Xuebing Du
"I'm Dorothy Gale from Kansas"
Cosmic Funnies

JVL
art blog(derogatory)
RMH

ellievsbear

❣ Chile in a Photography ❣

pixel skylines
PUT YOUR BEARD IN MY MOUTH
Sweet Seals For You, Always
Lint Roller? I Barely Know Her
trying on a metaphor

PR's Tumblrdome
$LAYYYTER


⁂
Claire Keane
occasionally subtle

#extradirty

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@unmakearchive

Anya is live and ready to show you everything. Watch her strip, dance, and perform exclusive shows just for you. Interact in real-time and make your fantasies come true.
Free to watch • No registration required • HD streaming
gonna post my entire stickman reaction pic collection
throwing in a few more I have :3
✨️✨️
collecting these like pokemon cards
this is a godsend as someone who CANNOT for the LIFE OF ME communicate via text when it comes to strong emotions. The happiest emoji I have is my jovial rat 🐀🐀🐀🐀🐀🐀🐀🐀 filled with great joy and celebration. But not everyone knows how jovial my rats are, so I must stick to these.
omg into the drafts you go
@thumbknee80085

Anya is live and ready to show you everything. Watch her strip, dance, and perform exclusive shows just for you. Interact in real-time and make your fantasies come true.
Free to watch • No registration required • HD streaming
NEW BOOT GOOFIN
@unmakeyourself to follow the new artistic endeavors feed for normies
@SPARKOFSLAYTER for your invader zim fueled art ramblings from the warped tour. [That's me! Previously unmakeyourself]
@slayterslut for the more...constrained take on side blogs [previously blairdsm]
@attn-azrael for the coding furry system op who likes man pecs
@bloodxgod for our darker urges
Blair's got a small private blog, ask for that.

Anya is live and ready to show you everything. Watch her strip, dance, and perform exclusive shows just for you. Interact in real-time and make your fantasies come true.
Free to watch • No registration required • HD streaming
Chapter 0: Prologue
I looked up, my eyes peering into the darkness of the abandoned building. My breathing was made louder by the gas mask, the whooshing of air through the filters filling my ear. From what I saw, nothing was moving in the room. It was just another large, empty room in this damn building left over after the spread of this disease. I look to the left, noticing a slight movement behind some rubble. My right hand reaches up to my shoulder slowly, my gloved fingers wrapping around the blade. It’s so quiet that I hear the leather stretching as I grip the handle.
Within a second, the growl echoes throughout the room as the humanoid runs towards me, mouth open and arms stretched out in front of it. I feel my muscles pull the blade out of the sheath, the metal ringing throughout the room and mixing with the roar. In one fluid movement, I sidestep the charging creature and bring the blade through it’s neck, the thick black blood splattering in a line on the ground. Before the creature’s head hits the ground, I’m already sidestepping another, spinning around to face it and examining the room as I turn about. Five.
The voice in my ears speaks in a panicked tone, blocking out my sense of hearing as the male voice shouts out. “Richard, status report!”
I reach up with my free hand, pressing the button on the side of my mask to reply in a low tone. “There’s five still alive, one has been killed. Do not send backup, will contact when done.” I quickly click the switch off on the communication device and jump back from another charge, immediately slicing the arm off of the closest target. I sigh and regret bringing my communication device before beheading the same growler and glancing to the other four as the body falls. One of them bump into me, gripping my arm for a moment before I rip it away, my fist connecting with it’s temple hard enough to make it stagger back. I quickly deliver a roundhouse kick to it’s head, cracking it’s skull audibly. When my foot lands on the ground, I turn about and behead another easily, locating the final two growlers a few feet from me on each side. I look at my options, time slowing to almost a crawl as my heartbeat echoes in my ear as I quickly eye anything that can be used to my advantage.
My gasmask glows softly, various patterns within it illuminating to alert me of a contagion in the air. I press a button next to the controls of the communication device to increase protection as I jump forward, picking up a fire extinguisher lying on the ground, turning around and throwing it into one of the growler’s heads. As it’s head cracks, some blood comes out of the sides as I turn my body, slicing the final growler’s body in half going from the shoulder to hip letting the body hit the ground as I launch from my foot, doing a small kick flip before my foot connects with it’s skull, crushing it on the ground.
I reach up and click my communication device back on, flicking the blood off of my katana and sheathing it as an angry voice yells at me from the other side. “-BETTER FUCKING REPLY NOW OR ELSE YOU WILL BE KICKED FROM ANY SQUAD YOU COULD EVER HOPE TO LOOK AT LET ALONE BE PAIRED WITH AND YOU’LL BE STUCK SCRUBBING DISHES LIKE THE LOWLIFE YOUR PARENTS WERE AN-”
I immediately cut her off, my voice almost a growl as I speak to myself in the empty room. “Speak of my parents like that again, and your head will be the one rolling on the ground. All objectives are dead, the room is clear with several supplies lying around. The air is contaminated as well, so send a clean up crew immediately.” I walk to the other side of the room, examining the concrete walls and few entry ways. “Question my abilities again and you’ll be lucky to see me around your little group again. You and I both know that without me, your group would have withered away months ago.”
The other end is silent, only the slight static audible as I go through the cabinet, my gloved hands turning over anything interesting as I wait for a reply. As I pick up a dust covered vinyl, Director Amanda speaks up. “I apologise Richie, I should not have spoken about your family in such a way, but keeping communications up is vital to our survival and we can really use you around.”
I gently remove the dust from the vinyl with the sleeve of my hoodie, the dust going into the air as I look at the cover. I smile behind my mask, glad to have found this album finally. “It’s fine, but I do have a request.”
“Fire away.” I turn the record over and look at the track list, my body radiating warmth as I remember times before this.
“I have found a vinyl record collection, am I authorized to take them to my apartment?” These guys used to be one of my favorites, and from the look of it, the owner of this place was a fan.
“Go ahead Richie. And as usual, if there are any more records or band merch, feel free to take them for yourself.” I could have guessed already, any other time there’s some music memorabilia I’m authorized to take it. Everyone has that something that keeps them going, and mine just so happens to be music. “What band did you find this time?”
I chuckle lightly, glad to know that she’s not a complete stick in the mud. “Well, the owner must have been a collector, because there’s a limited edition vinyl of Twenty One Pilots, along with a few of the Paramore vinyls. I think I would have gotten along with these guys.” I pick up the records, putting them into my messenger back gently, rummaging for any more interesting thing. “I will contact when the clean up crew returns.”
“Very well Richie. Good luck finding more.” I nod to myself, going to the dresser in the corner, going through any clothes they had. There are a few shirts my size, and a couple a size to small. They’re the common shirts for a few good bands, a couple I already have back at HQ. I scoop them up anyway, tucking them in the messenger bag to my side before I notice what’s to the right of the dresser. There’s another bag, one of the few Paramore ones made, with more things from the band in it. I quickly snatch it up, removing any tickets from it and setting them on the nightstand before slinging it over my back.
I look at the tickets, examining the seats and prices as the crew walks in, obviously confused by my being here. I speak into the device, signaling to HQ the arrival before turning around tickets in my hand. “Don’t move the bodies yet, there’s something I have to do quickly.”
