#some sam yao and 5am

[drowsystarlight]

Could you do for headcanons - 3 and 4 for your runner 5 ? :)

HIIII (immense sobbing) (I love them they’re my favorites)

Dynamic trio headcanons (Spoilers for s2 finale btw!)

Yyyep you read that right; 3 4 5, triple threat agency in my BRAIN!! I love to talk about 5am but i honestly feel like 345 would be the best trio in the runner pile! I also think they’re closer in age—somewhere from early twenties to mid-twenties. Idk their canon ages but both Jody and Simon sound around 23-25 to me, and my Five is 22-24.

Jody and Simon are polar opposites and Five is a sponge. Y’know how Simon is all mister Jokes and Funny guy while Jody is a lot more ohhh nooooo zombies brlughg? My Five is a recluse so I feel like this trio will only form in s2, after Sam finally gets through them after AVITD! But even then, my Five is selectively mute and has a hard time socializing, so they’re quiet and would listen to Jody and Simon bicker 95% of the time.

But you know Simon. He’s chatty and funny and always easy going; Five would hate it at the start but they’ll warm up to it eventually. I also think Simon is touchy and my Five is touch averse so they would REALLY hate to be around this guy at first. Jody is a lot more gentle and understanding in a sense. Sure, Five has a notorious record of ignoring everyone at their first few weeks in Abel (they are the type to leave you mid-conversation if you say or do something they don’t like), but Five has let Jody talk longer than everyone else. She’s really nice, y’know? Though Five hates feminine words/pronouns about them so as soon as Jody slips (not her fault though, since my Five hasn’t really communicated that they don’t like fem words), they leave.

Well, premise is that Five eventually joins conversations by being there. Bit by bit. In missions, and then inside Abel when they’re not all busy. Simon would totally swoop in and eat on Runner Five’s table at lunch/dinner to chat them up since he’d be so eager to get through them (bc really, how dare you ignore Simon?? LMAO?? He’s funny and COOL five cmon now get with the program!) In the first few tries, Five gets up and leaves. And then eventually they begrudgingly stay because Simon begs them to hear him out and that he just wants a fun little chat. They got off on the wrong foot but Five eventually happily sits there to hear him out—new song, new story, etc. Stories are fun and Simon is charming. Eventually, Jody joins in, and over time it becomes a little tradition to join Five when they’re alone and chat them up even if they don’t respond as much, or at all. When you’re someone with the reputation of leaving conversations, Jody appreciates their presence alone and Simon would joke about it. “Oh, Runner Five, could’ve told us you were mute and like gender neutral stuff y’know?” And then their bickering starts as soon as Jody swoops in to defend them.

When Five finally starts learning how to sign (thanks to Evan finding a sign language book and giving it to them so they could communicate better), they join the conversations bit by bit. Five can’t sign that fast yet but the two would wait them out before continuing. Five would reference past conversations and it turns out they’re a reservoir of information and memories and conversations. I bet Simon would use them as a backlog to win bets whatsoever. Jody would eventually teach them how to knit or sew 🥹🥹 and then she’d probably let them know how she thought Five was intimidating at first, and that it’s thanks to Sam for figuring out their hard edges so that she knows what to, or what not to, refer or talk to them with. Five likes to draw Jody and Simon chatting and bickering about (apart from all the other pages full of Sam ofc) but they don’t show this to them at all. Only Sam has seen the notebook. My Five is very shy about the drawings.

In missions together, like the whole whack-a-mole thing (s2 side missions), Simon and Five will UNFORTUNATELY do their best to beat the current highscore. Jody would be the one sensible mf who holds the single braincell in the trio but she eventually joins them “Just so they’d be done faster”.

Simon would be the one to call out Five’s specific interest towards Sam and Jody will be the one to hypothesize if it’s a crush or more. The both of them are their best wingmen—with Simon eventually branching out to poking Sam to make a move and Jody taking Five away for private advice and some tips on Sam Yao’s likes and dislikes. Hell, she might also teach them how to sew a new hoodie, or knit a cute little beanie for cold days or nights.

