The Move RPS: The Disturbance [Zombie AU]

[wolfanfics]

Title: The Disturbance
Author: Sashataakheru
Fandom: The Move RPS
Starring: FtM!Bev Bevan, FtM!Chris ‘Ace’ Kefford, Trevor Burton, Carl Wayne, Roy Wood
Pairings: Bev Bevan/Ace Kefford, Roy Wood/Bev Bevan
Word Count: 3,679
Warnings: sex, zombies, and implied character death
Rating: FRAO
Disclaimer: Not true in any way, shape or form.
Author’s Notes: This was my second version of my lgbtfest fic, which, while starting out okay, just turned into a zombie AU. Consider this a tribute to When Muses Go Bad. Or something. XD
Summary: It's late 1967, and The Move are in the middle of a package tour with Jimi Hendrix and Pink Floyd, amongst a host of other bands. Arriving in Cardiff for yet another show, nothing seems out of place until later on in the evening, when the clouds turn ugly and things go very, very wrong.


The Disturbance
November 23rd, 1967, Cardiff Castle, Cardiff, Wales
The coach lurched to a halt, and Roy found himself jolted awake. With the curtains drawn in the coach to allow hung over musicians to sleep, they could've been anywhere. Taking a moment to wake up, he gingerly pushed the curtain aside to see where they might be. He saw a high stone wall. Looking up further, he saw turrets. Had they arrived at some sort of castle? Since when were they gigging at some castle?

He couldn't remember when that particular decision had been made, and with no answer forthcoming, he let the curtain fall back again and curled up against the seat. Getting up would mean going outside. In the sunshine, or what counted as sunshine at this time of year. It seemed a bit much right at that very moment.

Then someone threw a cushion at him. Sitting up properly, he looked around to see who might've thrown it. Bev was sat a couple of rows down from him on the other side of the coach, and Roy thought he looked far too cheerful.

"Alright, alright, I'm awake. Where are we anyway? Camelot?"

"Bloody Wales, that's where. Get off your arse. We're late and we've got things to do," Bev said.

"Wales, eh? Close enough then," Roy said as he got up.

Outside wasn't much better. It might've been cold and dreary, but all that light hardly helped Roy's mood. He wasn't awake enough to see the puddle on the footpath in front of the coach and stepped right into it, much to everyone else's amusement.

He stood there a moment, shocked by the freezing water, before stepping out of the puddle, shaking the water off as best he could. He'd have to change. Like it was going to dry in this weather. “That right there? Not what I needed right now.”

Bev, who had been standing in the doorway of the coach, made a show of avoiding the puddle as he jumped over it and landed beside Roy. He clapped him round the shoulders and ruffled his hair. Roy brushed him off playfully, trying not to get too agitated.

"Someone had to get you up. Be thankful it wasn't Carl. Come on, we got gear to haul.”


The stage had already been constructed in front of the castle by some industrious unknowns, which made the job of setting up a lot simpler. Roy had forgotten quite when they'd decided this particular gig was being played in the middle of an old castle, especially as they'd toned down their act somewhat to make it more appealing to the stoners and hippies that had turned up so far, but he figured Secunda had his reasons, seeing some of the smoke machines and other equipment being tested. It looked like it would be an epic show at any rate, if the sight of Carl lingering by the stage with that infamous axe by his side was anything to go by. Shit. Roy hadn't seen that axe for six months, and thought he'd never see it again. Things were going to get crazy.

They were barely halfway through the tour and already Roy was tired. He wasn't surprised he'd lost track of where they were. Life on the road so far consisted of getting to the venue, doing the two gigs, finding a pub, getting trashed, and staggering back to the coaches. And if the coaches weren't there, then there was a frantic search for a bus while hoping someone remembered where they were supposed to be heading. It was like one long hangover with small moments of respite. Perhaps he should stop drinking.


An hour later, Roy finally found a moment to slip away to change his now stiff and damp trousers. Rummaging around in his case, he found a pair he'd only worn twice. Slipping his trousers off, he hung them over the back of the nearest seat. Glancing down at his shoes, he realised he'd have to change them as well. They'd need to be cleaned properly before he wore them again, though he wasn't sure when he'd find the time, at least not until they'd finished this current run of shows and got a few days off.

As he straightened, pulling his clean trousers up, a pair of arms closed around his waist. Roy glanced over his shoulder to see Bev smiling down at him.

"I see I've caught you with your trousers down," Bev said, leaning in to whisper in his ear.

