Better off Undead

Chapter 24: Shut up in a Sepulcher

Eli's blood ran cold at the sound of the voice. He swallowed and rose back to his feet, preparing to flee if he needed.

"Hello?" he called back into the darkness.

A lamp switched on at the far end of the crypt, and Eli could just make out the vague outline of a shape sitting against the far wall.

"Who are you?" The woman demanded.

"N-nobody," he stuttered in response. "Just... just trying to hide from the zombies."

"Are you bit?"

Eli blinked, a little surprised by the question. "No. Why? Are you?"

There was silence for a long moment. "You should leave."

"Fine. Fine. That's... that's fine. Just... do you mind if I sit and catch my breath for a moment?"

Once again the woman was quiet, and after a moment Eli could just make out a faint, "Whatever."

Eli collapsed back to the ground, too tired to keep on his feet. "Thanks," he said absently.

They sat in silence for a time. Eli stared at his new roommate while his eyes adjusted to the darkness. She seemed to be holding her right hand over the left side of her neck as if trying to stem blood flow, but it was still too dark to be sure.

"Are you hurt?" Eli asked.

"I'm fine."

"Okay." Eli let it drop.

"What's your name?" she asked sometime later.

"Eli," he replied. "What's yours?"

"Sara."

"Nice to meet you, Sara. How long have you been down here?"

"How the hell should I know?"

Eli shrugged, having to consent the point, and left it at that. It occurred to him that she was probably the owner of the crashed vehicle he had seen just moments earlier. As he had already somewhat guessed, she must have been trying to run from zombies, crashed into the gate, and then had the same idea he did for how to hide away from them. But if the zombies had stuck around after chasing her in here, then most likely she'd only been in here for a day or two, or approximately the time since they had killed the talking zombie. At least, if his observations about their behavior was accurate.

"It's been a really long time, okay?" she snapped, apparently taking his silence as further prompting. It occurred to him that she probably had been unable to see his shrug, or make out his expression, shrouded in darkness as he was.

"Okay," responded Eli, trying to calm her. He tried to change the subject. "Does... anyone know that you're down here?"

Sara paused, and she seemed to be swallowing down something big. Like emotion. "There's no one to know," she replied quietly.

"Oh."

Eli felt stupid for not being able to think of anything else to say. His mind had gone empty, as dark and barren as the mausoleum he now found himself in. He could feel words slowly clawing their way back from infinity, but it was several minutes before he had a more lucid response. "Well,we have a bunch of people at a place nearby. You could come with me. We'll keepyou-" 

"I can't."

Eli was so surprised by her cutting him off mid-sentence that he sputtered idiotically, a verbal equivalent to tripping over his own feet. "What? Why?" he demanded. "Are you hurt? I think there's a nurse back at my camp. Hemight be able to-"