The Virus

"I try talking about other stuff, and you tell me to shut up. I'd love to just sit here and flirt with you, but apparently that's distracting-- Look, I just needed to address it for a few seconds, the stuff about Mars, just in case the unthinkable happened and I got bit. Likelihood is that I'll be just fine-- but if you ever got bit, I wouldn't kill you. I'd look after you," he quietly admitted, at least hoping to sew that seed and then, when his infection became apparent, have the same sentiment returned. He probably would keep Zack alive if he got bit, simply because he couldn't cope with the horror of killing him, and he did hope Zack felt that strongly about him too. If not, he was looking to be killed in less than fourteen days now.​
 
"Why, though?" He asked, as he quickly switched the slides. "Why would you want to keep me alive, when all I would want to do is eat you? Wouldn't you be afraid that I couldn't control myself? I mean... do zombies feel pain? I'd rather you just shoot me in the head, you know? We haven't seen each other in two years, and we were hardly friends for another four. I don't know how cognitive I would be, o-or what..."
 
"I don't want to be the guy that ends your life. Sure, we haven't been close recently, but you're still the best friend I ever had, and the one person I ever loved, so no, I won't shoot you, don't even beg me to, because the answer's no. I'll lock you up and feed you scraps of raw steak or something, have chats with you and keep you company from a distance, but I won't kill you. I'd.... like you to do that for me, when I become a zombie-- IF I become one," he corrected with a hurried smile, playing it off with as much coolness as he could manage, and acting as though his frantic correction was nothing to be worried or concerned about. "Hey, but neither of us will be zombies anytime soon, so it's silly to talk about it. It is depressing, ain't it?"​
 
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"This whole situation is depressing, Logan. Just a few months ago, I was studying to finish my degree, and you were doing who-knows-what. Now here we are, in an abandon lab, while trying to desperately avoid the group of flesh eating humans outside. I just... I think this is the most 'normal' thing I've done since this all happened, and I'm spending my time in the lab trying to fix everything. It's a lot of pressure..." he whispered, inhaling hard when nearly dropping the slide.

"Like I said, we can do whatever you want when we get back to my apartment. I just need an hour, and we'll be properly safe and sound. You can... I dunno, nap? There are fire blankets in the closet, if you want a real blanket. You can use my shirt as a pillow- it isn't sanitary, but hey, neither is this whole environment.
 
"My life's been crap since school, I was never smart like you were. I was a builder, you know? Just spent my days working on some infrastructure project with a few guys, went for a beer after it and then slept for hours when i got home. Same routine for years. I like my routines, the continuation of normality. This whole thing has really pissed me off, because it's so unpredictable. I hate that, actually. I like surprises and the occasional dose of spontaneity and adventure, but on my own terms. Springing this on me without me being ready is really shitty of the universe," babbled Logan as he gratefully seized the chance to get a nap in when it was made clear that that was perfectly fine to do. He loved sleeping, and he could still sleep for hours despite living in the apocalyptic city where danger lurked at every corner. To say he didn't care was an understatement. He really didn't care. When it came to sleep, he didn't risk losing precious hours for anyone-- unless he really cared about them, as seen by his actions yesterday of trekking across the city at night just for some candy bars for Zack.

Settling down on the floor with his own shirt as a rest for his head, he kicked his shoes off and wriggled his toes absently to regain some feeling in them. "This does feel normal, compared to outside, huh? Let's not rush. Mars can wait for me, she's safely tucked up. You just... take as long as you need, this is important to me."​
 
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Having snatched the fire blanket, he laid the heavy thing over Logan's body to at least simulate a proper blanket. It was far heavier, and not the typical blanket you'd find at a casual department store, but it was something, the closest thing to try and simulate the whole 'normal' thing. Once letting the other settle, he flicked off the switch for extra help. After all, he only really needed the electricity for the tools.

"It's really not that big of a deal. I'll be done for today in an hour, alright?" He reassured, while returning to his set up. "Get some rest- you need it after last night. I'll make sure no one comes in, or whatever. I can figure a gun out if I need to," he tried to tease by flashing a smile, though it vanished once noticing the other had already closed his eyes.
 
