I met up with Marcus at the Southern gate after explaining the situation over radio, where he held what looked like a machete in a leather sheath. 

“This work for you Chase?” He handed it over to me and I pulled it out. My black hair shined in its reflection.

“Thanks man, it's perfect.” I looked up at the evening sky. “It’ll be dark soon, can you tell your guys to stay on guard? we may have a hot entrance on our way back.” 

“Of course man. Are you ok by the way? Over the radio when you talked about that girl and her sibling, it sounded… personal.” 

“It’s nothing important. At least not yet. I do owe you an explanation though, I’ll tell you after I get back.” I gave him a half hug that he returned. This would be a good excuse to come out to him. Though I hope he doesn’t suddenly justify dating a man because ‘you used to be a woman so it’s straight right?’ It is not straight man, not even close.

“You better man. I’ll see you soon.” He smiled. “Good luck, runner.” 

And with that, I was off out the Southern gate, machete on my back. Luckily it was just small enough that it wouldn’t make any of my movements difficult. I made my way onto a rooftop and began my way towards Jade street.

The South of the city was characterized primarily by suburbs, so many of the houses were around the same height, which meant less vertical exertion for me, but some longer jumps from house to house. This scenery was both familiar and foreign to me, considering how much time I spent running in the streets of the Southern city before the apocalypse. Here on the rooftops I was me, I was Chase, and down there were the memories I left behind. Where I was… her. 

The streets were mostly full of shamblers now in the evening, and much less densely populated than the North, but that would change when the sun went down. Remember when I said zombies don’t like the sun? I wasn’t kidding. I can literally hear the moans and yells of almost all the different kinds of freaks in the homes below my feet. That’s the shit that gives a guy nightmares. They have given me nightmares. Several.

Well, in between the ones that are just my memories of before. Today is just bringing them all back like a wave. I can see the past version of myself, still with long hair and a thick hoodie to hide the hideous thing that laid inside. Running. Running away from the only home I had ever known. Because my own family couldn’t bear the fact that their son wasn’t their daughter. Coming out at the same time the apocalypse started to come around was both a blessing and a curse. Away from people I now could see where manipulators and liars that don’t know how to adapt, I was both more free to survive and to be myself. To be Chase. 

I notice a sign in the distance. Jade street. Back to now man. Focus. The evening sun is starting to turn the sky into brilliant shades of purple and orange. After twilight we would be out of time. I have to get to them now. I speed up, dropping down to street level, ducking and dodging through the shamblers that make their home in the sidewalks and roads. Soon enough, I found it. 1225 Jade street.

Like all the other houses on the road, it was painted into the shade of green that shared the name of the street. The front door was unlocked, just as I expected it to be, considering zombies don’t exactly know how to open doors (thank god for that). Inside was a pretty nice place, pretty much what you’d expect from an upper middle class white family pre-apocalypse. Nice, carpeted floors, a ground level, and stairs that lead to a basement. Big TV in the living room, a hallway that I assume leads to bedrooms and a bathroom, a big, open kitchen. No point in looting anything in there though, considering all the food probably spoiled months ago. Besides canned stuff of course, but there’s no way the family that lived here didn’t go through that in weeks. 

“PLEASE NO, DON’T HURT ME! IT’S ME, NATHAN!”

Downstairs. No time to think, run. I bolt down the stairs and see a shambler pushing against a closed door, with crying and screams on the other side. It looks like it was a woman before it turned. Now the only markers of what was before was long, ruined hair and a tattered clothes that hung off its body. 

I pull my machete from its sheath and sneak up on it. Slowly and quietly. Not that it mattered much with how loud the kid was being. I raise up my blade in two hands and slice down its skull in one fluid motion, splitting its head in two and destroying the brain. It stopped moving a moment after. I turn myself and its corpse to the side of the door and raise my foot, kicking its body off my blade. I stumble as it falls to the ground. 

The kid stops making much noise from the other side.

“Mom?” They say.

“No, sorry. I’m a runner with the city. Can you let me in?” They open the door slightly, and I quickly slip in and close it, making sure they don’t see their mother’s body. 

“You had to kill her didn’t you?” The look in their blue eyes is sad, but accepting. 

“I’m sorry. It was her or us.”

“I understand. What’s your name Mister?”

“Chase. What’s yours?”

“Na-” I don’t let them finish.

“What’s your real name?”

They pause for a moment. “Are you… like me?”

“Well, if my assumption’s correct, then yes. When I was born, everyone thought I was a girl, when really, I’m a guy. What about you?”

“I’m not quite sure yet… but I don’t like being called a boy, or he, and when people in public mistake me as a girl it makes me really happy.” I smile at her. 

“I don’t think their mistaking it kiddo, you look like a girl to me.” She blushed and grinned. 

“Really?”

“Really.” I wasn’t lying, she really did look like a young girl in middle school who was just forced to cut her hair really short. 

“The name I’d like to be called is Ashley. To uh- answer your earlier question.”

“Ok Ashley.” She blushed again. Like looking in a damn mirror. I remember when I first told Marcus my name and he just used it like it was nothing. It was so hard to compose myself back then. All the little things would give me so much euphoria that it almost made me forget how much shit was going on in my life at that point between losing my family and the literal zombie apocalypse. Being myself grounded me. Kept me here and kept me from either dying or killing myself from the dysphoria and depression and… hopelessness. Now I’m happier than I’m ever been and it’s the end of the goddamn world. 

“Mr. Chase? Are you ok?” 

“Sorry, I was lost in thought for a moment. Remembering what it was like to be in your position. Let’s get home, and then I’ll help you talk with your sister, ok?”

“Alright… but what if she still doesn’t accept me?”

“She will. And if she doesn’t, then you can stay with me for a while.” I wouldn’t mind having a younger sister. I was the youngest in my old family. But first I need to get her safe.

“What now Mr. Chase?”

“Can you please stop calling me mister? It kinda sounds weird.” She nodded.

I pull out my radio. “Marcus this is Chase, do you read?”

Marcus’s voice sparks up from the other end. “Loud and clear Chase, did you find the kid?”

“Yeah, she’s ok. How’s it looking for our return?”

“It’s twilight already. A couple runners volunteered to run interference for you, Sam and Dirk. You can thank them later. Can the girl run ok?” She nodded.

“We’ll be fine. See you soon Marc. Tell the sister that all 3 of us are gonna have a talk when I get back.”

“Will do C, good luck.”

“Thanks.”

I put my radio away and look to Ashley. “Ok, so I would usually take the rooftops, especially at night, but since you’re here we’re going to have to take the streets. It’ll be cooler outside because of the dark, which means an easier run, but I won’t lie to you when I say this is going to hurt a lot for someone who isn’t trained. Keep a hold of my hand and don’t slow down for anything. You can do this.”

“Ok Chase, I trust you.” I hold my hand out to her and she takes it. I lead her out of the room, covering her eyes from her mother’s body, but she still takes a moment to look back as we go upstairs. She tightens her grip on my hand, but it doesn’t break her. “Goodbye mom…” I hear her whisper as we step out the front door.

Authors note:

TIME TO RUN BABYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYY