Bullet Points

Twitch

It had taken less than a minute for the world to descend into chaos.

Tong Nian panted hoarsely as she edged her way cautiously along a darkened, dingy street, her heart hammering painfully in her chest. In this day and age, having a heartbeat so loud was akin to having a target painted on your head but try as she might, she simply couldn't calm it. The fear was real and intense and she had never been very good at repressing her emotions. However, naivety was now practically a death sentence; emotions were nothing but a hindrance, a weakness she must learn to suppress at all costs. There was no time like the present; the scientist in Nian Nian knew that hysteria would get her nowhere. Cold, calm rationality would allow her to survive, to hopefully battle her way through this hell and back unscathed. Cold-blooded reason was the only thing that would let any of them survive; the future of humanity depended on it. It was a burden far too great for her slim shoulders to bear, but she had little to no say in the matter. She had to survive. It was true that the world was a fearful place, but the most terrifying thing wasn't the omnipresent threat of death; what she was scared of was that she was alone. Completely alone. For the first time ever.

Nobody knew how the virus had started spreading so rapidly; one day, the general population were being urged to wash their hands and cover their faces with surgical masks and the next thing anyone knew, people were being hauled unceremoniously into quarantine. Despite the vast arsenal of medical knowledge at their disposal, the world had been wholly, woefully unprepared for this type of biological warfare. It was certainly more than Nian Nian had been able to handle - it was hard to keep holding onto a sliver of hope when life as she knew it had imploded so dramatically about her ears. Families had been torn apart, kicking and screaming, right in front of her, and there had been absolutely nothing that she could do to stop it. Her heart had ripped apart alongside theirs, but how could she help them when she was just as terrified and confused as they were? Little Squid had thought she was a genius, but irony was a cruel mistress and it turned out she had nothing in her mental archives to combat such widespread pestilence. Tong Nian was merely another little girl lost amongst the crowd, small, frightened and unfortunately alone. She didn't know if her family was alive. She didn't even know if her partner was alive.

Nian Nian swallowed painfully as his handsome face swam before her eyes, deliberately cold and cynical but with that playful sparkle in his eyes that called to her on a mortal level. He never had been able to hide that sparkle... the lump in her throat grew to an almost unbearable size as the tiny girl pondered whether or not she would ever see him again. Her Gun... her heart throbbed like an open wound as she thought of him, the one she loved more than any other. No doubt he was faring much better than she was; her paramour wasn't the type to take adversity lying down, he was far too strong willed and stubborn for that. Old Han wouldn't be beaten down by the horrors of this world, not when he had faced down his own demons and emerged the victor. Still... how she longed he was there with her. Unfortunately, wishful thinking had no place in the world any longer; hesitation and weakness were a one way ticket destined to destruction.

Nian Nian had lost Gun early on in the beginnings of the outbreak, torn cruelly away from him amidst all the chaos. His last words still haunted her; he had told her point blank that that should they become separated, by all costs she had to persevere and strive forwards. Even if it meant leaving him behind. Her eyes watered as she remembered his voice, characteristically stoic and serious; I'm not worth risking your neck for. The aim of the game is to survive, Tong Nian. She didn't necessarily agree with his words, but she had no choice but to respect them. After all, the dead had inexplicably started to reanimate, ravenous for the flesh of the living; despite what her heart ached for, it had been too dangerous to turn back.

Fight or flight, a leftover response from their primitive ancestors; it seemed that she was a slave to her biology after all, just like every other poor soul left behind in this godforsaken wasteland. It pained Little Squid to realise that she was all smoke and mirrors; she had once told him she would die for him, but when push came to shove, she had in reality chosen to flee instead of holding on. Gun had told her to run, and she had taken him at face value - she knew in her heart of hearts he would never blame her for her decision. It was what he would have wanted, but she still felt like she had swallowed venom when she realised she had abandoned him to save her own skin. What he wanted couldn't dim the guilt; it certainly did little to stop her from missing him. It did little to assuage the sharp worry that gnawed at her peace of mind. Nian Nian was lost. He was gone. It was undeniable that there was a possibility that he was dea-