okay i want you guys to ignore any grammar and punctuation mistakes ENGLISH ISNT MY FIRST LANGUAGE
also sorry if it’s rushed at the end it was for skl and i handed it in late 😢
ALSO IT HAS STUFF FOR SKL IN IT SO IF IT SOUNDS WEIRD THATS WHY
The sun peeked through the cracks of the boarded up windows, and Maelynn
stared at it blankly. She had just started her cycle and was running out of supplies, and she also ran out of books to read. She loved living on her own but it did get lonely at times, and a bit exhausting as she had to do everything herself. She wasn't used to it because she grew up in a big family and someone always had her back.
She knew that she had to go out to the city eventually, but she didn't know it would be this soon. She was worried that if she went out then the zombies would smell her blood; but she knew it had to be done. Maelynn took a deep breath before she picked up her backpack, attached the chest strap, and left the cabin. Her safe place.
The tall buildings loomed over her and she felt uneasy because the zombies could be hiding anywhere. She made her way into the small pharmacy, and she knew that she needed to be quick. Maelynn stared at the shelves, and her stomach twisted and churned.
Suddenly, there was a bang behind her. She quickly turned around and saw the zombie, the ghost of a human, the walking dead. Her bottom lip quivered as he stood before her. The brain eater stared at Maelynn with soulless eyes, but what scared her the most was his physique.
He was buff, tall, had brain goo and blood in his thick beard, and looked like he was the biggest asshole when he was alive. She could hear his heavy breathing, and could tell that he was salivating for her brains. She heard her own heartbeat echoing in her ears from how fast and hard it was pounding. The zombie then started to move toward her and she ran before she could think.
Maelynn grabbed her gun whilst sprinting away from him, but she tripped over an empty pill bottle. She aimed her gun at him, cocked it, and pulled the trigger, but nothing came out? The sound was evil, it was sickening, it was ugly, and straight up repulsive. Maelynn was panting, she was panicking, she was terrified, and she felt like she was going to hurl.
She dropped the gun and tried to get up, but that was when she felt it. There was a big piece of glass lodged into her right calf, — it was bright red around the edges, blood dripped out of the sides, and it was deep – and she winced. She knew that she would need stitches.
Whimpers slipped out of her mouth and the zombie growled and banged himself against the shelves as he walked towards her. Maelynn tried to use her arms and army crawl away from the beast, but it was pointless and she felt pathetic. She cried out, her hair was sticking to her forehead and the back of her neck. This was it, she thought. This was the day that she would die and finally be taken off this unforgiving world.
Just as Maelynn was about to give up and let go, she felt a body land next to her. It was the zombie, and he's dead? She turned onto her back and saw the person who had saved her. It was a woman who looked like she had prepared her body to survive an apocalypse way before it even happened. She had blonde, almost white hair, and pale but dirt covered skin. She walked towards her and Maelynn whimpered.
“Hey, it’s okay! I’m here to help,” the blonde woman said, and she had an accent but Maelynn was too scared to think right now. She gaped at the lady, and her eyes were wide and filled with fear. The woman could tell that she was still in shock so she knew that she had to be gentle about it. She slowly walked towards her and Maelynn didn't move an inch because of how stiff her body was.
Before Maelynn could even react she felt herself being picked up and placed on a pharmacy counter.
“W-Who are you..?” Maelynn asked, her voice shaky.
The blonde woman smiled at her politely,
“I’m Harley, Harley Meyer,” Her accent was thick and raspy, and it echoed in Maelynn’s ears, making her nervous.
“Maelynn Riverwood..” She whispers shyly.
Harley smiles and shows off her perfect smile while getting her medical supplies out.
“How do you have all of this? Everything is gone.” Maelynn asks, and their matching dark brown eyes meet.
“I used to do professional boxing, and now I have a shit ton of first aid kits.”
Maelynn nods and sits quietly on the counter.
She feels the sting in her calf, and she hears the quiet, “Shh..” of the person in front of her, and she can smell the alcohol that's being rubbed on her wound. She can taste the water from the bottle that she was given, and she can see her saviour patching her up
After she was fully bandaged, and Maelynn had thanked her one too many times.
They walked out of the pharmacy, and Maelynn leaned on Harley but even that was painful. Harley looked over and sees the pained expression on her face”
“Yeah,” Maelynn answers, but it's strained and forced.
“Yeah sure,” Harley snickered and suddenly picked up her bridal style.
“Oh! W-What are you doing?” Maelynn was as red as a tomato.
“ What does it look like I’m doing? You’re clearly in pain, so just let me carry you.”
