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Percy walked through the ruined town, carrying his bat that was covered in zombie blood, he groaned in exhaustion as he forced himself to keep walking. His fingers twitched and quivered the more he gripped onto his bat when he felt like he was losing grip on it, Percy didn’t want to let his guard down.
Percy needed to get back to that Y’allmart safe and sound as soon as possible but before he could keep fantasizing about being in the building, he heard sounds that sounded like someone needed help. Despite how tired he was, he didn’t waste any time, running straight to the direction where the sound was coming from.
That’s when Percy saw Survivor struggling to fight off a zombie, Survivor was strong enough to hold the zombie back with a stop sign that was definitely torn off from its original spot out of desperation, but one wrong move from him would seal his fate. Percy’s eyes narrowed, feeling his focus shift onto Survivor and only Survivor, he couldn’t let this happen.
Percy started to run toward the zombie that was desperately trying to at least take one bite off of Survivor, preparing his bat for a brutal swing. Percy aimed his bat at the zombie’s head and swung with all of his strength, striking the zombie’s head with no mercy.
The zombie’s blood gushed out almost instantly once the bat connected to its head roughly, the zombie fell to the floor, not moving for a minute. Survivor was caught off-guard when he suddenly didn’t feel anything fighting against him, looking up only to realize Percy had saved him from that zombie. Survivor’s eyes sparkled the more he looked at Percy. “You.. saved me?” Survivor murmured in awe.
Percy reached a hand out, offering to help Survivor get up. “Heard you when I was getting back to Y’allmart, knew that I needed to help right away.” Percy said as he watched Survivor grab his hand, getting up.
“..Thank you so much.” Survivor said, still in shock about how he was saved by someone. He hadn’t expected it, he honestly thought that he was going to be struggling for a long time. Survivor couldn’t help but admire Percy, however the two weren’t able to have a peaceful moment together. The zombie eventually got back up, its blood dripping down its head.
Percy and Survivor both quickly noticed the zombie getting up, both of them immediately preparing to do two different things. Survivor was preparing to run away but Percy prepared to fight the zombie. Survivor stopped planning on how he was going to run away when he noticed Percy’s grip on his bat tightening, realizing that he shouldn’t take off running just yet.
Survivor nervously gulped as he held up the stop sign that he still had, it’s been a while since he had actually fought since he mainly focused on defense and running away, but he was confident that he still got it, especially since he had Percy.
The zombie quickly ran up to the two survivors, attempting to tackle one of them, but the both of them moved out of the way in time, causing the zombie to fall face-first into the ground. The zombie got up, swinging its hands over and over again to try scratching one of them, but all it did was miss. Percy and Survivor dodged all of the swings and Percy hits the zombie with his bat again, this time hitting it in the stomach.
The zombie clenched its teeth in pain but it didn’t back down, the zombie went for Survivor, but Survivor swung the stop sign towards the zombie, knocking it away from him in time. Percy took the opportunity to be extra for no reason and roundhouse kicked the zombie in its face, causing the zombie to stumble back. The zombie was being stubborn, that’s when Survivor finally sets the stop sign aside and pulls out the gun he’s been meaning to use.
Survivor pulled Percy behind him, aiming the gun at the zombie, and firing a few times. The bullets hit the zombie in the torso, the zombie was now starting to get weaker, but it wasn’t going to go down without one more attempt to take down the duo. The zombie attempts to run towards the two but Survivor shoots the zombie in the leg with his gun, causing the zombie to collapse onto the ground. Survivor shot the zombie one more time in the head just to make sure it was actually dead. Percy stared at Survivor, he was impressed. Survivor looked at Percy, nervously smiling at him.
“That was.. A lot easier than I expected!” Survivor commented, chuckling. Percy nodded. “Must’ve been because you used the gun.”
“Don’t you have a gun as well?” Survivor asked. “I do but I left it in the survivor base. I'm better with close-range weapons though, it’s also just a preference.” Percy answered, lifting up his bat to inspect the amount of blood he had on it now.
