Fragile Hearts [DANGEROUS FELLOWS]

⚠️FOUR: LOOKING AT COUCHES IS NOT HELPING⚠️

The nest few days were the longest of your entire life.

Jason's dad had found a radio and tuned it to the emergency station, but all the sounded was static. The food was plentiful but the lack of vegetables and nutrients left you feeling sick and bloated. Every night you feared of a zombie attack, but nothing happened.

Until one day, when the water ran out.

"My mouth feels like a desert," Jason complained, his desperate swallowing heard from all the way on the other side of the couch.

"Have you tried the tap?" his dad asked, flipping through the radio stations but having no luck.

"Only the kitchen sink works, and the stuff is brown," Jason groaned. "Man, in a zombie apocalypse, this is not how I imagined I'd die."

"You aren't going to die," his father assured him doubtfully.

"We need to go outside," you spoke up. "We won't last without water, that's a guarantee."

Jason looked shocked. "Outside? Are you out of your mind?"

You stood up, pulling on your backpack. "How are we supposed to last without water?" you asked him, going over to the door.

"Hey, hey!" Jason's dad cried, sliding in front of you and blocking the way out. "You can't go on your own. Let me come."

"I'm coming too," Jason declared, grabbing his backpack as well.

"We'll need a weapon, just in case," Jason's dad suddenly realized. He held up a finger for you two to wait and then headed into the bathroom. With a loud bang and a few profanities he came back holding the shower curtain rod. It was sturdy and heavy, perfect for combat.

"Are we really gonna do this?" Jason asked, looking a little pale.

You shook your head. "We've got no choice. We can't sit around and die of dehydration. I'd rather die fighting."

"Dehydration doesn't sound so bad," Jason muttered as his dad unlocked the door. The breeze was surprisingly chilly as you stepped out, and an eerie silence fell over the town. You stepped out onto the metal platform, checking for any movement down below before you started climbing down the ladder. You waited nervously for Jason and his father, feeling like you were being watched.

The three of you wordlessly set out, looking around cautiously. The first day the outbreak had happened, the air was filled with noise and panic. People had been everywhere, running for their lives. But now, everything was quiet and still, debris blowing in the breeze. The smell of death hung in the air, bloodstains grim reminders of the apocalypse.

Jason's dad took the lead, holding the rod at the ready. He led you two across the street and towards a shopping district that looked sad and abandoned. The fountain at the center of the district was muddy and pieces of flesh floated in the murky water.

"Let's make this quick," you whimpered. Jason's dad nodded, looking around the shops before landing on a supermarket. He waved you two on, hurrying inside. The white lights still shone bright and the hum of an emergency generator could be heard, but the place was abandoned.

"Let's split up," Jason whispered. "We gotta be fast."

Reluctantly you agreed, going in the direction of the drinks to get water. You took down three jugs, putting them in your backpack and trying to ignore how heavy it was. Then you quickly went over to the packaged food section, grabbing breads and chips and anything substantial.

"Did you hear that? This place has gotta have zombies crawling in it," came a familiar voice from the next isle. Your blood turned cold and you went still, straining to hear.

"Ignore it. This place has hardly been touched by any of the survivors. We need to get as much  food as we can," came another voice, one you didn't recognize. They sounded surprisingly calm yet their voice was firm, like a leader's.

"Zion, go to the next aisle. Looking at couches is not helping us any." a sarcastic and dismissive voice said.

"Yes sir," the first voice, Zion, the familiar one, replied with just as much sarcasm. There were footsteps and you dropped the bag of buns, scurrying over to a storage room and quickly hiding inside of it. There were slits in the door and you peeked out, trembling.

The boy who was in the packaged food aisle was the same one you saw at the pharmacy. He picked up a bag of cheese popcorn, looking disinterested, and threw it over his shoulder, picking up another package.

A scuffle of feet behind you made your heart stop and you slowly turned around. You saw a bunch of white dots near the ground, and you squinted, trying to get adjusted to the darkness of the storage room.

When you could see better, you saw half a dozen zombies crouched over a dead man. They tore off pieces of his skin, meat from his bones, tasting them and eating them.

You screamed before you could stop yourself, feeling in the dark for the door handle. Alarmed, the zombies looked up, all beginning to growl and snarl. One leapt up, rushing at you, and the others followed suit.

You found the handle and shoved the door open, swinging it back behind you. It didn't get a chance to close before the zombies burst out of the small doorway, right on your heals.

Zion's eyes widened, in a look that was more confusion and surprise than fear, and you threw yourself at him, pushing him forward.

"Run, you idiot!" you screamed, pushing him again, and this time he got the picture. He spun around to the next aisle where a group of boys were, all looking alarmed.

"We gotta get out of here!" Zion shouted at them, and they all took off together. You slowed down, heart racing as you looked for Jason and his dad.

"Jason! Jason!" you screamed, slowing further.

"Are you actually insane? Keep running!" a boy with a mask scolded, grabbing your arm and not letting you protest.

"My friends, my friends!" you insisted, trying to pull free from his grip.

"Just shut up!" he snapped, jerking you forward. You didn't even have the energy anymore to fight back, letting him pull you along. The group of boys burst out from the market, taking a left, away from the apartment you had been taking refuge in. The zombies were still giving chase but they were further away, their growling getting quieter. A few more turns and the group reached a huge metal gate.

Zion pushed forward and struggled with it, grunting with the effort. "Little help?" he asked angrily, and a boy with glasses flew forward, helping him pull it open just as the zombies drew near. The boy holding you shoved you and himself past the gate. The boy with glasses followed, and Zion was last. He threw the gate closed and locked it, and the air filled with bodies banging against metal as the zombies banged against it desperately.

You sank to the ground, wrapping your arms around yourself. Just a few days ago you promised Jason you would stick together no matter what. And now here you were, miles away.

"I thought I told you not to cause anymore trouble," came Zion's gruff voice. He picked you up from the ground from the back of your jacket, brushing the dirt off of your clothes. "Now c'mon, unless you're planning to keep the zombies company."

Zion caught up with the rest of the boys, who were running into a school building. You stared out the gate at the zombies, drooling and hissing, and turned away towards the school. With a shuddering sigh you broke into a sprint, going up to the front doors and following after the three boys.