Disclaimer - Yeah, still don't own Glee. But that's good, because there is no way in hell I could keep up with their brilliant ideas!
AN #1 - Sooo, sorry it's been so long since I've updated! I know, you guys hear it all the time from most author's, and I don't have a good excuse. I just get lazy, or writer's block, whatever. But, here is chapter 3, and I hope that you enjoy! I am so so so excited for this series, because the ideas just keep on flowing in, and it looks like it won't be ending for a very long time... Unless I get bored or you all start to hate it, of course... Any ways, I hope you enjoy, and please review or message with any sort of feedback!
AN #2 - I have decided that I'm going to start adding a playlist at the beginning of each chapter (Or, some chapters), to kind of give you an idea at what music inspired me for the installment or what may be mentioned in that specific chapter or used, blah blah blah. If you want, listen to them if you have them, or download if you don't. Or, just don't even pay attention. Your choice. Not like they're important or anything... ha ha.
Playlist for this chapter - Actually, I can't think of anything right now. I'll return and update when I do. Sorry!
Chapter Three - Zombies, Meet Angst!
"Alright, what kind of car you got?" the man behind the counter asked after Puck had handed him the list.
"Eighty-nine Chevy Silverado. Straight eight." Puck droned, then added "Four-wheel drive." He may have never personally gotten hands-on with an engine, but when it came to ordering parts, Puck knew what information was needed.
"Let's see what we've got." the man squinted at the computer screen while punching in numbers at the key board.
Puck took the time to size the employee up. He was tall and lanky with thick blond hair, and he sported coke-bottle glasses. 'What a loser', Puck thought. He noticed that his name tag read "Clancy", and the young boy had to fight off a bellowing laugh. 'Can it get any better than that?' Puck examined further while the man's magnified blue eyes fixed intently on the computer screen. He couldn't be more than twenty-fives years of age.
"Looks like we've got everything you need." Clancy interrupted Puck's thoughts and made his way to the end of the counter, slinging back the saloon-like doors. "Come on back." he waited for Puck to follow suit and guided him to the back room. There were numerous rows of cheap shelves which showcased many different automotive parts and boxes of several sizes. Clancy led the boy through the simple maze, occasionally stopping to grab an item and place it into a shopping basket. Puck was given the opportunity to choose between more expensive and reliable or cheap and 'most likely to give out in a month' when it came to the majority of the parts. They finished gathering everything from the list and headed back to the counter where Clancy immediately began to ring in the merchandise.
"Oh, hold up a sec. I need oil, too." Puck turned to the front of the shop where more common necessities for vehicles were displayed. He headed to the wall of fluids and began to read through the various labels. As he contemplated the best choice, a smirk crept across his features. He brought out his phone and thumbed out a message.
[Sent] – u say oil? Want scented edible or lubricated?
After sending the message he decided he might as well save Charlie's number. 'I know I'll use this a few times' his smirk grew wider at the thought. A soft chuckle erupted from his throat and a sense of pride danced at the back of his mind as he typed in what he thought to be a clever nickname.
Puck continued to scan through the choices while waiting for a reply, and once more than a moment had passed, he went in search for an oil filter, an object which he had sought out numerous times before. While returning to the fluids' wall with a small box resting in his hands, his phone vibrated.
[Porn*Laine] – 5W-30. Get Max-Life if you can.
'Chick is no fun', Puck commented to himself as he searched for the correct oil. Upon finding the specific fluid, the boy cradled six of the bottles into his arms and returned to the counter where Clancy was patiently waiting.
The man scanned the last of the items and recited the price from the register. 'A hundred and twenty bucks? Damn...' Puck let his thoughts trail when his phone vibrated again.
[Finn] – dood u got 2 com over. zombies r kickn my ass!
Puck rolled his eyes and placed his phone on the counter to pull his wallet from his back pocket. He began to fish out bills from the old, warn out leather fold.
"So, is that all? Or will you need some tools, degreasers, or..."
"Nah, I'm good." Puck cut him off and handed Clancy the cash. The young man fingered the corners of the bills and opened the register, sliding the change into his palm to send the copper and silver pieces ringing into Puck's hand.
"Thanks." he nodded while gathering the bags and his phone in his arms.
"Have a great day!" Clancy chimed as Puck exited the shop.
While throwing the bags of parts behind the driver seat, Puck contemplated the possibility of his actions for the rest of the afternoon. 'I could get my truck fixed, and Charlie IS hot. But zombies are cool...' he clucked his teeth while turning the key to his ignition. 'Hot chick, covered in grease...' his head slightly rolled to the left, 'zombie brains exploding...', then to the right as his internal struggle wavered on.
