BIO-Z: Sample

Introduction

"Please, don't let go," Lily whispered quietly. Amanda squeezed Lily a bit tighter, holding her close against her chest. "Don't worry, everything is going to be alright," she said back softly. Amanda placed a kiss on Lily's cheek, and tears silently rolled down both their faces. Lily quivered slightly, causing Amanda to pull back a bit. Amanda was softly blushing, which luckily for her was impossible to see in the darkness of the night.
Amanda blinked a few times, turning her head away and scanning the room to avoid looking Lily in the eye. The curtains were still, moonlight peeking around the corners of the large dresser placed in front of the window. The large chair plopped in front of the door kept it shut tight as well, locked just for an extra measure of safety.
"Amanda..." Lily whispered. The sudden touch of Lily's fingers hit Amanda's cheek softly, and the next thing she knew her head was turned towards Lily again. Amanda felt herself start to breathe harder. Lily pulled Amanda's face forward, resting their foreheads against each other. Amanda laid there, totally frozen in panic. She wanted Lily, she desperately wanted her. Amanda could feel Lily's breath on her face. Was she...panting? She was...but Amanda wasn't sure why. 'Why did I have to fall in love with you...damnit! I know you aren't into that...why am I still holding out hope that you'll change your mind?'
A sharp groan suddenly pierced the air, followed by a slam against the wall from outside. Amanda quickly covered Lily's mouth, barely stopping her from letting out a yelp. "Shhh," she whispered, listening carefully to the sound. Loud scratching came from outside, everything else staying deathly silent. The minutes ticking by felt like hours, and when the sound eventually stopped Amanda still stayed frozen with her hand over Lily's mouth.
After a few more moments Lily reached up and pushed Amanda's hand away, looking at her softly. "Is it gone?" she whispered. "I think so," Amanda responded quietly. She pulled a pillow closer, moving off of Lily a little and snuggling up beside her. "Just try to get some sleep," she said. "Don't worry, I'll protect you. I always have, right?" Lily nodded, pressing her head against Amanda's chest. "Thank you..."

'She's so adorable when she's asleep...' Amanda thought to herself. She watched Lily's back rise and fall with each breath she took, curled up against Amanda for protection. It had been late at night when they had passed out, and when Amanda had awoken a while ago it was already light. In fact, she was sure they had killed a ton of daylight today already. Even just a few hours could be extremely beneficial. Then again, sleep was also important, which is why she chose to remain still and let Lily sleep. That, and her soft snores were adorable as hell.
She held in her soft chuckle, not wanting to wake the tired girl. They had been walking everyday for who knows how long now, it wasn't a surprise how exhausted she was. Despite being in shape, Lily had never seemed like the super athletic type. She liked to run but, aside from that she didn't do much of anything sporty. Amanda on the other hand was a workout freak. She had done some form of training nearly every single day, even back when she was a small child.
'It was back in high school when we met, heh...that was one of the first things she asked me. "You're a senior, why are you still taking a weight class?" And I told her all about how it was because I wanted to join the Marines. Nobody ever talked to me, mostly because of how I avoided people. And yet I fell in love with her the first time I saw her. She was still a sophomore then. I was surprised that she wanted to keep talking to me. She was the new girl in town, but it was pretty bold of her to approach a senior almost right away.
'I suppose now that I've known her for so long it isn't really a surprise though. She's always bold and confident. At least in public anyway. Not always so much when it's just the two of us. I guess she started to feel that she could be more relaxed...more like herself around me. And then I graduated, and she turned seventeen two weeks into her Junior year. Four months later I turned nineteen, got a job coaching at the gym. Can't believe we spent a whole year in that routine. Can't even believe we're both adults now. It was so normal, and then we were hanging out at the gym one day after she got out of classes and this whole mess started...'
