Chapter 7

Ruby did the best she could to wipe the dirt from her hands. It stuck to her military jacket and blended into the dark brown, but in no way was she clean. She flicked away her bangs and took a few deep breaths to try and settle her racing heart.

Her eyes darted away from their fixed point on the ground over to a group of girls from her school standing around and talking about nothing in particular. They rested a moment longer on the girl in the center. Her name was Coco. She was moderately pretty, with long brunette hair cutely draped around her shoulder. The girl was well known as a dorky gamer, popular enough with guys but just as gay as Ruby.

Ruby straightened her clothes out. Fresh from the Forever Fall, she smelled of sweat and dirt barely masked by wild roses that she rubbed on herself. She decided to end her spring break, a week long foray into the woods with nothing but the clothes on her back, a little early. Instead of heading home she wandered across the highway that skirted the reserve and over to the mall.

She was glad that she did. 'Come on Ruby, you can do this. You scared away a bear with nothing; just stared him down and made him run. You don't have to be afraid of girls. You can talk to your crush. You can at least become friends with her. You can talk about guns or something.'

Her eyes darted over again. She took three quick breaths and walked over to them. "Um, hi."

Coco looked her up and down. "Hello?" The group of girls just stared at her. "You've got some dirt – everywhere."

"I was, um, gardening. Just stopped by the mall. My name is Ruby. I go to Central High too." The redheaded girl just stood there, a half smile on her face as she tucked her dirty hands into her pockets.

"Well? Is there something that you wanted?"

"No, not really." Ruby kicked at the ground, her muddy boot leaving a little streak on the sidewalk. "I– uh– I heard that you like–,"

"Oh my gosh," the second brunette haired girl called out, glancing up from her phone for the first time. "Yatsuhashi is throwing a bonfire out in the woods. We've got to leave, like, right now."

Coco smiled at the girl. "Sounds fun." Coco turned to Ruby momentarily. "Sorry, we have to get going. It was nice meeting you, uh, Judy."

The pack of girls were gone by the time Ruby could even get a finger up and start to correct her. "It's Ruby," she said to no one in particular. The finger, along with her whole body, slumped down. After a moment, she dug out her phone and dialed the only contact.

"Hi Yang, could you come pick me up at the Vytal mall? No, no, I just decided to come back early, I'm feeling fine. Yes everything is alright. Just pick me up. No, I don't want to buy anything. No, I'm not in the mood for a movie, I just want to go home. Thanks, I'll see you soon."

Ruby snapped her phone shut and rested her head against it for a moment before tucking it into her only clean pocket. Ruby turned and stared at her reflection in the store window. Her hair was a greasy mess, she had streaks of dirt on her face, and a there was a little blood on the bit of shirt that stuck out from her jacket. "Damn it," she said, having not realized how awful she must have looked. "You're such an idiot, Ruby."

Her eyes focused on the beautiful red dress that draped elegantly off of the mannequin inside. She stared at it and released a sigh. 'I could never wear something like that. I'd get laughed at for even trying.' The glass wasn't the only thing keeping her from it. Ruby pressed a hand to the clean window. When she pulled it away, there was dusty brown hand print, and she closed her eyes.

"Ruby? Earth to Ruby." Yang waved a hand in front of Ruby's face, causing her to jolt out of her reverie.

After a quick glance at her sister's smile, she looked back into the store front. Coco slammed a hand to the glass as she snapped her teeth at the girls that she didn't understand she couldn't get to. Spatters of blood streaked down and a bloody hand print rested exactly where Ruby had left hers.

"Something the matter?" Weiss asked, stepping beside Ruby.

Ruby turned away from her first crush to her newest. "No, it's nothing." A part of her wanted to go in and put Coco out of her misery. Those were the only words they had ever exchanged, but she had still liked the girl. Suddenly, an arm slung its way around her shoulder.

"Okay Ruby. We're going to start curing that social retardation-,"

"You're a terrible person," Blake interrupted. "Don't use that word."

"Shut up. As I was saying, the first step is shopping."

"You can't be serious," Blake said. "That place is full of those things."

Weiss waved her off. "They're nothing we can't handle. The most important thing is teaching Ruby the finer arts of being a woman."

"I think you've done enough of that," Yang said with a scoff.

