As Pest woke up he'd look down and see Poob peacefully sleeping next to him on their side. He'd spend a few minutes cuddling them before kissing them on the cheek and sitting on the edge of the bed, looking out the window and seeing raindrops hit the glass with thunder incthe distance.
He would sit there and think about what happened last night. He looked at the bedside table and looked at the pregnancy test from yesterday. He would pick it up and just look at it. He was feeling many emotions, worry, happiness, and fear. The thought of them starting a family in this situation sounded impossible but he was going to make this work, no matter what he had to sacrifice.
He'd get out of bed and head downstairs. DrRetro was at the coffee machine making herself a cup of joe. As Pest waited she'd turn around and just stare at him, her tail flicking back and forth with anger. Pest would say nothing as he leaned on the marble countertop. The machine would eventually finish pouring the coffee and DrRetro would take the mug and walk away.
As he entered the living room he'd see Lampert and DrRetro Looking at Infected, who was standing in the corner facing the wall doing nothing. Pest would pick up a kitchen knife just in case things got out of hand.
"Infected?"
Infected would turn around and look at the group confused, as if they were the ones acting abnormal.
"Wh4ts up?"
"Dude what are you doing"
"0h 1 w4s just..."
Infected would look back at the wall and at the group.
"Sp4c1ng 0ut 1 gu3ss"
"Have you just been staring at the corner all night?"
"1 th1nk s0 1 dunn0"
As Infected stepped into the light Lampert would notice his body, it was changing. His body wasn't changing fast but it was still incredibly worrying to Lampert. For once his skin tone was getting greener everyday and his body had started to get more muscular.
"Mmeoow mrow mrowww?" (How do you feel?)
"Pr3tty much th3 s4m3"
"You don't look the same..."
"Th4t s pr0b4bly just b3c4us3 1 h4v3nt b33n sl33p1ng w3ll l4t3ly"
"Hey DrRetro can I speak to you real quick?"
DrRetro would nod and Lampert would walk to the kitchen with her.
"Listen I really think you should run some more tests on him, his condition looks like it's getting worse by the minute"
"Mew meow mroow meoow" (I'll try my best Lampert)
DrRetro would then turn back to Infected.
"Meeoww meoow meow mrooow" (Infected I'm gonna have to run some tests on you just to make sure your fine okay?)
"Uhmm 4lr1ght..."
Infected would follow DrRetro upstairs leaving Lampert and Pest alone.
"Lampert I don't think he's gonna last more than a week"
"Don't say that! He's gonna be fine!"
"否定に囚われるより、真実を受け入れて前に進む方が良い"
"If he can survive with that virus for a year he can survive this"
"Just make his final moments his best alright?"
"I hate you"
Pest would plop down on the couch and continue to sip on his coffee while Lampert paced back and forth.
Meanwhile upstairs DrRetro would set Infected down and take out a butterfly needle from her medical bag.
"Meoww meooow mrow mew" (you might feel a little pain but not too much okay?"
Infected would nod and DrRetro would insert the needle into his wrist. She'd then place the blood in a vile and set it aside and take out the needle.
"Mew meowmew, meeow mew?" (you may leave now also, can you get me Lampert?)
Infected would nod and leave the room and head back downstairs.
"What did she say?"
"Sh3 t0ld m3 t0 t3ll y0u t0 g0 upst4irs"
"Uhmm okay..."
As Lampert went upstairs Infected would head outside to get some fresh air. He'd get goosebumps as the cold water droplets hit his skin.
As he sat down on the stairs to the porch he would notice something fall out of a tree nearby. He'd walk over to the area and check in the bush that the object fell in.
As he spread open the bush he'd see a dead bluejay sitting in the bush.
"Yuck..."
As he was about to walk away he would hear something or someone around him. He'd look around and stand still to see if he could listen to the sound better.
As the sound became clearer a chill would be sent down his spin as he realized what the sound was.
