YoManMilo Blog

CHAPTER 1

(by milo)

“You do you. And I'll do me. And we won't do each other"

“probabaly”

-markiplier

“CHRISCHRISCHRIS!!” “CHRIS!!! I got you flowers!!”

I yelled, sprinting across the plaza, people stared, but they always stared. I absolutely bowled into Chris, almost knocking his lanky frame over, he gave me his patented Im-So-Done-With-This-Thing™ glare

“Where the hell did you get these?” He gestures to the smooshed light-pink daisies in my hand and sighed through his nose.

“Didnt i tell you to stop wasting our hard-earned cash on useless sappy shi-”

“I stole it.” “Oh…that's fine then I guess.” 

He grabbed the flowers from my hand and smacked the back of my head with them “Just don't get caught, Alex.”

             Now let's get going. It's getting hot out.”

“It wouldn't be so hot if you didn't dress in all black, you emo.”

He smacked me again with the flowers and softly took my clammy hand to lead me away from the bustling mall that smelled of warm pretzels, sickly-sweet perfume, and sweat.

Chris is tall, he towers across the crowds. He has long, chestnut brown hair that he ties up into a funny little half-up-half-down style he saw in an anime once. He has warm honey-gold eyes, like a cat's. He's always wearing his black turtleneck and trenchcoat, no matter how hot it gets. He's like a cartoon character. A really pretty one. 

I stare at him while he walks, he doesn't notice (or if he did he didn't tell me).

We go through tall skyscrapers, squat pretty houses and through the bustling city. 

We walk to the dirty, run-down, part of town that we call home.

We walk over planks with nails sticking out, through discarded barbed wire, around drunks passed out, until we finally make it to our home; An abandoned run-down warehouse that used to hold canned peaches, yummy. We crawl through a broken window into our curtained-off area; a mattress , a box with a lamp Chris found in a dumpster, and a packet of cigarettes. On the mattress is my faithful hound, Bread. Bread isn’t really a dog. He's a plump, fluffy, raccoon. I consider him my son. When we climb in through the busted window, Bread chirps happily, his smokey tail wagging as he jumps down to rub against my scarred legs. His shadowy flesh is cold and ghostlike. Wait, lemme explain something real quick, Bread isn't like other raccoons. I created him from the shadows a while ago. I dunno, it's just a thing I can do, I don't question it. Chris flops down on the mattress, his lanky frame spread-out starfish style. His hand fumbles around behind the mattress for a few minutes, like a blind mouse, before grasping the things he was looking for, a tall brown bottle that reeked like booze with ‘XXX’ imprinted on the glass, like the kinds of alcohol in cartoons, his trusty bong and plastic baggy of the ‘forbidden herb'. He packs the bowl and lights it up, I watch intently, he doesn't allow me to try and the one time he did, I almost coughed my lungs out. After he was done, he coughed, and put the bong to the side, mellowing out a lot and taking a swig from the mystery juice. And, finally, as I do every night, I climb and curl up on him. Chris likes the weight of another person on top of him, especially when he's high. A cockroach skitters over my legs, Chris starts to card his fingers through my navy-blue, choppy hair, and the room smells like smoke. Before I knew it I was asleep.

CHAPTER 2

That night I dreamed…this isn't weird, the weird thing was, it wasn't purely from imagination. My dreams are mostly fantastical. But this…..

I was sitting on a soft carpet, playing with those big lego things, my brother Sam, at twelve years old, by my side, showing me how to build it into a really high tower, with the weight distributed so it doesn't fall over, the fireplace in front of us blazing with heat and light.

Nearby our parents were arguing.

Our dad was exasperated because my mom was doing one of her ’shows’ for our neighbor,

I just caught snippets of their conversation.

“Christ, Valentina! He was naked! In our bed!” my father shouted, his tone both exasperated and betrayed. My mother rolled her eyes and defended herself to make it seem like she was a victim.

 “he forced himself on me, Brad! You don't understand!”  

 “I do understand! I understand that you're sleeping around like a-. A..” My father cuts himself off, like he couldn’t bring himself to say the word with my brother and I in the room.

