So I actually wrote this as my Modern Mythology assignment for our Zombie unit. Let's ignore the fact that I used fanfiction to get a grade lmao. I lost some points because I used too much dialogue apparently *shrugs* A shame since this ended up being over 40 pages long :') I finally did some editing, and here it is in its glory.
I also made art this, but ffnet doesn't have picture option. If you go to ao3, you can see the drawings.
It is inspired by the World War Z novel.
Warnings: Language, violence, blood, zombies, gore, mentions of human trafficking and cannibalism.
Enjoy!
[Total War-2012]
Thud
Crack
The sound of flesh hitting flesh, followed by resonating cracks echoed through the forest. The noise caused the creatures to turn their heads. Some hobbled, some crawled, but all the zombies in the vicinity made their way towards the disturbance.
They gathered in an empty clearing surrounded by trees, heads turning on necks barely attached by rotten muscle. One by one, they fell into a large pit they didn't notice. Rocks fell from the trees, striking the grotesque beings in the skull, bones shattering and brains splattering out onto the dirt.
Soon, there was only silence, save the sound of rough breathing travelling down from the branches high above.
"W-we did it…" A bright colored head popped out from behind leaves, light blue eyes peering down at the death trap below in disbelief.
"HELL YEAH WE DID!" Another boy appeared, wrapping his arm around the other's shoulders with a cackle. The branch they sat on shook, and the blue eyed boy shrieked.
"Bill! Bill, stop it! We're going to fall!" He wailed, pressing his chest against the tree trunk.
"Come on, Will. We just kicked a load of zombie butt. We deserve to celebrate!" He grinned, mirth in his golden eyes.
"We can't do that if we fall…." Will mumbled, peering down yet again, unconvinced.
"They're dead, Will. Come on!" The one named Bill hopped to his feet, barely shaken by the way the branch trembled.
"Why can't we stay up here? We have to make sure they're really dead." Will sniffed, and rubbed his dirty hands across his freckled cheeks.
"Because more of them might show up! We can't stay for long." Bill scowled, and reached for the tree trunk, looking down for a sturdy foothold.
"Plus, I'm older!" He stuck his tongue out before making his way down.
"Only by 2 minutes." Will muttered, following his brother.
"Shit!" Bill hissed, throwing the sharpened branch to the ground.
"Y'know, if we were home, that's a dollar in the swear jar." Will sighed and watched the rabbit scamper deeper into the woods.
"Well, then it's good we're not home." The older twin shot back with a scowl. His brother's mouth snapped shut with an audible click, his eyes wide. Bill's breath hitched, and his gaze fell to the ground.
"….Sorry. I didn't mean it." He murmured, his fists clenched. Cold, trembling fingers wrapped around his. He saw somber, blue eyes.
"But you did, didn't you." Will whispered. It wasn't a question.
He took a breath, and nodded.
/
"I want the blue one! Raspberries' my favorite!" Will held his hand out, indignant. He received a raspberry of a different kind in return.
"Too bad! You get the yellow ones." The older twin snickered, and handed Will a yellow candy.
"Pineapple's disgusting."
"Yeah, well sucks to be you."
Will rolled his eyes, and popped the fruit candy in his mouth.
"How many do we have left?" He asked thoughtfully, staring at the tin can in Bill's hand.
He shook the tin, allowing the rattling of candies to echo. Subconsciously, they both turned to glance around the forest. They hadn't encountered a zombie since they stopped at a hilltop, but it didn't hurt to be cautious.
"I 'dunno, maybe 3/4? We should start rationing it. One each day."
"We can't survive off of candy, Bill. We need to find actual food."
"I know that, crybaby. I'm sure we can go back to the main road. All the Zs should be gone by now. We can loot the houses. Like treasure hunting, argh!" He hopped to his feet, squinting one eye and swinging his arms wildly.
"A-are you sure? Maybe we should try the rabbit trap again…"
"Nah, I have a good feeling about it. Trust me, I'm thirteen. That's basically a teenager!"
/
Their footsteps were light compared to the thuds of decaying flesh and scraping of dead skin against the pavement.
Oxygen forced its way through their lungs as they scrambled on the road, refusing to allow their bodies to tire and trip. Their tiny hands gripped onto each other as they ran without looking back.
"What was…that about…your 'good feeling'?" Will gasped out, his other hand holding onto a bag of canned goods.
"We…got food now, don't we? Shut up!" Bill shot back with a rasp, his arm wrapped around a black hat filled with boxes of crackers.
"You…suck at making plans!"
"Bite me!"
