Richtofen pushed his head out of the water , coughing and holding onto the raft for dear life. He looked around himself, trying to find his comrades in the murky black water, yelling, "Dempsey!? Nikolai!? Takeo!?"

Richtofen began to panic, squinting his eyes into the water to try make out any body like figures. Just as the doctor was ready to dive in, A coughing fit came from across him. He looked and saw Nikolai, who had Takeo right by him. "V'here is Dempse-!"

The American plunged his head out of the water, Nikolai reaching over to pat the Americans back laughing. "Da! We made it!" Nikolai cheered, looking at Takeo grinning hard.

"Ja, ve made it." Richtofen sighed in relief, seeing his crew altogether safe and sound. Richtofen looked to the sky to try spot the northern star to makeout directions. "Ve are close to shore, we just have to swim safely towards east."

"Easier to say than due," Nikolai scuffed, looking around himself and seeing nothing but darkness. "Can't your 'thingy' teleport us there? Like how it just got us on the boat, scaring all of Takeos people?"

"The summing key can only teleport us a certain amount of times with it's power at ze moment, ich rather use it for when ve find v'our self, Nikolai," Richtofen answered, looking for the right constellation to swim towards.

"Zhere, Nikolai and Takeo, come swim around to v'here me and Dempsey are, v'ell push and swim altogether," Richtofen ordered, watching as Nikolai assisted Takeo with help moving around the boat.

"What's wrong Tak?" Dempsey asked, noticing the Russians sudden aid to the Japanese. "I-."

"He got hurt, quite badly, that's why I was asking about the doctors key," Nikolai answered for Takeo, keeping Takeo close to his side.

"Save your breath Takeo, Nikolai will keep you safe as we push the boat." Nikolai cooed, getting into the position with the others to begin pushing.

"Alright, on mein mark, push!"

The gang began to push and kick there legs to the best they could, creating some distance from where they were. "This oceans, has no fucking waves to help up here? Fucking hell," Dempsey huffed through breaths, "After this, Nikolai will be skinny."

"Shut up American, no time for jokes," Nikolai hushed, trying to double his strength to make up for Takeos lack of force.

Takeo tried as hard as he could to keep up with the others, his wound feeling as though it was ripping bigger and bigger the more he pushed. Nikolai took a quick glance at Takeo, who's face began to look more and more unconscious as they kept going. "How much further Richtofen?"

"Not far at all, almost, zhere!" Richtofen began to put all his strength to try move faster, he looked to Dempsey, "Use all v'our might Dempshey, v'our a damn marine!"

"What do you think I'm doing!? I trained for shit like this!" Dempsey barked back, trying to kick and triple the motion he was going at. "Nikolai, how is Takeo looking?"

Nikolai looked to Takeo, seeing his strength on the boat begin to break. Nikolai let go of the boat to grab his friend from drifting away at sea, "Shit! He's unconscious!" Nikolai yelled, trying to put Takeo over his shoulders while, also trying to grab onto the boat.

Dempsey let go of the boat, "Richtofen stay here!" Dempsey swam towards the Russian, taking Takeo onto his own shoulders. "Nikolai, get back to the boat with Richtofen, me and Takeo will be right behind you guys."

Nikolai hesitated to leave Takeos side, but continued with the Americans orders and swam to continue to the boat with Richtofen.

Dempsey tucked Takeos arms to lay dead around his neck as, he began to swim more efficiently without Takeos weight holding him down. He pushed his way through the water and back to the boat, "I'm going to lay him on the other side, so we'll push him and the boat, that way it'll keep him on."

Richtofen bite his lip, "How do v'ou know that'll work?"

"Trust me Richtofen." Dempsey waited for Nikolai and Richtofen to slow on pushing the boat, moving around and laying Takeo slightly on top of the raft. "Grab his hand," Dempsey spoke, making his way back into his own position.

Once Takeo was secured, the three men pushed and swam, Nikolais eyes staying right on Takeo.

After what felt like another 2 minutes, the group made it to shore. Nikolai swimming around to take Takeo onto over his shoulders.

Dempsey kicked the broken boat the side, "I hope we don't have to do that shit again."
Richtofen rushed to Takeos side, Nikolai laying him on the ground for Richtofen to check him.

Richtofen undid his shirt, seeing the large gash from a blade. "One of those soliders must've striked him before he could notice, he was so enraged he must've never noticed the pain." Richtofen looked around for shelter, seeing a moss covered hut.

"Nikolai, carry him safely into that hut, while ich boil some hot water to clean and make sure his cut doesn't get infected, Dempsey-," Richtofen turned to see Dempsey already making up a fire. "Make a fire..."

Richtofen felt a small smile appear on his lips, happy that the American had predicted what he was going to say.

"Ve still have a few steps ahead of us to get to v'here the test subject is, but ve will stay here as for the time being."

->

Richtofen grabbed a bucket, filling it with water. He slid the pail onto a stick and hung it over the fire to boil.

"Why can't this water just be used, why boiled?" Dempsey asked, taking a seat across from Richtofen.

"Because, Ich need clean water to operate on the Japanese, Ich can't risk another infection or a disease," Richtofen giggled at the Americans foolishness. "V'ou know, for a man thats priority is water, v'ou are quite dense."

Dempsey opened his mouth to try argue but, decided to just let out a low chuckle. "My general didn't think health safety was as important as combat, feels like lifetimes ago since I've heard him yell my name."

"V'hat is v'our real name anyway? If v'our other self is Tank, v'hat is v'ours?"

"Well first of all, Tank, is a code name. Not a real name his, or, our?, Mother gave at birth," Dempsey laughed, looking at the fire, listening to the cackles of twigs.

"Thomas, is my real name. Some thought it was Chuck in the force, but nope, Thomas Dempsey."

"Thomas, 'Tank', Dempsey. Very,..V'hat you Americans would say iz,..Cool." Richtofen smiled, looking at Dempsey through the lively flames.

"Don't start calling me Thomas though, I don't need Nikolai, or you, to think we're that kind of close," Dempsey warned, noticing the Germans eyes staring at him.

"Oh of course not, ich like Dempsey better anyway. Thomas is too,..close for comfort even on mein part." Richtofen smirked, standing up to grab onto the sticks.

"Here," Dempsey jumped up, "I'll take this hot pail to Takeo, don't need our only doctor also, in the ER." Dempsey grabbed the stick of reach the pail of water hung from, holding onto the provided paddles.

"V'ell,..thank v'ou."

"Anytime."

--
(A/N) I am rewatching all the cinema clips from zombies, so I apologize in advance if somethings aren't very accurate with the locations of which they are. And another apology is if the writing seems rushed, I write half, if not all the chapters, on Monster Energy drinks and at like 5am. But, very grateful to those who read my fanfictions, even though zombies is a dead fandom lol, gives me motivation to keep writing it more often 💕😊
HAPPY NEW YEARS/LATE CHRISTMAS TO ALL OF YOU LOVELY PEOPLE 🤩🥰