Well That's Not Good

Chapter 13 - Schrodinger's Pigs

For the sake of everyone reading, let's do a 2012 style timeskip. 
Unless, of course, you want a detailed description of fours guys driving through a forest for three days. It's not like you would want a description of Seto watching as the flowers he put in True's hair wilt, or have a glance at the edgy poetic thoughts on it, or like you would want more descriptions of Sky running into things, playing ABBA on the radio, or Lox defying the laws of robotics once more. 

No, it's zombie time. 

"It's kinda cool we're in a real zombie world now," Sky chimes as they pull into the driveway. No one answers with words, just dead, empty stares. Fortunately for Sky, he can't see a damn thing.
"What? Someone had to say it!" 
"I lost a hand," Seto says.
"We both got frozen on the way out," adds True.
"You're an idiot," concludes Lox. Sky grins. 
"Ey! We're back to normal! C'mon, I wanna eat something other than granola bars and jerky!" Sky skips over to the house, tripping on the stairs and falling face first onto the porch almost instantly. Seto manages a smile. 

It had been a rough week.  

Lox stumbles in, the lights on his headphones red and flickering. True had asked why he was so worried, and Lox admitted he had faked his battery dying before. He wasn't sure what it would be like to actually loose power. 

True did not like knowing his robot had learned how to do that. 

The house is just as they left it. Cupboards open and empties of easy to carry foods, now featuring Sky, who has already managed to crouch on the counter and go through two cabinets searching for something to eat. Lox drags himself over to his charging corner and pokes the wire into his headset. The light goes from red to a faint pulsing white, and he switches into sleep. 

Seto stumbles back to his spot on the couch, followed closely by True with a first aid kit. He bites his lip as True carefully pulls the jacket off his stub, reopening some scabbing and allowing Seto to see what was left for the first time. 

It had been good Lox did it, Sky or True might have hesitated, or had the instinct to slow down the blow at the last second. Lox couldn't do that, he had an action to preform, he executed it, tossed the remains into the fire without hesitation. True's expression remains neutral, but Seto can see as the blood drains from him face. He doesn't like this, either. 

"So, we should probably get to blocking up the doors," he says softly, wiping down the skin left on Seto's arm. Seto nods, not sure what else to do. It's hard to watch, but impossible to look away. 

"Sky's keeping pretty high spirits. He's scared, I don't think you saw his eyes after- he might be up late tonight. I think it could be good for both of you to stay together," True adds. Seto nods again. Whatever True is using stings. Alcohol perhaps? 

"I could take a shot or five right now." It had made sense in his head. True to medicine, medicine to alcohol, alcohol to getting drunk out of your mind. Hadn't done that since the new year. True sighs and looks up at him. His eyes are red and tired and a new moon dulls his face. Sitting on the floor at Seto's feet, he tries to find some form of comfort. Instead he finds himself nodding. 

"Yeah. Yeah me too, man. Fortify the house, then we can drink, okay?" He smiles, and Seto wants to believe him. True could say the sky was green and he'd listen. 

Of course, Seto falls asleep on the couch not long after. Sky curls up beside him, leaving True a quiet house. It feels wrong. Things don't often get heavy on the farm. There's Seto's winter depression, often weighted out by Sky's nocturnal nature loving the short days and long nights. Things like that could be helped with snowball fights and hot chocolate. True was pretty sure he and Seto couldn't bake their way to happiness this time. 

Instead, alone, True starts to fortify the house, starting with the basics- locking the doors and windows. At first, he finds himself dragging his feet, the task feeling awful and heavy. However, the farther he goes, the more his mind turns. Yes, he should board up the downstairs windows, but upstairs should stay open or they'd go insane, perhaps he can remove the glass for future repairs? He goes to the barn. The barn. It's far to distant from the house to lay boards across, a good hundred meters. Instead, a tunnel could be built slowly, not now, as his hands still shake and his missing fingers do him no good in staying calm. 

Not knowing how long he has, True starts to move his workshop from the barn to his home. 

Morality is something that sits with him during this. Knowing the right choice is far easier after the fact, and an make your past actions seem stupid or cruel no matter how good the intent. This crosses his mind as he returns to the barn for one last trip. His pigs. True, they're animals, and True is pretty sure if animals were going to go zombie, they'd have been eaten my zombie moose or bears by now. If he let the pigs go, they might have a better chance. Again, if he didn't, he might have a better chance. If it got bad, if True couldn't go back and feed them, one might die. Pigs will eat anything, so- 

He shakes his head and leaves the barn door closed but unlocked. If they get hungry, they can break out. If he can feed them, hold off until he has a safe passage to the barn, it'll work out. Throwing his last workbag over his shoulder, True turns back to head indoors.