"Do you…y'know…ever miss 'em?" Will mumbled out as he nibbled on a cracker. They had found a cave earlier that evening, and set up camp. They sat in the branches, watching the sunset- the dying rays of light reflecting off broken window panes, their yellow freckles, and the gleam of gore drying in the cold. They watched the undead army stumble their way through the abandoned streets, looking for movement. The twins knew there would be none. Everything that had a functioning brain had hightailed out of the town years ago. Except…
"Nope." Bill said.
/
He remembered it like it was yesterday.
Thundering shouts, sharp words, and quiet snickering in the background.
He had told them it was a stupid idea to stay. It would mean the death of them all. They returned fire with words of worthless, egotistical pride. This house was obtained through their sweat and tears. What would happen when the war ended? They'd never get it back if they left. There's no way in hell they'd abandon it. They had guns and food to last them years. They'd live if they just stayed behind.
He knew it was all lies. Guns weren't enough to keep an army of monsters out. They didn't care about him nor Will. If it came down to it, he and his brother would be the first to die, and none of them would feel sorry at all. Not his father(who took his frustrations out on them), not his mother (who insisted on calling them demons since the day they were born), not Tad, not Nicolette, not Abigail, not Mary, not Marcus, none of them.
He had told them so. He knew they were all thinking it. Why couldn't they just admit it? They responded with blows and threats. We'll kick you demons out. You'll die out there if you leave. Don't make us do this. Good riddance. He took it all. He always had. Even the ones meant for Will. He would die before he allowed anyone to touch Will. That held true then, and it still held true now.
/
"Not even a little?" Will turned to stare at his brother's back. The torn yellow sweater was fraying at the ends, and smelled rank. The black jacket he wore over it was turning gray from all the dirt and dust clinging to it. He knew he didn't look any better.
"Dude, who names both their kids William? I couldn't care less what happened to them. We have each other now, don't we?" He took the tin can out of his jacket, and popped the lid off. He handed a yellow candy to Will. The blue eyed boy stared at it silently before accepting.
"….You're right…"
"W-wait Bill, don't-"
"What the hell? Damn it, Will!" The wounded rabbit scrambled out of sight. "You were the one nagging me to catch a rabbit. Now we got one! What's the big idea?"
"I…I didn't think-"
"What? You didn't think what? That it'd look so fluffy and cute with its big eyes? Aw, and it's floppy ears? An-"
"Bill stop-"
"-d its little broken leg?"
"I can't kill the rabbit! It did nothing wro-"
"Yeah, half the population didn't do anything wrong either, yet they're still dea-"
"We can find more canned goods if we loo-"
"No Will! I haven't had decent meat in so long. We're gonna eat this stinking rabbit-"
"Bill!"
"Shut up Will! That's all you do! Whine whine and whine! You wouldn't even be here if it weren't for me!" He threw down the handmade spear, and whirled around to grab Will by his blue sweater.
"I never asked you to protect me from them. I could've taken care of it myself!" Will hissed back, tears welling involuntarily in his light eyes.
"Pft, yeah right. You'd be dead right by their side!" He loosened his grip and pushed the younger boy to the ground with a scowl. Will wiped his tears away, a hateful glare in his eyes.
"Now where did that stupid rabbit go…" Bill muttered, peering around a tree trunk.
Contracted pupils, and flesh hanging off bone met his eyes.
"AH!" He shrieked when the undead monster collapsed on top of him, groans and growls emitting from the open hole in its throat. It clambered on top of the boy clumsily, broken jaw attempting to bite down on flesh.
"BILL!"
He could faintly hear Will's panicked screams over his own. The smell of dead flesh filled his nostrils, and he couldn't breathe.
Squish
He gasped when the zombie started to convulse violently
Squish
Coagulated black goop fell onto his yellow hair and cheeks, causing him to gag.
Squish
The creature ceased to move, and the entirety of its weight fell on Bill.
Squish
He rolled out from underneath the monster, blinking the goop from his eyes. His dazed eyes turned to stare at his twin. His baby brother.
Squish
Will had his spear in hands. His knuckles were white from clenching it so tightly. His quivering arms were bringing it down on a pile of what used to be zombie brains sitting in a skull shattered beyond recognition.
Squish
"W-will."
SquishSquishSquishSquishSquish
"WILL!" He grabbed his brother's arm firmly, and his vision went white for a moment. He found himself on the ground, his cheek throbbing. Will stood over him, eyes wide. The skin on his knuckles ripped apart, blood dripping onto the dirt.
"B-bill?" His voice was a trembling squeak.
