Black Rose's (a Human Stevinel Zombie Apocalypse au)

Chp 1 (another day to survive)

  "Steven.....I'm sorry....I'm so sorry...."

     Steven gasped as he immediately sat up in his bed, sweat coating his skin as he panted hard, and he ran his fingers on his left hand through his curly brown hair as he tried to calm himself. "Darn it....not again....I thought I was over this...." He mumbled to himself as he gripped the blanket that covered his shaking form. Steven had hoped that he'd get a decent night's sleep last night since he has a big job to do today, however, that seemed to be to much to ask for him. He glanced up and noticed the sunlight trickling in through the blinds of his window, with a sigh he wrapped his blanket around his half naked body before opening the blinds to look outside. The streets were filled with people, people returning to their homes to rest, people heading off to their assigned shifts, or people doing their assignments by delivering items to others. A small smile developed on his face, Little Homeworld is operating as it should be, and he hoped after today it'd be operating even better than before. Steven threw on a pair of his jeans, his black shirt with a logo of a yellow star on the front, his pink bomber jacket that has definitely seen better days due to a few rips, and a few stains he could never get out no matter how hard he had tried in the past. After slipping his pink tennis shoes on, he went back over to his nightstand and picked up his black eyepatch. He placed the cup of the eyepatch over his left eye, and tied the two black strands together on the back of his head into a strong knot. Once Steven was done, he stood in front of his slightly cracked mirror and adjusted his eyepatch enough to where it felt comfortable enough on his face, and once he was done with that he studied his features in that same mirror. A survivor of three years, three years since everything went to hell, living in Little Homeworld for two and a half years, a city built within a city, and this city is all what's left of a thriving community in the apocalypse. He shook his head, not wanting to think that as he had a very important job to do today, and with that he went out into the living room holding two very special weapons. A pistol he always carried with him in case of emergencies, extra ammo for those emergencies, and a modified weapon that his friend Bismuth made just for him. A handmade sledgehammer, made to look more like an enlarged meat tenderiser, small spike like bumps on every flat surface, the handle shortened for a better swing, and the handle wrapped in black duct tape for a better grip. It may seem heavy to others, but it was surprisingly light if anyone wanted to pick it up, and it was the perfect weapon if anyone wanted to use it to smash in a skull or two. With that in mind he went to the closet in his living room and removed his small backpack from that closet, having checked to make sure he kept emergency ammunition, a few pieces of food, and with his ukelele tucked away nice and safe in that same pack, he then flung the pack onto his back and headed to the door that lead to the hallway just outside his apartment. Steven made it a habit to check the peephole in case something had happened in the middle of the night and he was to deeply asleep to even notice, and he didn't want to be caught off guard. He sighed in relief when he noticed that the hallway was empty, and with that he smiled and left his apartment.

