#runner 5 | Explore Tumblr posts and blogs

i-will-go-with-you-five · 25 days ago

Text

My Five Lore

Heyyyyy I thought it was finally time to make this post! I've been doing ZR for about nine months now and have been posting from the sidelines so I figured it was about time to introduce myself and Five. Just a little rundown on what my Five is like and her story and stuff. She's basically me, but with a couple things changed.

Apperance:

She’s on the shorter side- Sam is always putting his elbow on her shoulder to annoy her but she secretly loves it :) And pretty stocky but really strong. Simon challenged her to a lifting competition once and while he eventually won, she had him sweating and it was a close thing. She wears her hair in really long double Dutch braids, and has a round face with bright hazel green eyes and a big smile. She also wears really brightly colored gear, especially shoes, its a long-lasting joke with her and the other runners. She's unreasonably attached to axes and baseball caps, and is pretty much constantly wearing something Jody made her.

She has a couple of pretty faint nicks and slices on her hands, from before the apocalypse. She got those was first learning to butcher as a teenager. But since the outbreak, she's gotten a stab wound on her left shoulder, and permanent bruising on her shins. She's very susceptible to shin splints, but its the apocalypse, so it's not like she can properly rest and treat them.

UPDATE: she has new scars now from the ending of Season Two. They are Pretty Important.

[One day I will make the most beautiful drawing of her ever. One day.]

Background:

Five is basically me, with a couple things (appearance, where she lived, some family details, etc) changed. She lived in Northern Montana, a stone's throw away from Canada, and was doing college remotely while working on a farm that raised big animals, and took care of her nieces and nephews while her siblings were at work. That's why she's such a jack-of-all-trades, with book and street smarts, she had a very diverse range of skills due to how she grew up. I consider Five as an AU of myself if I had been thrust into the apocalypse, so personality and history-wise Five and I are similar, except for the trauma of the apocalypse, where she was on her own for almost four months after Z-Day, and hardened her a bit. Five's real name is Lydia, but not a single person besides her knows that.

Early Outbreak:

She went on a rare vacation with her best friend, Nina, and her best friend's family to London two days before the outbreak, in early November of 2023. The worst timing. One day she's on a plane, the next she's seeing Big Ben for the first time, and the day after that hundreds of people have turned, including Nina's family, and they're fleeing for their lives in the chaos.

The plan was for the two of them to try and contact Lydia's family and try to find a way to get home, but the phone lines were all down within a day. So they decided to just get out of the city. Nina got bitten when they were on the outskirts of London, after a week of them surviving together. Lydia stayed with her as she died. Nina begged Lydia to kill her zombie-self, but Lydia just couldn't do it- she fled instead. She decided to kill her name, Lydia, along with her friend's death. It was the only way she felt that she could mourn.

She was then on her own for about four months, and her circumstances really changed her. She'd always been a a happy and trusting person, but each person she tried to group up with ended up betraying her, in a multitude of ways. She threw up mental barriers and became pretty grim and trusted no one. She can talk, but only to people that she likes, and only to one or two people at a time. The bigger the crowd, the quieter she is. But when she gets in a place of being comfortable, she has a lot to say. But in those four months, she said less and less, to the point where some people assumed she was mute. She had to stifle who she was in order to survive, and it took a huge toll on her. The pain of her bottled-up emotions was buried deep.

She's a Christian, and the only thing that kept her going in the apocalypse was clinging onto Christ with all of her might, even if her faith had been shaken by what seemed like the end of the world. She just kept running and fighting for something greater than herself. Save the next person stuck in a building, even if they stole her supplies. Run supplies to different groups of people, even if they then beat her bloody and left her for the zombies. Lead a pack of zombies away from a guy trapped in a tree, even if he then throttled her neck and made it even harder to speak. Give a message to a radio outpost, even if they then dishonored their side of the agreement and held her at gunpoint, rather than just attempt to send airwaves to the States in search of her family. Because if she couldn't do the right thing, and try to stay faithful to her values and Jesus, what good was left in the world?

She ended up at Mullins because, once again, she got betrayed. A group of highway robbers caught her unawares, and she literally ran into some soldiers, who promised to just help her get out of the tight spot, but instead brought her to Mullins and enlisted her. Sour and panicked, she was so uncooperative to the point where they shipped her out to Abel for Project Greenshoot so they wouldn't have to deal with her anymore.

