Chapter Text
You can’t recall how long you have been running, but you know that if you were to stop now it would surely be the end of you.
The soles of your feet hurt and your chest tightens as you inhale lungfuls of dry air. Tears swell in your eyes as you keep going forward - to where exactly you have no clue. The growls and running steps following you keep itching closer. The streets of Bel-Air with their tall fences and even taller houses lining both sides of the road make you feel like a rodent trapped in a maze.
The hot Californian sun shines on the blue sky up above. It’s so unbearably warm you can see heat radiating from the pavement beneath you. To have the zombie apocalypse happen during the hottest summer in years was incredibly unfortunate. This was supposed to be your week of vacation, your time off from your already stressful life back at home - but you had by mistake chosen the worst timing possible. Not only did you decide to travel just as the infection hit the city, but you managed to miss your evac flight. Now you were left off to wander the streets with nothing to your name. God knows when was the last time you drank water, had proper food, slept for more than a couple hours, or even had a fucking shower.
This was by far the worst summer of your life. And with the way things were going, it might as well be your last.
You wheeze as you push onward, frantically looking for a way out of this chase. Your heartbeat rings in your ears while your body practically runs on fumes, ready to give out any second. Even without looking, you can tell that the zombies sprinting behind you are closing in the distance, ready to sink their teeth into you the second their grimy hands could get a grasp.
Just as you are about to reach an intersection, the ground beneath suddenly begins to rumble. The towering palm trees shake as the earthquake violently throws around everything in its immediate vicinity. The earthquake catches you off guard too, sending you flying against the pavement with a loud thud. Falling on your stomach, the air kicks out of your lungs and you wince as rocks and gravel scrape up against your knees and forearms.
‘’Augh, FUCK!’’ You yell as pain shoots through your body. Warm blood quickly begins to ooze from your scrapes and dyes the ground beneath you in shades of red.
Gritting your teeth you roll over to your side, looking over your shoulder at the horde of undead trying to regain their balance as the quakes begin to slow down in intensity. Weakly, you begin to crawl away from your looming demise.
As the last quake comes to a halt, the zombies continue their march onward, either by crawling or at worst - by running. Your vision blurs as tears glaze your eyes. Shaking your head in denial, you hastily drag your body backward against the pavement. In that moment you feel like a deer in headlights, about to be splattered against the bumper of a speeding car.
You’d always imagined your death being something you would have been prepared for, something much less traumatic than this. With the way things were now, you had forced yourself to accept that you might not make it out of LA. However, at the end of the day, you were still scared to die.
Suddenly, a loud explosion erupts. As undead bodies come apart and collapse around you, a splatter of blood smacks against your weary face.
As your startled gaze focuses, you see a young woman rushing in from the left-hand side with a fire axe in hand. The few zombies that survived the explosion meet a swift demise as the woman maims their limbs and heads with grace. As the last standing zombie loses its head and slams against the ground, the streets become quiet again but for the soft hum of wind. The woman turns around to look at you, approaching with such confidence you can’t help but feel taken aback.
‘’You alright, darlin’?’’ She stops in front of you, extending her bloodied hand to you with a smile. You exhale a breath you had unconsciously been holding as your eyes dart around the features of her face. You take a firm hold of her hand, letting her help you back on your feet.
As she does, your sight blurs with tears once more. ‘’I- I…’’ This time you’re unable to hold back your sobs and without much thought, you find yourself sinking into her arms.
‘’Woah!’’ The woman lets out a surprised gasp, taken aback by your sudden embrace. However, she quickly softens at the sound of your muffled cries.
‘’Darlin’, hey, it’s alright...’’ She gently runs her hand through your hair, doing her best to soothe you. There’s something comforting about her warmth and the way she holds you back. You appreciate her for not pushing you away.
You soon manage to calm yourself down, raising your head and taking an awkward step backward ‘’I’m…I’m sorry’’ You almost stutter, feeling your face flare up from embarrassment. You wipe away tears with the palms of your hands, your face smudged in a mixture of blood and dirt. Your savior looks down at you with a hint of pity. You sniffle.
‘’Been a rough day, eh?’’ She shoots you a soothing smile. You make a nod, averting your gaze ‘’Like you wouldn’t believe…’’ You manage to make a wry laugh. The woman gently caresses your shoulder ‘’Well, I’m just glad I got to ya in time - did not get bitten or nothin’, did ya?’’ She looks you up and down for injuries.
‘’No, thank fuck not…’’ You shake your head, looking back at her ‘’Just some scrapes’’ You reply, still feeling the sting of the wounds as blood decorates your knees and arms. ‘’I’m so thankful you saved my ass, seriously’’ You continue, trying to stop your hands from shaking ‘’Thought that was it for me’’
‘’Oh, it’s nothin’. Been on that savior act for a while now ’’ The woman shoots you a cheeky grin ‘’Now, who did I have the pleasure of saving today?’’ She raises her brow playfully.
