Part One

Summary: As the world falls apart around them, Maverick, Ice, Rooster, and Hangman navigate a nightmare situation.
Warning(s): Violence and Gore; death; M/m; explicit sexual content; Ds
Pairings: Rooster/Hangman; Ice/Mav (preslash/hinted at)

###

The day had started out as a fairly good one. The weather had been clear, and Rooster had gone up in his plane. He'd been doing a few flips and other tricks, but for the most part, he was just enjoying the freedom of being in the air.

Because he'd been in the plane and up in the air, Rooster hadn't felt the shockwave from the earthquake that had suddenly hit. But he'd seen when the base shook and collapsed in on itself. And he definitely saw the way the ground opened up beneath him, taking apart most of the runway.

Swearing under his breath, Rooster quickly switched his comms on and kicked them over to Control's channel. "Hey! Anyone read me? I need a clear place to land."

There was no response...at least none in words that made sense. But there were harsh, guttural sounds that sounded more like beasts than humans. And then there was a loud, pain-filled scream before the comms abruptly cut out.

Rooster scanned out of the window as he hovered above the cracks in the ground. Landing was going to be tough...but not impossible. There was still a stretch of ground he could use if he was careful enough.

Slowly, doing the exact opposite of what 'Uncle Mav' would likely do, Rooster carefully began to bring his plane in to land. It was hard, since what he'd heard on the comms indicated that his fellow pilots needed help. But he wouldn't be able to help any of them if he crashed and injured himself.

****

Hangman hadn't been scheduled for a flight this day, as he'd been ill the week before and had been required to get his physician's clearance to go up in the air. He'd just got the written permission and left the medical facility, climbing onto his bike, when the quake hit. The tremors were stronger than any he'd ever felt before (and he'd been in a few earthquakes before, having lived in California long enough); so strong they threw him to the ground, his bike landing on his leg. The pain of having his bike land on his leg was quickly overpowered by a different pain.

And then pain was all he knew. Pain and a lust for blood.

****

Maverick had gone over to Ice's house to discuss plans for a training operation he wanted to set up. Ice's family had left the house before he'd even got there, so he wasn't able to greet or talk to them, but it didn't bother him. He knew he'd likely be there long enough for the whole family to return, and he'd see them then. It was while he was describing one of the points of the training plan that the quake hit. He gripped the table, looking at Ice with wide eyes. "That was bad. We should probably get out of the house... Just in case...."

Ice nodded, quickly standing as well. "The house is reinforced, but even so, we'll want to be away from any falling debris." He headed towards the front door. The quake was a larger one than he'd experienced before, but he had seen them before...so he wasn't really all that worried.

It didn't take long to head outside the house, but when he did, strange sounds reached his ears. They were too distant for him to be sure, but.... "I think someone's screaming." He turned to Mav. "We should see if anyone needs help."

Mav looked in the direction where the screaming was coming from and nodded. "Yeah. It... It looks bad..." he said, worry in his tone. It looked really bad. Bad enough that it might be difficult for first responders to get to people. "We should stick together..." he said as an afterthought, some instinct making him leery of going off on his own. Not that he would admit to being nervous about being on his own.

Ice quickly headed to his car, which had fortunately not been hit by any falling debris and appeared to be unaffected by the quake. Smoke was rising from the same direction the screaming had come from, but the air was suspiciously silent. "There are no sirens." That worried him almost as much as the screaming itself did. He swiftly got into the car, waiting for Mav to join him before he began driving.

Mav glanced to where his bike had been. A tree had fallen onto it, making it inoperable. Sighing, he quickly got into the passenger side of the car. "This... This doesn't feel normal... Right..." he muttered. Not that an earthquake ever felt normal or right, but it usually had certain predictable outcomes. He wasn't seeing any of that. Or hearing it. And his skin prickled. He felt agitated, though that could just be the adrenaline from the earthquake, and just... Wrong.

"I know." Ice drove as quickly and carefully as possible, making sure to avoid the areas where the road had opened. There were some other cars along the side of the road, though not all of them had been affected by the quake. A crimson smear on one window made him go hollow inside. Hoping to find some semblance of normality, he switched on the radio.

Through the crackling that indicated it wouldn't be long before they lost signal, there was a news report about a person who'd 'gone rabid' and 'attacked' a group of people. That report was interrupted by another one, this one about a driver who had crashed their car through the glass front of a shop. The people giving the reports sounded panicky...scared.

"What the hell...?" Mav stared at the radio in confused horror. The reports weren't the typical instructions on what to do if people were trapped or were in need of assistance. They weren't the typical reports of looters. The reports kept coming, worse and worse, increasing in frequency. Guttural sounds could be heard coming closer to the reporter, until suddenly, pained screams carried over the air. "Shit! We can't go down there. Not without a weapon. Something horrible is going down!" Mav blurted. Only his extreme training kept him from panic. "Do you have a gun in the car?" he asked hopefully.

"In the back. But if things are that bad, I don't think we can risk going there. Not even with a weapon." The closer they'd got, the more cars they were seeing. And not just cars anymore. The first glimpse Ice had of a limp hand dangling from an open door and the smear of blood and something else on the tarmac, he wrenched the wheel to the side to turn the car around. He reached into his pocket, pulling out his cellphone, and stared at the screen before letting out a curse of frustration. "No signal."

"The... The quake wouldn't do all this..." Mav said in horror, not even trying to hide his fear now. He'd keep it together and do what was needed, but this was nothing he'd ever trained for. As Ice made his way back to the house, Mav looked to the side, just in time to see a group of children attacking an old man. It was as if they'd gone feral. "...Fuck..." he whispered in a quivering voice, swallowing rapidly in an attempt not to be sick. They didn't dare stop. The children weren't the only group attacking others. Guilt at not trying to help assailed him, but he knew if he tried, he'd just become one of the attacked. "Has the world lost its mind?"

"It must have been caused by the quake." It was the only explanation, but it wasn't an explanation at all. It didn't make any sense. Ice's voice was shaky. He was doing his best to keep it together, but his family was somewhere out there in this. If he thought it was safe enough, he would have continued looking for them. But he wouldn't be able to help them if he got hurt trying to find them.

Still, driving away from the people who needed help went against everything he'd ever believed in; everything he'd ever trained for.

"That... It must be that ..." Mav agreed, his voice sounding like he was fighting tears. He didn't have family beyond his chosen family, Ice and his family being part of that small group. He grit his teeth. "We can't look for anyone... We don't know where they were, so can't even know where to start..." he said faintly, before forcing himself to sound more certain. "They know where we were, though, and they'll make their way back home...." He was trying to convince himself as much as Ice

Ice nodded. "We'll stay at the house for as long as we can." But depending on how the violence moved and where it spread, his house might not be safe for very long. "In the meantime, we need to be ready to leave in a moment. And make sure we have something to defend ourselves with."

"Yeah .." Mav sighed. "I didn't bring anything I own. My weapon was locked in my safe at home..." he admitted.

"You can use what you need of mine," Ice offered. "When we get back to the house, I think we need to make a barricade and figure out a quick escape route. In case any of them get here."

"If it gets that bad, where would we run to? I don't doubt that we might have to leave if... whatever it is finds us. But if it does find us, is anywhere going to be safe?" Mav asked uncertainly. "We can't just live outside in the elements....” 

"We might have to," Ice said honestly. "Even if none of those...whatever they are now...come here, we're going to need to figure out food. Extra supplies." The radio stations had long since gone silent. The screams had been chilling; the silence even more so. If things progressed, if this was a worldwide situation and not just centered on one location, they were going to lose electricity and running water very rapidly if they hadn't already.

"Well... We'll figure it out. At least we were trained. We can hunt. Learn how to skin and butcher..." Mav said quietly, almost a whisper.

Ice nodded. He continued the drive back home in silence, his body tense and focused. He had to stay focused on the here and now, otherwise he'd end up losing his mind.

***

It had taken Rooster longer than he would have liked to be able to land the plane, but he'd had to be as careful as possible. By the time he scrambled out of the cockpit and headed towards the Top Gun academy building, he could tell that something was wrong. Horribly wrong.

There was a body lying on the ground just outside the building. Rooster hurried over to see if he could help, only to find Phoenix on her back, staring up at the sky, body shaking as a horrible rattling sound came from her throat. There was blood covering her body; several wounds that had jagged, broken edges.

"Phoenix...oh shit." Rooster dropped to his knees beside her, futilely trying to put pressure on her wounds with one hand while his other reached into his pocket, finding his phone. He dialed 911.

No signal.

"Fuck. Stay with me," he muttered, trying not to look at the amount of blood that was covering her body. He tried to keep pressure on the worst wound, while he frantically waved the phone in the air...trying in vain to get even a bit of signal.

***

Blood, fury, hunt...He had no cohesive thoughts. His intelligence... his humanity... what made him, him... gone. There was another obstacle. He attacked, the screams fueling the monster he'd become.

***

Phoenix was dead.

Rooster hadn't been able to do anything to save her. All he'd been able to do was watch, helpless, as the light went out of her eyes. The horrible rattling sound stopped and all that was left was silence. Awful silence.

Hand covered in his friend's blood, Rooster climbed to his feet and looked towards the building.

Faintly, he could hear screaming. But it didn't sound like people screaming in pain, at least not all of it.

Swallowing hard, Rooster looked at the Top Gun building. It had once been a warm, welcoming place. But whatever, or whoever, had caused Phoenix's injuries was inside. Not to mention that there was obviously structural damage caused from the quake. The problem was, he was going to have to go through the building to get to his own car...if that was even still in one piece, after the quake.

"I'm sorry, Phoenix." She couldn't hear him anymore, but he thought he should say a few words, at least. He'd go and check on his uncle Mav and Ice...and then he'd try to contact Phoenix's family, so she could get a proper burial.

Moving slowly and carefully, he stepped into the building.

It was dark, with all of the lighting blown...and there was something sparking close by. Rooster picked his way carefully through the corridor, avoiding the debris and keeping his ears pricked for whoever had attacked Phoenix.

****

Hunger... Blood... Anger... The scream of the last obstacle had ended and as soon as they stopped, his need to attack had gone with them. He moved with no direction or purpose, only to follow the beating hearts he could hear deep in his body, calling to him. His head cocked like an alert predator as he heard footsteps. Growling softly, he stalked in that direction.

***

Rooster had his phone in his hand once more, the one that wasn't covered in Phoenix's blood, and was using the light from the screen to see his way. He didn't turn the flashlight mode on, not wanting to risk drawing too much attention with the light.

He'd given up on checking his phone for signal. Whatever was going on outside the quake, it had clearly knocked out the cell towers. It remained to be seen what other technology had been affected.

***

Another scream echoed through the building as he sated his blood lust. And then it was quiet. He slanted his head, listening, before skulking off in the direction of the beating.

***

Rooster jerked as he heard the scream...then had to bite his lip to keep from screaming himself when his foot hit another body.

Fanboy, this time. His throat had been gashed open and his mouth was open with a look of surprise, like he'd been caught off guard. Rooster knelt down and placed two fingers against Fanboy's neck, just in case...but wasn't surprised not to feel any pulse.

Rising to his feet, Rooster carefully stepped over Fanboy's body. He might have been able to explain away one dead pilot as an accident...but two? Obviously, there was something more sinister going on. Not that he hadn't suspected that with what he'd heard right before the comms had gone out, but he now had confirmation of it.

***

Another beating, thumping, stopped with a scream. It didn't ease his need, though. He had to hunt. He began to creep toward the sound of another thumping.

***

Rooster was half-expecting to run into someone dangerous, given two of his friends were dead, but when it happened...it still took him by surprise.

The only warning he had was a harsh, guttural sound, and then someone who looked like Halo...but couldn't be, because Halo wouldn't be behaving like this...lurched at him, hands outstretched, and nails hooked like claws.

Rooster stumbled back, tripping over Fanboy's body and inadvertently turning on the flashlight app in his phone. Light shone onto Halo's face, showing that she had black veins in the whites of her eyes.

Maybe it was the light, or maybe it was him accidentally dodging her attempted attack, but Halo suddenly dropped her hands, beginning to shake her head with wide eyes.

Scrambling to his feet, Rooster left his phone behind as he took off down another corridor, heart beating so hard in his chest, it almost hurt.

***

There was no time. There was no control. There was only the hunger. One, two, three... Over and over, he followed the thumping, gave into the urge, but never felt sated.

Whatever had happened to her, whatever sanity had begun to break through the rage, it was gone now. She regained her footing, letting out a harsh, guttural sound of rage before she leaped over the body on the floor and began heading down the corridor.

***

Rooster could hear the sounds of something behind him...but thanks to leaving his phone behind, he couldn't see anything. He forced himself to slow down, knowing he couldn't risk running right into Halo...or someone like her...and began to pick his way carefully along, feeling his way along the walls.

They were damp to the touch, but he didn't know if it was water or something worse. He didn't want to even think about what he might be touching right now.

***

He heard the enraged scream. Another was here. In his territory! He let out his own enraged scream, running toward where the interloper was.

She heard the scream of another and narrowed her eyes. Letting out another harsher, louder sound, she began to run towards the interloper who was heading towards her.

Rooster heard the twin screams, that somehow sounded different. He knew that he needed to take that moment to escape, but...where could he flee to? What if there was someone still normal, like him, who needed help?

He moved quickly and soon, he was in another room, facing her. His howl of rage carried and then he was attacking. He could sense the other nearby, but the priority was to eliminate the interloper. This was his territory.

She responded, quickly and immediately, raking her nails like claws down his face when he got too close to her before letting out another harsh, guttural scream.

He backhanded her across the face with all his strength, sending her to the floor. His own face stung, and he could smell his own blood. Screaming louder in his rage, he threw himself at her, using every once of strength he had, using his greater size to advantage. Somewhere along the way, he'd gathered a sharp piece of metal. He used that as well

She did her best to fight back, but he was a bit bigger and that much stronger than her. And he had a weapon...while she didn't. She fought back, ignoring both pain and blood loss, until she couldn't fight anymore.

When the threat to his territory was no longer a threat, he turned to face the other thumping at the far side of the room. He could see easily, the dim to non- existent light no problem for his eyes. The prey was trapped. The exit was behind him. There was no escape. He screamed again in rage. Blood. Kill....

Rooster had tried to calm his racing heart and fast, panicked breathing...but it hadn't done much good. He'd heard the sound of two of them fighting...but he hadn't been able to see enough to avoid it. The sounds of fighting had faded, but it was probably too much to hope for that they'd killed each other.

What was wrong with him, that he was hoping at least two of his friends had killed each other? But they weren't really his friends anymore...were they? Something was wrong with them. How far had that reached?

Listening to the thumping of Rooster's heart, he rushed forward hands extended. He got within a few inches of Rooster, staring into his eyes. The urge to kill lessened and he shook his head, whining softly.

Rooster stumbled backwards as Hangman came towards him, with the same look of murderous rage that Halo had had...only to stop. Just like she had. Like there was a moment of hesitation, or maybe a glimpse of humanity showing through?

He should flee, while whatever Hangman had become was distracted. But something kept him standing there.

As Rooster moved away from him, even if it wasn't far, Hangman growled and rushed forward again. The bloodlust was easing. He whimpered softly and shook his head again.

Rooster froze when Hangman rushed at him again...which might have been a good thing, as he couldn't help but notice that the behavior changed the closer Hangman was to him. Would moving closer have more of an impact? Uncertainly, he took a shaky step forward...knowing he wouldn't be able to outrun Hangman if the other man came after him. The dead bodies of his friends indicated how strong the ones with black-veined eyes were.

The longer Hangman was in Rooster's presence, the more the bloodlust eased. He moved even closer, sniffing the other man, pressing their bodies together before pressing his nose into Rooster's neck. He stood, quietly whimpering and whining, feeling Rooster's pulse under his lips.

Eventually, the bloodlust was gone. And all the knowledge of what he'd done came rushing forward. He was covered in his friend's blood. He could taste his friend's blood. He let out a tiny sob before throwing himself to his knees and throwing up.

Rooster had stood, frozen, while Hangman had sniffed him...and then pressed into his neck, leaving Rooster uncertain if he was about to get his throat ripped out or not. And then Hangman was on his knees and he didn't seem like a monster anymore...he didn't sound like a monster anymore. Because Halo hadn't cried. And Hangman hadn't, either, until...well, what had just happened?

Slowly, carefully, feeling like he was putting his life into the jaws of a wild animal, Rooster crouched down next to Hangman. He reached out and uncertainly placed his hand on the other man's shoulder. "Hangman?"

"I... I killed them!" Hangman choked out. He sounded like he would go into hysterics at any moment or go into shock. "Our friends... My friends... I killed them...." He couldn't explain what had happened. He was too distraught to parse through the memories of feeling and loss of control.

Rooster wasn't sure what he could say to that. He wasn't sure it had been Hangman...not really him, at least.  But then, he didn't know what was going on. The quake must have caused this...but how? "I know you feel like shit right now," he said out loud. "But we need to get out of here. Stay with me, Hangman." He didn't know in what way he was talking about. Stay with him and keep his humanity? Or stay with him and not lose his mind over what he'd done...at least not yet? Maybe it was both.

Hangman took the words in the most straight-forward, basic way they could be meant. He shakily stood, and as soon as Rooster began moving to the door, he was as physically close as he could get without tripping the other man. He couldn't explain what had happened. Not yet. But he knew it was Rooster's proximity that had set him free. He became a shadow to the other man.

Rooster didn't argue or protest Hangman sticking so close to him. Truthfully, even though the other man had been affected by...whatever this was...he felt maybe there was safety in numbers. He led the way carefully out of the Top Gun building...relieved to see that, although the quake had hit the parking lot, his car appeared to still be intact. Still, he paused to make sure none of the other creatures were lurking nearby before he headed towards the vehicle.

Hangman shivered as he followed Rooster closely. He was quickly going into shock, though he was quiet and careful. He didn't want to draw the wrong attention.

Rooster could tell that Hangman was going into shock and he said softly, "When we're in the car, I'll put the heating on." He figured the heat would help, a little, with the shock. He continued talking as they reached the car and he unlocked the door. "Uncle Mav went to see Ice today. I figure we'll go there...maybe they'll be okay." Almost automatically, he opened the passenger door and helped Hangman into the seat.

Hangman was on autopilot by that point. He went where Rooster directed without any argument. He continued to look around furtively, acting very defensive and protective of Rooster.

Rooster closed the door and quickly moved round to the driver's side. He wasn't sure if Hangman's return to humanity was temporary or not, so he wasted as little time as he could getting in the driver's side and pulling his seatbelt on before turning the heating on and beginning to drive out of the parking lot. "If this has spread, we're going to want to avoid the main roads. Luckily, there's more than one route to Ice's house...."

"Okay..." Hangman whispered. The shivering began to ease with the heat, but he remained sitting straight and stuff. He was covered in blood. He didn't the want to get it in Rooster's car.

As he drove, Rooster reached out and turned the radio on, hoping he might get an idea of how bad the situation was through the news reports.

There were no news reports. Instead, there was an announcement telling people to stay at home, to lock their front doors and not let anyone into their homes, no matter what happened.

Hangman stared at the radio, lower lip quivering slightly. "It won't matter..." he whispered, with a certainty that was scary.

Rooster glanced at him but didn't ask how he was so certain of that. Instead, he said, "I haven't heard any sirens. I don't think we can expect any help from the authorities. I dropped my phone back there, but I lost signal when the quake happened." Somehow, he doubted cell phones would be usable now.

Hangman swallowed and patted himself until he located his own phone. The screen had cracked during one of his battles, but it still had power. There was a small bar for reception. "Mine has a little bar... It might work..." He glanced at Rooster. "Do you want me to call the Admiral?"

Rooster nodded. "If you can." Ice might not have any signal, after all.

He was driving one of the lesser used routes, but there was still a handful of cars along the route...and traces of blood on the tarmac. Rooster tried to avoid looking at those, knowing they wouldn't be able to stop and help anyone right now.

Hangman quickly dialed the Admiral's number, grateful that he'd thought to put it into his contacts on a dare one day. He put the phone on speaker, on the off chance the phone was answered, and hoped they didn't lose the signal before it could be answered.

The phone was answered almost immediately, and Ice's terse voice was answering. "Admiral Kazansky here."

"Ice?" Rooster cleared his throat. "It's Rooster here. I'm with Hangman. Is...is Uncle Mav with you?" he asked uncertainly. He really wanted to ask if Ice knew what the hell was going on...but he was uncomfortably aware of the fact the signal might not hold out for long. They needed to figure out where they could meet.

***

Maverick was in the room with Ice when the phone rang. He tensed up and watched his friend nervously, wondering who had managed to get through. Was it Ice's wife or children? He didn't say anything, though, knowing time was important and not wanting to interrupt.

Ice glanced at Mav and then quickly put his phone on speaker. "He's here with me as well. It's Rooster and Hangman," he said to Mav. "Is there anyone else with you?" he asked.

"No." Rooster sounded uncertain...maybe scared, even. "Are you at home? Something crazy started happening."

"It was the quake," Ice said. "We saw people fighting and hurting each other. We've come back to the house. We'll stay here for as long as it's safe to do so."

"Okay. We're on our way there," Rooster said.

***

Hangman winced as he heard about people hurting each other but didn't say anything. The fact that what was happening was happening all over and not just at the base was worrisome, though. That meant it wasn't some type of toxic gas leak that caused it. Not that he'd truly believed it was something that simple.

"Be careful," Ice said. "They seem to be attacking anyone not affected indiscriminately."

"Yeah." Rooster didn't mention what had happened with Hangman. He was trying to make sure the other man didn't fall into shock or a guilty depression. "My car wasn't damaged in the quake, so we're driving. We shouldn't be long."

"We'll be waiting for you..." Maverick promised.

After they hung up the phone, Hangman looked at the phone. "I think I have enough to make one more call, if you want to call anyone else," he offered. He didn't have anyone else he could call. He was afraid to call the little family he had left. They weren't even in the same state as him, and if he called and found out this phenomenon was further than a few miles....

"There's only Ice and Uncle Mav," Rooster admitted quietly. "I don't have any other family left." Maybe that was a good thing. Of course, he had his friends...his fellow pilots...at least three of whom were now dead. He didn't mention that, though. Seeing it had been bad enough. He couldn't imagine what it was like for Hangman, having actually done it.

