mercybegged

[mercybegged]

The rooftop felt like a million miles off the ground, in reality Mercy was pretty certain that it was only five or six stories.. plenty high to kill you if you fell, but not a million miles.

Legs dangling over the edge, Mercy and Rorin sat side by side.. with at least two feet between them. Gods, Mercy sucked at this.

A hoard banged at the walls below them, passing them by without even noticing the two men above them. Watching and waiting so they could go back to their community, Minore, without having to take down any of them. Which gave them.. ample time alone.

Mercy decided to give them space between. He very rarely touched Rorin. It was only really when they were in a fight that they touched, Mercy had his back. Rorin had his. But sitting in silence, only the sound of the dead below and their breathes..

He couldn't take it anymore. "Can I kiss you?" It was sudden. Breaking the silence that hung thick in the air. It wasn't uncomfortable usually. Usually Mercy preferred it to be honest.. It was safer out on runs when they were quiet.. Today the silence felt suffocating. It felt like it would eat him alive if he didn't speak his mind in the moment.

Rorin chuckles. Mercy turned red, wishing he could eat the words, take them back. He shouldn't have said anything. It was too bold.. he should've started with holding his hands or something.

The pads of to of Rorins fingers brush under Mercy's chin, bringing his face up to meet his.. only causing the blond haired mess to devolve even more. There were no more words shared on the topic, Rorin simply leaned down and pressed his lips gently to Mercy's.

It was brief. Only a few seconds, but Mercy was breathless. His first kiss. He cleared his throat and shifted where he sat, his leg brushing Rorin's. They fell back into a comfortable silence, Mercy reaching over and intertwine their fingers together.

[mercybegged]

His hands shook lightly as he flipped the small pistol over in his trembling fingers. It had been labeled as a Beretta Nano.. but he just called it a gun. He was never into the things before the end came.. in fact he had participated in a walk out for gun rights in highschool when school shootings were at an all time high.

Having one now was a matter of survival. He couldn't just.. not have it anymore. If he didn't.. he'd die. But staring at the black steel, completely stained over with splatters and splashes of red.. it made him sick to his stomach. Tears burned at the corners of his eyes, his bottom lip pulled between his front teeth.. he felt the overwhelming breakdown bursting just beneath the surface.

He could feel his brain starting to regress, his emotions getting the better of him as he dropped the gun into his blankets and pulled his knees up to his chest to hide his face.. He wasn't sure what to do.. He'd tried cleaning it a thousand times. Even tried bleach the one time he found it stashed under someone's sink. Nothing had worked..

Then he had an idea. He couldn't force his body to move right, even as he leaned out of his little ball he fumbled over himself trying to get his bag to unzip. His fingers kept slipping and this only brought more and more tears to his eyes.. He stopped and whined in frustration.. before he tried again. He wasn't giving up.

Eventually, and not with a few more tears and sniffles, Mercy forced open his bag, pulling out the pristine acrylic paints he had found on a run earlier in the day. They were perfect. And they had brushes! He felt his stress start to ease as he turned back to the gun and brought the paint brush to it.

It was delicate work, detailing each individual little petal and leaf and stem.. but the more he focused on the task, the more he felt his mind slip into a peaceful state. The noise of the world faded away, allowing him to fall asleep when he had propped up his gun in the front seat to dry.

Stitches safely tucked into his arms as he listened to the pattered rain on the roof of his car.

[mercybegged]

Book 1 Log 15

Day 85 since the beginning

Personal Notes of Kayden West

Fuck yes. Nothing like a brilliant find tucked away somewhere to get you in a good mood. I found a stash of acrylic paints and brushes in a bedroom on my run today. They're pristine.. beautiful pieces.. I can't wait to use them I just don't know where. I think I'm going to start with the roof of my car. I'm gonna make it something I like looking at.. the skylight up top would be a great center piece.

[mercybegged]

Book 1 Log 14

Day 84 since the beginning.

Personal Notes of Kayden West

I wasn't at home when everything hit. I was in college. In a lesson with my vocal coach, I was stupid enough to think that singing was going to be my life. Now I'm sure my voice could never hit the same notes. And I can never practice.. it's not safe out here. It's too loud. Yesterday I sat on the edge of the bridge of 67. Sang until I couldn't anymore. Until I ran out of breath. I was crying by the end. I miss music.. I miss.. performance.. I miss someone finding love and comfort in my voice.

[mercybegged]

The TV went black at midday. Most people were at work, but it wasn't just TVs that went silent. Phones, computers, tablets. Every screen went black. Seconds ticked by, what felt like an eternity before the screens flickered back to life exactly 60 seconds later. The governments seal appeared first, a simple black and white logo to let the people know whatever was coming next was important. The logo faded and the presidents face appeared. He looked grim. He looked.. fifty years older than the last time he'd been on tv. He began his speech by clearing his throat.