Whispers.
Infected would start to panic but as he walked back to the house they would only get louder and louder.
He would cover his ears with his hands in hopes of muffling the sound but to no avail.
"WH4T D0 Y0U W4NT FR0M M3?!"
"Eat it"
"N-N0!'
"We can tell your starving"
Infected's mind was spiralling with questions. What was happening to him? WHY was this happening? He wouldn't realize it at the moment but he hadn't eaten anything all day.
He didn't want to give it but they just wouldn't shut up and in an act of weakness he did as he was told. He shoved the bluejay into his mouth.
He felt disgusting as he started chewing. He felt sick as he heard the crunch of the bird's bones with every chew, the bluejay's feathers and skeletal structure getting stuck in between his teeth.
As this entire ordeal was happening Pilby would wake up sandwiched in between Split and Bive. They'd weasel his way out in-between the two and head over to the window. Splits room was on the second floor so they had a great view of the rainy weather outside.
They'd smile as they heard the raindrops hit the window but that smile would quickly fade as they looked down and saw what Infected was doing. Pilby would shriek and cover their eyes.
Split would immediately wake up and see Pilby crying and would immediately rush over to them.
"What happened?!"
Pilby would point outside and Split would gasp at the horrible scene that was taking place outside.
She'd quickly close the blinds and scoop him up into her arms.
"Shhhh please don't cry..."
Split would begin to cradle them back and forth as they continued to softly cry.
As Infected finally swallowed the dead bird he'd get up and look around him, expecting the voices.
"4R3 Y0U H4PPY N0W?!"
but instead of the whispers, he heard nothing. They had stopped completely without warning, leaving just the sounds of the water droplets hitting the grass and the wind that brought the storm here.
Infected would sit there confused and partially worried. If these voices made him eat the dead bird what else could they do to him?
He would continue to take the feathers and bones of the bird out of in-between his teeth and walk back inside.
Meanwhile, Lampert would step into DrRetro's office and see her looking through a microscope and a vile containing Infected's purple and black blood.
"Mew, meeow meoow meow mrow" (Lampert, I'm Afraid I have bad news)
"Fuck... Just give it to me doc"
"Meeow meowww mrow mrow... meww mrowmew" (The zombie infection and his current virus... They've somehow mutated)
"What? How?!"
"Meow mew mrow" (Just take a look)
Lampert would oblige and look into the microscope. On the glass was a small droplet of purple and black blood but something was off about it. It looked like it was emitting a greenish glow, it looked almost radioactive. The blood sample would then multiply right in front of Lampert's eyes making him jump.
"Meeow mrrow mmew, rawr meeoow mrowmew" (I've never seen anything like this in all of my years of being a doctor, it's unpredictable what it'll do to his body)
"Is he going to die...?"
"Meoow mroww, mrowmew meeow rawr" (I don't know Lampert, all I know is that it's slowly eating him from the inside)
Lampert would bite his thumb and begin to walk back and forth.
"Mew mrow meeoww meoww meeeoww. Rawr meoww" (I'm trying my best to make a cure for his condition and the zombie virus in general but who knows how long that'll take. Do what you will with this information)
"Okay thanks doc..."
Lampert would exit the room and cross his arms. To know that your lover could die at any moment horrified him to his core. If only he had just convinced him to wait maybe a few hours or a day none of this would've happened.
As he was walking down the stairs contemplating telling Infected the news he'd see Infected walk into the house but something was wrong, very wrong.
He had blood around his mouth that wasn't his.
"0h h3y l4mpy! ^_^"
"WHAT IS ON YOUR MOUTH"
Infected would wipe his mouth with his arm and start sweating.
"0h th4t... 1 just g0t hungry th4ts 4ll!"
Infected would then cough up a feather on the floor as he began to tug on the collar of his shirt nervously.
"What is happening to you?"
