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…