Profile of the Dead 1/?
Title: Profile of the Dead 1/?
Author: tafidadarling
Fandom: Criminal Minds which belongs to CBS.
Pairing(s): Morgan/Reid
Rating: FRM
Summary: It was 25 October 2021. The first zombie outbreak was exactly two years ago today. An AU set in the future after zombies have plagued the world. Two strangers are making their way across the country which is slowly trying to recover from the unthinkable.
Warnings: This chapter, violence.
Notes: I've been reading this fantastic zombie novel and since I'm a huge zombie nerd, I had to write this.
Cross posted to bau_fic, cm_slash and morganreid_cm.
The gas station appeared to be abandoned, but Morgan wasn't taking any chances. He checked inside the store and the entire perimeter before he put his gun back in its holster and began filing his tank. He had been driving on fumes for the past ten miles and he was glad he passed the station. Fuel was starting to become hard to find and Morgan knew that.
It was 25 October 2021. The first zombie outbreak was exactly two years ago today. Morgan always thought it was ironic that it occurred so close to Halloween. How many people had been watching Dawn of the Dead when they were attacked?
Morgan had been a cop. Well, technically he still was. The country was just in a complete upheaval trying to contain the outbreak. Morgan and several other Chicago officers had volunteered to go the L.A. base to help. When the operation failed a week ago, Morgan took his bike and headed east. His mother and sisters had moved to a contained section of Chicago and he was planning to join them. Let the government clean up their own mess.
As he was speeding down the highway, Morgan saw someone standing next to a broken down pickup truck. He was just about to shoot when he realized the person was stationary. If it was a zombie, it would have been lumbering toward him. He was close enough now to make out the figure was a young man and was...
'You got to be kidding me,' Morgan thought.
The kid was hitchhiking. Morgan knew that it was best to travel alone but the part of him that still had the manners his mother taught him just wouldn't let him leave the kid here to die of thirst. Or worse. He slowed down and the kid grabbed a bag from the bed of the truck and ran to meet him.
"Thank God," he said breathlessly. "I thought no one would come."
"You infected?" Morgan asked gruffly. He was not going to let his kindess get him killed. It was bad enough to risk the stop let alone picking a hitchhiker up.
"What?"
"Have you been bitten, bled on, even breathed on by one of them."
"No," the kid practically squeaked. "No, no, no." He rolled up his sleeves and pants legs to prove his point.
"Alright," Morgan said and nodded to his sidecar. "Bag in there and then hop on back."
"Thank you again," the kid said as he sat down. "I'm Spencer, by the way. Spencer Reid."
"Derek Morgan. Where you headed?"
"Vegas. I know the rumors, but..."
"Kid, those aren't rumors," Morgan said. "Vegas is a ghost town. No use going there."
"But my..."
"No. No sob stories. Whoever is there... They're gone. I'm sorry, but they're gone."
"Oh." Morgan couldn't hear Reid over the engine, but he could tell he had shattered the last hope the kid had. Hope is all anybody had anymore. That and a 12 gauge.
"Got a plan B?"
"Just take me as far as you can then," Reid said.
"I'm going home to Chicago," Morgan explained. "There are lots of contained neighborhoods there now. You'd be safe."
"Whatever."
"Just keep your head and we'll get along fine," Morgan said. No pun intended. "You armed?"
"Yeah, but I ran out of ammo escaping campus. I haven't run into any after I hit the road."
"Okay. Our first stop is the next arms store we pass."
They rode along in silence for the next few hours passing mile of nothing upon nothing. The sun had started to set and Morgan said, "Better find a place to camp."
The men passed a building that looked like it had been a ranch. Morgan parked the bike and pulled out his gun. "Find something you can use as a weapon. We gotta clear the area first."
Reid wandered over to a fence and yanked one of the boards free.
"Creative," Morgan said.
"Thank you," Reid replied smiling. His original peppiness seemed to have returned. "You military?"
"Close. Chicago PD. I was on the L.A. base."
"Ouch. Sorry about that."
"I survived, didn't I? How 'bout you?"
"Me? Military? No way."
Morgan laughed. "No, what did you do? You said something about being on campus."
"I was in my last year at CalTech. I was about to get my doctorate."
"You look a little young."
"I used my boyish good looks to get ahead. I think it's clear outside."
"Oh, okay. Yeah. Inside next. After you." Morgan held the door for Reid trying to recollect himself. Who was this kid? And what had he gotten himself into?
The downstairs was empty, but upstairs was another story. The bedroom doors were all boarded shut and they could hear several trying to claw their way out.
"Another coward afraid to put his own family out of their misery," Morgan muttered.
"Maybe they wanted it."
"To be caged like animals?"
"They aren't really people anymore. So, I pull the boards free and you shoot?"
Morgan nodded as he thought about what Reid had just said. As he shot the first one, he imagined having to shoot his own family if this happened to them.
'They wouldn't be your family anymore,' he told himself.
The other two were shot and he and Reid threw them into one of the rooms and boarded it up again. They retrieved their bags and set up downstairs. Morgan boarded all the windows and doors as Reid gathered all the food and supplies they could use.
"How does ravioli sound for dinner?" Reid asked.
"Sounds good enough to me," Morgan replied as he rolled out his sleeping bag. "You can take the couch."
"Oh no, you do. You're my savior. I insist."
"But you don't have a bag."
"I'll take yours. I promise, I don't have cooties."
"What are you? Twelve?" Morgan asked laughing.
"Hey now. I'm seventeen... and a half." Reid flashed a smile as he sat a bowl in front of Morgan.
"Seven... but you said you were at college."
"I was," Reid said calmly. "Let's just say I was a child prodigy. Skipped a couple grades."
"Wow. Well, I'm glad you're on my side then."
"I'm glad you're on mine." Reid started shoveling the food into his mouth. "God, I never thought I would think food in a can was delicious."
"Tonight we dine like kings!" Morgan joked.
"There's some home canned peaches for dessert," Reid mumbled through a mouthful of food.
"Okay, now that will be delicious," Morgan said. "Hey, I'm sorry I was rude at first. I'm actually glad for the company."
"It's okay Morgan. I won't tell anyone the whole bad ass exterior is just an act."
"Hey, I thought I was your 'savior'."
"Oh, but you are. Now shut up and eat."