Dead Man Walking: Living By Day, Dead By Night

Zane awoke the next morning feeling like absolute dog shit. The man's face was quite swollen after the beating he had taken the previous night. Yet he neither grunted nor bitched about the pain. Instead, he simply walked downstairs, and towards the living area of Elena's childhood home.

It had been many years since Zane stepped foot within these walls, and as he walked by the now ghostly remains of what had once been a happy family, memories flooded his mind. Luckily for him, the power was still working and the chaos that could be overheard deeper within the city had attracted the majority of undead in the vicinity of this neighborhood.

Because of this, for the time being, Elena's home was safe. But that would not last for long, and Zane knew this. Thus, as he stepped foot into the dining room, he found that Elena and Olivia were already eating. Who prepared breakfast among the two women, Zane didn't know.

But he simply piled together a plate full of some of the food that was cooked from the remains of Elena's family's two-week stockpile of food items. And once he had a plate full of a delicious home cooked meal, the likes he had not been able to eat since before this apocalypse began. Zane then wandered off, not joining either of the two women at the table.

Instead, he sat on the sofa and turned on the TV. Surprised to see that an emergency broadcast was going on. It had only been a week since the apocalypse had begun, and soon enough, the power would go out. After all, it could last at most a month without maintenance.

In the mean time, the government continued to send out emergency broadcasts. The president was still alive, apparently hidden in the presidential bunker, as he made vague promises of restoring law and order to the country.

There were also mentions of the CDC working overtime to find a cure to the plague, which had begun to annihilate humanity, but Zane knew that would never actually come to fruition. Not before everything truly collapsed.

But what Zane did not expect was the mention of safe zones, something that caught the attention of the two women who he was staying with.

"I urge everyone who is not able to hide away from the ongoing chaos, or those who are running out of supplies, to head to your nearest safe zone. Every major city in the United States should currently have at least one safe zone where law enforcement and military personnel have established protection, and will provide necessary supplies to those who are hungry, thirsty, or injured."

After hearing this, Zane scoffed and turned off the television, he was finished with his breakfast and was not willing to hear such nonsense anymore. He stood up from his seat and headed out the door, but not before giving Elena and Olivia a warning about the safe zone.

"What a load of horseshit… The combat we have been hearing every night since this all began has undoubtedly been because of the safe zone. It is only a matter of time before they run out of munitions and are overrun.

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I have no doubt that they are using those idiots who seek refuge under the protection of the government as slave labor, or worse, meat shields on the front lines. We're on our own, just like we always have been…"

After saying this, Zane walked out of the room, not even thanking the women for the breakfast.

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Once Zane was gone, Olivia sighed heavily. Not because of the news regarding the safe zone. If Zane didn't want to go there, then neither did she. But rather from the moment she looked at the young man's swollen face, she realized what had happened between him and Elena the night before, and Elena's foul expression when she saw Zane entered the room was proof of this.

Elena continued to stare daggers in Zane's direction even after he left the room. That is until Olivia spoke up about it.

"I understand your feelings Elena, but you should realize you're not the only one who is hurting because of what happened yesterday…"

Elena looked over at Olivia with a complicated expression. She did not know why Olivia would be so hurt about what happened when she did not even know Elena's parents, and it was clear by Elena's expression that she did not know what her former homeroom teacher was talking about.

Thus, Olivia sighed once more and shook her head before explaining exactly what she meant.

"Not me… Zane…."

Elena scoffed when she heard this and rolled her eyes.

"Zane is hurting? Yeah, right… He's an emotionless bastard. He could never understand the pain I feel because of what he did!"

Olivia's gaze grew stern when she heard this, before she ultimately lectured Elena for her hostility.

"You're grieving, and I understand that, believe me, I do… But what Zane did was a mercy… He spared you the pain of killing your own family…. Besides, you should have seen the look on his face after what he did. I saw him on the balcony you know, while you were crying in my arms, that emotionless man, as you call him, he actually cried.

He clearly understands the depths of what he did, but he did it anyway, because it needed to be done. You know as well as we do that there is no cure for one who is turned into one of those monsters. Nor is there a cure for those who are infected.

Isn't it better for your family to receive some proper rest, rather than roam the earth as a flesh eating monster?"

Elena's hands clenched tightly as she struggled not to break out into tears again… What Olivia said made perfect sense, yet she was still angry, and she had every right to be. Still, when she thought about what the mature silver haired beauty had said, and what Zane had said the previous night when she tried to kill him, Elena realized that she owed Zane an apology.

Any lingering hatred and anger she had towards the man vanished, as she broke out into tears and expressed her confusion aloud.

"I don't know what to do! I want to hate him for what he did, I really do, but when you put it that way, I can't stay mad at him!"

Olivia hugged Elena once more, and consoled her with some soothing sounds, before ultimately giving the young woman some advice.

"You can start with an apology… The two of you should have a talk about what happened between you… You deserve that much…."

Elena wiped the tears from her eyes and sniffled slightly before nodding her head in agreement with Olivia's words. She steeled her resolve to face Zane and talk to him about what happened, even if the man had the emotional capacity of a catatonic baked potato. She would force him to listen to her.

Thus, after coming to this decision, Elena stood up and went on her way, but not before thanking Olivia for her wisdom.

"You're right… Things can't stay this way between us. Thank you Olivia, you have been a great help…"

After saying this, Elena walked to the freezer and pulled out an ice pack, before wandering off to find Zane and help him with his swollen face. As for Olivia, she sipped on her coffee and shook her head. All while expressing her own lament of the current situation they all found themselves in.

"Safe Zone, huh? Zane is right… We can't rely on anyone else… Certainly not the government…"