“Ohh..” Survivor tilted his head, awkwardly looking at Percy’s bat as well, unsure on what to say in response.
“You can come with me if you want, it’s too dangerous to stay out here.” Percy spoke as he didn’t bother to clean his bat, starting to walk for a moment before pausing, seeing if Survivor wanted to tag along with him. Survivor quickly caught up to Percy. “Oh! Uh, you’re right, I should come with you! You were going to Y’allmart, right?”
“Uh huh.” Percy started walking again, Survivor was able to walk next to Percy without any struggle.
“I was thinking about going to Y’allmart too! ..Until that zombie attacked me. I hope I wasn’t gone for too long, I don’t want Scavenger to start worrying about me.” Survivor scratched his head, Percy’s facial expression softened when he looked at him.
“I’m sure that he will understand.” Percy reassured him. “I know that he will! He still worries about me despite that though..” Survivor nervously said as he put his gun back into his pocket, fidgeting with his hands. “I know that he cares and I appreciate him for caring but it’s just.. I feel so bad for making him worry..”
“Don’t be hard on yourself, it’s not your fault that this place is filled to the brim with zombies that want to eat your brain. You shouldn’t feel bad at all.” Percy placed a hand on Survivor’s shoulder.
“Maybe you’re right..” Survivor looked away, still feeling a little bad, but he felt a lot better. “Thanks, Percy. And thank you for saving me back there, I can’t stop thinking about that, honestly.” Survivor chuckled.
Percy smiled a little. “Of course. I noticed how you wanted to do the same for me when you made me get behind you when you had your gun out.”
“I just wanted to make sure you were out of the way and safe! Why would I not do the same thing in return?” Survivor leaned into Percy’s touch, making Percy tense up a little since he wasn’t used to this type of interaction, but Percy didn’t move away.
“Well, I thank you for that. It must be weird hearing that from me.” Percy snickered, temporarily looking away.
“A little!” Survivor responded, his tone was mostly playful. “But it’s also really nice to hear that coming from you, I think that you deserve to be protected.”
“..Really?” Percy was taken aback by what Survivor did, was he that special enough that Survivor thinks he should be protected?
“Mhm!” Survivor nodded, still smiling. “Despite how you’re a loner, I think that you’re still sweet and very brave. You always protect others and put others first before yourself, I even see you comforting other survivors, and it.. just makes me want to make sure that you get the same treatment!”
“...” Percy didn’t know how to respond to that, Percy rarely had people see him in that way. It gave him a weird comforting feeling inside him, he felt like he actually mattered to someone for once. He wasn’t just another face that’ll disappear someday, he was.. somebody to Survivor.
“..You know that you’re just as important as everyone else, right?” Survivor asked, his smile fading when he looked at Percy’s face. Survivor had a feeling that this was going to happen.
“I am?” Percy asked, his voice was softer than usual now.
“Of course you are! Why would you not be? You do a lot of things just like them! There’s so many good things that I can say about you that I think I’ll end up speaking for hours!!” Survivor giggled, something about his words made Percy feel special. Percy never knew that someone could actually view him in that way. Percy felt many things that he hadn’t remembered in so long, at least that’s what he thinks, he can’t recall the last time he felt like this.
The wind kicked in, making Percy and Survivor’s hairs blow in the wind. Individual strains of hair moving gracefully against the wind, the cool wind brushing against their skins, balancing out the heat coming from the sun with the chilly wind that sends small shivers down their spines.
Survivor looked up at the sky. What a pretty view, huh? If only he could see its true beauty again, the beauty he used to see when he was young, way before this apocalypse started.
Percy’s eyes stayed on Survivor, admiring how the wind complimented his gentle and charming features, it made him wonder how Survivor was able to look the same even after everything that he had been through.
Even with the scars and bandages on him, he still maintained those shining eyes, those same eyes that looked at things like they were something to be marveled about, his hair still looked nice even if it was a little messy. Survivor’s hand reached out, wrapping his fingers around Percy’s hand, holding it as he shifted the attention to the sky. “Do you remember what the sky used to look like before the apocalypse started? When it used to be more vibrant and pretty?”
