Realistic or Modern Days End...

[Dirge]

The sun peeked through white clouds high above in the blue sky...

"How long has it been since it started..."
​

A young male sits on top of a broken truck halfway hanging off a bridge overlooking a vast river as he gazes out into the distant woods. His complexion was fair, his hair was short, choppy and black, and his build was tall and slight. It looked as if he hadn't eaten much in the past few days and was beginning to lose muscle mass and weight. His eyes a solemn grayish blue, and their stare hollow and glassy as he gazed out at the world beyond. He wore nothing but a tattered, black long-sleeved shirt and matching pants, the latter stuffed haphazardly into black terrain boots. The fingerless gloves on his hands had also seen better days and everything about him just looked...

"How long has it been since the world ended..." He repeated aloud, his voice fleeting and tired. He sat atop the truck without fear of it giving way and taking him down with it into the deep waters below. Hell, that might have been a blessing at this point, dying. There was nothing around anymore worth really surviving for. At this point, the only reason he even woke up every day and refrained from putting a bullet in his head was pride. He was too prideful to kill himself, and he honestly hated that fact. It would all be so easy, and yet pride kept him from doing so. What was he even doing out here, anymore? Why was he even sitting on this dangerous platform surrounded by an apocalypse he didn't want to live in? He honestly didn't really know...

 

[Zenna]

Waves of hoarse moans could be heard in the distance as a slender figure weaved down the streets. A cluster of infected shambled down the road, brushing past trucks and cars with ease. The same figure glanced over her shoulder, her hazel eyes lingering on the distant horde. She knew it was dangerous; she shouldn't have gone. The untouched stores had been all too tempting, however. Survivours had only ever mentioned rumours, none ever daring to cross town. She had spent weeks planning, ensuring that there would be no faults in slipping in and out. There would be a wide array of supplies just waiting for her to sweep back home.

Yet here she was, attempting to shake the rapidly growing collection of infected on her tail.

"Shoot," She bit out, taking a moment to glance over her shoulder a second time. Were they picking up speed, or was she losing energy? Perhaps it was both. Her lengthy chestnut hair was tucked away under a worn ballcap, gathering the loose strands together. As she continued to weave through different vehicles, she was suddenly quite content with her small build. Slender and relatively short; the perfect size to slink around unseen. Even with the zombies on her tail, she was almost certain they weren't exactly sure where she was.

Minutes passed by as the girl continued to race through the streets, only slowing her pace when a fair bit of distance had been put between her and the horde. She reached a hand back to pat the bag on her back, a satisfied grin tilting the corners of her lips up. The old bridge as off in the distance; signalling her halfway point. It wouldn't be much further and she would be home before she ever realized.

 

[Dirge]

Footsteps echoed in the silence, causing the lone man to turn his gray-blue gaze to it...
​

“Hmm?” The young man hummed thoughtfully as his hollow stare turned to see a strange sight. A slender, short woman with hazel eyes and long, rich brown hair was running his direction. It had been a while since he’d seen another human that wasn’t a walking corpse. Truth be told he thought the hunger ravaging his body was causing him to hallucinate a bit. Nevertheless, he saw a girl running his way, and the distant horse a ways behind her was the likely cause of her fleeing.

Sighing heavily, the young man just turned to look back out at the river curving through the forested landscape beyond. He didn’t look like he had any urgency to run. If anything, he probably wouldn’t move until the last second anyway. The girl approaching him garnered little interest from him, he didn’t feel the need to even bother...

His stomach growled again, and he winced in pain as a pale hand snatched at his midsection. He wondered if the undead always felt like this? So hungry to the point their bodies were in an endless stage of starvation...

Why was he even here again?
​

Right up until the girl passed him, the young man would just stare out into the expanse of nothingness before him. It was as if he didn’t even register the horde not too far away from them.

 

[Zenna]

The closer the young woman grew to the bridge, the more detailed everything became. As she leapt over a pile of rubble, her eyes latched onto a taller figure sat at the edge of a large truck. Had he already noticed her? If he had, there was certainly no indication of any interest. Her gaze flickered back momentarily, attempting to catch sight of the infected. Spending too long in one place wouldn't be ideal, and she had led them directly to this guy.

"Hey," Her eyes wandered back to the male, stepping closer to the truck, "You probably shouldn't stay here much longer." She didn't miss his lack of concern for everything around him. "You know there's a horde coming, right? You couldn't have missed it all the way up there."

