Heartbeat [Zarry] [Zombie AU]

Chapter Two

HARRY.

A knock on my door jolts me out of my concentrated state, making me drop my pencil. I mutter under my breath, setting my sketch book aside and open the door.

"Haz, it's time for the briefing," Dustin, my boyfriend, grins on the other side of my bedroom door, and I scowl.

"Yeah, okay. I'll be out in a sec," I wave him off. But Dustin pushes me inside, closing the door behind him. Cupping my face, and kissing me softly, he smirks, then slips back out the door.

Smiling to myself, I grab my backpack and walk out of my room, shutting the door. I clamber down the stairs of my currently empty house and shut the front door behind me. Dustin already left without me, how typical. He didn't want to be late.

After a few minutes of walking through the streets teeming with patrolling officers, I reach the main house, aka, my dad's office, outside of where he is giving the monthly briefing, standing proudly behind the wooden podium.

Yes, my dad, Colonel Styles, is the leader of the human colony. The human colony, as in all the remaining humans that live together and are not bloody corpses. Yet.

I mingle into the crowd, elbowing my way to the front, and stand beside Dustin. I flash him a smile but he doesn't notice, just attentively listens to what my dad is speaking to the teenage crowd.

Louis, my best friend, comes to stand beside me, shooting me a wink, and I respond to him with a small smile. As usual, I try to tune out what my dad is saying, it's always the same old speech, every month. But I have to show up, all of us teenagers have to show up for this briefing.

"In the eight years since this plague destroyed our world," dad's voice booms, "since we erected this wall, we have counted on young volunteers like you, to gather resources from beyond the wall. But first," dad raises a finger in warning.

"A word of caution." He then motions to the projector screen behind him, which flickers to life. An image of a skeletal zombie growling appears on the screen, making some people behind me gasp. I roll my eyes.

And then the footage of some human looking zombies appears. "They may appear human, but don't be fooled. Corpses are NOT human," dad spits out. "They do not think, they do not bleed. Whether they are your mother or your best friend," dad says, meeting my eyes, and I look away, "they are beyond your help."

"They are uncaring, unfeeling, incapable of remorse," dad speaks firmly.

"Wow. Did you just describe yourself, dad?" I mutter under my breath, but Louis hears, and laughs quietly.

"As sons and daughters of possibly the sole remaining human settlement on Earth, you are a critical part of what stands between us and extinction." Well that's kinda true.

Dad grasps the podium firmly, leaning forward and locking his eyes with everyone in the crowd. "Therefore you have an obligation to return to us safely. And if you remember your training, you will. The recruits will meet me in the common room, the rest can go home. Good luck, Godspeed, and God bless America," Dad finishes, stepping down.

"USA! USA!" Louis cheers, and everyone else follows.

"Let's blow some zombie brains," Dustin grins, cocking his shotgun.

~*~

"Dustin, you will lead this raid," Dad says, smiling at Dustin.

"Yes!" he cheers, then sheepishly says, "I meant, thanks sir. I won't let you down." Dad just smiles and pats his shoulder.