#myrunnerfive

[wubbelwubbwubb]

It has been ages since I ran a mission, but with the news about the app... feeling kind of nostalgic about ZR.

[runnerfivealive-blog]

Chapter Five: To Abel

Latest chapter in my Zombies, Run! Fanfiction. Enjoy but be warned: contains spoilers for series one, episode one.

I didn’t need telling twice. With the weight of my loot in my backpack and the soreness in my thighs slowing me down I pelted down the driveway outside A&E, thinking that I should still be fast enough to outrun a couple of Shamblers. Like I’ve said before, they aren’t very fast. Not normally anyway. Normally, Zombs don’t pick up their pace, they don’t run. Well, these ones were different. “They’re so fast!” shouted Yao. “Why are they running? They never run! Runner 5, Runner 5 they’re gaining on you.” I decided to take his word for it. No use turning to look and stumbling. It was all I could to by now to speed up, struggling to ignore the pain in my legs. I was running flat out across a field, eyes fixed on Abel which was coming up on the hill ahead of me. Hills, I thought, I hate hills. I didn’t know if I could sprint up an incline. But by now, I could hear them behind me. Nothing like the gurgling noises of a bunch of hungry Zombs to put the fear of death in you.

“Runner 5,” came Dr Meyers’ voice. “You’re not far from the gates now. If you can keep going we’ll send some people with guns out to meet you.” Yes please, I wanted to say but as it was pointless I saved my breath. “Only one Zombie is close to reaching you. Just put on a burst of speed! Now!”

Despite my predicament, I managed to feel impressed. Sending someone out to meet me was not something Mullins would have done but then, I was carrying potentially very important documents so I guess my survival was in Abel’s best interest.

“Oh god!” gasped Sam Yao just then and I didn’t like the inflection in his voice at all. That Zombie was still behind me, I knew it. It was practically breathing down my neck by now. And that hill just wouldn’t end. “It’s her! I can see her,” said Sam and it wouldn’t have needed his next words for me to know who he was talking about. “It’s Alice. It’s the old Runner 5. She is the one chasing you. She’s still wearing her headset. She’s…”

“Runner 5,” another male voice cut in. “It’s Runner 7 here. Head of runners. The doctor’s told me you’ve found something useful in the hospital. We’re sending out a couple of people to bring you in.” What did I tell you? I wondered if they would have made quite such an effort if I hadn’t been carrying a backpack full of stuff they wanted. I couldn’t even blame them if not. This isn’t a world anymore where you waste valuable resources on basic human compassion. “Just keep running,” commanded Runner 7, head of runners. “As fast as you can! Don’t look back. She’s right behind you. Just run!” I wondered what they thought I was going here. It’s not like I was meandering up that effing hill! But at last I was within range of their snipers. The sound of gunshots was followed by the distinct whistle of their projectiles as their snipers fired at the Zombie following me. I still hadn’t turned to look at her, even though a part of me was curious. I could see someone ahead of me now, waving: “This way! Run!”

“They’re going to shoot her,” said Sam Yao at that moment. “I can’t watch. I don’t want to.” He voice broke and I felt a twinge of sympathy. I knew, after all, what it was like to watch someone you love being shot in front of your eyes. “It’s what she would have wanted, Sam,” said Dr Meyers soothingly. “You know it is. She wouldn’t have wanted to live like this.” I didn’t know if this convinced Sam Yao but I doubt it. It never convinced me. Although chances were that it was true. I don’t think I’d want to live on as a Zombie, eating whoever came near me, unable to recognise my family and friends. Yet, what do we really know about what’s going on in the Zombs’ heads? What if they’re still in there somewhere, locked inside their own minds, just conscious enough to witness our betrayal as we deliver the death blow, that last bullet to the head? It’s one of the thoughts that haunt me most.

