At World's End Pt. 02

Elizabeth "Liz" Rogers had always known that she lived a blessed life. She was under no delusions about the privileges that were made available to her that others didn't have access to. A pair of loving, supportive, and incredibly wealthy parents. A high-ranking private high school. Specialized tutors for every subject. Wonderful friends, and siblings that were only sometimes annoying. With all that and more, she felt a strong sense of obligation to just succeed, but excel, if only just to ensure that nothing was wasted on her.

And excel she did. Top of her class, voted valedictorian by her peers, ace of the school volleyball team and capable enough to get a scholarship to her university of choice. Liz was the pride of her family. and though her success should've earned the envy of her peers, her amicable personality meant she had far more friends than enemies.

While Liz had not expected such good fortunes to last forever, neither did she expect to have the rug pulled out from beneath her so suddenly. In the span of a single day, her life had irreversibly changed, and all her accomplishments meant nothing in this new world.

From sleeping soundly in the comfort of her home, surrounded by her loved ones, to being tucked away in a cold, foreign office, with danger on all sides. A lifestyle that was unimaginable a few weeks ago. Liz tried to be strong for her siblings, but no amount of bedtime stories or jokes could alleviate the hunger in their bellies. What scraps they had was given to the kids, while Liz did her best to sleep away her hunger.

Hope was in short supply, and even the ever-optimistic Liz could see the writing on the wall. No food, no heating, and no signs of rescue. There would not be a heroic army to mow down the zombies in a blaze of gunfire like the movies. Even if humanity could survive this, she and her family would be nothing more than statistics, one family among many to meet their end in this disaster. The only silver lining was the realization that they wouldn't turn into zombies and attack others after their death, but that provided little comfort. And yet, their inevitable demise did not come.

*

Liz watched as the elevator went down the first floor of the mall, signalling the departure of Ray, who moments ago had all but saved them from a painful death by starvation. The first other survivor she had seen in almost a week. There had been others holed up here previously, but as supplies dwindled, they opted to take their chances outside. Given that none had ever returned, she had considered it extremely unlikely that anyone could get past the horde of zombies on the first floor, which was why she was so caught off guard when Ray first appeared.

Ray was certainly no knight in shining armor, that was for sure. When Liz had first woken up and seen him standing in the doorway with a crowbar, jacket stained with blood, she had thought he looked like a cartoon villain. In hindsight, she was quite embarrassed at her reaction, and the bruise on her knee is unlikely to let her forget about it any time soon.

Sure, he was a bit distant and awkward when they spoke, but that can easily be attributed to him not being used to company. In fact, she probably had it better than him in that regard, at least she had Mia and Jason to keep her company. To be completely isolated in that hellscape out there was not a nightmare she would wish even on her worst enemies.

"C'mon you two, let's clean everything up!" Liz said enthusiastically, putting her thoughts away for later, cheering the kids up and getting them to do their parts as well. She had meant what she said to Ray when he was leaving. It was obvious he was more than competent, so the only thing she could offer him was a safe refuge in the midst of this ruined city. As such, it was only right that she should make it as clean and welcoming as possible, to await his return.

*

The post apocalyptic life was not nearly as exciting as Ray had imagined it would be now that he had become accustomed to his lifestyle. When you take away the only source of danger from the apocalypse, life becomes almost the exact same as before, except everything was just less convenient.

Ray's daily routine has already returned to the pre-apocalypse state, which meant staying holed up in his room all day. With plenty of food stored up, and the only source of entertainment being his laptop, there was very little reason to go outside. He had already paid visits to police stations and hardware stores and have stocked up on all the tools he needed: everything from guns for self protection to a smoker to preserve meat.

With his floor in the apartment barricaded by wooden boards and the perimeter surrounded by zombies, Ray's home base was impenetrable. No one was stupid enough to be braving a zombie horde just to ransack a shitty residential apartment building, and he'd have home field advantage even if they did.

