HAPPY HALLOWEEN!

I'm currently going to school to take two midterms even though I'm sorta sick! Also I'm in "costume" even though it (might be) against dress code! (It's an Ouran High School Host Club jacket).

Enjoy your Halloween!
(And don't worry. This one shot not at all like last years)

-Jaz

~~~~

Walkers (Mortals)

Nico let out a sob despite the pained smile on his face. He was coward for not doing it but he couldn't do it. Nico would always love his big sister. He would love her no matter what she did or what she was.

That's why he couldn't do it, because they were siblings.

And that's why he is about to die.

~~~~

"Ready?"

"Yeah."

"Good, cause they're here."

Nico swallowed and nodded as he tightened  the grip on his knife. "Let's go," he said quietly after a deep breath. As silently as possible he stood and followed his sister down the hall and out of the temporary safety of back bedroom and toward the stairs.

A shiver seized his body as his ears recognized the sound of  the shuffling footsteps and the moaning. He forced himself to take another step forward while taking a deep breath. He looked down at his hands and willed them to stop shaking. After a moment he glanced at Bianca worried that she had seen his fear, if she had she paid no mind as she took off her green floppy hat and tucked it in her waistband as she always did when they had to fight. Sensing his eyes on her she turned and touched his arm as she gave him a comforting smile. Nico didn't return it as they reached the stairs. His eyes were drawn first to the door and how close it was to them, but that wasn't important. Because of what was what was blocking the door.

Walkers.

Ten? No more than that, fifteen? Nico thought his heart rate quickening. He paid no mind to the thumping in his chest as he surveyed the Walkers below. The Walkers were yet to notice  them- but it wouldn't be long before they did. In the back of his mind, Nico vaguely wondered how Walkers knew where to go. Considering the lower class didn't function the same way as the upper class it didn't make sense, but Nico supposed it wasn't important. No matter how they did it, Walkers always found the Living.

Staring down at them and judging by the way the Walkers bumped into each other and walls they were only C Class, at this realization Nico took an internal sigh of relief. The C Class were the slowest and the stupidest. They hadn't been Walkers long enough to learn.

"Let's go," Bianca whispered after a deep breath. Without a second thought she launched herself down the stairs and swung her baseball bat. It hit a Walker in the head and it fell back into another.

Nico ran down the stairs after her and jumped into the fray bringing his knife down into the skull of a Walker, he quickly pulled the knife back and kicked the Walker away as he turned to the next and slashed at its outstretched hands cutting them clean off (Nico made a mental note to thank Bianca for making him sharpen the knife last night). He kicked at the Walker sending it flying back into another and Bianca cracked both of their skulls with her bat.

Nico stabbed another and when it fell he froze mid attack seeing the small girl in front of him. Silently he cursed himself for breaking his own rule. Referring to "her" as a her and not as an "it". He forced himself to do so he wouldn't be  distracted if they were men, women or children. But this Walker couldn't have lived to be more than four. She wore a pink princess dress which was dirty, torn, ripped and covered in both Walker and Living blood.

The little girl- Walker- reached out to grab him and stared up at him with her dark, glazed over, lifeless eyes. She grabbed his pant leg and leaned forward her open wide. Nico stared at her the knife shaking in his hands. He wasn't sure what else to do but then a baseball bat hit her in the head and with a loud crack, and sent her flying into a wall.

Nico shifted his gaze from the girl- the Walker and to Bianca who breathed heavily beside him. Nico opened his mouth unsure of what to say when she grabbed his face. Her eyes were full of concern as she looked him up and down searching for injuries before looking him in the eye once more. "A Walker is a Walker. If you see one you kill it. No matter what. Understand?" She asked him seriously. Nico watched her, she looked out of breath, bruised, but all her concern was focused on him. "Understand?" She repeated shaking him slightly.

Nico nodded. "Understood."

Bianca pulled him in a hug and breathed in a sigh of relief. "Good let's move. We need to find food soon."

Nico pulled back from the hug with a nod. Trying to only focus on what he needed to do next he hurried upstairs to grab their bags and when he came back down he tossed Bianca hers. "I'm ready when you are."

Bianca shouldered her bag before she pulled her hat out of her waistband and put it on her head and shouldered her bat. "Then let's head over a few blocks. We haven't looked for food there in a while."

