Author Note:Alright, second chapter, this one is rated M as well, for language, and near nudity. Overall, this one I enjoyed writing, comments are appreciated, constructive criticism is extremely appreciated. Note that if you have problems with language or M ratings in general, then this story is not for you. Also I would like to thank the Beatles for kicking ass.
Disclaimer: I do not own, nor do I claim to own, the Zombie Survival Guide, or any other work mentioned in this story.
Chapter 2
It Felt Like Home
The stone pillars were faded, the grotesque faces of a thousand agonized demons, wound their way from top to bottom. Light shone down in visible, golden beams, through large gaps in the gray stone ceiling.
The wooden floors were swept clean, clear of rubble and dust. Multicolored light of reds, blues and emerald green, lit the floors as sunlight shining from the multicolored mosaic windows, depicting biblical images, the battles, the naked woman, all of it.
A flight of oak mahogany stairs led down to the first floor of the stone structure. And a shuttered oak door let in small slits of bright light, coming in from the east, which meant the sun was rising.
"You live here?" she asked, her blue eyes squinting as she gazed up at the brilliant red sky through one particularly large hole in the ceiling. "In a church?"
"Yep Lily, you're probably wondering why I don't live in a house huh?" I said, averting my gaze from the flaming red sky, as I casually picked up the cheap bristled broom laying in the corner and began sweeping.
"No," she said as she shook her head, her wild golden tresses, which reflected the light, making her appear to glow, like an angel. "I was just wondering why I don't live here, it's beautiful. How did you find it?"
"Well," I began, resting my chin on the butt of the broom, "my family and I were avid church goers, even after mom passed. But after Lav-" No, I couldn't tell her that. I looked at Lily, her tear stained blue dress, sagging pitifully across her shoulders, the left strap hanging by a single thread. "Here lets get you something to wear," I sniffed the air once, my face turning sour at once, "and I think we could both use a bath." She nodded, following me downstairs, the stairs sagging under our combined weight.
I flipped through the church closet, filled with choir uniforms, white with a purple sash. Most were incredibly dusty, and riddled with holes from the moths that had been eating them. On the next rack were my clothes, all dark blue jeans with gray and black shirts. I grabbed a gray shirt, hanging neatly on a rack, and the dark blue cargo jeans that hung next to it. I flipped through the next rack pushing all of the costumes to the side, the crown of one of the three kings clattered to the floor. Lily stood behind me, keeping her gaze pointed at the floor, probably to avoid the Mosaic scene to her direct left, of a group of naked men and woman 'dancing'.
"Here! Got one for you," I said, holding up a turquoise shirt and tan dress pants. They had been used before by one of the shepherds in the reenactment of Jesus's birth. I handed them to her, and at first she reached out to grab them, but then stopped as she gazed into the closet.
"How about that one?" she asked, pointing a ash covered finger at a white, lilac silk dress. My heart sank into my stomach, as I dropped my clothes that I had just gathered.
"No. You cant have that one, just take this," I said, my tone perhaps a bit too strict, as I shoved the turquoise shirt into her chest, causing her to back up a step.
Tears came to her eyes, as her eyes became red and puffed up. She looked down once more, this time to avoid my perhaps wrath filled glare. I've been told that I have a wonderful, enrapturing stare, wonderful, when I'm not mad. I sat down on one knee, grasping her by her now quivering shoulders.
"Lil," I sighed, "I'm sorry, I didn't mean too, I can't really explain to you why right now," I raised my hand to her, holding her chin between my thumb and index finger. "Besides it wouldn't fit you anyway." I lifted her chin, gazing into her startlingly blue eyes.
"It's not that," she said, wiping the tears from her eyes using the base of her wrist. "Mommy's dead!" she cried out, her shoulders heaving once more as a flood of tears burst forth from her tear ducts.
"No, how do you know Lily?" I said grasping both of her hands in mine.
"I jus- I just do," she whimpered.
"Lily," I said, moving my hands from her hands to her shoulders, "we're going to find your mom, and if we don't," I paused, was I ready for this? I grimaced "I promise I'll look after you." She managed a smile, wrapping her arms around me in a tight embrace. She rubbed her face against my shoulder, wiping the tears off onto my now soaked shirt.
