Life After Death

Chapter 2

~***~

"Dad says it's a boy." A strange young boy says. "He's gonna be named Tyler, apparently."

"Oh. All-Terrain Vehicle." I say, my voice filled with youth, the same as the other kid. He looks at me with a confused look. "I'm A, he's T, and you're V. ATV. All-Terrain Vehicle." I explain as if it makes any more sense.

"Oh, that's true. Funny. Did you see the zombies outside the wall today? There were a lot more than usual." The boy says, changing the subject.

I looked over at the wall, made of metal and stone, and much taller than I or even my parents are. I can hear the horde of zombies, but can't see them from where I'm sitting.

"One day when I'm big and strong, I'm going to destroy all of those zombies so we don't have to hear them every day," I say, glaring at the wall.

"It'll be hard with your limp, don't you think?" The boy asks, looking over at me.

"Maybe. But zombies limp too. I could still outrun them, I'd bet. And if not... well I guess I'll have to find other ways! Maybe we could make the wall fight the zombies for us." I say, imagining the wall suddenly growing arms and crushing all the zombies in its iron grip.

The boy is quiet for a minute, looking at the wall himself. "Hey Ant? If I became a zombie, what would you do?" He asks, a thoughtful look on his face.

"The adults were pretty clear that you'd have to die immediately. Otherwise, you could infect others and me. So I'd have to kill you." I say, remembering all the lectures I have been getting. I've just turned five and am old enough to begin learning all the rules I need to follow.

"Oh. I guess you're right." Says the boy, looking down at his hands.

"But I don't think I would." I continue. "I'd let you infect me instead. I'd be too sad if you died."

"Oh. That's nice of you. I think... I think I'd do the same if you were the zombie. Same with Tyler! When he's older, we should make the same pact. If any of us become zombies, we'll be zombies together!" The boy says, and the two of us fall into a fit of giggles.

"Boys! Come inside!" Shouts our father, and the conversation promptly ends as we follow the order. As we enter, our father wraps his arms around us. "I'm so sorry. Your mother is dead."

~***~

I wake up in a cold sweat, taking deep breaths as I wake from my dreams. Though, that hadn't felt like a dream. I can tell, it was a memory. That boy... who was he? I think he's my brother, based on what little context I was able to pick up. I've been told my memories will come back in snippets. The important memories will be filled in like a dream, everything else would come naturally. 

I apparently have two brothers. One is Tyler, who had only just been born in the memory. I was much younger, so he must be a teen by now... assuming he wasn't zombified. The same with V. I had mentioned his name started with a V, which was all I got. Though, it's not hard for me to fill in the gaps. The man on the TV had my last name, and his name started with a V. Vlad Fiscella must be my brother. 

It's been a week and a half since I was admitted to the hospital, and they are already allowing me to leave. Apparently not much was wrong with me, aside from my legs. According to my memory, I've always had a bit of a limp. My legs had just been injured from my zombie self using them carelessly. Now they've had time to heal and recover, and I can walk, though not without help. 

I've been gifted a pair of forearm crutches, along with a single cane. The cane is a little more comfortable for me, but the crutches are harder to carry. So, I use the crutches and attach the cane to my back. Once I've found a proper place to stay, I can switch out which one I use.

I've been gifted a simple white T-shirt and some jeans and have begun walking around the town. I had decided my game plan during my days in the hospital. The city I'm in is apparently called Elysium. It also happens to be the same city Vlad Fiscella lives in. Not only that, he is one of its founders! Not that I'm surprised, he is clearly an important figure. Plus, it helps me know exactly where I'm going.

Vlad is clearly a smart man and could definitely help me in figuring out what is going on with the immune zombies. Perhaps he could figure out a more effective cure as well. There are also personal reasons for me to seek him out. He's my brother. He's probably been thinking that I'm dead. Not only that, but he would know more about me than I do. He could possibly lead me toward the right path. 

I glance at a map in my hand. It's on a thin piece of technology, taking up a lot less room than a normal map would've. I think they called it a phone. Vlad's house is on the top of a hill right outside Elysium. I find it strange that the founder and zombie-curer wouldn't even live in his own town. 

My eyes catch something as I walk. Is that... a statue? I turn towards the statue, and sure enough, it's the same face I had briefly seen on the TV. The man has a monument! There are a few people gathered around the statue, as if on a tour. The sun is beginning to set at this point, so it seems a little odd to me that so many people are touring the city. I keep walking through the town. I guess I'm doing the same.

Most of the buildings are small. There are areas that look as if they were used for training with dummies and everything, and pens with livestock in them, and much more. I guess they are from when there were far more zombies. There are also small houses that look like cabins, and taller buildings like the hospital and other buildings I guess are apartments. Many of them are still being built, the skeleton of the building sitting on top of the parts that are fully finished. Many smaller buildings have signs advertising shops, the shop names varying from creative to bizarre. Most of the city looks as if it is under construction. I wonder how grand it will look given a few more years. That is if the apocalypse doesn't start a second time.

Walking a little faster, I reach a path paved with dirt moving up a fairly tall hill, telling me that I'm where I need to be. I'm not a fan of hills with my body still feeling quite sore, and using the crutches didn't make things easy. Eventually, I reach the peak of the hill, but the path continues. First a bridge, then another hill leading to a staircase made of wood that looked as if it could collapse at any second. I'd bet the distance and difficulty of getting to the house was to make things harder on zombies, not people, but I'd have thought Vlad could make something a little more accessible after five years.

The house of possibly the most famous man on the planet is a small cabin. It has two floors, one of which is clearly a basement, and the building itself isn't very wide. The windows are all boarded as well. I wonder why it hasn't been upgraded at all. I suppose there is only one way to find out. I knock on the door, and it doesn't even take five seconds for the door to get answered.

I don't get a good look at the face of whoever answered the door as I'm grabbed by the arm, the other hand covering my mouth to stop me from making a sound as I'm forcefully yanked into the house.