The Crow and The Buttterfly

Things never seemed to go his way, ever since he could remember. But now. Hah, now is just the icing on the cake.

He was an agent, working on Pentagon-level issues that the government doesn't want to deal with. However, even his designated section was caught off guard with the pandemic.

Zombies. Honestly, he laughed at the thought, but when he watched the footage, he couldn't believe it. Especially since the infected were stronger, faster and more powerful than they were when the people where alive. The only good thing is that they seemed deaf, and could see by heat signatres.

The infection was a virus, spread through liquids; blood and spit. Even a scratch has a fifty percent chance of infection. And it was spreading, fast.

The government tried to slow down the spread, forcing people to stay in doors, bulk buy and pray. James, however, was told to stay at the base, in case he was needed. He didn't mind, especially since he didn't have any family close by. Or any at all.

Only a month later, the state was thrown into Martial Law. He was sent home, given his last pay check, and anything else he would need that they could provide.

And then, everything fell apart. It went from the state, to the country, to the continent. And then, the rest of the world fell into flames. James had locked himself away, residing in his apartment and eating sparingly to save food.

~~

It's been two years now. The day started out normal, no lights and only a little of electricity due to his solar-powered generator. He sat up and looked around the room, spotting last night's candle on his bedside table.

He went and changed into some still-smells-good clothes then headed into the kitchen. He started his coffee maker and went to the large window in his living room. He opened the blinds, sunlight shining through.

He looked down, spotting a cart rolling down the streets with something inside of it. He watched as some zombies jumped into the moving object. Without warning, the cart exploded and the dead body parts started flying. After a few seconds, he spotted something blue- wait. It was a person, with bright blue hair?!

He watched as the person started checking the area, holding a bat with nails in it. When nothing jumped out, he went back to his hiding spot and started pulling a small wagon with something else inside of it. He could only tell that there was a blanket and something orange.

James watched as the person went up to his own apartment building, pulling the wagon behind. He was curious, especially with how he dealt with the zombies.

Now, curiosity turned into concern. He put on his riot gear, grabbed his gun and unlocked his door. James took a breath, then opened the door and aimed the gun out. His police training flooded back to him as he started working his way down the stairs.

Once he reached the bottom stairs, he froze. The window of the door showed that the blue haired person was waiting on other side, ready to smash the person he heard on the other side of the door. James sighed and knocked on the door, watching as the other froze.

He then let his arms fall and pulled the door opened, allowing James to exit the stair well. Once emerald met ruby, there was a spark. The blue haired person-male was decked out in his own version of riot gear. A bullet armour made of football gear. His blue hair was a mess, wind-blown and slightly over grown. But, it was still bright blue, almost cobalt.

"H-hi." James lightly smiled, "hi. Are you the only one or do you have someone else with you?" The other looked back at the front desk, "I got someone else with me. A little kid, he's been asleep for most of the trip though."

James nodded, "would you like to stay with me or were you heading somewhere?" Emerald eyes looked back at rubies, "we had heard of a small area further up north that's housing refugees. We were heading up their, even found a radio transmitter to talk back to them."

James nodded, "I haven't heard of that. Though, I don't have a radio so it makes sense." The other lightly smiled, "don't worry. Me and Miles try and talk to them every night, maybe you could join us. We would really enjoy the company."

The thought of leaving the small apartment of his sounded ... Pleasant. James nodded, "sure. But it's best we head to my apartment before it gets any later. The zombies like to attack early in the morning, during middle day and after sunset due to the heat signatures being easier to see."

The other nodded and headed to the desk, "sure. Let me get Miles and our stuff." James waited, watching around for precautions. However, he checked the other from time to time. When he spotted bright orange hair, James was confused. Maybe that's the Miles person he kept talking about?

It was a young boy, no older than twelve. He had bright baby blue eyes, messy orange hair and a peach complection. He was dressed in a similar set of riot gear to the blue haired ones set. They both looked hand made. Behind Miles, the other followed with the red wagon in hand.

The trio then headed up the stairs, with the youngest in the middle. Once they reached James' apartment, they all relaxed as the door was locked and deadbolted. The two guests sat on the couch, then started organizing their things in the wagon.

The older of the two pulled out the radio, them some still usable batteries. He placed them in and started messing with the nobs, trying to find a station. James had went to the kitchen and looked for a can of peaches for the two, listening at the noise of the radio. He perked up when he heard a new voice.

