What if R and Julie hadn't met outside the city? What if R had been captured and taken inside the fortified city of the Living? A different version of the R/Julie story, one where they meet in her world, not his.
Isaac Marion owns Warm Bodies. I just enjoy playing with the characters.
Dark Negative of Love
Chapter 19 – R Speaks Up
While Nora and I sought to comfort Julie, a soft knock was heard at the door.
Nora glanced at me as she jumped up to answer, and I ducked my head down. Nora flicked off the overhead light, just leaving on the two reading lamps.
When she opened the door, she seemed relieved at the sight of the visitor. "Rosy," she said, sounding genuinely glad to see him.
"May I come in?" a familiar man's voice asked quietly. Nora glanced at me, but I nodded. I had to find out if he was someone I could trust.
The man who walked in was of medium height, aged about fifty, and had laugh lines etched on his face. Tonight though, he looked weary. He walked quietly up to Julie and crouched in front of her, taking both her hands in his. "This has been a terrible few days for you, my dear. I'm so sorry."
"Oh, Rosy," Julie exclaimed, throwing her arms around him and started to sob.
He held her quietly and rocked her for a few minutes. "You know," he finally said, "you've always been like a daughter to me. You do know that, right?"
He pulled back, and reached for her chin, giving her a little nudge under it. "We'll get through this somehow, honey. I promise." He kissed her on the top of her head. She looked up at him and smiled, wiping away her tears.
Seeing his easy familiarity with Julie made my heart ached. I wished I could say such things.
Now came the challenge. Rosy stood up and extended his hand to me. "Colonel Rosso," he said. "I understand you saved Julie's life a few days ago?"
I held out mine gingerly, willing it not to be limp. He grasped it firmly and shook it. As he withdrew his hand, he looked at me steadily.
"We all owe you for saving her life," he told me. "Archie, isn't it?"
"Well…" I began. I felt as if I could trust this man, but Nora stepped in.
"Yes, we call him Archie," she interjected, "but he's kind of tired himself, to say nothing of a bit shell-shocked. He needs some rest, that's all."
Rosy stood still for a minute, seeming to digest this information, and then Julie continued. "But what you have to say, you can say in front of him. He knows a lot."
The Colonel raised an eyebrow at this, and I kept my eyes down. Even in the dim light of the room, my gray eyes would stand out.
Julie took a deep breath before speaking. "Rosy, it's Dad. I know there's something really wrong with him."
"Yes, you are right," said the Colonel. "Even General Steiger agrees. That's what I came to discuss with you. We've taken some extraordinary measures tonight. He's been in contact with the General from the Memphis Dome, and they all agreed with our plan.
He's been put in the medical unit for observation. He just needs some rest as he doesn't appear to be thinking clearly." Here he put up his hands, holding them out towards Julie in a placating manner. "Julie, it's just temporary. The other Generals agreed that I should take over dome leadership temporarily in his absence. We need our leaders to be sharp, and he's taken on too much…"
"No," she interrupted him. "We think it's something else."
"Something else? What do you think is wrong with your father?" asked the Colonel.
Julie turned to me. "Rosy, I really need you to keep an open mind. I wanted to discuss this with you days ago when you came to the house, but…R?"
I stood up, slowly. The Colonel looked between Julie and Nora and I, not understanding. Suddenly it hit him, and he automatically reached for his pistol.
But Nora beat him to it, having grabbed it from his hip holster before he could get it. "Sorry, Colonel. We've spent several days with him. I can't just let you shoot him out of reflex."
After a minute, the Colonel seemed to relax. "Well, this really is something. But we need to include the General in this conversation."
I nodded. "Yes…I agree."
Colonel Rosso looked stunned, but Nora jumped in. "Yes, he talks, he sleeps, and he has friends. Friends who looked for him after he was caught by our soldiers. And he's been with Julie for days, and hasn't bit her. Look at her, look at her eyes. Look at mine!"
The Colonel rubbed his jaw thoughtfully, and then held out his hand to Nora for his gun. Reluctantly, she handed it back to him and he put it in his holster.
"Let's go see the General, as I believe he's expecting us. Well, some of us anyway," he said, eyeing me.
We made our way over to the headquarters. The headquarters building was easy to find from wherever you were in the city. It was at the exact center, and all of the streets radiated outwards from it. I was nervous, and Julie grabbed my hand, giving it a reassuring squeeze.
Once we reached the circular building, Colonel Rosso knocked on an office door, and General Steiger opened it.
"I've brought them. I think we need to have a talk," he told the General.
The General nodded, as if he had expected this. He motioned for us to enter his office, and then pointed us to chairs. Sitting on the edge of his desk in front of Julie, he began. "Julie, something's wrong with your Dad. We wanted to tell you personally. We've taken the extraordinary measure of making Colonel Rosso the General under emergency powers…"
Julie interrupted him. "I know something's wrong with him," she stated firmly. "It's been going on for a while…
I interrupted. "I think…I know."
The General and Rosy looked at me. Julie tried to stop me, saying "Archie, not yet…" as she leaned towards me, stretching out her hand.
I pushed her hand back. "No. They need…to know. He's…becoming Boney. Without dying. I…knew when I …first saw him."
I paused, as giving this explanation had exhausted me.
"Son?" asked the General. "What are you saying?"
"I know…because…I'm changing too," I said carefully, waiting for another gun to be pulled on me. "Only…I'm…becoming Living human, while he's…becoming Dead."
The General sat perfectly still for a moment, his eyes never leaving me. Finally he leaned over, and touched my face, rubbing at the foundation.
"I noticed you were wearing makeup at dinner last night, but I thought you were just hiding scars under there," he said. "But you're not. It's much more…"
Julie broke in. "I knew. I've spent days with him. He could have killed me, but he never did. Instead, he's been changing. He's a little more human each day. He walks more quickly now, and listen to how he talks."
The General and Colonel exchanged glances. The Colonel spoke first. "I just found out when I went to give Julie the news about her father," he told the General quietly.
"It's not…just me. There are…others," I got out before pausing. They may shoot me, but maybe hearing there were others like me? Maybe they would listen.
"Others?" The Colonel asked.
"Your friend, right?" said Julie. "The one who came looking for you when you didn't go back to the airport after our soldiers caught you."
I nodded. "Yes, M. He says…lots...more, and the…Boneys are trying…to kill them."
I let that sink in, and then I let the bomb drop. "They need…shelter."
The room was silent.
I took a deep breath and was startled to realize that I had actually needed one. "They need…you," I said softly.
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