by Tahnee Fritz
“I guess you’re right, we would be dead by now if you were lying.” He lets out a sigh.
I nod, “Killing a human is something I never plan on doing.”
“You better keep that promise.” He orders.
“If I don’t, you have my permission to kill me.” I reply.
I wait for him to holster the gun, before walking away from him. I need to find those sunglasses in order to make it through the morning without plucking my eyes from my skull. I walk back to the place where I tackled the zombie and search the ground for the shades. There’s a small trace of blood, from one of us and I remember the scratch she gave me on my cheek. I wipe where she scratched me, but don’t feel a mark. On my fingers, I see the blood from the wound, yet there’s no wound for the blood to come from anymore. Quick healing must be another new power of mine. One that will come in handy someday, I’m sure.
I spot the sunglasses a few feet from where I’m standing and walk to them. The stars reflect off the lenses and I pick them up from the grass. Luckily, they aren’t broken or scratched. There’s no saying when I’d find another pair good enough to shield my eyes from the sun. I hang them on the collar of my shirt and head back to the campsite. I can see even better at night without them.
George is busy getting his gear back together when I make it to the fire. He shoves all of his cooking utensils in one compartment along with his bottle of water.
“I knew I was right.” Kelly says as I approach them. “I knew you weren’t a human right off the bat.”
She seems pretty smug with herself. I would be too if I were so right about something.
“I take it this was why you didn’t want to eat or drink anything I had to offer?” George questions.
“You would be correct.” I reply.
He smiles, “Yet, you seemed to enjoy the blood coming out of that zombie. That’s pretty gross if you ask me.”
“Yeah, things are confusing right now.”
“Not gonna argue with you on that one. I don’t think we should stay in this area any longer. Who knows if any other zombies are around.” George says once he has his bag packed up.
“You probably don’t want me to come with you anymore. Could prove to be a bad thing if I go to your village.” I state.
He shrugs and gives me a questionable glance, “I don’t know. I believe that you don’t want to harm a human, but if someone else gets wind of this, who knows if they’ll feel the same. They probably won’t be as nice as I am and they could pull the trigger. It might be best if you...”
Before he can finish speaking, a loud gasp fills the air and both of our eyes dart to the only thing around to cause it.
* * *
She gasps and coughs, trying desperately to catch her breath. George has his hand hovering over the gun at his side while I slowly make my way to the zombie. She was dead a few minutes ago. I felt her die and her body went limp in my hands. Yet, here she is, rolling onto her side, still attempting to take a calm breath. I’m not sure what’s happening to her. She grabs a handful of grass as a pain-filled look crosses her face. She turns to us and opens her eyes just enough for me to get a look at them.
Something’s not right.
They aren’t the same shade of black they were when I tackled her to the ground. They aren’t black at all. She opens them again, this time all the way, and I can see the white surrounding the hazel colored iris of her eyes. My jaw drops and I honestly have no idea what I’m supposed to think right now. She was a zombie. She shouldn’t be staring at me with eyes filled with life. The color shouldn’t be coming back to her face and the veins shouldn’t be fading from sight.
But, that’s what is happening.
George steps to my side, obviously noticing the same thing. He kneels to the ground next to her and she looks at his face. Kelly stays by the fire with her eyes glued to the girl. The woman on the ground darts her gaze to each one of us and looks terrified.
“Where am I? Who are you?” she asks, frantically.
Something else that shouldn’t be happening to this girl. Zombies don’t talk. The only sound they make is the annoying groaning coming from their dead throats. She’s defying all laws of what I know to be true about the creature.
She quickly sits up and brushes the hair out of her eyes. George turns his head and looks to me with wonder written all over his face. I have nothing to do other than shrug in response. Hell, I’m not even sure what to think right now. I watch as the girl looks at her hands and the blood stains on the sleeves of her sweater. Her hands shake and she breathes heavy.
“Why is there so much blood on me?” she asks.
“You don’t know what just happened?” George asks, trying to sound as calm as he can.
She shakes her head, “The last thing I remember, I was standing outside of a house with someone,” she seems confused, then shakes her head again, “No, that’s not right. I was somewhere else, alone maybe? Something came out and attacked me, I think.”
“What’s your name?” Kelly asks, stepping closer to us.
The woman on the ground looks around. She opens her mouth, like she’s going to say something. Aggravation fills her eyes and she quickly shakes her head one more time.
“I don’t know.” She says, sadness in her voice. “Does this mean I’m dead?”
George slowly lifts his hand and places two fingers on her neck. She doesn’t protest or try eating his arm as he touches her skin. We patiently wait for the verdict as George takes his time feeling for a pulse.
After a moment, he turns his head toward me and smiles. I guess he’s expecting me to smile back, but I don’t know what to do. How is this possible? There has never been any talk of a zombie coming back to life. Then again, there’s never been talk of a zombie being bit by something that’s never been created before. In other words, me.