Puck shrugged his shoulders casually and began typing out a message, hitting 'send' when it was complete.
[Sent] – b there in 10 min.
'I'm going to let her sweat it out for a bit.' the boy chuckled to himself as he pulled his truck into gear and left the parking lot.
Dodging traffic and taking side roads, Puck found himself parking outside his destination within only moments. He killed the engine, which he was now beginning to notice did emit a strange rattling sound, and left his vehicle on the curb. A smirk tugged at the corners of his lips when he noticed the faint sight of dried green mist splattered along the edges of the walk to the front door. Once arrived at the entrance to the house, he knocked aggressively on the door.
The sound of footsteps pounding against the stairs came from inside, followed by what would sound like skin sliding against hard wood floors. A barely audible "Oh shit!" reached Puck's ears as he leaned closer to the door, and he held in a laugh when he heard numerous objects tumbling and cracking as they hit hard against the surface below. A few more heavy steps, and the front door flew open, revealing a panting Finn.
Puck's right brow perked at the sight of his friend.
"About time. This shit is crazy!" Finn's eyes went wide and his hands gestured largely.
"It's just a video game, bro."
Finn shook his head and chuckled softly. "That's what I thought. They just... come out of nowhere!"
Puck laughed at his remark. "Alright, dude. Let's go." he let himself in and closed the door behind him before following the taller teen up the stairs. "So, you get your yard spray-painted again?"
"Yeah. Dude, it's so much easier than taking care of stupid grass." Finn answered while taking his usual seat on the edge of his bed. Puck followed suit, sinking comfortably into the cushioned papasan chair between the bed and the back wall.
"You're fucking lazy." Puck leaned back in the chair after claiming his remote to Finn's X-Box.
"Whatever." Finn shrugged as he accessed the menu of the game. "So did Charlie kick your ass again or something?"
"What the hell are you talking about?" Puck grumbled at his friend.
"You said you were with her." The teens eyes remained fixed on the screen as the mission loaded. "Why did you leave?"
Puck grunted and leaned further into the cushions, a careless grin forming on his features. "She got boring..." he lied. "But she wants me. Only a matter of time."
"Yeah, sure dude." Finn rolled his eyes and held in a laugh while the loading screen continued it's purpose.
The teenage boys fell into a comfortable silence, as if in respectful patience of the video game. Their minds were void of thoughts, or at least they wouldn't say otherwise, and their thumbs hovered above their own analog stick, waiting. Finn begins tapping his foot while his shoulders tense, and he leans forward towards the television screen.
"Dude, what is up with you? You're all, like, sketched out and shit." Puck stifled a laugh at his friend.
"Seriously man, just watch..." Finn's voice trailed as his attention was absorbed again by the screen which now portrayed the inside of a condemned building. Rubble and splintered wood covered the uneven ground and fires were burning in random corners. An eerie sound filtered through the speakers as the soft background music began. A single character, dressed in military garb, stood in the center of the screen and began to move forward as Finn mastered the controls.
"Where's my player?" Puck asked, holding his controller to the side.
"Oh, sorry. It's only single-player. I thought I told you." Finn muttered, his eyes still fixed on the screen as he moved his character to a broken window.
"That's fucking lame." the other teen groaned and tossed his controller onto his lap, bringing his hands up to rest behind his head.
"You'll get next round." Finn shrugged. The screen zoomed as Finn peered through the scope, coming to rest on an approaching zombie, adorned in swastikas and German colors. Within seconds, the video zombie's head was blown to pieces while the body fell newly lifeless to the ground.
Finn took care of a few more zombies while running through the building, collecting weaponry and barricading the exposed windows. Puck found himself growing immensely bored, even through the short minutes that had passed.
"Really Hudson, this is stupid."
"Calm down, Puckerman, it gets better."
"Whatever. This is as intense as Tanaka and his... Whoa." Puck's eyes widened as the view from one of the windows was filled with a massive wave of the undead. Finn moved his character to an open crack in the wall to show twice as many coming from the other side.
"I told you, dude." Finn's satisfied grin settled a little wider.
"Yeah, but still. It can't be better than Dead Rising. That game is the shit." Puck shrugged and released the slack in his jaw.
"That's what I thought." Finn chuckled.
Moments passed while one teen guided the hopeless character through the run-down two-story building, shooting, stabbing and blowing up oncoming zombies, and the other watched, jaw dropping more and more with each corner turned.
"Dude, right there! Right fucking-"
"I got it, I got it!"