"To the people of this nation, it has been an honor to serve you. Three weeks ago we began facing a new pandemic of which the likes we have never seen. And today it has overtaken us. In a few hours time the country will loose electricity. Water. And the dead will march through the streets taking life after life. I apologize. I have done. Everything I can. I have fought to the bitter end. But as I sit here before you it doesn't look good. As we speak, the dead are making their way through the white houses fences. My shelter will not last long. I beg you. Stay safe. Stay indoors. And try to survive."

The broadcast stopped. People were left with so many questions and absolutely no one to answer. And just like that the world plunged into darkness. Panicked people raced to try and get supplies and find shelter, killing eachother or getting eaten or turning in the process.

The panic was the quickest killer.

[mercybegged]

Book 1 Log 13

Day 83 since the beginning.

Personal Notes of Kayden West

Ya know. Back in 2025 when they found "Zombie sea lions", I didn't think that they would come to this. A toxic algae that made the usually very friendly creatures literally maul a swimmer.. They were poisoned they cried.. was it just.. a warning? Was it something that we should've taken and studied and maybe.. maybe we could've stopped this? I don't know I'm probably not making any sense.. it didn't make sense when it was on the news either.. Tip of the day.. don't mess with the animals.. kill them first and then make sure they're safe to eat.. some have been infected.

[mercybegged]

Book 1 Log 12

Day 82 since the beginning.

Personal Notes of Kayden West

I should explain the girl with no bites turning.. It's gone airborne. We think at least. Can't really be sure, but when anyone dies they turn. If it's of old age or a fall or someone killing you. You turn no matter if you're bitten or not. I was traveling with my coach when it all started. I was actually in a lesson when we got the news.. But he took a pretty nasty fall off a three story roof while we were fighting off a few.. We took them down but, he tripped backwards when one came at him. That doesn't matter. It was my fault. What matters is that when he passed a few hours later after I couldn't.. do anything. He turned into one of them too. He was nearby my camp, I had planned to bury him in the morning since he was safe.. But when I went to bury him he came at me. He wasn't bitten. He wasn't scratched. He just died. And he still turned.

[mercybegged]

Book 1 Log 11

Day 81 since the beginning.

Personal Notes of Kayden West

Guess I should tell you about myself this time. I told you my name. But.. you should know that I'm 20. Just turned 20, 10 days ago. And it's been 81 days since the world pretty much shut down. I've been on my own for 30 days now. That's how I'm keeping sane. Numbers. 136 rotters killed. 70 houses stayed in. 8 cities walked through. I know that's kind of slow, but I need to find food. It's getting harder and harder to find good food that I can actually eat. As for today's tip.. Don't use a gun if it isn't necessary. The rotters come to the sound, any sound really. They've got pretty poor eyesight and smell but their hearing is impeccable.

[mercybegged]

Book 1 Log 9

Day 29 of Survival

Personal Notes of Lisa Martin

Sto

Book 1 Log 10

Day 80 since the beginning.

Personal Notes of Kayden West

Found this book back on one of the rotters a few days ago. Couldn't decide if I wanted to continue writing in it or burn it for fire. Guess you can tell which one won out.. I needed someone to talk to and I guess you work. My name's Kayden. So that your not curious.. I found this book inside of a backpack a chick was wearing when she turned. Got lucky, the Rotters leg was stuck under a telephone pole, and it couldn't seem to break free. Down south, so probably a bad storm.. She didn't have any bites or anything. I'm sorry I can't provide more context.

[mercybegged]

Book 1 Log 8

Day 17 of Survival

Personal Notes of Lisa Martin

Let's see. Zombie guts and blood on your clothes makes you invisible to them. I think it's the smell. Or maybe it hides your heat. I don't really know. But it helps. You can walk right through a hoard with no problem. I have a group now. We work together to try and keep ourselves alive.. It's me and two kids from school I used to think would never talk to me. Adam and Paisley. Paisley used to be a cheerleader. She's fast. She's flexible. She's pretty damn good with a sword. Adam used to be on the baseball team.. he's good with a bat and fast.. I hope it works out.

[mercybegged]

Book 1 Log 7

Day 6 of Survival

Personal Notes of Lisa Martin

I don't have a whole lot of time to just sit and write these. For obvious reasons. The electricity grid went down yesterday. It's been four days since the president abandoned us. This is fucking bullshit! All of the people that were supposed to help us just fucking left! I haven't seen another living person in days. I missed the evacuation looking for Mom.. Forget it. My next tip is don't let the fuckers bite or scratch you. If they do it's game over, you're dead. Give up then and there and don't go back to your family. You'll kill them. When the fever sets in. You'll suffer. You'll pass a day or two later. And then you'll kill your entire fucking family.

[mercybegged]

Book 1 Log 7

Day 2 of Survival

Personal Notes of Lisa Martin

Get the brain. Damage to the body might slow them down. Take out the legs, they'll crawl with their arms. Knock them down they might have a harder time getting back up. But to kill them it has to be the brain. I think that's the only part of them that is actually alive anymore. Not the human parts. The human parts are gone. Don't delude yourself. They will kill you no matter who they were before.