He'd have been more than content to continue killing time in his room if not for two major problems that he's been trying his best to ignore. The first problem was obvious: the electricity isn't permanent. Sooner or later, everything will come to a grinding halt, and Ray will lose access to his refrigeration, heating, and even his entertainment. Considering the apartment's quality, that day is likely to come sooner rather than later. Of course, he could always just move to a different place, or even a different city altogether. Some place with renewable energy, like solar or wind power, but that led to the second problem: Liz and her siblings are dependant on him for survival. It's been three days since he first found them, and the food he supplied them should last a few more days, but eventually they'll be in the same predicament.

It was theoretically possible to save them, but it would involve him personally wiping out half the zombies in the city, between their mall and the nearest safe haven at the university. Ray knew it was selfish of him to prioritize concealing his ability, but he believed it would only lead to trouble if it was ever found out. He didn't trust Liz enough to think that she won't blab about it to others if rescue ever came, and it would only spiral out of control from there. Plus, who knows what she would think? Regardless of how the zombies treated him, the fact that he was bitten made him potentially dangerous to those around him. Even now, he still had the occasional nightmare of the scars in his arm festering and rotting, consuming the rest of his body as he turns.

Sighing to himself in annoyance, Ray closed his laptop, sick of watching the same movies over and over. Putting on his jacket and shoes, he headed out again, hoping that the cold air would clear his mind. Almost by instinct at this point, he grabbed his backpack as well. Never know what one can find when they aren't looking.

*

Heading out the door, Ray nods in greeting to the silent zombies standing on either side. Tied to their limbs with string are tin cans, designed to rattle loudly if they make sudden movements, alerting Ray if they sense any humans nearby. An ingenious system if he said so himself, and he did. He had grown to recognize them as useful allies, and every time he passed by, he made a point to greet them.

Wandering in no particular direction, Ray pulled his hood up over his head to protect his ears from the biting wind. All around, the living dead stood. Some unmoving, simply waiting for prey that may never arrive. Others shamble with purpose, living out a parody of their past lives as they try to continue their daily routine. All of them ignore Ray as he walks through the city. Why there's such a huge variance in their behaviour is still a mystery, but one that's lower on the priority list. In fact, he had no idea how he was going to examine that aspect of their biology, especially when the zombies don't behave very normally around him.

As he walked, Ray tried his best to organize his thoughts, jumbled and messed up as they were. Could he rely on the survivors at the university to help Liz and the kids? No, not a chance. There were simply too many problems that he lacked the solution for. For one, initiating contact with them was risky in and of itself, since it could lead to that bite scar on his left arm being discovered, and he had no good excuse for it. Even if he did bypass their scrutiny, it was unlikely that a rescue effort would be launched for a mere three people, only one of whom was capable of pulling her weight. In that case, could he rely on Liz and the kids to fend for themselves? Also no. Not only did they have no weapons or food, but they were also surrounded in all directions by hungry zombies, and a single mistake would result in their demise. The two kids, Jason and Mia, were total liabilities, but he knew Liz would never abandon them.

Swearing to himself, Ray shook his head, trying to get rid of the negative thoughts that were invading. "Fuck it," he muttered, shoving a zombie out of the way as he walked down the sidewalk. By now, the zombies were nothing to him but minor obstacles, easily ignored or dealt with. It was funny to think that just a few days ago, he had nearly pissed himself in fear at the very thought of confronting a single one. Perhaps that just goes to show how adaptable the human mind was, that even this bloody and fiery hellscape became completely normal to the young man.

Eventually, Ray's wandering feet led him to a very familiar storefront:Betty's Knickknacks. A tiny, locally owned bookstore that sold board games and other curios as well. He had worked here, part-time, before he secured his internship, and still visited on occasion to participate in game nights with some regulars. It was one of the few social gatherings that he still attended, outside of work, before the outbreak happened.