"There's like twenty of them! Hurry, grab a grenade!"
"I'm out. Fuck! Oh shit-"
"Hudson, run!"
"Oh shit oh shit oh shit!"
"Mother fuckers just keep com... right behind you!"
"HA! Take that, zombie Nazi!"
"Is that a bazooka? Go get the bazooka!"
"I'm on it. Bam! Take that!"
"Whoa, watch it! Right there right there right fucking there!"
"Yeah yeah yeah, calm down, I got this."
"Fuck, Hudson, they're all over the-"
"I know! Just need. to. get. to. the.... Nooooooo! No no no no!!!"
"Ah, man, that sucks."
The intensity of the room fell heavy as the screen went red and the boys slouched back into their respective seats.
"Damn." Finn mumbled.
"You were right, bro. That shit was pretty awesome." Puck nodded towards his friend as he tried to steady his breathing.
"I. Fucking. Told. You!" Finn shouted enthusiastically. "And look! I made it to level eleven, dude. I only got to seven before you showed up."
"Sweet." Puck let out one last strained breath. A devious flicker in his eye and a wide smirk, he picked up his controller and said "My turn."
"All yours." Finn threw up his hands and relaxed into his bed.
The sound of running water surged through the narrow hallways of a small home. The bathroom from which the tub was currently being filled was growing foggy as the atmosphere became sticky. Steam rose from the rippling water and the mirrors were being smothered in a haze. The smell of lilacs and honey wafted in the tiny room. Silence fell when the faucet was turned to cut the flow of the falling water.
Charlie sat at the edge of the bath, dipping her fingers just below the surface of the still water to test the temperature. She watched the ripples come to life from her touch, hitting the porcelain sides of the bathtub and growing larger as they came back, like an echo. She turned to grab her razer from the vanity, along with the bottle of shaving oil and a jar of peach scrub. She set the items at her side, lifted her right leg over the rim of the tub and slowly glided it into the steaming water.
Charlie ran her hands over the skin of her thigh, following the curve down into the water to smooth over her calf, all the way down to her ankle. Bringing herself back up, she let water pool into her palms and spilled it over here thighs, soaking the skin. Once satisfied with the amount of moisture, she brought out her limb and settled the heel of her foot on the back of the tub, her leg extending out before her for perfect reach.
She grabbed the oil and lathered it against her skin, spreading an even coat of the silky product. As she massaged her fingers into the area above her foot, her fingers trailed down to her toes where they delicately traced the faded lines of scars and old blisters. Her eyes watched every movement of her hands, remembering when these marks of memories were fresh and bleeding. Charlie's head turned to the side to catch a glimpse of her other foot, resting on the tile of the bathroom floor. Similar memories were left behind on her opposite foot, and the toes were just as beaten with old tortures.
A sigh escaped her lips as she returned to the task at hand, grabbing her razer and dragging it along her oiled calf.
"Charlotte, you home?" A voice called from down the hall. "Charlie?" it called again, this time closer and knocking softly on the door to the bathroom.
"Yes, I'm in here." Charlie answered.
"Well, I'm home." there was a momentary pause. "I was thinking of ordering takeout. What would you like?"
"Anything you want." Charlie stopped her movement to engage what would most likely be a short-lived conversation.
"I was thinking Chinese. You like that... Noodle stuff, right?"
"Chicken Chow Mein." she chuckled quietly.
"Alright, I'll call it in."
She heard the footsteps begin their retreat down the hall. "Thank you, Uncle Vic." She calmly shouted.
There was another pause. "You're welcome, sweetheart."
Charlie let a smile form on her lips as silence was again settled throughout the room. Nothing but the 'drip, drip' from the faucet, soon to be joined by the scratching noise of dull metal edges being dragged along a soapy leg could be heard in the small bathroom, until a low humming sound vibrated from Charlie's throat.
"I cannot believe that you kicked my ass, dude!" Puck exclaimed as he threw his remote at the floor in defeat.
"I'm a pro. Admit it." Finn grinned smugly and laced his fingers together at the back of his neck.
"Whatever." The bulkier teen scoffed. "It was just a fluke. You had more practice."
Finn prodded a finger in Puck's direction. "Awe, is Noah being a sore loser?" he said in a babyish tone.
Puck swiped his hand away with more force than needed. "If you want to eventually have children, stick to calling me 'Puck'." he growled.
Finn's face fell, a mixture of different emotions swimming in his eyes that were now fixed on the ground by Puck's feet. "Speaking of kids..." his words trailed off.
"What the fuck is the deal, dude?" Puck gave his taller friend a skeptical stare, brow raised.
