Love Revived

A new dawn

A day passes as we make our way south, and we don't see or hear anyone. I can't help but wonder who that was that passed us, and a shiver runs down my spine at the thought that it could be Jack. He would kill Bie on sight no matter what, and I can't let that happen. Not again.

We are still in the suburbs, but we are almost out of town. I can see the trees and fields in the far distance. Bie checks the door, and surprise, surprise, it's unlocked. I think back to all the hot roofs I slept on and the windows I broke with a sigh. I wait just outside while Bie clears the house. We are lucky that no zombies are here, but the dead are. We pass their decomposing bodies sitting side by side on the couch in the living room, and head to the room furthest away from them.

I can't help but wonder how they died. As I passed them, I didn't see any bullet holes or cuts, and no guns or knives lay near them. I hope they passed peacefully in their sleep. Bie opens the bedroom door for me, and we both enter, closing it behind us. I flip the light switch, and nothing comes on or lights up, so for some reason, I flip it off. I sit heavily on the bed, and a memory from the tunnel comes back to me.

"Was there someone in the tunnel?" I ask out of nowhere, staring up at Bie. He nods and sets the pack down beside the bed, and begins to unbuckle the sword from his waist. "Were they human?"

"No– They were like me." I blanch at his matter of fact tone.

"Have you run into others like yourself?"

"From time to time."

I sit on the bed, looking at Bie in stunned silence. As I open my mouth to ask him more, a car's engine sounds in. We both sit up straighter, listening. It grows louder as it approaches us and then cuts off right in front of the house we are in. My heart hammers within my chest at who it could be and who I think it is; Jack. I worry for Bie's life, and I move to my sword, grabbing it, and heading for the door.

Bie grabs my waist and motions me to stand beside the door, I do so, and we listen to voices carry from outside. They move around the house and into the distance, but a door opens to the house we are in. We listen to the footsteps enter the house and walk around, coming ever closer to the room we are in until the door handle moves. Bie moves in front of me between me and the door blocking my view.

The door opens, and Bie freezes. I can't see anything behind his broad back, and I sidestep around him, towards the door, moving my sword up, ready to attack. When the intruder comes into view, I expect it to be Jack, but it is not. It's someone else, and they are staring at Bie with a gun. The woman lowers her gun as she turns her head toward me. "I see we have found our radio host."

Blinking, I frown at her, not lowering my sword as she clips her gun away to her belt. Bie relaxes a bit and looks over at me. "It's okay," he says. I look between them both and keep my sword raised.

"Who is she?" to you, my mind cries.

"No one, but she smells like me a bit." My sword wavers at the sound of Bie's words.

"What?" The woman smiles and tries to step in, but I point my sword at her stopping her in her tracks.

"Now, now we are all friends here." She says, raising her hands.

"She is like me, Gwen," Bie says, his eyes pleading with me. I lower the sword slowly.

"We are everywhere, and in many forms, it seems," she says, looking at Bie. "We heard your radio transmission and came to make sure that you didn't go down to Florida.

"Why?" I ask, dropping the tip of my sword to the ground.

"Because we have had others go to Florida and never come back, but one. She lost her partner to them." I stand there in silence, not understanding what she is saying.