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Dancing Dead	By : Need2ScreamNow Category: Singers/Bands/Musicians > Avenged Sevenfold Views: 1141 -:- Recommendations : 1 -:- Currently Reading : 0
Disclaimer: I do not own nor know the members of A7x or their girlfriends. I'm not making any money. This is All Fiction, i.e. Total Bullshit.

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Zack avoided looking at the basement door as much as he could, the eggshell white paint still blended in with the rest of the white and silver kitchen showing no signs of what it hid. He hefted two bags, one of food and one with weapons and ammo, and headed out to the garage where Johnny was storing his two bags in the car.

The bassist was staring at the open trunk as if he wasn’t quite sure what to do with it, the two bags were already in it though. Zack stuffed his two in, “What is it Johnny?” he searched the shadows of the garage while he tugged the bassist back to the kitchen. Johnny didn’t answer at first, “What about Matt?” he said finally. Zack was already grabbing another load but stopped and gave him a peculiar look, “What about Matt?” he went back to the garage and dumped off the bags and returned before Johnny answered his question.

“What’s Matt gonna wear?” the question was so normal it stopped Zack in his tracks. He stared at the smaller man at a complete loss. They could wear Brian’s clothes, they’d all be a little big on them but not too much to be uncomfortable or hindering. Matt was taller and broader than Brian though, and he wasn’t as stick thin as Jimmy had been.

“What’s Matt gonna wear?” the guitarist repeated slowly as he reached for the last duffel. He walked to the door thinking and stopped before he crossed the threshold, “We’ll have to go by his house.” He said shuddering, “Or we could stop by a store…” he shook his head, “No, no that’ll take too long. It’ll be faster if he can just grab stuff he knows will fit.” He stepped into the garage and crammed the last duffel in before quietly closing the trunk. Johnny was still in the kitchen staring at the basement door. Zack came up next to him and slipped an arm around his waist, “We’ve gotta tell Matt and Brian about the pit stop.” He whispered gently pulling on him, the smaller man stood fast, “I hear something.” His voice was so quiet Zack wasn’t sure if he heard him right, “What?” he looked at the door too wondering what the bassist thought he heard. Johnny tensed and took a step back, “There it is again.” His breathing sped up some and Zack squeezed his waist, “Johnny, it’s just in your head—” he started and then stopped, a soft thump came from behind the door. It was faint, fainter than Johnny’s voice had been, but if Johnny’s reaction was anything to go by it must’ve been louder than the last time he heard it. He grabbed Zack’s hand and took off at a run for the bedroom.

“Guys!” Zack gasped, fear tightened his throat and squeezed his chest, his breaths came in short hard pants. Johnny finished his sentence, his voice higher than usual, “They’re in the basement.” They both grabbed one of their friends and hauled them up while he spoke and then tried to drag them to the kitchen and to the car. Matt and Brian dug their heels in effectively ending Johnny and Zack’s panicked flight. Zack tugged hard on Matt’s hand trying to get him to follow, the singer moved two steps forward and then jerked back pulling Zack off balance and into him. Matt’s arms were warm and some of his terror subsided when he felt the familiar warmth, he rested his head on Matt’s shoulder and tried to even his breathing.

“What’s wrong, Zacky?” His throat and chest vibrated with his low tones and Zack pressed closer to him. He was beyond exhausted and scared out of his mind, maybe he had just imagined the quiet thump. He closed his eyes, “We were thinking about what you were going to wear and we thought we heard something in the basement.” He sighed. Matt’s grip tightened on him, “It’s not Jimmy.” His voice was coarser and quiet. Zack nodded and relaxed a little more, one of his fears eased, “Everything’s in the car.” He said. Matt nodded, “Brian, you have everything?”

The other guitarist must have nodded because Matt unhooked his arms from him and cautiously lead him to the kitchen. Everything was quiet. Johnny’s calloused hand grabbed his tightly, he returned the squeeze. There was a tinkle of car keys off to his side and then a soft rustle of paper and quiet gasp. His head jerked toward the sound, but he calmed some when he saw Brian was staring at a piece of paper, “What is it Brian?” He asked shakily. Brian didn’t answer but carefully folded the paper into a small square he could fit in his pocket.

