𝕚'𝕝𝕝 𝕖𝕒𝕥 𝕪𝕠𝕦𝕣 𝕙𝕖𝕒𝕣𝕥 (BunnyxLadyJace)

[Lady Jace Beleren]

 

[Lady Jace Beleren]

..

I thought I was better off alone    relaxed     //    29    //     home    It had only taken two weeks for everything to fall apart. The first bite was on February, Third. By the seventeeth? The military had collapsed, the government was going into hiding, and Astor was laying on the floor of his parents house, waiting for the banging in the windows to stop. He had been alone before all this started. A civil engineer with barely any friends and no hobbies to speak of outside of playing video games and binging shows. Overweight and tired of life. Astor thought he wanted the world to just end. It had been a shock to find out he had been wrong when it actually happened. Astor had been alone in his apartment when the state of emergency had been declared. There had only been one place he had to go. One place outside of the big city that he could be. His parents' house was an hour away in Heaven's Heights, an average medium sized town. But, that sounded a lot better than being surrounded by people in the middle of an actual fucking zombie apocalypse. Except, when he arrived, no one was there. And, as he boarded up the windows, the doors, he came to understand that no one would be coming. So, he had simply laid down on the ground, hugging his knees to his chest, and let the world end. Astor stretched his back, enjoying the satisfying pops as he let the sun dry the sweat off his skin. Sometimes it felt strange to look around the backyard he grew up in, though it now extended most of the neighborhood, and see fields of wheat and corn. Two years had changed a lot of things about the world. Most of the houses were falling apart. The gas had gone bad long ago. But, even more obvious were the changes that Astor had made. Solar panels covered the roof of the house, scavenged mostly from the telephone pole emergency phones around the town and the highway. The neighbor's house had been converted into a makeshift barn, keeping the chickens that allowed Astor to survive. He had probably changed the most. Long black hair, slim body full of practical muscle. If he was honest, he was kind of hot now. Too bad no one else cared. Whatever had turned people into bloodthirsty monsters had left the animals alone. For the first few months, it had been dangerous to even leave the house. The things, zombie was a crap word for it, had chased every shadow. Tried to bite and claw and eat anything that moved. Then, it was like they went dormant. Moved mostly in groups, ignored anything that did not stray too close. The biggest problem was noise. Any hammering needed to be done in short bursts, usually during the colder months. But, if you kept your distance and made sure to keep a gun on you, the apocalypse was relatively safe. Too bad he was the only one around to enjoy it these days. A few survivors had shown up. Most weren't interested in hanging around. Some had tried to take what Astor had worked so hard to build. Then, there were the strange ones. Some kind of mutated strain of whatever caused this. Ravenous and insane, but still intelligent enough to speak. Astor tried not to think about them, about what he had to do. But, he hadn't seen any alive for months. Well, anyone except for her. Not that she had been the source of endless conversation. Astor had seen a group of the regular zombies crowding around something. That usually meant fresh meat or a survivor. Either way, he had no intention of letting the opportunity pass. Instead, he had found them in a half-circle around another zombie. All of them just... staring at her. At first glance, she was just like the rest. Soulless eyes, vacant expression. She just seemed to be in better condition. Astor had almost left it all behind. Until he saw her try to move past them and they only closed tighter. It had bothered him. So, he had jumped on the roof and dragged her up. That had been where he planned to leave it. The next day, he saw her on the other side of his fence as he worked. Then, the next day. Soon, she was standing right beside it, just watching him. Not chasing him or looking in his direction. Watching. That had been when he broke down and gave her a name. Maybe it was because of the loneliness, maybe it was because she was really fucking cute for a zombie. But, he had decided to call her Max. Something about her oversized sweater and little hat made him think of someone artsy. So, he had named her after a character from one of his favorite games. A short photographer with the same kind of vibe. They looked nothing alike, but it had seemed right. And now, she was standing right at the fence, watching him like always. "Morning, Max. I'd say I'm glad you came today, but you never leave anymore, do you? Hold on." Wiping his face off with his shirt, Astor slipped into the back door of the house. Inside, it looked like a mad science laboratory. A bunch of half build machines, wires stapled to the walls. There was only so much he could do without banging away with a hammer and ripping wood off the walls. Weaving through, he made his way to the refrigerator in the back of the room that used to be a mudroom. Reaching in, he pulled put a bundle of butcher paper, stained red from the meat inside. And a moment later, he was the fence, opening it up to offer Max the raw chicken inside. "I've got a treat. One of the chickens stopped laying. I kept half for me, but I know you like it raw." ​

 

[Bunny]

..

