Quick Note: This chapter will get rather dark towards the end. Reader discretion is advised.
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Subject: 9559-Yang
Target: Remnant-2319 (Zombie World)
Details: Global pandemic responsible for wiping out 95% of the world's population. Small bands of survivors detected. Pandemic causes zombie-like symptoms in those infected.
Mission: Install FK-76 model scanning device at designated location.
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It was a quiet night. The pale moonlight bathed the broken roads and buildings in a faint blue glow.
As long as they didn't make any loud noises, it would stay that way – noises would attract them.
"So what you're saying is…" the older woman said as they looked out over the dead city, "…You're actually from a different world? One where this… didn't happen?" She gestured towards the ruins as she finished.
Yang nodded, "Exactly. In fact, outside of horror novels, I never thought something like this could happen. It was certainly never a risk where I came from."
"I wish I could go back with you, just to see it at least. Anything has to be better than this hell."
Yang regarded the tall woman sitting next to her, a hardened version of her own little sister, and replied, "As much as I'd like to, Carmine… she's kinda like my boss… would kill me if I did. I've already screwed around with things too much."
"Gotta keep the natural order, eh?"
"Something like that…"
Both women looked out over the dead city again and gave a sigh – one of sheer exhaustion. The older Ruby, who preferred simply being called Rue, rubbed Yang's back comfortingly. "Don't sweat it, Xiao Long. I suspect I would have a hard time getting used to it if I did go with you. The whole not-fighting-for-my-life-every-day thing, I mean."
Just at the edge of Yang's vision, she spotted a figure on a distant rooftop moving around. It didn't walk like a normal person, either. It just kind of …stumbled about.
A chill swept down the blonde's back.
Whoever that was down there… it wasn't alive, but it moved anyway.
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Chapter 30:
The Purifier
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Rue's home, a literal hole in the ground, was rather comfortable. She had spent quite a lot of time making it easily defensible in case it was ever found by them. It had everything she would ever need – food storage, cooking equipment, a bit of plumbing for water and waste, a half-decent bed, and even a radio. At least, Yang assumed it was a radio. She had never been good at identifying technical crap. Rue even showed her the air-regulation system to keep the fresh air flowing from the surface.
The only thing lacking was lights. It was quite dim down here.
"I don't know all the details… no one does that I've ever met… but it all started about 8 years ago. I think." Rue handed Yang one of her small bottles of water as they settled in for the night. "The news people went crazy first. All 'pandemic' this and 'end of the world' that. In short, it was the zombie apocalypse."
Yang stayed silent as Rue made herself comfortable. She tried not to stare, either – Rue had apparent lived alone long enough that she had no issue simply… stripping. With no regards for someone else in the room. Even in the dim light, Yang saw more than she wanted to.
"The only reason I stayed clear of the initial outbreak was because I happened to be on a plane at the time. Me and the other passengers of that flight found ourselves in hell when we touched down. Forgot to grab my checked luggage, too…"
By this point, Rue had taken a seat on the bed wearing little more than her panties. She pulled a first aid kit from beside the mattress and set about checking on a few bandages that Yang missed at first – one just under her ribs, and one on her shoulder. They almost looked like bullet wounds.
"Even with dead bodies standing up again to start biting people, the survivors seemed dead-set on killing themselves off. I'd never seen so many people just… lose their minds and start fights left and right. If the zombies weren't enough proof that this world is hell, that right there sealed the deal."
All at once, Rue noticed that Yang hadn't moved for almost 15 minutes. The blonde was leaning against an empty section of wall, trying to listen and not stare at the same time. And that was harder than it seemed – Rue had been through a lot, but still looked rather… attractive. For a woman.
"You just gonna stand there all night?"
The question was enough to jerk Yang out of her daydream, "I, uh… … … do you have another bed? Somewhere else I can sleep?"
"Nope," Rue replied with a pop. "No extra sleeping space, and despite my best attempts, I do get the occasional mouse in here. I doubt you'd wanna risk the floor."
Lavender eyes darted around the room, looking in each dark corner for movement.
"In other words… you're sharing the bed with me tonight. Now come on, I wanna get some sleep before we head out tomorrow. You have a job to do, yes?" Rue settled into the thin covers, moving herself to one side of the bed (which, now that Yang looked at it, was only a twin-size mattress).