Pushing open the door and hearing the nostalgic ring of the bells affixed to it, Ray breathed a slight sigh of relief to see that the store was devoid of people, both living and undead. While he was far from being friends with Betty, the owner of the store, the old lady was friendly and affable, and he would've hated to see her go out like this. She deserved better than that. Still, was that all he came here for? To check on his former boss? His brain said no, because it was already scanning the shelves for games that kids would like. Despite the fact that he was repeatedly telling himself that he didn't want to commit to being their protector, his hand was already reaching putting the board games into his backpack. After all, poor Liz was probably going insane trying to keep them entertained.

Just this once.

So I can tell them I won't be coming back.

So they can be ready to fend for themselves.

*

"This was a mistake..." Ray groaned as he leaned back against the soft sofa, having just sealed his fate with an unlucky dice roll, landing his boot token onto Liz's quadruple-housed Connecticut Avenue, effectively ending this game of Monopoly. By that point, her younger siblings have already been annihilated by her brutal capitalist expansions, but they watched excitedly on the sidelines, cheering Ray on as he did his best to mount a comeback. Alas, Liz knew the secret trick of buying all the houses without upgrading to hotels, effectively choking him out of the game. Everything else was a formality at that point.

"Wooohooo!" Liz cheered, taking the last of Ray's meagre savings, adding it to her pile and declaring herself the winner with a fist pump. Honestly, the game probably wasn't that exciting, but it was the first time in a long time that they could forget about their troubles, even if it was only for a single night. Despite the loss, Ray offered her a smile and a handshake for a hard-fought match, which she eagerly accepted. Her soft hand squeezed his own, and it marked the first time that he touched another human being in a long time, not just since the outbreak.

Laid out on the table in the office where the four of them sat were not only board games, but books, decks of cards, stuffed animals, and even a small laptop Ray had pilfered, containing copies of his stash of pirated movies, to help the three of them not go stir crazy while they're trapped here. Along with these new shiny toys, he had also brought along a more food and supplies, enough to probably last them another week if they were frugal. Dinner was luxurious for them, as Ray had baked a pizza and brought along some soda as well. The fact that the pizza was lukewarm by the time he arrived didn't seem to make a difference at all, and he was showered by hugs from the kids.

"So, I never did ask, but how old are they?" Ray asked once Mia and Jason were fast asleep on the other sofa, hugging each other tightly. Did he and his little sister Alice ever do that? It was hard to imagine. Their relationship had always been strained, and it only got worse when he left for university.

"Jason's seven and Mia's eight," Liz replied quietly, pulling a thick blanket on top of them. That was another addition that Ray had brought, after realizing how cold it was up here without heating. Once she was satisfied with their seating arrangement, she joined him on his sofa, taking a seat next to him. "And I'm nineteen, in case you're curious."

"I was pretty curious," Ray admitted, feeling more than a little self-conscious now that they were effectively alone. This was a situation he couldn't handle even before the world ended, and now it only exacerbated his inner turmoil. "How are you... uh... holding up?"

God, what a stupid question. Ray wanted to stuff his foot into his mouth the moment it came out, but Liz just nodded and casted a fond look in the direction of the kids.

"Yes, thanks to you. They never say anything, but I know they were getting pent up. It's been almost three weeks I think..." Her voice trails off as she rises, and Ray can see the glimmering of tears within the corners of her eyes. Before he can say anything in response, she's already upon him, leaning into and wrapping her arms around him in a warm embrace. "I- I can't- I don't know how to express my gratitude, Ray."

For his part, Ray just sat there, stock-still as he felt her press up against him, her head buried in his side as she sobbed gently, her frail body shuddering and heaving as she held onto him tightly. Not knowing what to say, he just did his best to comfort her by patting her head. Her brown hair was frazzled and unkept, but still soft to the touch. He made a mental note to bring her some shampoo the next time he came back.

Next time?

They stayed like that for a while, long enough for Liz's tears to dry up and for Ray to get used to the fact that a girl was clinging onto him, a foreign feeling to be sure. When she finally recovered, the brunette slowly pulled away, wiping at her puffy red eyes, leaving Ray feeling conflicted now that he couldn't feel her warmth.

