At World's End Pt. 02

This time, Ray didn't respond. He didn't need to. The two of them had settled into each other's space and basked in their mutual warmth. There was no more fear of fucking up, and finally, he could feel his weary mind shutting down for some much-needed rest.

*

The next morning, Ray was the last one up. Apparently, Liz had told the kids to be quiet and for them to help clean up the table from last night. When he finally woke up, breakfast had been prepared in the form of a bowl of cereal.

The three members of the Rogers family were playing card games when he woke up, and the two kids immediately wanted him to join. It was an unfamiliar sensation, to awaken before a crowd when he was so used to solitude, but Ray decided that he didn't dislike it.

After breakfast and a couple rounds of Go Fish, he was ready to go. Oddly, there was a small sense of reluctance on his part when he needed to make his exit, but it was true that he had obligations to take care of. He needed to relocate his supplies of food in his apartment and scout the surrounding areas for possible bases of operation. As much as he wanted to bring everything here, it would definitely be suspicious for him to be moving carts full of food. No normal human should be able to do that.

The kids, as expected, were sad to part ways, but Liz was surprisingly emotional as well, almost crying again as she hugged him, though she held it together just barely.

"I know you've done so much for us, and I'm almost ashamed to-" she began, fidgeting with her cheeks flushed red, but Ray cut her off before she even finished her request.

"Just say the word, and I'll try my best," He promised, and he was surprised to find that he meant it. There was still residual guilt from his inability to actually help them escape this place, so he was eager to provide assistance in other ways to alleviate that feeling.

Reaching into her pocket, Liz gave a key to Ray. "Our house is 4390, Kingston Avenue," she explained. "If it hasn't been ransacked, do you think you can help me grab a picture of our parents? I'm sure they're out there, looking for us, but I don't know how long it'll take, and I don't want the little ones to ever forget about them..."

"Absolutely, it'll be the first place I visit." Ray nodded without hesitation. It wasn't impossible for them to be alive. In fact, if he had to guess, he'd say that they might actually be in the nearby university with the other survivors. If only he could check somehow...

"Thank you! But make sure you take care of yourself first and foremost, okay? I don't want you taking risks," Liz added, giving him one last hug, establishing herself as the most touchy-feely person that Ray knows. "We'll be waiting!"

*

True to his word, once Ray returned home and took a quick shower, he was immediately off to the Rogers' residence. Crowbar in hand and backpack slung over his shoulders, he followed the map he had drawn for himself. Kingston Avenue was in a pretty wealthy suburbia, and here, the destruction wasn't as extreme. On bike, it took about thirty minutes for him to arrive.

He had been here before, though only to map out the city, and he had initially come to the conclusion that there wasn't much of value to steal in these houses. Sure, there were fancy electronics and plenty of jewelry, but none of that actually mattered here at world's end.

Eventually, he arrived at the house that he was looking for, and boy was it impressive. The place looked more like a mansion than a normal house, opulent and luxurious. A far cry from his shoddy apartment building. The lawn was overgrown, but still vibrant and green, no doubt thanks to the automatic sprinkler systems. The house itself seems untouched, and the front door was still locked. Unlocking and entering, Ray saw that the insides were just as fancy as the outside.

Crystal chandeliers, a massive piano in the living room that probably costs more than his life savings, and paintings on the wall that screamed sophistication. Still, as a former accounting intern, this was his first foray into the lifestyle of the wealthy, and once he got over the initial surprise, he searched the house like any other.

First order of business was finding a picture, which was incredibly easy. All he needed to do was find the master bedroom and grab a framed photograph that was sitting on the nightstand. That was technically all Liz asked for, but Ray figured that while he was here, he might as well grab some other stuff as well. Hygiene products such as toothbrushes were placed into Ziploc bags and tossed into his backpack, as were shampoo, conditioner, and bodywash. He didn't know what half the stuff did, but figured Liz would recognize them.

