Run, Run, As Fast As You Can (Cookies Need Love and B_NewDay)

[Cookies Need Love]

Years ago strange children started being born. Children with powers beyond that of a normal Human. They had all sorts of abilities, from fire manipulation to mind reading. These children were collected by the government and taken away to be studied. Time passed and each time a Special, as they came to be called,was born they were taken from their families. Sometimes the family would run and hide, trying to keep their baby safe.


Fifty years after the Specials began being born, disaster struck. A deadly virus was released into the atmosphere by means unknown to the commoners. All they knew was that it attacked the nervous system, turning the person with the disease into a mindless, jerking hunk of flesh. The Infected began attacking people and the disease spread and spread. Human settlements sprang up, with some people gathering together to keep safe and others wandering off on their own. As time went on, the leftover scraps of the government began to reform and take control once more. And as they did, they realize that the Specials were immune to the disease. So, once more, they began to hunt them down in order to dissect them and find what saved them from the virus.


The Specials were forced to run from death inflicted by the government. However the rest of the people, the normal ones, turned against them. They were prepared to turn in the Specials to be slaughtered if it meant they might be safe. And so the Specials ran, scattering themselves and trying to protect themselves from the Hunters that desired to turn them in to the government for supplies.

​

Lukas

​

Luke peered around the corner of the building, sharp brown eyes narrowed. He was glaring off into the empty street as if there was something there. To Luke, there was. His brown eyes faded to an unnatural, electric blue for a moment and in his vision They appeared. The bane of his existence and the one part of his accursed Power he could not control. The boy turned away from the street and pressed his back against the building, daring to close his eyes for a moment. When they opened they were once more a perfectly normal brown.


"Well, time to get going," Luke muttered to himself. He'd taken to giving himself orders every now and then, or sometimes just talking. The constant fear of being found had kept him away from any other person for months now. Solitude for that long, with nothing other then the Infected's slurred growls, was enough to drive anyone insane. Luke could feel himself on the edge of complete and utter insanity, and he was definitely leaning towards tipping in.


With a sigh, Luke pushed himself away from the building and started down the street. A lock of straight brown hair fell over his eyes and he pushed it away. Luke was a tall, skinny figure with a tendency to slip around like a snake or a spider. Melding into the shadows and watching had always been his best defense. It was why he always wore a black t-shirt, dark jeans, and a black trench coat. Safety, and camouflage, and familiarity all wrapped up in some articles of clothing. It was funny how stupid things like clothes suddenly got meaning when tragedy struck. The thought made a smirk pass across Luke's face for a moment before it went serious once more.

 

[B_NewDay]

Julia sighed. Lounging across the roof top she listened, for anything really. Though she faded in and out of reality, she was a daydreamer. Honestly it was probably her biggest fault, and most likely to get her killed. Acknowledging that there was only one door, which she stared at now, and she was quite a few stories above the ground she decided that for the time being that she was safe. Or as safe as you could be when people were after your blood.


Humans. Such funny little things we are. Always nice until the moment we want something prevails. Then the cut-throat nature of what we really are comes out.'


She almost sung the thought to herself, but she kept quiet knowing that sound wasn't going to help her for once. As she turned over she heard a sound, and within one fluid movement was behind the shadow of a now abandoned chimney or some sort. Looking around she heard it again, it was human... Or at one time it was human. The smell hit her like a wall.


Infected.


Crinkling her nose, like one might at the smell of trash, she hurriedly picked up her pack and slid down the ladders on the side of the building towards the ground. She contemplated trying to jump roofs, but if any of the government's night watch was out they would have caught her. Taking her chances she dropped as quietly as she could to the ground, and darted. In and out, between buildings, avoiding the streets as much as she could. Julia's hair flew behind her, it was a firey orange-red, something that was hard to hide, she loved it and hated it at the same time. Quickly pulling it up in to a tight bun, she -- had run almost straight into someone. It was young man, perhaps her age. First anger, then apologetic, and then nothing. Her mood swings were always like this, irrational, a pain, but quick.


Looking up at the young man, meeting his dark brown eyes with her fiery hazel ones; she spoke ever so quietly,


"Pardon me, I should have paid attention to where I was going."

