Dead EndChapter 13

”The quarantine should have broken by now,” is the first thing Sebastian says to him this day. It’s just after eleven in the morning, a beautiful sunlit day with not a cloud in the sky. Jordan is sitting on the kitchen counter, the chairs unusable as Sebastian has stacked boxes on them. He’s holding a cup of instant coffee in his hands, slowly sipping away at the slowly cooling liquid. There’s no music on; the kitchen is silent.

Finally, Jordan asks, ”Is that… good?” vX6xYn

”It means we don’t have to stay inside anymore. With the barricade broken, a lot of the zombies on the streets will leave in search of food. Since it’s been a good weak and most people have stayed locked up in their homes, they’ll think there’s no food here and spread out,” Sebastian explains. He doesn’t sound very upset about it, voice mellow like he’s talking about a simple grocery list. 

Jordan gulps. He splutters as the coffee subsequently goes down the wrong pipe and coughs harshly. Sebastian grabs his cup before he drops it, and when he can finally breathe again, Jordan wheezes out, ”Thanks.” He clears his throat loudly, grimacing. Furrowing his eyebrows, he asks, ”Do you… plan to go out?”

Chrysanthemum Garden.

”In a couple of days, yes,” Sebastians answers.

Jordan looks at him. Sebastian really doesn’t look worried, and Jordan doesn’t know if that’s a good or bad thing. It means he’s confident, right? But it could also mean that he’s underestimating the threat. In conclusion, Jordan’s feelings are confused. f8s9hy

We’re sorry for MTLers or people who like using reading mode, but our translations keep getting stolen by aggregators so we’re going to bring back the copy protection. If you need to MTL please retype the gibberish parts.

Jordan looks away first. He clears his throat again and grabs the cup from Sebastian, sipping from it once more. Lowering his gaze to the floor, he mulls over the information slowly, turning it over and over in his head. He doesn’t know what good it can possibly do to go outside now, when the the barricade has presumably just been broken. What does it matter? Why not wait until the zombies have cleared out further?

”Be careful,” he says, glancing quickly at Sebastian and looking away again. He holds the cup up over his face and shamelessly hides behind it.

Sebastian smiles at him, ”I always am.”

Nodding, Jordan jumps down from the counter. He places the empty cup on the area he just vacated and tries to smile at Sebastian. ”I’ll be waiting for you here,” he says.

Sebastian grins, his every edge softened and his eyes bright. His hand lands on Jordan’s shoulder for approximately two seconds, the contact burning through his thin shirt. Jordan forces himself not to gulp, to not react. After the unmoving moment, Sebastian lets go, clears his throat and says, ”I’ll finish the dishes, then I’ll head out. Make sure not to open the door for anyone while I’m out.”

Jordan nods. Then, because he has no self-preservation instinct, asks, ”Aren’t you worried I’ll run away while you’re gone?”

This time, it’s Sebastian who lowers his gaze. He frowns, staring at the dishes in the sink for a second. Then he says, voice soft, ”You’re not an idiot. I don’t think you’ll leave unless you have a good plan to survive, and the zombie thing is still new to you, so… no, I’m not worried.” But his expression doesn’t match his words, and Jordan contains the urge to point it out.

Instead, he knocks his shoulder against Sebastian’s and leaves the kitchen. He walks into the living room, turns on the TV and loads a DVD disk into the player. Pressing a hand over his heart, he takes a deep breath and walks over to the couch. He lowers the sound until he can clearly hear Sebastian working in the kitchen, the sound of the water and soap and cutlery clinking. Leaning his head against the backrest, he closes his eyes and allows himself to sink into an uncomfortable thought. kiODIV

Sebastian is leaving and… and what if he dies?

What the hell is Jordan supposed to do then?

Disregarding the fact that Jordan likes Sebastian, that Sebastian is kind and gentle and has never once hurt him… Jordan doesn’t know how to survive in a zombie apocalypse. Sebastian very clearly has a plan, every action he makes thoroughly considered and thought-out. He’s working toward something, though Jordan doesn’t quite know what yet.

Sebastian exits the kitchen not long after. He walks up the stairs and does something in another room. Jordan turns up the TV’s sound. Sebastian goes back down and enters the living room.  YBNFUV

”I’m going now,” Sebastian says after a moment. 

Jordan’s hand on the remote control tightens, an involuntary reaction. ”Good luck,” he answers. 

Sebastian sets his hand on the couch’s backrest and asks, ”Will you be alright by yourself?”

”Mn,” Jordan nods. He glances at Sebastian over his shoulder, at the workout clothing he’s wearing and the empty bag slung over his back. He’s got an iron bat in his hand hanging loosely, and he looks calm. Steady. He’s not even tense. Looking away, Jordan licks his lips and says, ”I’ll be watching sitcoms while you’re gone, don’t worry. Maybe even break open a bag of chips.” Jix7zH

Sebastian smiles. He nods and steps back. ”Good, good. I’ll be back as soon as I can. And don’t worry if I don’t get back tonight, it shouldn’t take that long but I might have to take detours to avoid zombies. At the very least, I’ll be back tomorrow.”

”I’ll hold you to that,” Jordan mutters, pulling a pillow to his lap and hugging it. Sebastian pats his head once, softly, before he leaves. Jordan glances as he goes, Sebastian’s back strong and body unyielding even when he’s just walking. Looking away, he mutes the TV. Not long after, Jordan can hear the sound of the front door opening, closing, locking.

Story translated by Chrysanthemum Garden.

Sighing, he pulls the pillow up to his face and breathes deeply. He unmutes the TV. Pulls his legs onto the couch and presses harder against it. 

Like so, time passes slowly. He turns the TV’s sound even higher, until he can’t hear anything from the outside. Then he pulls a blanket up over himself, and settles in for the long haul. g7cqRE