Archive of Our Own

"David, I've had enough of this." Gwen stated, the raspy gurgles escaping the non-existent lips of the camper they both used to know. "What do you mean?" David asked simply, holding the corpse in his arms as if it was a toddler. Gwen shook her head. "You know what I'm talking about, David." Gwen eyed him up and down for emphasis. "No, I don't." David said simply, before turning his attention to the corpse. "Shhh, Max." He stated to the unblinking child. Max laid his upper jaw on his shoulder and mimicked a gnawing motion. "Ohh, he's hungry again." David commented.

Gwen couldn't help sighing out and shaking her head. "David, if he still had his mandible he'd be ripping your flesh right now you know?" David shot a pointed glare at her. "No, he wouldn't. He know's its me, after all." He said, smiling down at the child. Gwen couldn't help but narrow her gaze harder. "When do you plan to let him go already, David?!" She hissed out through a clenched jaw, trying to stay quiet with the undead just outside the door. "What? Let Max go? Why would I want to do that?" David furrowed his brows in confusion at the woman. "He's alive, you see that, don't you?" David used his free hand to gesture at the corpse sitting in his arm against his chest.

"Pfft, yeah, in a rotting dead maggot infested body, sure." David's eyebrows down turned at the suggestion of that, and he defensively held Max close to him. "Gwen, just what do you think you're saying?!" He lowly asked. Gwen crossed her arms. "I think I'm trying to tell you the facts, David." Gwen shifted her posture to stand more upright, looking stronger. "We've been carrying a corpse for months. Not a child, a corpse, David." Gwen lifted a hand and David watched her carefully. "Here, I'll do it if you want me to, we can't-" Gwen balked as David straightened himself up, holding Max as close to his chest as he could manage.

"No! I know what you mean by that, and I won't let you do it, Gwen!" He narrowed his eyes pointedly, and Gwen all but stiffened her posture again. "David, I'm warning you. He- or should I call 'it'- it's going to drag you down, with it." Gwen hissed out. "We can't keep feeding it, we can't keep doing this." David's face turned in on itself and his eyes were sharp now. "Do not call Max an 'it'!" He hissed back. "And that isn't true! We can, Gwen, we've been doing this for months, you know that!" Gwen sighed. "Ugh. Yes, I do, and we've almost gotten bitten for it." Gwen growled out sharply in response.

"You know what? Fine," Gwen said, throwing her arms up in defeat. "Give me 'him'." Gwen said. David relaxed his stance and gaze. "You promise you wont hurt him?" David asked cautiously. "Nope. Just figured you need a hand while you go... Scavenge, for him." Gwen sighed out. David grinned. "I knew you'd understand." David said, before letting Gwen take a hold of Max, who cringed upon hearing a few popping joints that were stiffened out far too long ago. "Keep him safe, I'll be back for you too, soon, Max." David smiled at the child, who didn't have any form of reply, except for turning his head away from him and leaning on Gwen's chest, whom flinched away a little. "Be back in a few." David chirped, before bounding out.