Next was clothing. The three of them had been trapped up there for weeks now, with no spare clothing to change into, and he intended to change that. He raided their wardrobes, prioritizing winter clothing to help defend against the cold. He had hesitated for a moment when going through Liz's stuff, especially when it came to her underwear, but figured that she was reasonable enough to not care about it.

In the end, a single backpack wasn't enough, and he had to make the trip again to grab everything he wanted. By the time he was back home, he was well and truly exhausted. Biking back and forth across the city was more cardio than he ever needed or wanted.

*

Ray had given them enough food to last a week or so, and he decided to use that time to explore out of town. During the weeks since he first got bit, he centered his operations around the city and the surrounding suburbs, but he realized that he'd need to expand his search for a second home. After all, all the houses in the city had the same problem as his apartment: they were reliant on the electric grid to function. He was far from an engineer and didn't know the first thing about keeping things online, so the only thing he could hope for was to find a place that was already hooked up to a renewable source of energy, such as solar or wind power. He had a small, portable generator, but that wouldn't be enough to power a large house for long.

After about four days worth of exploration, Ray had found what he was looking for. About an hour away on a bike, up a pretty steep hill, was a mountaintop resort filled with cabins and other lodgings. Everything was solar powered, and it looked to him as though everything was already functional. The employees had long since fled, but they didn't bother shutting anything down. As such, all he needed to do was move it.

It was easier said than done and moving bits of food that distance on bike was simply impractical. The roads around Ray's apartment were still surrounded by abandoned cars, just like most of the roads in the city, which made driving almost impossible. Plus, the other issue was that it would make visiting Liz harder as well. Owing to those factors, he tentatively put those relocation plans on hold, pending further investigation.

*

"How do I look?" Liz asked, popping out of the bathroom in her new outfit. A tight pair of jeans sat snugly on her hips, a camisole which showed a tantalizing amount of cleavage sat above it, and a pair of white running shoes to finish the look. Ever since Ray managed to reset the switchboard on the first floor, the heating on the fourth floor has started functioning again, which meant that they longer needed to be wearing winter jackets.

"You look... amazing," Ray muttered, unable to take his eyes off her form. Her brown hair now shone with life and was tied into a ponytail. While there was no showers or baths available, she had used the towels he brought and gave herself a rigorous rub down, and he could see the effect it had on her bare skin, making her seem radiant.

Staring was poor form, but Ray simply couldn't help himself. Now that she's cleaned up, he was convinced Liz could rock any outfit and look incredible, but this new, form fitting attire was enough to kill a man.

"I appreciate that," Liz replied, smiling brightly. "Good choice on the underwear too!"

If he could've burrowed himself underground, Ray wouldn't have hesitated. Unfortunately, such a power was beyond him, and he had to make do by placing his face into his hands instead, all the while Liz giggled in the background.

"Listen, I just... I wasn't really looking and-" He stammered, face flushed, but that just made Liz giggle all the harder.

"I'm sorry, that was mean of me," she finally said after calming down. Sitting down and placing a hand on his shoulder, she looked Ray in the eye. "I really do appreciate everything you've done for us."

Along with all the stuff he had looted from the Rogers residence, Ray had also brought along a pressure cooker, a small convection oven, and a bunch of food that can be prepared with those tools. He had been worried that they would inquire about how he managed to carry two heavy bags of goods up to them, but the thought didn't seem to cross their minds.

Once the impromptu fashion show was done, Liz helped kids change as well, and piled the old clothing into the bathroom so she can wash them by hand later. Mia and Jason were both excited and have taken to calling him "big brother Ray", a fact that he didn't discourage. Suck on that, Alice.

When the chores were done and dealt with, Ray joined in on the games once more, this time teaming up with the kids to hand Liz her first loss in Monopoly. During all of the shenanigans, they shared stories about their life before the outbreak, the good and the bad, all laid bare for each other.