As if they understand already, they step back, allowing me access. I tuck the tickets into their pockets with a smile, silently thanking them for the merch and their good taste in music before stepping away. “Be careful with them. They were people like us before, and I want to send them away kindly. Bring any music memorabelia to my room and any supplies to HQ.” The cleaning crew nod, their white jackets and masks contrasting my black hoodie and dark blue jeans. My mask pulses blue again, signaling the diseases in the air again. My filter must be almost used if it’s notifying me. I quickly turn towards the entry I came from, climbing out of a hole in the ceiling and out of the window, starting my walk back to HQ. My mask quickly chirps, notifying me of clean air as I click the switch back, letting me breath more freely.
I sigh, looking up to the sky. The sun is bright, the light filtering through the leaves of the trees above. I glance around the forest, the light streaming towards the ground from the trees, making the dust in the air noticeable as I start walking forward. Days like these are what I used to live for, being able to relax in a random forrest, lying back and talking to a few friends, or just reading some novel I picked up, just enjoying life. I guess you can’t really do that anymore, but I’m sure everyone wishes you could. Hopefully things will be back to normal soon. As a slight breeze rustles the leaves, I sigh, thinking that it might be sooner than most people realize.
Chatper 01: Home
I walk towards the base, the sun making it’s journey across the sky slowly. It’s one of those days that everyone needs on occasion, the nice weather giving people a break from the chilly nights. It’s towards the end of October, nights being slightly chilly and days being just below the ideal temperature. Days are getting shorter, if any crops need to be harvested still, now would be the time to do so. It’s been 5 months sense the outbreak. May was the last time everyone was relaxing happily, enjoying some barbecue for Memorial Day with family and friends.
The actual outbreak happened that thursday, only a few days after Memorial Day itself. I remember where I was almost perfectly. I was at home with Caleb catching up with some shows on netflix, relaxing and just being close in general. It was humid as fuck out, so we chose to just stay in that day earlier. After so many episodes, my wifi decided to reboot, so we clicked it to the TV and watched whatever was on. Somehow, we got invested in some random reality show and chose to stay on that channel for the marathon that was going on.
About half way through the third episode, I thought I heard a knock at the door and decided to go check who was there. I told Caleb to stay there, giving him a quick kiss as I walked towards the main door, looking through the peephole. I saw a person covered in blood standing there, a panicked look in their eyes as they knocked again. I quickly called Caleb to the door, pulling out my phone and dialing 911 before handing him the phone and unlocking the door and stepping outside.
The person at my door was a neighbor I never really knew, they had a nice job, a pretty good car, always dressed well, probably one of those people who always had a bluetooth in their ear. But this wasn’t the same person I’d seen, this time he had blood coating his hands and clothes, his hair was a mess, his polo was ripped on the side of his body, and his eyes were looking around erratically. He quickly gripped my shoulders, yelling every word he said. “I just killed her. I didn’t want to kill her but I did, I had to kill her. She tried to attack me and I tried to get her to stop but she kept attacking me, she acted like she wasn’t even alive anymore and kept trying to scratch and bite me. I had to do it please help I didn’t mean to do it.”
I tried calming him down, but he just kept going on about how she had been killed and how he didn’t mean to do it. I heard Caleb talking to the police for a second before he hung up and gripped the back of my shirt, pulling me back. “Richie we need to get inside now.” I try to fight it, but he still keeps pulling. Only when I notice my neighbor reaching for his knife do I realize that I need to go inside with Caleb. I take my hands and shove the blood soaked man back, hearing an oof as he hits the ground on his back. I step back inside quickly, closing the door and locking the dead bolt before I run through the house, grabbing two backpacks and throwing one to Caleb.
“Grab everything you’ll need now, you have 5 minutes to be in the car and ready to go. Clothes, canned food, anything you can’t live without goes in your bag.” He nods at me and rushes to his guest bedroom, shoving clothes into his bag. I rush upstairs, shoving clothes into my own bag and grabbing a few things. I instinctively grab my laptop bag and laptop, making sure the chargers for that and my phone are in the bag with it. I also make sure to grab my Paramore merchandise and any CD’s, throwing my spare converse into the bag before slipping my custom high tops on and putting my black hoodie on, looking at my room one last time before heading out, rushing into the kitchen.
Caleb and I fill the rest of our bags up with food and water, finishing up as fast as possible. I grab my house and car keys off of the table, locking the backdoor behind me as Caleb throws our bags into the back seat and jumps into the passenger side. I slide into the driver’s seat just a few seconds later, turning the ignition on and hearing the engine roar as I click the car into reverse, backing out of the driveway quickly. I turn the car around with a skid, the radio being clicked on by Caleb as we start driving out of the culdesac I live in. The radio has a reporter on, talking about multiple deaths and several cases of people eating other people. As we drive out of the culdesac, several of our neighbors are covered in blood, running from each other. Some are barricading their houses and some are getting into their cars. The radio keeps going on with the news of deaths, saying that the highways are being barricaded by the military.
I remember the fear in my heart, the sound of the screams, and the sigh of relief as my mother answered the phone and found out I was okay. I remember the worry that we’d die, the comfort in Caleb being with me, and the silence as we pulled up to a rural gas station at sunset, stopping to fill up our car and pay for it, seeing that news hadn’t spread to the countryside yet. I remember the disbelief in the cashier’s eyes followed by the look of horror on his face when he realized we were serious. I remember the kindness shown by the people working the store as they told us to keep our money, letting us take anything we needed. I remember the many ‘thank you’s and 'good luck’s we said as we emptied the small store, stopping to use the bathroom before we loaded up the car. I remember pulling my katana out of the trunk and setting it behind my seat out of pure fear before we sat down in the car to find a place to fortify. I remember seeing the friendly waves of the people inside the store before they went upstairs to their house, their lights the only thing in the rear view mirror as we drove off into the night.
I blink as I’m brought back to reality, HQ visible in the distance. I press the button on my communication device and speak to myself. “Richie to HQ, I am approaching the west entrance, be alert.”
A voice responds, their voice serious “HQ to Richie, all men have been informed, proceed when ready.” I shift into a light jog, headed towards the door as I nod to the guards. They smile at me, one of them patting my shoulder as I head in the door to the mall turned fortress. As I step inside, I remove my mask and pull my hood down, my brown hair going back to it’s natural style. I run a hand through it and notice it’s getting long, debating cutting it or leaving it long for the winter. I head towards my quadrant, the people inside entertaining themselves with odd jobs or socialization. As I step into the store with the shelves moved to the side to make room for sleeping bags and inflatable mattresses, I nod to my roommates. There are 4 other people, all male, in my group of people. We got one of the smallest stores, meaning that we get less people in with us. We all have an ongoing joke that they looked at us and put us in this store for a reason. We all wear band shirts and consider music the most important part of life before the devastation. The reason this is important is because they put us into the Hot Topic of this mall. We always have the joke going on between us about it and it puts us more at home.
As I step in, Matt’s the first one to notice my new backpack, the design from Paramore’s CD Riot! is put on this backpack, the backpack filled with merch. “Heads up! Richie’s got some new shit guys!” I chuckle as Logan, Dax and Leon come out from various places of the store. Matt’s an average guy, a few inches shorter than me with his short brown hair. He’s almost a clone of the typical white popular kid in high school stereotype. Dax is about my height, slim with hair about the same length as mine, only a darker brown. Neither of us can really style it because it’s too long to do anything that people with short hair do, but short enough that straightening it is out of the question. Logan is a little bit broader, obviously on a sports team before this happened, his hair styled in a buzz cut and also brown.