Yang swallowed hard. This was going to be tight.
After finding a place to stow her larger belongings, Yang soon found herself getting quite cozy with a woman who seemed totally alright with it. Never before had she been… what was the term? Spooned? It wasn't too bad, really. Maybe she could convince Blake to try it with her when she got back…?
Eh, probably not. Yang would likely be rejected. Blake had other people on her mind, after all. Other redheads.
"Mmm… I've missed this…" Rue mumbled sleepily from behind her. "…And I've… … … missed you… … … Xiao Long… … … zzz… zzz…"
Uhh… okay? That got weird.
Sleep came very slowly. The blonde found herself thinking about quite a few things, all of which kept her from falling into that deep slumber she needed. It didn't help that she had left Carmine's world in the morning and found herself here in the late afternoon – it wasn't time to sleep yet, as far as she was concerned. Maybe she actually should have just stood up all night…
And then there was Rue. The woman who resembled Ruby was starting to get really comfortable. Yang didn't want to shift too far, since the bed was far too small for it. The floor was only a few inches away.
Yang could feel Rue's face going deeper into her hair, nuzzling her scalp and giving her the tingles. Rue's free hand was also beginning to drift – it was the closest Yang had ever come to being molested in her sleep. Still, she remained unmoving.
What happened next was… let's just use the word 'strange.' Yang could not have said whether or not it was a dream, but it was fuzzy enough by morning that she could dismiss it as such.
As her body began going numb from sleep, Yang just noticed one of her hands being taken and drawn back towards Rue. She registered the sensation of her hand being placed against warm flesh that was not her own, along with damp fabric… but that was it. Nothing else between that moment and waking up the next morning with Rue already up and dressed. There was also a strange smell coming from the sheets.
Did that really happen…? Did Rue really…
…Nah, couldn't be.
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Rue didn't say it, but sleeping next to Xiao Long was the first time in the last 5 years she'd slept for longer than 2 hours at a stretch. In fact, she lasted almost 6 hours, a personal record.
Of course, using the girl's hand to help her …satisfy herself was a major contributing factor in that. Rue had started to wonder how long it would take the blonde to finally fall asleep.
Neither woman spoke to each other as Rue prepared a simple breakfast for them, then set about to gather some gear for the journey. They'd already looked up the location given by Xiao Long's fancy phone-device, so she knew where they were headed… but not how many obstacles stood between them.
Deep down, the woman found herself plotting to take the long way around. To draw out their time together.
Rue really had missed her time with Xiao Long. A lot. The old spark hadn't gone out completely.
As they packed everything they needed, Rue found herself staring at Xiao Long more and more. Thankfully the girl didn't notice. She was certainly younger than the real Xiao Long would have been, had she lived this long…
Rue bit the inside of her cheek to stop that line of thought.
This girl, Yang, was not Rue's old girlfriend. That was one zombie that the redhead simply would not shoot, no matter what. After hearing Yang's story, Rue finally understood that Yang and Xiao Long were two separate people… but so what? Her feelings were clear on the matter…
Rue didn't want Yang to leave.
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They covered a lot of ground their first day, but didn't leave the city itself. Rue said it was because she needed to find other supplies so they could safely camp outside during the hike. Yang wasn't going to complain, either – the broken roads made for hard walking.
The blonde found herself thinking of recent events during the silence (Rue insisted that they should only speak when necessary while outside). It was obvious that asking about the origin of the disease would be pointless, but… she still wondered.
That Ruby look-alike with the epic breasts… could she have had something to do with it?
Or maybe that 'Goddess' she mentioned was responsible. There was no telling what could happen around someone who claimed divinity.
…Or maybe she was just overthinking it. This world seemed to function under different rules that she knew, so it was anybody's guess.
"Wait…"
Yang almost bumped into Rue's back as the woman stopped walking, now just peeking around the side of a large vehicle. They were on a wide highway of some sort, full of abandoned cars.
Just past the truck stood three of the zombies. They looked normal at first glance, but their skin was an ashy gray color. Their eyes were also gone, just empty sockets in their place.