Five’s first words to Jody is something like “you’re a good person”, and it just comes out randomly. Maybe while sewing together somewhere private.

Five’s first words to Simon isn’t really a sentence—it’s just a full-on laughter fit. And then they tell him he’s ridiculous. This is the first time Five would’ve laughed (apart from light giggles within Sam’s presence and jokes).

When Simon turns out to be the traitor, Five takes it really hard. They did find a friend in him and is 100% sure he was coerced into betraying Abel. They’re also empathetic with his decision but that’s overshadowed with anger—towards Van Ark, the apocalypse, Simon himself. If they had the option to talk to Simon when Jamie confronted him, they’d ask him—verbally—why. They’d want to hear him out no matter how long it takes. They’d stay there and just absorb his side of the ordeal. But Five isn’t good at regulating wrath so regardless of what he says, they might also be the one to beat up Simon into a pulp instead of Jamie—and then give him a weapon as a final “I care about you, but you fucked everything up and I can’t trust you anymore.” Then leave him out there like Jamie did. The key difference is that Jamie did it for Archie’s sake and revenge; Five would do it for their own feelings and to relieve the frustration feel. The other half of that murky feeling goes into exploding Van Ark’a last chopper down.

[musicboxghost]

"You do it for him"

I'm not an artist but the ZR fandom is inspiring me to learn. It's always a delight to see everyone else's Fives. Here's mine, becoming instantly protective of Sam Yao. ❤️

[abeltownshipslittlebitch]

Sam, reading a new post on Rofflenet: Someone tried to fight a squid at the aquarium today!

Five, walking in covered in ink: Well, maybe the squid was being a dick.

[its-elsy]

Same man

[midwestern-runner-five]

Panic

During and after Season 3, Five experiences terrible panic attacks. They’re worse at night, when she can’t run the thoughts away. Sometimes Sam can get her to calm down, but sometimes all he can do is hold her and talk softly until it runs it’s course.

[disabledrunner5]

Runner Five Relationship headcannons- Sam Yao (part 1):

Best mates no not mates forget mates in the apocalypse

Sam gets the nerdy references that Five makes

And Five gets (most) of the references Sam makes.

He’s also the only person who can stop Five from doing something stupid with Simon.

Sam found out Runner Five dislikes Curly Wirleys and was low-key saddened by this.

Then he found out she doesn’t dislike Curly Wirleys, she was just banned from them as a child by her parents(pulled out too many of her baby teeth, even when they weren’t wobbly) and just stuck to that one rule.

So he stocks up the Comms shack with Five’s favourite snacks (chocolate digestives, Jammie Dodgers and dairy milk bars). in case of an emergency.

Sam was the first person Five actually physically spoke too. Two weeks after she joined Abel.

That moment lead to a wholesome interaction with Sam and strengthened their friendship.

Okay here’s some Abel township gossip:

Five’s fallen in love with Sam. But she didn’t exactly realise it at first as she sometimes has a hard time recognising different feelings. Sara had to explain it to her which was...awkward and a bit funny.

And Sam feels the same way about her.

But they won’t tell each other!

Nobody at Abel can figure out why though.

As they are perfect for each other! Almost everyone can see it! Except those two!

Like are they terrified they’ll ruin their friendship? Are they just oblivious? Is Sam too worried about the fact he’s got feelings for another Runner 5 that he won’t talk to her? Is Five too worried about if they do get together and Sam dies it’ll hurt more than anything?

Poor Sara’s been given the impossible task of making them realise their mutual attraction to each other as she spends the most time with Five on runs.

Five’s terrible at hiding her crush on Sam. And yet he still doesn’t realise it.

Sam’s almost confessed his feelings for Five multiple times but he keeps getting interrupted.

Simon creates a betting pool around when Five and Sam will get together.

So far it’s wiped out Jack, Eugene and Simon himself out of the running.

