Age of zombies

[34] Weeb talk

Liza sat in the back seat now, no longer bound in the bed of the truck, though her hands were still tied. She leaned back against the seat, her legs stretched out in front of her as she looked out the window, the tension from earlier fading into a sort of grudging acceptance.

We drove in silence for a while, the engine's steady hum the only sound, until the familiar notes of Country Roads started playing over the radio again. It seemed like that song followed us everywhere.

Liza groaned loudly from the back seat, throwing her head back in exaggerated agony. "Are you serious? This fking song again?"

Daisy shot her a sharp look in the rearview mirror. "You got a problem with John Denver, kid?"

"Hell yes, I do!" Liza snapped, squirming in her seat. "I'm from LA, not some backwoods middle-of-nowhere place. I don't wanna hear this shit. Can't we play something else? Like some anime openings or something?"

Ethan perked up at that, turning to look at her with a grin. "Wait, you're into anime?"

Liza smirked, clearly proud of herself. "Duh. I'm a huge fking weeb. Been watching anime since I was a kid."

Daisy rolled her eyes and tightened her grip on the steering wheel. "Great, now I'm stuck in a truck full of nerds."

Liza laughed, her mood lifting as she leaned forward. "Come on, there's gotta be something better than this sad-ass country music. Play some Attack on Titan or some shit."

Daisy shot her a glare. "You keep yapping, I'll toss your ass back onto the road. Got it?"

Liza immediately leaned back, lifting her hands in mock surrender. "Alright, alright, point taken. No need to get violent."

I chuckled, exchanging a glance with Ethan. "You really are a weeb, huh?"

Liza shrugged, looking smug. "Huge weeb. I can name like a hundred anime off the top of my head."

"Same," Ethan said, his eyes lighting up with excitement. "Dude, Attack on Titan is a classic, but have you seen Fullmetal Alchemist: Brotherhood? That's my all-time favorite."

Liza grinned. "Hell yeah, I've seen it. Brotherhood's a masterpiece. I cried during the last episode. Don't even get me started on Nina and Alexander."

I winced at the memory. "Oh man, that was brutal. Don't bring up Nina. That still hurts."

"Right?!" Liza exclaimed. "That show is a rollercoaster of emotions. And the fights? Insane. I love the alchemy system too. It's like magic, but with rules."

Ethan leaned forward, practically bouncing in his seat. "Exactly! It's so well thought out. What about you, Jake? What's your favorite anime?"

I thought about it for a second before answering. "Probably Neon Genesis Evangelion. It's dark, messed up, and the psychological stuff really hits hard. Plus, the mecha fights are epic."

Liza let out an impressed whistle. "Damn, you're an OG fan. Evangelion is a total mindfuck, though. That ending? I'm still trying to wrap my head around it."

I laughed. "Yeah, it's one of those 'What the hell did I just watch?' kind of shows. But it's a classic."

Yabe, who had been quietly listening from the passenger seat, chimed in with a small smile. "I've never seen Evangelion, but I really like Your Name. It's such a beautiful story."

Liza's eyes lit up. "Oh my god, yes! Your Name is one of the best anime movies ever. The animation? Chef's kiss. And the plot twists? I cried so hard during that movie."

"Your Name is a tearjerker for sure," Ethan agreed. "The soundtrack is amazing too."

As the three of us dove deeper into our anime conversation, Daisy groaned loudly from the front seat. "I'm surrounded by a bunch of nerds. Kill me now."

"Hey, don't knock it until you try it," Liza shot back, a teasing grin on her face. "You might like anime if you gave it a chance. Ever heard of Cowboy Bebop? That's right up your alley. Space cowboys and badass fights."

Daisy raised an eyebrow, glancing in the rearview mirror. "Space cowboys? Sounds ridiculous."

"It's not ridiculous!" Ethan protested. "It's one of the greatest anime of all time! It's got everything—space travel, bounty hunting, jazz music. It's perfect."

"Jazz music?" Daisy snorted. "You lost me at that part."

Liza laughed, her earlier frustration now replaced with genuine amusement. "Seriously, Daisy, you'd love it. Spike Spiegel is a badass, and the fights are awesome. You should watch it if we ever get out of this shitshow."

Daisy rolled her eyes. "Yeah, sure. I'll add it to my post-apocalypse to-do list."

The mood in the truck had lightened considerably, the tension from before fading as we bonded over our shared love of anime. It was strange, really, how something as simple as a show or a movie could bring people together, even in the middle of a damn apocalypse.

Liza leaned her head back against the seat, a small smile playing on her lips. "Y'know, I didn't expect to be talking about anime with a bunch of strangers during the end of the world. But I guess weebs always find each other, huh?"

"Yeah," I agreed, nodding. "Guess so."

The song on the radio shifted, but this time, none of us really cared. We were lost in our own little world, talking about characters, storylines, and plot twists like nothing else mattered. For just a little while, it almost felt like things were normal again.

Q: Which of the mentioned anime did you watch?