fuck! Skwisgaar, hold him!”
“I probablies cant’s?”
“TRY!” Nathan shoved Toki over, and headed for the door.
“If they hurts Pickles, I kills them all!” Toki growled, allowing himself to be restrained for the moment.
“Ja, and I woulds be helpings you. But stays de fucks down for nows!”
The door was kicked open before Nathan even got to it, He grabbed the guy by his gun arm and pulled him inside, slamming him against the far wall and punching him hard. The gun dropped somewhere in the shadows.
Toki jumped up and grabbed the next one. Unfortunately this guy was huge, and easily pinned him to the opposite wall, ready to beat the crap out of him. Skwisgaar had grabbed a chunk of firewood and bashed the guy across the head, giving Toki the advantage.
While the guy was still reeling from the blow to the skull, Toki got him down and, straddling his chest, and started erasing his face with his fists.
Nathan’s attacker was out cold, or maybe even dead, and he seemed to be searching for the dropped gun.
From the sound there were more outside, but no more gunfire, so maybe only one had been armed? And Pickles was still out therewith them!
Another came through the door, took in the scene, then turned tail and ran for the waiting Jeep, Nathan instantly went after him, but slipped on the porch, losing his advantage.
Still carrying his firewood, Skwisgaar cautiously went out the door. No more attackers, just the driver and the one who was now almost to the Jeep. Pickles was lying on the porch, and there was too much blood! “NATHAN!”
Another gunshot, and Skwisgaar hit the floor all on his own, looking up through the railing to see the guy Nathan was chasing fall.
Toki was in the doorway, he’d found the dropped gun. He fired again, trying to hit the driver as the Jeep drove off as quickly as it was able. Might have hit him, maybe not, but either way he escaped.
Nathan came back, worried.
Skwisgaar was on his knees, now beside Pickles. His hands hovered, wanting to do something but knowing there was nothing to be done.
The perfect bullet hole in the forehead, at least it had been instant?
“NOOOOO! Pickles, why were you outside! Now you’re dead, fuck, now you’re dead too!”
Toki took in the scene in deadly silence. Then he went back inside, grabbed up the bat, and proceeded to smash the living fuck out of the downed guys’ skulls.
Satisfied with his work, or maybe it was just that the skulls no longer provided enough resistance to keep pounding them, he stalked out to do the same to the one he’d shot.
Nathan pickles up Pickles and carried him around to the shed, Skwisgaar waited on the porch.
Back, Nathan dragged out the closest body, the big one who’d jumped Toki. “Hey! Help me put him over the rail.”
They gave him confused looks, why didn’t he just drag it down the steps? But moved to help.
The guy was really heavy, but they draped him over the porch rail at his waist, with what was left of his head trailing down the front for all to see. Nathan dragged out the other and they did the same, then collected the one from the road leaving a long smear of blood in the snow, and added him to the macabre collection.
At least it was cold enough they’d just freeze and not smell.
“Okays, if nobody else ams goings to asks... What de fucks?”
“Coyotes.” He noticed their confusion was not at all resolved. “Okay, it’s a thing like ranchers or somebody does? You kill a coyote and you hang it on the fence, then all the other coyotes see it and think ‘these people will fucking kill you’ and they stay away. They do it with snakes too, but that’s stupid because snakes don’t care.”
Toki nodded. “I gets it, does it works?”
“With coyotes? No idea. With people? I dunno, probably.”
The went back inside. The door still worked despite the kick it had taken, but a pane in one window was broken, probably from a stray bullet. There was blood, bone fragments, and chunks of brains and faces on the floor. Was that a nose? Maybe? Nothing they hadn’t seen in the past though, in their former life, in Dethklok.
Toki ignored it all, and sat in front of the fire, arms wrapped around his knees.
Skwisgaar looked at him. “Shits Nathan, he ams checks out agains. I guess we gots to cleans dis up.”
“It’s mostly on the carpet. Let’s just cut out those parts and throw them outside.”
Nathan found a utility knife in the kitchen, it seemed everyone everywhere had one of those, and cut well around the chunky parts. It was easy to drag them out. There was still blood in places, especially from when he’d drug the body all the way across the room, but it would probably just dry and be okay.
That done, Skwisgaar patched the broken window with a magazine they hadn’t burned yet and some tape. Good enough.
With nothing more to do for now, they sat together. Toki was clearly still unresponsive, he’d come back when he was ready.
“You puts Pickle wit’ Murderface?”
“Yeah. Is it fucked up that I feel sort of better that they’re not alone? Out there?”
Skwisgaar just shrugged, everything was too fucked up to even know where to start. “Dat was so fasts.”
“Yeah. I really need to be drunk right now, everything keeps getting worse! And I don’t know how to just check out like Toki. Ian, Abigail, Charles, Murderface, Pickles... FUCK!”
But they had no booze.
*****
Snowfall had increased, and the color was obvious now, not bright white but slightly grey. Good thing they had plenty of stuff to drink, for now at least, because melting that snow would probably be a bad idea. Murderface would have known for sure.
The weather had gotten progressively darker, like right before a big storm, that weird ‘almost dusk’ type lighting even in the middle of the day. Even when it wasn’t actively snowing, it really didn’t lighten up much at all.
They’d long since gotten used to the gloom, it seemed fitting.
This new world, what the world had become, it wasn’t a place of light.
Toki had started moving around again the following morning, but was oddly quiet and still not acting normal. He seemed to be avoiding them, or as much as you can avoid people in the same room with you. Nathan and Skwisgaar let him be.
They were all mourning in their own ways, and nobody had much to say. There were no words that could change what had happened, so they didn’t talk much either.
But after two days without a single word from Toki, of him refusing to even look at either if them, they intervened.
Sitting on either side of him, although he ignored them and continued to stare into the fire, they made an attempt.
“Toki? Hey Toki?” Nathan elbowed him gently. “Talk to us?” But got no response.
“Toki, you has to talks to us. Ams like you’s dead but still heres, and dis ams getting really creepies. What ams wrongs wit’ you?”
So softly they could barely hear it, “All my faults.”
“Huh? Wait what how?”
He still wasn’t looking at them. “Everything I cares about dies. Alls this that happens, we’s not like befores, you’s not safe froms me anymore. I should goes away before you both dies too!”
“Whoa! Fuck that, you’re not going anywhere! We’ve lost too much already.”
“Toki, don’ts you dares runs away. We needs you.”
He jumped up and began pacing back and forth between them and the fire, highlighted by the flames. “I’S FUCKING KILLING YOUS! WHY CAN’TS YOU UNDERSTANDS?!”
“WE’RE FINE! Toki, look at us, we’re fucking fine!”
“You’s sicks, You’s not fine! Don’ts lie to me!”
“We’re not sick! Okay we were a little, but not anymore!”
“Ja, we gots betters. Amns’t you, Toki, de world fucks up. Amns’t you.”
“We do need you. Remember that store we passed on the way here the first time? Not the one that, you know, you guys said is gone, but the other one? I think it’s close enough to walk to, I wanna do see if there’s anything left. I want you to come with me.”
“What abouts Skwisgaar?”
“Pfft, I’s fine. Gots dead porch guy protections, nobody ams goings to mess wit’ me while you ams gone. I just brings in more wood for de fires while I waits, you should goes.”
“What he said. So, you coming?”
Toki frowned. “Car don’t work in this much snows, hows we carries what we finds?"
“I dunno? I didn’t think that far ahead. Uh, maybe sheets?”
“Coulds work.” He shook his head. “Still a reallies bads idea.”
“You wanna explain what the fuck you’re talking about? Because I’m confused.”
Toki gave an agitated sigh. “What happens to the last two people I goes on runs with?”
“Murderface was already sick! And Pickles... That had nothing to do with you!”
“Moiderface said it all changes, when I kills that monster guy. And that’s whys he gots sick.”
Skwisgaar stood and stepped in his way, stopping him. “Toki, listens to me.” He threw an apologetic glance at Nathan and continued, “T’inks back, what happens before we even fights him? Ja, de haus cames down, and Charles dies. Befores. So it amns’t you.”
Nathan nodded. “And I know you cared about them, you can’t tell me otherwise! It has NOTHING to do with you!”
“You really wants to bets you’s life on that?” He crossed his arms, still unconvinced.
“Yeah! What the hell, Toki, if we don’t get more supplies we’re all fucked! And we know there’s dangerous people out there, I need you to have my back!”
Throwing his hands up and giving in, Toki sullenly complied.
They grabbed a few of the largest sheets and headed out. The yard was deep, but the winds had swept the snow around, making the street more passable. It was still almost knee deep, and slow going, but just they’d have to manage. Fortunately their boots were high enough to keep their feet mostly dry, at least for now.
“Nathan? Sorry Skwisgaar says their names.”
“No, it’s okay to talk about them. I mean, I miss them so fucking bad, but... this sounds really horrible, but I’m almost glad they’re not here? Going through all this?”
Toki just nodded, thinking, and they walked in silence for a bit.
“Whats about Pickle and Moiderface, you’s glad they’s dead too?”
“No! I mean, that’s different. Somehow? I don’t know.” He noticed some graffiti on a house they were passing, some religious thing. He pointed, “Hey Toki, do you know what that means?”
“Yeah, I sees some in other places too. So far they’s all been abouts the devil.”
“Huh. Well I guess Hell finally froze over then, or we were all misinformed.”
It was hard to tell exactly where the road was, occasionally they wandered too far to one side or another and slipped into the deeper ditches that lined it. That really sucked, to suddenly be floundering in waist deep snow, but there was nothing to do but climb out and keep going.
At least they weren’t cold. They were a bit damp in places now, but the exertion had the sweating under their coats, despite the low temperatures.
Walking back would hopefully be a little easier, the trail they’d made clearly showed where they’d veered too far off center, so they wouldn’t fall in any more ditches at least.
