Chapter Seven

I was afraid to look into my eyes. The thoughts that swirled around me about my life before all this made themselves visible. I still felt that I was wrong in my pursuit to be the best, and I didn’t want to be reminded of it. Curiosity got the better of me however, and I focused on the mirror once more. My eyes were the same color they’ve always been. I expected discoloration, or any other signs of a lack of life. But what greeted me was the expression of a confused and concerned girl. I looked at my legs, and they share the colors of the rest of my skin, and my outfit was the same school uniform I had on that day. I didn’t know what to think. I didn’t know if I wanted to think. I put my hands on my head, ready to scream at the person in front of me.

“Um, are you okay?” the woman said to me. I turned my head to her the moment I heard those words. She had been inching closer to me, taking a step back with my quick movement. “It’s kind of weird to feel bad for a zombie, but something’s telling me that I should feel bad for you.”

“Not okay,” I said, unable to use more words. “I. Don’t. Know.” I turned back to the mirror and looked at myself again. My breaths became short and quick, and I was readying a scream once more before I felt something on my shoulder.

“This is the scariest thing I’ve encountered wandering,” the woman said, holding on to me. The warmth of her hand replaced the scream I had inside. It was supposed to be familiar, and my body reacted that way. “But, you’re not like the zombies I’ve been told about. You were supposed to come rushing at me, teeth bared and arms out in front, ready to tear me to pieces. And yet, you’re sitting in front of a mirror, crying in front of your reflection, trying to figure out what’s happened to you. You’re like a sensitive little rabbit, afraid of the new world in front of you. Even though I’m supposed to be afraid of you, your reactions are actually kind of cute.”

I didn’t notice the tears rolling down my face. The color of my skin did a much better job at hiding the transparent liquid than my lighter skin. But beyond that, I felt a little spark inside my heart hearing her words. I turned back to the woman. She couldn’t get rid of all the fear inside her, but the face that greeted me was as warm as her hand on my shoulder. The smile shined a light in the darkened room we were in, and the cold I had felt the entire time I was here began to fade away. It was no longer a cold that was destined to follow me for as long as I stayed conscious, but rather a cold that could be driven away by a night near a campfire.

The light in front of me cleared and I could see the person that sat next to me. She had long brown hair, tied into multiple loose ponytails. It was dirty and messy, but it suited her. Her eyes were a deep shade of green, and they stood out in a world of drab and darkness. The more I looked into them, the more comfort I felt. The smile that helped me was still there, completing the face in front of me. She was pretty and it seemed as if no amount of dirt or grime could change that. She stood up and I saw the rest of her outfit. She had some sort of utility vest, with pockets everywhere you looked. Her long sleeve shirt had holes everywhere, and one of the sleeves looked as if it had been missing for a while. Her pants had just as many pockets as her vest and shared the dark colors of her top. The boots were like those of soldiers, though they looked to be on their last legs. As I turned back to her, I saw her arm reach for me.

“Come on, let me help you up,” she said. “I don’t want my legs to fall asleep again.” I was still trying to find all the strength that left me earlier. I raised my right arm towards hers and waited to push myself the moment she helped me up. She pulled my arm in one single motion, expecting resistance from me. Instead of lifting me up however, all we noticed was a loud pop. I watched as the woman’s expression change from calm to horror. In her hand was my hand, my arm, and nothing else. The rest of my body sat in the same place it had. She let out a gasp and a short scream.

“I am so sorry!” she said, trying to place my arm back in its place. “Why didn’t you tell me your body was so fragile!” I felt a familiar feeling when those words reached my ears.

“Not my fault,” I said, furrowing my brow for the first time here. The woman sensed the weak venom in my words and let out a cautious laugh.

“Sorry again, I guess you wouldn’t have known either,” she said. “But now I’m afraid to touch you. I don’t want to break off another part of you.” Her laugh was more deliberate this time. Though I should have been annoyed at those words, I couldn’t help but smile. I felt more warmth bubbling up from inside me. Was that teasing? It sounds like she’s doing it on purpose, I thought to myself.

“Try,” I said, with a comfortable slowness in my voice.

“Of course,” she said. “You know your body better than I do.” The moment she said those words, my right arm jerked to the side. The woman shouted and dropped my arm on the floor. She took a few steps back and looked at both me and the arm. “What just happened? Arms aren’t supposed to do that!” My right arm began to sway left and right, as if looking for something. It didn’t have any eyes, yet it stopped when it turned to me. It rushed towards me faster than I could react. I closed my eyes and turned away, but I didn’t feel anything on me.

