Walking dead fans out there?
ShikaTema Zombie AU in the making (among my other stories 😅) Shika is an army kid destined to protect their home base in Georgia and Tema is just a woman from California trying to survive the undead world with her two brothers.
Their first meeting didn’t go quite as friendly as it could have🤭 she’s scavenging and he’s tempted by fate to come to this very home.
Warning- cursing
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Her shotgun held in one hand and checking the sheathed machete to her side, Temari pressed her back at the top of the steps, hiding behind the corner and holding her breath.
People not to be trusted.
The door lock clicked and the squeak of its opening froze her to her bones, she knew for a fact the undead couldn’t open doors, yet she had hoped it was them rather than the man. Temari held firm, holding that shotgun like it was the only thing to ground her, something to keep her safe as she braved that peek around the corner.
Too dark to see much, but she’d gotten used to seeing shadows in the dark.
He remained still by the entrance, hand at his waist resting on a gun handle, surveying his left first, the kitchen, then his right, the living room. Silent and listening, when his gaze pointed up the steps she had already exhaled her breath and now held it behind the wall.
This wouldn’t be the first time she’d encountered people, probably not the last, but the three men who had found them a couple months back had not been friendly and she doubted this guy would be the same after he split off from his companions.
Alone, people were prey, together in a pack they stood a chance, she was alone, but then again so was he.
Then he hummed, like a sound of approval and he took to going right into the living room. His heavy steps deep and announcing himself carelessly into the barren home. Idiot, didn’t even think to search the place first. Welcoming himself in as if he lived here all his life.
Soon after a lamp brought light into the room, too comfortable the man seemed, but at least his light gave her sight again.
What was she to do though? She could sneak back into grandma’s room and try the window, but if that door creaked, she was sure the window wouldn’t be much quieter.
Maybe she could try for the door, but damn it, it squeaked too when she walked in and again when he had. Maybe she could face him, take him head on and gain some time to get out of here unseen by his pack.
Taking the first step from the wall, she used all her strength to put as little unnecessary weight on those wooden steps as she could, remembering that the next step would be loud, so she avoided it to go to the next. Stopping, she listened, he seemed to be looking through drawers in the bookshelf. Good, she was still unheard. A new confidence waved over her, shotgun still held in one hand until she hit the wood of the first floor.
Good, she could do this.
A whistle, just a short hum of the sound as if he’d found something interesting, searching the opened drawer, unaware that she was holding her ground at the entrance of the living room now.
She had been right about the bulky look, a shimmering golden green vest under the lamp’s light, cargo pants of a soldier, like those she had once seen rushing into the chaos of the city as her family had focused on running away from it. Was this guy some military brat that had failed his mission in protecting the innocent? Maybe he had ran too. Maybe.
Maybe.
Enough maybes, it was now certain that she had no option but to save her own life.
People not to be trusted.
Temari raised the shotgun, exhaling her breath, ready.
Seems he had heard her too, suddenly still and unmoving, with a grunt he slowly raised his hands to the sides of his head, fingers sprawled and unarmed. Surrendering?
“You’re pretty quiet,” he noted, voice low and hard, still staring ahead at the bookshelf, “barely heard you come down the steps,” he ended with a subtle scoff, almost as if he was annoyed.
How the fuck had he heard her? She was sure her steps were made so tenderly on the wood that even she couldn’t hear them past her heart thumping in her ears.
“I’m sure you’ve already seen that I’m not alone, so whatever you’re planning here you should just quit now.”
Quit. Ha! Not in her nature, and she proved it by exhaling her breath louder, a huff, as if he’d insulted her. That was reason enough for his head to turn, just a peek over his shoulder, revealing the sharp lines of his side profile to her. Hair slicked back in a black ponytail and black eyes as sharp as knives, the hint of the lamp’s light flickering in the corner of his gaze as it met her unwavering glare.
His brow quickly creased and he turned his torso as if to get a better look behind him and determine who she was. Temari hadn’t moved, but her finger did hold the trigger tighter now, ready.
“Can you talk, woman?” His brow raised, questioning her further silence and let out what seemed to be a frustrated grunt in his throat. “Shy?” Silence. “Deaf perhaps?” Silence. “Scared?” Her eyes narrowed, harsher this time, but she remained as still as stone. “Can you speak English?”
Why entertain this fool? Why bother? He made a slow motion to turn around fully, hands still raised, just shifting a foot to reveal more of himself. Less the shadow across his face got, and he braved a step. That was all she needed.
“Move again and I’ll blast a hole in your head, fucker.”
He froze, but his face relaxed, as if hearing the threat was somehow a comfort to him. From the part of his face that glowed with the lamp, he lazily drew up a corner of his lip and tilted his head along with it.
“She speaks,” he spoke, his hands remained still, he didn’t bother to provoke further and simply stood still, obedient to the warning. “Though I do have a name,” he added with a sigh.
“Good for you,” she drew out her sarcastic remark, but the lines on her stare remained creased in warning. “Gun and knife on the table now,” she jerked her head, motioning for him to follow the command.
“Really?”
“Don’t make me repeat myself,” she let her own annoyance bark in her tone and warn him further that she wasn’t messing around.
“It’d be a drag if you did,” he mumbled with a roll of his eyes and reached down to his belt, taking her stiff stance with more caution now that he was moving.