Unwilling to patiently wait for a response, she began to clamber up the truck herself. Her fingers stretched up to grasp at whatever she could, slowly but surely inching her way to the top. "The sooner you get going, the better." She pointed a finger at him before glancing out over the array of vehicles. Just as expected, the cluster of zombies could be seen in the distance. While people weren't too be trusted, this guy's lack of interest in anything was somewhat reassuring.

 

[Dirge]

“You probably shouldn’t stay here...”
​

In times of need, there were two types of people usually: the types who took what they wanted without want of giving back and the types who cared enough to risk their chances of survival to help another. The moment this girl spoke to him and started clamoring up the truck was the same moment she titled herself as the latter type.

The truck wobbled unstable as the girl tried to climb it. It was too unbalanced to hold two people. Yet as it teetered like a seesaw halfway dangling off the bridge the young male didn’t seem too afraid. All he did was sit on top of it and shift his way accordingly to keep from falling. His eyes only leaving the outstretched distance to glance over at the girl and the horde behind her.

“If the horde was really that dangerous you would have kept running,” The male said calmly with a yawn. “You must have a screw loose for running up to a stranger too. Doubt you’ll survive long by yourself anyway.”

As he said this, the thinning man would suddenly make way to abandon the truck. Hopefully the girl did too as once he jumped off the vehicle would finally buckle and slide off the bridge. A loud splash following its decent after a few seconds. The young man moving to another car and crouching as he pulled out a Desert Eagle handgun and for the most part paid little attention to the girl.

Stuffing the weapon in his pants after making sure the safety was on, the black-dressed man would briefly acknowledge the girl and turn to walk the opposite way of the horde. Well, at least he took her advice? He didn’t want to die if he could avoid it. Not by the horde at least...

It was that stupid pride that kept him from putting a bullet in his mouth again. He hated it.​

 

[Zenna]

As the truck rocked on the edge of the bridge, the girl carefully shifted her weight, paying no mind to the potentially life-threatening situation. Just as the truck would begin to slide from the ledge she would hop onto the cracked pavement below. Her gaze darted back to watch the hunk of metal start its decent into the river below. A low breath of relief blew out of her lips before she could turn back to the stranger in front of her.

"Maybe they aren't dangerous from afar, but if they get too close they could be." Most likely, this guy already knew that fact. Still, it didn't stop her from relaying the information. "What makes you think I can't survive on my own?" Really, that assumption had been all too common. A small woman openly talking to strangers would be a surefire way to dive into trouble, and yet she had somehow managed to survive. She had done well for herself thus far, and had no intentions of losing that streak.

The woman reached up to adjust her cap, warily eyeing the gun the man collected. Perhaps slipping away from the male would have been the safer option. But then, she hadn't had a decent companion in ages. As a social creature, how could she turn away the opportunity?

With a sense of hesitation, the girl began to trail behind the man. "You sure don't seem to be the best at being social, you know."

 

[Dirge]

"You sure don't seem to be the best at being social, you know."
​

"I don't recall ever saying I was social at all, and why are you following me?" The man asked when he glanced behind himself and saw her trailing after him. He didn't seem to answer her question about her ability to survive; likely because he either didn't care or didn't feel like answering pointless questions. Though his grayish-blue eyes did glance behind her at the horde haphazardly following them. It was such an ugly sight that he was tired of seeing on a daily basis. Another image sequence of him putting his gun in his mouth and pulling the trigger flashed across his mind. It was so tempting, it also disgusted him that he even thought about it.

He kept walking...​

 

[Zenna]

"You never said I couldn't follow you." It was quickly becoming apparent that she wasn't exactly welcome. "Not a great way to welcome an outstanding person of society."

Outstanding was a large exaggeration.

Despite the hints for her to leave the man alone, she continued to stroll alongside him. Hopping over rubble and weaving through cars would be the least of their worries. "What are you doing out here alone?" It didn't look like the most comforting place to be. Then again, the view was nice. "Do you need any supplies?" Supplies were no joke, and not something to waste. After her successful supply run, however, it couldn't hurt to help a struggling person. "Food, water?" She peered up towards the taller male before a sly grin appeared on her face. "I'm sure I could spare a stale box of crackers."

 

[Dirge]

“You never said I couldn’t follow you.”

... ...

“Not a great way to welcome an outstanding person of society."

... ... ...​

The young man never said anything as he walked, not even when offered food. At this point, it was evident that he was a very closed off and distant person. Talking to him, or even trying to get through his walls looked to be an insurmountable task.