"I remember a green house which didn't look too badly raided, from the outside at least," Nico recalled.

"Lead the way."

Nico held his knife tightly as he stepped over the motionless Walkers and peeked out the front door. He hurried out into open moving quickly as he lead the way quickly down the street. He ignored the nearly painful feeling of the hot sun beating down on his pale skin and focused on trying to be as quiet as he could while running. His eyes darted around constantly searching for signs of Walkers.

He hurried through the abandoned streets, passing the raided houses. Nico slowed before  pausing at the corner and taking in his surrounding before heading down the adjoining street. After a moment he glanced back at Bianca. She met his gaze and gave a slight nod of encouragement as she ran after him.

Nico didn't stop running until he reached the porch of the green house and threw himself inside. He held his knife breathing heavily as he heard Bianca come in behind him. The two made eye contact and closed the door before beginning to make sure the house was secure. Once deciding it was the made their way to the kitchen.

Bianca began opening cabinets while Nico opened the fridge and once finding it empty opened to the pantry and smiled finding some cans. He pulled out a couple to examine, "Soup. Soup. Soup times ten. Soup. More soup- oh ramen. Wait isn't Ramen sorta soup?" He asked Bianca looking up.

Bianca nodded walking over. "Sorta. So we have a lot of soup? Anything else back there?"

Nico looked back and pulled out some more cans. "Only soup. We got chicken noodle, tomato, ramen, alphabet, and cream of something. The label is scratched."

Bianca shrugged. "Soup it is then. What is with these people? Is soup all they ate?"

"Maybe they were sick a lot."

"Speaking of sick we gotta go to the store and get more medical supplies."

"I thought we had some?" Nico asked confused as shoved the cans of soup in his bag.

"We did," Bianca responded. "Until someone made the stupid decision of standing in the rain."

Nico shrugged. "It seemed like a good idea at the time. I mean can you blame me? We've only had endless hot brutal sun for over a month. I was happy it rained."

Bianca rolled her eyes. "Not the point."

"So, are we gonna go tonight or tomorrow?" Nico asked changing the subject.

Bianca paused. "Let's go tomorrow. For now lets explore the house and get some rest."

~~~~

"Whoa, Bianca look what I found!" Nico shouted hurrying up the basement stairs. He ran into the living room where Bianca was heating up a can of soup in fire pit made from a hole in the floor. "Look!"

Bianca looked up from the soup can with a frown. "A sword?"

Nico smiled widely. "Yeah! It's super cool," he smiled examining it. After a moment he gave it an experimental but lost his footing. He quickly slammed the sword into the floor and used it to hold himself up. Blood rushed to his cheeks as he looked back up to Bianca.

Bianca wasn't laughing. "You're going to kill yourself with that."

Nico spun the sword over in his hands ignoring both her and his blush. "I'm keeping it."

"Keep your knife on you and don't chop any of your own limbs off," Bianca said rolling her eyes.

"You're just jealous because you use a bat."

"I'm quite deadly with that bat mind you."

Nico rolled his eyes. "Keep telling yourself that."

~~~~

"See anything?"

Nico nodded but kept his eyes on the Walkers ahead. "At least ten. I can't tell what they are but definitely not A Class. At least I don't think. Not like I've seen one," he shrugged.

"Good," Bianca said tightening her grip on the bat. "And trust me you would know one if you see it. And you don't want to, very few have encountered an A Class and lived to tell warn everyone else."

Nico looked away from the Walkers and to his sister confused. "What is it that makes them so dangerous anyway?"

"They're smart. They can think, and they can talk," Bianca responded with a slight shiver at the thought.

"A Walker that can talk?" Nico asked in with an eye roll. "Now you're just making stuff up."

"I'm not making that up but I don't know if it's true either," Bianca shrugged. "That's just what people say. Now let's worry about that when the time comes, for now let's worry about getting past those Walkers and into that pharmacy."

Nico nodded and looked back to Walker ahead. "Alright. How exactly do we do it?"

Bianca hummed in thought for a moment. "There is probably a back entrance. One of us could distract out the front while the second goes in through the back and gets the stuff."

Nico frowned. "And let me take a wild guess... I'm the distraction?"

Bianca smiled and ruffled his hair. "I'm faster so I can get in and out much easier than you, my little distraction."

