Thunder7964: Indeed.
Al Drin Hoshizora: Like that makes it any better.
I am a burglar: Fine.
Korrasami 88: No, it means she's going through a phase.
UltraTech Cinder: A bit dead inside.
Antha1: You sadist.
MrScourch: I was hoping to deconstruct the zombie genre, showing how inept the "survivors" were and how easily they get taken down by the zombies. Because, let's face it, even if you have guns, that won't stop an angry mob from swarming you.
Gloyd Orangeboar: Sure thing, Gloyd.
Creamy Buttercap: Hey, you've never had an existential crisis, have you?
Two men walked through the empty streets, nearing the apartment building. The two looked around, making sure there were no other zombies besides the one they were after.
"I really freaking hate doing this," The older man said, flashing his flashlight into the windows of a building for any signs of who they were looking for. "I don't know why the boss is so concerned with finding this. . . thing."
"You know why," The younger man said in an attempt to reassure him. "Finding her could be the key to fixing this whole mess."
The older man sighed. He knew what their boss wanted them to find. They were to recapture her. The source of if all.
Patient Zero.
"How do we even know that capturing her will cure this whole infection?" The older man asked, exasperated. "Even if we do find her and actually take her back alive, then what do we do? How will bringing back this one infected person cure the whole city full of infected people."
"You know why," The man reminded. "Because she was the first. She was the one who spread the infection to the rest of the city. She was Patient Zero. If we find the first, she could be the key to figuring out how to cure the city."
"Can't we find some other zombie?" The man asked. "One that is not as much of a killer?"
"The boss says it has to be the first," The other man said, and he flashed his light into an alleyway to see what was there. He knew that the Patient Zero loved the dark. However, all he saw was a small, pale rat slink away from the light.
"Even then, should we really be doing this?" The older man asked. "She's dangerous. She killed the last fifteen people he sent out, and she infected the other two dozen. When will the boss call it quits?"
The younger man didn't have a response. After a tense silence, the older man continued, saying, "How do we even know she's here?'
"She's here, alright," The younger man said. "Can't you feel it. How empty it is. The city's usually crawling with them, but her presence drives them off. They're terrified of her. You know she's here when even the other zombies won't-"
He was cut off when a dumpster was toppled over. The two men aimed their flashlights at the dumpster, wondering what had knocked it over. As the light flashed over the dumpster, illuminating the darkness, they saw the ever so slightest movement. The saw a pale figure, briefly consumed in light, then flee from the light and engulf itself in the dark.
In the dark of the night, they could hear her growling.
"It's her," The older man whispered. Quickly, the two pulled out their tranquilizer darts and prepared to aim. They knew they didn't have long before she got away.
However, they were caught off guard when a disembodied arm went flying at their heads. They dodged out of the way, dropping onto the ground. The guns clattered away from them.
As they struggled to pick themselves off the ground, they saw the small body of the pale girl in the white dress appear out of the darkness. She skittered on the ground on all-fours, like an insect, dashing at the two men in their moment of distraction.
"Crap!" The younger man shouted, and he picked himself up and stumbled for his gun. However, the Pale Girl was too quick for him. She soared onto her feet, her left foot smashing down on the gun. The sound of metal breaking in two filled the air.
Before the man could do anything else, Pale Girl lunged at him, her claws extended and her fangs out. She latched onto his body, her claws digging into his back. The man let out a scream, but it was cut short when the Pale Girl sunk her teeth into his throat.
The older man was just about to get to his feet when he heard the sickening crunch. He turned around just in time to see his partner's lifeless body fall onto the ground. Blood gushed from his wound, his head lolling to the side. His hand twitched for a few seconds, then it went still.
"No. . ." The man whispered as he saw his partner breath his last breaths before finally going limp. He stared at the body for a few seconds, in awe at how one who was once full of life was now deprived of it in such a short amount of time.
Because of her.
The man heard a hissing sound, and he looked up to see the Pale Girl, her lifeless eyes fixed on him. She growled at him, placing her foot on the dead man's chest as she did. Almost like she was taunting him.
The man got to his feet, aching the urge to kill her. However, he knew he was no match for the girl's speed and strength. His only chance was to run.
And run he did. He took off down the streets, sparing a few moments to turn around and stare at the girl to see if she was following him.
She wasn't. She just stared at him as he ran, her hateful eyes fixed on him.
Hateful, he noted. Every other time he encountered a zombie, he saw a bestial or primal hunger in their dead eyes. This wasn't the case with Pale Girl. When he looked into her dead eyes, he didn't see the hateful eyes of an angry predator.
He just saw hate, and rage, and bitterness. The hatred of someone who had been hurt so much that it had broken her.
And now she was out to exact that same hurt on those she deemed responsible.
Pale Girl watched the man run. She didn't bother chasing him; without his weapon, he wasn't a threat to her.
She looked down at the dead man below her, and she wondered why they were always chasing her, shooting at her, trying to catch her. In her deepest memories, that was all she could recall them doing.
Trying to catch them.
Once, she had been afraid. But now that fear had subsided, and she could only feel hatred for them. A murderous hatred.
If they ever came for her again, she'd spare them no mercy.
She'd kill all of them that sought to hurt her again, just like they'd done so long ago.
Then, she would never be hurt again.
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