From the basement came a loud thump that he couldn’t tell himself he imagined. A strangled sound forced its way out of his throat and he jumped back. He could feel Johnny trembling behind him. Brian grabbed the handgun off the table where Zack had forgotten it when he had Johnny had fled and trained it on the basement door. Matt grabbed Zack’s arm and pulled him to the garage door, “Car, now.” He ordered. Zack kept a firm hold of Johnny’s hand and scrambled for the car. They piled in the back seat and he slammed the door shut fearfully scanning the shadows in the garage again. Johnny curled against him shaking and Zack wrapped his arms around him. “Fuck!” he gasped, “We put the fucking guns in the trunk!” he untangled himself from Johnny and reached in the front flipping the trunk release and bolting out of the car. He wrenched the trunk open and was prying the weapon duffel out when the loud report of a gun boomed through the house. The sound was quickly followed by a shriek of rage that he was becoming far too familiar with. He jerked the bag out of the trunk and got back in the car as Matt and Brian ran into the garage slamming the door behind them. There were more screams and the door buckled under an impact from the other side. Johnny wasn’t shaking anymore, instead he was deathly still. Zack pulled him close again and tried to calm him down while Matt started the car.

One of them had hit the garage door opener in the kitchen and as soon as the car was started Matt burned rubber getting out of the garage. The day was bright and clear, Zack stared at the blue sky in confusion. Why he had expected the world to be stuck in darkness he didn’t know. The robin egg blue sky was the only thing still normal, the only thing unchanged. Everywhere else he looked lay destruction. At some point the house across the street had caught fire, its charred remains still puffed smoke into the air. Cars littered the streets, burning or burned, some crushed against trees, and more than a few were embedded in homes. Bodies speckled the landscape, not as many as Zack thought there would be. He shuddered, they were probably in Brian’s house looking for them. With that thought came another, “Matty! You need to go by your house.” He said holding a little tighter to Johnny. Matt turned his head some while he continued to navigate the obstacle course of the road, “What? Why?”

“None of the clothes will fit you.” Johnny whimpered, he started shaking again, but compared to his previous stillness Zack was thankful. Matt turned that thought over for a few seconds before a quiet curse left him and he turned on to a street that would take him home.

They pulled up in front of Matt’s house sooner than Zack thought they would. He stared at it, from the outside there wasn’t any immediate damage visible, but They had gotten into Brian’s without driving a car through it or setting it on fire. Matt sat for a moment and stared too before Brian handed him the gun. He took it, “Five minutes, any longer, leave.” He said quietly. Zack swallowed and watched him get out of the car and run to the house and cautiously open the door. Then he stared at the clock on the dash.

Matt stood just inside the doorway staring at the living room. Nothing was moved, no blood, no destruction. Everything was just as he’d left it. He shook himself out of his stupor and made his way to his bedroom. Everything was normal, no monsters jumped out at him. He set the gun on the bed and pulled his tour duffel from under his bed and went to the closet and began pulling things out at random and tossing them behind him. Once he thought he had enough clothes he grabbed two thick fleecy blankets from the top shelf and added those to the pile and searched around making sure nothing else would be useful. There in the back, he grabbed the bow his parents had gotten him a few years ago. He wasn’t very good with it but he lived he would have plenty of time to practice. There were about twenty arrows in the quiver stuffed on the top shelf, not exactly Brian’s weapon stock but he could work with it. He turned back and began hurriedly packing his bag, according to his watch he had two minutes left. Most of the stuff had landed on the bag so he stuffed everything down and shoved the stuff that missed on top.

Fear spiked through him and he paused in his frantic packing, his breath caught and slowly he inched his hand to the gun lying only a few inches away. He could feel it creeping closer, just behind him, could hear the quiet rasp of something being dragged across the carpet. His fingers closed around the rough grip and he clicked the safety off. The sound seemed to echo through the silent room. Now he could hear raspy, gurgling breath. The cool metal of the gun warmed quickly under his numb fingers. He spun around aiming for where he hoped the head would be. The thing was so close he ended up pistol whipping it and shooting the one behind it.