Maelynn was beyond embarrassed, and felt a bit guilty. Of course someone had to save her. She knew that she was weak, and it had always haunted her, taunted her, followed her everywhere, and was the bane of her existence.
They made their way out of the city, and they didn't even have to fight off any zombies because Harley had clear shortcuts back to her car. Maelynn was very thankful as she didn’t need the poor woman to fight for her again. The gravel was loud under Harley’s boots and she could hear the growls coming from the city behind them. Maelynn’s eyes felt heavy but just as they were about to shut they finally made it to the car. Harley opens the backseat door and helps her lie in the back,
“Tell me if you need something: water, food, painkillers, anything.”
“Thank you, but I think I’m okay for now,” Maelynn smiles at her awkwardly, and Harley chuckled and patted her uninjured leg before she shut the door and walked over to the driver's side. Ten minutes into the ride, and Maelynn couldn't keep her eyes open anymore; they fell shut and sleep finally took over.
She woke up in a house. A real house that wasn't filled with corpses or zombies. It was cozy and warm– dim lights, clean sheets, and felt huge– just the kind of house that she would have loved to live in before the apocalypse.
Maelynn could feel the warmth of the comforter against her skin, she could hear pots and pans clattering, she could smell something delicious coming from somewhere in the house, she could see the sun shining through the expensive looking curtains, and she could taste the bitter dryness of the mouth. Maelynn was scared, she was vulnerable in a strangers home, she was hurt, she was sad, and she wished that she had never left her cabin.
She slowly stepped out of bed and saw her shoes on the floor, and she slipped them on with a wince. She limped out of the bedroom and into a long, clean, and dim hallway. She held the wall as she walked toward the sound of the pots and pans and walked into a big kitchen where her saviour stood by a sink washing her hands. Harley hears my shoes against the floor and turns her head, “Good morning, Maelynn” she dried her hands on a rag.
“Morning?” She asked, and Harley nodded her head toward the analog clock.
“Yeah, you were exhausted. I changed your bandage an hour ago so it should be good for now.”
“Not too bad, it’ll take about a month to fully heal.”
“A month?” Maelynn limps to the island and leans on it.
“Relax, I’ll be here to help and I've dealt with many wounds,”
“You’d help for a month..?”
“I’d help if it took a year, and I wouldn't just leave you to handle it by yourself when it’s prone to infection. You can stay here until you’re healed.”
“Wow, thank you so much. Also, you can just call me Mae,”
Maelynn thought it would be dangerous to be so generous and trusting in an apocalypse but she guessed people never really stopped being themselves.
Harley walks over and helps Maelynn sit up and onto the stool.
She mutters a small ‘Thank you’ and rests her arms on the island.
“You’ve got a nice place,” she looked around the kitchen, the blueish grey cabinets, the quartz counters, and it was huge.
“Thanks, it was my aunts and I helped design it.” What can’t this woman do? Maelynn wanted to say out loud.. But nothing came out.
“You did good, it’s beautiful,” A plate slid towards her and it was filled with food she had been craving even before the apocalypse started.
“Where did you get all of this from?”
“I grow it, and I have animals here. I’m surprised the chickens didn't wake you.” We both laughed, and she grabbed a plate of her own and sat on the stool next to me.
“Do you always invite people into your home?”
“On whether I think they’re going to murder me in my sleep or not.”
Maelynn nodded, that's fair, she thought. She didn’t think she looked like the type of person to murder someone in their sleep, but she didn’t know if that was a good thing living on a planet like this. Maelynn didn’t know whether to take it as a compliment or an insult, and it kept her up that night.
Days pass and Harley has been the best host that Maelynn could have asked for, and maybe even the best friend. They slowly got to know each other during the quiet breakfasts, the peaceful lunches, and the loud and fun dinners in the dim dining room lights. Maelynn knew that she shouldn't get used to it but she couldn't imagine living on her own after this, and it was like she didn’t even know herself anymore. She had always thought that living alone would be best for her introverted personality, but she couldn’t deny that enjoyed the company...maybe a little too much.
Maelynn walked through the sitting room which was basically a library, how many books does this woman have? Too many, but she loved it. She loved that Harley enjoyed books as much as she did, and it made her feel even more at home. Her heart ached every time she thought about leaving, and she wondered if Harley felt the same way.
Her leg was healing smoothly with Harley’s help and the frequent bandage changes. Maelynn insisted that it didn't need to be changed that often because she didn't want to use up Harley’s supplies but she was stubborn and said it needed to be changed everyday so Mae’s leg wouldn't get infected. Her limp had gotten better and now she could explore the upstairs of the farmhouse. She stood on the balcony and down to see Harley by the truck and a bunch of rifles in the bed that Maelynn could not identify even if she had all the time in the world.
