Month of Five

An unofficial Zombies Run! writing and drawing challenge! All mediums of creative expression are welcome, and there’s no requirements for number of days completed or timeframe, just join in and have fun! This blog is run by Taavetti, main blog @millieways42

[monthoffive]

That’s a wrap for 2026!

Thank you to everyone who participated! Everyone’s work was so awesome, and I loved seeing the different interpretations of the prompts. I had a lot of fun seeing everyone’s art and stories, and I hope you all had a good time too!!

[nathaniel-needs-to-die]

Day 10 - your runner

I'M BACK GUYS I'M BACK I'M-

FUCK IT'S THE LAST DAY NOOOOOOOOOOOOO

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Day 31: Favorite character pairing (romantic or platonic)

THEM

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Day 15: In a cute/cool outfit or dressing up for a mission/event

These are basically just outfits I want and can’t justify getting right now, so I’m drawing them on my favorite characters. But, because it’s fun to make up in universe reasons, I’m gonna try to do that

In universe explanation: I think my Five would’ve worn this for fun at home pre-apocalypse. Probably not in public though

In universe explanation: He was cold and this is what was warm and clean (I think that’s all it would take tbh, the man’s secure enough in his masculinity to draw himself in a skirt because he’s “cheerleading for Five”, he wouldn't go out of his way to choose it, but I feel like he’d be basically neutral to wearing pink or whatever)

In universe explanation: This was either a dare or he lost a bet. *This* man is not secure enough to unironically wear pink, at least not in the early seasons

In universe explanation: She’s undercover. There’s no explanation for this other than espionage

[millieways42]

Day 29: Z-day

Warning, this one’s a heavy one

The wave of adrenaline is starting to recede, leaving him panting, for a moment unable to catch his breath. His voice shakes, but he can’t get a single word out, just incoherent horrified little sounds. 

His hand tightens around the lamp, it’s covered in blood and so is he. His clothes are spattered with it, and his fingers are dripping, making his grip slippery. 

He looks down at his dad’s body and nausea nearly forces him to the ground. 

Did he really do that?

His dad’s skin is grey, his head bashed open, brain exposed. 

The lamp slips from his fingers and hits the floor with a terrible clatter, splashing his jeans with more blood from the puddle around the body. 

Then he looks up and sees the blood running down his mom’s arm. 

He can’t will himself to speak.

She grabs the tv remote and turns on the news. He sits beside her. 

They sit and watch and time stands still. 

They watch the reports of what’s happening all over the world, what’s known about the origins… what happens when you’re bitten. 

It’s a blur. 

His mind isn’t on the tv. All he can think about is the bloody bite mark in his mother’s arm. 

This can’t be the end. She HAS to be okay. 

She turns to him. Her hands gently hold his face. This can’t be goodbye, he can’t let it be-

She strokes his hair and swipes his fringe aside. She gently kisses his forehead like she did a million times when he was a child, but this time feels so much more serious. 

“You’ve been so brave, my darling”

His eyes sting, finally one word claws out of his throat. “No”

“I couldn’t bear to hurt you. I need you to be brave one more time”

“Please”, his voice is so raw it physically hurts to use.

She hugs him, and he can’t hold her close enough. He can’t accept this will be his last time safe in his mother’s arms, and yet some part of him has the sense to start memorizing. The comforting pressure around his shoulders, her cheek pressed against his ear, that warm vanilla-y perfume she got on vacation when he was seven and had worn every day since. 

She lets go far too quickly. She leaves and returns with his father’s gun. 

He’s shaking his head, the edges of his vision are fading, his head is spinning. 

She hands it to him. 

“You’ve grown so much, I’m so proud of you, Sam, more than you’ll ever understand”

“I- mum, please-”

There are tears streaming down her face too. He hadn’t noticed. 

“Do your best to survive for me”

“Mum, I can’t- I-“

She smiles sadly and closes her eyes. He knows what’s kind and necessary, what a good son would do. He lifts the gun.

