Hey all! This has been in my drafts for a while and I wasn't sure if I should post it or not, because it's a weird idea. But, I decided to, so I hope that you all enjoy!
~ ~ ~
Your birthday was always a special time for you. A time where your family would come together and celebrate you. All birthdays were special in your household, but it was something about how it was all for you that made your heart melt.
You would wake up early on your birthdays, giddy with excitement when you heard the knock on your door. Your family would shuffle in, holding gift bags. Your father led the pack, always holding a vanilla cupcake with pink icing and sprinkles, a candle flaming from the top.
"Make a wish!" He would say jokingly, which would make you grin with amusement and blow out the candle, closing your eyes and quickly wishing - probably for whatever gift you would be receiving.
You would open your presents, surrounded by your parents and siblings that watched excitedly. You would squeal in delight as your parents got you those things that they had told you they would never get weeks earlier. Hugs and kisses would be passed from person to person as you expressed your gratitude.
You would go to school, surrounded by celebration from friends and eating the chocolate that they would all give you.
When you got home, you would get ready to go out to your favourite restaurant, dressing up in a new outfit your mother had gotten you, with dangly earrings and just the right amount of makeup. You would pile in the car, singing the tunes that came on together.
The delicious dinner was followed by a cake coming from the waiter, which would always make you hide your face with embarrassment. Your family would sing happy birthday, their smiles meeting yours as you all shared the moment together.
You would blow out your candles and wish for the night to last forever.
Even in the apocalypse, your birthday was still special. In the first year, all of your family was intact and you celebrated, just a little differently. You were woken up by your family and received a slice of bread with sprinkles on it, a candle standing tall with a bright flame on top.
There were no gifts, the presence of your whole family was enough for you. The gratitude and love you felt was worth more than anything that could be bought. Knowing that your whole family was safe and okay was the best present you had ever received.
The next year, it was a little different. Your mother died during childbirth, turning Z along with the infant. She leapt up and attacked your little brother, before you could intervene. Your father raised his rifle but his hand shook, unable to push the trigger. Tears were streaming down his face. So you raised your own and mercied them, but not without your own signs of grief.
It was just you, your father and your little sister when the day rolled around. Actually, you didn't know if it was your birthday or not. You just knew because the seasons changed and it seemed like it had been long enough in the apocalypse, like your birthday was overdue.
You were hesitant to celebrate with only half of your loved ones intact, but your father insisted and your sister smiled for the first time in weeks. So, you woke up in the bunker you had settled in, a match stuck in the middle of an opened can of slicedpeaches.
It was a huge contrast to any other birthday you had, but it still brought a grin to your face and the gratitude and love still washed over you the same. You blew out the makeshift candle, wishing that next year could be the same.
Your family had found a family sized bar of chocolate, that you all shared, hugging one another. Through the day, you wished with all of your heart that things would never change from this.
The next year, you didn't want to celebrate. You didn't want to even think about the days as the seasons changed, the leaves turning from brown to green and the rain evaporating from the ground from the summer heat. You knew it was coming, but you didn't want to stomach it.
Nothing would be the same. Not even with your new family, the group dubbed 'Operation Bitemark'. You would never celebrate with your family again, never even see them again. At least they're all in the same place now.
~ ~ ~
'Wow, would you look at that,' Warren remarks as she looks at the screen above you. You were all waiting for Citizen Z to appear, to find your location and update you on your situation.
'What is it?' Vasquez asks, curiousity evident in his voice. Warren beckons for us all to come closer and look up at the screen.
On the screen, it says (day before your birthday) 2020. The group gasps in shock, but you stay silent, your eyes widening.
'Holy cow. We've reached the future already,' Doc says with amazement.
Murphy scoffs. 'So where are all the flying cars, huh? The future sucks.'
'It's been so long,' Addy says, her voice soft. She stares at the screen for another moment before turning away to the wall, thinking.
10k goes to say something, but the still screen flickers to life, Citizen Z appearing. At first he's fuzzy, then the screen gets clearer, showing the smile on his face.
'Good news, Operation Bitemark! I have new coordinates,' He says, flipping through a stack of stapled papers. Murphy groans.
'Don't tell me that we have to travel across the country again. I'm tired.' Warren nudges his side with her elbow sharply, which makes Murphy yelp.
Citizen Z puts the papers down, folding over to the right page. The smile turns into a grin. He puts his face up to the microphone in front of him.
'Don't worry about that, Mr Murphy. Here are the coordinates,' Citizen Z says, before reading them out. Then he says the place, which makes Warren and Vasquez gasp with excitement.