"Y-yeah-ow!" He hissed when he found himself enveloped by a sobbing mess of blue.
"I-I thought-it came out of-you weren't-I couldn't-"
"Shhh shhh, I'm okay I promise. But man, you have one mean right hook. Damn, I can't feel my face! Why didn't you ever smack Marcus like this? He would've never taken our desserts if you did." He ran his tongue over his inner cheek, feeling the shredded flesh and tasting rust.
"Billlll!" Will continued to wail over his ramblings, and he sighed. He patted his brother's hair silently, listening to the fast heartbeat that pounded against his.
"I killed it, Bill. I turned its brains into soup."
"I know, Willie. I know. You saved my life. You were really brave."
"We used to do it with stones, from far away."
"I know."
"This time…it…it felt so close…s-so real. I'm a killer, Bill. I'm a bad person."
"No you're not Will. Look at me…..You're really brave. If you hadn't done that…I…I wouldn't be here." He tightened his grip on his sobbing brother.
"You did what you had to do. That makes you a good person, Willie. You're a hero." He swallowed softly and buried his face in Will's hair. "Thank you." He croaked out. His brother returned his hug just as tightly.
After several minutes, Will's cries turned into soft shudders.
"We can go find that rabbit now." He heard Will hiccup quietly.
"Yeah…let's do that…."
Will stood up gingerly, holding out his hand.
Bill grabbed it, and pulled himself up.
Then turned around, and promptly vomited.
Months passed before they encountered humans again.
Will was nervous, his hands wrung around the dirty fabric of his worn sweater. He glanced at the metal bucket lying against the flaking walls. His lips trembled at the sight of their reflection. His clothes were smudged with dirt and dry gore. The cuts he had gotten from prior struggles were prominent, and he unconsciously pulled at his sleeves to hide them. Bill didn't look any better; the bruise on his cheek had darkened to a plum purple.
"W-we've been lost for months. C-could you spare some supplies? I promise we won't need much." He managed to get the sentence out.
There were four of them. All men of various ages. Will was surprised by how well-fed they seemed. He remembered listening to the radio set (there were no more television broadcasts after the Great Panic) back at home before he and Bill made a run for it. They listened to makeshift talk shows, started by amateurs looking for a purpose. It was total chaos, they said. People fighting on the streets for a tent, people killing each other over a canned soup. People were going feral, it was almost impossible to tell the difference between Zacks and humans.
But these men, Will took a step back when one of them made eye contact. Their stares were unnerving. They didn't look starved or hurt, yet their eyes looked hungry. They had guns at their sides, but it didn't make him feel safe at all. He glanced at Bill, who hasn't spoken since they ran into the group.
"How old are ya?" The oldest one spoke up first.
"We're thirteen." Will squeaked. They were actually closer to fourteen now, but he could no longer remember the date. It was getting colder by the day; his breath came out in quick puffs of condensation.
"Thirteen huh…" The man stalked forward, eyes focused solely on Will. Bill stiffened. Will let out a yelp when Bill's hand smacked against his chest, pushing him back. The man paused, looking down at the older twin, as if noticing him for the first time.
"What do you want from us?"
"B-bill?"
The man narrowed his eyes, and continued walking closer. His mouth twitched and curled. Will wondered if that was an attempt to smile.
"We just want to help, kid. You needed supplies? Well, we do too. I bet we can work out a deal."
"We can take you to someplace nice." Another man piped in, the same crooked smile on his face.
"Yeah, with more guys like us. They love little kids too. They'll take good care of ya."
"We're not little." Bill growled, pushing Will back even further.
"Bill…what are you…" The younger twin whispered with a frown.
He watched the man's eyes twitch, the other three were exchanging glances.
"Look kid, you were the one askin' for help. So that's what we're gonna do."
His arm struck out quickly, his hand grabbing onto Will's shoulder, causing him to shriek.
"Bastard!" There was something feral in Bill's voice as he growled, golden eyes flashing dangerously. His nails dug into the man's arms, and he lunged, teeth sinking into the hairy forearm.
The man yelped, letting Will go. The boy fell with a thud and scrambled back.
"You little shi-"
Bill grabbed Will by the wrist, and went on a dead sprint.
BANG
BANG
"In here, in here!" Bill hissed, pushing his brother into a gap underneath a collapsed shed. He pressed himself close, a hand over Will's mouth.
"Shhh, Willie, it's gonna be okay. Just shhh." He whispered, his eyes pleading. Will nodded, tears leaking out with no sign of stopping.
"Crap, where'd they go?"