I knew Leon before all of this, he was one of my closest friends, almost a brother to me. His hair is long and black, naturally straight, he’s my height and the ideal weight for guys his age. Him and I ultimately shared our wardrobes before this happened, most of the clothes we split from this very hot topic. I unzip the bag after setting it on the counter, pulling out the shirts and cds, the group surprised at my looting from this trip. But then I show them the vinyl and they all start smiling as big as I did. We all really liked Vessel when it came out, and we’re only allowed so many hours of electricity a day, so we always use vinyl when possible. We found a gramophone about a week after we all settled in, using it to play music happily. We carefully put it on and crank the handle, guiding the needle to the first track before sitting back and talking about various things. We all realize that this is home now, and we plan to make it as close to home as we can.
Chapter 02: Life
It’s another normal night at the base for me, sitting on top of the counter with the guys in their favorite places, just talking about various things. None of us have duty tonight, meaning that we get to sit back and enjoy a night together which rarely happens anymore. We’ve been needing to stack up on supplies lately so more gathering trips have been going on to prepare for winter. Being in upstate New York, winters can go one of two ways, making life a living hell or giving some amazing spring like weather. We’ll know in about 2 weeks what this winter’s going to be like.
“You ever just have the though pop into your head of huh, I wonder what happened to this celeberty and how they’re doing?” Dax chuckles and puts his legs on the shelf he’s sitting on that we cleared out for a couch. “I mean, if we went to LA, I think I’d rather meet Michael Cera before he becomes a growler.”
“But why would you want to meet Michael Cera at all?” Leon chucks a bean bag at Dax and laughs. “He’s a horrible actor and kinda creepy.”
“Well so is Nicolas Cage, but everyone here wants to meet him.” I smirk as Leon sighs.
“Dude, it’s because Nic Cage is so horrible he’s good!” Matt and Logan laugh at Leon’s retort before I speak.
“Nothing can make him any good. Everyone wants to meet him because the internet put his face on everything. Kinda like that one picture of Michael Cera-tops.” Leon laughs happily, obviously remembering the picture I’m referencing before Dax goes back to his argument.
“That wasn’t even the point, no one wants to meet Michael Cera. I was saying I’d rather meet them while they’re still alive.” The room goes silent for a moment before we all burst into laughter. After a minute or so, we all calm back down, regaining our posture before Matt speaks up.
“I’m kinda hungry guys. When are we allowed to get food today?” I pull out the coupons I got, checking the time written on them.
“Well, apparently my adventuring earlier also got us early admission. We get in at 5 and can go back for seconds at 9. It’s about 4:30 now so not too long.” The guys share some high fives before we all look at each other, the vinyl coming to an end. “You guys wanna walk around for a bit?”
“Sure, why not?” Everyone nods in agreement with Matt except for Logan who smirks.
“I got invited to Rebecca’s dorm tonight.” His smirk widens as we all shake our heads, groaning.
“Dude, she’s not even that hot!” Leon gestures to me with his hand to emphasize his point. “Even the gay guy says she’s not!”
I smirk at Logan, shrugging. “It’s true, you can do better man. Didn’t you sleep with River?” I hear Matt groan at the name.
“She was so hot and you left her for Rebecca!” Logan stands up and shrugs.
“Hey, there’s very few people who actually stand other people in this thing, I’m not gonna deny a chance to find someone to date. I mean, eventually we’ll be expected to continue the human race, might as well get to know people now.”
I smirk and hand him his dinner ticket, patting him on the shoulder as I walk by. “Have fun man, if you’re gone at curfew we’re locking you out.” He nods and tucks the ticket into his pocket before grabbing a small bag of emergency supplies.
Matt, Leon and Dax all start following me out before I stop, all of us standing in front of the bench in the middle of the walkway. “You guys wanna go towards where Spencer’s was or go up by the old pet store?”
“Let’s go to the pet store, they have new puppies and I hear you can sign up to train them.” We look at Dax, giving him some suspicious looks. The last time they did that was before we went on smaller portions to save food. “No, seriously, let’s go check it out.”
We all start walking that way, looking at the various activities going on. In the old video game store, people are playing some card game. The hair salon has a few people cutting people’s hair if they want it. We walk by the old Berlington and Macy’s stores, security guards standing at the entrances and watching us walk by. Most people can’t go in there because they have storage for immediate access. Anything from food and batteries to guns and building supplies are in there, making the trip to the other building unnecessary for the most part.
We continue up the walkway, looking at some of the larger stores with more people in them while we talk about more useless things, turning the corner at the far end of the mall. To the left is an old tattoo place, the workers choosing to keep it open to keep the ideas alive. After that is the pet store, some kennels and supplies filling the area not for the desk. The furniture store across from it has been emptied out, the furniture being used for various things such as the food court and some dorms. It’s now used as the training area for the dogs.
We quiet down before we walk into the pet store, smiling at Brie behind the counter. I lean on the counter and look at her. “Sup man?”
“Hey Richie, I’m just keeping an eye on the supplies, what about you?” Her blonde hair is held back in a pigtail and she’s in the scrubs from the store before the outbreak.
“We heard that people can sign up to train the new puppies, is it true?”
“Yeah, it’s true, but you have to have room for the dog in your dorm. Hot topic’s a small room, right?”
“It could fit 8 or so, but they put us in a group of 5. We have excess room actually. What breeds are available?”
She rolls her eyes and grabs the sheet, reading us the list. “There’s some chihuahua pups, a couple of shitzus, a few smaller breeds.” We all groan at the mention of those dogs. “There’s a few Shiba Inu’s?” No one really says anything. “Okay then, how about this?” before she goes on, she smirks at me and reads it word for word. “There is a Siberian Husky with one blue eye and one brown eye for people who can handle it.”
I look up at her, thinking it’s a joke. “There isn’t.”
“I promise you that there is. It’s everyone’s dream Husky, the cliche one in those movies. There’s also a few German Sheppards, but only the guards train them.”
“Put me down for that husky. I want that dog.” The guys have been looking over the supplies until then, all turning around at the words.
“Okay. As long as the dog likes you, you can have it. They said that you’d probably be down and that it’s fine to give you the dog as long as it likes you.”
“Awesome Brie! Where do I go to meet it?”
“Training room, just talk to Evan and he’ll get it set up.” She writes something on the clipboard then puts it back in it’s place, hugging me over the counter.
I rip my dinner coupon off and hand the rest of the guys theirs. “It might take a while, go get dinner if I’m late.”
They all scurry off, headed back towards our place as I walk to the entrance of the training area. A guard stops me at the door. “What are you doing here?”
“I’m supposed to talk to Evan about meeting a dog.”
“You’re Richard, right?” I nod. “What dog were you here to see?”
“I’m here to see the husky.” He smiles before telling me to wait here, headed into the back room. I slip my hands into the pockets on my jeans, making sure my shirt doesn’t have food stains on it before he returns, the leash in his hand. On the other end of the leash is the husky. It must be about 2 months old, still brand new. As the husky comes out, it sniffs everything around it, slowly working it’s way towards me. I squat down, putting my hand out and letting the dog sniff me before it licks my hand and lets me pet it. I scratch behind it’s ear and it gently flops onto it’s side, barking happily as I rub it’s belly. The guard chuckles and the dog jumps up, putting it’s front paws on my knee as I put my head down, petting him with both hands and putting my face to his.
“Looks like everything’s good. Food and water will be available from the store from 3-7 pm, I’ll get the bowl and some tags for him. Is there a specific color leash and collar you want?”