Zack jumped when he heard the gun go off. His breath caught and he stared at the front door digging his fingers into the leather of the driver’s seat. Johnny went still again and Brian stared at the clock, “He’s got a minute.” He whispered hoarsely. Zack felt his eyes burn when a second shot and third shot echoed through the quiet neighborhood. His vision blurred and a ragged sob caught in his throat when the minutes clicked over. Brian’s jaw clenched and he stiffly climbed over into the driver seat. The cries worked their way out and he leaned his head against the back of the seat and let them. He couldn’t deal with losing two of them, he still couldn’t accept Jimmy’s absence. He needed Matt, he needed his grounding presence while the world was, literally, burning around him. The car started and he squeezed his eyes shut.

Brian’s warm hand took his cold one, but the car didn’t move. Brian’s hand tightened on his, “Zacky, Zacky he’s right there.” He called softly. Zack snapped his head up and there was Matt with his bag opening the door and sliding in breathing hard. Before the door was even closed Brian peeled away from the curb. Zack unbuckled and reached over Johnny to hug Matt tightly. The sharp smell of gunpowder filled the car along with the more insidious scent of blood.

“I’m okay Zacky.” He said softly, Zack hiccupped and nodded but didn’t let go, a warm hand reached up and stroked his hair. Matt turned some in his seat and Zack finally loosened his hold but didn’t pull away, “What happened?” he buried his head in Matt’s neck and felt the thud of his pulse and then his cries quieted completely. He was alive, he was okay. Matt’s hand moved to rub his neck while he spoke. “They must’ve been somewhere else in the house, but I felt one of them behind me, when I turned to shoot it I knocked it down and saw the other two still in the doorway.” he leaned his head against Zack’s and the guitarist finally let him go, he could curl up with him when they got to Big Bear, right now though he could feel himself squishing Johnny so he reluctantly let go of the singer. Once he was back in his seat Johnny curled up next to him.
*~*~*
Zack woke up when the engine stopped, he couldn’t remember falling asleep but he was glad for it. His body didn’t feel quite as sluggish or achy and he was calmer. He looked out the windows and blinked, then blinked again, “This isn’t Big Bear.” He said hugging the still sleeping Johnny closer. Brian shook his head, “We’ll be there soon.” He answered quietly. Matt was gone. Zack stared at the empty seat, anxiety twisting his stomach, had he dreamed Matt coming out of the house? “Where’s Matty?” his voice trembled. Brian pointed to the hardware store they were idling in front of. Zack stared at the shattered store front and then looked back at Brian, “Why?” he whispered, looking at the rest of the deserted street.

All the glass windows had been busted in, or out, and the shards reflected the late afternoon sun blindingly. Broken power poles either lay on the ground or leaned haphazardly against buildings. The streetlights were destroyed by a car that had ploughed through three of them before coming to a rest inside the building across the street. Corpses were scattered along the sidewalks and in the street. He shuddered wanting to leave, he jumped and clamped a hand over his mouth when something moved past the window but it was only Matt. Johnny stirred with his jerky movements and woke up warily looking around. Zack kissed the top of his head and he buried his head in his chest again and started to fall asleep when Brian drove off.

“Matt, what the fuck are you doing?” Zack hissed not wanting to wake Johnny. Matt held up a hatchet and he could see the handle of an axe between his legs. He stared at the two things before looking up at Matt again, “What?”