Footsteps shuffled in front of them; he glared at their feet. Their hearts were pounding furiously; he wondered if they could hear it too.
"We were so close too." A boot collided with the wooden post besides them; the collapsed infrastructure trembled, and Bill's grip on his brother tightened.
"Jack was looking for one like that. Blonde hair blue eyes. They're his favorite, he says."
"Heh, sick fuc-"
"Come on, they couldn't have gotten far. Jack said he'd be willing to give up a week's supply of canned ham for one."
"There were two of them! Ya think he'd give us two weeks' worth?"
"Nah, that brat with the freaky yellow eyes? No one would want that. We gotta grab the blue one."
The boots left the clearing, and the footsteps grew faint.
The twins remained deathly still for another fifteen minutes. Finally, Bill removed his trembling hand from Will's lips and they both let out a shuddered breath.
"T-they're gone, right Bill?"
"Yeah." He peeked out from their hiding place, eyes squinting at the dying rays of light.
"They…weren't here to help us…were they…"
"No." Bill agreed, crawling out of the hole, pulling Will to his feet as well. The makeshift hiding place trembled again before completely falling apart, causing them to jump.
"They wanted to sell us, the sick freaks….for food." He growled again, pulling out a crowbar from the mess of wood and metal.
"….We would've been fed though…right?"
Bill froze, and turned around to stare at his brother in disbelief.
"W-what?"
Will swallowed, and stared at the ground.
"I-if we did what- the thing…they wanted us for, maybe we would've had food for once. Maybe even a nice warm be-"
"Don't even joke about that, Will!" He grabbed the younger boy by the shoulder, careful not to upset the healing wound there.
"They would've destroyed us. Hell, they would've destroyed you!" His arms were trembling. He heard what they had said. They didn't want him, they wanted Will. They always wanted Will. Not him. Not the one with the unnerving yellow eyes that had made their mother wary of them in the first place.
"B-but…food…"
"We'll find food. We don't need to do things like that to get it. That's disgusting and undignified!" Bill shot back with a scowl, the hand on the crowbar tightened. Suddenly there was an undead appearing from behind a pile of rubble, hobbling over to the source of the noise. Bill narrowed his eyes, and pushed Will away, swinging the crowbar with calculating precision. The metal bashed against the softened skull, and gray matter splattered the ground.
"Trust no one, Will. We're on our own. I won't let anyone touch you."
They encountered more humans after that. They never stopped to ask for help.
They walked by camps set up on the outskirts of cities. Some were filled to the brim with filthy bodies, huddled together. Others were nearly empty, save for a handful of beings that barely looked human anymore. Their eyes held dangerous glints, their hands wrapped around suspicious hunks of meat. The twins were always extra careful when passing by these types of camps.
They passed by smaller, noisier camps. Words of god were thrown around. The end is nigh! Divine punishment is here! The end is nigh! A gaggle of elderly women moaned as they stumbled past.
"The end is already here. Idiots." Bill muttered under his breath, pulling his brother close.
"I'm hungry, Bill." Will's voice was soft and tired.
"I know, Willie, I know." He reached into his pocket and pulled out the tin can. He shook it. There was only scattered rattles.
"Here." Bill handed the yellow candy to his brother.
The women were watching them as they walked. Bill made eye contact with one, and hell broke loose.
"Yellow eyes! Yellow eyes!" The crone croaked, her trembling fingers pointed at him.
"Child of Misfortune." Another hissed.
"Devil child! Devil child!"
"Bill…"
"Let's go."
They hadn't had decent showers since the day they started running. Sometimes, they'd get lucky and find an abandoned house with running water.
The water would be freezing cold. They had soaked whatever rags they could find, and wiped down their bodies with it. There was no way for them to wash their clothes, so they'd always rummage through abandoned closets for anything they could use.
They wandered further and further away from the main roads, choosing to hide deep within the forest instead. Bill was losing track of where they were headed for exactly. They've been running through the trees since the beginning with only one destination in mind.
The ocean.
They had lived in the rural parts of the United States all their lives. The only large body of water they've seen was the lake near their house. He and Will would go there every time they sensed their father was less than pleased. They'd hide out there for hours, digging up worms and making mud cakes. The ocean would be a sign. There would be coast guards there. Maybe even the Navy. Military people. Surely people more trustworthy than the ones they've encountered. They just had to keep moving west. To safety. To freedom. They'd reach it. They had to.
"How long do you think we've been out here?" Will sniffed the shirt he had taken…he wasn't sure when he had taken it. Days melted into each other, and he had lost track long ago.