Spoiler: Janine wins

Five and Sam are practically dating anyway without realising it.

midnight feast in the Comms Shack!

Five’s been sleeping with Sam since Abel got blown up and she was almost murdered by Nadia. But not sleeping with Sam.

Five is autistic (one of the causes of her selective mutism) and Sam goes out of his way to learn more about her autism and help her during a meltdown/ minimising triggers that can cause a sensory overload.

Unfortunately he can’t do anything about cover shots. But Five has become accustomed to them and has a strategy to cope with them so she’s fine. But she appreciates the effort.

He also helps her open packets, opening them onehanded is a major problem.

Five hates asking for help though as she feels like she’s a burden and hates asking for help especially from Sam because he really doesn’t mind helping her and then she feels guilty.

you threaten Sam’s life... you have chosen death.

(Looking at you Van Ark and anyone else in the future who threatens to harm Sam and Abel Township)

They will kill (and probably die) for each other (if it came down to it)

Panic mode activated if one of them is ever in danger.

Don’t mess with either Five or Sam in the others presence. You will regret it.

[anothermeansofprocrastination]

“I can’t thank you enough for what you’ve done today, Five. You’re already a hero to me.“

Watch me turn into goo and fall face first into the dust.

Well, I didn’t actually fall, but I definitely felt all of my strength leave my body at Sam’s words^^ Today was the 5k day! I ran 3k straight, walked for 3 minutes something, ran again until I hit the 5k and switched between 2 minutes of running and walking until I was back home. 

Overall I completed the 5k in 33 minutes, 54 seconds which is fucking fantastic and hit a new personal best 😁✌ Now only to cut out that last walking break and I can slowly but surely move on to training towards 10k 😬

I’ll definitely take a few days off, but I can’t wait to jump right back into the final season 1 episodes!!! 

[gallifreystands]

Zombies, Run! nerds, I come humbly asking for playlists/mixes people have made about any of the characters/events from Seasons 1-4. I'm trying to find some on Spotify because I'm just emotional about a lot of the stuff that has happened with certain characters and I'm currently hardcore hyperfixating on this story again as I've been training for a 10k race. Bonus points if it's a 5am playlist, or just Sam Yao in general, anything Simon Lauchlan, or Moonchild. Or Doctor girlfriends. Or anyone lets be honest 😂😂

Also feel free to follow me/like this or whatever if you love ZR, I used to be semi active on here in that fandom back in like 2016 or 2017, and I have no idea who is still around. I have nowhere and no one else to scream to about this story, and I'm hitting some really big plot stuff and the only friends I have who run ZR are in like season one or early season 2 and I can't spoil things for them 😅 I’m about to go run S4 Mission 38 👀

[goodplace-janet]

thoughts on zrs9m16:

- you INFILTRATE Guillemette? you infiltrate Guillemette like the spy? oh! oh! torture for runners! torture for runners for One Thousand Years!!!!!

- i enjoyed the parallel to 555's escape attempt, this time with Bakari getting a taste of his own medicine. looking forward to creeping through these spooky tunnels, maybe learning more about the red fungus, trying not to get eaten by one of those sand worms, idk

- I like that the vital info that Five carries puts them back at the center of the plot rather than on the periphery of the story like in recent seasons. It also creates a situation where other characters might put themselves in danger to protect them, if Five isn't strong or fast enough to get themself to safety? The angst potential, y'all

PETER LYNNE: And fighting Van Ark. Again. Look, I know I'm not one to talk, but why can't the dead stay dead?

MY THOUGHTS EXACTLY but also lmao

(I initially was disappointed when Peter turned out to be recycled Simon, and now I like the character and his growth etc. But it is SO funny that he is the one to point this out, I can't)

tbh, I had a hard time getting immersed in the Abel vs Van Ark 2.0 conflict, probably because I simply don't care for it? But it seems really obvious to me that a physical clone is not necessarily a copy of someone's memories and motivations, and it feels like there should be more uncertainty about how BOTH nature and nurture have influenced his personality.

