(Author's Note: I don't own the picture. Credit goes to the artist. I just borrowed it for the story. Their name is in the top right corner!
Enjoy the story!)
Dan's Point of View:
It's seems so weird that just six months ago, Dan Howell had everything.
He had a flat with his best friend, Phil Lester, a successful YouTube channel (including their combined gaming channel, prank crafting channel, and his vlogging channel), and hell, Dan was living his dream. He wasn't a uni student, paying back massive amounts of student loans, and living with his parents. Oh no, he had the dream life.
Well, he did until six months ago when the whole world decided to hit the wall and fail on him.
Six months ago to this day, politicians thought it was a good time to test out new vaccines out on the public. What the people of the world didn't know was that the vaccine wasn't ready (well, no one knew besides politicians and the scientists that made it) for use.
When the people got their hands on it and started using it, it took three weeks before effects showed that the human body couldn't handle this vaccine. The virus basically regenerated in the humans cells and caused the tissue to mush up and die, but the tissue and flesh didn't decompose on the spot.
People who were vaccinated changed. Their brain activity changed. The brain stayed alive, but any rational thought was gone. The vaccinated were able to walk and be mobile, but forming words or thoughts were no longer a capability.
Basically, a shit ton of people turned into zombies, and no one could possibly stop the disease from spreading. Through panic and confusion, a shit ton more of people turned into zombies.
Luckily for Dan and Phil (and Tyler Oakley, since he was doing a collaboration video with the boys that week), staying inside kept them safe for a good amount of time. When the outbreak hit their part of London, they had had more than enough time to pack a single duffle bag for each person, scam three pistols and three knives off of an American running a gun shop on the side of the road (Phil felt bad but Dan had told him that it had to be done), and gather enough food to last them quite a few weeks.
They managed to travel as a pack to the outer parts of London and live for six months.
Well, living while feeling dead.
"Dan, it's your turn. Truth or dare?" Tyler had his back against the dimly light apartment wall. This is about the ninth time they've played truth or dare in the last month. Phil thought it was a good idea to play when they were bored and comfortable in new spaces.
"Truth." Dan shrugged. He wasn't a dare kind of guy to be fully honest. Those truth or dare videos were for the fans. He did them because he knew they would want to laugh at him doing dorky and silly dares and reveal embarrassing truths. But it was just Tyler and Phil now. Neither one would be judging him.
Tyler placed his index finger to his lips, thinking. Dan could see the dirt had stained his finger, compared to his lips and cheek. He felt really bad since Tyler hasn't seen his boyfriend, but Tyler was convinced that he was alright.
Dan wasn't too sure, but he didn't want to hurt Tyler's feelings and get him upset.
"How many times how you been caught singing in the shower?" Tyler's grin was all it took to make Dan's face flush a bright red. "Tyler! How did- no! Phil told you that!" His face began to heat up as he mumbled 'eight times' and Tyler and Phil started laughing.
Dan grabbed one of the many root beer cans on the ground and chucked it right at Tyler, who began to laugh even harder when the can zipped pass his head.
Dan's embarrassment subsided after the two finished their giggle fits, but he was still embarrassed about them catching him singing in the shower.
They continued like that until dusk. When night hit, Dan was the first person on watch that night. He watched Phil and Tyler from the windowsill, watching as they rolled out their makeshift sleeping bags and cuddled down into them. From his place across the room, Dan could see Phil's features perfectly as he relaxed and soon fell asleep.
Now, Dan was alone with his thoughts and without his laptop. He hated not having his laptop or any music to distract him. Recently, when he was left alone on watch, his mind would wander. Mostly he thought of Phil. Phil wasn't a bad topic to think about, but when Phil would wake up to take watch, Dan would struggle getting to sleep (even if he was completely worn out).
He's think about his face a lot. Phil had a really nice face. He looked innocent and sweet, and seriously that boy had cheekbones. Maybe not cheekbones like Benedict Cumberbatch, but he had really good cheekbones for a boy. Usually, boys don't point out another boy's cheekbones (which Dan never mentioned it out loud), but Dan did think about them a lot. Also, he liked to think of his stupid Adam's apple and-
Okay, yeah, no, Dan needed to stop. He needed to stop thinking about Phil like that. He really did need to stop because he didn't want to get that type of attachment to the other YouTuber and then one of them getting bitten or dying. This was their reality and a relationship would probably get them both killed.
Dan sighed, actually sticking with the topic.
For awhile now, he's wanted a relationship with Phil. Even before the fear of dying or becoming a zombie came to be, Dan was thinking about asking Phil out on an actual date. He'd probably do something lame like going to Starbucks to get a coffee then go walking around London for a bit, maybe holdings hands. It wasn't the most creative thing he could do, but he bet that Phil would have thought it was cute and liked it. Dan even bet that Phil would have put a video on his channel, recalling their date and making their relationship official.
Now, that could only be a dream. Dan could never muster up the courage to ask Phil out. He wouldn't be able to take him out like normal couples. He wouldn't be able to take stupid pictures with him (because Phil really liked taking silly selfies). He wouldn't even be able to just cuddle with him without fear of a zombie bursting through the door to eat them.
It's amazing how in six months, everything could go from perfect to a total nightmare.
