Chapter Text
The world was quiet now. No more screaming, no more running—just the slow, shuffling steps of the dead. The streets were broken, buildings crumbling and the air smelled of rust and old rain. But in the middle of it all, a small figure bounced happily through the wreckage.
Luffy, six years old (or at least, he thought he was six), hummed a tuneless song as he skipped over cracked pavement. His skin was grayish, his eyes glassy like the other zombies, but unlike them, he moved with energy, with life. He giggled as he poked a wandering corpse in the side.
“Hey, hey! Play with me!” he said, grinning.
The zombie didn’t answer. It just groaned, shuffling away from him, its hollow eyes avoiding his gaze.
Luffy tilted his head, then skipped in front of it, waving his hands. “C’mon! Let’s do something fun! I know! Let’s play tag!” He reached out and poked the zombie’s arm. “Tag! You’re it!”
The zombie didn’t react. It didn’t turn. It didn’t chase him. What it did was just kept walking, as if he hadn’t even touched it.
Luffy’s smile faltered for half a second before he bounced back. “Okay, okay, tag is boring! What about hide-and-seek? I’ll count!” He squeezed his eyes shut, pressing his hands over his face. “One... two... three...”
When he peeked between his fingers, the zombie hadn’t moved. It wasn’t hiding. It wasn’t even looking at him. Luffy huffed, puffing out his cheeks. “You’re really bad at this.”
He turned to another zombie nearby, this one missing an arm. “Hey, you! Let’s play house! You can be the dad!” He grabbed the zombie by its remaining arm, trying to drag it toward a half-collapsed storefront. “This can be our house! And—and you can sit here!” He patted a broken chair, trying to push the zombie into it.
The zombie slumped over immediately, groaning as it slid right off the seat and onto the ground. It didn’t get up. Moreover, it didn’t even try.
Luffy sighed, plopping down beside it. “Why won’t anyone play with me?”
He knew, deep down, that the other zombies weren’t like him. They were slow, stupid, barely even noticing him unless he got too close. Even then, they shied away, as if something inside them whispered.
Danger.
But Luffy didn’t want to be scary! He wanted friends! Family! Someone to laugh and eat meat with! (Even though he couldn’t eat meat anymore. Or anything, really. His stomach didn’t growl, but he missed the feeling.)
He flopped onto his back, staring up at the gray sky. “Maybe... maybe if I teach them?”
With renewed energy, he scrambled up and ran to the middle of the street, where a few more zombies wandered aimlessly. “Okay! Watch me!” He did a wobbly cartwheel, then a somersault, landing with his arms up. “See? Fun! Now you try!”
The zombies didn’t try.
Luffy pouted. “Fine. I’ll do it again!”
He repeated the cartwheel, this time knocking into one of the zombies by accident. It stumbled, then let out a low, annoyed growl—the most reaction he’d gotten all day.
Luffy gasped, eyes sparkling. “You do know I’m here!” He clapped his hands. “Do it again! Growl again!”
But the zombie just shuffled away, leaving him alone in the street.
“Aw, c’mon! You’re no fun!” He pouted, then perked up. “Oh! Let’s play house! You can be the dad!” He grabbed another zombie by the arm, trying to drag it into a sitting position against a broken car. The zombie slumped over immediately, groaning as it tried to crawl away.
Luffy sighed.
For a moment, he stood there, small and gray in the middle of the ruined world. Then, with a tiny shake of his head, he perked right back up. “Okay! New game! I’ll be the best zombie!” He mimicked the others, dragging his feet and letting his arms dangle, groaning dramatically. “Braaaains... or... or meat! Braaains and meeeeat!”
He peeked to see if any of them were watching.
They weren’t.
He dropped the act, sighing. “This is so boring.”
Then the silence settled back in.
His smile wobbled, just a little. He rubbed his nose, pretending it didn’t bother him.
“...S’okay. I’ll find someone to play with eventually.”
And with that, he skipped off again, humming louder, as if his own noise could fill up the quiet. Sometimes he pretended the groans of the other zombies were answering him, just so it didn’t feel so lonely.
Then—
A sound. Like a sharp, metallic click echoed through the room, cutting through the silence like a blade
Then, a shout.
Luffy froze, his head snapping toward the noise. His sharp hearing picked up scuffling, harsh breathing, the snarls of zombies closing in.
Someone was in trouble.
Without thinking, he bolted toward the noise, his small body moving faster than any normal zombie could. He skidded to a stop atop a half-collapsed wall, peering down into an alley.
A man—tall, dark-haired, with a freckled face—was backed against a wall, swinging a metal pipe at the zombies surrounding him. He was strong, but there were too many.
Luffy’s eyes widened.
Human!
He didn’t know why, but something inside him ached. He wanted to help. But humans were scared of zombies, right? Even if he wasn’t like the others...
Thinking fast, Luffy grabbed a loose brick from the wall and hurled it at the head of the closest zombie. Thunk! The creature staggered, giving the man an opening.
The man blinked in surprise but didn’t question it. He took the chance, smashing his way through the gap.
Luffy grinned, watching from the shadows as the human escaped. Maybe... maybe he could have a friend one day.
He just had to figure out how.