ON THE OTHER HAND, they started this journey with the assumption that he is the original version, still alive somehow, still out there causing problems on purpose, and that he would be their primary adversary. And then they actually came face to face with the individual who looks identical to the man who caused them so much trauma. Under those circumstances, they can't be expected to completely reconfigure their perceptions within the course of what, an hour? (Speaking of which, remind me to update the cliffhanger index 😬)

So idk.

ANYWAY

- the advice of using bad memories as code is such a great detail. this crew has so many bad memories between them, it could totally be brought back in future episodes for some quality heartbreak

SAM YAO: Wait, we can't just leave Five!

and The Writers(TM) were like “i will sprinkle in some angst for the 5AM fans”

- time for Sam + Veronica and Maryam to go collect Maxine, Frances, and Mo and stage a rescue and/or rendezvous

JANINE DE LUCA: You can drop the act, Professor.

ok but where would this clone have gotten his degrees and teaching credentials? this is what i'm talking about

SAM YAO: General... they'd obviously been keeping you in the dark about [Van Ark]

GENERAL BAKARI: I always thought creating [Van Ark] was a mistake...

*oprah voice* so what is the truth

I wish i could remember what bakari knows/says he knows about literally anything, but i didn't do the rerun/relisten i intended, so *shrug emoji*

- i want the final boss to be Valmont, so we can finally find out what is UP with him and maybe get a big showdown between Brent and Amelia with our little team just kinda stuck in the middle lol

[abelshippingdepartment]

Chapters: 1/1 Fandom: Zombies Run! Rating: General Audiences Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings Relationships: Runner Five/Sam Yao, Simon Lauchlan/Runner Five Characters: Simon Lauchlan, Sam Yao, Runner Five, Jody Marsh Additional Tags: No Spoilers, #Season 1, 5am, sifi Summary:

Five, Simon, and Jody are returning from a mission when a lighting storm hits, stranding them some distance from Abel. As it turns out, the lighting brings out an unexpected side to Five's personality. Unexpected for Simon, at least.

[runfive]

sam for the ask thing 👉👈

ahh yay our cinnamon roll husband tysm!! 💖 (again spoilers warnings are given before answers with spoilers)

favorite thing about them: GOD he’s just so!! good!!! like despite everything that’s happened to him he still sees the good in everybody and is so genuinely kind and hopeful and is like a source of sunlight in a terrible world?? and it’s not like he’s naive it’s just that he chooses to be good and kind despite everything 

least favorite thing about them:****s3 spoilers**** our boy has a dark side which alright let’s be real it’s a little attractive when he’s threatening people but that one time in s3 where he’s like ‘if you were involved in killing those kids I’ll kill you myself 😡😡’ like SAM bro it’s Jody!!! Our friend Jody!!! (I get it this is post s2 where he’s clearly got his guard up but still)

favorite line:***s3 spoilers***too many to choose from but one of my faves is the speech he gives to Five after the mind control arc where he talks about that one time he ate too much cake as a child and alice and how it’s okay for five to feel however they feel and no one is holding it against five wow I love him 

brOTP: sam and maxine!! the best and most wholesome of brotps 

OTP: 5am yes I love our shameless self insert ship with my whole heart

nOTP: sam/maxine for obvious reasons though it’s not really a notp in the sense that I haven’t actually seen anyone shipping them?? 

random headcanon: this is a very random headcanon but I love how this beautiful sam yao aesthetic post by @conversation16 has those little dinosaurs in it and since seeing that post I always imagined sam collects those plastic dinosaurs and they’re on a shelf in the comms shack and every time Five passes some type little shop that they could possibly be found at Five will look for one to bring back to Sam 

unpopular opinion: I have no unpopular opinions about sam I think akljsdla so I’m gonna give an opinion about 5am, I’ve seen a lot of people say season 2 is peak sam/five content and i’m like 100% the best sam/five content is definitely in later seasons though my 5am shipper heart does love s2 

song i associate with them: ‘you are my sunshine’ but one of the slow pretty melancholy-ish covers of it (bonus: my fave 5am song is sleeping at last’s cover of ‘i’m gonna be (500 miles)’ )

favorite picture of them: this beautiful art by @sredmund has always been my absolute favorite sam fanart I cry everytime I look at it

[abeltownshipslittlebitch]

Five: What? No, Sam doesn’t like me like that.

