At World's End Pt. 01

Another fascinating discovery Ray made was that not all zombies actually looked like zombies. Some initial vectors of the infection bore absolutely no injuries or visible wounds, and since their flesh seems to not rot, they just ended up looking like grey humans. He would have to take care not to accidentally mistake actual humans for zombies, but that's assuming there were any humans left in this town. Ray had gone around various stores around his apartment, and he didn't see a single active zombie, meaning there were no live humans in the vicinity. Perhaps that meant he should expand the scope of the search, though Ray wasn't actually sure if he wanted to meet any other humans. What was there to gain? He was perfectly happy living alone, with no expectations and no obligations on his shoulders. Plus, if he met any survivors, he'd likely have to explain his condition, and he could already imagine all the ways that it could go wrong. No, he'll keep to himself, as he's always done.

*

Ray spotted the SOS banner about a week later by accident. He had been trying to map out the whole city, since plenty of roads were completely blocked off now. When circling the norther edge of the city, he had heard human voices. Genuine, human voices. Getting on a bicycle he had appropriated from a now deserted house, he biked up north check it out. Of course, Ray knew what was up north: his university. The only reason he didn't attend at the time of the breakdown was because of his internship, and he was not eager to return. Getting within a block of the university, he could see bustling human activity, survivors of all age groups trying to set up barricades and other forms of protection against a coming horde, and they seemed quite successful. By perching themselves higher than the zombies can reach, they effectively reduced the threat of zombies to zero. It wasn't just students either, as it seems small contingent of police officers were with them as well. Eyeballing it, Ray counted maybe fifty people? Taking out his map, he marked down the university as a hub for survivors.

Good for them, Ray thought to himself, as he began biking away. It was good to know there were other survivors, but he had no intention of joining them unless he was truly desperate. More people meant more drama and less resources, and he knew he wouldn't enjoy taking orders from a leader anyway.

Right at that moment, a bit in the distance, Ray saw a four-story shopping mall, or more specifically, he saw a large white cloth dangling from the roof, swaying gently in the wind, with the letters SOS written on them. This was a recently constructed mall, and he didn't know the layout of the building very well, so he was hesitant about entering. He hadn't brought any weapons with him today, and who knows if there's even any survivors left to save. Plus, he wasn't done with his cartography yet.

However, the image of that banner never left Ray's head, even when he got back home. Living like a hermit was good and all, but he'd like some information regarding that week that he was unconscious, and perhaps whoever is trapped there would know more about the zombies and how this whole thing began. While he could always go to the university instead, he figured if he ended up saving some lives at the mall, they'd be indebted to him and be more helpful. His confidence was bolstered by the fact that, in the worst-case scenario, he could use the zombies as his allies if the survivors were unfriendly. While Ray couldn't control zombies, he could easily flee into a zombie horde to evade potential enemies, though he would rather not do that if possible, since it would give away his secret.

When he returned to the mall, Ray saw quite a large gathering of zombies all around the building and inside on the first floor, which suggested that at the very least, there used to be people here. Whether they're still here required further investigation. The escalators have stopped working, but the lights were still on, so at least part of the building is still being supplied with electricity.

Ray took his time exploring the mall, grabbing any food items that were still left. The second floor was mostly electronics, and the third floor was mostly clothing, so they were of little interest to him. From the third floor, there was no direct access to the fourth floor however, and the elevator wouldn't take him up there unless he had an employee's key, which meant Ray had to go back down and look for the staff rooms.

Near the back of the mall, behind a mass of zombies, was a door marked "staff only", and in there, Ray found a staircase which led up to the fourth floor. But when he got up there, he found that he couldn't actually push open the door because something was blocking it from the inside. Probably a barricade of some sort, Ray though to himself as he went back down. After looking around some more, he found another elevator, this one without any restrictions, and he was finally up on the fourth.

When the <i>ding</i> of the elevator signaled that he'd arrived, he quickly readied his crowbar and surveyed the room he was in. It seems like the fourth floor was where all the offices were. The computers have long been abandoned, but it looks like this place has definitely been occupied. Cardboard lay strewn on the ground, serving as makeshift beds, and there were plenty of garbage laying around too, from discarded soda cans to crumpled empty bags that once contained chips. All merchandise from the stores down below. Beyond the offices was a large conference room, not unlike the one Ray had used during his internship at the accounting firm. There were more signs of life here, and chairs were lined up to allow someone to lie down, but still no signs of any actual people. The next room beyond seemed to be a security office of sorts, with four monitors on a single PC system, like the other computers, it too was off.

Suddenly, Ray heard the light thumping of footsteps behind him, and he whirled around, ready to defend himself, only to feel slightly silly when he saw that the footsteps belonged to a little boy, probably no older than seven. The boy, eyes wide, looks back and forth between Ray and the crowbar in his hands, before tucking tail and running away, leaving a stunned Ray standing there awkwardly.

Chasing after a kid in a cramped office was harder than anticipated, but Ray eventually found the boy in what appears to be the manager's office. Potted plants decorated the room, a large imposing desk positioned at the back, and two large sofas were next to a central table. On one of the sofas was a slightly older girl sleeping peacefully with another little girl around the same age as the boy, who was quickly shaking them both awake. All three of them had the same shade of brown hair, which suggested that they're related in some way.

