Chapter 7

I picked my head up, and looked across the ditch for whatever made the sound. I laid my gun at my side, but still having a firm grip on it. I couldn't see anything that would've made a noise.

"Cynthia!" The voice said again, around the same distance as it was before. Suddenly, I saw the bushes at the tree line start moving. I got up, and slowly started walking up the side, and towards the bushes.

As I got closer, I saw that there were prickers on every stem in those bushes. Whatever was in there must've been having a hard time of getting out. I started to carefully rip the bush apart, and revealed a little ginger girl, stuck in the prickers.

"Lori?" My yes started to well up again. How was this real? There's no way to rationalize a five year old girl traveling that much of a distance, and just happen to find me. I started to carefully pull her out, until I had her in my arms. "What the hell are you doing?" I muttered, my face buried in the crook of her shoulder.

"I came to find you," she said. "You said you weren't going anywhere, and were sisters. I need to keep you safe," her small, preschooler voice told me. I couldn't help but laugh a little. She still thought of me like a sister, even after I lied and left her and her brother. Speaking of...

"Where's Ryder?" I asked, putting her down, and wiping my eyes again. Her eyes started to well up. The mood of the situation quickly became more serious than I felt comfortable with. "Lori, where is he?"

"T-That's why I needed to find you. The morning after you left, I wanted to find you again. I felt like it was my fault that you left; but Ryder told me that h-he made you go. I wouldn't talk to him for like, three days.

"Anyway, he promised that we'd find you again. So we left that morning to find you. Everything was going well for the first few weeks, but..."

"But what, Lori?" I had my hands on her shoulders, kneeled down at her eyes level.

"B-B-Boneys-" That's all she could get out before breaking down. She buried her face in her hands, and dropped to her knees. I pulled her into a hug, and let her cry into my shoulder. I rubbed her back, holding in my own tears.

This is what happens when you make relationships with people, Cynthia. You asked for this, my head told me. I dismissed it, realizing that I needed Lori and Ryder.

"Tell the rest, sweetie. Then you can cry all you wanna, okay?" Lori nodded, and wiped her eyes.

"B-Boneys attacked us, and t-took Ryder away," she finally spit out.

"They bit him?" Lori shook her head.

"T-They took him. They didn't wanna bite him, but they scr-atched him up a lot. I was hiding in a tree h-hole. Ryder told me to run, so I ran away. I found this huge airp-port, and I saw a big person who looked like you, running away from a plane. She told me to run and find a girl she called.. umm... Norris, I think."

"Nora?" Lori nodded. Okay, so now I know that Lori is safe, Julie is safe for now, and Ryder needs my help. "I know where we can go for help, okay?"

"Ok-kay," she muttered. I put my pistol in it's holster, and picked Lori up. I started walking back to the airport, and heard something unusual.

"Springsteen?" I asked myself. I heard a muffled version of "Hungry Heart" coming from an abandoned plane. Well, not abandoned anymore. I looked over, and saw that there was a light coming from the inside of the plane, like someone was inside, alive.

"Should w-we go look? Maybe that big girl is in there." Lori said. Julie was in there, she had to be! I mean, why else would music be playing in there? Bruce Springsteen's very last concert from the dead? I think not.

I nodded, and started walking towards the plane. Most of the Fleshies staggered back inside the airport for the night, I assumed, so a careful jog was well fitted for this situation. I put Lori down at the start of the stairs, going into the cockpit of the plane. I grabbed her hand, and slowly walked up the stairs so Lori could keep up. I had a hand on my pistol, ready to use those last two bullets.

I looked at Lori, and put a finger up to my lips, telling her that we need to be quiet. She nodded, and covered her mouth with her free hand. I smiled at her, and looked back at the door. I slowly pushed it open, hopefully with no creak.

Creeaakkk!

Why, whenever I hope for quiet, the world never gives it to me? I'll never understand. Of course, the door gave all it was to produce the longest, loudest creak ever sounded in the history of doors.

