"Alright, do you feel better now," the fire elemental asked tenderly.

Finn nodded slowly as he regained his breath and left her embrace, "Yeah, I'll be fine. What's this plan PB's come up with?"

She replied, "Bubblegum has informed us that we can gain access to the palace by going through the sewer network. She figured that it'll be more subtle than just powering our way through the front door. Once we're in, she'll create a cure for this outbreak in her lab and call for help. Plain and simple."

Finn noticed his wife averted his gaze briefly and asked, "What's wrong?"

She hunched her shoulders in embarrassment, "My flames will give us away before we could sneak through the city."

He was taken aghast, "Y-you don't mean.. We can't just leave you here!"

"I can cast a flame shield on myself," FQ amended hastily with renewed confidence. "The spell is reversible and can easily break if use my powers. Just think of it like an invisible cloak if that makes sense."

Finn exhaled in relief, "That settles one problem. But did PB make plans for any contingencies?"

His wife hesitantly replied, "Should the worst happen.. She said she will order a firebombing strike on her own city as a definitive end to prevent this outbreak from spreading."

Finn was shocked, "That's crazy, she can't be serious!"

FQ assured, "We'll have made our escape long after the fact." She saw him getting ready to leave in haste and held his shoulders, "But she promised that she'll check for survivors first before proceeding."

Finn relaxed a little and chuckled, "Heh, I guess Peebles knows me too well." He then took on a serious expression, "But I'd prefer to save the kingdom than to cut our losses."

FQ nodded in acceptance, "Perfectly understandable. And there's one last thing I'd like to ask you."

"Sure, what'll be?"

She slugged his left arm lightly, "Just promise you won't pour the cure all over your body like you did last time."

Finn winced, "She told you?! That was a long time ago anyway! I had no other choice and besides I was twelve at the time. It's not like I was depressed or anything when it happened."

She stared stoically as she waited for an answer.

He sighed, "Yes, I promise. And I could've said it, minus the hitting!"

FQ softened her features and shrugged, "I figured it's the best way to get my point across. You can be very stubborn at times." She wagged her right index finger repeatedly in front of him.

He muttered dramatically as he rubbed himself, "Hmph, well I'll know who to blame if I lose an arm one of these days."

"Is that a fact?" FQ lifted an eyebrow as her flames slightly intensified.

"Nevermind!"

"(giggles) Come on, let's meet up with the others." Her overall appearance changed to a light blue color as she mentally summoned a flame shield. Then she got up and offered him an hand.

Finn accepted her help as he was pulled on his feet. As they walked beside each other, He leaned towards his wife from the left and kissed her cheek whispering, "Thanks, Phoebe."

"It's what I do," she whispered back blushing.

The couple approached their friends and gained their attention.

"Hey, look who it is," Marceline exclaimed.

Simon, Betty, and Princess Bubblegum diverted their gaze and focused on Finn and FQ.

"So do you have any questions," PB asked.

Finn answered, "I'm up to speed for the most part. But, can I take a look outside before we go?"

PB arched an eyebrow, "Uh, sure... There's not really much to look at, but be my guest."

The group followed him through the ladder as Finn surveyed the field. His eyes spotted a small diner, a mini market, and finally an apartment complex.

"I've got good news for all of you," Finn said with a smile.

"What is it," PB asked.

"We're near one of my safe houses that just so happens to have weapons," he answered proudly.

"Safe houses," Phoebe asked with a puzzled expression. "How many do you have?"

Finn shrugged, "I can't answer right off the top of my head, but I do know I have several in every kingdom."

Marcy chuckled, "You have a tree fort AND a castle already, so why on earth do you have more houses?!"

"I made a lot of cash doing some dungeon crawling before I got back with Flame here," Finn answered with a sheepish smile. "Besides, how else was I supposed to expand my inventory and get rid of a mountain of gold?"

Everyone looked down and shook their heads.

Betty covered her cheek with one hand and said to Finn in a mock whisper, "I'm surprised you didn't buy all the kingdoms as well with that kind of money."

"Ok, 'mister moneybags'," PB added rolling her eyes. "Why don't you show us the way?"

"Yeah," Marcy sneered. "Why don't you give us a tour of the place too while you're at it?"

Finn could feel everyone's gaze focused around him, but he continued to brush it off nonetheless. "It's only five minutes away from here. Should be easy to get to with the truck. Not like it's a penthouse or anything." He muttered at the last part.

"Guess you better drive then," PB said as she tossed the keys in which Finn expertly caught.

The group made a quick survey with their surroundings as they left the store. Once they deemed the area clear, everyone boarded the truck with urgency. The engine sputtered momentarily until Finn persisted with the ignition a third time.

"Heh, I was starting to get nervous for a second," Finn said wiping his brow.

"At least it wasn't in the middle of a chase or something," Phoebe chimed as she sat next to him. Then she covered her mouth in realization, "Oh, I hope I didn't just jinx us!"

He waved dismissively , "Eh, don't worry about it."

The transport weaved slowly through traffic as Finn gently pressed the accelerator. He darted his eyes constantly, being vigilant for any surprise attacks. With the headlights being their only guide, the hero gripped the steering wheel out of anxiety and paranoia, fearing the brightness would lure the walkers.

