Chapter Seven

AUDREY

I come to slowly, the exhaustion still pulling down heavily on my eyelids. It's the feeling of being watched that finally forces me to open my eyes. I find myself staring straight into a pair of blue-gray eyes and I startle in surprise. Across the room, the Corpse twitches slightly and looks away a bit too obviously, as if it's trying to hide the fact that it was staring. The action is so juvenile and stunningly human that it puts me off guard.

There's something so different about this Corpse and it scares me as much as it fascinates me.

"I want to go home," I say pitifully, half to myself and half to it. I miss home and Duke and Chris. I don't know if either of them are alive, if either of them made it home. I just want this whole thing to be over.

The Corpse - which I've started calling Cheekbones in my head due to its killer facial structure - sits up straighter and shakes its head. Pointing at the window, it chokes out, "N-not s-ss-afe."

"You keep saying that," I spit out angrily. Cheekbones stares back at me like a kicked puppy, dipping its head uncertainly and shrugging. God, it doesn't even speak in full sentences and it's more emotive than most humans I know. Sighing, I drag a hand back through my tangled hair and then pull the blanket more snugly around my shoulders. It smells like must and dank, but it's warm and soft enough.

"Well I'm hungry," I say finally. Cheekbones' eyes widen and it tilts its head to the side like the subject confuses it. "I'm hungry. If you're going to make me stay here, I need to eat. And real food, not your food."

Cheekbones nods and shuffles awkwardly to the door. In the frame it pivots around and lifts a finger, pointing at me determinedly. "St-stay," it says and points at the ground in front of me again. "S-safe." It gives me one more pointed look and then turns and leaves, closing the door firmly behind it.

The moment Cheekbones is gone, I stand up and bolt to the window. I watch as it shambles off around the edge of the building and toward the road. From here I can see it crossing the road through the half-blocked front window. It's gone. If I'm making a break for it, now's the time.

I pick up the long-handled screwdriver I'd found yesterday and tuck it into my belt loop. It'll make a good weapon if I run into any Corpses. I open the door carefully, peering through the crack, but I don't see any Corpses. Slipping out, I inch around the edge of the building and along the alley.

The main road is going to be dangerous and more exposed, but it'll be the easiest way to get out of town. I can follow the road back to the highway, and the highway all the way back to the other city. If I'm lucky I'll find a car somewhere along the way and I can drive it at least part of the way. Even if I don't make it back to the Compound, I've got to try. I can't just stay here and wait to be eaten by some insane, doe-eyed Corpse.

I sprint down two blocks of the narrow path behind the shops, waiting for some other way to get back to the main road but there's no other alleys branching off. Ahead the path curves and then opens up into an enormous park circle. There are a handful of Corpses staggering around on the dried grass. "Shit," I hiss, pulling out the screwdriver and adjusting my grip on it.

To the left I can see the road I need to get back to the main street, but there's two Corpses between me and there. If I'm quick and quiet, I can duck behind that bench. Staying low to the ground, I race forward to the upturned bench, sliding to a stop behind it. I press myself low to the ground and peek through one of the holes in the bench, checking to see if I've been noticed. Nothing. Grinning triumphantly, I dodge sideways to the shelter of a crashed car.

I prop myself up to look through one of the missing windows. A Corpse is turning my direction, its head lifted. It sniffs the air deliberately and then its head cocks to the side like an eager bird. My heart plummets; it's caught my scent. If it had just heard me I might've been able to sneak away, but once a Corpse has your scent...

The Corpse moans loudly and after a few minutes there were two responding groans. I tip my head to look again and see that there are several more Corpses joining the first. Damn it. The three of them start to shuffle toward my hiding place and I feel my heart pounding. There's got to be some place to go, somewhere I can run to. I could maybe take down three Corpses on my own but I'd have to be lucky and so far that's not been in my cards.

I'm just considering making a break for the road and taking my chances, and then a hand lands on my shoulder. I yelp in alarm as the hand turns me around and there's a flash of pale skin and foggy eyes.

Foggy blue eyes wide with panic. Cheekbones.

It glares at me like I'm a child that's done something wrong. "I s-said, not s-s-afe," it hisses under its breath, kneeling close to me to share my shelter.

"I know but-" I start but Cheekbones puts a finger to its lips. It rises up on its knees and looks around, its brow furrowed. It crouches back beside me again, dipping its fingers into the deep cut left behind from where I threw the knife at it yesterday. This time it looks at me and its hand hovers in front of my face, hesitating like it's waiting for my permission. I nod slightly and it immediately smears the brown sludge down the side of my face and neck.

"C-come," it says and offers me a hand as it stands up. I stand up uncertainly, drawing close to its side for protection. The other Corpses fixate on us immediately. Cheekbones starts walking and leans toward me. "Be, d-dead."

"What?" I ask in surprise. Cheekbones lifts its arms and staggers forward with an overly-loud groan. "Oh, right." I copy its movements, lifting my arms in front of me and moaning. I shuffle my feet, twisting my weight more onto one leg than the other, and growl.

Cheekbones pauses and looks at me, one eyebrow lifted (I didn't even know Corpses can move their eyebrows!). "T-too much."

Blushing, I tone back the groaning and shuffle in its shadow. Two of the other Corpses follow us at a distance, the third losing interest. Cheekbones leads the way back down the alley and then lets us into his little shop, shutting the door promptly behind me. "I t-told you not s-s-safe," it says and it almost sounds scared.

"I know but - I can't stay here," I say desperately. "I wanna go home."

Cheekbones looks at the door and shakes its head. "N-not safe."

I sigh in frustration, slumping back against the wall and crossing my arms. "Fine, but I really am hungry," I say in defeat. "I haven't eaten in like two days."

Cheekbones scrutinizes me for a minute and then he nods. "'K-kay."

