Challenge #88
Title:The Undead, and how Apricots can change things.
Rating/Warnings:g
Characters/Pairing: Remus/Tonks
Summary: Tonks is just trying to survive in a zombie ridden, apocolyptic world, when Remus makes an appearance. maybe just surviving isnt enough.
Word Count:1300
Registered purchases?:both!
The sunlight was drifting through the blinds covering the window, illuminating the dust as it swirled through the air. Everything was quiet, and Nymphadora Tonks was unsure what had woken her.
Sitting up and rubbing the sleep out of her eyes, she checked her watch. 1pm. She usually slept right through till 5, when it started getting darker, and she needed to be on watch. She woke herself earlier if she was planning on moving, although usually she would do that during the day.
It was safer during the day. The sunlight burnt their eyes, and they preferred the dark, and the cold of the night. Sometimes the odd one did venture out during the day though. For some strange, unknown reason, the Wizarding ones seemed more immune to the light.
Slowly, she crossed the room of the small, abandoned and seemingly un-rifled through house, and peered through the blinds.
All seemed quiet on the western front, as she referred to it.
That was, until she heard a loud clatter from downstairs.
She stopped breathing, quickly and as quietly as she could reaching for her duffle bag that she had stored under the bed.
Her fingers pulled back the zip and clasped around a small hand gun. She cocked it, holding it up as she slowly pulled the door open, cursing as it creaked. Wands were just as effective against the undead, but sometimes ones that used to be wizards still had their wands, and vague memories of how to use them. A bullet was too quick and unfamiliar for them to register, especially if they were hungry.
They usually were.
She ducked behind a large Ming vase as she heard footsteps coming up the stairs. They sounded slow. There was every chance this could be one of them.
This could be her last moments on earth, and she was hiding behind a vase.
She peeked out, terrified by the possibility of what she might see.
But the person standing at the top of the staircase wasn’t undead. At least, not yet. It was a man, older than herself, carrying a large bag over her shoulder. She immediately thought of looters before she caught a wiff of it.
Fruit. Fresh fruit.
Fresh food was hard to come by now days. This could be a prime opportunity. It had been weeks since she’d eaten anything that wasn’t canned.
Standing to her full height (given, this wasn’t very much) she pointed the gun directly at his face.
“Freeze, sucker.” She said firmly. “And drop the food.”
He didn’t look at all baffled. Slowly, he lowered the bag to his feet, before raising his hands in the air.
Her hand was starting to shake slightly. It had been a while since she’d seen another living person. She hadn’t seen one since-
A pained scream cut through her ears, and a hazy image hung in front of her eyes, her best friend being ripped to pieces, and there was nothing she could do but run-
She shook her head. She didn’t want to think about that, not ever.
“Are you-”
“Undead?” he finished mildly. “Wasn’t the last time I looked.”
She didn’t lower the gun. Instead she raked her eyes over him, taking in his tidy sweater, shirt and tie, his worn blazer, his brown shoes. There was blood on his collar.
“That blood-”
“Not mine.” He cut across her.
His face was so scarred. But he didn’t seem the type that went looking for undead to fight.
He saw her looking. “They’re from before.” He said quietly.
True enough, none of them looked that new.
She lowered the gun, sticking it in the back of her jeans.
“Sorry If I startled you, I was just looking for somewhere to kip for a few hours…”
“Sure. Fine.” She was still looking him up and down. He was doing the same to her as well. “Where’d you get the food?”
“There’s an orchard, just a few miles away. It’s relatively undead-free.”
She nodded. “Can I-“
In answer, he picked the bag up and threw her an apricot. A firm, sweet, fresh apricot.
“Where you headed?” she asked, walking past him, opening the door to the bedroom and standing aside, allowing him to pass by.
He shrugged as he walked past. “Sea. No Zombies in the open water. Can’t swim. I’m going to find a boat and get out.”
She hated the Z word.
“You?”
She shrugged. “I was going to go to Wales. My parents had a safe house in Cardiff. But… well, I hear Cardiff’s pretty well gone. I don’t want to find out either way. So I’m just… surviving, at the moment.”
He nodded, watching her eat. “What’s your name?”
With a small smile, she shook her head. “No names. No attachments, no messy endings. Sorry.”
“Fair enough. Even though it seems we shall be going separate ways sooner or later.”
“I don’t want to run into an undead you one day and remember. Or the other way round.”
“I think I’d know it was you. Not many of them have pink hair,” he pointed out. She ran a hand through her short hair defensively.
“I don’t care. I like it.”