I heard the vinyl record stop playing, and slow footsteps walking towards the door. I pulled out my pistol, ready to shoot. I saw the growing shadow of someone coming close to the door. I let go of Lori's hand, and jumped inside, holding my gun out for all to see.

I was greeted by a thoroughly freaked out Julie, and an emotionless R, standing behind her. Lori peeped her head in, and waved to them.

"Hi big people," she said. Lori casually walked past me, waved at Julie, and started walking towards R.

"Uh, Lori?" I tried to get her to come back, but it didn't really work. Lori was looking straight up at R.

"Those skeleton thingies took my brother. You look like a nice zombie. Can you help us?"

Julie walked up to my side.

"Is she like this with everyone," she asked me in a whisper.

"From what I've seen, yeah." I replied. I put my gun back, and watched R carefully.

"His name is Ryder, and he's about as big as you, Mr. Zombie. You haven't hurt the other girl yet, so you won't hurt Cynthia and me, right?" Lori was holding R's hand at this point.

"Rrrr..." I guess that's all R could get out to a five-year-old. I was rubbing my temple at this point with two fingers, leaning up against the wall. I saw Julie walk up to Lori.

"Sweetie, I don't think we're going to find your brother."

"They didn't bite him, though, missy," she said, a-matter-a-factly. "They just took him away. They didn't hurt him."

".. They didn't hurt him?" Julie looked at R, worried. "That shouldn't happen."

"I'm as worried as you are." I said.

"Who are you, again?" I held out an open hand to her.

"Cynthia."

"Julie," she nodded, and shook my hand. Then, she pointed towards R. "That's R." I walked over and looked at him, and he looked at me, straight in the eyes.

"D... Dead," he said. My body froze. Shit, I thought.

"What?" Julie and Lori said in unison.

"No... beat," R said, pointing to my chest. I sighed.

"Might as well get it off my chest, huh?" I leaned back, against one of the seats, and planned out how I was going to tell them. I finally just decided to take the direct approach, and showed them the scars. Julie was stunned, Lori was confused, and R just stared at my scars like a zombie would. "Weird, isn't it?" I covered my scars again, and crossed my arms.

"What... how..." Julie couldn't spit anything out.

"I was born immune to the virus. My mother was bitten, then-" I covered Lori's ears, "-then went into labor. My dad did a c-section, and here I am now." I took my hands off Lori's ears.

"Alive... but not," R said. I pointed, and nodded.

"Right you are, R." Lori chuckled.

"But, how come you didn't bleed out?" Julie asked. I looked around, and saw the knife Julie used on R in the airport. I took the knife, rolled up my sleeve, and put a huge slash into my arm.

"Jesus Christ!" Julie screamed. Lori just screamed a little girl screamed, and R staggered back a little.

"Watch," I said. After two minutes of silence, and no bloodshed, I spoke up. "See? No blood." I put my sleeve back, and gave Julie her knife. "I dunno why, but my blood circulates without a heart beat, and doesn't bleed when I get cut open. I don't understand why, but I'm cursed with it."

"Cursed? You're the ultimate survivor!" Julie yelled.

"I'd rather be dead than have this. If you find someway to take it from me, by all means, do it." I sat on the outside facing arm of one of the seats, crossing my arms.

"Cynthia, why didn't you go to the Dome?"

"Cuz from the look of the cement wall surrounding the place, the leader makes himself look like a real hard-ass," I said. "Lori, don't say that."

"Well, that's daddy," Julie said.


Author's Note: I DO NOT own any copyrighted characters or ideas from the book/movie Warm Bodies. I only own the ideas and characters (Cynthia, Ryder, Lori, etc.) that I created. No copyright infringement is intended :)

Also, I tried to make this chapter longer than usual because the last one was kinda short ^^; Anyway, I'll do my best to put up one chapter a day, at least. If not, then I will CERTAINLY put up one a week (cuz I have that time onmy hands :P).

I hope you enjoyed this chapter, and the story so far! 3 ~ Nicole