The sunlight shone down through the leaves in the trees, bringing Blaine back to consciousness. He blinked a few times, adjusting to the light, and ran his fingers through his hair. The curls had escaped from the gel that had previously held them down, and there were now a few twigs stuck in amongst them. Well, that's what I get for sleeping on the ground, I guess, he thought.

He had spent all of yesterday running, fearing for his life. This whole situation felt so unreal, it was almost as if he was just dreaming. The scratches on his legs said otherwise. The cuts were now stinging painfully, letting Blaine know that what he was experiencing was most definitely real. The wound had stopped bleeding, and had scabbed over. It didn't look particularly dangerous.

But what unsettled Blaine the most was how he got it.

He climbed up the nearest tree, just to be safe, and let the events of the last few days replay in his mind for what must have been the hundredth time...

"Coop?" Blaine knocked on his brother's door yet again. He was becoming more worried with each passing second. "Cooper!"

His brother had been particularly distraught this week, and Blaine didn't blame him. Cooper's been spending most of his time in the hospital with his girlfriend of five years, Sarah, who had been getting a new treatment to fight against her cancer.

Sarah had been diagnosed with breast cancer 10 months ago, and had since endured surgery after surgery, and excessive amounts of radiation and chemotherapy. None had worked. Cooper had become a shell of himself, but that didn't keep him from supporting his girlfriend through the whole ordeal.

It was a month since a researcher from the AACR had confidentially approached the couple and reported that they thought a cure had been found. They were going to make it available to anyone who requested it, but they had first needed a few people to test it on.

Sarah had been one of them.

She was elated, but Cooper had been worried to death. Sarah was not a test subject, and he didn't want her to be treated like one. But after the two had sat down for a long talk, they decided that maybe she should take the opportunity. After all, it could work and then they could live their lives as planned.

Sarah began getting the treatment, and after two weeks the amount of cancer cells appeared to be shrinking. The cure was deemed a success, and became available to use worldwide.

Cooper had just come back from visiting Sarah in the hospital, and Blaine was waiting to hear the news. Unfortunately, this didn't seem like it was going to happen any time soon, because Cooper was refusing to answer his damn door.

 "Coop? Are you okay?"

The door opened, just a crack, and Cooper's eye peered out from behind it. It looked bloodshot and panicked.

"Blaine? Are you alone?"

Blaine looked back at his brother with a look of confusion on his face. "Uh, yeah? Why-"

"Shh! Lower your voice. Have you been outside yet today? Talked to anybody?"

"No, Coop. Is this a joke?"

"Just come in."

The door opened a little further, just enough for Blaine to step inside. As soon as he made it inside the room, Cooper shut the door and locked it.

"What's going on? Is it Sarah? Is she okay?" Blaine's mind started jumping to the worst possible solutions.

"It is Sarah. She...she's not well." Cooper walked to his closet and began taking out clothes. He stuffed them into the open duffle bag on his bed.

Blaine's eyes widened with alarm.

"Cooper! You're not running away are you? I know you're upset about Sarah but you can't-"

"I'm not running away Blaine!" Then he added, in a much quieter voice, "...You are."

"Coop, what the hell is going on?"

"Shh! Don't raise your voice like that. Just let me explain..."

Cooper led his brother over to the bed, and began to talk in a rushed voice.

"Look, B, I don't have much time to explain this, so please don't interrupt. When I went to see Sarah, she wasn't in her room. They had her contained with a few others in this big locked room."

Blaine gasped. "Coop, that's horrible! Why-"

"Shut up! I said no interrupting. Anyway, I started screaming at the doctors. I was mad as hell. They said that the researcher had come back; you know, the one who talked to us about the cure? He brought a bunch of statistics with him. They all showed that the treatment had backfired on all the patients; their cells were started to grow back, even more than before. Only now, they weren't even cancer."

"These cells were stronger, reinforced versions. It's a whole new disease, and it's contagious. Apparently, the only way it can be caught is through transfer of bodily fluids, like blood and saliva and stuff. That's why I asked if you had interacted with anyone today."

Cooper took a shaky breath. "Over five million people were treated, B. And then those people spread the disease to others. They don't know how many people have it now, but it's estimated to be a little less than half the earth's population. And it's only been three and a half weeks."

"Not everyone was strong enough to handle it. Those that weren't died within the next few days. Those that were... Well, they've changed. They're not exactly human anymore. I mean, they're still in the same bodies, but they're mindless. Barbaric. They...they've turned into this sort of cannibal race, Blaine. They don't know what they're doing, they just slaughter. That's what happened to Sarah. She's...not Sarah anymore."

Blaine just stared at him, stunned. How was this happening? Why was this happening? He was only nineteen; he wasn't ready to face this. What if someone close to him catches this disease?

And then it dawned on him. What if someone close to him already did?

"Coop! Oh my god. Did you-"

Cooper looked up at him, tears in his eyes. "I kissed her, Blaine. I didn't even care that I would turn into this sort of zombie. I have to be with her. I just love her so much. I don't care what she is, all I know is that I love her."

The tears threatening to fall from Blaine's eyes finally did. He didn't want to be brave anymore, he just wanted to curl up and cry into his brother's shoulder like he did every other time something had upset him. But this wasn't like some bully beating him up, or his parents making him feel hopeless. This was something that neither of them could fight.

