Cough Syrup
“These zombies in the park they're looking for my
heart”
Well, it is a bad sign that it is barely 9 am and the
sun is already melting everything on Earth. Including my makeup. I should start
looking for other methods of pretending… A knock at my door, “Almost ready,” I
shout. As if invited, my brother Julian comes in and flops down on my bed.
“Sarah, why aren’t you ready? You look so terribly
human and ugly,” he says.
“So funny,”I frown at him and add, “Why your make up
looks so good?”
“Because I´m good. Besides, dad gave me a new kind,
for days like these.” I won’t ask him why he didn’t give me anything. His eyes
only shine for him. And well, mine too. He is just in that age when ideas of
girls having lice are universal facts and bloody videogames can fix anything in
their lives. He just has to smile and he gets it.
“Would you mind borrowing me some? You’re right; I
look very human and alive.” After he goes to his bedroom and brings back the
new makeup, I stand in front of the mirror and start applying green, grey and
white powder. I draw the usual scratches, and change into my homeless-like
clothes. I give me one last look in the mirror. “Yeah, just like a very normal
and very dead zombie.”
I join them at the hall, my father ignoring me, me
ignoring him back. Without a word, we leave though the back door that leads to
the backyard. The usual zombies passing by, some waves at us. Well, I think
they wave because by the time they fully raise their arms and wave, we already
are three blocks away. Usually it is
only my dad who goes outside, it is not that dangerous, but better prevent that
etc. So my brother and I usually stay at home, and wait for dad. But today he
needs extra arms to carry all the groceries that will keep us alive for at
least two months. We don’t go to the supermarket because they don’t exist
anymore, but some survivors, like us, started to grow vegetables and healthy
stuff that taste like dust, but feed us nonetheless.
When we get there, Oliver has our bags. I´m a bit
disappointed because if he has already packed everything we need, then our
journey is almost done. Oliver is nineteen years old, just like me. He is one
of our only friends and usually comes home to play board games with us.
“All
the Samuels at the same time. Brace yourself,” Oliver´s way to
greets us.
“ Yeah,
stop it. We are about to leave anyway,” I say.
“So quickly?”
“Yes.”
“And so friendly.”
I should stop the bitchy answers; he doesn’t deserve
my dark mood just because of dad. So I start again.
“Yeah, dad is acting very strange. He won’t leave us
alone for more than half an hour and curfew does no longer exist since we can´t
leave home without him. It is pissing me off more and more, sorry for…”
“Well, of course he is. The entire thing about Julia turning a…”
“The thing? What thing? What is he turning into?” And
then I understand. The make up being so good…but still I can´t quite grasp it.
“Sarah, I thought you knew. I´m so sorry, let me…”
“It is okay.” And before he can say something else, I
turn around and look for Julian. When I see his curly head moving to my far
right, I move to where he is and took his hand. “Let’s go,” I say.
“Sarah, have you visited Robert’s tent? He has a new
rat but it is not a rat. More like a little bear with rat´s face. Have you seen
it? Can we have one? I will ask dad.”
When we reach the last tent and step outside, I turn
Julian to look at me.
“But you are not allergic or something, right?” he
continues, not noticing that we stopped walking.
“I don’t know if I’m allergic to the rat, not yet. Listen Jules, you look very scary, you know.”
“Of course I do, it is the new make up!” and raise a
hand to touch his face. “Yours look better because you are actually scary
without it.”
He is joking, but how can he? He is so little and
there is no solution.
“Julian, please. Stop joking. You can tell me.”
“Tell you what? Let´s go inside and as Robert if-“,
his eyes are watering and he looking everywhere but me. When he tries to break
of my grasp I kneel and hold him by the shoulders.
“How long?” I ask.
Jules looks up at the sky, swallows and returns his
eyes to mine. “Two weeks.”
“God, why didn’t you- who!?” I´m about to cry but if I
do, he won´t tell me.
“It was dad’s friend, Seth. One day we were outside
playing and we heard a noise near the shrubbery and dad told me to wait while
he went to have a look at it. He was taking so long that I went after him. He
was knelt holding Seth. He had been bitten and was almost dead, barely
breathing. Dad was crying and I wanted to hug him. So I knelt too but I did it
too quickly, but Seth wasn’t himself anymore and didn’t recognize me. He
grabbed my hand and bit me. Dad stood up
and kicked him till Seth let go of my hand. Then he was gone. “
I don’t know what to say, and I can’t think. I hug
Julian and cry. I am his big sister and I should protect him. But there is no
thing that can protect you from death. I let go of him and say “why you didn’t
tell me before? I could have-“
“No, you know there is no ¨you could have¨. Don’t cry
please. I’m planning to annoy you for as long as I can. Or not, if you convince
dad about that rat…”
“I think that rat could be actually a hamster, Jules,
“I say.
“A what?”
“A hamster. God, you know nothing. What do they teach
you in school?”
“Schools don´t exist, Sarah.”
“Well, they should now. Just listening to you, the
Earth will grow some school by itself.”
“Ha.”
“It will be okay. We can find a way, maybe there is
something we can do or-“
“Maybe. But let´s go inside and ask dad. If he says
no, I can always count on Oliver telling everyone that I´m a zombie now and
they will give me whatever I want or I will bit them.”
“All right, let’s go.”
And we go inside again, leaving behind a bright sky
mocking us for our dark futures to come…