The store was less than a mile away, but it took them over an hour to reach it, and they were both breathing hard from the exertion. Nathan had little experience with deep snow, and Toki was long out of practice.
But the store wasn’t empty.
It looked empty, but when they entered through the shattered glass door, three guys jumped them. Two went for Nathan, probably because he was so big.
Fists flew, thuds muffled by heavy clothing, but the strangers were wearing more layers and had the advantage.
“Go for the face, Toki! They’re too fucking padded!” Nathan punched one hard in the jaw, feeling something break and hoping like hell it wasn’t his hand. That one was down.
Toki grabbed his by the ears and yanked the guy’s head down to meet his rising knee, smashing the nose. He let go and then man slid to the floor moaning, out of the fight. He turned in time to see Nathan grab the last one and smash his face into the counter.
The fight was over, the store was theirs.
Toki nudged the moaning one with his boot. “Should we kills them?”
“Uh, I don’t know? I don’t think they’re going to try to follow us or anything. Besides, with the wind and snow, our trail will be gone in like a day.”
He considered, then squatted beside his guy, the two Nathan had dropped were unconscious. “If you tries to follows us, we kills you.”
They loaded up their sheets with everything they could, tying them to make it hold.
Fortunately damn near everything came in plastic bottles these days, so there was little risk of them breaking.
Unfortunately, that many bottles of anything was really fucking heavy. They’d put what food was left in a separate sheet so it wouldn’t all get crushed, but that didn’t weigh a whole lot.
Toki had noticed Nathan favoring his hand a bit. “Nathan, you’s hand okays?”
“I think so?” He flexed it. “If not, it doesn’t matter right now. I’ll deal with it.”
They headed home. Dragging loaded sheets through the snow was so much harder than they’d expected. Instead of sliding along the surface, which really had been too much to hope for, they insisted on sinking in deep. Carrying them over a shoulder like Santa made walking easier, but was equally if not more tiring.
Toki stopped and stripped off his coat, stuffing it in his sheet with everything else.
“Toki, put your fucking coat back on.”
“No, I’s hot. Besides, I’s outsides in the snows a lots as a kid without no coat, I’s fine.”
“Your fucked up childhood doesn’t excuse freezing to death.” Nathan thought about it, then shrugged and removed his own coat. The cold wind was almost blissful against his sweaty skin. “If it didn’t kill you it shouldn’t kill me. Let’s go.”
They struggled home slowly, alternating between dragging and carrying their burdens. Hoping none of the bottles would freeze enough to break before they got there. The plastic ones should be fine, but some of the drinks were in glass. But hell, even cans blew up when you froze them, or forgot you put one in the freezer and found it three days later.
It took even longer in this direction, laden as they were.
Their trail from earlier was already being erased by the winds, but still clear enough to guide them away from the ditches.
Breathing hard and sweating despite the cold, struggling to keep going because even stopping to rest wasn’t an option. Just keep moving, one step at a time.
Finally they made it home.
Skwisgaar came out, helping them drag the sheets the rest of the way up and into the house. He started untying the knots to sort their loot.
Toki went straight back outside and threw himself down in the snow, trying to cool his over exerted body.
Nathan settled for the couch instead, collapsing on it with a groan. “Should you make him come inside?”
“Whats, Toki? No he ams fines. He comes in when he ams readies.” He was standing bottles along the wall, some were partially frozen but it looked like none of them had burst. “You gets a lots, good jobs.”
Toki wasn’t outside too long, and went straight to the mattresses when he came in, lying flat.
Nathan got up and moved, rummaging through their sparse clothing supply for some dry tshirts that didn’t smell too bad yet. He stripped off his damp shirt and tossed it to the side, put on a replacement, then threw the other at Toki, landing it on his face. “At least change you shirt first.”
Toki grumbled and sat up, obeying, then flopped back down.
They were both soon asleep. Later when they started shivering a bit, Skwisgaar put blankets over them.
*****
They work up stiff and sore, and Nathan’s hand was a bit puffy. It fortunately didn’t seem to be broken though, as far as they could tell. Hands swelled up easy if you hit them just wrong, they all knew that.
“I think we’re officially done with stores, unless the snow melts. That was the only one close enough to walk to and it’s empty now. Let’s hope we don’t die?”
“We coulds melts snow?”
“Dat ams probablies a bad ideas, Toki. Ams not even de right colors.”
“I knows that! But we mights not has a choice, eventuallies.”
“Nobody’s drinking snow until all this is gone!” Nathan gestured at their latest haul. “But how are we doing on firewood, whoever got some last?"
“Dat woulds be me, I gets more while you ams gone, and we ams running low.”
Toki waved dismissively. “Alls these houses gots wood, we just takes it.” He thought about it, “Only three hads people, and I’s not seen smoke from two of them in a whiles, they’s probablies dead now?”
“Huh, possible food them.” He noticed their horrified looks, “NO! I mean they might have had food left, we’re not eating them! Do you really think I wanna eat people?”
For some reason they found this funny, and he was faced with rolling Scandinavians.
Suddenly they weren’t the only thing rolling, and Nathan jumped up and lurched outside to puke over the porch rail. Shit, blood again. Hopefully he didn’t need another liver transplant, especially since that wasn’t an option. Leaning out, he scraped some snow over it to hide the evidence, no point worrying them.
Behind him, the laughter was about done.
Skwisgaar stuck his head outside, “Hey, gets back in here so we can plans dis.”
“So, radio guy was sick and that house has been dark. And that other one, where you said the dude had a shotgun? Was he sick?”
“We didn’t really stays around to ask, but I thinks so.” Toki frowned, “That other one ats the end still has smoke sometimes, but I never sees any sign of anybody evers.”
“They’re probably some of those crazy survivalists. Well I guess they’re not crazy, since everything really did go all to hell, but I mean they probably have all kinds of stuff stocked up and they’s why they’re still there.”
“We ams goings to robs dem?”
“NO! No, we’re going to leave them alone, you’ve seen those movies too! As long as we see smoke, and for a while after we don’t see it anymore, we leave that house alone! I mean it!”
They had indeed seen those kind of movies, the house was probably filled with horrible ways to die.
Skwisgaar gathered up the sheets from the previous day, “Well what ams we waitings for? Gots two houses to be searching.”
“Skwisgaar, are you sure you don’t want to wait here?”
“Pfft. You both ams still half deads from yesterdays, and in case you forgets, I’s from Sweden. Tries to be keepsing up now.” He walked out and headed for radio guy’s house, the closest one.
Toki laughed, Nathan shrugged, and they followed him.
“Yeah Nathan, we’s the experts when it comes to snows.”
“Fuck you both, I’m from Florida. This snow sucks!”
Radio guy was dead, but there was almost no smell, so he’d outlived his fire. It was hard to tell if sickness had killed him or if he’d just frozen to death. They found his radio, but when they turned it on the power light was very weak and it didn’t seem to work. Batteries were about dead then, and they weren’t sure how to work it anyway, so they left it.
He had food left, some water, and firewood. He’d probably gotten too sick to take care of himself. The took the food. The water was frozen of course, but looked greyish so they left it. Maybe he’d been melting snow? The wood they could come back for, since there was only one house between them.
Shotgun guy’s house was across the street.
He was dead, his throat sliced open, but again there was little smell. Nathan checked the shotgun, but it was empty, probably had been empty even when he’d threatened with it. “Okay, search the house!”
Skwisgaar headed upstairs, Nathan took the kitchen, and Toki just started going through stuff looking for anything useful, guns or whatever.
Or booze, that would be really great too, better even.
There was a gagging noise from upstairs, and they both turned to see Skwisgaar come down fast. Bracing a hand against the wall he puked. “Don’ts go ups dere! Ams horribles.”
“What’s up there?” Was it dangerous?
“Crazies bastard-“ he pointed at the corpse on the couch, “kills his family. Wit’ de shotguns, dey’s everywhere. Lady an’ little kids too.”
“Wow, that’s fucked up! Some people take the end of the world way too seriously!”
“Can we be goings home now?”
“Uh, no. Sorry, one of us still needs to search. Up there. Here, you take the kitchen, I’ll go.”
Toki stopped him. “I does it. Probablies nothing I hasn’t seen befores.” He noticed the way they were looking at him, so continued, “My dads... sometimes he preached too wells, and this happens. And I has to help cleans them up.” He went upstairs, and they could hear him searching.
“Just when I thought his childhood couldn’t have been any more fucked up...”
“Ja, no shits.”
They’d gathered all the food that looked salvageable, and were waiting on Toki.
He came back down his sheet over his shoulder, a small bundle of something soft. “I gots shirts and somes other clothes, they’s not usings them no mores. And a surprises! I shows you when we gets back.”
They walked home, wading through snow drifts. This was it, firewood aside, there were no more supplied within their reach, they’d just have to hope it was enough. Until...
Well, things had to change eventually, right?
Back home and on the mattress, Toki dumped out his sheet. It seemed to be mostly tshirts and socks, and a full, unopened bottle of whiskey. He held it up with a grin. “Religious crazies always gots some hidden!”
“Fuck yeah, Toki!”
“Opens dat shits up!”
The passed the bottle around, drinking, and for a while it almost felt like the world was okay again.
*****
The next day, Nathan was really hungover. Or at least that’s what he convinced himself of, because he didn't want to consider the other possibilities. He’d woken up before them and gone outside to piss. He’d puked blood again while he was out there, and again buried that. Running a shaky hand through his hair, too many strands came away in his fingers.
But it hadn’t been brushed for a while, so it was probably just built up shed hairs? He was NOT losing his hair, that was unacceptable! And hangovers don’t cause that.
Back inside, he lay back down and pulled up his blankets. Hangovers sucked! But so did not having more booze.
Why did it seem colder? Maybe he had a fever? No, because hangovers don’t cause that. He got back up and threw another log on the fire.