"They actually eat their own eyes. I've seen them do it. Nasty," Rue commented quietly. "That's the first thing everyone does once they turn – they rip out their own eyeballs and eat them."
Yang fought the urge to vomit right then and there.
While the blonde would gladly have gone in swinging, Rue drove home the point that where there was one or two, there were always a dozen more hiding nearby. Starting a fight now would overwhelm them in minutes. Instead the older woman led them off the road and into the bush nearby, quietly sneaking around the side of the creatures.
Yang stepped on a branch once, but luckily the snap wasn't loud enough to draw any attention. They moved on without incident.
That night found the pair huddled inside a small tent Rue had taken from a wrecked camping supply store, once again sharing a sleeping space meant for one. Sleep came much more easily for Yang this time, but she noticed that same smell again when she woke up.
Seriously, what the hell was Rue doing?
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The first time Ruby met the woman called Xiao Long was almost a decade ago, a few years before the zombies came.
She'd been attending a junior college up to that point, and had just recently started classes at a major university in a different state. Xiao Long had also transferred in, only she hailed from a different part of the world. Despite looking mostly American, she was actually mixed blood – her mother was Chinese, her father from California. All Ruby could see was that she was absolutely gorgeous.
They ended up as roommates for their first year of college. Long story short, one of the two beds in the room was never slept in. Not to mention that their pajamas were rarely seen in the same place twice.
Xiao Long was the first one to call her 'Rue.' The name stuck ever since.
As they travelled, Rue and the teenager who looked just like Xiao Long rarely spoke. The older woman was vividly remembering her time with the foreigner, but she also noted that Yang's face was filled with thoughts – she was clearly troubled by some issue of her own.
They only used the tent one more night before arriving at the next town. Rue held back from 'using' Yang's hand this time – the girl was starting to suspect something. And besides, just a hand was no longer as effective as before.
If something didn't happen soon, Rue would probably do something she would come to regret. Something Yang would have a very hard time forgiving her for.
Now it was a race against time – would they reach the target site for her scanner first… or would Rue no longer be able to hold herself back?
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According to her scroll, the area they had to plant Carmine's scanner was somewhere in the middle of the next town they had come upon. Unfortunately, the town in question was fully barricaded for almost a mile in every direction. There was no easy way through.
Rue was annoyed, but Yang could see that there was something else on her mind. She was distracted, restless. And she kept casting lingering glances at the teenager.
Yang was starting to feel a tad… unsafe.
Still, she wanted to trust Rue. This was still Ruby, after all. How bad could things be, right? Just because the woman survived a zombie apocalypse didn't mean she'd gone evil or something.
They spent several hours hiking the perimeter of the town, looking for gaps in the barricade of wrecked cars and rubble to pass through. By the time they found one, it was already dark.
A tiny flame was the only light Rue allowed in their makeshift campsite just at the edge of some woods. It wasn't really a light, but it was perfect for heating up some canned goods. They had to eat light to save food.
"Once you've put that… scanner-thingy in place… are you leaving? Right away?" Rue asked after finishing her rations. She kept her voice low, but stayed close enough to be easily heard.
Yang wolfed the last of her own food before replying, "I don't have to. If you like, I could keep you company for a little while longer."
One dark-red eyebrow went up, barely visible in the faint light. "Don't you have to get back quickly?"
"That's the thing… I'm not just traveling worlds, I'm also traveling in time. No matter how long I stay here, I'm only gone from there for about 5 minutes. So yeah… no rush."
Rue looked back at their tiny cooking flame and stared at it for several minutes, her face betraying her warring emotions. Yang glanced between her and the light a few times, unsure of what to do next.
"But you will have to go back… eventually… right?"
For some reason, Rue's tone of voice gave Yang the chills. Here was a woman who was soon to face the pain of loneliness once again, but had no desire to do so.
"Yeah… I will. I have promises to keep, you know? Not to mention a little sister to find, other worlds to save, and finally… I gotta make my way home."
For just a moment after she said this, the nearby crickets stopped chirping. It was as though the entire world could barely believe what she just said.
"Home… … …" Rue intoned quietly. "…Is there such a thing…?"