Weiss flushed red. "What are you talking about? Be quiet!"

"No, it's a bad idea. We shouldn't risk our lives to go shopping," Blake added, stepping between Weiss and Yang.

"Just shut up and let me dress Ruby in cute clothes!" Weiss practically screamed, stomping her foot on the ground and straightening her arms out in a huff, silencing everyone – even Coco.

There was a moment while none of the other girls could even think of something to say. Ruby eventually broke the silence. "Don't worry, the zekes won't be a problem, I have a plan."

"Oh perfect," Weiss said rolling her eyes. "I'm sure this will go great."

If there was any hesitation about getting new clothes, it vanished after luring out the zombies and setting them ablaze. The rancid smell of smoke and burning flesh clung to the four girls, even as they passed through the glass doors.

There were a few stragglers who didn't get out of the department store. Ruby and Weiss did a quick sweep, taking out anything they came across. Yang just stood, shotgun in hand, in front of Blake, shaking a little but for the most part stoically protecting the girl.

Weiss finished her round, walking up beside Ruby after checking that the metal gate that separated the store from the mall's central area was down. A zombie stared her down, slowly dragging a hideously mangled, twisted leg as it lurched, inch by inch towards her. It snapped its teeth, craning its neck forward to try and get its mouth as close as possible even though the weight of its useless body was holding it back.

"Someone you know?" Weiss asked, unsure as to why Ruby hadn't killed it.

"Not anymore."

Weiss saw Ruby grip her climbing axe tightly for a moment, then clipped it back onto her belt. She slung her rifle around, pointing it at the approaching former girl.

"Do you want me to do it?" Weiss asked.

"No, I have to." When the tip of the barrel pressed into zombie skin, she squeezed the trigger, sending a crack echoing through the store.

Ruby's body slumped for a moment, then she perked up. "Right, so, shopping."

"We don't have to."

Was that really someone Ruby knew? Shouldn't the girl be having some kind of emotional crisis or something? Ruby looked just happy as she always did.

Ruby gave a dismissive hand wave at Weiss and snorted. "Nah. I've always wanted to go shopping with a friend." Ruby stood still for a moment. "Girlfriend?" she added with a slight squeak.

"We're not girlfriends." Weiss let her eyes scan around the department store. "What's your favorite color?"

"Uh, I don't know. I usually just wear brown or dark green. Whatever they would have the military surplus store."

"That's just sad." Weiss tilted her head. Admittedly, she usually watched Ruby's very unique silver eyes closely. They kept darting back to something behind Weiss. She turned and followed the erratic eye line.

Ruby kept glancing at the pretty red dress in the display. It was flowing silk and looked around the right size. It would be a little short, but it went well with Ruby's coloring. Yes, the survival freak would be cute in it, and she would probably look very sexy with her strong shoulders and back exposed.

Weiss turned back and smiled at Ruby, who squeaked and jumped a little. "Let's get you in that dress."

"What? No, there's no way I could wear something like that. It'd be so– impractical."

"You're just going to try it on. Obviously we can't be running around killing zombies in dresses." Weiss smiled at Ruby before it dissolved into a concerned stare. The girl faced down zombies and warthogs and bears without hesitation. It was silly that she looked so scared of putting on a dress. But there she was, shivering, eyes darting around. Where was all of that confidence?

"Do you promise not to laugh at me?"

Weiss could feel her heart skip a beat as Ruby nervously kicked at the ground, sparing a brief glance up from it to meet her eyes only for a moment. "Of course I won't, you dolt."

When Yang saw Ruby and Weiss start to take dresses off of the mannequins, she took that as a sign that they were relatively safe from the living dead. She still moved slowly, her girlfriend tucked against her back and constantly surveying their surroundings.

"Let me go find a changing room," Weiss said as Yang approached. The white haired girl roamed away by herself, walking into the nearby alcove and out of sight.

"I think you'll look good in that," Yang said, smiling at her sister.

Ruby looked up from the dress that she held almost reverently. Her thumbs rubbed against the fabric, squeezing it and sliding it between her fingers. "Do you know what this is made of? It feels so good."

"I think it's just silk."

"It's kind of like how Weiss' skin feels," Ruby said under her breath.