Just a hangover, that’s all it was. And it was just cold in here. And...
He was really tired, so he went back to sleep.
Toki woke up when Skwisgaar tripped on his arm. “Owie.”
“Pfft, ams dark in heres. Why you has to be sleeping all sprawls out anyways?” Skwisgaar briefly visited the back porch, then returned to sit beside Toki, who was now sitting up.
“Skwisgaar? Does Nathan looks okays to you?”
Skwisgaar studied him as well as possible in the poor light. “I t’ink he ams sweating somes? Dat amns’t probablies nots good.”
“Well, fucks.”
Nathan was still sleeping, oblivious to them. They moved back to the couch so they wouldn’t wake him.
“What does we do, Toki? If he gots de sicks?”
Toki shrugged. “If there was a cures, Moiderface woulds have tolds us. I don’ts think was can do anythings.”
“Maybe he ams not dat kind of sick, maybe he can gets bedder?” But he didn’t even sound like he believed that.
“Yeah maybes.” They sat sadly, not knowing what to do.
The wood pile in the corner was getting low, and there wasn’t much left outside. That was something they could do! Doing something was better than sitting around feeling helpless. “Hey Toki, let’s be gettings more woods, ja?”
Toki nodded and stood, “Okays.”
They gathered up their trusty bed sheets (a very shitty way to transport stuff through the snow, but all they had) and headed out, leaving Nathan still sleeping.
Radio guy was still dead, no surprise there. He’d piled a lot of his wood indoors, so they just started with that. Wood was heavy, but the house was close, so they made a couple trips, trudging back and forth in silence. They tossed their coats after the first trip and kept working, the trail they’d worn through the snow made walking much easier.
Indoor wood supply finally depleted, Toki checked around the best he could outside for more wood. With this much snow cover, that mostly involved blundering around blindly hoping to run into it. Finally he found some, piled right by the back door. He dug it out and started tossing it up to Skwisgaar, who dumped it inside to dry. They’d collect it later on.
Back home, Nathan was finally awake, though still lying down. They dumped their final loads of wood in the corner and went to sit beside him.
“How come you guys aren’t hungover too?”
Toki was just studying him silently.
Skwisgaar shrugged, “No ideas. I feels a little bits bad when I first wakes up, but I am fines now.”
“It’s just a hangover!” He didn’t like the way Toki was looking at him. “And I’m just tired, I did a lot lately! And I’m not used to all this snow.”
“Whatevers you says, you jus’ be restsing den.”
“And I’m definitely not losing my hair! I mean, if you thought that.” There were some hairs on his pillow.
“Why woulds I be t’inkings dat?” Skwisgaar touched his own hair in a concerned manner.
Toki had turned to stare into the fire instead, still silent, seemingly zoned out again.
“Why am I so cold? Hey Skwisgaar, what if I have what Murderface had?”
“He was pukings a lots t’ough.” He noticed Nathan’s guilty expression. “Shits, you’s been pukings and you’s not says anyt’ing? What de fucks?”
“I don’t want to die, okay? And I really don’t want to go bald or something either!”
Toki didn’t even turn his head. “You’s not going balds.”
“How can you be sure of that?”
“You won’ts live longs enough. You should have lets me leave when I wanteds to, maybe you be okays if you had. Too lates now.” Still not looking at them, he got up and went outside.
Skwisgaar exchanged a look with Nathan, then went after him.
On the back porch, Toki hadn’t tried to leave after all. Or at least not yet. Or maybe he just didn’t know where to go. “I never thoughts Nathan woulds get bads sick, he’s so strongs.”
“I knows, Toki.”
“It reallies am my faults. Somehows. Moiderface was rights.”
Skwisgaar shrugged in reply, too late now. “Comes back insides, ams cold outs here.”
Back inside, they found Nathan sitting up and seemingly studying his arms. “Hey, do I look green to you?”
“No? Why de fucks woulds you be greens?” They both sat back down beside him.
“Those bombs, those were nukes. Nukes are radiation. Radiation gives you superpowers, or like, makes you into the Hulk, right?”
“Pfft.”
“It could happen! What would my super hero name be?”
“Captain Bloodpukes.” Toki sighed, “Sorry I says you’s dying, Nathan.”
“It’s okay Toki, you’re probably right? I mean, I’d already thought that, I just want to pretend. And that’s a pretty good name.” Nathan started to get up, then changed his mind, laying back flat with a pained groan. “Is there any Gatorade left? I’m pretty sure I can’t eat.”
Skwisgaar jumped up to get him one, and he accepted it gratefully.
*****
Captain Bloodpuke was living up to his name. He’d had a few nosebleeds as well, each lasting longer than the one before it.
His bruised hand, that he’s injured in the convenience store run, had bruised very dark red and was still swollen, he’d lost the ability to heal. He had other random bruises and spots too, he was starting to look a bit like those dead “zombie” people Toki had seen.
And he still had a constant fever, which was something they could have treated, but they didn’t even have any aspirin or anything, no drugs at all.
They all now knew Nathan was dying, and nothing could change that. It was a deathwatch now.
He was still holding on though, so far, but they knew he couldn’t last much longer, not like this. And his hair was falling out, but not in patches or anything, so it wasn’t super obvious. If it wasn’t for the excessive loose hairs around where he lay, they probably wouldn’t have even noticed.
He hadn’t eaten for days and was getting thin.
It was a countdown clock that none of them could see, but they could all hear it ticking. They gave him whatever liquids he asked for (if they still had that kind) and emptied his puke bucket as needed.
“Hey,” Nathan weakly called them over to him.
They sat beside him. “You okays? Needs anythings?”
“No, I’m done. I can feel it. But maybe I’ll see all them again? Abigail and Ian, Pickles and Murderface? And Charles? I always thought that was really stupid, when people said shit like that.” He coughed, and wiped blood off his mouth, his breathing uneven.
“Don’ts be tryings to talk so much.”
“Doesn’t... matter now. Just sit with me? And Toki? Put... put me in the shed, okay? Even if-“ he coughed again, hard, and they didn’t think he was going to be able to continue, but he did, “Even if there’s... nothing, you know, after this... then at least I’d have them? God I sound so lame.”
“I promises.”
“You guys... take care of each other. For me.”
“Ja, we wills.”
Nathan didn’t speak again. They sat beside him, moving only to stoke the fire or other necessities, and waited.
He seemed to be asleep, but it was probably a coma or something? It looked peaceful anyway, that was good. His breathing had worsened, and there were pauses when he didn’t seem to take a breath at all, but then he’d start again. So far.
They waited, as those pauses grew longer and more frequent.
They waited, because there was nothing else they could do.
Eventually, sometime in what was probably early the next morning, he didn’t take another breath. They waited some more, just in case, but it was over, Nathan was dead.
Toki insisted on carrying him by himself, Nathan was big but had lost a lot of weight. Skwisgaar got the doors for him. They laid him out in the shed, next to Pickles and Murderface, and closed the door to keep the snow out.
Back inside, silent.
Now it was just the two of them.
*****
Only four days later, Skwisgaar got sick.
He’d woken up that morning feeling like he’d been trampled by stampeding fans. He didn’t even bother trying to hide it, Toki wasn’t that stupid. And he wasn’t as strong as Nathan, he probably wouldn’t last as long.
Toki was unhappy with this development. “I COMMANDS YOU TO STOPS BEINGS SICK!”
“It don’t works dat way, Toki. Ams a goods try t’ough.”
“Skwisgaar? I’s been thinking.”
“Well don’ts be hurtsing youself.” He chuckled at Toki’s glare. “You knows I ams kiddings. Tells me?”
“Whats if... whats if the only reasons I’s drawn to Dethklok is to kills you all? Because I’s evil or somethings? And everything I ever cares about dies, even when I tries not to cares.”
“Well if it ams fates, den dere’s not’ing you can does.”
“Maybes there is. Maybe I can saves you, I think I knows how.”
“What de fucks you talkings about?”
But Toki ignored the question, now staring into the fire.
“I knows you’s still dere, I can tell de difference. Fine don’ts be talkings to me, jus’ don’ts leaves me.”
Skwisgaar continued to deteriorate throughout the day. Going on what little experience they had with this, he probably wouldn’t last more than a few more days at the very most.
Toki mostly sat beside him, silent and thinking, and tending to him as needed. So far, he hadn’t been sick at all himself, but that made some sort of sense if he was the reason everyone and everything was dying. Or maybe some people just didn’t get sick? There was no way to know for sure.
Or maybe he’d get sick next, after he’d watched them all die before him.
That night, while Skwisgaar slept, Toki quietly gathered some supplies in a sheet. Maybe, just maybe, if he put some distance between them, Skwisgaar would recover, would live? There was nothing to lose at this point, he had to try it. Outside, the wind was blowing pretty hard, it would erase his trail by the time there was enough light to see it.
He built up the fire, and placed more wood close by to make it easier for Skwisgaar to tend it, and put bottled drinks in easy reach. Also some food, though Skwisgaar, like Nathan, wasn’t eating.
Having done all he could, Toki grabbed his sheet and slipped out the door and away.
He didn’t go far, just to the house at the other end of the street, on the same side where he could build a fire and the smoke probably wouldn’t be obvious from their house with the taller houses between them.
He closed off the room with the fireplace as well as the layout allowed, then searched for wood. He’d remembered correctly, this house had a covered back porch, with the wood piled under it. Snow had blown in, but it wasn’t buried and some was dry enough to burn without waiting. He got a fire started, and brought more in to dry.
Three days, he’d go back in three days and Skwisgaar would be all better.
Toki was incredibly bored waiting.
Also anxious, because although he’d picked this house so his smoke couldn’t easily be seen, he hadn’t thought about not being able to see Skwisgaar’s either. Between the poor light, the near constant snowfall, and the two story house right beside him, he couldn’t see at all.
