Warning: Deaths of Characters, Zombies.
If you're sensitive to death or gore read at your own risk.
{ANGST}
Third person pov...
"C-can anyone h-hear me? My name is Payton and I'm alone. Please if you can hear me, if anyone's out there, help." Payton chokes back a sob that's building up in his chest and continues speaking into the radio. "My camp got destroyed and I got separated from my group, I'm in a small town. I-I don't know the name of it, but no one's here."
Payton sighs and just keeps whispering pleas to the staticky radio, slumping down onto the dirty floor after ten minutes of trying and failing. The bruised and scared teen feels tears well up in his eyes and he lets them free, tiny sobs echoing through the small gas station he found.
Footsteps make Payton shut up and cover his mouth, grabbing his pistol and cocking the gun back in case he needs it. He shakily stands up and presses his back to the closest wall and peaks around the corner, seeing a small boy lazily walking over the broken glass, grumbles and growls is all that's heard.
Payton moves his head out of view and feels more tears stream down his face, a tiny sob falls from his lips and he hears the footsteps stop for a second before walking in the direction of the teen. Payton gulps and grips the gun harder before taking a deep breath and turning to be standing in front of the boy.
"I'm so sorry." Payton whispers before a gun shot is heard around the town, the little boy falling back with a thud and a bullet hole in his head. The red blood splattering the ground and the little boys forehead, blood slowly leaking down his cheek and dripping onto the floor. "You're in a better place now little guy."
The brunette makes himself cry more at his words and kneels down to swipe his hand over the boys eyes, making them close so he can rest. His neck was ripped open and scratches littered his body, the decaying flesh making Payton gag and grab his bag, bolting out of the gas station before more walkers come.
Payton stops running once his lungs can't take anymore, they feel like they're on fire while he tries to take deep breaths to calm his racing heart. Payton looks around at his surroundings to see trees and the setting sun peaking from behind the small hill, the small teen sighs and starts walking towards the trees to try and find shelter.
Once his small campsite is set up Payton sits down in front of the burning ambers, grabbing a water bottle from his bag and taking a gulp. He feels his eyes turn heavy before he's consumed by darkness, the world fading away like this apocalyptic planet is all just a dream that Payton's about to wake up from.
——
A cock of a gun makes Payton wake up with a start and reach to grab his gun, but the mysteries person stops Payton's movements when he feels the tip of the gun rest on the back of his head.
"I wouldn't do that if I were you, now put your hands up and turn around slowly." Payton hears the man speak, he's heard that voice before but he can't pin point who it is. Payton slowly raises his hands and starts to turn around while he's still in a sitting position, when they lock eyes the person drops the gun to their side.
"P-Payton?" The once intimidating voice that belongs to Tayler turns soft and broken once he's seen the small teen he fell in love with.
"Tayler!" Payton yells, standing up and jumping into the taller boys arms. The tears streaming down his face like yesterday, but this time out of happiness.
"Payton, I thought I lost you forever. Oh my g-od." Tayler's voice cracks at the end and he feels tears wet his shirt, his own tears doing the same to Payton's shirt.
"M-me too."
——
Four Months Later...
"Tayler, we need to leave!" Payton yells in a panic, shooting his pistol at the walkers that are now surrounding them. Tayler nods and looks for a way out, seeing a latter that goes to one of the city buildings roofs just a couple meters beside Payton.
"Get to the latter and take one of my guns in case yours runs out." Tayler says, handing Payton his gun and kissing his forehead.
"What about you!?"
"I'll be right behind you, now go!" Tayler yells, firing his gun off at a walker that's behind them. Payton nods and starts running to the latter, pushing over one of the zombies and hitting another one in the head with the end of his pistol. He hears a grunt of pain but doesn't pay any mind to it, starting to climb up the latter and to safety.
"Tayler we did it! We're okay!" Payton screams, turning around to see no one. His face caves in and he runs back to the latter to see no Tayler climbing up behind him, only a group of zombies bent down in a circle eating a body. Tayler's body.
"NO!" Payton screams a blood curtailing sound, he collapses onto the ground and grabs at the air. Feeling his heart shatter and his breath turn rigid from the emotions that crash over him. The one person he has, the one person he loves, his best friend, is dead just below him and he can't do anything to help him.
He feels hands on his back and he turns around to see two walkers grabbing at his back, not Tayler's comforting hands, dead humans trying to eat him hands. He screams and tries to wipe the tears out of his eyes to see but it's to late, one has already bitten him on the leg while the other topples onto him.
Payton kicks and screams after pulling out his pistol and firing it into the walkers head, smashing the other one over the head before shooting him to. Blood drips down Payton's face as he feels his leg throb with pain at the bite mark, the area red and bloody as it squirts blood over his pale skin. A loud sob escapes his shaking body and he crawls over to a wall, grabbing at his leg and screaming in pain and fear.
You never know when it's time to go, that's the crazy thing about life. It's always full of surprises that no one's ready for. But you always make it through the surprises, no matter who hard it is. I think that's the best thing about life, you never know what's gonna happen next, kinda like a scary movie. Which sounds crazy.
Payton's surprises built up over time and it caught up to him, the end is upon everyone and Payton's ready to go. He already feels the fever hitting him, making him heat up and sweat drench over his body. He lets out an agonizing shout and he grips just above his bite mark, picturing Tayler comforting him through this and telling him it's going to be okay, even though he knows it isn't.
He uses his last bit of strength to push himself over to the roofs edge, looking down again on the feeding zombies. He curses and lays down beside the edge, hanging one of his arms over the side while his other grabs his pistol. The sun beams down on his burning body as Payton lifts the gun towards his head, his tears coming to a stop as he takes in the slight breeze in the air or how the sun feels on his fingertips.
The world feels beautiful again even though he can hear the dead walk around below him or the run down city being destroying ever minute that goes by. It feels peaceful to Payton and he wishes everything was back to how it was before, before the end of the fucking world.
Payton breaks into a small smile for the first time this all happened, an actual smile, only Tayler could do that. Payton takes a deep breath and cocks the gun, closing his eyes and picturing being in Tayler's arms again. Feeling safe and secure.
The bang echoes off the buildings and into the sky, everything feeling empty as the walkers wait for their next meal to come along. Not having a care in the world or having to care for their safety, because they're the ones that set this planet into destruction.
But somehow Tayler's and Payton's hands are facing each other, maybe waiting for the other to reach out and grab it, waiting for each other.
(1467 words)