    If this was any ordinary day before the apocalypse, three flights of stairs may seem a bit much and would take the elevator, but since Little Homeworld had to reserve any electricity they produced, the elevator was a no go. Steven didn't mind the stairs, every resident in Little Homeworld was required to exercise or train almost everyday, so a couple flights of stairs weren't that much to him anyways. He made his way down the streets, saying "good morning" to almost everyone he passed, or even giving a friendly wave to others. Steven's smile grew even more when he helped kick a patched up ball back to some kids that were playing with it, everyone was playing a little part in taking back the world, whether it was something small, like playing a game of catch with a friend, or growing a food source for Little Homeworld in the large park. It felt like the thriving community was taking back the world, building by building, street by street, even if all they could do was keep some of what used to be Beach City safe from the monsters outside the walls, it was better than nothing, and with that he made his way to the very large building that housed the leading group of Little Homeworld. The building looked like it used to be a large car repair shop with a yard filled with junk cars, spare parts, and a large shed that he knew housed one of his closest friends. The large garage like door was already swung open, showing that a few of his friends and the leader of the group, the Crystal Gems to be exact, were gathered around a large table with a map of the east coast laid on the wooden surface. "Oh Steven! You're finally here!" A familiar voice spoke up from the group, a voice he's heard many times before in his life, it belonged to a familiar red headed woman, the leader of the Crystal Gems, and it belonged to his surrogate mother named Pearl. "Hey Pearl, soooo.....have we decided on where we need to scavenge?" Steven asked as he approached the table with the map on it, placing his backpack right against the table leg. "Yes.....every hardware store in Beach City has been scavenged, most of Funland has been stripped for parts...... And thanks to the horrible storm a few days ago we're in dire need of repairs, and we're running low on building materials for those repairs..... Shingles, nails, wood, brick, cement bags if they're not already hardened, those sorts of things.....so....it looks like Empire City is our best bet" Pearl explained as she pointed to the dot on the map that is labeled Empire City, "near the outskirts of the city, there is a construction sight that was being used to make another apartment complex, of course it's been abandoned......so there's a good chance that it'll have what we need" she finished. "Heck, even if you get metal, I can make nails out of those things fast, or even sandbags. Peridot could help me make glass out if those easily~" a tall, buff looking woman explained as she smiled confidently, and along with her dreadlocks, Steven could recognize Bismuth talking in an instant. "That means I'll be riding along with whoever is coming in the truck?" Steven asked as he looked at the map. Pearl nodded to confirm Steven's guess, "yup, it's going to involve a lot of heavy lifting, which is why Jasper and Amethyst are going with you. However, you can't be the only one defending those two in case of an attack, so.......Connie is going with you" she finished. Steven's breathing hitched at the mention of her name, but then he sighed in defeat, "ok, when are we leaving?" he asked. Steven had known Connie for as long as he could remember, childhood friends that turned into something even more, but......well, let's just say that Steven doesn't think or feel the same about that anymore. Sure, he and her are still friends, they still joke around at times, but it still felt awkward at times when he wasn't mentally prepared for it. "Soon, Connie and Jasper are prepping the truck for this mission. Amethyst will meet you over there ok?" Pearl responded as Bismuth leaned against the wall near the table. Steven got a good look at Pearl, she may not seem like a hardcore survivor with her faded blue jacket, tank top, leggings, and ballet looking shoes. However, Steven has seen Pearl in combat, and she is a force that no one should reckon with in battle. "Ok..." Steven nodded in response, he took one last glance at the map before looking back up at Pearl. He could tell that she was making that familiar face, the face that held concern, worry, but also pride for Steven. Steven smiled softly before giving Pearl a great big hug, "don't worry Pearl.... we'll be back before you know it~" he reassured her as soon as he felt her return the hug. "I know you will...." Pearl hugged even tighter onto Steven before releasing him from her arms, she then looked at his face for a bit before licking her thumb and trying to wipe away a dirt smudge that Steven has on his face. Bismuth could only chuckle as she watched the amusing scene unfold, Steven being embarrassed as Pearl fussed over him like he was a little kid, but even that had to come to an end. "Peaaaaaaaarl I gotta go!~" Steven whined, which finally made Pearl finally stop fussing over him. "One last hug...." Pearl whispered softly before hugging Steven once again, just like every time she'd hope that he'd change his mind and take an easier job to do in the little city, but she knew Steven all to well to know that he'd rather make a difference by helping find supplies so they could thrive rather than be stuck behind some walls while waiting for something to grow or waiting for something that would break so he could help fix it. Well, Steven would help out with those types of things, harvesting produce, fixing anything that's broken with Bismuth's help, assisting Connie's mother, Priyanka, is certain medical aid that someone would need, or helping test out some type of new experiment for Peridot. Steven hugged back one last time before pulling away from Pearl, "tell Garnet I said bye~" he answered before he went to retrieve his backpack and his sledgehammer from the side of the table. "Be safe little man~" Bismuth smiled as she held out her hand for Steven to fist bump, and her smile brightened more when he returned that fist bump. "See you later Bismuth, try not to set anything on fire this time~" Steven joked as he slung his backpack back onto his back, and rested his sledgehammer on his right shoulder before quickly walking off. "HEY IT WAS THAT ONE TIME!" Bismuth shouted back at Steven, which made Pearl laugh out loud as Steven stifled his own laughter, and with that he made his trek to where he'd leave the safety of Little Homeworld and out to the dangerous environment of the apocalypse.