However, he never did really antagonize the girl. It would have been so easy to point his Desert Eagle at her and tell her to go away before he put a bullet in her. Yet, he never so much as hinted having interest in doing so. Instead, he just chose to wander about and let her talk and trail him. His actions more a lack of motivation and a want of conserving what little energy he had.

Once they reached the edge of the bridge, the gun-wielding man would pause and look over his shoulder again at the horde. His hollowed stare briefly looking over his unwanted companion for a moment, before he finally spoke.

“Are you from that camp nearby?” He asked all of a sudden.​

 

[Zenna]

The longer the two went without a proper conversation, the less confident the girl grew with the direction of their interactions. Maybe it would be better to continue wandering alone. What sort of person would turn down free water? Clean water was hard to come by, and blatantly ignoring her offer was more than a little surprising. As they continued to wander, she continued to grow more certain that moving on would be the best idea.

Just as she prepared to venture off on her own, the unfamiliar voice picked up. Her eyes darted towards the male, confusion washing across her expression. Her place was a fair trek away; definitely not nearby. Not to mention her lack of a group, though he didn't need to know that.

"No?" She shook her head in response, glancing around them for a moment. "What camp is nearby?" She had paths leading directly to and from her main site, any further out was unknown to her. Was the camp he spoke of dangerous? Perhaps. Her hand moved instinctively to her hip, feeling for the knife in the loop of her belt. Groups were almost always dangerous; lone survivours were less risky.

 

[Dirge]

So she wasn't from that camp then? Good, that answer just saved her life.
​

"You really should choose another way to go then. Those people are bandits, and they're always looking for victims to kill and steal from." He said with a low tone. Was that the reason he was trying to get her to go away? As the horde got closer and closer, he'd look back at them again. The goal was to draw their attention and lead them to the camp he mentioned and let them clean house. There were many things that could go wrong with that, but he wasn't really worried about it. If he died because of the plan going awry well, at least he didn't die from suicide. His pride wouldn't have any excuses to mock him as he got ripped apart or shot up.

Without another word, the young man pulled his Desert Eagle from his pants and switched the safety off. Now holding it in his left hand, his gray-blue eyes went on alert as he swiveled on his foot and raised the gun into the air. Was he about to pull the trigger!?

 

[Zenna]

Bandits.

The description of the group drove a frown onto the girl's lips, obviously not taking the information lightly. Fighting definitely wasn't her style and should she have been attacked by the group, it likely wouldn't end well. Dealing with a single person was one thing; an entire group was an entirely different situation. "If that's the case, why are you heading in the direction?"

As the girl's eyes flickered back to the horde closing in, an anxious look began to wash over her. They weren't moving nearly as fast as she would have on her own. How much longer could they keep up the pace before the infected caught up with them? Why wasn't this guy more concerned?

Almost as soon as the question had passed through her mind, the movement in the corner of her eye caught her attention. The sight of the handgun stretching up into the air caused her face to pale, her gaze flickering between the horde and his outstretched arm. "Wait," She breathed out, reaching a hand towards his arm. "Don't do that, you'll just alert them," Her voice was rushed as she spoke, the reality of the situation sinking in. What was he thinking? He would get them killed; there would be no escaping that group of infected. Nothing would justify shooting a bullet into the air for no apparent reason.

 

[Dirge]

"If you're afraid of dying then run. I'm not stopping you."

The young man squeezed the trigger and a thunderous shot rang out.
​

Immediately, the horde seemed to stop entirely as one unit. As if the shot stunned them all for a second or so before they all began to start moving with more vigor and urgency. A nigh stagnant walking pace turned into brisk jogging of sorts. The man's shot told them right where he and the girl was. With another glance over at the smaller female, the gray-blue eyed man would snort and start jogging off into the brush. The girl had two options: run away on her own or stick with the man that just alerted every undead in a mile radius on where they were at. Though given how groans could be heard in the woods too around them, odds are no matter where she ran she'd encounter undead anyway.

Maybe she should have left when she had the chance. Oh well...​

 

[Zenna]

Afraid of dying? Who wasn't? Before the girl could open her mouth to speak, the gunshot had already echoed through the air. She lurched back with wide eyes, her head snapping around to peer down the street. For a moment, everything was still. Had the shot not registered to the infected?

Unlikely.

Almost in slow motion, the group of infected stepped forward. One step. Two. Soon enough the grotesque bodies were rushing towards the two of them, picking up speed. Moans could be heard in the air, mixing together to create a deadly tune. "Shoot," She breathed out, turning her attention back to the man who had set off the situation. He had already darted away before she could even begin to process what he had done.

