NO STRINGS ATTACHED!
started — seventeenth of october ( 2020 )
published — thirty-first of october ( 2020 )
finished — ???

❝ 𝒂𝒘, 𝒍𝒐𝒐𝒌 𝒂𝒕 𝒚𝒐𝒖 𝒕𝒘𝒐 — 𝒔𝒐 𝒚𝒐𝒖𝒏𝒈 𝒂𝒏𝒅 𝒘𝒊𝒍𝒍𝒊𝒏𝒈 𝒕𝒐 𝒈𝒆𝒕 𝒚𝒐𝒖𝒓𝒔𝒆𝒍𝒗𝒆𝒔 𝒌𝒊𝒍𝒍𝒆𝒅. ❞
𝑮𝑰𝑭 𝑴𝑨𝑫𝑬 𝑩𝒀 𝑴𝑬 !
▹ ▹ ▹

SADIE CARTER HADN'T HAD IT EASY WHEN THE MONSTERPOCALYPSE  FIRST STARTED — JUST LIKE EVERYONE ELSE IN THE WORLD. Growing up with limited resources and money in a house where most of her family and close relatives also lived, Sadie didn't have very much to begin with. Nonetheless, she was resourceful; a trick that tends to keep coming in handy the more she gets older it seems.

When the Carter family's town was first ambushed, more than half of Sadie's family was wiped out by cold-blooded animals mutated into monsters. Ranging from close family to extended, the numbers were cut short swiftly. There was no time to even miss them before the second wave came that resulted in an immediate evacuation.

The survivors of what remained of the town — including Sadie and her family — grouped up and tried to make their way to a hideout for sanctuary, but things took an even darker turn. The navigator leading the group had gotten his calculations wrong, leading them into a pit full of monsters that stood between them and a chance of safety.

Given that it was too late to turn back now and doing so would only end in no one left breathing, the group had no choice but to fight and run. Sadie could still remember the screams — both human and monster — that rang through her eardrums while she sprinted as fast as she could with nothing but a kitchen knife to defend herself. Speed was her main alley out in the field, her long limbs helping her miss the calls of death that tried to capture her as she ascended the ladder leading to their safe haven.

Whilst screaming for the hatch to open for her and her group, Sadie had made the one mistake her father had told her not to do before he met his match when this hectic journey first started: "Don't look back."

Sadie sadly did, and she could still feel the rawness she felt that day in the back of her throat when she thought back to the sight that was her remaining family's last breaths; their limbs becoming nothing but flashes of crimson as her pained voice synced with theirs, hers continuing their perished harmonies.

Those inside the bunker had to pull her inside, her limp body falling through the hatch easily and into the underground as foreign arms caressed her tired frame; asking hurriedly if she were harmed from the long journey. She was, just not psychically.

Sadie Carter never told them that though. In fact, up until recently, Sadie Carter didn't say anything at all.

This Monsterpocalypse had made her lose her voice for a period of time, those of lost life hanging heavy on her shoulders like the ghost of something venomous. She thought she had lost everyone that day. And she almost did, until she felt the warm embrace of her grandfather; who had barely made it through in one piece.

Sadie had never gripped onto someone so tightly, and she definitely had never cried so freely. It was like a waterfall, a waterfall with waters so cold that it made your entire body go numb. All the blonde could remember was the feeling of her gut twist and turn up into her thoughts; telling her that, without her grandfather by her side, Sadie wouldn't have made it as far as she had even inside the comfort of the underground bunker.

Together, the remaining Carters did their bit for their colony; learning to adapt to the new lifestyle now presented to them. It was okay. No one could really complain about it. After all, it was either that or venturing out to try your luck against monsters — and Sadie wasn't sure who could possibly be stupid enough to do that.

After a month or so in the bunker, Sadie had gained simple words back (such as yes, no and — if you're really lucky — a maybe) but she only ever spoke when in the presence of her grandfather. She didn't speak to anyone in their new group, despite their best efforts. Her grandfather pushed her nonetheless to be more "out there" but let's face it, being a teenager is awkward enough — let alone one living in the Monsterpocalypse era. 

