Generation Zombie

Chapter 9: Supplies.

Arthur had always considered himself a bit of an inventor. There was perhaps a tiny bit of Thomas Edison in his bloodline, or so he told people back in seventh grade when he won the silver medal in the school’s science fair. He had created a tiny makeshift rocket with scraps of metal from his father’s garage and launched it into the air using baking soda and vinegar. The invention had amazed everyone. But of course, Ruby took the first place medal home with her invention that made degradation of plastic faster and more efficient. She had been commended for merging science with ethics and concerns that truly affected the community.

Against that, Arthur’s vinegar and baking soda fueled mini space rocket could only come second best.

Now, He trudged downstairs with a cardboard box held at arms length. Long stripes of duck tape kept the box sealed shut, and through one of the six tiny holes he had poked, the baby zombie eyed the world outside. It gurgled and continued to roll about in the box, drooling.

Ajax eyed him and the box; raising a well-defined, perfectly-shaped and recently-plucked eyebrow. “What are you doing?”

“Something inconveniently crazy, extremely stupid, and very dangerous.” Arthur replied, with an air of importance, watching as Ajax’s reaction turned confused.

He stared at the box, then at his face, the traces of fear appearing on his fine features. “...Why?”

Arthur sighed. “Cause if I don’t do it Ruby will hate me forever.” And why did the possibility of Ruby hating him forever bothered him so much? She obviously didn’t actually mean it. But still, the thought of her thinking of him as an unkind person who left behind a zombie baby to starve, didn’t sit well in his mind.

Ajax placed his muscular, tattooed left arm on his hip. “What’s in there?” He demanded curiously, walking a step closer before stalling again, and eying the box.

An evil smirk took over Arthur’s face. He looked like a crazed scientist, on the verge of discovering the next big thing that would shake the world. “Oh you don’t wanna know. It’s a...”

“You’re right, I don’t.” Ajax cut him off with a long sigh. He could hear the gurgles and see the movements. Maybe it was an animal, maybe it was worse. But one thing for sure, he didn’t want to find out. “I’ve experienced enough trauma already. I just hope I don’t start breaking out because of my stress levels.” He said glumly, worry slightly causing lines on his forehead.

The game should’ve at least let him grab his skincare kit. Now where would he find the ten products that were supposed to keep his skin clear, glassy, and glowing? Where would he find Mario Badescu’s Facial Spray? And The Ordinary’s Chemical Peel, or their Organic Cold-pressed Rose Hip Seed Oil? And Mizon’s Snail Serum? Would he ever get to wear a Korean sheet mask again?

Ajax sighed desolately and pushed back the thoughts along with his tears.

“Okay? Anyways...” Arthur shrugged and sidestepped the sad, sighing, worry-saddled guy in front of him. He made his way to the truck, and placed the box that contained the baby zombie in the back compartment. He had cleared out the trashcans the previous night, so the place was hygienic enough for a toddler.

And then he went back inside to grab the rucksack and a box full of spare parts and spanners in case the truck broke down on their way. This time, Ajax followed him out, still fretting to himself about his skin. There was no serene place to do his daily yoga. There was no healthy food to eat. He hasn’t updated his insta in almost twenty-four hours. The complains coming from him were endless.

Ruby trailed behind them quietly, clutching a pillow, her cow-print pajamas all crumpled and rough. She was trying to think; to shake off the depressive cloud of hopelessness that hovered above her head. Her family was the thing foremost on her mind. Are missing posters of her already up around town? Her family had lost their mother and it broke them. Losing her will undoubtedly, shatter her father.

She had to stay alive for them.

Arthur handed the keys to Ajax. “You’re more fit to drive.” He said nonchalantly.

He studied Arthur’s outstretched hands that held the key, like it was some sort of disgusting worm. “Oh dear, no. I only drive sports cars and powered motorbikes.” He replied, looking at the truck with apparent distaste.

Arthur sighed and closed his eyes for a brief moment, letting the annoyance flutter away. “Of course you do.” He whispered to himself. Even in a video game, the people around him refused to take any responsibility. He had to be the one to do everything, as always.