And he didn’t want to walk out into the street to look, he was pretending he was long gone. And he couldn’t go back to check, or that would defeat the whole purpose.
So he waited, and slept a lot to pass the time.
*****
Three days later, it was time.
Skwisgaar was going to be so mad at him for leaving! But at least he’d believe him now.
Toki knew he couldn’t stay, he planned to just check in and then leave for good, or Skwisgaar would just get sick again. This was just how it had to be.
Leaving what meager supplies he had left, Toki headed home for the last time.
When he got where he could see, there was no smoke! Why was the fire out?!
Wading through the deep snow, he plowed his way down the street as fast as he was able.
Maybe Skwisgaar had decided to leave too? Toki hurried into the house, he had to know for sure.
“Skwisgaar! You’s here?” He pushed the door open, entering the dark, cold room. He hadn’t realized how much light the fire provided. “Skwisgaar?”
Skwisgaar was there.
Skwisgaar was dead.
He’d died, cold and alone.
It was all Toki’s fault.
“Oh fucks, oh fucks Skwisgaar, I’S SO SORRY! I tries to saves you!” Toki collapsed beside the frozen body.
He couldn’t save anyone, and now there was no one left to save.
He wasn’t staying here now, he hadn’t planned to stay anyway. But he had something to do first, something that needed to be done.
Viking funerals, they deserved no less.
Going out back to the shed, not even bothering to close the back door, one at a time Toki dragged them back into the house, lying them on the mattresses. They almost looked asleep.
The gas can he’d found was still in the shed, he brought that in too. He piled the firewood around them, piled the extra clothes and whatever else seemed flammable around them, and splashed the gasoline over it all. It was all he could do for them now.
Lighting the pile, Toki walked out the door for the last time.
He retreated as far as the neighboring porch and sat there, almost scorched by the intense heat as the house burned. It wasn’t a boat or a pyre, but it was doing the job nicely.
Eventually the roof collapsed, and flames rushed to consume it.
Slowly, over hours, everything faded to embers.
Toki sat, unmoving, until the last of the embers died. His band was gone, truly gone now.
Far too late, he realized he hadn’t taken any supplies from the house before he burned it. Too late now, he’d just have to go without.
Did it even matter anymore, if he lived or died? Could he even die? He wasn’t sure anymore.
He had nothing now, literally nothing but the clothes on his back.
Stiff from sitting in one position for so long, Toki got up and started walking.
next
The band tries to survive, alone in this new world.
As you guys know/ should know, I kill people. If you thought it was just going to be Charles, sorry, you’re wrong.
Disclaimer: I do not own them, and all that stuff.
Warnings: Character death
Ten days ago, the world tried to end. It missed a few spots.
The snows continued, but so far they had been mostly flurries and not much was sticking to the road. So far it was still thin enough to drive through, so they needed to go find more supplies while they could. They still had food and drinks, but actually running out first would be extra stupid. Besides, if there was anything left in the stores, if the people who were left hadn’t already taken it all, time was... Well, they probably should have gone looking sooner.
The weather hadn’t improved, it was still heavily overcast all the time. Like the kind of light you get not long before sunset, weak and gloomy, but enough to see by just fine if you’re outside.
It was cold, colder than it had been, but so far not unbearably so since they had coats. And a fire, of course, they kept it burning all the time. Usually just one log at a time, to save wood, but with that room closed off, it didn’t take much to raise the temperature to a somewhat more comfortable level.
Supplies they’d gathered from the neighborhood were getting low.
Murderface wasn’t feeling well. Nobody was feeling especially well, but he’d had a pretty bad nosebleed the night before that hadn’t stopped for hours, and seemed weakened by it. He wasn’t going anywhere, but he was still giving advice.
“Firscht question: Toki, Schwischgaar, can either of you drive schtick?”
They looked confused.
“A car with three pedalsch on the floor? That you have to schift the gears by hand?” he helpfully added.
“Pfft, grampas car. No.”
“Noes, I tries it befores, but it makes bad noises and then it catches on fires.”
“Okay, Nathan and Picklesch, you’re the driversch. One of you pick one of them and go.”
Pickles shrugged. “I’ll go first, I’ve prahbly gat tha most snow drivin’ experience. Toki, you wanna cahm?”
“Sures?”
There were no comments or objections, so they left, taking both of the guns they’d found. The car had most of a full tank, the owner had filled it up not long before everything had happened, so gas wasn’t an issue yet.
Pickles drove carefully, but so far the tires were able to bite through the thin snow and find enough traction. The nearest corner store they’d noticed when they arrived was gone now, it had burned to the ground. They drove on.
Random debris made a few detours necessary, pushing them through a more residential area.
There seemed to be an excessive amount of graffiti for the end of the world. Some of it was helpful, such as ‘looters will be shot’ and more was just random. He noticed one that was probably a bible verse, but didn’t know what that might be. People tended to resort to religion when shit went all to hell. “Hey Toki, what’s thet mean?”
But Toki didn’t answer, so Pickles just shrugged and forgot about it. Further down the street, a couple bodies lay beside the road, partially covered in snow. The “you loot we shoot” looter warnings they’d seen painted in places were probably valid then.
Finally they made it through the maze of partially blocked streets, and found a grocery store. It was damaged, one corner was pretty much gone and the doors were smashed, but otherwise seemed to have survived. Pickles parked as close to the door as possible, locked the car, and in they went with guns held ready.
It smelled terrible, temperatures hadn’t gotten cold fast enough to prevent the cold case food from rotting, and even ventilated by the damage, it fucking reeked.
They grabbed carts and got started.
It smell wasn’t just the food either, they soon discovered. There were bodies in the canned vegetable aisle, and the floor dark with dried blood. The canned goods were mostly gone anyway, those always went first. They took all was left, this wasn’t the time to be picky.
The bread aisle was a bust, what little that remained was all moldy now.
The cereal aisle had fared better, there wasn’t a lot but at least there was still some selection. Cereal was good, you could eat it dry and pretend it was crackers or something. Not really crackers... Okay just dry cereal, but it was fine that way.
Distracted by his shopping, Pickles froze in shock when Toki suddenly turned and pointed his gun at him. Of all the times for him to lose his shit-
Toki fired, and a body fell with a thud behind him.
Ignoring Pickles, Toki went to it, picked up the guy’s gun and checked it. “He don’ts even got any bullets! Stupids!” He tossed the empty gun down on the body and turned back to his cart like nothing had just happened, throwing in more boxes.
“Toki, yer a liddle scary sahmtimes. But thanks fer thet.” They moved on.
Car loaded, they were a few blocks from home when five people stepped out into the road, guns raised. They clearly wanted the car, what was in it, or both.
Toki fired on them first, dropping one and hitting another. The rest scattered back, finding some cover, and returned fire. The rear passenger window exploded.
Pickles slid down in his seat as Toki fired across him, two shots into the bush where that shooter was hiding. He didn’t know if he hit him or not, but one on the other side broke cover and charged at them, he killed that one.
But another was coming, and the one in the bushes was still alive, emerging now. And Toki’s gun was empty.
“Pickle, gives me you’s gun! We can’t lets them follows us back!”
Pickles handed it over, still sitting as low as possible, practically on the floor. Could car doors stop bullets? He wasn’t sure at all. He found out all too quickly that they indeed could not, but wasn’t hit.
Shooting back, Toki managed to drop the last two. The clip hadn’t been full to start with, and his gun was empty too now.
They made it the rest of the way home with no more trouble.
*****
A few days later, Murderface was feeling somewhat better, and wanting them to make another run. “We need to schearch further away before the schnow’s too deep for the car. Which should be any day now.”
“You go this time,” Nathan pointed to him. “I mean, you’re okay now? And you know about all this stuff, you might find things we wouldn’t think about.”
Murderface couldn’t argue that point, so he just shrugged. “Fine. Hey Toki, you wanna go again?”
“Yeah sures.”
Pickles explained the best he could where they’d already been, so they could look in new places. “An’ if ya find a liqueur store...” It was funny they hadn’t seen any before, but it would just be their luck if this was a dry city. Of course they all wanted booze, if only to forget everything for a while.
Toki grabbed his gun and tucked it into his pants, and picked up the bat they’d found.
“Ya fergit yer outta bullits?”
“Noes, but nobody outs there knows that.” It was a scary gun, the threat might be enough.
They drove, the car slipping and sliding a bit, but never quite slipping completely off the road. This was probably its last trip.
“Maybe we finds some goils too, and repopulates the worlds?”
“I don’t think any of usch schould be reproducing after what we juscht lived through. If we even schtill can.”
They drove in silence for a bit. There were people up ahead, but they hurried inside a building before the car got anywhere close.
“Moiderface? You gots the bomb sicks?”
He sighed. “Yeah I thinks scho, schouldn’t really be happening thisch fascht but it fitsch. You’ve been puking too, right?”
“Noes? Am I supposeds to be? I thinks it’s just yous.”
“I know Nathan and Schwisgaar have been schome, not schure about Picklesch. You really haven’t? At all?”
“I says noes.”
“Maybe... maybe you’re schpecial. You’re the one who killed him, maybe that changesch schomething.”
“I couldn’t has dones it if you didn’ts keep him distracteds like you dids. Ands if they hadn’t wore him downs foist. I’s not special.”
“Schit!” Murderface suddenly stopped the car, then leaned out and puked. “Guessch I’m not doing asch well asch I thought. You might have to go in the schtore alone, Toki, I’m not schure I’m up for it.” He puked again, then closed the door and drove on.
*****
Back at the house, the others were organizing what was left of their supplies. Not much food at all, except for stuff that had to be cooked, if they could ever figure out how to do that. But they were all notoriously bad at cooking, even with electricity and modern appliances, so that was a last resort. It would depend on what Murderface and Toki could find.