“Whatever, I'm done, Valentina. I’m ducking done with you and how you’ve been acting as of recent." A rough sigh escapes my dad as he steps past Sam and I to grab his overnight bag. I look up at him, curiosity glinting in my eyes.

“Daddy?” I ask, confused as to why he was leaving.

He looked tired, I swear his dark hair looked like it had more grey hairs than this morning at breakfast

Dad’s heavy hand ruffled my hair before he exited the house. Mom waited all night for him to come back, and when she realized he wasn't coming home she started screaming, and throwing things. She stomped over to Sam and I, her hand grabbed my hair roughly and…

CHAPTER 3

“Alex? Alex? C’mon, dummy. Time to get up”

“nmmgh…dad?”

“You can't sleep the day aw- what?”

I looked up and saw Chris looking down at me in confusion, hair sticking up everywhere.

“Did you just call me ‘dad’??” He asked, raising an eyebrow. I shake my head no before I verbalize it.

“No.” I insist, feeling slightly embarrassed at the word that had slipped out while I was half asleep.

Chris huffed and got up, starting to brush his hair, it was long and I found it pretty. I leaned forward and I grabbed a lock of his hair, putting it into my mouth, and effectively covering it in my drool.

“WHAT THE HELL ALEX???” he exclaims, jumping back in shock

“I dunno” I mumble as I shrug my shoulders, Chris scowls at me, his cheeks a vibrant red. Did he have a sunburn?

After Chris finished brushing his own hair he leaned down and brushed mine, careful not to brush the comb against the scar on my cheek. I had gotten that scar after I ran away from home when I was ten.

After my hair was back to its usual mess he grabbed my shoulder and helped me up.

“You okay?” Chris asks. Tilting his head to the side like a confused dog, he was worried.

“Huh?” the mumble tumbled out of my mouth, the word coated in confusion.

Why is he asking me this?

“I don’t know, you seem off. Bad dream?”

I shrugged, the dream wasn't necessarily bad, it barely counted as a dream. It was more like a memory. It was just a bad memory put to dream form, but it wasn’t a bad dream.

“You’re so helpful.” Chris grumbled, the sarcasm was just oozing from that sentence. 

“Let's go now, moron. I’m gonna starve.” he complained, and I could feel my stomach grumble in agreement. Maybe we could snatch some bread…?

Chris gripped my hand so as to lead me out of the busted window into the fresh air, his long, soft fingers lingering before Chris whips his hand away, so hard it clangs against the metal wall.

“DAMNIT!!” Chris screamed, sucking on his throbbing fingers, mumbling something about the ‘stupid wall’ hitting him.

Bread snickered, his fluffy tail flicking and his whiskers quiver with amusement as the little raccoon trots after us. Chris grabs my hand, which was clammy, and he leads me through a patch of barbed wire. I scoop Bread up so the little guy won't be pricked by the sharp metal thorns.

We were just climbing over a garbage bin, to get to the last stretch of the slums when someone stumbled in front of us, screaming in terror and agony. It was a woman, her eyes dark, a blood vessel popped, spraying black ooze, the stuff dripped from every orifice. a large bite mark was visible on her leg, below her skirt, the mark was an angry purple, and blood dribbled down her chin as the woman shrieked and wailed in pain. Suddenly, like a switch was flipped, she stopped and stared into the empty air, Chris gripped my arm, I could feel the terror flowing off of him in waves.

I hoped the warm liquid dripping down my thighs was just sweat. It wasn’t.

Bread quivered, tail fluffed up. He was frothing at the mouth, hissing with terror-fueled fury.

In one sickeningly wet ‘SNAP’ her body bent in half.

I thought it was the woman who screamed again but it was Chris.

Then, she stood back up, bones clicking and blood coating her suit.

In one swift movement, Chris scooped up my whole 168 pounds and booked it

CHAPTER 4

Chris only stopped running when his legs gave out, he was gasping for breath and he was holding me tight, like I was the only and most important thing in the universe. Chris’s breath came in ragged gasps as he clutched me

“A-are you-” he gasps “-o-okay?” he mumbles, burying his face into my hair.

I nod, nuzzling against him, he smelled like weed, rain, and grass. 

“Y-yeah,.but ... what was wrong with her…? She looked sick.” I mutter, confused at what was going on with that woman, something was definitely wrong…really wrong. 