“At some point, we’ll need to chop more wood.” He said reasonably. Zack reclined in his seat lethargically pulling his fingers through Johnny’s short hair, “Good point.” He conceded. Matt put the hatchet between his feet and stared out the window, “Go back to sleep Zacky.” he watched almost impassively as they sped past a plane’s fuselage and only a few hundred yards further the rest of the crumpled mass. Zack looked up at the blue sky again and hugged Johnny close before he closed his eyes.
*~*~*
When the car stopped again Zack was slower waking up, but when he did he saw barren trees and whiteness everywhere. The sky was still blue, but approaching clouds cast a grayish tint over the landscape. “We’re here?” he asked sleepily. Brian nodded, Matt rubbed his face and rolled his neck. Zack woke Johnny up and when they were all conscious they sat in the car for a moment. “Where are we going?” Zack asked the silence. They had agreed they were going to Big Bear, but the ‘where’ had never come up. His voice stirred Matt who unclicked his seatbelt and popped open his door a crack, “The rustic cabins are about an hour and half hike up the mountain. They’re the furthest out and the hardest to get to.” A cold gust of wind worked its way into the warm car. Zack shivered and glanced at the clock, they had almost three hours until sunset, but the clouds were moving in quickly and the sky was darkening already. Almost together they got out of the car, Brian popped the trunk and they started pulling things out. Matt had his duffel and the hatchet and axe but he grabbed another smaller bag as well. Johnny the heavy weapon duffel slung across his body. Zack and Brian both took the last few bags and then slammed the trunk shut.

The hour and half hike was probably how long it took people with light packs or none at all and in good weather. In the snow and ice and loaded down with half your body weight it was nearly dark by the time they got to the cabin. Just as Zack was beginning to think Matt was hopelessly lost the dark structure appeared in the trees as if by magic. “Oh thank god.” he mustered his flagging energy and shuffled the last few dozen yards to the door. And his heart sank, there was a lock on the door. “Oh fuck.” The frigid wind tore through the hoody he had thrown on halfway up the trail and with it came the cold kiss of a snowflake. Matt dropped his bags and began rummaging through one until he pulled out a paperclip and safety pin.

Jimmy had been the lock picking master, getting himself and the others into more trouble than they really cared to remember, but Matt was good too. He set to work kneeling in the snow, probably freezing his ass off the same as Zack but his hands were steady as he worked as quickly as he could.

Zack was beyond cold when the lock finally clicked open, he wasn’t sure he could get his feet to cover the final few feet to the cabin. Matt stiffly stood and grabbed his bags and tossed them inside and then went over to the snow covered wood pile and started chipping the ice off with the hatchet so he could get to the wood. Zack’s feet moved and he stumbled inside. It was still freezing in the cabin, but the wind no longer cut through him which made it seem warmer. There were only two real rooms in the cabin, the main room which was the majority of the cabin and then the smaller bedroom through a doorway in the back. The other place was a small cubby near the door, a glorified closet meant for storage. He could see part of a bed and the small nightstand, his mouth almost watered with the thought of slipping into bed and sleeping for a week. The cabin was definitely rustic, there was a small table and four chairs pushed up against one wall and a wood framed couch with thin cushions was against the wall facing the massive stone fireplace. Once Zack convinced his fingers to uncurl and drop the bags he went out to help Matt.

Matt handed him a load of wet wood, “Stay inside Zacky.” He said. Zack shook his head but his teeth were chattering so hard he wasn’t sure he could get a word out. Matt pushed him gently to the cabin, “Your lips are blue Zacky, stay in and help Johnny start the fire.” He turned back and continued picking at the ice.

Zack came in and dropped the wood near the fireplace. There were some logs inside the cabin already in a box along with kindling that was left over from the summer. Johnny was working on nursing a flame to life in the stone fireplace with a fire starter. Zack wasn’t sure if he’d ever be warm again, the cold had seeped inside every inch of him. Chills shook him violently and he wrapped his arms around himself trying to stop them. Brian came in with a load of wood and dropped them on Zack’s pile, “Johnny, there’s a fireplace in the bedroom, start with that one.” He said tiredly. Zack had to agree, curling up under a pile of blankets with a fire blazing sounded like three kinds of heaven. Johnny’s thoughts must have mirrored his because he quickly gathered his lighter and the fire starter that had a tiny yellow flame flickering on the corner and went to the bedroom. Zack grabbed some kindling and a few of the larger logs and followed him.