In that instant, Yang's danger sense flared up… then vanished a moment later. She took a quick glance around them, but found no danger approaching. Strange.
Even though that same instinct had saved her life before, Yang chose to ignore it tonight. They had a way into town and, with any luck, she would have the scanner planted before tomorrow was out.
Sleep came quickly again. Yang was getting used to sleeping in Rue's arms, at least.
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By the time morning came, Yang knew something was wrong. Terribly wrong. She was in big trouble.
The tent was no different than when she crawled into it last night, but now she couldn't move out of it. Her hands and feet were both tied together tightly with a combination of ropes and packing tape. A gag was also wedged into her mouth to keep her quiet.
And there was no doubt about who was responsible – Rue. The older woman was straddling Yang's torso, completely dominating the teenager.
"I am so… so… sorry, Xiao Long…" Rue muttered as her hands worked themselves across Yang's chest, running across the tender parts. "…But I can't let you go away. I won't let you leave me. Not again…" The woman's silver eyes were lined with tears of regret, but they also held a look of desperate hunger.
There was absolutely nothing Yang could do to stop what happened next. Rue didn't rip the blonde's clothes off, but instead she worked around them expertly. There was quite a lot of kissing, licking and biting of several parts that Yang had never let anyone touch before. She tried to scream through the gag, but it didn't get very far.
"More… I need… more…" Rue gasped as she began going further.
The shirt was lifted next, and Rue went down on Yang's breasts like a starving baby. Yang tried to scream again, but only succeeded in hurting her throat. Her own eyes were starting to water, but out of rage and pain.
She was being raped. By a woman who was a grown version of her own sister.
The word 'wrong' didn't begin to describe this.
Once Rue stuck her face between Yang's legs, the blonde started kicking. The moment she felt something warm and wet pressing against her shorts… that was it. She gave a mighty kick with her knees, hoping to at least knock the woman away.
She then brought both of her knees together hard against Rue's skull, knocking the woman clean out. Yang stared for a moment before moving again. Once she could focus, she fired up her aura – it didn't take much to snap her bonds and get free. She just needed to be rid of her… distractions.
The teenager could barely focus through her fury to gather what she needed from the campsite and get moving. Her clothes were first, of course. And the scanner. But little else. She briefly considered tying Rue up and leaving her here to die, but quickly dismissed the idea.
And if there were any zombies in her way… heaven help them. Yang was on a rampage right now. It was time to get the damned scanner in place and get the fuck outta here.
Far as she was concerned, Rue could stay out here and rot.
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Two hours later, Yang's anger had run out. Along with her time.
A valley full of ashen corpses lay before her, strewn out rather evenly. Of course, she didn't 'kill' them… they were dead before she ever got there. And Rue had been right – where there was one out in the open, almost a hundred more were hiding in the shadows.
It was like the battle with the Grimm back home all over again. Only this time she was working out her rage from another source…
Betrayal. Rue had betrayed Yang's trust and taken advantage of her.
That hurt. Almost like taking a gunshot wound with no aura shield.
Yang sat on the concrete, nursing a small wound on her right arm. It burned, but it didn't look too serious. She was mostly sore over losing that damned scanner – it had fallen over the edge of a chasm during the fight, lost in the abyss. If she was going to do this right, she would have to venture into the underground and find it…
But that scratch was starting to burn. She rubbed it carefully.
"You there… do you live…?" came a voice from behind her, slightly muffled.
Yang turned to find two faces that seemed familiar, yet… not. One was a tall man with ginger hair, while the other was the spitting image of Neopolitan. Unlike the midget she had encountered back in Carmine's world, Yang could instantly tell that this was a different person.
The Neo-looking woman darted forward, no longer cautious of the undead, and quickly examined Yang's wound. "Roe… it's infected," she showed it to the taller man.
The man called Roe examined the small wound for a moment. "It's not a bite, but the disease still got into your system," he said somberly. "I'd give you about an hour before… well, before I'll have to kill you out of mercy."
Yang stared at the man in shock, then took a closer look at her scratch. She couldn't even remember where it came from, but had no doubt it was from the fight. Thin lines of a greenish-grey color were starting to spread from the cut. In fact, she could actually see them spreading, slowly but surely.