[mercybegged]

Book 1 Log 6

Day 1 of Survival

Personal Notes of Lisa Martin

Well I'm.. not a doctor. And I'm not a scientist.. but I have access to my father's research.. I found this book in his lab when I came to look for him.. Mom left to get him from the lab so we could evacuate.. We were supposed to leave goddamn it! I don't think he even put up a fight for her. Her nail polish is on the front door with blood. And he's laying in his fucking bed in this godforsaken lab. I had to kill Elliott. He was still.. eating. He was like an uncle to me.. I dont believe I can cure this like my dad did.. but I can damn well tell you how to kill them.

[mercybegged]

After the interviews, the sun had started to rise. He had gotten there at nightfall. Mercy was beyond exhausted.

The Mayor insisted every question he had asked was needed. Mercy was pretty sure he was no longer safe.

They Mayor also insisted he go on his first official run with his new "partner". Without a night's sleep. Or any assistance. Mercy ran a tired hand over his face as they walked out of the mayors office, the music and chatter coming to a halt as their eyes settled on the strange intruder.

A monster. He knew that's what he'd be labeled. How he looked. Mercy stood no taller than 5'. In highschool his nickname was shortstack but.. that wasn't what usually got people.

Not an inch of his skin was showing. The places that werent covered in soaked through clothing, was covered by a thick layer of grime and dirt.. and blood. He learned early on that the stench of the dead allowed him to blend in. He looked like a monster. His hair was nearly black. In the light you could see the red.

The only one who didn't flinch at the sight.. maybe the smell of him, was Rorin. He stood at the bottom of the stairs waiting for them. His nose turned up, and he raked his eyes over Mercy with cold eyes.. assessing him. Maybe he was already dead in the man's eyes. The position was open for a reason, after all.

Rorin scoffed and looked at the Mayor, before he nodded to Mercy, telling him to follow without a word. He took Mercy, showing him the first kindness that anyone had.

He got him a shower. Mercy stood in the mirror, rubbing out a spot in the fog to look at himself. His skin was white.. pale pale white, his skin hadn't actually seen the sun in.. years. It was almost translucent.. concerningly so. His hair, still wet, hung in soft curls.. blonde curls.. a color he hadn't seen on himself in a long time. Even the freckles that peppered his cheeks and nose were revealed with the warm water.

There was a thick bruise around his eye, a gift from the interviews.. it was the only thing that seemed to ruin his mood.. He was used to the long white scar that stretched from just under his eye to his chin.

Rorin had just stared. Eyes focused solely on Mercy as he saw the transformation.. "Mercy.." He cleared his throat, addressing him properly for the first time since they'd met eachother. Mercy just smiled. He felt human.

[mercybegged]

Book 1 Log 5

Day 25 of Undead Testing

Personal Notes of Doctor Noah Martin

The glass broke. I can't tell if it's from the office where I hold Elliot. Or the window to the outside where Michelle waits for me, begging me to come home. I can't bring myself to look. I don't care. I failed.

[mercybegged]

Book 1 Log 4

Day 8 of Undead Testing

Personal Notes of Dr. N. Martin

She comes to the window at night. I hear her crying out there. I don't know what to do anymore. I don't know how to make her cries stop. I don't know how to make Elliot stop. I've tried every test I can think of. You have no idea how hard it is to get close to Elliot. Fuck.

[mercybegged]

Faded tape sat across the front of the old VHS tape, but the ink across it was new. "Mercy: 1" was the only label.

---

I don't want to be on tape.. Please get the camera out of my face.. Mercy's voice sounded like it hurt. Like the act of using his voice grated on his vocal cords.. How long had it actually been since he had spoken to someone?

He blinked into the bright lights Mayor had on behind the ancient looking camera. It was recording directly onto a VHS tape.. likely the only thing they could play back on the TVs at the end of the world.

Mayor insisted his interview be taped. It was in the best interest of his community after all to keep things that happen behind the scenes in the public eye. Or at least that is what he claimed when Mercy asked him to turn it off.

"What is your name?" Mayor asks his first question. The boy in the chair tells him that his name is Mercy. Nothing more. But it is clear that it is not the kids real name.

"How old are you?" They are simple questions. But Mercy struggles. Seeming to count in his head as he sat white knuckling the arms of the chair he was in. He tells him that he is twenty two. He was nineteen when this all started.

"What were you before all of this started?" It didn't matter what he was. He no longer was. Mayor insisted. Every question had a purpose. Mercy was a student. An artist.. a painter. A singer. He wanted to sing. He was good with a brush. Neither of those were helpful in the end.

"Have you traveled with any groups?" Mercy paused. Maybe because it was a hard subject to speak on. Maybe because he wasn't sure it was safe to tell this complete stranger of groups that might still be alive outside the walls.. People they could take in like this. He answered a few.

"Have you traveled with any groups." The Mayor repeated, his voice firmer this time. It was a practiced calm, the kind that gave him his political face. Mercy flinched. The sound of something that was heavy and metal being lifted from the table before it was placed back. Mercy's eyes dropped to the floor, his frame shaking as he answered. A group about a year ago. Nine or ten members. Alive, as far as I know.

---

The tape cut.