There was silence for a moment. Then-
“So. Your scars…”
He gave a lopsided grin. “If I told you, you’d think I was crazy.”
“I sincerely doubt that.” She said absently, pulling her wand off the bed and pocketing it. Statue of secrecy didn’t matter now. But it seemed to have some sort of effect on him.
“Werewolf.” He said finally. “That’s what they’re from.”
“Oh.” She looked at her hands. In a world as screwed up as this, she’d almost forgotten people like that existed. “I’m sorry.”
He shrugged. “Comes in useful. Easier to travel. They don’t go after animals.”
She nodded before yawning. This was like the middle of the night for her.
“I need sleep.” She announced.
“Right. I’ll keep watch then.” He pulled out his own wand. She pulled the hand gun from her jeans.
“Easier. It jumps back a bit though, watch that.” He nodded, sitting on the floor by the bed.
She hated that she automatically trusted anyone living simply because they were alive; but he shared food, and offered to take first watch, so she didn’t feel as bad this time.
She starred at the back of his head. His hair was sandy coloured, graying. He had it twisted on its side, like he was reading something upside down.
“Tonks?” he said, confused. She sat bolt upright, frowning, before realizing he was starring at her duffle bag, which had her name stitched inside.
“What’s the N for?” he asked.
“Nymphadora.” She replied angrily. “But don’t call me Nymphadora. It’s Tonks, if you have to call me anything.
She could feel his smile, even though she couldn’t see it.
“Right. Well I feel it’s unfair that I know your name, but you don’t know mine. I’m Remus Lupin.” He turned, and stuck out his hand. She shook it, still glaring at him.
“You know, Tonks… if you’re doing nothing… you could head costal with me? Plenty of chances for surviving that way, too.”
She eyed him suspiciously, yet there seemed no advantage for either of them one way or another, other than having another living person to talk to, and to survive with.
Surviving was easier with two. Until you lost one. But maybe just surviving wasn’t enough anymore. Life had been about more than that before, anyway.
Life had been about fun, and love, and friends.
She sighed, knowing that she hated being alone more than anything.
“Sounds like a fair deal if you have more of those apricots.”
He laughed lightly.
It was a nice sound.
“Plenty more where those came from.” He grinned.
POINTS:
1300/30=43 points for Gryffindor!!!
+ 10 for bonus items so 53 points yay!!
Gini//Gryffindor
Rating/Warnings:g
Characters/Pairing: Remus/Tonks
Summary: Tonks is just trying to survive in a zombie ridden, apocolyptic world, when Remus makes an appearance. maybe just surviving isnt enough.
Word Count:1300
Registered purchases?:both!
The sunlight was drifting through the blinds covering the window, illuminating the dust as it swirled through the air. Everything was quiet, and Nymphadora Tonks was unsure what had woken her.
Sitting up and rubbing the sleep out of her eyes, she checked her watch. 1pm. She usually slept right through till 5, when it started getting darker, and she needed to be on watch. She woke herself earlier if she was planning on moving, although usually she would do that during the day.
It was safer during the day. The sunlight burnt their eyes, and they preferred the dark, and the cold of the night. Sometimes the odd one did venture out during the day though. For some strange, unknown reason, the Wizarding ones seemed more immune to the light.
Slowly, she crossed the room of the small, abandoned and seemingly un-rifled through house, and peered through the blinds.
All seemed quiet on the western front, as she referred to it.
That was, until she heard a loud clatter from downstairs.
She stopped breathing, quickly and as quietly as she could reaching for her duffle bag that she had stored under the bed.
Her fingers pulled back the zip and clasped around a small hand gun. She cocked it, holding it up as she slowly pulled the door open, cursing as it creaked. Wands were just as effective against the undead, but sometimes ones that used to be wizards still had their wands, and vague memories of how to use them. A bullet was too quick and unfamiliar for them to register, especially if they were hungry.
They usually were.
She ducked behind a large Ming vase as she heard footsteps coming up the stairs. They sounded slow. There was every chance this could be one of them.
This could be her last moments on earth, and she was hiding behind a vase.
She peeked out, terrified by the possibility of what she might see.
But the person standing at the top of the staircase wasn’t undead. At least, not yet. It was a man, older than herself, carrying a large bag over her shoulder. She immediately thought of looters before she caught a wiff of it.
Fruit. Fresh fruit.
Fresh food was hard to come by now days. This could be a prime opportunity. It had been weeks since she’d eaten anything that wasn’t canned.
Standing to her full height (given, this wasn’t very much) she pointed the gun directly at his face.
“Freeze, sucker.” She said firmly. “And drop the food.”
