Rita & Joe (Alter:Re) Chapter 1 "Girls, Zombies and A Branch"

I know you guys already heard many zombies stories trough movies and any other media. Where the story begins from the patient zero who infecting another person until the whole world turns into a world full of zombies. So I not gonna tell you how it's all started from the very beginning because it's very boring and tiring, at last for me.

But I will tell you how it ends up, as mankind gets used to living in a world full of zombies. Well, here is the story . . .

So after the world full of infected people. There life two girls in a small village with minimum inhabitants villager and of course the zombies too.

On the edge of July 2023. 11 o'clock at noon, the sun is rising high and the field is so silent and calm. Two girls standing beside an old hut.

They standing beside each other while holding an ax with a shiny blade and firm handle. In front of them, there is an old tree branch, they don't know what kind of tree it is and how old it was but one sure thing is that the tree is very sturdy until now. And its proved by the zombies who biting it very hard like he is biting a person.

With arrggghhh voice and graaahhhh voice, he struggling to tear the tree branch skin with his old and messy teeth, but it's not giving any result after the long enough the zombie tries to bite it, while watched by that two girls with axes on their hands. Then the wind blows as they started to speak to each other.

"Hei Rita, how long we will watching him like that and do nothing with the ax in our hands?"

"it's true that we have to do something like you said, but . . ."

"what? just say it already . . . we already wait for him for 30 minutes until now!"

"But Joe . . ."

"Just said, I not gonna mad at you, and don't call me that or I'll mad at you"

"eh~, which one is between not mad and mad that you going to do to me?"

"Who cares anyway, just said already!"

"I care!!!~"

"ahhh~ ok ok, I promised not gonna mad, now said it!"

"ok, . . . I think I know that zombie before he turns into a zombie"

"eh . . . really?? Who is he?"

"Joe, do you remember the old man who works on the workshop behind the alley?"

"What. . .!!!" while trying to clam her anger because being called like a man name, she continues her point ". . . ok, let's forget about it for a while . . ., you mean that serious-faced old man? The one who always spends his day working hard to repair the tractor for the farmer?"

"Yeah, that one!!"

"Woah!! What a shock to see him on that form . . . ok, now you have said it then what we have to do next is chopping the head!! "

"Waaaaiiiitt!!"

"What, do you have something to say any more?"

"Just look at his face while he is biting that wood!"

"hmmm..., and why is that anyway?"

"Do you know, a few years ago when my father is still alive. My father used to farm on our field back home, right?! And as I remember its around 9 hectares. So it's impossible to do it by hand alone. So we always use our tractor to loosen the soil.

One day, our tractor is broke and we bought it to that old man for fixed. But after we get there he said that the part is out of stock and we have to wait for the part to get ordered and sent in a few weeks. But my father said that the rain season going to come and if we do not do it now we won't get the chance for the seed to sprout.

But even after that, he said that the repair is impossible without the part. So I and my father decided to go home empty-handed and sadly. That day my father looks very sad because the field is our only source to get income for continuing our lifestyle for a year. But we cannot do anything to our field without our tractor.

Then our days just pass by for a week without any new job for my father in the city. And as usual, the day becomes very gloomy and disquieting until a knock comes to our door."

"wait a minute!!! . . . is this going to continue for a long period?"

"Just silent a while Joe, it's going to enter to the climax scene"

"Tsk!!"

"ok let's continue! it was a shock to us that the one who knocks our door is that old man! Its unpredicted isn't it?!"

"hmmm~ is kind of I can guess it, actually"

"eeeeh . . . but Meena said to me that it's unpredicted!!"

"Yeah, it's kind of what she will say. Anyway, let's continue so we can chop the zombie's head immediately!!"

"ehh~ ?! ok lets continue . . ., that day he comes knocking our door with a hoe on his back and exhausted face. Then my father asked him what happen to him and he replied like this, "sorry I let your hope down heehh . . . hheeehhh . . , I think back at the workshop about what I can do to repay that heehh . . . heehhh . . ., so I decided to work on your field and make them ready for seeding, so now you can do the seeding even without a tractor".

My father so shock upon what he did to our field and ask him how can he do our field by himself alone and he replied "when you do something with all of your heart there's nothing is called impossible", and that was the last word I ever heard of him since that day"

"hmmm I get it, so you can't chop him because of your emotional issue upon the field he works for your family?!"