‘’Right, I’m… Y/N.’’ You look at her, finding her unwavering poise rather endearing.
‘’It’s lovely to meet you, darlin’! Name’s Dani, or your guardian angel - whichever you prefer’’ She smirks ‘’Now, as much as I’d love to stick ‘round and chat, I think we should bounce before any more of those shites come crawlin’, yeah?’’
‘’O-oh, yeah. Let’s get the fuck out of here’’ You agree. ‘’There’s a real nice safe house right up the hill, let me take you there, ‘kay?’’ Dani suggests as she gently takes hold of your hand. ‘’Lead the way…’’ You nod, your gaze trailing down to Dani’s hand as she begins to walk you toward Emma Jaunt’s mansion.
–
You find yourself amazed as Dani leads you through the backyard of the soaring Jaunt mansion. You nearly even trip on the stairs while gazing at the impressive building.
‘’Does Emma Jaunt still live here?’’ You manage to stammer out, starting to feel nervous about bunking over at a celebrity’s house. You had seen her movies and frankly, you loved them. More than you’d ever dare to admit. ‘’Not anymore, Emma’s out of LA so it’s just well.. yours truly and some others. Long story’’ Dani replies as she ushers you in through the front door ‘’No need to worry ‘bout the others, they don’t bite…as far as I know’’ she chuckles.
The interior of the Jaunt mansion is basked with daylight pouring in through the large glass ceiling, painting everything in an ambient glow. The space feels large and peaceful, something much needed in these trying times. Still, you cannot help but feel out of place, standing inside a house that probably costs more than you’ve ever earned in your life. Dani gestures to follow her into the living room where she approaches an older woman mopping the floor.
‘’Andrea, darlin!’’ She calls out ‘’This sweetie here is Y/N, ya think we’d have some room for her?’’ Dani places her hands on your shoulders. The older woman, Andrea, stops her cleaning and looks at you with a hint of doubt - furrowing her brows. You were admittedly quite the sight, your clothes dirtied with dust, face smudged in blood, and eyes still puffed from crying. Not to mention your wounds, the blood now dried and crackled against your skin.
‘’Oh my stars…’’ Andrea sighs. Her gaze softens slightly ‘’Well, we can’t just turn you away, can we?’’ Andrea’s stare pans onto Dani ‘’She can stay, but you’ll have to share Emma’s room with her. Any more survivors and they’ll have to start sleeping on the couches, alright?’’ You give Andrea a polite smile, feeling thankful to have an actual place to stay. Dani’s hands leave your shoulders ‘’You’re the boss’’ She gives Andrea a cheeky grin before turning to look at you.
‘’Now then, let’s have a look at yer wounds, yeah?’’ Dani gestures for you to follow her, leading you to the gym. You admittedly feel puzzled with having her lead you here, but decide not to question it. ‘’Take a seat’’ Dani nods over to the couch. You sit down, watching Dani find a first-aid kit before kneeling in front of you ‘’Andrea will give me a scoldin’ if I were to dirty the floors, so we’re doing this here’’ She unzips the kit ‘’Nobody will bother us ‘ere, I prefer it that way’’ Dani says, laying aside some cotton pads and antiseptic spray.
‘’I see…’’ You look down at her, appreciating Dani’s willingness to help you. ‘’So, um…how did you end up here?’’ Trying to make small talk wasn’t exactly your strongest suit, but you wanted to get to know Dani better. You feel a sting coursing through your body as Dani begins to disinfect your knees, gently scrubbing off the blood ‘’Lil ol’ me?’’ She chuckles ‘’It’s a long story…was on the evac flight out of this fecking place when Emma’s old hubby turned and caused our plane to get shot down’’ Dani shakes her head, continuing her gentle work on your wounds.
‘’Met Emma at the crash site and found me way here. Tons of insane shit happened since, but I’m just glad to be ‘live and kicking, ya know?’’ She takes a glance at you before carefully placing bandages around your knees. ‘’I…I was supposed to be on that evac flight’’ You mutter, feeling a pang in your chest. Dani raises her head in surprise ‘’Really? Well, you can call yourself lucky…it wasn’t pretty’’ She stands up, taking a seat beside you.
‘’Your arms, please’’ She requests and you comply, extending your arm to her as she begins her work on the next set of scrapes. ‘’I…I guess I’m lucky then’’ You mumble. ‘’What happened to Emma? You said she got out of LA?’’ You ask, watching Dani intently as she cleans your wounds.
‘’Yeah, I was ‘sposed to be on that helicopter too, but I decided otherwise. Got shit left to do here’’ Dani said rather nonchalantly. Your eyes widen in surprise ‘’What? You stayed behind willingly?’’ Dani lets out a soft chuckle in response ‘’Yup. Call me an eejit all you want, but I got unfinished business and I ain’t leaving till it’s done with’’
You stare at her, astounded ‘’What business?’’ Dani side-eyes you, giving you a lighthearted grin ‘’Sorry, it’s a secret’’ She says almost teasingly before turning her focus back to your scrapes. A warmth creeps up your cheeks, but you can’t tell why.
