AJ Character Interview (Warning: Mentions of Abuse)

 It has been way too long. 

But we're back here again. 

It seems we both need to center ourselves. 

Remember to relax.

Calm your mind.

Let's return.

You're back in the small studio. The fairy lights blink at you amongst the familiar pink, yellow, and blue wallpaper. The armchairs are still right where they sat the last time you were here. Not much has changed since you were here last. The table in the center is occupied by two styrofoam cups, with blue straws sticking out of their lids. 

Scribbles is there, sitting comfortably in his chair like he usually is. This time, his eyes are closed and he appears to be taking a few deep and cleansing breaths. His eyes slowly open, and a grin spreads across his face. "Hey everyone! Welcome back!"

He rises from his chair and taps his cards against his paw. "We're running a little late with this character interview, which is okay. I have needed to take care of some things that have been going on. What matters right now, is that everything is okay." He smiles, reassuringly. "Everything will be okay. And nothing will keep this cat from bringing you answers!" 

You get a good view of what he is wearing today. For some reason, it looks like he had gone deep into his closet to retrieve his uniform from the last unnamed customer service job he had. He is wearing slacks, a polo advertising a specific fast food place, and a cap on his head. His feet were adorned with uncomfortable non-slip black shoes. 

"Why are you dressed like this for my interview, dude? I am confused." A voice pipes up from the other chair. 

Scribbles turns to the chair and pouts. "Shhhhh! You're not supposed to talk yet!" He turns back towards you. "Ignore that! I'll introduce him in just a second." He clears his throat. "Welcome back to my character interviews everyone! I am so glad to see you guys have come back for more! And it was so nice to hear how much some of you liked Maggie! It warmed my heart... and as soon as I said that to Maggie, she asked if she could taste it to make sure it was al dente. So I had her escorted from the studio..." He shivers a little and looks around, cautiously. 

"Luckily! My next guest does not want to consume my flesh. I introduced him last week as a candy-loving movie buff. Please welcome, the human poster boy of what customer service workers really want to do to aggravating customers, AJ!"

AJ leans forward in his chair, grabs his cup of soda, and takes a sip of his soda. "Please tell me that line wasn't the only reason you wore your uniform..." AJ's own outfit looks super comfortable. Black sweatpants, and a red pullover hoodie. His feet are fitted snugly into a pair of pitbull slippers. That being, slippers that look like cute little pitbulls. 

Scribbles sits back down in his chair, his teeth gritted into an irritated smile. "Shut up." He hisses at his guest before snatching his own cup for a sip. "So, AJ! How are you feeling about this?"

AJ leans back in his chair, still holding the cup. "I feel okay." The man looks up at the ceiling for a second. "I mean, you know what the world is like for me. I never really paid much attention to interviews. Been a bit busy."

"With the apocalypse?" Scribbles rests his paws on his lap.

"Yeah." AJ chuckles. "Thanks for that by the way."

Scribbles winks at him and clicks his tongue. "No problemo." He picks up the interview cards from the table and taps them against his knee. "Shall we begin? We have a few questions, all of them from one person." He turns to glare at a specific viewer. "I think someone needs to stop simping for my characters, Victoria!" He waves his hand a bit and starts to laugh. "I am kidding! I promise." Scribbles grins. "Tekky's the one who simps for my characters."

"Well, I am flattered by all the attention. Thank you very much!" AJ scoffs at Scribbles. 

Scribbles narrows his eyes at AJ. "Mhmm... First Question." He looks down at the cards. "Victoria asks, What is your favorite sandwich?"

AJ takes another sip of his soda, then puts the cup back on the table. "Hmm... Well, I usually use whatever I have available. I have grown very fond of Peanut Butter and Jelly sandwiches. Specifically the guava jelly. It's not easy to come by, so I have to use it very sparingly. So usually my diet consists of burgers from the theater. Since we don't get many customers at the movie theater, we have a freezer stocked with six or seven boxes frozen beef patties..."

Scribbles bites his lip. "Oh no... And how long have those boxes been there?"

"That's the thing!"AJ leaned forward again, making eye contact with Scribbles, "They keep sending us these boxes from other restaurants! I can't even begin to tell you which ones. I think they are from Seattle, but I don't handle the deliveries. Just inventory. They just come on the caravans."

