“Okay, I think we’re safe now.”
We had been on the run throughout the whole day. This particular group of zombies was hard to shake, but, like always, we managed to outrun them and find another abandoned building to hide in.
But that’s all we ever do. Outrun.
I heard him rummaging around in the room next door.
“Oh thank god, they had some pills leftover.” He walked over. The cork popped from the bottle; then a shake. “Here.”
I stood up from where I was sitting on the bed and took it, dry swallowing. “How many are left?”
He popped one in his mouth. “Only two”
I frowned. “Including the ones we just took, that leaves us forty-eight hours, at most.”
He nodded. “But that’s two days we don’t have to worry about them attacking us.” He held up the radar in his hand. “If things go as planned, we should be able to find the cure within that time. If not, we’ll have to move again.”
I couldn’t help but smile.
His eyebrow raised. “And just what are you so happy about?”
“Oh, nothing.” I said innocently; there was no way I would ever tell him. Then a punch hit my arm. “Ow! What was that for?”
He smirked, blowing his fist like a gun. “That was for keeping secrets to yourself. But this...” he started backing me up against the wall, towering over me and making me feel small and safe, his hand already at its usual place between me, palming and sending that delicious tingle coursing through my veins, “is the start of another night for us.”
“D-Damn you...! Are you ever not horny?”
He chuckled quietly. “Are you ever not adorable?”, and the rubbing quickened.
“...a...ahh.....!”
He leaned in, lips brushing my ear. “Tonight, it’s just you and me.”
“Yeah, if the zombies don’t burst in first...!— a-ahh...”
He bit my ear, just hard enough to leave a mark, but soft enough to leave me wanting more. “Shh, don’t worry, I’ll protect you.” A soft kiss on my neck. “I’ll take care of you. In fact...” The hand slipped inside my pants and groped around, “...Why don’t I take care of this first?”
“Y-you...!”
It was starting. The warm feeling was taking over, and I was losing control of myself, wanting nothing more than his touches, his kisses, his—
I blushed.
...his powerful cock inside of me...
“So what’ll it be, hmm?” he whispered, lips trailing down my jaw.
“I-idiot! I’m not telling you— mmph...!”
With his mouth over mine, I know I should be used to it by now, him fighting for control, tongue slipping around and tasting me, but every time he kissed me, I melted under his touch. There was no use fighting. I closed my eyes, allowing myself to fall under his power.
Suddenly, the floor underneath fell away and I found myself slung over a shoulder.
“H-hey! Put me down! Put me d— Oof!”
Pulling myself into a sitting position, I looked up from where I landed on the bed,
...and flushed, at the sight of him throwing off his shirt, revealing plenty of toned muscles which—I'll admit—had proven themselves useful during more than one zombie attack, as well as nights that left me unforgettably sore the morning after...
As soon as his boxers joined the rest of his clothes on the floor, he crawled onto the bed and began taking off mine.
“You know what I love about you?” he purred, pulling off my pants in one swift tug.
I shivered. “I don’t care to know—!”
He smirked playfully, then placed his hands on either side of my waist and slowly glided up, raising my shirt along the way. I gulped, and brought up my arms submissively, allowing him to have his way.
“I love it when you pretend to protest, even as I unpackage you,” he said, throwing off my shirt, his mouth leaning dangerously close to a nipple. He flicked his tongue, and I behaved exactly the way he wanted, arching my back and flying up into heaven.
“—ah...hhaa.....”
“But what I love most of all...” he whispered, rubbing the other one and enjoying its soft innocence, “...are the little sounds you make, every time your body reacts to its deepest, most desperate, desires.”
“Y-you dumbass...!” I squirmed under his touch, my body burning by the second. “J-just shut up and...and...” I wanted “that” so badly my mind was going crazy, but I was too embarrassed to say it.
“Oh no, that won’t do at all.” He tilted up my chin. “If you want something, you have to ask for it.” Reaching down, he faintly grazed the part of me that yearned to be invaded. “Beg for it.”
“...aahh...”
I squeezed shut my eyes, knowing it was a losing battle that came out with him on top every single time.
“...please, I-I want you to...to...” I could barely hear myself over the beating of my heart, “...to put it...inside...of...me...”
He smiled. “As you wish,” then grabbed my wrists and pinned them above my head. I looked away, embarrassed that he knew my favourite position to make love in. With his other hand, he pushed in two fingers, and began stretching me open.
“...nnh...ahh...”
“Mmm, judging by the way you swallowed me up, you must be feeling desperate down there.”
“J-just hurry, idiot!” I wanted something bigger, and his teasing only made me yearn for him even more.