"I'm afraid to call mine. I'm afraid to find out this went further than..." He swallowed hard, staring out the window just in time to see two men fighting over the body of a third man. He cringed. "We're the only ones that survived from the base..." he whispered. "I didn't hear any other heartbeats other than yours...."

Rooster bit his lip. "Not everyone might have been there today. Some of our friends could still be alive." He hesitated. "I understand you're reluctant to find out for sure that this thing might be worldwide, but I think maybe...not knowing is worse. I think you should try to call. Otherwise, you'll always wonder."

Hangman swallowed, then nodded. He made the call, putting it on speaker so that Rooster could hear as well. It rang several times before going into voice mail. "...It... It's Jake..." he said hesitantly. "If you're able to, please call me back... Let me know you are okay..." His voice caught and he hung up the phone.

Rooster glanced sideways at him and then placed one hand on his arm, like he'd done inside the academy building. "That doesn't necessarily mean anything's happened to them," he said gently. "They might be holed up somewhere, even if it is worldwide." They were seeing fewer and fewer cars now...and even less people. Hangman had mentioned being able to hear Rooster's heartbeat. Was that what called those who were affected to those who weren't?

"Maybe... I... I hope you are right..." Jake said softly. He didn't say he doubted there were many survivors. He remembered his bloodlust and how all-encompassing it was. If this event was world-wide, any survivors would have needed to be hidden very, very soon after it started and not trust anyone. Or be like Rooster. He twisted his arm enough to be able to hold onto the other man's hand. He didn't think he'd ever feel comfortable being out of Rooster's presence now. Not knowing that Rooster was the only thing standing between him and becoming a monster that killed his friends,

Rooster didn't pull his hand away, instead gently squeezing Hangman's hand. He didn't say anything else as they reached Ice's house...and he was relieved that there was no sign of any of those affected by the quake. As he parked outside the house, he spoke softly to Hangman. "I'll come round and get you out. Then we'll head inside and regroup with Ice and Uncle Mav. We'll have to tell them what happened to you," he warned.

Jake nodded quickly, not trusting himself to speak. The pinched look on his face and the tears glazing his eyes gave away his feelings about what had happened easily enough. He waited for Rooster to get out of the car and come around to retrieve him, tensing up with nerves. He was afraid even a brief interlude, where they were more than a few feet apart, would cause the bloodlust to return, but it had to be done. They couldn't stay in the car all night.

Rooster got out of the car and moved as quickly as possible to the passenger side. He opened the door and held a hand out to Jake. "Whatever makes you feel physically comfortable, you can do it," he said gently.

The look Jake gave to Rooster was pure gratitude and he took the other man's hand, holding tightly. He then let Rooster lead him to the front door.

Maverick opened the door as soon as they were within a few feet of it, the weapon Ice had given him in plain view, though he didn't raise it. "Hey, kid..." His eyes widened slightly at seeing Hangman's blood covered clothing, but he withheld comment. They'd find out what happened soon enough. He kept watch as the two younger men entered the house, then quickly closed the door, and bolted it. "This way..." He led the way to Ice's office.

Rooster gently squeezed Jake's hand as they followed Mav through to Ice's office. While he was still worried, still scared, about what was going on, there was something comforting about both older men being unaffected by the quake. He wasn't sure what he'd do if it was just him and Hangman trying to survive alone.

Ice looked up as the three men entered the office, taking in the blood that covered Hangman's clothing. He also noticed the scratches that had been left on the younger man's face. He retrieved his first aid kit, asking, "Are there any other injuries apart from those scratches on your face, Hangman?"

"I... I don't know, sir..." Jake answered honestly. He'd been so focused on not losing control over himself again, he hadn't really paid attention to any pains he might be feeling. "P... Please. Call me Jake..." he added on, in a soft voice. Hearing his call-sign just reminded him of all his friends that were now dead because of him. He didn't deserve to be called by his call-sign.

"We can check. Once we've debriefed," Rooster said softly to Jake, before turning to Ice.

"You were at the academy?" Ice asked.

Rooster nodded. "I was flying when the quake hit. Tried to call control, but the comms cut out right after I heard screaming." He swallowed hard. "I landed the plane and...." He faltered, a little, Phoenix's dying body swimming in front of his eyes. He took a deep breath. "I don't know what happened, but something seems to have happened to a lot of people."

Ice nodded. "It was the quake. It's...changed people. Turned them violent, bloodthirsty."

Rooster hesitated, noting the certainty in Ice's voice. Jake had said something else about what was going on, with just as much certainty. But there was nothing indicating Ice had been affected. Unless....

His eyes shifted towards Mav.

Jake had turned slightly pale at Ice's words. They brought the memories up to the front of his memory, and he had to fight down the nausea at remembering. He could feel the flesh tearing under his hand, ripping away because of his teeth. He could taste the blood... Making a sickened sound, he spun away from Rooster, falling to his knees in front of the nearby trashcan and throwing up into it.

Maverick watched with worry. "Lieutenant Seresin wasn't with you originally?" he asked softly.

"No... no." Rooster moved over to crouch down next to Jake, placing a hand on the other man's shoulder and rubbing gently. "He was one of those affected by the quake."

Ice's eyes widened. "But he's not attacking. He's communicating. He's still...human."

Rooster left unsaid that he hadn't been. He figured Ice and Mav could see that for themselves. "I don't know what happened. I don't know how it happened. But when we came face to face, he...he reverted back to himself."

Jake's body was shivering again by this point, and he hung over the trashcan, waiting for the nausea to pass before he'd stand up. "It was you..." he forced out, through a throat sore from bile. "When you are near me, the... the need to kill... lessens, or goes away if I'm with you long enough...."

Maverick blinked at that, looking at Rooster. "Did that happen with anyone else?"

"It seemed to, but I wasn't around long enough to be sure," Rooster admitted. "There was another one there. Halo. I tripped over...I fell when she came at me, and then she started reacting like Jake did. I just...didn't realize that was what was happening." He heard the rasp in Jake's voice and asked, "Do you have any water?"

Ice nodded and retrieved a bottle that he handed to Rooster.

Rooster uncapped it and handed the bottle to Jake.

Jake took the bottle. "Thank you," he rasped, taking a sip, and swishing it through his mouth to rinse before spitting it out. He grimaced at the red tinge, almost throwing up again at the knowledge that he had blood in his mouth but managed not to. He took another sip and swished again, relaxing when that one came out clearer. He then began to drink, sufficiently convinced he wouldn't be swallowing any of the blood.

Maverick nodded at Rooster. "I assume she reverted when you left her?" he asked quietly.

Before Rooster could say any more, Jake forced himself to tell them. "I killed her. I killed all of them...." His voice broke and he began to shake again.

"Can he have a blanket or something?" Rooster would have gone to find one himself, but even if he didn't think there was a possibility Jake might revert while he was gone, he didn't want to leave the other man's side. Jake was clearly affected by what he'd done, even though he hadn't been in control of himself.

A sympathetic look passed over Ice's face as he quietly left the room, returning with a blanket. "The electricity is gone already, but the backup generator's kicked in," he informed Rooster quietly.

Rooster nodded and carefully wrapped the blanket around Jake, rubbing his shoulders and back to try and offer some comfort.

"Why don't you take a shower? We can find you something clean to wear..." Maverick suggested, thinking it would be better if Hangman wasn't wearing his fellow pilots' blood.

Jake's teary eyes turned frantic at the suggestion. "I can't! If I leave you...." He sounded terrified.

"Okay, well...why don't we take a shower together?" Rooster suggested. Yeah, it would be a bit of a tight squeeze, but it wasn't like either of them hadn't showered in front of other people before. And he'd already told Jake that whatever made him more comfortable, they could do.

Jake visibly calmed at realizing Rooster would stay beside him. "Y... yeah. okay..." he stuttered slightly.

Mav winced at seeing the normally confident younger man reduced to such a state but didn't say anything about it. Instead, he commented, "If it's okay with you, Ice, I'll go find him a change of clothes...."

Ice nodded. "Of course," he said softly. "We'll have to ration out food, and figure out how to get more, but we can always eat something once you've showered."

"Thank you." Rooster looked at Jake. "Can you stand?" he asked softly.

Jake nodded briefly, standing on shaky legs. He didn't know where the shower was, so waited for directions.

"Follow me," Mav said gently, leading them to a large bath. "I'll put the clothing outside the door..." he said, as he left them both there.

"Thank you." Once the door was closed, Rooster turned to Jake. It was difficult to see the other man so cowed and clearly hurting...but Rooster couldn't really blame him, as he'd probably be much the same if their positions were reversed. Slowly, in case Jake didn't like it, he began to remove the other man's clothing, checking for anymore injuries as he did so.

Jake thought he should probably protest and take his own clothing off, but Rooster doing so allowed him to keep his eyes shut and not look at the blood drenched material. It also allowed him to always keep one hand on the other man, which was soothing in its own way.  He held still, only moving as much as was needed for Rooster to undress him completely.

Once the clothing was completely removed, Rooster put it out of the way. He hadn't seen any injuries on Jake, aside from the scratches on his face. "After we shower, I'll treat those scratches." He hoped they wouldn't get infected, fully aware that getting antibiotics was going to be difficult, if not impossible, now.

"Okay..." Jake said meekly. He was afraid to argue or even disagree. What if it set off the bloodlust again? He stood in place, not even covering up, and waited for Rooster to get undressed to shower.

At that moment, Mav knocked on the door. "Clothes are out here," he called softly, before going to rejoin Ice

Rooster quickly removed his own clothing and then turned on the shower, getting them both into it. He didn't move to start washing Jake, figuring the other man might feel better doing that himself and make sure he was completely clean.

Jake stood as close to Rooster as he could and still be able to wash. He then proceeded to scrub himself clean, nearly rubbing his skin raw. He also washed his hair, just as thoroughly.

Rooster might not have got as much blood on him as Jake, but he'd still got some from Phoenix, and tripping over Fanboy's body. So, while he didn't need to wash himself as thoroughly as Jake was...he was still making sure his body was scrubbed clean.

Soon, Jake was clean, but continued to scrub himself harshly, as if scrubbing would remove the images from his mind. He began to cry; softly at first, but then progressively louder, until he was shaking with huge, heaving sobs.

Rooster winced as he saw and heard the tears. Slowly, not sure if Jake would accept it with both of them naked, he reached out and wrapped his arms around the other man, hugging him tight.

If Rooster had tried to hug him in the showers before, when life was normal and he hadn't murdered all his friends in a cold hot rage, he would have pulled away immediately. Might have even slugged him, while complaining about personal space and boundaries. Life was no longer normal. Jake pressed into the hug, clinging tightly to Rooster, and continued to fall apart. Rooster was the only one keeping the monster that was now in him at bay. Rooster was his safe space.

It was more evidence of how things had changed...how reality had changed...that Jake wasn't pushing him away, or slugging him, for getting in his personal space. Rooster tightened his embrace around Jake, rubbing a hand up and down his back, and whispered softly, "I'm right here. I'm not going anywhere." It was the only promise he could think of to make, knowing that Jake was so scared of losing control over himself again.

"Y... You won't leave me?" Jake's voice was shaky. "You're the only reason I'm not still ... still..." He started crying again, though he wasn't sobbing as badly as before. Rooster was calming him.

"I won't leave you," Rooster promised. "And if you need to keep touching me, for your own peace of mind, that's okay. Even if we can't stay here and have to leave...I won't leave you."

"Thank you..." Jake finally calmed, Rooster's words and closeness helping. When he'd finally stopped crying, he asked hesitantly, "Are you ready to get out?" It was more evidence of how his confidence was broken; he never would have asked before.

Rooster nodded. "Uncle Mav left clean clothes outside the door. Once we're out and dried off, I'll grab them." He switched the shower off and then carefully helped Jake out.

Jake carefully, slowly dried himself. It took longer than normal, because he needed to reach out and connect with Rooster several times. He felt unsettled when they weren't touching, although that was beginning to lessen the longer they were in each other's presence. He could only hope that whatever it was about Rooster keeping him sane would eventually last long enough that Rooster could go places without him. He didn't want to ruin the other man's life.

Once he was dried off, Rooster didn't leave the restroom to collect the clothing. Still making sure he was where Jake could see him, he opened the door and reached for the clothing, handing some to Jake and keeping the remainder for himself to begin dressing.

Jake took the clothing and slowly dressed. Once ready, he waited for Rooster, reluctant to make any moves without the other man.

Once he was dressed, Rooster held a hand out to Jake, indicating that he was still willing to give the other man whatever made him feel better, or at least more at ease.

Giving Rooster an ashamed and guilty smile, Jake took his hand and held firmly, though not too tight. "Sorry..." he said hesitantly. "I can't imagine you want to be... that..." He looked down. "I'm grateful, though. I need you..." he finished softly. Uncertainly.

"I don't know what's caused this. I don't know why the world is so...wrong," Rooster said. "But if I can keep you sane, keep you from losing yourself, I'll do whatever it takes. I actually care about you, so it isn't a hardship."

Jake blinked back tears and hugged Rooster tightly again. "You're a good man. You saved me and... and keep saving me...."

"You're a good man too," Rooster said quietly, wrapping his arms around Jake and hugging tight in return. "What happened to you wasn't your fault. You didn't ask for it and you didn't choose it."

"I can't stop it, either. Only when I'm with you... I'm scared to test... To see if I could be more than a few feet away from you for longer than a few minutes.  Which makes me a burden." Jake sighed, pulling back and wiping his eyes. "I owe you. I want to make it as easy as possible...."

"It's not hard at the moment." Rooster slipped his hand into Jake's once more. "Maybe we'll have to figure things out when we need to go out for supplies, but I figure we can make that work too. There's four of us here, so we'd need to stay in pairs when going out anyway." As he was speaking, he led Jake out of the restroom and back to Ice's office.

"I'll do whatever you say..." Jake promised quietly. Rooster was helping him, at risk to himself. He'd do whatever he could to help, including obeying the other man. At one time, he never would have promised such a thing, but he felt like that was the safest thing to do.

"Only if it makes sense. I fully expect you to tell me if you think I'm being in an idiot," Rooster said, trying to tease a little...and also indicate he didn't want Jake to be a slave.

As they stepped back into the office, Ice glanced up, a slightly tense look on his face. "Cell phones are no longer connecting at all. The last thing on any news channels is an emergency broadcast, telling people to stay home and lock the doors."

Rooster nodded slowly. "That was on the radio as we were driving here." He gently squeezed Jake's hand, figuring that Ice and Mav were going to have to start asking questions...and wanting Jake to know he wasn't alone.

"It's spreading. It must be. Or else it happened everywhere else too. Otherwise, satellites would work, at least ...." Jake said, in a hollow voice.

Maverick nodded. "You're most likely right." He paused before hesitantly asking, "What happened? I know what I saw, but...." He was asking everyone; not because he expected them to have an answer, but if they could come up with a working idea, maybe they could fight back.

"You said the quake was what caused it." Rooster addressed Ice. "I think you must be right...though I'm not sure how. It's not like we haven't had earthquakes before. But it was right after the quake happened and I landed that...that...." He swallowed visibly.

Ice didn't force him to continue. Instead, he looked towards Jake. "What happened from your perspective?" He wasn't expecting the younger man to go into a huge amount of detail, but if they could pinpoint exactly where it had started....

Jake's grip on Rooster's hand tightened and he turned slightly pale as he started to answer. He might have thought to skip over and tell only what was necessary, but Ice's voice compelled him. His leader had asked something of him, and he was urged to obey, no matter how difficult. "I had just been cleared by medical to be able to go back up... Was on my bike heading to base so I could hand over the clearance paperwork and be put back into rotation.  The quake hit and I crashed, my bike landed on my leg, and it hurt so badly, I thought I broke it. And then there was worse pain. Everything after that was blurry. Like I was drugged... On the strongest hallucinogen. All that mattered was... Was blood. Killing. Stopping the beating... the thumping... I could hear..." His voice cracked slightly, and he swallowed hard. "I knew where I was going, and I went faster than I ever moved before. I knew what I was doing, but at that moment, I wanted to do it. I couldn't have stopped if I tried." He'd started crying again. "I killed so many... Halo got Phoenix. I... I got Fanboy. Halo went after Rooster, and I saw red. Literally. I felt so territorial, I attacked Halo. Once she was... dead... I went after Rooster. But when I got close enough to attack... The need to hurt... to kill... the need for blood went away. And I knew what I'd done, only now I cared and didn't want it, but it was too late. I killed my friends... I'm a monster......" Tears streamed down his face and he wrapped the arm that wasn't holding Rooster's hand around himself. He rocked back and forth, shivering again.

"Hey...hey...." Rooster turned to Jake and wrapped his arms around the other man, rubbing gently over his arms and back. "You're not a monster," he whispered. "Whatever happened...whatever made you do those things...it wasn't you. If it was, I don't think you could have come back at all."

Ice glanced towards Mav, a slightly worried look on his face. He didn't say anything to what Jake had said. Instead, he stood and headed to the door, motioning for Mav to follow him outside the office.

Mav quickly followed Ice. Once they were far enough away they could talk without potentially upsetting Hangman further, he asked, "What are you thinking?"

"Everything he's said, it doesn't surprise me," Ice said. "It's like I know it all already, as if it's knowledge that's been buried deep inside." He frowned. "I've noticed something different, in me, since the quake happened. Not to the extent we've seen. Not to the extent Hangman's experienced. But it's there."

"You think you're infected, but somehow have more control over it? From the way both he and Rooster talk, if Rooster isn't with him, he loses control again..." Mav said, worried.

Ice nodded. "I feel instincts...urges below the surface...but I can ignore and control them. It's obviously different for Hangman. If he could have controlled it, it's obvious he would have." He glanced at Mav. "I take it you don't feel anything?"

"Nothing at all. Although I'm not certain I want to test if I can calm him down like Rooster..." Mav admitted.

Ice nodded slowly, but he was looking a bit thoughtful as he said, "While I understand that I think testing it in a safe and controlled environment might be a good idea. If it's only Rooster able to keep him in control, we want to be aware of that. If it's possible for someone else to, it'll make things a little easier if he and Rooster somehow get separated."

Mav sighed. "How'd I know you would say that? Of course you're right. So how do we test it without him killing me and ending up even more guilt ridden than he already is?"

"We'll need restraints. Strong ones," Ice said. For a brief moment, he wondered if the thoughts were coming from him...or from the violent instincts he was working to keep below the surface. He didn't think it was the latter, but.... "I'm going to need you to be my moral compass here, Mav," he said out loud. "If you think an idea sounds wrong, I need you to tell me."

Mav blinked at that in surprise before nodding thoughtfully. "I never had a problem telling you when I thought you were wrong in the past. I'm not going to stop now when it is vital..." He smiled crookedly.

Ice nodded. "I know there's rope here, but I don't know how strong the infected are. They're certainly not affected by injury." He'd glimpsed a few of them get hit and still keep going without hesitation.

"Given how Jake described his injury from the bike crash and how he was able to move on it, I suspect you are right. If the rope isn't strong enough, I should be able to run before it is completely gone..." Mav agreed.

Ice nodded. "If we have some obstacles in the way, too, that should slow him down as well."

"Good idea..." Mav nodded. "When should we test this, then?"

"Maybe after we've eaten something," Ice suggested. "Give Hangman a chance to settle a little bit."

"Yeah. Poor kid..." Mav sighed. "I... I'm very thankful that if I have to go through this, I'm with you," he admitted.

"So am I," Ice said quietly. "There's no one else other than my wingman I'd rather have by my side in this."

"I thought you were my wingman..." Mav teased gently.

Ice chuckled softly, gently squeezing Mav's shoulder before leading the way back into the office.

By this point, Rooster had coaxed Jake onto one of the chairs and was carefully cleaning the scratches on his face.

Jake squirmed slightly. "They don't feel that bad. I expected it to be worse and considering how deep it felt like she went..." he whispered.

"They aren't that deep." Rooster frowned. "And you mentioned your leg felt like it had been broken, right? I didn't see any damage when we were showering...."

"Does it hurt?" Ice asked.

"Not really..." Jake said.

"Maybe you have faster healing now. Or maybe it was just badly bruised, not broken." Of course, there still would have been some bruising visible even so. Rooster glanced up at Ice and Mav. "What plans are there?"

"Eat first," Ice said. "Then I have an idea I'd like to run by both of you."

"I did an inventory of what food is in the pantry. Since we don't know the situation outside and if we can easily get more supplies, we probably want to ration ourselves. At least until we figure out what is going on..." Mav said. "Having said that. Is soup alright with everyone?"

Rooster nodded. "It's fine with me."

"I'll eat pretty much anything." Ice gave Mav a wry smile.

"Okay. Well, you finish up here. I'll go heat up the soup." Mav smiled and went to the kitchen.

Ice headed through to join Mav, leaving Rooster and Jake alone.

Rooster finished cleaning the scratches and covered them. "How are you feeling?" he asked softy. "Besides the obvious."

"The obvious being that I'm scared and feel guiltier than I've ever felt in my life? I feel lost, Rooster... I... I always knew exactly what to do and how to do it, and knew I was going to do it right. Now... The only thing I know is I need to be with you. If you ever get tired of me hanging off of you...." Jake couldn't meet Rooster's eyes.

"Okay, well, you don't need to worry about me getting tired of you hanging of me," Rooster said firmly. "I can't pretend to understand what you went through, but I'll do everything in my power to make sure you don't have to go through it again," he promised. "I'll protect you, Jake. No matter what."

"I believe you... I just don't want to ruin your life," Jake whispered.

"You aren't going to ruin my life," Rooster said. "I'll be what you need, and I'll be glad that I can help my friend keep his mind and his sanity."

Jake gave Rooster a thankful grin, taking and squeezing his hand. "Guess we should go eat. The Admiral wanted to talk some more after..." he said, before sighing and standing up.

Rooster stood as well, gently squeezing Jake's hand, and led him through to the kitchen, where he could smell the food being prepared.

It hadn't taken long to fix the meal and split it between the four of them. Dinner was subdued as everyone thought about the day's events. They were just as quiet while cleaning up. Eventually, they made their way back into the office.

"You had something you wanted to discuss, sir?" Jake asked Ice.