Getting to Abel:

While the apocalypse has been The Worst Thing Ever, getting her helicopter shot down was probably the best thing that ever happened to her in the apocalypse. It was the last thing that she expected, a rocket launcher barreling towards her, after everything she's already been through, and it shook her. For the first time since when she had a depressive episode as a preteen, she just simply wanted to die. Death seemed like the best option as she fell through the air to the sound of hungry zombies beneath her. Everything hurt too much. God wasn't answering her sobbing cries of help every night. She'd given it her all and it still wasn't enough. Gave far more than she took and got hurt every time. If she gave up, everything would just be easier. She was about to accept her death and simply let go of life. It wasn't like she had any friends or family left to love her anymore.

But when that voice crackled into her headset, urging her on and giving her a name, Five, which felt right in a way she couldn't explain, encouraging her- she knew she had to keep going. Life wasn't over yet. There was still hope. So she ran. And the longer that voice, Sam, spoke, the lighter she felt and the less emotionally exhausted she became. A voice in the back of her mind told her that this was the answer to her prayers for a friend, and for help. But she was still incredibly cautious. This seemed like the nicest person in the world, but what if he hurt her? What if she got betrayed again? After all, she knew nothing of who this Sam Yao was, beyond being awkward and sweet and kind of adorable. Wait, adorable? Where had that thought come from?

She wanted to be mistrustful of everyone at Abel when she got there, that was her intent. Especially after the doctor threatened to not let her in. But having those people show her kindness that she hadn't seen in months crumpled her barriers like wet paper. By the time her 8-week training was over she'd sunk right into Abel perfectly. Jody was her good friend who was always up for a hug and a story, Janine was smart and practical and reminded her of her older sister to the point where she started to treat Janine like an older sister, Eugene was a goofball who made bad jokes with her while sympathizing with what she'd been through, and Maxine was a God-send for figuring out how to turn off her survival mode again.

And during that time, she wanted to become friends with Sam, the voice who saved her, so badly. But he was wrapped up in grief from Alice's death. Which she understood. Nina's death still ate at her. Not to mention having no idea if her family was dead or alive. So even though it killed her, because this was the first time she'd wanted to have a friend in forever, she kept her distance to protect him from her brokenness. Because even though she'd lightened up, she still was a woman of few words who held all of her pain back from everyone. Even if that voice in her head saying Sam was God's answer to her problems got stronger and more insistent every day. And even if Maxine told her multiple times that Sam relied on her more than he could express or she could realize. She had to hold back.

Being a Runner: falling for each other

Until the night run in the dark. [fanfic one shot here that will eventually become a twoshot once I finish the post-run debrief.] Where all that slammed through Sam's head was I need a miracle for Five, and all that slammed through Five's was I'm running for Sam. And the moment she crashed into Sam's arms, him sobbing with relief and her sobbing with exhaustion and delirium, was the moment that she realized that she did, in fact, love Sam Yao. And for Sam, that was the moment he realized that he had to become her best friend. And the rest of that night was the first time Five told anyone about her past and her pain and what the apocalypse had been like for her. And Sam was there. As they talked and listened to one another was the moment they firmly became best friends.

Five’s love for Sam only grows in the next few months. But… she doesn’t know what to say, or even think honestly. She’s never been in love before. Ever. She’s, well, she’s scared. Which she knows is stupid. But what do you even say about something like that? ‘Hey Sam, you've chipped away at the hardened exterior that I was forced to adopt bit by bit, and I've become myself again, and you push me to be even better than I was every day. Also I am totally in love with you.'? So she says it in every way besides words. With each moment with Sam. Each gesture is her way of saying I love you. And she runs. For the same reasons as before- her faith. Her trust in God. Her putting goodness back into the terrible world. But now for another reason too. For Sam. For his voice. And even if he doesn't understand it, how he pushes her to trust in her faith even more. Her faith and trust in God are stronger than ever now and she's very strong in it and tries to shine that light to others.

Sam realizes that he loves Five when someone sends Five to die out of spite, as revenge. She's coming back into the gates, angry but not as angry as he is. He's ready to throw down with the person who did that to his runner. Then the way she just grasps his shoulders, locking eyes with him, and reminding him to breathe, he just- falls. So hard and so fast. He knew that this was coming. He's felt it growing since she came back brandishing supplies with the biggest smile in the world for the DnD campaign he was starting. But he ignored it. And now he can't anymore. Because it's Five. His Five. But what do you even say about something like that? ‘Hey Five, you mean everything to me, actually. You've given me something to fight for each day, given me hope when I've had none, and have helped me grow so much and overcome my doubts. I really, really, really love you, more than anyone or anything.’ So he tells her with his words, with every single thing he says. Every voice crack of fear or excitement over comms. Except those three, which are coincidentally, the most important ones. He talks, for the same reason as before. To protect the people he loves. But now for another reason too. For Five. For her running. For who she's pushed him to become. How she's taught him to fight for something even bigger than before.

