PLEASE READ THIS NOTE BEFORE STARTING!

Welcome! You read correctly! This is a zombie apocalypse AU!

A few warnings before we get started: This is rated M for explicit language, violence, torture, physical and emotional abuse, character death, sexual abuse, eventual sexual content, possible triggers, controversial topics, drug use, and adult situations.

As you can see, the zombie apocalypse can get quite messy. This is not a story for the lighthearted. The triggering content won't go into extreme detail, but I did want to put a warning.

In the beginning of chapters where there's either smut or a possible trigger, I will post a warning so you can choose if you want to read it, skim it, or skip it. (Keep in mind, it will be a while until either happen.)

If at any time you decide you don't want to continue reading this story then please don't feel any pressure from me to keep reading. I don't want to make anyone uncomfortable, so don't compromise your well-being for the sake of a story. That being said, I also want to say I will not change how I write this story. The main plot has already been decided. It's not meant to be a fluffy piece, but there will be good times shared here and there for our survivors and there will be a relatively happy ending.

I would also like to warn this is a 'slow burn' story! So keep that in mind while reading. This is a NALU story, but be warned, this will be a bumpy ride.

I do not own Fairy Tail, Hiro Mashima does! I only own this specific plot, and my OC's if I choose to create some. I'm only allowed to put two genres, but this will also contain quite a bit of angst and adventure. There is no updating schedule. I do not give anyone permission to repost any parts of this story anywhere. Please be respectful.

I sincerely hope you read all the warnings and didn't skip straight to the story, but if you did, good luck. Either way, enjoy!

Chapter One: Section Six

(October 4th, 2017, Wednesday Morning)

Flipping the page of his manga, Natsu read out loud, "'We just said that's the wrong name!'" He took a breath, changing the tone of his voice a bit. "'No, it's not! When I made him that shrine, Yato was so happy! He'd wanted it for so long! It can't be wrong!'"

Eyes flitting to the next page, Natsu continued. "'Or he wouldn't have cried like that...'"

He sighed, closing his manga and setting it beside him. He didn't need to turn the page to know what came next. Muttering, he recited the words from the next few pages because he had them memorized. "'Yaboku! Wheeeeew... Welcome back, Yato.'"

Green eyes shut as he leaned back on his mattress, staring up at the fluorescent lights that didn't work anymore. "This is so boring," he moaned to himself. He had read his tenth volume of 'Noragami' twenty, no... twenty-one times before today.

'If only I had the other volumes. Maybe then I wouldn't be so bored.'

Shifting against his bed and covers, he tried to get comfortable for a nap. However, the sound of a female's voice captured his attention. "If it's so boring, why do you keep reading it?"

Jolting, Natsu looked over towards the door to see one of his oldest friends, Erza Fernandes. Her long red hair was pulled back into a thick braid, brown eyes locked with his.

"It's still a good book," Natsu reasoned, sitting up on his mattress until his back pressed against the wall. "It was just better the first few times I read it. Now nothing's a surprise." Threading a hand through his spiky pink locks, he felt a few tangles towards the ends. He needed to run a comb through it later.

"It's a manga."

"Anyways..." Not wanting to lose the manga vs. book debate... again, he changed the subject. "What's up?" Looking over to the door, he found it propped open. He swore he closed it earlier so Happy couldn't escape. "Actually, when did you get here? I didn't hear the door open."

Walking over to him, Erza bent over to pull at a wire hanging by his face, effectively plucking the earbud from his ear. "Maybe that's because you have these in your ear." She pressed it to her ear to see what he was listening to, frowning when she realized there was nothing coming from it. Pulling on the cord, she saw his cellphone fall from his pocket. Nothing happened when she pressed the home screen button.

"It died a little bit ago."

"You didn't charge it?" she asked, setting the device back on his mattress.

Natsu shrugged before yawning. "I did, but then Asuka started crying this morning."

"Ah," Erza nodded, already understanding what happened. "Game or movie?"

"Movie." Natsu pulled the other earbud from his ear before wrapping it around his phone. "I mean I know 'Big Hero 6' is good, but how many times can she rewatch it?" The same question could be applied to Natsu and reading his manga, but he didn't touch that topic again.