Ice nodded. "It's clear that Rooster is able to help you keep your mind and sanity intact," he said to Jake. "But I think it would be a good idea to test how far his influence reaches...and also to see if Mav can influence you in the same way. I think it would be better to test that here, in an environment that's relatively safe and where we can be assured you won't be able to harm anyone, than to have Rooster suddenly separated from you with no way to prepare for the fallout."

Jake bit his lip, obviously nervous. But he knew Ice was right and something about the Admiral required his obedience. "How would we test? And... Why only Mav?"

Maverick had left the room and located the rope while Ice was explaining. He returned as Jake asked his question.

"You aren't the only one affected by the quake," Ice said. "But for me, it seems to be urges...violent instincts...that are below the surface. As for how to test, the idea is to restrain you and have Rooster move gradually further and further away...to see how far his influence reaches you."

Jake's nervousness turned to fright, but he still felt urged to obey Ice. "I guess we should find out and try and that is the safest way to do so..." he said faintly.

Mav brought the rope over.

Rooster could tell that Jake was nervous...fearful...and he gently squeezed his friend's hand. "You don't need to do it," he said quietly. "But if you do...I'll only go as far as I need to. I told you I wouldn't leave you alone and I won't."

Jake squeezed Rooster's hand. "No... They're right. If something happens, we need to know what my limits are. I don't want to... To become what I was again, so we need to know what we are working with..." He tried to sound confident, but his voice was shaky.

Maverick gave a sympathetic look. "Let's get it out of the way now, then..." he said quietly. "If you'll just sit in this chair..." He brought over a chair that would be easy to tie Jake to.

Jake gave Rooster one last, nervous grin and sat on the chair. Maverick then tied him so securely, the only way he'd get free was if he broke the ropes.

"Here." Ice handed Rooster an old walkie talkie, keeping one for himself. "If you need to go outside the house, make sure there aren't any of the infected there." They couldn't be certain of the limits of Rooster's ability to cure, after all.

Rooster nodded and took the walkie talkie. "I'll come back," he promised Jake, before he left the room and began moving further away.

At first, Jake didn't feel anything wrong, beyond a tightening of his muscles. He attributed that to his fear. He didn't know how far away Rooster actually got. When it finally hit him, it happened so fast, he couldn't warn anyone. One minute, he was anxiously waiting for some 'feeling' to kick in, so he could tell Ice and Mav... The next, he was snarling and craving violence.

Mav frowned as Jake suddenly became like all the other infected. It was disappointing, but not surprising, that he didn't have the ability to 'cure' Jake. He began to move toward the door to retrieve Rooster so they could at least see how much space they had before it became an issue.

As Mav was moving toward the door, Jake suddenly lunged, the ropes snapping. With a snarl, he immediately rushed toward Maverick.

Ice moved immediately, throwing himself between Maverick and Jake. Violent urges and instincts or not, Mav was still his best friend. And trying to protect Mav came above everything else. "Stop." The word came out in a rush, even as Ice prepared himself for the pain of nails or teeth sinking into his flesh.

Mav was running to get Rooster; positive his friend was going to be killed and he'd be next.

Blood, kill, thumping... Stop... He immediately stopped, dropping onto all fours and cowering. He was in charge. Must obey. He whined softly, the order fighting his instinct. 

Ice lowered the arm he'd raised automatically to protect himself, looking at the infected Hangman who was now cowering on all fours...exactly like a beast. Not cured but obeying his order. The violent instincts underneath the surface surged briefly, showing what it would be like to take full control and unleash this infected one on the two normal humans.

Shaking a little, Ice pushed those instincts down savagely. He had control. Not only of Hangman, but also of himself. "Stay." He hoped it would hold until Mav returned with Rooster.

For his part, Rooster had stepped outside the house...but only just got to the other side of the front door, having paused to look around and make sure there were no other infected approaching.

Jake stayed exactly where he was, obeying Ice.

Mav rushed to the front door, throwing it open and hoping Rooster was in sight. He was relieved to see his godson still on the porch, though it was slightly disappointing his influence ended so close. "He broke loose! We need you now!"

Rooster didn't hesitate or even question. Immediately, he ran back into the house, running as fast as he possibly could towards the study...although he was fearful of what he would find there, if Jake had broken his bonds.

Mav followed, closing, and bolting the door again. He then ran after Rooster, hoping he didn't find Ice torn apart.

Rooster all but skidded into the office, relief flooding through him when he saw that Ice was standing...whole and unharmed. Then his attention turned to Jake, on all fours and cowering like an animal expecting to be beaten, and he approached slowly...hoping whatever had cured Jake the first time would work again. "Jake...." He moved close enough to touch and crouched down, remembering the proximity had worked the fastest.

Blood, kill, beating... Obey... Obey... What... Rooster. "R... Rooster..." Jake's voice was shaky, still frightened, but he could tell there was no blood, and he could remember Ice stopping him with one word, so he hadn't killed anyone. "I didn't kill anyone..." His voice was tight, high-pitched, tiny. And then he was crying, blindly reaching for Rooster, wrapping his arms around the other man in a needy hug.

Rooster let his breath out slowly and wrapped his own arms around Jake, hugging him tightly...almost protectively. "What happened?" He looked up at Ice, even as he continued to hold onto Jake.

"I told him to stop," Ice answered. "And he obeyed."

Mav's eyes were wide. "So... You have an ability then. Not only can you keep your sanity, even though you were infected, you can control other infected...."

Jake shivered, blinging to Rooster. He did calm enough to add input to Mav's observation. "I've been having this underlying urge to obey you. Even though I was worried about testing my limits, I felt like I had to do it, because you asked me to. I thought it was just because you were the Admiral, and it was habit. But now... I think it was the primal part of me that needed to listen and obey. Because when the beast took over, it immediately knew to obey you...."

Ice nodded slowly. "I don't think it's an ability we can rely on too much, though. When I used it, it caused those violent instincts to surge even more. I doubt I'm the only one with this ability, which likely means that this chaos is going to eventually end up with direction."

"So ...we'll end up with factions fighting each other?" Jake asked.

Mav frowned. "Regular people aren't going to survive, are they?"

"Unless there are other cures, like Rooster," Ice said.

"But it doesn't work on you," Rooster said. "I mean...you still feel those violent urges. You're just in control of them. So, if the others like you...who are choosing to go dark side...realize who could cure the rest of the infected, they'll kill them. Won't they?" he asked softly.

Jake's grip tightened around Rooster. "No. Won't let them...." His tone was territorial. Possessive. But still, he sounded frightened.

Mav rubbed the back of his neck, feeling a bit useless and hopeless.

Ice sighed and turned to Mav. "I was hoping that my family would find their way here, but I think it might be too much to hope for." He tried to keep his voice steady, but even if he was infected...he was still human. "We need to get some sleep. Take watch in shifts. Tomorrow...maybe we should see how bad the damage is."

Rooster let out his breath slowly and wrapped his own arms a bit tighter around Jake. "I can take first watch," he offered, a little hesitantly.

Mav moved to Ice's side and wrapped an arm around him. "I refuse to believe that until I have proof..." he said, as confidently as possible. "Let's get some sleep."

Jake pressed against Rooster. "I will watch with you...."

Ice sighed and closed his eyes, leaning into Mav. "Rooster, Jake...wake me in about four hours to take over."

Rooster nodded. "Yessir."

Mav led his friend to his bedroom, planning to go to the guest room. He paused at the door. "Will you be okay?" he asked in concern.

"I don't know," Ice admitted quietly. He was tired, the constant fighting against those violent urges taking a lot out of him. And he was worried about his family...heartsick because no matter what Mav had said, he couldn't shake the feeling they were dead.

"Yeah..." Mav sighed. "I know the feeling. Can... Can I do anything?" It was so difficult, knowing he was powerless in this situation. He couldn't help those he cared about.

"...Can you stay?" Ice knew he was asking for a lot. He was asking for Mav to trust that he wouldn't give in to those violent urges...those instincts. He wasn't in the same position as Jake, but he couldn't deny that he'd feel better with Mav close. Then again, it wasn't unusual for him to gain comfort from his best friend's presence even before all of this.

"Of course," Mav quickly agreed. Yes, Ice had admitted to needing to fight violent urges... But Mac trusted him. If anyone could control his baser impulses, it was Ice. And if he had to die to this damn illness... Or whatever it was... He'd rather it be because he was helping his friend. He had no doubt without Ice, he'd have been dead by now.

Ice's smile was small, but filled with gratitude, nevertheless. "There are spare blankets and pillows in the closet." He didn't know if Mav would feel comfortable enough to share the bed, but even if he didn't, it was enough that his friend was willing to stay in the room with him.

Mav nodded and went to gather the items. When he returned with them, he looked for the clearest spot to lay down. Ice hadn't I dictated where he wanted him to stay, just that he wanted him to.

"You can stay wherever you feel most comfortable, Ice said, having selected a pair of pajamas. "Do you need to borrow pajamas?"

"Yeah. If you don't mind. Otherwise, I can sleep in my underwear." Mav finally found a spot on the floor where he wouldn't be in the way or get stepped on if people had to move quickly.

Ice removed another pair of pajamas that he handed to Ice, then quickly changed into his and stretched out on his bed.

Mav quickly changed as well, settling into his spot on the floor. "Sleep well, Ice..." he whispered.

"You too, Mav." Ice closed his eyes, slipping into a light, uneasy sleep.

***

Jake stayed next to Rooster, helping his friend keep watch. He was afraid to sleep, not sure if Rooster's presence would keep him sane when he wasn't awake.

Rooster sat close to Jake, shoulder to shoulder with the other man. "If you feel tired, you should try to sleep," he said softly. "I can keep watch over you as well."

Jake almost cuddled in his attempt to stay close. "What if I turn while asleep? There's no one here to help you..." His voice was haunted.

"I don't think you will," Rooster said honestly. "The infected aren't like zombies. I'm guessing eating and sleeping are still going to be needs that have to be fulfilled, even if you're faster and stronger and heal quickly."

"M... Maybe. If you want me to, I'll try..." Jake said reluctantly. He didn't feel confident in his own decisions. How could he know if it wasn't the beast instinct making them? Letting Rooster make decisions seemed safer.

"I think it's important that you at least try," Rooster said. "You need sleep. Just like you need food."

Jake sighed and looked down. "Okay..." Rooster had shifted a couch so that they could watch outside the window while sitting next to each other. Jake readjusted himself so he was lying on the couch, his head on Rooster's lap. He was afraid to put any distance between them, despite proving Rooster could at least move through most of the house without him losing control.

Keeping watch out of the window still, Rooster let his fingers stroke gently through Jake's hair, rubbing gently over his neck and shoulders. He was hoping the gentle touch would relax Jake enough to allow him to fall asleep.

Jake lay still, reflecting on everything and how he had changed so much in less than a day. Before, he wasn't the type to want to be close. He was the typical type of affectionate with his friends. Pats on backs. Bear hugs. Roughly rubbing the tops of heads. More competitive and vying for dominance. Confident.

He knew he'd lost that confidence. His need to be as close as possible to Rooster to keep his sanity was obvious to everyone, but there was also a need for affection. Gentle affection. The fact it put Rooster in a dominant position was less of a concern than the fact he needed it to stay calm. He was so messed up inside, and he knew it.

Eventually, the gentle affection did ease him into sleep.

Rooster could feel when Jake slipped into sleep, but he didn't stop the gentle, affectionate stroking. Less than twenty-four hours ago, he wouldn't have been able to imagine a situation like this: Hangman with his head in his lap, needing to stay close to Rooster...because otherwise, he'd lose his sanity and his sense of self.

Sounds from outside brought Rooster's attention to the window, and he tensed up slightly when he saw a group of infected outside. They were clearly giving the house a wide berth...but they were also dragging someone along with them. Someone who was a beaten, battered, bloodied mess.

Rooster's jaw clenched so hard, it was almost painful. Every instinct screamed at him to run outside and put a stop to it; to use his ability as a 'cure' to rescue the poor person they were torturing. But they had no idea how far his ability reached. And if he left Jake alone, his friend would lose his mind and his sanity and....

Rooster's responsibility was to protect Jake. He couldn't put them at risk to save someone else. But forcing himself not to act was one of the hardest things he'd ever had to do.

****

Mav hadn't had nightmares in years. Therapy had helped him move on from Goose's death; helped him to stop blaming and second guessing himself. But what he had seen since the earthquake? It had been a nightmare itself. He should have known it would bring up every bad memory he had and mix into one horrible nightmare. Goose's death mixed with the memory of people attacking each other without pause or discrimination. It mixed with his knowledge that Jake would become mindless and feral without Rooster's presence. It mixed with the knowledge that only Ice's complete control over himself kept his calm and collected friend from doing monstrous things on his own, even if he retained his memory. It mixed with the knowledge that Mav was powerless against what was happening, and he didn't even have the ability to calm the beast like Rooster did. The nightmares plagued him, causing him to toss and turn and whimper in his sleep.

Ice's sleep had been light and uneasy, so when Mav began tossing and turning and whimpering, he woke up almost immediately. Carefully getting out of bed, he moved over to where Mav was sleeping and crouched down, reaching out to place a hand on his friend's shoulder. "Mav," he whispered.

Mav jerked awake, barely stifling a scream, his eyes wide and terrified, streaming tears. All the guilt and pain of losing Goose, along with the uncertainty and helplessness from their new life, showed on his face, and it took longer than he was happy with for him to be able to focus and realize he wasn't in the hell-dream that his mind had conjured. He was in Ice's house, safe with his friend, his godson, and his godson's friend. "I... I'm okay..." he finally forced out, though it was obvious he wasn't.

Ice couldn't smile. The situation was too horrible and painful for that. He gently squeezed Mav's shoulder and said quietly, "I know you're not okay. That's all right. I don't think any of us are okay."

Mav winced at the observation and forced himself to smile, though it was trembling and crooked. "Yeah. I'm not okay. But... I have to be. Can't afford to... To let everything overwhelm me..." he whispered. "I'm sorry I woke you up...."

"It's okay. Do you think it might be better if you sleep in the bed as well?" Ice asked softly. "At least then you might be able to feel like you're not alone."

Mav let out a tiny huff of unamused laughter. "Maybe. But I don't want to make things difficult for you either. And as close as we've got over the years, we've never shared a bed. We might end up neither of us getting any sleep...."

"Maybe," Ice said. "But you're my best friend, Mav. The urges are easier to keep below the surface when you're here." His voice was sincere. Honest.

"Really? So... I'm not completely useless and a hinderance to survival?" Mav asked, in a semi-teasing tone. It was still a serious question, though. He couldn't help feeling that the others would have been better off without him, as he would be a magnet for any ferals out there and pretty much unable to protect himself. He had to rely on Ice, Rooster, and Jake to keep from being torn apart.

"You're not useless. Or a hindrance to survival," Ice said seriously. "When I had control over Jake, I saw how easy it would be to keep that control. To turn him loose on society. I kept control...but when you came back, it was much easier to force that under the surface." And, of course, he'd thrown himself between Jake and Mav without a moment's hesitation. He wasn't feral like Jake was, but he thought that Mav was the reason the infection hadn't taken him over.

"I'm glad I help you... Even if it is only a little..." Mav admitted softly. Carefully sitting up and wincing as his back cracked, he gave Ice a wry smile. "If you don't think it will keep you awake, maybe I will sleep next to you... My back will thank both of us in the morning..." He chuckled ruefully. "I wasn't feeling my age until just this second...."

Ice gave a tiny smile and straightened up, holding his hand out to help Mav to his feet. "I assume most of the infected will still need to sleep, which might mean we'd be better off seeing how bad the situation is in town during the night. I'm not sure I trust my ability to control larger groups without losing control myself, even with you there," he said seriously.

Mav took Ice's hand and stood. Nodding his head, he agreed. "Yeah. Going out when we are less likely to run into other infected would be ideal. Even if you kept control of yourself and Rooster stayed close enough to Hangman to let him retain control of himself, us keeping control won't do any good if we are severely outnumbered." He paused before continuing reluctantly, "I'm wondering if we shouldn't attempt to get supplies, enough for a few months, and then head into the mountains. Go where there are usually less people. Even if we find a way to avoid the infected... There was enough killing that in a few days, the air is going to be polluted with the rotting corpses. I don't know if it would make you and Hangman sick, but I suspect it definitely could make me and Rooster sick."

Ice nodded. "That's really the best course of action we can take. We're going to need to case out the town first. Maybe we'll get lucky and there'll be some normal people, or even some cures, left alive." He doubted it, though. If there were more like Rooster in the town, they would have been seeing less violence.

"So.  Tomorrow morning, we make a plan. Decide the best places to go to get either supplies or information without putting ourselves at too much risk.  Then tomorrow night, when things should hopefully not be as dangerous, go get our supplies...?" Mav automatically looked to Ice to make the final decision. The man had been his superior officer for years, not just his friend, so it was easy to look to him for leadership.

Ice nodded. "Exactly." He was hoping he might find his family, alive and well and in hiding, but he also knew that was unlikely. Sighing quietly, a troubled look on his face, he settled on the bed, making sure there was enough room for Mav to lay down as well.

Mav carefully got into the bed beside Ice. He saw the look on his face and could hazard a guess on what he was thinking about. He was hoping he'd be able to locate Penny and her daughter at the bar, safe and sound. He kept telling himself they were okay. But deep down, he knew the likelihood was very small.  Reaching over and placing his hand on Ice's arm, he gently squeezed. "We'll look for them. Find out what happened...."

"I think we have to prepare for the worst," Ice whispered, even as he relaxed as his friend touched him. Sighing, he closed his eyes...shifting a little towards Mav as if seeking comfort from the physical closeness of his best friend.

"Yeah. I... I think you're right..." Mav sighed, feeling discouraged and depressed that so many people he cared about were likely lost. Feeling Ice shifting toward him, he shifted the rest of the way so that they were pressed against each other. The contact provided him a sense of security and comfort.

"When Rooster comes in, I'll take watch," Ice said, his eyes still closed. "He and Jake can take the spare room. I imagine they won't be sleeping apart."

"Given his need to be close, I'd assume that too.  Do you want me to watch with you? Or should we have three watches? I can watch after you if there are three watches...." Mav said softly, his own eyes closed.

"We should probably have three watches," Ice agreed. "I'll let you get a bit more rest and then wake you up." He sighed, his breathing beginning to slow and deepen as sleep began to overtake him.

Mav soon fell asleep as well, Ice's closeness providing enough comfort that the nightmares were held at bay.

***

After four hours had passed, Rooster moved his hand to Jake's shoulder and squeezed gently. "Watch is over," he said, pitching his voice at a volume that the other man should wake. "We need to go wake Ice."

Jake woke at Rooster's voice, carefully sitting up. "Okay..." He carefully stood so he could follow Rooster. Despite having four hours of sleep, he was still tired. He felt guilty about not helping with the watch. "Sorry I didn't help better..." he said quietly.

"You didn't need to help," Rooster said. "You did as I asked. You slept. And you should be able to get some more sleep now." He led the way to Ice's room.

Ice woke as soon as Rooster and Jake entered. "Any problems?"

Rooster hesitated. "There was a group of infected dragging a body with them, but they gave the house a wide berth."

At hearing he'd done what Rooster asked, Jake felt a sense of ease and satisfaction that he hadn't expected. He didn't say anything as he followed Rooster to report to Ice, although his eyes widened when Rooster related what had occurred.

Mav had woken up, even though he would go back to sleep once Ice went to keep watch. "Maybe they sensed both of you..." he said hesitantly. 

Rooster nodded, biting his lip as he thought about the person who'd been hurt and likely killed by the infected.

Ice noticed the look on Rooster's face. "I know it's hard. I know you want to help. But we don't know the limits of how many you could cure at once. As hard as it is, you need to keep yourself safe."

"I know." Rooster sighed. He couldn't deny that he felt helpless, though. At least he'd managed to cure Jake. He just wished he could save other people as well.

Jake impulsively wrapped his arms around Rooster, wanting to comfort him. "It isn't your fault... that you can't do more. You're doing what you can...."

"I want to save everyone I can...." Rooster wrapped his own arms around Jake, thankful for the offered comfort.

"We all do," Ice said soberly, as he got out of the bed. "You can both use the spare room to sleep in," he offered. "There are a couple of nightshirts that should fit you, if you want to change."

"Thank you, sir..." Jake said deferentially.

Mav looked at Ice. "You sure you don't want me to keep you company?"

"I'll be okay," Ice replied. "Get some sleep, Mav. I'll wake you in four hours."

"Alright. See you in four hours, then." Mav lay back down.

Jake followed Rooster to the guest room.

"You want to get changed?" Rooster asked Jake quietly. He didn't know if Jake would feel better in a nightshirt or not...and hoped the other man would tell him what would feel better.

"Yeah..." Jake agreed quietly. In his own apartment, he slept naked, but around others, he tended to wear boxers and an undershirt. A nightshirt would be a new experience, but it was better than sleeping in street clothes. He took the shirt that had been left and began to change.

Rooster began to get changed as well, staying close enough to Jake that the other man could touch him if he needed to.

Once changed, Jake waited for Rooster to get into bed. He hated that he was imposing on his friend, but he knew he would never sleep if they were in separate beds.

Rooster got into the bed and smiled at Jake. "You can get into whatever position feels most comfortable; whichever one will make you feel better," he said softly. "It's not going to be a problem for me."

Giving Rooster a grateful look, Jake quickly crawled into the bed and pressed as close as possible. The nightshirt rode up, but the relief he felt at the skin-on-skin contact overrode the embarrassment at exposing his underwear. He let his head rest on Rooster's shoulder.

Rooster let his hand rest gently on Jake's waist, against his bare skin. If he hadn't noticed the other man's reaction to gentle touch earlier, he might not have chosen to rest his hand there. As it was, he let his hand rub gently against bare skin.

Jake shivered slightly, giving a happy purr before falling to sleep. The beast inside was soothed by the man holding him.

It didn't take long for Rooster to fall asleep as well, still holding Jake close.

***

Ice kept watch for four hours without incident. He then went back to his room, placing a hand on his best friend's shoulder. "Mav."

Mav was instantly awake, getting up. "Anything happen I need to know?" he asked seriously.

Ice shook his head. "No sign of any infected. I suspect most of them have gone to sleep. I'm not too tired, so I can keep watch with you," he offered.

"That's not fair to you... You only got four hours of sleep..." Mav worried.