"1m f1n3! N0th1ng 1s wr0ng"
Lampert would sit there talking in Infected's appearance. How had he gone from a goofy skater to... This? He couldn't even look at him without looking away. And yet, the only person he had to blame was himself.
"We're going to find a cure for you okay?"
"But-
"No buts, please just let us help yo-
"1M F1N3!"
Lampert would step back in shock. In all of his years of dating him, he had never raised his voice at him ever, in fact he'd never heard him yell until now.
Lampert would say nothing and sit on the couch before stuffing his face into his hands and sigh.
Infected would say nothing and just turn around and head upstairs. He felt disgusting that he just yelled at the one person in this house who still somewhat treated him like he was still human. As he was going to his room he'd pass by Split who was still holding Pilby like a newborn baby.
Infected would flash them a smile which would cause Pilby to start crying again.
"I don't think he wants to talk to you..."
Infected would try and keep his smile as he walked Into his room and looked into his mirror.
He would pull out an old picture of himself with Split and Poob hanging out. He looked happy and without a care in the world in the photo. And then he'd compare it to today.
They looked like completely different people. His skin tone had clearly gotten more green and the bags under his eyes had gotten larger.wanted to accept the fact that there was something seriously wrong with him but something just wasn't letting him
Maybe he didn't want to accept the fact that he was slowly dying and there was nothing he could do to stop it.
He was considering telling the group to stop treating him like a monster, but somewhere inside of him he knew that he was slowly becoming one day by day with no hope in sight.
•
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It was now a few hours later in the day. The sun was beginning to set, Infected was still in his room and DrRetro was still in her office working on a cure to Infected's rare condition. Poob would go into the kitchen to try and find something to eat only to find most of the cabinets empty.
"Hey uhmm we're almost out of food..."
Pest would walk over and frown. There were only a couple of cans of soup left along with some chips.
"There's a mall we haven't been to maybe there's some loot there?"
"Walter do y'know how big a mall is? Imagine how many zombies could be in there?"
"It's raining hard out there. We could use it to hide the sounds of our footsteps, along with the dark"
"You do have a point..."
"Eh what's the worst that could happen?"
Mark and Walter would get up from the couch and prepare to head out along with Pest.
"Wait is it okay if I tag along?"
Mark would look back at Pest for confirmation and he would nod. As Split got off the couch Bive would follow.
"I'm coming as well!"
"Bivey are you sure? You don't have to if you don't wanna"
"But I'll be all alone..."
Split would smile and ruffle her hair.
"Awww well I guess we could use all the help we can get. Just stick ose to me okay?"
Bive would nod while her tail flicked back and forth. The Mark, Walter, Pest, and Bive and Split would prepare for the expedition before saying their goodbyes to their loved ones before heading to the mall.
By the time they reached the mall the sun was beginning to set over the dilapidated city with overgrown fines beginning to grow on the tall skyscrapers. It was crazy how much changed in the span of a month.
As they entered the building they could practically hear the silence. There were also some clumps of zombies standing around doing nothing adding to the eeriness of the mall, maybe they were sleeping?
"I know this place like the back of my hand after all, I did take a lil special someone here on our first date~"
"We don't talk about that..."
"Oh c'mon, you looked so cute when you weren't 100% concrete! I think I stitgot s photo in my wallet"
"DONT"
"Can you guys please stop the flirting were currently on a mission that could decide
The group would slowly maneuver their way around the undead before finding a small gas station-like store for tourists with only a few zombies hobbling around inside. A few stabs from Pest would quickly take care of them
As usual, Mark would immediately rush over to the alcohol section and grab as much as he could carry. Meanwhile as Pest would loot what was left of the candy ile he'd turn the corner and see an ile full of miscellaneous items like sunglasses and keychains with your name. As he walked through he'd see a single binky left with almost no damage to it. Knowing what the future held for him, he'd take it and stuff it in his back pocket. Mark would notice and smile.
"Congrats on the kid"
Pest would look at him and frown.