"You figuring out how a gun works is like me trying to learn astrophysics. It just ain't going to happen, Zack, and that's fine, you know? I'm not fond on guns, I just think they're necessary in these sorts of situations... so... you stick to this, science boy, and I'll deal with the guns. Throw acid on 'em if they head on in here," responded Logan with a tired yawn between most his words, his sleepy voice seeming only to intensify his already rather heavy accent, though any attempts of clarifying some of the words that may have been misheard were lost. He was easily asleep by the time he ended the sentence, the only real noise coming from him afterwards being the faint snores he had always given off.​
 
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It would be a solid two hours of peace within the lab before Zack hurriedly woke his friend up.. Zombies had decided it was time for a snack and managed to get inside, and were now actively trying to get into the lab. He had locked the doors and protected it as much as possible, but his anxiety was through the roof- to the point of him physically shaking. .
 
Once feeling the desperate nudges, the adventurous man gave a small whine in refusal to wake-- until hearing the very obvious growls from outside the lab, along with pleas from the zombies that they weren't going to hurt anyone, that they just wanted to come in and see the lab. All incredibly transparent lies, of course, but ones Logan briefly grinned at, until realising that now perhaps wasn't the time to start enjoying the idiocy of the zombies.

His first priority, outside of protecting Logan, was finding a way out, tugging on his bloody shirt and trailing to his friend's side to take his shoulders and force him to stop his panicking. "Relax, alright? Look, we... have my gun, we'll just find another exit out of here, don't go panicking. They can probably hear better than we can, and I don't really fancy them knowing you're scared-- is there another way out?"​
 
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Zack was near sobbing in fear, most likely to Logan's dismay. If he grew fearful from the possible attack of snowballs in elementary school, the thought of being killed so quickly was a whole other level. Physically cringing from the sudden touch, it definitely helped him at least calm down a tad, though it wasn't a miracle fix.

"I-I, uh, I-I don't- I don't remember? I m-mean, um..." he stammered out in response, all the while fiddling with his hoodie strings, tugging on them quickly while he darted his eyes around the room.
 
"Hey, just... you do trust me, don't you? If you do, then quit crying and get it together. Not to sound harsh or anything, but crying like this isn't helping either of us, is it?" Answered Logan with a faint smile towards his panicked ex. As worried as he himself was, he would always put on this brave expression in the face of danger. Granted, nothing had been as dangerous as this, but he still maintained his signature grin and scoured the area with more detail than he had earlier on, pulling his ex towards the storage room, hoping it would lead to some other rooms to make their exit through. "Keep it together, Zackarie. I'd... throw myself at the zombies to make sure you get through, so take a deep breath and stick with me~"​
 
He offered a curt nod in response, which was a pretty long feat for the notoriously anxious man. With shaky hands, he shoved the notepad of research into his backpack, knowing at least to be able to think clearly enough to keep the one thing that mattered most by his side. If he did die, he at least hoped that someone would find his work and continue it, though Logan did plant a small seed of thought that everything was fine. So, while scurrying to the storage room, he quickly closed the door and peered around for anything even slightly useful. If there was one thing Zackarie was talented in, other than his education, it was his ability to move quickly, which helped with him being able to lock and block the door when he heard the familiar groans and voices of zombies from outside.
 
Once inside the storage room, and finding that it didn't have another adjacent door that led somewhere else to safety, his confidence did take a brief hit. The oncoming noises didn't help either, the hisses and whispers from the groaning zombies that gradually grew louder the closer they came making him groan angrily in response in the first indication of nervousness on his expression. To his credit, and unsurprisingly, it ended with a confident grin once spotting the -fortunately- open window just above them, easily scooping Zack close with his hands gripping his waist.