 

[Cookies Need Love]

Lukas

​

Luke hurried down the streets, his feet slipping over the cracked ground without a sound easily. Slippery and sneaky had always been his way; and his nondescript features helped immensely with that. Still, Luke found himself often at risk when surrounded by a large group of zombies. A horde was his greatest fear, which wasn't too great since they tended to travel in packs. So far, however, Luke had managed to avoid such situations. It was easy when you were on your own. Luke was so busy in his thoughts that he didn't notice the flaming red hair until it bumped into him. He stared down at the girl, in shock for a moment. Another living, Human being. He hadn't seen one up close in months, ever since the fiasco with that Hunter. When she began to talk Luke shook off the stunned reaction in order to reply.


"It's fine. I shouldve been looking too. Infected behind you?" Luke asked, getting straight to the point. In his days of solitude and even before idle chatter had quickly been cut away until he only spoke words that were necessary. A quick apology, as his manners demanded of him, before survival became his number one priority. Luke glanced behind the girl. She'd been running, most likely why she'd slammed into him, and that could only mean there was something behind her that she didn't want to find her.


"Come on. We'd better find shelter," Luke instructed. His voice kept to a careful monotone as he turned and headed where he had just come from. Suddenly his eyes flashed that unnatural blue once more and he stumbled. A second later, however, Luke regained his balance and natural brown eye color and continued on as if nothing had happened. He was used to these quick flashes now. They occurred rather often and although they were a pain, Luke had learn to deal with them. He took a sharp right and then another before stopping outside a bunker. Built, and abandoned, in the first days of the Infection it was still pretty much protected against the Infected. Luke pried open the heavy metal door and gestured for the girl to get inside.


"Hurry. It's getting dark." Luke honestly didn't know why he was helping the girl out. It had been a split second decision after he realized the Infected were most likely heading their way. As distrusting as he was of others, Luke could never leave anyone to that fate.

 

[B_NewDay]

The bluntness of his tone, took her off guard. She nodded silently, and was uneasy almost immediately.


In a whirlwind of a few words and quick movement she noticed that he was helping her, or at least that was what it seemed. Grabbing for her dagger she held it flat against her wrist and could feel her body temperature spike. Situations like these caused a yearning deep in her stomach to let her powers flow free, but she resisted, not knowing how this strange man would take it. Though she was not naive, she was also not stupid enough to turn down the invitation of shelter, and more subtly, a companion.


Looking at the heavy door she looked behind her, she didn't smell them, so they weren't close. The infected that is.


So she took the quick moment of peace to look at the man. Her eyes burned a bright orange, one that now matched her hair color. Her voice was soft as silk, but the venom in her voice was a contrast that even confused her a little bit.


"I will follow you and I appreciate your help. But god help me so, if you even try to kill me. I will not hesitate to hurt you beyond repair."


Giving a smile, that dripped with something along the lines of a threat and maybe even a hint of a dare. It passed as quickly as it had came though. With that she turned sharply into the dark doorway, her hair had fallen completely loose and trailed behind her. Leaving the scent of perfume, sweat, and perhaps even the slightest hint of ash in the air where she once stood.

 

[Cookies Need Love]

Lukas

​

Luke waited impatiently for the girl to enter the bunker. He realized the oddity of the situation, bit this was the way he'd always been. Split second decisions and then he simply acted on those decisions. No looking back. Well, that was what he to himself. It was a rule he rarely stuck to; regrets were as common to him now as bread might've been back before the Infection. Luke knew they didn't help anything and he couldn't change the past, but he still refused to let go of his memories. It was simply Luke's misfortune that most of these memories were regrets themselves. He arched an eyebrow at the girl's rather threatening sentence before she finally headed through the door.


"How pleasant..." Luke muttered under his breath. He took a moment to glance either way down the street before backing into the entrance and heaving the steel door closed behind him. For a moment they were in complete darkness as Luke fumbled for the switch. A moment later and flickering lights came on, barely shedding any light on the inside of the bunker. Not that there was much to be seen. The area they were in now was kind of like a gathering hall, and Luke had never bothered going further in. He'd only been here for a couple days now, anyway. A beaten up, faded blue backpack was tossed in the corner nearest the door and Luke made a beeline for it.


