Author note at the end. Enjoy.
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By the time Glen returned, it was already 11 PM and with classes the following day, most inspiring doctors would be hitting the books till the next morning. But Alex didn't have that luxury.
After his recovery from the panic attack, Alex set up the newly bought laptop and scoured the internet and found the videos and proofs he needed to try to convince Glen about the Walkers.
The situation was far worse than he expected. Alex didn't know how but the governments had really covered the situation very well. The reason could simply be to stop people from panicking.
But that didn't mean they weren't doing anything. Slowly but surely, news outlet were encouraging people towards nature. Showing more programs towards how to survive in a world without a society. Movies about the collapse was shown. What to do in case a country loses electricity for a prolong amount of time.
How to hunt, how to lay traps. People didn't know these things, but they were slowly being programmed or taught depending on how you saw, to survive on their own. They were doing everything but outright telling them what was going on. And that's what he was planning to show Glen.
"Hey man." The man in question greeted, entering the room looking extremely tired, throwing his bag in the corner of the room, while putting a box of medium pizza on the table.
"Hey," Alex greeted back, heart racing. There was still that cramp in the middle of his chest that hurt every time he inhaled.
Panic attacks sucks.
And his arms and legs felt like jelly.
"Oh, you bought a laptop?" Glen asked, glancing at Alex questionably before taking off his shirt and changing in front of him.
"Yeah, thought it was time." He answered, a new memory being implanted of his roommate encouraging him to get one for the past months. 'Freaky.'
"Nice, what'd you get?" He asked, walking up and sitting on the bed alongside him, leaning his back to the wall. A tired shrug, "I don't know. I just picked one that was average. Didn't need something strong."
"Huh." The most eloquent answer yet.
"Anyway," Alex cleared his throat and sensing the mood shift, Glen shifted to sit straight as well. The fatigue disappearing from his face and nodding as if to continue. Though by his face, Glen looked like he knew what Alex was going to tell him.
"I'm leaving the college soon." Alex began and Glen sighed, pinching the bridge of his nose. "I knew it." He muttered under his breathe and Alex tilted his head in confusion. "Is it because of the exams?" Glen continued and Alex raised his brows this time. Though seeing the expression on the face of his roommate, even Glen raised his brows.
"Okay, I guess not. Then why?" Glen asked seriously and a bit nervous yet Alex shook his head to clear the distraction. "It's… okay, it might seem crazy, and it really is." He began as watched as Glen frowned.
So, he simply turned his laptop and showed it to him.
The videos of military shooting at people. Or more precisely, Walkers. The gunfire tore through them and shredded the undead, yet the horde wasn't stopping. "What am I watching?" Glen asked confusedly, frowning at the screen, then him, then back to the screen. "New movie or series?" He asked.
"No." Was the only thing Alex could say.
The video continued as tanks aimed in the middle of the horde and fired, blowing the things apart, jets dropped missiles in the distance and exploded things in a fiery spectacle.
"Cool." Glen expressed with an impressed look.
"That's not any movie or series happening. That's real."
At that, Glen scoffed, eyes not leaving the screen. The Walkers that had their lower half blown apart crawled towards the soldiers behind a barricade. "Yeah, right."
Alex took a deep breath, ignoring the lingering ache in his chest. "Look at the timestamp," he said, pointing to the corner of the video. "And the location. This is from last week, just outside of Atlanta a couple of miles out."
Glen leaned closer, squinting at the details. His tired smirk slowly faded as he noticed the familiar landmarks in the background. "That's... that's near where my sister lives," he muttered, his voice losing its earlier skepticism.
"There's more," Alex said, switching to another tab. News reports flashed across the screen – seemingly unrelated at first glance, but forming a pattern when viewed together. Reports of mysterious illnesses, quarantined neighborhoods, and "training exercises" in major cities before that same major city had completely disappeared from all news station.
Shaking his head, Glen stood up and walked around the room. "Okay, enough." He commanded and glared at Alex. "What has this have to do with you leaving the college?"
Seeing Alex hesitate, he squinted, "Wait, you really believe this?"
"Yes, I do." Alex muttered, standing up after and going to the closet, showing everything, he bought that day. From camping kits and tents to the emergency food. In response, a loud laugh echoed in the room. Lighthearted, but tired. "You're crazy."
Nodding at him, "Maybe, but I'm not risking anything. I'm planning to skip town." A scoff, before his roommate headed towards the door. Frowning, and nervous, "Glen?" He called and the man in question didn't turn. "Glen, where are you going."