"As I said, I'm not really tired," Ice said. "It won't be a problem to stay up with you."

Mav fought with himself, his worry that Ice take care of himself vying with his need to not be alone. In the end, his need to not be alone won, because following that need also meant he was doing what Ice wanted and he was used to the other man being in charge. "Okay. If you're sure..." he said quietly.

"I'm sure." Ice straightened, waiting for Mav to join him before heading through to the main room so that they could keep watch.

Mav followed, taking a seat on the couch next to Ice and dutifully watching. It helped immensely, having his friend beside him.

Ice sat shoulder to shoulder with Mav, keeping watch as well.

****

When Jake woke the next morning, his shirt had ridden up far enough to bare his chest, and he was pressed as close to Rooster as it was possible to be, head under Rooster's chin and nose and mouth pressed into Rooster's neck. When he realized, he jerked back in fright, quickly looking over his friend to make certain he hadn't ripped his throat out in the middle of the night.

Rooster stirred when Jake pulled back, opening his eyes and blinking, before focusing on the other man's face. It had taken a few seconds to realize where he was; to remember the awful horrors of the previous day. His hand was still resting on Jake's waist, not having been dislodged by the sudden movement. "Hey," he said softly.

"I... I didn't hurt you..." The relief in Jake's voice was heavy. "I woke up with my face against your neck... your carotid... I was afraid..." He swallowed hard, blinking back tears.

"You didn't change...you didn't revert back." Rooster made sure his voice was gentle and reassuring, rubbing Jake's back in an attempt to comfort and soothe. "As long as you're with me, you're in control. And I'm not going to leave you," he promised.

Jake slowly relaxed at the comforting words. Eventually, he was calm enough to realize Rooster was rubbing his bare back. He blushed as he realized the nightshirt was practically useless and he'd been pressing his nearly naked body against his friend all night.

Jake hadn't pulled away, or told him to stop it, so Rooster continued to gently rub his hand over the other man's back. He wouldn't have done it before...knew Jake wouldn't have accepted comforting, gentle touch before...but things had changed. For both of them.

Jake relaxed further, his blush lessening as he gave Rooster a confused look. "You don't mind? That... That..." He glanced down his body, at his rucked-up night-shirt, and the fact he had been pressed so close to Rooster without anything but his underwear and Rooster's shirt between them.

"No," Rooster answered honestly. "I told you. Whatever you need." He slid his other arm around Jake's waist, letting both hands rub lightly and soothingly.

Jake swallowed again before impulsively pressing closer again, his head on Rooster's chest this time. "Thank you... For understanding... It... It does help. I wish I didn't need it, but it helps...."

"If that helps, would it also help to have entirely skin on skin contact?" Rooster asked. If it did, he could remove his own nightshirt.

"I... I think so. Whatever it is that made you able to keep me from being feral... Skin on skin contact allows it to be more effective..." Jake admitted uncertainly.

"Okay." It only took a few moments for Rooster to remove Jake's shirt; to do the same to his own. He left their underwear in place, though, figuring that was a step they wouldn't want to take without a serious conversation first.

Jake didn't realize the sound he made as he snuggled close to Rooster; it sounded so relieved and happy. He would have been embarrassed if he'd realized he'd made such a sound.

Almost automatically, Rooster tugged Jake in closer against him, hands rubbing gently over his neck and back.

"Thank you for taking care of me... Protecting me from what I could become..." Jake whispered, letting his arms wrap around his friend tightly and snuggling.

"I'm just glad I can do that," Rooster whispered back. "Arrogant ass or not, you've never been a bad person. Or evil." He was teasing with the first bit, mostly.

Jake let out a surprised laugh at the comment before admitting sheepishly, "I deserved that. I was arrogant and often an ass... But I tried not to be a bad person. I'm happy I succeeded in that, at least..." he whispered. "And now... Now I need your help not to be an animal, so..." He sighed, tightening his hug.

Rooster tightened his own hug. "It's not your fault. You wouldn't have chosen it if you'd been given any kind of choice. I'm more than willing to stay close to you and make sure you don't revert back to that state. But I don't want you to be a slave."

"I don't feel like a slave. I have this need to be with you, and my... confidence is not very strong right now, so it feels safer to listen to you and do what you say, but I don't feel like a slave.  I wouldn't mind if I was, though, if it kept me from becoming feral and killing again. I'd rather die myself than become that again..." Jake admitted.

"Okay, but I don't think it's necessary for you to be a slave to keep your mind," Rooster said. "I didn't need to do anything but be close enough for you to touch when you got yourself back. Once you start feeling more confident again, I don't think it's going to affect this."

Jake thought about it. "You are probably right. This is all unexpected and new, so it's just... I need to adjust."

Rooster nodded. "Okay. You can take all the time you need for that."

Jake hugged tightly again. "Thanks for understanding," he whispered.

At that moment, there was a knock on the door. "Breakfast in five minutes, and then we need to discuss future plans..." Mav called through the door.

"We'll be there," Rooster called back. "You wanting to wash up or anything before breakfast?" he asked Jake.

"Brush my teeth.... then I should be ready," Jake said quietly. He'd brushed his teeth after the shower the day before, so knew there was toothpaste. The phantom taste of blood was still in his mouth.

"You want me to stick with you?" Rooster wasn't irritated or upset by the idea, but they'd established he didn't need to be in the same room to help Jake keep control. If that was what his friend needed, though, Rooster would stick by his side.

Jake paused, swallowing hard. "I... I should probably try to function without you being right beside me..." he reluctantly whispered. They knew that he was okay as long as Rooster was within a certain distance. The kitchen was within that distance from the bath. Still, the thought of not being next to his friend terrified him.

"Sure, eventually," Rooster said. "But it doesn't have to be now. You don't have to do that until you feel ready."

Jake relaxed at the words. "Yeah... Okay. I... I need you with me..." he said, with a hint of embarrassment, but mostly gratitude.

Rooster nodded and held a hand out to Jake. "It's okay," he said reassuringly. "I'd go so far as to say it's normal, as much as anything in this situation can be normal."

Jake took Rooster's hand and let himself be led to the bath so he could brush his teeth. "I know it didn't used to be normal. But right now, it feels best..." he admitted. "If it is my new normal... I'm just glad to have you with me."

"This has been really traumatic...for all involved, but especially you," Rooster pointed out. "It's not going to be possible to go through therapy, given the state of the world, so we need to figure out the best way of handling this between us. Either way, I won't be leaving you. I won't let you turn feral again."

Jake nodded. "If... If it ever happens that I turn feral, and you can't help me... Please put me down. The thought I might, that I could..." He blinked back tears and his grip on Rooster's hand tightened. "I killed so many... Killed my friends. I know it wasn't me... But it still was me. I hate myself for that...."

Rooster's hand tightened a little on Jake's, as a sharp pain stabbed through him at that request. Thinking of killing Jake...of putting him down...hurt. Like a physical ache. "I'll find a way." He really meant find a way to bring the other man back, if he somehow stopped being a cure. He understood Jake's reasoning...but the thought of having to kill his friend, a man he cared about, was more painful than he'd ever thought it could be.

Jake accepted the answer without question, trusting Rooster understood and would do what was necessary. "Thank you," he whispered, before beginning to clean up and brush his teeth.  Once done with basic hygiene, he got dressed so they could join the others. His lack of clothing didn't bother him with Rooster, but Mav and Ice were different.

Rooster stuck close to Jake as he cleaned himself up and dressed, then once more took the other man's hand to lead him through to the kitchen.

Mav looked up from placing a platter of eggs on the table. "It isn't much, but until we know if we have a place to resupply, better to spread out food supplies out..." he said apologetically.

Jake just waited for Rooster to choose a seat so he could sit beside him.

"Food is food." Rooster shrugged, sitting down on one of the chairs that had an empty one next to it, so that Jake could sit next to him.

Ice sat down next to Mav. "There were no other infected who came close. I think they must be able to sense my presence and be giving this place a wide berth. However, Mav pointed out that we'll be better off getting supplies for a month or so and heading into the mountains. Eventually, the bodies of all those killed are going to start rotting...and at least two of our number are at risk of getting sick."

Jake nodded at the words, though he kept his gaze down. He was a reason for some of the dead, and being reminded that he hadn't been the only one out of control was sobering. "Are we all going out in a group, or splitting up? Getting a month's worth of supplies is a start, but... Do we maybe need to plan for if we can't return for more supplies? What food types or other supplies is our priority?" He tried to contribute to the discussion, but it wasn't easy. He felt like he needed to defer to and obey Ice and Rooster without question, though the need to obey Rooster felt different to his need to obey Ice. He felt no need to obey Maverick beyond what the older man's rank had decreed he obey from before the world fell apart.

"Ideally, we're going to want to get seeds...tools to be able to dig a well, or collect water with," Ice said. "I've been looking at maps, and I think there's an area in the mountains, a little valley, that would suit our purposes. I don't think we should risk going out during the day. At nighttime, when most of them are asleep, we'll collect what we can. Of course, it's still possible we might run into some of the infected...but we have some weapons we can take with us, for if mine or Rooster's ability gets pushed beyond its limit."

Jake nodded at the words.

"It's also better if all four of us stay together. If something happens and we can't return here and need to leave immediately for the mountains... We'll be together..." Mav said, though he looked toward Ice for his approval.

Ice nodded. "Safety in numbers." He agreed with Mav's words.

"Okay." Rooster began to eat.

Jake began to eat as soon as Rooster did.

Mav ate as well. A few minutes after starting, he asked Ice, "Do you think it would be too dangerous to go by our individual apartments to gather a bag with our own clothing, weapons, and personal documents? In case somehow, in the future, society rights itself? Or do you think it won't be worth the risk?"

"I think...." Ice hesitated. "I think that should be the last priority. We get supplies, anything we might need, for a month. Go in order of most important to least. Then, if we can, go to individual apartments. We also have to be prepared for running into an infected who is like me," he added. "Someone who's able to control the others."

Rooster looked up, suddenly thinking of something. "I don't know if it means anything, especially since you don't have them, Ice... but I noticed Halo. She had black veins in her eyes. I don't know how common that is, though. I'd lost my phone by the time Jake...and he doesn't have them now, of course."

Mav nodded at Ice's decision, not arguing. As much as it would be nice to have his own clothing, he understood there were other priorities. And the clothing Ice had shared mostly fit, even if it was a bit long.

Jake winced as Rooster mentioned their first meeting but didn't say anything, waiting to hear Ice's response.

"I did notice them...when you went feral." Ice nodded to Jake. "At least it should confirm who is infected and in a feral state, even if we won't necessarily know who's infected and still has control."

"Should give you a warning that I've lost control, at least..." Jake whispered.

"There is that," Ice agreed. "Once we've finished eating, we need to make a list of everything we need, in order of importance, and where we're likely to get them from. That way, we can make sure we take as little time as possible once we're in town."

Everyone agreed, and it didn't take long before they had finished and cleaned up. As they made their way back into the office, Mav asked, "Assuming we are all traveling in the same vehicle to go to the mountains, will there be enough room in either of the cars to hold a month's worth of supplies, plus the four of us? Or should we look for a larger, all-terrain vehicle? Maybe sneak back onto base and get one of the transport vehicles?"

"That would be better," Ice agreed. "In which case, that should probably be out first stop."

Rooster picked up a pad and pencil and wrote at the top of the list. TOP GUN BASE. Underneath that, he put ALL-TERRAIN VEHICLE. "Do you think we can get hold of any weapons from there?" he asked.

"We should probably try..." Jake said quietly. "In case there are infected who retain enough control to be more of a threat...."

Rooster nodded and added WEAPONS AND AMMUNITION to the list. "I know you said it would be better to stick together, but is there anywhere close to the base we need to visit? Because then two of us can go to the base and two to the other place."

"There's Penny's bar...." Ice glanced towards Mav.

"I... I do want to go there but given that it possibly may have a large group of infected, I don't know that we should split up so I can do that. It's between the base and the largest portion of locations we would go for supplies, so we could stop there after the base but before the other supplies... If that's okay..." Mav said softly.

Ice nodded in understanding, reaching out and placing a hand on Mav's arm, squeezing gently.

"Okay." Rooster added that to the list. "In order of importance, we want food and water next. Tinned food and bottled water. Small camping stove too, since there's no electricity?"

"We should assume we will be completely off-grid." Mav nodded. "No electricity. Possibly no plumbing either. Any heating will most likely be generated by firewood, so we'll want a few axes and tools to sharpen them. A generator will only be useful if we have fuel to run it, so probably leave that lower on the list. If we have room and the ability to get enough of the right type of fuel, then...." He glanced at Ice, whispering sympathetically, "Did Sarah mention where she and the kids would be shopping? We can go there for supplies just as easy if...."

Ice winced visibly, but he answered anyway. "I know she was planning to go into the shopping centers." His voice was soft, nearly hopeless, because he didn't think they were still alive...but not knowing would be infinitely worse than knowing for definite, he was sure.

Rooster wrote down fuel and generator lower down on the list, as something they would collect only if it was reasonably safe to do so.

Mav reached over and squeezed his friend's arm in sympathy. The more time they had to process and think about the situation, the less optimistic he was that any of their loved ones survived. But if somehow, they lived as feral and Rooster was able to cure them, or Ice was able to control them, then they could at least keep them close in the hopes that someday, a permanent cure would be available.

They continued talking about what they needed to collect...what was more important and what was less...and Rooster made the list. Finally, they had a plan for after night fell...which places were top of the list to hit, and which were lower down.

"Since we plan to be out tonight and it may take the entire night, I suggest we all retreat to our rooms and rest. We'll want to be at full awareness when we go out and not tired..." Mav said.

Jake thought that seemed reasonable, but he still waited for Ice's dismissal and Rooster to be ready to go with him.

Ice nodded. "I think that's a good idea," he agreed. "If there aren't any other questions...."

"None from me." Rooster stood and held his hand out to Jake.

Jake quickly took Rooster's hand, following him back to their room.

Mav looked at Ice. "Will you be okay? I... I know you are expecting the worst. I can't even work up my own optimism now that it's actually settled in what is happening...."

"I think the not knowing is worse," Ice admitted quietly. "I feel like we're going to know, one way or another, tonight...but I feel like I already know, deep in my heart. If they lived, they would have found their way back here."

"Yeah..." Mav said softly. He knew Sarah would have moved heaven and earth to get back home with her family if they were able. He also knew it was eating Ice up that he hadn't been with his family when the quake hit, so he could help them get home. He pulled Ice to him, giving the other man a tight hug, promising without words to be there for him. No matter what they discovered.

Ice took in a deep, almost shuddering breath and wrapped his arms around Mav as tight in return, needing the comfort from his best friend.

Mav just stood, holding his friend tightly, willing to let Ice be the first to pull away when he felt ready.

It took a few minutes, but Ice finally took a deep breath and stepped away from the embrace. "Thank you," he said quietly.

"We're in this together. No thanks needed..." Mav said gruffly, squeezing Ice on the shoulder before stepping back to give his friend room. "Do you think we need to set up watch again? Or just rest so we are ready for tonight with the youngsters?" he asked with a tiny smile, though the question was serious.

"I think we'd be better off setting up watches," Ice admitted. "While I think it's unlikely any infected will come here, I'd rather not hinge our survival on an assumption."

Mav nodded. "I can take first watch..." he offered. "And when you take watch, I can sleep on the couch so I'm with you...."

"I can do that too," Ice offered. "Sleep on the couch while you keep watch." He couldn't deny that he felt better with his best friend close.

Mav nodded. "I'd like that. With everything going on... It feels better to be with you," he admitted.

"It feels like that for me too," Ice admitted, as he headed through to the main room so that they could settle on the couch.

Maverick quickly followed Ice, settling on the couch next to his friend so he could keep watch. He placed on of the nearby pillows onto his lap so Ice could rest until he took over.

Ice settled on the couch with a quiet sigh, letting his head rest on the pillow in Mav's lap. "I'll be relieved when we're in the mountains and less likely to run into the other infected," he admitted quietly.

"Me too... " Maverick said softly, letting his fingers gently massage Ice's scalp. He trusted the three men he was with, with his life. If they found Ice's family, or Penny and her daughter, and were able to save them, he would be ecstatic. But whatever had caused this- infection- was scary and he just didn't feel safe, even at the idea, of being around others.

Sighing again, Ice closed his eyes, relaxing into the touch. "Thank you for trusting me," he whispered, his voice soft but sincere. Mav could have easily lost that trust after Ice had revealed he was infected as well. It meant a lot that Mav still held it.

"I couldn't do anything less..." Mav whispered. He truly didn't think he would have survived this if it weren't for Ice. His friend's calm thinking and direction had kept him from going into a manic frenzy of trying to locate everyone and 'save' them. He would have put himself in the thick of it and probably been torn to shreds by now, if not for Ice. "You've saved me so many times and I fully believe you've saved me now too. You know me. Without you, I would have gone off to rescue people and been killed within the first couple of hours...."

"I can't lose you, Mav," Ice whispered. "I think I'd lose myself to this infection, if I lost you. Don't ever feel like you're useless because you're not. You've never been that before and you aren't that now."

"Knowing that... I won't leave your side. If the only thing I can do is give you a reason to fight, then I'm going to give you every damn reason possible...." Mav continued to massage.

"Good," Ice said, relaxing even further. "Although...it's not the only thing you can do. You do a lot more." His voice was getting a bit more spacey, as Mav was putting him to sleep.

"Yeah?" Mav's voice was fond, as he could tell Ice was falling asleep. It made him happy, since he knew his friend hadn't slept well the night before. "I'll take your word for it. Maybe you can tell me how wonderful I am once we've gotten our supplies and are making our way to safety..." he teased gently.

"Sure." Ice's voice was faintly joking, even though he was serious as he added, "I need you for more than one reason, Mav." He was on the edge of sleep...probably at a point where Mav could ask him anything and he'd be completely honest.

"I just need you..." Mav admitted softly, not pressing for answers on how Ice needed him. He didn't want to cause his friend to wake up from thinking too much. "...I can't even count the reasons. They're too numerous," he whispered.

"I love you." Ice had never said the words before, even if he'd felt it...and felt it deeply. He might not have said them now if they weren't in this situation and weren't having to uproot themselves from everything.

Mav was caught by surprise; although thinking about it, he shouldn't have been. Ice and he had been close since the moment the other had pulled him out of his depression about Goose dying and given him a much-needed kick in the ass to straighten him out. He didn't say anything. It felt like this deserved action, not words. He leaned over and kissed Ice's brow.

Ice relaxed further at the kiss to his brow, reaching up one hand and letting it rub gently over Mav's arm; not demanding or anything, but more like he just wanted to touch Mav, any way he could.

"Sleep now... I've got your six..." Mav whispered against Ice's skin, giving one last gentle kiss before continuing to massage his scalp and keep watch.

Almost as if the words were permission...or perhaps that Mav just made him feel safe...Ice slipped quickly into sleep, his breathing slow and gentle.

****

Jake had followed Rooster back to their room, but once there, he hesitated. Yes, they needed to rest, but he'd slept most the night and was really too keyed up and restless to just fall right back to sleep. He wasn't sure what to do about it, though.

"You okay?" Rooster asked, noticing the way Jake looked.

"Not really..." Jake winced, not having meant to be bluntly obvious. "I know we're meant to rest, but I can't stop thinking and between that, feeling guilty, and having slept most the night, I don't know how I'm meant to." He sounded defeated.

"It's a shame we don't have access to the academy," Rooster said. "Normally, if I'm feeling on edge, going up in the air helps. I think some of the others have different ways, though."

"Yeah. My usual method- when flying isn't available- isn't an option anymore either," Jake said without thinking to censor himself, then snorted.

"What's your usual method?" Rooster asked.

"Sex..." Jake tossed out, almost carelessly, then shrugged. "Even if I could find a girl who kept her mind, I don't know that I'd trust myself..." he admitted. "And since I probably won't find a girl who kept her mind...."

"Yeah. Somehow, I thought that would be your response," Rooster said. "I'd offer, but I don't expect I have the right equipment for you." That was the closest he'd come to admitting he was attracted to Jake. He had been before; before the world had gone to hell. He just never would have imagined being able to say it to the other man's face.

Jake laughed softly before admitting. "You'd be wrong. I'm equal opportunity... Just safer career wise to go the more traditional way. Plus, my attitude tended to rub most guys the wrong way." He blushed darkly. "That and I tended to like receiving when... you know. But I had a reputation to keep, so...." He didn't comment on Rooster's comment of offering. There was no way the man hadn't been joking with him and he wasn't going to make things awkward by treating the comment as a genuine offer.

"Huh. Well, you did a good job of hiding the fact you're anything but straight." Rooster hadn't been joking in his offer, but if Jake wasn't going to respond to it, he wouldn't mention it again. Jake might not be choosy in his sexual partners, but that didn't mean he had similar feelings to Rooster.

Moving over to the bed, Rooster began to get changed into his nightshirt. Even if they weren't going to sleep, they could still rest; make sure they were alert enough for this evening.

"Yeah, well. I figured if the wrong people got wind of it, I'd lose my spot and I worked too hard to get there to lose it because I couldn't keep it in my pants at the right time. But it wasn't that hard. I have a very specific type and there were only a very few who met the requirements. And of those... None of them would have been interested. Like you..." he said honestly. Just because he wasn't going to push Rooster to act on his comment <not when he hadn't been serious>, he couldn't lie either. Rooster was exactly the type of man he found interesting.

Rooster blinked, pausing in the act of undressing to stare at Jake. "Like me?" he echoed. "I'm your type? I didn't think you even liked me." He hadn't been kidding when he'd mentioned Jake had been kind of an ass before.

Jake blushed and found himself uncertainly fidgeting. "...Yeah. Y... You're smart. And brave. And care. And you didn't accept or put up with any of my shit. And I liked you a lot. And behaved like an immature little boy pulling his crush's pigtails because of it..." He muttered the last, obviously embarrassed. "...You... You seemed like you could handle me and put me in my place if needed… if you were interested. I just figured you couldn't possibly be interested and ... I didn't wanna make you hate me. Along with not wanting to be kicked out of Top Gun...."

"I was always attracted to you," Rooster admitted. "I just always figured, with your attitude and everything, there was no way you'd ever be interested." He wasn't sure what it said about them, that it was taking the end of the world for them to admit they actually liked each other. "Man, we have got the worst timing," he muttered.

