Author's Note: This is one of the two Halloween specials, thank you everyone that voted :D, in a few hours I'll post the next HLWC chapter, thank you for reading and sorry for the lack of updates last month and this month, my depression was sort of really bad, sorry again. Hope you enjoy, it might have a few mistakes since I wrote this in the plane home (and I'm severely scared of planes), but I tried my best to fix everything before posting, yet it might not be perfect. Enjoy.
♫ The Moon Will Sing - The Crane Wives ♫
"Abandoned by the gods, chanting towards an empty sky, begging for the mercy of beings that no longer care for the survival of those who ruined themselves.''
⚠︎ This chapter is a special Halloween themed side story, it happens in a parallel world, and it touches on one 'what if' scenarios: 1. What if they lived in a world that fell into a zombie apocalypse. Obs: If you're caught up with the Main Story, this counts as one of the 'alternative dimensions' affected by their Soul Alliance.
Humans enjoy saying that life is meant to be lived, that you never know what tomorrow brings and since we can die at any time we shouldn't have regrets. That is, in some senses, true. After all, what's the use of regretting something after you're dead? Nothing more than a pile of rotting flesh, feeding the circle of life that'll go on regardless of your unfulfilled dreams.
Nature has its course, life and death, birth and decay, there's nothing more certain than one's death.
However when humans were born, they decided that they would defy nature, laugh at its face and take control of its cycle, burning the faint lines of life and death.
Immortality, life after death, silly concepts of humans trying to challenge the wills of the Universe, thinking their insignificant lives were worth more than what they were given.
That's perhaps why they're the true plague of the world they inhabit.
And the fall of humanity is nothing more than proof of their incompetence in accepting their mediocrity.
A dark grey sky with ashes of disaster constantly falling, the lack of the Sun and Moon is proof of the abandonment of the gods, the same as the still dead Ocean and silent forests. A world slowly dying due to greed.
The scent of rotten flesh in the air and the sound of the instinctive sounds of hunting undeads.
Explaining how and why humans suddenly came back to life, hungry for the flesh of the living, would be useless, knowing how and why won't fix anything. There's no cure, no going back, this is it. Humans finally killed the planet.
From eight billion to less than one in a mere week, animals went into hiding and those who didn't were also infected by the virus that was supposed to make humans immortal.
Life became more fleeting than before, survival overtaking dreams and wishes.
Families, friends and lovers torn apart in seconds.
Perhaps that's why some of the survivors are those who had nothing to actually lose. And that includes Vahe.
Having already lost his brother to the hands of his father, and both his parents having fled after that, pinning the blame of the young men's death on the 14 year-old. There's no grief for a colorful world when yours was already filled with the color of blood.
Killing humans for survival was nothing after he spent years in a reformatory facility beating up others at an inch of death to have even the smallest of dignities.
The 'outbreak' - what everyone calls the sudden and rapid spread of the virus across the world - happened on the day he was being released from the reformatory facility, as if to add towards his misfortunes.
"There's a few kilometers left until the next city", a slightly pitchy voice says, getting the attention from Vahe, who was previously watching a small group of zombies - how the infected by the virus are called - from the top of the small hill they're at.
Dacre is his companion, a friend he made inside the reformatory facility, the man was there for being caught with his mother's drugs, just as unfortunate as Vahe, they got along well, although Vahe still feels uncomfortable trusting his life to someone else. However if he were to navigate this new world alone, he wouldn't even be able to sleep.
"Do you trust those survivors?" Vahe asks, referring to their meeting days earlier with a few survivors who claimed that at the next city there was a fortress protected by a small group of survivors that were welcoming any other humans. "It's hard to believe someone would just let others into their fortress, especially in this situation" he continues, sighing. They're both tired, dirty and starving. Unable to find proper food for days since they began crossing the forest between the cities. "And even if they are, how can we trust them with our lives?"
"We can't, but there's no harm in checking it out", Dacre shrugs. "The world is fucked already, what's the point of avoiding other survivors? If I can sleep in a bed I would be thankful enough", his words make Vahe nod, he knows the man is right, there's no point in dwelling into other's goals, not when they're scraping by.
There are areas where the outbreak was relatively worse, and the city there were in was one of those cases, thousands of zombies on the streets sniffing survivors, buildings in flames resulting in barely any resources left, and it didn't help that the city was surrounded by a dense forest. They barely escaped, just to be running as fast as they could from the forest that also began burning.
"Even if they have a fortress, the zombies from our city are also migrating there", Vahe comments as they begin walking again, the rustling sound of the thousands of zombies a few kilometers away reminds them they must make haste. "They wouldn't be able to protect it".
"Who knows, nowadays I'm choosing to believe in miracles", Dacre comments, kicking a few rocks in their pathway. "The world changed, why shouldn't we?".
