We're All Goners

A broken sob escaped my throat, causing the boy to turn his attention towards me. A noise left his mouth almost as if in response. Did he miss me as much as I missed him? Did he recognize his own best friend staring at him through the thin sheet of glass? Questions raced through my brain, questions that were futile to think about. Useless to even allow in my head.

Tears streamed down my cheeks as he staggered towards the clothing store I was located in. His clothes looked torn and ragged. Was that blood covering him? Had he been hurt beforehand? I pressed my hand up to the glass, longing for the touch of my best friend. I hadn't expected to find him here, I hadn't expected to find him ever.

I stumbled backwards as a hand slammed into the glass in front of me. After recovering, I looked up and stared into his brown orbs. I searched for even a flicker of recognition, but found nothing there. He continued to slam and bang on the glass. Noises resounding, loud enough to be heard through the thin barrier. It was as if he never knew me, as if he didn't care.

"J-j-osh?" I stuttered, while reaching my hand out to touch the glass in foolish hope. Would he understand his own name? Would he know it was me?

Desperate noises escaped his throat in response, and his banging became frantic. No. He didn't recognize me, and he never would. Because Josh was a zombie, and all I was to him was food.

The tears returned with a vengeance, and I staggered backwards until my back collided with a clothing rack. Fury and despair took over my system. It wasn't fair that I had to lose him! None of what had happened was fair. My family, my best friend, my wife! They're all gone. Everyone's gone. In response to the anger, I lashed out at the nearest thing, the rack of clothing. It toppled over, sliding a few feet in the process.

"Why did you do this to me, Josh! Why did you do this to us?" I screamed at the monster that had possessed my best friend. Picking up a discarded hanger, I threw it as hard as I could at the glass. The hanger fell to the floor, both it and the glass left unscathed. Exhaustion flooded my body, and I sank to the floor several feet away from the glass.

"I'm all alone, Josh! You promised not to leave me alone, you promised not to leave! You promised, Josh... you promised!" I choked out through the onslaught of tears. My eyelids felt as if they weighed five tons. I attempted to keep them open to no avail. Josh's oddly comforting growls and moans filled my head as I drifted into a deep sleep.

~~~~

I awoke to a loud banging that caused me to shoot up. Dazed and dizzy from abruptly sitting up, I attempted to stand. I only succeeded in falling onto my knees, agony spreading through my bones. The sky was dark now, I must have been asleep for several hours. Suddenly, fear shot through me.

"Josh?" I attempted to yell, before I was overcome with coughing. I looked over at the glass where Josh had been hours before. I made out his silhouette, but it was moving away. Why? The loud noise must have drawn him away. Horror washed through me.

"No no no no!" I cried. I crawled at an agonizingly slow pace towards the glass, propping my body against it. Was this karma for earlier? Hadn't I been punished enough?

"Josh? Josh! Please... Please come back... I don't want to be alone..." I stupidly pleaded with him. His shadow became too dim to make out in the dark. My vision became blurry with tears, though none were shed. I refused to let any more fall. Coughs wracked my body, making it hard to breathe. As they subsided, I looked down at my arm. In the dark with tears blurring my vision, I could barely make out the marred flesh there.

"We're all goners..." I whispered, staring down at the bite mark. The tears in my eyes finally fell, as I realized I would die here. Alone.