𝙁𝙊𝙍𝙇𝙊𝙍𝙉 || ᶜʰᵃʳˡⁱᵉ ˢˡⁱᵐᵉᶜⁱᶜˡᵉ ˣ ʳᵉᵃᵈᵉʳ

III.

CHAPTER THREE
꩜ .ᐟ

"That was an eventful morning..." Tommy began to speak which caught [y/n]'s attention, making their eyes open, "Let's venture out and go exploring!" he shouted, it was like he couldn't control his volume.

As Tommy and Toby left, [Y/n] slowly sat up with a quiet groan. They then stood up and fixed their gaze on Charlie's back, eyeing him like prey. With a playful leap, [Y/n] pounced onto his back , holding on tight as if he were a rodeo bull.

"What—?!" Charlie let out a startled shriek before quickly realizing what was happening, "Oh come on, man!" he laughed, attempting to shake [Y/n] off, but they held their ground firmly.

"Charlie, you're doing it wrong," Elena called out from behind the couch, "You got to flop face first onto the couch so I can grab their legs. That way, when you stand straight, they'll let go. "

"Or you could fall onto your back and crush them," Ranboo suggested, diverting their attention from Charlie and Elena's plans but the second Elena grabbed their legs they remembered.

"One, two, three!" Elena shouted and yanked [Y/n], causing them to release their grip as Charlie suddenly stood up straight. She then let go of [Y/n], who tumbled face-first onto the chair . They let out a muffled groan as their chest collided with the seat.

"Assholes..." [Y/n] mumbled, their face still pressed into the chair, not moving an inch.

Then, Tommy burst in just as [Y/n] decided to sit up, a backpack slung over his shoulder, with Toby not far behind, "We ready?!" he screamed, once again struggling to control his volume. In response, everyone nodded their heads.

"Since I am the leader of this, uh..." Phil began, searching for the right words to describe his group of four men as everyone exited the Tesco.

Ranboo spoke up on his behalf, "A sad excuse for a survival team," he smiled innocently.

"Bit harsh, mate," Phil laughed before continuing to speak, "We should go three blocks east and west."

"Why are you the leader?" Tommy inquired, raising an eyebrow, "I should be the leader. I'm the smartest here."

"You're immature," Ranboo replied in a monotone voice.

"What?!"

ᯓ★

After a brief squabble, they finally set off, with [Y/n] lingering behind to keep watch and listen for the team. Phil, Tommy, and Charlie led the way, while Ranboo, Elena, and Toby walked in the middle. Elena chatted about her family and how cool her brother was. However, [Y/n] remained focused, keeping their ears sharp for any unusual growls or slow footsteps.

Lost in thought, [Y/n] momentarily spaced out. They pondered about the infected creatures, noting how different they were from the zombies of fictional tales. These weren't the stereotypical undead; they were simply brainless entities. [Y/n] ] wondered what kind of infection could transform humans into such mindless beings. Moreover, they were puzzled by the peculiar dark blue-black hue blood. What sort of pathogen could possibly result in such drastic physical and mental changes?

"Hey! A PetSmart!" Tommy shouted as he ran toward the building, snapping [Y/n] out of their thoughts.

The group followed Tommy into the store, which was in the same abandoned state as the Tesco. Items remained on the shelves, and dead fish floated in their tanks. Deciding to split up, Charlie and [Y/n] headed to the cat kennels . There, they found the kennels still intact, housing a frail black cat with bright green eyes. It was a beautiful sight.