The Blood-Stained Rivers of a Dying World

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She has a cute laugh... Haha... "How does it just keep getting darker?" he asked, hands outstretched in front of him, feeling for anything that he could possibly run into. Making his way, albeit slowly, into the second room of the house, he was yet again blindly searching for something in the closet. He felt the box of candles in the corner of the shelf and brought them down, trying not to drop them in the ever-darkening blackness. "Okay, I've got the candles. It's a shame though, my eyes just got used to the dark."

Making his way back down the stairs he walked into the kitchen and placed the box on the table. "C'mon, we're burning moonlight, the windows are finished but we still have to remove our... friend." he chuckled.
 
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Rene watched Jace light the candles. They cast long, sideways shadows. A sudden wave of sorrow engulfed the brunette. It's just something about the way the shadows seem to pull away from us… as if they know we are monsters. Tightening her lips and casting her eyes downward, she made her way to the pile of blankets she saw earlier. The top one was covered in small holes. "Moths…" she whispered to herself. Spreading in out, she turned and threw it on top of the zombie's stiff body. A pang of empathy touched the woman briefly. She's long been desensitized to the shambling corpses, but never has she had to dispose of the remains. Grabbing the ankles, she lifted up half of the rotting figure, careful to keep the blanket in between her flesh and the zombies.

"Could you open the door for me?" she asked, all the pervious mirth now vacant from her dancing visage. The flames in the candles wavered slightly.

She felt something cold touch her neck. Startled, she dropped the body. "Wha…" she turned around.

Nothing.

I'm going insane, Rene thought angrily, though a hint of fear still set her nerves on edge. Her heartbeat steadied and she glanced at the confused blonde.

"Ha… sorry. I guess I'm just getting paranoid with the dark and all…" she trailed off, biting her lip and once more grabbing the dead body.
 
Jace finished lighting the last of the candles, placing them around the house. It was a warm, dull light. But still better than nothing. Glancing up he saw Rene flinch. Afraid of the dark? How peculiar. He raised an eyebrow after her comment. "Yeah, I'll help you carry it out too." The two carried the body out the back of the house, a considerable distance away. With the occasional stumble over the uneven terrain, they dropped the body. Jace looked up. "Wow. The moon sure is bright tonight. We might just be able to make it back to the house after all." he said, pointing up to the moon through a clearing in the thick, seemingly endless mix of smoke and clouds.

"Sometimes I try and look for constellations, like over there. The big dipper, and just a bit above it is Draco's tail." He always tried to find them all at night. Looking for them reminded him of his girlfriend, Michaela. A sharp pain wrought itself in his chest. He felt so guilty. She was dead because of him. Because he didn't do his job. When the pandemic broke out in Michigan, the two made their escape, like everyone else. Walkers filled the streets, like an undead army. They were running down their apartment stairs and... She was grabbed. Screaming his name, reaching out, expecting him to save her.

But it was too late. He ran up the stairs, reaching out, and the beast pulled her back. Sinking its rotted teeth into the flesh of her neck, she screamed louder. With a satisfying thwack his fist connected with the head of the corpse, knocking it off balance, pushing it over the railing. Everything just became a haze then. His vision faded inward, using his hand to apply pressure to her profusely bleeding neck. "Don't leave me damnit! Don't. Leave. Me!" Shouting quickly became sobbing as her eyelids gently closed, her hand, then outstretched toward his face, retreating. Leaving a faint smear of blood on his cheek. He had failed.

Quickly he snapped himself out of his trance, that pained, wrenchingly hollow feeling in his chest stronger. "I think its time to head back" he said sullenly "It's a long day tomorrow. And I'm planning on sleeping in." And commenced walking back toward the house.
 
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Rene blinked at the man. His sudden change in mood was more apparent than hers. Cautiously, the brunette followed the man back into the house. Just before she went in, she turned around and glanced at the night sky. The moon blotted most of the stars, but she vaguely could make out what Jace was talking about. It's still so pure up there… still the same beauty as ever. I wonder what the stars think about Earth now… she sighed. The stars always made her feel so insignificant. A sulfurous breeze wafted by, pulling the girl back. "War never leaves." she remarked, then realized her cat wasn't with her. Hurriedly, she closed and bolted the door, going up the stairs to retrieve her precious friend.

