Unleashed - Apocalyptic Friendlypack AU

"I know my way around the city way more than you do, Stan. I should go". Jimmy said in a firm voice as he made his way towards the front door.

Stan grabbed Jimmy's wrist and pulled him back "You barely made it to my apartment last week! Going out there alone is s-suicide!" He protested desperately.

It had been a full seven days since this all started, and people have been calling it an "apocalypse"; the virus had already spread to 22 states. Stan and Jimmy had been cooped up in the apartments for the whole week, and were dangerously low on food. For the past 20 minutes, the two had been arguing over who should be the one to go get supplies.

"Would you rather starve in here?" Jimmy questioned as he whipped around to face Stan.

"No... I-I think we should both go".

"Stan, what would be the point if we both died out there?".

The blond water salesman frowned and crossed his arms "If we both go out there, we'd be able to do more and get more. If we both died out there, it would basically be the same as if only one of us did! If one of us left and died, the other would still have to go out anyway. It's best if we just go together".

Jimmy inhaled slowly through his nose and then exhaled deeply out his mouth, realizing Stan had a point "Fine. Just stay close, alright? Don't let anything bite you, and don't be afraid to use your knife". Stan nodded and patted his fanny pack with a smile, indicating that his knife was being kept there. Jimmy sighed "if only there were ever a judge in town, maybe then we'd have some guns".

"We should be fine if we stay together" Stan encouraged as Jimmy prepared to open the door.

"I hope so" he said after grabbing the doorknob and pulling it open.

-----

Going outside was always dangerous; you never knew when an infected person, or a group of them, would speed out of an alleyway and attack. The virus would give people an insatiable hunger, and would hinder their ability to recognize loved ones. "Zombie" was the best term to describe a victim of the virus.

This was the first time Stan and Jimmy were leaving the apartment since the outbreak, so needless to say, they were pretty weary. Jimmy stepped out first, and Stan followed. They cautiously looked around the area, and very quietly snuck down to their car. Thankfully, they made it there without issue. The two survivors buckled their seatbelts and drove down to the nearest grocery store, which was only a few minutes away. They observed the outside world as they drove, and Los Santos looked even worse than usual.

Every now and then, they'd see a corpse being eaten on the sidewalk or a few zombies wandering aimlessly. Stan bit his lip and felt tears coat his eyes. He turned his head away and hid his face with his hand. Jimmy looked at Stan with sad eyes. Normally, he'd tease his friend and make fun of him for not being able to handle the horrors of the city, but this was a different kind of horror. Not even Jimmy, who's committed many horrible crimes, could bare to see what was just outside his car doors.

Jimmy parked his car after a relatively short drive and gently tapped Stan on the shoulder, who was still shielding his eyes "C'mon, Stan. We're here. We need to be quick".

Stan shuffled uncomfortably in his seat, the full gravity of the situation really hitting him "Okay".

Knowing they needed to be as stealthy as possible, the two anxious friends kept their mouths shut. They slowly entered the abandoned store and kept watch of their surroundings, being ready for an attack at any angle and at any moment.

"Okay. Grab as much as you can. We need to get back as soon as possible" Jimmy whispered in instruction.

Stan just nodded and snuck to the other direction, knowing they'd cover more ground if they spilt up.

Surprisingly, they were able to gather a good amount of food in a good amount of time without getting into any danger. Their luck, however, would soon run out.

Jimmy turned the corner into the next and final isle, instantly regretting that decision and stumbling back on his feet when he saw an infected woman. She was shorter, had unkempt brown hair that was speckled with dried blood, and was just standing there. She sniffed the air, and as soon as she saw Jimmy, she omitted a furious roar.

Stan nearly jumped out of his skin, almost dropping his bag of collected food from the sudden noise. He was on the other side of the store and quickly freaked out. Before he could do anything though, Jimmy sped towards him and grabbed his arm, frantically pulling him along as he ran "TIME TO GO, STAN".

Panicked for their lives, the two dashed out of the store and made it to their car. Jimmy yanked the driver's side door open, but paused when he saw the zombie attack Stan and pin him against the car. Stan reacted quickly and swiped his blade across her neck, causing her to flinch and jump backwards, her pasty-white neck gushing blood, which painted Stan's face.

Seeing he was alright, albeit covered in blood, Jimmy got into the car, hurried his seatbelt on, and drove out of the parking lot after Stan buckled in. Stan looked back out the rear window, seeing the infected woman with the slashed neck still chasing them. How was she not dead?  Eventually, she gave up, and Jimmy just continued to drive.

It took a moment for them to realize, but both men were breathing heavily "You alright, Stan?".

The car reeked of a metallic odor, which undoubtedly came from the blood splattered across his face "I-I'm alright..." He muttered as he shakily wiped some of the blood off. Clearly, he wasn't alright.

Jimmy sighed "I'll help ya get that stuff off when we get back, okay? Just sit tight for now".

"Okay. Th-Thanks Jimmy".

"Yeah. No problem".

------

"I think you're just going to have to take a shower, Stan. I can't get this stuff off" Jimmy said as he tried to clean the blood from Stan's face with a semi-wet towel. It proved to be too difficult.

Stan nodded with a sigh "Okay".

"She didn't get you, did she? No bites, right?".

"No bites" Stan said honestly and firmly.

"Good. I think we should always be honest about that".

Stan nodded yet again and stood up, "Mhm, I agree. ...um, I'll try to take a quick shower".

"M'kay" Jimmy replied simply as Stan walked into the bathroom and closed the door behind himself.

Now alone, the friendly drug dealer looked over to the front door and sighed, not really wanting to stay in this small space any longer. For one full week, he and Stan were stuck in the small apartment, and Jimmy was sick of it. "Adrenaline-Junkie" was the perfect way to describe Jimmy, and going outside was the best way to get that fix.

Knowing Stan would hate it, Jimmy snuck out of the apartment, wanting to have a quick smoke and find something to do.