Love Revived A Zombie Romance

Hope

My body locks up in shock at the movement. He is alive. Bie isn’t dead… well fully dead. Jack notices my body freezing and grabs my only arm pulling me out the door. I don’t get to think before he is running and I am too. Zombies are all around us and I still don’t want to die, so I run with Jack to the truck. It’s not far but I hadn’t noticed how weak my body was until I ran a few feet. My breaths come in harder and faster making me light ended and I falter falling to the ground.

Jack stops and throws my arm, the severed arm to a hoard of zombies close to us. The sight of it pisses me off. I watch as zombies tear my arm apart, consuming what they can. Jack picks me up so that my maimed arm presses against his chest making me hiss in pain and carries me the rest of the way in his arms. It is taking everything inside me not to scream, only the knowledge that it will attract more zombies is what keeps my mouth closed and my pain silent.

Once we reach the truck Jack dumps me into the back bed of it. It hit it hard but luckily on my not stolen arm so it could have been worse. Jack is in a moment later and lays down in the bed with me and the truck takes off as the zombies approach. I listen and feel the thuds of the zombies being run over, making my body shake and sending pain through my arm. Well, where my arm was. We stay like this for hours and I finally get the nerve to look at Jack and he is bleeding all over his chest.

Shock and worry reverberate through me at the sight. Jack has been a friend to me and even though he killed– he didn’t I saw him move– I shake my head and know I am too weak to go after him, but I send a silent promise to Bie that I will be back. I just hope he won’t be dead or a real zombie when I do. I look at Jack all bloody in the chest and reach out to touch it. His hand claps mine immediately as his other hand comes to rest on my neck. His thumb is smoothing it as if to reassure me.

“You're bleeding Jack,” I say with tears forming in my eyes. Jack is still a good person no matter what he did. I can’t just let him die. He smiles a smile that does touch his eyes before he speaks.

“It’s not my blood, it's yours.” My eyes widen in shock and alarm at the sight. That is a lot

of blood. Looking down I notice that my whole left side of my body is soaked in it. I hadn't noticed. I– I am going to die. More tears prick my eyes and I allow them to fall down my face.

“Hey now, you will be okay,” Jack reassures me, thumbing away my tears.

“We will be at the colony soon.” I nod starting to feel cold and allow myself to be pulled under. It feels more peaceful than laying in this truck bed knowing that whatever Bie was to me I left him alone.

When I awake through a dense fog and I am covered in sweat. My body is hot and feels insanely heavy. “Hey, she is waking up.” I hear someone say as a warm rough hand circles mine. Bie is here he is safe. Is the only thought that crosses my mind before I fall back under again.

When I next wake my eyes are greeted by a white ceiling but tiredness still clings to me. I go to stretch only to realize that one of my arms feels light and then it hits me again. My arm is gone. Jack cut it off because he thought I would turn into a zombie. How will I ever climb again? I loved it and was good at it. How will I reach the tower now?

Overwhelmed by my loss I cry sitting up. I am alone in this room for hours and I notice that an IV is hooked up to my only remaining arm. I also look around and judging from the room I am in the hospital. Flowers and little tokens are on the window ceil and bedside table. I try to smile at them but my grief is too new, too fresh for me to feel anything right now. However, hope does bloom in my chest as I recall Bie was here. I felt his hand, he has to be here somewhere.

Shifting in the bed I feel dizzy and weak so I pause gathering my bearings. Taking small breaths I begin to shift my legs over the bed one at a time. Once my bare feet hit the ground the coolness of it grounds me. I relax a bit at the feeling and realize that I am in a hospital gown. Someone changed me, I know it was most likely a nurse but I can’t help hoping it was Bie. It warms my heart and heats my cheeks thinking of him tenderly underdressing me and how careful he would be. I imagine him kissing my skin lightly sending shivers down my spine.

That’s when I hear the door creek open and my heart jumps in my throat. Is it Bie? Turning around too quickly I see a woman. I have seen her around the colony but her name doesn't come to mind. As the dizziness comes back I sway again and feel all too weak. She gasps and runs towards me. “Now there it’s okay. I have you. Let’s get you laid back down.” I try to but the lightness in my head is too much and I allow her to ease me back onto the bed. She even takes my legs and places them back under the covers on the bed.

I am grateful for her and decide to ask where Bie is. Or does she know who he is? “Where is–” is all I get out before she cuts me off.

“Oh, I’ll go get him. Stay here laying down okay?” She pauses for a moment, “Are you hungry, thirsty, or in any pain?” I go to say no but then the pain in my stomach rears its ugly head.

“Yes,” I croak out. My voice sounds dry and strained.

“Yes to food, water or pain, or all honey?”

“Food and water please.”

“Are you in any pain?” I shake my head no and she nods happy with my answer leaving, “I will get that for you.” When she leaves I get the nerve to look at my arm, well where it was the stub of the arm really. Pulling down my hospital gown I expose my shoulder and stub. I only have an upper arm left, everything below my elbow is gone. How will I climb, how will I wield my sword?

