It Will Rise [DBH AU] (Zombie Apocalypse)

A dead body and an asshole

Markus was painting in the gallery.

Carl rolled in and stopped to watch.

Markus was too focused to notice.

After not long, he finished and let out a sigh.

"You're getting better." Carl let out.

Markus turned to see him. "I'm not satisfied."

"Markus..." Carl rolled closer to him. "You can't expect to match me overnight. I've been painting for over 60 years..."

"Yeah...I know. I'll never be as good as you, but... shouldn't I be better than this by now?"

"Practice takes years not months." Carl reminded him. "Just keep at it."

"You're right. I guess." Markus agreed. "Did you have lunch yet?"

"No, I wanted to eat with you. You're all done in here, right?"

"Yes. Let's go eat." Markus grabbed the handles on Carl's wheelchair and pushed him to the dining table. "Do you want the leftovers? Or should I make something new?"

"We should finish the leftovers. We mustn't waste them." Carl said.

"They'll still be good tomorrow." Markus shrugged.

"Perhaps. But it's better to have them today. I don't like leaving things. Who knows..." Carl told him.

"I think you're being silly. What's the worst that could happen?" Markus asked rhetorically.

"Perhaps it's just my old superstitious mindset..." Carl joked.

"Yeah, maybe...I'll just make some sandwiches real quick." Markus told him before going to the kitchen.

After a bit, they're enjoying the sandwiches and chatting about random things.

"I'm going out with my friends tonight. Are you going to be okay by yourself?" Markus asked.

"I'll be fine. I'm just going to be sleeping." Carl assured him.

"Yeah, but I've never really left you alone before...besides leaving to buy groceries or something..." Markus worried.

"I never need anything at night anyway. I sleep like a rock." Carl reminded him.

"Yeah, you're right." Markus agreed.

Later that night, after helping Carl get to bed, Markus left to hang out with his friends for a few hours.

Sometime in the middle of the night,  he came back home.

He quietly went to his dad's room to check on him. He was fast asleep.

Markus let out a relieved sigh and went to his own room to sleep.

The next morning, Markus went to wake up his dad.

"Dad..?" He called out quietly with no answer. "He's out..." He laughed a bit.

He opened the curtains and went to sit next to Carl. "Carrll!" He called out.

The old man was not stirring.

"You're really tired today, huh?" Markus rocked him slightly before suddenly widening his eyes.

He quickly grabbed Carl's wrist and put his hand on it. "Dad..." He called out quietly.

He put his ear against Carl's chest before quickly starting to freak out. "No no no..."

He shook his dad almost aggressively. "Dad! Wake up!!"