"Our coordinates are 66.9706° N, 160.4397° W. Kiana, Alaska. We've made a refugee camp and are willing to take any refugees. We've also heard that their are other such camps all over the world, hope is rising and our race may live through this. Please, stay safe and try to make it up here. If you can't, I hope you live long and continue to help any others you find. Also, Maurice, you better not be dead or else."

The blue haired male lightly smile and pulled the small walkie talkie off the side and pressed a button on it. "I ain't dead, just stopping for a bit. We finally found someone who wants to come with, he looks like some one dealing with the gov, or was a po-po (police). We'll see you sometime soon."

James finally found a few cans of peaches, turned to the two in the living room. "You two hungry?" The youngest lightly blushed as his stomach grumbled, the other looking away and flinched at the mention of food. The other two hadn't eaten in a while, Maurice longer than the other. James only sighed and started opening the cans, putting a fork in each.

He gave a can to each, then sat across in a small loveseat. He started eating his own, watching as the youngest dove into the can while the other was hesitant. He looked fearful to eat, as if he was more worried over something- someone else. Miles.

The youngest drank the juice and smiled at James, "thank you so much for the peaches. And for letting us stay here. If you want, we can help you find more supplies or a way to help you bring what you need to." James only nodded, "that's nice of you to do. There's no need for your help, however, how come your friend isn't eating?"

Miles hesitated and started messing with the fork, "he's been taking care of me for the last two years. Whenever he finds food, he makes sure I eat before he does. The rest of the food is saved for later, but he rarely eats because he wants me to eat more than him."

This confused him, "why?" This time Maurice replied. "He's the future of the human race. Him and the rest of the children, as long as they're healthy and safe." James sighed, "well. You still need to eat, we don't need you passing out in the middle of the trip up north."

The radio staticked to life, "M? You still there, well. If you can hear, glad you've found another one. Eat, or else I'll smack you upside the head when you get here. And I'll ask Miles to be sure. He may be the future but without you to take care and protect him, he won't be in the present for long. And you can't take care of him without taking care of yourself."

He grabbed the walkie talkie again, "fine. Hate it when you guilt trip me." The guy on the other end laughed, "so? It works doesn't it. Now, get some grub in you before you pass out again. And take care of yourself."

"10-4." He put the walkie talkie back, and sighed. Miles went back to searching through their stuff, reorganizing their stuff and putting any food they had on the coffee table. After a nudge from Miles, Maurice started eating.

Miles looked at James, "this is all we have for food. You can add it to your food and we can leave a few days later, once we have some sort of transportation." James nodded, "sure. As for transportation, I have a car in the garage and I've been saving gas even before this due to my heating."

Miles perked up, "really? Do you think I could see it later? I was thinking that since the zombies react to heat signatures, we could alter it so that it doesn't give off much heat." The empty can of peaches was placed on the table as the two talked. The two looked at him, and with the decent light from the window, it was clear to see the bags under emerald eyes from sleepless nights, bruises still healing and small scars.

James was worried, especially since the other looked sick. He stood up and headed to the blue haired male, "how about you take a nap in my bed. It's down the hall and if anything happens you'll be close by."

The other slowly nodded and tried to get off the couch, however, he fell back. James carefully helped Maurice up and lead him down the hallway, then tucked him into the large king-sized bed with his shoes at the foot of the bed.

Maurice passed out the instant his head touched the pillow, nuzzled into the blankets. The two others relaxed once the door was shut, allowing the tired male to sleep.

~~

They spent two weeks with James, getting things ready for their travel up north. All the while, Miles and James were altering the car he had for better protection. They moved things into the car, food, clothes and supplies. Once things were done, and Maurice looked better, the trio started heading north.

Over the next few months, the two oldest would take turns driving. James in the morning and Maurice at night. Miles was learning from the books they had brought with, especially the college level books James had.

At every city they found, the trio hid the car and scavenged for any remaining cans of food and supplies. Then, they continued north. They stopped at a small town and decided to sleep in a bed for once, finding a small family style house.

And for that week, it seemed like things were normal, as if the apocalypse didn't happen. It also helped that their was a small lake not far, and the trio decided on enjoying the warm air.

Miles was having fun in the water while the two sat near the edge, each drinking some wine they had found a good while ago and decided to save for a good day. Like today.