‘’O-okay…’’ You stutter. Admittedly feeling a little awkward, you try to think of what to talk about next. However, before any topics come to mind, Dani raises her head and lets go of your arms ‘’All done!’’ She smiles at you. Your focus snaps back to your arms, now cleaned and bandaged. ‘’Oh, thank you so much!’’ You thank Dani politely. She gives you a playful nudge ‘’Need me to kiss it better?’’ She jokes before standing up, gathering her materials, and stuffing them back into the medkit. A humble laugh manages to escape your lips, warmth creeping back up to your cheeks ‘’Haha, no need to…I think this will do nicely’’ You reply, standing up.
Dani hums, turning to look at you ‘’Well, now that we got you patched up, I can show you where you’ll be bunking’’ Dani places aside the medkit before turning on her heel, walking out of the gym and gesturing you to follow up a flight of stairs. You follow suit, your gaze trailing from the nape of her neck down her back.
Dani stops at the top of the stairs, looking over her shoulder. You stop, your eyes snapping back to her face.
‘’Were you checking me out?’’ Dani teases you as she swings open the bedroom door. You let out a confused stutter, feeling your face fluster ‘’I- I was not!’’ You argue. Dani laughs as she steps inside the master bedroom. ‘’I was looking at your back patch…’’ You mutter under your breath as you follow her in, your embarrassment soon dissolving as your gaze trails across the beautiful view of the LA skyline.
‘’Sure you were, darlin’...’’ Dani makes another lighthearted jab at you as she sits down by the bed ‘’Pretty, ain’t it?’’. The sun is just beginning to dip behind the horizon, casting the sky in shades of pink and purple. You make a hum of approval, approaching the tall glass windows to view the breathtaking scenery.
‘’I don’t really crash here all that often, so you’ll have this suite mostly to yourself’’ Dani says as her eyes trail across your back, taking in the sight of you by the window. You turn to look at her ‘’You have a place somewhere else, then?’’ You ask.
‘’Well, let’s just say I get around’’ Dani shrugs ‘’Go around the city, kill some undead shites, run errands for people, try to save the world…the usual stuff, yeah?’’ She shrugs. ‘’I mostly sleep at over the Serling, nice hotel in Ocean Ave’’. You approach Dani, sitting beside her on the edge of the queen-sized bed. ‘’I don’t understand how you can just go out there like it’s nothing…’’ You shake your head ‘’Let alone kill them so easily’’
‘’Oh darlin’, it’s been anythin’ but easy’’ Dani gazes at you, her eyes half-lidded as she smiles ‘’But I’m a big girl, I can handle it’’
You find Dani’s radiating confidence admirable, wishing you could be just a bit more like her. You open your mouth as if to say something, but find yourself at a loss for words.
Dani takes note of your hesitance and gently places her hand on your shoulder ‘’Hey, you’re alright, kid’’ She assures you ‘’No need to worry ‘bout ‘em brain eaters while you’re here. You just focus on getting a hot bath tonight, yeah?’’
You find yourself inspecting the finer details of Dani’s face, admittedly feeling flustered by the presence of someone so pretty. You nod ‘’Thank you…I owe you’’ You smile humbly. Dani’s hand trails from your shoulder down your arm before letting go ‘’I’ll send in the bill afterward’’ She nudges you playfully before standing up. A hearty laugh escapes your lips. Dani seems content having amused you, placing her hand on her hip ‘’Now that’s more like it, no more moping ‘round!’’ She grins ‘’Anyhoo…I need to feck off to the Serling ‘fore it gets too dark. You just enjoy your stay in the meanwhile, kay?’’ Dani says, walking over to the door.
You follow her with your eyes, feeling a slight sense of panic bubble within you as the only face you’ve gotten to know is about to leave ‘’Will I, um…will I get to see you again anytime soon?’’ You dare to ask.
Dani stops at the door, looking over her shoulder as she gives you a lop-sided smile ‘’Sooner than you think, darlin’. Don’t miss me too hard, kay?’’ She says before closing the door. You sit there quietly, listening to the sounds of Dani descending the stairs. You felt silly for wishing she had stuck around for a while longer, but then again, she seemed so nice…and you could use a friend.
Your head turns to look at the sunset once more. You catch a glimpse of yourself reflected in the window, realizing you’re still covered in dried smudges of blood and debris - what a charmer you were.
You hoped to talk with Dani more next time. Maybe learn a thing or two about them. But right now your top priority was to have a bath - the least you could do was make yourself look presentable the next time you were to see her.
And god, did you want to see her again - as soon as possible.