[BL] Trick or Treat!

Forever Together, Never Apart

by Nahrenne

 

Premise Tags: Zombie Apocalypse,

Past Crush, Teacher/Student,

Age Gap, Survival, Despair,

Comfort/Coping, Death of Loved Ones,

Devotion/Obsessiveness.

Content Warnings:

Gore, Violence,

Privacy Issue (details¹One of the characters observes the other during urination. Neither is hurt/offended by this, and there is communication about the boundaries afterward.).

 

 

On Saturday the twenty-third of September, at 14:37, the lives of seven hundred and sixty-three people changed. It started with a man staggering through a crowd of people going about their business in a shopping centre. At first, no one really paid much attention to him, it was just a normal day.

Arthur Jacobs was a highschool teacher who led a dull and unappreciated life of imparting knowledge to the next generation of teenagers. He’d been in the profession for fifteen years and was currently on an errand to buy some items for his niece’s birthday party. He was with his sister and her two oldest children, acting as the taxi and bank for the day.

In his smart suit and tie, he was dragged around the shopping centre here, there and everywhere while his sister bought trinket after tacky trinket for her youngest daughter. Arthur looked unimpressed by his sister’s choices but refrained from saying anything due to his lack of his own family. In the past, whenever he voiced his opinion on such things, he was put in his place with a simple, “You don’t even have a wife or kids. You know nothing.” Thus, he chose to keep quiet from then on.

Here was where he happened to meet an ex-student of his from ten years ago: Simon Cliff. When he was a student, he was a plucky teenager with a cheeky personality. Now, he was a serious-faced man with a stern disposition. When they reunited, Arthur didn’t recognise him at first due to the drastic change in personality. However, Simon took notice of his ex-teacher – calling out his name from behind in a deep voice.

The two caught up with what had been happening in their lives since they’d parted ways, with Simon revealing he’d become an entrepreneur and now owned his own company that dealt in managing models and actors. It had just turned noon when they met and they’d only finished chatting over two and a half hours later.

Just as they were readying to part company, the sound of a woman screaming from a distant part of the shopping centre rang through everyone’s ears. At first, people thought it was a pickpocket, or even a store robbery, and so they somewhat crowded over to where the noise came from. Arthur was uninterested, since going would only put himself at risk. Simon also stayed put, commenting on how far society was falling for there to be daylight robberies in a shopping centre.

The two chatted a bit more about society before more screams filled their ears. Arthur furrowed his brows as he saw a large number of people running away from the source. It was then that the inhuman growls and shouts became audible through the screams.

This was the time and day that the fictional monster, zombie, became reality. For many, this was their last day. For a few, it was the beginning of hell.

 

 

☠️💔☠️

 

 

A few days had passed, and the shopping centre was no longer in its usual white state. Instead, it had become a place of blood and death…and undeath. Due to the large crowds that were present on that fateful day, over three hundred and forty-eight people died. Of those, seventy-three became what were recognised as zombies. Of those that survived, two hundred and ninety-one managed to escape the complex, while the remaining one hundred and twenty-four were trapped inside.

Due to the layout of the shopping centre, the survivors remaining were split into several groups and holed up inside various stores. In the main thoroughfare, shambling zombies roamed as if on patrol. They seemed docile from a distance, yet ferocious once they found a living person. As such, the majority of people had barricaded themselves with no way out, with only a brave few willing to attempt the risk. Of those, Simon and Arthur worked together to raid the food shops to bring back to the older man’s family and the other members of their ramshackle group of survivors.

If one were to ask why these two were the ones who went out, it was because the others were either physically incapable, too scared, too young, or too valuable to maintain stability within the group to be taken out. As such, it fell to the two single men with healthy bodies and sound minds to do the task. In a way, this worked out for the best, since Arthur couldn’t bear to let his nephews get caught by the zombies, and he felt like he was obligated to do so due to his profession as a teacher.

The thing that baffled him was how keen Simon was to join him on the supply run. As soon as he’d volunteered to do it, his ex-student immediately put his arm up and also volunteered while staring at him. When he asked, he was told it would be improper for a former pupil to sit back and watch their former teacher go on a suicide mission. Arthur had furrowed his brows at this, thinking that he wasn’t exactly happy to see his ex-student go on a suicide mission either, but he refrained from giving his opinion.