"You mean, I'm…" Yang choked, unable to find the words.
She'd caught the zombie virus. She was going to die… in a way.
"Unfortunately, yes," the man said. "Even this long after the outbreak, there is still no known cure."
"Unless you know any magic…?" the smaller girl said absently.
Yang blinked at them. Magic… in a way, she did. Techno magic. The blonde pulled out her scroll and brought up the return program, hovering her finger over the button used to send her home.
Carmine had said… that they always took the same physical state as when they first left home… each time they traveled like this… so if she transported now… did that mean she could live…?
If it meant failing her mission with the scanner, Yang could live with that. "I left a woman outside of town, called Rue. She might come looking for me…"
The Neo-girl nodded, but the ginger-haired man looked grim. "I've heard about her, actually. None of the rumors were good…"
Yang's mind was starting to grow foggy, but she managed to choke out a few more words, "I also lost… a device… underground… if you can find it… do what you want with it…"
Without waiting for anything else, Yang hit the button. As before, she found herself awash with white light and was gone.
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"…Wow," the shorter girl said, "…She really did know some magic."
"Blonde, too…" Roe said, rubbing his chin. "And if Rue was involved, I'm glad we stepped in. That woman is nothing but trouble."
"How so?"
"From what I've heard, she makes a habit of shooting anyone who wanders into her territory and loots everything she can from them. Kind of like a bandit. And according to the rumors, if her victim is a blonde girl, well…"
"That sounds like a bunch of fantastic stories to me."
"No way to know, is there…? Hell, I've heard one story that she's secretly a vampire! Come on Nee… I would like to find this device that blonde girl mentioned. It might come in handy."
"What about Rue?"
"She's done fine on her own so far, I say let her be. What she doesn't know won't hurt her."
"… … …I wonder who she even is…?"
"You listen to the radio signals, right? Listening for anything from other survivors? If you hear anyone mention a call sign of 'The Purifier' …that's her."
"I assume there's a story behind that name?"
"Not one that I know… Maybe she wants to be the one to wipe out the zombie plague?"
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What About (the other) Roman and Neo…?
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Roman stared, unable to look away from the rather chaotic scene before him. Neo sat next to him, also staring silently. Of course.
They were inside a house of some kind, but neither of them paid it any mind. Their gazes were aimed outside, into the back yard. There was some sort of party going on, complete with a bunch of familiar kids… but that wasn't the strange part.
Several groups of adults were standing around, looking like they were getting ever-so-slightly drunk on various forms of wine. Roman found himself wanting to try some. Several of the adults looked familiar… but that wasn't the strange part, either.
No… they were both watching Cinder Fall have an awkward conversation with a child. Specifically, That Damned Kid. There was another girl there, someone tall and blonde, but Roman didn't know her name. Looked familiar, though.
An idea suddenly came to the man – the device he stole was close to a scroll, right? Could it take pictures?
He pulled it out and began playing around with it. The thing functioned like a normal scroll, but looked to be a far older model. He hadn't seen one like this in years, at least. Still, it had a camera. He pulled up the feature, aimed the device at the goofy face of his old boss and took the picture.
"When we get back…" he muttered to his partner, "This will really confuse that woman. I can't wait…" He examined the photo slowly, annoyed by the lack of good zoom but satisfied that the image showed what he wanted.
More time passed than he realized. A loud voice suddenly cried from outside, "RAVEN! I'M BORROWING YOUR SAMURAI SWORD!"
Roman and Neo quickly looked each other in the eye and wordlessly grabbed hold. Neo rapidly hit the button and took them away before anyone could run in and find them.
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Author's Note: I'm sure most of you know by now that fight scenes are NOT my cup of tea. I've tried some in the past, but… I hate how they turn out. Honestly, I feel like the fight scene you, as a reader, imagine in your head is always far superior to anything I could write.
For those wondering, the point of Rue's behavior was both to show that she's been alone for far too long, and to drive home the seriousness of the danger Yang is putting herself through every time she travels. This is no game. She'll figure that out more after she gets back.
Next chapter… … … the moment you've all been waiting for.
=^w^=
(Credits: Ruby Slippers Babysitter AU written by SumDumMuffin.)