Nico huffed and batted her hand away. "Let's just get this over with."

~~~~

Nico walked slowly out from his hiding spot and toward the pharmacy. As he did he dragged his newfound sword on the ground as he went making an ear piercing sound. He tried to resist he urge to cover his ears as he kept his face calm, hoping he looked confident to the Walkers, even though he only wanted to turn and run. Nico took a few more slow steps forward and with every step he could feel the burning pavement beneath his feet.

The Walkers- at least ten of them turned their attention to him. "Do you guys think I'd be tasty?" He shouted swiping the sword against the pavement once more.

The Walkers must have assumed he did as they began moving closer to him and Nico turned ready to run. He would just have to run next door and lead them all into the trap. Then he could exit through the back and meet up with Bianca. Simple. Or it was until he heard her scream.

Nico's body froze and a cold settled over him. His eyes opened wide in fear as he stood and staring at pharmacy unsure. Hit but his tongue hard enough to draw blood when the Walker closest to him lashed out and he nearly forgot to dodge.  

The scream came again.

"Bianca!" Nico screamed back coming to his senses. His heart was beating loud and fast in his ears. He needed to get in there. He needed to help her, but first he needed to get past these Walkers. Nico took a deep breath and gripped his sword tightly in both hands trying to muster up the courage he would need to charge in there to find Bianca.

A Walker moved forward and unsure of what else to do, Nico swung the sword toward it hoping for the best.

With a spurt of black blood which costed Nico, the long black sword lodged itself in the Walker's rib cage but the Walker kept moving, stretching out its decaying limbs toward him. Nico cursed and yanked the sword free by pulling it back while giving the Walker a kick the stomach to pry it off.

The Walker moved forward again, the time another behind it. Nico promptly ducked under its arms and ran up the second Walker behind the first and swung the sword. This time the sword sunk into the Walker's head causing it to go rigid and Nico shook the Walker off his sword before turning around and slicing at the other Walker. The sword went through its neck easily. Nico allowed himself a small smile at his luck as he turned to face the others when he heard her scream again.

In response Nico's gaze hardened and ran at eight Walkers left. He ran to the next ready to strike when it suddenly opened its mouth and let off a shrill sound which caused Nico to freeze in his tracks. He planted his feet and watched how around him six of the eight Walkers moved quickly to surround him- all of them making similar sounds.

Nico cursed. "B Class... I don't have time for you," he growled at them his eyes flickering to the entrance of the pharmacy. He looked around again waiting for them to attack. If he could just get past them he could run for it. B Class were fast- but not living fast. He needed to carve a path and run for it. Nico looked around constantly trying to keep his eyes on all of them at once. Before the ring of Walkers let out a loud, collective sound which rang in his ears.

Nico resisted the urge to cover his ears as two rushed at him. He quickly side stepped and swung his sword which missed the Walker's chest by a mile. He dodged again and swung the sword still trying to get used the weapon. Earlier had been nothing more than luck and the luck had left him as soon as it came.

He raised the sword as two more came forward while the others worked on blocking his escape. When they were closer he swung downward and successfully cut off one's arm. But he couldn't thrive in the little victory, because by now he knew the two the dangerous parts of Walkers, its teeth, and it's mind.

He moved to strike again when he was blindsided by a Walker which scratched his side and knocked him to the ground. He shouted in pain from the wound and from the hot pavement burning into his skin. The sword fell from his hands. He kicked at the Walkers closing in as he reached for his knife. He slashed at a Walker's out stretched hands and managed to slice off a hand but covered his face in the its black blood. More came circling him, he needed to stand up but he couldn't with them that close. They stood around just out of reach of his knife but close enough to keep on the ground.

The sounds from their mouths began again as they seemed to cackle as his agony. He tried not to focus on his blistering skin on the pavement or the smell of his burning flesh but on searching for his sword with one hand.

He caught a glimpse so it to his left but he wouldn't be able to reach it- it was behind a Walker. 