"Thanks Adam."
"You're welcome Lil," I said as I handed her the clothes once more. "Now go take a bath, and get dressed, we have quite the journey ahead of us." she nodded, taking the clothes in her scrawny, ash covered arms.
"Wait, you have running water?" she asked, her face scrunching up in a confused expression.
"Ya," I said, "I was pretty fortunate, you see a woman was murdered here a couple years back, it was the reason that people kinda stopped goin to church," I paused, "Luckily, the landlord was pretty spooked and refused to turn off the running water or electricity." I smiled, "So now I get to live here." She giggled, running off to the bathroom.
"Hey Lil, you done yet?" I called over the sound of running water.
"Almost, just a minute," she called back.
"Well take your time," I called, "Hey Lil? What day is it?" I called.
"Umm. Sunday! Why?"
"Oh. No reason," I called back, a grin spreading across my face. I headed over to the record player setting on the altar, right below the stone statue of Jesus Christ. "Excuse me Jesus," I said grasping the large bible from his cold, stone hands.
"Please... Abbey... Rubber... Revolver... ahh here we go, One," I said, as I finished flipping through the Beatles records that had been placed inside the hollowed out bible.
"Thank you Jesus," I said, placing the hollowed bible back into his hands, and then turning around to place the record onto the player.
The music started up, "Love, love me do. You Know, I love you. I'll always be true. So pleaeaeaease... Love me do."
"What the hell!" cried Lily over the raised volume, as she stumbled out of the bathroom, and down the flight of stairs, hastily dressed, with matted, wet, dark brown hair.
"Hey, this is a house of the lord," I told her, grasping her around the shoulder, swinging her around in step with the music, "watch your language."
"Wha-" she squealed as I grasped her under the arms, throwing her up into the air. "What are you doing?"
"What you talkin' 'bout? I always play the Beatles on Sunday," I laughed, "It's my church after all right?" she giggled as we stepped right then left twice.
After a while we stopped, exhausted as we lay sprawled upon one of the church benches. "Well I'm going to take a bath, so go ahead and just make yourself at home." I said as I stood up, gathering my change of clothes from the closet floor where I had left them. I walked up the stairs to the bathroom, sighing as I realized that Lily had forgotten to dry herself off, and had left a startling multitude of puddles on the mahogany staircase.
I filled up the bathtub, the water splashing against the sides of the tub, leaking small droplets onto the tile floor. The tiles depicted a holy cross, one right after another, I was thankful that Jesus wasn't on the crosses. I had a small phobia of getting undressed around pictures. Let alone those of a man being hung with nails.
I looked at myself in the oak framed mirror, right above the counter sink a counter high enough to cut the mirror reflection off at my waist. I brushed my hand along my chin, in much need of shaving. I had a slightly muscular form, not enough to make me look extremely buff, but I did look wiry, sinewy if you will. I rubbed my hand along the multiple cuts that covered my ash smudged body, finally reaching the bruise on my left shoulder. A blackening bruise that surrounded a jagged crescent moon wound, a wound that had taken a chunk of skin and muscle. My mind flashed back to that night.
His silhouette, a ragged cut out of the man he once was. A silhouette framed by the moonlight which shone into the graffiti covered alleyway. The moonlight of the full moon high in the sky. He stumbled forward, his leg dragging against the pitch black asphalt.
He was hunter incarnate, his mind working to feed an insatiable and endless hunger. He approached, and I hid, behind a green dumpster, praying that he wouldn't notice, and for a while, he didn't, but only for a while.
My feet were cold. Why were my feet cold? I looked down.
"Fuck." I sighed, "shit," I had left the water on to long, and it had overflown. I scrambled to the tub, slipping on the now slick floor. I landed with a crash, knocking my head against the wall of the bathroom tub. And in the distance I heard a scream. The scream of a little girl. Lily! I wanted to call out, but I could already feel myself drifting into unconsciousness.
"Lily?" I murmured, my vision going hazy, "Lav?"
I blacked out.