"Are you sure that it's actually beef?" Scribbles' eyebrows raise. He looks genuinely curious for his own sake. 

"Dude. Yes. It's beef. The boxes are marked with the company logo." AJ narrows his eyes. "Why? Did you do something?"

Scribbles sits up straight. "No! I swear! I literally just learned about this myself. Go Seattle! I guess they're doing okay up there."

"You're a piece of work." 

"Yeah, I know..." Scribbles picks up the cards and reads the next question. "Victoria also wants to know Where is your favorite place to go on a sunny day?"

AJ scratched the back of his head. "I mean, on a sunny day? Usually, I am indoors. None of us feel safe in the direct sunlight. We're still not sure what caused the zombie outbreak, but as long as radiation is a possibility... We tend to stay in on bright, sunny days. I usually spend my time in my designated room in the public library. I have my cot and books. Or if I am feeling lucky, I'll go visit Mags at her cover house near the graveyard and we'll play board games and eat movie theater candy."

"So, you're more of an inside person?"

"For the most part." AJ shrugs. "It's easier to stay inside when you have an excuse not to be outside."

"Cool!" Scribbles moves on to the next question on the card and bites his lip. "Okay. So... Victoria also wants to know..." He glances up at AJ. 

AJ sighs and looks at the floor. "Go ahead. I knew it was coming eventually."

"Do you miss the world before?"

AJ turns in his chair, making direct eye contact with you. "I want to be very clear when I say this. While the world before was better off as far as my world goes, I do not miss it one bit. Things may have been more convenient, and less deadly... But I'd rather put in the work to keep the life I have now, than to go back to the way I was living before this all started..." He gasps for air, his voice growing hoarse towards the end of his last sentence. 

Scribbles sits in silence, giving AJ a few seconds to collect himself. "It's okay. Take a second. You do not have to elaborate on this topic if you do not want to..."

AJ takes a sip of his drink before clearing his throat. "I am fine. I just want to put my experiences into perspective for them..." He takes a soft breathe and sits up. "Okay... So, sometimes... When things get difficult for people, their true colors begin to show. You all know how it is." He squirmed a bit in his seat, trying to make himself comfortable. "Um... With the zombie infection spreading, my parents had died... I had to go seek shelter with my uncle in Atlanta. But when I got to Atlanta, my uncle apparently did not plan to immediately take me in. Long story short... One of my cousins, told my uncle something I didn't want to share with him... He screamed at me... He hit me... He locked me in a f***ing basement for a day... When he finally let me out of there and told me he was ready to deal with me..." AJ's breathing was audible from where you were sitting. 

"Okay, hold up a second." Scribbles waves his paws. "Listen, AJ. Take a second to calm down." He stood and walked over to AJ's chair, putting a paw on the boy's shoulder. "Go get yourself a bottle of water, okay. Do you want me to tell them the rest?"

AJ stood to his feet and nodded, "S-Sure. I'll just be a few seconds." He slowly walks off the set, leaving Scribbles alone.

"AJ is gonna take a second to relax offstage for a second. I want to make it clear, there are certain parts of this story that he doesn't want to say, and I am going to respect that." He went to sit back down in the chair. "For those of you who are worried, AJ didn't stay at his uncle's house for longer than the two days he mentioned. He was able to get out the front gate of the house and made it to Florida state lines." 

Scribbles crosses his legs as he settles into the chair. "In a sense -- and I believe AJ would agree -- the zombie attacks were the best thing that happened to him. After a day and a half of traveling on foot, AJ collapsed at the Florida state border... He was ready to give up... And then Maggie found him."

You can see AJ slowly making his way back to the set, holding a half-empty water bottle. "Scribbles? Mind if I pick it up here?"

"Only if you want to."

AJ gives Scribbles a small smile as he settles back into his armchair. "Well, it's my favorite part." 

"By all means, then" Scribbles gestures towards you. 

AJ grins. "The way I met Maggie was one of the funniest moments I had ever seen. I am laying there in Florida dirt and I feel this thing trip over me. I'm pretty weak at this point, so I am barely able to roll my head over to look at this girl."

