Zombie Apocalypse Chapter 4
Fandoms: Castle, Doctor Who, Glee, Sherlock, Smallville
Wordcount: 1,284
Rating: PG
Warnings: mild violence
Chapter written by: spaciireth
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Previous chapters:
Introduction.
Chapter one.
Chapter two
Chapter three.
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While the description of “ten-year-old on a sugar rush” was an apt one in the case of novelist, Richard Castle, he was not one to completely throw caution to the wind. Usually. But writer’s block can be a bitch at times, and the idea of an actual zombie apocalypse was rather alluring. Alexis and Kate Beckett had tried to talk him out of leaving New York, both worried that he would wind up contracting whatever mystery virus was causing the so-called zombifications, but it seemed he’d made up his mind.
On his way towards the town, Castle had driven through a stretch of farm land. He hadn’t paid too much attention, but he was fairly sure he’d seen some human figures bending over now lifeless carcases of livestock that had probably been grazing peacefully only days before. He grimaced. Now that he was here, he was beginning to think that maybe voluntarily seeking out a zombie-infested town wasn’t one of his better ideas.
Parking in front of a row of deserted shops, he stepped out of his car and pulled out the small handgun that usually didn’t leave the drawer of his dresser. He didn’t like using it, but it didn’t hurt to be prepared. It was either the zombie or his brains and he knew which one he’d be choosing.
As he was thinking along those lines, he heard the sound of shuffling feet behind him, along with a muttered “Braaaaainnnnsssss.” He spun around quickly, and came face-to-face with about six zombies, all looking hungry. He fired a couple of shots, but, knowing that he didn’t have enough ammo to take down all of them, he turned and began running. As he ran, he hoped that zombies in real life behaved in much the same way as zombies in the movies, and that he’d be able to outrun them soon enough.
At the speed he was running, it was hard to check down side streets and alleys to see if they were clear, but he figured a few sharp turns wouldn’t hurt to put the zombies off the scent. The original lot of them, anyway; more could be lurking around any corner. Once he was convinced he was clear, he slowed down, breathing heavily.
“Richard Castle,” he said to himself, “next time you hear reports of something that sounds like one of your favourite movies come to life... ignore it.”
He jumped when he heard a buzzing sound just around the corner. He didn’t know what it was, and mentally ran through all the zombie movies he’d seen recently to see if he could remember anything about buzzing in any of them, but drew a blank. Later, when thinking back on the events of that day, he would admit that this was probably not the smartest train of thought, but in the heat of the moment, it was what came to mind. His curiosity got the better of him and he edged around the corner to investigate.
He and the man he saw on the other side both gave loud yells as they came face-to-face. Castle found an odd looking torch with a green light thrust in his face by a man wearing a bowtie and tweed jacket. For a moment, the two of them just stared at each other, as though they were each expecting the other to eat his brains at any moment.
“You don’t look undead,” Castle commented eventually to break the silence.
“No, I’m not. You seem safe, too.” The man lowered the torch, looking slightly apologetic. “Sorry about that. Sonic screwdriver. I can use it to scan people from a distance. I’m the Doctor, by the way.”
“Rick Castle,” replied the writer, squinting at the Doctor’s odd gadget. “Okay, you know, what with zombies running around, I’m going to totally believe you when you tell me you’re from the future.”
“Well, future’s a bit of a relative term, isn’t it? I am an alien, though, as far as you’re concerned, two hearts and a spaceship. Kind of fond of Earth, though, have to say, and you lot do seem prone to alien invasion.” Castle was still taking in this bit of information as the Doctor continued rambling on, “Now, you and I can’t be the only two still around, so what we need to find out is where everybody else is.”
“Don’t people usually all get together and barricade themselves inside a cafe on main street or something at times like this?” Castle suggested.
“Yes,” agreed the Doctor, “they’re probably all together somewhere. Do you know your way around the town at all?”
“I parked my car near a supermarket. I know my way back there.”
The two of them began walking, keeping a wary eye out for more zombies. The Doctor would hold the sonic screwdriver around corners, scanning for any activity. Finally, they made it back to the main street, and started wandering up one side, looking in windows to see if they could find any evidence of other people. Most shops seemed to have been raided at some point, but apart from that, there didn’t seem to be much sign.
As it turned out, Castle had been as correct as he could have been. In a cafe on a street corner, they came across a group of people sitting around a table. At sight of Castle and the Doctor, a couple of them sprang out of their seats, hands going to whatever weapons they had at their disposal, but they soon realised that there was no need for them.
As they were ushered inside and the door bolted again, introductions were quickly got out of the way. Lois, the brunette woman still sitting at the table with the two young boys, Kurt and Blaine, turned to Donna, the other woman, at mention of the Doctor.
“Is he the man you were talking about?”
Donna eyed the Doctor. “Doesn’t look like him,” she commented, “but, well, knowing him, who’s to say...”
“Well, I changed my face, yes, but it’s still me on the inside. Look.” The Doctor pulled out the sonic screwdriver again and pressed a button. “It regenerated, too, but it still makes all the same noises.”
The quiet British man who had introduced himself as Sherlock Holmes looked at the sonic screwdriver with interest. “Fascinating,” he remarked. “Sonic technology?” The Doctor beamed at him.
“What on earth possessed you to wear that ensemble?” Donna asked, looking the Doctor up and down. “And a bowtie? Really?”
The Doctor fidgeted. “Bowties are cool,” he replied quietly, not quite making eye contact with Donna.
The conversation quickly and inevitably returned to zombies and what they were going to do now. While most of the others were keen on getting as far away from the virus as possible, the Doctor wanted to stick around and see if the virus could be contained.
“After all,” he reasoned, “once they run out of brains here, it’s only a matter of time before they move onto the next town, then the next and then the world!” He paused for a minute. “Was that too melodramatic?”
“Well, we are talking the end of the world,” Castle replied, “I think you’re justified.”
On hearing that Castle had a car Kurt and Blaine were tempted to make a run for it there and then. Castle didn’t blame them; they were just kids, not much older than Alexis. They shouldn’t have to be running for their lives like this. But it seemed the Doctor’s argument was persuasive, because everyone agreed to at least try to help in some capacity.
And so, as the afternoon turned into evening once again, the team of eight started brainstorming.
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Next chapter (five)