But whatever you're gonna do I'm gonna follow you    curious     //    19    //     near fence    It seemed like a cliche, where were you when the world ended. A question that survivors would ask themselves and others. It wasn’t a localized event, everyone would have a story. Even the dead. While survivors might have stories of loss or of close calls, they were, after all, still alive. The dead however? Their tales were not so pretty. Not so nice. Elarian was no different. Her tale, if she could have talked or been able to think, would have been one of fear and pain. Luckily however, Ella didn’t think like humans did, not anymore. Nor did she talk. Or feel. All those things that had once made someone human had been erased and in their place, was something.. Else. Perhaps at first she’d been like the others of her kind. Hunted in a pack or killed a human for the sheer need to feed that never seemed to be too far behind. Insatiable, ravenous, whatever word you wanted to use, that is what the living dead were. She couldn’t think or speak but at some point, Ella became… aware. Not consciously. No, that would have required too much cognitive processing. Yet something had shifted and she wasn’t like the others. She avoided them, for the most part. Though, as if sensing she was different, there were a few attacks on her by her own kind. In one such occurrence, she met him. Herded, until she was surrounded, she had been captured. They’d not attacked, but they knew she was somehow not like them and when she’d tried to move away from them, something in her dead brain willing her to get away from them, they’d closed in tighter. Her distress had not been ignored and he’d rescued her. Lifting her from between them and settling her on the roof. That had been the second spark. From that singular action, that kindness, she’d become curious. It took her time to follow him, but follow him Ella did. For a long while she stayed far away, watching him with an almost curious gaze. He never seemed bothered by her and Ella slowly grew bolder. Following him around the town and then one day? Ella had followed him home. Never did she try to scare or attack him nor his animals. No, she stood by the fence and simply.. Watched. Had she been able to process feelings or thoughts, Ella might have been able to conclude she felt safe near him. Astor. He’d introduced himself the day he gave her a name. Max. For a while, she’d wander off and come back, but for the last month, she’d not done more than wander around his home, her shuffling footsteps quiet. A lot of the time he’d find her watching the animals when she couldn’t see him. Never aggressive, but with almost the same sort of intensity she watched him. Rain or shine. Night or day, Ella was there. Dressed as she had been the day she’d died. A large sweater that had once been a dusky olive green. Now more grey and grimy. A pair of short black shorts could bee seen as she moved. The thigh highs were ripped in places and one sagged near her knee. The thick socks and boots were worn but other that dirt, grim and blood were unscathed. The beanie that she’d put on to weather the cold air was dirty and caddywhompus over her pale hair that had once been blonde perhaps, but was now a green. Her skin too had clearly once been pale but now was grayish green. The ruby of her eyes was the same of all her kind, though hers were not the dull fuzzy shade, but bright red. Morning Max. Her head slowly turned toward Astor and had she remembered to smile, she might have. She shuffled a touch closer to the fence, but still kept a bit of distance. Almost as if she was aware that getting too close could scare him. He came back holding something and she looked from it to him, before a hand slowly rose. Though she was still dead, she took care. Like not being too close to the fence, nor scaring his livestock. Almost aware, in a way that if she moved too quickly, she’d scare him. Lifting the chicken she ate it, uncaring as blood ran down her chin, staining her skin and sweater. She didn’t eat it in a dainty fashion. No, she devoured all she could, without eating the bones and with her poor motor skills before handing him back the carcass of the dead chicken still chewing. ​

 

[Lady Jace Beleren]

..