"Are you mocking me?"
"Of course not, i'm just surprised a prickly guy like you is gonna start a family soon. It's nice that your finally coming out of your shell a bit"
Pest would look into the glass window of the store to take in what Mark said. He really had changed a lot as a person ever since him and Poob became a thing. Wether he thought this was a good change or not was unknown.
"Thank you..."
"Sometimes I wish I could re-live the days where Lampert was just a wee lamp..."
After they collected what was left inside the store they would continue to explore the mall. After walking for a while they would see a familiar establishment that they knew very well.
Gregoriah's great silly emporium.
"Maybe we could go in there. Y'know, for old times sake"
"Fine, but we must hurry it's getting late"
The group would enter the silly emporium in hopes of maybe finding something valuable inside. They would enter the employee's only door where they kept some tools and spare balls. They would eventually reach the control room which seemed to be blocked from the other side. Walter would eventually barge the door down after ramming into it a few times.
Inside was Gregoriah, who was huddled up in the corner rocking back and forth.
"G-greg?"
Greg would turn around and back farther into the once he saw the group. He seemed incredibly malnourished and his cheeks were caving into his face.
"W-what are you guys doing here?!"
"We were gonna ask you the same thing partner"
"Well I thought it would be a good idea to just hide out here but as you can see, things went south... Do you have any food by chance?"
Walter would pull out a granola bar which Greg would immediately eat in 2 bites.
"How long have you been here?"
"More than a week that's for sure"
"You wanna come with us? We got an established base with the others"
"I-i can't..."
"Why?"
Gregoriah would lift up his arm to reveal a bite mark on his upper arm.
"I got bit 2 days ago, I don't know how much time I have left... cough cough"
"Shit..."
"There's still some power left in the emergency generator, I'm planning to flood the mall before the infection gets to me"
"Maybe we could just cut off his arm like infected!" Split would suggest.
"Don't, just... Cough leave while you can"
"Greg we can still save you!"
"Even if the amputation works I'll just be a burden to you guys"
"But-
"Split, he's already dead let's just get out of here and go home"
Split would look back at Greg and begin to tear up as she gave him one final hug.
As the group was about to leave Greg would speak up.
"If you ever find Buttondrop, tell them I love him"
"See you on the flip side partner"
The group would leave and continue looting the mall, stopping by the many stores while Pest quietly grabbed any baby related items he could find while the group wasn't looking.
They would eventually pick the mall clean before making their way to the exit. It was now storming outside with the flashing of lightning being their only source of light.
"Huh, that was actually quite easy"
But before anyone could say anything, a flash of lighting would reveal a giant mob of zombies who were separating them from the exit.
"You just had to jinx it didn't you Walter..."
They would attempt to turn around and backtrack in hopes of finding another exit only to find another mob had boxed them in. However, none of the zombies had noticed them yet.
"W-what do we do?!" Bive shrieked in half a whisper.
"Just follow my lead and don't say a word"
The four of them would follow Pest in single file as they began slowly weaving in-between the zombies and slowly making it to the exit.
Split, who was arguably the largest of the group would have the most trouble with her shell nearly bumping into several zombies.
Split would then misstep and bump into a zombie who would turn around and unhinge its jaw. Bive was about to shriek but suddenly the speakers of the silly emporium would begin blasting its familiar theme at max volume.
The entire group would immediately huddle up as the zombies began stampeding into the silly emporium, clearing the way to the exit.
As the group ran out the doors the mall would begin to flood with a few balls spilling out of the mall.
They would begin to walk back home but realize the speakers had drawn a little more attention than they'd wish, with a swarm of undead beginning to swarm the mall.
Thinking quickly, Pest would open up a nearby manhole with a low cacaphony of groans spilling out of the sewers, this was not a good sign.
But with no other options, one by one would hop into the sewers before Pest would seal the hole behind them before beginning their decent into the darkness.