Bite {Niall Centric}

Day 156

They had arrived in London the night before, but due to not finding a safe place to rest, they slept in the truck all cramped together. Everyone except Niall took turns doing night watch because apparently, Niall was injured and unfit for the job.

Whatever. . .

That meant more sleep for the tired blonde. So with seven hours of undisturbed yet uncomfortable sleep, Niall was ready to beat zombie heads in with his baseball bat. He was a bit jumpy, nerves wound tight in his stomach. What if the dentist was dead already? What then? What if traveling to London, a very fucking crowded place, was redundant and stupidly dangerous?

A hand grabbed his, his body jumping two feet above the ground in fright. "Relax, Niall," Zayn snickered a bit, a small smile ghosting his lips. "We'll get there, and you'll have those braces off in no time."

"I will believe it when I see it," Niall breathed a sigh to release the tension building in his chest. Doubt crept from the back of his mind, surrounding his head in a mist of worry and anxiety, impatience dawning on him as he waited for the guys to get ready. "Who knows what lives and what walks in London. . . danger will be at every turn, and I doubt anybody who survived the madness will let strangers waltz into their home."

"Even so, it is worth a shot," Zayn placed his hands on Niall's shoulders, keeping him from bouncing in place. "Be optimistic."

Niall snorted with a roll of his eyes.

~.~.~.

The roads were littered with dead and trashed vehicles, a few abandoned bikes here and there. The sidewalks were empty minus the five boys, zombies, and half-eaten human flesh. Niall stepped over a mutilated leg when he heard it: the distant whining of a siren.

Zombies flocked to the building the sound came from, the mindless creatures drawn to sounds like moths to a flame. It was an interesting sight to see. The five guys crawled on top of a bus for safety as the zombies passed by like obedient dogs rushing to their master. Alleyways, bus stops, stores, homes; zombies fled to that one building, breaking down doors and crashing through glass.

"How strange. . ." Harry trailed off in a whisper, his gun locked and loaded as he aimed it at zombies who walked too close. "I knew they were drawn to noise, but never like this."

Just then, gunshots rang out, bullets taking out zombies ten at a time. Dust flew from ricocheting bullets of the pavement, splatters of blood in the air, and the distinct moaning of zombies. The zombies were dropping like flies, the whole horde that had gathered around the building declining in numbers fast. The boys decided to help in the massacre, except Niall who only had his baseball bat.

He pouted as bullet holes littered walking carcasses, his eyes trained on all of the death as he ran his fingers over the faded label of his bat. Why couldn't he have his gun back? He promised them he wouldn't shoot them! (Okay, maybe he was lying, but it would only be in the foot!)

The siren stopped wailing, dead silence surrounding the five boys before heavy thuds echoed through the streets of London. They were like the footsteps of army troops, disciplined and with a purpose. Down the street, through the haze of dust, figures appeared. Niall watched as the figures became more clear, two women and three men dressed in combat gear.

Both groups of people aimed guns at each other, neither trusting or very friendly in this newfound hostile environment. "Lower your weapons, and we won't shoot!" A blue-haired woman yelled, her glare shooting through Niall even from a hundred yards away. "NOW!"

Harry, Louis, Liam, and Zayn made no move to lower their weapons. In fact, Louis had an insane glint in his eyes as his finger tightened around the trigger of his flame thrower. Niall scrambled away from the four idiots before he could get shot, too. Of course, that resulted in him falling off the bus.

He landed on his back, head hitting the ground with huge amount of force. He felt dizzy before black creeped around the edges of his vision, everything going dark and silent.

~.~.~.

A bright light flashed in his left eye then his right, before everything got dark again. Starting off quiet and getting louder as each second passed, noise flowed into his ears: hushed voices, beeps, footsteps, the slam of a door.

He groaned, eyes still closed in fear of what he would see when he opened them. "Niall?" He recognized the voice as Liam's. "Are you okay? The doctor says you don't have a concussion, but you should take it easy for a while."

Niall blinked his eyes open, blurring the image of Liam's face as his eyes watered in irritation from the intense light. "Where are we?"

"Do you remember the group of people from the street?" Liam asked. Niall nodded his head yes. "They offered their assistance, and we're in their base right now. It's a real nice place. Lots of security, health proffesionals, supplies. . ."

"We can't stay," Niall said. "I can't stay."

"What? But they have dentists here!"

Niall groaned in annoyance, but Liam mistook it as pain. He fluffed up Niall's pillow, requesting a passing nurse to grab a glass of water. "That's not my problem, Liam! It's not just about getting these damned braces off. In a world like this, I was meant to be alone. No base. No Louis. No Zayn. No Harry. No you. Just me."

"There is strength in numbers."

"There is weakness in numbers," Niall corrected. "Everyone I cared about died because of me. Because I can't protect myself, at least that's what they think. I don't want you guys dying, too."

"Niall-"

"No!" Niall stood up on shaky legs before falling to his hands and knees. He couldn't bring himself to lift his head and look up at Liam. "You guys are fucking idiots, but you are caring idiots! I consider you guys my friends! Friends don't let their friends get hurt! I'm going alone while you guys stay, okay?"

"You can't even walk," Liam spat, pulling Niall to his feet. They were face to face when Liam pulled Niall closer and off the ground. "We promised to help you. You are our mission, and our mission is not complete."

"And when your mission is complete, will you let me go?"

"You are our friend, too. Friends stick together until the end."

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Things are starting to heat up!!!