Zombie Oscars and Tragic Childhoods

"Miss Lola, I'm sorry to disturb you but we have a new arrival," Blonde motioned at Han. Han opened his eyes and acted like a pitiful and tired teen. He gave the nurse a thin smile then shifted his eyes onto the boy with no arm.

"He's a strong one isn't he." Lola said as she noticed Han's gaze, "I could also say the same for you, young man. So much blood on you, and yet you still dare to smile. Come, let us check you for wounds."

Lola stood but not before giving the young amputee a tender kiss on the forehead. They went over the white curtain and once again Han could see the bloody room in its entirety. Han now knew what the curtains were for, they were merely to block the kid's vision from such a dreary sight. While it may be sweet, they cannot delay the inevitable. The kid will have to get used to the blood someday, and if he can't then it would be much better to die.

Soon they led him to a spare bed, Lola instructed Blonde to fetch some fresh clothes while she fetched a piece of cloth drenched in warm water. She smiled, the kind of smile that would make one feel at ease. She told Han to take off his shirt, then proceeded to wipe the blood off of his body. She was looking for wounds of any kind, especially bite marks or scratches. Han wondered if they would kick him out if he did have one, but soon enough she continued with his legs and still found none.

A very thorough procedure to ensure no infected are allowed to stay inside. Even if he was infected, the only person that could kick him out was the Blonde with a gun, and although he may have difficulty fighting off the whole floor there was no doubt he could do it. He smiled thinly as Lola met his eyes and pointed at his uniform.

"You came all the way here from Northway High, right? I recognize the uniform, if you did come from there, it would be a real miracle you don't even have a scratch on you."

"It was hard," Han sighed, "it was very hard,"

At that moment, Han truly appeared to be a 16 year old plunged into a cruel world. The way his shoulders sagged, eyes seemingly teary, with his black hair full of blood and dust. Anyone that could see him right then and there would feel pity that such a young man had to fight such things that even adults struggle to face.

Lola reached out and stroked him gently In the face, "Dear boy, you don't have to hold it in. You're safe now, you're allowed to cry."

Cry? Oh Han did cry rather excessively like a baby, Lola hugged him instantly. If the woman could see Han's face as soon as they hugged then she would have been disturbed by his eyes. He cried, but his eyes weren't in despair at all. The asymmetry was rather creepy.

Han was someone who would do anything, with no regard for pride or dignity if it kept him alive, This place was a safe place, or termed a safe house according to Hanne's memories. He needed to plan ahead, there was no need to antagonize anyone yet, especially those that can be of use to him. This nurse would surely be one of them.

As he was crying the Blonde came back with a fresh pair of dark skinny jeans and a black sweatshirt, he quickly 'composed' himself and wiped his tears. He excused himself and changed in no time, coming back with a weary smile and a washed-up face. He noticed the Blonde being less vigilant after talking with Lola. Lola must have told her he was now in the clear of being infected.

He lowered his head in what resembled a bow. "Thank you very much, miss Lola. Thank you for the clothes as well miss?"

"Amelia." The Blonde answered,

"My name is Han, thank you very much for your kindness, but I have to go now," Han mumbled as he headed towards the door, though he was instantly held back by Lola.

"Where are you going? We won't kick you out, you don't have to worry. You're not infected and we have plenty of food." Lola tried to gently tug him back towards the bed, but Han wouldn't budge.

Amelia paced forward and blocked Han's path while grabbing him by the shoulders, "Just sit down and rest kid. The military will come soon so if we just stay here we can survive."

"I have to find my parents, we lived here on the 6th floor," Han explained as he tried to brush off both hands gripping onto his body. He knew he was going to face resistance, and he knew it was going to be a pain in the ass to get through.

"Kid, don't be stupid, just because you survived out there for a bit doesn't mean that you're invincible." Amelia's voice hardened, her fingers started to dig onto his shirt, "The sixth floor is overrun, there was a party at the time of the infection, it's the most dangerous of all the floors."

Han was incredibly annoyed and tempted to grab her pretty fingers and break them. Still, Han couldn't be forceful as he was trying to use them, instead, he turned up his expression of frustration and hopelessness.

"I went all the way here just so I can see my parents. Please, let me go! I just want to see if they're still alive!" Han was a really great actor, the emotion he conveyed, the expressions he revealed, were all on point, "If they aren't, there's no point in living anymore!"

Amelia's gaze faltered, even Lola's grip loosened. However, Han knew it wasn't enough to get through. To be blunt, no matter how he argues with them, they won't let him pass. He had to rile them up, get them angry, and use that anger against them. Han needed to fish for a statement, a statement that was more likely to be true but one that couldn't be accepted easily by Han if he was a normal teen.

"Just let me go!" He yelled and 'struggled', slapping away Amelia's hands rather strongly. Amelia's face turned tenacious and held Han by the hands to restrain him.

"Don't you understand what I just said?! The sixth floor is overrun!"

"I don't care! They have to be alive! They have to be!"

"Young man, calm down," Lola tugged at his shirt,

"Han, listen, going there, especially a kid like you, will only be suicide." Amelia pleaded, "No one could survive up there."

Han knew she was already thinking it, but it was the kind of thing that could only be said as a last resort. It was a horrible thing to say, after all.

"If I don't see them alive, then I'd rather be dead!" Han screamed, his cracking prepubescent voice echoed throughout the whole floor. Amelia was taken aback, her eyebrows scrunched up together as she stared Han right in the eye.

"Han! They're dead. I'm sorry, but it's impossible for them to still be alive! " Amelia finally said as she shook him up, she said it to make Han stop, but instead she gave Han what he needed to rightfully run away in an outrage.

"No! You don't know that!" Han went on an outburst. He was now a teen making impulsive actions due to overwhelming emotion, he pushed Amelia on the floor, slapping Lola's hand away as he ran towards the elevator with tears rolling down his face.

It happened so fast, no one even knew what was happening. Han was like a man in overwhelming debt, running away as he passed by the residents and into the elevator, instantly pressing six. Amelia rushed out the door and towards the elevator but it was too late.

Once the door closed, Han went silent. He wiped off the tears on his face and picked up the leg he left there. A completely Machiavellian man on a mission, this was Han. He knew she was going to follow, the guilt will make her. It was her statement that 'pushed' Han to run after all.

The 6th floor was rapidly approaching, and Han needed to prepare himself. He gripped the corpse's leg tightly and calmed his senses. If the 6th floor was truly overrun then so be it, Han could simply ride the elevator back down, there was no need to fight in vain.

Once the doors opened, and he saw the meager amount of zombies compared to what he faced on the streets, a poised smile formed on his lips. He swiftly got out of the elevator and just as he expected, it went back down again.

Han instantly clobbered a zombie in the head, instantly killing it. He took care watching his stamina this time, and proceeded to smash zombie heads one by one, swiftly and precisely. Killing just enough to make it manageable for Amelia.

Before the elevator could come back, Han entered apartment 612 in haste. After locking the door he quickly scanned his surroundings. The room was familiar and comforting, it was strange for Han not just because he had never been here before, but because he felt safe.

Han hated it. It was like he was a bloody blade suddenly returned to its sheath. He fastened his pace around the perimeter to find anything of importance related to Hanne's parents. His eyes avoided the pictures framed all over, the rewards Hanne won in his childhood, or a picture of his sister's birth. Those of which were all related to a happy memory that didn't belong to him made him feel bewildered.

The joyful trips to the parks, the gleeful birthdays, the hugs, and the kisses. Han was getting confused. Who would have known that childhood could be this wonderful?