"Sup, dude? How was college?" AJ had a smirk on his face.
There was a slight taunt to AJ's voice when he had asked the question. This was because he had been at home the entire month, watching anime and playing games. He never bothered to study for the upcoming semester exams while MRJ had to go to college every day.
They went to separate colleges. They were among the many who left their homes in pursuit of higher education.
AJ was an introvert and took a long time adjusting to new places. He did not bother to try and change this attitude. He felt it better to remain a lone wolf as his course was for no more than three years.
His parents moved around a lot due to work. MRJ's parents had agreed to look after AJ, and hence, he had been with MRJ since elementary school.
MRJ wasn't exactly an introvert like AJ but did face trouble adjusting to people. He often complained about how none of his classmates shared his interests in conspiracy theories, music, TV series, etc. Like AJ, he didn't think much of studies and took it up only when it seemed indispensable.
They believed hardcore studying mattered only at high school, and college was meant for fun and games. Even when their grades proved them wrong, they refused to put in any more effort than they deemed necessary.
MRJ usually went home on weekends as it was only a three-hour journey while AJ had no actual place to go to. Therefore, he stayed in during the weekends.
It was MRJ's idea to share an apartment, and AJ had found the place. Unfortunately, they were unable to get into the same college. But they found peace with it and saw it as a window of opportunity to meet new people (not really).
Their college lives were stuck on constant notes of boredom and procrastination. That was not what they had in mind when they graduated high school.
Tossing out EPs, indulging in epic quests of finding hot babes, and taking college life easy were some of the things they had dreamed of. And they hadn't given up on them yet. They were still in search of the 'motivation' they needed.
"It was fine," MRJ sighed, tossing his backpack beside AJ's desk.
"Why did you take so long to answer one simple question?" AJ narrowed his eyes at him.
"Thought it would be rude to interrupt the narration on our boring lives," MRJ rolled his eyes.
"Dude!" AJ exclaimed. "You can't do that!"
"Yeah, sure I can," MRJ smiled mischievously.
"Stop!" AJ demanded. "It is too soon to break the walls."
"You mean the pages, right?"
"Dude!"
"Okay, okay. What you watching? The same one from yesterday?"
"Come on, bro. Does this particular animation style remind you of that one?"
"You need help, man," MRJ shook his head. "Haven't met anyone this crazy about something like you are!"
"My Internet buddies would prove you wrong."
"Anyways, what's up with this gory monstrosity? Zombies?"
"Something like that," AJ nodded. "Felt a sudden urge to rewatch this one. It's filled with fanservice moments but hey, who's complaining?!"
"This stuff is traumatizing, man," MRJ looked away from the screen. "Killing people, they once knew… that easily?"
"And they say anime is for kids," AJ chuckled.
"That's not the point,"
"Come on, we'd be doing the same if we were thrown into such a scenario,"
"So, you are telling me that a zombie apocalypse is a plausible scenario?"
"Yep,"
"Any logical reasoning behind your claim?"
"You do acknowledge that the field of medicine has achieved so much over the past several decades, right?"
"Right," MRJ nodded slowly.
"Well, if making an effective cure is possible with the latest technology, why not the opposite of that?"
"What do you mean?"
"Bio-weaponry,"
"C'mon, man, that's stupid. Those are just 'plots' in movies, that's all!"
"You're saying bio-weaponry is farfetched?"
"Of course not. But I don't think any country would develop something as stupid as a Zombie… Virus?"
"Z virus," AJ pushed his glasses back.
"Whatever, it's just stupid,"
"Oh, just like how HIV wasn't created 'artificially.'"
"Yeah, wait–did you just agree with me?"
"No, dumbass. It's called sarcasm."
"Your point?"
"HIV is manmade," AJ sighed.
"Oh really," MRJ looked skeptical. "Where's your proof?"
"Well, think about it; AIDS is a sexually transmitted disease, right?"
"Right."
"It is not airborne, not caused by bites from animals, not from water, nothing. Just sexually or by blood transfusion, et cetera, et cetera,"
"Yeah,"
"How did it originate then?"
"What?"
"How can one test positive for HIV?"
"He caught it from an infected person, duh."
"Okay, how about the first guy who got it? How did that happen? Where did he get it from?"
"Might have put his dick in someplace where it doesn't belong," MRJ joked.
"Seriously, dude," AJ narrowed his eyes. "Someone has to have made the virus and used it on the guy or something. And that 'someone' cannot be just an individual who decided to test drive their pet virus on somebody. That someone has got to be a super-secret organization backed by some government or something, you know? Nobody'd suspect a thing! It's a perfect crime!"
MRJ suddenly burst out laughing.
"Dude, you want me to believe this? The government killing people with AIDS?!"
"It could have been what they intended, but they lost control over it as the thing spread from balling," AJ looked annoyed. "Okay fine, tell me this, why hasn't there been an actual cure for AIDS, like, at all?"
"It just hasn't been found yet. The scientists are trying-"
"Don't give me that crap. The thing was discovered over a hundred years ago, and no cure has been found for it yet?! Isn't that a bit sus?"
"Then why don't you explain it, Einstein?"
"Very well," AJ pushed back his glasses again. "My bet is that several cures were indeed found over the course of time, but the organization or whatever is making sure these cures never see the light of day!"
"That's a dumb theory,"
"Then why don't you come up with one?"
"I'm standing with the 'cure hasn't been found yet.'"
"This is the problem with society. Gamers have to do everything!" AJ stood up and placed a leg up on the chair, facing an imaginary audience. "Wake up, sheeple! Rise from thy slumber of blissful ignorance at once!"
"Oh dude, fine!" MRJ facepalmed. "I believe your bio-weaponry and AIDS theories. Satisfied mucho?"
"They could have already made the Z virus too!"
"And the Zombie… Virus thing too," MRJ sighed in exasperation.
"Yep!"
"You 'proved' your point. What now? An award ceremony?"
"Now that we are on the same page, we need to prepare for what's coming," AJ sounded serious.
"What's… coming?"
"The Zombie Apocalypse, duh."
"Oh, of course," MRJ nodded sarcastically. "How did I forget?!"
"Why are you still in uniform? Get changed. We are getting down to business,"
"What are you going to do?"
"Why–prepare the coolest, most badassest survival guide to surviving the Zombie Apocalypse, of course!"