Amanda couldn't help but stare at Lily. The now eighteen year old's cool blonde hair was partially in her face. It had grown long again, and would need another trim soon. It had used to reach far down her chest, but after the last few cuts it had been about even with her face length. Now it had grown back down nearly to her shoulders. Amanda couldn't see them at the moment, but she could picture Lily's pretty, bright green eyes hidden behind the current messy mop of hair. It was odd, usually her hair was perfectly pristine. Amanda's gaze shifted down. Lily was by no means the biggest girl, she was well shorter than Amanda. While not necessarily out of shape, she certainly wasn't all that muscular. But that certainly didn't mean the girl couldn't pack a punch, especially once Amanda had taught her how to use the assault rifle Amanda had given her.
Amanda felt like she was the exact opposite of Lily. She was tall for her age, and she was far more muscular than any other girl she had ever met, with a rather stocky build. Her breast size was a bit above average too, and she was prone to being self conscious about that. Lily had always reassured Amanda she was a pretty girl, but she wasn't so sure. Her long, dark brown hair and dark brown eyes didn't pop like Lily's features. In fact Amanda's hair was always a complete mess aside from when Lily took care of it for her. Amanda had never really learned how to take care of it herself...
Lily's breathing became a bit heavier than it previously had been. Amanda stroked her gently, trying to keep Lily calm. She wasn't sure if she was having a bad dream or was just about to wake up, but either way she kept her grip on the girl firm and locked. She was the only one here to protect her, and she'd take every opportunity she had to do so. 'It's what a good best friend...even just a good person, does after all.'
"Aman~" Lily breathed out softly. Amanda smiled. She loved the nickname Lily had given her. "Yes Lil?" she asked softly. Lily shifted a bit, beginning to sit up slowly. Her hair was a ruffled mess, and her eyes were watering a bit. "Hmm...what time is it?" she asked dazedly, staring off a bit. "Morning still, I think so at least." Amanda replied in an equally soft tone.
Lily stretched, letting out a yawn. "Think there are any fresh clothes around here?" she asked once she had finished. "Not sure, can't hurt to look though. Not that it matters too much, there's no running water. And it's not like we can bathe in the river, not in these temperatures at least." Amanda replied. Lily groaned in annoyance. "I need spring already, that's for sure."
Amanda chuckled softly. "It can't be too much farther away. It has to be at least late March, maybe early April by now." "I used to shower everyday! Now I've gone without one for months!" Lily exclaimed. "We both have, remember? Relax, it's not like anyone is around to smell your stink anyway." Lily's face went red and she turned away from Amanda, staring at the wall. "Oh, shut up," she remarked. "That doesn't mean that I can't smell it, genius. It just feels gross. And what about you? Don't you count as a person, dumbass?" "I don't mind it," Amanda responded with a chuckle. "You smell better than the walking corpses."
Lily rolled her eyes, tilting her head. She shifted her gaze to the floor, running her hand through her hair and creating even more of a mess of it. "You know, you called me a genius and a dumbass just now," Amanda said, staring at the ceiling. "Got to make up your mind~ I can't be both!" "Yeah you can, people aren't so one dimensional as to not be able to be both. And for the record, the word 'genius' in the way I used it was meant to be taken sarcastically." Amanda giggled, turning her head to look at Lily. "I know hun, I was just teasing you," she said.
Lily sighed, but smiled at her. "You're a pain in my ass Ms. Carter." Amanda's face cringed. "Ew, don't call me that, it makes me sound like my mother." Lily looked at her curiously. "You...have never mentioned your mom before," she said. Amanda let out a small sigh. "She died when I was six, but she was a teacher so she got called Mrs. Carter a lot."
"Oh...I'm sorry," Lily said dejectedly. Amanda smiled at her. "No need to be sorry, it was a long time ago. I'm alright to talk about her, I just choose not to." Lily was silent for a moment, then forced a smile. "Alright, if you say so Aman. I'm going to see if there's any good clothes in the closet!" With that Lily stood up and walked around the bed and over to the closet doors. Amanda watched intently as Lily opened it, revealing a row of hanging shirts.