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Day 28: Favorite Mission

This was a REALLY hard call, across all 11 seasons, I have 29 episodes I’d consider my favorites. But I finished season 10 pretty recently, so I went for one of my favs from that season that I’ve still been thinking a lot about

Side note, I’ve never skied, so I have no idea what Sam meant when he asked them to help keep him upright… while they were both on skies? I feel like trying to physically hold on to him would probably hurt his balance more than help, so I’m assuming they’re just keeping real close and ready to grab him if he starts to lose his balance or faint or something (and if their skis are around his, maybe they can help him steer too? I couldn’t find a source on if that’d work though lol)

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Day 27: Hope for the future

A moment of happiness and calm to enjoy the safer world they all spend so long building for Sara and the rest of the new generation

I like to headcanon that Five helps out with Sara as often as their busy runner schedule allows, they’re basically the fourth main adult in her life

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Day 26: Favorite place in Abel

This takes place the day after Runner Five arrives at Abel

You haven’t been anywhere so simultaneously green and safe since the world ended. The inside of Mullins base was all concrete, dirt paths, and dying grass. You see nature all the time on your runs, but you’ve forgotten how to enjoy it; always sharply focused on your goal and the surrounding undead. 

Abel has a park. The trees are sparse and there are some tarps laid out- you’re not sure why, maybe to prevent mud in problem areas? But it’s within the walls and it’s sprawling. You hear birds overhead, feel the dappled sun filtering through the tree you pass beneath, onto your skin. The fresh earthy scent of leaves fills your lungs, and it brings back memories of the time you used to spend out in forests or by lakes.

Back when you would run for fun, this is what it was all about. 

And the world is still here. You’ve lost so much and yet this piece of nature still exists, as if plucked from the past. The sorrow of what you’ve lost and hope for what you can still build, don’t battle and instead intertwine. They form some new emotion, potent and bittersweet, it’s overflowing in your chest.  

You’re not surprised Mullins isn’t coming for you. They can’t risk more personnel to retrieve one operative. At first you were frustrated, resigned to this reality, but by no means happy about it. But now, walking through a lovely park on a pleasantly cool day, you think maybe you could learn to settle in here. You never really had friends at Mullins anyway. Not that you intend to make them here either. 

That radio operator, Sam, he invited you to come and talk with him any time; and, from what little you know of him, you do like him. But you lost everyone when the apocalypse started, you’re not eager to find new people to care about. 

Still, you probably can expect a comfortable and easy working relationship with him, which you do appreciate. And he did save your life. 

Maybe you should stop by the comms shack later after all, at least to thank him. 

[millieways42]

Day 24: Collected an Item

Slime mold

[pixeldinostorytelling]

A little low effort today since I had a lot going on, but here’s a PSA to all eager runners who get a little forgetful after injury.

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Day 20: Movie Night

Man, it’s been a while since I’ve written sweet fluff, it feels good to give the characters some time to just be happy. This takes place between seasons 8 and 9, but there’s only really major spoilers up to season 4

“Is it time now?” 

Sara had been asking variations of that question nonstop for the past hour. 

“Almost now. Five’ll be here soon, then we can go. Here, let’s get your jumper on.” Sam knelt down to help her with the little zipper. 

Seeing movies was a rare event in those times. The outdoor movie theatre had been built less than two years prior, and only operated a few select times since. 

There was a knock at the door, and Sara excitedly ran up to greet Five. They tussled their fingers through her hair affectionately, and she immediately became distracted by the small box in their hand. 

“What’s that?”

They grinned, sharing a glance with Sam, and opening the box, sliding several thin plastic tubes of dully colored liquid, into their hand.

Sam stepped up beside her, explaining, “this is something from before Abel, Five managed to find a few on a run.”

They took one of the sticks and bent it, a spark of purple light appearing in the dimly lit cabin. She watched, fascinated, as they briskly shook the little tube, spreading the brilliant glow across its entire length. 

“They’re glow sticks, you can wear them as bracelets.” They grinned, popping a connector on the end of it and fastening it around their wrist to demonstrate.