Maxine: Are you serious? He looks at you like you’re the ocean and he’s desperate to drown.

[delucadarling]

ZR - Minnie Winnie Part 1

I’ve been chugging 5am juice, and I’ve been scrolling as many motorhome subreddits as I can find because I desperately want an RV for no good  reason. Have 400 words of nonsense.

Click here for Part 2 and here for Part 3

Title: Minnie Winnie

Word Count: 519

Summary: Simon needs a favor for a friend, and Five has an RV. (Eventual 5am if I decide to make this into something proper)

Spoilers: Mild season 3 spoilers (Character)

*

*

*

“I need a favor,” Simon says, and Five nearly hangs up on him then and there.

On principle, they do not do favors for Simon. Not anymore.

“Just a little one,” he adds when they don’t immediately agree. Five heaves a sigh.

“What kind of favor?”

“I’ve got this friend--”

“How old is this friend?” Five asks. “Because if you’re talking about that creepy Ernest guy--”

“No, no, no,” Simon assures them. “Sam Yao. You remember him.”

Five hums, pulling up the image of the guy in their mind; around their age, a couple of inches shorter. Dark, wavy hair. Chubby. They’re a little more interested in this favor now.

“Go on,” they say.

“He’s got a job interview at the end of the week, but it’s a two day trip and he doesn’t have a way to get there,” Simon adds, a little sweetness to his voice. “But you have the RV.”

They pause, considering it. The Minnie Winnie is what Five lived in their first two years in England, but it sees far less use these days now that they’ve got a flat.

“Well…” Five rubs their chin, thinking about how nice it would be to go on the road again. They had certainly traveled far and wide the past few years, but not with the wheel in their hand. And the poor Winnie has just been sitting in storage for months.

“I’d owe you, big time,” Simon says.

“Sure you will.” Five rolls their eyes. Simon asking for favors tends to never end in Simon paying the favor back. He always has someone else to come and fulfill that need, promising this next person that he owes them one.

“Hey, come on now. After Moonchild, I thought you’d be eager to be scarce around town,” Simon says. They can’t help it; the name makes them flinch. A few moments of silence seems to make Simon realize that wasn’t the best thing to say, even if he is right. “Please, Five?”

He’s right. They do want to get away from everything for a while and avoiding places she knows they frequent is definitely ideal. It’s been months, but every time they run into her it just punches them in the gut all over again. Especially when she acts so innocent about it all.

On the other hand, they don’t know Sam, and RVs aren’t exactly known for being roomy. They’ll be squished together for a minimum of what, four days? Considering Five half hopes the whole world will disappear at some point, that’s far from an ideal situation.

Still.

“Yeah,” they say, pinching the bridge of their nose. “Yeah, alright.”

“Brilliant,” he says with a goofy laugh. “Alright, I’ll send him your number and you two can work out the details.”

Five ends the call, and within moments an unknown number sends them a message.

Hi, you’re Five right? This is Sam Yao. I’m Simon’s friend. He said you could help me out! That’d be really really really great. Like, unquantifiably great.

‘Well,’ Five thinks as they tap out their reply. ‘This should be interesting at least.’

[teacup-crow]

do you hear what i hear?

Hey  @are-you-sure-its-me-you-see ! I’m your ZR Secret Santa! Thanks @runnerzero for organising!

It’s the first Midwinter/holiday party back at Abel since the events of Season 5, and Five and Sam are dealing with things sort of not really well at all.

Can you tell I’ve nearly finished S5 and am slightly too scared to end it because I want everyone to be okay? 😂 You said you did like some 5am and a bit of drama, so it’s a little angsty! I promise a happy ending, though. I also apologise for the first person, and hope it isn’t too cringey.