"I 'dunno, weeks? I haven't seen a main road in a while." The older twin shrugged, swinging his crowbar back and forth.
"Can we go looting again? Soon?" Will asked, scratching at his stomach absentmindedly.
Bill turned back to survey his brother. His breathing hitched as he did. It had been ages since they've seen a mirror. He had never stopped to truly study his twin until now. The baby fat on Will's cheeks- the cheeks he used to poke and squeeze – was nearly gone. His cheekbones jutted out in a jarring contrast to his big baby-blue eyes. He touched his own cheeks, looking away.
"…Bill?"
His grip on the crowbar tightened. He stared out at the trees.
"Okay."
"Damn it damn it damn it!" Bill hissed, kicking the wooden door.
This was the fifth house they had entered. The windows were shattered, the doors unlocked. There was the occasional rotted limb, but no undead in sight. The cabinets were all empty, the hidden trap doors open and raided. There was nothing left.
"Bill, it's okay, We can search the next one."
"There's nothing! Nothing!" He slammed the empty cabinet door shut, and stalked out the house.
/
They set rabbit traps. When no rabbits showed, they set squirrel traps in the trees.
Nothing.
"Damn it damn it damn it!" Bill bit down on his fingernail, gnawing with fervor.
"The zombies must've chased them all away." Will hummed softly. He turned over another empty trap, scratching his arm.
"What are we supposed to eat now?" The older twin ran a hand through his knotted hair. It was matted with dirt and sweat, looking like ash. It had grown long over the weeks….months? Years? He no longer knew.
Grrrrr
He looked over at Will's sheepish expression, and exhaled. He reached into his pocket and pulled out the tin can, shaking it. He handed a yellow candy to his brother.
"This is all we have for now. We'll have to tough it out another few days. We'll find critters soon. I know it."
They practically tripped into the cold water.
"Sweet Sally!" Bill cackled and splashed his arms around. He wriggled his toes, staring down at them through the transparent river water. He didn't know if he was trembling from the cold or the excitement.
He looked down at his chest and traced his ribs.
"21…22…23…24. Man….hey Will check this ou-" He turned, and froze.
He watched Will mimic his actions from before, counting the jutted bones.
Bright red patches of irritated skin decorated his entire chest.
"Will!" He stumbled through the rushing current to his brother's side. His hands hovered above the hurt skin, trembling. There were darker spots littered across the large red patches. He circled Will, looking up and down with hidden terror. The splotchy skin was everywhere. He wanted to throw up.
"That bad huh?"
He barely heard Will's breathless laugh.
/
He winced every time Will let out a wretched cry.
"Come on, Willie. Take deep breaths. Don't want Zack on our tail now do we?" He pressed the rag against the red skin again. It was burning to touch. He had recalled some neat tricks he had once learned from the old man next door. Salt could be procured from boiling hickory roots.
He had dropped Will off at the secret shelter they had made in a cave before running off to find the hickory trees.
"It burns, Bill. It hurts so bad." The boy moaned from where he was sitting, hunched over in pain.
"I know, Will. I know. But please."
Will took another shuddering breath and nodded.
"I think…something's wrong with my stomach."
Bill's hands twitched.
"What do you mean, crybaby?"
"….I've been having diarrhea a lot…."
His hands continued to shake.
Trust no one. Trust no one. Trust no one. Trust no one.
The same sentence replayed over and over in Bill's head like a mantra. He shifted, adjusting his grip on Will.
He felt eyes trained on them as he carried Will through the camp. It wasn't one of the cannibal grounds, but it was still unnerving.
"Bill…"
He swallowed loudly when he heard Will's moans.
"Yeah, Will?"
"I'm hungry…"
He swallowed again, and attempted to smile.
"It's okay, Will. I'll get us some food really soon."
He continued trudging forward, until he met eyes with a woman.
Trust no one.
/
"Are you infected? Bitten?"
"No ma'am. Please, we need foo-"
"Where ya from?"
"Down alongside the Missouri River, ma'am. I just-"
"How the hell did you get this far?"
"We stayed hidden in the trees. Please-"
"That kid on your back…you expect me to believe he hasn't been bitten?"
"Ma'am, he's starving. It's starting to affect his body, please! We just need a place to stay for a while. Until he gets better. Please ma'am, he needs food. Please!"
"….Get in."
"Thank you…thank you so much."
/
"Is he okay?" Bill swallowed, staring at the doctor. The woman had allowed for the makeshift village doctor take a look at Will. He couldn't thank her enough. He had his doubts about the man's credentials- his equipment looked old, his clothes were torn and casual. However, he forced himself to relax. This man, no matter how shady, was still a better chance for Will than the forest right now.
