Chapter Text
It had already been three months.
Three months since the day Rey turned on the TV in the living room and saw the screen pop up with images of hordes of zombies filling the streets, attacking everything in sight. The first thing she did was call her parents, her fingers shaking as she tried to absorb the whole situation. They had gone out for a business lunch a few hours ago, and Rey was home alone.
Their phone rang, but no one answered. And she called many times, until her signal went out and she couldn't do anything but wait for them to come back.
But they never did.
The power lasted a few days before it went out. Rey tried to save as much of the food she had in her cupboards as possible, eating very little so it would last. Within a few weeks, she had already lost a few pounds.
She knew she had to get out of there. Look for a place with more food, people who could help her. But she still had a persevering hope that her parents were alive. That one day they would just walk through the door as if nothing had happened.
But then a month passed. Then two. Then three.
Eventually, the food ran out, and Rey had no choice but to pack a backpack with her things, grab a machete from the kitchen, and try her luck outside.
The streets were empty. There were overturned cars and blood stains on the asphalt. But no sign of zombies. And not from any human either. She couldn't hear anything other than the sound of the wind.
Most of the houses were already broken into. Many survivors entered them looking for food or weapons. Before the power went out, Rey saw on TV that people were committing crimes. Murders, kidnappings, robberies, rapes. There was no longer a justice system to punish them, after all.
That's why Rey had covered all the windows in her house, reinforced the lock on the door. One day, the doorknob had turned and she heard male voices outside, but they eventually gave up and left her alone.
Now all that was left were broken doors, torn cushions and spoiled food. There was nothing for her there.
Rey's belly growled. It had been almost a day since she had eaten. She needed to find something. Fast.
She doesn't remember how long she walked. The sense of time felt different now. Her feet ended up taking her to other neighborhoods, until she barely recognized the path she was taking.
Until, suddenly, a zombie appeared in front of her.
It was easy to recognize them. Their grayish skin and white eyes were easily distinguishable, as was their strange way of walking, almost as if they were wind-up dolls.
Eyes widening, Rey tried to move slowly to hide behind a car, but it was too late. The zombie had already seen her.
He ran toward her, and Rey took off down the sidewalk, breathing heavily with exhaustion, hunger, and fear.
She was never good at sports, even less so now that she was practically passing out from hunger. The zombie, on the other hand, seemed to be having no difficulties as he was getting closer and closer, closer, closer...
Suddenly, Rey's shoelace got caught on something on the sidewalk and she fell to the ground, her elbows and knees scraping against the hard cement as she tried desperately to get up.
When she looked over her shoulder, the zombie was almost on top of her. Rey then quickly took the machete out of her backpack and pointed it at the monster, determined to fight with all her strength to survive.
But then, out of nowhere, she heard a loud sound of a gun and soon after a hole appeared right on the forehead of the zombie in front of her, who soon collapsed to the ground like a bag of bones.
Rey froze, staring at the dead body in front of her in a mixture of terror, relief, and confusion. What the hell...?
Suddenly, a large hand grabbed her arm and pulled her off the ground.
When Rey looked to her side, there was a tall, unfamiliar man staring at her impatiently. He had dark hair, big ears and nose, and deep-set eyes that made her feel like an ant next to him. He also looked older. Like, much older. 30 years or more.
"Come on, girl," he said, starting to pull her down the sidewalk.
"Hey, let go of me," she exclaimed, pulling her arm from his grip roughly, "What do you think you're doing?"
She held the machete more firmly in one hand, ready to use it if necessary.
The man raised an eyebrow.
"We have to get out of here. By now, the others have already heard the sound of the shot."
"The others?", Rey frowned.
"There are others where that one came from. We have to get out before they arrive."
"And why would I go with you? I don't even know you," Rey said, crossing her arms.
The man sighed impatiently.
"I just saved your life, girl," he replied.
Well, he had a point, Rey thought.
Even so, she was about to argue with him again when she heard a strange sound coming from a few streets down.
Zombies.
"Quickly," the man grabbed her arm again and dragged her back down the sidewalk.
This time, Rey let go. It's not like she has anything for him to take. And anyway, there was no death worse than being killed by zombies, and she wasn't willing to take that risk.
"I have a machete," Rey told the man suddenly. He might be twice her size, and have a gun, but she could also defend herself.
He ignored her.
🧟 🏠
The unknown man's name was Ben. That's what he said as he pulled her through the streets.
He took her to a house that looked like a fortress. There were huge metal fences, barbed wire, and an electronic security system. There was no chance of any zombies getting in there. Hell, Batman probably wouldn't even go into that house if Ben didn't want to.
"Do you still have electricity?" she asked in disbelief.
"I use a generator," he replied simply, "I have enough power for the next fifteen years."
Wow.
The prison-like exterior contrasted greatly with the interior environment. Inside it looked like a real house, with carpets, bookshelves, pictures on the walls. Everything lit by lamps and beautiful lamps.
Ben made her sit in front of the fireplace. Her belly left made a loud sound, and she felt her cheeks flush as she realized he had heard that.
He disappeared into what she assumed was the kitchen, and then returned with a bowl of soup and bread. Rey tried to be polite, but she was hungry. In just a few bites, she had already eaten it all.
