Attack On Zombies.
Jean, Chapter 10.
Author's Note.
So, senior year sucks because you have no time to yourself whatsoever. That, and I took in my friend to live with me for his last year of high school, and I'm practically raising the fucker because he's a man-baby. Super irritating. Note to self, never marry a man that doesn't know how to tie his own fucking shoes or do dishes.
As to my last chapter update: My novel will be called Hellhound, by C. A. Allen. I almost wrote a fanfiction on it once; basically, it's about a hero becoming a villain. I'm not sure I'm ready to give out more yet.
Here's your Jean chapter.
Something stirred against your side, unintentionally waking you up. Your eyes peeped open to see the once brave, stern-faced Jean Kirschstein snuggling against you like some type of kitten. His cheek was pushed against your breast; his brows were raised as though he had reached some state of ultimate bliss. A tiny smile appeared at the corner of your lips.
"Jean?" you asked, waking him from his paradise. The sunlight reflected off of his skin, giving him a glowing effect. "C'mon, Jean. We should head back to Sasha and Connie and Charlie."
"Mmmmmph," he grumbled. With insurmountable chagrin, you pulled yourself away from him. He let out a groan as the hand that once occupied your hip hit the bed. He lifted it back up to reach for you. "Can't we stay a little longer? Play around, maybe?"
"Unfortunately, no. It's probably unwise to leave them alone at the house for too long."
He made puppy eyes at you, cupping your hand in his. His lower lip pouted outwards, making your heart swell up. How could someone who had been so sexy last night become something this adorable over a span of eight hours? You pursed your lips, pulling him up.
"Come on, Jean. We have to go."
He huffed, puffing out his cheeks. "I'm coming, I'm coming."
He stood up, along with another part of him. You glanced at him, blushed, and then could no longer suppress a grin. Jean looked down, then quickly sat back onto the bed, face incredibly reddened as he threw the blanket over himself.
"Ah, and good morning," you said to his morning glory. Jean grimaced. "I'm glad you're happy to see me-"
"Shut up!" he yelled, rolling to his side and no longer facing you. His ears were tomato red, failing to hide his humiliation. "You're the worst!"
"I'll be downstairs, Jean," you winked, then strode down to the kitchen. After about four minutes, he was dressed and downstairs. He could hardly look at you without a rosy pink lighting up on his cheekbones. His hair was messier than usual, but you were a hot mess yourself.
After eating what was possibly the least healthy breakfast you had ever eaten in the entirety of your life, you left the house, bringing any food and candy that remained in the kitchen on the road with you.
After last night, the entire world seemed to be a different place. The birds chirped loudly, the heat was tolerable, and the zombies were nonexistent. It felt surreal.
Jean reached for your hand. You could tell he felt the same. Peaceful was almost the word for it, although every snapping twig and little sound caused you both to jump and reach for the weapons in your backpacks. After a while, you gave up on reacting to anything.
He straightened his back, letting out a yawn - although, he wasn't really all that tired. "Hey, (name)?"
"Hm?"
His footsteps halted, but his hand remained firmly wrapped around yours.
"I'm in love with you."
"I'm fairly certain you expressed this last night, Jean," you scoffed, though his statement did arouse some curiosity within you. "You also told me this before…"
He shook his head. "Sex doesn't express anything to some people. Some guys just do it because of the feeling. Everyone has different reasons…"
"What's it to you?" you asked.
"Trust… but, that's not…" You raised an eyebrow as he paused. He swallowed. "I don't want sex to be my way of expressing my feelings towards you, (name). I haven't said it well enough. I know that you probably understood it… but… Fuck! Give me a minute to sort this into a competent sentence."
"Mr. Kiv would have murdered you," you replied, remembering your terrible English teacher who had once taught Public Speaking and humiliated anyone who even stuttered in his room. Jean sighed, lowering his shoulders.