My sword! Jacob! I panic and frantically look around the room not caring about the stub of an arm that I have left. I just need Jacob, I need my sword and in the back of my head my heart whispers, you need Bie too. When my eyes snag on the sword by the window a bit of my panic dies but it doesn’t leave me entirely. Getting up again I ignore my dizziness and shift my legs off the bed.

Once I have them on the cool solid ground I death grip the IV stand for some sort of stabilization and begin shuffling over to my sword. I laugh inwardly at my shuffling because I am walking like a zombie and Bie comes to the forefront of my mind. I wonder how everyone accepted him? Do they know he was once a zombie? Is he still growling at people?

Before I can reach my sword my legs begin to shake and I fall hard to my knees. I cry out in pain and begin to fall forward. Letting go of the IV pole I extend my hand to catch myself from falling but as my hand touches the floor and bears my weight but it falters and I fall onto the floor the rest of the way. I hear the door open and Jack's voice “Oh my god, Gwen are you okay?” He asks, rushing to my side.

“Yes,” I say, turning my head to try and look at me and push myself up with my one good and only hand but I don’t go anywhere. Sighing I just lay on the floor giving up. Jack's steps grow louder as he approaches me and squats down picking me up by my armpits. He picks me up with ease and I don’t fight him. I can’t in this state. When he gently places me back on the bed I lean back enjoying not moving. “Can you get my sword?” I ask Jack and watch as he turns and grabs it.

He perches it on the side of the bed and just having it near me makes me feel better. “Thank you”. I whisper, my voice still hoarse.

“I am glad you are awake. Do you need any water?” I nod and go to tell him that the nurse is getting me something but the door opens again and the same nurse walks in with a tray of food and water. I smile at her softly as she sets down the tray and glances at Jack quickly smiling and then leaves without another word. Is something going on between them two? That look they shared was like the look Bie would give me. Bie!

“Hey, where is Bie?”

He frowns looking at me, “that wild human or zombie or whatever? He is dead Gwen. You saw him die.” I frown now recalling him shooting Bie in his back and– I stop thinking. Bie can’t be gone I just feel that he isn’t. I felt his warm hand, didn’t I? Jack moves closer to me and smooths down my hair reassuring me, “you hit your head pretty bad falling off that roof. I am lucky I was there with you and lucky I could save you. Not everyone would have you know.”

I nod not feeling grateful but freeze when he presses a light kiss on my forehead. “Eat”, he tells me but I just sit there. He just made eyes at the nurse and kissed my forehead… Maybe I am overthinking this, maybe it's like a friendly kiss. So shaking it off I reach for the water only to realize I reached out for it with my right arm, which now doesn’t exist. Looking at it hanging in the air, naked and exposed I can see that it looks like a clean cut but the bandages cover up the actual wound so I can’t see everything. But there it is a reminder of what Jack did to me, not for me.

I sigh heavily as Jack says nothing watching me as I lower my stub and raise my other hand, my only hand, to grab the glass of water and drink it. It feels refreshing and I drink it all before I come up for air making Jack move closer. “Take your time Gwen.” He warns and I ignore him. I didn't realize how hungry I was until now so looking at the food I notice it's chicken and fresh broccoli. I can’t recall the last time I ate meat so I scarf it down quickly and lean back on the bed when I am done feeling full.

“Well, you eat pretty fast. I guess that makes sense since you have been out for a month.” A WHAT? My mind screams and I stare at Jack in frozen silence. I have been out for a month and Bie. I know he was alive. I saw his hand move. Didn’t I? He is alive out there all alone and has been for a month. I have to get out of here back to him. But I am weak and as I lay there I am really tired. That little movement I made wore me out. “Gwen?” Jack’s voice cuts through my whirling mind.

I look at him as he continues speaking, “I fought for you in here when everyone wanted to pull the plug. I was the one who told them not to. You had lost so much blood thanks to that… wild human.” He sighs, “I am so glad you are awake. I didn’t know how much longer I could have gotten them to hold off.”

“Hold off?” I repeat confused. Then it hits me, “Hold off killing me?” He nods. I– I can’t believe they were going to kill me. “Why?” I ask, looking into Jack's widened eyes.

He has been worried about me this whole time and fighting for me. “Because you got blood in your broken arm. They worried you would wake up a zombie.”

“But I didn’t,” I say thinking back to when Bie died. It was for nothing, his blood could not infect anyone he was changed into something better than human, stronger and different. How could Jack not see that? “Bie’s blood wasn’t infectious,” I murmur.

“We don’t know that. I cut your arm off before it spread is all. I saved you, Gwen. I did.” He stresses and I drop my eyes to my hand in my lap. He did save me from the colony killing me I guess, so I have to be grateful right? Then why don’t I feel it? Jack reaches out and touches my exposed shoulder where my stub is rubbing his thumb over my cover bone. “I am here for you, Gwen. I always have been.” I work up a smile for him, unable to respond. I should be grateful to Jack for this at least, but I can’t leave Bie out there alone and just as human as we are. He needs connection and community. Just like I do. I have to get back to the tower.

All this I know to be facts and lean back closing my eyes. I will come up with a plan later for that. After I sleep. I am just so tired and my body is so heavy. I await the sweetness of sleep to take me away back to Bie’s warm arms. At Least I can be with him in my dreams, for now, that will have to be enough.