"Thank goodness," Lily said. "I've been in this damn blouse for at least a week and I'm starting to freeze in it, even under my coats." She reached into the closet and pulled a dark green t-shirt and a long sleeved plain white shirt off the rack. "These look good," she muttered to herself as she held them up to her body to check the length. "I don't suppose there are any bras in my size?" Amanda asked. "Uuuhh I'll check," Lily said, tossing the shirts onto the bed. She rummaged through the closet drawers, eventually finding the bras. "Nope, they're all too small for you...again."
"Of course," Amanda grumbled. "Curse my stupid milk jugs..." Lily couldn't hold back the following laugh. She grabbed her side, even leaning over a little and grabbing the closet door for support as she burst into a fit of hysteria. "You wouldn't think it was funny if your tits were freezing!" Amanda exclaimed, quickly sitting up. "But w-why'd you call them milk jugs?! Hahahaha!!" Lily replied, barely able to speak because of her laughing, slowly sliding to a collapsed state on the floor the entire time. "Leave my quirkiness alone!" Amanda exclaimed, shouting a bit too loudly. "You're such a fucking teenager!"
Lily laid on the floor laughing, unable to speak for a few minutes until she finally calmed down a little. "Y-you're the one with the red face," she said, still giggling quite a bit. Amanda flushed even more red and plopped back down in the bed, rolling onto her side to face away so Lily couldn't see her. "Shut up! It is not," she said defiantly. "Suuurrreeee~" Lily said, panting from laughing so hard. "And by the way, you're barely older than a teenager too, dork! Your boobs aren't even that big, we've just been unlucky enough to end up in the bedrooms of boys and smaller girls the past few times." Amanda rolled her eyes. "Whatever, shut up dumbass," she said with a small laugh.
Lily pulled herself up off the floor, flashing a smile. "Alright, I'm gonna change bras so don't look perv~" she remarked with another laugh. It was good to hear Lily laugh...it had been a while since Amanda heard genuine joy in Lily's voice. She remained silent, pulling the blanket over her head. Lily quickly changed into the bra and shirts, long sleeve on the bottom with the short sleeve over top of it. "Ok, I'm all done!" Lily said when she had finished, pulling the blanket off of Amanda and tossing it to the side of the bed. Amanda hissed at being exposed. "Leave me in my cave of darkness," she said.
"Don't go all emo on me," Lily said. "It isn't your style, hehe." Amanda groaned and looked over at Lily. "Should we get going?" Lily asked. Amanda thought for a moment, then shook her head. "Nah, we've been walking for days...I think we'll be fine to spend one more night here as long as we stay quiet. Which we have already not been doing a good job of...maybe we'll just move over a street or two here soon." Lily nodded. "Whatever you say, I trust you more than I do myself."
"I'll try not to make you regret it..." Amanda mumbled to herself. Lily tilted her head to the side a bit. "Hmm? What'd you say?" she asked. "Nothing." Amanda replied solemnly. Lily crawled into the bed, positioning herself overtop of Amanda. "Aman...cmon, please tell me? I want you to be able to tell me anything." Amanda's heart throbbed in her chest. "I'll...do my best," Amanda mumbled, causing Lily to frown. "Don't bottle up how you feel," Lily said. "It's only going to end up hurting you in the end." 'Yeah, trust me, I know that already,' Amanda thought. "I'm fine hun, I'll open up if I need to."
Lily sat up with a sigh, planting herself on Amanda's legs. "You always say that...but you never do. I find myself sobbing into your arms all the time but, you always keep your cool and act so strong. I don't get how you do it, never opening up to anyone. I know it had always been just you and your dad when you were growing up, and you said you never had a lot of friends. But...wasn't there anyone you ever opened up to?" Amanda shook her head. "Not really...I've always been used to being alone. You already know that you're like the only friend I've had in years! But ever since this whole mess started back not long after Christmas...I don't know, I've felt like protecting you is more important than anything. We're all that's left Lily..."
Lily nodded quietly. "I know...I lost my parents and my brother...you lost your dad...our classmates and teachers are all either dead or...or one of them. It's just you and me now." "Hey, what have I told you?" Amanda intervened. "You have no proof that your family is gone. They could be in hiding, or even searching for you..." "Don't do that...we both know that they're all dead Amanda. It's a miracle that even the two of us survived." Lily took a long pause before continuing. "Why can't we just spend today pretending that everything is fine? Let's go back to a few minutes ago, back to acting like stupid teens again. It's what we are. You're just twenty year old Amanda Carter, hanging out with your best friend. The world is fine, and we're just alone right now. What do you do first?"