They hadn’t seen any sign of their neighbors lately, maybe they’d left, or maybe they’d died of something. Or maybe they were just holed up too. It was colder now, definitely below freezing, so being outside wasn’t very fun. There were no fresh tracks in the snow, that was all they were sure of.
“Should we be worried, Nathan?”
“In general? Yeah. What the fuck are you talking about?”
“Ya know how in tha movies an shit, whenever they’re all lost in tha snow, sahmbody always gets eaten. And yer part cannibal.”
“What the fuck, Pickles, NO! I’m not going to eat any of you!”
“Ja, Pickle, what de fucks?”
Pickles threw himself back down in front of the fire, they joined him. “Well this whole things is rally fecked up! They told us all those years that we were gonna save tha world or sahmthin’, but everything’s ruined now! And I’m pritty sure Murderface knows way more than he’s tellin’ us about all thet radiation stuff.”
“He does.” They looked at Nathan. “I mean, he admitted he knows more, when we were searching houses together. But he said he won’t tell us or we’ll like, imagine everything?”
“I knows I woulds. But we ams okay, right? Murderface was the sicks, but he gots better, and de rest of us ams okay.”
“I don’t know! We’ve all puked some, is that bad? But not lately, at least I haven’t.”
Pickles shrugged. “In my case, it might’ve been withdrawals, I dunno.”
“I hasn’t lately eithers, I guess we ams okays?”
“None of us are okay if they don’t find more food. But I’m still not eating you! And don’t any of you eat me either, because that would really suck.”
*****
Murderface spotted a relatively intact convenience store, it probably had gas but the car still had a quarter tank and was going to be useless before long, so Toki just went in and collected all the snack foods and drinks that were left. It wasn’t a huge haul, but it was decent. Sadly, no booze at all, not even a single beer.
They finally found another standing grocery store, it didn’t look like there was anyone in it.
“You wants me to go alones? I don’ts mind.”
“Yeah, schorry. And take the bat.”
Murderface watched him move cautiously into the store, bat held ready, then slumped back in his seat, feeling lightheaded. Kid could take care of himself, which was more than he could personally say. He was puking blood now, that was a very bad sign. Toki hadn’t seen it, but he wouldn’t be able to hide it much longer.
Toki, and maybe Pickles, were still asymptomatic, but there was little hope that any of them would escape in the end, not after this much exposure.
If they were no longer seemingly immortal, then the job was done.
Unfortunately, so was the world.
Toki came back, pushing one heaping cart and dragging another, flinging stuff into the backseat haphazardly. This was a big haul, it would last a while.
Murderface was feeling worse. “Do you think you could drive usch back?”
He frowned at the snow-covered road. “If I tries, we probably nots makes it.”
“Well if we have to walk, I’m definitely not making it. Okay I’ll do my bescht then.”
On the way home by a different route, they saw the bodies. Someone had lined them up along the side of the road. Most of them had burns, open sores, and patchy hair.
“Holy shits, ZOMBIES!”
“They’re not zombiesch, they were juscht too closche to the bombs. That’sch what happensch.”
“I don’ts wants to turn into zombies!”
“There’sch another schtore, run in and schee what you can find.” Murderface pulled up to the door.
“But there’s zombies out heres!”
“Pull your schit together! Anyone who looksch like that isch way too schick to hurt you. Thisch isch the lascht schtop we’re making, scho make it count.”
“Fucks! Okays fine, but if I turns into a zombies I’s eating you!” He grabbed the bat and went into the store.
Car loaded with what additional little he’d found, they headed home. Murderface was fighting to make it, to at least get the supplies back to the others. He’d always read that when you improved, you might get a few weeks, but he’d always had terrible luck, worsening again after only a few hours.
He stopped to puke again, no hiding the blood this time. “Schit! Toki, I can’t make it, you have to drive. We’re not far, I’ll give you directionsch.”
Toki got out and came around to his side. “Oh, blood pukes, nots good.”
Murderface slowly inched himself across the bench seat to the passenger side and Toki got behind the wheel.
Although he’d said he didn’t know how to drive stick, he knew enough to manage, only stalling once as he tried to get moving. His shifting was pretty rough, but Murderface told him when to shift and when to turn. Coming out of a turn was harder, the jerks making the car want to slide on the snowy road.
They came way too close to going off the road, more than once.
But every time, even when they were sure they were fucked and this was the end, the tires managed to bite in just enough to stop the slide.
Somehow they actually made it home, and Murderface was looking even worse now. All the jolting probably hadn’t helped, but he’d done the best he could. Toki misjudged the distance and bumped the back wall of the garage, but they’d fucking made it.
The others heard and came out to help unload the loot.
“Moiderface is real sicks, gets him inside.”
Nathan opened the car door. “I’ll get him, you guys help Toki with all this. Hey, that’s a lot of food, good job!”
It took them several trips to unload everything, and Nathan didn’t come back to help.
They found them in front of the ever-present fire, and joined them.
“Murderface, dood... Nathan is he..?”
“I’m not dead yet, asscholes. But scheriouschly, when I die? Don’t burn me, don’t waschte the wood. You’ll need it.” He took a deep breath, which led to a coughing fit. Blood sprinkled the mattress. “I guessch thisch provesch we’re not invincible after all. At leascht not anymore.”
“He says he’s bomb sicks.” Toki was sitting knees to his chest, with his arms wrapped around. “He pukes blood when we’s at the stores.”
“Thanksch, Toki, tell everybody. But I guessch it doeschn’t matter now.”
“You’re not gonna die, Murderface!” Nathan sounded convincing, but all of them could hear the doubt under the surface.
“Yesch I am. It’sch okay, juscht keep me company? I don’t really wanna die alone.”
“Well dis ams so cheerfuls. Don’ts be worries, Murderface, we will stays wit’ yous until de ends.”
“He’s naught gonna die!”
“He’s probablies going to dies.”
“THIS SUCKS!”
“Schtill not dead here.”
*****
Murderface died in the night, while they were sleeping. They woke up but he didn’t. They’d tried to stay awake but hadn’t wanted a scene, their presence was enough.
Respecting his request to not be burned (at least for now), Nathan and Toki carried him out to the shed and laid him out in a funeral pose. The outdoor temperature were never above freezing now, he’d remain as he was until they came back for him, until it was time.
Back inside, they all sat together in silence, a Murderface-shaped hole aching in them all.
Now what, would they all die? But everybody seemed to be okay, for now at least.
How do you mourn when the whole world has died?
No Viking funeral, no drinking, no nothing. Just numbness.
The world didn’t care that Murderface was gone, the world didn’t care about anything anymore, it was sick and dying itself.
Toki got up and added a new log to the fire, and they all sat staring into the flames.
There was just nothing to say.
*****
The looters, or whatever the fuck they were, came two days later.
None of them had left the house since Murderface’s death, just existing in a shocked silence for the most part. A heavier snowfall had rendered the car useless now, so that was no longer a priority anyway. And they had enough food to last a while.
They weren’t group who dealt with loss well.
Pickles was sitting on the porch, despite the cold, when a Jeep with large mud tires turned down their street. “Hey doods, we gat people!” he yelled toward the door, "They’re cahmin’!”
They started for the door to see for themsleves, but suddenly shots rang out! Nathan tackled Toki and Skwisgaar to the mattresses. “Stay down!”
“But Pickle is outsides!” Toki was trying to squirm free.
“I know! Fuck! Skwisgaar, hold him!”
“I probablies cant’s?”
“TRY!” Nathan shoved Toki over, and headed for the door.
“If they hurts Pickles, I kills them all!” Toki growled, allowing himself to be restrained for the moment.
“Ja, and I woulds be helpings you. But stays de fucks down for nows!”
The door was kicked open before Nathan even got to it, He grabbed the guy by his gun arm and pulled him inside, slamming him against the far wall and punching him hard. The gun dropped somewhere in the shadows.
Toki jumped up and grabbed the next one. Unfortunately this guy was huge, and easily pinned him to the opposite wall, ready to beat the crap out of him. Skwisgaar had grabbed a chunk of firewood and bashed the guy across the head, giving Toki the advantage.
While the guy was still reeling from the blow to the skull, Toki got him down and, straddling his chest, and started erasing his face with his fists.
Nathan’s attacker was out cold, or maybe even dead, and he seemed to be searching for the dropped gun.
From the sound there were more outside, but no more gunfire, so maybe only one had been armed? And Pickles was still out therewith them!
Another came through the door, took in the scene, then turned tail and ran for the waiting Jeep, Nathan instantly went after him, but slipped on the porch, losing his advantage.
Still carrying his firewood, Skwisgaar cautiously went out the door. No more attackers, just the driver and the one who was now almost to the Jeep. Pickles was lying on the porch, and there was too much blood! “NATHAN!”
Another gunshot, and Skwisgaar hit the floor all on his own, looking up through the railing to see the guy Nathan was chasing fall.
Toki was in the doorway, he’d found the dropped gun. He fired again, trying to hit the driver as the Jeep drove off as quickly as it was able. Might have hit him, maybe not, but either way he escaped.
Nathan came back, worried.
Skwisgaar was on his knees, now beside Pickles. His hands hovered, wanting to do something but knowing there was nothing to be done.
The perfect bullet hole in the forehead, at least it had been instant?
“NOOOOO! Pickles, why were you outside! Now you’re dead, fuck, now you’re dead too!”
Toki took in the scene in deadly silence. Then he went back inside, grabbed up the bat, and proceeded to smash the living fuck out of the downed guys’ skulls.
Satisfied with his work, or maybe it was just that the skulls no longer provided enough resistance to keep pounding them, he stalked out to do the same to the one he’d shot.
Nathan pickles up Pickles and carried him around to the shed, Skwisgaar waited on the porch.