Erza sat on the tile floor, looking towards the windows above the bookshelves. "Better than letting her watch your horror movies."

Natsu couldn't help but agree. He didn't want to give the girl nightmares, especially with the world as it was now. "True."

"Speaking of movies, I was wondering if you wanted to come over tonight. Jellal and I are having a movie night in our room."

Not having anything else going on tonight, Natsu nodded. "Sure. Which movie are you thinkin' of?"

"We're not sure yet. We were going to go through the DVD wallet they found last week and see if there's anything interesting. Is it okay if we borrow your car inverter?"

"Sure. It's on my bookcase on the top shelf." Natsu nodded towards the three bookcases. One was his, the other his roommates, and the third was vacant now. He tried not to think about it too much seeing as it upset him every time he did.

He watched Erza collect the item before he returned to her spot on the floor. The inverter would let her use a car's 12 volt socket to charge something. It wasn't strong enough to power up a toaster -Natsu had tried and failed, but it was perfect for charging a laptop.

Natsu tried relaxing on his mattress, but it wasn't as comfortable as the one he had back in his apartment. 'At least I'm not sleeping on the floor anymore,' he thought, relieved he had something to sleep on that didn't hurt his back.

Cocking his head in her direction, he saw she was still sitting there. To his knowledge, she was supposed to be at work. "So was that it?"

"Actually, no." Erza shook her head. "I almost forgot, they need you to go off base."

"What?" Springing up, he looked at her with wide eyes. "Why? It's my day off!"

Erza sighed, frowning. He could see the confliction in her eyes, knowing she hated when any of her friends left the base. "I know, but Max hasn't come back yet. He was supposed to be back yesterday."

Natsu's lips parted, stunned silent for a moment. "He didn't come back?"

"You didn't notice?" She glanced over to the other mattress in the room. "He's your roommate."

"Doesn't mean I know where he's at all the time," Natsu said, his tone defensive. He wasn't Max's keeper. "Besides, I just got off watch this morning. I assumed he already went to work."

Natsu had overnight duty last night, which meant he watched over the base from five in the afternoon until five in the morning. It involved making rounds to keep the perimeter secure from possible threats. By the time he went to duty last night Max still wasn't back yet, but he assumed he was running late, nothing more.

"You didn't notice he didn't come through the gate?" Erza asked, raising a brow.

"I assumed he came back while I was making one of my rounds." Natsu frowned, realizing he should have asked if anyone had seen Max come in. "Where'd he go?"

"Section six."

Natsu groaned, dragging a hand over his face. "That's like the worst one!" Standing up, he walked to his bookcase where his clothes and personal items sat. Eyes flitting to the dragon statue sitting on top, he admired it for a moment before getting to work.

"At least it doesn't have many undead," Erza pointed out, only for Natsu to huff.

"It also has no supplies left either. It's a waste of time to go there."

Section six was picked clean by their group a month ago. There was nothing left but straggling undead who happened upon that area after they cleared it out. "Why was he even going there?"

"If I was told correctly, they wanted to give him an easy area just in case he couldn't handle being a clearer."

Natsu nodded, understanding that logic. Max was a janitor here, the job assigned to him because he said he didn't feel comfortable leaving the base. Lately he'd been talking about becoming a clearer for more action. Advising him against it proved ineffective since Max never listened to him anyway.

"I shoulda gone with him for his first time."

Taking off his precious scarf, he started lifting his shirt. "Dumbass," he groused. Clearing wasn't so difficult when you had a partner who knew what they were doing. Natsu was good at it, but apparently Max couldn't wait the extra few days until he was ready. It was a simple job, but still dangerous.

A clearer left base for the better part of the day to kill zombies, making it easier for runners to go look for supplies. When all the undead were killed, the clearer would then move the corpses out of the way to make room for vehicles driving through. Sometimes they used the dead bodies to block areas where more undead might come from.

They had a few areas blocked off with bodies alone. It was gross and smelled horrible, but it was effective. Plus it helped cover the survivor's scent from the undead.

"What are you doing?" Erza asked when she saw him take off his jeans, leaving him in only a pair of black boxers and white socks.

Glancing back at her, he raised a brow. "I'm not goin' out there in my good clothes."