"So," James started, " What about that scar on your leg?" Maurice froze, gripping his solo cup. He sighed and looked away, already knowing that he couldn't fight back. "I was taken to the CDC because my Unc was tested against the virus, he was safe from it. They wanted to test me, but the zombie they captured broke out and started scratching my legs."

He took a large gulp of the wine, "I was infected and they could tell. However, only a week later, I was perfectly fine. The only difference was my speed, my reflexes were faster than normal and I could run faster than I could before. We decided to keep it secret, and I used it to keep Miles safe."

He sighed and looked down, "the scars still remain and I try to keep them covered." James nodded, "so you're infected?" A nod, and a tear fell. "Please, don't tell Miles. Or the others up north. I don't blame you if you don't trust me, and I'll leave if you want. I just want Miles to be safe."

Silence. "You survived around three years with the virus, so you're not dangerous. The virus isn't in control. You are." Maurice couldn't help but lightly smile, earning one from James in return.

The rest of the time was fine, perfect. Miles enjoyed playing in the lake, and James enjoyed time with others. The day ended at sundown, they stayed the rest of the week in the house.

More days passed and they were deep in Canada country. Things continued to look up as they continued on their journey. Then, they finally reached the town of Kiana.

They drove slowly, seeing as the town looked dead. Bodies were iced over and the streets where empty. Miles was asleep in the backseat while James was driving, Maurice in the passenger seat. He grabbed the radio as they parked and started searching for the station.

"Naru? Naru, you their?" Static, "Naruku? We're in Kiana, where do we go?" More static. He gave the other a worried glance, then a voice through the static. "M-Mauri? Thank goodness, we're west of the town, closer to the water. You guys still okay?"

Maurice sighed, "yeah. We're okay, how about you guys?" "We've been good. Just follow the main road out of town, take road 2020 and drive until you see a large gate. That's where we are."

"10-4." He relaxed back against the seat, a small smile on his face. James lightly scoffed but couldn't help the small smile on his face. Then, they continued driving.

The directions were simple to understand and they made it by mid-day. A guard walked out to check the trio, then allowed them in. The whole area was full of make shift buildings, a camp site mixed with a small town.

People were walking around, dressed to stay warm. Their were even children running around, playing with each other. It was a site for sore eyes, and a happy site to see.

The car was driven to a seperate area, then emptied of all contents. The three were taken to the 'hospital' area and checked over. After getting a set of instructions for what to eat and how often, especially for Maurice, the room were left to their own devices.

Once they left, they were greeted by a red haired man and a light blond haired woman. "I'm Naru and this is Rachel, you guys must be James, Maurice and Miles. Right?"

Maurice nodded, "yeah. I'm amazed that we made it here, especially since all the trouble we had to get here." Naru smiles, "well. How about we show you guys around? Ya know, get you guys used to the place and find you somewhere to stay?" All three were taken for a blood test and allowed to rest for two weeks. Things seemed to be perfect.

Things were finally looking up, finally turning around and getting better. James and Maurice sat up on the radio tower, looking at the setting sun.

"Hey, Maurice?" Emerald eyes looked over at him, "yeah?" "Did you think we would get here?"

Maurice shrugged and looked back at the sunset, "kinda. I knew Miles would, and that either me or you would get him here. I even planned and thought that they would want to check my blood, their was a vile of it in case."

He leaned back, "did you?" James lightly shrugged, "I didn't think anyone was still alive and would try to go through the city. Seeing you and Miles, still alive, surviving and having hope of a safe place, it..." He looked down at his hands, then at the sky, "it also gave me hope. I didn't think their would be a safe place to go to, nor anyone willing to go that far."

Maurice lightly nudged him, "hey." James looked at him, emerald eyes shining, "we made it. We're safe and their making a cure. Next thing ya know, we'll be able to go back home to our apartments."

James nodded and looked back at the already fading sunset, stars sorting the sky. "I don't know, after months of you guys being beside me. Kinda hard to think what it would be like without you there. It just doesn't seem very interesting. Pleasant."

Maurice lightly smiled, "so you think my company is 'pleasant' and 'interesting'?" James scoffed but lightly smiled, "don't push it. Let's just enjoy the day light we still have, before winter fully sets in."

Miles sooner joined the two as Mauri slowly fell asleep on James. He then looks towards Maurice, sleeping against James. "You want to take him back to the room?" James lightly shook his head, "no. Let him sleep, let's just enjoy the moment."