Bread wheezes, flopping down beside us, I reach out to ruffle his cool, fuzzy fur.

“I don't wanna know…” Chris sighs, getting up shakily before reaching to help me up “But we have to go. We can't stay here, what if there's more?” he says, his voice wavering as I followed him down soggy back alleys and dank sidestreets. “I dunno. I have my guns…you can…do your thing. the woods should be safe, though.” 

Chris helped me up onto a creaky dumpster and we scrambled up onto the roof of a small, grimy building, Bread perched on my shoulder. After we got up we ‘roof hopped’ until we found a place low enough to jump down from, I was about to parkour my way to the ground and floor it to the woods, when Chris stopped me and pointed. On the plaza was…a horde of the same kind of ill people that lady was. I stepped to the side. The clump of infected stepped with me. I stepped back, so did they. I was having fun until Bread leaped from my arms into the clump, 

Before chris could stop me i followed my little fuzzball, focusing on the shadows around me until i manifested 2 razor-sharp blades of darkness, and fell into the crowd

I dodged, slashed, stabbed, weaved, and dodged. My blades arching elements of death, I stabbed one in the stomach, spraying black blood everywhere, one lunged to bite me and I sidestepped and chopped its head clear off. Another spray of black blood. Another undead attempted to grab me with one gnarled hand, and I grabbed the appendage and twisted it, ripping it clean off. I heard Chris jump down, his gun firing, an infected fell nearby, a bullet through its skull. We kept on fighting until there was a clear path through the infected, I felt Chris's warm back against mine, Bread was clinging to my shoulder. I grabbed the taller boy's hand and ran for the gap, slicing any zombie who got in our way in half. I dragged Chris along, down main street, and into a nearby shopping mall. I locked the door with a broom handle, and turned around to see a bat swinging at my head.

Chapter 5

I snapped my eyes open… another dream. Huh.

I was sitting in my room while Sam helped me with my math homework. I sensed that this was a few years after my dad walked out. We were just working through an especially tricky algebra problem when my mom came in, dressed up to look pretty. Her eyes were rimmed in eyeliner, lashes covered in black mascara. She was wearing a dress that covered little and was very tight.

“Come on you two. Get dressed and come downstairs. I have someone who wants to meet you”

She smiled, her teeth white and shining. Sam helped me into my fancy suit for funerals and fancy dinners and we went downstairs. 

The sight we were greeted with was our mom, beside a middle-aged man in a suit, his hair was combed back and he gripped moms butt with one hand

“Hey there.”

He waved with his free hand as mom beamed.

“This is Mr William.”

“William Afton?” I ask, confused because he's not purple.

My moms smile strains as she laughs.

“Hahaha! Kids are so silly sometimes,”

Her hand grips my shirt as she leads me away, hissing in my ear

“Shut up and behave you little brat”

I nod, flinching away..she did this often. Too often after dad left. 

I saw Sam glare at my mom and grip my hand as we sat down at the table. Mr William sitting too close to me. He leaned down and breathed in my ear 

“Youve got your mother’s hips”

“Uh….t-thanks…?”

I mumbled, confused at what that meant. My mom smiled warmly.

“You two are getting along, hm?”

Mr William slid his hand around my waist, caressing it with his thumb.

I continued eating, uncomfortable at his hand on my hip.

And as soon as i was finished eating, sam tugged me away to the bedroom, and locked the door…

Chapter 6

I woke up in a chair, tied up with itchy ropes, Chris was beside me, yelling at the mystery figure who attacked us. Then, the Mystery Person glanced at me. 

“Oh. you're awake, your friend is quite the pain…” the person mumbled, their voice was quiet and feminine. They pulled their hood down to reveal a girl around our age, with dark skin and pretty almond eyes. Her hair was wrapped in a scarf.

“Yeah. He does that "I say, as Chris shouts indignantly behind me.

“You're not bitten…?” Mystery Girl asked as I nodded

“I dunno. Don't think so.” I say, looking around. We’re in a large HUGE house. The type that costs like a bajillion dollars.

The girl sighs and starts to untie us.