I smile happily, looking up at him and feeling like a little kid on christmas. “Do you have blue?” The guard nods and chuckles, grabbing the stuff from behind the counter and putting the leash on him. I smile as I clip the leash onto his collar and grab the basic suppies from him.
“When he outgrows his collar, bring him back and we’ll get you a bigger size if he needs it. His name is Hiro, we ask that you don’t change it. One of the workers saw it and it reminded him of his old dog, we let him name it and that’s what he picked.” I nod, understanding where he’s coming from before shaking his hand.
I set up a food and water dish next to my sleeping bag for Hiro and put the matt for him to go on at my feet before leading him to the food court, meeting up with the guys as I grab my food. The food court used to be an actual food court with a pizza place, a BK, a Blimpie’s, a Friendly’s, and a few smaller places for chinese or hot dogs. Every other tuesday, they open the places up again as a treat for the people living here. Luckily, it was one of those days. I grabbed a double cheeseburger from BK with some fries and a coke, sitting with the crew and Hiro. They all got to pet him and call him cute before we finished eating, heading back to our dorm for the night. As we settled in, the PA system had an announcement, Amanda’s voice echoing through the mall.
“Please be warned, there is a horde coming in from the south. We will handle it approperiately, but we ask you to keep lights and sounds at a minimal level until cerfew, which then all lights and sounds should be off and dorms should be fortified just in case. Thank you.” We all look at each other, sipping the refills on our drinks as Hiro yawns on my lap.
“It’s 8:40-ish. We can get seconds in a bit but then we have to lock up.”
“No shit Leon.” Dax glares at him, obviously not too happy.
“Dax, it’s okay, we’ll be safe in here. Hot Topic only has the one way in anyway. Leon, try not to upset Dax. He gets worked up easily and we have to try and keep that to a minimal. We’ll be fine in here. How about we get some food and find Logan then lock up?” The guys nod, slowly standing up. I place Hiro in my sleeping bag, hooking his leash to a pole so that he can get to his food and pad before standing up and headed towards the door.
“I’ll grab Logan, you guys get our spots in line.” I nod and Matt jogs past the food court, headed towards Rebecca’s dorm. We start walking the short distance to the stairs to the food court and I point to a store with no sign.
“Remember when that was the costume store?” I smile as I remember exactly how it looked. “Me and my mom would always come up this week and get some supplies for Halloween. Last year we ended up up geting creative and bought the supplies to do our makeup ourselves. A lot of people were disgusted with our wounds and shit. I had that chelsea smile makeup and some large wounds on my arm and she did a full rotting corpse look.” I chuckle as Dax smiles, Leon nudging me on the side.
“Isn’t that where we went to get that stupid banana suit that year?”
I laugh and look at him “And we got the horse mask the year after that. Warped got really weird after that year.” We burst into a small laugh, causing Dax to laugh with us as Matt and Logan join us.
“Just in time guys! Just about to hop in line ourselves!” We all join the small line of people not already fortifying their places and grab our last bit of food for the night. Ultimately we get the same things as earlier, but add a cone of ice cream to mix it up.
It’s about 9:10 when we get back to our dorm and start locking up. We slide the gate closed, locking it from the inside and clicking the lights off. I give Hiro a few fries as we munch, 9:30 approaching quickly and the lights in the walkway going dark. Only a security light every few stores is on, making it visible for the guards to go from point a to point b.
Leon quietly asks a question, his eyes fixed on the cieling. “Do you ever think we’ll go back home? Will we have our old lives back?”
The room is silent for a minute, everyone thinking about the question. It’s been 6 months, and we all miss the days that we just hung out with our friends who we haven’t seen sense then. Our old lives were never perfect, but they were heaven compared to now. I swallow the lump in my throat before replying in a quiet voice. “Hopefully. But we’re here for a while, so I guess we better make the best of it. It will never be the same, but we’ll get it as close as we can.”
I close my eyes as we all lie there, drifting to sleep to the sound of occasional footsteps from a guard. All I see is blackness, sleep bringing no dreams. It’s the same as every night sense the outbreak. Non of us sleep well on these nights anyway. We always worry too much about what might happen during our slumber. I wake up to a faint beeping at about 3, the air smelling odd. My eyes are opening slowly as I look to my left, noticing that my mask is glowing blue. Within an instant, I’m awake and snapping my mask on, clicking the filter as I shake the crew awake worriedly. They wake up like I did, slowly at first then quickly strapping on our masks and making sure everyone’s set. Leon alerts a guard who’s mask isn’t lit up and their eyes go wide, the guard sprinting to the offices upstairs. As Leon’s alerting the guard, Logan’s panicking and trying to find his mask. I pick up Hiro and put him into my hoodie, cradling him against my body and hoping that the air in my hoodie isn’t as bad for the dog. Amanda’s voice echoes throughout the mall alerting people to the air pollution as Logan holds his breath. A guard shows up to the door, tossing a bag to logan and a smaller bag to me. Logan rips the bag open and puts on his mask as I find a mask for a dog in mine, slipping it on quickly and making sure the filter is working properly. Hiro paws at the mask then gives up. We all gather up, ready to fight if we need to and wait for more information.
After about 5 minutes, my mask alerts me it’s safe to breathe and I see the guards taking off their masks too. I slip it off of my face, telling the other’s it’s okay to do the same. As their masks come off, they all look kind of pissed at me.
“Why do you have one of those masks?” Dax points to my mask and I sigh. He steps closer and holds his up. “This is what citizens have, not those!”
I hold up my hands, glaring at him. “It’s a long story.” I had forgotten to grab my other mask when I woke up, the panic of waking everyone up more urgent in my head. Dax glares back, not moving.
“We have time.” He crosses his arms over his chest, watching my every move as I glare back at him.
Chapter 03 - Explanation
I quickly examine the room, the other guys looking at me suspiciously. They obviously want an explanation too but they’re on guard, ready to jump in if something happens. I look back at Dax, making sure no weapons are within his range to be safe before I set the mask on the table behind me. “If we’re going to do this, we’re going to do it like everything else. We’ll sit down and chat, not stand ominously in he corner of our dorm. Got it?”
Everyone but Dax nod, keeping an eye on us as they work towards their usual spots. I stay still, looking at Dax as my voice lowers, going to a more serious tone. “It’s a long story, and you’re going to want to get comfortable Dax.” He turns around and stands in his usual spot, obviously still tense as I sit on the counter, Hiro climbing next to me. I sigh and pull out my other mask, examining it as I speak.
“Yes, the mask you guys have is different than the mask I have. Yours are for protection in case of emergencies and you must wear it when you go on scavenging trips.” I turn the mask over, the plain plastic eye piece and black plastic casing on the filters with elastic straps over the back. I set it down on the table and grab mine, noticing just how much more it weighs as I continue. “I’m kind of in a different situation with my mask. It’s complicated.”
I stand up and walk to the door, speaking to the nearest guard. “Hey, this is urgent business, come here.” The guard comes over and looks at me, waiting for an explination. “I need to see your mask.” The guard straightens up his posture and grips his gun holster. I glare at him and my voice becomes more demanding. “You will be demoted to citizen if I do not have your mask in my hand, understand?” The guard slowly releases his grip and hands me his mask. I thank him and go back to my spot, holding the gas mask up.