Entering the master bedroom blindly, she felt for the bed. Her heart pounded and she cursed inwardly. It's not a big deal… She continued feeling the bed. Then she grabbed her hand knit blanket and smiled.

But that smile was short-lived.

As her eyes adjusted to the darkness, Rene paled. Her cat wasn't there. Panicking, she began to coo and pat the bed, as if calling out to the stuffed toy. She looked on the floor, under the bed. Crawling around, her coos got shriller. No… no no no… no please no. The brunette felt tears prickling her eyes and her throat hurt. She sat on the floor silently. "Kitty… it's okay…" she whimpered, her hands shaking. I won't hurt you… I won't. Please come back… A couple of warm tears ran down her cheeks, but she angrily brushed them away. Standing up, she found Jace. Keeping the pain out of her voice (and the accusatory bite) she asked, "did you take my cat?"
 
"Your... Cat?" he said in a questioning tone, clearly she was worried. "Was that what was in the blanket this whole time? I don't think so... Did you check under the pillow?" A cat... Maybe she really is afraid of the dark. "Want me to help look for it? Ill go down and grab a candle or two so we don't have to do it in the dark." But really, a stuffed cat? "You don't think it just up and walked off, do you?"
 
"…yeah. I checked." she whispered and looked away, fighting back tears. He was all I had left… she coughed -choked, really- in attempt to hide her despair. Turning, she walked back into the bedroom. Every step felt heavy and she just wanted to lay down. To forget ever going into this house. Forget the apocalypse. Sleep-

*squeak*

Rene tripped and fell. She would've recognized that noise anywhere. A small burst of relief spread through her body. On her knees, she picked up the small bundle that she tripped over. Her one-eyed cat looked back at her. Smiling, Rene hugged the toy and whispered apologies into its fraying cloth body. She closed her eyes. I can shoot people but I can't go on without a heap of cotton and thread… Deciding to stay on the floor for a while, she breathed in the familiar smell of her cat. At least I have company… decent company. "He isn't too scary, is he?" she asked the kitty. Her eyes felt heavy, yet she knew she couldn't sleep. Not tonight, even in the safety of a home. She could never sleep anymore.

As Jace returned with the lit candles, Rene spoke, her voice muffled in cat, "I found him."
 
He stumbled down the stairs slightly in the dark house, returning to the first floor. It was quiet. The faint sound of crickets filled the air. The occasional crack of the house settling from the heat of the sun. Aimlessly he reached out in front of him feeling for the wall. But a second too late, as he walked right in to it. He grunted not only in shock but in moderate pain, clutching his nose. Finding one of the tables in the Den area he snatched up the two candles on it as well as the sconce/holder thing.

Walking back up the stairs after lighting them both with the book of matches in his pocket. There was a faint thud and he hurried up a little, peering around the door. "You alright?" She found her cat. Awesome. "Oh, wonderful." he said, placing a sconce with a lit candle on the nightstand. "That floor doesn't seem to be too comfortable, want some help up?" he said, outstretching a hand in her direction. She seemed relieved, finding her plush.
 
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"Oh, thank you!" she smiled, pushing her cat into his outstretched hand and standing up on her own. She swiftly retrieved her kitty. The candle flame danced around, making the shadows all too animate. She felt a little dizzy and leaned on the dresser for support. Not that she noticed, after all, she did just get her cat back.

She suddenly remembered she wasn't wearing pants.

"Oh…. um." she started, placing the cat hurriedly on the dresser and pulling down the shirt. After shuffling around a bit she opened a drawer and examined it's contents eagerly. "Thanks" she repeated, suddenly very nervous. She was all too aware that there was a guy whom she's only known for a day standing right next to her in a bedroom with mood lighting. A sheepish smile graced her lips, eyes still very focused on the contents of the drawer. I. Want. Pants. This is so bad. And dangerous. Cat! Rene once more grabbed her toy cat. She cast a sideways glance at Jace, only slightly mortified.
 