“Run, we’ve got her covered!” shouted Runner 7. I made a last desperate dash towards the gates. There was a final gunshot and then the panting behind me suddenly stopped. Instead, there was the noise of a body toppling to the ground. “They got her.” Dr Meyers’ voice was very quiet. Finally, I turned. I never stopped but I slowed and turned back to look. I somehow felt that I owed it to her – the runner whose name was now mine – to take at least one look. I didn’t see much. She was facedown on the ground, the black fabric of her uniform ripped open at the back. There was a festering wound where the Zombs had got her. Her face was turned away from me so all I saw was a head of red curls, held together in a tangled pony tail. I swallowed. Her hair reminded me of Lauren’s. I quickly looked away. I reached the gates of Abel Township which opened to admit me. I stumbled past them to the sound of alarm sirens and was greeted immediately by a small group of people. More were running towards me from all sides. “Welcome,” said the person who must be Runner 7. He was tall but very lithe – I wasn’t surprised he was head of runners. With little body weight to carry and long legs, he looked like he ran like the wind. I was tempted to call him Strider. “The major will want to see you when she gets back!”

“Good to see you in the flesh!” That was Sam. I recognised his voice immediately. He wasn’t quite how I had pictured him. He was a bit taller than I was, quite gangling and even thinner than the rest of them. I guessed that he must be in his mid to late twenties and right now, his black hair was sticking out in all directions as if he had run his hands through it repeatedly. There were fingernail marks on his face where he had clutched it and tears that hadn’t quite dried. I liked him at once. “The totally unbroken-skin-not-bitten-by-Zombies flesh?” He grinned lopsidedly. “Right?” I smiled back at him and nodded. Although not totally unbroken, my skin was certainly Zombie-infection free. Sam stood next to me, ushering the others away. “Stand back, stand back, everyone, don’t crowd!” he said. “Give Runner 5 some space! Can’t take in so many new faces right now.” He was right. I couldn’t. I was exhausted. I was dehydrated and weak. Sam passed me a bottle of water and I accepted it gratefully in exchange for my backpack. He watched me with something almost like pride as I took greedy gulps, or perhaps it was hope, I don’t quite know. I may be misremembering it. I really was in no state to properly take anything in just then.

“Come on, let’s get you checked out and cleaned up,” Sam said, looking for a moment as if he was going to put his arm around my shoulders. Instead, he motioned for me to follow him. And then, very quietly, someone in the crowd behind me said: “That’s who they’ve assigned for project Greenshoot!” I turned abruptly to see who had spoken and it was just as well that my heart was already beating furiously, my face hot and flushed after my sprint up the hill, because that way people probably missed my moment of agitation. By now, a sizable crowd had gathered and there was no telling which one of the many faces that were trying to catch a glimpse of me the voice belonged to. Following Sam to the farmhouse at the heart of Abel Township, I vowed to find them as soon as I could – and to get to the bottom of why I was really here and who, apart from the Zombs, wanted us dead.

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I can’t believe there are zoms on this route! What am I paying people for!

I used to love the Pettson och Findus (Pettersson und Findus) books as a kid - and still do - and always wanted to try the style. The wackiness of ZR makes a good fit, I think!

[wubbelwubbwubb]

HELLOOOOOOOOOOOOOO asks for Five (watch out MANY are coming but Ive split them up to be nice :) also some of these are shamelessly stolen from ask games so the language might be odd but the ones that I did come up with are cool

What does Five like about their friends?

If Five could wish for one thing to come true, what would it be and why? How would this change their life?

Does Five have a moral code or a set of rules they have for themselves? If so, what made them adopt these morals or ideals? If not, why?

When a stranger meets your Five, what’s the first thing they notice about them? Is the first impression people get accurate to who they actually are?

What’s your Five like at their best?

What’s your Five like at their worst?

Is your Five talented at anything? How did they gain this skill and why?

What is your Five's go-to weapon?

Is your Five perceptive? Do they know when someone is upset or are they not good at reading people?

Holy moly, so many Five asks - I feel a bit nervous ahahaha. Let's see...

What does Five like about their friends?

Of course Five values stuff like loyality, intelligence, a sense of humour - but the most valuable things the best friendships have brought him are new perspectives and experiences. The first real friends he made after school taught him so many things and opened his mind so much - before they all turned into zoms, of course.

If Five could wish for one thing to come true, what would it be and why? How would this change their life?