"Mmmhm, what is it, Jason?" The older girl said, yawning as she stretched. She froze when she made eye contact with Ray, who was standing in the doorway. In a panic, she tried getting up quickly, only to slam her left knee into the table with a yelp as she did so. Even as she clutched her knee in pain, she still managed to spare a panicked glare at Ray, as though warning him to back up. It was a bit ridiculous, to be honest, being glared at by a frail girl holding back tears of pain with hair so messy it resembled a tumbleweed. Her clothes too, were wrinkled and dirty, a sign of constant wear. Despite all that though, she was still quite attractive...or maybe Ray's standards have simply dropped since all he's been looking at are dead people.

Dropping the crowbar at his feet, Ray raised both his hands above his head in the universal surrender gesture. "Hey there. I uh...Saw your sign on the roof," he said, trying his best to appear friendly. He almost stuttered on his words, since it's been quite a while since he spoke to anyone that wasn't himself.

Realizing that actions probably spoke louder than words, Ray offered the girl his backpack, containing food he grabbed from downstairs. Cookies, bread, pastries, dry cereal, and bottles of water. Hardly nutritious, but serviceable. "Here. You guys probably didn't have much to eat in here, right?" He said, and it was likely true, given how pale and frail they all looked.

The girl blinked in confusion at first, probably still half-asleep, but the two younger kids needed no invitation, and they quickly dug into the backpack. It was rare to see younger kids not be picky about food, but that's what weeks of starvation gets you. Seeing them tear into the food greedily, the teenage girl offered an apologetic smile to Ray. "I beg your pardon for the hostile reception, you caught me by surprise, and what a pleasant surprise you were! We've been running on scraps since..." she paused, as if unsure of the passage of time. "You know, I've been sleeping so much recently I don't even remember how long ago it was. But regardless, thank you so much!"

Her overly polite tone came as a surprise, since Ray hardly knew anyone who talked liked that. He noted that she waited patiently for the two kids to finish eating before touching any of the food herself, and even then, she was a lot more restrained than they were. Good upbringing, perhaps? "There's more where that came from, you know?" He said, tapping the backpack. "In fact, I can leave the rest with you guys." Hopefully that puts her at ease.

"I know I'm repeating myself here, but thank you so much, truly. If you hadn't show up here when you did..." She paused awkwardly, and it took Ray a second to realize that she was probably waiting for him to introduce himself.

"Raymond, but you can call me Ray," Ray said, sitting down on the opposite sofa and offering his hand to shake.

"I'm Liz, and these two are my siblings, Jason and Mia," Liz said as she shook Ray's hand. "Our whole family were on our way to the shelter when the news first reported of violent riots, but our car was attacked, and we were separated from our parents. We joined a couple of others and holed up here, but the food supplies did not last very long, and soon people were trying to head downstairs to scavenge, but none of them ever came back. I would've tried too, but when I think about leaving these two by themselves..." her voice trailed off as she stared at her siblings lovingly.

Ray could hardly emphasize. It would be a cold day in hell when Alice was willing to go that far for him, but it was good that those three had each other. Definitely a more loving family than his.

"So, Ray, are you just a survivor like us, or are you part of a larger rescue effort," Liz asked, her tone hopeful.

"I'm just a regular guy," Ray said while shaking his head, dashing her hopes. "And the world outside is still incredibly dangerous, so who knows how long it'll take until they arrive." He chose not to mention that he could conveniently bypass that danger.

Liz stopped mid bite, as if trying to absorb this information. "Do you think...do you think you can help us get out of here? In fact, you don't have to worry about me, if you can get the kids out, I can handle myself!" She was clearly desperate, her gaze pleading. Sensing her urgency, the two kids both watched the conversation unfold intently, showing understanding beyond their years.

"There's no way, especially not with younger kids," Ray replied, denying the possibility entirely, and he wasn't even lying this time. It was true that he couldn't be trusted to protect two kids in such a dangerous environment. Even the nearest safe haven, the university campus, was blocks away. Plus, what reason was there for him to go that far for three strangers? He had originally come here in search of information, but they probably knew as much as him if they never left this building. More importantly though, he didn't want to be responsible for more lives. Sure, Liz was cute, but that's all she was. Plus, he definitely had no intention of playing as a babysitter. In the end, he could see no tangible benefits for helping them.

"I see," Liz said, her eyes downcast. Sensing her distress, the little girl, Mia, went over and gave her a hug, to which Liz responded to by gently patting her head. "I apologize for asking for so much," Liz said to Ray, and he was slightly taken aback by her sincerity. Was he the one that was too cynical?

Feeling a tinge guilty about abandoning them to their fates, Ray reached into the backpack and emptied it of its contents, before turning to Liz and saying: "clearly, you guys need this more than I do. Also, if I run into any rescue teams, I'll be sure to tell them where you are."

"Are you sure you don't need any of it," Liz asked, her blue eyes filled with genuine concern. "I wouldn't want you to go hungry feeding us."

"I'll be fine, I can always scavenge more," Ray answered, standing up. "But I should probably be heading out now. The sun is setting and travelling by night is dangerous." Technically not a lie. Though in reality, he was just tired from talking. He probably spoke more today than he did these past two weeks combined.

"Of course, of course," Liz replied, "Do be careful on your way back. And...um..." She paused, and Ray could swear he saw her blush. Or it could've just been the light of the setting sun. Yea, that seems more likely. "Um...Feel free to return any time. We may not be able to offer you much, but I can promise you that this will always be a safe place to rest!" She finished, giving Ray a confident grin.

"Right, I'll see what happens," Ray says noncommittally as he waves goodbye. Liz and the two kids sees him off as he gets into the staff elevator once again. Would he come back just to see her? Probably not. Would they survive without him? Also probably not.

<i>What. A. Conundrum.</i>