Broken Realities: What-if

Author note at the end. Enjoy.

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Chapter 14:

"It's bruised," Glen's voice cut through the tension, bringing everyone's attention back to him and the leg he was inspecting. "There's no mark of a bite other than bruising." He repeated this with a sigh of relief, wiping away the crimson, almost black liquid that had congealed around the area as he continued cleaning Alex's foot.

Another few gunshots in the distance distracted most walkers, as they scattered around, but one stayed at the windows, growling and groaning.

"It's okay, Alex. You're fine. You'll be fine," Glen reassured, trying to maintain a confident demeanor for his best friend, though the apprehension gnawed at him. As he gently continued to clean Alex's foot, the sight of the bruised flesh came into focus for everyone else. 

Alex finally opened his eyes to see his own foot; while dirty and blue due to the bruising, the flesh remained intact. There were no deep cuts, no punctures that would signal impending doom.

The relief in the room was palpable, but it didn't erase the tension completely. Kenny and Lee sighed heavily in relief. Glen's announcement had also shut Larry's complaining, who had backed off with a scoff. Muttering something that only Lilly caught. She looked like wanting to say something, before following her dad as well.

Seeing them back off, Kenny leaned against a nearby shelf, taking his hat off and rubbing his forehead with his wrist, while Lee leaned next to him as well, both men still visibly shaken. "That doesn't mean we can let our guard down," Lilly spoke up, getting glares from Kenny, while she eyed the store's windows. "We should still keep an eye on things."

Lee nodded, his gaze shifting to the windows that were barely fortified. "She's right. We need to secure this place better while we have the chance."

"Once we're done here," Glen added, going to his bag and coming back to carefully bandaging Alex's foot with a length of gauze he found in the first-aid supplies. Lilly continued, ignoring Glen. "We should place the movable shelfs in front of the windows. Without making any sound."

"And who put you in charge?" Kenny spat the words out, his glares not ceasing towards her. Before Larry could join the verbal fight, "Kenny…" Alex's tired and scared voice stopped anything further.

"She's right." The eyes of the group turned to him, Kenny and Lee in surprise, others in concern and cautious, as he glanced scaredy at the windows, trembling in front of everyone. "She's right." He murmured…

He had never felt so emotionally drained, but the adrenaline coursing through him made it easier to push through the pain. 'Stronger.' The thought ran in Alex head, slowly but surely building his foundation back up from the near-death experience. 'No… I can still die.' He told himself, watching his foot bandaged to stop the swelling.

'I could turn any moments now.' The voices churned and he gasped loudly. 'I'll die.' The conclusion shook him, as the surroundings turned blurry and closing in. "Alex." Glen called him, taking his friends hand and putting it on his heart. "Feel my breathing." He ordered, taking deep breaths.

"What's going on now!" Larry walked forward, but Glen glared at the man. "Not now!" Before focusing on Alex. "YES, RIGHT NOW!" Larry hissed, while Kenny and Lee moved back in their former position, glaring at the man. "He's having a panic attack." Carley informed, sitting next to Glen and Alex.

"Listen to me, Alex. Follow after me." Glen calmly ordered, taking deep breaths, his friend's hand on his chest, who was now fully focused on him. "That's right. Focus on me. It's just me and you here." Glen continued as others watched.

"That's it, buddy. I got you. I'm right here with you." He continued, eyes not leaving Alex's brown eyes, as he noticed Alex's breathing return to normal. "Remember the exam before you took off?" Glen added, breaking Alex's daze, who shook his head. "The one we were late in. Professor Wilson's." Glen grinned, some clarity finally showing in Alex's eyes.

"Cell- cellular respiration?" Alex shakingly answered and Glen's grin just grew. "Guess what I got." He asked, throwing Alex's in a loop. "What."

"B+" Glen continued, bringing his forehead on Alex's. "Wha… You're lying." Alex shot back, more alive now. "Nope, and you wanna know what you got?"

A surprised expression passed through him, "You looked for my grade?"

"Of course, I would buddy. Guess." Glen encouraged, trying his best to distract his best friend from all the craziness, while everyone else surrounded the two boys, captured by their moment.

"Fuck… I failed didn't I." Alex answered and Gren chuckle, shaking his head. "Worse, you got B."

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Immediately, Alex burst off laughing, followed by Glen as they hugged. The sound of their laughter echoed in the dim room of the drugstore, cutting through the suffocating tension that had settled over the group. It was a moment of reminder for everyone in the room, of the life they no longer had, but also the most important thing.

Their bonds.

Friends.

Family.

Each person in that room, even if it was just a moment, they connected on an emotional level instead of thinking for themselves. Slowly, as the laughter turned to chuckles, and then fading away, the group fell back into a more somber tone.

"I missed you, man." Alex spoke, breaking the hug and letting out an exhale. "Yeah… I'm sorry about not listening to you." Glen spoke, his words heavy with meaning. When Alex looked around the room for the first time and didn't see Sarah or Glen's parents, his eyes fell to the ground in defeat. "I should ha-"

"No." Glen cut him off, "You tried to warn me about this outbreak, I didn't listen." He continued, shaking his friend by the shoulder, then grabbing him by his head, making him stare at him. "That's on me, Alex. Not you."