With the two men at the supermarket store, they stared at the half-raided shelves, half-chewed bodies and pools of coagulated blood on the floor. Arthur took a big gulp as he held back the urge to vomit, while Simon looked on with reticence. The two quietly, and carefully, examined the shelves and filled their backpacks with the food on them – taking care to pick out food that didn’t need to be cooked to be consumed.

With their backpacks filled after two hours of carefully moving while avoiding the zombies and other small raiding parties, they returned to their little hideout. As they approached, their hidden entrance, Simon grabbed hold of Arthur’s arm and dragged him to a pillar before pressing him against it. The older of the two was confused at first and wanted to push him away until he heard sounds of muffled cries and wet gurgles.

Stiffly looking at Simon, Arthur saw he was peering slightly around the pillar in the direction of their hideout. A sense of trepidation washed through him as he also carefully peered around. It was at that moment he wished he hadn’t sated his curiosity, as before him was the scene of his sister and eldest nephew on the floor with their stomachs ripped open. Hovering over them were four zombies all munching away on the victims’ intestines and other wet, squishy parts.

Globs of meat hung off their chins as they buried their faces deep inside. It was then that Arthur noticed his sister slowly turn her head in his direction before she sluggishly reached her arm out to him. Her mouth full of blood opened, staining her chin a deep crimson, as she tried to speak. However, only chunks of flesh and blood oozed out along with wet gargles. The man was distressed by this and wanted to go out to comfort her, only to be firmly held in place by Simon who muttered in his ear to keep a cool head and think about the situation they were in. As such, Arthur could only close his eyes tightly and turn away as tears silently fell down his cheeks over the loss of his family.

The two men waited for five hours before the zombies left the mostly eaten corpses and shuffled down the main thoroughfare. By this point, Arthur was a husk of his former self as he robotically went through the hidden entrance to find the remaining survivors of their group huddled together in a dark corner, shivering in fear. When he asked how it happened, he learned they’d gone out to gather some clothes for the group but were discovered on the way back and eventually captured.

These few days had been hell, since that fateful day. From this day Arthur no longer immediately volunteered for supply runs – even though he still ended up doing them.

 

 

☠️💔☠️

 

 

Six days passed, and there were no signs of rescue. To be honest, Arthur had somewhat given up on such delusions since the first few days had passed. He began to wonder if this phenomenon had occurred in other places, however the lack of electricity for unknown reasons meant news from outside was non-existent.

Their group was significantly smaller than their first week. Counting the losses of Arthur’s sister and eldest nephew, ten more people had succumbed to the advances of the zombies, with two joining their inhuman brethren shortly after. Of those that managed to survive, there was a little girl who had lost her voice from mental shock, an elderly man in his seventies, Simon, and him; his remaining nephew had turned two days prior from a scratch he’d hidden.

The old man slept most of the time and, when he was awake, always had a complaint about something. The girl was like a living doll, silently playing with her toy cat – constantly untying and retying the bow around its neck. Her dad had been in the army and tried to help people to safety during the initial outbreak but died soon after. Simon would often stare at them both with cold eyes until Arthur would start up a quiet conversation with him, in which his gaze softened. The older of the two put this difference in treatment down to the fact they worked together on the supply runs and were formerly acquainted before this event happened.

It was nearing the end of their second week in hell when they had run out of supplies once again. Simon slung the empty backpack over his shoulder before walking out of their hideout. Arthur soon followed but more reluctantly than previous times.

Since they’d been trapped in the shopping centre for so long, the food in the stores was rapidly running out. Although the number of people needing food had dwindled down to below the forties, there were still hungry mouths to feed. With the shopping centre not being restocked, supplies were running dry. With this outcome, the survivor groups turned hostile towards others increasing sources of danger for Arthur and Simon.

As they searched around the store, hoping there’d be something edible left behind, Simon paused and turned to look at Arthur. His eyes had great depth behind them, making his thoughts unfathomable to the older man. Thus, when he saw the younger one walk towards him with a stern expression, he began to wonder if this was the so-called act of betrayal for one’s own survival. He wryly smiled as he closed his eyes to accept his pathetic death – bearing no grudge against his former student.