He'd have to kill to reach the sword, once he did he had a chance of getting to the pharmacy. He needed to get in there and help Bianca. He could only hope she was okay. The screaming had stopped and at this point he wasn't sure if that was a good or a bad thing.

So before he could talk himself out of the idea. Using his left hand he pushed himself up enough to kick at the Walkers in front of him. As he did he reached desperately for the sword. He reached it thankfully but cut his hand on the blade doing so. He ignored the pain and grabbed the hilt and swung it above him. It sliced three of Walkers across the stomach  their black blood falling down on top Nico and into his eyes but he made sure to close his mouth.

Nico cough and spluttered as he waved the sword widely slicing Walkers as he did. The Walkers backed off slightly and Nico took it as an opportunity to stand. He wiped the Walker blood off his face and on to one his sleeves. He stared at the Walkers in front of him, as he spit out some of his own blood on to the pavement and watched it sizzle there. His gaze hardened and gripped the sword tightly in both hands. "You're in my way," he said deathly calm. He took a few breath before he launched forward running at the first Walker. The Walkers moved forward to count him but he didn't stop. He ran straight up to one and swung the sword slicing its neck. He ignored the spurt of black blood as he whirled around and chopped the sword sideways lodging the blade in a Walker's skull. He quickly ripped the sword back ran forward once more.

He straight for another and sliced at it but kept running. He picked up the speed running- sprinting for his life. He could hear the Walkers behind him but he forced himself to keep running. He reached the door of the pharmacy and threw it open and ran inside. He held the sword and surveyed his surroundings. Finding a broken overturned shelf he placed the sword down and forced his aching body to move it in front of the door. When he was done he glanced back out and at the Walkers which were outside. They still came closer but it seemed wrong. Like they were hesitating.

Nico shook his head and turned around. He grabbed the sword before calling out, "Bianca?" He was met with silence. He crept forward listening carefully. He could hear the Walkers outside and the crunching from under his feet. He headed toward the back of the raided pharmacy and behind the counter. 

He walked slowly toward a door toward the back. He placed his ear to the door and was unsure and listened for a moment. He was met with silence besides the sounds of the Walkers he had left behind, the sound of his ragged breathing, and quick beating heart. Nico reached a hand to the doorknob slowly unsure if he was prepared to see what we behind the door. He couldn't decided whether or not the sound of silence was comforting. He gulped down some air and felt it burn as it went down his throat. He gripped the doorknob tightly and turned it before he could talk himself out of it.

Behind the door was another trashed room. A Walker lay on the ground motionless and beside it laid a bloody Bianca. Nico sprang forward and let the sword clatter to the floor as he knelt over her debating what to do. There was a gash on her head which was bleeding heavily, her shirt was torn and bloody, all in all though she didn't look too bad considering. He noticed her bags to the side and hurried to grab it and was thankful she has already put medical supplies in it. He pulled out some bandages and moved to put them around her head when her eyes fluttered open.

"Y-you're alive," she said quietly with a small smile. Tears came to her eyes as she reached up to him with a shaky hand and touched his face.

"Course," he smiled. "Now lay still so I can bandage your head and then we can leave."

Bianca's removed her hand from his face and Nico became aware of the black blood coating her hand and now his cheek. Her eyes were full of concern as she spoke seriously in a low voice. "Run. Please run Nico."

"Why would I?" Nico asked confused.

"It bit me," Bianca answered with a hollow laugh. She blinked away tears as she turned so he could see her face fully- and then bit mark which covered her left cheek. "I had my back turned, I let my guard down..."

"You're going to be fine," Nico protested. "We can- we can- um we-"

"Run," Bianca whispered closing her eyes.

"Bianca? Bianca? Bianca?" He said voice raising each time. He cursed and picked her up. He maneuvered her so she was on his back. He snatched up his sword and their bags.

"What are you... you... 'ing?" Bianca mumbled into his shoulder weakly.

"Doesn't matter," Nico protested. "Save your energy."

"But-"

"Save your energy," Nico said cut in as he walked toward the back door. "Save it."