"Not now, later, after the shows," Roy protested as Bev began pressing soft kisses to the back of his neck.

Bev turned him round and kissed him, a hand slipping inside his trousers. Roy thought about stopping him, but it was hardly unpleasant. Being barefoot, however, made Roy feel even shorter than normal. Bev towered over him anyway, but that was hardly the point.

"You slept through Stonehenge, you know," Bev said almost cheerfully.

Roy gave him a confused look. "Wait. We stopped at Stonehenge? Why did we stop at Stonehenge?"

Bev didn't reply immediately; he was busy shifting Roy to the back of the coach. Sprawling on the back seat, he pulled Roy down on top of him and kissed him again.

"Yeah, 'sposed to be a shortcut or something, and some of the boys wanted to stop by anyway. There were some druids there dancing around a fire. It was awesome. Said we're free to join them later tonight once the gig's over. They're doing some sort of healing ritual in the old Keep."

Bev was always amused at how much he had to encourage Roy to do anything with him. Roy was always so hesitant but in an adorably sweet manner. Roy gave him a shy smile as he undid his shirt buttons.

"I suppose you're going to drag me off there even if I say no, right? Since when are you interested in druid rituals anyway?"

Bev brushed a hand through his hair and smiled back at him. "Ehh, you never know. Might get you inspired. Maybe write us another hit single."

Roy ignored the jibe and kissed him. Then someone grabbed the back of his shirt collar roughly and dragged him up. Bev made a subtle show of hiding his genitals from view. Sure, Carl might know he was really a girl down there, but that didn't mean he was allowed to see.

"There you are, Woody. Living up to your name, I see. You know I don't care what you do in your spare time, but we got sound check now. Get out there, the both of you," Carl said, giving Bev a particularly pointed look.

To his credit, Bev did try not to laugh too much as Carl let him go and left them to it. Roy scrambled to his feet, pulling his clothes on as best he could without tripping over. Bev sat up and straightened his shirt and his trousers before he got to his feet, grabbed Roy by the arm, and dragged him off the coach and back to the stage.


There was a strange lull in the air as they waited for the first show to begin. Slowly, people began to file in, filling the grounds before the stage. Roy was with Bev, watching the progress from the castle. They were a couple of storeys up, giving them a nice view across the grounds. The sky was thick with clouds and Roy was sure he'd heard some thunder rumbling through the air. They were sat on the window seat. They weren't on for a while, so they had some time to themselves. Bev seemed a little distracted as he slowly drank from a brown bottle; Roy couldn't identify the drink he had. Then again, he wasn't sure what he was drinking either, but it was sweet and didn't appear to be alcoholic. Roy broke the silence.

"Do you ever think about settling down?"

Bev turned to look at him and studied his face, wondering what had prompted him to ask. He shrugged and settled back against the wall. "Oh, sure, it's hard to escape that sort of pressure when you're an only child."

"Even though you're-"

"Even more so. But I gotta be extra careful. I mean, you think you've got problems being gay. I mean, you are gay, aren't you? Just the lads were sayin'-"

"I don't like to talk about it. Had enough shit from people about it. I'd rather just keep to myself, not get arrested, you know? But I do wonder," Roy said, gazing down at the crowds. "You know you're in trouble when even hippies think you're some sort of sin against nature. Though to be fair, I did bait them a little. Then they baited me right back."

"Nah, I bet you ran off before they could beat you. That's more your style," Bev said. "You sure they were hippies? That doesn't sound very peaceable."

Roy shrugged. "I can't decide if they were just being bastards, if they really hated the band and were taking it out on me, or if they really believed what they were saying. I didn't hang around to ask. Still, it wasn't what I expected from them."

"When was this anyway? I'd have thought you'd have mentioned it by now."

"Bloody Sheffield a week back. I was finding my way back from the pub. Found them chanting in a park somewhere. Shit happens, I suppose."

"Ahh, I wondered where you'd got those bruises. Looked pretty bad, from what I remember," Bev said.

Roy brushed it off. "It looked worse than it was. I'll live."

Bev didn't reply; Roy didn't elaborate. Bev turned and gazed out the window as spatters of rain began to hit the window and a flash of lightning streaked across the darkening sky. Looking down at the crowd, a sea of umbrellas had appeared as people huddled under them, keeping out of the coming storm.

Roy shivered as cold air drifted back from the window. "This is going to be bad, I can just feel it."


