The Birth of Serenity

"Jasmine?" Zero steps over a tree root that protrudes from the ground. He glances over at the girl next to him and raises a dark eyebrow.

They are still in the forest, walking towards the nearest town to search for food and supplies.

The black haired girl considers the name for a moment, "No. It doesn't feel right." 

"Doesn't feel right?" He scoffs, lips quirked up into a smile. 

They've been at this for a while, Zero offering up any name he can think of only to have her turn it down.

She hums and nods her head, "Yeah. It has to feel right. It has to feel like me." She twists a lock of black hair around her finger, putting a brush on her mental shopping list. The sooner she can get it combed, the sooner she can do something with it. 

Though her shoulder screams in pain, and sweat drips down her neck, the cool breeze of the afternoon forest and talking with Zero keeps her distracted.

"Right," He chuckles. Then he suggests, "Olive?"

"No." She immediately replies back. "It sounds weird."

"How about Alice?" He offers up next.

She tilts her head in thought, and then shakes her head, "Definitely not." 

"Definitely not?" He repeats her words, "What's the matter with Alice, it's a nice name." He frowns at her.

"Sure, it's nice. But take a look at me." She stops in her tracks, leaves and branches snapping beneath her. 

Zero pauses a few steps ahead of her. 

She gestures down to herself, signifying her black suit with one sleeve torn off, and at the wound on her shoulder. "I do not look nice. Alice is prim and proper, while I walk in the middle of the woods with a man I don't know."

"You make me sound like I'm out to murder you." He chuckles, his head tilts to the side.

She stares at him, face serious as a moment passes between them.

"You're not going to, are you?" She asks, eyes narrowing into slits.

"Are you really asking me that?" His eyebrows shoot up, "Why would I go through the trouble of saving you from the dead, only to kill you myself. It's too bothersome." He says, running a fingerless gloved hand through his black messy hair. 

"Too bothersome?" She laughs, taking in the sword strapped to his hip. All he would need to do is cut her head off, and she would be helpless against him. She frowns at the thought, she really needs to get a weapon of her own.

He smiles and shakes his head. He turns back around and continues to walk, "You're a very tough person to name. How can you be so picky?" 

She jogs to catch up to him, "Because it will be my name. It'll be what people will call me forever. It has to be good." 

"All those names were good!" He exclaims with a huff.

"That is your opinion!" She counters, "You already have a name so you wouldn't understand." She waves him off.

He scoffs, "What about Isabelle?" 

Her nose wrinkles and she shakes her head.

"Fine, I give up." He throws his hands up in exasperation, "Everything I offer isn't good enough for you anyway." 

"Don't make it sound like I'm being snobby." She glares at the side of his head. "I just think you have bad taste." 

"Bad taste?" He laughs, "I could have offered up Karen or Olive." 

"You did suggest Olive!" She throws her head back with a laugh, "See, this just proves how awful you are at this."

"I came up with great names!" He glares at her. "I honestly think you should go with Maribel."

"Hmm," Is her only reply. 

The walk to the town is long. Their conversation cease as hunger settles in, and the sun's heat beats on top of them.

Soon, she is able to make out the shape of buildings. As they come into view, she can see gaping holes where windows once were. Some are boarded up, she guesses to keep the dead out for as long as possible. Trash litters the streets, and many shops have long ago been broken into. 

Just how long has this been going on? And why can't she remember any of it? She rubs at her temple, brows furrowing as she tries to remember something, anything, but comes up empty.

"Are you sure we'll find anything here?" She asks into the eerie quiet. At least in the forest she could hear birds and the scatter of other land animals.

"Probably not. But it was the closest place to us." Zero answers.

"Do you think anyone alive will be here?"

"The population in this town was large. It isn't probable, but not impossible." He answers. "Especially with how scarce it seems to be with resources."

She spots a wandering zombie on the cross street ahead of them and pauses. She watches as it hobbles along, one ankle bent and the bone sticking out of its leg. 

Other than the one, she doesn't see anymore.

