Birds of a Feather (Apocalypse AU)

Chapter 8 - Friend (Tiyeds)

TW: gore, weapons (guns), injury

Tiyeds wrapped her hands around the bottom straps of her backpack as she ran, slightly dampening its painful thudding against her back. Pulling it against her back, she turned around the store at the end of the strip mall, spying a bright yellow jacket whipping around another corner, a green scarf trailing around behind them.

Tiyeds huffed, increasing her pace to catch up with the figure. There was a pretty high probability that she was running head-first into a trap, a way to lure survivors into a dead-end where they could be robbed of their supplies. Tiyeds had almost gotten caught a few days prior, only getting out due to some quick thinking and luck.

Taking a deep breath, Tiyeds continued chasing the figure, making sure to avoid broken glass on the ground that could make noise and the reeking corpses of both victims and depatched zombies. You get used to the smell after a while. The normally clear and crisp air of her city had been overtaken by a thick cloying fog. She never wanted to know what death smelled like, but no one who was still alive had that choice.

She saw the figure heading down a small street, and recognized that she could take a shortcut through a store to cut them off. Even though she hadn't cleared the small coffee shop yet, she was confident that if she moved fast enough she wouldn't be in danger.

Dropping her shoulder, she braced as she rammed through the glass door of the shop, the shattering glass dropping around her as she stepped through. Taking a moment to shake off the impact and process the blinding pain in her shoulder, Tiyeds turned and started sprinting around the small table, vaulting over the counter and landing in front of the door to the back room.

Taking a deep breath, she threw the door open and jumped through the entrance. She turned left to make her way around the supply shelves, coming face to face with a zombie. Gasping, she immediately backed out of range, but was still accosted with its stink and sunken eyes. It ground its rotting teeth together, visible through the gaping holes throughout its cheeks and neck. As it let out a moan and staggered closer, Tiyeds shook off her surprise and staggered around the shelf, slamming herself through the door before it could get any closer.

Leaving the rotting face behind, Tiyeds stepped out into the street to see the figure staring at the wall at the end of the alley with no way out.

Walking to the middle of the street, Tiyeds watched as the figure turned around. They were around the same height, but the figure was carrying a small teal satchel across their torso. Their orange shorts and boots contrasted severely with their luminous jacket and dark scarf, which were connected with, oddly, a pair of teal suspenders. Tiyeds noticed a small owl pendant below their short brown hair, slowly taking in their unusual appearance.

"Who are you?" Tiyeds shouted loudly, the echoes bouncing off of the rough brick walls.

The figure seemed stressed, panicking at the lack of available escape routes. But Tiyeds' heart stopped as they brought out a handgun and shakily pointed it at her, green eyes distressed. "St- STAY AWAY!"

Tiyeds took a step back, raising her hands, "Whoa, calm down dude. I'm just asking. I don't really see anyone else around here. Just making sure you're not part of some... group."

His hand shook as he continued to point the gun at Tiyeds. "I'M NOT PART OF A GROUP OKAY? NOT ANYMORE. NOW LET ME LEAVE, AND I WON'T SHOOT."

Stepping to the side of the alley, Tiyeds kept her hands visible while desperately trying to keep the conversation going. "Where are you going? You aren't just wandering around aimlessly, are you? That's going to get you killed."

"I have a plan, okay? Now just get out of my way before I pull the trigger."

"We could help each other. I have a lot of supplies that I could share. Food, water, and defenses. Please think about it, okay?" They pleaded, eyes desperate as they looked down at their satchel, and back at Tiyeds, the hand holding their gun growing steady as they stared down Tiyeds.

"I don't need handouts," he muttered, slowly lowering his weapon, tucking it away in his back pocket.

Tiyeds let out a shaky breath as she took a few steps towards the individual. He looked young, a similar age to herself. Holding out a hand, she raised an eyebrow.

"Truce?"

"Truce."