The sky was at its brink of twilight. A deep inhale, embracing the familiar scent of slight pollution of manufactured machines and fresh air from the trees filled your lungs as you calm your fast-beating heart for walking so long. You'd decided to take a detour from your usual route to your home from school because it was Friday and you wanted to actually take your time instead of rushing to your comfy bed from exhaustion then waking up and rush to do your homework in the middle of the night. This is what you needed. To settle down your mind and take awareness of yourself and your surroundings. Too much cramming is a lot for you because you been staying up all night the past week, your face is slightly pale, and bags and dark circles are forming under your eyes. You have to start putting a little foundation under your eyes so it'll look like your more awake.
A sigh escaped forming your lips as you finally sit on one of the park benches. This is actually the most natured park you'd seen despite the location where it's in. In fact, it's by a forest that people tend to go camping in and tell "scary" stories of how they encountered monsters of the night. You've doubt it as you assumed it was just them getting drunk and having rave parties. One story mentions about a ghost girl showed up and injected cocaine into her eye. How ridiculous was that! It made no sense as you questioned the mental state of today's time...Just memes. And you don't mind that, you enjoy memes and corny jokes as the next person. You tend to make reference to commercials between your favorite shows cause you can't really escape them, so they're lodged in your mind and if it fits, it ships anywhere of the country.
Opening up the ziplock bag, you took out a half eaten sandwich because you were doing last minute homework during lunch before class starts. Ah, the advantage and slight disadvantage of being a procrastinator. It's not like you were stupid, you're actually pretty smart, jotting down notes from classes and participating in them, you were surprised nobody caught on that you were overwhelmingly tired and haven't acknowledged your presence because they were aware you come to school every day. Poor you. You couldn't even ask your mother if you can take the day off, but knowing that she's strict she would say 'no'. That doesn't mean she wasn't aware of your well-being, she can see right through you as if you were an open book, so she adds coffee to your (fav. hot beverage) and wishes you the best every day. Lucky you.
You finished up your sandwich and kept the ziplock for use later that your mom instructed you. Now, time to isolate yourself from your troubles and enjoy what mother nature has given to you. Everything was quiet but the sound of nature, the birds are singing, the flowers are blooming - on days like these, people like you should be-
"YEAH CAUGHT ONE!"
-not enjoying this wonderful evening because someone ruined your peace and quiet. You sat up straight and quickly turned your head to the direction to where that noise was coming from. To your surprise, you were fascinated by what you witness. A tall dude with pale green skin. His clothes are dark with a green jacket that gives him a mysterious persona, but what's stands out to you the most is the scars and gashes on his face. A part of his jaw is exposed as you can clearly see his teeth and gums, and his neck looks like it's been ripped off of his body revealing the tissues and muscle underneath. That send shivers down your spine just wondering how it would've felt like if that happened to you. Nope. Fuck that shit, you wanna live.
You stared into his dark abyss eyes, so entranced by them. How can someone's eyes be that dark, especially his pupils are white, it was so unreal. He must be a cosplayer of some sorts or a person wearing a costume for school spirit day and this one was a monsters theme cause he looks more like a zombie. (eye color) eyes followed him as they shift around in excitement. What was he doing?
"I caught two rare Pokemans for my collection. Who knew it would be here?"
"'Pokemans'"? Doesn't he mean Poke-MONS?
Your curiosity got the best of you as you unconsciously walked to where the green guy was at. You felt it was your duty to corrected him on pronouncing such an iconic show incorrectly. Everyone knows Pokemon and their 10-year-old-immortal-main-character, Ash Ketchum, along with his never-evolves-Pokemon-Mascot, Pikachu. Heck, fake people say that they're a geek and dress up as sexy Pikachus and Slave Leia from Star Wars.
You tapped his shoulder trying to get his attention. His light eyes shifted towards you then widen as if startled. Oh no, I seem like a creep do I? I'm just a random stranger that approached him at this time of day, you thought as your hand started to sweat. It's best to get this over with to avoid the uneasy atmosphere you just produced yourself.
"Don't you mean Pokemon, not Pokeman, as in Pocket Monsters?" you asked.
This guy was surprised by your response then looked at you as if you were the craziest person to ever say that.
"No, it's Pokeman, Pocket Human."
His voice was deep yet soothing, you felt automatically that he was a pretty chill guy by the way how he answered back. His shoulders were slacked and his face was like a resting bitch face with calm eyes. Totally sums up his personality and a one that you felt like a mutual understanding with. You answered back with innocent, curious eyes.
"That's kinda weird because I'm used to a show called Pokemon and I've never heard of Pokeman before. Well, only to jokes of humanity were the ones hunted and Monsters were the trainers."
He sighed, "It's expected of course, cause you're human. Though, I've never interacted with your kind before. How can you not know Pokeman? " He rolled his eyes.
Well sorry for being ignorant batch face, you must live an entirely ducking world if that shiz existed. You take out your phone and searched on Google Images for Pokemon to prove your point. As you land on the desired picture of different Pokemons with the main kid, you shoved it to his face giving him the same treatment. His eyes widen at it, he never expected the Pocket Monsters to look like that, his expected more like...a monster. You use your thumb to shift to different pictures to show it was not a drawing, several pictures came on the screen that confirms that was an actual show.