Vahe remains silent, and like that they walk for a few hours, although they haven't met any infected in their path, the noise behind them doesn't allow for rest, his finger even cramping every now and then for holding the trigger of his gun, ready to shoot at any given moment.
Learning how to shoot a gun was the least of their worries when the outbreak happened, they were lucky enough to find a trampled police vehicle with the completely smashed policemen's corpses inside. That's how they acquired two handguns and a bit of ammunition, not nearly enough to survive forever, but they made it work, relying more on escaping the zombies than confronting them.
Only on two occasions they had to shoot their guns, in one situation it ended in disaster as they missed almost every shot, whilst in the second they learnt from their mistakes, able to aim a little better.
"I think we'll reach the city in one or two hours", Dacre comments, sitting on top of a large rock, panting, they've been walking non-stop for a while now. Vahe can feel his muscles burning from exhaustion, but he doesn't sit down, if he does so, he might never get up.
"What will we do if they're hostile?" Vahe asks
Dacre looks at him for a moment before sighing and replying: "Die".
"I thought you didn't want to give up life", Vahe mocks.
"Sure, but at the same time I'm not cut out for the apocalypse", Dacre snorts. "I was made to be the boy toy of a rich old guy, not run away from zombies without showering for days".
"With your manners I doubt you were made to be a boy toy either", Vahe comments.
Dacre laughs. "Perhaps".
They laugh together before falling into a terrifying silence, the heaviness of their situation doesn't even allow them to let go of the fear and tension in a soft moment. Laughing to mask their desperation doesn't work either, in the back of their heads their fight or flight mode is constantly on.
And so, just as Dacre said, they arrive at the neighboring city, an University City made for students and teachers, so that's why naturally the maze-style of the streets and the gates near the University make for the perfect fortress. As they walk the empty streets towards the closed gate, Vahe's heart pounds loudly inside his chest, and he can't let go of this feeling of both uneaseness and anticipation, as if regardless of what will happen, his life will change today.
Even more than it did on the day of the outbreak.
As his finger cramps again he changes the gun to his other hand, and Dacre grabs his from the holster belt he stole from one of the policemen's corpses, saying the dried blood added to the style.
Yeah, they wouldn't have survived this long if they were right in the head.
A loud whistle sound startles the two men, making them stop and raise their hands towards their ears in a poor failed attempt to soothe the pain it was causing them.
"What the fuck?" Dacre yells, but Vahe can't hear him, assuming what he's saying by reading his lips. "Who's the eunuch rat-blooded bastard that is making this horrifying sound?"
Vahe simply shakes his head, and just as fast as it started, the sound ends, his ears ringing due to the loud sound and a terrible headache installing.
"Who're you?" A faint voice due to the ringing in his ears makes Vahe turn to see a young man holding a gun near to his head. Great, he thinks, annoyed.
"Who the fuck are you?" Dacre asks, clearly annoyed, his green eyes showing pure hostility, his talk about simply dying if the people were hostile proving false, but Vahe knows better than to believe Dacre's empty words. They're both short-tempered, but Dacre was always terrible at holding back, even with a gun also pointed at his head. "Put the guns down before I shove them where the light doesn't reach", he groans, raising his own gun towards the guy that was pointing his towards his head.
"If you shoot we both die", the man says, not impressed.
"As if I give a fuck", Dacre snorts.
"It is true, he doesn't care", Vahe says with a short nod.
The sound of the gun clicking near his head makes Vahe turn to the man in front of him. "Well, what if you both die?"
Dacre stares at the two men for a moment before bursting out laughing. "Sure, go ahead, the world is fucked already, who cares about a bullet to the head when the alternative is being eaten alive?"
Vahe nods, but he's not truly ready to die yet.
The man near Dacre sighs. "We won't shoot you if you turn around and go back to where you came from."
Although Dacre opens his mouth to probably make another annoyed remark, Vahe is quicker to reply: "If we do that, we and all of you will be dead in a matter of days".
"Duh, it's the apocalypse moron, we'll die sooner or later", the one holding the gun to Vahe's head says, but the one near Dacre seems to ponder on his words.
"What makes you so sure?"
"We're not going to share information without a proper payment first", Vahe says, his words are careful, one movement and those men could kill them.
The man sighs, nodding and lowering his gun, signaling to the other man to lower his as well. "Just to be clear, this place isn't a refuge for survivors, we're a community following a leader. We have rules and your stay here depends solely on him".
"We wouldn't wish to stay anyway", Dacre snorts as they follow the two men. "Clearly this place is filled with morons like the two of you".
"It's a procedure to make sure you're not dangerous", the man replies, rolling his eyes. "Before entering we'll need to inspect you to make sure you're not infected."
Dacre laughs. "My naked body can only be seen for a price, darling, are you willing to pay? Just to let you know that it isn't cheap".
The man's eyes don't shift, he seems unaffected by Dacre's remarks.
Vahe shakes his head. "We're not getting naked", he says, "From where we come from, it's disrespectful that you even asked."
