Internal Fighting
Kudos4U
"R, can you please go get gas for the car? We're a couple miles away and I doubt the little we have will allow us to make it. I'm going to wait here and see what else we can salvage to bring back, okay?" She bit her lip and looked at him. What if he denied her? What if he insisted like he usually did of them staying together?
"Hnn…okay. Promise…stay here…stay safe?" He looked at her with those cloudy blue eyes that seemed to get clearer every day questioningly.
"Of course! Don't worry about me. Besides, I'm well armed and we haven't seen a zombie other than you, have we? Don't worry, I'll be here." She walked up to him and hugged him before pulling away, "I'm safe here. I promise that I'll be able to fend for myself while you're away."
Shifting, he grunted and nodded, "I'll…be back." With that he shuffled out the door with the gas can in hand.
She watched him shuffle away slowly, his body occasionally awkwardly jerking. Julie waited till R was far enough away before closing her eyes and moving away from the window. She would not be here when he returned. She thought this was probably the last time she would ever see R. He couldn't come back with him. She couldn't even begin to explain to anyone living on the compound how he is special or different from the rest of the zombie species that everyone has come to fear. Was she expected to waltz in and look at everyone, tell them that R is different, that he should be welcome as if he was human? Julie could picture that talk in her head, "Hey everyone! So no worries, I'm safe! All thanks to this zombie boy named R, he can talk a little and he kept me hidden in a zombie hive airport for about a week. Don't worry, I'm not infected and he won't bite!"
She sighed, trying to push the problem from her mind as she climbed up the stairs to begin her search for valuable things. Maybe focusing on something else will ease her mind. Her mind made it sound like she had to sell R like a product! Considering how nice he's been to her, how could she ever think about bringing him back to a human colony where they would most likely repay him by putting a bullet in his head before hearing her out? She wanted to scream, but instead settled for throwing a few items that she could reach around. She couldn't risk R being too close to hear her and having him come back too soon.
Time passed. Nothing seemed to be of value in this house, and the longer she stayed in the house, the more restless she became. She probably wasted an hour searching. How was she supposed to explain her absence for so long to her father? She continued her search for any items of value, but eventually only came back with a few candles and canned food that might not be so bad. Filling her pack, she sighed before doing one last sweep of the house. Her mind was constantly doing a tug of war about R. Does she wait for him like she wishes she could? Or does she leave her zombie with no warning to him?
Sweeping the kitchen, Julie's eyes rested on the camera. Her look was bittersweet as she walked over and picked the camera up. She could at least say goodbye. Julie figured that he couldn't read, but she could still at least show him why she wasn't there. Decided, Julie aims the camera towards her face and holds her hand up in a mock wave while attempting to smile at the camera. This is her last goodbye to R, and she needed to make it something for him to keep after all. Maybe he can hang it up in his airplane when he returns. In this pose, she takes the picture. When it develops, she scrutinizes it before placing it over the other photos both of them have taken. This is her goodbye to R, and hopefully he will get the message and go home.
Moving away from the kitchen, Julie peeked out the window to make sure no one was around and slipped out of the house. Jumping in the car, she turned the key and slowly started to drive away from the house. She felt like the rebellious teen that she had read about in her books, slipping out after curfew. When in fact, there was no one out here who cared anymore and there was no one to stop her. She laughed bitterly and sped up, she's not far from home. The gas isn't even empty. She'll make it home by nightfall, her dad will be worried but soon things will return to normal. No one will ever know about her love for a certain talking zombie that saved her…
Wait…love?
Julie shakes her head, letting her blond hair fly wildly around her. There is no way she could love a zombie! Maybe she had a fondness for him, but only because he saved her! She's only known him for a few days, and Perry just died! He was there too, what if it was him…? She shook her head again. No. What was she thinking? None of this is productive for the world she lived in. She can't love a zombie, and girls don't fall in love with the dead or go after other guys in general when their exes get eaten, do they? Julie pressed her foot to the gas, she better get home soon before she starts thinking that she's crazy!
An hour later, the gate to the colony was right in front of her. She took a deep breath and attempted to clear her mind. R is her dirty little secret on the outside. He is not meant to be here with the humans. We have our own roles to fulfill. This was hers, and once he realized that she's gone, he will return to his plane. Things will go back to the way it should be. Turning off the car, she got out and walked up to the guard. He looked surprised to see her, "Julie?"
"Hi," it was the only thing Julie could offer him as he walked up and tested my eyes. Julie heard the beep which told him that she was clear of the zombie plague.
"Welcome back, we've been really worried. Your father will want to see you." He stepped back to allow me entry.
She looked back once more, she half wished that R was there, just so she could see him once more. However, she would not see him again, and she needed to move on. Turning back to the gate, she nodded to the guard and walked inside. Upon hearing the gate door shut behind her, she said goodbye to her secret zombie lover R. She only had the future that her father constructed again and that's all there was to it.
-End-