Jake blinked owlishly before he was assailed by giggles... That turned into hysterical laughter. All the times he imagined Rooster shutting him up by giving his mouth something to occupy it, all those times he guiltily thought about Rooster putting him in his place (and thereby giving him exactly what he wanted), and it turned out Rooster wasn't as straight and disinterested as he'd thought. "Wow..." he finally gasped out when he had to catch his breath. "You mean I coulda had you fucking me for the last several years instead of just dreamin' 'bout it?"

Rooster rubbed the back of his neck sheepishly. "Yeah...I guess it works the other way, too. I could have been fucking you the last several years instead of just being attracted to you from a distance."

Jake grinned crookedly at that. "If... If you aren't worried the animal in me will literally come out..." he offered hesitantly. "I'll get on my hands and knees for you...." Maybe it was cruder than romantic, but it was the end of the world and they'd already wasted so much time.

"We shared a bed, and you kept control over yourself," Rooster pointed out. "Only thing is, we'll need to find something to use as lube. Unless you just want to do hand-jobs for now?"

"Oh no... If I have the chance to feel you in me, I'm not giving it up..." Jake shook his head. "There has to be lotion or something in the house somewhere..." He went into the bath to look.

It was a little surreal, that he was about to have sex with a man he'd been attracted to for several years, without any hope of anything happening between them. If it wasn't for the dire situation the rest of the world was in, Rooster might have thought he was dreaming. As it was....

He went to the bathroom. "Any luck?"

Jake had looked through the medicine cabinet and now was looking in the cupboard under the sink. "Bingo!" he crowed happily, pulling out a large bottle of extra moisturizing body lotion. He handed the bottle to Rooster. "This okay?"

Rooster looked over the bottle in his hand before nodding. "Yeah. Should be fine." He held out a hand so that he could lead the other man back through to the bedroom.

Jake took Rooster's hand and followed him back into the bedroom. Once there, he began to remove his clothing before pausing. "Can I get undressed?" he asked. Maybe Rooster wanted to undress him.

Rooster hadn't planned to, but Jake had mentioned that he preferred bottoming...wanted Rooster to 'put him in his place'. So, Rooster reached out and began undressing Jake himself.

Jake felt a rush of affection for Rooster in that moment, a besotted smile forming on his face as the other man began to undress him. The ages old attraction he'd had mixed with his newer dependency and need. He thought he should be more worried about possibly losing control if his hormones and adrenaline rose, but he wasn't. For the first time since the earthquake, he felt right. Soon, he was naked. There was no hiding his arousal.

Rooster had seen Jake naked before. Even before this situation, where they'd showered and slept in the same bed, they'd been in the showers together. But Rooster had never looked more than strictly necessary, despite his attraction to the other man. But he could look now...and he could touch. He took advantage of that and reached out, letting his hands rub over Jake's shoulders and down his chest. He stepped forward, leaning in and pressing a kiss to Jake's lips.

The tiny moan of need couldn't be contained, and Jake returned the kiss eagerly, even if he was careful not to push. He felt almost overwhelmed by his emotions, the ability he'd once had to control such things absent. His stomach fluttered and he began to ache from the arousal.

Rooster let his fingers move to Jake's erection, starting to stroke...though he only wanted to bring Jake as close to the edge as he could, not tip the other man over the edge. Pressing deeper into the kiss, pushing his tongue into Jake's mouth, he moved nearer to the bed.

Jake groaned, opening his mouth for Rooster, and letting his own tongue lick gently at the other man's. He pressed as close as he could as Rooster led him toward the bed. He hesitantly rubbed his own hands over Rooster, holding back for Rooster to give permission or direct him.

When they reached the bed, Rooster gently pushed Jake onto it and then settled over him. "Touch...explore...how you want," he offered, before leaning in to kiss him again...even harder this time.

"Oh... Yeah..." Jake breathed out in excitement, and immediately began to rub over Rooster's arms, back, chest and hips. The touch wasn't shy in the least; Rooster had given him permission and he took full advantage. He returned the kiss eagerly, giving back just as much as he was given, though he made sure to let Rooster retain control.

Rooster settled on the bed between Jake's legs. He was still kissing the other man and now, he spread Jake's legs to either side, leaving his member fully exposed. His fingers began to stroke and lightly squeeze Jake's erection, even as he moved the lotion closer...to where he could easily reach it and begin coating his own member in the lotion.

Jake's moans became needier as Rooster stroked him. He gently sucked on his mate's tongue, letting his hands rub over Rooster's flank, squeezing, trying to pull them closer together.

Rooster finished coating his member in the lube and then, slowly and carefully, he pushed inside the other man. He might have spent a bit more time preparing Jake first, but to be honest, he needed this connection...and he figured Jake did too.

Jake's eyes widened as he felt Rooster pushing in, stretching him open on his shaft. The lack of any preparation left him very tight. He could feel every inch as it was pushed in, and he let out a tiny but very happy whimper. He opened his legs wider, so Rooster had room to move.

Rooster grasped Jake's hips firmly as he pushed all the way inside the other man. His kiss turned harder, almost desperate, as he began to thrust deeply.

Jake's groans and whimpers grew louder as he clutched onto Rooster. He submitted fully to the other man, giving everything he could through his kiss and body. He squeezed around Rooster's shaft as if to try and hold him deep inside. He didn't care that he was becoming very loud. He didn't notice that tears were leaking down his face from the high emotions he was feeling. He just clung to Rooster and begged in between kisses, "Please... Harder... Faster... Belong to you... Need to feel you deep inside..."

Rooster had held back, a little, not wanting to put too much force behind the thrusts. However, when Jake began to beg him to go harder and faster, Rooster couldn't help it. He responded to the begging and pleading and began to thrust harder and faster and deeper, his fingers gripping Jake's hips even harder...hard enough that there'd likely be marks later.

Jake groaned happily as Rooster gave him what he begged for. He could feel the other man's hips smacking his buttocks each time he went deep. Jake began to pant in between begging and groaning. He was hanging on the edge; the thrusts having made him very sensitive. "I... I need you so much... Feels... Feels so right...."

"It feels more than right," Rooster whispered. He pulled back from the kiss, only to trail kisses along the edge of Jake's jaw, down to his neck. As he continued to thrust inside, quickly reaching the edge himself, he began to suck on Jake's neck...leaving a mark behind. Maybe it would heal. Maybe it wouldn't last. But for as long as it did, Jake would be marked as his.

"Please..." Jake begged. "... Yours. Only yours. Belong to you...." He let out a tiny sob, his need to release, his need to belong, and the need to be human coalescing into emotions he couldn't bury any longer.

Rooster could feel how close they both were to the edge and gripped Jake's hips tighter, whispering in a hoarse voice, "Let go." He was teetering on the edge of release himself, but he wanted to let go when Jake did.

Jake's wail of release was loud and long as he immediately obeyed. His body clenched, holding Rooster tight inside.

Rooster wasn't as loud as Jake, but he did cry out as his own release came over him, fingers gripping tighter on Jake's hips.

When the climax finally ended, Jake collapsed under his lover, legs wide open, body limp in exhaustion. He was breathing heavy, and tears still slid down his face because he'd lost the ability to hide his feelings. "I love you..." he whispered, in a sated and relieved voice. "I... I feel safer now... More like me..." He smiled crookedly. "...Even if I am crying like a big baby...."

"That's good. I'm glad," Rooster whispered, kissing him more gently this time. "I love you too," he murmured against Jake's lips.

Jake returned the kiss just as gently. "...I think I could sleep now. You tamed the beast..." he teased quietly.

Rooster smiled at those words. "Let me get us cleaned up, so we're not stuck together, and then we can sleep in each other's arms," he suggested.

Jake's smile was huge and bright. "Okay... That sounds wonderful...."

Rooster carefully withdrew from him, heading through to the restroom to retrieve a washcloth. He returned and cleaned the two of them up, then stretched out on the bed next to Jake and wrapped his arms tightly around the other man.

Jake snuggled tightly to his lover, head to toe, putting his head on Rooster's chest. "Thank you... I really needed that," he whispered, his eyes already blinking closed as he fell asleep.

Rooster kissed the top of his head and hugged the other man tightly, letting his eyes close. It didn't take long for him to slip into sleep as well.

****

At first, Mav had been afraid the noises coming from the bedroom were the sounds of Jake becoming feral again. He'd almost run back to try and save his godson when he realized exactly what he was hearing. "Oh... Well... Okay then..." he mumbled, flushing dark red. He glanced down at Ice, hoping the other man hadn't woken but not optimistic.

Ice had managed to sleep through most of the noise, but Jake's wail had been loud enough to pierce through his slumber, and he blinked awake, looking tiredly at the ceiling. "Was that Rooster and Hangman having sex?"

Mav laughed outright at the question, still bright red but now also amused. "Things you don't want to hear your godson doing for $1000..." he responded. "Apparently Jake's new condition means he can't keep his voice down..." he whispered.

"Maybe we should look at soundproofing, if we have time," Ice suggested, a trace of amusement in his voice. "I'm glad they found each other, but I'm not sure we need to be listening to it."

"Yeah... Well. I guess listening to that is better than some other sounds they could be making..." Mav reluctantly admitted. "And if it helps Hangman retain his humanity...."

"I think the closer they're tied together, the better," Ice commented. "This infection turned him feral. Almost primal. Sex is also primal. Maybe there's something there." He shrugged. Really, he was just theorizing; trying to keep his mind off what they were doing later and the fact he needed to try and prepare himself for the worst.

"You could be right. Maybe one of us should mention it so they can see if they notice any changes due to fucking..." Mav said. "Until then, though... Go back to sleep. My shift isn't close to being done....'

"Yeah...okay. Wake me when it is." Ice closed his eyes once more, letting sleep overtake him.

Mav smiled down at his friend, continuing the gentle scalp massage, and watched. When his four hours were up, it was lunch time. He gently woke Ice. "I'll make sandwiches for everyone to eat...* he said softly, once his friend was awake. "If you want to get Rooster and Hangman."

Ice nodded, carefully pushing himself up. "Thank you," he said to Mav, before heading to the spare room and gently knocking on the door. "Mav's making sandwiches for lunch," he called through softly.

Jake immediately woke at the knock, instinct telling him Ice was there and the unvoiced command urging him to get up to eat. That instinct also told him to wait for Rooster's permission, though. He stretched slowly and carefully. "Okay..." he called out, but then waited for Rooster.

Rooster woke up at the same time, calling back, "We'll be there in five minutes. How are you feeling?" he asked Jake, his voice turning a bit softer.

"Like a person..." Jake smiled. "Can still feel where you were rubbing inside me...."

"Glad to hear on both counts." Rooster kissed him tenderly, then stood up and retrieved their clothes. Without thinking about it, he began dressing Jake.

Jake blinked at being dressed but smiled and cooperated. It made him feel warm and safe and helped keep him at ease, being taken care of. "I wouldn't mind if I could feel that all the time," he teased.

"What, feeling me inside you?" Rooster grinned at him. "Somehow, I don't think doing it too much will feel just as good." He finished dressing Jake, then dressed himself.

"Well... I really like feeling you in me... But also, I like feeling like I belong. It helps me know I am not alone and... I don't feel as angry inside..." Jake said, almost bashfully.

"You still belong," Rooster said quietly. "Even if I'm not inside you. You still belong with me. You belong to me." He kissed Jake, then took the other man's hand to lead him out of the bedroom and towards the kitchen.

"Good... I need that .." Jake admitted happily, without reservation. Maybe before, he would have chafed at the idea of belonging to Rooster, but times had changed. He shifted closer and rested his head against Rooster as they entered the kitchen.

Mav looked over and gave the two younger men an amused if slightly disgruntled look. "Hope you like turkey sandwiches," he said.

"Turkey sandwiches are good." Rooster noticed the disgruntled look on Mav's face and winced, even as he settled him and Jake into seats. "You heard us?"

"I'll say," Ice said wryly, taking a seat at the table as well.

"Oops?" Jake grinned unrepentantly.

Mav snorted. "Well, at least you're in a good mood..." He chuckled as he gave everyone a sandwich.

"Seems like maybe you're feeling a little more like yourself." Ice glanced at Jake, then at Rooster. "Either of you notice anything?"

"Like what?" Rooster frowned, then glanced at Jake. "You said you actually felt human...."

"Yeah. Among other feels. I didn't feel the pull of the beast... The pull is slowly starting to return, though..." Jake sighed.

Ice nodded slowly. "It sounds as if it's helped for a short time, at least," he encouraged.

Jake blinked at that before looking at Rooster and teasing him, "Guess you were right all those years of locker room bragging. You really do have a magic cock."  As he teased, he was working his way under Rooster's arm and snuggling like a clingy toddler, his underlying nervousness and uncertainty about himself not completely gone and manifesting in the needy behavior. He didn't even realize.

Mav's smile was sad. It hurt to see Jake's confidence so destroyed, but at least parts of his personality were still able to peek through. And given the fact he had no personality at all as feral, and so many others had been lost, at least they still had him with them.

In response to the clinginess and snuggling, Rooster wrapped his own arm around Jake, hugging the other man tight. "Well. You were never going to know until you found out," he teased back...but in spite of his joking tone, he was actually thinking seriously about it. If it wasn't a coincidence and that connection between them actually grew stronger through sex...maybe there was a way to make it last longer.

Ice noticed the look on Rooster's face and thought maybe he had an idea of what the younger man was thinking about. He didn't say anything, though, and began to eat.

Mav ate quietly too, even as he was thinking. "Are there any other things you've noticed that seem tied to your condition?" he asked both younger men.

"Other than losing my confidence, being scared all the time, and feeling like I'll lose all control if I'm not with Rooster... I can't think of anything." Jake smiled crookedly. "But I'm keeping track and if anything else develops, I'll tell you all."

"The only thing I've noticed is what you already know about," Rooster said. "When we had sex, it caused a positive effect. I don't know how we can really experiment with that, but...depending on how things go with getting our necessary supplies, I might be able to make an extra stop and grab a couple of things."

Mav nodded. "If there is something in particular we should keep an eye out for... Four people looking is more likely to locate it than one," he suggested. By this time, he had finished eating.

Jake had finished eating as well and was curled up as close to Rooster as the dining chairs would allow.

"I was thinking about plugs," Rooster admitted, turning slightly pink, as he hadn't really wanted to discuss anymore with his godfather than he had already. He didn't go into detail, hoping that it would be fairly self-explanatory.

Ice glanced at Rooster but didn't comment on what the younger man said. Instead, he said, "I want to get a radio, if possible. In case there are other survivors we might be able to make contact with."

Jake blushed dark, immediately envisioning what Rooster had in mind.

Mav didn't comment, somehow managing to act like Rooster was just looking for something tame, like deodorant. Instead, he looked at Ice. "We'll probably need to find the specialized stores, then. I think there is an electronics store on Main Street... And that's close to an adult store that I've driven by numerous times. Both are close to a camping store, and the supermarket is across from the camping store. We may only need four stops, beyond the one to the bar and where Sarah and the kids were."

Ice nodded. "We'll make the academy our first stop, so we can make sure we get a vehicle and extra weapons. Hopefully, no other infected will be there." They couldn't assume that, though. Ice was infected, but it was different to the ferals. He didn't know where they were more likely to congregate.

Mav nodded. "Unless there are others like you and Rooster, we probably won't face too many. They... Would have fought..." He left unsaid they would have fought to the death.

Jake nodded. "I... I remember being very territorial. If there are any other feral, they would have separated into territories and only the strongest would still be alive."

"I don't think I'm the only one like this," Ice said quietly. "It wouldn't surprise me if there are others everywhere the infection has hit." Given everything that had gone down, he could only assume that it had hit worldwide. They might be able to fight off some of the ferals, or even bring them back to themselves temporarily, but the ones with more humanity left were going to be the bigger danger.

Jake looked uncertainly at Ice. "Wouldn't that be good? If there are more like you, they could control the feral." He knew Ice could easily control him.

Mav gave Ice an encouraging smile. "Ice has a bit more control over his humanity. We don't know if that would be the case for others like him."

"I think there's a reason some of the infected have more intelligence and control," Ice said soberly.

"You think maybe this infection has a direction?" Rooster wasn't sure which idea was worse; that the infection was just random, or it had a direction.

"I don't know. But if the end goal is destroying two-thirds of humanity and some infected have more control, it's possible the control won't extend to them trying to save non-infected... Or work with those who aren't following the code... Assuming there is a code." Mav sighed. "Being one of the non-infected, I'm reluctant to test it."

Ice had already told Mav that he needed his friend to act as his moral compass, as he didn't necessarily know what came from him and what came from the infection. "I don't think testing it is a good idea," he agreed. "But the infected like me can't cause the ferals to return to their humanity." If he'd been able to do that, it would have happened when Jake had turned.

"That only happens if they are a 'cure' like Rooster..." Jake whispered, snuggling closer to his mate.

"And we don't know if there are any others like Rooster" Mav agreed.

Rooster wrapped his arms around Jake, hugging the other man tight.

"We don't have enough answers. Which is probably why our communication went so fast," Ice said. "Those with intelligence wouldn't want the survivors to easily talk to each other. This actually feels like a war."

"Wars usually have generals..." Mav said softly. "If someone is in control of this...."

"I think someone being in control actually makes more sense than this just being random," Ice said quietly.

 "Makes more sense, but a lot scarier..." Jake muttered.

Mav sighed. “Well, we have at least another four hours before it gets dark enough it should be safer to go out. I suggest you two go connect some more; shore up whatever it is that helps keep Hangman sane. Ice and I will keep watch." He smiled at his friend.

"Or I can keep watch while you get some rest," Ice said, remembering that Mav hadn't gone back to sleep like the rest of them had.

Mav nodded at Ice. "True. We will want to be as rested as possible. So... Go get rested," he ordered the younger two. "Prolly be a good idea to screw again, since that had benefits..." he added to his godson, before heading to the couch. He didn't look to see if the two youngest were blushing or not, but he figured he owed them for the symphony they were blessed with earlier.

Rooster turned bright red at his godfather's comment and tried to avoid looking at Jake. While he was pretty sure the other man would be totally on board with it, he couldn't help feeling a little embarrassed.

Ice didn't say anything to the younger men, instead giving them a small smile before heading to the couch so that he could keep watch.

Jake bit his lip and blushed too. After the two older men had gone to keep watch, he stood and waited for Rooster to lead him back to the bedroom. "If I'm too loud, you could gag me..." he offered hesitantly, not wanting Rooster to feel embarrassed because of him.

Rooster blinked at the suggestion. "Not sure if stopping you from expressing yourself is a good thing when we want to make sure you can keep your humanity." He stood up and held a hand out to Jake, so he could lead him to their room.

"Not... Not stop me exactly. Just make sure my expressing stays in our room," Jake whispered, a little abashedly.  He didn't care who knew Rooster had and would be claiming him. But he didn't want to disturb anyone either. "Besides... What if my being loud puts everyone in danger? I... I should have thought of that."

"I think if there were going to be any infected coming, they would be here," Rooster said. "I think Ice being one of those infected with more control gives more protection." Leading Jake to the bedroom, he continued, "Maybe gagging you won't make a difference...but maybe it does. At the moment, I'm reluctant to change what worked the last time," he admitted.

Jake nodded, leaning toward Rooster. "I trust you. I... I can try to be quiet... Do you think it bothered them? Or were they just teasing? Once, I might have been able to tell, but it's... Not easy to tell now..." he admitted quietly.

"They were teasing," Rooster said. "Locker room talk." Closing the door behind them, he drew Jake in and kissed him, pushing his tongue into the other man's mouth.

Jake's hands immediately went to Rooster's shoulders, gripping onto him tightly. He opened his mouth to give his mate better access and gasped out a moan, surprised but eager at Rooster's domination.

As he kissed the other man, Rooster began to strip Jake, allowing his hands to rub and squeeze the bare skin of Jake's shoulders and chest once it was revealed.

Jake's own hands hesitantly but easily began to remove Rooster's clothing, letting his own hands explore his mate's body. He was eager to please and obviously aroused quickly.

Able to tell his mate was aroused, Rooster reached between Jake's legs, beginning to firmly stroke and gently tug on his member.

Jake whined deep in his throat, fingers clenching on Rooster as he was quickly brought to the edge. He pulled free to gasp in a breath, begging, "Please."

"Please what?" Rooster found he liked hearing Jake beg. He pulled back at the point Jake was at the edge, wanting to draw it out for as long as possible.

"Please, Rooster... Let me cum..." Jake whimpered. "...I'll make it so good for you... I'll be so good for you... I'll crawl on the bed and be wide open for you and you can just push in and make yourself feel good and I can take it... I want it... Want it so bad... Please......" Jake babbled, unfiltered and loud, his intentions to stay quiet so the whole house didn't hear disappearing with his need for his mate.

Rooster hadn't really expected them to be able to hide what was going on; and he'd asked for it, anyway. "I know you'll be good for me." He began to stroke more firmly and quickly. "Let go. Then I'll take you," he promised, his own voice turning hoarse with desire; his body quickly growing warm and flushed with desire.

At Rooster's command, Jake's body stiffened then shuddered in release, his cry filling the room and echoing through the house. When his climax finally ended, he leaned weakly against Rooster, shaking slightly before carefully nuzzling Rooster's neck. "Love you..." he whispered against Rooster's skin, before pulling back, then turning and crawling up into the bed. He did exactly as he promised, moving up on his hands and knees before lowering his chest to the bed and widening his legs so his backside was raised and ready for Rooster.

Rooster let his breath out slowly and climbed up onto the bed, settling with a knee resting on the bed on either side of Jake. His own member was already fully hard, so he didn't need any more preparation than to coat himself in the lotion. He grasped Jake's hips firmly, holding the other man steady to make it easy for him to push inside. He pushed in fully, then pulled almost all the way out again...only to push back in, a fraction harder this time.

Jake's groans were loud and nearly obscene with how pleased he sounded. He dug his fingers into the bed to hold himself still, enabling Rooster to slam into him as deep as possible without him moving. "So good..." he moaned, clenching around his mate.

"You feel so good," Rooster whispered, leaning over and pressing a hard kiss to Jake's neck, before sucking on the skin. At the same time, he continued to thrust inside his mate, gripping Jake's hips firmly.