“This mask is the model for the guards. Notice the white material and stronger structure over your masks.” I press a button, making the lights glow a dim red. “Your masks are for breathing. These masks have communication devices built into them. The lights signal various things along with the beeping in the small ear piece. The lights can blink for a communication request, or can alert the wearer of toxins in the air. It weighs more than your mask because of the technology, but the design has the lights show through the structure. It’s still smooth and the same shape as yours.” I give the guard back his mask and he walks off, mumbling to himself as everyone but Leon stare dumbfounded.
“The next kind of mask would be the ones for soldiers and the people running this such as Amanda.” Dax tilts his head and I look at him. “Amanda does the PA announcements. She is the ultimate power in this place. Most people don’t know that, but Leon and I do. We’ll get back to that in a minute. The guards mask look a bit more like mine, the part covering your face having different indents for different things, like the lights being in the mask and not having protection. They’re not seen as often, but usually it’s the gray mask with white lights. They have a few more features built in but nothing too notable to most people.”
“Now, my mask is completely different from all of those. My mask is this black one with the blue lights. You can see a few differences right off of the bat. My mask itself covers my face, but also connects to a pair of headphones. They don’t touch my ear so that I can still hear what’s going on around me. The microphone for communications is inside the part where my mouth is. Unlike the soldiers and things like that, everything for communications is actually built into my mask, compared to being an earpiece that has a wire connecting it. It has the toxin detectors and essential things, but it also has a few separate things built in. For one, the glass I look out has a built in UI, making it able to tell where my route is taking me and important information about whatever.”
I chuckle and press an internal button, causing some music to play over my headset. “It has a built in music device. I have all of the music I’ve gotten since the outbreak on here. Plus, a lot of the guards and workers have music on their computers they brought with them I was able to use. Along with all of this, it’s solar powered. I can plug it in to charge it, or just have it charge while I’m out doing things.”
“But why do you get it?” Apparently Dax has taken his seat, his eyes watching me wordlessly. “I’ve always wondered how you got away with some of what you do, like how you got Hiro without the training or your license to go out and scavenge things.”
I sigh, Leon walking up to me and sitting next to me. I can tell he has his knife in his pocket, he always does when something like this happens. The others eye us cautiously as I lower my gaze, sighing deeply and reaching for my t-shirt sleeve. I pull the cloth back, showing the mark on my left shoulder. The others gasp and back away, shaking in fear as I look up at them. You’d think that after doing this several times, almost being shot and having Leon stab someone to save me, I’d be used to the reaction, but it never came. It’s still horrible to do.
“This was from the end of June. Leon only knows because he had met up with me about a week before it happened. It’s exactly what it looks like.” Leon shifts uncomfortably as the guys still look terrified. I pull my sleeve back down and pet Hiro calmly, taking a deep breath before we go any farther.
“Like I said, it was the end of June. The outbreak was fucking everyone up at the time, but public radio and internet were still up. Most people were going to the government sectors by then, being herded into places with everyone else. I was at a house an hour from one of them. It was in a suburban neighborhood. We parked my firebird in the garage and locked it up so that no one would get any ideas to fuck with it. The house was a pretty good size, 3 bedrooms, 2 bathrooms, and all of the water came from the well. There were generators in the shed that we used, and plenty of cars near by to get gas from. We were set. It had been my boyfriend Caleb and I since it happened. His parents were shot by their neighbor the day it broke out. We knew this because his aunt had barricaded the house. My mother was still alive, but my dad had went out for food and didn’t come back. Mom had her phone with a solar charger in her friend’s house, and we talked every night. I would’ve went back to get her, but she told me not to every night. The crowds of growlers outside were growing rapidly, filling the street. Her house was barricaded heavily, food starting to run low. They had several cases of water in the basement though, they were set for a while. We settled into the house the night Mom said her good byes. It’s horrible to hear the wood breaking as she’s saying she loved me more than anything.”
I stop for a moment and swallow, the lump in my throat refusing to go away as I breathe deeply again, taking a moment to calm myself. “Caleb and I had driven past Leon on the way to the house, immediately picking him up. I used to be best friends with him, spending the weekends with him and a few other people watching shitty horror movies and being the young adult idiots we were. Like I said, we barricaded the house and settled in. I had the katana I keep in my sleeping bag in case of an attack.” I pulled out the weapon to show them, forgetting that they didn’t know about that either. “Fast forward a few days, we were smelling something weird. Leon and I were cautious and decided to go outside for a bit, get some fresh air. Caleb was complaining about feeling sick so we told him to go lay down. Leon and I ended up going to the other houses and checking for a few things, noticing the smell was only in our house. It had a smell kind of like mold, and didn’t really ring well with us. After a few hours, we came back to check on Caleb. We opened up the door and the smell hit us hard, both of us covering our faces with our hoodies. We could see particles in the air and immediately worried. I noticed Caleb on the couch right inside the door and immediately pulled him out, his eyes closed. I shook him to wake him up, trying to make sure he was okay…”
I trailed off, going silent as Leon continued the story in a quiet tone. “Richie shook him, making sure he wasn’t dead. We were both relieved to hear Caleb groan, he always did when he was woken up. But it was a different kind of groan this time. We both noticed it and kinda backed off. Richie decided to say his name again, causing Caleb to groan louder. Richie stood there, watching him and glanced at me for a second. Things were quiet for a minute, we just stood there, standing still. It felt like an eternity. Caleb was actually already dead. The fungus had cut of his airway, and the groaning wasn’t Caleb. A growler ended up getting up behind us in that moment, biting Richie’s shoulder. I had my knife in my pocket and was able to stab it and get it off of him, but it still had bitten him before anything could be done.”
I continue the story, gazing at the ground. “I don’t remember anything of the incident except for the searing pain of the bite. What I remember was a deal Leon and I had. If I were to turn, he would be the one to put me down. We’d only heard of it happening. We headed towards the country. Driving, we saw someone be bit by one and shot the growler, leaving the body to see if it would happen to them. After a few minutes, the body was reanimated, the infection had spread. I was concerned. After so long, we had to go get supplies, and we decided to come here and scavenge. There were people fortifying it and told us to get out of the car and walk to the boss.”
I look up. “Turns out, Amanda was in charge. And the funny thing is, I had thought shortly after the outbreak of my cousin Mandi. She was in the national guard and I was hoping she was doing okay. And then I find out she was in charge of this thing and I was ecstatic. I was welcomed into the group with open arms, and Leon was accepted by her when he was being a smart ass with me. I guess it reminded her of the days before this when that’s all we would do, be smart asses together.”
“I did get some special things due to that, but what really got me up top was that bite. There was a group of scientists who were with us at the time and insisted that I was the cure. There’s a group of people in Arizona who they knew. They’re planning on being at a college on Memorial Day next year. I have to go see them. I was given special privileges.”
“But there’s something fucked up about all of this. My senses heightened. My reflex time was improved. I’m not super human, it’s not like it’s paranormal, but everything improved slightly. It had the opposite effect on me.” I sigh, stepping down and checking the clock. It’s almost 4 now, and I yawn. “The only reason I had this stuff was so that I could blend in and not cause a panic. Say anything about this to anyone and you’ll be fucked royally. There are no exceptions, okay?”
The group nods, looking tired. “We still have duties tomorrow. I’d recommend everyone try to sleep before then.” We all shuffle into our beds, falling back asleep easily from the drama we just had. This time, something was off. I actually dreamt about something after that.
