Seven Un-Dead

Chapter 12

The boy in front nodded, a smile spreading on his face. Borys immediately ran into Jan, almost knocking the other boy down. They hugged each other, both laughing. When the hug finally ended, Borys started to go up to everyone, greeting and laughing and hugging.

"Now I wish I was only hallucinating." muttered Nat. She rubbed the back of her head where she hit the rock, constantly checking for more blood. Then the rest of the masked group decided to take their masks off.

On the far left stood a fairly tall boy, with ruffled brown hair and an emotionless expression. It was clear who it was, for he did not change one bit since the seven last saw him.

"Peter!" Holly screeched and the boy gave her a small nod of approval.

Next in line stood a slightly smaller figure. His hair was of a dark blonde colour and styled upwards, greasy with gel - although nobody really knew where the group managed to retrieve hair gel from in the middle of the zombie apocalypse. Aiden.

Next to Aiden stood a figure much smaller than the rest. With his blonde, almost white, hair it was easy to recognise who he was. His signature scar still shining on his cheek, a grin appearing on his face once he saw Holly. Ziggy.

Finally, at the end of the line, stood a lonely and awfully tall man. Maya could only stare as he took his mask off, revealing his blond hair, blue eyes and chin with a slight stubble. He gave a wink to Maya, but not many recognised him.

"Louis." Maya spoke, her voice cracking from both surprise and the sudden rush of feelings inside her. She cleared her throat and spoke again, repeating the boy's name. The seven had only heard of him in stories, mainly coming from Alex. Out of the seven, only Nicole, Maya and Nat met him before. Nicole gave a little grunt and Nat rolled her eyes. Louis was attracted to Maya like a moth was attracted to light. Although he saw billions of other possible people he could get his hands on, Maya seemed to be his main focus. Maya and Louis were still staring at each other with heart eyes, they did not notice the last person walking up to the rest, Sophie the friendly zombie trailing behind her. Once her mask came off, it was clear who it was. Her hair still dyed bright blond, her eyes still their old piercing colour, her smile still wide and proud.

"Olivia!" Suzzette almost tripped over a nearby rock as she sprinted over to her old friend. Although still hurt and seriously wounded, everyone come into one big friendly hug; that is apart from Eugenio, Maya and Louis. The pair were still staring at each other, unable to move.

"Alright, lovebirds." Ziggy called out for them, earning a roar of laughter. Maya and Louis snapped out of their love filled trance at the sudden loud sound and spun around to face the rest.

On the horizon, the first rays of sunshine could be seen. It looked beautiful amongst the trees and the swooping birds who began to chirp their never ending songs. The yellow sun rays melted into the dark night sky, creating wonderful patterns. It would be nice to sit there and appreciate the beauty of nature, but in the situation of a zombie apocalypse it was not the wisest thing to do. For a few moments everyone stood completely still and silent. Some even held their breath.

"I'm starving." Olivia complained, rubbing her stomach. Peter walked over to her and gave her a quick hug. The weapons had been piled up in one spot, chainsaws, machetes, guns and much more. Then Peter said,

"I think we should have a breakfast break."

To which everyone agreed. They all went to pick their weapons back up and set off. They have all decided to go eat somewhere fairly away from this field, just so they could be safe. Aiden came up with the brilliant idea of sitting up in a tree, to which everyone agreed on simultaneously. If it wasn't for Nat, they would have forgotten Sophie.

"What do we do with Sophie?" She asked. Sophie was picking flowers, looking at them one by one and weaving them into a flower crown. When she finally assembled it, a colourful crown of snow white daisies and blood red roses, she gently placed it on her head. The group stopped and stared for a while. Nearly a minute went by without an answer until finally Suzzette replied.

"Take her with us. We can lend Borys' group our base." She said. The seven shared a serious look between them, silently deciding if giving away the base would be a good idea. Even though they were friends, there was still a possible chance of betrayal. Nobody could be trusted during the zombie outbreak.

"Sounds like a good idea." Jan approved and happily nodded. The group carried on walking, with Nicole and Holly staying behind to guide Sophie.

And so the group trudged on through the muddy terrain of the forest, the sun rising behind their backs. Leaves crunched under their feet. Whenever Olivia would almost trip on a rock or her leg wobbled, Peter would send her a caring look and quickly move closer in case she injured herself. They were the power couple of the group.

"It's been a while since we last saw each other, guys." Borys spoke, breaking the awkward silence and finally giving the others something other to focus on rather than Olivia's and Peter's couple moments.

"Almost- What? Three years?" Jan replied and looked over to Nat, who was unsurprisingly whispering to Nicole about her undying love of lasagna.

"Who cares?" Ziggy asked. He brushed his hand through his bright blond hair and gave Holly a sincere look.

"The only thing that matters is that we're finally back together."

"Man, it's been so long, though." Laughed Aiden. A soft shiver ran down Maya's back. She just remembered about Seweryn's death. It was a grim reminder, the thought of never being able to see him again making her die a little on the inside. She'd never be able to hear him laugh again. She'd never be able to see his eyes shine when they looked down upon her. She'd never be able to feel his touch on her skin. She'd never be able to hear him say those three words again. That was what made her burst into tears.

"Are you okay?" Olivia asked in a worried tone, rushing over to Maya to comfort her.

"The feeling of-" Maya couldn't finish her sentence, the sudden flood of emotions and tears taking over her. Everyone stopped and waited.

"That everyone's here but not Sew." Maya finished, wiping her tears. Her vision was blurry, she was unable to walk straight. Olivia led her to a nearby tree stump and Maya took a seat.

Nat, still dazed and confused, stumbled over to Maya. She picked up a leaf and gently put it on Maya's lap. The crying girl looked up, her eyes full of tears and sadness.

"Shh." Nat hushed Maya, putting a finger up to her mouth.

"This leaf loves you." She whispered and side stepped away, nearly slapping Louis and Peter in the process.

"The more important thing is-" Holly asked in a worried tone.

"-Alex was meant to be with you guys."