Alex held Glen's gaze, trying to find solace in his friend's words, then nodded unconvincingly.

Lilly, witnessing the raw exchange between his two friends, stepped forward. "Alright, we need to focus on what's next. We might not have much time before those walkers outside realize we're in here. The gunshots from before must have distracted most of them."

"While we're at it," Lilly added, glancing at her father and then to Kenny, who still had a disgruntled expression on their faces when their eyes met, "let's not provoke any more problems. We need to work together."

Though before they could start covering the windows, a helicopter passed through their area, while gunshots continued to echo from the distance.

"Is that the military?" Kenny asked, hopeful, but no one answer him. "Let's get a move on." Lilly spoke up. Slowly, they took off anything that were on the shelves and put them in a corner.

Before taking the empty shelves and placing it in front of the windows while not making any sound. Only the entrance was free from any obstruction. While Alex offered to help, he was refused by Lilly, Kenny, Glen, and even Carley, the news reporter that Alex introduced himself to after everything.

The other man, Doug, stayed passive throughout the entire thing. Once Alex greeted him, the man finally answered back, though he still didn't share much. Only that he was an IT technician before all this.

Once the shelves were by the window, everyone looked at each other before Lee motioned for Kenny to follow him in a corner to speak quietly. While Alex asked for Lilly, Carley, and Larry's background.

Both father and daughter were in military service, before leaving. When asked how they came to be holed up in the drugstore, Lilly answered before Larry could. "We're looking for pills." At Alex's raised eyebrow, she clarified. "My dad has heart problems. He needs Nitrog-"

"Nigeria pills." Alex interrupted, making Glen chuckle in surprise, others confused, but the father and daughter duo glared at him. "Sorry, didn't mean it as a joke." Alex placated, before slowly rising up from the floor with Glen's help. "He has a unique way to remember complicated names." Glen offered helpfully.

"Nitroglycerin Pills." Lilly corrected, glancing back at the caged pharmacy. "We've been trying to get into the pharmacy since we got here."

"There's another entrance. Through the office." Lee added, coming back to the conversation. "How do you know that's an office?" Carley asked and Lee hesitated before speaking. "It's my family's drugstore."

"I-…" Lilly quietened down, guiltily stared at the floor, remembering two older couple who had died in the back. The same ones she and her father threw their bodies outside when hiding inside the store.

"I need those pills." Larry gruffly repeated before the topic could change again, while glaring at Lee. "I'll try to find a way." Lee said before walking towards the back door. "Need any help?" Alex offered but Kenny grabbed him by his shoulder. "Relaxed, you're focus should be to not move too much. Otherwise, your foot could swell." He gestured and Alex reluctantly nodded, feeling helpless.

"I'll help." Glen instead offered, getting a thanks from Lee.

Turning to everyone else, Kenny looked around before speaking. "You, Doug, I need you to keep an eye outside. You'll switch with Carley when you're tired." Turning to the addressed woman, "You need to rest for now and take after Dough."

"My slingshot." Alex spoke and Kenny grunted, while others frowned. "Your toy isn't important." Larry started. "That's because you don't know what he can do with it." Kenny answered.

"You dropped it?"

Clicking his tongue, "Yeah, when I fell, I think." Alex told him and the man sighed. "That's bad…"

"That door stays shut!" Larry interrupted but Kenny didn't give him any time of day. Instead, he walked towards the same door and opened just a little, peeking through the crack. In fear, no one even whispered anything before Kenny shut the door and looked at Alex. "Alex." He called him, seriously, voice firm.

"How good do you think their sight is?"

"Why." The boy whispered back, mind already racing over what he had experienced through before coming to a conclusion. "We could get your slingshot if we had something to pull it with something long from here."

"Ah."

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Author note:

Hey, guys.

Extremely short chapter. I'm sick and couldn't write a lot. Sorry for that. 

Main reason why I even wrote this chapter and posted was because I was seeing a lot of worry about Walking Dead world before moving on to another. Which, I will say, unless I finish those things, I will not end the walking dead simulated world. 

Right now, we're in chapter 14, so if you don't want spoiler, dont read the following after the 10 dots.

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If I'm thinking right and if no other idea or things pop up in my head while trying to finish the Walking Dead, the first world should end in another 20 chapters or 25 at best. Chapter 65 if I get carried. So you have another 50 chapters of walking dead, at best. Afterwards, I need your help to choose the next simulated world. The level should be around the same as Walking Dead.

It can even be Avengers MCU movies for example, but the off world stuff (space) will not be there, such as the stones, and Thanos and all that. None of it. So, at best, Civil war cast power level.

Though I do plan to write MCU story with that setting, since I've been cooking some things in my head for a bit and would love to explore that.

Criteria is: same level as walking dead, can be games, animes, movies, tv series. Though things that common people know about it. I dont want to binge watch 5 seasons of anime/tv series, just to write 50 chapters about it.

things suggested that are over powered, tell me how to underpower them or remove them.

anyway, head is killing me.

going sleep.

Author oit.