"Maggie is just sprawled on the sand, cursing like a sailor. And I didn't even realize she was undead until she said she was. So she is able to get up and turns to me like "Watch where you're going!" and then I was like "You tripped over me!" And I just sat there for five minutes arguing with this zombie. I think she was going to try and eat me... But then she noticed the bruises and all the wear and tear my journey had given me."

Scribbles nods. "What happened when she saw it all?"

"She got really quiet. She clearly recognized the signs of abuse... She asked me what happened... And just like that, I broke down. I told her what happened. Everything. I couldn't stop myself. I just thought I was going to die and I wanted to go not having anything left unsaid... And for a second, I was just there crying and I feel her just wrap me in a hug." AJ sniffles a bit, and then laughs. "Her arm fell off mid-hug."

"And that's how you ended up in Jacksonville?"

"Yeah. After she reattached her arm, she brought me to her cover house until the bruises had healed and then brought me into the town. The leaders were very understanding and took me in immediately. Other cities I had tried to enter, wouldn't even think of letting me in straight from the outside... But there, they checked me over and made sure I was okay after letting me in." 

Scribbles nods "So to tie it back to Victoria's question..."

"No. I don't miss it. I like the way it is now. I don't think I'd change anything."

"Speaking of changing, AJ... I do believe Victoria has one more question for you. And I have to say, she may have asked just the right questions for this interview. Have you ever thought about becoming a zombie yourself?"

AJ puts his hand to his chin and scratches it. "Ooooh! Yeah. I do. I do it all the time. I think the only reason I'm not currently one, is because Maggie's a big ol' softie for me."

Scribbles grins, "So you're saying Maggie wouldn't bite you even if you asked her?"

AJ shook his head. "Nope. She's my protective older sister. Really old sister." He giggles. "My dead sister."

"Well, good! Because you're right! She's not the one who turns you!" Scribbles grins and turns back towards you. "Well, that is all the time we have!"

AJ jumps in his chair. "I'm sorry, what?"

"Don't worry about it, AJ!" Scribbles chuckles. "I hope you enjoyed this character interview! If you did, please consider sending me questions for future installments! You can also follow me on any of the social media accounts mentioned on my blog's sidebar!"

"Speaking of future installments, let's meet our next guest! Have you read Heroes Collide? Have you even heard of it yet? It's this super fun series I started in 2019, and while it has been on break for a while... Which someone should probably remedy soon. Not gonna call myself out here..."

Scribbles coughs into his arm and glares up at the sky. "Frick..." He took a deep breathe. "Anyways! Heroes Collide is a series I started as a fun little character exercise! It combines fan characters inspired by heroes from the DC Universe and pairs them up with several of my own beloved (At least by me) characters. It's a dystopian storyline with some choose your own adventure elements coming into play down the road!"

"And who better to bring in to interview, than the first person we meet in that story! Natalie! She's got super strength, super speed, and a whole cacophony of other abilities that she's used to fight crime. But how can those abilities help her in a universe where everything seems to be falling in on itself!"

"To learn more about Natalie, please go check out the series on Wattpad! You'll be introduced to Natalie, her friends, and several possibly familiar faces. There are twenty stories featuring zombies, gunfights, unrequited love, and a bunch of snark. So make sure to read Natalie's introduction (https://www.wattpad.com/797734928-heroes-collide-natalie), and the rest of the series! Then head over to the form and submit your questions for Natalie! Have a wonderful day, and I'll see you here next time! Bye!"

Maggie's Interview

You're back.

It's good to see you have returned.

It has been a while. 

Take a few minutes to take some deep breaths. 

Good. 

You're back in the small studio. The pink, yellow, and blue wallpaper has been decorated with strings of fairy lights that make the wall look festive and inviting. You see the armchairs as they were before with a small table in between, with a tray on top. On this tray are a steaming tea kettle and two ceramic cups. A fuzzy, spotted paw picks one of the cups and the paw's owner brings the cup towards them to hold above their lap.

Scribbles' warm inviting smile lights up when he realizes you are there. "Hello! Welcome back!" He takes a small sip of tea, then slowly returns the cup to rest on the table. "I hope you don't mind the tea. It's been a long week, and I am looking to chill a bit for this interview."