However, instead of meeting the sweet embrace of death, it was of Simon. He whispered in Arthur’s ear that he needed to tell him something before it was too late. Arthur looked confused as he stared at Simon, suggesting that he tell him when they got back but the younger one shook his head slowly.

“I can’t wait until we get back. Plus, it’ll make things uncomfortable for the others if I do.” Simon responded before staring intently into Arthur’s eyes.

The former teacher tilted his head and told him to go on. The other looked awkward before he blushed. The man then took hold of Arthur’s dirty hands and stroked them with his own – equally dirty – ones.

This was the day that Arthur found out his former student was gay. This was the day Arthur found out his former student had had a crush on him since his first class with him. This was the day that Arthur found out he didn’t mind the idea of having a male lover and wondered if he had been so inclined all this time or not.

This day marked the beginning of bliss. This day marked the beginning of a new hell.

 

 

☠️💔☠️

 

 

Another few days had passed, and the group decided to move to another location, so they’d be closer to potential supplies. In those few days, Simon became more assertive around Arthur. At first, he would hug him randomly. Then he would hold his hand while they slept beside one another. The most recent development that somewhat baffled Arthur was when he went to pay nature a call; the younger man watched him fervently from the front.

Arthur understood that Simon was still in his mid-twenties, but he felt this was a little intrusive, even though they were now dating. He was fine with all the other intimate actions he shared with his lover but being stared at while urinating? It somewhat made him uncomfortable. When he brought this up with him, Simon smiled before suggesting he distract him so he wouldn’t look since otherwise his eyes would gravitate to his lover’s length and begin imagining things.

The former teacher blushed at this before coughing and walking away to gather his thoughts. He eventually came up with a seemingly better solution – or at least Simon did: kiss him while taking a leak. Arthur felt this was also a bit weird to do but complied since it was still infinitely better than having his member stared at from the front while doing such a thing.

With them moving locations, Simon and Arthur took the lead while the girl and old man followed behind. Everything was going smoothly until a group of zombies trundled along towards them. Simon rushed towards an empty-looking shop and began to set up defences while Arthur picked the girl up and stealthily ran over to join him.

Just as Arthur put the girl down, tired screams and shouted swears resounded as the zombies found the elderly man who couldn’t catch up. He flung a string of curses at their group and angrily shook his fist before it was grabbed by several zombies and ravenously bitten into. His feeble moans of pain filled their group’s ears for several minutes until the man died. His throat and wrist had been ripped out, resulting in wet gurgling sounds echoing in the main thoroughfare – which emphasised the increasing loss of shopping centre survivors.

Arthur had long covered the girl’s ears and held her head to his chest so she wouldn’t see the gruesome sight. However, Simon kept his gaze firmly fixed on the old man being devoured as he coldly finished barricading the shop and sat down beside his lover. Once all became quiet again, and the girl had fallen asleep, Arthur gently placed the girl on the ground before he felt his lover’s arms wrap around his waist.

Simon held Arthur’s head and moved it so his lover would be looking at him. He gazed deeply into the man’s eyes before kissing him. Arthur reciprocated the kiss and wrapped his arms around Simon’s neck, reaffirming with one another that they were still alive and safe for another hellish day. The two continued to kiss and hug each other for a long while until they both fell asleep in each other’s arms with their foreheads touching. The girl had opened her eyes at some point and stared at the couple without emotion before she glanced at the remains of the old man outside. She then began playing with her toy cat again, constantly tying and re-tying the bow.

This was the day that marked the beginning of the end. This was the day that they would soon be released from this hellish nightmare.

 

 

☠️💔☠️

 

 

One week passed, and supplies were negligible. Survivors had long ago started taking the foods that required cooking – like dried pastas, potatoes, and eggs. Though Arthur and Simon weren’t sure about the ramifications of doing such a thing, they were awfully close to attempting that themselves.