"Hold on, that's what they look like?"
"Uh-huh," you smiled in victory. He stretches out his hand to examine more about this show, but you pulled your phone away before he could reach it with his moss colored hand.
"Wait, I wanna see what Pokeman is all about, don't leave me hanging. " You looked at him expectingly with a smirk plastered on your (skin color) face and pointed at the game that he was playing on his phone. It seems like Pokemon GO, well, I guess Pokeman GO.
He came close to your side and showed you the activity on his phone. You jumped slightly with a blush crept on your face, your shy side was showing especially being close to an attractive guy. Your eyes looked up at him seeing his glancing down at his phone with a small smile on his face. It looked nice on him.
"Thanks for the compliment, but I'm trying to show you what Pokeman is."
Shit! You said that out loud! How can you say that out loud?! You face got darker in embarrassment, now you really seem like a creep. Nice going man.
You looked at the screen as your flustered face calmed down. On his screen is totally like how they made Pokemon GO except instead of your usual Pokemon monsters it contains two humans that you're not familiar with. You have been living underneath a rock watching 'Let's Play' videos and anime to keep yourself entertained throughout the night. You have no life.
"That's Winslow Jibbs on the left and Scabs Rentacar on the right. Jibbs is level 14 in fiscal responsibility; 20 in armor class and a loving owner of several dogs and a speedboat..."
"Wow, he must be livin' the high life."
"Definitely-"
"I will steal one of his dogs, just to let you know. I fucking love animals with my introverted ass."
He slightly choked on his spit, not expecting that response. He chuckled by the bluntness and the seer of determination tone in your voice. You seem cool in his book now.
"Who's Scabs Rentacar?"
"A sex murderer."
"..." You looked at him in a way that's asking 'Are you serious?'
"I'm not kidding."
"So does he get the name because he kills for sex, or does he kills people having sex, or he does have sex (consensually) and then kills the victim?"
"The third one."
"Yeah, I don't like this guy. If he is that attractive then there would be a fandom of hoping they would be spared and become lovers instead of another victim."
"Really?" he smirks at her.
"You would be surprised how many Yandere stories are out there."
"Yandere?"
You looked at him excitingly with wide eyes. Now capture him and bring down into the hole.
"You have so much to learn my friend," you said in an evil tone.
"Uhh...yeah you humans are weird."
You scoffed at him. What is up with him in calling you human, it's not like he's any different. Well, he's green and...now you're closer to him you have a better close up on his "wounds." They're so lifelike, your fingers are twitching from having a strong urge to touch them. They seem to pulse along with his breathing.
"What do you mean by that?"you asked cautiously as you stared intently on the ruined skin.
"Oh, um... have you ever encountered a zombie before?"
You shift your eyes to his. You were examining them closely to see if they were colored contact lenses, but they were not. No pixel, colored layers were presented in his eyes, just a smooth color that's much like real eyes. The big guy haven't noticed how close you both are now, he stared at your face making a suspicious expression yet your eyes are filled with curiosity and wonder.
You hand unconsciously moves toward his face, wanting to feel the gash on his side jaw. He snaps out of his state and grabs your hand tightly before they even reach there, snapping you out of your state too. You stared at how he held your hand before looking back at him. He was sending a stern look at you as if saying not to touch his face.
"I-I'm...I'm sorry."
"What were you doing?"
"I just want to see if you're real. I didn't know what came over me, I'm sorry." You faced down at the ground in shame. It was wrong for you to touch a stranger like that, never you do that again.
As you continue to scold yourself mentally, he let out a sigh and moved your hand to his neck to feel his tissues and muscle fibers. He kinda feel bad for making you feel guilty of your actions, it wasn't your fault of being curious, he had the same sudden urge of touching your flesh too. He wonders how it feels to have living skin instead of a decayed one. As your skin made contact with something soft and unfamiliar, you looked up to see that it's indeed real.
What was unexpected to him is that your mouth curled up into a smile and agape of how amazing it felt to touch a real life zombie and what builds up you're excitement more is that your were interacting with him so normally instead of being too awkward. He smiled and turned his head to the side giving you his profile.
"Hey look up," he instructed. You looked up to his face where you only see the gash of his jaw.
"You like what you see" as he speaks his jaw was moving up and down asking with his teeth. They are actually moving! You can see the inside of his mouth.
"Wow... you're amazing!" She stared at him with her sparkling eyes, another unexpected gesture. But it relieved him that she's taking this okay and very...accepting. Something inside his chest tightened and beated loudly at that moment. Now he's really interested.
"Hey let's show each other our version of the iconic show! As we do that let's get to know each other as well. How about it?" You stick your hand towards him as a friendly greeting. He stared at it for a while then, looked up at you giving him your smiling face. He chuckles before enveloping his hand over your own as you both shake towards a new relationship.
"My name is Brian, what's yours?" He gave you a small smile.
"My name is _____, it's a pleasure to meet you Brian!" You beamed enthusiastically.
The rest of your time was spending it with Brian as you both shared your culture's version of the show and laughed as you shared funny jokes and discussed of what you do in your daily life time until your mom called, worried that you haven't came home at the time you usually do. Time flies by when you're having fun. You both promised each other you would meet again at the same time in the same place.