With a sigh, he turned. "Look, your my friend. I trust you. And I'm happy that you warned me about this." The Asian started, and Alex could hear the but coming from the other side of the world.
"But I'm not coming with you."
"Why?!" Alex shouted in confusion and immediately Glenn turned.
"Because I'm not risking my future on your word!" He shouted back, freezing Alex. He watched as Glenn muttered a fuck to himself and his shoulder slumped. "Look, a small part of me is scared. Okay? Especially, that first one." He started and Alex wanted to ask why he wasn't planning with him then.
"A small part?" Alex's voice rose. "You saw the videos!"
"Yeah, I saw some videos that could easily be faked!" Glen shot back, his usual calm demeanor cracking. "Do you know how many horror movies come out every year? How many conspiracy theories float around? This is could be just one of many of them!"
Alex grabbed his laptop, fingers trembling as he pulled up more evidence. "Look at the patterns, the—"
"No, YOU look!" Glen cut him off, stepping closer. "You're talking about leaving med school. Everything we've worked so hard for. Spend sleepless nights. Our future! Heck, you CRIED the first week. REMEMBER?! And now you're leaving all of it?! Over what? Some videos you found online?"
'He's just an NPC,' the thought slithered through Alex's mind, cold and dismissive. But watching Glen's face, seeing the genuine concern and frustration, made something twist in his chest.
"It doesn't make sense!" Glen continued, pacing frantically. "The dead coming back to life? That's not how biology works! That's not how ANYTHING works!" He stopped, running both hands through his hair. "We're medical students. We KNOW this isn't possible!"
Alex felt the weight of logic pressing against his certainty. "I know how it sounds, but—"
"But what? You want me to throw everything away because you had some... some revelation?" Glen's voice cracked slightly. "My parents mortgaged their house for my education. My sister's helping with my loans..."
At the mention of his sister, Glen's face changed. He turned back to the laptop. The confidence in his denial wavered as he studied the familiar landmarks.
'He's programmed to act this way,' the dark thought persisted in Alex's mind. 'This emotional display is just code.'
But then Glen spoke again, softer this time. "Sarah lives 30 minutes from there." He nodded towards the screen. "She... she hasn't answered my calls since yesterday."
Glen barely spared Alex a second glance as he walked out of the room, grabbing his jacket and heading for the door. "I'll be back later. I'm going to check on her," he muttered, the door slamming behind him without letting Alex mutter a word.
Alex watched him go, feeling the familiar pang of frustration tighten his chest. He stared at the place Glen was a second ago, before exploding due to frustration. "FUCK!" He yelled to himself. His eyes darted over to the supplies he had put in the closet before a decision was taken.
If someone he considered a "friend" wouldn't believe him even with video evidence, then others wouldn't either. So instead of wasting a day or two to appear crazy, he would do the bare minimum. Print pamphlets, distribute them, then get out. Train his endurance. Run in the mountains or hills somewhere until the start of the mission.
He sat back down at the bed, trying to calm the whirlwind inside his mind with distractions. What could he do? The pounding in his chest was slowly fading, but it still gripped him with a cold yet hot, gnawing feeling as thought flashed in his head.
As the minutes stretched into an hour, Alex sighed heavily and rubbed his eyes, his fingers trembling as they hovered over the laptop. His thought process was everywhere. He needed to make a list of things to do. Instead of thinking and losing track.
Pulling up a new tab on the screen, Alex typed in "truck rentals" and began browsing. His fingers moved mechanically, his brain still spinning from the argument with Glen. He found a dealership offering a decent truck for a month at $3,000. He didn't even hesitate to send an email.
The dealership's response came quickly. Alex stared at the confirmation email, his credit card information already submitted. 'Another debt I'll never have to pay,' he thought with a bitter smile.
His fingers moved to another tab, searching "printing services near me." The pamphlets needed to be simple, direct. He designed them quickly:
EMERGENCY PREPAREDNESS NOTICE
- Stock up on supplies
- Have an evacuation plan
- Stay away from populated areas
- Trust no one showing signs of illness
He added some of the less obvious evidence he'd found, careful to make it look official enough to catch attention but not so polished it would be dismissed as marketing.
[Glen's POV - Early Morning]
Sarah's neighborhood was perfectly normal. Frustratingly normal. The movie crew explanation made sense – big budget films always brought chaos to Atlanta's suburbs. Glen had spent the night on his sister's couch, relief and embarrassment warring in his mind.
"You worried too much," Sarah had teased, completely fine and showing him local news coverage of the 'filming.'
