Undead Savior

Chapter Two

We waited until the coast was clear before I climbed down from my tree. The boy at the bottom reassured me that everything would be okay, and promised that he wouldn't eat me. I was a little cautious about trusting him, but for some weird reason he gave me safe vibes. He offered me his hand to help me down once I reached the last branch. I took it, expecting it to be all gross and squishy, but it wasn't. His hand was soft and firm, like a normal human hand, except cold.

"What's your name?" I quietly asked him as he led me down the street.

"That is unimportant, right now," he simply said. He suddenly froze. "Marlene, get in the bush. Now!" I was about to ask him how he knew my name, but the boy shoved me into a bush next to us and stood in front of me to hide me from view before I could make a sound.

"El," I heard a voice say, though I couldn't see where it came from, "have you seen any humans out tonight?"

"Have you tried Fifth Street?" the boy asked. "People usually get locked out up there."

I heard the other undead sniffing the air. "I can smell one."

The boy's fists clenched. "I think you're just imagining things," he assured. "I don't smell anything."

"Well I heard there's a human locked out on this street," the other voice said. The voice, just the way they said it, brought goosebumps to my flesh. "I want to be the first to find it."

"Well keep looking then," the boy said.

"Tell me something, El," the voice said. I saw the boy nod. "Why aren't you outside of that house tonight?"

"What house?" the boy asked.

"423 Birch Place," the voice answered. I held my breath. That was my address. "I hear Elise has you watch that house." I felt like I would pass out at any moment. Elise was my mother's name. "Shouldn't you be there?"

The boy sighed. "Victor, I'd like you to meet someone." He grabbed my arm and brought me out of hiding. A man with copper-colored hair and graying skin stood before me. His eyes were just as yellow as the boy's. "This is the human that was out on this street. She's Elise's daughter. I'm planning on taking her to her mother."

"Great idea, El," Victor encouraged. "It's best if you get moving then. Elise is down by the creek tonight."

The boy nodded. "Thank you, Victor. Keep a lookout for any other humans tonight. The Flesh Eaters got one last night."

"So I saw." Victor looked down. "Well you had better get Marlene to safety, and fast."

"We'll see you later then," the boy said. He nodded to Victor and began to stealthily lead me down the street again.

"How did he know my name?" I asked the boy.

"We all know your name, Marlene," he answered. "Your mother speaks of you often."

"My mom?" I asked, shocked. "How do you know my mom?"

"Well she is an undead like me," he sarcastically explained. "We all kinda know each other, Marlene. Plus, she knows of your talent. She knows you can speak the language of the dead. She's known since you were young and would talk to the undead outside of your window at night."

"I did that?" I asked.

The boy shrugged. "I guess so. It's what Elise always said." He quickly turned and lead me down a narrow alleyway. "How old were you when she died, Marlene?"

"I was nine," I answered.

"So about nine years ago?" the boy asked.

"Why do you stand outside of my house at night?" I suddenly asked him, catching him off guard.

"Your mother asked me to do that in case something like this were to happen. And if it were to happen, like it has, I am to take you to her." We reached the end of the alley and it opened up to a large creek that ran through the center of town. The boy stopped and looked around before grabbing my arm and practically dragging me along beside him. For being dead he sure was a strong one. "Elise!" he called out.

And then I saw her, my mother. She looked nearly identical to me. The only differences were her gray skin, black hair (my natural color), and bright yellow eyes. I never noticed how young my mother had looked. Her face was no longer etched into my mind from when I was younger, yet she looked just like the old photos we had around the house.

My mother turned to us. "El?" she asked, dazed. "Who do you have with you?"

The boy stopped in front of my mother and gestured to me. "Elise, I thought you'd remember what your own daughter looked like."

My mother gasped and put her hands over her mouth as she slowly shook her head in disbelief. "There is no way," she managed to mutter.

"Hi Mom," I quietly greeted, struggling to make things less awkward.

My mother reached out and took my hands in hers. They, too, were cold yet firm. "How did this happen?" she asked the boy without taking her eyes off of me. "Where did you find her?"

"I found her in that tree in the front yard of the house," the boy told her. "She didn't want to come with me, but I convinced her to."

Mom smiled at me. "How are your father and Marc?" she asked me.

"We all struggle sometimes, but everyone's fine," I told her.

"How could I ever thank you enough, El?" she asked the boy.

"You could offer her hand in marriage," he suggested. After the look my mom gave him he quickly assured that he was kidding. "You don't need to do anything." He looked a little uncomfortable. "I should probably go."

"Are you sure?" my mom asked him. Typical of my mom, always wanting people to stick around.

The boy nodded. "I'll see you around, Elise."

"Goodnight, El," she said. "Thank you so much."

The boy waved goodbye and gave her a quick nod. "I told you I'd do it, Elise. Just keep her by the water and she should be fine. Goodbye, ladies." And with that, he was gone.

"Who is he?" I asked my mom.

"He's a friend," she answered. "I found him my first night out. He was walking by as I stood outside of our house. Saying he had nothing better to do, he stood there with me for the next few weeks. It eventually became too painful for me to be there for you without being there, so I left it up to him to watch over you. He willingly agreed."

"What's his name? He wouldn't tell me."

"That's odd. His name is Eleazar Collins. He died when he was nineteen. Poor boy was being chased by a Flesh Eater, but he managed to kill himself before they got him."

"Flesh Eater?" I asked.

"There are two different types of undead, Marlene," my mother explained. "There are the Risers, which is what I am, and there are the Flesh Eaters. Flesh Eaters began when a man became infected with a weird virus that made him eat human flesh. When he died, he still had it, and he spread it to every human he ate. Now, Flesh Eaters leave us undead alone because we no longer have warm flesh. The moment you die, the Flesh Eaters will leave you alone. Sadly, it's the only way to escape them."

"Are the Flesh Eaters the ones that kill?" I asked.

"Yes, Marlene," Mom answered. "We Risers rise out of our graves every night to save the poor souls that couldn't make it indoors. We bring them down to the creek. Flesh Eaters can't go near flowing water."

"How often do you get humans?"

"We get them maybe once every three months," my mother told me. "I just never thought you'd be a human that would be found. Bless Eleazar," she breathed. "If he hadn't found you, I couldn't imagine what would have happened."

"I'd rather not think about that," I muttered, making her smile.