“Did I just witness this?” The woman said, hand over her mouth. “That was incredible”. Her words opened my eyes, and I turned back towards my right arm. It had connected back into my body, and it was once again under my control. I moved it around with the slow pace I had grown accustomed to and it didn’t move on its own.

“Not me,” I said. “How?”

“It had a mind of its own!” The woman explained. “How strange! Is it just your arm that can move freely, or can your other body parts do the same thing?” The last remnants of her fear had dissipated and the only thing on her mind now was how my body worked. She picked up my left arm and popped it off. I felt no pain, just as I felt no pain the first time it happened. After a few seconds, the left arm started to move around. The woman’s yelp sounded more excited than fearful this time. I looked at her again.

“Not funny. Not a toy,” I said to her. The arm jerked with much more force than last time, forming a fist aimed at the woman’s face.

“Sorry I…” the woman began to say before noticing the fist. “No way…it’s reacting to your anger! This truly is incredible.” My annoyance melted away with her words, and the fist relaxed alongside it. My left hand turned to me, as if asking me whether it was okay to relax.

“Let go of arm, please,” I said. The woman let go and my arm headed back to me, attaching itself much like the right arm did. She took a deep breath and looked at me.

“There’s so much that’s happened right now,” the woman said, hand on her chin. “I didn’t think anything like this was possible. I mean, look at me. I’m having a conversation with a zombie! The only thing I want to do right now is get you know you more. You are so fascinating! But don’t think that this is just about your body. You act like me, think like me, and react like me. If your skin wasn’t blue, I’d think you were just another person.” I looked down and felt a new warmth in my face. When was the last time I had anyone talk about me in that manner, I thought.

“Wait? Now you’re blushing? How?” she said with a laugh. “You shouldn’t have any blood in there! I can’t tell if this is supposed to be exciting, or just plain cute!” I tried to catch the smile before it left my brain, but it was no use. That only made her laugh more. “You’re going to be coming with me. I have a nice little place that’s away from everything, and we can learn more about each other there.” As she said those words, she turned back to me. “But I haven’t asked you if you have a name. What do other people call you?” I wanted to answer right away, but something held me back. But unlike before, the force behind my hesitation was weakening and I took advantage of it.

“My name, Haru,” I said. “Don’t remember…last name.”

“Haru?” the woman responded. “I don’t know what a ‘last name’ is or why you would even want one, but your name is just as cute as you!” I was confused by her words. I knew that a last name was given to me, but the person in front of me, who has given me something I thought I would go the rest of my life without, just told me I didn’t need it. I thought about what to do before responding again.

“Not important now,” I said with a now familiar smile. “But your name…important.”

“Oh, that’s right!” she said. “I’ve been yap yap yapping nonstop and I haven’t even told you my name. You can call me Nina.” She announced it to me, and it kept my smile going.

“Proud of that name” I said to her. “That is good.” It was Nina’s turn to blush.

“Who knew zombies could compliment?” she said laughing. She stood there watching me, before remembering what she was supposed to do. She walked towards me and tried once more to help me stand up. I felt a strength that was long missing from me as I put my left hand up against the wall. I used Nina’s extended arm as another support and with it I was able to stand again. I struggled to keep a straight stance but for the moment, I was on my feet. Nina’s smile was infectious, and I smiled back. She led me to her little corner as she collected the rest of her items. When she picked up her crossbow, her eyes widened and shot right into my chest.

“I forgot about the arrow in you! I’m so sorry!” she exclaimed. There was a panic in her movements as she tried to figure out how to get it out of me. I had also forgotten about the arrow as it didn’t feel like anything. I reached for it from behind and pulled it out in a simple, yet resistant motion.

“No pain,” I said with a reassuring smile, handing the arrow back to her.

“Wow, I really wish you had given me warning before doing that!” she responded. “I was so worried that I was going to hurt you again.” She paused. “But then again, I did pull both your arms off, and you didn’t so much as flinch, so I guess I should’ve known better.” I let out a laugh that caught me off guard and covered my mouth in response. Nina’s panic transformed into a mischievous smile.

“Laugh is strange…with this body,” I said to her.

“But it’s just as cute,” Nina said, laughing. She finished packing the rest of her things and turned to me, once again extending her arm towards me. The part of me that hesitated was being drowned out by the urge to follow Nina. I raised my arm towards her and held her hand.

“We walk…together,” I said looking into her eyes.

“Together,” Nina said, holding my hand with the warmth I could no longer live without.