Will had Bill's hand in a loose grip while he slept, and the older twin was running his other hand through his brother's hair gently. The doctor lifted the boy's shirt with disinterest, raking his gaze over Will's trembling chest adorned with rashes. It looked as if he was biting back a yawn, having seen such cases before.
"Well?" Bill demanded, his grip on Will tightened.
"Just another case of malnutrition. The rashes are from the lack of vitamins, probably all that outdoor exposure, and lack of hygiene."
"I-is there medicine? Anything?"
The doctor spared him a hollow glance. "There's not much around for medicine anymore, kid. The only cure right now is food."
"Well where? Where can we get food?!" Bill snapped back, barely blinking back the fat, angry tears gathered in his eyes.
The doctor was silent.
/
He sat besides Will's still form, a cup of cloudy water in his hands.
"You're gonna be okay, Will. I just got us a warm meal. Remember those?"
"Mmm…" Will's cracked lips curled into a smile. Bill kneeled down and brought the cup closer to the younger twin's mouth.
"You're gonna get better, Will. I promise."
/
"Why did you let them in?"
Bill snapped awake from his light doze. His bleary eyes blinked sleepily before training on the closed door in front of him.
"We couldn't just leave them out there. The blue one was about to die."
"Then let him die. We can't spare any more rations like this."
"They're children, Sean."
"There are children everywhere, Kate. They're stumbling all over the place, lost and hungry. We can't help them all."
"….Well what do we do?"
"They can't stay here any longer. We have to let them go."
"The sick one isn't ready to move yet."
"….Maybe if we…you know…hand them off to the camp downstream. They'd stop terrorizing us."
The camp downstream. Bill clenched his hands into fists. The cannibals.
He waited until the last candles went out. He grabbed a bag, and filled it to the brim with canned goods.
He lifted Will onto his back, and disappeared out the back door.
Trust no one.
"Why we leave, Bill?" Will's words were slurred, and soft. He blinked, noticing they were back at their cave.
"They were bad people, Will. We can't trust them." The older twin pried a can of beans open and set it over the small fire.
"Oh…."
"It's gonna be okay, Will. I promise. Here eat up. I got us lots of food. Just like I promised."
/
The food lasted them another six days. They were down to their final cans, and Will was still motionless on the cave ground.
"Bill?" The younger boy turned to his side, looking at the cave entrance. His brother wasn't there.
"Bill…" He grunted, pushing himself off the ground, fighting the vertigo. His skin was scalding and itchy.
He wondered if Bill had finally gotten tired of taking care of his weak body, and just left.
He made it to the cave entrance before collapsing to the ground. It was raining outside, the skies painted gray.
He knew he was a burden on Bill. Always crying, always whining, and always being protected by him. Tears welled in his eyes yet again.
Well….he glanced at the wet, dirt ground. His shaking fingers grasped at the growing mud. Maybe, he could help Bill for once.
/
"Will!" Bill scrambled into the cave with a grin on his face. His hair was dripping wet, but he barely noticed.
"Will, you wouldn't believe what I caught today. I saw this huge hoard of Zacks following something, and-" He nearly tripped over the figure lying at the entrance.
He dropped the rabbit, and knelt down.
"W-will?"
There was a long pause before Will opened his dull blue eyes.
"Bill…"
Bill swallowed, and gingerly moved Will away from the cave opening. He immediately restarted the dead fire.
"W-what's up, buddy? What were you doing all the way over there?"
"Made…you….something."
"Huh?"
He raised a shaking hand, and pointed towards where he had laid before.
" cake. Your….favorite."
Bill fell to his knees, and picked up the mud cakes.
"Will you eat…them?"
He glanced back at his baby brother's dazed smile, and choked on a sob. He brought a fist to his mouth, biting it to prevent more sounds from escaping.
"Bill?" The younger twin frowned, sensing something was amiss.
"N-nothing, Willie. I'm just…just so happy. You remembered my favorite. Thank you. I'll eat it soon okay? For dessert. We have rabbits for dinner, Willie. You like rabbits?" He returned to Will's side, setting the mud on the ground. His hands found the dead rabbits, and he worked to skin them immediately.
"Yeah….bunnies…"
"Yeah, we'll have a big feast tonight. We'll have the bunnies…and we'll have all the cans. That sound good, Willie?" He sniffed, and continued gutting the animal.
"Mmm…hey Bill?"
"Y-yeah?"
"Candy….do we still have the candy…."
Bill reached into his battered jacket, and took the dented tin can out.
