The stench of decayed flesh clung heavily to her even in her sleep
She knew it wasn't from her
Just her brain playing nasty games on her
Yet she couldn't help it
She hated those zombies, she hated those pesky guttural creatures with her whole being,
Yes everyone hated zombies
There was no one foolish enough to stand with open arms and embrace a zombie
Human stupidity had ended decades agai
And though there were foolish humans
There were none foolish enough to love a zombie or want to help a zombie
"You don't run…..you fight" she could almost hear Ophelia's voice In her daze
Her mother
Who also wasn't a mother
Her vision blurred and she plugged into darkness
~
She was barely four
The age whereby a child should be given candy and coaxed, spoiled rotten by her parents
Her fingers twitched, her lashes trembled softly
Then her eyes opened
Revealing a pair of blood red eyes which mirrored the haunting color of the moon
"Mama….."she called out softly, bareky audibly in a broken voice
She knew no one was coming
No one was going to comfort her
But deep down she wished her mother would pick her up and hug her, maybe shield her from the impeding danger
But this her mother called
Trraining
"Without training, you won't be able to protect your older sister" her mother's words rang in her little mind
She could still picture Oona poised on the chaise munching on specially made snacks
She only dared to look but never got to taste
And then she heard it
The first guttural roar
Which sent shivers down her spine
Her fingers trembled around the short blade, tears welled up in her eyes
Forcing her mind out of her thoughts
Yet there was no one to run to
No one to turn to
She had been dropped off in the middle of nowhere
Left to fight or die
"Gruhhhhhhhhhhh!" More roars could be heard as the zombies begun rushing forward mindlessly at the human scent
Her mind raced, her heart begun beating violently
Her mind screamed for her to run
But mama had said only cowards run away
And cowards couldn't protect big sister
The air reeked of decay and rot, the rancid smell of decaying flesh filled the air
Nauseating her further
And with tears in her eyes she condensed a bolt of lightning which she concentrated unto the short blade
Without waiting for the zombies to reach her
She advanced first on her short limbs
Swinging the blades precisely, cutting down zombies in her way
In minutes she was hunched over breathing heavily with sticky black blood coating her while being
She was all but a child
Her blows though heavy were still far from enough to take down the whole horde
"She's had her kill, she's too young for this" in the large office known to be Ophelia's personal space for her team or simply her own headquarters
Yvonne couldn't help pacing as she watched the whole training process of young Zosia
On the transparent smart glass
"She's going to be fine, your worry too much and if you keep acting up this way how would she protect me?" Oona asked casually spreading her arms as she stuffed her mouth with pancakes
They were as delicious as she wanted
She'd probably give the chefs a raise
"This is not a game Oona that's your blood sister" Yvonne couldn't help the foreboding she felt
She couldn't help the feeling that something was terribly wrong someone
"You worry too much Yvonne, maybe Yvette would be a more suitable candidate for your position" Ophelia's voice was tinged with a hint of threat
She didn't like when people tried to depict things for her
"Zosia was born to protect Oona, you should know the great lengths I went to bear that child!" Ophelia added and Yvonne swallowed
But at the critical moment
A piercing scream filled the office
Yvonne's heart thundered, she couldn't bear to look
As before her was a zombie Alpha
An over lord
And young Zosia was already struck by it replied
Half of her face already covered in her own blood
~
"Ah" Zosia grunted as she forced her eyes open, panting heavily as she looked around her but she was surrrounded in darkness
The bon fire she had lit had now been extinguished
The air was chilly, though her constitution was great she felt as if she had been submerged in an ice hole making her shiver
The fragments of that dream still lingered, a cruel reminded of the past she could never wash away
She sighed as she ate an energy bar from her storage then she drank some water after which she stood up and continued to ventured in the darkness
Here
There was no night or day
But gross overwhelmingly darkness
But from her calculations she could tell it was the next day
And with every minute counting
She's be stupid to sit and wait blindly
That would only mean quick death
She walked for hours nonstop
She didn't need any artificial source of light as her vision was exceptionally good hence she could easily evade danger and take down lurking beasts
Storing their remains to be handled later
The soldiers would need food once they were rescued, this beasts though hard and tough to chew were still very much edible hence she'd be stupid not to store them
"Please live for me" she whispered a silent prayer as she spread her energy trying to sense his life force
"You have to live for me, I won't venture this far to be met with a cold corpse" a tear slid down her cheeks
Which she hurriedly wiped away then she laughed out loud
She couldn't believe she had it in her to cry
She couldn't believe she Zosia
Seen as death itself
Had it in her to feel emotions
Especially the fear of another human dying
It was something she was incapable of feeling as death itself was a thing of amusement to her
Yet she feared the thought of that one man dying
She didn't care if the whole world burned to ashes but her husband couldn't die!
~
'Wife….' Riezekiel's hoarse voice sounded softly, the sleeping soldiers were stirred but they alas went back to sleeping soundly
He swore he heard her voice,
"Please live for me...."
"You have to live for me.... I won't venture this far to be met with a cold corpse"
That was his wife
She was looking for him
He tried to sense her but to no avail
All he felt was the endless void and the dull ache in his chest
He owed her so much
So much more that words or actions couldn't even make up for