REANIMATION

{15}

A week back

"Is this really necessary? Why can't we just stay in the city?"

"Because Fanny," Pencil retorted, "in the city there's more people. With the outbreak, it's like– way more likely for them to crowd there. My grandma's old house in the forest will be much safer!"

"Greeaaat," Fanny groaned, "I can either get mauled by zombies or mauled by wild animals."

"Didn't your grandma pass away over two years ago?" Snowball raised an eyebrow, "Has it been kept up at all?"

"Oh, like totally!" Match grinned. "Me and Pence-Pence used to use the house as a hang out place like all the time junior and senior year! It's super tidy!"

"I hope you're right," Fanny sighed, before groaning from irritation. She lurched forward, the bags filled with food cans that she was previously carrying dropping onto the grass, some of the cans spilling out in the process. The loud clattering noise split the air, gaining the attention of the entire group.

"You good?" Lightning was instantly at her side, bending down to pick up the cans that had rolled out onto the grass before placing them back inside one of the bags that had fallen and picked it up for himself.

"Yeah, I'd be a lot better if I wasn't forced to carry all these by myself." She shot those last few words straight at Pencil.

She rolled her eyes and released an exasperated sigh, "Oookay, hand one of the bags over."

Fanny grabbed one of the other bags off the forest ground and handed it to Pencil, sticking her tongue out at her in a mocking fashion. Pencil took the bag, all the while snorting in amusement, "You're cute."

Fanny scoffed in agitation, "You're a bitch."

"I learned from the bitchiest," She retorted.

Fanny rolled her eyes.

Pencil snickered, taking a few steps toward Fanny, "I'm just teasing, you can like– stop tensing up. We're all friends here."

She groaned to herself cracking the slightest smile, "Right, like I'd ever be friends with you."

Pencil began heading down the forest trail again, not bothering to say anything, but had an evident grin on her face. There were small, hushed conversations shared between the group. Fanny stayed quiet among them, swinging her one remaining bag by the handle in her hand. Only a few moments later Pencil paused everyone in their tracks, "There it is!"

A decent-sized house stood before them, exterior made almost exclusively from wood. It closely resembled some sort of cabin. From Fanny's first impression, Match's definition of 'tidy' wasn't quite what she had expected it to he. She only hoped it would be better on the inside.

     Snowball pushed past Fanny and the others to stand beside Pencil and get a closer look, "It's bigger than I expected, thank god."

"Let's go!" Match rushed to the house, Pencil taking off after her as they giggled like little kids. Ruby and Bubble dashed after them, although staying a few feet distance away from the other two. The other four followed more slowly, reasonably less enthusiastic about having to spend their time in a shack out in the woods.

     Once everyone was at the door, Pencil whipped out a pair of keys from her pocket and inserted it into the lock, twisting it and opening the door. Inside was decently lit, but that was only due to the sun's light filtering in through the shitty, half-broken blinds on the windows.