"More?" he asked, seeming to suppress a smile.
Rey nodded, and he soon returned with more food, and a glass of juice. She, once again, ate everything until her belly felt full and satisfied.
She set her plate aside and looked up at Ben, who was watching her from a large armchair in the corner of the room.
"Thank you," she finally said, "Sorry for wasting your food."
"There's nothing to worry about. I have a good supply."
"Oh, cool," she shrugged, "I ran out of real food a few days ago. I've been surviving on scraps ever since."
"No wonder you were hungry then," he let out a sigh, "I have a vegetable garden here. You can help me."
"A vegetable garden?", she smiled excitedly, "What do you plant?"
"A little bit of everything. Tomatoes, lettuce, peas, beans, carrots, potatoes...".
"Potatoes?! No way!", Rey let out a sigh, "Wow, what I wouldn't give to eat some fries...".
Ben shrugged.
"You can get some if you want. There's oil in the kitchen for frying," he hesitated for a moment, narrowing his eyes in her direction, "Though that doesn't sound very healthy to me."
"You seem to be living a good life here then," Rey raised an eyebrow, "Who else lives with you?"
"I live alone," he replied.
Rey shook her head, not wanting to force details. Maybe he had a family before. Maybe he had a wife who died, just like Rey's parents died.
She felt a tightness in her chest as she remembered that.
"I lived with my parents," she said, "But they didn't come back after... after all."
Ben nodded, and the two were silent for long minutes. Rey could feel his gaze on her as she stared into the fire, lost in thought.
"How old are you?" he asked suddenly, snapping her out of her thoughts.
"Sixteen," Rey replied, turning to face him.
"Sixteen," he repeated, sounding thoughtful.
"And you?", she asked, curious. She would guess he was about 31, or 32.
"A little more than sixteen," was what he said, with a small smile at the corner of his mouth.
"Ah, come on," Rey rolled her eyes, "You're not that old to hide your age."
"And you're not that old to be surviving on your own," he said, and the words felt heavy in his mouth, like a mixture of reprimand and pity.
Rey didn't know how to respond to that.
No, she wasn't old enough to survive on her own. But she had done the best she could.
She wanted her parents.
She wanted her friends.
Were they still alive, wherever they were?
Rey turned towards the fire, hugging herself as she felt tears pool in her eyes. You're not a crybaby, Rey, she told herself, you're a survivor.
She heard Ben get up from his chair and walk to another room in the house. In the distance, she heard what sounded like the sound of running water, and soon he was back in the room with her, staring at her sitting on the floor.
"You must be tired," Ben said, "Come on, I've drawn a bath for you."
"Do you also have running water?" Rey's eyes widened, "What else do you have? A rocket? A submarine?"
Ben shrugged.
"Not yet".
She followed him to a bathroom at the end of the hall, and he showed her where there were clean towels for her.
"Do you have other clothes?" he asked.
"I brought some in my backpack," she replied.
Ben nodded.
"Okay," he watched her for a moment before taking a few steps to the door, "Call me if you need anything."
Rey locked the door from the inside before undressing. Looking at herself in the bathroom mirror, she couldn't help but notice how thin she looked. How visible her ribs were, how thin her face seemed.
She threw off the rest of her clothes and dove into the bathtub, letting out a satisfied groan when she realized that the water was hot.
How long had it been since she had a hot shower? How long had it been since she even had a decent shower in the first place?
She doesn't know how long she spent in the bathtub, but it was probably a long time. She made sure to clean a small part of her body, and used some of Ben's scented soaps. After that, she decided to simply relax in the bathtub, closing her eyes and feeling the water around her body.
God, she really needed a bath like that.
When the water cooled, Rey wrapped a towel around herself and got out of the tub. She combed her hair with a comb that was up there and brushed her teeth. Inside the backpack, she found a clean bra, panties, pants and blouse, and hurried to put them on before leaving the bathroom.
Ben was right there by the door, and she almost ran into his chest on the way out.
"Wow, you scared me," she giggled, "I've never had such a relaxing bath in my life. Thank you."
"You're welcome," he analyzed her face, "You look tired."
"Yeah," Rey shrugged, "I guess that's what happens when you spend all day looking for food."
Ben shook his head.
"You have to rest," he said, "Come, I have an extra room for you."
Rey followed him down the hall to the stairs, and then climbed up after him.
"So... Are you going to let me stay?"
"I will," he replied simply.
Rey let out a relieved sigh.
"That's cool. Thanks, Ben. I'll help you with the garden. And the kitchen. I don't cook very well, but I can learn. And the house. It's so big, you probably need help cleaning, right? And then I can help you--"
"That's perfect," Ben interrupted her, "But right now, I just want you to rest. You've been through a lot today."
He opened the door to a bedroom, and Rey realized that it was a very beautiful room, with a four-poster double bed, a dressing table, heavy curtains and a huge closet.
"This place is beautiful," she said, mesmerized.
"I'm glad you liked it," he stopped in the doorway as she walked around the room, "If you need anything, I'm in the next room."
She nodded.
"Okay, okay. Thanks, Ben."
He smiled weakly at her.
"Good night, Rey."