User:Zeke Trout/The Trout Brothers
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This story is part of the Malton Chronicles. This story is fan-made, and is not officially part of any background history for Urban Dead. |
The Trout Brothers
“Anyone can break your heart. Only family can grind it into dust and make it disappear forever.” – Zeke Trout
Zeke and Davis Trout are from the Earletown area of Malton. Sons of Ernie and Beth Trout, they had a relatively normal upbringing in a relatively normal suburban neighborhood. However, they couldn’t have turned out more differently.
Zeke
“I heard some moron say, ‘The only good zed’s a dead zed.’ Idiot. Zeds are already dead. There’s no such thing as a good zed.” – Zeke Trout
Zeke was born in 1984 (after Davis was later born, Zeke was forever stuck with the nickname “Big Brother”). He and his brother had, to all appearances, a normal brotherly relationship: they clashed and even fought often enough, but for the most part they held to an easy enough truce.
As a youth, Zeke was a tall, thin, and energetic, always involved in sports or some other activity. As he got older, he narrowed his focus to a few favorites, which were decidedly un-mainstream – soccer (or, as he always called it, “the REAL football”), cross country running, and rock climbing – and he excelled in all of them. Good looking and athletic (if still on thin side due to his active lifestyle, he was nevertheless deceptively strong, which was largely down to his rock climbing training), he was also intelligent, all of which made him popular in school.
When Zeke graduated high school, he followed in the footsteps of his father and grandfather and enlisted in the army. His wits and physical prowess served him well and brought him to the attention of his superiors, who eventually put him forward for the Rangers. He passed the training with flying colors and was poised for a career of excellence and, no doubt, honors.
Then the infection hit his home city.
His parents died early: trying to help evacuating survivors, they were accidentally run over by a panicked driver who, in remorse, stopped his car, loaded them in, and drove them to the nearest hospital. However, it was too late for them; they were dead before they even arrived at the hospital. Taking no chances, the hospital – which still had a working incinerator at this time – cremated their bodies.
Of his brother Davis, Zeke heard no word. For two years, he bided his time, hoping every day for some news. There was no great love between the brothers; still, family was family, and Davis was the only family Zeke had left. Not knowing where or how Davis was, was eating away at him. Distracted, Zeke’s Army career stalled, and his superiors were disappointed that someone with such potential was letting it all waste away. They were nearly at the point of having a sort-it-out-or-get-out conversation with him when he made up their minds for them.
Zeke had a bit of leave coming, so he arranged to travel as close toward Malton as he could. He then rented a car and drove the rest of the way to the exclusion zone around the city. The zone, of course, is more designed to keep people IN Malton than to keep them out; his uniform and his Ranger training made it a fairly straightforward task to get to and then scale the city walls.
There was no turning back now: he was in.
He carefully removed and hid his uniform, against the day when he might finally get out of the city (one way or the other). He knew full well that, if he did somehow make it out one day, it would only be to face a courtmartial for desertion. That seemed to him a small price to pay, though, if he could only find his brother. Setting forth in just his standard-issue camoflage pants and boots plus a black t-shirt, he went in search of Davis.
Davis
“I didn’t grow up in your shadow; it was more like you were the sun and I was a black hole.” – Davis Trout
Davis was born in 1987. He grew up always feeling as if he was always trying to live up to his older brother’s example and failing miserably. Not quite as tall, not as good looking, not athletic, not driven to do as well in school (though he was every bit as intelligent), it seemed like the only feelings he engendered in his parents was disappointment. He was every bit as much a high school stereotype as his brother: if his brother was the clean-cut, popular jock, Davis was the long-haired, greasy loser. Still, even his own family had no idea of the exact depth of the bitter, jealous hatred that Davis had for Zeke. Davis couldn’t wait to graduate high school and go off to college. He saw it as his means of escape: it would be a fresh start, and he’d never have to see his family again.
Just as he was about to grasp freedom, though, it was cruelly torn from his grasp. Soon after he graduated high school, the infection hit, the city was closed off, and he was trapped in the one place he was so desperate to leave.
At least he had his fresh start.
For two years, he scrabbled a desperate existance, living day-to-day, often in the upper floors of ruined buildings where he thought the zombies wouldn’t bother to look, always praying the floor wouldn’t collapse during the night. Somehow he managed to scrounge enough food and water to survive. With no real physical skills or ability of his own, he was often dependent on the generosity of other, more able survivors. He sank deeper and deeper into depression and mental breakdown. Finally, one day, he just gave up. When dawn broke, he just refused to rise, but instead just lay there curled up in the fetal position, hoping that he’d at least die of dehydration before the shambling hordes found him. Someone did, however, find him:
Zeke.
Reunion
“It’s not that I don’t love you. It’s that I hate you.” – Davis Trout
At first, seeing his brother standing over him, Davis thought his mind had finally shattered and he was seeing things. Eventually Zeke managed to convince Davis that he was, in fact, real. Davis started to weep. Zeke assumed it must be from some mixture of joy at seeing him appear suddenly and relief at the prospect of both companionship and real help. Zeke couldn’t have been more wrong.