Awed, she stared at it. “Can I have one?”

After a brief pause, she quickly corrected herself. 

“Please, Magic Five, can I have glow sticks?” 

They grinned, handing her the little box. “They’re for you”

___

The glow sticks kept her entertained for another fifteen minutes, and by the time they left, they were right on time to get there and be settled before the movie. 

They met Paula and Maxine, fresh off their hospital shifts, at the theatre. 

“Hi Mummy’s!” Sara bounded up to them, immediately showing them the numerous colorful glowing bracelets covering her arms.

Maxine smiled. “Wow, those are beautiful, honey.” She glanced knowingly at Five, asking Sara, “where’d those come from?”

“Five gave me them and I got to pick all the colors and I also chose Daddy’s, and one of Five’s!” Sam grinned, lifting the wrist with his green glow bracelet, and Five took their hand out of their pocket to show their stacked purple and pink ones. “I made a necklace for Pilpil, but Daddy says Pilpil needs to sleep now.” 

“…I didn’t want him falling in the muck out here”, Sam murmured. Sara was distracted showing them all the colors and picking out one to give to each of her mums. 

When she was done and Maxine and Paula had matching blue bracelets, the four adults shepherded her to their seats, and the movie began.

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Day 18: Gift

Taking place in the beginning of season 9, Five gets home from their supply run and has a little gift for Sam

By the time Five finished logging their supplies, getting bite-checked, and taking their quick shower, it was well beyond nightfall. Their supply run route had taken them through an old crumbling mall, grabbing whatever they could from the dingy stores. The camping store had already been thoroughly raided, so it had mainly been a tech and entertainment mission, gathering toys for the children and batteries for the runners’ flashlights. 

And, along with the requested items, they had found and grabbed an extra trinket that had made them think of a certain person.

They pulled their shirt back on, dipping their head down and tussling their hair through the towel. Five emerged, hair damp and wild but no longer dripping water on the floor. 

They returned to their room, careful to be quiet so as not to disturb their roommates. Just inside the door, there was a folded letter with their designation on it, which they grabbed. They grinned, beginning to read it over. It was endearing how he announced that it was him as if they wouldn’t know his handwriting by now (not to mention his name already being signed at the bottom). 

He invited them to join a LARP, which sounded wonderful, they greatly looked forward to it. It was a coincidence  considering the object they had found on their run. It seemed it was an even more relevant gift than they had realized. 

They read the rest of the note, and their smile faded slightly. He tried to mask it in casual language, as if his anxiety was nothing more than a silly little personality trait; but it had gotten worse since their last mission. Watching a close friend die right in front of him, seeing another equally dear friend’s lifeless body, having to wait there, crouching beside a corpse, to find out wether Five themself had miraculously made it out alive or wether he’d lost them too… it was understandable to say the least. But still, they hadn’t realized it was now so bad that he was unable to sleep when they were away, even on the safest of routine runs. 

They sighed, stuffing the note in their pocket and grabbing the trinket from their runner’s jacket before tossing the hoodie onto their backpack beside their bunk. 

It wasn’t that they didn’t want to see him, in fact, they would’ve gone straight to speak with him had they not assumed he’d be asleep so late in the evening. It was the larger implications of this anxiety of his that worried them. They feared that this would become a self perpetuating cycle; him following them into danger because he couldn’t stand to be apart, only to become even more traumatized in the process. Stepping out of their room and closing the door softly, they walked to his, closing their fingers around the small object in their palm. 

They reached his door and lifted their free hand, tapping their fingertips against it, their short nails clicking quietly on the wooden surface. He answered almost immediately, slipping out of the room and whispering. “Five! It’s good to see you. Everyone else’s asleep, we’d best get away from the cabins before talking”

They nodded, and the two of them headed away from the housing, towards the grassy farmland and the goat pens. 