"Listen, this is the apocalypse, not a hotel", the man rubs between his eyes. "If you want to enter you need to be inspected, otherwise…"
"Fine by me then", Vahe says, "We'll go to the next town, your deaths will grant us time anyway", his words are intentionally cryptic.
"Of course!" Dacre nods, his arm around Vahe's neck. "We don't need this stupid fortress anyway, it will all be ashes in a few days regardless".
Before the men can start arguing or they can leave, another voice joins the conversation:
"What's going on here, Cypress, Jiwon?"
Vahe doesn't believe in destiny, nor that the gods have plans for the humans, he always chose to believe in his own eyes and capabilities. However, in the moment that voice hit his ears, he couldn't help thinking that this was destiny.
A voice that makes his whole body shiver, trembling even before meeting whoever it belongs to, his heart racing and his face becoming scarlet red, burning with excitement.
He pushes Dacre's arm away as he turns to look at the owner of the voice. And that's when his thoughts become solidified. And Vahe doesn't seem alone in his thoughts as the man whose voice belongs to stare at him with surprise clear in his heterochromatic eyes.
Tall, with gorgeous well-sculpted muscles, wavy pitch black hair that seems a bit overgrown on the back, skin that looks like the color of milk mixed with water, heterochromatic eyes, one dark like his hair, whilst the other is grey like a storm and on his neck a scar similar to the wound one would get if someone attempted to cut your neck.
His presence makes the other men bow their heads, and his clothes make it clear he isn't a regular folk, as he's wearing the military uniform of the Exos Republic, a dark coat buttoned up with golden buttons and matching pants, in the coat there are a few golden stars with numbers, probably rewards for performance, and near his heart is two flags: one for the Exos Empire, and the other which Vahe doesn't recognize.
He does look like a foreigner, Vahe thinks, still mesmerized, he was never truly interested in other humans, perhaps due to his extensive list of bad experiences, Dacre was an exception he was more or less forced to accept due to the man's personality, however as he stares into those eyes he can't help but wish with all of his heart to become close to that person.
To be loved by him.
Loved? What does that even mean? Because to Vahe, he never experienced love, so how can he wish for something so immaterial?
Whilst Vahe's mind is a mess, the man in front of him feels like his head became clear for the first time. The cloud that haunted his thoughts now completely gone, the feeling of something missing now found.
Lyor Noir, the youngest military Commander in the Exos Republic, and also an immigrant that ran away from his own country due to the war. He fought for his life and survival from a young age, his heart always felt like a murky swamp, as if he was missing something, his mind unable to see the big picture.
However, contrary to Vahe who always felt like life was unfair to him - which it was -, Lyor learnt to be grateful, grateful for surviving when his parents didn't, grateful for being taken in by a local Temple, grateful for his friends who always helped him, and grateful for the mentors that assisted him when he said he wanted to enter the Military.
A strong sense of justice wouldn't be sated by simply becoming a police officer, no, he wanted to save people regardless of the border he's in. He wanted to be sent to the most dangerous areas, to sacrifice his own life to save those who had no way of saving themselves.
In his first year he was sent to his former country, the Morke Kingdom, where a rebellion broke out and the whole nation became engulfed in flames. The war lasted twenty years, and ended when the unit Lyor was in, managed to capture the former corrupt King.
He remembers the cheers, the cries, the joy of those who finally acquired their freedom.
And the relief that washed over him as he cried, finally able to do a proper funeral for his parents.
But who knew that he would leave one war to just enter another. As he returned to the Exos Republic on the day of the outbreak, being the one responsible for the survivors inside the University gates, responsible for saving their lives and keeping everyone safe, as he constantly leaves and comes back with supplies.
Killing humans wasn't as traumatic to him as it was to others, the war did desensibilize him a lot, but it was still heartbreaking to shoot children and small animals that became infected.
If he were completely honest, as the days pass since the outbreak, Lyor considered just dying a couple times, not due to the heaviness of the burden of the lives he's taking care of, but because he felt as if he had no purpose anymore as the war of his nation ended and he found himself staring death literally in the eye.
Watching as people die and come back, unable to control the urge to eat flesh and kill, was too much for his mental state, especially when he was already feeling like he was living an incomplete life.
Lyor did a lot to try to overcome this emotional emptiness, from attempting dangerous stunts, to accepting anyone that wished to bed with him, yet nothing ever changed.
Until now, that is.
If he were to write down his first impression of Vahe, this is what he would say:
Like the morning breeze after a late-night storm, the sound of birds chirping and the faint scent of hot tea, a comfortable feeling that washes over like the waves wash ashore. With eyes that resemble a precious stone that harbors a thousand colors, lips so tempting that make one wonder if it was coated with gods' nectar, hair woven from the most perfect cinnamon-colored strands touching his face of most precious sculpture, there are no visible scars in his sun-kissed skin that even filled with marks of his journey is still smooth and inviting. A presence that calls the soul, pulling its own existence towards the mystery of his freezing and gentle gaze.
