Chapter Ten

Nina smiled as she turned to me. “What do you think? Pretty nice, isn’t it?”

“It’s a home,” I said, making sure Nina heard me. “Your happiness, makes it.”

“You’re going to have to explain what a home is, but that can wait,” Nina said as she took my hand again. “I still have to show you, my bedroom.” We walked towards the red door, and I watched as Nina took out a key from her pocket. “No one knows we’re here, but it makes me feel even safer knowing I can hide in here behind a locked door.” She opened the door and turned on the light. In front of me was a large, king size bed, with dirty red sheets. To the right of me was piece of paper pinned to the wall. It looks like someone drew a window and placed it there. Behind the bed was a hallway, shrouded in the dark that wasn’t dissipated from the light in the center of the room. To the left side were more shelves with the same collection of books, papers, and rocks. Nina’s excitement lowered as she turned to me. Her face was growing red.

“You know, I was excited to bring you down here, but now that you’re in my room, something unknown to the rest of the world, I feel kind of nervous,” she said, mimicking the movements my body did upon hearing compliments. “I like having you here, there’s no doubt about that, but there’s a strange tightness in my chest. It feels so unfamiliar, but it’s not a bad feeling. And when I try to look at you…” Nina stopped and turned away. “Why is that? Does this have something to do with this ‘home’ you keep mentioning?”

“Your room, a castle,” I said, this time holding her hand. “Special. Meant for you.” Nina tried again to look at me but focused her eyesight on something else. “Personal items, not everyone can see. Only special people…can see.”

“So, you’re special to me?” Nina said, a smile forming on her face. “Saying it out loud, makes my chest tighten even more. Let’s go outside!” Nina stuttered with her words while pushing me out of her room. “Well, until I can figure out what I’m feeling, I think it’s best you don’t go in there. I didn’t think it would be a problem but it’s better to be safe than sorry now.” I turned back towards Nina after reaching the main room. I smiled at her, and when I noticed how flustered her movements were and how red her face was, I laughed.

“Your face…cute,” I said with a wide grin. I felt an explosion of warmth within me.

“Don’t you go around teasing me,” Nina said pushing me away while trying to hide her face. Though she tried her best, she couldn’t hide the smile forming once again. “As much as I want to keep this going, I did want to bring you here for another reason.” Nina guided me towards the couch and motioned me to sit beside her. “I’m still in utter shock that I’m communicating with a zombie. I want to know what happened to you, and how you got here.”

“Zombies, bad,” I said, looking at her. “I know, evil things.”

“Yes, they are,” Nina said. “And that makes it all the stranger why you seem so friendly with me. Every piece of paper I’ve read has stated over and over again that zombies are the reason the world looks like this. There was something called an ‘apocalypse’ that happened a long, long time ago. Back then, there were zombies everywhere. It started with a single case, and it spread all around until the entire world was infected. They would bite and tear apart anything that looked to be living. I’ve read some reports saying that they would try to bite trees and flowers when the population of people went down, just because they were alive. The world before them was full of life. There were buildings that touched the sky, machines that could take you from one part of the world to another in an instant, and little devices that let you talk to someone on the opposite side of the world. It seems so fascinating, but now it’s all restrained in the books I’ve read on my shelves.”

Every word that Nina said to me was familiar. I remember skyscrapers and planes. I remember phones and people from all walks of life sharing this world together. Yet she made it sound as if it were a distant memory. It felt risky to share what I know, but it might end up helping her clear up her confusion.

“I remember, those things,” I said. “Buildings, called skyscrapers. Machines, called airplanes. Little devices, called phones. Everything…familiar.” Nina stared at me as if I had said forbidden knowledge.

“Of course, that makes sense!” She said placing a fist over her other hand. “You’re a person from before the apocalypse. You must have turned into a zombie back then and only just now awakened!” Though the words made sense to her, my shaking head caused her to pause.

“Never bitten,” I said. “Person, yes.”

“Then what happened?” Nina said with a quiet voice. I noticed the shift in her tone. “If you remember everything from before, how did you end up here?”