“I'm Ivy….” Ivy says as she unties Chris (much rougher than how she freed me)

“Alex.” I say, before nudging Chris “and this is Chris. Your house is funky”

She nodded “my dad is a scientist…”

“We’re headed to the woods, wanna come?”

Ivy hesitated, but nodded, discreetly slipping a vial into her pocket. I noticed but didn't comment as she started to collect more things to bring with her. 

“Cool. You're my friend now, by the way.”

She looked surprised but resigned to her new title. Once we got going again we realized we were practically in the woods already, Ivy's house was just a block away from the dense thicket of trees that goes on for acres and that when I first found Chris we called home.

Halfway to the woods I noticed bread was missing, but he’ll reappear sometime.

The forest was cool and damp, the trees providing shade from the blazing sun, we walked for awhile until we got to the little hideout of molded wood that was our home for almost two years. Chris stepped inside wrinkling his nose at the mold smell

“Ugh…gross”

I come inside too, as Ivy stands outside, looking disgusted.

“Is that…safe?”

I shrug

“Dunno, but its not gettin any saferer”

I motion for her to get inside the plywood-built monstrosity. To be fair, we were ten. I sit down on the ground as out of the shadows, my plump furry little raccoon emerges.

“Bread!! Buddy, this is Ivy”

He glances at our new friend with disdain and crawls into my lap, purring contentedly as he kneads my faded jean shorts.

Chris pulled out his bong again and Ivy stared intensely

“You smoke?? How old are you?”

I pipe up. I'm not really sure when my birthday is but I know how old I am.

“Hes 16 and I'm 17. And what's wrong with smoking?”

I tilt my head slightly as she wrinkles her nose, a strand of hair slipping out of her headscarf. 

I lean back onto Chris as he takes his toke and blows the smoke out of his nose. 

My stomach grumbled and I realized I haven't eaten for like, 3 days. And I'm starving.

Chris glances down at me and slides his hand under my shirt to rub my stomach..

“Hungry, hm? We’ll find something. We always do.”

Bread snuggles closer as i pat his fuzzy little head

Then the bushes rustle nearby, my head snaps up and I stand up abruptly. Out of the forest, stumbles a boy of about 13. Maybe 14. 

The kid stares up at us with fear as I summon my sword.

“Hey, hey..shh its okay” Ivy says in the same tone i would use if Bread was startled.

Then i notice the bite mark on his leg

“Shoot…hes bit-”

Before I could even get the sentence out there was a click and a loud BANG as Chris shot the kid in the head.

CHAPTER 7

We ate in silence. Ivy didn't have any of the meat, she was just sitting in the corner of the little hut, shaking and staring at us like we were monsters that crawled from the pits of hell. 

Chris had prepared the meat so it was mildly seasoned, and juicy. 

Perfect. 

Delicious. 

And there was enough for at least a week. I licked my fingers, feeding a bite to Bread. Who chomps the chunk down happily, his grey tongue licking his lips.

“The seasoning in it is bad for him, you know” Chris states, scratching Bread between the ears.

“Itll make him sick if you feed him too much..” Chris leans in, meeting my eyes. His warm honey-gold eyes contrast with my bright blue ones. His breath hitches and he pulls away, his cheeks going scarlet. The rain started pouring down outside, and our shack was surprisingly waterproof and only a few drops snuck through the mismatched roof above us. One landed on Bread's head and he squeaked and shook his head to get dry again. Chris was snoring beside me, but Ivy was still wide awake, shaking.

“uhh…Ivy? You good?”

She shook her head

“No! No, I'm not good. You shot that kid!! And ate him like he was shitty takeout chicken!!”

She shouted, eyes wide, loud enough that Chris stirred in his sleep

“Listen!! He was bitten! And we needed food…it was him or us”

She shuddered, turning away so she was facing the wall.

‘ “you people are sick”

CHAPTER 8

I opened my eyes, I had fallen asleep with bread nested in my hair and my body being on top of Chris's sleeping form and I opened my eyes in yet another dream.

Dam.

I was getting screamed at by my mom, at this point I was 9. My mom had married Mr Williams, and had insisted we call him ‘dad’. At this point, we were out of our old house, now living in a mansion in the woods. Mom was yelling about how I broke a vase. Then, behind her, Mr William loomed, I was more afraid of him than of my mom’s hysteric yelling. Then, Mr William gripped my moms shoulder with one huge hand, she flinched and he shoved her aside surprisingly gently.