Fortunately, the group arrived at their destination without delay. Finn parked the vehicle near the curbside and let out a deep sigh.

"You alright," Phoebe asked.

"Yeah.. I'm fine. Let's just get inside while we still have the chance." The vision he recalled was too vivid to ignore completely.

Everyone exited the truck and pointed their crossbows at their surroundings.

"We'll keep a close eye on things," PB whispered to Finn. "Just get the door open for us."

Finn nodded and wasted no time as he approached the entrance doors to the lobby. When he discovered they were locked, he walked around the building until he spotted the fire escape from a metal balcony. "This shouldn't be a problem," he thought. He then lifted his right hand with the grass sword and extended it to grapple onto the edge. Once he reached the platform, He walked over to the hatch and carefully settled the ladder towards the ground.

Finn's group stood rigidly like statues as they waited. Despite the chilly temperatures the night offered, everyone stayed focused with their surroundings. Being in the least populated district of the kingdom worked towards their favor so far, but there was never a guarantee it would stay that way indefinitely.

A few minutes later, their attention was directed to the blonde hero as he signaled them to follow. One by one, everyone climbed up the fire escape towards the window that led to the safe room. Marcy on the other hand flew near the top of the ten-story building to keep an eye out for any undead presence before she finally joined with the others.

"We're clear," the vampire breathed.

"Good work," Finn complimented. "Now we can arm ourselves properly for the zombie apocalypse!" He walked over to one wall with a small button and slapped it. In seconds, the closet room rotated to show a small wardrobe of tactical outfits, followed by a small array of firearms.

"Where did you get all this," PB asked in amazement.

The blonde hero shrugged casually, "I found some of them scattered randomly in the wastelands. But the ones you see over here came from a mystical box during one of my dungeon crawls in the Night-O-Sphere. When I grabbed a certain amount, the box hovered by itself and vanished with a girl laughing in the background. (shudders) I still get the chills when I look back on it."

"Weird," Betty said.

"The Night-O-Sphere is a strange place," Marcy remarked. "I rarely go there often as much and even I get freaked out at times."

"Anyway," Finn said to everyone. "Go ahead and find a weapon that suits you. If you have any questions, I'll be happy to help."

As the group dispersed, Finn motioned for Phoebe and Bubblegum to stay. "There's gonna be a lot of running involved, from here to the palace," he said to both of them. "I have some spare clothes if you two want to change into something more comfortable."

"Heh, this dress can be restricting at times," PB admitted in embarrassment. "And these heels aren't doing me any favors."

Phoebe scoffed, "Well, I can fight in a dress! The only problem is that this one is too bright with and without the flame shield! (sigh) I miss my royal armor..."

The women took turns to change as they used the bathroom. Once they finished, both of them were dressed in combat fatigues with a black, white, and grey camouflage pattern.

"Much better," PB said relieved as she looked down at her combat boots.

"Lookin' sharp, girls," Finn complimented with a thumbs up. He was about to turn away until he remembered something, "And this is for you, Phoebe."

She was given a black baseball cap that matched with the outfit, "Thanks!"

A few more minutes passed as the group familiarized themselves with the weapons they chose. Finn was armed with a carbine, Marceline with a bolt-action sniper rifle, and Bubblegum with a pump-action shotgun. Phoebe, Simon and Betty on the other hand were all equipped with submachine guns of different types.

"It certainly is interesting to see all these weapons in perfect condition, considering the wide time gap between them," Simon remarked as he examined a revolver before tucking it away.

Finn gestured courteously, "Take what you need. And this is nothing compared to what my parents had back in the day. They had lasers, swords, and all these other fancy gadgets! In fact, that's where I got my red demon blood sword." Then he muttered dramatically, "Which is gone forever.. (sniff) I cry every time."

"What kind of jobs did your parents have," Betty asked.

"They were peacekeepers or private investigators for the most part," Finn answered.

"Not to be mean, Finn," PB interrupted. "But wouldn't it make sense to have less weapons before we sneak out?"

He replied, "I figured we could all use the extra arsenal so that we wouldn't be exerting ourselves with our powers and stuff. It's more of a last resort if we run into any company along the way. Now then, are we all ready?" He packed a few more weapons in a duffel bag before zipping it closed.

"Um, Finn?"

"Yes, Flame?"

She lifted a combat knife for everyone to see with a puzzled expression, "Why does this one have a bipod?"

AN: Man, I can't believe it's been a year since I updated this one. I hope to finish this one eventually when I have the chance. But, should I never return for whatever reason, I have added an 'epilogue' to the first story as a backup plan. Sorry about the long delay, I fine-tuned some of the previous chapters if it helps. Anyway thank you all for reading!

Ooobserver: Thanks for the feedback! And like the movies, there's always a detour before the gang can go from point A to point B. XD

TheFlyingPriest: Thanks, I seem to have a notorious habit of including media references in all my stories and I don't know why lol!

Guest: It's not over, yet!

ivan croatia:I hope to update soon, but I'm currently working on another story for the moment. This chapter's been collecting dust for a while now. XD