Arthur hopped in the truck and turned on the ignition. Ruby slid in after him, perching herself on the small space between the driver’s seat and passenger’s seat. She hugged the pillow and tried not to look so tiny and depressing. Ajax balanced himself on the passenger seat. It wasn’t like being in a limo, but he could manage. However, he complained about the glare of the sun beating down on him through the windshield until Arthur handed him a pair of sunglasses to shut him up.

They drove in silence, and soon, Ajax fell asleep.

Arthur had noticed Ruby’s sudden melancholy. He could guess what she was thinking, by trying to put himself in her shoes. And ever since he began to drive, his mind had scanned through many conversation starters, yet he was unable to utter a syllable. With on hand, he rummaged the rucksack at his feet, and brought out a small novel. Wordlessly, he gave it to Ruby

“I found it in the attic.” He said as she glanced at the book skeptically. “So you don’t get bored.” He peeked at her through his peripheral vision. “We might be on the road for a while.” He added quickly, so it doesn’t seem like he had an ulterior motive for getting her a book. Although he did. He wanted her to be distracted from the depressive thoughts fluttering through her mind.

Ruby scanned the cover of the book. A couple; the lady in a bridal dress and the man in a suit, were partly hugging each other. The title read; ‘What’s Wrong With CEO Jay’ in golden letters. “It’s romance. I hate the romance genre.” But it was a lie. Ruby was a closet romantic, and she felt a surge of excitement as she opened the first page of the book and began to read.

Arthur smiled to himself. He knew a closet romantic when he saw one. He was one himself. And the book... God! He had begun reading it the previous night and it was simply magnificent.

After almost half an hour of driving on a straight, empty highway, they reached the outskirts of a town. In exactly an hour, Arthur parked the truck in front of a mini mall. The town was deserted but intact, like the people had evacuated early, before the zombies made it, and somehow, the zombies never even made it.

Still, they had to be careful.

Ruby woke Ajax up from his nap, and all three of them went inside the mall. It was like any other regular mall. That was one thing all three of them had noticed; the developers had been lazy with buildings and locations. Most of the infrastructures looked like carbon copies of places searched up on the internet.

“Here. I made a list of the supplies we need to get.” Ruby said, tearing off the last empty page of the novel Arthur had given her, and handing it to him.

He stared disbelievingly at the scribbles with neat little checkboxes drawn on a margin. “You did not just tear off a page of that novel.”

It was a crime worthy of death in the eyes of book lovers like her, but it was also necessary. “This hurts me more than it does you, okay? So just...”

“I’m gonna go look for sunscreen in the skincare aisle.” Ajax interrupted and excitedly bounced away towards the west wing of the mall, where a symbol signified that skincare products were available there.

“Well... be careful!” Ruby called after him.

Arthur sighed and looked at the list. “I’ll start on the non-perishables” He informed, and grabbed a trolley. They’d need more jugs of water, more dried, canned, preserved food. And lighters too, a heavy duty flashlight, maybe even camping equipments... his mind worked on a mental list in addition to Ruby’s as he wheeled the trolley away.

Ruby slouched. “I guess that leaves me with the drugs.” She whispered to herself and got going.

The items were easy to find. Easier even to grab and stuff into a brand new, XXL backpack. Was this shoplifting? Ruby thought to herself as she took a packet of Advil off the shelf and shoved it into the backpack. Did it matter? They were already knee-deep in the morally grey area of what was right and wrong. Plus it was a video game, for crying out loud. Had she gone insane?

Ruby strapped the backpack on and regarded the door to the storage room. Perhaps she could find something that might serve as a weapon in there. After a split second of decision, she unlocked the door.

For a brief moment, everything was dark. Then the automated lights flickered on, and Ruby felt her knees go cold. Blood covered the walls of the deep, endless seeming hallway of shadows. What was worse, a hoard of zombies —asleep or truly dead, cramped the space.

Something gripped Ruby’s leg and she screamed.