Back, Nathan dragged out the closest body, the big one who’d jumped Toki. “Hey! Help me put him over the rail.”
They gave him confused looks, why didn’t he just drag it down the steps? But moved to help.
The guy was really heavy, but they draped him over the porch rail at his waist, with what was left of his head trailing down the front for all to see. Nathan dragged out the other and they did the same, then collected the one from the road leaving a long smear of blood in the snow, and added him to the macabre collection.
At least it was cold enough they’d just freeze and not smell.
“Okays, if nobody else ams goings to asks... What de fucks?”
“Coyotes.” He noticed their confusion was not at all resolved. “Okay, it’s a thing like ranchers or somebody does? You kill a coyote and you hang it on the fence, then all the other coyotes see it and think ‘these people will fucking kill you’ and they stay away. They do it with snakes too, but that’s stupid because snakes don’t care.”
Toki nodded. “I gets it, does it works?”
“With coyotes? No idea. With people? I dunno, probably.”
The went back inside. The door still worked despite the kick it had taken, but a pane in one window was broken, probably from a stray bullet. There was blood, bone fragments, and chunks of brains and faces on the floor. Was that a nose? Maybe? Nothing they hadn’t seen in the past though, in their former life, in Dethklok.
Toki ignored it all, and sat in front of the fire, arms wrapped around his knees.
Skwisgaar looked at him. “Shits Nathan, he ams checks out agains. I guess we gots to cleans dis up.”
“It’s mostly on the carpet. Let’s just cut out those parts and throw them outside.”
Nathan found a utility knife in the kitchen, it seemed everyone everywhere had one of those, and cut well around the chunky parts. It was easy to drag them out. There was still blood in places, especially from when he’d drug the body all the way across the room, but it would probably just dry and be okay.
That done, Skwisgaar patched the broken window with a magazine they hadn’t burned yet and some tape. Good enough.
With nothing more to do for now, they sat together. Toki was clearly still unresponsive, he’d come back when he was ready.
“You puts Pickle wit’ Murderface?”
“Yeah. Is it fucked up that I feel sort of better that they’re not alone? Out there?”
Skwisgaar just shrugged, everything was too fucked up to even know where to start. “Dat was so fasts.”
“Yeah. I really need to be drunk right now, everything keeps getting worse! And I don’t know how to just check out like Toki. Ian, Abigail, Charles, Murderface, Pickles... FUCK!”
But they had no booze.
*****
Snowfall had increased, and the color was obvious now, not bright white but slightly grey. Good thing they had plenty of stuff to drink, for now at least, because melting that snow would probably be a bad idea. Murderface would have known for sure.
The weather had gotten progressively darker, like right before a big storm, that weird ‘almost dusk’ type lighting even in the middle of the day. Even when it wasn’t actively snowing, it really didn’t lighten up much at all.
They’d long since gotten used to the gloom, it seemed fitting.
This new world, what the world had become, it wasn’t a place of light.
Toki had started moving around again the following morning, but was oddly quiet and still not acting normal. He seemed to be avoiding them, or as much as you can avoid people in the same room with you. Nathan and Skwisgaar let him be.
They were all mourning in their own ways, and nobody had much to say. There were no words that could change what had happened, so they didn’t talk much either.
But after two days without a single word from Toki, of him refusing to even look at either if them, they intervened.
Sitting on either side of him, although he ignored them and continued to stare into the fire, they made an attempt.
“Toki? Hey Toki?” Nathan elbowed him gently. “Talk to us?” But got no response.
“Toki, you has to talks to us. Ams like you’s dead but still heres, and dis ams getting really creepies. What ams wrongs wit’ you?”
So softly they could barely hear it, “All my faults.”
“Huh? Wait what how?”
He still wasn’t looking at them. “Everything I cares about dies. Alls this that happens, we’s not like befores, you’s not safe froms me anymore. I should goes away before you both dies too!”
“Whoa! Fuck that, you’re not going anywhere! We’ve lost too much already.”
“Toki, don’ts you dares runs away. We needs you.”
He jumped up and began pacing back and forth between them and the fire, highlighted by the flames. “I’S FUCKING KILLING YOUS! WHY CAN’TS YOU UNDERSTANDS?!”
“WE’RE FINE! Toki, look at us, we’re fucking fine!”
“You’s sicks, You’s not fine! Don’ts lie to me!”
“We’re not sick! Okay we were a little, but not anymore!”
“Ja, we gots betters. Amns’t you, Toki, de world fucks up. Amns’t you.”
“We do need you. Remember that store we passed on the way here the first time? Not the one that, you know, you guys said is gone, but the other one? I think it’s close enough to walk to, I wanna do see if there’s anything left. I want you to come with me.”
“What abouts Skwisgaar?”
“Pfft, I’s fine. Gots dead porch guy protections, nobody ams goings to mess wit’ me while you ams gone. I just brings in more wood for de fires while I waits, you should goes.”
“What he said. So, you coming?”
Toki frowned. “Car don’t work in this much snows, hows we carries what we finds?"
“I dunno? I didn’t think that far ahead. Uh, maybe sheets?”
“Coulds work.” He shook his head. “Still a reallies bads idea.”
“You wanna explain what the fuck you’re talking about? Because I’m confused.”
Toki gave an agitated sigh. “What happens to the last two people I goes on runs with?”
“Murderface was already sick! And Pickles... That had nothing to do with you!”
“Moiderface said it all changes, when I kills that monster guy. And that’s whys he gots sick.”
Skwisgaar stood and stepped in his way, stopping him. “Toki, listens to me.” He threw an apologetic glance at Nathan and continued, “T’inks back, what happens before we even fights him? Ja, de haus cames down, and Charles dies. Befores. So it amns’t you.”
Nathan nodded. “And I know you cared about them, you can’t tell me otherwise! It has NOTHING to do with you!”
“You really wants to bets you’s life on that?” He crossed his arms, still unconvinced.
“Yeah! What the hell, Toki, if we don’t get more supplies we’re all fucked! And we know there’s dangerous people out there, I need you to have my back!”
Throwing his hands up and giving in, Toki sullenly complied.
They grabbed a few of the largest sheets and headed out. The yard was deep, but the winds had swept the snow around, making the street more passable. It was still almost knee deep, and slow going, but just they’d have to manage. Fortunately their boots were high enough to keep their feet mostly dry, at least for now.
“Nathan? Sorry Skwisgaar says their names.”
“No, it’s okay to talk about them. I mean, I miss them so fucking bad, but... this sounds really horrible, but I’m almost glad they’re not here? Going through all this?”
Toki just nodded, thinking, and they walked in silence for a bit.
“Whats about Pickle and Moiderface, you’s glad they’s dead too?”
“No! I mean, that’s different. Somehow? I don’t know.” He noticed some graffiti on a house they were passing, some religious thing. He pointed, “Hey Toki, do you know what that means?”
“Yeah, I sees some in other places too. So far they’s all been abouts the devil.”
“Huh. Well I guess Hell finally froze over then, or we were all misinformed.”
It was hard to tell exactly where the road was, occasionally they wandered too far to one side or another and slipped into the deeper ditches that lined it. That really sucked, to suddenly be floundering in waist deep snow, but there was nothing to do but climb out and keep going.
At least they weren’t cold. They were a bit damp in places now, but the exertion had the sweating under their coats, despite the low temperatures.
Walking back would hopefully be a little easier, the trail they’d made clearly showed where they’d veered too far off center, so they wouldn’t fall in any more ditches at least.
The store was less than a mile away, but it took them over an hour to reach it, and they were both breathing hard from the exertion. Nathan had little experience with deep snow, and Toki was long out of practice.
But the store wasn’t empty.
It looked empty, but when they entered through the shattered glass door, three guys jumped them. Two went for Nathan, probably because he was so big.
Fists flew, thuds muffled by heavy clothing, but the strangers were wearing more layers and had the advantage.
“Go for the face, Toki! They’re too fucking padded!” Nathan punched one hard in the jaw, feeling something break and hoping like hell it wasn’t his hand. That one was down.
Toki grabbed his by the ears and yanked the guy’s head down to meet his rising knee, smashing the nose. He let go and then man slid to the floor moaning, out of the fight. He turned in time to see Nathan grab the last one and smash his face into the counter.
The fight was over, the store was theirs.
Toki nudged the moaning one with his boot. “Should we kills them?”
“Uh, I don’t know? I don’t think they’re going to try to follow us or anything. Besides, with the wind and snow, our trail will be gone in like a day.”
He considered, then squatted beside his guy, the two Nathan had dropped were unconscious. “If you tries to follows us, we kills you.”
They loaded up their sheets with everything they could, tying them to make it hold.
Fortunately damn near everything came in plastic bottles these days, so there was little risk of them breaking.
Unfortunately, that many bottles of anything was really fucking heavy. They’d put what food was left in a separate sheet so it wouldn’t all get crushed, but that didn’t weigh a whole lot.
Toki had noticed Nathan favoring his hand a bit. “Nathan, you’s hand okays?”
“I think so?” He flexed it. “If not, it doesn’t matter right now. I’ll deal with it.”
They headed home. Dragging loaded sheets through the snow was so much harder than they’d expected. Instead of sliding along the surface, which really had been too much to hope for, they insisted on sinking in deep. Carrying them over a shoulder like Santa made walking easier, but was equally if not more tiring.
Toki stopped and stripped off his coat, stuffing it in his sheet with everything else.
“Toki, put your fucking coat back on.”
“No, I’s hot. Besides, I’s outsides in the snows a lots as a kid without no coat, I’s fine.”
“Your fucked up childhood doesn’t excuse freezing to death.” Nathan thought about it, then shrugged and removed his own coat. The cold wind was almost blissful against his sweaty skin. “If it didn’t kill you it shouldn’t kill me. Let’s go.”