CW: blood + death mentioned

Spoilers up to the first half of ZRS5 at least (I haven’t played the last episode yet so probably a bit non-canonical)

Merry Christmas! Love Beb :)

It’s the first Midwinter dinner for a long time, actually.

Things have changed in Abel. We’ve lost so many people. Some quietly slipped away in the night, some were violently dragged from this world, kicking and screaming for every last ragged breath. The playground we all worked so hard to build became yet another burial pit.

But things go on, somehow. Our losses won’t define us. We can’t let them. We repeat the words over and over: maybe that will make them stick.

Snow blankets the roof of the farmhouse, muting the talk and laughter inside. Every last speck of Ian’s sliminess has been scrubbed from the building, and candles cover every spare surface that isn’t Janine’s huge oak table. Cameo is telling some long, over the top story, one arm still in a sling where a soldier shattered it with the butt of a gun. Nadia’s mouth turns up at the corners, even threatens a smile. Jack and Gene, back for the party, are pulling pranks like little kids - salt in water, custard balanced on the doorframe, the lot. People are eating quickly and carefully, lining their pockets with morsels of food no matter how many times Janine tells them they don’t need to.

And outside, no headstones, but mounds of earth where one day trees might grow. We did those earlier, said our goodbyes, planted flowers and talked and sang and now we’ve all moved on. That part of our lives is neatly boxed away. We live to fight another day.

I’m sitting not far from the farmhouse windows, in Archie’s shadow. She holds an apple in her left hand and a chicken under her right arm.

You should go inside, Five! They’re opening presents! I love presents!

“A few more minutes, okay?”

You’ll catch your death is what I’d say if you were mine, Sara Smith adds. I feel her tuck a hair behind my ear, and shiver. Point proven.

Oh look! Little Sara got booties! Oh they’re so tiny! They’re very purple, but I think we can forgive that.

“Five?” Sam is silhouetted in the golden light of the doorway. “You coming in?”

I shake my head. He closes the door, walks up and sits beside me, draping a coat and an arm over my shoulders.

“Didn’t think you were. Do you want to talk about it?”

I shrug, leaning into his chest.

“Are you sure? Because… because I think I do. But we don’t have to. We can just sit here. Whatever you want, okay?”

No matter how many times I try to piece Abel back to how it was, I can’t do it. I squint and I can see the square where Carina did her first cartwheel, Molly desperately trying to copy her, all chubby toddler arms and legs, but then it’s the same square where Owen got shot and shot and shot and the images meld and blur and drown in blood until all I can think to say is-

“Out. I need to get out. Just for tonight. Please.”

I know Sam probably wants more than anything to go back inside rather than freeze to death in a zombie infested forest, but he smiles anyway.

“Yeah. We can do that.”

***

We leave Tom festooned in party hats and happily playing with the comms rig. Crowded dinners aren’t really his thing yet, either.

Sam watches from the bottom with a stopwatch as I pound up and down the hill, not stopping for breath, up, turn, down, repeat. Can’t think if you don’t breathe. Can’t think if your lungs are burning, crackling. Lactic acid spitting at my legs. I push through harder, faster.

“Five? Five? I think you might want to- FIVE!”

I go sprawling on the icy snow, the pain biting into my hands grounding me for a moment as Sam tears towards me. “You okay? You all right?”

“I’m fine.”

“You’re bleeding!”

I hadn’t noticed. I roll onto my back, picking some of the gravel out of my hands. It’s not so bad, although it looks dramatic. My own blood isn’t jarring. I know it well enough.

Sam collapses down next to me, and we’re suddenly both gazing at the same stars, trying to stop our hearts from hammering. I know he’s going to talk, and I won’t be able to find the right words. I stare at my hands instead of the sky.

“Y’know, sometimes I’m walking around and around the training circuit with Sara, trying to get her to sleep, and I think how could I have done it, Five? How could… how could we have brought a baby into a world like this? Why did I ever think it was a good idea?”

