I can honestly say that I’ve never seen a sunrise. I’ve never been much of a morning person, and would never be able to get up at the crack of dawn, so I have never seen the sun rise over the mountains.
The night surrendered to the dawn as we made our way towards the hospital which was only a few blocks away now. The rising sun colorized the sky in intense shades of yellow, orange and pink. It had to be one of the most beautiful sights I’ve ever seen; to our left it was still pitch dark and to our right the sky was lighting up with the expectancy of a new day.
“Finally.” Fred said relieved, “Daylight…”
I too was a bit relieved that the night was finally coming to an end. It felt like the longest night in the history of long nights.
We turned into Felicia Street and the hospital came into sight. I didn’t see any of zombies lingering outside and just hoped that they disbanded instead of finding a way in. It was a worrisome sight not knowing where the undead went.
“There it is.” I said reassured.
I could not wait to see mom and Michelle again. I hoped that Alex was still alive and doing better. Odd, I know; but I actually cared whether my ex-bully lived or died. Not many people would be compassionate enough to care about their bully.
Dharma yawned making Fred laugh and say, “Are you tired?”
Dharma nodded her little head of curly blond hair and rubbed her eyes.
“I thought you were excited to meet the dog?” Fred asked.
“I am.” Dharma asserted, “But after I meet Fluffy I want to sleep a bit.”
Poor thing… she must have been terrified all alone in the mausoleum all night. There was no way that even I would be able to sleep if I was locked up in a mausoleum.
“You can take a nap when we get to the hospital.” Fred said.
We passed the church as we made our way towards the hospital which was a block away. Henry fell behind, stopped in front of the church gates and stared at the building.
“Wait.” Henry whispered.
Fred, Dharma and I stopped and turned to Henry.
“What is it?” I asked.
The front door of the church stood open and Henry stared at the door with squinted eyes.
“I think I see someone moving inside the church.” Henry said.
“Could be a shadow?” Fred asked.
“It’s not uncommon for people to seek solace in a church during troubled times.” Henry said.
I glanced at the pews inside the church and noticed someone sitting in one of the front pews.
“It looks like a woman.” I said.
“Is she infected?” Fred asked.
“I can’t tell.” I said.
“But if she was infected, why would she just sit there?” Henry asked, “She would have been able to smell us by now.”
“I think we should check it out.” I suggested, “She might be hurt.”
Henry nodded, but Fred was a bit reluctant. He had his little girl to think about and couldn’t go into buildings every time someone might be in trouble.
“Are you coming?” I asked Fred.
He looked at the church and then at me.
“We’ll wait by the door.” Fred said.
We walked over to the front door and cautiously entered while Fred and Dharma stood on the front step. The church was dark, but the rising sun was creeping through the mosaic windows. All the pews were empty, except for the woman sitting in the front.
“Hello?” I called out.
The woman sat with her back to us and did not respond.
“Are you hurt?” I asked.
Still she didn’t respond. I didn’t like it at all. We slowly walked towards the front of the church and the woman slowly stood up. We stopped and watched as she stared at the podium at the front of the church. The woman sluggishly turned around holding her bloody palms up. Her face and front of her dress was drenched in blood that flowed from her mouth. Her lower jaw was missing and the tongue dangled down against her neck. Dharma let out a scream which made me turn around with a jerk. Fred picked her up and she buried her face in his chest as she cried hysterically.
“Don’t look at her.” Fred whimpered.
“Mommy!” Dharma cried.
Oh no, I thought as I turned to face the infected woman again, this must be Dharma’s mother. The woman kept her palms turned up and gurgled blood as she took a step towards Henry and I. I could hear Fred trying not to cry as he comforted Dharma at the door behind us.
“Get her out of here.” I called back over my shoulder.
The sound of the church door closing echoed and bounced off the walls. The woman took another step towards us while gurgling.
“We should put her out of her misery.” I said.
“Why would she just sit in a church like that?” Henry asked confused, “Zombies aren’t religious.”
It was indeed a mystery as to why an infected person sat so calmly in a church pew. Perhaps the infected retained some of their characteristics after they died? It might be a possibility, but she was still infected.
I took a hold of my whip and let it uncoil.
“Wait…” Fred said behind me.
I turned around and saw him standing at the door.
“I should be the one to do it.” He said with a stutter.
I could respect that. He loved her too much to let her die at the hand of a stranger. If anyone was going to show her mercy in this world of the undead he wanted to be the one to do it. I nodded and motioned for Henry to follow me out of the church. I gave the sluggishly approaching woman one last look and then we walked back to the door.
“Are you sure you want to do this?” I asked Fred.
He nodded his head, but the tears building up in his eyes told me he wasn’t sure.
“Okay.” I said.
Henry and I stepped out while Fred stepped inside and closed the door behind him. Henry crouched down next to Dharma who was sucking her thumb and sobbing softly. He embraced her and slowly rocked her back and forth.
Whether or not Fred would actually be able to kill the woman he loved was a question only time would be able to answer. A few minutes passed; perhaps Fred wanted to say his final goodbyes before he put an end to her?
The door slowly opened and Fred stepped out. His hands and shirt was spattered with blood. His eyes were teary and he held his breath as he closed the door behind him.
“Are you alright?” I asked sincerely.
Fred shook his head and then the tears started flowing. His knees grew weak and he finally collapsed and sobbed like a little baby – sobbing for the loss of his loved one. If there was a reason for the outbreak that brought the dead back to life, I had a hard time seeing it. This was not God’s doing, He would never separate families in such a horrid way.
It was at that moment that I wanted to see mom and Michelle more than ever and tell them that I loved them… both of them. Nowadays any day could be your last day and I did not want anything to go unsaid.