"Wait!" The girl lurched after him, weaving through a few branches to catch up. "What the hell was that?" The further the two of them traveled, the louder the infected seemed to grow. There was no doubt that they would be surrounded within minutes. Where was the supposed to go? Her leather boots padded against the dirt as she jogged, struggling to keep up with the taller man. This definitely wasn't her usual route, and detours would only slow her down.

 

[Dirge]

“If you wait, you die,” The nameless male responded without looking back at the girl as he picked up speed. In the distance both near and far, undead horrors were starting to appear. Their grotesque visages and horrendous odors pungent and sickening, a grim reminder of what denizens truly ruled the world now.

Running through the uneven terrain and crunching dead leaves beneath his boots, the young man would soon come across a narrow ravine. From a standing position, jumping across was impossible, and if one fell they’d fall from a height great enough to shatter their legs. Yet, he didn’t stop running towards it. His eyes fixated on a curving tree that seemed to bend down just enough to where its branches offered themselves to him.

Picking up as much speed as he weakened body could muster, the all black wearing male stomped his foot hard a foot or so from the gorge and lunged forward. His still somewhat lean and muscular arm outstretching high above him and snagging a thick, overhanging branch. Dangling for a moment, the young man would, with one arm, hoist himself up and pull his body atop the branch.

As he scrambled up the tree, he’d turn to see the girl had followed him. There was no way she was going to cross that gap. There was also no way she’d be able to weave her way through the encroaching horde surrounding her side of the ravine. Luckily for her, despite his jaded and distant attitude, the man wasn’t inherently malicious.

He lowered his arm from the branch and held his hand open as he looked at her. His eyes showing a bit more emotion and urgency in them as he looked at hers. Even without words, the message his eyes gave should be easily readable. He wanted her to jump...

 

[Zenna]

The answer she had received from the man was less than satisfying, but she couldn't bring herself to repeat herself. Rather, she opted to focusing on out running the infected rapidly closing in. The quick pace the male had picked up left her struggling to keep up. As one infected stepped too close, the girl quickly lurched away from the being. She found herself stumbling forward, weaving around a cluster of trees.

Not far up ahead, the girl could see the guy launch himself into the air, her face paling at the sight. If he was jumping, it obviously meant there was some form of obstacle up ahead. The closer she grew to the ravine, the slow her pace became. By the time she had reached the drop, her feet had skidded to a halt. Her eyes peered down towards the water below, her skin visibly paling at the sight. The ravine was much more of a drop than she had expected, instantly sending a wave of nausea over her.

Her eyes landed on the male's hand before shifting to his eyes, and her head was shaking in disagreement before she could fully process the situation. "Uh uh, no way, not happening." She took a step back from the ravine, her hands clamping into fists. Did he really think she could jump that far? One unlucky fall and it would be the end. A broken leg would mean no escaping any infected that followed her over the ledge.

As growls continued to reflect off the trees, the girl's eyes darted behind her. Infected were beginning to close in on all directions. Was jumping her only choice? Surely there had to be another way. Heights were by no means her forte. Seeing a drop was one thing, lurching over it was an entirely different obstacle.

 

[Dirge]

“If you don’t jump, you die for sure,” The man said. That was all that needed to be said too.

She could jump and take a risk, or stand there and take another one. The choice was hers.​

 

[Zenna]

Trust a total stranger and jump? No way.

Turn and rush back into that horde? Not an option.

The girl's gaze flitted between the two choices, torn under the circumstances. Neither option was ideal, and there didn't appear to be any other way out. "If I do jump, you catch me for sure," She called out, biting her lip in anticipation. Her gaze lingered on him for a few seconds, before taking a few hesitant steps back. Don't look down. Do not look down. It would be fine. The sooner she could get to the other side, the better.

As another moan rang into the air, much closer this time, she didn't waste another second. "Okay," She breathed out, lurching forward to give herself momentum. As she pushed off the edge of the ravine, her hand stretched out to grab at the man's hand.

 

[Dirge]

The stranger simply nodded, affirming that he would catch the girl when she jumped. Of course, all she had to go on was his word. However, it was either that or death.

As she ran and jumped, the young man fulfilled his promise. His hand snatched hers in a firm grip, and with a grunt of effort he’d swing her across the gap to the other side. This was of course assuming she let go. Otherwise she’d find herself dangling over a deep ravine...