“Shh, patience, my sweet. You’ll get it soon enough.” After a few more agonizing moments of him exploring around inside of me, the fingers pulled out. Heat smothered by face, and I couldn’t help but blush.
Smoothing back my hair, he looked deeply into my eyes, his hazel ones so full of warmth. Not for the first time did I wonder how he ever became mine.
“I love you,” I whispered. “In this life, and the next.”
He cupped my face, thumb passing over my lips. “And I, you.” And when he entered me, I felt his love, deep and real and warm and passionate, and we became one—tonight, tomorrow, now and forever.
.
.
.
.
.
By the time we woke, wrapped in each other’s arms, the sun had already been out for half the day.
Once we were dressed, I slung the supplies backpack over my shoulder. According to the radar, the cure was supposed to be located somewhere inside a university across town. The pills we took were supposed to last until evening, but I felt safer having the weapons—a hatchet and some knives—by my side. And if all went well, the remaining two pills would be enough.
I gripped the bag. We can do it. For humanity.
He clasped my shoulder. “Ready?”
I pulled him down and pecked him on the cheek, and was pleased to see the surprise on his face. “Now I am.”
.
.
.
.
.
Once out of the building, we stuck close to the sidewalk, walking half-hidden in the shadows of surrounding skyscrapers. A few zombies crowded around a tree, attracted to a squirrel on a branch. Another group was walking around aimlessly inside a run-down bakery, its windows smashed, its walls smeared with...red icing, I think. For the most part, they left us alone. Still, we forced ourselves to walk quickly and quietly. It was like being thrust into a lion’s den while wearing protective armor; the pills have never failed us, but it was better to be safe than sorry.
Reaching the university, we had just stepped onto the campus when, limping towards us, groaning softly and missing an eye, was a zombie.
My heart stopped.
Beside me, he must’ve heard my shallow breathing, for he took hold of my hand and murmured, “Act normal. You’re safe, it can’t harm you.”
I nodded, glad I didn’t have to do this alone.
We walked on normally. It passed us without so much as a glance, as if we were invisible. The smell of decayed flesh was overwhelming. But then he quickly disappeared down a corner, taking with him the smell of death.
It wasn’t until we pushed open the tall glass doors and were safely inside the building, did he let go of my hand and pull me into an embrace.
“Th-that was...” I couldn’t stop shaking. “I’m sorry...”
“Shh, it’s okay, I’m here,” he said, rubbing my back.
It took me a few minutes to calm down. I had encountered zombies close up before, but for some reason, today felt different, like I wasn’t aware of my surroundings.
He gave me a reassuring kiss on top of my head, then took out the radar.
“According to this,” he said, pointing towards a flight of stairs in front of us, “the cure should be hidden somewhere on the fifth floor.”
I nodded, seeing the flashing dot on the screen—us—nearby a star.
The star. The cure. Humanity’s last hope.
As we climbed the staircase, the journey upwards was luckily uneventful. Only once did we encounter a trio of zombies, lazying around a classroom, bumping into walls and each other.
Arriving on the fifth floor, we followed the radar and entered a lab. Or rather, what remained of the lab.
Glass covered the floor, sparkling like diamonds; fragments of test tubes sprinkled everywhere. Overturned chairs and desks lay like upturned dead insects. Textbooks had been thrown around, pages ripped out brutally. There was a single cupboard attached to the far wall. We exchanged glances.
Tiptoeing around the scatter on the floor, we made our way over. As we did, our dot on the radar was now practically covering the star.
Reaching the cupboard, he jerked it open, and what lay inside, was a jar filled with billowy blue gas. He took it out carefully. I quickly swung off the backpack and unzipped it for him. Once the cure was safely tucked inside, we both breathed a sigh of relief.
“Mission accomplished,” I said.
He grinned. “Now let’s get out of here. We need to release it someplace out in the open.”
I nodded. As we were about to leave, he suddenly stopped and looked out the window.
I followed his gaze. Outside, the last ray of orange was just beginning to melt away from the sky. “Wow, I hadn’t realized how much time had passed.”
As I stood admiring the view, I heard a rustle as he took the bottle from his pocket, and popped open the cork. He tapped my shoulder, and handed me the bottle. I looked at the single pill, then at him. “You took yours already?”
He swung on the backpack and adjusted the straps. “Yeah.”
I shrugged, then shook it out and swallowed.
As we made our way down, I couldn’t help but notice he seemed lost in thought.
“Hey,” I reached for his hand, “Are you okay—”
“Shh! Did you hear that?”
By now, we were on the ground floor. I looked around, not seeing anything out of place. But I knew the silence could not be trusted. “We should hurry—”
And that’s when it happened. The rumbling grew louder and louder, closer and closer, leaving us no time to move until they had already piled up outside the front door, clawing and banging to be let in.