He's dressed similarly to the last interview. Clad in slacks, a white button-down shirt, and a vest. This vest is an interesting variation of checkered squares colored yellow, white, purple, and black. 

Scribbles stands up from his armchair. "As you can probably guess, it's time for another character interview! As you know, I have been accepting questions on social media and on the form, I put up. And I am excited to say, I got a few very enthusiastic responses!" He smiles and sits back down in the chair. "As expected, I have a very lovely guest with me today."

He smiles and picks up a stack of cards from the table beside him and glances down at them. "I introduced her last week as a simple zombie. But really, there is a lot more to her. Her interests include makeup, old movies, and actively avoiding turning her best friend into a zombie! It's Maggie!"

You look over at the other armchair and see what looks like just an ordinary girl. She has curly black hair, green eyes, and a beautifully painted face. She is dressed in a baggy green sweater, black sweatpants, and a pair of doggy slippers. She holds her teacup in her hands, though you do see them shaking a little. "Hey, Scribbles. Nice to be here." She glanced at the cheetah host with a big smile. "You look delicious."

Scribbles let out a nervous chuckle and scooted his armchair back a little. "Oh, you! I thought we discussed comments like that."

Maggie blinked. "Huh? Did I say something wrong?"

Scribbles nodded, "Yep! Called me delicious."

"Oops! I meant handsome. Sorry. It's been a while since I last ate." Maggie gently put her teacup back onto the table. 

"No worries! Absolutely no worries." Scribbles laughed, but his eyes darted towards you in mild terror. "Onto the questions! Right!" He collected himself and looked down at the question cards. "So Maggie! The way this goes is I have an assortment of questions here! Some are from our readers, and some are from me!"

"Yes. I am aware. Thank you."

"Okay!" Scribbles cleared his throat and put the cards back onto the table so he could retrieve his cup for another sip of tea. "Tell me about your relationship with the people in Jacksonville." 

Maggie leaned back in her chair. "Well, that's kind of difficult to say for me. I don't really interact with many people in the town. I mean, in the story, I only encounter six people and two of them... well... You know how that ended."

Scribbles nodded. "Yep. I wrote it." He turned to look towards you. "If you haven't checked out "Zombies Hate Theater Crashers!" yet, go read it! You'll learn more about Maggie, and our next guest!"

Maggie chuckled at the (debatably) shameless self-promotion and continued. "The only people I have really interacted with in town are my best friend, AJ, and one of the cities leaders, Catherine."

"Tell me a bit about your relationship with AJ."

"God... He's one of the greatest humans I know. He's genuine, kind, respectful. He is always able to take everything with such ease and patience. I've known him for about two years at this point, and he's been like a little brother. We take care of each other."

"You mention in the story that he isn't originally from the city. Can you tell us anything like that?"

Maggie bit her lip. "I am not sure how much I can really say on this because it is not really my story to tell." She looked at the wall behind them, staring at it absentmindedly. "The apocalypse gave him the strength to break free from a very abusive home. He's overcome so much to become who he is today... Stuff no one should have to put up with."

Scribbles nodded. "Let's move away from AJ and talk about Catherine. What makes her notable to you?"

Maggie's gaze trailed back towards Scribbles and she let herself smile, as she brushed some hair behind her ear. "Catherine is just a very sweet woman. Kindness is something that is so rare in humans after all of the crap they went through with the rising dead and everything that came with it. Even though I can easily pass as a human, I give off very intense and intimidating vibes. But that never stops her from starting conversations or cracking jokes."

"It's always nice to find people like that in life, isn't it?" Scribbles picked up the stack of question cards again. "So, before we go into the audience's questions, I have got to ask! How do you always look so..."

"Normal?" Maggie grinned. "AJ asks me all of the time. Even some of the zombies back home forget I'm not alive. My face is a miracle!"

"You must have an excellent skincare routine."

"Only for my mug." She giggled and pulled up one of her sleeves to show off her decaying arm. You can clearly see the bone peeking through the rotting flesh of her arm. Big chunks of it are missing. You quickly look away.

