The green grass contrasts with the dark blue of your school uniform, redness spreading across your skin while an itch settles on your thigh.
Sunlight shines from behind the leaves as Hanji's hand glides through your hair. Warmth fills your body in two ways, one from the bright light resting against your skin and the other it's not physical. Having her touching you feels like it could make even the hardest of icebergs melt.
"Y/N" A voice calls your name in the distance. You shift your eyes up, trying to see if the figure resting with you is the one calling out for you, but her lips do not move. You hear your name being called yet again.
Gasping for air, you sit up. Your body is drenched in sweat as you grab onto your shirt in an attempt to calm your racing heart down.
The brunette's hand touches your shoulder gently in an obvious attempt to provide support but with no such luck.
Paying close attention to the dirt on her face, you are sadly reminded of the truth about the world you live in, a world where zombies have taken over. In the distance, you can hear the beasts grunting, trying to limp over the heavy metal gates that protect you from the outside.
"Fuck." You mumble under your breath. The vision you had just now was nothing more than a feeble memory of what seemed to be too long ago.
"Are you alright?" Hanji asks, kneeling beside you, her hand shifting from your shoulder to your cheeks.
The faint light coming from the fire shines against her broken glasses. Bandages cover her left eye as a grim reminder of the day this hell on Earth started.
A strong smell of decomposing flesh and blood fills the air. Outside the decaying house you are staying in, you can hear them, the victims of the awful virus that spread around the globe faster than a wildfire.
"Yeah, I just had... a good dream, that's all" You shoot her a weak yet genuine smile. "Would you get me some water?"
She nods and, as she shifts trying to get up, you notice the frame of her gun sticking out of her belt. The fire's flames bring out the shine of the silver and you can't help but bite your lower lip.
When her eyes meet yours, she shakes her head. "I can't believe you would be turned on during an apocalypse."
"Hey, I had the hots for you since before all of this happened." You reply, shrugging your shoulders and, in response, she simply rolls her eyes.
Hanji hands you the water bottle and you make a point to touch her fingers while taking it. A blush spreads across her face and you whisper, "I love you."
Before she has the chance to reply, one of the infected comes through the door, its leg dragging behind its decaying body while its hand reaches for her shoulder. Your blood turns to ice for a second and you pat your sides to look for a weapon.
In the few seconds that you were distracted, a shadow stabs the zombie's head with a sharp knife and you can recognize the blade's red handle. A relieved sigh leaves your lungs as you finally feel like you can breath once again, knowing she is safe.
"Oi, four-eyes!" Levi says as he throws his backpack at Hanji's hand and you can hear the cans inside bumping against one another. "We found a gas station down the road."
"Anything useful?" You ask, your hands brushing against Hanji's waist belt before gently pulling her down, towards your thighs. She doesn't resist and, with a smile, she sits on your lap before checking the bag in her hands.
"Some food, hygiene supplies, basic stuff mostly." Erwin replies, carefully digging in his pocket for something, "We did find this!"
Excitedly, he pulls out a gun before beginning his explanation, "It's a .38 Taurus View revolver. Easily the smallest in the world!"
"It's fucking useless." Levi says, crossing his arms against his chest and arching one of his eyebrows.
In response, the blonde man scoffs. "It's fucking rare nowadays."
As they banter about the gun, Hanji unpacks their findings before picking up a big can of ravioli and, silently, she asks if you would like to have it for dinner to which you nod quietly in response.
Without getting up, she reaches over to her right and grabs a small pot, placing the contents of the can in it and gently holding it above the fire. After a few seconds, you catch yourself staring at her and go back to listening to the two boys, who still argue.
"How many does that make, Erwin?" You ask.
"Eight!" He says, excited that at least one person is interested in his guns. Levi shoots a deadly glare at you, and you can feel his rage. You try to look away but his gaze does not leave you and you simply try to hide your body behind Hanji.
"Where do you keep them all?" The brunette asks and you smile against her back. She knew you were curious but too scared of Levi to ask.
"Well..." He begins once again, "I keep two on each side of my belt, another two in my jacket pockets, one in my backpack, one on my leg and Levi cares the last one."
"Awwww!" You and Hanji say in unison but the fun doesn't last for long -- Levi silently threatens the both of you with his knife.
"And now I will keep this one up my sleeve!!" Erwin finishes his explanation and begins putting his guns back at their designated places.
A minute of quiet passes, and the girl on your lap ends up being the one to break the silence, "Dinner is ready." She announces.
The night wind rushes through the cracks in the wall of the abandoned house as the moon illuminates a part of the room that the fire can't reach. Sitting in a circle, you look around to check the faces of the people around you.
Erwin Smith, president of Nu Kappa Lambda and captain of the tennis team. High grades and always willing to help you, no matter what the situation was. He's the one to come up with plans and routes for supply runs. His guns are his babies.
Levi Ackerman, national figure skating champion and Erwin's "best friend". Outstanding grades and would teach self-defense in his free time. He pretends he doesn't care if any of you get eaten alive but in reality he is the most concerned of all. Usually the one to save you from zombies. Prefers blades than guns.
Hanji Zoe, president of the robotics club and chemistry club. The university's top student with the highest grades in the state. Would always run around doing dangerous experiments and drag her best friend Moblit along.
She's the one to make the food and medicine, tends to get too close to the dead and every so often attempts to capture a "subject" for her experiments. She's not allowed to carry neither a gun nor a knife, so she has a baseball bat wrapped in barbed wire.
Finally, you, Vice-president of the chemistry club and Captain of the cheerleading team. Average grades but still enough to be a part of the honors program. Always making a point to make the people around you feel loved and easily everyone's favorite. Your job is making sure Hanji won't trap a zombie in the place where you are hiding.
Once you are all done eating, Levi takes the first watching shift. You don't try to persuade him and simply accept it. Pulling a sleeping bag out of your backpack, you settle near the fire, trying to shield your body from the freezing temperature.
You try to fall asleep for a few minutes, but with little success. So you decide to talk to the person laying next to you.
"Hanji, are you awake?"
She grunts and quickly sits up, looking for her glasses. You rest your hand on her shoulder, reassuring her that there is no trouble near right now. She mumbles something incoherent, probably cursing you under her breath but, soon enough, her head is back resting on her pillow.
Her tired eyes meet yours and she pulls her bag closer to yours before inviting you to lay on her shoulder. You happily but quietly oblige.
"Do you ever think of the time before?" You whisper, "When our lives were all about the next exam and what we would do for a job."
"Sometimes." Hanji replies, her arm wrapping around your torso as she pulls you closer to her body in an attempt to keep you warm. "I try not to though. I can't bear the idea that Moblit and my family might be gone. So I just think about how you're still here and safe."
"Y/N, go to sleep." Levi says, sitting not too far from you while sharpening his knife in the dark, "The next shift is yours."
You nod and go back to resting on Hanji's shoulder, finally being able to get some rest. You're pulled once again into a dreamless sleep, which you've learned to appreciate. After all, it's better than the innumerable nightmares you've had in the past few months.
Ones where you have to watch your family be eaten or ones where you must kill your friends who have turned. No matter the situation, your brain always finds a way to place you in the middle of the worst case scenario.
The poor, dead creatures outside grunt in their search for human meat, banging against empty cars and breaking tree branches that rest on the floor. They can smell but cannot find you.
Even in your sleep, you wish for it all to be a lie, a nightmare that soon will come to an end once your mother comes to wake you up for breakfast. But when you open your eyes, you see the same lightless ceiling and the fire near you.
"We will survive this!" You think to yourself, "I refuse to die like this!"
And just like that, another day in hell begins.