Erza looked at the torn red shirt Natsu folded. His definition of 'good' had dropped since the outbreak. Everyone's had.

Her eyes raked over the tan skin stretched over his firm muscles. Natsu was one of the lucky ones not as affected physically by everything going on around them. While most people started to lose muscle mass, he gained it.

Not only did he work out in his spare time, but he also went on a lot of runs. While off base, survivors were allowed to eat whatever they found to stay alive, whereas those on base had to stick with their rations. It was one of the perks runners had since they risked their lives every time they left the base to scavenge more supplies.

As Natsu put on his tennis shoes, Erza admired the tattoos on his body. She wished she had some for herself, but she had spent all her money on college and her wedding while Natsu used his money to pay for whatever he wanted.

On his right shoulder he wore a red fairy tattoo, matching their high school's mascot, the fighting fairies. He got that one after losing a bet to their other friend, Gray Fullbuster.

A large dragon covered Natsu's left shoulder blade and part of his back, while his right side held his biggest tattoo. Stretching from the top of his ribs down to his upper thigh, with only a small gap in between, adorned a red scaled tattoo. At first glance it looked like his skin had been ripped open, revealing realistic dragon scales under his flesh.

Erza remembered Natsu forking over all the money he saved up during his Junior and Senior year to afford it. He said it was worth it though, and she had to agree. After the outbreak her college credits were worth nothing, but he still had his tattoos.

At least her wedding to her best friend, Jellal, would stay a fond memory in her mind, something to think of when times got tough. Which lately, seemed to happen more often than not.

While Natsu put on his black cargo shorts, she noted the cuts and scars on his torso and arms, some healed but others were recovering. A nasty one in the shape of an 'X' on his hip was stitched, but it looked mostly healed.

"Don't bust your stitches open," Erza warned. "You know Grandeeney will kill you if she has to sew you up again."

"Yeah, yeah," Natsu groaned before folding up his scarf. It was supposed to be white, but the lack of a proper washer machine left the thing a little dingy. The rips in the material didn't help either, but he refused to have the 'laundry detail' touch his scarf. He could wash it and sew it on his own -whenever he got around to it.

Natsu grumbled to himself as he applied some deodorant. "And I just took a shower yesterday." Aggravated, he placed the cap back on the stick of deodorant a little too roughly. He knew he would sweat, making his weekly shower less effective.

"It's cold outside. You should wear pants," Erza said, then laughed when she saw him narrow his eyes at her.

"You know I don't get cold." Despite his words, he grabbed the black material with zippers around the top. Sliding them over his legs, he attached them to his cargo shorts to make them pants. "You're like a damn mom."

"I can't help it," Erza teased. "You and Gray act just like children."

"Hey," Natsu sneered. "Don't compare me to that stripping asshole!" He took his frustration out on Gray seeing as his absence made him an easy target.

"Sheesh! If he's your best friend and you talk about him like that, I'd hate to hear what you say about me."

Natsu mumbled under his breath exactly what Gray and him said behind her back many times, but when she asked him to repeat himself he shouted, "N-nothing!"

"That's what I thought." Erza stood up, heading for the door. "Well, I have to get back to work. Let me know if you find Max. I'd hate to see another friend go."

"Don't worry about it." Natsu secured his headlamp on his head, then shoved his cargo pockets with a wireless doorbell and remote, his keys, a lighter, and his damaged pack of cigarettes.

"I wish you'd quit." She disapproved of his smoking, but there wasn't much she could do when he was twenty years old. It was legal for him -even if legal rules didn't seem to apply anymore.

"You and me both," Natsu said before walking over to a small animal sleeping in the corner of the room. "I'll be back soon, Happy." Petting the blue feline, he smiled when the cat purred back at him. Looking at the empty food bowl, he frowned. "I'll find something you can eat today," he promised before standing back up.

Currently his cat, Happy, was eating whatever scraps Natsu could find. They'd already gone through all the local houses and picked them clean of cat food, leaving no more suitable food for his feline friend. It didn't help that Natsu wasn't the only one on base with a cat.

Glancing at the opened window of the classroom, he decided to leave it open in case Happy wanted to use the bathroom outside while he was gone. It allowed the cold air to drift into the room, but it was better than letting Happy piss or shit inside.

