Dead to You (BxB)

Prologue: In the Garden of Eden

Tucked away at the edge of the town, a brook babbled over the rocks on the shore, its water as blue as the sky. Close by, a growth of green lichen sprouted from the ground onto a tent. A flysheet was pitched over this natural tent and was tacked down a few feet beyond the boundary edges, offering extra protection from any weather. Empty bottles were strewn around the clearing, from the tent to the brook. Above, the sunrise cast a reddish veil.

'Red in morning, sailors warning...'

Lisa limped out. Barefoot, she picked her way between the broken glass where some of the bottles had been shattered the night before.

She usually was more considerate, but the previous night had been a special occasion. After Lisa joined the Navy, she and Owen had drifted apart. It had been months since she and Owen had talked together, and they had celebrated their reunion with just a little too much to drink. Owen's voice from last night still reverberated.

'You're the only friend I ever had, don't leave me please!'

When images of Owen flashed in her mind, she sighed and massaged her temples with the thumb and index. This afternoon, she knew what she was going to say to Owen. 

Still buzzed and bleary-eyed, Lisa spotted a brown wool coat on a rock. It was as if it had been left there for her to catch. Owen was still in the tent, deep in his drunken sleep. His dreams must have been full of naked Daenerys and Margaery. Slowly, she approached it. She blinked a few times. The coat grew in size. Through a squint, she could make out grey pants. The fabric carried the fragrance of old petals. Now, there were two black boots, similar to hooves. Through the blurriness, she saw two ebony gloves. It almost could have been at her reach.

It took several moments for her brain to put all the information together. She discerned what seemed to be a pair of hands inside the gloves. Suddenly, all the puzzle pieces slid into place inside her mind.

It was a man.

"Owen, I... I need your help," Lisa said with a feeble voice.

Owen still snored from inside the tent.

From the stranger's stomach, blood dripped into the brook, which tainted the water. It almost looked like he had been eaten to a certain extent. A twitching movement caught her attention. No, it must have been a trick of the hangover and the sun.

He released a dry growl and opened his eyes. Yellow. His eyes were yellow like the ones of a goat. Lisa edged herself back to the tent. Her gaze fixed on the strange man.

"Sir, are- are you okay?" she asked.

Her eyes were damp. They could not see the shard of glass under her left foot. The ball brushed it. Then, she stepped on it. A scream left her mouth as she tripped on the ground.

The rabid stranger got closer, he was ten feet away. Foam dripped from his mouth as he hobbled toward her. Lisa wanted to stand up, but she was glued. Now, the man was five feet away. The ground trembled under his feet, akin to heartbeats. The distance turned to only one feet. A miasma of moss, clay and decomposition emanated from him. The stranger tackled her to the ground. He tried to sink his dark-molded teeth into her skin. His groans, close to a dog, blended with Lisa's screams. 

"OWEN! Help me!" 

It struck Owen in the ears. He threw the blanket away from him and stumbled out of the tent. Lisa beamed, but then sensed a sharp pain in her left wrist.

The man had bitten her.

She screeched. Owen shivered. His hands shook. The muscles of his legs became rigid, so he was unable to move, unable to help Lisa. Her face contorted into a foreign shape. The skin of her cheeks looked like they were about to rip themselves open. It was impossible. Lisa was a soldier. She was meant to be strong. She could not get hurt. Again, Owen felt that his friend was taken away. Blood spurted from the large vein in her wrist and covered her in its sticky wash.

Owen gaped at his left and gripped his skateboard. He staggered his way to the left. Out of breath, he stood up. With a shrill roar, Owen brought down the top edge of the skateboard onto the sick man's head with a loud thump. The skull was smashed. It was smashed again, again and again, until a loud crack was heard, like a gunshot. Grayish-brown tissue swelled through the fractures.

Owen tore a swatch of cloth from the bottom of his t-shirt, coiled it around her wrist, and cinched tightly to control the blood from the wound. Then, he wrapped his arms around Lisa and headed to his car.

"Don't worry, you're gonna be alright," said Owen.

"Owen..." Lisa shivered. "I-I have something to tell you," she slurred. "I... I..." Her eyes closed and she passed out. 

Owen's hand tremored as he tried to unlock the car. The keys jingled between his fingers. Owen snatched the door open and placed her in the passenger seat. When Owen got in the driver seat, his heart thumped against his chest like a drum. Owen scanned the car panel. It was Lisa's car, she was supposed to drive it. The last time he drove a car, it was through a computer screen. His thoughts spun around in a ring-a-ring o'roses. Then, they all fell down. A primal scream erupted from Owen. Droplet spits landed on the steering wheel.

"Imagine what Lisa would do. Come on Owen, you can do it."

Owen exhaled and started the engine. As he grabbed the gear stick, he peered at Lisa. Her complexion was pale. Black veins began to snake on all sides of the bite. Then, Owen stepped on the gas. His vision of the road was fast-paced. Trees, buildings, and figures passed like bats out of hell. Owen stared only at the road. They were in town, not far from the hospital."Think like Lisa, think like Lisa," Owen chanted.

Lisa opened her eyes. They were as black as an oil slick. She snarled like a feral banshee. With one lunge, she gnawed at Owen's neck. Her teeth sunk in his skin.

As he tried to protect himself with his hands, the steering wheel lolled to the left. Then, the car drove straight into a lamp post.

Owen pushed his door and fell on the ground. Behind him, there was Lisa. Her porcelain face into the windshield, pierced by the glass. Her eyes still open.

Owen walked and limped away between the streets. His vision got blurry and fragmented. He was in Jeffrey Archer Boulevard. Shop names mixed in his mind. Titty Typhoon,  Angela's Horoscope, Fulci Fun Center...

Soon, he wandered into a horde of strange people, strange as Lisa after she got bitten. He was among other creatures now. His gaze fixed on each of them. One of them got close. Half of his face was charred. The smell of burnt steak permeated from him. The creature looked at him with its black hollow eyes, empty of any life.

It walked past him.

Owen was surprised for a moment. But he was soon drowned by hunger. He needed to eat. Unable to communicate anymore, he looked for the sole thing his brain urged for. 

Living flesh.

On the corner of an avenue, he perceived a tall man. Bulkier than him. But it did not matter to him, he felt a new energy inside him. The same he saw in Lisa. His body was stronger now. He sprung at the man and gripped his hands on his arms. Suddenly, he felt his mandible bend. Some sort of needle went through his tongue. Then, the needle got thicker and went up his brain. A curious taste was in his mouth. It had the savor of sour vinegar. Blood.

His blood.

A black and protuberant thorn had burst out of the tall man's right arm. His pupils burnt in a chatoyant red. The black thorn pointed at the sky, it passed through Owen's skull. Without much effort, the man pulled his spike out of the inferior infected, like a corkscrew. The man looked at the dead body with contempt. After that, he closed his eyes, meditated. He checked his reflection in a window and smiled. Then, he ambled away inside the hospital and left Owen's body on the grass. Crows pecked his flesh in decomposition. One of them cut the string of the cross which circled his neck. The crucifix fell in the grass, untouched by the blood. 

Meanwhile, the brook of the glade flowed with it.

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Well, looks like Lisa and Owen got Red Wedding all over. 

Which character's death has surprised you the most? (Spoiler alert, then)

Mine was in a video game (Danganronpa) where an important character died right away.