“Things were different.”

I told them not to at the time. My heart soared when they said it and I struck it down with my head.

I’m not going to say I told you so.

“Things were always on a knife’s edge.” His voice catches. “I keep a brave face but I can’t stop thinking that we’re never, ever going to be safe again. There’s always going to be someone. So we won this time. There’s always going to be a next time, and one day…”

“One day, there won’t be,” I try.

“I know you don’t believe that, or you wouldn’t be out here. You wouldn’t be hearing them as much as you have been.”

Archie and Sara Smith and even Moonchild are quiet, pensive, waiting on the edge of my mind to add something but coming up short.

Sam sits up, rummaging through his rucksack for a first aid kit. He takes my hand, and I hiss at the dabs of antiseptic. “But what I do know is this. We might not have tomorrow, but we do have today. Maxine says today is the only thing we can trust. Today we’re safe. We’re together. Today we are winning. Just for today, we can let it be Midwinter, Hanukkah, Christmas Eve and New Year all rolled into one. Not the future. Not the past. Now.”

“Sam, Runner Five,” my headset crackles into life, and I pull it off so we can both listen in. “Something weird at your nine O’clock. I’d get moving.”

“Something weird?” I manage, turning on the mic.

“Zombie weird, but the sound of the movement isn’t quite right. It’s hard to…”

“Oh god. Oh god, oh god, oh shitting hell!” Sam stows the first aid kit, pulls me up.

“What do you see? My visibility is poor. Do you need backup? Shall I get Jane?”

“Are those zombies on, on, on-“

Tom calls it right as we do, seconds before the first one whistles past. “Skis! Aha, that’s what the noise is! Zombies on skis! Skiing zombies!”

“Surely nobody started the zombie apocalypse skiing downhill?! How did these guys even get here?”

“You worry about running now, Yao, think about the how’s and why’s later!” Tom’s voice becomes more Commander-like as the whooshing noises ramp up. “Forward. Turn right, go, go, go.”

We run clumsily, pulling each other along, trying not to slip again on the ice. But the zombies are flying by too fast to be a threat to us, their roars and growls muffled by the speed of the skis. 

“If this is someone’s… idea of a joke… it isn’t… very… funny!”

“It is a little funny, Sam. Reminds me of a time I was in Canada and-“

“Don’t… don’t… you absolutely do not have a past experience that was like this!”

***

“All right, they’ve mostly landed in a tangled mess at the bottom, but they’re going to intercept you when you get there. Best bet is to split up and each take a different route back to the gates. That should be enough to confuse them.”

“We’ve only got the one headset,” I pass it over to Sam. “You have it.”

“Are you sure?”

“Course. See you back in ten, okay?”

“Race you!” He replies, almost laughing at himself, and is swallowed by the darkness. “I need the head start!”

I’m alone. All I can hear is the crunch of ice and the moans of the crumpled horde. For once, there’s not a single voice to guide me. Running is usually enough to block out everything else, but I can’t stop thinking about them slipping away from me again. I’m alone, I’m completely alone, and I can’t breathe, and I almost run directly into the gates.

He isn’t here.

It’s stupid to panic. I’m faster. Of course I’m faster, I’ve been a runner for years. This is what I do. Every inch of me wants to go and find him

 He isn’t here in five minutes. 

Everything’s shaking.

I don’t know what to do. Did he get lost? Kidnapped? Do I look for him? What do I do when there’s nobody to tell me where to go?

“Why are none of you speaking to me!”

Moonchild whispers in the back of my head. You know I only pop up when you’re in imminent danger. It’s not like we have control over these things. Anyway. He’s right there. You’re only in danger of looking crazy. He can’t know you’re crazy.

Sam is staring at me, and I realise I must look even madder than I did earlier. Tears are running down my face, and I’ve run my fingers through my hair so much it’s standing up on end. He’s the only one who knows about the voices.

He definitely already knows I’m crazy.

