Outside My Zombie Brain

Five

*ding ding ding* The clock struck ... what?? 3:00 a.m.?! I sat up. Ouch. My neck. I just realized I fell asleep in the chair. I saw the boy sleeping on the couch. What's his name?

I went upstairs to my bedroom. "Fell asleep in the chair huh? In the same room as Trenton?" Oh god.

"Mom, no. I just fell asleep. That's it. You know me." She laughed. "Yes. Yes I know. Go to bed."

Happily.

****

"Morning," I said as Trenton? Yeah. Trenton woke up. He rubbed his eyes. "Morning."

"Want some O.J.?"

"Nah. I'll get some water myself."

"Suit yourself." I shrugged.

"I will." He said. I laughed at that. I got a pan out and the eggs. The smell of morning eggs. I missed it. "Is that eggs I smell?" My little brother walked down the stairs.

Trenton turned around. "Who's this little guy?"

"That's Jeffrey. My little brother."

"Hey. I'm Trenton." Jeffrey just looked at him with a dumb smile for a few seconds and ran into the kitchen.

"Gimme gimme gimme!" He said. I handed him a plate of scrambled eggs. He gobbled them down just as I put salt on them. That boy liked his eggs.

"Want any eggs, Trenton?" I asked.

"No thanks. Got any granola bars though?" I opened a cabinet and tossed him a granola bar.

"Thanks," he soluted.

Everyday I wonder if this is all just a dream. I never believed in the zombie apocalypse. Our ever believed it would actually happen. Now that it did, I felt. . . alone. Even though I had my family and brother. There's still this, loneliness inside me.

"Ruby. Snap out of it. Are you gonna make me some eggs or not?" My dad teased.

"Yeah dad." I said back. He smiled.

"Ruby, is that war game still going on?" Oh no. I totally forgot about that.

"Uhm. Yeah, Jeffrey. Yes it is. You still cannot go outside."

"Will you make me cookies now?"

"Yes, Jeffrey. I will make you cookies. And yes," I cut him off, "you can lick the bowl." He smiled wide.

"I CALL CRACKING THE EGGS!" He yelled as he ran to the kitchen.

"You crack the first one. I get the second." I corrected him.

****

Ah. The smell of cookies straight out of the oven. Yum.

"I call first bite!"

"Jeffrey, you got to lick the bowl and crack both eggs. I get first bite." He stepped closer to the cookie sheet.

"Jeffreeyy..." He stepped closer. I formed my fingers into a gun. I pointed it at him. "Freeze, mister!" Jeffrey froze in his tracks. I ran over to the cookies. I grabbed one and took a bite.

"Mmm-mm-mmmmm. These are sooo good!" I grabbed all the cookies and put them on a plate. "Too bad Jeff doesn't want any."

"No! No! I do want some! Gimme some cookies!!" I laughed and handed him the plate. He snatched it and ran upstairs.

I sat down next to Trenton on the couch. He was watching American Dad.

"So, do you watch this often?"

"Um. Yeah. Yeah, I guess." He said, his eyes not leaving the screen. "You don't really watch TV, do you?"

"N-no. Not really."

"Well," he said, turning to me, "that gray guy, his name is Roger. He's an alien."

"I'm aware of the show," I chuckled, "I just don't watch TV that often."

"Oh. Okay then." Then he turned around, back to the TV.

"Do you read?"

"Um. No. Not really. I'm not very good at school either. Well, wasn't." This surprised me.

We didn't really say anything for the rest of the afternoon. I felt bad. I know I didn't do anything, but I felt bad.

****

"Night, Trenton."

"Hey, wait." I stopped in my tracks on the stairs.

"What's up?"

"Will... will you stay down here with me for a while?" I started to walk down the stairs.

"Why...?"

"Well, I just felt better when you were down here last night."

"Well... I guess? I want to watch TV anyway." I took a blanket and sat in the recliner. He turned on the TV. After about two hours, I'm pretty sure I fell asleep in the front room.

It was dark when I sat up. I went upstairs. I looked in all the rooms and the bathroom. No one up there. I went down to the kitchen. No one there. Try for the bathroom? No one. Ugh. What's going on? I walked around the house a little longer. Then I decided to turn on the TV. Nothing but static showed up on the screen.

So, I went to my room to get a book. I sat on my bed and read One Fish, Two Fish, Red Fish, Blue Fish. Don't judge. I like Dr. Suess. I read it about three times. I got bored. Where was everyone?

"Mom? Dad? Jeff? ... Trenton? Anyone?" I called out. Where are they?! I paced and paced. I didn't hear a sound. Except for the wind outside. Then it hit me.

I opened the door. Darkness broke out. Wind hit my face.

Then I woke up.