He didn’t look at all baffled. Slowly, he lowered the bag to his feet, before raising his hands in the air.
Her hand was starting to shake slightly. It had been a while since she’d seen another living person. She hadn’t seen one since-
A pained scream cut through her ears, and a hazy image hung in front of her eyes, her best friend being ripped to pieces, and there was nothing she could do but run-
She shook her head. She didn’t want to think about that, not ever.
“Are you-”
“Undead?” he finished mildly. “Wasn’t the last time I looked.”
She didn’t lower the gun. Instead she raked her eyes over him, taking in his tidy sweater, shirt and tie, his worn blazer, his brown shoes. There was blood on his collar.
“That blood-”
“Not mine.” He cut across her.
His face was so scarred. But he didn’t seem the type that went looking for undead to fight.
He saw her looking. “They’re from before.” He said quietly.
True enough, none of them looked that new.
She lowered the gun, sticking it in the back of her jeans.
“Sorry If I startled you, I was just looking for somewhere to kip for a few hours…”
“Sure. Fine.” She was still looking him up and down. He was doing the same to her as well. “Where’d you get the food?”
“There’s an orchard, just a few miles away. It’s relatively undead-free.”
She nodded. “Can I-“
In answer, he picked the bag up and threw her an apricot. A firm, sweet, fresh apricot.
“Where you headed?” she asked, walking past him, opening the door to the bedroom and standing aside, allowing him to pass by.
He shrugged as he walked past. “Sea. No Zombies in the open water. Can’t swim. I’m going to find a boat and get out.”
She hated the Z word.
“You?”
She shrugged. “I was going to go to Wales. My parents had a safe house in Cardiff. But… well, I hear Cardiff’s pretty well gone. I don’t want to find out either way. So I’m just… surviving, at the moment.”
He nodded, watching her eat. “What’s your name?”
With a small smile, she shook her head. “No names. No attachments, no messy endings. Sorry.”
“Fair enough. Even though it seems we shall be going separate ways sooner or later.”
“I don’t want to run into an undead you one day and remember. Or the other way round.”
“I think I’d know it was you. Not many of them have pink hair,” he pointed out. She ran a hand through her short hair defensively.
“I don’t care. I like it.”
There was silence for a moment. Then-
“So. Your scars…”
He gave a lopsided grin. “If I told you, you’d think I was crazy.”
“I sincerely doubt that.” She said absently, pulling her wand off the bed and pocketing it. Statue of secrecy didn’t matter now. But it seemed to have some sort of effect on him.
“Werewolf.” He said finally. “That’s what they’re from.”
“Oh.” She looked at her hands. In a world as screwed up as this, she’d almost forgotten people like that existed. “I’m sorry.”
He shrugged. “Comes in useful. Easier to travel. They don’t go after animals.”
She nodded before yawning. This was like the middle of the night for her.
“I need sleep.” She announced.
“Right. I’ll keep watch then.” He pulled out his own wand. She pulled the hand gun from her jeans.
“Easier. It jumps back a bit though, watch that.” He nodded, sitting on the floor by the bed.
She hated that she automatically trusted anyone living simply because they were alive; but he shared food, and offered to take first watch, so she didn’t feel as bad this time.
She starred at the back of his head. His hair was sandy coloured, graying. He had it twisted on its side, like he was reading something upside down.
“Tonks?” he said, confused. She sat bolt upright, frowning, before realizing he was starring at her duffle bag, which had her name stitched inside.
“What’s the N for?” he asked.
“Nymphadora.” She replied angrily. “But don’t call me Nymphadora. It’s Tonks, if you have to call me anything.
She could feel his smile, even though she couldn’t see it.
“Right. Well I feel it’s unfair that I know your name, but you don’t know mine. I’m Remus Lupin.” He turned, and stuck out his hand. She shook it, still glaring at him.
“You know, Tonks… if you’re doing nothing… you could head costal with me? Plenty of chances for surviving that way, too.”
She eyed him suspiciously, yet there seemed no advantage for either of them one way or another, other than having another living person to talk to, and to survive with.
Surviving was easier with two. Until you lost one. But maybe just surviving wasn’t enough anymore. Life had been about more than that before, anyway.
Life had been about fun, and love, and friends.
She sighed, knowing that she hated being alone more than anything.
“Sounds like a fair deal if you have more of those apricots.”
He laughed lightly.
It was a nice sound.
“Plenty more where those came from.” He grinned.
POINTS:
1300/30=43 points for Gryffindor!!!
+ 10 for bonus items so 53 points yay!!
Gini//Gryffindor