Of course that would be an embellishment made by the man who reads a lot of poems and philosophy books in his spare time, however the clarity in his mind and the static he feels between them, those aren't embellishments of wishes for a fuller heart.
"Sir", the words coming from Cypress interrupt Lyor's sweet and confused thoughts. "We found them near the gate".
He doesn't say a word, still staring into the hazel eyes of the stranger.
"They're refusing to do the inspection", Jiwon is the one who speaks, but is also ignored.
"Dude, chill, we're gonna leave", Dacre says, rolling his eyes. "I'm not letting you see me naked".
"As if I'm asking for my enjoyment", Jiwon answers, his hand trembling over his gun. "If you're going to leave just go, stop pissing me off".
Dacre snorts, "Oh believe me, you wish I was wasting my time in this gods forsaken place", he grabs Vahe's arm. "Let's go, Vahe."
Vahe takes a deep breath, not turning away from the stranger's hypnotic gaze. "Do the inspection Dacre", his voice is low and firm, he can feel his friend's hand trembling.
"What? No." Dacre says, frowning.
"Do. It." Vahe repeats.
His friend stares at him for a few seconds before sighing, rubbing his forehead, letting go of Vahe's arm and turning to the two men. "I'll do the stupid inspection, but if you touch me I swear to the gods you'll find out how dogs feel when neutered".
Jiwon snorts. "So he's your boss?"
"More like he's scary when mad", Dacre says waving his hand. "I don't wish to have another broken arm".
"Can I choose who does mine?" Vahe stares at the man with heterochromatic eyes, blinking slowly.
"Yes, but it needs to be one of us, since…" Cypress says, but is interrupted by Lyor.
"I'll do it", his voice is like a gentle breeze in Vahe's body, making shivers run down his spine and his heart race.
Vahe's mouth runs dry, "Yes, of course".
"It's like we're invisible to them", Dacre comments, staring at his friend, whom he never saw make an expression like that. No, much better, he never saw Vahe do an emotional expression at all, besides anger and annoyance, of course. Even while laughing he usually has blank eyes. "Just let's get this over with and leave them be".
The two men look at each other, confused why Lyor was acting like that, especially considering he's usually composed and calm. To both Cypress - who's Lyor's childhood friend - and Jiwon - who was Lyor's colleague in the Military -, this act is new.
To think he's able to ignore others as well and act completely out of character.
"You can follow me to a private area", Lyor says, the words leave slowly and uncomfortably, he's unsure how to act or even more.
Vahe isn't much better as he simply nods and quietly follows the man he just met, a sense of awkwardness and an unusual familiarity lingering between them.
The three left behind are completely ignored and stare at the two that left until they disappear from their sight.
They walk in silence until they reach the center of the University buildings, as they enter Vahe observes a few people chatting and children playing, as Lyor passes, they all nod towards him, as a sign of respect. They stop in front of a room with the name chipped away, the door is old but sturdy.
Inside there is a small bed, a bag with clothes and a few dismantled guns spread on top of an old classroom desk, there are no windows in the room, but it doesn't feel nearly as claustrophobic as Vahe's room in the reformatory facility.
"What's your name?" Lyor turns to stare at the stranger, the room might be a bit badly lit but he can't help but keep staring at him, the air feeling heavy between them.
"Vahe. You?" His voice comes out raspy and it hurts to speak, his heart beating so fast that he can barely hear what the other is saying.
"Lyor", the man replies in an almost whisper.
Silence ensues as they're both unsure what to say.
What did Dacre say again? That if the mood is right just kiss them? Vahe wonders as he feels the tips of his fingers becoming numb. How do I know if the mood is right? If I just kiss him wouldn't it be assault?
"...Should I… Take it off?" Vahe mumbles, his face burning as he touches the edge of his shirt. I probably not only stink but am also dirty, this is humiliating.
Lyor doesn't reply, he simply stares at Vahe, completely unsure on how to react.
So he starts taking his clothes off, his whole body feeling feverish, every moment his hand grazes on his skin he feels shivers, and Lyor's gaze burning on him only drives his face to become even redder.
After stripping down to his underwear, Vahe feels awkward, worried. "Do I need to take… it off as well?"
Swallowing dry, Lyor replies: "Sorry".
Vahe nods, also taking off his underwear. He never felt self-conscious like he is right now, he's sure he changed in front of Dacre or the other boys in the reformatory countless times, so why is he shaking right now? Why is his head and heart pounding so much he can barely hear the other's words, or even breathe properly for that matter?
''Can you…'' Lyor's words are whispers, tickling whispers that feel like soft caresses on Vahe's skin even from afar. ''Turn?'' His gaze burns on the young man's skin, as he slowly turns so that he can examine his bare skin.