Yang grimaced. Her sister had a bad habit of not filtering her speech. "Yup, that's not something you tell your big sis."

Ruby made a cute little peeping noise and blushed. "Sorry."

"Occupied," Weiss's voice called from around the corner in an almost bored droll. Then a gunshot.

"Occupied." Another shot.

"Occupied." Another shot.

"Oh, found a free one. Come on Ruby!" the heiress called out.

Ruby gave a cheerful smile before darting back to where Weiss was. Yang's lips slowly curled into a gentle smile. When she turned to watch the store for more zombies, Blake gave her a look.

"What are you so happy about? Aren't you worried about those zombies?" Blake said, nervously staring at the shaking metal grating they could see in the distance over the racks of clothes.

"Of course. But it's kind of nice seeing my sister act like a normal girl. She never really had friends to do things like this with."

"You don't mind that her new friend is Weiss?"

"Can't lie, it pisses me off. But Ruby does seem happy with her." Yang glanced over to Blake, whose hand hadn't slipped from the machete that she pulled from shed in the camp. "I think you can relax a little."

Yang scanned over the store and spotted a nearby stand with sunglasses. Blake raised an eyebrow at her, which Yang knew meant she was smiling so wide that her mouth was fully open. Her girlfriend always said it made her look like an idiot, but she knew that Blake liked it.

She stepped over and threw on a new pair of aviators that had caught her eyes. A camper had broken the pair she brought with her. "How do I look?"

"Good." Blake droned out in a monotone voice as her shoulder's seemed settle.

Yang smiled, then decided to check in on her sister. She rounded the corner, then took a step back before the two girls noticed her. Blake bumped into her back, then peered around her. Without electricity, the alcove was dark and bathed in only a slight light from the store. Weiss was leading Ruby in a slow dance, swinging her away and rotating her, not so subtly appreciating the view.

"Not bad, Ruby."

"Really? Things like this don't really suit me."

"Nonsense, you look very – presentable." Weiss pulled Ruby back in, holding her hands as they continued to sway.

Weiss was an idiot. Ruby looked incredible. Yang couldn't even believe that the girl in the red dress was her sister. The only magazine cover Ruby could have been on was Soldier of Fortune, but now she looked like she belonged on Vogue. It was backless, and normally Yang wouldn't have even considered letting her baby sister wear something that scandalous. But her well defined and strong back made her look more like an adult than Yang thought possible.

Yang nearly darted out to separate them when Weiss' arms wrapped around that back.

"Oh, right. Presentable" Ruby's eyes stayed planted on the floor, avoiding eye contact.

Weiss released an exasperated sigh. "You look beautiful, alright? Damn you and your puppy dog eyes."

They shifted into each others arms. Ruby leaned up and gave Weiss a cute little peck. Weiss started to lean in for a deeper kiss and her hands slid down to settle on Ruby's hips, and that was Yang's signal to come out.

"Aw, my baby sis looks so cute," she dragged out as she approached.

The two girls darted away from each other. "Let's change back," Weiss said, straightening out the white sundress she had put on and not risking a glance at Yang.

Yang had to stifle a laugh at the two of them blushing. She might hate Weiss, but it was just too damn cute.

"What do you think the worse thing has been so far?" Ruby asked, flicking away some hair that had fallen into her eyes. They were all sitting in a circle on the roof of the department store. Cold darkness had descended while they shopped. Two tents were pitched beside them, but it wasn't quite late enough to sleep.

Weiss seemed to consider the question carefully. "Waiting for the elevator doors to close in the museum with them chasing me. It was such a big horde, and I just felt so– powerless."

"Well, I haven't been out here that long," Yang said, joining in on the pointless chatter for the first time. "But how was being chased by a bear not the worst thing?"

"Yes, it was bad. But at least there was something we could do. I mean, it was just a bear."

"I don't know. I'd find the whole situation unbearable."

Yang flashed another open mouth smile and put on her sunglasses. Weiss reached into her new crop jacket, drew her revolver, and aimed directly at Yang's face; the moment probably should have been tense but Weiss didn't pull back the hammer. Ruby just laughed and pulled the gun down. Their hands didn't separate once the weapon was put away.