Finn sighed loud and drastically. "It's nothing. Never mind."
"Uh uh, you decided to just go all female on me, so spill. What's got your panties in a twist?"
"Quinn's pregnant." Finn muttered before standing up and walking out of the room.
Puck was frozen in place. His jaw was hanging on it's hinges and his eyes had instantly clouded over, spacing out as they tried to focus on the black television screen in front of him. The feeling in his stomach was nothing short of uncomfortable. He felt nauseous, and dizzy, and a feeling of dread washed over any other pain he was experiencing. Dread. And guilt.
'Finn couldn't possibly know...'
"Charlie, dinner's here!"
Charlie heard her uncle call out from the kitchen as she was stretching in her bedroom. "Be out in a minute!" she shouted back.
The stereo was set at a low volume, but effectively pumped out a steady upbeat tune, keeping Charlie at a decent pace while she finished up her routine. She turned off the device and pulled a pair of old sweat pants over her shorts and tightened the hair tie that held her locks in place.
"Smells good." She smiled as she entered the kitchen to help her uncle empty the bags of food from Bamboo China. Her uncle was a tall and husky man in his mid-forties. His head was still thick with deep, brown hair, and his eyes were deep and honey-colored. They looked tired today.
"Yours is in there. I also got you some of those crab puff things you like, and that soup." He pointed at the items as he listed them off.
"Thanks, Uncle Vic." Charlie pulled the cartons from the paper bags and set them on the counter before reaching into the cabinet beside the fridge for two paper plates. "What movie tonight?"
"I thought maybe we could sit at the table tonight. You know, talk, or something..." he shrugged and let his sentence end short. His eyes met hers, waiting for an answer.
A genuine smile snaked it's way across her lips. "Yeah, sure. Chopsticks?"
The man shook his head. "No. I could never get a hang of those damn things."
Charlie laughed at her uncle's excuse and grabbed a fork and spoon from the drawer, along with a set of the wrapped wooden sticks supplied from one of the bags. She carried the plates and utensils to the table and returned to the kitchen to help gather the food.
After settling into their chosen seats, Charlie and her uncle began picking from their cartons and depositing the food onto their respective plates. The girl proved to be a pro at using the chopsticks, while the older man just took the easy route and shoveled with a fork.
"So, how is school?"
Charlie raised a brow at her uncle and smirked. "Really?"
"What? Can I not ask that?" Victor prodded as he brought a piece of orange chicken to his lips.
"No, you can." Charlie giggled. "It's just such a typical question."
"Well, we have to start somewhere, right?" He matched her smirk.
Charlie nodded, her grin spreading to a smile. "Touché." she took in a bite of her feast and marveled in the taste before returning to the conversation. "School is fine. Kind of boring."
"Have they put you in any honors classes yet?"
"No. The counselor said she wanted to test me out first. Said since I've been out of school for so long, she wants to make sure I can handle it." The girl answered with a roll of her eyes.
"That makes sense." Victor said through a mouthful of his chicken. "Make any friends?"
Charlie could barely contain her laugh, but strained as much as she could to keep from either choking on her food or spraying it all over the table. After a few more movements of the jaw, she swallowed and allowed a soft chuckle to erupt from her throat. "Friends? Really? So far, every one that I have met has proven to be either a freak or a total moron."
"What about that boy I saw sitting outside the house earlier? You seemed to be pretty, well, chummy."
"Chummy? No, he's just a moronic kid who thinks he's too hot to handle." Charlie took another bite. "I'm just messing with him."
Victor smiled across the table at his niece. "I'm glad to see you still haven't changed."
Charlie met his gaze and returned the gesture. "Thanks." Her eyes lowered and her lips faltered into a loose frown. "I just really miss New York."
"I'm sure New York misses you too." Victor sent another reassuring smile in her direction. "And I know you're parents-"
"I don't want to talk about them." Charlie bit out fast.
"But Charlotte, your father-"
"I have nothing to say about either of them." Charlie dropped her utensils on her plate and firmly placed her open palms on the table in front of her. "It's been long enough, they're gone, I'm over it."
"Sweetheart, I just-"
"I'm sorry, but I've lost my appetite." She exclaimed flatly and stood up from her seat, leaving the plate of food behind as she exited the room and headed down the hall.
"Dammit." Victor muttered to himself. "Just when things were going so well."
AN #3 - Well, there you have it. chapter 3. Really, I hope that you enjoyed it! And please review, or message me. I don't care. I just like feedback. Constructive criticism, opinions, I don't care, whatever you feel like giving me :)