"Trust me, killing you would be a waste of energy," Luke called over his shoulder as he knelt over the bag. He took a moment to peer inside and inventory the contents. Nothing missing. That was good. He had to be wary of looters who might've checked the bunker as they passed while he was out. It was always a possibility when he left his stuff behind, but Luke couldn't carry the pack around with him all day every day. Besides, this town seemed especially abandoned. Or it had, until he'd met this girl. Speaking of... Luke turned back to the fiery redhead. Her eyes had glowed orange. Most definitely a Special then. He'd never met another one like him before, and Luke wasn't exactly sure how to proceed. He wasn't about to go trumpeting his own powers around, but he didn't have a reason to hide it. Although maybe he did... Some Specials with tracking powers had volunteered to find other Specials for the government in exchange for non-lethal testing being done on them instead. For all he knew, she was like that. None of the deliberation showed on his face as he stared calmly at the girl.


"A Special, huh? You're not very subtle about it," Luke finally commented.

 

[B_NewDay]

Looking around the dim area, she sighed heavily and decided that if he wanted to kill her he would have done so already. His next statement reassured her, and he presented a good point. Fighting usually led to injuries, and noise.


Blood and loud sounds, well that was practically a mating call to the Infected. Staring around she noticed as he made straight for his backpack, and though he had said killing her would be a waste he never said anything about taking her hostage. Slowly she stepped backwards, though not very far. Just enough to where her reflexes could have dodged something being thrown at her. As he rummaged through his bag, Julia let her hair down, falling over her shoulders, and falling limp against her shoulders.


His next question took her by surprise. Though she imagined her unnatural hair color and eye color gave her away rather quickly. Opening her mouth, and then pausing for a moment, she struggled to find words that would be an adequate answer without letting to much information out.


"Yes, I am... Special, if that's what you choose to call it. Subtly is something I chose to abandon once a majority of the population was wiped out." Though the second half of the statement wasn't entirely true, really she was just hiding the fact that her eyes would blaze that color when she felt that she was in danger. Leaning against a wall she stared him down, taking in his image.


"What about you, are you different?" Special wasn't the word Julia thought of when she thought of her powers. The words that came to her mind were not... nice. Shaking the thoughts from her head she stared him down coldly, waiting for an answer.

 

[Cookies Need Love]

Lukas

​

Personally, Luke hated his power with a passion unequaled by anything else in his life. He was normally a level headed, calm person but when it came to his... ability the boy couldn't help the little flame of hatred that flared up inside of him. The only reason he chose to refer to those with powers as Specials was because that was what the general population called him, and Luke knew that in order to fit in he'd have to use that word as a habit. Despite the fact that it pained him to say it since there was nothing special about those cursed with an ability. There was only misfortune, pain, and eternal fear.


"Sometimes subtly is needed, but I see your point," Luke observed in reply. He continued to look at her for a moment before turning back to his backpack. If he had to guess, he'd have to say her particular ability would probably have something to do with fire. A lot of the time outward appearance was directly effected by or reflected ones ability. Luke's appearance only showed his ability sometimes, when his eyes flashed that strange blue or when he deliberately used other facets of his power. Luke reached into the backpack and grasped several things. He pulled them out slowly, aware that the girl might be wary of a stranger removing something from his bag. When he revealed them to her, it was simply two cans, a can opener, and two forks. The labels on the cans had long since fallen off, leaving dinner to be a bit of a guessing game. When she asked about his power, Luke hesitated for a moment before responding.


"Unfortunately, yes. Dinner?" Luke proffered one of the cans to the girl before adding, "You can call me Luke, if you want."

 

[B_NewDay]

She could almost sense that he had tensed up a little bit, not that she cared either way and shrugged. Knowing that it wasn't her place to dig down and see how being an outcast made him feel.


It made him feel god damn lonely, just as it had made her feel.


Letting out an exasperated sigh, she shook her head and muttered softly, "Sorry, got lost in my thoughts for a second."


She noticed that he was moving slowly, and she respected that he had taken her anxiety into account. A small frown crossed her lips, hoping that her anxiety wasn't that obvious. It probably was, the few people she had met always said the she was easy to read. As if she were a book, she scoffed quietly and when she returned to reality she saw him holding out something.


