ORION: A Post-Apocalyptic Story

II

Bacon and I had a long conversation while we tried to find shelter. 

"Where do you live?" I asked. "Maybe we could spend a few nights there."

"Uh, sure. I mean, the only reason I didn't go back home was because I was defenseless. Now I'm not." Bacon replied, adjusting his grip on his frying pan weapon. We passed a bike shop, and we went there to see if anyone was still there.

The owner was a zombie.

I drew my knife and charged at the zombie's head, stabbing it right in the middle of its forehead. I also slashed its nape, since nobody knows for sure if they regenerate. Just kidding, I watched Attack on Titan once in a while whenever Bacon and I were in our temporary tents. I just wanted to reference it.

But I still slashed its nape.

Anyway, after I did that, I got Bacon and I a bike each. Mine was purple, with the basket thing on the front. Bacon had a yellow bike with the bell thing.

We rode our bikes, with our supplies safe inside the front basket of my bike. I followed Bacon to his house.

When we got there, I brought out my new iPhone, and Bacon quickly snatched it away.

"Hey! That's mine! I mean, technically I own it now."

"I just need to check my Facebook. Please."

I let Bacon check his Facebook, since I was busy trying to remember what Facebook was.

"Orion, look. I found survivors."

"How?"

"Some of my Facebook friends posted pictures an hour or less ago. That means they're probably still alive!"

"Nice."

"Should we go to them? I mean, the road might be infested with zombies anytime soon."

"Tomorrow morning. Let's hope they stay alive until we get them. For now, let's rest."

******

The next day, we decided to search for Bacon's friend Ronnie. It was 3 PM.

"Ronnie lives 20 houses away." Bacon said. "Chances are we're going to have to fight the undead on the way there."

The first six houses weren't zombie infested. We were sure we'd be safe to pass the seventh one, when a really fast zombie came out of the house and rammed Bacon's bike, throwing him off. He screamed as the zombie tackled him, trying to get a bite.

I grabbed my knife and stabbed, but the zombie was not steady and I missed the head. I tried again. Miss. Again. Miss.

I then decided I'd throw off the zombie so Bacon could help me kill it. I grabbed it by the neck and pulled it backwards, enabling Bacon to wiggle free.

I got off the zombie and waited for Bacon to get his frying pan. We charged together and killed the zombie.

Once we made sure the zombie was dead (read: Once I slashed the zombie's nape), I checked if Bacon got bitten. There weren't any bites.

"You're safe." I announced.

We then mounted our bikes and continued our journey. A few minutes later, we arrived in front of Ronnie's house. Bacon dismounted, and knocked on the door.

"Ronnie? It's Bacon."

I heard the door unlocking. The one who opened the door was a girl.

"Excuse me, miss, where's Ronnie?" I asked her.

"Dude..." Bacon said, like I just made a mistake.

"What?" I asked.

"That girl is Ronnie. Her full name's Veronica Lee. She's half Korean."

"Oh, Ronnie, sorry. I thought you were a boy. Usually only boys were named Ronnie."

"It's cool. I get that a lot." Ronnie replied. She had raven black hair, brown eyes and pale skin. She let us come in, but I noticed the way she looked at me. She didn't trust me. I avoided eye contact with her for the next five minutes.

"How long do you plan on staying here?" Ronnie asked, her hands on her hips.

"We're staying here for the night. Do you have any bacon?" Bacon asked. Ronnie rolled her eyes, went to what I assumed was the kitchen, and came back with a plate of bacon. "Where's Ben?" the girl asked. Bacon frowned a little. "I pushed him away because I needed food, and it wouldn't run out as fast if I was the only one eating it. I don't know if he's still alive."

"Uh...so, how long have you guys been friends?" I asked.

"Ever since our freshman year in high school. I helped him get over being turned down by his crush."

"Really?"

"Yep."

I turned to face Bacon. "Dude, why not just Ronnie?"

"She isn't my type."

"Why are you friends with her, then?"

"She read and watched Harry Potter."

"Oh. Why don't you like her, then? Besides her not being your type."

"She's a selfie addict. And she's kind of a jerk."

"Selfie? What's that?"

"Just ignore that. You're better off not knowing."

"I'll just search for it on Google."

"Don't."

"Fine."

Click.

Ronnie's phone's camera clicked. She had taken a selfie, I assumed. Bacon glared at her like he was going to assassinate the girl using a hidden blade.

Yep, I watched videos of Assassin's Creed, too.

Good thing I don't talk much. If I say these things out loud, I'll be branded annoying. Or branded what they apparently call a nerd.

I like the candy Nerds better, I thought.

Coincidentally, Ronnie brought out a pack of the candy. She didn't give Bacon some, so Bacon quickly grabbed a handful. He then gave part of his handful to me.

Ronnie and Bacon spent the next few minutes explaining everything about the present that I needed to know. They told me about the TV shows like Doctor Who and Supernatural. I also borrowed some of Ronnie's books, and she introduced me to fangirls and fanboys and fandoms and ships and headcanons. I told her she sounded like a pirate.

She seemed to trust me more already. That was good.

"Friends?" I asked her.

"The TV show?"

"I mean, are we friends now?"

"Sure." Ronnie smiled.

**********

And so the second chapter ends and the third major character is introduced. How is the story so far? Is it too light-hearted for a book about the zombie apocalypse? Well, don't worry. Things get a lot more serious from here.