"It was not meant to be. I died minutes after you left. I was in the driveway when they rushed me. "
Katie whimpered and clutched Lydia's hand tightly. Drawing it to her lips, she kissed it. "I'm so sorry, babe. "
"My thoughts were of you, Katie. I prayed you would escape. I prayed you would live. I passed over to this side wanting you to go on. You know I’m happy, baby. I never would want you to be alone.
We were so happy together. No one can ever take that from us,” Lydia said in her soothing tones as she held Katie’s hand.
“I love you, I never wanted to be without you,” Katie said, tears in her eyes.
“And I love you,” Lydia answered with the gentlest of smiles. “Be happy, Katie. Be happy and live your life. ”
“Lydia,” she sobbed, desperately missing her.
Lydia kissed her lips, then drew back and disappeared.
Katie awoke with a start, her hand flying to her mouth. She could almost feel the softness of Lydia’s lips on her own. The sun was higher in the sky. Light was pouring through the slit in the curtains.
Beside her, Travis was on his elbow looking down at her. He looked worried and he slid his hand over her hair tenderly. “Are you okay?”
“I dreamed of Lydia,” she answered truthfully.
Travis nodded, his brow furrowed. “I know. You said her name. ”
Katie rubbed her brow and took a deep breath. “It was odd. It was like she was really here. Not like my other dreams. I really felt her here, with me. It's so odd. ”
Travis stroked her arm. “She's a part of you, Katie. Of course she's going to haunt you in some way. ”
She could see the tension in him, his worry and his fear she would push him away. “You don’t have to compete with her ghost,” Katie assured him.
“I don’t?” Travis’ voice was strained. “Are you sure?”
Katie smiled and took his face between her hands. “I’m sure. I’m very, very sure. If for no other reason than I know she would want me to be happy, to live my life, to not be afraid or sad. ”
Sighing with relief, Travis wrapped his arms around her. She nestled into them, and for the first time in a very long time, felt at peace.
Chapter 9
1. Shuffling the Deck
Nerit's morning started as simply as her night had ended. Sliding off the bed, she opened up the curtains to take in the first rays of dawn and check the street for zombies. She noted a few wandering around and mentally made a note to deal with them later. Then she took a long hot shower that helped loosen up her stiff joints and spent all of five minutes combing and braiding her long hair, applying a bit of mascara to her lashes and some lip gloss to her lips. It was the only makeup she ever felt she needed.
Dressed in olive green jeans, hunting boots and a green T-shirt under Ralph's jacket, she made her way down to the dining room for an early breakfast. The room looked nothing like the scene of bloody chaos of the day before. Under the ornate rug had been a very pretty but faded tile floor that a few volunteers had spent all night moping and polishing. Now it gleamed under the chandelier lights.
Old Man Watson and several of the other elderly people were gathered at one table, eating their oatmeal and toast. He smiled at her warmly as she passed and gave her a little wave. His hearing aid had stopped working soon after the zombies first appeared and she suspected he had no clue what was going on most of the time. He just seemed happy to sit and watch people talk and read the old newspapers out under a tarp on the construction site that had been raised up to give people shade.
As Tucker, her old dog, wandered in behind her for his breakfast, the old man reached out to pat his head and call him a good dog.
The early morning breakfast crew laid out breakfast on a buffet table. Oatmeal, toast, eggs from a mix, and dry cereal with large chilled mugs of powdered milk greeted her. She served herself a bit of oatmeal and eggs and sighed as she poured out the thin milk. She missed whole milk and fresh eggs. A glass of orange juice topped off her breakfast. She sat down at a nearby table.
Her old dog went over to one of several food bowls put out for the dogs and started to eat, looking just as weary in his bones as she did.
“Can I sit here?” a voice asked.
Nerit looked up to see Jason and smiled warmly. “Of course!”
Jason sat down, a cloud of sullen teenager angst, and stabbed his spoon at his enormous bowl of cold cereal.
Jack strolled over to join Nerit's dog at the doggy bowls, Jason sighed.