There is an ending for their story (its REALLY good) but you're just gonna have to wait to read it until I'm done writing it tehehehe! It's more climactic that way. I'll link it here when it's done.

And there we go! A little bit about my Five and her story <3 Thanks for reading, I hope you enjoyed!!

@stellar-collective made my pfp! It's from this fanfic dabble

Ao3

#i-will-go-with-you-five #mild spoilers #zombies run #runner five #sam yao #zr blog #runner 5 #zr #maxine myers #janine de luca #simon lauchlan #jody marsh

31 notes · View notes

joggerfive · 3 months ago

Text

Sorry

A little post-S1 M1 fic about Five getting to know Sam (and Maxine) after their arrival at Abel. Featuring a bag of frozen peas.

Link to the fic on AO3 if you prefer to read on there!

Enjoy! :)

-----

“Do you think that’s who they’ve assigned for Project Greenshoot?”

Five whipped their head around behind them to see who had said that, remembering how the Mullins pilot had mentioned the same codeword earlier before all hell broke loose.

The two women didn’t react at all when the new arrival stared directly at them, standing close together, both with their arms crossed. Though they didn’t match in their physical appearance - one tall, one small. One with pale skin, one with darker skin. One with her hair down and brushing her shoulders, one with a tight bun. - they were wearing similar outfits, akin to army generals, covered in khaki green and deep browns and matte blacks.

Before Five could approach them, the boy that had been talking to them over the headset spoke again, voice still slightly tinged with unease.

“You should go to the hospital.”

The runner looked at him quizzically, then followed his gaze down to their right arm, which was covered in dark blood. They wanted to argue that it wasn’t theirs, but knew that seeing a medic was probably a good port of call anyway.

They nodded, waiting for instruction.

Sam was still for a moment, then the realisation dawned on him, “Oh! Right. I need to show you where that is. Come with me!”

He spun on his heel and began walking further into the township, not checking if Five was following.

Five gave another quick glance to the two women, both of them still regarding them with caution, curiosity, and something else that Five couldn’t quite identify.

Tearing their gaze away, they followed Sam, easily spotted even as he was many paces away, his orange hoodie bright against the drab environment around him.

—

Five fought to stay still as they sat on the hospital bed, mostly because they weren’t sure that the rusted rickety frame could handle their fidgeting without buckling beneath them.

Sam sat on an equally precarious looking chair at their side, giving them an awkward smile as his leg bounced nervously, seemingly unsure of what to say. Luckily, someone else entered the large tent before he needed to think of a conversation starter.

She looked slightly frazzled, strands of her tightly coiled hair escaping from the scarlet red hair wrap. She hurried over to the bed, left hand swiping a worn pair of gloves from a wooden desk as she went past.

“Hi-”

As soon as she spoke, Five recognised the voice as the doctor that spoke to them when they’d been running towards the township. The one that said she would refuse them entry if they didn’t bring the medical kits.

She had seemed strict over the microphone, but it was hard to associate that voice with the person in front of them now, graced by her soft face and kind eyes. Five could tell that she would’ve been a good doctor before all of this. The sort that put her patients at ease and asked for permission before doing anything.

“I need you to strip so I can search for bites.”

Five supposed that the apocalypse had changed most people.

Sam looked sheepish at their side, pulling his sleeves down over his hands, “I’ll, uh, leave you with the doc. Don’t want to-”

He stood, and before Five could even realise what they were doing or why, their hand shot out to grasp Sam’s forearm tightly. It took him by as much surprise as it did them, his brown eyes looking down at the hand, then back up to Five’s face. Only seconds later, Five let go as if they had been burned, face aflame.

Maxine glanced between the two of them for a few moments, then seemed to settle on a compromise.

“I’ll just do a quick check here.”

Five let out a breath they hadn’t known they were holding as Sam sat back down.

Maxine continued, watching their face, “Am I alright to roll your clothing up to look?”

They nodded mutely, trying to relax their muscles as the doctor’s covered hands moved across their body, gently prying sweaty clothing from their skin. Five simply stared up at the tent’s dark green ceiling, watching as the thick fabric moved with the wind.