Chapter 04 - Rain
Hiro decided to wake me up by licking my face repeatedly. I had forgotten what it’s like to wake up because of a dog. Last time that happened, it was on my 18th birthday, crashing at Leon’s place and being woken up by his pitbull. I chuckle as I sit up, Hiro backing up and wagging his tail happily, a small bark urging me to pay attention to him.
I have to look around for a second, get my surroundings in check. It was one of those nights where you have such a vivid dream that you’re not sure if it happened or not when you wake up. But for some reason, none of it stayed with me. I can’t remember what happened in it, where it was, anything. I try to recall something, anything from that dream. It’s the first dream I’d had in some time, and I just want to remember what happened in it.
“Richie, you okay?” I blink, realizing I’m gripping my eye with my hand. I go to look up and notice a slight throbbing in my head. As I try to stand up, Dax rushes over, giving me some support as my legs give out. “Richie, what’s wrong?”
I open my mouth to speak before Logan interrupts, sounding both irritated and worried. “Stop you idiot, if he speaks it’ll make it worse!” I glare at Logan as Dax’s eyes widen.
“Shut up Logan. I can still talk.” Dax turns his head to me and helps me sit on the counter, allowing me to regain my balance. “I just woke up with a headache, nothing too bad. What time is it?”
“About 7:45, why are we all up fifteen minutes early?” Leon sounds irate as he rolls over, slowly getting to his feet. “Everything okay?”
“I just have a headache Leon. Nothing to worry about.”
“His legs gave out too!” I glare at Logan, debating punching him to shut him up. “What if it’s–”
“It’s not the shoulder and if you bring that up again you will have a knife to your throat faster than you can think about fucking Rebecca again.” Leon interrupts him quickly, his voice low and dark. I raise a hand to stop him, but he just stands there, glaring at Logan.
“But, how do you know?” Matt steps out of the changing room in his usual outfit of shorts and a vneck tshirt.
I stand up and start grabbing some clothes. “No signs of a fever. I’m good.” As I’m going through the new merch from the day before, I remember my assignment for the day and hurry up, quickly grabbing a black shirt from the bag and some black jeans, my converse in my hand as I rush to the changing room. “I have to be at the west entrance in 5 minutes, grab my hoodie, mask and katana for me guys!” The items are handed over the door to me by Leon, a small bark from behind the counter reaching my ears. “FUCK! Someone’s on Hiro duty. Leon, you have anything today?”
“No, want me to watch him?”
I slip my shirt on before opening the door, sliding the hoodie on as I step out quickly, my katana being slung over my shoulder in record time. “Yeah, it’d be very appreciated. Pick up our meal tickets by the way.” He yells out an okay as I run out of the door, putting my mask on as I sprint by the food court, attracting a few people’s attention. A few people smirk and nod, realizing I’m late again. I’m about half way there and I can see the line of people on assignment for first shift, my spot towards the middle of the line. I break into a dead sprint as I see the guards marking names off of their list, popping my hood up as I roll into my spot, my feet perfectly lined up with the others as a few people look over, rolling their eyes.
“Devine, you’re pushing it. 10 more seconds and you’d have been late.” The guard checks my name off of the list, looking completely unamused as he moves down the line. The guy next to me is a short haired blonde guy, bright green eyes, not too bad looking for someone with such a huge ego and tiny brain.
“You know you’re a showoff right?” He looks at me out of the corner of his eyes, still facing forward. I chuckle, staying in the proper posture and looking towards the door.
“To be fair, the flip is just because I was late one day and realized it helps me warm up.” I smirk as he scoffs, looking forward again. “I’m guessing you were here 2 days early as always Dakota?”
“I’m never more than 2 hours early, I just like to make sure I’m prepared, unlike some people.” His voice is dripping with hatred, obviously used to being treated like royalty. “Why are you even allowed to do this?”
“Because they only allow one snobby cunt on the hunts, so they asked me to fill in for your ego.” Dakota gasps audibly, causing a guard to look over at us. Honestly, he’s the stereotypical rich snob who drinks tea with some croquet teammates while discussing how his servant should decorate the livingroom. He’d never say anything remotely foul, and acts repulsed that people would think about anything other than tiny finger sandwiches.
“Don’t speak to me.”
“Never want to, Malfoy.” The girl on the other side of me snickers, trying to keep in the required posture. I’ll have to keep note of her, she’s obviously had a life.
Dakota seems completely ignorant of the reference.
The guards hand out papers to everyone in line, showing groups and destinations. There’s 2 groups today, one going to the hospital in town, and one going to scavenge the cars for oil. The groups seem split by me, Dakota’s side going to the cars and the girl’s side going to the hospital. I’m informed by a guard’s voice in my ears that I’m allowed to scavenge a few places in town on my own or go with the group. I nod and the voice goes silent again, a group of guards heading to the fortified doors.
The light streams in brightly, both groups heading out into the air, headed in the same general direction. I chose to stay with the group until they split off on the edge of town in my head, happily walking with the group. As I’m walking, I realize I forgot a bag for anything I find, putting my hand up to the headpiece and pressing the button to call HQ.
“Hi, this is Richard Devine, I happened to forget a bag for supplies, would someone bring the backpack that says RIOT all over it to the west entrance?” There’s a sigh followed by a confirmation with an eta of 1 minute. I quickly jog back to the entrance, grabbing that and thinking. “There’s a set of keys in the dorm, can you bring them here?” The guard looks confused before nodding to another one, the second guard jogging to the court.
“What are the keys for?” I’ve met this guard before, I think he’s been here for a few months now. He’s always confused as to my requests but goes for it anyway.
“Well, there are keys to a few buildings, making access easier and safer, along with the keys to my bike.” He sighs as the other guard hands me my keys, closing the door behind me. I walk to the parking lot, putting my leg over my bike. It’s 100% electric, so less noise occurs. It’s supposed to sound like a jet, but I had to modify it after the outbreak.
My uncle was a friend of the CEO of Harley Davidson, so I was able to get my hands on an early model of the electric bike announced before the outbreak. The engine purs as I click the keys on, pulling them out and fastening them in my hoodie’s inside pocket, making sure my bag was on tight enough to not fall off as I pulled the handle back, going towards the road and surveying for any possible hordes. I turn the handle back again, going towards town at a faster rate than my feet could have. The towns only about a mile out from the mall, but it’s all hills. After a few seconds, I pass the group, nodding to them as I speed up, dropping over the top of the hill and seeing the town. There’s a few stores like CVS and RiteAid, the hospital, a couple of family businesses and some houses. For the most part, it’s small and cozy. There’s another town about 5 minutes down the road, much bigger with some larger stores.
I look up at the hospital and notice a small crowd out front, trying to get into the main entrance. It’s kind of a comotion. “Richard to Groups Alpha and Beta, there’s a horde out front of the hospital, medium sized. They appear to be trying to get into the main entrance. There might be a comotion inside, precede with caution.”
“Alpha to Richard, threat acknowledged and group alerted, over.” I start speeding up, going along the road towards the town. “Alpha to Richard, request for communication.”
I press the button on my headset again, easing around a turn in the road. “What’s up?”
“A member of Group Beta seems to think there might be some false information in your last statement.”
“Let me guess, Dakota cried out that I’m not authorized?” I hear a sigh from the other end, no reply. “S'what I thought. You’re authorized to slap him if he gets too annoying sir.”
I can hear the smile in his voice as he replies. “Acknowledged and accepted, thank you.”