"noo~ you lost the point! That is not the reason, beside work on other people's fields without permission is illegal, right!"

"ah~ you right it still counted as an illegal act, so what makes you can't chop him right away?"

"you know, when I see him working hard tearing that branch skin with all his force even it looks like impossible to tear. I kind of feel sympathy, and want to see him success"

"WHHHAAAAATTT!! Just that?! No other resonable reason?! Really?!"

"te-hee, so . . . can we wait a little longer until he brakes that branch and chop him away?"

"ok, I'll chop him by my self!" so said Joe take her first step while rising her ax on her hands.

"noo~ just wait a minute, why don't you be sympathy after knowing how hard he working hard before all of this??"

"WHAT ARE YOU SAYING?! HE IS A ZOMBIE, YOU KNOW!! A Z – O – M – BI – E, ZOMBIE!!"

"Akh . . .!? why are you yelling so loud near my ear, you could explode my eardrum"

"THAT'S THE WHOLE POINT!!"

"Ehh~, why . . ??"

"I can't take it anymore!! CAN'T TAKE IT ANYMORE!!!"

"NO!!!! No no no no no!!! Pleeaaseee stop Joe!!! Give him a little time!"

While paying no attention to what Rita said, Joe holds her ax's up and once again walking to the zombie that biting the branch while dragged by Rita's body.

But the moment she arrives and rises up her ax, she suddenly stops.

"What~?! so you can't do it either, do you!"

Relieved Rita releases her hold upon Joe's arms.

"nnnnn . . . "

Joe stoped and look frustrated while biting the tip of her lip.

"What happened, Joe? is there something wrong going on?"

"no way!!! why there is a kid following him biting that branch?!"

"kid?? what are you saying?"

While wondering about Joe's statement Rita comes looking into that branch. And there she sees a zombie boy looked angrily biting that branch.

"ooh!! yeah I know him, he is his only son that always follow his father work back at the workshop"

"What??"

"Hee Hee, so . . . is Joe always bad at handling a kid? what a surprise!"

"Hrrrmmmmm . . ."

Once again a curl on Joe's lip is unbearable by herself.

"so . . ., as we can see to the situation ahead. Why don't we let they be like that until tomorrow, as we prepare our heart to put an end to both of them? Anyway, that branch looks sturdy enough to hold them for one night."

"what . . ., but . . ."

"unless you wanna end it by yourself right now?" a smirk on the tip of her lip can be seen as Rita says it out loud.

Grabbing the situation and the pressure of Rita 's word, then by a heavy heart Joe replied it "ughhh!! ok then . . . , lets come back tomorrow, early in the morning."

But suddenly as they planning to come back, a zombie out of nowhere coming for Rita!

"RITAAA!! BEHIND YOU!!"

Joe, who saw the zombie approaching desperately try to warn Rita. But as Rita spins her body backward the zombie already too close to her and impossible to avoid.

"AKH!! NOOOO!!!"

"GRRRAAHH!!!"

. . .

"HHRRRAAHHHH!!!"

"wut???"

"GRRROOOAAHHHH!!"

More than a "wut???" word that comes out of Joe's lips, the situation turns out to be out of the expectation for both Rita and Joe. Which is rather than attack and bite Rita, the zombie turn out to walk over Rita and join the other two zombies who already in business earlier with the branch.

"whhaaaaatt the hell is that???!! it's just like he is not interested in you at all Rita!!"

"Heeckk!!"

"Yeah, I mean it's like the branch is more delicious than your meat, isn't it?? Don't you think so Rit . . . eh, where are you going?? eh, Rita?!"

Look pissed of something, Rita walking into a hut near them and come back with a jerry can of oil and pour it on the branch with three zombies who busy biting it. And light it up with a lighter on her hand.

That's how the night becomes warm and bright.

§

"Hey Rita . . ."

"WHAT!!"

Rita who is still pissed, responds Joe spontaneously in anger. But Joe who feels responsible for it even not knowing what causes it, responds back in a slower voice.

"no, it just . . . please call me Joesellyn next time, cause it embarrassing to be called like a guy"

"oh . . ., ok . . . sorry"

And thus the flake of ash burn up to the sky full of star . . .