THE MOMENT
"Auugghh...," Barry groaned. He leaned, hunched over, on the brick wall for support while trying to catch his breath. He wiped his mouth with the back of his sleeve; expelling his stomach took a lot out of him. He wouldn't have expected to magically enjoy the taste of zombie flesh; but, he was not prepared for the foul reality. The first taste that hit was a sharp, tangy stink that was quickly eclipsed by the clumpy, crunchy jelly texture between his teeth. His entire being rejected the thought that he might swallow it.
"H-Hello?" the sudden voice startled Barry. He straightened up and flattened his back against the wall to make sure no one could surprise him. The zombie he bit was stumbling to his feet. He seemed woozy but his skin had a healthier color to it. He was pale and his cheeks bright red as he took in gasps of air. His wild eyes went from his own splayed fingers to Barry, then back again. "Thank you! Thank you!"
"Whowhy..huh?" Barry had several questions to choose from but he tried to ask them all at the same time. Unfortunately, the former zombie was too excited to be human again to answer questions. He spun around and dashed out of the narrow alley where he cornered Barry. He took two steps to follow the new stranger before someone else crossed his path. She was a short, tan, teenage girl with golden blond curls wearing a white robe. She turned to face him and her bright blue eyes sparkled from a stray sunbeam as she stared. She changed directions and ventured into the alley.
"Hi, I'm Molly," she waved and stopped some distance away.
"Barry," he nodded at her as he tried to process the situation. He couldn't remember the last time he saw another human alive. Now, he saw two in the span of a few minutes. Molly had to have seen the other stranger run out of the alley and zombies were everywhere. Even if Barry wasn't a zombie; the other stranger was clearly fleeing something. Still, she walked right into the alley and introduced herself. Barry did not relax.
She tilted her head at him and despite being in the shadow of the building, she somehow caught another stray sunbeam in her eyes. Her pleasant, resting smile grew broader and warmer.
"You probably have questions, huh?" she asked. "You're safe," Molly said. Somehow, just the tone she used made the statement sound like fact to him. He felt safe.
"Thank you...," Barry sighed and relaxed. He slid down the wall to land on the wall and looked up at her.
"What's going on??" he asked.
"Thank you!" A new stranger yelled out as they ran past the alley entrance. Barry gestured at them as they ran by for added effect.
"I haven't seen another person in weeks! Months?" he doubted himself for a moment, then shook his head. "I turned a zombie human??" Despite the craziness of the last few minutes; and, his entire life it seemed, Barry could say one thing for sure. Molly would understand him. It might have sounded crazy to anyone else; but, not to her. He knew that much.
"It's a lot, huh?" she asked as she nodded along with him.
"Well, it's still gonna be a lot," Molly walked forward and reached out to offer Barry a hand. "But, the good news is you've found some help." Barry accepted the help and he stood with surprisingly little effort on his part.
"Thank you!" a different stranger ran past the alley in the other direction.
"Why are there so many people all of a sudden??" Barry asked.
"It's not all of a sudden," Molly shook her head with a giggle. Her curls wobbled. "You're just noticing things for the first time."
"Thank you!" another one ran by.
"It's been 3 years since the start of the zombie apocalypse," Barry chuckled. "It's been weeks since I've seen another person and months since I've seen...," he gestured at the mouth of the alley as someone ran by.
"Thank you!!..."
"....this many!"
"You know how I said it's still going to be 'a lot'," she asked. Then, she continued after Barry nodded.
"They're kind of... not people...," she tried to deliver the news as gently as she could.
"What do you mean they're not-,"
"Thank you!!!!" A stranger ran into the alley and disintegrated into white dust after a few steps. Another stranger walked into the alley behind the first. This one didn't look like a once-zombie-turned-human in ragged clothes. She was another teenage girl in a violet-black outfit that belonged on a ninja and not in a zombie apocalypse. A lot like Molly's white robe that Barry realized would be at home on a healer of some sort. The ninja had long wine-red hair in a ponytail that reached the middle of her back.
"It's a group quest, remember?" the girl said as she approached. "Are we playing?"
"Sorry, he Woke up," Molly gestured at Barry. "Barry, meet my friend, Valentine."
"Quest??" Barry asked. The word tugged at some vague memory.
"We're turning zombies back into humans," Molly said.
"I'm turning zombies back into humans...," Valentine added.
"She's doing my quest for me," Molly giggled and tilted her head at Valentine. "You're in the AlterNet. It's a game and we're playing it," she said.
"I... I turned a zombie into a human...," Barry said again. "...what does that mean?"
"Nice," Valentine nodded. As she answered, something strange happened. Red text appeared. Floating words in the top left-hand corner asked Barry a question.
[Join Group: Sunracers?]
"It means you can help us get this done faster."