Chapter Text
Schlatt sat in his room by his desk playing Minecraft with a few of his old buddies. His five-month-old puppy laying on the floor beside his bed would emit a quiet snore now and again. This couldn't be a more normal night.
He was just about to put Honey, the name he chose for her, in her cage and go to sleep when he heard the phone ring. It was Ted. He only ever texted. He never called unless it was something important.
"Schlatt, Turn on the TV Now."
"Why? Ted, what's going on?"
"Just do it."
Schlatt, albeit hesitantly, turned on his TV to find there’d been an Emergency Alert System broadcast going out to the entire country. The President stood proudly in front of the nation and continued his speech.
"...that all citizens should remain calm and stay in their homes. There have been only a few, small outbreaks in Large cities around our proud nation. These outbreaks have been confirmed to be found within Dallas, New York, Los Angeles, Philadelphia, Boston..."
"..Outbreaks? Ted, What the fuck is going on?"
"Schlatt, I'll be over as soon as I can to explain." A few moments of shuffling could be heard on the other end before the call was ended.
The President continued with his speech and Schlatt returned his attention to the screen before him. "...and Atlanta. There are no indications as to how or why this outbreak has occurred. There is no way to tell if you have been infected until it is too late.
However, some of the key features of knowing you are infected are increased strength, a strong scent of rotting flesh, and major motor function failure. However, speech may still be possible within very few specimens, as numerous cases have already been reported of the,”
The country's leader pauses, as if thinking for a name, but eventually succumbs to the truth. “..Undead using speech to either lure victims in or convince them that they still are human, despite their ghoulish appearance..."
"So, basic zombie, only stronger and a little smarter," Schlatt says to himself as if keeping a mental note.
“Scientists across the globe are working on developing a cure, and tests so far have been promising, especially given their time restraints.
However, a true cure may not be manufactured as soon as we need them, so I am personally ordering for Martial Law to be placed into action while I advise vaccines of the same nature as the cure, yet tamer, is to be given to the public.
Furthermore..."
A horrifying scream ripped through the air, stopping the President’s speech, and could be heard as the camera turned from where he was to a man standing over a young girl with her neck ripped apart, the man hunched over and with every chewing motion, a loud, sickening crunch echoes out for bystanders to hear.
All of a sudden, a flurry of bullets comes towards the man and cuts through his body as if it were paper, almost hitting his head. He falls to the ground not a second later, bloodied and defeated. The screen goes black.
"What the fuck?" Schlatt says to himself.
After quite some time, Ted finally arrives shortly thereafter and walks in without knocking. "What the fuck is going on here?" Schlatt demands, staring at the other with wide, horrified eyes.
"Well, I hope you watched all those zombie movies. Because, to put it simply, zombies are running amok."
"Zombies?"
"Well. I hate to be the one to break it to you so I’ll say it lightly. They aren’t dead. They aren't the zombies everyone watched in the theaters, Schlatt. They still have their smarts and they are very much alive, Basically still people, but with a hunger for human flesh.
They are stronger than us, faster than us, and smarter than us in every way. The only thing they care about is ripping us all into a million pieces. No one knows why or where they’ve gotten this hunger, but whatever happened could quite possibly be humanity’s downfall. They’re stronger than us in every fucking way.”
"Wait, if they’re smarter than us, then why did that guy just eat a kid on live TV?"
"I don't know Schlatt.. They all seem to all be as smart as what they were beforehand, so apparently, he wasn't very smart." Ted laughed at the statement for a moment before getting serious once more and continuing. "Anyway, Schlatt, we need to go. Now."
"Where are we going?"
"First to get the fuck out of the city cause I don’t know about you, but I specifically remember hearing that cities were a hotspot for outbreaks. But then to my friend’s house in Aklavik, Canada. And yes, I know it’s one hell of a fucking drive, but it’s far enough from here to hopefully be safe. He has a spacious bunker we could stay in for a while until a cure comes out or when things cool down.
And who knows? Maybe a few of our friends will be there. I did, after all, send out a message to the boys and a few others who could use a bit of safety. We should be safe there."
"How do you plan to get there?"
"Simple, We drive.”
"Oh, yeah, of course. Let’s fucking drive through zombie-filled streets dumbass.”
“Well, do you have any other ideas genius?” Ted asks, frowning at the other.
Schlatt stands there for a minute in deep thought before glaring at Ted. “No.” He says begrudgingly.
Ted smirks and nods. “You should pack some things, Schlatt. I don’t think you’ll wanna come back to visit New York again if zombies are walking around every damn corner. I can help you if you’d like?” He asks, ready to help even if Schlatt were to deny him.
Schlatt nods and rushes over to his room with Ted following right behind. The two began packing, with Schlatt directing Ted with what to get.
Schlatt bit his lip as he looked over to his sleeping pup in the cage. “Hey, uh.. Ted? Is there enough space for Honey?” He asks, quietly, afraid he would be told that he couldn’t.
Ted smiled a little, his attention on packing clothing for Schlatt. “Yeah, grab a few jars. Probably won’t find some for a while.”
Schlatt huffed, smacking Ted’s shoulder lightly. “Not the honey you eat. I meant the dog, you ass. Can she come?”
Ted thought things over for a few tense moments, darting his eyes around the room while in thought. “..Yeah, but you’d need to keep a close eye on her. Don't let her out of sight. And bring food, if you didn’t think to.”
Schlatt smiles widely and shakes awake the sleeping canine. Honey yawns, a squeaky sound coming from such a tiny animal, and exits the cage, her tail swaying lazily behind her. She seemed to ignore Ted as she hopped up onto the bed and sat patiently.
After what seemed like a half-hour, the two men seemed finished with only four boxes, Schlatt deciding to leave most things behind. He’d also made sure to bring only a few silent toys for his pup, knowing this journey would probably be boring for her.
He grabbed Honey’s leash, hooked it up to her soft yellow collar, and walked out silently to Ted’s already half-filled truck.
"You ready?" Ted asks as he sits behind the wheel. Schlatt hums as a reply, Honey lying down on the hybrid’s lap. “To Aklavik then?” He inquires while turning the key in the ignition.
"To Aklavik."