Popping a pill, he swallowed some water from his water bottle. He had horrible motion sickness, the medication soothing his stomach. If only he had more, seeing as he had a few left now.

By the time Natsu was ready to leave his room, Erza was already gone. Deciding he didn't want to bring his phone with him, he left it behind. Not only was it dead, it would be a distraction.

Distractions were the last thing he needed when off base.

After locking up the classroom, he turned on his headlamp so he could see where he was heading. The second floor was dim, the minimal light coming from the large window at the end of the hallway. He could use that light to guide his way, but his flashlight worked better.

Trying to leave the second floor without any attention proved impossible. Frowning, he heard a door open to reveal a pink haired woman smiling at him from across the hall.

"Hi Natsu," she said, her voice almost like a purr.

Natsu tried his best to not look uncomfortable. "Hi Sherry."

She leaned against the door, jutting her chest out. "When are you going to pay me a little visit?"

Natsu merely chuckled at the implied offer. "No thanks." The world might have gone to shit, but that didn't mean he wanted to give up his virginity to a random girl. "Sorry," he said, lacking an apologetic tone, "good luck!"

Before she had a chance to say anything, he started walking past her classroom and to the stairs leading to the first floor. Natsu sighed, glad he got through that one more time. She'd been propositioning him for a while now, but he said no every time. He didn't want to have sex for nothing. A lot of the survivors fucked to keep distracted from the world they now lived in, but that wasn't for Natsu.

He hoped Sherria, Sherry's little cousin didn't do that when she got older. She was fourteen, but he didn't know how long social norms would last with the world falling apart around them. As long as her and Wendy stayed away from that stuff he was happy. Those two were good girls, and he'd be damned if he saw them trying to pull the same stunt when they got older.

Walking down the hall of the first floor, he headed towards the arena. It was a new addition to Magnolia High, built two years ago for the school's basketball team. After the outbreak it was converted for more suitable means. Since it had the only electricity -generated by the solar panels on the roof- it was the perfect place to boil water for drinking and showering.

The 'kitchen detail' used it to make breakfast and dinners, but the area was also used for people to hang out during their days off. Being a runner most days, the thing Natsu associated the arena with the most was the processing station.

Before making his way outside, Natsu headed into the male's bathroom to take a leak. Once he finished relieving himself, he zipped up, then grabbed the bucket of rain water. One splash was enough to rinse his piss down the drains to avoid stinking up the place.

Females had to use more water to cause the toilet to properly flush. This was their alternative since they didn't have running water anymore.

Finished, Natsu left the bathroom to head to the side doors. He clicked his headlamp off as he exited the school.

Yes, their base was a school, Magnolia High to be exact.

It was an old building, used for over thirty years before the outbreak started. The main building didn't have power, but they made due with flashlights and lamps. Some people -like Natsu- used candles to keep their rooms bright at night when they needed to see, but he used his more for the smell.

Without running water, showers were scarce, meaning people smelled worse than before the outbreak.

It wasn't terrible. As long as everyone went to work when they were scheduled, they earned one ten-minute warm shower every week in the arena's locker rooms. It wasn't an actual shower. Camping showers did the trick well enough. Considering the alternative was living off base, it seemed like a fair trade.

Natsu walked the short distance from the school to the arena, gawking once again at the oversized building. It cost the school over ten million dollars to build it, but he felt they could have used that money to buy something more useful.

Like better school books or desks.

Natsu couldn't count how many times he opened a book to find dicks or foul language drawn all over the pages when he used to attend this school. Sure he loved sports, but they already had a nice gym. The arena was a waste of money.

Walking up the concrete stairs, Natsu entered the arena. He wasn't surprised to see people coming and going, enjoying their free time in the arena. He couldn't blame them since it had large windows to provide light and a lot of room to run around. Not to mention the large bleachers on both sides, giving people a place to sit and talk indoors without using flashlights.

They didn't turn on the regular lights since it would take too much electricity. Solar panels could only store so much. The only lights turned on in the arena were in the processing station, the weapons room, and the kitchen where the stoves and microwaves were set up. Luckily, the large windows in the arena provided enough natural light during the day.

