'Ello, 'ello! Originally, I wrote this as an entry to NaNoWriMo, but honestly - I fail to have the dedication / commitment / etc. to really write a FIFTY THOUSAND WORD NOVEL IN THIRTY GODDAMN DAYS. Seriously. I'm not Superwoman.
But I am ridiculously fond of this story, and thought I'd continue working on it even after unofficially withdrawing from NaNoWriMo. So, congrats. Now you're stuck with me. I can't promise consistent updates, but I will do my best to have a new chapter every two weeks. Considering I'm almost done with school (YEAH BUDDY GO AUSTRALIA), it shouldn't be too hard to best that, but hey... #TeamLowExpectations, am I right?
Anyway, this will be split into seven parts (or perhaps arcs would be a better word to describe them), and each will relate to a specific character. Kalel and Anthony will share parts / arcs, though they will certainly have storylines outside one another... eventually. In this first part, we only have Kalel and Anthony.
Though they do talk a lot about Ian because THEY'RE MY OT3 AND I CRY EVERY T IEM.
Disclaimer: I own nothing. Don't sue.
PART I – KALEL & ANTHONY, A NEW DAY.
november 18th, 5:43PM – two days after outbreak.
"We have to go back!"
Kalel's words were only a dull roar, playing second fiddle to the wars raging on within his mind – despite not properly hearing her, Anthony knew she made more sense than anything he had said in the past two days. He was on the edge of delirium; clinging onto his sanity by the thinnest of threads.
With a sigh, Anthony released his vice-like grip on Kalel's clammy hand. "We can't." It was a harsh truth, but one Anthony had already accepted. As much as he wished to be back in LA, a place where he more than familiar with – it wasn't safe there. Even heading to Sacramento was risky, but Anthony yearned to learn the fate of his parents. If Missouri was closer, he knew Kalel would want the same thing.
After a moment, Kalel sighed. Although Anthony had his back to her, he could see her wringing her hands; a nervous habit she exhibited only when things weren't going the way she had hoped. "What do you think you're going to find in Sacramento, Anthony? Your mom? Your dad? The infection's everywhere! You heard it on the radio, same as I did. The elderly went first, and your parents are no spring chickens."
A wave of anger flashed through Anthony, but it quelled when he again realized Kalel was more mentally stable than he was. Sacramento was likely a dead man's land – if the infection hadn't killed the majority of residents off, the heat and lack of supplies would eventually.
As much as Anthony wanted to believe his parents would have so-far survived, he knew that the odds were not in their favor. His dad was only two months away from celebrating his fiftieth birthday, and his health had been declining in a scarily rapid fashion; his mother, despite being two years younger than his dad at merely forty-seven, still struggled with panic attacks. He doubted her chances of survival most, as he knew his poor mother wouldn't be able to fend for herself – and although he knew he should have, he could not bring himself to feel bad about his doubt.
What did he think they were going to find, anyway?
It had been a knee-jerk reaction, almost. When Kalel had mentioned the mere possibility of going somewhere other than Los Angeles, Anthony hadn't wasted any time in suggesting Sacramento; it was a six hour drive, and if they could get their hands on a still-functioning car, they would've been able to make it, no problem.
Kalel had objected at first – arguing that they should be leaving the state, but soon let up when Anthony had said, in a very roundabout fashion, that he wanted to see if his parents had survived.
But as they got closer and closer, Anthony realized he had already accepted his parents' fate; there was no logical way for the both of them to have survived, and although he did entertain the idea of his father or perhaps even his step-father surviving the initial infection, he could not bring himself to fully believe it.
"Ian." Anthony stated finally, ending the too-long and too-tense silence that had fallen between the two. "If my parents aren't at their houses, we'll go over to Ian's house. The Smosh house. He'll be there somewhere; trust me."
His back still to her, Anthony could sense the weariness in Kalel's stare.
With a sigh that sounded much too tired to truly belong to a twenty five year old, Kalel gripped Anthony's hand once again. "Anthony… are you sure about this?" With a few gentle tugs, Kalel bought Anthony to a position where they were facing one another. "What if Ian isn't there? What if Sacramento's just… just gone?"
Anthony looked almost pained at the suggestion, and Kalel wished to take it back; to take it all back – from the worry lines scarring Anthony's features, to the dark bags under his eyes; she yearned to have back the Anthony she had fallen in love with, on the tenth day of the tenth month of the tenth year in a new millennia. "He'll be there." Anthony said at last, voice quiet and not unlike a child's. "It'll be okay, Kal. Trust me."
Kalel almost grimaced at Anthony's childlike innocence, but managed to gain control of her expression.
As much as she wanted to tug Anthony back in the direction of their little studio apartment, back to Pip and Kabuki and Mogwai, Kalel knew that all those whom survived the infection deserved closure, if they wished for it.
A strange smile crafted upon elegant features, Kalel gave a small nod of her head. "Okay."
(She would follow Anthony into death itself; only this, Kalel was sure of.)
...So, yeah. I tried.
There's only two other chapters in this part / arc, but with each part, I hope the number of chapters belonging to each grows bigger. If you might be interested in being a beta for this story (and trust me, I would really appreciate it - I'm terrible with proofreading), leave a comment and lemme know.
[ insert self-promotions and reminders to leave and comments here ]
NEXT CHAPTER:
"Why are you doing this?" Anthony asked after a moment, all indicators of tenderness gone from his thoughts. He was instead angry, and perhaps even outraged; but his words were quiet, and Kalel knew that when Anthony was quiet, he was close to his breaking point. "Do you not want to find Ian? Is that it? Have you hated him this whole fucking time, and now you just want him fucking gone?"
"You know that's not true!" Kalel exclaimed, voice as shrill as Anthony's was quiet. "Ian was my friend too, you know."