"Luke," she tested it out, but didn't like it in the least. Though she kept the opinion to herself.


"Not to seem rude, but I don't take food from strangers." It was true, and he still hadn't showed any signs of being a threat, but he wouldn't be a very decent spy if he was detected so easily.


"I appreciate it though."


Letting her look wander about the room, she started to curl her hair and uncurl in repeatedly around her left pointer finger. Realizing slowly, that in the midst of everything she really hadn't thought of what she was going to do next. After a few moments she decided that once the day hit she would leave and head out on her own again, though the thought of being by herself was painful it was better than feeling vulnerable.


"I appreciate your hospitality, but don't worry tomorrow morning I'll be out of your hair and you can return to peace in your cute little... home." She struggled to find the last word, but once she did she could simply taste that it was wrong. Shrugging inwardly, she decided it didn't matter. Eloquent speaking was not a gift she was born with.

 

[Cookies Need Love]

Luke leaned against the wall next to his backpack and slithered down into a seated position with his legs crossed. An actual Human Being. And he didn't have to worry about her turning him in... Much. Still, even if she was a spy that would somehow get him sliced and diced by the government, be couldn't help but think that it was worth it for just these few minutes of Human interaction. He'd been so damn alone for most his life, despite the occasional companion. Anyone that want an Infected was practically welcomed by Luke. If he was the type to show any kind of welcoming emotions.


"It's fine. Not used to other people, I s'pose," Luke responded, referring to her tendency to drift off into thought. He'd been told that he often did that too, forgetting that the other person was there. Mainly because it was very rare for another person to be there to tell him. Luke glanced at the girl once more and suddenly flinched before averting his eyes. It's fine, just ignore it. Luke instructed himself severely. He didn't even look when she said his name, although he did find it odd to actually hear his name pass from someone else's lips. It was... Nice. Nice to hear that word be affirmed by someone else when for so long it had simply been him.


"That's reasonable." was all Luke said in reply. He placed one can down next to him on the opposite side of the backpack and used the can opener on the other. When he'd finally pried the thing open, Luke peered inside to find corn. He paused, the shrugged and stuck his fork in. It was better then nothing. Before he could start eating, however, the girl spoke once more and Luke glanced up at her. For a moment her words didn't process as he tried to ignore what she couldn't even see, but they slowly made their way through his skull and into his brain.


"Okay. Do what you wish," Luke told the girl. He stared down at the corn for another moment before finally giving up. He couldn't just leave her standing there when she didn't even realize what she was standing in. He really, really, really hated his ability. With a sigh Luke glanced up again and gestured to the spot beside him where the tin can was.


"Will you at least sit?" Luke asked. He laid the can opener and fork on top of the other tin can. A clear invitation to take it if she wished, and ignored it if she didn't. All Luke wanted was for her to move to the clear spot. Well, clear in his vision anyway. It wasn't like anyone else in the world could tell the difference.

 

[B_NewDay]

"Well, you've seen what the world was like. I was alone before this, so everyone turning in to whatever they are hasn't helped my case much."


She stood up and rubbed at her eyes, she was tired she had to admit. Honestly, she couldn't remember the last time she had slept, it wasn't because she was running or busy, but nightmares were worse to her then a light case of fatigue.


After telling him that she was planning on leaving she saw the slightest hesitation, however, she could have been imagining it. It wouldn't of surprised her in the least. Taking the invitation in slowly, Julia realized that she hadn't introduced herself yet. Plus it would give her time to mull over his question some more. Though it was a simple one, Julia always felt there was a right or wrong answer. To everything.


"I'm Julia, by the way. Sorry for the lack of introduction, I suppose I just assume that everyone knows my face."


The light humor in her voice made her feel better, though she hoped it wasn't mistaken as blunt arrogance. The quiet smile that played on her lips would have indicated of such things otherwise. Realizing she hadn't accepted or declined the invitation of her host, she sat down slowly. She brought her knees up to her chest, and let her chin fall onto her knees. Now that any residual fear of what situation they were really apart of had left it was replaced by a more welcoming blue. A contrast to her power, ironic was the only word she could think of for it.