For Davis, it was the worst possible thing that could happen: the person who was the focus of so many of his negative emotions – jealousy, bitterness, anger, even downright hatred – had now come to “save” him from his miserable, pathetic existence. It was too much for Davis to bear, and his mind finally cracked.
Wiping away the tears, he started to laugh. Zeke, misinterpreting this, smiled and held out his hand toward his brother. Davis’ laugh froze in his throat, then he snarled and knocked Zeke’s hand away. Standing up, a harsh smile spread across his face. “Big Brother, here to ‘save the day’ at last. Lucky me. Why did you even bother?”
Zeke, confused, stammered for a moment, uncertain. “Because you’re my brother. You’re family.”
Davis laughed harshly. “Family? Only in name. You’re nothing like me. You know nothing about me. You’re no brother to me.”
Zeke was rocked to his core. The endless days of constant worry – 2 years worth of stress and agony – and now Davis was throwing it back in his face. Growing heated, he said tersely, “You don’t know what I’ve been through since the infection hit, or what I did to get in here to help you!”
“What you’ve been through?!?” Incredulous, Davis burst into mocking laughter. “What YOU’VE been through?!? What about what I’VE been through?!? Oh, you’ve been a bit worried about you’re poor, little brother, all on his own in the big, scary, zombie-infected city? Well, moron, I’m the one who’s been LIVING IN THE BIG, SCARY, ZOMBIE-INFECTED CITY!” Zeke’s head dropped, and Davis’ angry snarl cooled into a sneer. “But I’m sure you’ve been through so much worse than sleeping in ruined buildings, living every day in fear, sometimes having to eat rats to survive… you know, normal, every-day stuff for most people.”
Zeke, ashamed, couldn’t look his brother in the eye. “I’m sorry. I should’ve come sooner. But I…” His voice faltered, and Davis’ eyes gleamed.
“But you were afraid.”
Zeke nodded.
Davis laughed and shrugged. “Well, I can’t blame you for that.” Twisting the knife further, Davis added, “Living in a zombie-infested city isn’t a life most people would look forward to.”
Zeke finally met his brother’s gaze, his resolve hardening. “I can’t imagine what you’ve been through these last two years. I’m so sorry. I should’ve come sooner. I… I’m sorry. But I’m here now. Let me help you, make it up to you…”
Davis cut him off with a scornful, barking laugh. “I’ve managed this long without you. What make’s you think I need the Great and Powerful Zeke’s help? F@¢% off back where you came from. I don’t want your help. I don’t want to see you again. Ever.”
Zeke, growing desperate to salvage the only family ties he had left, began to plead with his brother. “Davis, please, don’t do this! We’re family! We can make a fresh start! We–“ His voice caught as Davis’ head snapped up, a crazed, gleeful look in his eyes.
“Yes! Of course! That’s it!” Davis laughed, and Zeke was in no doubt his brother’s mind was disintegrating before his very eyes. “Just what I’ve wanted all these years! A fresh start!”
Zeke latching onto this, said, “Um, yes, that’s right, we can–“
“Thank you, Zeke!” Davis crossed to his brother and put his hands on Zeke’s face almost tenderly. “Thank you. You are so right. A fresh start.”
Suddenly Zeke heard grans from the floor below them and he realised the noise they’d been making had attracted unwanted attention. “Davis, come on, we’ve got to–“
Davis cut him off yet again. “Yes, I know. Thank you, Zeke. A fresh start. Thank you.” With that, Davis’ hands dropped to his sides and he began backing away from his brother.
“Davis, what…” Zeke then realised his brother wasn’t backing away from him… he was backing toward a large hole in the wall behind him. Zeke’s eyes widened and he said, “Davis, no…”
Davis only muttered, “A fresh start,” and continued backing. Zeke tensed, then sprang toward his brother, but Davis, sensing the move, turned and leapt for the hole, plunging through it just before his brother could grasp him. Zeke, horrified, looked out to see his brother on the street below, engulfed by a group of perhaps 10 zombies. Then he heard groaning noises behind him and realised he was about to meet the same fate as his brother. Spinning, he ran across the building to another hole in the wall and leapt out into space, just managing to grab onto the fire escape of the building opposite, which seemd in surprisingly good repair.
Zeke looked back to the ruined building, tears flowing freely down his face. After a minute, though, his face hardened. He realised he truly had no family left – even if Davis was cured, Zeke was sure he’d only deliberately infect himself again – therefore he had nothing left to cry over. Turning, he climbed through an open window into the new building. It was time to prepare for a new life, a new existence.
Weapons. He needed weapons.
As Davis fell through the hole in the wall and landed on top of a wandering group of zombies, some part of his brain still clung to the instict of self-preservation, and he almost cried out to Zeke as the zombies began to tear at his flesh. Then he saw Zeke’s face, the object of all his hatred for so long, and his resolve hardened. The pain was unbelievable – he was dying – but he actually managed to smile. A fresh start…