They struggled home slowly, alternating between dragging and carrying their burdens. Hoping none of the bottles would freeze enough to break before they got there. The plastic ones should be fine, but some of the drinks were in glass. But hell, even cans blew up when you froze them, or forgot you put one in the freezer and found it three days later.
It took even longer in this direction, laden as they were.
Their trail from earlier was already being erased by the winds, but still clear enough to guide them away from the ditches.
Breathing hard and sweating despite the cold, struggling to keep going because even stopping to rest wasn’t an option. Just keep moving, one step at a time.
Finally they made it home.
Skwisgaar came out, helping them drag the sheets the rest of the way up and into the house. He started untying the knots to sort their loot.
Toki went straight back outside and threw himself down in the snow, trying to cool his over exerted body.
Nathan settled for the couch instead, collapsing on it with a groan. “Should you make him come inside?”
“Whats, Toki? No he ams fines. He comes in when he ams readies.” He was standing bottles along the wall, some were partially frozen but it looked like none of them had burst. “You gets a lots, good jobs.”
Toki wasn’t outside too long, and went straight to the mattresses when he came in, lying flat.
Nathan got up and moved, rummaging through their sparse clothing supply for some dry tshirts that didn’t smell too bad yet. He stripped off his damp shirt and tossed it to the side, put on a replacement, then threw the other at Toki, landing it on his face. “At least change you shirt first.”
Toki grumbled and sat up, obeying, then flopped back down.
They were both soon asleep. Later when they started shivering a bit, Skwisgaar put blankets over them.
*****
They work up stiff and sore, and Nathan’s hand was a bit puffy. It fortunately didn’t seem to be broken though, as far as they could tell. Hands swelled up easy if you hit them just wrong, they all knew that.
“I think we’re officially done with stores, unless the snow melts. That was the only one close enough to walk to and it’s empty now. Let’s hope we don’t die?”
“We coulds melts snow?”
“Dat ams probablies a bad ideas, Toki. Ams not even de right colors.”
“I knows that! But we mights not has a choice, eventuallies.”
“Nobody’s drinking snow until all this is gone!” Nathan gestured at their latest haul. “But how are we doing on firewood, whoever got some last?"
“Dat woulds be me, I gets more while you ams gone, and we ams running low.”
Toki waved dismissively. “Alls these houses gots wood, we just takes it.” He thought about it, “Only three hads people, and I’s not seen smoke from two of them in a whiles, they’s probablies dead now?”
“Huh, possible food them.” He noticed their horrified looks, “NO! I mean they might have had food left, we’re not eating them! Do you really think I wanna eat people?”
For some reason they found this funny, and he was faced with rolling Scandinavians.
Suddenly they weren’t the only thing rolling, and Nathan jumped up and lurched outside to puke over the porch rail. Shit, blood again. Hopefully he didn’t need another liver transplant, especially since that wasn’t an option. Leaning out, he scraped some snow over it to hide the evidence, no point worrying them.
Behind him, the laughter was about done.
Skwisgaar stuck his head outside, “Hey, gets back in here so we can plans dis.”
“So, radio guy was sick and that house has been dark. And that other one, where you said the dude had a shotgun? Was he sick?”
“We didn’t really stays around to ask, but I thinks so.” Toki frowned, “That other one ats the end still has smoke sometimes, but I never sees any sign of anybody evers.”
“They’re probably some of those crazy survivalists. Well I guess they’re not crazy, since everything really did go all to hell, but I mean they probably have all kinds of stuff stocked up and they’s why they’re still there.”
“We ams goings to robs dem?”
“NO! No, we’re going to leave them alone, you’ve seen those movies too! As long as we see smoke, and for a while after we don’t see it anymore, we leave that house alone! I mean it!”
They had indeed seen those kind of movies, the house was probably filled with horrible ways to die.
Skwisgaar gathered up the sheets from the previous day, “Well what ams we waitings for? Gots two houses to be searching.”
“Skwisgaar, are you sure you don’t want to wait here?”
“Pfft. You both ams still half deads from yesterdays, and in case you forgets, I’s from Sweden. Tries to be keepsing up now.” He walked out and headed for radio guy’s house, the closest one.
Toki laughed, Nathan shrugged, and they followed him.
“Yeah Nathan, we’s the experts when it comes to snows.”
“Fuck you both, I’m from Florida. This snow sucks!”
Radio guy was dead, but there was almost no smell, so he’d outlived his fire. It was hard to tell if sickness had killed him or if he’d just frozen to death. They found his radio, but when they turned it on the power light was very weak and it didn’t seem to work. Batteries were about dead then, and they weren’t sure how to work it anyway, so they left it.
He had food left, some water, and firewood. He’d probably gotten too sick to take care of himself. The took the food. The water was frozen of course, but looked greyish so they left it. Maybe he’d been melting snow? The wood they could come back for, since there was only one house between them.
Shotgun guy’s house was across the street.
He was dead, his throat sliced open, but again there was little smell. Nathan checked the shotgun, but it was empty, probably had been empty even when he’d threatened with it. “Okay, search the house!”
Skwisgaar headed upstairs, Nathan took the kitchen, and Toki just started going through stuff looking for anything useful, guns or whatever.
Or booze, that would be really great too, better even.
There was a gagging noise from upstairs, and they both turned to see Skwisgaar come down fast. Bracing a hand against the wall he puked. “Don’ts go ups dere! Ams horribles.”
“What’s up there?” Was it dangerous?
“Crazies bastard-“ he pointed at the corpse on the couch, “kills his family. Wit’ de shotguns, dey’s everywhere. Lady an’ little kids too.”
“Wow, that’s fucked up! Some people take the end of the world way too seriously!”
“Can we be goings home now?”
“Uh, no. Sorry, one of us still needs to search. Up there. Here, you take the kitchen, I’ll go.”
Toki stopped him. “I does it. Probablies nothing I hasn’t seen befores.” He noticed the way they were looking at him, so continued, “My dads... sometimes he preached too wells, and this happens. And I has to help cleans them up.” He went upstairs, and they could hear him searching.
“Just when I thought his childhood couldn’t have been any more fucked up...”
“Ja, no shits.”
They’d gathered all the food that looked salvageable, and were waiting on Toki.
He came back down his sheet over his shoulder, a small bundle of something soft. “I gots shirts and somes other clothes, they’s not usings them no mores. And a surprises! I shows you when we gets back.”
They walked home, wading through snow drifts. This was it, firewood aside, there were no more supplied within their reach, they’d just have to hope it was enough. Until...
Well, things had to change eventually, right?
Back home and on the mattress, Toki dumped out his sheet. It seemed to be mostly tshirts and socks, and a full, unopened bottle of whiskey. He held it up with a grin. “Religious crazies always gots some hidden!”
“Fuck yeah, Toki!”
“Opens dat shits up!”
The passed the bottle around, drinking, and for a while it almost felt like the world was okay again.
*****
The next day, Nathan was really hungover. Or at least that’s what he convinced himself of, because he didn't want to consider the other possibilities. He’d woken up before them and gone outside to piss. He’d puked blood again while he was out there, and again buried that. Running a shaky hand through his hair, too many strands came away in his fingers.
But it hadn’t been brushed for a while, so it was probably just built up shed hairs? He was NOT losing his hair, that was unacceptable! And hangovers don’t cause that.
Back inside, he lay back down and pulled up his blankets. Hangovers sucked! But so did not having more booze.
Why did it seem colder? Maybe he had a fever? No, because hangovers don’t cause that. He got back up and threw another log on the fire.
Just a hangover, that’s all it was. And it was just cold in here. And...
He was really tired, so he went back to sleep.
Toki woke up when Skwisgaar tripped on his arm. “Owie.”
“Pfft, ams dark in heres. Why you has to be sleeping all sprawls out anyways?” Skwisgaar briefly visited the back porch, then returned to sit beside Toki, who was now sitting up.
“Skwisgaar? Does Nathan looks okays to you?”
Skwisgaar studied him as well as possible in the poor light. “I t’ink he ams sweating somes? Dat amns’t probablies nots good.”
“Well, fucks.”
Nathan was still sleeping, oblivious to them. They moved back to the couch so they wouldn’t wake him.
“What does we do, Toki? If he gots de sicks?”
Toki shrugged. “If there was a cures, Moiderface woulds have tolds us. I don’ts think was can do anythings.”
“Maybe he ams not dat kind of sick, maybe he can gets bedder?” But he didn’t even sound like he believed that.
“Yeah maybes.” They sat sadly, not knowing what to do.
The wood pile in the corner was getting low, and there wasn’t much left outside. That was something they could do! Doing something was better than sitting around feeling helpless. “Hey Toki, let’s be gettings more woods, ja?”
Toki nodded and stood, “Okays.”
They gathered up their trusty bed sheets (a very shitty way to transport stuff through the snow, but all they had) and headed out, leaving Nathan still sleeping.
Radio guy was still dead, no surprise there. He’d piled a lot of his wood indoors, so they just started with that. Wood was heavy, but the house was close, so they made a couple trips, trudging back and forth in silence. They tossed their coats after the first trip and kept working, the trail they’d worn through the snow made walking much easier.
Indoor wood supply finally depleted, Toki checked around the best he could outside for more wood. With this much snow cover, that mostly involved blundering around blindly hoping to run into it. Finally he found some, piled right by the back door. He dug it out and started tossing it up to Skwisgaar, who dumped it inside to dry. They’d collect it later on.
Back home, Nathan was finally awake, though still lying down. They dumped their final loads of wood in the corner and went to sit beside him.
“How come you guys aren’t hungover too?”
Toki was just studying him silently.
Skwisgaar shrugged, “No ideas. I feels a little bits bad when I first wakes up, but I am fines now.”
“It’s just a hangover!” He didn’t like the way Toki was looking at him. “And I’m just tired, I did a lot lately! And I’m not used to all this snow.”