“No problem Ed. If any problems occur, notify me and I’ll provide backup.” He confirms and clicks out, leaving me to the road. Okay, maybe the road’s more like a 10 minute drive, but it’s because I’m only going 60. My mask lights up a notification in the upper left corner, alerting me of something. “Read alert.” The mask beeps and reads the alert into my headset, the notification dimming and allowing me to see in that area agian.
“Weather Advisory: Heavy rain storm inbound for 10:30 AM in your region. Flash flooding possible, be alert.” Fuck. It’s really gonna storm today? I would have worn my heavier hoodie if I knew that 15 minutes earlier. I look at the display on my mask, the time flashing 8:10. It’s only been 10 minutes and the day’s had more action than the last week. I’m probably going to head out around 10, try and miss the storm.
I quickly park my bike in the same spot as always, putting the carp over it. I found the carp in this alley the first time, and I figured I should leave it there in case I need it whenever I come and park in town. It’s the same town I always go to, about half the distance if you cut through the woods. The road was built through the forest, so naturally it winds around rather than going straight.
I look around, the coast clear. Usually growlers hide when a storm comes in, so buildings are a bit more risky today. There’s a tattoo shop, an old concert venue that has a restaurant, and another apartment I’d like to check out today. I have about 2 hours to search 3 places. I speak quietly into my mask. “Shuffle the playlist pop-rock on volume level 5.” My mask’s lights gently pulse as a chime plays, some music playing faintly in my ear. I test my hearing by tossing a few pebbles, still hearing them clearly over the sounds of Fall Out Boy. I nod, making sure my katana’s secure and the backpack isn’t going to interfere with my access to the weapon as I walk towards the old venue.
It’s nothing too big, just something for bands to stop by when they just want to do a smaller show. A few good bands played here while it was running. Motley Crue, Styx, Boston, Poison, a lot of bands that’ve died down a bit since the 80’s. They still know how to rock, but the fans have settled down a bit. The stage is pretty simple, sturdy wood with no roof, some places for lights, amps above the center of the stage and along the sides, and a large field surrounded by wood fences. The white lawn chairs that were roped off are now lying around lazily, the rope frayed and broken. The towers for soundbooth and VIP members are still standing, only a few beams damaged. The restaurant itself is closed up, the windows sealed off with wood boards that are rotting due to weathering. The building itself is moderately sized, only taking what it needs and leaving the rest to the concerts. It’s 2 stories, the second story more dining tables and a viewing balcony for people to spend more for. Around this time of year, it would’ve been done up for Halloween, the second story becoming the best haunted house in a few hour radius. It’s weird to think that this place was the best at it, but it’s because New York City is about 5 hours away. No one really cares to try until they’re about this far away. There was a huge one that was the greatest in the country in the city every year, tickets being like $75 a person. You had to walk through by yourself and it had a process of wavers and recording you reading it on video along with a safe word and things like that. That was awesome the year I went, but it was nothing compared to Tags in the long run. This place made it so that it was scary but still fun, and had some really good food downstairs. In reality, I think it was just better because of the sentimental value to me.
I look at the sign falling apart on the roof, “Tags” written in a unique style along with the hours and contact information below it. There was no movement in the windows from what I could see, so I pried one of the wooden boards off of the window, making sure to set it aside quietly.
The inside’s just like I remember, the tables neatly organized and the counter undisturbed. The owners must have made it so that they could go back after this because everything was untouched. Even the boards were put up from the outside. The only thing is that it’s darker than I remember, the windows letting through very little light. I click the button on my mask gently, pausing the music in my ears. It’s quiet, only the sounds of a breeze outside reaching me inside of this building. The wall is covered with pictures of fans meeting the bands they had here, usually signed by the band as well. I look towards the bottom right corner, smiling as I find the one I’m looking for.
In the picture is Brett Michaels and the rest of Poison with 2 people. His arm is around a woman, about 30, with long, dark brown hair in a perm. Her shirt is from the Bon Jovi tour that year. To Brett’s right, next to the drummer is a boy with short brown hair and a black shirt with a faded Poison logo on it bought from the Salvation Army. He smiles bigger than any of them, a small gap between his front teeth on top. The picture is signed “To the raddest 10 year old we know and his mother, you guys rock! Hope to see you soon Brenda and Richie!” and all of the band’s signatures blow the note. I gently take it off of the wall, hugging it for a moment before putting it in my bag and looking around the place a bit more.
There weren’t any growlers, but I managed to get a couple of shirts and a few packs of Pepsi that were still good. There’s also a huge collection of vinyl from the 80’s, the cardboard signed by the bands over the faded artwork. I only grab a few of them, leaving the rest for another time. Metallica’s black album, New Jersey by Bon Jovi, and Master of Puppets are the three I grab for the next week, promising to return them. I quickly find a notepad and a pen and scribble down a note.
Dear Tags, Thank you for your many memories before things went to hell. Due to circumstances, I’ve taken a few things from the store. I found a few packs of Pepsi and some shirts from the back. I have borrowed your vinyl of Master of Puppets, the black album, and New Jersey and hope to return them asap. I have also taken the photo where this note is placed of my mother and I with Poison. I hope things can go back to normal soon and I can see more shows here.
I look up while writing the note and notice a guitar on the wall, looking as good as ever. It’s a black Fender, the strings still intact. The case is below it with several spare strings in it. I walk over and examine it, gently placing it in the case and latching it shut. I go back to the note, continuing where I left off.
I have also taken the Fender on the wall with the case and strings. It might take a bit for me to give it back after things go back to normal, but you will be getting it back.
Best Wishes Richie “Epicness” Devine.
I take a thumbtack and put the note where the picture used to be, grabbing the guitar case by the handle and climbing out of the window, placing the board back in place. The time on my mask says 8:53, and I sigh, realizing I spent a little too much time in there. I’ll have to raid the apartment later, I already have a bit too much on me anyway. I guess I’ll stop into the tattoo place and fill my bag the rest of the way. I jog to my bike first, setting the guitar case under the tarp and jog to the tattoo parlor, my hood falling from on top of my head.
The tattoo parlor was originally someone’s house, but they bought it and remade it into a tattoo parlor. It’s nice looking from the outside, the red vinyl puts the words bring your skin in the windows along with a phone number. The door’s open a bit, a small light coming from inside. I open the door slowly, trying to quietly walk over the wooden floor and see what the source is. I was in here several times with my friends, only ever getting my industrial piercing done here. I know there’s some comfortable furniture in the room I’m in because I was there many times, chatting with the owner. I step back into the room where piercings were done, a guy in a black beanie and light gray shirt looking through one of the cupboards.
“What are you doing here?” My voice scared the hell out of him, causing him to jump and turn around. His glasses have thick rims and fit his style well. He has a wonder years shirt on and some black skinny jeans. There’s a tattoo on his wrist, looks like a semicolon.
“I’m trying to find some supplies, food and stuff…” He looks worried, not finding anything in the cupboards. “What’s with the mask?”
I sigh and slide my bag off, reaching into it and pulling out a spare mask, tossing it to him. “Put it on now, it might save your life.” He looks confused but does as I say anyway. “You alone?”
His voice is a little bit higher in pitch than mine, but that might just be from the shyness he has. “The rest of my group was killed by those…things a few weeks ago, I’m on my own.”
“No weapons?”
“No.”
“Have you been bitten?”
“No, I haven’t.”