Percy didn’t say anything, Survivor holding his hand had thrown him off, he wasn’t sure on how to react until he settled down, trying to remain normal. “Somewhat. I’ve gotten used to its appearance.”
“But don’t you miss it when it used to look better than this? Don’t you miss how Zombloxia used to be before the apocalypse happened?” Survivor asked, his voice becoming softer as he spoke.
“I’m not sure. We always had unnatural things happening in Zombloxia.” Percy pointed out, Survivor nodded in agreement, but clarified.
“But at least we didn’t have an apocalypse until the day of that emergency alert system alerting all of us about the apocalypse, I still remember it like it was yesterday although I can’t even recall when it happened. My memory’s strange..” Survivor tapped his chin as he tried to recall the time, the date, but his mind blanked out, not giving him any answers.
“So is everyone else’s, don’t worry. I remember the words they said, talking about how we should hide, run for our lives.. Stuff like that.” Percy couldn’t deny that his memory was just as bad, the apocalypse had taken a huge toll on everyone’s mental health, some even experiencing worse than just being mentally damaged by the traumatic things they had to go through.
“Yeah..” Survivor looked away, looking down at the ground. Survivor still remembered that fear he felt when he heard the television turn on and heard those words, he remembered the fear in his family’s eyes, he remembered the panic all of them felt, and now look at all of them, they are all scattered around in different areas.
Cutesy was with other people but she still remained close with Survivor since she’s his big sister, Hooligan kept disappearing and coming back, sometimes looking worse than usual, and Vagabond…
…It’s better to not think about him. That’s when Survivor thought of something. Did Percy have family members?
“Hey, Percy?” Survivor looked at Percy, Percy looked back at him. “Hm?”
“Do you have any family members? Like.. brothers, sisters, parents?” Survivor’s curiosity got the best of him, Percy’s facial expression didn’t change, but his voice did.
“No.” Percy’s voice got quieter, making Survivor frown instantly. As that wasn’t enough, Percy hesitantly lowered his hand, letting go of Survivor’s shoulder.
Survivor was already worried for him. “What do you mean?”
“I was an only child but my parents didn’t care much about me, they were all I had throughout my childhood, but they were the people that pushed me away the most. They didn’t even bother to check up on me or take care of me. I eventually realized I was a lot better without them so I ran away from them and never came back. I don’t even know if they still live in that house or if they’re even alive.” Percy rarely opened up about his family life, he was way past that, and didn’t feel anything now when he thought about them, but it still felt weird to him to bring them up.
Survivor wasn’t expecting that, his heart sank when he processed everything that Percy told him. Survivor felt bad for him, he never realized how much Percy had gone through. The idea of never knowing about him and still being blissfully unaware of how much Percy was hurting this entire time made him feel horrible, he wouldn’t have known if he never asked. He hesitantly asked. “..So, you’ve always been lonely?”
“Mhm.” Percy nodded. “I was rarely interested in getting closer to other people, it sucks, but I don’t care much about it now. It helps me be able to stay stronger during the apocalypse, I won’t have to worry about getting attached to others, and I won’t have to worry about.. feeling guilt when they pass.”
“Percy..” Survivor was at a loss of words, he couldn’t focus when he was still walking since he had to keep an eye on his surroundings, so he built the courage to stop Percy in his tracks. Survivor gently grabbed Percy’s shoulder once Percy started to get ahead of him, Percy quickly stopped when he felt Survivor’s hand on his shoulder. Percy turned to face Survivor, confused on why the both of them weren’t walking anymore.
Survivor’s other hand held onto Percy’s other shoulder, Percy noticeably becoming more tense, freezing, and holding his breath when Survivor’s touch invaded his senses. Survivor looked around for a bit, making sure that they were in an environment that was safe enough for a heart-to-heart conversation.
“Percy, is that why you don’t talk to Scavenger and I often? You can be honest with me.” Survivor kept his voice gentle yet made sure it sounded serious enough for Percy to know that he wanted honesty from him. Percy didn’t say a word for a second, his voice losing its stoic tone, his shell was starting to crack.
