Dead Ones

Chapter 4: Delusion

I couldn't believe myself. I was in the arms of my wife once more, hearing her speak. She gazed up at me with her blue pearls. I couldn't bear to keep eye contact for more than a couple of seconds. They burned into my soul. "Everything okay?" she asked. "Yeah I just.. I can't believe you're here," I said. "I'm where I've always been. I'm home. You're home. I've been waiting for you. You didn't answer my question. What took you so long?" she said. "I just.. I had a long day at work," I lied. "You can't pull that one on me anymore, silly," she said. "I know that you love your job," she said. "No, I really don't. Every day the only thing I look forward to is coming home and being with you. It's always been like that, I just never found the words to admit it to you," I said. "I'm not talking about your job, stupid, I'm asking what took so long for you to get here," she said. "It's a long walk from a different state to here," I said. "Stop with the sarcasm," she said. "You know what I mean," she added. "Do I?" I replied. She rolled her eyes. "You always were a big dummy. You're dead! Like me!" she said happily. She was smiling from ear to ear now. "I was wondering what you were doing that took so much time to get here," she said. "I was doing like you said. Survive, and try to make a change in the world, even if it seemed hopeless," I said. "Well, yeah, that is true, those were my final wishes, but I missed you," she said, sticking her tongue out to the side of her mouth playfully. "I wouldda brought you here myself if I could but I couldn't. Can't control much from here, all I could do was sit and wait for you to come home," she said. I still couldn't get past what she said. Was I really dead? Was that it for me? I no longer had to worry about surviving. No longer had to be dirty and smelly and hungry. I had no more war to fight. I was free. I had found my peace...

She let go of me after a while. She grabbed me by the hand and dragged me over to the couch. "Come, come, come! Sit!" she said eagerly. I did. "You wanna see the book I'm reading?" she asked. Since I had nothing else I possibly could do, I agreed. "It's about this soldier who gets fatally wounded but a miracle doctor works around the clock, defying all odds and he brings the man back! Isn't that so cool?" she said. "Yeah, that is quite interesting. Is it fiction?" I asked. "Yeah... I think so," she said disappointingly. "Still a good read though! I suggest you find a book or two. There isn't much to do around here," she said. "Sure there is," I said. She looked puzzled. "Come on," I said, stretching out a hand. She took it and I led her to the front door. We stepped outside. "Where are we going?" she asked. "Well, you wanted to know what took me so long. I might as well show, rather than tell," I said...

We walked briskly, holding each other's hands. Our paces were in step with one another. I showed her the places I visited after finding her. The homes.. The streets.. We visited the police station.. And finally the street where I had died.. "What happened?" she asked. "See that building there, between the other four? It's taller than all of the others. Prime position for an experienced sniper," I said. I pulled down the collar of my t-shirt and pointed to the spot where I had been hit. "I was shot, right here and lost complete feeling of my body," I said. "The fact that you survived an active war zone alone for years, yet you can barely survive a month without me, in a world filled with a bunch of not dead people, is sad," she said. "Well, since I lost you, my mind was a mess, and I couldn't think straight. At least on deployment I had my head on straight," I said. "Well now I'm not lost anymore. I'm right here!" she said. She was right. She was standing right in front of me, clear as day, and she was so real. This was real. I could hold her hand. Smell her perfume. I didn't need to fight anymore...

We continued our walk, back toward the area of home. Before heading home, we took a detour through a wooded area we used to walk on. It was peaceful and pretty. It was quiet. Trees on either side of the path, as well as overhanging it. They drooped their willowy branches along the path. Their branches were littered with blooming pink and white flowers. With my free hand, I outstretched an arm. I ran my fingers through the fluffy branches with the flowers. I disturbed the occasional insect feeding on a flower. One came and landed on the crook of my arm. It stung me. I didn't really care though. I brushed the area and kept my attention on the scenery around me. It was beautiful and radiant. Nothing compared with her though. I would admire the flowers, but turning to look at her, she was breath taking. Her blue eyes shone like blue-green ocean water. Her hair, golden strawberry blonde in the sun. Her pale skin reflected the sun's rays, giving her a slight glow. We reached the end of the path, which had a bench on the shore of a lake. The lake was full of pink and white flowers. The water sparkled in the light. We sat on the bench. I stared into the water. I couldn't believe this was real, but it seemed to be so. I looked at her and she smiled. I kissed her forehead, and then returned to stare into the shiny water. The sun's reflection in the sparkling surface reminded me of looking directly into the overhead light at the dentist's office. It was strangely similar. I dismissed the thought. There were no more dentists. There were no more tooth aches. There was only me and her...