"Yeah, of course you can. Not too many though. Don't want to ruin your appetite before dinner, right?" He pulled the lid off and shook the can. Two candies fell out. The can was now empty.
He couldn't stop the warm tears from falling, but he bit his lip hard to keep quiet.
"G-guess what, crybaby? You're in luck! I'm giving you two candies! Both of them are blue. Raspberry. Your favorite, right?"
"Raspberry…"
He grabbed his brother's cold hands and pressed the candies into his palms.
"Here, have them right now okay? After you have them, we'll have dinner. That sound good?"
"….Yeah…"
"Okay….okay…" He took a deep breath, and focused on throwing slabs of rabbit meat against the fire.
"….Bill?"
"What's up, Willie?" He glanced back at Will, his hands stopping.
Will was facing him sleepily. A smile graced his face, and everything seemed to be at peace in that one moment.
"I'm gonna take a nap...good night."
.
.
.
"Good night, Will….."
With a smile, Will closed his eyes.
He never woke up again.
The storm lasted another two days. He spent them huddled against the walls of the cave, his arms wrapped around Will's cold body.
After the storm receded, he went back to that camp.
"I need a coffin."
The old man sitting in front of the makeshift cabin blinked.
"A what?"
"A coffin. For my brother. He died."
"Tough luck, kid. People are dying everywhere. Some are even coming back. We don't have time for pointless things like that."
"My brother's dead. He needs a coffin."
"…Look kid, a coffin won't do you any good. If ya bury your brother, he'd be stuck in the ground forever. Wouldn't that be lonely for him?"
"….."
"How about you cremate him?"
"….Cremate?"
"Burn him up, send his good soul up to heaven. Then, you can keep the ashes with you. Then, he'd be with you forever."
"….Okay."
He cremated Will the next day. He wrapped his brother up in his favorite, mangled blue sweater. The fire burned for an entire day. He fought off any undead creature that dared to come close. He sat with the dying embers until the next morning, when all that was left of Will was ash and scattered bones.
He put the remains in the tin can, and pocketed it close to his chest.
He couldn't remember much of what happened the days following Will's death.
He stumbled down the hill, away from the cave. One hand clutched around the tin can like a lifeline, the other on his crowbar.
He heard growls, and turned his head slowly as if in a daze.
He stood very still, and watched a small hoard of zombies stumbling after a rabbit with a wounded leg- probably from stepping on one of his old traps.
…
He turned with a snarl.
"HEY! LEAVE THE LITTLE GUY ALONE, BRAINLESS!"
The undead stopped in their tracks, heads turning to face him. With a new target in sight, they changed direction.
And Bill ran as fast as he could.
"Stupid….stupid…" He muttered, looking back at the horde slowly making its way towards him. Branches snapped, and he flinched. He turned around, and saw dozens more surrounding him.
"Stupid!" He lifted his crowbar, and started whacking the monsters relentlessly. Adrenaline coursed through his veins, but he was fumbling. There were too many.
With a savage cry, he charged through the weakest point of the crowd, and barreled through. His leg caught onto a root, and he stumbled to the ground, rolling down the steep hill.
The last thing he saw with left eye was a sharp branch rushing closer to his face.
The world was throbbing. Or was it his head?
Red
Like the rashes on Will's back.
Red
Like the blood dripping from the cannibals' chins.
Red
Like the crimson dripping from his eye socket.
He screamed as he regained consciousness. His back arched from the sharp jolts of pain that shot through his body. His trembling hands reached up to press against the gash on his left eye. He tried to blink it, only to collapse back on the ground as a hammer of stinging agony slammed against his temple.
He couldn't see anything as he staggered to a crawl. He had to hide, the undead were close by. He knew it. He couldn't die here. Not yet. He had to show Will the world. His hand grasped blindly for the tin can in his pocket. He had to go west. He had to go see the ocean. He had to show Will the ocean too.
His knees knocked against something hard. He squinted the blood out of his right eye, and rubbed his hand over the layers of moss covering the object.
A metal door.
A bunker.
With the remaining strength he had, he twisted the lock open, and fell through the dark hole.
He landed with a thud, wringing another cry from his lips. A light had switched on with his arrival, the metal door slammed shut.
He blinked again, groaning as he pushed himself off the ground. He turned his head left and right as fast as he could manage.
Shelves and shelves of canned goods and packaged water greeted him. A bunker. The owners probably never made it.
He bit lip hard, trembling.
He started to laugh. His body convulsed with every intake of breath. Blood dripped down his arms in spurts but he didn't care.
