Chapter 4
Undead Shopping Trip!
I worried that Jack would never again so much as look at me. I loved him with all my heart. It would kill me to see him look away in disgust or fear. It had almost killed me that day… well, it would have almost killed me if I hadn't already been dead thanks to that hobo back on Willow Street.
But, I digress, so back to the story. Molly was in the kitchen, Angus was reading the paper, and I was still trying to get used to the bacon smell that humans gave off.
Though, I wasn't quite sure if I smelled them or the bacon Molly was cooking at that particular moment in time.
"Alizon, Dear," Molly called to me. "Would you mind coming in here a minute and helping me? I could use an extra set of hands."
I got up from my spot at the table and meandered into the kitchen where Molly stood over the frying pan full of bacon.
"Here, Dear, take this," she said, handing me the spatula. "I need to run down to the cellar and get the sausage. There isn't any up here. I won't be but a moment." Molly smiled warmly at me and strode out of the room, leaving me to watch the bacon.
I stared at it a moment. I remembered the taste from when I was still alive, but could I still eat it? I mean… I had been embalmed. Could I eat ANYTHING? I knew that humans weren't very appetizing, but maybe actual bacon. I would have to ask Angus what he thought.
A while later, Molly returned from the cellar and by that point, the bacon was on a plate, fully cooked and smelling amazing. I turned the pan back over to Molly, once more taking my seat across from Angus.
We sat silently for a few moments, then he looked up, breaking the silence with a question. "Alizon, there seems to be something troubling you. You're never this quiet. What's wrong?"
"Oh," I answered him, "It's nothing. I was just thinking about things like food."
"I see. You know, it may be possible for you to continue your previous lifestyle as a living human. You do breathe, you sleep, and you don't appear to have a thirst for blood anymore. I'd say a lot has changed in the past week."
I thought about it. Human again? What would I do? I couldn't go back to Jack. That door would be permanently closed. Maybe I wasn't the only still-living dead person walking around fully aware of what I was doing. I just knew that if that was the truth, Angus wouldn't be able to help us all… Although it might get him more business.
About an hour later, when Molly and Angus had eaten (I was still too scared to try it), Molly and I left for the mall. I know that seems like a really, really, bad place to take a zombie, but I'm capable of being have… whatever "have (hAyv)" may be…
The first few stores we passed were closed, due to zombie apocalypse. I guess most of my kind weren't exactly well mannered. In fact, it wouldn't surprise me if most of the stores were closed due to this unfortunate fact. What if people were hiding in the mall? Would they let me -from the ranks of the walking dead- even close to the doors?
As it turned out, things were actually pretty normal. Well, I mean aside from the fires that had randomly popped up since my last mall-crawl, and the corpses that now wandered the stores looking at Molly like she was an appetizer and at me like I was a freak for not eating her. I was suddenly reminded of my grade school days when kids used to ask me at lunch, "are you gonna eat that?" Well I wasn't going to eat Molly, and neither were they. I wouldn't have given them my peanut-butter-and-banana sandwich, and they certainly wouldn't get my new "mom".
Anyways, Molly and I strode easily down the center of the nearly empty mall looking for any store that might have my style. Open or closed didn't really matter since the owners of the closed stores had probably already been picked off by my brethren.
We finally found a store that had some of what I liked. "Four Leaf" was on the sign which hung by a single corner, the opposite now resting on the tiled floor next to the door. We walked in. I immediately went for the plaid pleated skirts and printed tees. The only thing that could possibly have made this any better would be some matte black leggings to go with it all and a plaid purse.
Which I managed to find next to some perfect-fitting black wedge heels.
But I couldn't be ALL skirts and pumps. So I also picked up a few pairs of jeans and some more printed tees. I also grabbed a jacket just in case zombies could still get cold.
On our way out, we ran into what those of you who have ever played a zombie game would refer to as a "survivor" clad in ripped jeans, a black button-up, and a faux leather London trench. So stereotypical.
"Hello," he said to us. "You two need to come with me." He grabbed my arm and began pulling us along.
"Wait! Stop! What are you doing?" I wasn't confused as per why he would pull Molly along, but why ME? I had already joined the ranks of the undead…
"Taking you with me to our refuge."
"I don't think your 'survivor' friends are going to like that, brainiac," I told him, brusquely.
"Why not? Come on, we need to go!"
"Check the pulse, smart one! I'm one of them! T. H. E. M." Something seemed to drive that point home. Perhaps it was the fact that NONE of the zombies were eating us?
"Y-you…" he stammered, "but… but how can you…? How are you…?"
"It's like you've never seen a dead girl before! Sheesh! Haven't you ever heard 'you are what you eat'?" Now I was just playing with him. I wouldn't have so much as licked him, but he didn't know that, so why not just have a little fun?
Poor survivor guy almost tripped over his own feet trying to get away, and Molly and I couldn't help but laugh.
"Should we follow?" Molly asked me, wanting more amusement.
"Let's!"
So we did. What happened next was just too much!
4
