Because of the current environment, you’d think the safest option would be to stay inside your base for the rest of eternity. Well I’m here to tell you that it’s really not. You’ll get really lazy and maybe even catch a cold. And eventually, there will be a circumstance where you’ll have no choice but to go outside. Hearing this, you’re probably scared out of your mind. But don’t worry my little fledgling, I have a little tip for you. Look around a lot. Memorize the scenery. The nice part is, when you know the environment, you can immediately spot when something is wrong. Like an incoming thunderstorm, a hoard of zombies pulling a sneak attack, or even a suspicious broccoli patch. That’s right, I don’t trust broccoli even in an apocalypse setting.

Despite the constant anxiety of a zombie sneaking in, I slept through the entire night. Even when the sun started shining on my face, I just kept on snoring. I had a lot of stuff on my mind anyway. Like why did Ashton get so close last night? He seemed like the aloof type when we met. Also, who the hell is Caleb? I don’t know, but whoever he is...He’s right. Ashton’s pretty weird.

“Kapow!” A loud popping sound jolted me awake, also causing me to bump my head on the top of the bed.

“Ow…” I rubbed the top of my head. The pain combined with the ringing in my ears was a mild case of severe agony. I looked over and saw Ashton standing there. Holding a shotgun.

“Morning.” He smirked as he cocked the gun he was holding.

“Dude. What the Hell?” I clenched my teeth to keep from screaming. “You could’ve destroyed my eardrums.” I glared at him as he chuckled a little.

“Just wanted to see if you were paying attention.” I sighed and sat up. Not even a minute into my day and he’s already bothering me.

The tale has been illicitly lifted; should you spot it on Amazon, report the violation.

“What do you want?” Ashton shrugged again and ran his hand through his hair. (Why does he even do that anyway, he’s not a pop star.)

“Well, the sun's out, the weather’s nice, and I am running out of bullets…”

Ugh, not again. He already left yesterday, and look how that turned out.

“OK. Listen you-”

“You wanna come?”

Wait, is he serious? My eyes lit up as if I’d just discovered the secret to obliterating internet trolls. Finally, something exciting is happening!

“You want me...to go with you?” He nodded and slung the gun over his shoulder.

“Yeah, cause I don’t think I can leave you by yourself.”

“Hell yeah!” I whooped and raised my arms in the air. My eternal boredom has been vanquished! But Ashton didn’t share my excitement as he just sighed.

“Great. Get your backpack. We’re gonna be gone for a while. “ Ecstatic. I grabbed my backpack and sprung up off the bed. After that, I followed Ashton outside, while also making sure to do a dance while he wasn’t looking.

“Ashton and me! Going zombie hunting! Hell yeah! Hell yeah! Hell-”

Suddenly, I heard a low growl near me. Stopping immediately, I turned around to see two zombies a few feet away, ready to attack. Crap, I forgot. This a zombie apocalypse. I didn't even bring any weapons! But before I could scream, a gunshot blasted the zombie’s head clean off. Both of them burst into tiny pieces.

I turned to see Ashton cocking his shotgun. A nonchalant look spread across his face.

“You’re lucky I saw that thing while you were screwing around.” His tone was slightly exasperated, as if he already regretted bringing me. I hid my face a little in embarrassment.

“Right. Sorry.” I mumbled, my voice as quiet as a mouse. He then walked over and put his hand on my shoulder.

“Good. Now stop dancing and let’s go.”

“Okay.” After he let go of me, I slowly strolled after him, not saying a word.