Desert arena: Two deaths and I'm still awake

[savedbyasong]

Who| Shion and open
What| Shion's death and reanimation as a Zombie
Where| Around the waterhole, the desert beyond (so north parts of the map??)
When| Day 2
Warnings/Notes| Death by zombie bite (descriptions of death and suffering), becoming a zombie. He will try and attack you, but will be pretty easy to fight off because its still Shion's body. Feel free to injure him but not kill his brain.

Shion ran as fast as he could, blood pouring down his arm from where R had bitten him. He ran until his lungs were burning and he could no longer here R's moans behind him, tears pooled in his eyes and he refused to let them fall. He had been stupid thinking R was his friend, thinking friends were something that could exist here.

He sank to the floor and struggled to get his breath back, he was dizzy from the blood loss and for a moment he just stared at the blood dripping onto the sand.

So you are giving up already? One little bite and you're going to sit and cry. If Rat was really here he would have forced Shion to keep going, he couldn't just sit here. Gritting his teeth he ripped the skirts of the costume he was wearing. He had no water, nothing to clean the wound with but he did his best bandaging it.

He continued on, not wanting to remain in one place, but after a few hours it was clear that the wound was infected. He found a rock which granted a miniscule amount of shade and fell beside it, he was hot and cold all at the same time and he curled up, shutting his eyes against the blinding headache.

It got worse, nausea, vomiting, dehydrated and pretty sure by now he wasn't even going to last the night... if the night ever came. At some point a silver parachute floated down next to him, water and food, and a note. He tried to read it, it took a while, the letters didn't make too much sense which scared him. He had been able to read before he could even remember, but not it felt like this brain was filled with thick goo and the thoughts got lost trying to swim through it.

There was no way he could eat the food and somewhere in amongst the pain and sickness he felt bad that someone had gone to the trouble of sponsoring him, when he wasn't even going to last a day. He tried to swallow some water, but was sick moments later.

He lay next to the rock until time had no meaning, his skin had began to blister, open sores bleeding, adding to the blood from his shoulder that was staining the sand around him red. He couldn't think anymore and he didn't want to fight, even though he knew he should. He just wanted this to be over. Death would not be too bad after all this pain.

And so it was a relief when finally through the spasms of pain his body stopped, his dark purple eyes glazing over.

But it wasn't the end. Moments past and the blood stained body stirred, blinked with eyes that were now colourless and rose to it's feet. He seemed confused if a corpse could be confused and after a moment attempted movement, shuffling forwards through the sand. After a few false starts he seemed to have gotten the hang of it.

He was hungry, that was his only thought, if an instinct could be called a thought. So he began shuffling through the desert, looking for prey.

Comments

Re: Best friend :D

[shambler]

R passed the snake off to Shion. He wanted it for himself still, but he wasn't so far gone that he couldn't share. That would come later. Then they'd probably start trying to take bites out of each other, if it got worse. R tried to maintain a healthy, positive attitude when he had the self-awareness to think - maybe it wouldn't get that bad. They could bump into a Tribute someone else wounded and get it over with.

"Eat." R said. "Like...this."

Unsure if Shion, as a newbie zombie, would understand what went where (he might still be figuring out where his arms and legs were: it'd taken him awhile too), R mimed bringing his hand up to his face and gnawing on an invisible brain, complete with teeth-gnashing and grunting. He couldn't paint a clearer picture if he tried.

[savedbyasong]

Arms and legs were hard, he was still falling a lot and he was glad for the demonstration for now he had the food in his hands he had no idea how to consume it. He copied R, teeth ripping into the snake with just a little difficulty.

He pulled a face at it but ate it anyways, if R wanted to share he would have to teach Shion the concept, because Shion was determined to eat it all no matter how disgusting and not human it tasted.

[shambler]

Shion was eating like he'd never sank his teeth into anything before which...was probably closer to the truth than R would've liked. A newbie zombie out in the middle of the desert, with no promise they'd find any real food. Talk about doomed to a quick route to starvation. R guessed at least he had company while he turned to jerky out here. Nothing like two mummies stumbling along.

He realized he was staring hungrily at the rapidly disappearing rattlesnake and dropped his eyes to his feet.

"Slow...down," R said, his face scrunching slowly in a frown. He bumped shoulders into Shion to make his point an exclamation mark, trying to sound like he meant it. Probably too late to tell him to chew with his mouth closed. R had no idea where that one came from, because it wasn't like he was all that polite when he stuffed his face. Maybe his Mom told him, assuming he had one still alive out there.