“I..” Percy opened his mouth to speak but nothing came out, he eventually got the words to say it. “Yes, it is. As long as I don’t get attached to anyone, none of us will get hurt. I’m sorry, I know that this may hurt you, it hurts me too, but it’s the best way for me to survive. I’m nothing like you, someone who can talk to others with ease. I know that everyone I talk to will die someday, there is no point in me getting attached to them because I will be experiencing heartbreak after heartbreak. For me, it’s not worth it to build relationships if I’m just going to lose them anyway. That’s why I don’t talk to both of you, I can’t get attached to you two, or we’ll all get hurt once one of us dies. I don’t want to get hurt but I also don’t want to hurt both of you.” Percy’s voice got more and more shaky, this was a topic he didn’t want to discuss, and Survivor could tell through his expression. The way his eyes didn’t even look at him, the way his body didn’t relax, this was something he hadn’t wanted to be addressed by someone, but at the same time, Survivor knew this is something they have to talk about.
“..I just wish that you told me this sooner.” Survivor thought about what to say, he didn’t want to say the wrong things, so he started off slow, a little nervous, but he knew that there was a lot he needed to say to him. “I.. I can’t really blame you for thinking that way, I understand why you’re thinking that. You don’t want any of us to get hurt, you think that it’s better to be alone, but do you also acknowledge the flaws in that thought process?”
“What do you mean?” Percy asked, not in a dismissive manner, more so confused.
“There’s going to be times where you’ll need another person to help you, you try looking for them, then you realize that you don’t know anyone that could help. You don’t have to be close with them but it’s better to have a helping hand than having nobody at all. Scavenger and I are always willing to help, we’ve always been available for you. Even if it’s something like talking, we can always spend time with you!” Survivor walked closer to Percy, letting go of his shoulders, but his hands went to Percy’s hand, grabbing it. Percy flinched when Survivor grabbed his hand but then stared at him when he held his hand so gently, Percy wasn’t sure on how to feel about this, what was he meant to feel? Was he meant to react in such a way to this?
Percy didn’t know, all that he could do was just stand there, frozen in place. Survivor rubbed Percy’s hand with his thumb, trying to get him to relax. “Percy, you don’t have to be afraid of losing us. Both of us are good at surviving and so are you. I think that we’re going to be okay as long as we stick together.”
“....” Percy didn’t say a word, his facial expression wasn’t telling Survivor what he was feeling, making Survivor uncertain if he was listening to everything he was saying or what. Percy’s lips quivered for a while until he finally frowned. Percy’s shell had been fully cracked, his look softened, he hadn’t been reassured in so long. The fact that someone was willing to reassure him and tell him that everything’s okay, it made him feel.. like he was going to cry?
Percy looked down, he didn’t want to look at Survivor, mainly because he didn’t want to possibly tear up in front of him. Survivor observed Percy for a moment before letting go of his hand, only to brush a strain of Percy’s hair away from his face, making Percy look up at him in confusion.
“We’re going to be okay, Percy. All of us are going to be okay.”
Oh, that smile Survivor gave him when he said that. Something about it tugged at his heartstrings, Percy tried to get himself together, he really tried his hardest, but he couldn’t hold back his emotions for long.
Survivor noticed a singular tear roll down Percy’s cheek and that was enough for him to wrap his arms around Percy, hugging him. Percy eventually returned the hug after standing there for a while, he didn’t sob, he didn’t whimper, he just stared off into the distance as tears continued to spill out of him. Survivor gently ran his fingers through his hair, making Percy close his eyes to savor this moment. Percy’s body relaxed as he leaned into Survivor’s touch, realizing how good it feels to have someone that actually cares about him, someone that’s willing to be there for him.
Maybe, he’s right. The three of them have been surviving for this long and they’re good at that, maybe he wouldn’t have to worry about losing them or hurting them by dying. All they can do is just to keep sticking together.
