Undead: The Journal of the Thinking Zombie (Short Story)

Chapter 6: Bri

Weeks upon weeks.

Eat.

Walk.

Avoid the humans.

Keep my distance from the dead.

Keep walking.

You got this Zed. Stay strong, don't give up.

I wander across another camp, where everyone is screaming and firing off rounds like there's no tomorrow. My curiosity takes over and I hobble towards the noise. I watch as a crowd of people fights off the walkers, a lot of them being taken down.

I can't tear myself away. It's all so horrible; the screams, the gunshots, the blood.

A man runs into the woods. He sees me and lets out a yell, raising his dagger. I turn and run away, and I hear people joining him

"Jaxton? Are you alright?" a female voice calls.

"Fine Lucy...The strangest thing just happened. One of them ran away from me!"

I don't hear the reply as I keep moving, the dark woods closing in around me.

Then, I hear the sound of laboured breathing. I stop in my tracks, turning and looking for the source. I follow it, finding the frail and broken body of a young girl. Her damp brown hair sticks to her forehead, and her arms and throat have bite marks in them. A dead walker lays nearby with a stick wedged deep into his eye socket.

I stumble over and kneel next to the girl. She looks up at me, her face terrified but hopeless.

"Zed...faamalaay," I groan.

She gets a confused look on her face, blood trickling from the wound in her throat. "F-f-family?"

There's a strangled noise and her body goes still. Her green eyes lose all their light, becoming dull. I reach forwards and shut them with my decaying fingers.

I wait.

Hours pass, and I only sit and watch this young girl. She's going to come back, and when she does, I'll try to teach her to be like me.

As the sun starts to creep above the horizon, she lets out a groan. I watch as her chest slowly starts to move with hollow breath, and I grow excited.

She opens her eyes. They've become a glassy grey, like mine, and her head turns towards me.

"Zed," I say firmly. "Faamaalay."

She only lets out another groan as she tries to get up. I stand and help her, and she stumbles forwards into my arms. For a moment, she just kind of leans against me. Little noises emanate from her throat as she stares at the early morning forest illuminated around us.

I think of how Helen embraced Julie back at their camp, and I wrap my arms around her. She still doesn't respond, and I squeeze lightly.

To that, she lets out a low snarl, and I almost jump. Still, she only straightens up, staring at me with her mouth hanging open slightly.

"Zed...you..." I stop, thinking of a name for her.

"Helen is pretty, or Julie. I heard something like Ramona a little while back," I wish I could say.

Instead, a mangled string of words makes its way out my throat. I can say one word at a time, but that's it."

A bird chirps above us, and I listen. The girl walker stares over my shoulder, completely unfazed by my gentle grip around her body.

"Bbrriid," I moan.

She doesn't respond to my new word, and get an idea.

"Brid. Bri...Is Bri a name?" I wonder.

"Bri..." I mumble.

She looks to my face, her pale, cold fingers touching my lips.

"Bri," I repeat. "Zed. Bri. Faamaalay."

She only stares at me. I take her hand and start to lead her away through the forest.

"Please let this work," I plead. "I'm so tired of being lonely."