"So, how long has it been since you've seen anyone?" She pondered asking other questions, however, invading people's personal space probably wasn't the best idea in high anxiety situations like such. Trying to keep her thoughts from wandering she locked her eyes on to the young man, hoping he wouldn't think she was crazy from all of the muttering and lack of concentration. Out in the distance she could have sworn she heard something, but she tried her best to ignore it. The only indication that she had even heard the sound was the slightest amount of tension that entered her shoulders.

 

[Cookies Need Love]

"Quite true. People seem to have regrettably gone more downhill," Luke replied. His voice was vaguely sarcastic, although it was only slight hints. Expressing emotions was another thing that had faded with time. He was usually alone, so showing what he felt was useless a lot of the time. Even when he did get a companion, they never stayed for very long. Although that was partly due to the fact that his power made him look insane. He saw things no one else did, avoided spots others saw as empty, and generally acted like he'd lost his mind. Luke had learned to squash the rather awkward side effects, such as weaving in a seemingly random path or staring at thin air, but it was still enough for others to start backing away slowly. Luke now just kept his emotions inside and savored them, instead of making a big show about it.


"It's fine. Nice to meet you, Julia," Luke responded. He kept his eyes on his dinner, as he would have to until she moved next to him. He was doing his best not to appear completely bonkers on front of the first company he'd had in... Months. Luke dug his fork into the corn and lifted a few kernels to his mouth in a vain attempt to eat. He'd suddenly found this his appetite had fled him, as it usually did. Starving until the food was right there in front of him. Luke recognized it as a rather unhealthy habit, but he couldn't help it. Besides, what did it matter if he starved to death? There would be no effect on the world.


Luke allowed his eyes to go to Julia as she sat beside him. He scanned her, trying to see if there was anything he'd missed before. Fiery hair, color changing eyes. They were now a rather nice blue, and Luke found that he preferred that shade if blue. It was warm instead of alien and it looked alien. He hesitated a moment as she asked how long it'd been for him, then shrugged. "Six, seven months? Lost count. You?" Luke glanced toward Julia nice more. Just as he looked away his eyes flashed blue once more and he squeezed them shut. It was what he always tried to do whenever they flashed that color, as it kept him from seeing them any clearer. A few seconds later Luke opened his eyes to reveal them as normal brown once more. He glanced around, sure he'd heard a noise. Whatever it was was silent now, although Luke did keep one ear open for it.

 

[B_NewDay]

"I don't think they meant too..." She paused trying to find words for her thoughts, "Granted the disease made a joke of the fragile reality we have here, but if people had better environments I think they could be somewhat decent." She gave half a smile and tried her best to not let herself ramble on to much. Talking was like music to her own ears. Not in arrogance, but she missed the sound of conversation. Her hands were burning, but it wasn't an uncomfortable burning, it was more of a warm glow. She was freezing, but she couldn't create much more heat without her eyes changing back to the strange orange color they did when her power was being used. Shivering slightly she looked up as he said her name, it was foreign, she didn't mind it, but it was not a normal thing for her to hear anymore. It was a fact that she had known, but forgotten. The same way one might not play an instrument for years, but would be able to pick it up with just a few hours of practice.


"You know it's weird hearing your own name, I guess that sounds terribly stupid when I say it out loud. However, I haven't seen anyone in at least 7 months. I mean I've come across the occasional companion, however they usually run screaming when they see..." She hesitated, "what I can do."


Hoping he would understand that she was talking about her power, she blushed slightly. Sighing heavily, "Did you think anyone would ever see anyone again? I didn't. I was sure that I was the only one alive. The 2 people I've seen have both died, it was sad, but it's what they get for running off like children I guess." She started to feel bitter and pushed the feeling aside, not wanting to push her new found companion away.


She saw the slightest flash of blue, she knew she had. Shaking her head she now came to the conclusion she was going color blind, or insane, or maybe a mix of both.


Another sound, this time she flinched. Holding her knees time, she looked at the young man again.


"You know, you think you might get used to the world after so long. But I can honestly say I haven't." Her voice was sad, and had just a touch of anxiety in it.