N

In the end I don't trust her not to rabbit on me again, so I bring her with me. Her playing-dead is barely passable and a bit too dramatic, but she doesn't attract too much attention as we head to the building across the street. I guess it must've been some kind of grocer's because its full of shelves lined with cans and the stench of rotting food. The place has obviously been ransacked a time or two before, but there are enough things left behind to keep Audrey entertained.

I follow behind her as she wanders up and down the shelves, occasionally humming in excitement as she piles a can into the cheap plastic basket she picked up near the door. I have no idea what she is finding that makes her so happy, but she's enjoying it so I let her at it. Perhaps she'll explain it to me when we get back to the house.

A groan from the back of the store makes me pause and I grab her arm. "T-time to go," I say and tug her in the direction of the broken front of the grocer's. She carries her basket with her as we make our way back across to my bookshop house. The moment we're inside she sits down in her corner and pulls out one of the cans. She jams the screwdriver she's been hefting around with her through the aluminium and wedges the top off.

"Mmm, peaches," she says eagerly, picking out a wiggly orange thing and popping it into her mouth. "God, I haven't eaten peaches in forever. We don't grow them in the Compound." I stand in front of her, watching her curiously. It's interesting to watch a human eat. It's less gory than when a Corpse eats for sure and she makes such enthusiastic faces. The peaches she's eating don't look very tasty though, wiggly, squishy little things. Peaches. I don't remember what peaches were like. I wonder if I liked them Before.

Audrey looks up at me and I turn, trying to pretend that I wasn't watching her devour an entire can of peaches with zeal. I think it makes her uncomfortable when I watch her. Is it weird that I like to watch her? Am I weird? That's probably a stupid question. Of course I'm weird. I'm a Corpse with a living roommate.

I try to think if I have any food in here. I wander over to desk where my record player sits and I look around behind the desk. There's a huge cooler that's been there since I moved into the place, and if I remember right... I open the top and look in at the collection of bottles that are laying in a tangled heap. I grab one that isn't broken and carry it back, offering it out to her hopefully.

"Oh wow," she says and takes the bottle. She twists it to examine the faded label on the front of the brown glass. "Moose Head. Never heard of this brand, must be a local brew." She pops the top off with the screwdriver and takes a long sip. "Mmm, not bad though. Wow I can't even remember the last time I had a beer. Probably before I made it to the Compound."

She cracks open another can of the squishy, wet fruit and settles it down next to the bottle of beer. Glancing up at me, she smiles a bit exasperatedly. "You can sit down, you know." I grunt and sit down opposite her, leaning my back against the end of one of the shelving units. She tilts her head and looks at me. "You know, you're not all that bad, Cheekbones."

I frown. Cheekbones? Is that what she calls me? I lift a hand and run it along my left cheek. Yeah, okay, so I suppose I have prominent cheekbones, but really? That's hardly a name, even for a Corpse. That's not even a good name for a pet. "I h-have, a na-ame," I tell her indignantly.

Audrey's eyes widen. "Really? You have a name? What is it?"

Shit, I clearly didn't think this all the way through. Right, I have a name but I don't remember it. That's a bit of a problem. Well, nothing for it. I'll just have to jump in and pray that it comes to me. "Nnnn..." Damn it, not cool. "Nnnnn..."

"Nnn?" Audrey echoes questioningly. "So, does your name start with N then?" Oh thank god, she got it. "Uhm, Nick?" I frown. "Norman? Maybe, Noah? Neil?" Yeah, definitely not any of those. Jesus this is not going well. I kind of want to die all over again. "Look, why don't I just call you N then?"

I feel the corner of my lips pull up. Holy crap I'm smiling. Right? That's what this is. Corpses don't smile, but I'm smiling. Because having N for a name is better than nothing. And better than Cheekbones, as flattering as that was. I mean, I think it was supposed to be flattering. But I have a name now, a name we picked together. "Ehnn," I say, trying it out. "N." I nod. N will do.

"Good," she says and her smile fades. "N, I wanna go home."

No! No, she can't go home. She can't leave me. "N-not safe."

"I know, that's what you keep saying," she says in frustration. "But it's never going to be safe for me here, N. Not this deep into the Dead Zone." The Dead Zone? Is that what they call our cities? Well it's not totally inaccurate I suppose. I mean we're undead, technically, but it works. "I need to go home, that's the only place I'll be safe. And you brought me here, so I know you can get me out again."

Damn it, she has a point. I can keep her safe here, but for how long? After a while the others will inevitably catch her scent. If they smell her in here all unwritten rules of not touching each others' stuff will go straight out the window. And I can fight off a couple Corpses but if they all come at once we're both screwed.

But she can't leave yet. I need time. Time to figure out just what it is about her that's so special. That makes me almost feel. I need to make her stay for a couple days more at least. "F-few days," I say. "Th-they forg-get. Then you c-can go." Wow, not bad. Those were almost like sentences.

"Few days, huh?" she asks, staring at me shrewdly. I nod, trying to keep up a poker face. She has to stay, just a bit longer. "Okay, a few days," she agrees. "I will stay for a few days. But after that you have to let me go home."

"I-I'll, take you," I agree. I have to help her, make sure that she makes it all the way home. That's the only way she stands a chance, and I have to know that she's okay. I can't live with myself otherwise. "Deal?" I hold out my hand.

Audrey surveys it for a second and then slips her hand into mine. It feels warm, almost hot against my cool skin, and for a minute all I can do is marvel at the fact that I can feel that. I can tell the difference in the temperature. Corpses don't feel temperature. Corpses don't feel anything. But I feel her. And then she squeezes my hand before pulling it away, and the moment is broken.

"Deal," she says. "So... What exactly is a girl supposed to do around here for a couple days?"