Becoming Them: A Zombie Novel

Twenty-Six

     When I woke up, I could see a dresser drawer and a bright red wall through the faint darkness of the room. The curtains were still closed and I noticed the bright light of the sun peeking through the gap. It was morning.

     I shuffled a bit to sit up when I felt something on me. Ava's arm was draped across my stomach. When I looked at her face, she was still fast asleep. She looked so calm. I didn't want to disturb her.

     Opting to slowly slide out from underneath didn't work, I figured out, as she tightened her grip around me. Her eyes slowly fluttered open and a warm smile appeared on her face. "Ditching me already?" she asked.

     "N-no," I mumbled. "I was going to get something to eat and didn't want to disturb you."

     Ava let out that laugh again before her eyes met mine. She studied me. "You're cute when you get flustered," she remarked. "I was only joking. We can go down and eat together."

     "Is Patricia downstairs yet?" I asked.

     "She wakes up a lot earlier than this and goes to the garden to take care of the veggies. I help her, but I think she didn't wake me up because I've got company," she said, then a look of realisation crossed her face. "Oh! There's someone I'd love you to meet!" She hurried off the bed and practically dragged me out too, not realising because of how excited she was. 

     "Who?" I managed to choke out. 

     "I'll show you. Come." She pulled the door open and I followed her down the steps.

     Zev groggily opened his own door and I could see him following slowly. He was still rubbing his eyes when he got to the bottom, but when he noticed us, he sent us a faint smile and went to the kitchen.

     Ava excitedly bounded to the living room and peered inside, opening the door just a smidge.

     "What's going on?" I asked her.

     She twisted around to face me, a wide grin on her face. "Okay, close your eyes!"

     "Do I really need to?"

     "Yes!"

     I placed my hands over my eyes and felt her tugging on my elbow, leading me into the living room. All I could see was the dark as I trudged along the cold of the wooden floorboards. I was painfully afraid I'd stub my toe on a table leg, or something, to the point that I was practically on my tiptoes. 

     "The couch is right behind you, so sit down," she ordered.

     With one hand, and my eyes still closed, I felt around behind me before settling on the soft couch. "Can I open my eyes now?" I asked.

     Ava didn't answer straight away. It had taken her a few moments to finally say, "Open your eyes." She couldn't suppress the giggle that came after.

     I placed my hands on my lap and opened my eyes, expecting to see a person. Instead, Ava stood in front of me with a ginger cat bundled up in her arms. My mouth opened in awe and I was speechless. The cat was a lovely orange with waves of brown weaving around it. When it looked at me with those wide, blue eyes, it felt like I'd melted. It started to purr as Ava stroked its head.

     "Do you like cats?" she asked.

     "Like them? I love them!" I replied. "I've always wanted one but Mum was allergic." I practically jumped up and began to scratch under its chin.

     Ava giggled. "I was hoping you'd say that. Do you want to hold her?"

     "I don't know if I can ..."