When assigning jobs, everyone first thought it was ridiculous handing the job of the radio over to a basically mute fifteen-year-old, but with a little convincing (her grandfather may or may not have threatened to gather his own elder piss and mix it in with his colony-famous soup) Sadie was given the job.

It was pretty boring, but enough for the little blonde to handle day-to-day with little to no complaints. Her speaking got better with time, mainly because she had to improve to assure the other colonies that they were all still alive and in check; but the conversation never went any further than basic assigned protocol. Sadie wasn't one for small-talk, and everyone — even over the radio — seemed to take notice of that . . . except for one.

He had just randomly appeared one day with his young voice over the radio, one that differed from the rest and peeked the young Carter's interest. It was a bit more upbeat — like he still had hope to grip onto through this tough time, causing a curious Sadie to pick up on the frequency. She can still remember the frantic name he had basically shouted; causing the radio to release a noise of higher pitch that caused her to drop the device with a wince. "Aimee?!"

Her eardrums hurt for a good day after that. "Sorry to disappoint, but no."

And that's how she met Joel Dawson — well not really. You don't really get to meet people during an apocalypse dominated by monsters. Not to mention the boy barely had time to say the start of an introduction before Sadie was shutting him down; silencing him through the radio.

You see, Sadie Carter didn't talk to those who she didn't already have ties with for a reason. If she talked, things got personal and, if things got personal . . . things got deadly. Sadie Carter had let too many people in already; meaning things have gotten deadly in the past. Sadie had lost a lot . . . she couldn't afford to have anything more deadly in her life.

So, she devised some rules. Never learn names, never know personal details, never (if you're lucky enough not to have met them already) get a visual of what the person looks like. And, most importantly, never let any strings get attached.

And, for seven years, Sadie Carter stuck by that. She had what she liked to believe the perfect apocalypse life-plan. No emotions; no worries. Her grandfather liked to tell her different, but the blonde never understood. In her opinion, he let things get too personal with the people living inside the bunker; but he always had the same reply when she advised him to be more wary of how friendly he was.

"Carters always end up caring. One way or another."

To Sadie, well, as much as she loved her grandfather . . . she had never heard of anything more ridiculous. Seriously, you might as well feed yourself to the monsters with that type of thinking.

It was idiotic thinking to Sadie. But, yet again, the young blonde thinks most people's thinking in the apocalypse was absurd. For instance, coupling up with someone just because they are in the same underground bunker as you, hanging those who are no longer alive's stuff up so one of the first things you wake up to is dead people's belonging's whilst you hold everyone you know so close that they might as well be a part of you.

Sadie was thankful she didn't have anyone other than her grandfather to care for, it gave her less responsibility too — which was also great.

She still talked with Joel (aka Teddy) over the radio, the pair actually having conversations now rather than just asking the other if anyone had died. It was a lot more cheery; which Sadie would never admit secretly enjoying.

Having someone to talk to over the radio was actually pretty cool. Of course, both Joel and Sadie hardly knew anything about one another other than the fact that they lived in colonies relatively close to one another; colonies where they hardly did anything really.

And, while Sadie was perfectly fine with that, she can tell the boy on the other side felt differently. He kept telling her how making the minestrone and milking the cow just wasn't enough anymore. He wanted a life; specifically with Aimee: a girl who he hadn't had contact with in seven years.

Sadie kept her thoughts of the boy's love life to herself — although she did advise him to be careful when he would rant for an hour too long. But, she had faith in the boy that he would know when he had taken his admiration as far as it could go.

Oh how wrong she was.

Sadie should've seen it coming, she should've known that her Teddy would have done something like this eventually — but maybe a part of her just denied the possibility of it because she was too scared to face the harshness of reality.

Because . . . her grandfather was right. A Carter always cares eventually. And this, Carter . . . may have unknowingly fallen for the boy; a boy who had made a stupid, reckless mistake that could wind up with him being a monsters' dinner.

A stupid, reckless mistake which echoed through to Sadie Carter, causing her to run after the boy with nothing but determination to go off of.

Needless to say, they were both idiots. Two idiots, whose luck may just be the best and worst thing on their side whilst trying to survive mutated monsters . . . and their own feelings.