“You’re apparently quite lucky if you’re alive with no weapons or bites.” I raise an eyebrow, stepping to the cupboards to his right and clearing out all of the ink and needles. “You’re coming back with me.”
He looks shocked and worried, his eyes going wide. “W-why?”
“We have a base. You’ll be safe there. You do have to work your share, but it’s the closest to home we have now. Can you step back for a second?” He looks up and realized I’m waiting to get into the cupboard he’s in front of before stepping aside quickly. “Thanks. But I’ll radio HQ quickly and you’ll be set.” He nods as I put the piercings and supplies into my bag, zipping it up and pressing the button on my mask.
“Richard to HQ, there’s a survivor here, says his group died and he has no weapons on him. Bringing him in for the basics.”
Amanda replies and speaks into my ear. “God dammit Richard. Is there an ETA on your arrival?”
“I’m almost done gathering from the tattoo shop about 15 minutes from base then we’ll be on my bike headed back.” I look the guy over as I grab the tattoo machine from the front room, being followed closely.
“Okay, bring him in and we’ll process him.” I press the button and notice the confused look on his face, quickly finishing up.
“My mask has a communication device, I had to talk to Amanda and alert her to your arrival. You’ll have to meet with her, but you’ll make it in.” He nods, still standing there. I hand him the bag and smirk. “You’re riding on the back of my motorcycle and that means you wear this.”
He silently puts the bag on and nods, waiting for me to tell him what to do.
“You’ll like it there. I’ll make sure you bunk with us for the first week at least. We’re stationed in the mall.” He nods, his posture relaxing a bit.
“I haven’t been there since a few months before this happened.” Luckily, he seems to have calmed down a bit.
“Yeah, you’ll feel right at home man. My bike’s right around the corner, stay alert and quiet, we’ll be out of here before the rain hits.” He nods as I start walking towards the door, feeling him staying close behind me as I walk. The bike is 2 buildings down, and we get there easily. I pull the tarp off of the bike and pick up the guitar, forgetting how to fit this on. “Take the backpack off.” He looks shocked but hands me the bag quickly. I open one of the cases on the side and place the bag inside before putting the guitar on him, tightening it and padlocking the cover. “Hold on and do not let that fall off, okay?”
“Yeah, got it.” I climb on the bike and feel him climb on after me, his arms wrapping around me tightly as I start the motor again. We quickly take off, going over the roads as the sky darkens. I radio to the other groups; “Has the rain started in town yet?”
Ed replies. “It’s going to in a few minutes, we’re about to head back.”
“Good. I’m about to go through town and wanted to double check on it. Any problems?”
“We couldn’t get into the hospital itself, but we did find a shed with supplies in that, we only took about a third of the stuff and locked the rest back up.”
“Cars have any fuel?”
“Several cases. Most everyone in the group has a jug full to carry. I think I hear your bike.”
“Yeah, that’s me, I have a survivor on the back and HQ has been notified and approved of him.” I turn onto the straight shot to the base, seeing the hospital on my left.
“Group has been alerted and will not panic.” I hear Dakota complaining in the background and chuckle.
“Had to slap him at all?”
“Not yet, but he might get it in a minute if he doesn’t stop.” I laugh quietly, the guy on my bike only hearing my half of the conversation. I still don’t know his name.
“Okay, well I’m about up to you guys, if you slap him do it while I can see it.”
“Fair enough. See you back at base.”
I end the communication and focus on the road, a few small drops hitting my mask as I speed up, flying past the group. I feel the grip on me tighten as I speed up, going over the hills easily as it starts to sprinkle. Within a minute, we’re under the parking area at base, the guards noticing us and opening the door.
I grab my bag from the storage slot and take the guitar case as I guide the guy into the doors. “The offices next to the theater are where you’re supposed to go, you can take off your mask inside of the building. Do anything they ask you to without hesitation, everyone has to go through it. You good?”
“Yeah, I think so.” I take my mask off and pull my hood down, smiling at him as he takes his mask off.
“Good luck man.” I nod as we split up, walking towards my room and setting the guitar case down on my counter causing Dax and Leon to look my way. I smirk as I set my bag on top, Hiro sniffing my pants happily. I toss my hoodie on the shelf and unzip the bag, pulling out the tattoo supplies and setting them into another bag for the shop.
“Now, this stuff is not just stuff. Most of it is stuff we’ll return and get different ones of. I went to Tags and got these things for myself and I plan on putting them back. Okay?” The guys nod, understanding where I’m coming from. I pull out the shirts, showing off the band logos as they watch. I then pull out the vinyl, causing a gasp from them as I show off the cases. “These are going back after a week, got it? Do not touch them.” They nod again, eager to listen to them. I pull out the photo of me and Poison and set it up on the shelf closest to my sleeping bag facing me.
“Is that….?” Dax goes quiet while Leon nods.
“I met Poison with my mom when I was 10. The photo was hung up in the restaurant part of Tags for years and I had to bring it back with me. Once again, it’s off limits.”
“Don’t blame you.” Leon is quiet too, recognising the value of it.
I smile and pull out the Pepsi, tossing a can to each of them and pulling one out for me. “You guys are lucky, the other two are off doing whatever and you get some fresh Pepsi!” We’re Pepsi people. Coke is okay, but Pepsi is better by far. “I have 3 Pepsi cases and 1 Mountain Dew case. The dew’s for special occasions.” They smile and sit back in their spots, sipping the drinks I just gave them. Clearing off the counter, I put the guitar case on my lap and unlock it, pulling the Fender out and strumming it gently. It sounds like it was tuned then never played, the strings still needing to be loosened up. I check an internal pocket and find a pick, smiling as I play a few chords before putting it back. “It’s also mine, off limits. But, there’s some news you guys should hear.”
They both look up, still sipping their drinks. “A, we can get some new ink or a new piercing, got a lot of shit for the shop, you’re welcome. B, we have a new roommate.” Both of the guys stop sipping, setting their drinks down and leaning closer. “He was raiding the shop for food and happened to not have any weapons or anything. He’s being profiled right now and will make it through by tonight. He’ll get the spot that Zach had before he got promoted, okay?”
“Why is he rooming with us?” Leon nods and agrees with Dax’s question, looking at me.
“Well, we have the capacity for 3 more people, and his shirt has the bird from The Wonder Years on it. Leon, you’ll probably be the first person he opens up to. He’s shy and we gotta let him open up on his own.” I watch as Leon smirks, leaning back and smirking while he sips his drink cockily. “Hiro behave well?”
“Yeah, he’s actually really well behaved, you’d think he was an adult dog by the way he acts.” I nod and pick up the bag with stuff full of supplies.
“Leon, wanna run this down for me? I’m gonna chill here for a few. It’s gonna downpour tonight by the way.” He puts his hands out and I toss the bag to him. On his way out he turns around.
“I get first dibs if I do this though.”
“I don’t care, you needed your lip redone anyway. Ask if they can do it now.” He nods and heads out, leaving me with Dax. “Where are the other two?”
“Logan’s in the infirmary, he had an upset stomach. Matt’s helping out the pet supplies with Brie.” I nod and pull the guitar out, just doing some warm ups as Dax and I talk about random shit. The thunder is audible from our room and Leon comes back shortly, joining our general dumbassery as we sit around and relax. I feel like something’s going to happen, and time seems to be taking forever to go by. Within half an hour I’m playing Crazy Train again, having a chorus of three guys belting out the lyrics. This is what rainy days are now.

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