welcome to the new age {zombie apocalypse au}

[ANDROMEDA READ]

This was not what she was used to.

Which wasn't exactly true; she was used to this occurance. She was used to the adrenaline and the danger and the need to take action - just not from this perspective. Actually, not from the perspective of anything more than a 42 inch TV screen. This was different, of course, because it was all around her, and instead of a controller in her hands, she had a gun. A real, actual gun.

Now, this had come on a bit quickly, as it did in every video game or show the girl had ever played or watched on this subject. It started up on the west coast, so there had been time to make preparations. A wall was built around the school, and the students decided whether they wanted to stay or go home if home wasn't in a dead zone. It was surprisingly fifty-fifty, but maybe that's because this place felt like a home to a lot of people. It certainly did to her, as 'home' became empty soon after her 18th birthday after a little too much in a syringe. She was an orphan now, and all she had left was her friends. It's not like she wasn't sad, of course. But it was an accident waiting to happen and she had mourned the death of the father that lived up to that title a long time ago.

Still, the house and all its legal contents belonged to her, so she had gone home and taken the booze and the handgun and tons of ammo out of the nightstand and went back to her real home without a thought.

Most facilities on the east coast and in the east itself were still up and running, given the months they had until the disaster would spread to them. A great wall of sorts was built on the east side of the Mississippi River, and refugees from St. Louis and other riverside cities were allowed to settle on the other side as they had not yet seen the signs. So most things were still operational - phones, plumbing, electricity. Internet was a luxury, though, to her frustration, but she was preoccupied with other things.

After a while, though, the disease somehow crossed over, and big buildings and campuses built walls around themselves and were set up as refugee camps. Eventually, New York City outside those walls became overrun with the most cliche apocalyptic beings ever - zombies. Fucking zombies, dude. She felt like she really was trapped in a video game.

Luckily, she never really had to face the zombies. The city had decided to have some form of safe transport between the camps, so they had bridges built on the tops of buildings, since the zombies didn't seem to know how to climb. From above, where the helicopters brought supplies, the Big Apple looked like a spiderweb, only the danger was for those who weren't trapped on it. By protocol, you had to wear gas masks when you were outside, no exceptions.

Baum Academy was pretty much at the limit for the height restriction, so she didn't have to be moved anywhere else. A lot of public school kids were allowed to come here if they still fancied an education, and classes were still going on, though gym now also included weapons training and health was basically "How Not To Become a Zombie".

Of course, she didn't stay at Baum when she didn't have to. Often times, she traveled to Barrie University, where most of her friends had gone if they didn't go home, including her boyfriend. So she donned her gas mask and walked down the new Main Street and to Ozzie's room.

All of her DVDs had been moved there, and the film industry pretty much quit after Hollywood went down, but it was kind of a thing between them that they wanted to own every movie they could find on DVD, whether it was a hit or a disaster. So they often snuck out and hit the nearby movie store, very very secretively. Because you would have to be quarantined for at least a month if you were caught entering from outside, and that's if they didn't shoot you first.

She knocked on Ozzie's door, and his roommate opened. "He's not here," he said immediately, knowing who it was even if she didn't take her gas mask off.

"Where is he?" she asked, panicking only a little. He was probably just in the new mess hall getting food or something, but she always worried.

"He said he was going to get a surprise for you." As if he knew the next question, he added, "A few hours ago. I tried to radio him, but I guess he was out of range."

Her heart dropped as if the metaphorical elevator cables holding it up has snapped and it was hurtling towards its death. She got the gun out of the holster she aquired for it that she could hide under the blue hoodie he had given her, checking how much ammo it had, and making sure she had backup. "Wait, you're not actually going out there, are you? Alone? You guys together is one thing, but... you should just stay here, he's probably alrea-"

"Are you my mummy?" she asked, not being about to resist even in a time of adversity. She was wearing a gas mask, after all. "I have to go out and get him. I have to. He probably just got distracted, that's all. He just needs backup."

"I told him not to go alone, too." His tone wasn't argumentative - he knew nothing he could say could keep her from walking out that door with a determined slam. He wasn't stupid nor brave enough to follow her.

And she knew that, so she didn't look back. When she went out the secret passageway, she looked around, not spying any zombies. But she knew they were there, and she would be waiting, though she wouldn't let them get to her. Because she had gone to see him that day for a reason. If the zombies killed Andie Read, they wouldn't be killing one person, but two.

[/justify]

{ DON'T LOOK AT ME LIKE THAT }
{ um this is what happens when i listen to radioactive on repeat i'm sorry
{ i should have been posting but this happened instead }
{ i might write more of these with my other characters this was kind of fun }