George turns back to the girl and says, “You’re alive. I don’t mean to scare you, but you were just a zombie a few minutes ago.”
“I was?” she questions.
He nods, “Yeah, but you’re alive now.”
I can see a faint smile across her thin lips, then she asks, “Who are all of you?”
“I’m George, that’s my younger sister, Kelly,” he points to her standing beside me. “And this is Bridget.”
“Are all of you alive?”
George nods, “My sister and I are. Bridget, well, we don’t know exactly what she is. She’s the one who brought you back to life.”
Her eyes dart to me and I can see the tears building inside them. Tears of happiness I bet. I guess I should be a little happy that something is able to bring these things back from the dead. A little weirded out that that something happens to be me. Not really sure what I’m supposed to do with this new power of mine or how I’m even supposed to react. I guess shocked and confused will work for now.
“Is that true? she asks, her eyes pleading for an answer.
I nod my head.
“How?”
“I bit you, you died, and now you’re back.” That’s putting it short, sweet, and to the point.
She takes a deep breath and smiles. Her teeth aren’t black or blood soaked anymore. They are white, just like a human. Her skin doesn’t show any signs of being dead either. She’s still a bit pale, but healthy looking. The only part about her that’s off in anyway, is the blood on her hands, face, and clothes. She just needs to get cleaned up and a new outfit, then she’ll look as good as new.
“Let me get you some water or something. You must be thirsty.” George offers, reaching for his backpack.
“I am, thank you.” She says, her voice is quiet and polite.
He takes out the bottle of water and hands it to her. As clumsy as her human hands are, she drops the bottle and some of the water spills out. George smiles and helps her lift it and even helps her take a drink. He’s such a nice guy, but I really wish I was sharing this moment with Ryder. He’s the only one who would help me understand what I need to do. What
I’m supposed to be doing right now. I’m just so confused.
Kelly stays quiet, her eyes now focused on the life I just gave back to the strange woman on the ground. It’s a good thing she’s not giving me the look of death anymore. She got the answer I’m sure she was looking for and knows the truth about me.
I glance back to the girl. This is a miracle to be witnessing the rebirth of a human after being a zombie for who knows how long. I’m the miracle to give that human life back to her. That’s a lot to take in on top of trying to get used to my new form and trying to control my hunger for disgusting things.
“Where are we?” the girl asks, interrupting my thoughts.
“In the middle of the woods. We’re headed to my village and you can come with us. We’ll get you cleaned up and spread the word about this to everyone.” George replies.
“Us?” I ask.
Kelly’s the one who answers me, “Yeah, you have to come with us now. You can cure the zombies.” She sounds really excited about this.
I, on the other hand, can see this thing going badly, “How exactly do you plan to explain this to everyone?”
“Exactly how it happened.” George states.
I run my fingers through my hair. It’s still just as soft as it was when I opened my eyes last night. Telling people exactly what happened in order for this girl to miraculously get her life back, seems quite difficult to me. There are certain details to the story that might get peoples’ attention in the wrong way. For instance, once they learn about what happened to me in order for this miracle to work, they might not like it. Some could even go as far as wanting me dead instead of trusting our word that whatever’s flowing through my veins is the cure for the zombies. That could prove to be unbelievable to some of those on the receiving end our story.
“Bridget,” George says, “I know you’re thinking the obvious right now. A lot of people won’t believe this. They’ll probably try to kill you as soon as those words come out. Even if they don’t believe us...”
“They still need to know.” I say, quietly.
He nods, “Yeah, regardless what happens. You owe it to the rest of the world to share this new cure with them. People deserve the right to believe they can have their loved ones back. They deserve the right to believe the world has a chance.”
“It would be selfish if you kept this from everybody.” Kelly says, sounding a bit demanding. “You have to tell everyone, even if they want you dead.”
I liked her better when she was quietly staring at me. She actually seems like she wants to make me go with them, like I have no other choice.
“Bridget,” George says, a little nicer than his sister, “I’m not going to make you come with us. I’m just saying it would be a good thing if you did. The world would thank you for it.”
I know I have to go with them. I’ll probably die after his village hears about this, but I hope it will be worth it. The world should know about the cure for the zombies, even though it’s absolutely disgusting how it was discovered.
“I’ll go.” I say. “We should camp here for the night so she can eat something and you guys can get some sleep.”
“Good idea.” George states. “If we leave after the sun is up, we should get to our village around noon or a little after.”
“Can’t wait.” I say, a hint of sarcasm to my voice.
I turn away from them and stare into the emptiness behind me. I hear Kelly’s footsteps as she approaches her brother and helps the woman get her bearings. Being able to cure the zombies will be a good thing. The world will be a much better place with one less demon here to destroy it. If only I could feel excited about spreading the news to everyone.
I guess I’m too paranoid about having a bullet enter my brain to entertain the idea of saving the world.