..Before both of them can say a word, they hear a sound that completely disrupts the moment. The sound of a zombie groaning and approaching them. Percy quickly lets go of Survivor, picking his bat up, and automatically hitting the zombie with it. The zombie stumbled back as blood dripped down from its head, now it was angry.
The zombie ran towards Percy only for Survivor to shoot down the zombie with his gun, both of them just stared at each other after the zombie fell to the ground. “How many bullets do you have in there?” Percy asked.
“I think I have 3 bullets left.” Survivor responded, Percy just nodded.
“Alright, let’s be more careful then.” Percy suggested, Survivor nodded in agreement. The two started walking again, killing more and more zombies along the way, Survivor resorted to using his stop sign again when he ran out of bullets. Survivor was a little grossed out at the sight of zombie blood on the stop sign but he knew it had to be done. Meanwhile Percy didn’t care how much zombie blood splattered onto his bat, he was determined to kill them if it meant that they would be left alone. Oddly enough, Survivor thought he was pretty badass for being able to take down zombies with no fear.
Survivor and Percy started running instead of walking just so they could get back to the base quicker, both of them panting, but not slowing down. Both of them had to keep an eye on their environment and also watch where they were going, Survivor pulled Percy closer when he noticed him starting to slow down. This motivated Percy to not stop running despite how exhausted he was.
They were finally getting closer to the base but something else caught their attention. They suddenly heard someone else running, they realized it was Scavenger when they saw him near the survivor base. Scavenger had been fending off zombies while they were gone, hitting them with basically everything he could find. Scavenger even broke an empty bottle and shoved it into a zombie’s head then kicked it away. Percy and Survivor quickly jumped in to help Scavenger with the wave of zombies.
Percy pulled out a machete that he keeps as backup, tossing it to Scavenger. Scavenger caught it in time and started slashing some of the zombies, Survivor would shield Scavenger from any zombies trying to attack him from behind, and Percy would whack zombies that were approaching Scavenger and Survivor.
Everything was nothing but a blurry and bloody mess, adrenaline was running through everyone’s bodies, sweat dripping down from their foreheads as they focused on the main goal, which was to get all of these zombies away. They continued to fight the zombies until eventually all of them were dead, the horrid smell making the three of them retreat to the survivor base.
“Hey, Scav!” Survivor casually said to lighten the mood, pinching his nose. Scavenger waved at Survivor while he also pinched his nose. The three ran inside the y’allmart, letting go of their noses.
“You two are alright, yeah?” Scavenger asked, checking up on the two.
Survivor nodded. “We’re perfectly fine! Right, Percy?”
Percy chimed in. “We’re fine. What about you though? You looked like you were struggling.” Percy tilted his head.
“..I was but you two saved me, I’m alright.” Scavenger reassured, taking off his backpack, and walked to one of the beds. Survivor and Percy followed him. Survivor laid down on one of the beds, gesturing to Percy and Scavenger that they should lay with him. Scavenger quickly understood but Percy was confused.
Percy nervously looked around the room before pointing at himself. Survivor chuckled. “Dude, come here. It’s fine.” Survivor said, making sure Percy knew that he was asking him to come here. Percy looked at Scavenger and Scavenger nodded at him, Percy looked back at Survivor, and nervously laid down next to him.
Scavenger laid down next to Percy, putting him between the two. Percy flinched when he felt the two wrap their arms around him, was his face turning red? Percy’s face felt a lot warmer than usual…
Percy squeezed his eyes shut, he was feeling something unfamiliar and strange. He felt euphoric but at the same time he also felt.. flustered? He heard Survivor and Scavenger snickering at him, which didn’t help the situation whatsoever, and making him feel embarrassed.
Percy opened his eyes again. This really was happening, huh? Percy stared at the ceiling, the only sounds he could focus on is his heart beat and the two other survivors slowly falling asleep. Eventually, the two fell asleep. Percy still stayed awake, his heart was still racing, although it started to settle down after a while. Percy softly smiled, he realized that this wasn’t so bad after all.
Maybe, there was nothing he needed to worry about at all. Maybe, he can just fall asleep with them without worrying about..
Wait.
..Fuck, he’s in love. Isn’t he?