Once they were a safe distance from sleeping citizens, Five casually said, “You know, I only saw a handful of zombies this run and no V-types. Things are a lot safer nowadays”

“That’s good”

A part of them wanted to just blurt it out, ‘you don’t need to worry about me so much’, ‘I’m fine’, ‘please trust me to be safe’. But that wasn’t really how it worked, was it? In those couple years that boats made their heart rate spike, it wasn’t because they actually believed seeing one would grant Moonchild the power to once again seize control of their mind. 

“Uh… something wrong, Five?”

They shook their head. Maybe this was something they needed to bring up to him, but that moment, late at night with both of them exhausted, was far from the ideal time. 

Instead, they grinned, lifting the hand they held closed into a loose fist. “I found something for you on my run”

He looked to them, surprised, and they opened their hand, their grin widening at his expression of awe. 

“That looks SO cool! Like something Jedward and Paladin Five would have to stop the corrupt elf king from using for his nefarious schemes”

They lifted the pendant by the bronze chain, the huge colorful- almost certainly glass- gem gleaming in the moonlight. “I thought you might want it as a spell focus for your costume”

He made an incomprehensible sound of joy and grabbed them in a hug, making them laugh and hug him back. 

Afterwards, Five handed him the necklace, and he smiled down at it, then looked back to them. 

“You know me so well, sometimes I think you must be a mind reader”

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Day 17: Transformation horror

Poor Sam :(( (The red fungus incident)

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Day 8: Abel family

I’m going back to a prompt I missed way earlier in the month just to twist this fluffy prompt into angst :D. This one takes place the evening after S8 M2 Aftershock.

(Content warning: this fic touches on the topic of Sam nearly dying because of his inaction because he was upset. It’s not implied to be on purpose or anything like that, but if you’re particularly sensitive to mental health/ideation related topics, it may be upsetting)

Five took a shaky breath, trying to keep their sobs quiet as they pulled off their soaked shirt. 

After what had felt like years of running through a storm, they were safe and sheltered and able to grieve. 

They shuffled their soaked trousers off as well, and dried themself with a towel, their hands shaking. They knew everyone was suffering, they didn’t want their grief to make things harder for the others. 

They and Sam had been Ellie’s closest friends, but with Janine so sick, no one was exempt from the growing dread. 

Five tried to slow their silent sobs as they pulled on their dry clothes. Looking in the small dusty mirror, they were unsurprised to see their face flushed and eyes still glossy; but they couldn’t hide in there forever. Tom and Paula were waiting for their turns to change. 

They took one more deep breath before walking out of the room, trying to ignore the dull ache in the front of their head. 

They tried not to look at anyone, going straight to their sleeping bag, hoping, unrealistically, to find refuge from their emotions in sleep. But, as they reached for the zipper, the edge of a piece of paper, slipped inside the sleeping bag, caught their eye. 

A quick glance around them, and they realized that Sam was nowhere to be seen. Their heart skipped a beat as they grabbed the note and read it. 

It started with an apology. It didn’t help. 

They didn’t want him to be sorry, they wanted to believe it wouldn’t happen again… that they could trust him to keep himself safe. 

It had been terrifying. They weren’t sure they’d ever before felt quite that level of fear. The sickening realization of what was happening and what was at risk, the pit in their stomach, the flash of panic that slipped through their trained demeanor. 

If they and Paula hadn’t been there, hadn’t been fast enough, or hadn’t been strong enough… if they hadn’t been so close… he would be dead. 

Just thinking about it made them feel an indescribable horror, a cocktail of emotions they didn’t think they’d ever fully untangle… and yet, they couldn’t bring themself to be upset *at* him. 

They wished he hadn’t come here. If only he was safe back home… 

They read on. He had written about Ellie, the grief, the unfairness. And then, crossed out, ‘if we lose Janine, I don’t know what I’ll do’. 

They hung their head, tears welling in their eyes again. They felt similarly, they didn’t know how they’d handle that grief on top of this one. 

But the statement also scared them. 

If they hadn’t intervened, he would’ve let himself die because he had allowed his grief over losing Ellie to overwhelm him. What WOULD he do if they lost Janine?