“What do you need all those guns for?” She called out and Harley looked up,
“Well I get that part, but why so many?”
“Backups, I’m just cleaning them.”
“Can you teach me to shoot?” Maelynn asked before she could chicken out, and Harley smirked up at her.
“Of course, come on down.” She said, and Mae bounced on her heels in excitement before heading down the stairs and outside.
The sky was cloudy and it looked like it was going to rain soon. Harley beckoned her over, “Come on, I got targets over here,” She led her to the right side of the property and Maelynn saw the targets, “Scare-crows?” They were all at different distances.
“Yup, I live on a farm, what do you expect?” Maelynn snickered at that and Harley helped her get into position. Harley stood behind her and helped guide her hands and how to stand, and she could feel her breath against her ear, and her accent sounded stronger since she was so close. “Imagine it's a zombie, or someone you hate, or just anything that you think will help you shoot better.” Harley helped on the first two shots and then let Maelynn try on her own, but she messed up a few times because she let her excitement get to her and her hands were shaking. “Relax, you won't be this excited when the scare-crow is the undead or a human; imagine that,” Maelynn inhaled and exhaled, and shook off the excitement. She couldn’t help that she was excited because she was finally doing something that didn't make her feel weak. She thought of that as she shot the scare-crow and it went right through the head. Perfectly.
It was almost the end of the month and Maelynn had been practicing her shooting all day, and she felt so confident in herself it overwhelmed her as she had never felt this way before. Her leg was almost fully healed and the limp was gone. Harley and Maelynn are closer than ever because they were always next to each other, all day, everyday. Maelynn was sitting on the island and contemplated whether she should ask what she's been wanting to ask for days. Harley smiled to herself as she flipped the bacon in the pan. Maelynn’s voice ripped through the comfortable silence and slight sizzling in the background.
“Do you think we could…head to the city and get supplies as well as test out my new shooting skills?” Harley turned and leaned on the counter, “Are you sure you’re ready? And besides your leg isn't fully healed yet,” She said with concern lingering in her brown orbs.
“Please? My leg feels fine and I’ve been practicing everyday!” She said with a childish pout on her lips and Harley sighed, “You sure?” Maelynn nodded eagerly with wide eyes, “Fine.”
They drove towards the city and Maelyn was beaming in the passenger seat, “Don’t look so excited, it’s dangerous out here,” Harley rolled her eyes playfully, “This is my first time feeling somewhat in control, please don't ruin it for me.” Mae retorted, and Harley smiled apologetically.
They walked slowly through the city and Harley was in front of her, and held a big rifle identical to the one Maelynn was holding. They walked into a store and Harley shot a slow, old zombie. Maelynn’s hands shook but she knew that she had to be brave, “I’ll check this aisle?” She said, or more so asked. Harley nodded grimly and Maelynn inhaled a breath before she slowly walked into an aisle. Harley was worried but wanted to trust her, and she knew that Maelynn was stubborn when it came to this.
Maelynn looked through the shelves, but she zoned out for a minute and didn’t hear rustling behind her. All of a sudden, something reached for her arm and she gasped and fumbled to put her rifle up and shoot but the bullet hit the tiled floor and the zombie reached out for her. On the other side of the store, Harley had heard the gunshot and was rushing over…but by the time she got there. Maelynn was pinned up against the wall and the zombie's teeth had already sunk into her skin, but Harley and Maelynn never lost eye contact. The horrified look on Harley's face and the sting of her neck made Maelynn’s tears flow out fast, and Harley broke out of her trance and shot the zombie in the head and its brains splattered on the wall and on Maelynn’s face. Maelynn sobbed and sank down, “Kill me, Harley,” Harley shook her head, and she felt her eyes well up with tears. “P-Please..”
Maelynn’s eyes turned empty and blood rain down her chin, and she choked on it. It was vile and Harley let a sob slip out before she let the muzzle of the rifle touch Mae’s forehead. “I’m sorry, I shouldn’t have let you go off on your own,” Her accent got thicker as emotions took over.
Her finger hovered over the trigger and when she was finally about to pull the trigger. Maelynn choked out something that Harley couldn't understand, but Mae was determined and spat out the blood sloppily, “Wait!” But it was too late…the bullet had already gone through her forehead and into her zombified brain. Harley gasped and let out a sob, no, a scream. “NO!!!”