This might be a spoiler, so I am leaving my text I've written for this out for now. Let's say that his wish coming true wouldn't necessarily change his life for the better - and it wouldn't undo the apocalypse.

Does Five have a moral code or a set of rules they have for themselves? If so, what made them adopt these morals or ideals? If not, why?

Five does not follow a strict moral code. Everything ought to be a little flexible if there are literal undead involved, and he doesn't have a real "set of rules" he follows. But if pressed, he would say that the strong always have a responsibility towards those who are weaker and that it is bad to think in categories of "valuable" and "disposable" when humans are involved. The Terry Pratchett quote about thinking about people as things resonates strongly with him.

When a stranger meets your Five, what’s the first thing they notice about them? Is the first impression people get accurate to who they actually are?

Five is misjudged quite often, because, let's be honest, he's not a particularly impressive guy at first glance. He's fairly short, always on the cusp of underweight, and very quiet. Most people would overlook him and wouldn't even notice a particular thing, or, worse, would be a bit wary of him and not put of lot of trust in him. But, hey, he's Runner Five! So of course they're wrong. He's not the fastest, he's not the strongest, but he never ever ever gives up.

What’s your Five like at their best?

Quiet, efficient, observant, tenacious. Just absolutely focused on the job, and quite good at it.

What’s your Five like at their worst?

Five can hold a grudge like no other. It takes a lot to make him truly mad, but if he hates somebody, he just can't. let. go. So Five at his worst is probably blinded by rage and senselessly pursuing revenge, against all better judgement.

Is your Five talented at anything? How did they gain this skill and why?

Five does not have any truly outstanding talents, but he discovered that he is a very good tutor at university. He is very patient and never gives the impression of judging someone for not grasping a concept. He has also a natural talent for all things involving numbers.

What is your Five's go-to weapon?

A baseball bat.

Is your Five perceptive? Do they know when someone is upset or are they not good at reading people?

He is perceptive, although not to an extremely unusual degree. But it helps that he gives off the impression of being very much not perceptive - as he does not react very much and often does not know how to show that he noticed something - so that people tend to reveal more than they might do otherwise, and sometimes, if they have to hide something, let their guard down a bit.

That's it, and thank you for asking! It was fun to think about it and putting vague ideas into words.

[wubbelwubbwubb]

That one mission where the enemy apparently had run out of bullets.

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Abel Township Welcome Tour

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Taking a break during a quiet autumn run

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“But you’re blond!” - “No”

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Season 8 Mission 26... loving it so far (although I have no clue what happens next).

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For the longest time, my Runner 5 didn’t really have a very defined personality, but since I’ve been drawing so many Fives and have seen so many great pictures of my Five, he has really come to life in my mind!

Here are some facts about my Five, for those who are interested. I always treat one season as one year, although I have no idea if that is correct ( and if it’s totally incorrect, I may have to adjust his age a bit).

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Just dealing with some zoms.

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... can you still hear me, Runner Five?

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Five, I’m starting to feel like you’re not really hearing exactly what I’m saying. It’s getting mixed up with your hallucinations, but you have to listen to this. Listen. Listen! You can’t crack up. I know it’s tempting. Believe me, I know! But the world needs you to be compos bloody mentis. You mean something to people!

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Spoilers Season 3 - ?

My Runner 5 and the demon on his shoulder, Moonchild. I am so fascinated by this character, and I was so happy we did not lose her after season 3!

There seems to be a lot of talk about people’s personal 5s going on currently, which is really interesting! I was a bit hesitant to post this, as it only shows *my* Five, and he might be really different from your own. I would love to participate more in the general discussion about our own “vision” of Abel and its residents but  sometimes I just don’t have the time, and to be honest, all the content and different voices is a bit overwhelming (does anyone else feel this way? The 99+ at the top of the page kind of freaks me out...).

Partial credit must also go to @ijustcantwaittobeme, as our conversation inspired this picture!

[wubbelwubbwubb]

Well that was uplifting

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I guess everone has their personal Runner 5 - and that’s mine. He’s rather short, skinny and always looks like he needs something to eat, a hug, and at least 12 hours of sleep. The apocalypse is exhausting, after all.