The storm kept to itself, circling the city like a predator as it waited for the right time to strike. The umbrellas gradually went down and the show proceeded. No one really wanted to call it off, and there were hopes the storm would miss them. Indeed, the first show went off without a hitch, and the storm even backed off a little.

it wasn't until the second show that things started to go awry. The crowd were agitated. The storm had charged the atmosphere and the energy was just sitting there, waiting to be released. There was a little rain, but it didn't feel like it would turn into a torrent without warning. It came and went throughout the night.

Ace, typically, noticed the suits hanging around at the back of the crowd as The Move hit the stage. They were on the outer edge of the crowd and didn't look like they were trying to hide their presence too eagerly. They'd been tailing them all tour, and while they'd never come out and said they were Secret Service, that's what everyone assumed they were. Still, they had never seemed so visible before, as if they were goading them into doing something treasonous again, just to give them an excuse to arrest them.

Roy glanced over at Ace as he whispered to Trevor. He couldn't hear what they were talking about, but Ace was clearly worried about something as he kept looking back at the suits as they talked. That bad feeling Roy felt before the first show came back. Surely they weren't planning something, not while they were being watched so closely. He turned behind to look at Bev, who was paying them no attention.


Roy wasn't sure what had started it. Their set had been fairly uneventful, albeit interspersed with lightning strikes, some hitting rather close. The rain grew more persistent, yet it fell no heavier. Roy was quite sure he would be okay once the show was over and he was somewhere dry and warm. He was trying to ignore the dark red tinge the clouds had acquired.

There was a flash of lightning and the ground shook. No one had seen what was crawling out from the ground until it was too late. They started at the back and the band didn't notice what was going on until they'd reached the stage.

Certainly Roy hadn't noticed either. When he looked back towards the rest of the band, he was more than a little surprised to see Carl swinging that notorious axe of his at someone's head as they climbed up on the stage. Roy looked away in horror, trying to ignore the loud thud as the now-separated head and body hit the stage. Then someone grabbed his arm and dragged him away. The guitar lead unplugged itself with a ping and fell back to the stage.

Whoever had his arm yelled, "Leave it, man, we gotta run!"

One look at the zombies attempting to clamber up towards them made Roy decide that running for his life was a very good idea.


They managed to get under the cover of the old castle just before it really started to rain. The grounds were becoming a mud pit as people fled in all directions. Roy found himself dragged into a small alcove right before a group of people ran past. An arm wrapped around his chest from behind and a hand covered his mouth. Roy tried to break free, but whoever was with him whispered harshly in his ear.

"Calm the fuck down, I'm trying to stop you getting killed."

Roy settled, though he was still held tightly. They were hidden in shadow, down the corridor far enough that they couldn't be seen, and Roy watched helplessly as people ran past. He still wasn't sure just what had happened. He could hear people screaming. That it was loud enough to be heard over the storm was not comforting.

Roy wasn't let go until they were completely alone. Taking a moment to settle his breathing, he realised he still had his guitar with him. Somehow he'd forgotten to get rid of it as he was dragged away. He slipped it over his head and leant it against the wall. He turned to see who was with him and couldn't work out whose face he could see in the darkness.

"What the fuck's going on? Who are you?" Roy said, staring into the darkness as if it would elicit answers.

Taking a step forward, Roy was finally able to recognise Carl's face as he glared at him. "You nearly got us killed, that's what. Didn't you see them? The zombies? Fucking mental."

Roy wasn't sure what was going on. He was quite sure he was not high, which would at least excuse the horror. But it seemed too incredible to be real. He glanced down at the axe Carl was holding. He could see blood staining the blade. "I don't - I don't even know what happened. What happened? One moment, everything was fine, the next, this happens. What the fuck's going on?"

There was a scream and people shouting. Roy fell silent without hesitation and sunk back against the wall as another group of people ran past. They were followed by a group of zombies, shuffling persistently behind. Neither spoke til they were alone again.

"Charlie, please, tell me what's going on. We're not going to stay here all night, are we?"

Carl glanced at him. "Not if I can help it. Now grab that bloody guitar of yours and lets get moving. I don't like waiting for trouble to come."

As they waited for the right moment to run for cover, Roy noticed the axe again. Carl held it loosely by his side. Roy looked up at him. For the first time in his life, Carl looked genuinely scared.

"We don't have to leave, you know. We... We could just stay here. It's safe here," Roy said.

