Zombie Maria

The truth

"Alan! Is that you?" I heard a voice. I stopped running and face back.

"Leo?"

"What the-" I heard Milo's voice chattering.

"You can't be serious" said Josh

"It's not what you think" I said " She's-"

"Dude! Don't tell me... is that...Maria?" asked Leo. If there was true horror, Leo's voice would sounded like one. He seemed terrified. And it's like he's known her for a very long time. It's impossible. I just met her. But he said her name was...

"Maria...? You're Maria...aren't you?" asked Leo. The torchlight he'd been holding is shaking wildly, flashing the back of Maria.

"What are you talking about? Who the heck is Maria?" I asked.

"How are you still here!?!" he shouted. Milo and Josh ran away as fast as they could, shouted as fast as they can, leaving me, Leo... and Maria.

"Ma...ria..?" I repeated the name. I looked at Leo angrily and grabbed his collar.

"Hey what do you mean by that? Why are you guys so afraid of her? She's just a lonely zombie that needs friend you don't have to be so rude to her and claimed that you know her!"

"Alan, what are you talking about? That girl, Maria" he said while pointing at the direction of Maria's back "she was the girl that you killed six years ago" and he pushed me away. Running. I was dazed. How is that possible? I never even met her. I don't even know who...

Suddenly, there was an intense pain in my head. Something... something's flashing in my mind. A memory. The memory that was long ago been forgotten by me. A memory of Maria, my childhood friend.

"Maria!" called my 7-year old self. She was at the playground on the top of the jungle gym as she turned and faced me, her face and body all bruised and tears in her eyes.

"Are you okay? Did you get hit again?" I asked. She wiped her face with her favorite pink blouse that was quite long for her with white daisies on the chest.

"I don't want...to go back home..." she cried as I tried to climb towards her "mummy and daddy are always fighting... I just want to die" she said as more tears fall from her chubby cheek and snot coming out of her nose.

"N-No way! You can't die!" I shouted and sat next to her.

"But but, Why am I even alive at the first place?" she sobbed.

"For... For happy things to happen!" I blurted out.

"Happy... things?" she said and wiped her tears.

"Yes! Someday, those happy and fun times will come! Telling someone you loved them, or having an adventure around the world. Having a dream and desire and then, life will be filled with flowers and beautiful bright light!" I blather. I don't even know what it meant; I just quote it from an anime that I watched recently.

"'I will have a happy life?" she asked.

"Oh sure you will. You just need to keep on living" I replied. Her face lightened up.

"Kay!" she cried happily.

5 years later, in the forest.

"Why can't I join you guys? You're so stingy!" she pouted. Her hair has grown long, pass her waist and was tied up in twin tails, wearing her favorite pink blouse that she wore 5 years ago. It's gotten smaller and the skirt ended above her knee. I was climbing a tree branch along with Leo, Milo and Josh. We were the Power Rangers at that time, protecting the village from the imaginary evil lurking in the forest.

"As if a girl could play with us, you idiot." I said.

"Yeah, go home, ugly!" shouted Josh from behind me.

"But there are no girls my age in this village" she pouted.

"Then go play by yourself" I replied and stick out my tongue to her.

"C'mon Alan don't be rude to your future wife" Leo teased me.

"Who's future wife to whom you idiot!!" I shouted and they all laughed at me. Singing that 'Alan and Maria, sitting on a tree, k-i-s-s-i-n-g' theme song. I just ignored them and my possibly blushed face and look around. Then an idea struck me. I jump down from the tree followed by Leo and the others.

"Fine. We'll let you be our friend" I told Maria

"Yaayy~"

"Are you serious?" ask Josh.

"But only with one condition" I said. She tilted her head innocently.

"What is it?" she asked. I called everyone to follow to the cliff ahead from the tree I just climbed, and pointed down to a bunch of Wild Iris, at the other side of the cliff, beautifully dance back and forth through the cold wind of the dark pit below.

"If only you can pick that blooming flower down there and bring it to us" I dared her.

"No way! That's one hundred percent impossible!" Leo laughed it out

"Give it up Maria. You can't do it" Milo followed. I turned away, knowing that it's hopeless for her to do it. Just go home and play with her dolls. A girl in a boys team will always messed things up. Girls are coward and we don't need a coward in our team. Then I heard Josh screamed her name. I turn back, with terror in my eyes.

She climbed down the cliff.

Foolish girl! Why did you go down there? You were supposed to go home!

"Maria you idiot!! Come back here!" I shouted.

She clings on to an outstretched root and stretched herself to the other side of the cliff. Trying to grab the Wild Iris. Splaying her hands right hand towards the flower while her left hand gripping the root. She ignored all the shouts we roared, only to complete the task that I gave her. To become our friend.

Then, the Wild Iris was in her hand. She climbed back up, smiling gleefully.

"I've got it!" she cried out an exclamation of excitement. But then, she slipped. I rushed towards her, trying to catch her hand. But all I grasp was thin air and the body of my childhood friend, Maria Carlene, was beyond my reach. Falling.

I shouted her name for the last time.

That night, the adults tried to search as best as they could, but to no avail. They couldn't find her body. And since that, they banned all access to the forest.

I was shaking. The memories were real. I killed her.

"That whole incident... was a huge shock for me" I said after my memory was being replayed. I don't dare to face her, my eyes only focused on the ground, traumatized.

For ten days and nights, I suffered from regret and a high fever. Then I was in a comatose for a few months. When I woke up, I had forgotten everything related to her. The memory just, gone. However, my regret of what happened on that day remained in my consciousness and eventually it gives way to the desire to suicide. And the little whispers in my head were my own voice of guilt. The only way to stop that voice is to kill myself.

"Aaah" Maria finally voiced out "So this is the end huh?" she said in a disappointment. "I'm sorry, but the truth is, I remember everything. The thing about me not having any memories of my previous life? That was a lie" she admitted with her back still facing me.

"I couldn't pass on until I met you" she said and started to let go of my shirt that was covering her back. Slowly turning towards me. I noticed her face was a bit different than before. I saw something dripping from her chin and when she faced me, her face changed. It melted.

"SO YOU DO REMEMBER ME HUH" she cried out with a hollow voice.

I screamed and fall on my back, crawling away from her. Terrified.

"I'm sorry! Maria I'm very sorry! It wasn't like that! I never actually think that you would go and get those flowers! I-I just..." I lost my word. It's no use. Her ghost is hunting me. That's why she was unable to die properly. It's all because of me. She walked towards me.