Well That's Not Good

Chapter 11 - Can Nothing Good Last?

This time, True isn't the only one that screams. The body hits the windshield, causing spiderweb like cracks to spread from the impact. Seto and True both scream, True grabbing the seat in front of him, Seto grabbing True. Sky lets out a panicked squeak, and Lox simply says "oh" quietly. He hits the breaks, sending the body rolling across the roof and onto the pavement behind them. For a moment, everything is still. Black blood splatters the windshield. 

"O-oh shit," Seto manages, "That. That wasn't- gods. Are th- are they okay?" He turns around, looking out the back window, letting go of True. The body is still on the pavement and he relaxes slightly. 

"Oh thank the gods."
"AAAAAAAAAA-" Seto jumps as True screams, pointing to the side window. Another two figures are slowly shambling out of the forest, slack jaws and dull eyes dripping black. Seto grabs back onto True, fear spiking through his entire body. There's a heavy thud behind him, and Seto whips around to see the body behind them had gotten up again. Before he can manage to say or do anything else, Lox has his hand on the gear shift. Seto and True are thrown forward as Lox speeds back, an awful thudding sound signifying the corpse has been hit again. 

"WHAT THE FUCK!!!" True yells. Lox shifts gears again, first, second, third, fourth, shifting as he speeds up again, hitting the poor zombie yet a third time and driving the entire car screaming down the road at very much not a legal speed. Seto looks out the window, watching the shambling bodies fade in the distance. It's not until it's quiet again that he realizes he and True and clinging to one another so tight that it hurts. He loosens his grip, but fails to let go. Heavy guilt paralyzes him. 

"That... was not fun." True chirps. Sky shakes his head. 
"I'm a monster," Seto gasps. Lox adjusts the rearview mirror to look at him and True frowns. 
"What? Seto-"
"I was just messing around and I caused this." His voice is weak. 
"You never meant for it to get out-" True starts, but Seto interrupts. 
"No, you don't want this. I always show up uninvited and- and I cause trouble-"
"You help me cook."
"-and I get in the way-"
"Seto calm down."
"-and now I've ended the world!" 
"Seto, calm down." 

Lox hits the brakes, once again throwing everyone forward. Sky gives a soft "hey," more disappointed than anything. Lox turns around and grabs Seto's shirt. 

"Listen here. You didn't do shit. You're a good person, you didn't plan to hurt anyone, you cried when you smashed a spider. You. Didn't. Cause this. Now shut up and hug True." He pushes Seto back into his seat, starts the car again, and gets back to the road. 

They drive in silence for a while after that. 

Lox considers his battery. It's been four days, the longest he had gone without being charged. Hypothetically, he could last a week. Still, having never tested this before, it worries him. He doesn't feel off, but what would it feel like to loose power? Falling in the pond had felt like a jolt- not pain, he wasn't sure he could truly feel pain. He wonders if this is what it would feel like to loose power, maybe slower. 

He glances in the rearview mirror. Seto has fallen asleep on True, black smears down his face from his eyeliner running. Lox frowns slightly. Where had Seto found eyeliner in the car? Did True keep it in the car for him? Lox makes a mental note to destroy any eyeliner he finds. True whines about it staining the sheets, but still always lets Seto stay over. 

The windshield makes small cracking noises and black blood has dried. Sky is asleep his with lips slightly parted, slumped less than attractively against the window. There's a smear of spit where his face has slid against the glass. 

It's not until nightfall things get bad again. 

When Lox stops the car, he makes sure they can see the area. Faint purple lights down the road show they're not far from the original jellyfish spot- that, or they've floated farther up the road. As per usual, everyone stumbles with stiff legs out the doors, stretching and searching the floor of the car for granola bars. Sky takes off his blindfold, gold eyes glowing in the dark. They're warm and stunning against the soft silver light of the moon and star on True's face. The woods are thinned slightly, and for the first time in a while, True and Sky get to lay down and watch the stars. 

Seto smiles softly, allowing the cool night air to calm him to some degree. Lox puts and arm around him, causing him to give a startled chip before relaxing. 

"Those two can be happy anywhere," Lox grumbles. Seto nods. 
"It's a talent."
"Not one he gave me."
"You're a pessimist, I'm sure it was an accident." Lox smiles adn Seto leans against him. 

"Thanks for saving me."
"It was True's idea." 
"You didn't need to go with them." 
"...Yeah. Yeah I did." 
"That's ga-"
"Shut up." 

Seto laughs. It's a short laugh, high and light. True points up at the stars and Sky cheers. The two of them, laying in the road, laughing and smiling, it almost makes it feel okay. However, Seto's guard is up enough to catch the twigs snapping behind them. 

Seto and Lox turn around at almost the same moment. The zombie isn't in a suit like the others have been, causing fear and guilt to grab at Seto's heart. It's a young adult, jeans and dark hair, a plain blue and white striped shirt stained black with the black blood dripping from his face. For a moment, Seto is frozen, but Lox doesn't waste a moment to hit the walking corpse with his hand, causing him to stumble back. Skull cracks behind the blow of a metal hand, and Seto feels dizzy. He holds his hand up, sparks forming again.

He's already dead, it's okay. 

He remembers True's scream. 

Dammit Seto, do something!

The look on Sky's face. 

"Seto, move!" Lox yells, dragging back the corpse. It's then that Seto realizes it doesn't care for Lox, why Lox might have missed the undead that found Sky so quickly. 

"You're not alive," Seto says, somewhat obviously, as the zombie's hands reach out towards him. Lox tries to pull it back, hitting it over the head again. The skull cracks, it stumbles, but shambles forward. Seto doesn't move. By this point, Sky and True have noticed. 

"Seto, what are you doing?!" True yells. Seto blinks, shakes his head, and focuses again. The sparks go from said sparklers to full blown flames as the zombie's nails scrape against his skin.