Long ZR fanfic based on Goodbye To You!
I’ve been working on this for several months now, and I’m finally ready to start posting it. A while back, I wrote a short fanfic on here, based on Goodbye To You, right after I played it. This one is loosely based on that, and the premise is basically “Goodbye To You except with the realistic medical consequences of being in a cold bin overnight with untreated open wounds, and also let’s explore some of Sam’s trauma while we’re at it”. The first chapter’s already posted on AO3, it’s called Surviving is Only Step One. I’m gonna post it here too because I’m excited and want to share, but the rest of the chapters will only be on AO3 so it stays organized, and will be posted each Sunday :D. If you’re interested in it, I’d love if you checked it out, and any comments would absolutely make my YEAR
Surviving is Only Step One, Chapter 1:
They stared down at him, and, for a moment, they were stunned. He was alive- his skin was sickly pale but not grey, his clothes were soaked and filthy, his eyes were only half open, he was shivering the hardest they’d ever seen, and it looked like he was hardly breathing; he looked awful, but not in the way of someone about to turn.
He looked up, his eyes barely focusing on them, and mumbled, “…runner five?”
“Oh god”, Jody gasped, looking to Five in horror, “we’ll have to kill him”
They looked over to her, one hand still on the edge of the bin. “Wait… listen”
There was a long, tense, moment of silence, broken only by his labored breathing and shudders. “He’s not doing the cough! -he doesn’t seem to be turning!”
“Five, check his pulse!”, Doctor Myers cut in over comms.
Obediently, they reached for him, but he squirmed away at their touch… or, at least, he tried to. He sounded and looked so upset, so desperate, but his protests were weak, both physically and in voice.
“No! Don’t touch me- I don’t want to hurt you!”
Five made a small sound of surprise, but, runner’s reflexes sharp as ever, they still managed to grab his arm for long enough.
“…I can hardly feel his pulse, and his skin is really cold”, they anxiously reported, releasing his arm and waiting, desperately hoping the doctor would have a solution.
“Hypothermia. -try to get him out, but be extremely gentle, if you’re too rough with him, it could stop his heart.” The clatter of the chair being pushed back and her standing, came through the headset. “I’m calling in some advise- hang on!”
The click of the closing door confirmed that the runners were, for the moment, on their own.
After a deep breath, Jody leaned back over the bin. “Come on, Five, let’s get him up”
They nodded and reached in, quickly clearing garbage from over him, and supporting his upper body as best they could from the difficult angle the shape of the bin forced; she did the same, grabbing his legs. He did not fight them this time, he didn’t seem to be conscious, probably a worrying sign, especially considering how slowly he was breathing, but a part of Five was just glad to be able to safely move him, considering the doctor’s horrifying warning.
Five and Jody locked eyes, confirming they were both ready, then looked back to him. As one, they lifted him up and over the edge of the bin.
“Think we can carry him, Five? He won’t be able to walk in this state…”
They considered, worry creeping into their expression. “…it’ll be smoother if one person carries him, Doctor Myers said that’s important. I think I can handle it, I’ve never carried an adult that far, but I can try…”
“Alright, and I’ll stick close incase you need help”. Jody carefully helped them adjust so that he lay fully in their arms. His soaked clothes were ice cold against their skin, and the slimy filth from the dumpster that he was covered in made it harder for them to get a secure grip.
Before they could ask what the plan even was, Amelia’s voice echoed through the alley, warning that a hoard was approaching. They had no clue what the next step was, whether there was even anything they could do for him at this point, but it didn’t matter. For that moment, their best friend was alive and in their arms, and they were going to do everything remotely in their power to keep him alive and lessen his pain, all the way to the end.
As they headed out of the alleyway, walking as evenly as they could to minimally jostle him, he stirred a bit, looking hazily up at them.
He sounded so afraid and confused, it broke their heart. Their mind was spinning in a thousand directions, but they tried their best to give comfort despite the storm of emotions within their own head.
Softly, they whispered, “you’re ok, just… cold, we’re gonna fix it, don’t worry”
It was probably a lie; they didn’t know if he was ok, they didn’t even know if he’d survive to nightfall, and, if he truly was bitten, they wouldn’t be able to take him back to Abel… he wouldn’t get the medical attention he clearly desperately needed.
As if she had read their mind, Jody, at their side, quietly asked, “…are we really sure he was bitten? -he might’ve thought he was, but it didn’t break the skin”
It was a good question, though the amount of hope it sparked in them might’ve been foolish. Gently, they asked him, “were you bitten?”
His face tensed in pain his arms held close to his body, but he managed a weak nod.
A shared glance with Jody, and she asked the follow-up question. “Where were you bit?”
There was a long silence, enough that Five thought for a moment he might’ve passed back out. But then, with gritted teeth and a shaking hand wracked with the same violent shivers as the rest of his body, he clumsily pulled up his sleeve, revealing a bite. It was covered in dried blood and the filthy grime that had soaked through his jacket, but it was unmistakeable.
Their breath hitched. They heard Jody’s shaky “-oh“ from beside them.
Swallowing hard, they began, “…we should probably-“, before they had even finished their sentence, she had reached across and gently pulled his sleeve back down. “…yeah.”
They were unsure wether the wet cloth was actually any better than no cover, maybe it was even worse, but it seemed safest not to make any changes until they had the doctor back on the line.
They didn’t have long to contemplate this before the comm shack door creaked open, and rapid footsteps approached the mic, along with Veronica’s voice. “Runner Four, Runner Five, Doctor Myers told me what’s happened, please, bring Sam back here immediately!”
Jody was the first to gather herself enough to answer. “…he was definitely bitten, V, we saw the wound… we can’t take him back to Abel”
“He hasn’t turned yet! And the one that bit him was an S-type- I need to study his blood. -besides, I have an idea, if you’re quick, I might be able to save his life!”
Five looked, wide eyed, to their fellow runner. It might be a long shot, but now, it seemed, there was a chance, and that was something valuable… they only hoped that Janine would allow it.
“I’ll need to get the machine ready, Doctor Myers said she’ll check back soon!”
And, with that, Veronica was gone once more, leaving them to process what she had said.
Sam began to stir a bit again as they walked, though his eyes remained closed. His voice was quiet, slurred, and interrupted by the constant shivering. “…just end this… please. It’s over…”
“It might not be”, Five whispered back, “Veronica’s got something”
He gave no answer, only falling silent once again.
titsay
jbbartram-illu
izzy806
2087
germansingergirl
baratheonpilled
yousharknotpass
