Claustrophobic | Skephalo

Golden Apple

thank you for 3k votes!! now get ready to read the longest chapter i've written so far <3

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Dave

"Why didn't you say anything before, Finn? About the apples?" Dave asks, crunching a bunch of leaves beneath his feet.

"I didn't realize." Finn responds. "Besides, Zak probably would have thought I was lying and slapped me again."

"I'm not apologizing for that." Zak snaps back. "You deserved it."

Dave pushes himself in between the two. "Okay, let's just concentrate on the task at hand. We don't have enough time right now to start a fight."

Zak huffs, but nods his head in agreement. As the group approaches the house from behind, Dave takes note of all the blood coating the ground near the back door.

We better be careful about zombies. There's probably loads in the woods back there, from the former Skeletons.

"I tried my best not to damage anything important during the raid, but it was kind of hard with so many zombies. I'm sorry," Dave slides open the door and shows his group members inside.

"It's not your fault, Dave. Right now, I could care less about a few stains on the couch. Let's just find an apple and get out of here."

The three boys split up to rummage through abandoned boxes and bags of Skeleton's things. Although Finn originally claimed to have one or two, upon opening his bag, he discovered there were no apples to be found. The rest of the bags didn't have anything useful in them either. Everything was turned upside down and shaken, and Dave swears he has seen everything. Except for an apple.

Dave could tell that Zak was on the verge of tears from the way his hands began to shake and how his movements grew more intense. He's about to speak up and reassure his friend, but is cut off by the sound of a loud groan. Instantly, Dave knew the voice belonged to a zombie.

Finn squeaks in surprise at the rotting mob that had suddenly appeared under the shade of the back patio. Its flame had sizzled out, taking relief in the temporary darkness. Small yet strong fists pounded on the glass door, each knock making Finn flinch.

"Just ignore it. It won't be able to break through..." Dave starts to speak, before noticing a backpack strapped onto the zombie's shoulders. It looked unopened. "It was a Skeleton," He mumbles under his breath, inching towards the door.

"What are you doing? Don't let it in here!" Zak exclaims, taking a step back.

"Its bag, Zak. We have to check." Dave pulls out a sword and pulls the door open just enough for the zombie to stick its arm through. Once it does, he brings the sword down and with a sickeningly swift slice- disarms it.

"Gross, dude!" Zak shields his eyes as the screaming zombie falters away from the door.

Dave follows it outside. He isn't worried about being bitten or infected, so he just finishes the job quickly, unclipping the backpack. Turning it inside out, a bunch of items clatter to the ground. It was mostly small portions of food; along with a water bottle, a light jacket, a few knives, and a bunch of photographs. The photos fluttered towards the ground slowly, bringing nothing but a pout to Dave's face.

Whoever this was had a life. They had a family. This cursed infection just had to ruin everything, didn't it? I wish I had photos of my life before it all started. I'd love to meet the real me.

Shouts of joy broke Dave's train of thought. His eyes scanned the room until the image of Zak cradling a yellow apple in his hands came into view. It looked old, rotting just like the zombie, but it wasn't spoiled. In fact, the brown patches on its skin make it look, from Dave's peripheral vision, almost golden.