Due to not eating enough every day, all three in their group had slimmed down substantially. The little girl slept most of the time because her stomach ached from hunger, and she had no energy. Arthur’s cheeks had hollowed a little, presenting an image of a man with no excess fat – though his muscles were beginning to reduce as well. Simon was not that much better off; being a man in his prime and having a well-built figure, he suffered the sensation of starving more harshly than his lover. His once broad shoulders had narrowed a little, and his powerful figure no longer emitted such an aura of dominance.

The zombies had killed off almost everyone who had been trapped in the shopping centre – be it actively, or passively. People were going hungry. People were losing faith in being rescued from this hell. People had no hope left to push on. Thus, many began giving up on life – refusing to go out in search of food, or not running when a zombie group found them.

It was on such a dismal day that Simon suggested they try and escape the shopping centre to attempt surviving outside. Arthur shook his head, not seeing the point when they couldn’t leave at the beginning. However, Simon argued that with there being far less people, the zombies were no longer congregating near the exits as much. He said, if they worked quietly and efficiently, then they had the chance to leave.

Arthur was silent for a while before saying he needed time to think. The girl didn’t even give a response with a shake or nod of the head – instead, she just lay down and hugged her toy cat. Simon sighed and allowed his lover to think on it but, internally, he was determined to get them out of this hell hole. As such, once the sun had gone down and darkness had fallen, the younger man crawled over to the older man and hugged him from behind before kissing his neck.

“I want to do this to give us a chance to feel the sun on us, and the wind through our hair as I walk hand in hand with you to freedom. I don’t want our love to die in this godforsaken place. I want us to grow old together.” He told Arthur while planting kisses on the man’s neck.

Arthur was silent for a while before finally sighing and placing his hand on his lover’s. He voiced his fear of them not making it; or worse of one of them dying while the other survived. The older man knew he wasn’t as physically fit as his younger lover. He was afraid they’d get separated and never see each other again. Arthur was so wound up about it that he started to cry silently, trying not to make any sound so as not to attract any nearby zombies.

Simon also cried as he continued hugging and kissing his lover. He also didn’t really want to risk it but knew it was likely their best choice of survival. Thus, the next day they left their small hideout and trudged along to the nearest and quietest exit.

The countdown began on this day. This day, all their suffering would end.

 

☠️💔☠️

 

 

It started with them waking before dawn. Arthur gently shook the girl awake before shakily lifting her up in his arms and hugging her to keep her secure. The two men then carefully left the hideout and took in their surroundings, determining which direction would be best to head in. The girl was very lethargic and just wrapped her arms around Arthur’s neck with the toy cat between them before she fell asleep.

Simon glanced at the girl with cold eyes but retrieved such a gaze when Arthur looked at him. After ensuring that the coast was clear, they stealthily moved down the main thoroughfare as silent as possible. Their group looked like two over-slim men, with a girl in one of their arms, moving away from where established supplies were. Any onlookers watching didn’t hinder them. They’d seen similar groups tread that path before with little success. Their concern was non-existent as only apathy remained; too much energy was needed to feel anything these days.

As they reached the exit, they saw decomposing bodies littered all over the floor with flies and maggots infesting most of them. Arthur felt a little queasy from the sight but didn’t retch due to seeing somewhat similar scenes in other areas. It was more the sheer number and smell that made his face turn green.

Simon saw his lover’s expression and walked over to stroke his back and kiss his cheek while placating him. He told him that once they got out the smell and view should improve exponentially. Arthur weakly smiled and nodded before they both moved forward towards the makeshift barricade people had made as they escaped the initial aftermath of that fateful day.

Gently placing the girl on a nearby bench, Arthur helped Simon shift some of the objects blocking their way while also moving corpses. The work was taxing on their tired and weak bodies, making them break out in a sweat and breathe heavily within minutes of starting. At some point, the girl had woken up again and continued to lie on the bench while watching the two men do the heavy lifting.

A few hours went by before the men finally stopped for a break. They collapsed on the floor against each other as they stared at the small results of their meagre labour. A small space had been made that people could crawl through. Since Arthur didn’t want the girl to be in danger while they worked, he struggled to pull himself up off the ground before he staggered over to her bench. He gave a small, tired smile, before telling her to go with him to the small space. The girl slowly nodded before stretching her arms out for him to carry her.