~~~~

Nico walked into the green house breathing heavily. The parts of his body which had touched the ground had actually burned to the point that he couldn't feel it anymore. But he could the large weight on his back. He felt the shakiness in his body.

He forced his legs to walk up the stairs and down the hall to the room Bianca had claimed as her own.

He dumped her on the bed before his body gave out and he collapsed to the floor.

~~~~

When Nico woke up his body ached. He wanted  nothing more than to lay still but his stomach protested. He forced himself to turnover. Bianca's bag came into view and he reached forward and pulled out the supplies.

After a while of caring for his own injuries. He stood up and look to Bianca. She laid motionless on the bed. Her bleeding had stopped but he wasn't quite sure he wanted to now how. Nico had the urge to say something, do something but he didn't know what. He considered going downstairs and making soup while he thought about it when her arm twitched.

Nico froze. He didn't dare make a sound, or even breathe. He stared at his sister as slowly before he asked words he knew he would regret. "Bianca?"

She twitched once more. She moved her arms to prop herself up as she turned to face him. Nico could only backpedal he bumped into the bookshelf sending books crashing down but he only snatched his stuff- the bags and his sword before sprinting out the room and slamming the door shut behind him.

He stood against the door for a while processing his heart rate still increasing as her look was forever engraved in his memory.

The dry, pale, cracked skin. The black blood coursing beneath it. The bite mark on her face and those dead eyes which looked through him rather than at him.

Nico wasn't exactly sure what she was. But she wasn't sister he had known. He could hear shuffling behind the door and he stepped away. He began rummaging through the bags before he found a rope. He quickly tied to the doorknob and pulled it back. The shuffling grew closer to the door before it seemed like someone- or something had bumped into it. After a moment then bumping stopped replaced by a low moan. Nico's hands shook and tears flowed down his face but he didn't let go of he rope. His eyes landed on a closer door and he fastened the rope to the other door knob so it couldn't be pulled easily.

He took a couple steps back before he took off down the stairs.

~~~~

It was two days after that, that he started eating.

It was three days after that, that he went back upstairs.

Two after that he began sleeping in his room once again.

Four after that he checked on the room- on her, and he checked on the rope.

Three after that he decided not to move houses as he had before. 

Six after that he left on his own to get more supplies.

Two after that he had officially accepted it.