Once he finishes, ending at the same spot he started, Vahe's eyes meet Lyor's again, and he can feel it, the palpable desire between them, from both ends, an attraction none ever experienced before.
Is this like the love I've read about? They both wonder at the same time, but who of the two will take the first step closer? Would they even?
''Vahe'', his name being said by the man, makes his body tremble even more. ''Can I…'' Lyor's eyes show unwavering desire, while his lips move with hesitation, unsure on how to act in this situation, he takes a shaky deep breath before finishing his sentence: ''Touch you?''
Slowly, without uttering a word, Vahe nods, and Lyor proceeds to walk towards him, every step he takes, they both feel like the world surrounding them is shaking, their whole body shivering with anticipation. Standing now only centimeters afar from each other, Lyor's hand slowly reaches towards Vahe's face, caressing his cheek, staring into his eyes.
''I can't understand this feeling'', Lyor whispers, ''I never felt like this before'', he states and Vahe nods, closing his eyes, leaning towards Lyor's cold touch.
That's when Lyor leans over Vahe, carefully, hesitantly, until their lips touch, shivers run through their bodies and their lips feel like pure electricity as the kiss deepens. This isn't either of their first kiss, however, it's the first time they feel the insatiable need to connect even more.
The kiss depends as Lyor's hands rest on Vahe's face, his tongue slowly entering the man's mouth, exploring, memorizing every piece, the taste, the feeling, the warmth, their mind completely blank as they immerse themselves in this pleasurable feeling they never felt before.
Vahe's arms wrap around Lyor's waist, pulling him closer, desperate to feel it more, this feeling of being alive, a feeling of positivity, a bliss.
When they part ways a small low whimper leaves Vahe's mouth, Lyor's hands remain in his face, rubbing his thumb under his eyes. ''You're beautiful'', his words make Vahe open his eyes to stare at him, the situation they're in is long gone from their memory, even the presence of others outside, because right now, nothing else matters.
''So are you'', Vahe says back, with a faint smile.
They kiss again, and again, and again, their bodies moving faster than their minds, that's what happens when two people that never felt desire in their lives suddenly feel it so explosively that it's almost like an addicting flavour. Inside their heads they're telling themselves that they'll just do this until the thirst stops, just until each other's flavour is etched in their minds and the shape of their bodies carved in each other's fingertips.
To the point where they find themselves on Lyor's bed, with Vahe sitting on Lyor's lap completely naked still, whilst Lyor is only wearing his pants now. Vahe's fingers tap and dance across the man's naked skin, he's barely warm, just enough to remind him he's alive, but compared to other humans he's colder than normal, his skin feels like a winter breeze, and his soft lips like the hug of a soft embrace. Lyor's hands rest on Vahe's hips, they're too worked up, but they need it, to feel each other immediately.
Only if it were that easy.
Because in the middle of unbuckling Lyor's pants, a loud knock on the door startles them.
''Sir, it's an emergency'', the urgent voice behind the door snaps both of them back to their reality. If this were any other circumstance, they wouldn't stop, even if the person behind that door was dying. But the bucket of cold water that reality is, they can't risk ignoring the urgency behind the voice, nor can they go back into their little world where all it matters is feeling each other.
So quickly, they both get dressed again and leave the room, their hairs disheveled and lips swollen, it was clear what happened inside that room, but no one that looks at them comments anything.
''What happened?'' Lyor asks as they follow the young man that was knocking on the door before.
''The other…'' the man gazes at Vahe. ''The other guy that came earlier told us about the horde coming towards us'', he swallows dryly when he notices Vahe's shirt being on the wrong side, looking away from them. ''We have two hours until they reach the walls, everyone is in a panic.''
Lyor frowns, he looks both guilty and annoyed, but regardless of his feelings he continues to follow the man without a word, while Vahe is still trapped inside what happened in that room, the feeling that still lingers on his lips, the touch that still burns in his skin.
Once they reach where the others are, he sees Dacre, the man looks angry, but he's surprisingly well-behaved, no bruise on sight, meaning he didn't get into any more fights while Vahe was away, when their eyes meet, Dacre bursts out laughing.
''Oh my god, Vahe, you're…'', he's quick to shut his friend, by covering his mouth with his hand. ''Everyone can notice, your shirt is on the wrong side'', his friend's whisper makes Vahe blush as he discreetly fixes his shirt on the room's corner while everyone else discusses.
''How many?'' Lyor asks, his gaze is on Vahe, but he's still engaging in the conversation normally.
''Around six thousand'', Dacre answers, his tone more serious now. ''We managed to escape through the forest, slowing them down, and a lot of them dispersed to other cities as well, but considering we were in the Capital…''
''The fire must've killed a few, are you sure about the amount?'' Jiwon asks, crossing his arms, his expression showing pure distrust. ''With the ashes and heat, they probably wouldn't have followed you this far'', he changes the weight on his legs. ''Maybe just a few hundred''.