The look Carl gave him told him all he needed to know. They would go out there. With the... zombies. And they would try to stay alive. Certainly it put his biggest fears of being caught being intimate with another man into perspective, especially as he was still underage according to the law. Thinking of Bev, who he'd been with for a few months now, Roy hoped to God he was okay. He hadn't seen where he'd gone and the last thing he wanted was for him to become zombie food.


Bev had seen the zombies coming and had fled the stage first. Deciding the forest might be easier to hide in, he headed around to the gate into the forest, hoping no one would see him. He was wrong, and soon there was a large group fleeing with him as zombies followed behind them, moaning after them as if desperately begging them to slow down.

Bev found himself overtaken, and at one point, pushed face first into a tree, as people hurried to safety. Dazed and confused, and wondering what he should do, he turned to the on-coming crowd and saw a familiar face running towards him. Bev had never seen Ace so hysterically terrified before, and the bleeding scratches on his body were not entirely reassuring. Ace flung himself into Bev's arms, holding him tightly as he sobbed against his shoulder.

"You alright, Ace? Where's Trevor?" Bev said.

"They-they got him. I think. I lost him in the crowd," Ace murmured.

Bev looked past him. Most of the crowd had passed them; the only things left were the zombies, and they came over the rise together, gazing hungrily at them.

"Ace, shit, man, we gotta get out of here," Bev said, trying to get him to move.

Ace clung to him, refusing to move. Unable to move.

"Ahh, come on, man, I'm not leaving you here," Bev said as he picked him up as best he could and carried him out of the way.


Bev and Ace took refuge in a gazebo in the park. It sat by the lake and was partially hidden by trees. Figuring it might be better than being out in the open, it would do until they could find somewhere else to hide. Bev sat Ace on one of the benches. He was still staring off into space, abject terror filling his eyes.

"This ain't just my mind, is it? This is all real. All them... zombies and whatnot. It's all real and we're going to die," Ace murmured.

Bev sat beside him and brought him into his arms. "Shh, it'll be alright. We'll get out of here, one way or another."

Ace clutched onto him, his mind broken. All the acid in the world could not make those zombies disappear and he had no idea how to cope with that. Bev rubbed his back gently, trying to calm him. They wouldn't be moving from here any time soon unless Bev left him behind, and in spite of his previous lack of sympathy for his acid-induced plight, he wasn't sure he could do that now. Things were different when there were zombies about.


Roy wasn't looking forward to going out in the rain, but apparently he had no choice in the matter. They left the castle, skirting down the street towards the park. Roy was not expecting to see such a chaotic sight. It really did look like a war zone. Part of the park was on fire, some of the buildings had been damaged, and police were beginning to file in, trying to restore order.

He had stopped looking at the sky; it had glowed an angry red every time he looked at it and he could've sworn he'd seen some sort of eyes in there. This was all a very bad dream.


Roy had, eventually, found the desperate courage he needed to fight back as they'd made their way through the streets. Sure, he was ruining his favourite guitar, but he decided that probably didn't matter when zombies were trying to eat your brains. While he still wasn't as strong or as effective as Carl with his axe, he'd managed to take out quite a few zombies now. It turned out that guitars were actually quite good for smashing brains in and he'd almost found a good rhythm.

They'd left the streets and headed into the park. Carl was still looking for somewhere safe to hide and the park was looking more and more like a cemetery. Bodies - both of victims and zombies - littered the grass, and there was no one else around. The zombies had moved on. They stopped and surveyed the park, looking for shelter.

"Over there, that little gazebo. It's not much but at least it'd be out of the sodding rain," Carl said as the rain intensified.

"You're clearing any bodies we find, though," Roy said.

"Bloody coward," Carl murmured as he set off.

Roy was both surprised and relieved to find Bev and Ace huddling in the gazebo. He hadn't really paid much thought to their whereabouts, but he was glad they had survived. Many had not been so lucky. Roy dropped the guitar and ran to Bev's side, bringing him into a grateful kiss.

"I'm so glad you made it. I was - I don't even know what's going on out there. You're not hurt are you?" Roy said, noticing the blood on Bev's clothes.

"I'm fine, but Ace isn't. I think he got attacked, and his mind's shut down. No way is he going anywhere," Bev said.

Carl stood back, shouldering the axe in case it was needed. "Did Trevor make it?"

Bev looked up at him. "Ace said he got lost in the crowd. Maybe they did get him."

"Shit."

Carl turned and looked out at the park. A flash of lightning caught the bloodied axe blade. The storm didn't look like it was dissipating any time soon.