"Sorry I'm such a mess," Liz said with a self-deprecating tone as she reaches for some tissue, though she remained close at Ray's side, not bothering to return to her original position on the other side of the sofa.

"If there's anyone in the world who has a right to some tears, it would definitely be you," Ray replied reassuringly. In that moment, she looked every bit her age. Vulnerable and well out of her comfort zone, she was doing her absolute best to hold it together for her siblings, and only when they're asleep did she finally crumble. Still, Ray was impressed. When he was nineteen, he definitely didn't have her sense of responsibility nor her selfless desire to protect her family.

It was easy for him to take survival for granted, since he didn't have to fight for it, but this was an environment no teenager should ever hope to find themselves in. Just watching her try and pull herself together, Ray couldn't bring himself to tell Liz that he wouldn't return. What excuse did he have? It wasn't as if he was doing anything meaningful with his spare time.

"Do you... do you want to stay the night?" Liz asked cautiously, her words shaking Ray out of his thoughts. "It's already dark out."

A quick look out the window showed that she was right. Dinner and games had been more enjoyable than he anticipated, and time had flown by. The sun had long since set, and the wind has no doubt picked up as well. It would be a freezing journey back home for Ray.

"Are you sure?" He asked, a little taken aback by the offer. Had he earned her trust that easily? It was certainly an enticing offer, but he hadn't brought a sleeping bag, and he wasn't sure if she had a different idea in mind. "I mean- I don't mind, but-"

"There's plenty of room," Liz interjected while patting the sofa, as though reading his mind.Plenty might be an exaggeration, but two people could certainly sleep on it if they were close enough together. Fortunately, Liz was dressed in the same attire she had been for the whole time she was here: a pair of baggy sweatpants, a thin blouse, and a hoodie on top. A comfortable enough outfit, even while sleeping, which meant that Ray didn't have to suffer the awkwardness of her undressing.

"I guess that's that then," Ray replied, letting himself be convinced. It wasn't difficult, if he was being honest with himself. A cute girl asking to sleep with him? He'd be a fool to say no. This was the stuff he'd have dreams about back in university! "You wanna be on the inside or the outside?"

"Outside," she answered as she got up to turn off the lights, leaving the room in absolute darkness. "I trust you not to kick me to the floor in the middle of the night."

Ray grinned and laid down on the sofa, squeezing against the back to give Liz as much room as possible as she joined him. As predicted, the two of them fit, but it meant her back had to be pressed tightly against his front to make it work. The two of them tumbled and twisted for a bit until they managed to get all their limbs into comfortable spots, but eventually settled and got a blanket over them. Her legs were caught in his own, while his hands were draped over her stomach. He had been worried about their positioning, but the fact that she didn't say anything made him think she didn't really mind.

Still, their close proximity made Ray's heart race, so much so that he was afraid that Liz could hear or feel it against his chest. Her butt was nestled against his stomach, and his head was tucked against her shoulders, effectively spooning her.

I am not sleeping tonight...

Seconds pass. Minutes pass. And quite possibly, hours passed as well. Ray couldn't be sure how long it's been since the lights were off, but he knew that he didn't feel an ounce of fatigue. How could he? His entire body was wound up with tension, terrified of accidentally doing something wrong. He couldn't tell if his bedmate was asleep either, but the sound of steady breathing made it seem like the case.

"Do I smell that bad? Is that why you can't sleep?" Liz suddenly whispered teasingly, showing that she was also just as awake. After a second of stunned silence, Ray clamped his hand over his mouth, stifling his giggles, and soon she joined him, the two of them shaking with laughter in their makeshift bed. The tension deflated like a popped balloon, and she snuggled deeper into his arms.

"I'll bring you some shampoo and other stuff when I return," Ray whispered in response, only to receive a light jab from Liz's elbow.

"So Ido smell?" She replied, feigning indignation, which spawned another bout of laughter from the two of them. When that settled, she placed her hand on Ray's left arm, the one that was resting on her belly. "Like I said, I trust you, really. There's nothing to worry about."