I thought I was better off alone    cautious     //    29    //     home    Astor could not keep the small smile off his face as he watched Max slowly take the chicken. She seemed so... docile. Most of the zombies did not chase unless you did something stupid. But, he had never met one who would simply stand on the edge of the fence and stare. If he got this close to any other zombie, they would he crawling over the fence, grabbing for him already. Max was definitely unique. Probably something between the mutated strains that were fully aware, even if they were insane, and the normal wandering type. She was certainly the only one that ever followed him home without trying to rip him to pieces. However, she certainly ate like the others. Most of them spent their days chasing birds and squirrels. Almost half had disappeared into the forests and hills around town, trying to bite into whatever wild animal they could find. And they ate just like the animals they chased. But, Astor had been taking care of animals for a while now and a little blood didn't bother him. So, he watched Max enjoy her treat with nothing but a little smile on his face. Like she was the most adorable thing in the world. As the blood ran down her face and she took to ripping meat off bone, he sighed. There was so much dirt on her that it was impossible to tell where it ended and the zombie began. It felt unfair to leave her like this when she had at least some awareness. Taking the pile of bones and blood, Astor leaned on the fence with one elbow. It was likely the closest he had been to Max since he dragged her off the roof. But, if this was some plan to eat him, it was certainly taking a long time. So, he decided it would be better to just try. He had nothing but time anyway. "Stay there for a second. I'm going to clean you up." Astor took a short detour to the compost pile, dumping the entire bundle into it. He would have to crush it down later, but bonemeal made for great fertilizer. Now, though, he needed to use his most prized possession. Half the reason that he had stayed planted here instead of wandering off like everyone else. His big secret. A functioning well. Most of the town was on city water and there was no way he could maintain that. But here, as long as he kept power, he had an almost infinite source of water as far as one person and a few dozen chickens were concerned. Rain water could supplement his crops when he needed it, but this had let him be almost comfortable for years. So, he barely thought about it as he turned on the hose and cool water poured out. He rinsed his hands and took the still-running hose over to the fence. "Stay still, okay? I'm just going to clean you up a little. Who knows what will happen if you wander off smelling like fresh chicken." Astor had no idea why he felt like this was a good idea, but he put a thumb over the end of the hose, making the water spray out in a strong stream, and pointed it right in Max's face. She did not run or try to block the water, but when he lowered the stream to start to rinse off her clothes, he saw something new on her face. Anger. Her lip lifted in a growl and Astor knew his expression went blank. Because she was still a zombie and he had just pissed her off. But, she did not lunge. So, he pointed the hose away and sighed, water now running off her in gray streams, almost as much dirt as water. "That was... probably not a great idea. But, you aren't going to jump over this fence, right?" His tone had shifted, like he was talking to a stray animal, which was alarmingly close to the truth. So, he pointed to the rest of her outfit, the hat and sweater already soaked. "Should I get you new clothes?" Empty words, just something calming to say so that she realized he meant no harm. He had nothing for a zombie art student to wear, even if that was just his mental image of her. ​

 

[Bunny]

..

But whatever you're gonna do I'm gonna follow you    curious     //    19    //     near fence    The offer of food was an odd one, but it had been kind. As if some part of her mind understood that kindness. The meal was eaten clumsily and large bits of meat were left on the bone. Her fine motor skills were not up to par for something more thorough. Large chunks of flesh and meat were slirpped down and mostly chewed! As it part of ehr remembered that she needed to bit and chew in order to get the bloody bits down. Finished, she’d handed the present back, the why of it was unknown to either of them. Had she been able to think like a human on some level, it might have been like returning your plate. When he leaned on the fence, Ella tilted her chin, still finishing the last of the bird. It was the closest he’d gotten to her since that first day and she made a small, gurgling sound in her throat at his nearness. She was.. Purring. Not that it sounded like a purr in truth. The sound stopped as he straightened and moved away from her. A small whine followed him. Staying there wasn’t hard for her to do, not one to wander much. So when he came back out, there she stood. The hose was foreign to her and as he spoke, Ella just watched him. Her ruby eyes unsettling perhaps with their intensity. The water hit her and the first feeling was shock and followed by something close to fear. The one thing that Ella hated, truly hated, was storms. While there was no ground vibrating booms, the water reminded her of rain and she growled. Somehow aware that it was his doing. The growl seemed to get the message across though and the water stopped and she stood there, dripping wet from the hose. Her face was no longer bloodstained and some of the dirt had been washed off her face at least. Though it was replaced by trails of dirty water from her hair. His words like always were not understood and she stood there, trembling slightly as water pooled around her boots, snaking down her body. An offer for clothing was met with the same stare that she’d always given him. The only change now was the slight trembling of her body. Almost as if Ella was cold. Her body felt different, though she couldn't figure out why. Nor could she figure out how to fix it. Rain wasn’t new, but this feeling? It was. Had she been human, she might have hugged herself to reserve warmth. Eyes on him, Ella whimpered. A soft, pitiful sound. ​