'That's about two days away!' Warren declares excitedly. The group cheers in relief, but you're too sucked into your thoughts to notice.
How could you cope tomorrow without your family? Can you keep it together?
You're lost in your thoughts until someone nudges you back into reality. You blink a few times, before your eyes flicker up to see 10k looking at you with concern.
'Hey, are you okay?' He asks. You nod, plastering a weak smile on your face.
'Yeah. Just tired. Let's go!'
Back in the truck, the group won't stop buzzing about how close you all are to your destination. Close to creating the cure to save humankind. The cure that would change everything.
'Would you still be friends with me after all this?' Addy asks, looking at you expectantly. You look at her, blinking.
'Sure, why wouldn't I be?'
'Well, there's gonna be a lot of new people after the cure. You might want to forget me,' She says jokingly, nudging you with a smile.
You smile weakly. 'I could never forget you.'
Addy looks at you for a few seconds, before turning to Doc, talking quietly to him. You rest your head against the back of the truck, staring at the landscape in front of you. It's beautiful and stretches on for miles. Even when humanity is fading, the earth is still wonderful.
You close your eyes, so that you can be completely alone with your thoughts. After a while, you drift off into a dreamless sleep.
~ ~ ~
You wake up and it's dark outside. Doc notices you sitting up and smiles widely.
'Hey, sleepyhead! We've found a place to sleep for tonight. Do you need some help getting up?'
You shake your head. 'I got it. Thanks Doc.'
He watches you sadly as you hop out of the truck, stretching your limbs. You look up at the night sky, bedazzled with stars, which makes you smile softly. Your father had always told you that when people were gone, they weren't really gone. They were just watching you, from their positions in the night sky. You look up at the brightest one and your smile widens. Hello, dad.
The sadness sweeps over you again as you remember that you will still never see him again, or your mother that always used to make you soup when you were sick and stroke your hair when you had trouble sleeping and laugh with you and make you feel special. You would never see your siblings grow, never know what they would look like at this age. You would never see their kids or the lives that would play out for them. Even though the world had changed, you still wanted to know what happened to them.
You follow Warren inside of the building, which is run down and has bricks falling from each side. The roof is still intact and it's warmer inside than it is outside, so it'll do. The others are spreading out jackets and blankets on the floor, designating parts of the small area to each member of the group.
You head over to Addy and 10k, returning their smiles with a small one. Addy points to a blanket on the right.
'You're over there, is that alright? I can't put Murphy and 10k together or they might kill each other.'
10k shoots her a glare. 'Excuse me,' he says, putting a hand on his chest. 'I am a calm and reasonable person. Murphy's the one you should be looking out for.'
Murphy grunts from across the room, turning around.
'Don't make me come over there, kid.'
Warren puts one hand on his chest and points her other arm out to 10k. 'Nobody is going to kill anyone. Except me if you don't sit down and shut up.'
Murphy pouts and sits down on a blanket, crossing his arms and slumping against the wall. A hand falls on your shoulder and you jump, before sighing in relief when you realise it's Doc.
'Dang, you're jumpy today, kid. You okay?' His kind eyes stare into your soul, so comforting that you want to burst into tears and pull the weight off your chest. Instead, you blink away tears and smile at him.
'I'm fine. Just tired, that's all. I think I might sleep now, if that's okay.'
Doc and Warren exchange a worried look.
'Well, it just got dark out, kid, and you did sleep on the way here. Are you feeling okay?' Doc asks, looking you over. Warren walks over, concern on her face. She puts her hand on your forehead and shares a glance with Doc.
'Yeah, I'm fine. I promise.'
The two share another look and Warren looks at Vasquez over her shoulder, having a silent conversation.
'Really. I'm honestly fine.'
You push past Doc, laying down on your blanket and wrapping it around you. You turn to the wall and drift off into a dreamless sleep, but not before hearing the buzz of voices around you.
~ ~ ~
You wake up, a shiver running through your body. Great, you got the bed under the open window. You slowly sit up, looking around the room. Everybody's fast asleep, apart from the occasional twitches and sleepy mutters. Nobody has to keep watch for a change, as the building seems secure enough and you haven't seen a zombie for miles.
You quietly put on your jacket, zipping it up to your chin and slinking outside. The night air hits you, the chill settling in your bones. You sit down on the sidewalk, looking up at the stars. It must be past midnight now, as the stars shine down on you, tiny beacons of hope.
'Happy birthday to me,' You whisper, dropping your head onto your knees and looking down at the gravel in front of you, at the ants crawling on your boots.
'What did you say?' A voice calls softly, which makes you jump out of your skin and whip around, hand on your knife.