This was their natural state. What we saw earlier in the afternoon was a rarity, an exception.
I took a step back. “Wh-what’s happening?” I looked to him, but all I caught was a glimpse of something dark flashing across his face.
Without a word, he grabbed my hand and started running back up the stairs. His grip was tight, urgent.
“Wait...wait!” I struggled to keep up. “What was that? Why were they just waiting outside—”
“We need to get to the roof,” he said without looking back. “We’ll set it off there.”
I didn’t know what was happening, or why he was acting this way. But I knew him well enough to know he’s never let me down before.
Reaching the top, he threw open the door and rushed us onto the roof. I was surprised to see a flower garden, still standing beautifully despite everything that’s happened in the world. High above, the first beam of moonlight shone against the greying sky.
Swinging down the backpack, he was about to reach inside when, out of nowhere, the smell of decayed flesh came flooding over. I glanced up.
And there it was.
Rotting skin. Matted hair. Putrid breath.
Missing an eye.
And heading straight for us.
“No—!”
Instinctively, I turned around and shoved him away from the backpack. There was no time to reach in for the hatchet. I closed my eyes, prepared to feel its teeth on my skin—
But he ran straight past me. As if I was invisible.
Huh...?
I turned around—
—just as it sank its teeth into him.
Far away, I heard a scream that tore through the night, sounding strangely like my own voice.
Next thing I knew, the hatchet was swinging through the air, the zombie crumpled at my feet, head rolled off into a dark corner.
Dropping down in front of him, knees hitting the cold concrete, I peered at his arm; the skin around the bite had started turning purple.
I looked at him. “But...why? Why? Didn’t you take the pill—”
He shook his head.
“Y-you told me there were four—”
He smiled weakly. “There were...only ever...three.”
I froze.
“I thought that...we might...be able to...set off the...the cure...before...they noticed...” His whole body shook, his breathing coming out in short, shallow breaths. I rocked him gently, fighting back tears.
No.
No.
Oh god, please, no.
Why was this happening? Didn’t we find the cure? Hadn’t we succeeded, against all odds?
Why?
Why?
WHY—
A hand, cold as ice, found mine. “Please...you...you have to...set it off...—”
“Th-There’s still time!” I scrambled for the jar. “The cure— The cure can save you—”
“No...the cure...it...it only kills...it doesn’t...reverse...the effects.”
The jar almost slipped. “No...no. If I do, then you’ll, you’ll...—”
He smiled weakly, and forced himself to look me in the eye. “...please...you...have to...”
“I-I can’t,” I sobbed.
“Shh...” He reached up slowly, laying his palm on my cheek. “...it’ll be...alright...”
I held his hand. “D-do you remember...how you asked me last night, why I looked so happy?” I choked back a sob. “It was...it was because...I didn’t mind being on the run. At all! I...I didn’t mind, moving from one place to another, being chased by them, not knowing if we would ever find more pills...I didn’t care about any of that...because...because I had you.”
He closed his eyes. His lips, those once luscious, soft lips, now draining of life, pulled into a little smile. “...I’m glad...you told...me...” He sighed, deep and long. “And now...it’s time...”
“N-no—”
“...do it...please...while...I’m...still...me...”
By now my face was covered in tears, and it wasn’t stopping.
“...I love you...”
“Please, PLEASE—”
He closed his eyes.
“...in...this...life...”
“Don’t...please— I—”
“...and...the...next...”
With a cry, I threw off the lid; and as the blue gas drifted out, free at last to vanquish the horror that had plagued the world, my soul was being split into a thousand pieces...but I no longer cared.
Because I was already dead.
.
.
.
.
.
I found a bench in the garden, adorned with cushions, and laid him down. His eyes were closed and he was breathing quietly, but I knew it was only a matter of time.
I sat with him, until the gas blanketed the air and every last one of them finally stopped moving, until the first ray of light appeared and night gave way to dawn, until I looked over and saw that he was finally at peace.
I kissed him on the forehead, then got up and left.
As I made my way down the roof, I thought about what people always seemed to say, that sacrifices have to be made for the greater good.
But what they forgot to add, was that sometimes, the greatest good becomes the sacrifice.
A single tear rolled down my face.
Thanks for the chapter.
I think I’m a sadist because I enjoyed this a lot thanks for the new chap author
You and me both XD We can't help but love pain and angst, hahaha~
And thank you so much for reading! I'm glad you enjoyed it
Why?
WHHYYYY????!!!!!
I hate you!!! I really hate you!
Hahaha well bittersweet stories are my favourite so there's more to cum— I mean, come.