Jake let out a tiny gasp as Rooster sucked on his skin. "Yes... Please... Mark me! Make it sting so I feel it all night...." he sobbed out. "Fuck me so hard you spank my ass... Need to feel you even when you aren't in me.... Please... Feels so good being filled... Stuffed full of you..." He begged and babbled without inhibition.

Rooster had told Jake not to try and hold anything back. He hadn't truly expected the other man to react like this...but he couldn't help responding to the begging and the pleading. He gripped Jake's hips harder, beginning to suck on another part of his neck, as he began to thrust deeper and harder, nearing the edge of his own release.

Jake had been rousing from Rooster moving inside of him and marking him. He finally reached a point of arousal where all he could do was hold tight to the bed to hold himself in place and sob out the words, "Yes... Please..." over and over as his body tightened around Rooster's shaft, preparing to release again on his mate's command.

Rooster was so close to the edge...and he knew Jake was as well. He moved one hand towards Jake's member, beginning to stroke it firmly, and ordered, "Let go." The moment Jake released, he would as well. He was teetering on the very edge of release.

At Rooster's command, Jake's body tightened around Rooster's shaft and began to vibrate in release. Unable to contain himself, he howled out his pleasure.

Rooster's own release hit him at the same time as Jake's own, though he had more control over himself and was able to avoid making more than a small cry as his release came over him.

When it was over, Jake slumped onto the bed, his bottom still up in the air. He didn't want to lose what Rooster had given him too soon. The gnawing, hungry feeling inside had eased again, almost gone, so that it was only a small itch in his hindbrain. "Yours..." he whispered in a sated, contented voice that was completely submissive. He wasn't just saying it because he felt good, and Rooster had topped him. Unless a permanent cure was found, he knew he would never be the same, never be free, again. He'd rather Rooster be his master than the disease that left him mindless.

He bit his lip and hoped Rooster understood and accepted his submission. His friend had already been taking care of him, staying close and accepting his clinginess. But they hadn't really been faced with Rooster taking control outside of sex. He'd been allowing Jake to do various things that helped. He hadn't ordered him to do anything that wasn't related to him keeping his mind. Jake couldn't help but feel submission in everything would help. He already felt like he was a feral animal that was tamed by Rooster's presence. Maybe he'd stay 'tamed' longer if he accepted Rooster was in charge.

There was something different in the way Jake said the word yours, compared to how he'd said it before...or maybe the difference wasn't in how Jake said the word, but in how Rooster perceived it. He didn't respond immediately to that declaration of ownership, thinking through what that meant and what Jake maybe needed from him.

Rooster had never exactly considered himself dominant. He wasn't really even that experienced in sex. The locker room talk had been just that - talk. He'd never expected or anticipated a situation like this, because...how could he? How could any of them?

Realizing he'd been quiet for far too long, Rooster closed his eyes and let his lips rest against Jake's neck. "You want that?" The question was honestly meant. "Not just in sex?"

Rooster was quiet for so long, Jake was afraid he'd offended or otherwise upset his mate. When Rooster finally asked his question, Jake had to give it the same serious consideration. Swallowing, he replied quietly, "You know I was never submissive before. Was probably overconfident and opinionated. Cocky." He paused. "I don't really know my place in life anymore. I know if you aren't there, I become a mindless monster. When you are by me, I can think again... But I'm not confident. I'm afraid. And I'm terrified that if I slip one day, I'll hurt Ice, or Mav, or worse, you.  And that fear keeps bouncing around inside of me and it hurts. It hurts so bad to know that I'm a danger to everyone. That I killed my friends, and it could happen again. It hurts and the only time that fear has been completely gone instead of just hiding under the surface was when I submitted to you, and you controlled me. I don't think it is just what I want... It's what I need..." he said hesitantly. He'd just dumped a shit-ton of responsibility onto a man who had only been a frenemy prior to the earthquake. It was a lot to expect. Just because Rooster was willing to stay with him and bed him whenever needed didn't mean he'd want to be in charge all the time.

"Jake...." Rooster hesitated, trying to think of exactly how he should word what he was about to say. "I never really considered myself a dominant person before. But you made it clear you need me to be in charge, to be in control. And that's okay. Yeah, okay. We didn't have some good interactions before...but I was always attracted to you. I mean, my attempts at flirting really needed more work..." he said sheepishly.

Jake turned his head enough to be able to see Rooster from the corner of his eye and gave a crooked smile. "Any bad interactions we had were usually because I was being an ass. And honestly, you could have been Don Juan and the perfect flirt, and I would have deliberately misunderstood. I was too afraid of drawing the wrong attention and being kicked out of Top Gun..." he admitted.

"Well, that helps," Rooster said wryly. "If something helps you keep control over yourself, helps you keep hold of your humanity, then I want you to tell me. Don't worry about what it is or what you need. You're the one struggling to hold onto your humanity. I'll do anything to help you keep it," he promised.

"Thank you... With everything so messed up... I'm grateful you were the one able to save me. It could have been so much worse..." Jake said softly, voice full of gratitude. He let his head rest on the bed again, leaving his neck and body open for Rooster, trying to show physically how much he trusted Rooster.

Rooster let his lips rest against Jake's neck and whispered, "I'm glad I can help you, that I can save you. But the end goal is still to help you regain and keep your humanity, without needing someone else there."

Jake sighed happily. "Yeah. That would be the best. But if it never happens... I think I could still be happy. Because of you." He squeezed gently around Rooster, humming softly in contentment, fighting sleep.

"Get some rest," Rooster said softly. "When we go into town later, we'll pick up some plugs. See if we can't help you feel more like yourself for longer."

Jake blushed but whispered, "Okay...if... if it feels as good as having you in me, it won't be difficult...." He closed his eyes to sleep, happy Rooster hadn't withdrawn yet.

Rooster didn't immediately pull out to clean them both up. He would, in a little while, and then get some sleep himself...but for right now, he'd stay in place and give Jake whatever he could to help the other man feel more like himself.

****

Mav had gone to the couch with Ice sitting beside the other man, planning to let his food settle before he'd curl up next to his friend with his head on Ice's lap. It was clear when the younger men took his advice. He gave Ice a small smile. "It's good they have each other," he said softly.

Ice nodded...but he wasn't really listening to what was going on with Rooster and Hangman. His mind was focused on what they were going to do once night fell. "I'm hoping we'll get lucky tonight and that most of the infected will be sleeping. But if we run into any of them...and Rooster is close enough...he's going to cure them." He hesitated. "Realistically, we can't take anymore infected who are cured with us. Even if I can control them, it's going to be too difficult to keep more than one person from either going feral or turning violent." He hesitated, part of him hoping that Mav would disagree; that his best friend might see something that Ice couldn't...that he didn't have to make the decision to condemn other people to this infected, feral, beastlike state.

Mav swallowed hard. "I wish I could argue with you. It feels wrong to condemn anyone. But... Unless we somehow set up individual cells to keep the infected separated and away from each other and us when Rooster can't be near them, or you can't control them... We can't bring them here. They'd tear each other apart or kill us...." He leaned toward Ice and wrapped his arms around him in a hug. "it's a horrible decision, but it's one that has to be made. Just know it isn't only you making it. You aren't responsible alone."

Ice breathed in deeply and wrapped his own arms around Mav, hugging him in return. "I was hoping you'd see something I couldn't," he admitted quietly. "I'm worried that what I'm thinking is colored by the infection, not by me."

Mav tightened his hug, kissing the side of Ice's face. "Even being influenced by the infection, you are still highly intelligent and are making decisions that will keep us safe. I don't see any other options. Not if we can't find a way to keep the infected separated when you and Rooster aren't near them. You can believe, if you decide something that I can think of a better option, I will tell you."

"I believe that," Ice said quietly, his body relaxing as some of the tension seeped out of him. He wasn't alone. He didn't have to worry that he'd lose his mind and self, because Mav was here and would be able to warn him if he got too close to the line. "Thank you," he whispered.

"We're in this together. You're doing everything you can to protect me and the boys... I'll do everything I can to protect you. Even if we are protecting in different ways. You're my best friend. I love you. I won't let you fall to this... Whatever it is..." Mav promised.

Ice nodded, closing his eyes, and pressing in closer. "I know. I trust you'll make sure I stay me." He was still troubled, though. That mental image of him taking control of Hangman and unleashing the feral infected on Mav and Rooster still hovered below the surface, tormenting him with just how easy it would be to take that step. It was as if the virus was trying to wear him down...to make him give in to it.

"I know you are worried about giving in... But... It feels as if your worry is more than just being afraid you'll become like the other infected. From what you said, you are infected but retain your ability to think though. So... What is it you are most afraid of? Becoming callous? Not being able to care about us anymore? Maybe if I know what you are afraid of, I can do more to help..." Mav offered uncertainly.

"It's like the image I had, of taking control of Hangman and using him...setting him on you and Rooster." It was difficult to say, but Ice knew Mav needed to know the truth. "I'm worried the change might be so subtle...that I'll start off using this ability for the right reasons, which will make it easier to use it for the wrong reasons. And, yes, I'm worried the infection will eventually make me stop caring about you all; that it will sap all of my empathy and care and love until I have nothing left."

Mav nodded, tightening his grip on Ice. "I don't think you'll ever give in to that impulse. But if it happens, I'll do everything in my power to bring you back. And maybe... Maybe there is something I can do that will provide a buffer so that it never happens. Rooster keeps Hangman sane. They've discovered that sex enables that effect to be stronger. Maybe there is something I can do to help you." He squeezed gently again, before leaning back to look up at Ice. "We'll figure it out and do that. I... I couldn't do this whole apocalypse without you," he admitted quietly.

"I know you've been keeping me sane as much as I've been doing the same to you." Ice sighed. "If there's something that works as a buffer, though, it would be good if we can find it. If anyone can, it'll be you." The words were simple and heartfelt.

Mav nodded. "I'll do my best," he promised. "I'm willing to do anything to keep you with us, so as long as you're willing to let me take chances occasionally, I think we'll do it."

"I'd like to say that none of us should be taking chances...but somehow, I don't think we'll survive this if we don't," Ice admitted quietly.

Mav chuckled. "You know things are bad when you aren't chiding me for risky behavior. Or, in this case, thinking about it..." He sighed. "We'll make it through this, Ice. It won't be easy, but I have every belief we will survive." He snuggled a little, sliding down on the couch until his head rested on Ice's lap. He was obviously getting tired.

"Go to sleep, Mav. I've got this," Ice murmured, shifting so that his friend could be as comfortable as possible. He began to rub Mav's scalp, in much the same way as his friend had done to him earlier.

"...Love you, man..." Mav mumbled, before falling into a peaceful sleep, obviously trusting Ice fully.

Ice sighed, sitting back and continuing to keep watch as he carried on with the gentle affection.

****

Five hours later, the sun was completely down and it seemed as if the infected were resting, wherever it was they were holed up. Mav blinked awake and looked blearily up at Ice from his position of using Ice as a pillow. "What time is it?" he asked groggily.

"It's after nine," Ice answered quietly. "I was going to wake you in a minute anyway. I figure it's time we leave and head to the town."

Mav nodded, then sat up and stretched, yawning. "I'll go wake the boys up..." he said quietly, before standing up. He quickly walked to the bedrooms and knocked on the door loudly enough to wake them without him having to go in.

Rooster stirred awake at the knock on the door, blinking a few times. "I'm awake," he called, voice hoarse with sleep. He gently touched Jake's shoulder. "How're you feeling?" he asked softly.

Jake groaned softly. "I'll be okay..." he mumbled against Rooster's chest. He was a bit sore inside. Being claimed twice, rather vigorously, in less than twenty-four hours when he hadn't bottomed in a very, very long time (he wasn't going to admit that to Rooster unless directly asked) left him feeling a bit chafed, but overall, he felt really good too. He didn't feel like he was teetering on the edge of losing himself, at least, and that would have made everything worth it, even if he hadn't enjoyed himself immensely. Since he had enjoyed himself more than he could have imagined, the soreness was ignored. What wasn't as easy to ignore was that he would have to leave Rooster's arms to get cleaned up. Or... Maybe not. He didn't feel as though he needed to clean himself; not like he'd expected, considering he'd fallen asleep before being able to wash.  "...Did you clean me up after I fell asleep?" he asked in confusion, voice more alert as he slowly got up and stretched.

"Yeah. I figured you wouldn't want to wake up itchy and sticky." Rooster carefully got them both up, then moved over to retrieve their clothes. "I added changes of clothes onto the list, but as those aren't as important as food and weapons, they're pretty low down. Still, if we're heading to the shopping centers, we might be able to grab some."

"That sounds good. We should grab what we are able to get and fit into the truck if we are able to get one of the trucks. Given how large the trucks are, we should be able to fit a lot into them..." Jake responded. "If we are going to be living in the mountains, we'll want to be certain we have winter gear too. Especially since we probably will have limited generator use, depending on if we can find a generator and enough fuel. It'd be great if we could find a solar generator, honestly, but I don't know if there would be one of those in the shops."

"We might be able to visit a few specialist stores, if we have the time and don't draw too much attention," Rooster said. He couldn't deny he was a bit worried about if they ran into any infected, though. If he worked as a cure for all of them, how could he leave any of them behind?

Jake nodded, finishing up getting dressed quickly. He waited for Rooster to lead them out. "We know what is most important. We will work on getting that quickly and then move on to specialty and 'want' items... If we are careful, I think we can avoid attracting unwanted attention..." He tried to reassure Rooster. He could hear the worry in his mate's voice.

"Yeah. I hope so." Rooster sighed. Taking Jake's hand, he led his mate out of the bedroom.

Maverick glanced at the two younger men as they came into the office. "Are we all clear on what the plan is? Or do we need to go over it one more time?" he asked.

"I think we're all clear on the plan," Rooster said. "Jake suggested we might want to see if we can find a solar generator. Otherwise, we'll have to make sure we get plenty of warm clothing and blankets for winter."

Ice nodded. "That's a good idea."

Maverick slanted his head. "They might have that at the camping store. If they don't, then the hardware store might have one. We'll keep an eye out for one. If everyone is ready, we probably shouldn't put this off any longer."  He grabbed the weapon Ice had given to him and moved closer to his friend.

Jake took the weapon offered to him and moved closer to Rooster.

Once they were all armed and ready, Ice led the way out of the house. He looked around, making sure that there were no infected in the area, and then headed over to the car, getting into the front driver's seat.

Rooster got in the back with Jake.

"When we get the truck... Do we plan to keep your car as well? Maybe for short jaunts if we need to leave the mountain?" Maverick asked. "If so, when we find a working transport truck that is empty, we'll either need to put the car into it first and pack the supplies around it or hitch it to the truck. Which might be better, although it will be a bit more unwieldy driving...."

Ice nodded. "If we can, I think it would be a good idea to keep the car as well as the truck. I think we might be better off putting the car into the truck, though, as we'll need to keep it protected from the mountain terrain." He put the car into gear and began driving along the dark, silent street.

"The transport truck should be able to hold the car and still hold plenty of supplies. Especially if we pack them around the car..." Maverick agreed.

Everyone settled in to watch as Ice carefully drove to the base, heading to where the vehicles were kept. Jake felt like crying as he saw the front gate. There weren't any infected, but there were so many bodies of those trying to escape. It hurt so bad, seeing that. It was worse, because he knew he was responsible for at least some of the bodies at the base. He swallowed hard and reached over to take Rooster's hand as Ice carefully navigated to the garage.

Luckily, the road to the garage wasn't terribly destroyed due to the quake. They could drive the car to the garage with the transport vehicles without having to detour.

Rooster closed his fingers around Jake's hand, squeezing gently. He didn't say anything. He didn't try to make it better...because he knew nothing he could say would make things better. He just held onto Jake's hand, and hoped the other man could gain some comfort from his touch.

Ice clenched his jaw when he saw the bodies around the base, but he didn't allow any other reaction as he drove towards the garage...keeping a careful watch, as they couldn't risk being surprised by any infected who might still be there.

By the time they reached the garage where the transport vehicles were kept, Maverick was extremely tense. When Ice finally pulled up and stopped, he carefully got out and moved toward the mechanism that would open the garage doors. He had his gun at the ready, in case infected were hiding inside the garage.

Jake got out beside Mav, ready to protect the others if there were infected. He might have control of his mind because of Rooster, but he was still stronger than Mav and Rooster because of the infection.

The garage door slowly rose to reveal the transport vehicles behind it. 

As Mav and Jake got out of the vehicle, Rooster reached for the door handle.

"Rooster, you need to stay in the car," Ice directed firmly. "You're the only person we know who has any hope of curing the infected. We can't let anything happen to you."

"But...." Rooster started.

"Until we know it's safe, you need to stay. That's an order." Ice got out of the car. If there were any infected, he hoped he would be able to control them.

Jake glanced back at Rooster, noting that he seemed unhappy. Glancing at Ice it was clear from the firm look on the older man's face what order had just been given. It gave him a moment's pause, because he felt a small amount of fear that Rooster wouldn't be right next to him... But they weren't that far away from each other and he knew it was important that Rooster not be hurt. If he reached a point where he started to slip, he would immediately let Ice know. Hopefully, it wouldn't be an issue. He gave Rooster a hesitant but encouraging smile.

Mav was relieved when, upon the garage doors reaching full openness, there weren't any visible bodies or infected. It didn't mean infected weren't hiding somewhere, but it wasn't as likely, since the garage held nothing that would be important to an infected. He was also gratified to see three large transport vehicles. He waited for Ice to catch up before going inside the garage to see which truck would be best for their use.

"Stay by the car, with Rooster," Ice directed Jake softly. "I doubt there are any infected hiding within...but if there are, I should be able to control them. Especially if they're territorial like you said." He followed Mav into the garage.

Rooster still didn't look that happy about the order, but he at least saw the sense in it and wasn't trying to get out of the car.

Jake blinked, but his impulse to obey Ice and his need to stay by Rooster was too strong for him to argue. He immediately went back to the car and stood near it, ready to yell for Ice and Mav and protect it from anyone who might show up unexpectedly.

As soon as ice was close to him, Maverick moved to the first truck and looked inside. It was empty, which meant plenty of room to load supplies. It only had half a tank of gas, though.  The second truck had crates in it; he wasn't certain what and he didn't want to waste time finding the manifest for it. It also had only half a tank of gas. The third had three-fourths of a tank of gas and only had a few items in the back; it looked like tools. "What do you think?" He nodded toward the third truck. "We can remove most of the stuff quickly, keep the tools that will be most useful to us. There are gas cans over there..." He pointed toward the shelf of fuel cans that he'd just noticed. "If they are full, that's great. If they aren't, then we can fill them up at a gas station while we are getting the other supplies. It would probably be a good idea to have spare gas on hand for the vehicles."

Ice nodded. "More fuel to start with is better. And you're right. We should take some spare fuel." He looked around. "You think it's safe for Rooster and Hangman to join us? I told Rooster to stay in the car. Since he's the only one we know who can cure them, at least the ferals, it's important we keep him as safe as possible."

"The only thing we planned to get from here was the truck and weapons if we could get to them. I think we should unload any of these tools we don't need, fill up the truck, get any extra fuel we can, then pull the truck out so that we can pull the car up into it. There are some chains over there that we can secure the car in the truck bed so it won't roll around..." Mav offered his idea. "I think Jake and Rooster staying out there to keep an eye out for any feral coming our way would be a good idea, since we can easily do everything but loading the car up without help. And when we are loading the car up, they will be there anyway."

Ice nodded, accepting that idea. "There's no time to waste, then." He moved into the truck, so that he could begin sorting through the tools and discard those that wouldn't be of any use to them.

Mav immediately began removing the items Ice put in a discard pile from the back of the truck. As soon as the truck had been emptied of whatever tools they didn't want, he went and grabbed the chains to secure the car and several of the full gas cans. He topped off the fuel in the truck, then put the remaining fuel cans in the back with the tools. "Ready to pull out so we can put the car in?" he asked Ice.

"I think we're ready. If there's anything else you think of, we might need, we can grab it before we get the weapons." Ice quickly got into the driver's seat of the truck, so that he could pull it out.

Mav quickly went out to direct Ice to the best place to pull the truck so that the car could easily be pulled into it.

Jake straightened as he saw Mav come out, ready to do whatever he was ordered.

Rooster had managed to obey Ice's instruction to stay in the car...but that had only really been because Jake had been staying next to the car. If his mate had followed Ice and Mav into the garage, Rooster didn't think he would have been able to stay behind.

Ice carefully followed Mav's directions, making sure the truck was positioned perfectly for them to get the car into it.

As soon as the truck was lined up for the car, Maverick pulled down the ramp from the truck and motioned for Rooster to pull the car into the truck bed.

Jake watched very closely. They were being as quiet as possible, but the truck was still making enough noise it could draw unwanted attention.

Rooster carefully drove the car into the truck bed, going as quickly as possible. He was feeling on edge, especially as he knew they still had multiple stops they needed to make.

As soon as the car was parked in the truck bed, Mav was chaining it down and rearranging the tools and fuel, so they were easy to reach. "C'mon, kid." He motioned to Rooster. "Let's get into the cab and go get the weapons."

Jake waited until both Mav and Rooster had got into the cab next to Ice before hopping in after them.

Ice drove carefully to the weapons locker, fully aware that any sound could draw the feral infected towards them. They hadn't seen any in the Top Gun building yet, but that didn't mean they wouldn't run into any of them.

"Alright. Let's make this quick. Get one close range and one long range weapon that you feel most comfortable with, plus the ammo. Any non-firearm type weapons will likely need to be got at a sporting goods store..." Mav said, as he jumped out of the truck and quickly went to gather his items.

Jake quickly did the same and then took Mav's choices to store in the truck while Maverick took Ice's spot guarding the vehicle so Ice could get weapons.

Ice didn't hesitate to head into the locker, grabbing his own weapons, with Rooster following swiftly behind.

After a couple of minutes, they were all armed and back in the truck, driving out of the base and towards Penny's bar.

Mav was visibly nervous the closer they got to the bar. He tried to remain optimistic, but reality was wearing down on him. By the time they reached the bar, he was visibly resigned.

They didn't even have to get out of the truck. As soon as Ice had pulled into the parking lot, Mav had looked toward the entrance to the bar. Penny and Amelia were lying in front of the building, the flickering flood light shing on their unmoving bodies. It was obvious Penny had tried to protect her daughter, but there had been too many infected. Maverick slumped at the sight, then straightened. He would grieve later. "Let's go..." he said, in a weary voice.

