Seldom Six Feet Under

Chapter Ten: Lovers and Fighters?

          Maybe if it weren't for all the infected drawn in by the sound, the firework show that he just set off might have been more pleasurable to see. The sound bangs and pops that echoed in the general area and the vibrant colors that sprinkled in the sky were enough to draw in anything, the living or the deceased. Once he had set them all off, Noah took off on his trusted skateboard. His own stupidity led him to believe, once again, that the infected wouldn't be bothered by the noise. He had originally just wanted to lure in those inside the hospital, but the infected wanted to be invited to the party. Party poopers, Noah thought.

      Wrrrrrrrr...

      POP! POP! POP! POW!

      Despite wanting to get as far away from the infected as possible, Noah couldn't help but skid to a stop further down the street to get a look at the exploding colors. The vibrant lights twinkled in his gorgeously green eyes and reflected onto his fair skinned face that was spotted with light freckles. If Noah could be one Disney princess, he'd be Rapunzel and in almost every sense- Except for the part about getting kidnapped and raised by the kidnapper. That never happened. And he didn't have magic healing hair, either. Or good vocals. Or royal blood. Or painting skills. Maybe he wouldn't be Rapunzel after all.

      Rrrrrrrrr...

      BANG! Crackle!

      Noah couldn't be serious when a firework show was going off in front of him. It made him smile uncontrollably. The smile didn't fade even when the dead were being drawn in. They appeared to be as fascinated as he was, and that was a rather amusing thought. But then he remembered, oh. The hospital. And he was off again, kicking off the pavement and rolling down the center of the street.

      Action was taken immediately, he could already hear the trucks revving in the distance. "Well," Noah muttered to no one but himself. "That didn't take long," He then dipped in between two buildings to pause once again. He set one foot firmly on the ground, accidentally stepping on a shredded newspaper. He pricked the corner of his upper lip up in revolt and shook it off the bottom of his shoe, since the damp paper had stuck to it. He then brushed aside his grey plaid flannel to take the folded map out of the back pocket of his black jeans. He quietly clicked his tongue to the roof of his mouth and unfolded the map, squinting down at the destination. Noah pursued his lips once he looked up and began to gaze around, trying to make note of his current location and detect it on the map. Lost in thought and partially distracted, he started to hum a bit. A careless tune, yet a familiar one. If times were more friendly, less zombie filled, and civil, people would usually compliment his music taste. Who doesn't know Nirvana, honestly? Fake fans. People who wore Nirvana merch for the aesthetic. But that was not Noah, no.

   "Damn," he whispered to himself once he came to the realization. "Now would be such a good time to rob a mall again."

      Yeah, again. Of course, that was one of the first things he did once things went south. He raided malls and shops, specifically ones with expensive clothing items that only screamed "Take me, I'm for free!" Sure, he could've gone to the mall at any other time, but any other time, Allen would've scolded him. Probably Ruby, too. He never made the attempt to return, especially knowing this. But besides, people had the same idea, so most of the stuff was gone. What a cruel world we live in!

      Noah cleared his throat as if correcting himself, though all he was trying to do was get himself back in focus. His dreadful destination was the hospital. Part of him regretted going alone. He got off his skateboard and crept over to the corner of the buildings, peeking out at the direction he had come from.

      Surely he could've convinced Allen and Ruby to go with him, right? Overtime? But time was not on their side, they couldn't waste any of it. He checked his map again and surveyed the street before him, trying not to let his attention be drawn to the distant fireworks that still sounded so close. Noah set his pointer finger on the circled hospital, then guided it to the street that seemed the most familiar to him as of where he was standing. He wasn't far, now. He mustn't let this time go to waste.