Dead Love

Exposed

Emmit sat alone, pressed against the sticky wall of the alley building. The hunger pangs got worse. It was a Friday night. The worst night for a ravenous zombie to be stuck on these streets. Groups of friends, families, and lonesome bystanders all the like bustled by, smelling sickeningly appetizing. Eventually, Emmit had to barricade himself deep inside the dumpster to avoid murdering the next sweet-blooded child that walked by.

It wasn't until the sky became a deep purple that Emmit managed to capture a large dog wandering the alley. The creature thrashed and whimpered under him. Emmit tore at the dog until it was unrecognizable. When only the bones were left, Emmit sat back in satisfaction. His brown skin had re-appeared and he sighed in relief.

The chill of someone's presence passed alerted him. Slowly, he looked over his shoulder, eyes trailing to the opening of the alleyway, toward the city. A silhouette was standing there, frozen in shock. He could just make out the red hair.

Grace.

Horrified, she stumbled a few steps back. Emmit slowly turned his body and held his hands up in surrender as if to say he was not going to harm her. He racked his brain for a lie to tell her. Any lie. He knew not a single thing could make sense of what she had witnessed.

"Grace," Emmit said very slow. He stepped forward, holding her horrified stare with steady eyes. Grace backed away. Emmit felt ashamed. "Please, please let me explain."

"You're," Grace croaked just above a whisper, "what...are you?"

Emmit opened his mouth to respond but before he could say anything, Grace was running in the opposite direction.

The sidewalk was lit by small cafes, street lights, and passing cars. Emmit chased her down the sidewalk. "Grace, wait!" he called. "Please. Just...hold up a second!"

Grace continued to run. "Leave me alone!" she shouted. She ran until she stumbled on her own feet, plunging hard to the ground. Her hands caught her fall, getting scuffed along the way. She winced.

Emmit ran toward her. "Grace, are you okay?" he asked. She twirled on the ground and attempted to crawl away. Emmit took her hand and yanked her off the ground.

He knew she'd try to run again, so he kept his hands firmly around her arms. Emmit looked into her wild, frightened eyes and took a deep breath. "Grace, listen to me. You need to give me a chance to explain."

Tears swelled in her eyes and were immediately trailing her cheeks. She was beyond reasoning with a beast. Whimpering, Grace struggled to free herself from his grip. Emmit didn't like this. She was scared of him.

He let go of her. "Fine," he whispered, turning away, "leave."

Grace was frozen to her spot. She swallowed the dryness in her throat and forced her head up. She stood their silently assessing him for a moment. "Y-you were eating a dog," she muttered. "And you...were...Jesus, I don't know. I thought you were some wild animal that found it's way into the city." She shook her head. 

Emmit nodded. "I know," he whispered. "It doesn't make sense. Not even to me really...I'm not completely human." His eyes darted to her, desperate. "But, I'm not completely not either! Something happened to me. Something sick, Grace. Something ungodly."

"You're not making sense," Grace said so quietly that it was almost inaudible. Her heart thumped loudly against her chest. She was terrified.

Emmit looked around; he noticed a lit coffee shop up the road. Softly, he suggested, "Can I buy you coffee? I'll explain it all, I swear." When she didn't respond, he added, "Please?"

The silence lingered for several minutes.

Emmit stepped closer to her, searching her eyes for reassurance. She reflexively stepped back, fear still apparent in her eyes.