Natsu headed straight for the weapons room, which used to be where the school-themed merchandise was sold. A guard patrolled the area, eyes on Natsu was he went to the window in the wall. Ignoring the guard's gaze, he rang the little bell, waiting until a short guy with a long pointy nose came up to help him. "Yes?"

"Natsu Dragneel. I need my knives."

Nobarly, a guy Natsu wished he didn't know, cocked his head. "Why'd you introduce yourself every time? I know who you are. We went to high school together for fuck's sake."

Barely holding back a groan, Natsu lied. "Just tryin' to follow protocol." He didn't want him to think they were in any way friends. Nobarly's crude sense of humor rubbed people the wrong way. Natsu told inappropriate jokes too, but his were a lot less offensive.

"Do you want both of them?" another guy asked, popping into the conversation.

Natsu nodded, thankful someone was doing their damn job. Nobarly turned, shouting, "Grab him a backpack too in case he finds something while he's out."

"No need!" Natsu hollered, hoping the other guy heard him. "I'm taking my truck." He pulled out his keys to show him in case he wanted visual representation as well.

Normally Natsu didn't take his truck, but he wanted to get this over with as soon as possible. It was his only day off this week, and he felt tired from the lack of sleep last night. He wanted to find Max as soon as possible, bring him home, then pass out until dinner time. His truck would make things go by a lot faster, even if he was pressing his luck with gas. He had about a third of a tank left, so he hoped he found Max quickly.

"Are you going to look for Max?" Nobarly asked, a slight smirk on his face. "I heard he didn't come back last night."

Eye twitching, he nodded. "Yeah." He hoped he could get his weapons soon, already getting a bad feeling crawling up his spine.

Nobarly shouted over his shoulder, "Hey! Grab him a tarp too!"

Natsu frowned, regretting his next question before he asked. "Why would I need a tarp?"

"It's for Max's body when you find him."

The frown on Natsu's face deepened as his eyebrows darted in. "Shut the hell up!" He gritted his teeth, barely holding back the urge to punch Nobarly in the face. "I'm finding him alive!"

"Sure," he snickered, making Natsu's stomach twist.

Before he could do anything, the other guy came back. He held out a belt with two knives attached, a tarp, and two cans of spray paint.

Accepting his belt, Natsu wrapped it around his hips and threaded it through two loops before securing it to his body. He took the two cans of spray paint, one black and one red, but hesitated when offered the tarp. As much as he wanted to find Max alive, he had to prepare for the possibility of not being so lucky.

He grabbed the tarp reluctantly, then scowled as he made his way out of the arena and towards the parking lot. A guard followed him until he made it to his truck, making sure Natsu didn't go anywhere he wasn't supposed to while carrying a weapon.

Weapons weren't allowed on base for safety reasons.

Unlocking his truck, his battery still working. Once a week he started it and drove around the parking lot. It was enough to keep the battery alive and the fuel from settling.

As Natsu started his truck, he looked up and over at the school. The school's flag waved from the flagpole. The symbol in the center was supposed to represent a fairy with a tail, but Natsu thought it looked more like a weird bird.

Magnolia High, home of the fighting fairies. The symbol was specifically called Fairy Tail, but most people couldn't get to that part, laughing too much that their mascot was a fairy. Their leader -the old principal- decided to name the base 'Fairy Tail' in honor of the symbol. Before Natsu was annoyed with his Fairy Tail tattoo on his shoulder, but now he liked it since it represented the base.

The guard kept his hands on his rifle as Natsu drove to the gate. He didn't pay him any mind, knowing he wouldn't get in trouble as long as he followed the rules. Driving to the gate, he waited until the gate guard opened it for him. Right now it was just a chain link fence, but they were working on reinforcing it with whatever they could find.

The gate hadn't seen any zombies in a few weeks, but that was due to the constant clearers they sent out every day to get rid of the approaching zombies. As long as everyone did their part, the base would stay safe.

Natsu drove down the spray painted roads, heading towards section six. He decided to listen to music for the time being. If he kept it low enough he would stay alert, not that it was really necessary.

The streets were dead, literally.