Now, walking into his 8 AM Pathology class, Glen felt the weight of the argument he had with his best friend. But when his eyes scanned the lecture hall, Alex's empty seat sent an unexpected chill down his spine.
[Alex's POV - Dawn]
The rental truck's engine hummed as Alex pulled away from the dealership, extra gas cans secured in the back. While his Pathology class had already started, he had decided to skip it and directly go to the dealership. A 30-minute bus ride later, he had his black pick up truck. 20 minutes later, he was already in the dorm and loading everything.
His purchases from yesterday were loaded after another 30 minute, organized with military precision. The pamphlets sat in boxes, ready for distribution, in the passenger seat.
An hour later, he had almost all-important notice board filled with his pamphlet in the campus. Every big traffic light around the campus and college also had them stuck to the posts. Some over missing pets. "I did my part." He muttered to himself as he took one last look at the college.
The simulation system was really freaky. He knew he didn't stay in this place more than a day and a night. Yet he had memories of more than a year. He really remembered crying the first week after classes began.
That's when Glen, his roommate, took pity and decided to study together. Because he couldn't understand what he was learning. The teachers had no time to help students. So, Alex was stuck with a book.
A book that he read thoroughly to prepare for a quiz. A quiz that he got 30%. With the average being 40%. He remembered all of it. But he never, ever experienced that. The system had simply implemented all of it in his brain. To make the simulation more real for him. And here he was, leaving a friend, possibly a best friend of over a year, that he only knew for a day and a night at most.
"I'm sorry." Alex muttered, his hands trembled, clenching the steering wheel with all his strength. His knuckles turned white while he placed his forehead on the wheel. A choking sob left him.
He was leaving his best friend to die.
No matter how fake the implemented memories were or how short he knew Glen. Alex had finally found a friend… Who was only a simulation that would disappear when he finished this world's objective.
With a sigh, a sniff later, Alex wiped his tears and cleared his mind from all the distractions. It was time to go.
Without another glance, he started the truck and drove off. Not noticing a Korean young man, his roommate, his best friend running to him. Yelling his name.
[Glen's POV – Morning. A couple of hours before.]
"Has anyone seen Morgan?" Professor Wilson asked, marking absences.
Glen's hand tightened around his pen. The empty seat seemed to mock him now. He pulled out his phone under the desk:
"Where are you?"
"Alex?"
"At least tell me you didn't do anything stupid."
The messages remained unread.
A piece of paper blew against the classroom window and stuck there – one of Alex's pamphlets. Glen's stomach churned as he read it, remembering the certainty in his friend's voice last night. As soon as the class was over, he bolted from the classroom. The professor called his name but he ignored it.
The corridors were filled with people, people he shoved aside and rounded a corner.
There.
At one of the notice boards, there were a dozen of pamphlets pinned. He ran to the board and muttered sorry and excuse until he was at the front:
EMERGENCY PREPAREDNESS NOTICE
- Stock up on supplies
- Have an evacuation plan
- Stay away from populated areas
- Trust no one showing signs of illness
With QR codes links for videos and evidences.
The board was surrounded with people reading them. Some mocking and others in concern. But Glen looked dazed. Last nights argument echoing in his mind. He glanced at his surroundings. That's when he noticed something.
Amongst the ones mocking, reading, showing concern, there were one or two that Glen noticed that had shown fear. The same ones that immediately evacuated from others and speed walked away.
A chill ran through his spine before he bolted again. His destination was his dorm room, to confront Alex. To talk some more. As soon as he was out of the building, he saw a black pickup truck parked in front of the college. And Alex was the driver. Wide eyed, "ALEX!" He shouted, running towards it, but the truck never stopped. It simply drove away, no matter how much he yelled the name of his friend.
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Author note:
When I was writing this chapter, I thought it would be better than the previous one. But honestly, I feel like it was a little worse. Sorry for that.
Anyway, the main focus of this chapter and its goal was the suddenness of every thing. I wanted to make the mc appear in some way reckless/rebel, such as if someone didn't agree with his arguments, he would do it and prove them wrong just for spit. Which was the reason, he decided to just bolt out.
And some of you may argue about Glen and what happened there. But I didn't know how to show it. That yes, Glen is mc's best friend. And mc has the experience of being in Walking Dead world all his life implemented in him on the subconscious level to make every real to him.
MC leaving his best friend while, confusing and contradictory, is his way to "rebel" against the simulation's implementation.
Anyway, can I get some cat memes here plz?
I want to have a cat.