Fragile Hearts [DANGEROUS FELLOWS]

⚠️THREE: NO BACON? NO PROBLEM⚠️

Jason told his father everything that had happened while you sat silently next to him, your stomach twisting. You felt nauseous but the only thing keeping you from being sick was the fear that the minute you went into the bathroom, zombies would flood the apartment.

After informing him, Jason dug around for some candles and gathered up a couple half-empty lighters. The living room was bathed in warm yellow light as he lit the candles.

"Jesus Christ," Jason's dad muttered, running his hands over his face. "The first time I see my son in two years and there's a zombie apocalypse. And he has a girlfriend!"

He offered a weak smile to try and lighten the mood. Jason kept his head down.

"We aren't dating," you said quietly. "We were trying to kill some time before a party."

A chill went down your spine and you jumped up, breaking out into a cold sweat.

"What's wrong?" Jason asked, getting to his feet as well.

"The party. What if everyone is at the party? What if they don't know?" you said, beginning to panic, seeing flashes of Madelyn.

"Calm down, I'm sure they're fine," Jason assured you, but his voice was nowhere near calm.

You pushed him away, anger flaring inside you. "How can I calm down? Those are my friends, Jason. Our friends!" you shouted, shoving him again.

"That's enough!" Jason's dad demanded, his voice so firm you flinched. His face softened and he went on, "we're all going through hell right now. Top priority is your guys' safety."

Feeling weak, you collapsed back onto the couch, curling into a ball. You imagined the chaos as a group of zombies found their way into the party, the oblivious teens vulnerable to attack. You closed your eyes tight, praying that this was all some sort of dream, that it wasn't real.

You didn't realize you had fallen asleep, but when you opened your eyes, sun streamed through the gaps of the thick curtains. You almost would've believed that the events of the day before were a dream, if it wasn't for the blood stains that still covered Jason's shirt. You felt a little safer now that it was bright outside.

Jason was sound asleep, as well as his dad, who snored loudly. You picked up your backpack from where you'd put it on the ground and searched through it until you found a box of cereal bars. Tearing one open, you pulled out your phone. It was at three percent and had no service, and only one notification showed on the screen.

"EMERGENCY ANNOUNCEMENT: VIRUS OUTBREAK HAS OCCURRED IN YOUR LOCATION. STAY INDOORS UNDER ALL COSTS. VIRUS HIGHLY CONTAGIOUS AND LETHAL. SYMPTOMS BEGIN TO SHOW ONE HOUR AFTER VIRUS INFECTION."

You tapped on the notification and it brought you to a government webpage detailing what to do in the events of an outbreak. The kind of outbreak it talked about, though, was like the plague. It would be useless for protecting yourself from zombies.

You turned your phone all the way off, hoping to save the battery. It had a flashlight, so it was still useful. You finished your cereal bar and went to work on another one, the sound of wrappers stirring Jason awake.

He groaned, stretching. You didn't say anything, just stared at the carpet, chewing your bar, as he stood up and put out the candles. Then he kicked the recliner, making it lean so far back his dad's head touched the ground. He jolted awake, just barely keeping himself from sliding off the chair.

"Good morning to you, too," he grumbled, rubbing his stubble. Jason ignored him, going to the kitchen. You glanced at his dad for a second before following your friend, who seemed lost in his thoughts as he searched through the refrigerator.

"We need to eat all of the perishable food in the next few days," he began. "We save the shelf-stable foods when we run out. Dad, you got a can opener in this place?"

His dad didn't answer. With a sigh Jason pulled out a carton of milk and a pack of cold hot dogs. You made a face as he tore the plastic open, taking a dog and putting it in his mouth.

"Bon appétit," he said drily, handing you a hotdog. With a grimace you took a bite, but you were surprised it wasn't so bad. Just a bit cold for your liking.

You were both halfway through your glasses of milk when Jason's dad appeared, dressed in black jeans and a Hawaiian print shirt, looking just like a dad.

"No can openers," he said, referring to Jason's earlier question. He opened a drawer next to you and pulled out a knife, making your heart lodge in your throat. He took down a can of spaghetti-o's and, with practiced precision, cut around the rim of the can, popping off the lid.

"We do it Bear Grylls style." He said with a goofy grin, tilting back the contents of the can into his mouth. Jason gagged, putting a hand over his mouth, and you couldn't help yourself from giggling.

"Nothing like a good breakfast to start off the day," Jason's dad said with a satisfied sigh. "Just like the good old days, eh Jason?"

"'No bacon, no problem'," replied Jason, not missing a beat. "That was your favorite thing to say."

You could see his dad's eyes moisten. "Listen, Jason, about everything-"

"Nah, man," Jason interrupted. "Don't get mushy on me now. Right now there's more important things to worry about than the past."

Jason's dad seemed reluctant, but he nodded. "'No bacon, no problem'," he repeated, taking another swig of spaghetti-o's and pulling a face. "Now if you'll excuse me, I have to go brush my teeth with bleach."

You giggled again as his dad left the kitchen, leaving just you and Jason sitting at a small table in the corner. Your smile faded as silence filled the room, and you finished off your glass of milk.

"(Y/n), we're gonna get through this." Jason said comfortingly, reaching a hand across the table. You didn't take it, feeling too awkward, but you gave Jason a reassuring smile.

"I'm fine. I've taken on killer dogs, a few zombies can't touch me."

Jason could hardly contain his laughter. "By killer dogs, do you mean your landlord's poodles?"

You nodded and he erupted into laughter, making you do the same.

"Oh man," Jason said suddenly, his face falling. "Can animals get the virus too?"

His words made the food in your stomach turn sour.

"Oh sorry, didn't mean to be a Debbie Downer," he apologized. You nodded, swallowing thickly to control your nausea.

"But anyways, we're gonna make it through this. No matter what happens, we'll stick together. Okay?" Jason stuck out his pinkie, a small smile on his face.

"Okay," You said weakly, wrapping your pinkie around his.

You thought that the hardest part was over. That from here, all you had to do was stick together and survive until a cure was found. Maybe you could even hole here for a couple weeks.

You couldn't have been more wrong.