Ray talked about how he didn't have a good relationship with his family, thanks to his lack of ambition and a poor work ethic. His little sister was the golden child, thanks to her natural intellect and charm, whereas he was considered the failed first experiment, something Liz found incredibly sad. Mia had given him a hug and promised to be his family instead, which got him a bit misty-eyed.

In return, Liz admitted that the pressure of success was getting to her, especially near the end of high school. Her parents had invested so much money and effort into her, and her siblings saw her as the perfect role model. In reality, she didn't have a plan for the future, and didn't know what she wanted to do, having only applied to university at her parents' suggestion.

The conversation shifted and winded, eventually arriving at the day of the outbreak. Ray was curious to know what had happened but didn't want to have to explain why he was unconscious for a whole week. Fortunately, he didn't have to prod very hard for Liz to offer that information.

*

Apparently on that fateful night, Liz had been helping her mom bathe the kids while her dad was watching the news, as usual. That was where he first heard of the "riots" that were spreading across the town. At first, he didn't think it was cause for concern, but things rapidly spiraled out of control as the news crew on site was attacked.

Seeing things get more hectic by the minute, Mr. Rogers decided that his family's safety was paramount, and decided to try and flee the city before things got even worse. At the same time, the next-door neighbors, lifelong friends of the Rogers family, paid them a visit.

William Miller was a childhood friend of Liz's, and when he and his family came over to discuss what to do, they decided that escaping was the right idea. Liz's mother had the idea of packing everyone in a single SUV, so as not to get separated, and they attempted to flee the city. Sadly, by this point, pretty much everyone else had the same idea, and the roads were completely congested. The police had all been deployed to danger zones to quell the rioting, so no one was available to take charge and direct traffic. It took them almost an hour to get to the downtown area, and by then, progress had grinded to a halt.

A decision was made to abandon the SUV and walk instead, and that was when it happened. A speeding car, moving far too fast to safely brake in time, came careening through a side road before smashing into a group of pedestrians. Liz barely had time to avert the eyes of her siblings from the horrific sight of blood and torn limbs, yet the night still held more surprises.

The driver came stumbling out of his vehicle to check on the pedestrians, only to find them still moving despite the terrible injuries. With a single scream of agony, he was dragged down to the ground and promptly devoured, flesh and bone. Liz could only stare numbly at the gory scene, her body frozen. For the first time in her life, she was witnessing something that neither the life lessons she was imparted nor the studies she partook in could explain. She would've died, that night, for she was so shellshocked she didn't notice the zombie limping towards her, but her father did.

With a roar, he dashed forward, slamming his elbow into the nose of the zombie, sending it toppling to the ground. "GO ELIZABETH! NOW!" He had yelled, and finally shook Liz out of her stupor. Taking Mia and Jason's hands, she took off, not even turning around to check on the safety of her parents or friends. She wasn't alone in her escape, since plenty of others had made the wise choice of ditching their cars, but no one had any idea where was safe. Liz just followed the majority while doing her best not to think back on the grisly event she just witnessed. It was unthinkable, that such a thing could happen. Who would ever believe it? Zombies, in real life?

It was Mia who saw the mall first. "Liz! Look!" She said, tugging on Liz's hand. The mall was a shining beacon in the dark, and Liz wasted no time in changing course and heading there, and some others followed suit. The manager was still around, and quickly ushered everyone onto the fourth floor, barricading the entrances, sealing themselves in. The SOS banner was quickly made and hung over the roof, though no one would see it and come with assistance until Ray.

In total, including Liz and her siblings, there were nine people trapped on the fourth floor. One store manager, one married couple, one bedraggled homeless man, one stern businesswoman, and one security guard.

At first, they had a decent amount of food, and spirits were high. They even had a television in the office, which everyone used to try and get the latest updates on the outbreak and rescue efforts. However, at some point, the radio waves stopped transmitting anything useful, and all they could see on TV was static.

As the situation got more and more dire, tensions rose, and arguments broke out. People were undecided on what to do, and despite Liz's best efforts to calm people down, tempers flared. Some, such as the businesswoman, saw any food going towards the kids as waste, while others disagreed. Eventually, the manager took the elevator down to the first floor, promising that he'd look for help. He never returned.

