"My Scientific Best" | The Trio

.18

• "Take off your glasses,
I want to see your eyes!
They're red and bloodshot,
Exactly like lies...
Completely normal, everything's completely normal..."

* * *

"It's been one week- one week since he first took me to that grocery store. Now he's dead, and we're just supposed to pretend that nothing happened." Zak growled, not lifting up his head. Zelk had been continuously reminding him to eat, get along with the others... Well, Zak was sick of it. He wasn't going to pretend nothing happened, but he wasn't about to sulk in an endless depression either. He was pretty fucking fed up.
"Zak, Vincent and I are going out to eat, wanna come?"
"Mega asked if you've been doing okay."
All of these questions, questions, questions... These questions had been growing on him like some kind of fungi, paranoid with the thought that Zak wasn't okay- both mentally and physically.
"That's not what we're saying." Zelk looked over to Mega, who signed something back to him. "Death is a pretty important thing, but we can't let it slow us down."
Zak slammed his fists down on the island table, infuriated. "That's it. I can't deal with this anymore- whether it's you two acting like I've got some disease, or Bad and Vincent treating me like some loner- I just can't." He chuckled as the other two continued to stare at him, both quite disturbed.
Zak took a deep breath in and out, before continuing on his rant. "You found us, you guys took us in. And this is what I get for accepting your help?" Zak began putting on a spare jacket.
Mega began to sign something, but Zak cut him off. "And before you ask where I'm going, it's none of your business."
"Zak, we've been worrying night and day about you, you can't just run away every day like this!"
Before Zak slammed the door shut, he leaned out, smuggly. "Oh, but Zelk, I can."
Slam.
Zak giggled to himself, as he pulled out his machete. Hey, being lectured by his friends wasn't healthy. His friends were paranoid and weird. Zak wasn't even hurting himself, he was training, he was learning how to protect himself. He loved it.
Everyday was the same. More than often it would be Zelk, occasionally accompanied with Mega, who would confront him. Zak would be getting ready for the day, and almost as if they enjoyed tormenting him, they would go on and on about how he's been acting unhealthily.
Sure, he was upset, and did sulk for a while, but Zak wasn't doing anything that they told him not to do. He wasn't letting Dave stop him. Dave would want him to carry on, which was exactly what he was doing. So, it completely baffled him when everyone else was worried.
"Take that, sicko!" Zak thrusted his machete into the brittle skull of a zombie, blood barely splattering onto his coat. It's limp vessel fell to the ground, and Zak smirked, taking in his new found pride.
This is what he had been doing for the past few days.
He was angry, no... He was furious. Furious with the world for taking away his friend, his family. So he was going to anger the world, and do everything in his power to show that he was upset.
Dismissing zombies just happened to be his favorite way of showing that. It was fun, it reminded him of something he couldn't even remember, which made zero sense.
There was one thing on his mind despite all of his fury, however. That was getting some real revenge, finding out who did all of this. Zak and his friends' signals had all pretty much gone out for good, which could mean that there was still somebody behind all of this. He remembered seeing a news headline on an article about a month back, about trucks that got crashed into purposely, which leaked out some dangerous gases. If he could find out the secrets behind the whole situation, maybe he could stop it?
A zombie caught him off guard, letting out a disturbing growl, and attempted to scratch him. Zak wasted no time, and crashed his blade down on the corpse's head.
He glanced over to his left shoulder, sighing. It was spreading. If only he had been prepared that first day, then he wouldn't have to worry. And yet, here he was, worrying.
And it kept quickening by the day, which meant that he'd have to find help sooner or later. Wasn't really a fun idea, or a safe one- given the last experience that Zak had with a hospital.
"Zelk told me that you'd be out here." Darryl's voice startled Zak, coming from behind him. Zak turned, seeing Darryl strut down the street, alone.
"Where's Vincent? I thought you two were raiding another building or something."
"We were, and we did. You've been out here for hours."
Zak looked up at the sky, and sure enough, the sun was beginning it's decline. It really didn't feel like a long time, but when he took a few steps back, he noticed the piles of bodies surrounding him.
Not a fun sight.
"Where's Vincent?"
"Resting back at home. You need to come back, it's getting late." Darryl's voice was stern, and yet devoid of all emotion.
Zak looked back at the ground, and then his bloodied machete, and back at his friend.
He hesitated. "Fine."
Darryl sighed in relief, before nodding.
"Let's go."

* * *

"We're gonna attempt to contact that weird hospital, remember? You know, the one that-"
"That experimented on me. No, I totally get it." Zak scoffed, as Darryl then continued.
"Yes Zak, that hospital. We all know that your arm's been getting worse, and that you haven't been eating as much lately. They- well- those nurses seemed to be the only ones who could stop you from... You know."
"Oh my god, just say it. When I almost died, right?"
"...Right."
The other four only stared at Zak, awaiting a response. What was he supposed to say? He wasn't gonna go on and let himself be tested on like some lab rat. Not again.
"I'm not going."
Mega pinched the bridge of his nose, rolling his eyes. He signed something to Zak as he glared on, rather than to Zelk this time.
"I don't-"
Suddenly, as Mega stood up, Zelk cut him off. He signed something to Zelk, huffing. "No, you don't. Sit back down." Zelk replied, vaguely.
Mega began scowling at his friend, and then signed a few more times to him. Zelk seemed a bit upset then, and Zak just wished he could understand.
"What's he saying?"
"Mega, stop. Clearly he's been through something."
The two argued a bit more, before Vincent... Interrupted them.
"SHUT THE HELL UP."
And then silence.
When Mega was about to go off again, Zelk held him back.
"If you would let Darryl fucking continue, you'd know that we're having them, come to us." Vincent sighed.
"...Oh." Zak reddened slightly, before turning his head to Mega. When he noticed Mega staring right back at him, he glanced away.
Vincent, filled with sarcasm, mocked him. "Oh, is right."