From the moonlight, you can see that it's 10k and you take a deep breath, trying to calm your pounding heart. He raises his hands and looks at you with an odd look.
'It's just me.'
You nod and put your arms around your knees, looking up at the stars once again. You hear shuffling and he sits beside you, looking at your face intently. It's like if he stares hard enough, he could read your thoughts.
'It's your birthday?' He asks quietly after a few moments, when the silence has wrapped around us, thick and comfortable.
You hesitate for a moment, wondering whether to admit it or not. It's not like anything would happen if you did, anyway. You would just get pitying looks from the group, which you could bear. It would only be for a couple more days.
'Yep.'
The night is still again, except for the sound of a few crickets and the quiet snarls of zombies in the distance. The stars smile down at you and you search for the brightest one. It grins down at you, twinkling a few times to get your attention. You smile with it, warmth spreading throughout your body from the love you feel.
'You really love the stars, don't you?'
You look at 10k, who's looking at you with a small smile of amusement on his face.
'Yeah. Well, they're not just stars.'
His face contorts to confusion, so you carry on.
'It's stupid,' You start, but 10k's facial expression makes you carry on. 'Well, my dad told me that when somebody really special to you dies, they turn into a star, so that they can keep watching you from above.'
10k nods, taking in the concept for a moment. You raise your arm and point, toward the star.
'That one's my dad. Well, it isn't, but I like to think that it is. He's the brightest, because he was the most special to me.'
10k nods and stares at the sky for a few moments, his eyes rapidly searching. He raises his arm and points to a star a few metres away from yours.
'Then that's my dad. Notice how it has different colours mixed in? That's because he was one of a kind.'
The silence wraps around you once again, saying all of the words that you can't say to one another.
'Is that why you seem so down?' He asks, the question confusing you. 'You know, because it's your birthday. Was it because of the date Citizen Z showed us?'
You nod, turning your attention back to the star that glints at you. 'Uh, yeah. Well, I thought it was coming, but I didn't know for sure.'
10k nods, looking back at his star. Your own star enchants you so much that you don't realise what you're saying until the words pour out, lifting the weight from your chest.
'My birthday used to be the best day of my life. My family would always make it so special, my dad especially. In the first year, it was all of us together and it felt normal. Then my mother and my brother died and I didn't want to celebrate without them,' You say, wiping away a tear.
'But my father made it special, like he always did before. But this is my first birthday without him,' You say, the tears streaming down your cheeks.
10k opens his arm and you fall onto his shoulder as he pats your back.
'I don't want to do it without him.'
10k nods with understanding, letting you cry. When your sobs have quietened, he opens his mouth.
'Tell me what it was like.'
So you tell him about your birthday traditions, smiling when you describe all of your favourite birthday cakes and memories. You talk for what seems like an hour, 10k joining in with his own special stories.
'Do you think we'll stay together?' You ask, suddenly. 10k looks at you with confusion.
'What do you mean?'
'The group. I mean, we're almost to California. That's our mission and there's nothing left after that,' You say. 10k thinks for a moment.
'I think that we will. Or, most of us. I know Vasquez is going off on his own.'
'I think we should stay together,' You say, looking back up at the star, that's still shining as bright as ever. 'We're a family now.'
10k looks at you, the cogs whirring in his brain.
~ ~ ~
You wake up, the sunlight streaming onto your face through the open window. Luckily, due to your naps before, you're not as tired as you thought you would be. You hear footsteps approaching you and you turn your head, rubbing your eyes.
You see the group standing over you, 10k holding something in his hands with a grin. You stand up slowly, curiousity taking over. He holds it out to you and you see an open can of sliced peaches, a match sticking out.
You let out a joyous laugh, covering your mouth and giggling. Happy tears build up, spilling out onto your cheeks. 10k laughs along with you, then shakes the can.
'Candle's going to go out! Better hurry,' He says with a laugh. You smile at him before blowing out the match, which makes the whole group cheer. You cover your mouth with your hands at the surprise, looking at 10k with amazement.
He passes the can to Warren, who produces a spoon and puts it into the can, offering a slice to everybody.
'You did this, for me?' You say, disbelief taking over your words. 10k laughs and nods.
'Like you said, we're family now. And family celebrates together.'
You laugh and pull him into a tight hug, pulling him so close that he lets out an 'oof' of surprise. The rest of the group laugh and join the hug, pulling each other close.
It's the best birthday that you've ever had.
I hope that you enjoyed it and that the idea wasn't too much or anything. Let me know if you have any ideas for a one shot, I'm kind of stuck at the moment! P.S that cupcake looks delicious!!!
Love you all xx