“This used to be an ex-army tent, apparently,” Sam supplied, following their line of sight, “It was good that we found it. Though, it was a real ball-ache to bring it here. Three and Four saw it first, and thought they could bring it by themselves-”

Five listened to the story, grateful to have their attention taken away from the doctor’s wandering hands and eyes.

Suddenly, the voice talking changed.

“Does your knee hurt?”

Five looked towards Maxine, tilting their head in question. She had her hands bracketed on either side of their right knee, the fabric of their trousers now rolled up just above the joint.

It was only when Five looked at the other knee beside it that they could tell it was rather swollen in comparison.

Still, they shook their head, genuinely not feeling any pain in it even as Maxine pressed harder in multiple places around it.

Maxine pulled her lips to the side in thought, then nodded to herself, “I’ll put an ice pack on it anyway. One moment.”

She removed herself from the bedside, bowing as she moved the tent flap and left. Five saw a glimpse of the outside, now dark. They couldn’t even calculate how long they’d been there, time seeming to halt and propel forward too fast all at once.

The two remaining people stayed silent, the only sound around them being the rustling of the tent fabric and a few muffled voices from outside, no words recognizable. Five fiddled with their hands in their lap, rubbing at the dried blood on their fingertips. They didn’t even know where it had come from. The pilot? A zom? Themselves? Maybe even Alice-

“You’ll be alright now.”

Five looked over at Sam at the statement. He gave a small smile, moving his arm ever so slightly, then freezing it in the space between the two of them. He seemed to make up his mind, placing his hand on Five’s forearm, mirroring what they had done before.

Five didn’t know why, but the contact seemed to loosen something in their chest that had been tight ever since the missile made contact with the helicopter, a choked sob escaping before they could contain it. They clamped their mouth shut, but their body still shook with silent sobs, even as they tried their hardest to stop, feeling self conscious about being seen like this by someone they’d just met.

Maxine entered the tent once more, holding a half opened bag of frozen peas with a blue elastic band wrapped around it.

“I didn’t do anything!” Sam exclaimed as he held his hands up, looking like a young child in trouble with a parent.

Maxine seemed slightly amused at the panicked words as she wrapped the bag of peas in a worn shirt then put it on Five’s injured knee.

“It’ll be the adrenaline wearing off,” she explained to both of them, a calmness in her tone, “it’s alright. I expect the pain might kick in as well soon.”

Five didn’t seem to hear the words as they tried to focus on breathing steadily to calm themselves down. Their chest still felt painful even as they knew there was nothing wrong, heart thudding heavily. They moved a closed fist over it in circles, reminding themselves to take deep breaths, but also-

“You don’t need to be sorry.”

Five looked at him in alarm, the motion halting.

“What?” Maxine asked, brows furrowed as she tried to understand what she’d missed.

Five looked just as confused, hand still in place.

Sam’s eyes darted between the two, “Was that… You were signing, right?”

They hadn’t really considered that they had been doing it, let alone that someone would understand them.

“You know sign?” They asked, moving their hands in three quick motions.

“Uh,” Sam’s mouth opened and closed as he considered his words, “Not like… officially or anything. But my sister’s hard of hearing, so I tried to learn with her growing up. It was like our secret language that Mum and Dad didn’t know.”

There was a look on his face that Five didn’t know how to interpret. A smile, but tinged with wistfulness and sadness too. They didn’t know what happened to his sister, but they could definitely guess based on the status quo.

A voice broke the silence, even as she spoke quietly, “I’m going to put this bag back in the kitchen, it’s already getting warm.”

“Huh?” Sam looked at Maxine as if he’d completely forgotten she was there, “Oh, yeah, sure.” He said, even though she was already through the door.

The silence came again, but this time it felt more welcoming somehow. Five simply watched as Sam’s thoughts came across his face, waiting it out.

“Maxine was right,” he said finally, “it’s what she would’ve wanted. Alice, I mean.”

Five smiled solemnly, putting a hand on his forearm, repeating their earlier gesture. They gave it a friendly squeeze, making sure it was not too tight as they felt the bone beneath his slender arm, even though the thick hoodie material.

Sam took an extra second to compose himself, then breathed in sharply, as if resetting.

“Anyway! Good to have someone new.” He grinned at them, all traces of sadness pushed away. “Don’t remember the last time we had a new person! I hope you’ll come to like it here.”

Five mirrored his expression, feeling relaxed for the first time in a while.

They hoped so too.

#zombies run #sam yao #runner five #runner 5 #maxine myers #zrs1 #5am #fic #my fic

14 notes · View notes