Surprised she put the cat in his hand, he looked at it. Discolored, stained synthetic fur, matted in some places, torn seams, and a missing eye. Odd. His eyes glanced downward only to find out her shirt had risen up a little. Quickly he looked away and coughed, shifting uncomfortably in the process. Woah awkward. Taking the cat out of his hand and leaning against the nightstand she suddenly had a change in composure. Yep she realized it too. Still awkward.
She said thanks and darted over to the nightstand.

I... I'm going to bed... he thought, and nervously scratched the back of his head. "Goodnight, sleep well." and he walked off to the other bedroom. Walking over to the closet in his room he found a shirt that wasn't too small and stripped off most of his filthy clothes. Until he was in his underwear. He pulled the shirt over his head and torso, and slipped into the bed. He moaned "Ohhhh this feels soooo gooodddd... It's like laying on a cloud." hoping to hear some sort of validation from Rene, he quickly fell asleep.
 
Rene exhaled when Jace left. The awkwardness in the air was thick enough to cut with a knife. She closed the drawer and allowed a small laugh at her idiotic nervousness. I'm acting like a high school girl again. She felt tired, and decided it was time to at least attempt to fall asleep. Approaching the master bedroom bed, she gave a victorious grin at her cat. "We get the big bed! Aren't we lucky." The girl sat down on the bed and sighed.

"W…wait a sec…" her brow furrowed and she got up. Turning around, she peeled back the blanket to reveal a nice green film of mold. "Oh gross!" Rene exclaimed, quickly scooping up the cat protectively. "WELL… this is a problem." she muttered. I guess I can't be that lucky in one day. She stood in the doorway for a bit. I could go downstairs… Jace has the other bed… her idea slowly became less appealing as she thought more. But… that would make me closer to the front door…. and closer to the zombies. Unprotected. A shiver went down her spine.

"Alright. I'm just going to be very mature about this. Tell him what happened. Explain. Mature." she spoke encouragingly to herself. Ah, I'm blithering like an idiot yet again. Why couldn't I of just been by myself? She remembered the zombie they dragged away, suddenly very grateful Jace was there. Sighing, she crept into the other bedroom…

…only to find the man in question sound asleep.

Well shit. I can't very well just jump on in. That'd be so creepy! Frustrated, she scowled at the sleeping man. "Maybe If I just… push him off…" she whispered to herself, an innocent smile playing across her face. And with a tiny shove, she did just that. A loud whack announced the unaware male's encounter with the floor. Repressing evil giggles, she quickly took the mans place before he could come to.
 
Lying in the what might as well be cloud, he closed his eyes. And thought, Listened. Relaxed. He heard the crickets again, an owl. The faint murmur of Rene's voice in the room over. He spread his legs and arms out over the bed, feeling the cool sheets caress his hands and feet. This sure feels like heaven... If there was one... His tired mind began to wander other places That Rene girl... she's... kinda cute. And that whole cat thing, kinda adds to the whole thing. He didn't really know what he was thinking about any more. Soon, he was enveloped in blissful sleep.


Jace then hit the floor with a yelp and a thud. "OW! WHAT GIVES?!" he shouted from the floor, laying on his back. He swear he could have heard a giggle. "Alright c'mon. This isn't funny. Why are you commandeering my bed? You're going to have to share it 'cause I'm not sleeping on the damned floor."
 
"But…" she started, then realized how pissed he actually looked. Why did I even think this would work? Letting loose a long sigh, she started to speak, "You see… the other bed is covered in mold and I didn't want to sleep downstairs because there was a zombie down there and I could get eaten and I didn't want to get eaten so I was going to ask you but then you were asleep so I nudged you to wake you up and you convulsed and I thought you were dying-" Rene gasped for breath, "-and then you fell."

