Chapter 4

My eyes slowly opened, only to find that it was still dark outside. I squinted at the clock to try to read it from a distance.

"3:46," the clock read. I had only gotten about an hour and a half of sleep, two hours tops. However, I felt like a spring deer: energetic, and ready for anything.

I sat up, folded the blanket covering me neatly, and put it on the couch. I peaked into Lori's room, and she was fast asleep. She must've ran a marathon in her dreams because her blankets were kicked off, and her legs were dangling off the edge. I chuckled, and knelt next to her.

"I'm so sorry you have to go through this," I whispered. "Such young innocence exposed to death itself, and beyond." I carefully put her legs back onto her bed, and re-tucked her in. I kissed her forehead, whispered good night, and went back into the living room. "I wonder if Ryder is around."

I climbed out the broken window, and started to climb the fire escape ladder. During my climb, I started to think what I was going to do after my time here expired. Was I going to find a new place near here? Go back to my old home? Or leave this area entirely? Most likely the third option; I've attached to Lori and she me. Staying here would just be torture for both of us; and maybe I've attached to Ryder as well, just a little bit. I mean, he was there to house me and care for me, medically. I brought food and emotional support. It's a mutualistic relationship between the two of us.

"You gonna keep climbing?" I heard Ryder say. His head was looking down at me from the top of the building. Apparently, I stopped climbing to think about my life and what was going to happen with it.

"Uh, yeah. I guess." I started climbing again, and crawled over the top. I sat up against the wall, a good three meters away from Ryder. He was casually sitting up against a transformer, one knee brought up to his chest. He occasionally twisted his head back and forth to crack his neck.

"How come you woke up so early?" Ryder asked me, somewhat concerned. "Nightmare, or something?"

"Nah, I just don't sleep much anymore. I'm used to two or three hours of sleep a night by now." He nodded, and looked out towards the city. "It's quiet tonight."

"Yeah, too quiet. It's kinda eerie if you ask me, like they're waiting for something to happen." I nodded. The Fleshies and the Boneys were all hiding. They weren't out stumbling along, moaning and such. It's like they just poofed away into some abyss.

I started to think about the undead, and what I would do after I left.

I could find a shack in the country, or move along to the Northeast. I remember hearing about this huge city-refuge place for humans. I think it was called the Dome, or something. That would keep me safe for a while, until they find the scars-

"You okay, Cynthia?" I snapped out of my daze, and found myself holding my stomach, crouched over. "Have a stomach ache, or something?"

"Um, no, I'm fine." Should I tell him?

About how you lied to them about being a safe person? Or about how you're part zombie?

My eyes started stinging when I realized that there is no good ending to what I tell them. Either I lie and make everything worse, or I tell the truth about what I am and get attacked for it. I wiped my eyes, trying to disguise it as sleepiness.

"Umm... Ryder?" Here goes nothing, I told myself.

"Yeah?" His dark brown eyes focused on me, his lips forming half a smile. The scar on his cheek curved around his grin, which made me sick to my stomach knowing I was related to what did that to him.

"I kinda have something to admit."

"Lemme guess, you're pregnant," he said, chuckling.

"I wish." I accidentally said out loud. My face flushed. "Uhh, I guess you can say I'm... different... from you and Lori."

"Well, yeah. Everyone's different."

"I mean, biologically." Ryder tilted his head to the left, showing more of his scar. I examined it from a distance, and it looked like it stretched to his temple and past his ear instead of starting at his cheek.

"Explain," he said, repositioning himself. He put his leg down, and crossed his arms with a double barrel shotgun at his side, leaning against the transformer behind him.

"Umm... why don't I just show you," I muttered. I took a deep breath in, and showed Ryder the bite marks on my shoulders. Then, I showed the many more on my stomach.

"What the hell.." Ryder muttered. He inched closer, staring at my markings. "Are these bites? From the Fleshies?" I nodded.

"And Boneys."

"How did you survive that," he asked, dumbfounded. I sighed, and told him the whole story from the beginning: how my parents met, how my mom got pregnant in high school, how I came into this world with the infection already coursing through my veins, and how I can survive out here without being dead.

Ryder's expression didn't change. His eyes were still narrow at me, and his smile never came back. He backed away from me, and sat against the transformer again. He was definitely trying to take it all in. Ryder was looking down, into his lap, and back out to the horizon. He looked like he did before, like he tuned out everything I just told him.

"Ryder?" I called his name, and he closed his eyes.

"Leave," he said, "now."

"W-what?" I asked, stuttering. What did he mean? He wanted me to stay for Lori no more than four hours ago.

"You heard me," he said sternly. "I don't care if you see Lori as a sister, I don't trust you around her anymore. I know that she'll be crushed, so I'll just tell her you went to go find your brother."

"But I don't have-"

"Exactly. Now get your bag and go." The stinging in my eyes got stronger, and eventually resulted in tears going down my face. I glared at Ryder, trying to contain myself, and started back down the ladder. I squirmed back into the apartment, and grabbed my bag. Before leaving for ever, I went back into Lori's room. I knelt down beside her, kissed her head, and walked back out.

".. Cynthia? Where are you going?" I heard Lori call me, half asleep; more tears welded up in my eyes. I walked back over, and stroked her hair.

"No where, sweetie. This is a dream, go back to sleep." She nodded, and cuddled back into her bed. I kissed her good night, and walked back into the living room. Ryder must've stayed on the roof because I didn't see him anywhere. I climbed back out the window, and started my descent down the ladder.

I knew Ryder hated the situation. I heard him sobbing from when I hit the ground.