“Whatevers you says, you jus’ be restsing den.”
“And I’m definitely not losing my hair! I mean, if you thought that.” There were some hairs on his pillow.
“Why woulds I be t’inkings dat?” Skwisgaar touched his own hair in a concerned manner.
Toki had turned to stare into the fire instead, still silent, seemingly zoned out again.
“Why am I so cold? Hey Skwisgaar, what if I have what Murderface had?”
“He was pukings a lots t’ough.” He noticed Nathan’s guilty expression. “Shits, you’s been pukings and you’s not says anyt’ing? What de fucks?”
“I don’t want to die, okay? And I really don’t want to go bald or something either!”
Toki didn’t even turn his head. “You’s not going balds.”
“How can you be sure of that?”
“You won’ts live longs enough. You should have lets me leave when I wanteds to, maybe you be okays if you had. Too lates now.” Still not looking at them, he got up and went outside.
Skwisgaar exchanged a look with Nathan, then went after him.
On the back porch, Toki hadn’t tried to leave after all. Or at least not yet. Or maybe he just didn’t know where to go. “I never thoughts Nathan woulds get bads sick, he’s so strongs.”
“I knows, Toki.”
“It reallies am my faults. Somehows. Moiderface was rights.”
Skwisgaar shrugged in reply, too late now. “Comes back insides, ams cold outs here.”
Back inside, they found Nathan sitting up and seemingly studying his arms. “Hey, do I look green to you?”
“No? Why de fucks woulds you be greens?” They both sat back down beside him.
“Those bombs, those were nukes. Nukes are radiation. Radiation gives you superpowers, or like, makes you into the Hulk, right?”
“Pfft.”
“It could happen! What would my super hero name be?”
“Captain Bloodpukes.” Toki sighed, “Sorry I says you’s dying, Nathan.”
“It’s okay Toki, you’re probably right? I mean, I’d already thought that, I just want to pretend. And that’s a pretty good name.” Nathan started to get up, then changed his mind, laying back flat with a pained groan. “Is there any Gatorade left? I’m pretty sure I can’t eat.”
Skwisgaar jumped up to get him one, and he accepted it gratefully.
*****
Captain Bloodpuke was living up to his name. He’d had a few nosebleeds as well, each lasting longer than the one before it.
His bruised hand, that he’s injured in the convenience store run, had bruised very dark red and was still swollen, he’d lost the ability to heal. He had other random bruises and spots too, he was starting to look a bit like those dead “zombie” people Toki had seen.
And he still had a constant fever, which was something they could have treated, but they didn’t even have any aspirin or anything, no drugs at all.
They all now knew Nathan was dying, and nothing could change that. It was a deathwatch now.
He was still holding on though, so far, but they knew he couldn’t last much longer, not like this. And his hair was falling out, but not in patches or anything, so it wasn’t super obvious. If it wasn’t for the excessive loose hairs around where he lay, they probably wouldn’t have even noticed.
He hadn’t eaten for days and was getting thin.
It was a countdown clock that none of them could see, but they could all hear it ticking. They gave him whatever liquids he asked for (if they still had that kind) and emptied his puke bucket as needed.
“Hey,” Nathan weakly called them over to him.
They sat beside him. “You okays? Needs anythings?”
“No, I’m done. I can feel it. But maybe I’ll see all them again? Abigail and Ian, Pickles and Murderface? And Charles? I always thought that was really stupid, when people said shit like that.” He coughed, and wiped blood off his mouth, his breathing uneven.
“Don’ts be tryings to talk so much.”
“Doesn’t... matter now. Just sit with me? And Toki? Put... put me in the shed, okay? Even if-“ he coughed again, hard, and they didn’t think he was going to be able to continue, but he did, “Even if there’s... nothing, you know, after this... then at least I’d have them? God I sound so lame.”
“I promises.”
“You guys... take care of each other. For me.”
“Ja, we wills.”
Nathan didn’t speak again. They sat beside him, moving only to stoke the fire or other necessities, and waited.
He seemed to be asleep, but it was probably a coma or something? It looked peaceful anyway, that was good. His breathing had worsened, and there were pauses when he didn’t seem to take a breath at all, but then he’d start again. So far.
They waited, as those pauses grew longer and more frequent.
They waited, because there was nothing else they could do.
Eventually, sometime in what was probably early the next morning, he didn’t take another breath. They waited some more, just in case, but it was over, Nathan was dead.
Toki insisted on carrying him by himself, Nathan was big but had lost a lot of weight. Skwisgaar got the doors for him. They laid him out in the shed, next to Pickles and Murderface, and closed the door to keep the snow out.
Back inside, silent.
Now it was just the two of them.
*****
Only four days later, Skwisgaar got sick.
He’d woken up that morning feeling like he’d been trampled by stampeding fans. He didn’t even bother trying to hide it, Toki wasn’t that stupid. And he wasn’t as strong as Nathan, he probably wouldn’t last as long.
Toki was unhappy with this development. “I COMMANDS YOU TO STOPS BEINGS SICK!”
“It don’t works dat way, Toki. Ams a goods try t’ough.”
“Skwisgaar? I’s been thinking.”
“Well don’ts be hurtsing youself.” He chuckled at Toki’s glare. “You knows I ams kiddings. Tells me?”
“Whats if... whats if the only reasons I’s drawn to Dethklok is to kills you all? Because I’s evil or somethings? And everything I ever cares about dies, even when I tries not to cares.”
“Well if it ams fates, den dere’s not’ing you can does.”
“Maybes there is. Maybe I can saves you, I think I knows how.”
“What de fucks you talkings about?”
But Toki ignored the question, now staring into the fire.
“I knows you’s still dere, I can tell de difference. Fine don’ts be talkings to me, jus’ don’ts leaves me.”
Skwisgaar continued to deteriorate throughout the day. Going on what little experience they had with this, he probably wouldn’t last more than a few more days at the very most.
Toki mostly sat beside him, silent and thinking, and tending to him as needed. So far, he hadn’t been sick at all himself, but that made some sort of sense if he was the reason everyone and everything was dying. Or maybe some people just didn’t get sick? There was no way to know for sure.
Or maybe he’d get sick next, after he’d watched them all die before him.
That night, while Skwisgaar slept, Toki quietly gathered some supplies in a sheet. Maybe, just maybe, if he put some distance between them, Skwisgaar would recover, would live? There was nothing to lose at this point, he had to try it. Outside, the wind was blowing pretty hard, it would erase his trail by the time there was enough light to see it.
He built up the fire, and placed more wood close by to make it easier for Skwisgaar to tend it, and put bottled drinks in easy reach. Also some food, though Skwisgaar, like Nathan, wasn’t eating.
Having done all he could, Toki grabbed his sheet and slipped out the door and away.
He didn’t go far, just to the house at the other end of the street, on the same side where he could build a fire and the smoke probably wouldn’t be obvious from their house with the taller houses between them.
He closed off the room with the fireplace as well as the layout allowed, then searched for wood. He’d remembered correctly, this house had a covered back porch, with the wood piled under it. Snow had blown in, but it wasn’t buried and some was dry enough to burn without waiting. He got a fire started, and brought more in to dry.
Three days, he’d go back in three days and Skwisgaar would be all better.
Toki was incredibly bored waiting.
Also anxious, because although he’d picked this house so his smoke couldn’t easily be seen, he hadn’t thought about not being able to see Skwisgaar’s either. Between the poor light, the near constant snowfall, and the two story house right beside him, he couldn’t see at all.
And he didn’t want to walk out into the street to look, he was pretending he was long gone. And he couldn’t go back to check, or that would defeat the whole purpose.
So he waited, and slept a lot to pass the time.
*****
Three days later, it was time.
Skwisgaar was going to be so mad at him for leaving! But at least he’d believe him now.
Toki knew he couldn’t stay, he planned to just check in and then leave for good, or Skwisgaar would just get sick again. This was just how it had to be.
Leaving what meager supplies he had left, Toki headed home for the last time.
When he got where he could see, there was no smoke! Why was the fire out?!
Wading through the deep snow, he plowed his way down the street as fast as he was able.
Maybe Skwisgaar had decided to leave too? Toki hurried into the house, he had to know for sure.
“Skwisgaar! You’s here?” He pushed the door open, entering the dark, cold room. He hadn’t realized how much light the fire provided. “Skwisgaar?”
Skwisgaar was there.
Skwisgaar was dead.
He’d died, cold and alone.
It was all Toki’s fault.
“Oh fucks, oh fucks Skwisgaar, I’S SO SORRY! I tries to saves you!” Toki collapsed beside the frozen body.
He couldn’t save anyone, and now there was no one left to save.
He wasn’t staying here now, he hadn’t planned to stay anyway. But he had something to do first, something that needed to be done.
Viking funerals, they deserved no less.
Going out back to the shed, not even bothering to close the back door, one at a time Toki dragged them back into the house, lying them on the mattresses. They almost looked asleep.
The gas can he’d found was still in the shed, he brought that in too. He piled the firewood around them, piled the extra clothes and whatever else seemed flammable around them, and splashed the gasoline over it all. It was all he could do for them now.
Lighting the pile, Toki walked out the door for the last time.
He retreated as far as the neighboring porch and sat there, almost scorched by the intense heat as the house burned. It wasn’t a boat or a pyre, but it was doing the job nicely.
Eventually the roof collapsed, and flames rushed to consume it.
Slowly, over hours, everything faded to embers.
Toki sat, unmoving, until the last of the embers died. His band was gone, truly gone now.
Far too late, he realized he hadn’t taken any supplies from the house before he burned it. Too late now, he’d just have to go without.
Did it even matter anymore, if he lived or died? Could he even die? He wasn’t sure anymore.
He had nothing now, literally nothing but the clothes on his back.
Stiff from sitting in one position for so long, Toki got up and started walking.
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