Obliging to the girl’s request, Arthur carried her carefully to the small space before gently placing her down on the ground. Simon watched in with cold eyes but didn’t say anything – his thoughts unknown to anyone due to his stern expression. The older man didn’t notice as he quietly explained what the girl needed to do in a gentle tone. After he’d finished talking, the girl nodded before slowly crawling through the space with her toy cat.

Arthur gave a small smile as he sighed in relief that the girl at least was safe for the time being. He then walked over to Simon and sat beside him to recover his strength while leaning his head on the man’s shoulder. Simon wrapped an arm around his lover and gently stroked him while enjoying the small comfort of sharing each other’s warmth.

An hour later, the two men got up and began working on dismantling the barricade again. They’d managed to create a narrow path, and only needed to remove a few more objects when they heard the familiar sound of shuffling feet and meaty groans. The two men froze in place before slowly turning their heads in the direction of the sound.

About ten metres away was a group of six zombies returning from their ‘pseudo-patrol’ of the area. The two men had avoided this group on the way down to this exit, so were aware of the possibility of their return. Arthur gave a silent curse at their luck while Simon remained reticent. They stared at each other as they waited for the zombies to leave again.

However, the girl gave a loud scream from outside, alerting the zombies and the two men. They all looked in her direction to see her drop her toy cat on the ground and run away near the exit. A cloud of smoke then emitted from the toy cat, covering the whole area to the point visibility was extremely poor. Sounds of zombies outside then came towards the sound of the scream while the zombies inside scrambled towards the two men.

The two men swore as they struggled to make a path out with the little strength they still had left. Arthur was puzzling over why the girl screamed and did that while Simon’s thoughts were dark with murderous intent towards her. He knew they’d been played by her out of the girl’s own selfishness.

The zombies inside were incredibly close now, while the zombies outside were searching around. The path was finally clear but only one person could squeeze through at a time. Arthur looked at Simon and motioned for his lover to go first, however the younger one simply shook his head and pushed him through.

With eyes widened, Arthur fell on the floor as he exited the shopping centre. His vision filled with the sight of his lover being grappled by the zombies behind him before his neck and arms were bitten. Arthur’s heart thudded fast like a galloping horse as he struggled to get up before pulling at Simon to get out. He punched at the zombies hanging onto his lover, also getting scratched and bitten in response.

A few minutes later, the two got out of the shopping centre – full of wounds – and rushed as fast as they could out of the smoke cloud. What hit their eyes was the scene of over thirty zombies in front of them with half-decayed bodies and hungry mouths. Simon and Arthur glanced at each other and held hands. They gave wry smiles as they saw how wounded the other was and gave each other a kiss on the lips while crying.

“I love you, Arthur. Know that I wouldn’t have wished to be in this situation with anyone else.”

Arthur gave a small smile back and nodded, “And I, too. Without you, my life would have remained dull and void of colour. I’ll love you always.”

The two then revealed serious expressions before they ran as hard as they could away from the zombies – never letting go of the other’s hand. However, the zombies soon caught up due to the men having no strength left. As such, they succumbed to becoming food for the undead before finally turning into what they feared.

A few days later, the girl returned with a group of soldiers who had been making the rounds for survivors. When they reached the shopping centre car park, all they saw was zombies. The soldier in charge kneeled down and asked the girl if she could see anyone she recognised. She scanned the walking dead before noticing two zombies holding hands and shambling along away from the others. Her eyes lit up and pointed at them before beginning to run over, only to be grabbed by the shoulder to stop her.

It was then that she realised her two saviours had already turned. She fell to the ground and cried, drawing the attention of the zombies – only for them to be gunned down by the soldiers. She had thought her diversion would have given them time to escape. She’d even used the special device her dad gave her for her birthday. She thought she had drawn the horde outside away from them.

This was the day that the shopping centre was freed from death and decay. This was the day that Simon and Arthur were freed from undeath – their hands still joined, their love unbroken.

 

 

 

💔

 

 

Author's Account:

Nahrenne (SH), Nahrenne (SHF).