Chapter Text
417 Days after the outbreak, 4:38pm.
Her hands were freezing, clasping around her own fragile body as she peeked over a couple of abandoned crates in front of her. Her hazel eyes scanned the crossroad in front of her, a breathe escaping her lips creating smoke in the cold air.
From the corner of her eyes she noticed a dark figure crossing the street on the left. Quickly she let herself duck down and lean against the crates with her back for cover. Her hands clasped in front of her mouth and her eyes started darting around to the ground beneath her, hoping the figure hadn’t seen her.
She listened to her surrounding as she tried to ignore her heartbeat pounding in her throat. Her eyes widened as she heard the quick footsteps coming her way and swallowed. What does she do now? Was this it? Shit. No, this can’t be it! She has to fight!
Her eyes darted around her surroundings and she noticed a glass bottle next to her broken to pieces in the snow. Quickly she reached over to the pieces, kneeling on her ripped jeans and picked up one of the shards, leaning back against the crates as she awaited the footsteps.
Her breathing picked up and she felt the adrenaline rush through her veins. Crunch. crunch. crunch. The steps sounded in the fresh snow, every step closer to her hiding spot. She could see the shadow of the dark figure beside her coming closer with each crunch.
Her brain calculated and in a rush of adrenaline her body turned upwards, arm raised with shard in hand, ready to attack the dark figure approaching her. She heard her own breath erupting from her throat as a scream of war, but before she knew it the air got knocked out of her body, falling backwards back onto the cold ground and the dark figure with all their weight on top of her.
She gasped for air and all she could see was a shadowy figure bent over her and stars? That must be it, she was gonna die, it was over. Did she really think she would just be able to survive out here on her own? No, of course not. But all she could have done was at least try? Right? But now it was over.
She felt the weight on top of her being lifted when she closed her eyes, a ringing filling her ears. This was it, all done. She felt like she was floating and a smile crept upon her face, she never thought dying would feel so free.
That was until it felt like she was dropped right back onto the ground. Her eyes shot open and she tried to look around her, but everything seemed to be covered in darkness. Her breathing sped up again and so did her heartbeat, even more when she felt a hand cover up her mouth.
Her own hands clasped onto the cold hand and her eyes searched for the owner. Slowly her eyes got used to the darkness and she stared back into dark eyes looking deeply into hers, they looked.. worried?
Her eyes searched the dark ones for a moment and her own eyebrows pushed together in anger as she tried to get the hand off her face. She sat up straight, apparently her head was located to rest on top of her attackers lap.
“Let go of me” She hissed at her attacker and tried pushing them off of her. Her attacker shushed her, pulling her closer to them and taking her into a somewhat death-grip sitting behind her, but instead of chocking her, just covering her mouth.
She looked up at the attacker’s face again, now very close to hers, as they pointed across from them out of the window with their other hand. Her eyes followed and looked outside, stopping her attempt to flee and widening her eyes.
She watched the creature pass the window and further past the door, shivering at the creepy sounds it made. She swallowed and somehow felt herself lean back closer against her attacker or now savior? She felt the hand around her mouth move away and released a breath she didn’t know she was holding.
“You wanna keep cuddling, cupcake?” A husky female voice asked from the saviors mouth right near her ear and she felt her whole face turn red.
Quickly but as quiet as she could she moved away from her attacker? savior? whatever, she didn’t know her, right? She turned around and sat across from her on the hardwood, dusty floor. She looked up at the girl in front of her.
Her dark brown eyes, dark raven colored curls tucked into a dark red scarf that covered half of her pale colored face. A cameo colored winter coat, combat boots and.. black leather pants? She frowned and looked up to the girl's eyes, noticing she was staring right back at her. A smirk covered the stranger's lips.
"Like what you see?" She rolled her eyes and shook her head in disbelief, was this girl for real?
“Seriously? Just fuck off” She clenched her own teeth together and got up from the floor by awkwardly leaning on the floor with her hands.
“You wound me, sweetheart” She could feel the girl’s eyes on her when she wiped some snow off her thick jacket. “I save you and this is what I get from you?”
“Saved me?!” Her eyes went straight to the dark ones already watching her and she scoffed. “You nearly killed me outside!”
Her small hands formed fists beside her hips and a laugh escaped the leather-clad lady on the floor.
“Ha killed you? I merely protected myself from being stabbed by a cute girl” Another annoying smirk got thrown her way and she felt the anger burning inside her.
“I am not cute! I will… will… ugh!” She groaned in frustration, turning around to the window as her fists waved around in the air, her feet stomping the hardwood creaking floor. She folded her arms over each other and stared out of the window, slightly pouting.
“Anyone who could see this right now would find you absolutely adorable, but fine” She could hear the girl get up behind her but kept staring out of the window, watching new snow clasp to the ground.
Arms crossed the dark haired girl leaned with her left shoulder next to the window, her eyes scanning the area outside, she was beautiful really, the way the light of the window fell on her perfect jawline.
Shyly the blonde looked back out the window as well and then down to her feet. Her still cold hands grabbed the zipper of her coat and pulled it up, managing to get one of her blonde locks to get stuck between it.
“I should get going” She said and sticked her tongue between her teeth as she tried to get the hair to leave the zipper, eyes focused on her actions.
“It’s getting dark soon, you wouldn’t survive 10 minutes out there”
“I’ll be fine” She got the hair out and zipped up her coat as she looked up at the girl watching her from next to the window, head resting against the windowpane. Without a word she turned to the door on her right and grabbed the handle, opening up the door of the dusty cabin.
“Let me at least know your name” She stopped mid-step in the door opening and looked from her feet up to the girl again. Her hazel eyes narrowed as she searched the girl’s face for a moment.
“Laura.. My name is Laura” She said as she turned back to the cold, shivering at the wind that entered the place. She swallowed and scanned the street.
“Goodbye Laura” the husky voice sounded again and it made her feel warm inside, as if the girl was always meant to say her name. Without a word she stepped outside and closed the door behind her, pulling down the beanie on her head to cover her ears from the cold.
Was this really a good idea tho? Shouldn't she just stay with the pale, dark-haired beauty? What was that sound? She looked to her right into a dark ally and her eyes widened, hoping it wasn’t the creature from before.
With her arms clutched around her body she leaned on her left side to peak around the corner. Nothing there, probably the wind, yes, totally the wind. She swallowed her fear away and started walking towards the ally the sound came from, slow and small steps.
A sigh escaped her mouth and left her feeling a bit more relieved. Her steps became slightly bigger and with every step it looked like she had more confidence about being able to get out of here. Wait what was that?
She looked up from her boots to the big dumpster nearby, abruptly standing still. She really heard that right? That shuffling and clicking sound coming from behind the dumpster? Her eyes widened at the sight of the creature, from before, crawling out of the shadows of the spot behind the dumpster.
Its back was faced her way and her mouth opened wide in fear as it turned her way. Maybe if she would stand still it wouldn’t see her? Yeah, right, it was probably super blind!
The wrinkled human-like creature let out a soft growling like sound and looked right at her. Laura lowered her hands beside to sides, taking a small step back with one foot and watched the creature in fear.
And it knew, it just knew she was there, because not a second later the creature erupted from its spot beside the dumpster straight towards her.
A loud high-pitched scream escaped her mouth and she closed her eyes in fear. She got down on her knees and covered her face with her arms, like that was gonna save her life for sure.