At the bottom of the letter sat another apology, this time for the pressure he was putting on them by sharing all of this with them, a request to spend some time with him that night if they could because he didn’t want to be alone, and, finally, his name starkly signed at the bottom, devoid of his usual doodles, ‘love’, or X’s.

They stood. Exhausted though they were, he needed them, and they needed to know he was ok. They may usually prefer to grieve alone, but they could make an exception for their favorite person in the world. They had before. 

They turned to Jody where she sat on her sleeping bag, braiding her hair. Beyond her spot, Janine seemed to already be asleep, so they kept their voice low. 

“Do you know where Sam is?”

“He went out onto the porch”, she whispered back, “I tried to talk to him, but he was being really quiet, it was dead weird. Best I can figure, he wanted some time alone”

“Thanks” 

They turned and quietly made their way to the front door. Before they stepped outside, they could see him, huddled under the porch overhang, shivering without the warmth of his hoodie, ambient moonlight glistening off the tears that ran down his face. 

The thunderstorm was still raging, the air filled with the combined sounds of heavy pounding rain and branches crackling under the force of the wind. 

They stepped outside and closed the door again behind them, silently approaching and sitting beside him. Without a word, he leaned his shoulder against theirs, and they reciprocated, leaning into it as well. 

They looked at his face, he looked out at the storm. 

“…thanks for being here…” -his breath hitched- “you’re always there for me.” He sniffed, more tears welling in his eyes and spilling over. “…I don’t deserve you”

“Of course you do”, they breathed. They too, almost immediately began to shiver against the cold, stormy, night’s air. 

“I- I can’t believe she’s gone.” His voice sounded weak and strained. 

“…me neither”

“She wanted to see the Edda and- and- and she’ll-“ He lost the fight for use of his voice, against the violent chocking sobs, and buried his face in his hands. 

A few tears silently trickled down Fives own cheeks, more controlled but no less felt. “…I’m really going to miss analyzing books together.” They were surprised by how damp their own voice came out sounding. 

After a long pause, he answered, face still hidden, and voice still frequently halted by sobs, “we’ll never see her again- or talk, or- or when she’d rant about historical inaccuracies and- and it was actually really interesting”

Her absence was yet another hollow punched out of their chest. They had lost so many friends it was almost incredible they hadn’t adapted to stop feeling it so deeply. 

They didn’t know what to say, and Sam had once again descended into sobs. They knew he usually appreciated hugs, but whether now was the right time was a gamble, so they tentatively put an arm around his shoulders. 

Slowly, he leaned against them, and the tears began to subside, leaving them both tense and him still gasping for air. 

He reached his arms around them in a strange sort of sideways hug, leaning his teary face against their shoulder. “I want to go home”, he mumbled. 

“Me too…”

“It’s not fair! Losing Ellie, and then we’ve also got to worry about Janine!” His arms tightened slightly around them. “I’m so, so, tired of losing people”

They hugged him back, and, for a long time, said nothing. Because… he was right, and they felt the same. They sat, locked in the embrace, silent tears sliding down their cheeks, and tried to find the strength to contradict their own thoughts. 

What would Sam say if he was on the outside of this?

“…we’ll get the cure, she’ll be fine.” 

A horrible dread snaked through their stomach the moment the words left their mouth. They were not an optimist by nature and, to them, speaking as if they knew the unknowable felt more like a jinx than reassurance. As if the fates would conspire just to make a liar of them. 

“I hope so.” His voice cracked. They could feel the tears soaked through their sleeve.

“…we’ll figure it out”, they added, this time without feeling that awful emotional kickback. Because that, they did wholeheartedly believe.

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Day 16: Abel runners’ downtime

Taking place shortly after the season 10 finale

Hey Five, 

Janine and I are setting off in just a few days, going to settle in at and revamp that old farm. 

Before that, I thought maybe you and I could try out that new rock wall they’ve built. Spot for each other, have a go at reaching the top? 

If you’re up for it, meet me there after your supply run. 