The sobering idea of a painful death by zombie bites tentatively cooled everyone down, and the next few days were spent in silence. Still, food was getting scarce, and desperation was tainting everyone's decision-making skills. Throughout all of this, Liz had her own issues to deal with, in the form of the lanky homeless man.

She had felt his gaze on her ever since the first day but had simply ignored it at first. She wasn't stupid, she knew was objectively attractive. Even her classmates and her friend William had treated her slightly differently once she was a senior in high school, but something about the man unnerved her.

He always spoke the least and never introduced himself, content with sitting in the corner and just observing. Liz did her best to avoid him, making sure to sleep as far away as possible. Still, as long as there were others around, she was confident he'd never do anything.

Unfortunately, five days after the manager left, Liz and the kids were abandoned. In the middle of the night, everyone else except for the homeless man had left, escaping via the elevator. Even now, Liz wonders why they didn't take her along, and why they left her and her siblings behind with that creep.

Ray figured it was because they thought of her siblings as a liability, but he didn't verbalize the thought.

That left the four of them on the fourth, and now her fears had become reality. Almost immediately, Liz had taken the kids into the manager's office and locked the door, piling furniture against it to prevent someone from breaking down the door.

That night was the longest night of her life. Huddled together with Jason and Mia, Liz was too tense to sleep, and the sound of footsteps outside the door had only exacerbated her fears. Soon, the footsteps were at the door, and the handle of the door began rattling. In desperation, she had grabbed a nearby lamp to use as a weapon, just in case he managed to get in. When the rattling turned into kicks against the door, Liz could literally feel her knees trembling, but the sight of her terrified siblings gave her courage, and she had stood beside the door all night, ready to use her makeshift weapon if it became necessary

Fortunately, the door ended up being stronger than Michael's resolve, and soon Liz heard his footsteps fading away, along with his curses. The floor was entirely theirs. They would remain alone until almost a week later, Ray found them on the brink of starvation.

*

It was a harrowing story, and it only reinforced Ray's thoughts about how more survivors weren't necessarily a good thing. He was lucky to run into kind people like Liz, but there were probably more murderers and rapists in the world than good-hearted people like her, and without laws, the evil would flourish. Still, is that not an argument for him to cherish the people who did treat him with kindness?

Even just recounting the story had shaken Liz, and she had to take constant breaks to try and maintain her composure. By the time she was done, she was once again sobbing into his chest. This time, Ray was more active in comforting her, hugging her and whispering quiet encouragements. Soon, she was sleeping in his lap. Much like a cat, it left him in the uncomfortable position of not being able to move, lest he disturb her. In the end, he had no choice but to fall asleep sitting down, her head on his legs.

*

And so, the days continued, bit by bit. The frequency of Ray's visits increased each time, until he was coming over every other day, spending the night, and then leaving again the next day. It added purpose to his travels, now that he can search for things that are needed by them.

The fourth floor has now been greatly furbished, the fridge stocked with food, and the roof occupied by a small garden now. It was like a home away from home for Ray. While he still occasionally spent days away from them when he desired solitude, Liz was entirely understanding and didn't want to push him too hard about permanently moving in.

A radio was set up as well, to detect government broadcasts, both national and local. It's only been about three weeks since the outbreak, and Ray refused to believe that everything could crumble so quickly. There had to be more gathering centres than just the university. Since he couldn't monitor it 24/7, that job fell to Liz and the kids.

On the matter of the university, Ray decided that he would pay them a visit. It was something he had been unsure about for several days now, internally debating the pros and cons whenever he was alone. He definitely didn't want to have to reveal his secret, but he also felt a sense of guilt whenever Liz or the kids mentioned their parents. If they might be at the university, it would be wrong not to at least check and tell them if they really were there. Reuniting them was a different matter, but that can come later. For now, Ray needed to figure out a way in without exposing himself to a physical check.