─── ･ ｡ﾟ☆: *.☽ .* :☆ﾟ. ───

❝ ɪ ᴅᴏɴ'ᴛ ᴛʜɪɴᴋ ᴡᴇ'ᴠᴇ ᴛʜᴏᴜɢʜᴛ ᴛʜɪꜱ ᴛʜʀᴏᴜɢʜ ᴠᴇʀʏ ᴡᴇʟʟ. ❞
˚₊· ͟͟͞͞➳❥

❝ ɪ ᴄᴏᴜʟᴅ'ᴠᴇ ᴛᴏʟᴅ ʏᴏᴜ ᴛʜᴀᴛ ᴛᴇɴ ꜱᴄʀᴇᴡ ᴜᴘꜱ ᴀɢᴏ. ❞
˚₊· ͟͟͞͞➳❥

▂▂▂
SADIE CARTER.
( 𝒆𝒍𝒍𝒆 𝒇𝒂𝒏𝒏𝒊𝒏𝒈 )
❝ i don't really like emotions. they're messy. ❞

JOEL DAWSON.
( 𝒅𝒚𝒍𝒂𝒏 𝒐'𝒃𝒓𝒊𝒆𝒏 )
❝ i think you're mistaking feelings for paint. ❞

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𝗦𝗢𝗨𝗡𝗗𝗧𝗥𝗔𝗖𝗞
❝ I KNOW THIS MAY SEEM LIKE A REALLY INAPPROPRIATE QUESTION GIVEN THE STATE OF OUR WORLD RIGHT NOW . . . BUT WOULD YOU LIKE TO DANCE WITH ME? ❞

♞i. BURN IT DOWN — daughter  ♞ii. SHOULD I STAY OR SHOULD I GO — the clash ♞iii. WALKING ALL DAY — graham coxon ♞iv. TRASATLANTICISM — death cab for cutie ♞v. BORN TO DIE — lana del ray ♞vi. APOCALYPSE — cigarettes after sex ♞vii. WHERE IS MY LOVE — the monzas ♞viii. HAVE YOU EVER LOVED SOMEONE — the vocaleers ♞ix. CHERRY TREE — the national ♞x. END OF THE WORLD — skeeter davis ♞xi. WE MIGHT BE DEAD BY TOMORROW — soko

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𝗕𝗘𝗙𝗢𝗥𝗘 𝗪𝗘 𝗕𝗘𝗚𝗜𝗡

i. DISCLAIMER  i am not claiming to own love and monsters in this fic. all that goes to the creator(s) and actors. i only take ownership of my oc and her backstory.

ii. WARNING this fic will contain spoilers for the movie, love and monsters, and shall also have cursing, blood and maybe some gore, we'll see. i think it'll be pretty tame though.

it will also contain monsters so . . . ya know . . . be mindful.

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𝗗𝗘𝗗𝗜𝗖𝗔𝗧𝗜𝗢𝗡𝗦

dedicated to halloween because i published this on the holiday and was too shy to ask anyone if they wanted to be dedicated *awkward finger guns*
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❝ 𝚃𝙷𝙸𝚂 𝙸𝚂 𝚃𝙷𝙴 𝙰𝙿𝙾𝙲𝙰𝙻𝚈𝙿𝚂𝙴, 𝙹𝙾𝙴𝙻. 𝙸𝚃'𝚂 𝙽𝙾𝚃 𝙰 𝚁𝙾𝙼-𝙲𝙾𝙼. ❞

A U T H O R. N O T E
after watching love and monsters last night — illegally (of course) because i can't just pay full price for a movie — i decided to post this fic before my fbi agent takes notice to how much movies i've been watching on free movie websites lately.

i know this is really sudden, but i wanted to get it done and out there because joel dawson is ✨ baby ✨ and i can already tell he's not going to get the fic recognition he deserves!
justice for dylan o'brien fanfiction everyone!

with that being said, i do hope you all enjoy " no strings attached " and i thank you for clicking on it and giving it a go!

GIF MADE BY ME !
━ R O S C O E O B R I E N