It didn’t take long for the flame to catch and soon the bedroom was warming. The fireplace in the bedroom wasn’t as impressive as the one in the main room, but it still took up a good portion of the wall. The flagstone hearth stopped only a foot or so from the two beds. Zack could hear Matt and Brian dropping off load after load of wood in the main room and felt guilty that he wasn’t helping. He glanced up to the small window between the two beds but the winter shutters were closed, still, he could hear the wind whistling over the roof and the light rapping of freezing rain and snow against the sturdy walls. A much louder sound pulled him from his thoughts, he looked around the bedroom and saw Johnny pushing the beds together. He had already moved the small nightstand to a corner. Zack threw a small log on the rapidly growing fire and helped him.

Once they finished moving Zack looked around the room again for something else to do, the clatter of wood continued along with the screeching wind and crackling of snow and ice. Johnny seemed just as lost as him, he grabbed a large log, almost a stump, and dumped it on the fire sending up a spray of sparks. “We can put more blankets on the bed and start looking for places to put food and weapons.” He said practically as he watched the sparks dance up the chimney. Zack nodded and went to get the bags, the bedroom was warmer, but it wouldn’t be cozy until Matt and Brian stopped going in and out.

He unzipped the bags searching for the blankets, and shoving the food bags toward the small closet where they could sort through them later. A frigid gust preceded Matt into the cabin and Zack started shivering again and made a mental note to find another long sleeved shirt. Matt dropped the wood on top of the sizeable pile that was starting to spill out past the hearth, he had the hatchet with him and as soon as Brian came in with another chilled wind he shut the door and locked it. Both of them were coated in ice and snow and shivering violently. He found one full of thick fleecy blankets and pulled them out, along with them came a loud clatter. He jumped a little and saw a drumstick rolling across the floor. “Jimmy’s bag.” Brian said dully. Zack took a breath and nodded before retrieving the stick and getting up and taking both their icy hands and tugging them to the bedroom. Brian resisted and pulled his hand away, “Hang on.” He stuck his hand in his pocket and carefully pulled out a yellow sheet of notebook paper.

“What’s that?” Zack remembered him putting the paper in his pocket. Brian unfolded the paper carefully, “Jimmy.” He said simply. Once it was unfolded he showed it to them, it wasn’t a long goodbye, but Jimmy didn’t need one. Love was all the note said in his unique scrawl. Zack felt his eyes burn again and he turned to grab the stack of blankets he had found and pulled up short, they were already gone. “He’s like a house elf.” He muttered. Matt’s cold arms wrapped around his waist and pulled him close to his freezing body, “What?” he whispered tiredly, even his breath was cold. Zack shivered and pointed to his bag, Matt sighed and didn’t let go immediately. Zack turned in his embrace and pressed his warm hands against his neck, “C’mon Matty, change into something warm and then we can sleep.” He promised quietly. Matt nodded and finally let go of him. Zack went over to the hearth and grabbed a load of wood and took it to the bedroom where they could start to dry.

Brian was already in the bedroom in dry clothes sprawled out on the generous padding of fleecy and fluffy blankets Johnny had thrown on the beds. Zack set the wood down and brushed his hands off and nudged the guitarist’s leg, Brian cracked an eye open and then closed it again.

“It’s probably warmer under the blankets Brian.” Matt pointed out helpfully as he tossed two more blankets on the bed. The guitarist lifted his head and then rolled off the bed and got beneath the covers. Zack unfolded the blankets and settled them on the bed and as soon as he was done Johnny climbed over Brian and then snuggled beneath the blankets against him. Matt slipped an arm around his waist and pulled him along gently and pushed him to the bed. He slipped under the covers and exhaustion dropped on him and he could barely keep his eyes open. Matt’s warm body pressed against his back and a heavy arm lay across his waist. Johnny’s breath blew softly against his neck and Brian’s hand pressed lightly against his chest. The fire cast flickering light through the room and with it Zack could see the dull yellow notebook paper on the mantle, “Night Jimmy.” He whispered.

A/N: Don’t forget to do a yearly review of your Zombie Plan and always have a back up!
Thanks for reading and reviewing =D
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Dancing Dead