"I'm sorry, Mav." Ice placed a hand on his friend's arm, squeezing gently. He pulled back out of the parking lot, before any of the infected who might be around could come for them, fast or not. Being in the truck offered some protection, but they were going to have to leave it to get the necessary supplies.

Jake swallowed hard, realizing for the hundredth time that, if it weren't for Rooster, he would be hurting and killing innocents like Penny and Amelia. Had he been anywhere else when the quake had occurred, he might have even been the one to kill Mav's lover and her daughter.

Mav gave Ice a sad smile, covering Ice's hand with his own and squeezing it.

Rooster moved a bit closer to Jake, letting his arm rest gently against the other man's. He thought he had an idea of what was going through Jake's mind, and while it wasn't possible to remove the guilt...he hoped that staying close to Jake, so the other man would feel he wasn't in danger of losing himself, would help.

Ice gently squeezed Mav's hand as he drove, quickly and carefully, to the next stop on their list.

They were at the grocery store. It was imperative they have tinned foods and bottled water in case they weren't able to hunt or grow anything for several months. Luckily, the mart was also across the street from a hardware store, so they could gather any tools that hadn't been retrieved from the base.

"I think we need to stay within sight of each other here. We are more likely to run into infected and there is strength in numbers," Mav said.

Ice nodded in agreement. "Grocery store first. Then the hardware store." He parked the truck and got out, making sure his weapons were in easy reach.

Rooster quickly got out of the truck as well, his gun strapped to his back and two long knives sheathed in his belt.

Jake jumped out directly after Rooster. He had a gun as well and a machete. If worse came to worse, he knew he probably wouldn't be cognizant enough to use them and would be using hands and teeth.

Mav brought up the rear, holding his rifle at the ready. He didn't plan to let anyone get close enough to need his knife, though it was easily within reach.

Everything was quiet as they entered the grocery store. Ice could see bodies scattered around; some curled up in fetal positions, and others appearing to have been taken by surprise. Blood and other bodily fluids stained the floor and shelves.

Some of the shelves were obviously empty. When he saw those, Rooster felt a stab of hope. Maybe they weren't the only survivors left.

Jake grabbed a cart so they could load up items. They were moving slowly so as not to draw attention, but they were quickly filling the carts. Soon, they needed to go back to the truck to unload.

Mav was watching nervously, becoming more nervous the longer they were there.

As they were heading back towards the storefront, the sound of a rifle being cocked could be heard.

Ice paused as a man in a wheelchair positioned himself in front of the group, aiming a rifle at them. His posture was tense, on edge...ready for action, in spite of the fact that he was in a wheelchair and one of his legs ended in a stump.

Jake immediately cocked his own rifle but waited for Mav or Ice to talk. He wouldn't hesitate to pull the trigger if the other man didn't back down.

Mav readied his own rifle but addressed the other man. "We aren't here to hurt anyone. We're just getting supplies before things are too bad to be able to reach the stores...." He wasn't certain if this man was infected or not, though he wasn't acting feral.

"You don't look like the others." There was a heavy note of suspicion in the man's voice.

"We're not." Ice moved closed to Mav, edging in front of Rooster and Jake. "We're not infected." It wasn't entirely true, but he didn't think it was safe to go through what had happened. They couldn't afford to waste any time. 

"You military?" the man asked. "I was, before I got my leg blown off."

"Navy..." Mav offered but didn't give any other information. If the man knew anything about the military, or even the city he currently was in, and if he was still in control of his own mind, he'd know they were from the nearby base.

The man nodded and slowly lowered his own rifle, although he still appeared obviously tense. "Lot of people lost their mind after that quake. Can't help thinking this might have been deliberate, you know?"

Ice tried not to wince. It was similar to his own thoughts, but having someone else say the same thing made that suspicion feel almost more real, somehow.

"How? I mean... If it only happened in our city... Or even a few cities next to each other, I’d think that.... But the fact we haven't seen any outside Search and Rescue, or other help, indicates it isn't just our area," Jake said hesitantly. "If it was deliberate, who has that many resources to affect such a huge amount of land and people?"

Mav shook his head. "I'm inclined to think it is natural... Or at least that it wasn't humans who caused it. We never received any alerts to be on the watch for suspicious activity. Something this big, planned by the usual terrorists? There would have been whispers of something being planned, even if what it was exactly wasn't known."

"I said it was deliberate. I didn't say it was manmade," the man replied.

"What do you mean?" Ice asked.

"After I lost my leg, I became a teacher. History teacher, to be exact. Specializing in ancient civilizations. And there are stories of some of those civilizations just vanishing," the man said. "Croatoan. The Mayans. Many theories, but no facts. My own theory was that it's nature. Fighting back once humans become too numerous or too much of a threat to the world."

Ice frowned. The explanation...something about it seemed familiar. Like he could predict the next words coming out of the man's mouth. Just as he had when the infection had first hit. It was like there was knowledge, under the surface, that he could reach for...if he wasn't holding all of those urges and violent instincts at bay.

Mav's eyes widened and he couldn't help taking a slight step back. It seemed so absurd and fantastical. It also felt right. It was terrifying. "Are... Are you saying that somehow, sentient, or not, that the earth has a built-in in kill switch and people activated it?"

Jake was pale. "If that's what happened, finding a... a way to fix this may not be possible." He didn't say permanent cure. He wanted to keep Rooster being a cure to himself, and if he said they were looking for a permanent cure, the old man might pick up on it and ask.

"That's exactly what my theory is," the man said.

Rooster was thinking the same thing that Jake was: that if this was the earth reacting to humans, could there ever be any hope of a cure? Once upon a time, he might have scoffed at such a notion. But that was before he'd become responsible for keeping his friend's sanity and humanity intact; before he became the cure for Jake to keep control of himself, and not turn feral like so many people had.

"We can't be the only ones left unaffected by this." Ice picked his words carefully, not sure if the man was like him or like Mav. Or even like Rooster. "There are going to be other survivors."

"Maybe. Little pockets of people, eking out an existence." The man shrugged. "Where are you planning to go?"

"The next town over. The communication is shot, but we have family...friends there." Ice told the lie without hesitation. They needed to keep their true destination a secret.

Rooster caught a glimpse of a figure moving outside and he tensed slightly, moving closer to Jake. The man could assume it was down to fear. But if there were infected outside, it was imperative that Rooster stick close to Jake. So, the other man didn't lose his humanity.

Jake could sense people outside and he instinctively moved in front of Rooster, while also staying close enough to touch if needed. "Are you here by yourself?" he asked the old man, not really expecting an honest answer, but hoping he or the others could glean some information from a lie.

Mav shifted nervously. He had been hoping to make at least one more trip through the store to get necessities. If they had to leave, though, at least they'd got enough food and water to hold them through winter.

The man glanced over his shoulder, towards the shadowy figures moving outside. "They're restless."

Ice was growing more and more certain that the man was infected. Like him. His instinct was to shoot; to take out what he was certain was a threat. But he couldn't be sure. Not only that the man was infected, but also that killing him was the right decision. He shifted a little closer to Mav, needing to communicate his suspicion to his friend.

"You knew they were there?" Mav asked quietly. Like Ice, he didn't want to just kill anyone without proof they needed to; but the fact the old man hadn't asked about joining up with them for protection was a huge red flag for him.

The man glanced behind him, at the window once more. "They don't feel pain. They don't feel fear. You could shoot to wound, and they'll just keep on coming. Lost their minds to this virus. Maybe it's easier that way."

Ice raised his own rifle, aiming it at the man's chest.

"You think you'll be able to control all of them?" The man didn't seem afraid of death, even if it was now fairly obvious, he was one of the infected.

Maverick immediately raised his own weapon again, in support of Ice, but was aiming toward where the infected would enter the area.

Jake moved more protectively in front of Rooster. If the old man were infected, was it Rooster's presence that had kept him from turning against them immediately?

Ice wavered, not quite ready to pull the trigger. Could he control the infected that were outside? Maybe. But when he'd controlled Jake, it had been difficult to avoid the urge that wanted him to unleash the infected...to kill Mav and Rooster. All it would take was one to get past their defenses. They didn't know if all of the ferals could be cured by Rooster...and even if they could be, Rooster was only one person.

They needed to pick their battles. And if the infected man was like him, he could be reasoned with. Maybe. It was worth trying, at least. Ice hadn't got his callsign through acting impulsively and without direction. "We're not here to fight anyone. We just need supplies and then we'll leave. No need for violence."

The man's eyes narrowed. "This world is going to burn. You'll burn with it. If you stand with them."

He hadn't done anything visibly, but a split second later, the glass front of the store broke and several ferals were snapping and growling...two of them carrying bloodied weapons, but the others with nails hooked like claws and bloodied teeth bared.

Almost mechanically, Ice took the shot. The man's body jerked, but Ice didn't waste any time before swinging his rifle towards the ferals and taking one out with a headshot.

Mav was already shooting the feral as Ice was taking out the old man. He'd felt chills at the old man's words. It was obvious who 'them' was in his comment. The infected were meant to kill anyone uninfected or that was a 'cure'. He was telling Ice that he shouldn't be siding with Mav and Rooster... shouldn't be protecting them. How many others, like the old man, were out there believing people like him and Rooster needed to die?

Jake made certain Rooster was as safe as he could make him, shooting for the head each time. Eventually, one of the feral reached him and he had to begin fighting hand to hand. He still retained the strength and speed of a feral, but also his mind. That was an advantage. The disadvantage was the humanity in him, struggling to keep control, making him hesitate even fractionally.

Ice didn't want to risk any of the others getting hurt. Yes, there was no indication that the infection could travel through bites or scratches...they weren't technically zombies, after all...but they didn't want to deal with possible infections because human mouths were home to thousands of bacteria.

It wasn't like when he controlled Jake. That was accidental more than deliberate. This time, he didn't speak or call out. He could feel the ferals at the edge of his mind and he reached for them, like he was reaching out to pick up a cup.

A cup that felt like it was filled with twisting, writhing snakes. And suddenly, Ice was the one in control.

Rooster hadn't stepped away from Jake, even though it made it more difficult for him to actually get any kill shots off...and if he couldn't take them out, he didn't want to waste bullets. But then, abruptly, the ferals stopped...trembling in place like Jake had done when Ice had taken control.

Rooster found his eyes drawn to Ice, who looked...different. Something in his posture, in the look on his face. He suddenly wasn't sure that Ice could keep that control over himself not to turn on them.

Jake glanced at Ice and could tell it was a struggle. "Can you bolster him?" he whispered to Rooster.

Mav looked at Ice and the struggle he was having, then at Rooster and the fact his 'cure' hadn't seemed to help the other feral, even though they were the same distance as Jake had been able to go without losing control... and made his decision. He began to shoot each feral in the head, slowly whittling down the number that Ice would have to control.

Jake, taking his cue from Mav, began to shoot as well. Since the infected were holding still, there weren't any missed shots and no waste of ammunition.

It was easier, at least a little bit, when Mav and Jake began shooting the infected. The urges to unleash the infected on innocent people...on his friends and the people he cared about...grew easier to control as they died.

Rooster bit his lip. He had no idea how his being a cure worked...and he didn't know how to help Ice, either. He wasn't even sure that was possible.

But he could at least help by taking out the rest of the ferals. So, he did that, even if his own abilities felt pretty useless.

Soon, there weren't any feral left alive. Mav was shaking slightly. Even though they really had no choice, and he kept telling himself they had lost their humanity, it was hard to see so many that he had pretty much executed. He didn't say anything about it. Instead, he turned toward Ice. "You okay?"

Jake looked at all the dead and felt grateful Rooster had been able to save him. Swallowing, he went back to the cart he'd been pushing and carefully began to go back to the truck. "If we hurry, we may be able to get a few more loads before any of them come to find out what was shooting..." he muttered.

Ice looked...shaken...maybe for the first time since the whole infection had started. It wasn't the first time he'd felt it, but it was definitely the first time he was showing the strain. "I wanted to unleash them," he whispered, his voice low and pained. "It took everything I had just to hold them...."

Rooster bit his lip, not sure if Ice and Mav needed any help...but Jake had a point. They needed to get as many supplies as possible. He glanced worriedly at Ice and his godfather, but he quickly began pushing his own cart outside the store, towards the truck.

Mav immediately wrapped his arms around his friend and held tight. "You didn't. You kept control over yourself and gave us... gave me time to do what was needed. You held on. You're still you...."

Jake had quickly unloaded his cart into the truck, helping Rooster unload his cart before going back in to begin getting more supplies. They were mainly grabbing canned and boxed goods, as it would last longer, although he did grab potatoes and other items in the produce section that could potentially sprout and give them a start to a garden. They were moving quickly and soon, he was unloading his second cart. "We should go through the medicines section. Get first aid supplies. Also get soaps so we can keep ourselves clean...."

Ice breathed in deep and wrapped his own arms around Mav, holding on tight...maybe even clinging. He didn't know how to tell Mav that he was scared next time he couldn't hold on; that he was scared the next time, he'd lose his mind to the virus. Instead, he mumbled, "We should get the rest of the supplies we can...."

"Good idea." Rooster agreed with Jake and quickly headed in that direction. Since they didn't know if they would have running water, he grabbed packs of wipes they could use as a last resort, if they didn't have running water.

Mav nodded. "Let's unload these carts. I think the kids are two carts ahead of us. Can't have that!" He gave a crooked smie lthat he hoped was encouraging, before starting to push his cart to the truck.

They all moved quickly. Within thirty minutes, they had retrieved enough food, medicine, and cleaning items to last through the winter, even if they might need to find a store to raid come spring. They were all climbing into the truck to head to the sportsman store next, planning to get tents, sleeping bags, fishing gear, and hunting gear. "I think the sports store was near a clothing store," Jake said hesitantly.

Ice nodded slowly. "We can get clothing at the same time, but we need to stick together." After what had just happened, he didn't want to run the risk of them getting separated...running into one of the infected like him. He was still obviously tense; still obviously affected by what had happened.

"Of course. Stay with each other and within site of each other at all times..." Mav agreed. He almost asked if the clothing store was the one where Sarah and the kids had gone... But he wasn't certain he wanted to mention it with Ice already so tense. After having found Penny and Amelia, he didn't want Ice to have the same with Sarah and his own kids. They both pretty much knew that they were gone but seeing them....

Jake shifted closer to Rooster. "How far away is the store?" he asked quietly.

"Not far," Ice replied quietly. He was tense, knowing that it was likely he wasn't going to find his family at all...or if he did, they weren't likely to be living. As much as he tried to mentally prepare himself for that possibility, he didn't know how he'd react if that possibility became a reality.

Rooster reached out to slip his hand into Jake's, but he was obviously thinking about something. After a moment, he asked quietly, "Why do you think I didn't cure them? The other ferals, I mean?"

"You said it took close proximity...touch...for Hangman to be cured," Ice observed. "Maybe that's what's needed."

Jake slanted his head thoughtfully, then glanced at Rooster. "It makes sense. I did attack you initially... It wasn't until after that you got through to me...."

Mav reached over, putting his hand on Ice's arm, squeezing gently.

"I guess you're right," Rooster said quietly. "I probably couldn't have easily kept them cured, even if they'd got close enough for it to kick in."

Ice relaxed fractionally at the contact from Mav. It helped, although he was still somewhat tense.

"Don't feel bad that you can't save everyone..." Jake whispered. "I know you would, if you could. But I don't want you to be killed trying... I would rather lose myself again than you die...."

"We're here..." Mav said needlessly. Everyone was getting morbid and depressed, and he wanted to get this mission done and over so they could retreat back home and lick their wounds.  Once they had everything in the truck, they could decide which direction they were going and which mountain and decide if leaving during the day or night was safest. There might be less infected during the night, but it was easier to see where they were going and setting up whatever camp they needed during the day.

Ice parked the truck and got out, bringing his weapons with him. He didn't say anything, but it was at the back of his mind that this was one of the places his family had planned to visit. He was worried about what he might find 

Rooster squeezed Jake's hand in gratitude, though he didn't say anything, and got out of the truck as well.

Mav shifted closer to guard Ice's back. He could tell the other man was worried and if it caused a distraction, he needed to be ready to protect him.

Jake squeezed Rooster's hand as they followed into the store. "Tents and sleeping bags first? Then bows and arrows and fishing gear?"

"Yeah," Ice replied, trying to focus on the here and now, instead of his worry about his family.

Rooster quickly went to start retrieving those supplies, sticking close to Jake as he did so.

Jake helped Rooster, making certain they got items registered for extreme temperatures. If they found a cabin, it would be ideal. But if they didn't, they needed items that would help them keep warm.

While Rooster and Jake were getting the tents and sleeping bags, Mav stayed with Ice, grabbing the bows and arrows. They were close enough, if something happened, they'd hear and could run to help. But splitting up meant moving faster and getting home before day and the infected potentially getting more active.

Ice collected the fishing gear, along with a few other items he thought they'd find useful. He was moving fairly quickly, despite the emotional turmoil roiling inside him.

The four met at the truck, quickly loading the gear. Jake looked across the street at the strip mall. There was an electronics store, clothing store, a bookstore, and an adult shop. 'Start with clothing, then electronics, and move left?" he asked, not sure if they needed electronics, and after clothing the other items could be considered luxury in their current situation.

"I want to try and get a couple of radios," Ice said. "If we're able to make contact with any other survivors, there's a chance we might be able to start fighting back."

"Hopefully some scientists that can study what happened survived..." Mav agreed quietly.

They went into the clothing store. As they didn't have a need for teen or women's clothing, and the men's clothing was in the back, they didn't need to split up this time. They'd already got outdoor clothing and several pairs of heavy boots and snow boots for each of them at the sporting store. This trip would be for more comfortable clothing when they stayed in their tents (if they didn't find a cabin). As they entered the store, they were immediately on alert; numerous dead in the aisle indicated there were a few infected around at some point. The poor people had obviously been running for the exit.

Ice had been trying to mentally prepare himself for the possibility of seeing his family...of what had been done to them. But still, finding their bodies...seeing that Sarah had died protecting the children and they'd still been attacked...finding them in the corner, where they must have been trying to hide from the carnage...it broke something inside him. The darkness swirling below the surface rose suddenly to engulf him.

Rooster's first instinct that something was wrong was when he saw one of the infected, carrying a short knife with a bloodied blade. But the infected woman wasn't moving. Her head was cocked to one side, like she was listening to something. Or someone.

Jake didn't have time to think on something being wrong. Standing next to Rooster, he'd been in control of himself, the animal inside clawing underneath the surface. Suddenly, the animal became more focused. Almost the same as... "Uh oh..." he muttered, immediately pulling Rooster close to him, leaving enough room his friend could fight, but close where Jake could protect.

Maverick had seen Sarah and the children at the same time as Ice and had immediately begun moving toward his friend to offer comfort and support. He couldn't sense what Jake sensed, but he could see what Rooster saw. He immediately looked around nervously, expecting another infected like the old man to be nearby. He'd reached Ice by this point and pulled his friend into a tight hug. "I'm sorry, Ice..." he whispered.

Ice was still...tense...lost under a roiling sea of emotions and darkness that didn't truly belong to him. He could feel the infected around him...and he automatically reached for them, grasping for control in the same way he might have clutched at a handful of straws.

The infected Rooster had spotted suddenly let out an earsplitting screech and launched herself at him, teeth bared, and knife raised. He brought his own gun up, taking her out with a single shot to her head, but her place was quickly taken by a second.

Jake shook as he felt the underlying control, vying to overtake the calm Rooster exuded over him. It was only being next to Rooster that was enabling him to fight the urge to obey that control and attack his mate. The urge to attack was there, though and in response... he turned on the feral coming after Rooster; not using his gun, but using his knife, fingers, and teeth.

Mav was afraid he'd lost his friend and all he could think to do was shift so that he was pressed chest to chest all the way down toe to toe, so tight they were almost one person. His head was tucked against Ice's so that his nose was pressed into Ice's neck and exposed his own neck, his jugular, to Ice's teeth. It was a risk. But if his friend was so far gone, he was sending the feral after them, maybe the action would speak to the feral instinct and soothe. If it didn't... if it led to his death... he could only hope Rooster would notice and take Ice out too. It would no longer be his friend by that point and would remove the control calling the feral to their location, giving Rooster and Jake a small chance to get away.

Ice's whole body was stiff...tense. The death of his family had sent him spiraling down the worst possible path he could take, and almost nothing could bring him back up.

Almost nothing.

With Mav pressed so close to him, Ice could feel the beating of his friend's heart. He could feel Mav's warm breath against his skin. And the part of him that was still Ice, still there below the surface, surged back towards the surface. He breathed in deeply, almost like he was inhaling Mav's scent, and his body began to tremble.

Maverick held more tightly, slanting his head further in the hopes that the submission would calm the animal inside his friend the rest of the way and give Ice back his control. "I'm here. I'm not leaving. I won't ever leave. I promise..." he whispered. "You aren't alone."

Jake had killed every infected that was coming for Rooster, his hands and face bloody as he protected his human. He knew when it was over, he'd need to retreat and have a meltdown. He couldn't afford that right now. Feral infected were trying to kill Rooster. He would die before allowing that.

Ice's whole body was trembling as Mav held on more tightly; as his best friend made himself even more vulnerable. It was hard, so hard, but he was clawing his way back up...back to sanity...out of the darkness trying to drag him down.

Rooster had fought alongside Jake, but hadn't strayed from the other man's side, knowing it was only his presence that kept Jake from losing his mind and turning feral like the others.

One of them had reacted when she got close to Rooster. The black veins in her eyes had begun to recede, and her head had started to shake. That was worse. Knowing he could cure them...but knowing no more than a few could stay cured.

Jake hated himself for it- he could tell as easily as Rooster that those getting close to his mate were regaining themselves- but he knew, deep down, there was no real choice. There wasn't enough food, or room, or Rooster to save everyone. If they took others back with them, they would have to lock them up, and whenever Rooster stepped out of their needed radius, they would attack themselves and others. So, he forced himself to do the heartless thing, and killed those who showed signs of regaining their humanity. He wouldn't force Rooster to do that or to make that choice.