Dacre snorts. ''Talk about delusional, we're talking about flesh eating undead humans, don't try to apply normal logic to them, we can't be sure if they followed us through scent, sound or whatever, fact is, they're coming here''.
''That means you brought them here'', Cypress points out, ''You're responsible for the three hundred lives that might be lost today''.
''Please, we're in the middle of the apocalypse, pretty boy, the only way this could ever be our fault is if we were the ones that spreaded this wretched thing, and we were in jail at the time so fuck off'', Dacre says rolling his eyes.
''Jail?'' Jiwon asks.
''It's not that serious, we were in a reformatory after a few bumps with our parents, we're not actual criminals'', Vahe says, returning to the conversation after fixing his shirt. ''Let's focus on the situation at hand, there's no use blaming each other for this, regardless of where we choose to flee, they were dispersed to all directions, at least you have a heads up''.
''There's no use, we don't have enough gear'', Cypress groans.
''I can hold three hundred while you all escape'', Lyor says, turning to check the weapons the others separated in advance, guns of diverse sizes, knives and a few attempted handmade bombs. Vahe frowns, walking towards the stranger he met a few hours ago.
''No'', he says, ''It's stupid to try to sacrifice yourself for this, holding off a few hundred won't make sure everyone can escape, much less survive, you're clearly the one with more combat experience here, do you think they would be able to continue to survive without you?''
His words aren't based on reality, he doesn't know anything about the situation, about any of these people or even about Lyor privately for that matter, but that doesn't really matters, he can deduct it by seeing how everyone keeps glancing anxiously towards Lyor and his act of ridiculous self-sacrifice.
''What else can we do? Most of them don't have any defensive abilities, nor can we all kill six thousand zombies'', Lyor says, grabbing Vahe's hand as if it's the most natural thing, rubbing his thumb on the man's palm. ''Even if by luck even half of us survive, where would we run off to? The whole world is fucked'', he leans his head onto Vahe's hand. ''I wish we met under different circumstances.''
Vahe's head is a mess, everything happened so fast, the outbreak, running away, that he could wrap his head around, but meeting someone he finally feels a true connection to, just to watch them die a few hours later? To be left behind wondering what could've happened under different circumstances?
Is that a life at all?
He doesn't need ten or an eternity next to this man to know he'll forever be the only one able to move his heart like this, and through his pained gaze he can tell the other feels the same.
Should he knock him out and run away? To where? How? The whole world is burning down around them, they'll never live normal regular lives again.
If only we had met before, again, they both think at the same time.
''I'll go with you'', Vahe says, ''I can't run away without you''.
''We just met'', Lyor shakes his head, frowning. ''You can't make this sacrifice''.
''It's not a sacrifice'', Vahe sighs, ''I lived my whole life worried about survival, and I can see it, in your eyes just like in mine, the desire of living'', he leans over, placing his lips on top of Lyor's. ''I'd rather die than keep on living knowing you're dead'', his gaze is intense, but the feeling is mutual, they can't explain or describe why.
''Excuse-me?'' Dacre says, half laughing. ''I'm not leaving you behind either Vahe, we promised each other to die in a suicide pact after getting old'', he looks at Vahe then at Lyor. ''Weird shit aside, there's still two hours until the first part of the horde reaches us, we can always devise a plan''.
''And if that doesn't work?'' Jiwon asks.
''Then we die, smartass, this is the apocalypse for a reason, people die, the world burns and eventually everything circles back to the beginning'', Dacre rolls his eyes, grabbing the map of the University. ''We're in a good advantageous position, there's walls all around us, only four gates to protect and the buildings are tall enough for observation''.
''Since when you're a strategist?'' Vahe asks with a weak smile, his hand still on Lyor's.
''Since I've read the boring books in your room while you were sleeping'', Dacre says with a shrug. ''We can make small traps along the roads leading to the walls, exploding the nearby buildings will create enough rubble to at least trap them or slow them down, if we're lucky some might die in the process''.
''We can burn down the rest of the forest as well'', a person standing near the door says, she's standing there completely relaxed, and her uniform is similar to Lyor's.
''Hayun'', Lyor says, surprised. ''How's Seoah?''
''She's still unresponsive, but we expected that'', the woman answers, entering the room. ''A surgery without anesthesia and the lack of medicines didn't exactly increase her opts of survive, but she's stable enough.''
''Sis, you should take her and go'', Jiwon says, his expression more relaxed once the woman appeared. ''We can't afford having you both caught up in this''.
The woman laughs. ''You're adorable as ever, peanut, but I've worked six years in the militaire already for you to be doubting my skills'', she ruffles the man's hair, as he gazes upon the map. ''If we burn the rest of the forest, they might try escaping to the other cities, and even if it doesn't work, at least twenty percent will die in the fire, making our odds better''.