Blake took a deep breath. Their day of travel had consisted of an endless stream of very stupid conversations between Ruby and Weiss. Yang kept saying how in command of the situation Ruby was supposed to be, but they seemed unfocused and it was very disconcerting. Even Yang seemed to be relaxing but Blake couldn't with the constant call of zombies on the air.

"Okay so, two tents. How are we sleeping?"

"I think it'd be best if Ruby–," Weiss started.

"Hey sis, how about me and you share?" Yang interrupted, earning a glare from Weiss. "It's been awhile since we've had one of our little slumber parties. I'll even tell you a story to help you sleep. Like I did, what was it, last month?"

"Yang!" Ruby nearly screamed, blushing red. She turned to Weiss, squeezing her hand even harder. "She's um, she's kidding."

Weiss cast a glance over at Yang, giving her a shrewd look before shaking her head.

"Nope, my sister loves it when I read her fairy tales."

Yang pulled her little sister away, who protested lightly, and cast a sneer at Weiss as they walked past. Blake let out a sigh; her girlfriend abandoned her and she was going to spend her first night in the world of the living dead sharing a tent with Weiss Schnee. That was just perfect.

Once she crawled into the tent it was difficult to get comfortable. Even through her sleeping bag and the tent's floor she could feel cold concrete. Coupled for the ghoulish moans that echoed on the air Blake knew that there was no way she was going to sleep. She peeled herself out, casting a quick glare to Yang's tent before wandering over to the edge of the roof and staring towards the small town of Vytal far in the distance.

A part of her held on to the hope that they'd leave the forest and find civilization just fine. Instead, she got the unceasing ghoulish chorus. The only thing that interrupted it was footsteps behind her. She was a little shocked when she turned to see Weiss approaching.

"Trouble sleeping?" Weiss asked as she walked over and leaned onto the stone edge of the roof beside Blake.

"Does that noise ever stop?"

"No." Weiss said shaking her head. "That's why we talk. I saw you looking at us like we're crazy. I didn't get it either when Ruby just kept on her endless rants, but if you don't drown it out with something you have to listen to that all day and all night."

Blake didn't respond, choosing to stare out over the desolate remains of the world. That made sense, because this noise was getting to her. How could Ruby and Weiss have figured out so much more of the new world? They were only out a day or two longer. They both seemed like strange, otherworldly creatures. Ruby and Weiss seemed like ephemeral beings who had been living their whole lives in this world that Blake and Yang suddenly found themselves in.

"How are you so calm? You're a rich, spoiled industrialist, shouldn't you be a gibbering mess?"

"Gee, thanks. It's because I know we're going to survive."

"How can you know that? It's so easy to die, and you two do nothing but take risks. You had to run from an undead bear. You made us come into this stupid mall so you could change your clothes. It doesn't seem like you're taking this seriously at all."

"I did it so we could have fun. I've resolved myself to live. Not survive. To keep living. If we cower in fear like you clearly want, we might as well already be zombies. If you are just going to whine and hide, you may as well jump off of this roof now and save us some trouble."

"What?"

"You heard me. You're weak and pathetic and you're only going to make it harder on the rest of us." Weiss crossed her arms over her chest, her brow relaxing for the first time. "Don't tell Ruby this, but she's the reason why I can be so brave. Knowing she has my back and wanting to be able to watch hers– it makes me want to be more than I am. She's going to spread herself thin looking after her sister and I. I'd hoped you could be a partner for Yang, but we clearly can't trust you to do anything. You're dead weight, and if you want to live, you're going to have to step it up."

Weiss spun on her heel and stormed away in a huff before Blake could even respond.

Blake stared out into the dark night again, feeling pathetic and a little mad. Mostly because Weiss was right; things were dangerous and she wasn't helping. She did need to protect Yang. It was pathetic that she cowered behind a girl that she loved when the world was rife with danger. Even if that girl abandoned her in a vain attempt to protect her sister's probably already lost chastity.

Something small thudded against the back of her head. She spun and caught a flash of white hair as it darted back into their tent. Her eyes trailed down and she saw a little plastic container filled with ear plugs.

"Is she nice or is she a bitch?" Blake asked herself, lifting the gift from the ground and examining it carefully.

A/N: I'm feeling a bit better after watching a zombie movie marathon. It sort of reminded me that people are supposed to be dying. Some stuff kind of clicked. So be excited.