Amanda smiled softly. Lily was trying way too hard to change the subject, it was painfully obvious how hurt she was. But, Amanda chose to play along for the time being, if it would make her a bit happier. "Ok then, Miss Lily Kel Jackson, my very best friend, welcome to my humble abode. Please, make yourself at home here in my room." Lily rolled her eyes and looked down. "Kinda already did that dork." Her statement caused Amanda's face to redden, and she gulped slightly. "Oh...right. Well, uh, what now then? There isn't exactly anything to do except talk."
"I saw some board games in the closet," Lily suggested. Amanda shrugged. "Eh, maybe later, it's too early to use my brain." Her comment caused Lily to giggle softly. "Cute," she said as she stretched forward, laying flat on top of Amanda. Amanda clenched her fists and refrained from wrapping Lily in a tight embrace. Though it was difficult to resist, she somehow managed to keep her arms pinned to her own sides. 'How are you such a tease without even knowing it? I get we're in a horrible situation so you're scared and clingy but...fuck you're doing this way too much. If I didn't know any better I'd say you were doing it on purpose.'
"Hey Aman," Lily mumbled. "Yes?" Amanda responded, her voice coming out unintentionally shaky. "You alright?" Lily asked. "Your heart started beating faster and your breathing is heavier again. That seems to happen to you quite a bit...is everything ok?" Amanda gulped yet again. "Y-yeah, I'm fine. Just...stressed is all. Happens to the best of us, I'll be fine again in a few minutes." Lily raised an eyebrow and looked at her suspiciously.
"You're lying," Lily said, more as a statement than an accusation. "Do you really think I can't tell what's going on?" Amanda looked away quickly. "Y-you can?" she asked in disbelief. Lily nodded. "You're clearly scared about it...but don't worry, it's alright. I understand how you feel." Amanda covered her face in embarrassment. 'She's taking the fact that I like her surprisingly well. I knew she wouldn't have a problem with me being a lesbian but, I was afraid of what she'd think of me having a crush on her.'
"S-so...what now?" she asked nervously. "I...don't know," Lily said. "I know you're scared...you just won't admit it. But there's nothing we can do about them, they're just...everywhere." Amanda uncovered her face and looked at Lily, cocking her head to the side curiously. "H-huh?" she asked incredulously. "This whole thing frightens you, it's fine, I get it. You can open up to me Aman. You don't have to bottle it up. You can show me how you feel." Amanda clenched her fist again, trembling and letting out a deep breath...and then she started to laugh, though it didn't really contain any humor. 'Of course that's what she meant...I'm such a goddamn idiot.' Lily looked at her curiously, and Amanda brought her hands to her face, muffling her laughter a bit.
"What's so funny?" Lily asked, suddenly seeming a little pissed. "I'm serious you know!" "Oh Lily..." Amanda started, pulling her hands away from her face so she could look at her. "Honey...you have no clue." "Wh-Amanda what are you talking about..?" "I...nothing. I'm just being weird, don't mind me." Lily frowned, getting off of Amanda and sitting down on the bed beside her. "Why can't you just be honest with me Amanda...? I just want to help you with how you're feeling." Lily paused, but Amanda gave no response. "You used to come to me for things, at least a little, back when things were normal. What happened?" "All of this...it changes people Lily. That's all..." She squeezed her eyes shut for a moment. 'And I need to be strong...strong and fearless...so that I can protect and comfort her.'
A few minutes passed in silence, then Amanda stood up. "I'm going to the bathroom," she said quietly. "I'll be back in a few minutes." "Be careful," Lily commented. Amanda nodded, then walked over to the door, moving the small dresser aside and slipping out of the room, grabbing her pistol on the way out. Lily sighed, staring at the ceiling and letting herself get lost in thought before slowly drifting off.