''Even so, we would still be dealing with at least four thousand zombies'', Cypress points out, ''And there's gaps in the forest for the roads, they might run through there, there's no telling they would go far enough''.
''What if we placed some obstacles?'' Dacre comments. ''I saw the abandoned cars on our way here, if we place them in the middle of the road and then explode them at the right time, we might be able to kill off part of them as well''.
''How would we do that through a distance?'' Jiwon shakes his head. ''And if one of us needs to stay behind, it isn't worth it. Just because there is an apocalypse we don't need to lose our humanity''.
''I was in my school's archery team before the reformatory'', Vahe comments, sighing. ''If you get me one, and I have a clear vision of the road, all we need to do is make sure the cars are leaking enough petrol''.
''There's an archery club in the nearby office…'' Cypress whispers. ''That could work, but what if you miss?''
''Well, then I'll set the building on fire and we can use that to attract the zombies and kill them off by gun and hand, as a last resort'', Vahe shrugs. ''For other traps, I think the buildings are a good idea, and placing other obstructions on the gates could help as well. Using distance weapons while also using the traps can slow them down''.
''That's stupid, we have one hour and a half to do all that, it's suicide'', Cypress groans.
Another person enters the room, after clearly hearing all of our conversation, his demeanor is relaxed and he dresses like a model, he hugs Cypress from behind, placing kisses on the man's nape. ''Don't stress Honeybee, I'll help the others get the cars, most of them still work so it won't be hard, and even if it makes noise, it won't change the situation much'', the man says in an almost whisper.
''You stay here'', Cypress glares at the man. ''I'm not letting your daughter be an orphan''.
''Being an orphan is better than dying by being eaten alive'', the man retorts before looking at the others. ''I'll take care of the cars and make sure they're leaking properly on all the main roads, the best view of them is in the Headmaster's office''.
''Thanks weirdo'', Jiwon says with a frown. ''Then let's all prepare everything, and make sure to stay alive, I'll call everyone with combat experience to wait at the main gates, the children I'll take to one of the tall buildings with Seoah as well'', he sighs.
''I have experience making explosives'', Dacre says, ''So I can help with the buildings' trap''.
''Me too'', Cypress says, ''Hayun, can you take care of the forest fire? And make sure it won't spread onto town.''
The man behind Cypress places a kiss on the man's nape, ''Stay alive, honeybee, I love you, if I die, take care of our baby''.
''Our? Hey, listen she's not my daughter you divorced son of a…'', the man leaves before Cypress can finish his words, he groans, ''He's impossible''.
''I'll make sure your daughter is safe'', Jiwon says with a weak smile before leaving the room, followed by Hayun.
''Thanks'', Cypress whispers, sighing before slapping his own cheeks. ''Fine, let's do this, the worst that can happen is being eaten alive.''
''That's the spirit'', Dacre slaps his back. ''Let's go'', but before they leave, Dacre turns to Vahe. ''I'm glad you look alive for once, even if it's before we might all die.''
Vahe snorts. ''Agreed''.
Everyone else that was in the room leaves, and from afar Vahe can hear the sounds of people moving, to protect their small safe haven from the terror spreading in the world right now. He crutches next to Lyor. ''I need to go find the bow and arrow and prepare the fire tips, but…'', he sighs. ''Stay alive, I just met you, I can't lose you''.
Lyor nods, kissing Vahe again, they stay like this for a few minutes until they're unable to breathe any longer. ''If I die, I hope we meet again''.
''Don't die''.
''Vahe, thank you for being alive until now'', Lyor smiles.
''I could say the same, so remain alive until the end, ok?''
''Ok''.
The sound of gunshots, explosions and the groaning of hundreds of zombies fills Vahe's senses even while inside the office. He was standing in the small window with a vision of three of the six main roads, everything ready to blow up the cars when one of the teams didn't manage to finish in time, and a horde ambushes them, the sound of their screams was loud enough to echo even throughout this distance, seeing from afar, with the help of a binocular he found in the office, the man who was with Cypress earlier was also there, shooting his gun against the zombies, until eventually he misses the shot, hitting one of the already leaking cars, the spark was weak, yet enough to blow everything up, getting him caught in the explosion.
At that moment a scream was heard from inside the University Campus. It's probably that Cypress guy, Vahe thinks, unaffected as he changes his gaze towards the other roads where zombies begin to approach.
Mindless, walking in unisson, even if some are missing limbs, pieces or even half of their bodies, they all walk with one goal in mind: eat humans. Some are elders, other children and regular adults, some are women, men, others you can't even properly tell since they are half burnt due to the forest fire. ''The fire didn't kill them quickly enough'', Vahe comments, standing on the window, if he loses his balance for just one second, he'll fall to his death, but this is the only way to draw the bow properly.