“Dont worry, Valentina. I'll punish the little bitch. Come along, Alex.”

He grabbed my shoulder before I could stop him and lead me downstairs to the basement, which was noise canceling. Mr William closed the door, and gripped my waist, roughly, hard enough for his tainted, dirty hands to leave dark bruises, he started to run one filthy hand under my shirt, the other one coming up to cover my mouth, so i didnt cry out, i was about to puke from disgust.

“Dont worry, ill take care of you…”

His grimy hands started to go lower, reaching for the waistband of my jeans, the other leaving my mouth and running down my neck. Then the door opened, it was Sam! My brother’s eyes widened in anger and he tackled Mr William to the ground.

“WHAT THE FUCK!! GET THE FUCK OFF HIM!! FUCKING RAPIST PIECE OF SHIT”

Sam punched and kicked, at sixteen, he was almost the same size as the monster my mother married, and was able to overpower him. I stumbled upstairs, tears filling my eyes as I fell to the ground, my strength leaving me as I sob. My mom screamed as she saw my brother beating Mr Williams.

“SAMUEL!! WHAT ON EARTH ARE YOU DOING??”

Sam was shaking with rage and exertion.

“I was protecting your child from this douchebag. Mom, I'm leaving. I cant live here while this dick grooms your fucking kid and you just sit by with your thumb up your ass doing jack shit. Come on Alex”

He helped me up, hugged me and picked me up, even though I was almost in double digits at that point. He started to carry me to the door when my mom stopped him.

“Sam, you can't do that. Alex is in my custody. And that would be kidnapping. Give me my child back.” my mother said coldly, as Mr Williams staggered out of the basement, lip bleeding.

“You cant be serious….that monster you married was raping your kid and youre just gonna, what?? Look over it??” Sam yelled, shocked that our mother would do such a thing.

“Yes. Now Sam, you can leave or stay. But Alex stays. Got that? Be lucky we’re not pressing charges for your assault on your father.” my mom says, rubbing Mr Williams back.

Sam clenches his jaw, “That monster is NOT my father”

CHAPTER 9

Huh. another dream, usually it was one and i woke up.

This one I was in a black landscape, riddled with bodies and craters, patches of blue-green fire burning. For some reason I was floating but this was a dream so I didn't question it. Below me was…

“Chris…?”

My voice was shaky. Chris looked terrible. He was pale, with a spikey crown, made of the same thing bread is, darkness. He's wearing the turtleneck I got him when he was 12. But it looks faded and old, one sleeve ripped off. He's laying on the grimy ground, covered in blood, he has an old nasty-looking scar racing from the bottom right side of his chin to the top right side of his forehead. His eye looks…shot through. But, instead of blood, it's dripping black ooze that's trying to repair his mangled flesh and failing. His other eye, the one with the scar, is closed.

“A-Alex?”

He mumbles deliriously, a weak smile coming to his cracked lips, before it drops

“I-im sorry…so so so sorry ... .I love you Alex….’m sorry..sorry…..”

He murmured. Almost to himself. Then his eye snapped open and…

Holy shit.

It wasn't his usual warm, honey gold eye color that I loved and cherished. This was cold, metallic. And NOT Chris, I step (float?) back.

“Youre not chris…”

The man's face falls, and he starts to shake, tears welling in his one, cold eye.

“Nonono…I am…I am..alex please”

“You’re not Chris…”

“I AM!!”

“You’re not Chris!"

Then his eyes, cold and WRONG emitted a blinding light and the world went white.

CHAPTER 10 (yayy 10!!)

I sat up straight, startling Bread and Chris. And as soon as I lock eyes with my companion I feel my eyes fill with tears. Chris, without saying a word, pulled me into a hug

“Y-you w-were….” I sobbed into his chest. I spotted ivy standing awkwardly nearby and wiped my face, snot and drool dribbling down my chin.

“H-hey…shh…it's okay…what's wrong?” Chris mumbled awkwardly, rubbing my back.