He accepted it until one after that.

~~~~

"N-niiicc-co."

Nico dropped the cup of water he had been holding as his blood ran cold and he froze in his tracks at the sound of voice. The cup crashed to the ground it's contents spreading on the floor but he paid it no mind.

"Niiiico."

He ignored the waste of the precious resource as his ears honed in the sound. It didn't make sense. He was the only in the house besides/

"Nico."

"Bianca?" The name escaped his lips before he could stop it. He never meant to call for her. It couldn't be her. Nico drew his sword and began searching around for perhaps an intruder. Then he heard it shake.

His head snapped in the direction of that room where he could see the doorknob shake desperately despite the rope attached.  Suddenly it stopped all at once and Nico gave a sigh of relief- but then he heard the knocking from the other side of the door.

"Nico. C-comm- come. P-pleah-please, I-I'm su-sah-sorry. I-I can't keep my sanity f-for long. C-come help me. I-I feel cold." Nico stayed where he was as it sounded like sobs came from the other side of the door. "Please help me," the voice pleaded.

Nico suddenly gasped in air, previously unaware that he hadn't taken a breath. He could feel his heart thumping on every inch of his body

"Please. Nico please."

"No!" He shouted at the door yet he found himself slowly moving closer to it. "I-I- you're not Living! Y-You're a Walker!" He shouted at the door as tears began to flow down his face. .

"Walkers c-can't talk. I can. Just please,  o-open the door."

Nico slowly took another step closer to the door his eyes staring at the rope he had tied.

"Nico. P-please..."

Nico cursed himself but even so he took his sword and raised it before bringing it down slicing the rope in two. He bit his lip nervously and managed to draw blood as he stepped closer to the door and slowly turned the knob.

When he did he found her sitting.

She sat crisscross in the middle of the floor. Open books were strewn around her as she sat with her head handing down low so her now messy black hair fell over her face.

"Bianca?" Nico asked slowly.

In response she looked up at him and Nico recoiled.

Her face hadn't changed. The same cracked skin. The same pale and dry look to it. The same bite mark marring her face. But her eyes. They didn't look dead.

At least not completely. They were glazed over but they were no longer staring out at nothing. Rather the eyes looked him over before she smiled. "Nico!"

Nico stared at her in disbelief. "H-how are you..." He trailed off unsure whether he should be thankful or mortified at the girl sitting before him. Either way the grip on his sword didn't loosen.

"I don't know," she said shaking her head. "I don't know. But I-I'm-mm-mh- I'm- happy you're here."

"But you were turned into a Walker," Nico protested refusing to get any closer.

Bianca only smiled wider as she stood up slowly. Saying nothing she held out both of her arms for a hug.

Nico nearly moved to return the embrace when words Bianca had said to him before rang in his ears.

"A Walker is a Walker. If you see one you kill it. No matter what. Understand?"

Nico understood but how was he supposed to kill her? His sister. His only family remaining?

He only stood frozen as Bianca took another step forward and her mouth opened. He knew he should do it. Just swing the stupid sword and it would be over. But he couldn't. The sword slipped from his hands and to the floor with a clatter as he mentally prepared himself for her dead teeth to rip through his flesh. She was close enough now- she could kill him any moment. But even so, he couldn't do it. Nico let out a sob despite the pained smile on his face. He was coward for not doing it but he couldn't do it. Nico would always love his big sister. He would love her no matter what she did or what she was.

That's why he couldn't do it, because they were siblings.

And that's why he is about to die.

Her mouth opened but then all it once it ended. A sword had swung but it wasn't his. The sword was bronze looking and had managed to slice her head clean off, her black Walker blood spraying all over Nico as her head was sent skidding across the floor. Her body was sent crashing on top of him and Nico fell back at he added weight. He quickly scrambled back away from her body and stared up at the new people in the room.

A shorter dark-skinned girl with golden eyes and tall black haired boy with greenish eyes now stared at him. Nico stared at both unsure of what to do. He was about to speak when the other boy spoke first.

"Are you Nico di Angelo?" He asked lowering his sword.

"Why?" Nico asked him trying to sound stronger than he felt.

"Just making sure I didn't save the wrong guy. I'm Percy Jackson and this Hazel Levesque. She's your sister. Now I suggest we get moving."

Nico blinked and looked to golden eyed girl- Hazel. "Sister?"

Hazel nodded slowly. "Yeah... Nice to meet you."

"I don't have another sister."

"You do. Dad told me-"

Nico stood slowly shaking his head. "My dad is dead and he never had any other children."

Hazel shifted awkwardly from foot to foot. "He died a couple years ago. Before he did he told me that he had two children which he hadn't seen since the Outbreak. He told me that he had worked to find you two but when he finally made his way there he had found that your mother had been turned and assumed you two had too. He then somehow made his way back to me and mom- I'm not gonna go into detail about how they met the first time. But years later just before laying on his death bed he had gotten a clue that his other children were alive. So, I came looking for my older siblings in his place."

Nico stared at her unsure how to process. He didn't know what to do. The sister he had always known and loved was gone and here was another girl appearing only seconds later to replace her. Was he supposed to just hug this girl and pretend everything was perfectly fine? Pretend that her being her actually meant something? That he should be happy that he had a family again? Blood isn't the only thing which held a family together. And at the moment blood was the only thing he and Hazel had in common. Ready to shout this, he opened his mouth but Percy cut off his harsh words by speaking himself.

"Did neither of you hear my words where I said we should go? I can hear the Walkers talking, they are close," Percy informed them. "I'm ready to leave with or without you. I repaid my debt to Hazel and that's all I was really here for. But if you want to not die and we start moving in the next sixty seconds we can avoid them."

"Right sorry," Hazel nodded turning toward the door. "Let's go."

She walked through the door and Percy followed before looking back at Nico who had shifted to looking at Bianca.

"She's wasn't your sister anymore. She's a Walker," Percy told the other boy. "A Walker who only had one thing on her mind. Devouring you. So, are you coming or do you want to get shared between the twenty B Class and two C Class closing in on us?"

Nico grabbed his sword and walked out the door before heading down the hall and grabbing his already packed bag. He left the room again and looked at the two. "Let's go."

The other two led the way down the stairs and out the front door. Percy took the lead. "It's safest if we go west."

"How do you know?" Nico questioned raising an eyebrow but he followed Percy nonetheless.

"I can hear them communicate and
sense them."

Nico decided to ignore that last part and just focus on the first. "You can understand that screeching?"

"Course." Percy said with a smile. He tilted his head slightly at the sound of more screeching and pointed and Hazel walked forward following his silent instruction. Percy then turned back to Nico with a wink. "I'm part Walker."