“Five, I’m sorry. I’m so, so sorry.”

It’s not his fault. Chin up. We’re proud of you.

It will be all good again. Always sunshine after rain! Big brave smiles, yes?

I take a long breath. He’s here. He’s still here. Solid. Real. He wraps his arms around me.

“Sam. I really thought we’d… I’m so scared that… I don’t want you to end up just another voice in my head.”

Just a voice in your head, Runner Five? Nah, I’m so much more than they are. Our connection runs so much deeper, y’know?

“Oh, shut up,” I mutter as Moonchild pouts.

“I can’t make any promises; nor can you. None of us can. But I have a crazy amount to live for. We’ve got this far, haven’t we? Who’s to say we haven’t another Midwinter in us?”

“... I’ll drink to that.”

“Let’s get inside first. It’s so cold out here, and I want to see what Jody made for Sara.”

“Purple booties. Archie semi-approves.”

“Five, hearing stuff is one thing, but if you tell me the ghosts give you creepy powers now-“

“We were looking in the windows!” I’m indignant, and he grins.

“That makes more sense. Come on, I don’t want to miss any more of this.”

I let him pull me into the tremulous joy of the farmhouse at last, leaving the voices of the dead behind in the snow for now.

[disabledrunner5]

I FINISHED SERIES ONE AND STARTED SERIES 2!

Can I hear a WAHOO???!!!!!

(And, Van Ark isn’t dead the son of a bitch, but I guess I’d probably know that if I’d done the other race runs before series 2 right? All well, I’m going to take my time and finish them during series 2 because I can’t do them on a stationary bike)

[kodessa]

I posted 1,064 times in 2021

32 posts created (3%)

1032 posts reblogged (97%)

For every post I created, I reblogged 32.3 posts.

I added 444 tags in 2021

#zombies run - 162 posts

#runner five - 60 posts

#incorrect zr quotes - 59 posts

#sam yao - 46 posts

#runner 5 - 33 posts

#5am - 24 posts

#zombies run spoilers - 18 posts

#peter lynne - 18 posts

#incorrect zombies run quotes - 12 posts

#incorrect zombies run - 12 posts

Longest Tag: 100 characters

#but maybe those awful professors wouldn’t have made me think i was bad at something that brought joy

My Top Posts in 2021

#5

I know not as many of us have done the zombies run home front missions as do the regular ones but is anyone else obsessed with the Sarah smith quote from hope is an axe?

“Hope isn’t some wish washy blue bird, it’s an axe...But an axe is no use if you haven’t got the strength to wield it”

I also love this moment because Janine is always trash at accents but her Sarah smith is spot on and that’s just 😍😍

27 notes • Posted 2021-02-19 14:25:34 GMT

#4

Sam plays the ukulele?!? I’m sorry, you were hiding this tidbit in a building description in the base feature??

32 notes • Posted 2021-01-04 23:37:17 GMT

#3

See the full post

34 notes • Posted 2021-02-02 00:09:51 GMT

#2

As I started running the new adventures on zombies run.... (I’m on mobile so I can’t do a read more. Leave now if you don’t want the new adventures slightly spoiled)

Originally I was thinking “these are literally runner 5 having fever dreams” because 1)same voice actors, 2)same names or very close, 3)zombies. But now that I’ve done “Venus rising”, “rule Britannia”, and “a study in ichor” I’m more so feeling an I’d find you anywhere vibe. Like Sam and 5 and Peter (and Maxine and Steve and all the others) find each other again and again. In any lifetime. In any reality. These people find each other. And that’s just so comforting

36 notes • Posted 2021-04-03 01:28:38 GMT

#1

Mild spoilers for ZR season 7, episode 32 but.....

I just resynced my zombie link and got about 40 emails I didn’t realize I was missing (it’s been a busy quarantine) and this one from Amelia from after season 7, episode 32 made me remember why my 5 mostly genuinely likes her. (Now if she could just stop flirting with Sam...)

49 notes • Posted 2021-02-02 13:34:55 GMT

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