I shake my head, not wanting to talk about the dream of the not-chris dying...too unsettling, I sniffled and got up and shook myself off, no time to waste with this nonsense. It was a dream. A stupid dream. I glance around, the clearing is green and sunny, flowers blooming between blades of grass and I can hear running water burbling nearby.

“Woah! There's spring! Lets go swimming” i exclaimed, bounding through the woods with Chris and Ivy stumbling to catch up

I made it to the stream first, it was perfect, two separate pools (because Ivy refused to go in with Chris for some reason.) I followed Ivy in because I wanted to chat with her.

When Ivy spotted me her eyes widened, and Ivy whipped her towel around her slim body, covered in just a bikini, she has patches of lighter skin. Vertigo?

“WHAT ARE YOU DOING HERE???” Ivy yelled in embarrassment, face flushed.

“Huh? Same as you. Bath.” I mumble, confused at why she's reacting like this.

“But…arent you a boy?” Ivy muttered, embarrassment fading into confusion.

“I'm a what?”

Ivy shrugged, letting me climb into the cool water with her.

“Sooo why'd you decide to come with two people you don't know?” I ask, wanting to make conversation with Ivy because the last chat we had didn't end well.

“I guess….i thought things couldn't get any worse…my family already got bit…and i was alone..” she gave me a deadpan look “apparently i was wrong about the ‘things cant get worse’ part…im starving”

I opened my mouth to tell her that there's still some of the meat Chris cooked up last night but she gave me a look and sighed.

“I'm NOT becoming a cannibal..besides that kid was infected. You could get Zombified by proxy..” she said, shuddering.

“I wouldn't say it's cannibalism as such. Just….creative foraging. Perchance” i say, raising an eyebrow in a sophisticated manner

“You...you can't just say ‘perchance’ for no reason…” Ivy said, giving me another Look™ as she fidgets with the small vial of blue liquid she grabbed from her house.

“uhh….anyway..your dads a chemical space dude?”

“...uh…a scientist?” she asks, tilting her head in confusion.

“Yeah that's what I said.” I chirp in confirmation, nodding.

“Well….yeah” Ivy says “He studied biology, and he was working…on this sick deer. And it got out and bit him…well”

Ivy looked up at me, her eyes, so dark brown they were almost black, meeting mine.

“I think my father started the zombie uprise…”

CHAPTER 11

After that bombshell I left to go see Chris, to make sure he didn't drown. When I rounded a corner his eyes widened and he looked like a startled cat. He was sitting in his pool in shorts and his turtleneck

“What are you doing here? Weren't you with Ivy? Are you a…girl?” he asked, raising one brown eyebrow

“I'm what?”

He looked at me the same way Ivy did as i canonball into the clear pool, swimming beside him.

“You good, chrissy?” I ask, noticing he's quieter than usual.

He shrugged, moving closer so our thighs were touching, and he laid his head on my shoulder.

“Is….that a no?”

He stayed quiet in the pool, as I thought back to the vial. Ivy said her dad was the main dude working on a sick deer that turned out to carry the zombie virus stuff. And she had that vial, that she always kept with her and protected with her life…

“I think we should go back to the town” I say,realizing something.

“What- but that's where all the zombies are!!” Chris exclaims, jolting back in the pool, splashing water.

“Yeah…i know. But I think that I know a way to cure them..”

That night I cornered Ivy in the woods, she looked down, pulling out the little glass container.

“Thats the cure, isn't it?” I ask, reaching for her hand. She nods.

“Y-yeah…my dad…he got bit before he could tell anyone….”

I glance away “i-i might have an idea, you know the big waterpark downtown?”I ask, gazing at her headscarf. It's pink with spots. She nods, meeting my eyes.

“If we lead the zombies there, we could pour it into the bubble-foam shooter thing..” I propose, rubbing the glass tube containing the cure with my thumb. Ivy stays quiet for a beat before nodding.

“That….could just work…we should get there fast…before they spread too far”

I drag her back to the clearing where the shack is, but slide to a stop.

“We should get rest first…. Cant fight zombies on no sleep.” Ivy nodded and Chris glanced up from packing the bowl of his bong, opening his arms for me to snuggle into, Bread (begrudgingly) snuggled up in Ivys arms as we all drifted to dreamland, the world seemed better, the smell of smoke seemed to lull me to sleep as Chris ran his slender fingers through my hair.