It seems Scribbles has a similar idea, and is holding the interview cards over his face. "I am not sure if that is okay to show, Maggie. Can you please put your sleeve down?"

Maggie rolled her eyes and let out a grunt. "That's so disrespectful." She pulled her sleeve back down and crossed her arms in front of her. "It's down."

Scribbles slowly lowered the cards, and peeked over them. "Sorry! Some of us have weak stomachs."

Maggie grinned, "Me too. You know... With the whole being dead thing."

Scribbles let himself relax in the chair again. "Ah! Beetlejuice! That actually reminds me of one our reader's questions!" He looks at the cards. "Cedric asks, What kind of music does Maggie listen to?"

"Maggie likes musicals!" She grinned and leaned forward in her armchair. "You'd be surprised how many of the zombies I know, were theatre kids when they were alive. My whole aesthetic as an undead creature is "They're Only Human" from the Death Note Musical. Other than that, I listen to a myriad of other genres. Usually any electronic abandoned at our graveyard is scoured for music. If I had to list off other singers I liked I'd have to include Against the Current, BTS, and Michelle Creber."

Scribbles blinked. "That is an odd assortment... So K-Pop, Alternative, and that one girl who was in MLP: Friendship is Magic?"

Maggie's eyes widened. "Dude! That's where she is from! I thought I recognized her voice!"

Scribbles cleared his throat. "Moving on! This next question is from my best friend..." His eyes narrowed as he looked at the card, then over toward the audience. "Shane." He bit his lip and tried to hold back a smile. "Shane's... question is actually more of a statement. I am not sure what it means. Shane says Wake up Maggie I think I've got something to say to you."

"Hello!" Maggie looks out towards the audience as if looking for the reader that asked her this question. "I know that song. And like... you know. If you want to say something, I am single and ready!"

"Shane has a boyfriend."

Maggie grumbled and lowered her eyebrows. "What a tease."

Scribbles chuckled, "He sure is something." He looked back at the cards. "Our next question is from Cyrus! Cyrus asks..." Scribbles inhaled sharply and looked away from the card. "Before I ask this, I need you to promise not to show the arm again please, Maggie."

Maggie grinned and rested her chin on her hand. "No promises, cheesecake."

Scribbles blinked, "I do not hate that nickname... Cyrus asks, How do you make your exposed bone so pearly white?"

"Oh that is easy." Maggie pretended she was about to pull up her sleeve. "I use baking soda. I'm dead so it really doesn't hurt at all. I just use an old toothbrush and mix the baking soda with water. It makes it look really nice."

"Don't!" Scribbles hissed. The fur on his head ruffled a bit when he did. He looked a little flustered as Maggie grinned back at him. "Um... Don't know where that came from. Our last audience question comes from my friend, Auro! Auro asks, What made you decide to become a zombie?"

Maggie smirked, "Ooooh! I like this question. There are two answers to this one, to be honest. The fun one is, human life sucks! You're a human... I assume. You have a job, you deal with abrasive and upsetting situations and people every day. I know this, not from personal experience with human life, but from what I see. Being a zombie? Sure, it takes a lot from you. Mostly ribs and flesh. Sure, you are still dead inside! But at least your outside matches now! Right?" Maggie giggled. "But in all seriousness, I don't think I made this choice. Though, who knows. I could have. Maybe I signed a contract before I died. This could all be the result of human Maggie's deal with the devil!"

"You are so devilishly delightful, Maggie!" Scribbles smiled at her and then turned to face the audience. "Thanks to everyone that sent in a question! I hope you all enjoyed this interview! Maggie, do you have anything you think I should plus here at the end?"

Maggie nodded, "Yes! Zombies Hate Theater Crashers is on Wattpad! Go read it! It's a fun adventure of what it's like when people talk in movie theaters."

"Thank you so much, Maggie! She is correct! And our next guest is also featured in that story! Maggie's best friend, AJ, is a human who works in a movie theatre. He loves movies in general, and has a lot of film knowledge, loves candy, and as Maggie said earlier, he has been through some tough stuff. So prepare yourself for the next interview by reading "Zombies Hate Theater Crashers!" and remember to send any interview questions for AJ to the form!"

"We'll see you next time!"