"I'll lift you up, ready? You go outside, and... I dunno, run home? I'll find a way out and meet you back home later," he promised, lifting him up on top of the tall wooden storage unit without much of a warning, easing back casually to smirk up at him. "Chill, alright? Do you want my gun? I can find another way to defend myself-- here, take it. You know how to use it, don't 'ya?"​
 
"N-No...?" He replied weakly, while nervously peering around the outside of the lab. "I can try and lift you up, Logan. I'm not going to let you get bitten b-because of this. I mean... I may not be as strong as you, but I can try, right? Or, at least take the gun! I've run away from stuff like this before, and I don't think I could shoot anyone..." he admitted, despite his brave claims the other day about shooting a zombie with no remorse if it was a former bully in school. In all honesty, Zack probably couldn't hurt a fly, even if he had the chance.

"Jump up! I mean... I don't want to be alone again," he admitted, the water works springing back. "I can't take care of Mars alone, I-I mean... I don't know what to do?"
 
"Hey, who said I was going to sacrifice myself and just get bitten? Seriously, Zack, I'm not like that. I'd be a shit hero, because I really don't want to die, and I'd do anything to keep living-- so you head home and I'll get another way out that's a tad more risky. Hell, let's face it, you wouldn't cope with riskiness right now, so do me a favour and go home to see Mars? I promise you, I have no intention on being infected by those zombies."

Of course, that wasn't entirely a lie. He was already infected, so any chance of the ravenous zombies outside infected him was impossible. Obviously, he didn't explain anything further to Zack, instead motioning to the window and the gun while peering about for anything he could use to defend himself should the zombies break down the door. "I mean... I'll just whack 'em when they break through, you know? Relax, I'll be totally fine~! I'd ask you to stay, but Mars is gonna be lonely."​
 
Wiping his eyes clear of tears, he reluctantly nodded as he gripped his things tight to his chest. With a sniffle, he reluctantly bolted from the window with a grimace. He wasn't a fan of Logan, sure, but he didn't want to see the man DIE. He had a point, though, and took off.

He - miraculously - returned home unscathed, moving quickly to pull out the boards and properly slip inside. He sighed in relief upon seeing the cat still perched, alive and sleeping.
 
If he was honest, he would have ideally jumped up and forced himself out the window if he wasn't infected. He would have done anything he could have to avoid being stuck in a locked storage room with zombies trying to get in. However, being infected did change things a little. He realised that the zombies would still want to tear him apart, given the infection hadn't reached completion yet, but that didn't scare him as much as Zack finding out that the symptoms were starting to make themselves apparent, hence why he opted to stay behind for a few seconds in order to cough up blood without Zack panicking and realising just why that was.

A few minutes of clearing the blood from his mouth, and forced the dizzy feeling, he forced himself up the unit and pushed himself out the window easily, comforted enough to stroll back to the apartment whilst knowing the immediate danger was still back in the lab with the zombies too hungry to realise they were clamouring to enter a now empty storage room.

"See, told you I wouldn't be long," he cheekily grinned once back at the apartment, only ten minutes or so after Zackarie arrived home. Scooping Mars up into his arms, he gratefully collapsed onto the couch and loudly yawned. "Hey, come cuddle up, Zack-- for warmth or whatever. We've been through some shit today, least we could do is sit and cuddle up~"​
 
"... I did promise something like that, didn't I?" He murmured, while wiping his wet face. He sniffled, groaning physically as he lightly smacked the other's arm. "For fuck's sake, Logan... I thought you died! I-I mean..."

Despite his ranting, he flopped besides the other and crossed his arms, his eyes avoiding his. "..."
 
Setting Mars on his lap after happily receiving the purrs of affection from the feline, he turned his own affection back towards Zack, his arm wrapping around his waist in an effort to make the mood just a little more intimate. Granted, he realised that Zack was hesitant to get close to him, but time was rather of the essence, with him wanting to try and show Zack how much he cared before the inevitable happened.

"...I ain't forcing you, I've told you that. I just, you know I like you," murmured the Polish man slowly, his hazel eyes searching over Zack curiously. "And hey, you must like me a little, or you wouldn't be housing me and show so much care for me, right~?"​
 
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"Look, I don't know, okay?" He replied quickly, before snatching the blanket tossed on the ground to wrap himself up tight. "I don't know how I feel, but I know I'm still pissed," he admitted under his breath, before burying his face in the knitted blanket. He didn't move, though, and simply grew quiet, only relaxing to lightly rest his head on the other's chest.
 
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