CHAPTER 12

My eyes opened to yelling, screaming, and pained whimpers from my mom. She was lying on the floor, her eye already bruised and swollen, as Mr Williams stood over her, screaming at her injured form for dropping a glass. I, then 11, stood there, tears running down my face as i sobbed. Then, the door opened and Sam stepped inside.

”What the hell is going on here????” he exclaimed, eyes wide, Mr Williams turned on him, Sam, now 18 and lived in his own apartment with his boyfriend, Liam.

“Get the fuck out of my house, faggot.” Mr Williams growled, turning toward Sam

“NO! You're hitting my mom!! I don't care how much of a bitch she is she's still my mother!” 

Without missing a beat, Mr Williams swung his arm back and backhanded Sam across the room.

When he did that I cried out and Mr Williams, blinded with fury, turned towards me and grabbed me by the hair, slamming my head against the counter. Blood spirts and Sam shouts, scrambling up with a wince as my vision doubles. 

“IM CALLING THE FUCKING COPS!!” Sam yelled, running through the door.

Into the road.

Without looking either way.

When the car hit him his body flew at least 20 feet, and lay limp in the grass.

Mr Williams' eyes widened, and he looked at me, then my mom, who was crying. Then he turdges downstairs, and I somehow knew.

He was getting a weapon.

He was getting rid of the witnesses.

I don't know why I did what I did next, the next thing I knew I was standing in our flaming living room, the skin on my arms burning, when the monster of a man my mother married came back upstairs. His eyes locked on me and I bolted upstairs, he cornered me in my small room, grabbing me and shoving me back, to the window.

That I fell out of, and landed on my arm.

I also don't know how long i lay there, on the cool grass, hearing the yelling from Mr Williams inside, watching my home burn, but eventually I got up and stumbled into the forest, when I couldn't see the fire and couldn't hear the sirens, and my arms were covered in scratches i didn even feel from bushes and thorns. I sat down on a stump, and started to sob. 

My mother was dead.

My father was gone.

My sweet brother, Sam, was dead.

I just wanted a friend. Anyone.

Just as i thought that i felt a cold, smokey nose on my leg. I looked down and it was a tiny, fluffy smoky cat-creature.

“O-oh….hi. Sorry, is this your stump little guy?”

The creature bumps my leg again. 

“Oh…you hungry, buddy?”

I pull out something from my pocket, a chunk of mildly charred bread and proffer it to the plump little creature. 

“You like that, hm? You wanna be friends?”

Bread chirped in agreement.

CHAPTER 11

I woke up to the sun streaming through the gaps in the wood planks, warming my face. Bread, my companion of almost 6 years, snuggled on my chest, I stroke his fur soothingly, then scoop him up and place him on Chris's chest.

“Okay buddy…i need to go. Stay here, ‘kay?”

Bread chirps in agreement, scampering around in a circle. I look around for ivy, and spot her tying her covers and grabbing a machete that she apparently found.

“You ready to go?” I ask, coming up behind her, she nods, tucking a strand of hair that escaped back into her headscarf.

“You should go wake Chris up.” she says, sharpening her blade. I nodded and headed back into the shack to wake Chris up, I nudged his shoulder.

“Chris? Hey Chrissy?” I ask, poking him until he rolls over groggily

“What?” he snaps, glaring up at me.

“We’re gonna go soon. You gotta get up" I state, as he sits up, immediately he hugs me, tight.

“Alex….i dont want you to go..its a suicide mission…and youre the only thing keeping me grounded..i need you..but if youre gonna go..i need to tell you something…something important…” Chris takes a deep breath. “Alex…i…..i love you…”

I stared at him…woah…he loved me? Well I loved him too, of course.

“I love you too, Chris….after all, you're my best friend…so why wouldn't I? I love all my friends”

He gaped at me like a fish. 

“You…thats not-” he stuttered, rubbing his face with one hand.

I looked over to where Ivy was waiting impatiently and said.

“We should go now. Ivy’s ready. C’mon.”

CHAPTER 12

The walk to the city was silent, Chris walked in the back, pouting for some reason. Huh.