The fire from the arrow is warm and his hand is slightly burnt, but even the pain doesn't matter right now, he takes a deep breath, recalling the days when he would perform in front of others, including his dead brother, when he would gain praises and feel safe even under the tutelage of his sick parents. Hoping for a miracle, he shoots the arrow, his strength was almost enough, the arrow travels a few meters from where the cars are, but he doesn't give up, grabbing another, setting it on fire.
Shooting again and again, after a few attempts he manages to make four catch fire, the last one is trickier, as the zombies already managed to pass a good distance from it, but Vahe must do this, if he wants to see that man again, if he wants to feel that warmth again. So he shoots all of his arrows, for only the last one hit successfully.
The cars exploding alongside a few of the buildings, the sound is loud and enough to distract a few of the zombies still alive, enough to also muffle the sound of gunshots.
Now out of arrows, Vahe runs downstairs, his heart pounding with adrenaline as he passes countless people taking refuge there, not even pausing to see their faces. Running as fast as he can, he finally reaches the main gate, where Lyor is alone with a bag of guns.
''What are you doing here?'' He asks, startled. ''Go back to a safer place''.
''No, I'll stay'', Vahe says, grabbing one of the guns from Lyor before he can react. ''I might not be the best shot, but I can still help''.
Even if Lyor wishes to argue against it, the zombies reach the gate, even if all of the traps did a good job diminishing their numbers, it was still an overwhelming amount, there were around three hundred in this gate alone, Vahe can't even imagine how the others might be holding up.
The zombies hit their bodies against the iron gate, one after the other, climbing on top of each other, desperate to reach the two humans on the other side, the stench of rotten flesh filling their senses as they both begin firing the guns, killing every single one of them that seems about to cross over. In a few moments, Vahe leaves the shooting for Lyor and grabs the knife from Lyor's waist, plunging it on the head of the zombies trapped under each other on the gate, they can't move which makes it easier.
But it isn't enough, one hour later they're out of ammo, half an hour later, the zombies are finally able to cross the gate, how many have they killed? One hundred? Two hundred? Perhaps not even fifty.
Vahe grabs the cloths he used for the arrows, placing them on the flood and setting them on fire, it was enough to temporarily startle the zombies for Lyor to stab their heads, but the sheer amount was still too many, even with tricks and weapons.
He's starting to feel tired. He walked all morning, then he met Lyor and now, as the sun is setting and the moon rises, they're killing zombies for two hours straight. Lyor doesn't look tired, he's still fighting with the same strength from the start, but contrary to him, Vahe isn't used to this much combat.
''Leave, save yourself'', Lyor yells, they're both covered in the disgusting blood of those zombies, their stench fills them with dread.
''You'll die if I leave'', Vahe says the moment he hits another zombie with his knife. ''I won't let you die'', he's claiming so strongly when his whole body burns from pain, the blisters on his hands bleeding every time he grips the knife to hit another zombie.
Another explosion is heard at a distance followed by a wave of gunshots, getting the attention of a few zombies that try to escape, but Lyor gets to them with relative ease.
''Sir, the west gate is clear'', a few people come running, shooting a few of the zombies that are cornering Lyor and Vahe. ''We can do this!'' They're all excited, as if one battle won means the whole war is done.
Of course the moment they utter that, the gate in front of them falls, killing a few of them with the impact, climbing on top of the corpse of dead zombies, Vahe can see at least another six hundred zombies, desperately climbing, running, clinging to each other to cross over. We can't win this.
''Lyor, let's run'', Vahe grabs the man's hand. ''We'll die''.
''You go, I'll hold them off'', his words make the other wince.
''No, please, we don't have time''.
The gunshots become louder as the people that came start shooting the zombies, but there's nowhere near enough ammo for that many. All the sounds are overwhelming, but Vahe is completely focused on Lyor.
''I don't want to watch you die''.
''Then don't watch'', Lyor smiles.
His smile is so dazzling that it makes Vahe cry.
''I'll stay too then'', he says, drying his tears with the only finger of his hand that is slightly dry from the fluids from the zombies.
''No, you need to live'', Lyor said. ''Just that way I'll be fine''.
''I could say the same, but there's no point Lyor, it was a pleasure meeting you'', Vahe says, his heart pounding so loudly that he feels faint. He pulls Lyor's shirt, closing their gap, placing another passionate kiss on the man's lips, their kiss tastes like dirt, adrenaline, gunpowder and blood.
Even when they both feel the painful bites of the fifty zombies that surround them, their grip on each other doesn't loosen, and when they can feel their conscience slipping away, they part ways staring into each other's eyes, ignoring the pain in their body.
''Let's meet again Vahe'', Lyor says, tears falling from his beautiful eyes as more zombies climb on his body, slamming him onto the floor.
Vahe's, whose vision is blurry from the tears, can feel his whole body growing numb, and all he can think of, is how much he wishes that next time he sees Lyor, their circumstances are more peaceful and that they manage to see each other for more than measly few hours.