He laughed and laughed until darkness claimed him once again.
[Kansas, United States-Rothman Rehabilitation Home for Feral Children-Present Time]
He thanked Dr. Kelner and Dr. Sommers as he rose from his chair. Kelner gave him a brief wave before turning back to Sharon. The girl continued with her frightfully accurate zombie imitations, paying them no heed even as the interviewer left.
"Found what you were looking for?" Sommers cracked a tired smile, gesturing for him to follow him down the hallway.
"Somewhat. Thank you very much for this opportunity." He replied with a smile of his own. His gaze fell to the recorder in his hands. Sommers' eyes followed his stare.
"I'm surprised you even contacted us. I would've thought a guy like you would go up to the big guys, you know? The ones with the facts and details on the whole thing."
"That's exactly the reason why I didn't go to them. I want to know the nitty gritty of it. I want the world to know it- all the personal experiences, and how it changed everyone."
He paused when Sommers did. He quirked an eyebrow, but the doctor was focused on the clipboard in his hand.
"Dr. Sommers?"
"You think you have time for another interview?" The doctor looked up, a dark look in his eyes.
"Wha-um, yes of course. I wasn't sure if you'd like for me to intrude any longer."
Sommers shook his head, and waved for the man to follow him down a different corridor.
"It's quite alright; I'm hoping this will actually help him. We haven't had much luck getting him to open up." He stopped in front of a doorway at the end of the hall.
The interviewer glanced at the metal plate attached to the door.
Bill. Just Bill.
"Here we are. Bill, 19 years old. Fifteen when we recovered him in a bunker in Wyoming, nearly feral."
"…Is there anything I should be aware of? Possible triggers? Background information?"
"Just…don't touch his tin can, okay? The last time we took it- to decontaminate its…contents, he threw a huge fit. We had him on constant surveillance to make sure he didn't hurt himself. Or others."
Sommers rapped his knuckles against the door softly. The man heard a muffled voice, and watched Sommers turn the knob.
He wasn't sure what he was expecting. The room was standard, simple and practical just like Sharon's had been. However, Sharon's had at least contained a few scattered crayons and drawings of zombie guts. Bill's room held nothing.
The patient in question was standing by the window. His frame was lithe from years of malnutrition, the standard green resident shirt barely hanging on to his shoulders. The little rays of sunlight formed a soft, glowing halo on his ashen hair. The strands might've been bright yellow at some point. Now, they looked as dead as his dull yellow eye-there was only one visible, the other hidden by a bandage- cushioned by dark bruising bags that spoke of insomnia. His hollow cheeks were wet, as if he had been mourning.
"Bill, I want to introduce you to a friend." Sommers entered the room with a bright smile, and the man followed silently. Bill turned away from the window and shuffled to the table near his bed. There was a glint reflecting off the object in his pale hands.
"Hello." The interviewer reached into his pocket and pulled out his card. When Bill showed no sign of taking it, he placed it on the table.
"He's going to be here to hear your stories. You like telling stories, right?" Sommers' smile remained plastered on his face.
Bill didn't respond, his eye was trained solely on the interviewer's. He shifted, slightly unnerved. He took out his recorder, making a show of presenting it to Bill to see before placing it on the center of the table.
"Right, um yes." He cleared his throat, and attempted a reassuring smile. He pressed the button on the recorder, and gave Sommers an anxious glance. The doctor merely nodded.
"Alright then, Bill….do you have…a prized possession? A treasure?" His eyes fell to gaze at the object in the teen's hands. Bill looked down as well.
"Yeah." His voice was soft, a bit raspy. It was higher than the man had expected, but his focus was on Bill's hands.
He lifted the object into sight with a proud look in his eye. It was a tin can, small in the confines of Bill's slender fingers. It was rusty beyond comprehension, the name brand long faded away. He saw faint outlines of drawn fruits on the side of the tin.
Bill placed it on the table eagerly, presenting it to the interviewer. The contents rattled when the tin hit the table. The man could only wonder how old the candy was.
"The candy?" He ventured a guess. Bill smiled and shook his head. He picked the tin can up gingerly, his features softening into one of endearment.
"Will." He spoke again in the same, gentle tone. He yanked the lid off with practiced ease, and shook the tin over his open palm.
The interviewer expected moldy pieces of colored sugar. He watched irregularly-shaped white stones fall out with a faint halo of white powder. For a split second, he thought the teen would stick them into his mouth. Bill picked out the biggest piece and held it up to the man's face, shaking it to make his point.
"Will."
Hope you enjoyed! Reviews are appreciated.