Infatuated Infected 4 (End)

"Kay-den?" Douglas called as he slipped through an open window.

"In here, babe." Kaden called from another room. Douglas grinned and headed toward the voice.

Kaden was rummaging around in a bedroom. "What do-ing?" Douglas grunted with some effort. He was still learning this whole 'talking' thing Kaden had insisted on trying to teach him.

"Looking for anything useful." Kaden replied while pulling things out of a drawer next to the bed. He paused when something started buzzing, then dropped whatever he was holding and slammed with drawer with a yell of "Sick!" He quickly stood and turned to Douglas, "Time to go."

Douglas tilted his head, "Why? What?"

"Because. Let's go." Kaden coughed and walked out the door and into the hallway, Douglas following close behind.

They went into the den next. Douglas made himself a place on the couch while Kaden began going through drawers.

They had been traveling for several days now, breaking into random houses to look for supplies or to rest. Along the way, Kaden had been teaching him to speak and they'd made two new friends.

Douglas didn't bat an eye when he heard someone stumble into the house, crying. Cedric wandered into the living room and plopped down on the couch next to Douglas, face buried in his clawed hands, sobbing. The Hunter placed a comforting hand on his shoulder, which didn't stop the crying.

"Where's Hector?" Kaden asked as he passed by the couch and went into the kitchen.

"I don't knoooooowww!!" The male Witch howled.

As if on cue, the cackling Screamer haphazardly wandered into the den and stopped infront of the Witch. Cedric looked up and was slightly surprised when a small and rough-looking bouquet of flowers was thrust in his face.

"Flowers!" Hector proclaimed proudly, grinning from ear to ear like the madman he was. Cedric sniffled and took them from him, examining them with his full attention before giving the Screamer a small smile. Hector quickly sat down next to his friend and tossed an arm over his shoulders, pulling him close.

Not liking how crowded the couch had suddenly become, Douglas swiftly moved to the recliner.

Douglas had thought the two were an odd pair since he'd first met them. A Screamer and a Witch? How on Earth did that work?

Cedric was the only male Witch anyone knew of. His short blonde hair was darker than a normal Witch's and his white T-shirt and denim shorts were badly shredded.

Hector was the only Screamer they'd ever met, though he claimed he knew several others. Cedric had cut the sleeves of his straight jacket for him so that he could use his arms. His long black hair, crooked teeth and strange demeanor made Douglas nervous.

Cedric liked to sit in silent places, while Hector was always making noise or being crazy.

Yet, they made it work.

"Okay, let's get outta here." Kaden announced as he exited the kitchen and headed for the entrance. Douglas quickly followed, along with the others.

***

"Sugar!" Hector announced loudly as he sat down infront of Cedric, a box of sugar in one hand and a spoon in the other. It was a little known fact that Witches greatly enjoyed sugar* so the Screamer often went to find some for Cedric.

Cedric smiled slightly as Hector held out a spoonful of sugar for him to eat.

Kaden and Douglas watched from across the small fire they'd built for light. They were camped out on the outskirts of town, awaiting daylight before traveling further into the wasteland the area had become.

"So sweet you could puke, huh?" Kaden snickered, referring to the scene before them. Douglas chuckled in agreement. He watched as the Smoker coughed and laid down and quickly curled up with him.

Hector glanced around suspiciously as Cedric ate another spoonful. He looked back long enough to scoop up more and hold it out to his boyfriend before going back to scanning the black landscape.

Some would call him paranoid, but he was just careful. Very careful.

Had to protect himself.

Had to protect Cedric.

The healthy people would get them if he wasn't careful.

Had to watch. Had to make sure no one was watching them, trying to kill them.

A noise made him snap his head around in a different direction, body tense and ears sharpened to listen closely. Cedric lightly tapped his arm, "Hector?"

The Screamer turned, his attention now drawn to the Witch. "Hm?"

"Hector, there's no one out there." Cedric whispered, "No one's going to hurt us here."

"Hafta be careful." Hector said, voice wavering with his mania, "Can't let your guard down. That's how they getcha. That's how Jacob went. And Vaughn. Can't let them get close. Can't let them get you." His eyes were moving back and forth quickly, paranoia setting in.

Cedric whimpered and let out a soft sob, pulling Hector's attention back to him. The dark-haired man set the sugar and spoon aside and pulled the Witch into his lap. "I'm sorry." He whispered, aware of the fact that his extreme mania often upset the younger boy.

"It's alright." Cedric whimpered, burying his face in the Screamer's neck.

Hector shifted into a more comfortable position and allowed the blonde to fall asleep in his arms.
He did not join him in sleep. Instead, he held him protectively and obsessively scanned the area the whole night.

***

It took two days to get to the next town. Kaden broke into the first house and began rummaging while Cedric sat on the couch and cried. Hector and Douglas searched for survivors and other special infected. Hector's paranoia and OCD wouldn't let him stay in a town he hadn't thoroughly searched and Douglas enjoyed the hunt.

Hours later, Hector followed Douglas as he sniffed out Kaden and Cedric. He found them in a simple and not badly damaged house near the middle of town. Hector immediately began comforting Cedric while Douglas looked for Kaden.

He found him sitting on the floor in a bedroom, deep in thought. He sat down beside him and nuzzled his shoulder. Kaden smiled and reached up to tug the Hunter's hood down and kiss him.

Douglas hummed in appreciation and crawled into Kaden's lap.

It wasn't long before the Smoker spaced out again. Douglas tilted his head, "What's wrong?"

Kaden shrugged and coughed. "I was just thinking."

Douglas frowned. Kaden 'just thinking' was always bad. "About?"

"Just... Is there anyone living left? If there are, will they be able to cure this? What if we can't be cured? If we stop existing, where will we go? Is there an afterlife? Are we allowed there? What if we don't 'die'? Will we just exist forever, or will we eventually rot away or something? How much longer do we have? Will we-" He was silenced when Douglas pressed their lips together.

The kiss seemed to last forever, but they eventually parted. Kaden grinned shyly, "Sorry. I know you hate it when I do that." Douglas smiled and pecked him on the lips again, "Secks?"

"Hell yeah!" The Smoker said excitedly before coughing several times. The Hunter chuckled and got out of his lap, getting onto the bed instead. Kaden stood and left the room as his lover undressed, going into the den to find their companions.

When he walked in, both were sitting on the couch, Cedric in Hector's lap and reading a book out loud. They looked up when they heard him.

"I can't read." Hector said, as if the scene required explanation, "So he's reading it for me."

"Cool. Douglas and I will be busy in the bedroom, so don't come running in there, okay?"

It was a little awkward telling other people what he and Douglas did in private, but they had learned the hard way that if Hector didn't know what a noise was, he was going to panic and figure it out his way, even if that meant breaking down a locked bedroom door.

Both nodded and went back to the book as Kaden headed back to his waiting lover.

Hector stayed calm and quiet as he listened to Cedric's soothing voice read. He'd always liked his voice. He'd always liked Cedric. Ever since he saw the small Witch crying outside of the Sugar Mill, he'd wanted to stay close to him, to protect him as best he could, even though he knew he couldn't exactly fight on his own, his only strength being his ability to summon the horde, and the Witch was much more dangerous. Still, that didn't stop him from constantly being on guard, watching for anything that might pose a threat.

"Cedric?" Hector interrupted suddenly. The Witch stopped mid-sentence and looked up at the Screamer, "Yes?"

"I love you."

Cedric smiled brightly, "I love you too."