Cooper began to talk again, his throat raspy from crying. "That's why you need to run away Blaine. I have enough stuff packed to keep you going for a little while. Medicine, a first aid kit, water, canned food, a can opener, some cooking supplies, lots of warm and waterproof clothes, soap, a lighter and matches. There are a few weapons there, in case you need to use them. I packed dad's hunting knife and rifle."

Blaine coughed, but nodded. "What about mom and dad, Coop? What about you?"

"Mom and dad don't matter right now, okay? They're adults, they can fend for themselves. You worry about you." Cooper took a deep breath. "And as for me, well..." He glanced towards their father's smaller gun that was laid out on his bed.

"Cooper, no! You... you can't! I need you." Blaine's voice cracked and the tears began to flow even stronger.

Coop began to cry as well. "I have to, B. I can't risk it; I'll end up hurting someone. And I know this sounds ridiculous and selfish, but I don't want to live if I can't have Sarah. I feel incomplete. Like half of my soul is missing."

Blaine never really understood the way Cooper and Sarah loved each other. It was almost as if they were actually the same person, just separated into different bodies. He always hoped he would find someone who he could love like that, but now he doesn't know if he'll ever be able to.

But right now, Blaine had to focus on being brave for his brother. "Cooper. I-I love you. I really don't know what else to say right now, just... thank you. For everything. I honestly don't think I'd even be here right now if it wasn't for you."

Cooper bit his lip. "I really want to hug you right now, but I can't. I'm too afraid. You have to live. That's the only thought that comforts me, you know. The thought of you growing up, strong and healthy, married to the guy of your dreams."

Blaine closed his eyes and broke down into another fit of sobs. He reached out to touch his brother but Cooper slapped his hand away.

When Blaine looked up at him, he saw Cooper staring off into the distance, his body convulsing violently.

"Blaine, run. Just, get out of here, I-I think it's-"

"Coop!"

"Find somewhere to stay. Make sure you're alone. Don't trust anyone. And stay safe. Courage, Blaine, remember that?" Cooper's eyes rolled back into his head and his hand reached for the gun. "I-I love y-"

Cooper didn't seem to be able to talk anymore, but he kept gesturing for Blaine to get out. Blaine grabbed the bag and turned to run downstairs, tears still running down his face. He reached out to Cooper one more time, but his brother turned to him with an angry, empty look in his eyes. Blaine just stood there, shocked by the change in his brother.

Suddenly, Cooper lashed out at Blaine, growling. Blaine tried to push him off, but Cooper latched on to his leg, leaving deep scratches in his flesh. Blaine screamed, dropping the bag and instead using his hands to grab his brother by the hair and pull him off his leg. Without another second's hesitation, Blaine scooped up the bag and ran down the stairs.

 He hastily grabbed his jacket and shoved on his shoes. As he was running out of the house and shutting the door behind him, he heard the gun shot and knew that it was over.

Except it wasn't over. Not for Blaine. Never for Blaine.

He kept on running. He was trying to focus on the best place to stay, and he decided that he should try to get out of the city.

By the time he made it to the outskirts of Westerville, he had a throbbing headache and his legs felt like they were going to give out from underneath him. But the extra rush of adrenaline helped him to keep running.

It was dark when Blaine reached the small wooded area. Figuring he was concealed, he dropped down on the leaf-covered ground and finally gave himself a chance to rest. His tongue was dry, and he figured that he was dehydrated.

Blaine opened up his bag, and rummaged around looking for water. He could look through it more thoroughly tomorrow. After taking a few big gulps of water, Blaine let himself collapse against the ground and fall asleep.

 Blaine found another tear making its way down his cheek as he remembered what had happened to Cooper. He swiftly brushed it away with the sleeve of his jacket.

Time to suck it up, Blaine. This is life now. Deal with it.

 Blaine shook his head to clear his thoughts. Maybe it was a good idea to go through the bag and see what was in it.

Blaine climbed down from the branch he was sitting on, and took a few long looks around to make sure he was still alone. He was.

He retrieved his bag from where he had hidden it inside a flowering bush. Pulling back the zipper, he reached his hand in and pulled out the first object inside.

His father's rifle.

Blaine stroked his hand across the smooth gun, admiring it. This, he thought, could be the very thing that keeps me alive.

When he looked into the bag again, he was relieved to see that Cooper had also packed a bunch of extra bullets. At least Blaine had something to protect himself with, even if he didn't know how to use it. There would be plenty of time to practice later.

Blaine reached in again, and one by one he took out every item from the duffle bag and examined it. Like Cooper had said, the bag had been stuffed to the brim with everything that would help Blaine to survive for the next little while. He would have to restock eventually, but right now that was the least of his worries.

Amongst the various cooking and medical supplies, Blaine had also found a folded up piece of tarp, and a few extra bags. He looked towards his supplies and let out a sigh of relief. He didn't know where he'd be without Cooper.

A pang of sadness echoed in Blaine's heart when he realized that Cooper was gone. His older brother had been the most constant thing in Blaine's life, and now he was going to have to give that up. He knew that it was going to take a lot to get over it.

Blaine packed everything neatly into the bag and put it up into the tree, leaving out a bar of soap and an old woollen cardigan that he was going to have to use for a towel. He had passed a river on the way here, only a little while back in the woods. He could hear the running water from where he sat.

Maybe a bath will do me good. Blaine thought as he took off towards the direction of the river. He hoped that the water would be able to wash away both the grime covering his body and his troubles.

He thought only one thing when he heard the rustling and groaning sound coming from the bushes behind him.

I'm screwed.