Bloodhearts

Chapter seven: Wounds.

Sadie runs to Cory and throws her arms around him, sobbing. Judging by her reaction, I'd say it's the first close encounter she's had with a boney. It is never a good experience. Cory dries away her tears, and she tries to compose herself. All of the living seem a bit shaken up by the experience, but they work on removing the blood quickly, bolting the doors this time.

"Where did they get all that blood from?" Cory says, trying to hide that the fact that he's completely exhausted.

Sadie's expression is full of guilt. "I brought some in case one of us got injured - like when you hurt your leg. I thought maybe we had to use some of it, but I swear I didn't think this would happen. I didn't even know Spencer took it."

Cory nods, putting a hand on her shoulder. "It's fine, Sadie, you were doing your job. It's those idiots who broke the rules. The general isn't going to be happy when we tell him their idiocy cost two men their lives."

Cory is keeping his calm and it surprises me. He is not shaking from shock, not scared like most people would be after an encounter with a boney - but why? Instead, he looks vengeful. Like he wants to rip Spencer limb from limb.

"I'm really sorry anyway," Sadie says.

"It's fine," Cory assures her. He grabs his walking stick and marches away. He wants to make sure that everything is under control again. Since he can't do much himself, he supervises the clean up as well as he can and helps looking out for more enemies. Jason is the one taking care of the bodies. A few other men help him and they dispose of their own with dignity, then pile my kind in a ditch somewhere outside.

I watch the entire thing quietly. We are extremely lucky that we only get discovered by that one group of dead... my kind, right? I am aware that I'm rotting more and more each day. All zombies do. I just don't feel like one of them anymore. I want to be alive. I don't know if that's a side effect of staying with the living for too long. After what happened today, I am more like neither of them. An inbetweenie that doesn't belong. I am dead and still struggling with my identity. Thats seems very ironic, doesn't it? And where does it leave me? I'm right in the middle of a battlefield, the living on one side, and the boneys on the other.

It's no surprise that the living don't speak much the rest of the day. When they do, it's mostly because they are carrying out orders. Sadie sees to Cory's leg again. She doesn't believe him when he says it doesn't hurt. And neither do I. I see her give him some kind of medicine that he doesn't want. Instead, he wants her to save it. After some persuasion, he gives in and Sadie gives him something a lot like aspirins and stitch up a few cuts on various soldiers that got hurt in the fight. She also watches me out of the corner of her eye.

Refusing to rest for longer, Cory gets up from the couch and walks closer to where I am. Jason is right beside him and they talk about the attack and about me.

"The door is secure," Jason confirms. "And we've made sure to cover all traces of the blood. They won't be able to smell it anymore."

"Good," Cory says. "Now's there's just one thing left to ask." They both look to me. I stay seated because I can feel tremors going through me. Before I know it, I slip away into the whiteness yet again.

---

"Dude, what's with you?" Jason asks, bumping into my shoulder to gain my attention. "You got a new girl or something? You've been gone all weekend and, man, I'd hate it if you started valuing some girl more than your bros."

I just roll my eyes, keeping them on the skinny, longhaired guy standing by the tree near the bleachers all by himself. I try my hardest not to smile and look all relaxed instead. Jason and I are on the field, just hanging out before practice starts.