It definitely wasn't an easy thing, when Leo first encountered him.
Mikey isn't the only one of their family and friends that Leo has seen as a zombie, of course. He's run across their dad a few times, and Draxum twice. He's pretty sure he saw a Todd in a hoard once, and he remembers running away from a shambling April, trying to convince himself it was someone else, someone he didn't know.
All of them hurt, seeing their wretched forms and dead eyes, and it hurt when he witnessed someone else taking them out, but he kept telling himself that it simply wasn't real, like the storms. A trick, trying to make him despair, to feel like his family was truly dead and gone. And he knew it was true, because he'd seen them over and over, like duplicate enemies in a video game.
But when he came around a building and saw Mikey...
He'd heard others behind him, some of the others out looking for supplies. They weren't looking to fight the zombies directly, but right where he was, Mikey would be in their way. Leo knew, if he left him there, that they would cut him down to get past. It was the sane and normal thing to do, and the thought of it had turned Leo's body to ice.
He thought about doing it himself. At least he would make sure it was fast. But as he pulled out his sword, he looked at the groaning, stumbling form of his little brother, and he knew he wouldn't be able to.
So he used himself as bait and coaxed the zombie away. Eventually he wrangled the thing to one of these houses and got him inside. Locked him in an inner room, then got some rope to tie him to a bed frame.
He's not sure how much of this he should tell Donnie. He starts with the small parts.
"...I know," he says quietly, "that it's not... really him." He grips his empty hand into a fist at his side, his other shaking in Donnie's hand. "I just... couldn't do it. But I couldn't let anyone else... I couldn't let them... Not to him."
His voice gives out and he lets the explanation die on his tongue. He knows he sounds crazy. He knows this is nuts. He waits for Donnie to tell him so.
no subject
Mikey isn't the only one of their family and friends that Leo has seen as a zombie, of course. He's run across their dad a few times, and Draxum twice. He's pretty sure he saw a Todd in a hoard once, and he remembers running away from a shambling April, trying to convince himself it was someone else, someone he didn't know.
All of them hurt, seeing their wretched forms and dead eyes, and it hurt when he witnessed someone else taking them out, but he kept telling himself that it simply wasn't real, like the storms. A trick, trying to make him despair, to feel like his family was truly dead and gone. And he knew it was true, because he'd seen them over and over, like duplicate enemies in a video game.
But when he came around a building and saw Mikey...
He'd heard others behind him, some of the others out looking for supplies. They weren't looking to fight the zombies directly, but right where he was, Mikey would be in their way. Leo knew, if he left him there, that they would cut him down to get past. It was the sane and normal thing to do, and the thought of it had turned Leo's body to ice.
He thought about doing it himself. At least he would make sure it was fast. But as he pulled out his sword, he looked at the groaning, stumbling form of his little brother, and he knew he wouldn't be able to.
So he used himself as bait and coaxed the zombie away. Eventually he wrangled the thing to one of these houses and got him inside. Locked him in an inner room, then got some rope to tie him to a bed frame.
He's not sure how much of this he should tell Donnie. He starts with the small parts.
"...I know," he says quietly, "that it's not... really him." He grips his empty hand into a fist at his side, his other shaking in Donnie's hand. "I just... couldn't do it. But I couldn't let anyone else... I couldn't let them... Not to him."
His voice gives out and he lets the explanation die on his tongue. He knows he sounds crazy. He knows this is nuts. He waits for Donnie to tell him so.