I walked in the front, keeping watch, the walk was peaceful and without any fighting, which put me on edge, when we got back to the city, we froze.

It was crawling with infected, there were so many, it was like we were the last people ever. Immediately I shouted, 

“HEY IDIOTS!! OVER HERE!!! NICE TASTY BRAIN!!” and ran for it, jumping over cars, past lamp posts, leaping over fire hydrants, at one point i tripped and almost face-planted. But I caught myself and kept running. When I got to the abandoned and run-down water park, I was out of breath, sweaty and exhausted. 

I whipped around and summoned two axes. I saw Chris nearby frantically loading his gun and Ivy loading the bubble-shooter-things, I chopped the head off one, dodged another and crushed its skull with one sneaker and tripped one up with the other. 

Everything was going great until a group of zombies cornered Ivy, she chopped one down with her machete but made the mistake of trying to shove another away, the undead corpse grabbed her arm with its teeth and ripped it clean off, blood splurted. 

Ivy screamed but slashed the rest of them down and continued her work, i started to trudge towards her but an infected lunged at me, and i had to shove it aside, then i heard Chris yell, as i turned around, he was grappling with a zombie and there was a long scratch leaking blood down his chin, i ran forward, reaching out then i felt a sharp pain shoot through my abdomen. I looked down and there was an arm sticking through me, I looked up, and met Chris's eyes. And the world went dark.

CHAPTER 13

…I was walking the streets, looking around. My body was sloppily bandaged. I turned down an alleyway, and I saw…

…Chris running at me, screaming and shoving zombies aside, he caught me just as I hit the ground ....his tears…

…Fell on dirty concrete, his hair was cut short and choppy….he was..maybe a year younger than me, he looked up just as…

..i opened my eyes, the blood from his wound dripped on my green shirt as he rocked me and muttered, "it'll be okay…itll be okay…youll be okay…” his voice was..

.soft and shy, almost feminine, as he stuttered out, “w-who are you?....” and I smiled and…

...I brushed his cheek with one hand, I could feel my life coming to an end..this wound was fatal. Chris was hyperventilating. “You have to be okay…you have to….” he rubbed his hand against my stomach and I grabbed it..

…the boy’s breath hitched as I gripped his hand, “I’m Alex. You're my friend now….its decided. What's your name?” the boy gaped at me..”im Christiene…er…Chris”

…Chris….Im not gonna make it..” I say matter-of-factly, his eyes widened and he shook his head “NO!! Nonono!! You're gonna make it…you have to….please” he pleaded, but i could tell that deep down he knew….this was my final fight “Just…help Ivy get the cure for everyone…and..Chris?” Chris met my eyes, his red and teary “i…i love you…like…romantically….” he buried his face into my chest 

“I love you too Alex…”

EPOLOGE

“They had saved the world..they were a hero. And so, we commemorate this statue to Alex, who tragically lost their life to cure this town of the zombie uprise. Now, to say a quick word, their mother”

Valentina stepped up to the mic, fake tears dripping down her face, although her makeup stayed perfect.

“After losing my firstborn Sam in a tragic car accident..and Alex running away as rebellion..i am heartbroken that my poor baby was to go in such a way...and..”

Then, a tall lanky teenager shoved her aside, one of the heroes of the town, Christopher Smith. He had his face bandaged and his eyes were red.

“Get out of my way, bitch. Alex…was my only friend for…almost 7 years. I loved them, with all my heart…” the boy sighed.

“They were kindhearted, and went through way too much shit….” 

Valentina scoffed, “Well, no one couldve known them better than me…im their mother..”

Chris took a deep breath, this hoe was pissing him off "i knew them better than you ever could because you were too busy selling your body for pocket change”

Chris had had a shitty couple of months, he tried and failed to kill himself 3 times, but now he was here, at his one love’s funeral. He was not gonna be picked on by some broad who was they deadbeat mom. He had brought a bouquet of light-pink daisies to lay on the grave, and after everyone left, he sat on the fresh dirt and sighed.

“This is all…her fault….Rose…or Lily or whatever….i….i promise, i will avenge you…even if i have to kill an entire fucking world to do it….” Chris paused..

“And i got you flowers…”