Photo © 2007 Rachel Cobcroft CC 2.0 BY NC SA
“We’re both dead,” he says, “long dead. But that doesn’t mean we can’t grow alive again!”
She can hardly believe what she’s hearing, of course. A fellow zombie, wanting to be human? Aspiring to be like them? If she didn’t know any better, she would think he was still one of them. But his pallor, his fetor, his unkempt appearance, his bulging eyes, his expressionless countenance, even the moan in his voice, all point to the sophistication that characterize their kind.
How? she wonders, Again human? One cannot undo death, cannot un-lose one’s innocence.
“No,” she says. “They want. We good.”
He shakes his head at her. “You have it all wrong. They don’t strive to be like us, and we don’t fulfill their wishes. They just want to be accepted, to be included.”
“We give them!” she shoots back.
“We give them neither acceptance nor inclusion. Don’t you see? We are the ones who have lost our souls.”
He presses on, and she hears his voice quickening, and wonders how he can talk so fast. “We tell ourselves that we’re better than them, but we only believe it because we hear it all the time. We don’t hold their answers; they hold ours.”
She stares at him a moment, processing his words, almost too much for her. He’s wrong. He’s sacrificing everything she’s worked for, everything she is. She considers destroying him, like the humans sometimes do. Has a zombie ever destroyed one of his own kind?
“You used to be human,” he says. “Have you forgotten already? Don’t you remember what it was like to think, to feel, what it was like to live? What it was like to love?”
She wonders: is that why he’s doing this, betraying their kind, out of some misguided love? Indeed, love was a powerful emotion.
He reaches his hand out and caresses her face. “I remember how you used to be filled with life, how you used to smile at me. How long has it been since we smiled?” And the corner of his lip inches up, stiffly, just a little.
Clearly he is not a full zombie. He is still somehow part human. “You, human,” she says, and she moves to grab him, to attack him as she would a human.
But he does not try to escape. Instead he says, “You can no longer hurt me, my sweet. You can no longer destroy me. I have journeyed to death, and I am on my way back. I’ve met those who have returned to life, and they’ve shown me the way. It all starts up here,”—he points at his head—”in the mind, and here,”—he puts his hand to his chest—”in the heart. None of us has really lost the ability to live; we’ve just forgotten how. All you need to do is to accept it.”
He gazes longingly into her eyes, a stare she just barely remembers. She used to be human, an existence she shed a lifetime ago, an existence that embarrasses her, that she wishes she could forget. His gaze bores into her long-forgotten soul, and she wants to lash out at him, to destroy him. But she also longs for it, for his affection.
She takes his hand in hers and brings it to her lips. She has forgotten how to kiss, but the feeling of his skin against hers reminds of all she has forgotten. She looks to him for a reaction.
“It’s okay,” he says. “You’re allowed to feel. You’re allowed to live. Don’t ever let them tell you otherwise, never again. Join us, and I’ll show you how.”
Pretty! This has been an extremely wonderful post. Thanks for supplying this information.
forticlient on mac
Pretty! This has been an extremely wonderful post. Thanks for supplying this information.
forticlient mac
Everhill Finds – Clear product display and easy-to-use layout — browsing was quick and simple.
Everhill Corner – Layout is simple and products load quickly — very convenient experience.
Everhill Essentials – Site feels user-friendly and items are easy to view — smooth and convenient.
true pine boutique access – Browsing felt natural and sections were easy to follow.
shop true pine collection – Smooth navigation and clearly presented items improved shopping.
pine picks – Clear categories and neatly arranged products made exploring simple.
GlobalShopTrends – Great selection of products, ordering was simple and efficient.
Very good blog! Do you have any helpful hints for aspiring writers? I’m hoping to start my own website soon but I’m a little lost on everything. Would you recommend starting with a free platform like WordPress or go for a paid option? There are so many options out there that I’m completely overwhelmed .. Any suggestions? Thank you!
TrendyOutletGlobal – Really happy with my purchase, checkout was seamless.
TrendGlobalDeals – Checkout was quick and hassle-free, products are top quality.
WorldTrendOutlet – Great shopping experience, fast checkout, and fantastic offers.
Very good site you have here but I was wondering if you knew of any community forums that cover the same topics talked about here? I’d really like to be a part of online community where I can get comments from other experienced people that share the same interest. If you have any recommendations, please let me know. Kudos!
forticlient mac download
Silver Maple Picks – Browsing is fast and the clean design makes shopping enjoyable.
Silver Maple Corner Shop – Organized layout and smooth navigation made shopping quick.
рулонные шторы с электроприводом рулонные шторы с электроприводом .
какие бывают рулонные шторы rulonnye-shtory-s-elektroprivodom499.ru .
Silver Collective Shop – Easy-to-use navigation made finding products a breeze.
shop wave hub – Intuitive navigation and neatly displayed items made shopping enjoyable.
northern boutique – Clean layout and intuitive navigation made shopping pleasant.
northern wave shop – Browsing felt effortless and products were easy to find.
Autumn Mist Official – Browsing was smooth, and the product information appeared well-presented.
Shop AutumnMist – The site had a pleasant aesthetic, with item descriptions that were easy to understand.
Autumn Emporium Picks – The overall design seemed cozy, and each product included solid details.
leafsoftcorner – Products are logically arranged, making exploration simple.
softleafcornerstore – Very organized, products are easy to find and explore.
all the time i used to read smaller articles or reviews that also clear their motive, and that is also happening with this piece of writing which I am reading here.
BuySmartCenter – Affordable and excellent quality products, extremely pleased.
SavingsHubOnline – Excellent deals and high-quality items, totally impressed.
TopPickDeals – Fantastic shopping experience, the items were exactly as described.
Grand River Workshop – Clean layout and appealing products made shopping simple and enjoyable.
Grand Artisan Studio – Smooth layout and clear product organization made shopping enjoyable.
Grand Craft Hub – Clean pages and logical product arrangement made shopping seamless.
sunridge shop link – The site feels tidy and exploring items was straightforward.
shop sunridge – Items are displayed neatly and navigation is straightforward.
Greetings I am so grateful I found your site, I really found you by accident, while I was looking on Google for something else, Nonetheless I am here now and would just like to say thanks a lot for a marvelous post and a all round interesting blog (I also love the theme/design), I don’t have time to read it all at the moment but I have saved it and also included your RSS feeds, so when I have time I will be back to read a lot more, Please do keep up the fantastic jo.
forticlient mac
shop ridge – Navigation flows naturally and products are easy to explore.
New Leaf Creations – The design feels refreshing, and the way items are laid out makes browsing really pleasant.
design hub – Everything felt well-arranged, and the clear product displays were a nice touch.
crafted pieces – Aesthetic layout and clearly arranged items made exploring the store enjoyable.
Golden Hill Boutique – Well-presented products with clear navigation — shopping felt effortless.
Golden Hill Art Studio – Everything is organized clearly and browsing is smooth — shopping was pleasant.
Golden Hill Select – Clear visuals and intuitive navigation — made exploring products enjoyable.
trueharborstore – Neatly organized pages and easy-to-find items, shopping felt simple.
Lunar Wood Essentials – Simple navigation and clear product visuals made selection fast and easy.
trueharborlane – Tidy layout and organized listings, browsing felt effortless.
Lunar Wood Creations – Smooth navigation and fast-loading pages made selecting items easy.
harborstylecorner – Smooth pages with intuitive navigation, shopping was quick and easy.
harborcornerhub – Smooth design and clearly displayed products, finding items was simple.