[savedbyasong]

Shion stumbled at the bump and blinked at R in confusion, as the words slowly sunk in. His next bite was taken slower, grey eyes looking confused as blood ran down his chin. And the next, but then he forgot his instructions and went back to devouring the snake. As the last of it disappeared he looked at R with an expression that could almost be called sad.

"Hu'...gry."

[shambler]

Weren't they all? Eventually there was nothing left but a few scraps of bone and scales in Shion's hand, R wheezing out a sigh.

"Always. Sorry," R said. Unlike Air, he actually knew Shion pre-death, so he felt like he should be baby-sitting the poor guy even if the odds of them stumbling out of this desert coherent were so small you could miss it. "Help...find more. Together?"

Compared to Shion, R felt like he was suddenly a master at speeches, his own slurred words running circles around the new zombie. He remembered bits and pieces of his first day, first year, as a corpse. Most of it was behind him. Now he wished he could remember more of it; if he did, he could help handhold Shion through his first day instead of them lurching around like two idiot corpses and R hoping he gave good advice. The least he could do was try.

Besides, they'd hunt better in numbers. First rule of being Dead.

[savedbyasong]

"More." Shion nodded, he like that idea. Finding more, he didn't like being hungry. "To...ge..." He trailed off, that word was far too long for him to get through but he understood, they would get food, more food, both of them.

R was hungry too. Like Shion.

"More... hu'...gry." He shuffled a few steps before looking back at R because he had no idea where he was going.

Sorry, decided to add some stuff

[shambler]

Close enough, R bobbling his head in a nod. He started shambling after Shion, flopping a hand up to catch his arm before he got too far on him. Talk about gung-ho. Dried blood was still caked on, looking black in the desert sun against Shion's too-pale skin. The veins weren't as mottled yet as R's - give it time and they could be twins.

"Not...that way. Water...ing hole." R realized he better back up what he was moaning because while he sounded like he knew what he was doing, he still had no idea where that watering hole snuck off to. There weren't exactly a lot of landmarks like the City. "Water. Life? Better."

He locked colorless eyes with Shion, trying to see inside, how much of Shion was there and how much was a ghost as if it'd be any different from Air or M or any of the other zombies he knew. Did he understand what R was trying to say? They couldn't drink water, but they still needed it, in a way. Besides, it was a change in scenery and R was fresh out of rattlesnakes.

[savedbyasong]

He stumbled to a stop as his arm was grabbed, wobbling as he tried to keep his balance. He didn't really understand, but he knew R knew more, R knew where the food was, R had found the snake.

There wasn't much in his eyes, just dull confusion at the whole situation, he was hungry, this place had too much open space. Simple want and don't like.

"Wa'er" He managed to groan out with a half nod, half because he couldn't quite work out how to lift his head again after it had went down.

[shambler]

The idea of Shion looking up to him as the responsible adult zombie here was...something. R's expression was about as slack as Shion's, with a faint undercurrent of "oh crap" hidden in there because he wasn't cut out to be a babysitter.

"Water," R corrected Shion, trying to be patient and gentle. Might as well try to get him used to speaking. It beat moaning "brains!" all the time (although that would come later. Hopefully. Assuming they didn't starve to death out here). "T. Tuh! Water."

R stared down at Shion, his shoulders stiffened into a permanent hunch against the sun beating down overhead, all that crushing blue. Trying to teach Shion how to speak again was a distraction he could use, R watching as the snake's blood began to dry out quickly on the new corpse's mouth. Come on, you can do it.

[savedbyasong]

"Wa...tuh..." He groaned out slowly, contorting his mouth around the words, "Wa...tuh..." He was getting the hand of this speaking thing he thought. "Wa...ter..."

[shambler]

R reached out and clapped a hand on Shion's shoulder, awkwardly patting away for all he was worth. Reward, right? That was how you were supposed to do it: if Shion did something good on his first(ish) try, then hit him with a reward, say, a compliment.

"Good. Like...that," R groaned, hoping he had this compliment business under wraps. "Prac...tice?"

It'll be nicer to hear something along the way to the watering hole aside from the standard moaning and groaning.

[savedbyasong]

It seemed to please the new zombie anyways and he groaned happily. "Water... Water...." He practiced as hard as he could, gesturing at R, "Rrr... Rrrrr". And then at himself, "Sh... Shhhhhhhh..."

"Rrr hu'gry, Shhh hu'gry, water, food, to... geh..."