The Undead

Warm Bodies

The two sat in silence, so quiet that you could hear a pin drop. It was unnerving, tense and comforting all at the same time.

"Don't be." she whispered, barely audible through her pain.

"I should have been there for you, Erik." he wiped away a few tears. Inwardly vowing to never leave her side again.

"You've always been there for me, Phin." she smiled, "Even when you're miles away. It's like I can feel you right next to me." taking his hand, she hummed under her breath. A sweet melody that always calmed her down as a child, one that they both knew all too well.

Peering into the room, Stephanie watched the two of them with a lopsided small smile. After everything, they needed time together. To heal, and to overcome.

"Leave them be." she said, turning to the others who were piled in the hallway.

"I just want to make sure she's alright. In case you forgot, that was our baby." and though he tried to reason, he was pushy. Shrugging past Stephanie to try and reach the knob, only to be stopped by Beth.

"In case you forgot, Shane. That's her best friend in there. They need this time together." she said, through clenched teeth.

He grumbled quietly, following after the others who made their way into the living room.

"I'm going to talk him. He's still trying to cope." Stephanie murmured, watching his back as he left the room.

—

The sun began to disappear over the horizon, and night began to fall. Rich colours orange and yellow. Slowly fading.

"If you'd like to talk, I'm here." Stephanie said as she stood under the doorway.

Shane scoffed from his seat on the porch, shaking his head. "What's there to talk about? We lost the baby."

"I'm sure you would've been a great father—"

"I don't want to talk about it." he spat, eyes falling to the ground. "I can't, now not. And I don't when I can. It's just unbelievable. Everything was laid out, she was glowing, she was healthy."

"Sometimes we don't really see what's happening underneath."

"How do you know what it's like?"

She gulped, "I've lost people too. Selfless people. At the end of the day you don't know really know what's it's like in the eyes of the person sitting next to you. No matter how much you try."

"I'm sorry to hear that." he replied.

"Just know that we've all shared the same experiences. We're making memories as we speak. This, what's happened. This is a memory. This is where we learn the art of healing."