-Peter

Five didn’t bother changing out of their running clothes before heading for the rock wall. They slung off their jacket and tied it around their waist as they trotted along, and soon they reached their destination. Peter was already there, pacing. 

“Hey!”

“Five!” He grinned, gesturing up at the wall. “Would you like to go first?”

They smiled back, though they were sensing some nervousness in his demeanor. “Sure!”

Five walked up to the wall, grabbing onto the handholds just above eye level, and catching their feet against the lower ledges. Peter stood behind them, keeping watch. 

Since no one else was nearby, they felt comfortable saying a quiet, “congratulations, by the way”, as they climbed the first few feet off the ground.

They could practically hear the smile in his voice. “Thank you, I’m glad you and Sam made it, it was good having you there”

“I’m glad too!” They heard him step closer, tracking their progress up the wall. “So, farming, huh?”

“Well, Janine got quite good at it before… all of this, and it does sound relaxing. You know, relative to the never ending horrors.  But… eh…”

“Yeah?” They stretched for a further hand hold. They had nearly reached the halfway point, and the rocks and nooks were becoming sparser. 

“… I do worry. About leaving Abel.”

“What, think the rest of us runners can’t handle ourselves without you?”, they teased.

“…no.”

They nearly missed their foothold. 

“Oh… what is it then?”

“Oh, it’s… nothing, really. It doesn’t really matter”

“…you’re usually a better liar than that”

He sighed deeply. “I just… I mean, I don’t really deserve any of this, do I? I betrayed all of you, there is absolutely no excuse for that! And I thought, if I could just have a tiny fraction of the trust and friendship I threw away, that’d be enough, even if it’s as a stranger. But that’s not what happened, is it?”

They kept quiet, climbing and listening. 

“-I got my friends back, you and I are as close as ever, I think Jody actually likes me more now than before, and Janine proposed to me! You figured out who I am, and you still… I still got you all in my life again. And now, what, I get to go live a quiet life while Abel keeps doing heroics? …even though I’m immortal…”

“…I honestly don’t see the problem.” 

“…it’s selfish not to use my… condition, to keep being a runner. This is my punishment, I shouldn’t get to just… opt out!”

“Peter… just because you can die over and over doesn’t mean you should. You still feel the pain. That’s… horrible”

“I deserve it!”

“Maybe you used to… haven’t you died enough?“ they reached the top and began their climb back down. 

“Uh…”

“You deserve some peace too. Look at Steve, he did arguably worse than you for longer… he spent months suffering for our sakes, getting tortured and still not selling us out… and I think everyone’s forgiven him. I have.” They paused their climb down, clinging against the wall. “Now he spends most of his time teaching the kids’ theatre course and baking.” 

“Steve is mortal. And also mostly blind in one eye.”

“He still technically can do missions, he did a few after his injuries. -stand back, I’m gonna hop off.”

They glanced over their shoulder to make sure Peter had backed up enough, and pushed off the wall, landing easily with knees bent. 

“It’s not like you’re leaving the country, you’ll be around if there’s a real emergency. In the meantime, let yourself be happy. You’ve suffered enough.” they dusted off their hands, stepping to the side. “Ok, my turn to spot”

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Day 14: Dangerous Run

I’m a day late on this, but I didn’t want to miss this prompt :). This takes place directly after Crossing the Line. The first paragraph is Valmont’s canon last few lines of the episode, quoted from the transcript

“Cheers.” He sips the whiskey and sighs contentedly. “Oh, Five. You should see your face. Yes, Five. I was her boss! And now I’m yours! Because from this moment to forever, my dear, determined Runner, you belong to me!”

They push off the couch and dash immediately for the door. He was frustratingly right that they’re still weak, maybe the sedatives haven’t fully worn off, maybe it’s the overexertion catching up- but they won’t let that stop them. They’d rather be dead than be his. 

He laughs, almost amused. They hear him call for guards as they push past the door, eyes darting to both sides of the hallway. 

