Zombies Need Love Too!

Yoan’s eyes practically sparkled with life as he spoke.

“See? I waited, and it woke up on its own. Good thing I didn’t hit it.”

“Even the dead would sit up and take notice after being stared so hard.”

“You think I only kill zombies?”

“Sorry. That was totally out of line.” Rob caught that little exchange and quietly made himself scarce.

Yoan turned his attention back to me. “Didn’t know zombies could pass out.”

Yeah, well, neither did I.

“Why are you making that face? Like you just had a major revelation or something.”

Talk about sharp intuition…

“You really are one strange zombie.”

Tell me about it.
“Gurrrrg.”

Sure, I couldn’t speak like a human, didn’t feel pain, never slept, and had all the usual undead upgrades in strength and senses.

But I also had no hunger for people, no aggressive instincts, and far too much brain activity for comfort.

Definitely not standard issue.

There had to be a reason for all this. Some explanation.

Because dying nameless as a background zombie? That’d be way too tragic.

It was time to get serious about survival.

“You gonna keep lying there forever?”

Would that... not be okay?
“Gurrrrg... gurr?”

“Well, it’s break time anyway. Make yourself comfortable.”

...Okay, is it just me, or does he sometimes actually understand what I’m saying?

“But hey, remember what we talked about earlier? Your name?”

Oh, right! That was important.

There’s that one poem about how when someone calls your name, you bloom like a flower, right?

Names mean recognition. Existence.

It’s the first step toward becoming me again.

“Got one?”

Nope. Not that you can understand me anyway, but I should probably pick something that fits this world.
“Grr. Grrrg, grrrr gregrr?”

“Hmm. Can’t remember, huh?”

Well… guess that’s kinda right.

“Want me to give you one?”

Yes! Please! Anything’s fine!
“Grr! Grrrg.”

“Sasha.”

Sasha, huh. Simple. Easy to say. Nice ring to it.

I actually kind of liked it.

“Huh? Isn’t that the name of the dog you used to keep—”

“Shut it, Rob Pitt.”

Yeah, I already heard…

Naming me after a dog? Really?

“How’s that? Not bad, right?”

I considered picking a fight over it.

But in the interest of basic diplomacy, I nodded.

Sasha? Fine. I had a name now.

***

“Why are you making that face? Don’t tell me you want to sleep in the same bed.”

I shook my head hard.

It wasn’t about the bed—it was about the room.

The shared room. Between a man and a female zombie.

Surely this struck someone as odd?

“Yeah, smart thinking.”

Yoan smiled cheerfully, lay down, and pulled the blanket up to his chin.

Then, turning his head toward me, he added, “Just so you know, don’t try anything funny. I’m a very light sleeper.”

Yes, well, I’m a very uninterested zombie, so sleep away.

I pursed my lips and curled up quietly in the corner.

“You planning to stare at me from over there all night? That’s creepy in its own way.”

Oh, come on! What do you expect me to do, knit?
“Grr, grrrrk!”

“Are you getting mad right now?”

No! It’s just… you complain no matter what I do!
“Grrrrrgg... grrr.”

“The sofa’s better than the floor.”

Actually, given my dulled senses, they felt about the same.

But I didn’t want to keep bickering, so I flopped obediently onto the sofa.

“See? I was right, wasn’t I?”

I just nodded half-heartedly, mostly to end the conversation.

“Well then, see you tomorrow, Sasha.”

He lay perfectly straight, eyes on the ceiling, and drifted off into slumber in no time.

I sat on the sofa, watching moonlight slant through the curtains.

“Grahk. Graa…”

The occasional zombie grunts drifted in from outside.

The cabin looked shabby on the outside, but inside, it was surprisingly solid. 

Apparently, zombies couldn’t get in unless something dramatic happened.

Phew.

I settled in, trying to calmly plan my next steps.

The night passed quickly. Before I knew it, morning had arrived.

The moment Yoan stirred from his sleep, he sat up, looked at me, and gave a sleepy, husky-voiced compliment.

“You stayed put all night. Such a good listener. Good girl.”

Technically true. But it’s not like I just sat there doing breathing exercises.

I’d actually gotten a bit experimental in the wee hours, like waving my hand right in front of his nose.

Light sleeper, my undead butt. He’d slept like the dead.

Which meant I had free movement at night. Noted.

“Let me wash up and eat first, then we’ll head out again. Oh! Do you wash yourself too?”

Do I wash myself? Talk about rude!

But then again, I never heard of a zombie taking showers…

Yes, I’d like to wash.
“Grrk, grrr.”

“Figured as much. It’d be a bit strange for a zombie to want to bathe.”

I meant! I’d like to wash, man!
“Grahk! Grrrah!”

“Did you just yell? At me?”

Well, no. I mean…
“Gurrrr...”

“Just kidding. Judging by your reaction, I guess you do want to wash. Do whatever you want.”

I swear, Yoan Keith is going to be the undeath of me.

Still chuckling for some reason, he ducked into the small attached bathroom.

I paced a little, then cracked the door and peeked out.

Rob was sprawled on the living room sofa. I could hear kitchen clatter in the background.

Weirdly enough, it felt... peaceful. Like an ordinary morning. Was it always like this?

It turned out that even in a world crawling with zombies, it wasn’t always doom and gloom.

Rob sensed me and shot upright with a scowl.

“Huh? Who said you could wander around? Did the lord give permission?”

Technically, no. But he also didn’t say not to.
“Grrr. Grrrk, grrrg.”

“I haven’t decided you’re safe yet. Don’t get comfortable.”

Y’know what? None of this is my fault. Your precious lord dragged me here, remember?
“Grarrr. Grk-grk gurrr.”

“You’re still a zombie. And I know you can turn dangerous any moment.”

Oddly enough, it felt like we were actually conversing.

I got where he was coming from. I would’ve acted the same in his place.

But why did I have to be the only one to be understanding? Even after proving I was totally harmless?

I shot him a vaguely rebellious glare. Rob narrowed his eyes in return.

Tension crackled between us like flint and steel.

Then Yoan walked in, toweling water from his hair.

“Why so tense? You two need to get along. We’ll be traveling together for a while.”

Hmph.

“Kek.” I snorted and turned away.

“Ha!” Rob scoffed. “That thing doesn’t like me, apparently.”

“Sasha.”

“What?”

“Not ‘thing’—Sasha.”

“...Sasha doesn’t like me.”

“Sasha has good taste, apparently.”

“What’s that supposed to mean?”

Yoan just shrugged.

Message received loud and clear. I smirked at Rob and gleefully trotted after Yoan into the kitchen.

“Oh, perfect timing!” Bliss set out plates on the rough wooden table.

Corn soup, toasted bread, and some meat on the side.

I scanned the options and promptly claimed a seat.

“Wow, would you look at that…!” Rob scowled in displeasure.

But Yoan patted my head like I’d done something delightful.

“At least there’s no worry of you starving to death.”

Naturally, I’d chosen the plate with the most meat.

“Right? She’s basically human… if we could just understand her.”

Bliss offered a faint smile, her wary look from yesterday much softer now.

As we dug in, Yoan slid some of his meat my way again.

Thank you.
“Grrrg.”

Normally, I would’ve politely declined. But I’d been getting hungry at weird intervals, and beggars couldn’t be choosers.

As I chewed away, Bliss quietly set her fork down. “My lord. You’re going to end up with nutritional deficiencies at this rate.”

I froze, mid-chew.

“Are you planning to give Sasha your meat every meal?”

“I won’t die from missing a few bites. But Sasha will.”

Ehh?

What is this… sudden meat flirting?