"It's pretty scarce." She murmurs softly, glancing down a separate street beside her. Cars lay on their hoods, and lamp posts are bent parallel to the sidewalk.

"Yeah, don't let that fool you." Zero replies in an equally soft voice. 

Despite how quiet they are, the un-dead turns towards them. The moment it spots them, it growls and gurgles as it hurries to them on a broken foot. It's jaw snaps open and shut, dark blood drips from its open mouth. She can see its black and rotting teeth, the smell of spoiled meat reaching her nose.

With a sigh, Zero unsheathes his sword. 

He walks forward, and then slices at the zombies neck. With a clean slide, its head topples off and rolls away. Remembering the blood spurting from the last one, she takes a step back. Being drenched in the smell of death isn't something she wants again.

"We have to find you a weapon." He turns back to her. Speckles of dark bodily fluid is scattered across his cheek.

She nods, "Yes please."

She follows Zero further into the town, they encounter a few more zombies, but none like what happened at the forest. 

After wandering around a few corners, they walk into an abandoned store. All the windows are broken, and with every step they take, glass crunches beneath their shoes. Metal shelves are toppled over, empty brand boxes litering the floor. 

"It looks completely empty." She says.

"When shit hit the fan, people looted anything they could get their hands on," He explains. With his sword ready, he scouts the shop from front to back. When he doesn't find any dead, he puts his weapon away. He digs through the trash on the floor. "If you look just right, you'll find a stray forgotten item or two." 

"You're willing to chance finding a weapon or food in this place?" She asks,eyeing one shelve that was tipped over completely. 

"It doesn't always work out in my favor, but desperate times calls for desperate measures." He shrugs. 

"Right." She walks down a separate aisle, towards the fallen shelf. She takes in empty scattered cans and torn up boxes. From the aisle next to her, she can hear Zero rummaging through stuff on the floor. She crouches down and attempts to lift the metal shelving up. It creaks and groans and pain shoots down her left arm. With a hiss she pulls back and squeezes her hand. 

"You okay?" Zeros head pops up from over a shelf. 

"Yeah," She answers. Giving up on lifting it, she sticks her hand through an opening and feels around inside. A squeak reaches her ears before something furry crawls across her hand. 

She snatches it back, holding in the loud squeal that wants to escape.

What in the dead infested world is that?! 

Her lips fold inwards and she bends down to peer through the opening between the shelves. 

Bright yellow eyes stare back at her. A pink pointed snout twitches, revealing blunt teeth. Small pink hands scratch at the tile floor and it hisses at her. 

Her head snaps up and she scrambles away with a yelp. 

Zero is by her side in seconds, "What is it?" 

"There's a thing!" She spits out, pointing at the shelf.

With furrowed brows, He grabs the top of the shelf and lifts it with ease. The moment it is raised the small furry creature scatters across the floor towards her. 

Before it can reach her feet, Zeros sword sinks into its back. The small tailed creature squeals and then there's silence.

"You're scared of a rat?" He chuckles. 

"A rat?" She stares at the now dead animal. He lifts his sword and the body slides down the blade. Blood drenches it, dripping down the handle and onto his hand.

"You found us dinner," He flashes her a smile, "Where ever there is one, there is bound to be more." 

She gags and turns away, "Please tell me your joking." 

"Feel free to starve." He turns and walks away. 

She groans but when her stomach growls with hunger, she frowns. She doesn't have the privilege to be picky about food. 

With the rat gone and the shelf standing up right thanks to Zero, she picks through the items on the floor. 

There are strange remotes with weird handles and awkwardly placed buttons. She picks up a case with an image on the front. A man and woman embrace each other with the words 'A Lovers Quarl' printed above them. Curious she opens it. Inside is a round disk with a pamphlet on the inside of the casing. Disregarding the useless item, she pauses on another one. It isn't the image that catches her attention this time, but a single word. 

"Serenity." She whispers.

"What's that?" Zero calls out from the back of the shop with a grunt.

"My name," She calls back, eyes still glued to the printed word, "Call me Serenity."