They pick a side and sprint, glad their legs seemed more awake than their hazy mind. 

Some of Valmont’s people quickly come into sight, and they turn, running down a new corridor. They need to get out. Get out, warn Abel, rescue the others. 

More guards cut them off from ahead and they get ready to fight. Their opponents are armed and they aren’t, but they’re not shooting. It suddenly strikes them; he needs them alive. 

They only get so far as socking one guard across the jaw, before Valmont’s bored voice broadcasts through the speakers overhead. “Legs, your delightful little heroics aren’t so endearing when you’re damaging my employees. Now, I do need that blood of yours, buuut, I don’t need Sam’s. Be a good little runner… or I’ll have to start revoking his privileges. What should I begin with? Food… a cot… intact limbs?”

They deflate, hanging their head as the guard they had punched, roughly handcuffs them. 

“I knew you were smart! Excellent. I know what you’re thinking; no… your cell won’t be near his. But Sam is alive and well.” He laughs again, the sound strikes anger in their chest, they can’t believe they once called him a friend. “Still groggy from that whole ‘collapsing Veronica’ business, won’t stop talking about you, calling your name. It’s sad really…”, he drawls. 

They’re thrown in the cell and it’s locked. The guards remove their handcuffs, then walk away.

“My guards will deliver your dinner shortly.” An icy tone enters his voice. “I suggest you eat.” His voice returns to his normal, cheerful, tone. “Got to keep you healthy! As much as I do adore you, Legs, you owe me that blood. I know you’re probably thinking about being defiant. I do know you well! …don’t forget who’s on the line if you go and make things difficult.”

The intercom cuts, and Five’s alone in their concrete cell. 

[millieways42]

Day 13: Sacrifice

Taking places after A Real Hero, Sam and Five discuss Veronica’s sacrifice

“Do you reckon she’s still… Veronica?” Sam stared at the floor, uncertainty and grief mixing in his expression.

Across from him, Five solemnly considered the question. They had gone to the comms shack the moment they had gotten home and finished being checked over. 

“She sounded like herself… on the way back.” She had talked to them, making use of the interface of the computerized motorboat. “She asked why I teared up when I found your note in my backpack”

He took this in, a small sad smile touching the corners of his lips. “That does sound like Ronnie, yeah”

“Yeah… the statistics are a bit weird though… I guess that’s from the ANNIE part?”

“How do you mean?”

“I think she said something like… ‘Five? I don’t understand what about this you are finding so emotionally affecting. It is no longer relevant; Sam is perfectly safe, as are you, at least in comparison to the rates of danger that have been the baseline for approximately 5 years, 10 months, and 23 days. Besides, given his observed personality and past behaviors, I project a 98.7% chance he will ensure you see one another within 15 minutes of your return to Abel, which is projected to be in another 34 minutes’… I probably got all those numbers wrong” 

“Oh… that is… different, yeah” 

“…maybe it is really her and she’s just… changed?”

“You think V and ANNIE have, like… what, melded? Like they’re completely one and the same now?”

“…maybe…” They sighed. “…or maybe Veronica died, and ANNIE just has a copy of her personality”

“It sounded like she believed it’d be a full transfer”

“…I don’t think we’ll ever know if she was right”

“Yeah… either way, it was very brave of her.” He clenched his jaw, looking down, blinking back tears. “I really wish she hadn’t, I keep feeling like there should’ve been another way… but it was her choice… and she did save you and maybe all of England. Still… that’s a really big sacrifice”

“…I don’t know. She seemed to really want to do it, even knowing the risks… and whatever version of her exists now seemed happy about it… from what I could tell” 

“But Ronnie does that, she closes off her emotions”

“…does she?”

He looked up at them, confused. 

“…I don’t know. Just, we’ve tried so many times to get through to her, maybe there’s never been a mask… maybe she really does just have… unusual responses to things”

“Even if she wanted to take that risk, she was still just a kid, seventeen!”

“…we let sixteen year olds be runners”

“God… I hate that this is what things’ve come to”