* * *
I stand alone in the clearing, staring into the vast emptiness that is the night. I was voted to keep watch since I apparently don’t want to sleep anymore. It also doesn’t hurt that I’m quite stronger than the others in case something else decides to show up.
It’s well past midnight now. The red head fell asleep first, then George couldn’t keep his eyes open, and Kelly was the last one to drift off. I don’t even feel tired at all. Maybe that’s what this is going to be like from now on. I can’t eat regular food and I can’t sleep like I used to. I can’t touch the flesh of another living being without hunger burning in my stomach.
I truly hate how messed up I am now.
I look up at the stars, eyeing the constellations and think of Ryder. I can’t get him out of my head. Never getting to see him again is the worst part of everything. I need him to be with me, to be by my side on nights like this one. When I need someone most of all, he’s the only one I want. He took the pain away when I lost my dad and he kept that pain far from my heart after that. I know that once we get to the village, it’ll be really hard to control the hunger that courses through my veins. I feel that if Ryder were here with me, he could help me control everything. He could hold my hand when I need him to and tell me things are going to be alright.
I close my eyes and I can see him again. The same scene playing over in my mind. I hate seeing the look on his face when he realizes both of our worlds have been shattered by two simple bites on my skin. The pain on his face seems much worse than what I felt that day.
“You know, if you keep thinking about it, you’ll never be able to move on with your life.”
I recognize that voice. It’s been a while since I’ve heard it, but I could never forget what she sounds like. I slowly open my eyes and see her standing a few feet in front of me. Her dark blonde hair is a mess and her clothes are dirty. This is just like when I saw Charlie. I needed an escape from my head when he came along. I wonder if Maggie is here to do the same thing.
“You’re not dying this time, Bridget.” She says with a smile.
I look to the ground just to be certain I’m not going to see myself writhing on the grass in pain. I did bite a zombie a few hours ago and there is always a chance for something else to happen to me. Thankfully, there is no other me lying on the grass. I’m still standing with no clue as to why my mind is coming up with my older sister right now. I’m not going to complain about it though.
“It’s nice to see you, Maggie.” I say, quietly.
“Same here, Bridget. I’ve missed you.” She says.
I nod, “I missed you too. A lot. There were a million times when I needed you and you weren’t there.”
“I know, but I’m here for you right now.” She says.
I let out a sigh, “Not really.”
She smiles, “You’re mind wants someone else to be here with you other than those other people over there. Some part of you wants to see me, so here I am.”
“Just for a few minutes though. Then you’re going to leave me like Charlie did.” I say.
“We don’t want to leave you, sis, but you know we can’t stay forever. But, a part of us is always with you, every day of the week.” Maggie takes a small step closer to me.
“You better be.” I say. “Tell me something, why does my mind want to see you right now?”
She takes another step, then says, “You know, when I left college to come home, when all the madness started, I was leaving someone I fell head over heels in love with behind. I thought it was the worst thing in the world, but we both knew we wanted to be with our families. It was the right thing to do.”
“Are you trying to tell me to get over Ryder and save the world?” I ask.
She shakes her head, “That’s not what I’m saying at all. The love story you share with Ryder is the most beautiful thing I’ve seen. It’s my favorite part about watching you. You love him so much that you’ve risked your life on numerous occasions only to make sure that love never dies. Just like you did when you were bitten. You left him, even though it was the hardest thing to do, but it was the right thing to do. You now have the chance to make the world a better place, to save as man
y people as you can and still be in love with the man of your dreams.”
“How can I do that when I’ll never be able to see him again?”
“Maybe you shouldn’t think like that. You thought you would never see Charlie or me again and yet here we are. I might just be something your mind wants to see in order to help you through this, but I’m just as real as you want me to be.” She replies. “If you keep telling yourself that you’ll never see him again, then you never will. If you think you still have a chance at catching even the slightest glimpse of him, you might get just that.”
I raise an eyebrow, “Never thought of it like that.”
“That was always your problem, little sis, you don’t think like me.” She says.
“Even for a figment of my imagination, you still prove to be a little better than me.” I say.
Maggie shrugs, “That’s my job as being your older sister.”
I hear a shuffling sound coming from behind me. Footsteps, quiet ones, and I spin around to see who’s causing them. It isn’t George, he’s still fast asleep next to the fire with his sister lying by his side. It’s the red head. Her legs are a little wobbly from being a zombie for so long and I can tell she’s nervous. Still, she approaches me, biting her lip along the way.
“I heard you talking and I came over to check on you.” She says, quietly. “Are you alright?”
I glance over my shoulder. Maggie’s already gone and the area is clear. It was a much shorter visit than I had with my brother and it’s just as painful to know she’s not there anymore. My mind might have been the thing that brought her here, but it’s also the thing that wants more time with her. I haven’t seen her in years and a few, short minutes isn’t enough time.
“Bridget?” the red head gets my attention again and I face her.
“I’m fine.” I say with a small smile. “Are you?”
She nods, “I think so. I’m actually glad I get to talk to you.”
