Fragile Hearts [DANGEROUS FELLOWS]

⚠️ONE: ZOMBIE AT THE LIQUOR STORE⚠️

Days like today felt like dreams. When the weather was too warm and the class was stuffy and you couldn't focus no matter how hard you tried.

Your head nearly fell on the desk for the third time as the teacher droned on about whatever he was teaching. It was silent in the class as no one had the energy to speak. The only thing keeping you awake was the fact that today was the special day.

You could hardly wait.

"(Y/n)? Pass up the homework," the boy in front of you, tiny and nervous Patrick, whispered, reaching out his hand. With a grunt you passed him the sheet, willing for time to speed up. He had to reach around you to retrieve the paper of the student behind you, but you were hardly awake to notice.

"What's your prob', (Y/n)? You still up for tonight?" came the snarky voice of your friend Jason. You nodded, your brain sparking at the thought of your plans.

"Of course. This is a once in a lifetime opportunity," you scoffed, ridiculing him for even doubting you for a second. He put his hands up in mock surrender, a grin on his face.

Tonight, your friend Madelyn was hosting a winter party that she said would change partying forever, whatever that meant. Practically every highschooler with any sort of status was going, and that, of course, meant you and Jason.

Jason wasn't exactly the cookie-cutter version of a popular guy, and neither were you. But both of you had been friends with Madelyn for forever, so she didn't hesitate giving you invites.

The bell rang, cutting of the teacher's sentence. He checked his watch in surprise as the students began surging out, a chorus of zippers filling the classroom.

"Have a nice weekend, everybody. Remember, finished essays are due online by Sunday!" he called, and you made a mental note as you shoved out the door, Jason close by. He spread out his arms in an exaggerated stretch, offering you a grin.

"Man, I thought that guy was never gonna shut up!" he exclaimed, too loud for your liking.

"He's doing his job," you sighed, giving him a good poke in the rib. He groaned dramatically, doubling over in pretend pain.

"Whatever. I'm doing my job as a student to hate him," he said sarcastically, making you giggle. "So where are we headed? You going back to your place, or should we hang until seven?"

You thought about going back to your apartment. The smell of cigarettes and paint bombarded your memory and you shook your head as to wave it away.

"Let's kill some time," you said with a fierce grin. You didn't have any trouble keeping up with Jason.

"That's what I like to hear!" Jason cried as you two went down the front steps two at a time. "Let's go to the gas station couple' blocks down, grab some slushees, yeah?"

You nodded, making a sharp right in the direction of the gas station. Neither of you had any money, but that didn't matter. Nabbing a couple of slushees was as easy as taking a candy bar from a supermarket.

Jason chatted the whole way about the party, and you nodded and laughed every once in a while. You weren't going to do anything insane, like do drugs or see how far you could get a pool cue down your throat like Jason last summer, just a bit of good old hanging out with friends. You probably wouldn't even drink.

You came up to the station before you knew it, the smell of gas hanging in the air like a cloud.

Jason stopped a few paces away from the door. "How we usually do it," he said quietly. You nodded and he strolled in, putting on his best smile. You waited until he got to the front counter before shrugging behind the aisle to the slushee machine, picking out two jumbo cups and filling them with Coca Cola flavored slush.

You heard the clink of a glass as Jason set a bottle of vodka at the counter. You knew his act like the back of your hand, and it worked every time.

"How much for this?" he asked the store owner.

You could hear the man scoff. "Nice try, kid. Let's see that ID of yers."

"I don't have it on me, but..."

"But nothing. How about ye get a candy bar instead, boy? Yer too young to be wasting yer life."

You were already on the second cup, heart racing.

"Listen, man. It's for a friend. Can't you just sell it to me? I won't tell a soul," Jason pleaded.

There was a moment of silence that made your stomach do flips. The sound of a handgun loading filled the air and your body went cold, blood turning to ice.

"W-woah man, I don't mean any harm." Jason's voice came, wavering and full of fear.

"You think I'm stupid, boy?" the shop owner growled. "Wouldn't hurt to put a bullet in ya, maybe you'd learn a lesson or two."

"You're batshit cr-" Jason began to mutter, but he was interrupted.

"Or how about the girlie back there? Thinkin' she can waltz in here without me noticin'. She could use a little lesson, hm?"

You dropped the cups of slushees, terror washing through you. The brown sugary ice pooled around your feet.

"Dude, w-we'll leave. Just put that thing down, and we'll never show our face here again." Jason begged.

The owner was quiet for a moment, as if contemplating.

"I don't think so," he responded darkly. You looked over to see him come around the corner, the gun pointed at Jason but his strides towards you. Both of you were frozen.

The owner grabbed your arm, his hard hand creating a vise-like grip that made you flinch in pain.

"I don't like kids." He muttered, his breath reeking of cigarettes. "But even worse; thieves."

You cried out and the world exploded into chaos. The man shouted in pain, flying forward and sending you crashing into a rack of pastries. There was an unnatural groaning, then the sound of wet flesh. You looked up and couldn't hold back the scream that bubbled up from what you saw.

There was a man bent over the owner, flesh gray-green and rotten, blood splattered everywhere. It couldn't be what you thought it was, but there was no other explanation.

It was a zombie.

In the blink of an eye Jason lunged forward, landing on his stomach and sliding across the ground to grab the handgun. The zombie reacted immediately, diving towards him, but with three loud bangs the creature stumbled back, a trio of holes in it's head.

"Oh god." Jason whimpered. "What the hell was that?"

You jumped to your feet, mind racing. What had just happened.

"We need to get out of here," you said, your calm voice startling you. "Call the cops, something."

Jason nodded, dropping the gun like it was a giant roach and standing, stepping over the two body with a groan. Bile rose in your throat at the sight but you swallowed hard, focusing on getting out the door.

It was madness.

Screams filled the air outside, gunshots heard every now and then. There were cars in the street still running, doors opened and bodies inside. You covered your mouth, tears filling your eyes.

"What the hell. What the hell what the hell-" Jason said over and over. "What's going on?"

Without thinking you grabbed Jason's sleeve. "Let's go," you said urgently.

"Where?" he asked, still in shock.

You turned to look at him, dead serious. "I don't know. But far, far from here."