Cracking a window, Natsu lit a cigarette. Groaning, he saw he only had two left. He used to smoke half a pack a day, but now he was forced to use them sparingly. Trying to quit left him moody and restless, so he smoked when he could.

Inhaling deeply, he filled his lungs with smoke before blowing it towards the window. Lung cancer was the least of his worries now, not when there were other things trying to kill him. For his sake, he hoped the only undead he might face would be walkers. He didn't know if he had the energy to face a sprinter.

Or worse, multiple sprinters.

Shivering at the thought, Natsu turned down a street that went specifically to the center of section six. If he wanted to find Max, that was the best place to start looking. He drove for a couple of miles, seeing houses and littered streets. There were bodies laying on the ground, but most had their heads smashed in.

That was the best way to kill a zombie. The movies got it right, it was a headshot. Any severe damage to the brain or brain stem would permanently kill them. Natsu didn't have a gun, so he used his two military issued Ka-Bars.

He got them from his dad as a present for enlisting, but Natsu never got the chance to leave for boot camp. His ship date was a week after the outbreak, so he never got the chance to try to serve his country like his father did.

Natsu wanted a gun, but they wouldn't give him one. They asked him one simple question, and he answered wrong. Apparently saying 'no' to 'have you ever fired a gun before?' was the wrong thing to say. The leaders at the base wanted to keep the firearms in the hands of those who actually knew how to use them. Since ammo was precious, they didn't want to spend the time teaching someone how to shoot.

After a while, Natsu accepted the decision. He'd never fired one before, and he didn't want to waste ammo. For now his knives were enough, especially since they had kept him alive so far.

Natsu's heart beat a little faster when he got his first clue to Max's whereabouts. In the middle of a street there was a backpack. Seeing two cans of spray paint next to the backpack, Natsu knew it belonged to someone from Fairy Tail.

"Shit," Natsu cursed, parking the truck. He climbed out to inspect the bag. It had a flashlight and pack of matches inside, but no weapon. He sighed, hoping that was a good sign. If Max could defend himself he should be fine.

Natsu tossed the backpack in the passenger seat, then glanced around. All the houses in the neighborhood had red X's on the doors. That was part of Fairy Tail's system. A red X meant the house was tapped out of supplies, but a black circle meant zombies were trapped inside. If a door had both, it meant just how it sounded, no supplies, but zombies inside.

Natsu only saw red, so he felt relieved. Walking around, Natsu listened for anything that could be useful. He heard birds chirping and the wind brushing against the trees, but he didn't hear a person or zombie.

He looked around houses, checking inside a few. Luck didn't seem to be on his side. Tall grass brushed against his legs as he continued his search. After twenty minutes, he found something promising.

Near the edge of the neighborhood, the street turned into a dirt road. Section six was in the urban part of Magnolia, meaning less people and less supplies. A few feet into the dirt road, Natsu noticed two things.

Drops of blood and footprints.

Multiple sets of footprints.

Natsu cringed when he realized Max might have found some undead after all. He raced back to his truck. Climbing inside, he started it up to head down the dirt road, taking note of the black line spray painted across the path.

A black line meant that was as far as the survivors went, anything beyond that was a mystery.

Gulping, Natsu hoped he wasn't being led into trouble. He had one goal in mind: Get Max. However, he didn't know how successful he would be after he started driving towards the unknown.

Hello again! So, what'd you think? Was this too much information to absorb at once? Thank you for reading, and I hope you follow to get further updates! I'm sure some of you are wondering where Lucy is. Don't worry, she pops up soon. Also, the 'arena' is loosely based off something my old school did after I graduated, but I obviously can't reveal which school it was for privacy reasons.

Thank you Tenma360Warrior for letting me bounce ideas off you! It was such a big help, so thank you! If anyone has any suggestions for the zombie apocalypse feel free to share them! I hope you enjoy this new adventure with me. Once again, please let me know what you think so far. :)

There is no updating schedule because it takes me a while to write these chapters. I have another long multi-chapter story I'm writing (Fairy Tail GO!, which is my priority), as well as various one-shots and shorter multi-chapter stories in the works. Please be patient with me as I write this story since updates will take longer than usual. Your feedback is welcomed! As well as constructive criticism!

Up next, Chapter Two: What's in the basement?