She gave the man an innocent look. Realizing he wasn't moving, she noisily blew air out of her nose and squirmed clear to the other side…. of the twin bed. "You know, there's not much room on here anyway. And my cat takes up a lot of room…" she gave another attempt at changing the blonde's mind. Giving up before she got an answer, she simply turned around and said, "Just don't take all the blankets." a brief silence encompassed the trio. "And don't….. do anything weird." she added as an afterthought.
 
"Don't plan on it" he said sitting on the bed, pushing her even further with his behind. It felt. Odd, sharing a bed with another person again. After spending most of his time either in the back of a car, in a tree, wherever else he could afford to sleep without getting eaten. It felt, safer. Almost. He greeted the warm feeling of another persons body heat. Sighing, he closed his eyes again. I can't believe this is actually happening. We literally just met. It didn't matter for long though. And was was soon again back to sleep.
 
Rene's whole back felt tingly. Why does the big bed have to be ruined? She complained to herself while ignoring the strange sensation caused by the simple thrill of human contact. She felt Jace push against her, causing her to move closer to the wall. Indignantly, she pushed back, though unable to move the heavier person. Ignoring the red creeping on her cheeks she snuggled her cat. Don't give me that look, her eyes spoke to the stuffed toy. It seemed quite displeased with the most recent circumstances.

After a long pause Rene finally muttered an apologetic "Good night" only to find that the male was asleep. She rolled her eyes. "Men.". A brief moment later, she too fell asleep. For the first time in a long time.

And so the night passed.
 
Before he knew it, the sun was up and faintly shining through the smog and the window in the small bedroom, cast upon his rumpled, dirty clothes. Coming out of half-asleep daze of just waking up, he felt that peculiar warmth around him again. Rubbing his eyes, he looked down, only to see Rene's arms wrapped tightly around him. He felt bad, knowing that getting up would probably wake her up in the process. So he laid there, taking in the company of another living, breathing, human. He looked around for something, a timepiece really. He looked at the floor, for something that cast an odd shadow. A small pebble on the floor, casting an oblong shadow in the light. He imagined a sundial around it. About 9:30-10ish. Earlier than anticipated. Oh well, I guess I could lay here for a while longer. And that's what he did.

As 10:00 rolled around he gently removed Rene's arm from his side, and slowly got out of the bed. He walked into the master bedroom and entered the bathroom, examining himself in the mirror. His face was thinner than he remembered. His stubble was gray and long. Hair greasy and matted. Dirt smudges where creases would be made if you squinted or raised your eyebrows. I feel so. Filthy. He never really cared up until now. As he was just about to turn the water on for the shower he realized a towel would be more than satisfactory. There has been too much awkward already, we don't need any more. He looked around, hoping for something. I guess I could use one of the smaller shirts in the bottom of a closet... And he did. And it was the most amazing shower he has ever taken. Even though the water poured down like ice.
 
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Rene woke up with a problem. Sitting up, she yelped and waved her hands around. Her cat toy promptly fell from her face to her lap. "Argh, god dammit kitty." she mutter blearily and yawned. It took her a moment to remember all that happened last night, and when it all came back to her, her eyes widened. "Where's that one guy?" she asked the cat. Wiping sleep from her eyes, she stood up and tip-toed into the hallway. The sound of water came from the internal structure of the house, and Rene smiled, remembering her shower. Then, her stomach grumbled noisily.

Surprised, she looked down at her tummy. Wow, I would've killed to be this skinny back before…. her thoughts trailed off. She didn't like to think of the times before the apocalypse. Too many memories… She shook her head. "No time to think about that. Food." She turned to the stairs and was about to make her descent, when she remembered she wasn't alone. Walking into the master bedroom, she peeked into the bathroom. Curtain was closed. Good. She could almost swear that she heard humming, and stifled a laugh.