Maverick shook in Ice's arms as much as Ice shook in his. He was terrified of losing his best friend. He could tell his actions were helping, though and continued to press close and tight, no space between them at all, continuing to be as submissive as he could be while clinging to the other man. "I'm not letting go..." he promised.

Rooster knew that Jake didn't have a choice...that none of them had a choice. It didn't make things any easier, but he was grateful to Jake for taking that decision out of his hands. He did what he could to take out the other infected who were coming after them as well.

Ice's own arms rose, almost painfully slowly, and wrapped around Mav, hugging him. "Mav..." Ice's voice hitched slightly, sounding like he was close to tears...or maybe breaking down...but he also sounded like himself.

Jake was relieved when some of the pressure to kill Rooster and Mav eased. He had been fighting it as much as possible by turning it onto the other infected, but the slight easing enabled him to go back to using a knife instead of hands and teeth.

Mav clung to Ice, pressing a kiss to Ice's shoulder. "It's me... And I'm not going anywhere....'

Ice slumped against Mav, tears filling his eyes and spilling down his cheeks. He still had control of the infected, but he used that control to pull them back...to send them away from Mav, Rooster, and Jake.

As Mav saw the infected pulling away, he relaxed but continued to hold Ice tightly. "You aren't alone. I'm here and I'm not going anywhere... I love you, Ice. You're my best friend and have been my anchor for so long.  Let me be that for you..." he whispered. He kept himself submissive and vulnerable. He wasn't pulling back until Ice did.

Ice was still struggling, still feeling the grief and pain of losing his family and seeing them dead, but he was back in control of himself. He focused on using his control over the infected to move them away completely...away from the stores and away from the routes they'd take to leave. Then, finally, he took a shaky step back.

Once they were the only ones in the store, Jake wiped his hands as clean as he could, then took a cart to grab clothing. He pointed out items he needed to Rooster, not wanting to dirty the clothing more than necessary. He pointed out more than he had originally planned to get; as often as he ended up in bloody battles, he'd quickly run out if he didn't.

Mav stayed with Ice, taking his friend's hand, and holding tight even as he began to put enough clothes for both of them into the cart they'd got. He did the same as Jake, gathering more than planned in case they couldn't replace the items in the future.

Rooster stayed close to Jake, apart from when he was grabbing clothing for both of them. He knew that Jake was shaken by what had happened. He was shaken as well, and he hadn't been battling a monster inside him. Unconsciously, he shifted close enough to Jake to touch when he wasn't grabbing their clothing.

Ice gripped Mav's hand tightly. He knew he should be grabbing clothing for himself, but now that he was in control of himself, he was feeling guilty. He should have had better control of himself. He'd nearly ended up being responsible for the deaths of the other people he cared about...that he loved.

Jake wasn't allowing himself to think about what he'd chosen to do...yet. He pressed as close to Rooster as possible without spreading the gore covering him onto his mate and, in an almost detached voice, answered questions about preferred items. If he were honest, he wouldn't have cared if Rooster chose to dress him in all his preferences. He just wanted to finish this trip and get home and scour his skin and teeth to get the taste and smell of blood off them. The only reason he wasn't losing it completely was Rooster.

Mav knew Ice well. After decades of being friends and supporting each other, he knew what Ice would be most comfortable with and he made certain to get those items. He didn't make Ice say anything; there was no need when he could just get it without asking. On the rare occasion he wasn't certain, he held the item up so Ice could nod or shake his head.

Finally, Mav finished around the same time as the younger men and they all began to push the carts to the store next door, the electronics, to hopefully find a working radio. The ones at the base had been destroyed. As they pushed the carts, Mav was a bit surprised and amused that all the items he'd chosen for himself were items Ice would have preferred as well... not in material comfort but in style, color, and pattern. Apparently, his need to help calm and comfort his friend had manifested into giving Ice control over his clothing choices. It made sense. He'd used submission to bring Ice back. Maverick giving up control over his clothing decisions was very submissive, for Mav, at least. Hopefully, the subtlety of the act would slip through Ice's grief to sooth the infected part of him that wanted to kill them all.

"I got some wipes from the grocery store," Rooster said quietly to Jake. "I know it's not going to help like an actual bath or shower, but if it would help a little before we get back and figure out where we're going...."

Ice didn't consciously notice what Mav had done with the clothing choices, but below the surface, it registered, pushing that infected part down further below the surface and enabling him to gain more control. It allowed him to speak, finally, though he said nothing about his family, or the pain that seeing them dead had caused. "We need radios that are battery-powered, in case we aren't able to find a generator."

"It would help a little. At least clean my hands enough I can touch things. I probably should strip out of these clothes before getting back into the truck, so I don't get the truck bloody inside..." Jake whispered.

Maverick nodded at Ice's words, quickly walking to where the radios were and finding radios that could run on batteries as well as charge on a generator, if they found one. Soon, they were leaving that shop as well. "Do we need to go into the bookstore for anything?" he asked quietly.  "If not, you two should grab whatever you need from the adult store. Since sex is a big way you are keeping Jake sane, you should at least stock up on lube." He kept his voice matter of fact. He wasn't teasing and didn't want them to take his words as such. "Once we are completely done here, we can go to the hardware store and get the remaining tools and generator."

Rooster had nodded to Jake's words before focusing on Mav. "Yeah...you're probably right," he agreed. He didn't mention it out loud, but he'd also grabbed some ointment when they were collecting the first aid supplies. If they kept having sex, he couldn't imagine Jake wouldn't get sore or even raw...in fact, it was possible he might be already, and Rooster couldn't help shooting a worried look at his mate.

Ice stirred slightly. "The bookshop might be useful," he said quietly. "If they have anything on foraging and herbs. The supplies aren't going to last forever. We'll want to figure out which plants are safe, and which are poisonous."

Maverick nodded. "I will go with you to look for books that will help, while they go next door. It will be quicker and both shops are small."

Jake waited for Rooster and Ice to agree before doing anything.

Ice nodded. "That's probably for the best," he agreed.

"Yeah." Rooster slipped his hand into Jake’s and led his mate to the adult store.

Mav went to the gardening and foraging section of the bookstore. It wasn't very large, and they could easily grab one of each book with the information they potentially needed. "Any other books that might be useful?"

Jake followed quietly, feeling the stress of everything beginning to affect him. He knew whatever they gathered here would be used on him and focused on that. "So... Uh... Anything you think you'd like to try? Since we're here?" he teased, to lighten the mood and his tension.

Ice frowned. "Medical books, maybe. We'll need to keep an eye out for any signs of infection, since finding antibiotics is going to be difficult, if not impossible." Focusing on what they needed to get was helping; at least he wasn't focusing on the loss of his family. Or the infected part of him lurking below the surface.

Rooster rubbed the back of his neck. "I don't really have that much experience, despite what my locker room talk might have indicated," he admitted. "I don't even know what half of this stuff is."Maybe some books on Native or herbal remedies...." Maverick agreed. He headed toward the section for health.

Jake grinned at that. "That makes me feel better at my own limited experience. Despite my bragging...." He chuckled ruefully. "The lube is self-explanatory, at least. The, uh... There...." He pointed to the plugs.

While Mav was looking at those books, Ice began quickly scanning the rest of the shelves. There were a few books about surviving in the wilderness, and he quickly picked out a couple of those before moving on.

"Yeah." Rooster began to collect a selection of the lube and a number of plugs. "Anything you're interested in trying out?" he asked.

"I... Maybe. I dunno. I never thought about most this stuff before; if I even recognize it, I mean. Guess I'm vanilla at heart..." Jake said sheepishly.

Mav had gathered any natural remedy health books he could find, as well as 'survival' first aid books in case the worse happened. They wouldn't be able to go to a hospital, after all.  He quickly returned to Ice's side. "Think we should get some books or games for fun? We'll need to keep our spirits up somehow...."

"Okay, well...if you want to grab anything that catches your attention, feel free to do so," Rooster said. "Not sure we'll be able to get supplies like this again for a long time, if ever."

Ice nodded. "We need some way to avoid going stir crazy. Especially as the normal method is flying...and right now, that's not going to be possible for any of us."

Mav nodded. "May never be possible again, if this can't be fixed..." He sighed. "Gotta wonder now... Those people up on the space station... Least we were still on earth." He sighed as he went to the games section. He began to gather games they could play together, as well as some that could be played solo.

Jake bit his lip and began to pick out a few of the tamer items. He seemed to be watching for Rooster's response after each item, though... looking for approval. Soon, several 'toys' had joined the lube and plugs. He'd made sure to pick out items that didn't need batteries.

"We know it's likely spread over the whole Earth," Ice said. "But it's impossible to say what the situation is like off the Earth. Maybe those on the space station are safe." But he didn't have much hope of that.

Rooster wanted Jake to feel able to suggest things and want things, even if Rooster was the one in control, and he made sure to encourage his mate to pick up the items he wanted to. Soon, they had quite a large collection of supplies.

"Even if they are okay now... since there's no one to send them new supplies, they'll have to return to Earth or starve to death. And once they return..." Mav couldn't help sounding a little hopeless.

Jake looked at the items in their cart and gave Rooster a sheepish smile. "We should put these in the truck. Mav and Ice will probably be ready soon...."

Ice bit his lip. "If we manage to make contact with other survivors, we might be able to send a message to them...at least a warning, if nothing else." He suspected it might not be possible, but there was a chance, however slim.

Rooster nodded and quickly began moving the cart outside to the truck. "If we can find a generator, it'll make our lives a hell of a lot easier," he commented.

Mav nodded. "We can at least try. Do we have everything? We can return to the truck. Go to the hardware store."

"Hopefully the hardware store has some..." Jake agreed, as he unloaded everything into the back of the truck.

"I can't think of anything else other than what we already have," Ice agreed, beginning to move what they'd gathered back to the truck.

Despite having Ice with them, Rooster couldn't help feeling tense and on edge...constantly looking around for any signs of infected.

With everything loaded, they immediately got back into the truck, heading back towards home (Jake sitting on a plastic ‘cover’ that they had found in the adult store). The hardware store was on the way and so they stopped there last. After the last stops had resulted in needing to fight feral infected, Maverick was anxious to get the needed items as quickly as possible.

Jake was also feeling anxious. The wipes had only allowed him to clean his hands and face. Being covered in blood... being able to taste it... was not helping him emotionally or mentally. He was glad they knew exactly what they needed and could quickly gather it. Soon, all that was left were generators. "Should we get four solar and four gas? In case one type ends up being more useful at different times? Also, it will give more power if it is needed?" he asked hesitantly.

Ice nodded. "That's a good idea," he agreed. "We still have enough space in the truck." He began to move one of the generators.

Rooster moved to take one of the others to the truck.

Jake and Maverick grabbed two and followed the other men. Within thirty minutes, there were plenty of tools, possibly needed materials, and eight generators in the truck. They began to head back to the house. It was almost day, and they needed to make a final decision on where they would be going and what time they needed to leave.

Ice drove the truck as quickly and carefully as he could, trying not to look at the dead bodies that were along the sides of the road and in the road. There were enough around that he figured Mav had a point about what would happen when the bodies began to rot. Unless the bodies were properly disposed of, anyone left who wasn't infected was likely to get sick.

Jake curled up on the jump seat in the back of the cab, not looking at the bodies they passed. Knowing he was responsible for a lot of the dead; he didn't want to see more dead. 

Maverick kept an eye out for potential problems or attack. "We should lock the truck up and not unload it. In case we need to make a quick getaway..." he whispered.

Rooster sat close to Jake, reaching out and holding his mate's hand, in the hopes that staying close enough for Jake to feel him would help the other man feel at least a little bit okay.

"I don't think we can risk staying at the house for long," Ice said quietly. "Maybe just enough to get cleaned up and collect anything else we might need." Really, he was saying that for Jake's sake. It was obvious the younger man was feeling uncomfortable and needed to clean up before they left.

"You okay to drive right away? We've been up all night..." Maverick said, in a concerned but deferential tone.

Jake squeezed Rooster's hand but stayed quiet.

"I just want to get us all to safety," Ice admitted quietly. "I don't want to lose anyone else...."

"Then when we reach the house, Rooster can get Jake cleaned up while you and I grab last minute necessities. Then we leave," Mav said firmly.

Jake was out of it.

Ice nodded in agreement as he drove towards the house.

Rooster was clearly worried about Jake, gently squeezing his hand. He started talking to his mate...rambling, really, about before and carefully avoiding any mention of what had just happened, or any violence or deaths.

Jake was obviously listening, even if he was a bit out of it.

They reached the house quickly and soon Mav was herding everyone inside.

Rooster took Jake's hand and led him to the bathroom, after making sure to grab a clean change of clothes for them both. Once they were both in the bathroom, he began to strip off the other man.

Jake responded enough to move whichever way was needed to make undressing him easier, but still stayed quiet. Once naked, though, he whispered, "Can I brush my teeth?"

"Of course," Rooster replied quietly. "Do you need anything from me?" He wasn't necessarily talking about physical objects, instead trying to give an opening for Jake to ask for whatever he needed.

"Don't leave me..." he whispered. Jake began to shiver minutely. They were safe for the moment... Rooster was safe... and the events of the night were finally catching up to him. They didn't have time for him to break down, though. He got his toothbrush and put toothpaste on it, beginning to scrub his teeth roughly, needing to get every bit of blood out, even if it meant scrubbing himself raw.

"I never will," Rooster promised. "I'm here for you, Jake. I'm not going to leave you." He reached out and ran his hand through Jake's hair, rubbing it down his back. "I'm not going to leave you. I promise."

Jake rinsed his mouth, grabbing mouthwash and swishing some of it around in his mouth. Rooster's touch calmed him a great deal. He finally rinsed again, then took a deep breath. "I'm ready to get in the shower," he whispered, waiting for Rooster to direct him. Letting Rooster direct him helped calm him further.

Rooster nodded and helped Jake into the shower. Reaching out, he turned the water on and adjusted the spray until it was at a comfortable temperature. Then, he picked up the washcloth and soap and began to wash Jake, carefully but thoroughly.

Jake shivered gently, leaning toward Rooster. He felt no shame, being bathed by his lover. It helped calm him further still. "Thank you." His voice caught and he began to quietly cry.

Responding to the tears, Rooster reached out and wrapped his arms around Jake, hugging his mate close and tight. He didn't say anything, knowing that there was nothing he could say that would make this better, but hoped that the contact would help even a little.

Jake clung to his mate, nuzzling against Rooster until he was finally able to calm. Taking a slow, deep breath, he finally pulled back. "I'll be okay..." He smiled crookedly as he wiped his eyes. "At least until we get to our final destination...."

Rooster nodded. "I'm not going to let you lose yourself," he promised. "I'll stay by your side. I won't leave you." He finished washing Jake's body, then helped his mate out of the shower and began to dry him off.

"I believe you." Jake moved however Rooster directed. "I'm safe with you..." He gave Rooster a grateful smile.

"I'll make sure you stay safe." Rooster pressed a kiss to Jake's forehead, then began to dress himAs soon as Jake was dressed, he threw his arms around Rooster in a tight hug. "Thank you...."

Rooster wrapped his own arms around Jake and held on just as tightly. "You're welcome. I'll do anything to help you...to make sure you stay yourself," he said seriously.

Overwhelmed and grateful, Jake nuzzled against Rooster, then kissed him on the cheek. "I... I can be okay... Maverick and Ice will want to leave as soon as possible," he finally whispered as he pulled away.

Rooster nodded and held a hand out to Jake. "Stay close to me," he ordered. Jake likely would anyway...but he'd indicated he felt better and needed Rooster to be in control. Hopefully, giving that order would help him.

Jake visibly relaxed at the order and took Rooster's hand with a small grin. "Yes, sir...."  He let Rooster lead him out to the others.

By this point, Maverick had cleaned up as well and had gathered any last-minute necessities they hadn't retrieved on their 'shopping' trip. Any food that had remained in the house, as well as medicines and utensils for cooking that would work over a campfire, were taken. He surreptitiously packed a family photograph for Ice. His friend was being very methodical and pushing his emotions down for the moment, but at some point, he knew Ice would want a memento of those he'd loved and lost. Mav wished he'd had photographs of Penny and Amelia, but since he didn't have them, he would make certain Ice had something.

Once they'd collected everything usable left in the house and stashed the remaining items in the truck, Ice retrieved one of the maps so that they could figure out which direction they should head in. "We're less likely to run into people along this route." He pointed it out to Mav.

"Less people, but also less chance of finding a cabin. We'll be living out of tents..." Mav sighed. "Luckily, we got the big type meant for long-term and winter camping. We can set one up for cooking and such and one for sleeping. Probably safer that way. If we survive the winter, we can look into moving to a different location if needed."

Jake swallowed. "We have a lot of blankets. The generators will let us use the space heaters and hot plate we got. As long as they continue to work, we should be fine."

Ice nodded. "We should hopefully get lucky and once the ferals are under control, our location won't be one they check for any survivors." He couldn't be certain, of course. But the man they'd met had been in control of his own mind...and in control of the infected. He thought it was likely things would start being organized eventually.

Rooster bit his lip. "At least we've got enough to prepare ourselves."

"How many infected have the ability to control the others, do you think?" Maverick asked quietly. "Maybe they can be reasoned with to protect those who aren't infected...." He didn't sound optimistic about that. He knew it was difficult for Ice to not give in to the urge to kill him and Rooster. He wasn't certain what made Ice different, but he was grateful his friend was able to withstand the urges.

Jake fidgeted and shifted closer to Rooster. Everything was catching up to him again and he just needed to be close. Maybe even snuggle. He couldn't do that until they were in the truck at the earliest.

"I don't know how many. I'm certain that the man in the town wasn't the only one there. But I don't think it's possible to reason with them," Ice admitted. "They might still be able to think and reason, but they're not who they once were. I don't know why I'm different."

Rooster wrapped his arms around Jake and hugged his mate, unable to help responding to the obvious need to be close.

"You always were stubborn when you felt you were right. And able to stay calm in the most stressful situations." Mav smiled. "It doesn't surprise me you are able to fight it." He noticed Jake. "If we have everything...." He could feel Jake's nervousness.

"I think we have everything. There's no reason to delay any longer." Ice noticed Jake's nervousness as well. "We should leave now." He headed towards the front door.

Rooster didn't let go of Jake, instead keeping in contact with him as he moved to follow Ice out.

Maverick brought up the rear, making sure that all lights were off, and the door was locked. Maybe they would return, maybe they wouldn't; maybe whatever had changed everyone would clear up, maybe it wouldn't- but if it did, it would be better if there was a barrier to keep intruders out of Ice's home.

Jake was pressing tight to Rooster, minutely shaking.

Mav handed Rooster a pillow and blanket he'd grabbed off the couch at the last minute. "Do what you have to do to calm him down," he ordered his godson quietly. "Whatever that is. We'll do our best to give you privacy."

Jake climbed up into the back of the cab. It wasn't exactly a sleeper cab, but there was enough room for two men. Or for one man to stretch out. Or even two men to stretch out, if they didn't mind being crammed together.

Ice quickly got into the front, waiting for everyone to settle in before he began driving the route they'd agreed on.

Rooster settled in the back with Jake, immediately reaching out to start stripping the other man...figuring skin on skin contact might help the most.

Maverick got in and shifted close enough to Ice to help and provide support without being in the way. He held a weapon to protect them all, just in case.

Jake was having enough difficulty, he didn't protest losing his clothing. As soon as he was naked, he was moving into Rooster's personal space, needing his mate to control and touch him.

Rooster didn't hesitate, reaching out and beginning to stroke Jake's arms and over his back and chest. His touch was possessive...protective...and he didn't hold back.

Maverick turned around just long enough to help cover Rooster and Jake with the blanket. "It will be colder when we get to the higher elevations," he said, before turning around again.

Jake snuggled close, nuzzling, and burrowing against Rooster. It felt like he couldn't get close enough, but Rooster's possessiveness was helping. 

Rooster kissed and cuddled Jake, holding him close. "I've got you," he whispered. "I'm not going to let you lose yourself."

Jake continued to snuggle close, eventually falling into a restless sleep.

Maverick reached over, placing a hand on Ice's thigh, wanting his friend to feel that he was there for him.

Ice's whole body was tense and on edge, but he relaxed a fraction when Mav touched him. "Thank you," he said quietly. "For pulling me back, as well. I nearly lost myself...."

"I'll always do what I can for you... Just like you do me," Mav said quietly, in a promise.

"I need that," Ice admitted quietly. "Without you, I don't think I'd have the strength to hold the darkness at bay."

Mav gently squeezed Ice's leg in response. "I..." He hesitated before continuing, "...I noticed it helped more when I acted submissive. Am I wrong about that?"

"No." The response was given in a soft voice, barely above a whisper. "You're not wrong about that."

Mav swallowed, thinking for a moment, not removing his hand from Ice's leg. "I've never been overly submissive, but I am capable of obeying. It might not come naturally, but submitting to you wasn't difficult. So... I'll keep being submissive. But if you need something specific from me, if there is something that would help you keep control, tell me...."

"It's difficult to know what might help, without experimenting," Ice said. "I didn't think you submitting would help until you did so, and it had an effect. But if I do discover anything else, I will let you know."

Maverick nodded before hesitantly glancing back at Rooster and Jake. "Rooster helps Jake keep control by taking control...and by physical connection. It seems it is similar, if different, with us. I'll do whatever it takes, though. I won't lose you... I can't lose you."

"I can't lose you either," Ice whispered honestly. "If anything happened to you, I think I'd lose myself and never be able to come back from it."

"So, we do whatever is necessary. And if it ever feels like we aren't doing enough, we do more..." Maverick said firmly.

"And hope that there's some way of putting our world back to normal." Ice placed his hand on top of Mav's and squeezed gently.

"We'll find it," Mav said with conviction. He waited a few moments more before taking a chance and scooting closer to Ice so that they were pressed against each other, shoulder to hip. Ice could still drive, but he would always feel Mav’s presence.

Ice sighed, relaxing even more at feeling Mav press against him. "That helps. A lot," he whispered, needing Mav to know that.

Mav smiled. "Seems we can learn a bit from the boys. Touch and closeness help Jake. I figured it might help you as well."

"Good call." Ice couldn't bring himself to smile, at least not yet, but he could and did press against Mav even closer.

Mav sighed softly, leaning into Ice, content to stay where he was till they reached their destination.