"Do you know what I told you in French last night?" he asked, cupping your hand in both of his. You shook your head. "I told you je ne peux pas vivre sans toi; je t'aime pour toujours et à jamais, toi et nul autre. It means, basically, I couldn't live without you. I will love you forever and ever, you and no one else. I mean those words, (name). I really do."
You gave him a little smile and kissed the corner of his mouth. He lit up like a furnace, and grabbed your face to kiss you deeper. You moved away too soon for his liking, shaking your head.
"Jean, as much as I would love to stand here in the woods and share another intimate moment, we really, really need to continue. Connie and Sasha and that kid, remember?"
"Fine. Tonight?"
You looked back at him. His lip was curled and one of his brows were raised, making him look sinister and suggestive. A chill went down your spine.
"M-maybe," you replied, trying to sound less alarmed than you were. He recaptured your grasp of his hand and walked further into the forest.
Three quarters of your way back, and you began to hear the moans of the undead. Not parting ways, Jean and you searched around for the source of the noise. It was peculiar; neither of you could really understand which direction the calls were coming from, nor could you discern the distance.
Finally, you came across a body after your hands separated. You swore the noise was coming from a tree, and Jean swore it wasn't. Of course you were right, after nearly walking straight into one - a zombie hung from a noose off of the branch of a poplar tree. You suppressed a gasp as he flailed his arms towards you, though you were entirely out of his reach. Jean ran over and looked up at him.
Both of you stood in awe.
"Should we kill him?" you questioned. He shook his head.
"No, it'd be a waste of ammunition," he replied. "He doesn't feel anything anymore."
You saw a group of footprints leading away from the tree, soaked in blood. Your smarter half knew to not pursue it, but your stupid half couldn't resist following the trail.
They led to a camp.
Jean covered your eyes as you stepped into the grounds, but it was too late for you to not register what carnage had happened here, and the smell gave away most of it. Children laid dead on the ground; women laid both naked and dressed across the floor, and the men were all slaughtered.
One man had it particularly bad. He looked like he was the leader of the group, dressed and figured like an alpha male. His stomach was slashed open, leaving the intestines to hang out. Maggots crawled around on him, but the blood was still dripping down. His eyes looked as if someone had dug their fingers into the sockets and popped them out.
A small girl with a single bullet through the head laid inside of a small red tent. She had the easiest way out, as her life had been taken in her sleep. Her arms cradled a little bear, filthy from travels but still a source of comfort.
Needless bloodshed was everywhere around you.
"J-Jean, how far are we from the house?" you questioned. The bodies were fresh, unharmed by any zombies. None of them were infected, and all of their supplies were gone. You feared bandits had gotten into the camp somehow, raided it, and fled.
"Not much further, but we need to inspect around it and make sure it's safe, first."
He'd come to the same conclusion. If the bandits were here recently, where were they now?
Both of you sprinted back to your temporary home, panting but not becoming exhausted. Adrenaline ran its course through your body. You leapt over small creeks and tree roots that would have definitely tripped you at any other point in your life.
Upon reaching the house, you saw Sasha skinning a deer out front and breathed a heavy sigh of relief.
"SASHA!" you yelled, running up and hugging her. She didn't hug you back because of the deer blood, but the sentiment was there.
"(Name), are you alright? You look spooked. Did something happen?"
"Sasha," Jean replied in your place. "We need to move out of this place. It isn't safe anymore; there are bandits in the area."
She deflated. "B-but… I really like it here…"
Connie and Charlie both exited the house to talk to Sasha, but looked joyed to see your return. They became grave when they were caught up.
"Everyone was slaughtered," you remarked. "The men, the women, and the children - all dead."
"You think it's the same group of bandits from the store?" Connie asked. Charlie shook his head.
"No, those guys are all dead now. These are different people."
"Shit, it's like we've gotta fear people more than the damned zombies nowadays," Sasha groaned. "Can't we just fortify the house and kill anyone who comes near it?"