Standing a bit taller, Rene brought a knuckle to the open door and rapped on it a few times. "Hey.. uh…" she cleared her throat again, hoping she didn't scare the shit out of the guy. "It's me, Rene, the girl, cat, yeah…" her voice trailed off again as she remembered the previous night. Shaking away these thoughts, her brows knit together. Focus, for the love of God. "so are you hungry? I have some food in the car, and I never finished searching the kitchen…"
 
Oh how wonderful it felt, the be clean again. He grabbed the dried, cracked bar of soap and lathered it in his hands and started rubbing down his body. Oh how his muscles ached. It felt so good to scrub himself clean though. Once the task was completed, he stood there, hands to the front of the shower, and just stood there, letting the freezing water beat down on his back. He started humming a song, one that he'd listen to all of the time. He suddenly stopped hoping that Rene wasn't up or at least heard him. Suddenly, there was a rapping, a rapping at his bathroom door. Jace pulled the curtain back enough so he could peer around it. "Actually, yes, I'm starving. And, by the way, did you sleep well?" he asked curiously, wondering if she remembered anything about this morning. But still, food! And even better, she's willing to share it!
 
"Sleep? Sure. As well as I could for having a complete stranger in my bed," she smiled, cutting the edge from the comment. The truth was that she had slept better last night than any other night for months. She hesitated, wanting to stay a moment longer, but feeling as if she should go. She decided on the latter. Making her way down the stairs, she herself began to hum a tune. It was rare to feel happy anymore. The constant threat of being killed along with the dreary grey sky made everything seem so bleak. At least here in the house, she could pretend to have some visage of a normal pre-apocalyptic life.

But God wasn't ever that kind to her.

Going into the kitchen, she forgot how dark it was without lights. Letting her eyes adjust, she found the candles and lit one up. Peering around the room, she looked at the box, and, in turn, the still squished rat. Oh… her stomach gave a little turn. Turning to a cupboard, she opened the drawers. "No way." inside was one jar of what looked like a preserved fruit of some sort. She hadn't seen a fruit, let alone tasted one in too long. A broken jar also sat inside the storage, it's contents spilled in what must've been the rush the family was in to evacuate. Content with her find, she found a plastic jug in another cabinet and filled that with water from the sink. It smelled a little funny, but was probably cleaner than anything she's been drinking.

Rene took the fruit and water in her hands, intending to bring it up to the brighter upstairs area. Just as she placed her foot on the first step, a noise distracted her. Turning back around, she peering back into the kitchen only to verify her suspicions. The water was running, full blast. Weird… I thought I turned it off. Befuddled, she turned the water off. Her hair prickled on her neck, and she took the stairs by two, back up to where Jace was. Where safety was.
 
He shut the water off a minute or two after Rene had left. Drying himself off with the shirt, he felt the cool air freeze him to the core even more. "Any more of this cold crap and I'm going to get hypothermia." he muttered to himself. Once he finished, he walked over to the dresser and rifled around in it a little, looking for something clean. I mean, if she can get a clean pair of underwear from in here I could too. And he did. Oh man, I forgot how good clean clothes felt. Suddenly, Rene was hurtling up the stairs. "D-Don't come in, I'm kind of half naked". Wow I sound so weird... He grabbed one of the pairs of the wrinkled pairs of slacks from the closet. Shirt isn't that important, right? I mean, at least I'm wearing pants. "Alright you can come in now. Did you find anything good to eat?"
 
Rene walked into the room, proudly carrying her catch. Fruit… I found fruit. This is great! A little water spilled when Rene caught sight of Jace's chiseled, very naked upper body. Fire once more engulfed her face, but she forced herself to keep eye contact. They slept together for Christ's sake. This is not anything worse. "Er… I found fruit!" she said, smiling. Her previous fear dissipated, and she shook the jar in her hand as proof. "I… can't tell what type of fruit it is but… I mean… I think it's fruit." She laughed at her ridiculous babbling. Yep. Schoolgirl Rene, that's me. "You know, there are shirts in that closet." she remarked, addressing the problem at hand.

Turning heel, she walked to the doorway.

"I'm not going to eat in a room filled with mold. If you want some you better join me in the other room." casting her head back, she paused and looked him up and down. Slowly. An embarrassed smile crossed her face, and she walked away.
 
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