"We don't know what these guys have," you replied. "They could have powerful weapons and actual armor. We don't have armor and our ammunition is low. Plus, the only good shot here is you, Sasha."
"What do you suggest? Nowhere else will be safe. There seems to be a terrible bandit problem everywhere we go, y'know?"
You remembered the blonde girl from the school cafeteria. "We could...head to a new town. Somewhere without a lot of people, but with plenty of buildings. We can find a good neighborhood and set up there. Seems better to have a place with more areas to hide."
Jean sensed the distant look in your eyes. He could tell you were thinking about something troubling, but agreed with your logic.
"It's our best option."
"I agree," Connie stated. "C'mon, Sasha…"
She looked between all of you, and exhaled, throwing her knife into the deer. "Fine. But if we're going to leave, we should go ahead. I'll just leave the deer here. Such a waste."
"You could finis-" Connie began, but stopped when he saw her heartbreak.
It came back to you - Sasha was a woodland girl. She grew up in these parts, hunting and fishing, gardening and farming. This was one big nostalgia trip for her, and she was loving every moment in it. You wished you could let her stay, but splitting up the group again was a bad decision.
"I'll...pack my bags," she said as she went inside. Connie looked at the both of you as Charlie ran in after Sasha. He looked as if he had matured overnight.
"How did last night go, Connie?" you asked him. He blushed and looked down.
"S-she kissed me."
Jean let out a whistle and gave him a short ovation. "And?"
"It was nice."
Your relationship was a pretty thick comparison to his in terms of innocence.
"How did you and Jean fare last night?" he asked, unaware of the dark deeds you had performed together. Both of you exchanged grins, moving a little closer. Connie backed away.
"Well, alrighty then. Awkward question. Note to self, Connie, don't fucking ask that again."
In the small town of Kraster, you came upon a sign for a gated community. Azalea Springs, it stated, and written across it in a red, bloody watermark: No one left. Went south to find family.
You looked up. Across the road was a neighborhood closed off by a tall gate that you could climb but zombies would have no chance with. It seemed perfect.
"This is wonderful!" Connie yelled. "Sasha, Charlie, wanna go pick out a house?"
"Mmmrrrppp…" Sasha groaned, still missing her forested house. Charlie looked much more enthusiastic. His reply was a fast nod and excited grunts.
"Last one over the gate is a rotten egg!" Charlie yelled, running towards it. Unfortunately, he had some issues once he reached the top of the gate. Connie grinned and beat him to the other side, then offered to catch him.
"Come on, shortie! I've got you! Go ahead and jump!"
"It's so high!" he cried. "Promise you'll catch me?"
"I promise, Charlie!"
They exchanged awkward silences before Charlie made his move. Connie caught him, but just barely, and they both fell down.
Jean kissed your hand. "I'll find us a nice little nest, mon amour," he told you as he parted and climbed the fence. Sasha was quick to follow, leaving you alone on your side.
You examined the gate to make sure it wasn't too good to be true. Sure enough, it was flawless. You reared back to leap the fence, when a short whistle emitted from the bushes. Turning around, a pair of blue eyes beamed at you.
"Who are you?" you asked, reaching for your knife. "Come out where I can see you."
"Are you from my school?"
The voice sounded familiar. You approached the bush. "I don't know - I can't see you."
"Promise you won't try to kill me, first."
You looked at the knife, then back at the eyes, and sheathed your weapon. A girl stepped out of the bushes, revealing a tired and miserable version of the blonde who you met in the cafeteria.
"You're-"
"Annie Leonhardt. Nice to see you again, (name). Glad you took my advice."
Author's Other Note.
I FINALLY ADDED SOMETHING.
If any details are off, it's because I haven't worked on this in months.
So, I can't promise you guys fast updates because Hellhound is my priority now, but I can promise you updates. You guys should totally PM me because I'm lonely and I've been shut up in my room to avoid the man-child that is my obnoxious roommate.
I missed you guys. -Amber
