Undead

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Chapter 4

September 22th, 2011

10:17 a.m.

It was Thursday again. I was tired and sleepy. And in Mr. Rawson's English class, which was quite unfortunate.

I was in the middle of yet another one-sided berating from the awful teacher.

"Avant! What literary movement was Robert Lee Frost from and what was his major influence as a writer?"

"Umm..." I struggled to remember the answer, but took too long.

"It was the Modern Literary Movement and he was inspired by his New England environment. Now read the third stanza from Part Two: The Tuft of Flowers from A Boy's Will."

I quickly flipped through pages and finally found the poem. I stood up and started reading.

"I went to turn the grass once after one

Who mowed it in the dew before the sun

The dew was gone that made his blade so keen

Before I came to view the leveled scene.

I looked for him behind an isle of trees," I yawned at this part, but quickly stopped after a stern look from him.

"I listened for his whetstone on the breeze

But he had gone his way, the grass all mown

And I must be, as he had been alone

As-"

"That was the first stanza, Miss Avant. Take your seat and pay more attention."

"Yes, sir."

I hoped that would be the last order I had from him today, though it probably wasn't. For some reason, he just absolutely loved ridiculing me in front of the rest of the class. Even worst, Nathan was seated right behind me, which made me even more uneasy. Now I had two pairs of eyes burning holes into my back during class.

Luckily, class ended without any more unpleasant incidents.

Yet another occurred as I walked out the door.

"Lynn!" Harley swept by, grabbing me by the arm and taking me with him. I smiled.

This was a good thing, actually.

We got him a haircut on Saturday as I had promised, so now his hair was still wavy and shaggy, but shorter in a way that didn't conceal his pretty face. I also took away his glasses yesterday, assuring him that I would return them by the end of the week. I wanted him to get accustomed to living without covering his face, not only because he was good-looking, but because it would raise his self-confidence. He still slouched, though.

Everyone else seemed to agree with me, too. Yesterday, many girls realized how attractive Harley was and now there was a constant swarm around him. Regrettably, Harley wasn't comfortable with so much attention and fled from them every time. Even during lunch, he made us eat in the library in the encyclopedia section. A smart move on his part; nobody goes there.

What was more embarrassing was that Mrs. Gonzales also noticed his "improved" appearance and seemed to be flirting with him every time she passed his desk. I wondered how Harley felt, being doted on by the young, particularly beautiful teacher. She always wore pretty lacy dresses and high heels and a bit of makeup, which in my opinion, she didn't really need. I thought she was married, no?

In my head, I was proud of "my work" and Harley's progress. Yes, he still stuttered when talking to others and yes, he couldn't even look at Shannon in the eye. But he was talking to others and in a way, interacting with Shannon when he made a fool of himself in front of her. Yeah, it was definitely progress.

"So," I asked as we I leaned against a bookshelf. We were in the library again, this time in the science section. "How's life?"

Harley tried to muster a glare at me from his place on the floor before going back to his juice box. I laughed.

"I'm sorry for trying to help you. I just thought you'd like the attention; most teenage boys do, you know. And you don't even have to work for it. Your personality is likable: you're smart, funny, and clumsy, which makes you cute. You have a nice face, too, which honestly already gets you a large handful of girls."

"But not the one I want."

"You mean Shannon?"

"Yeah- wait, no! I mean, yes. But, no, yeah-" he stammered. I laughed even harder, holding my stomach and mouth to keep from making too much noise. We were in a library.

"That's why I'm helping you. I've only known you for little more than a week and it's obvious. I've seen the way you get flustered in front of her, and how you look at her in that creepy, lovesick way. And I know that if you work harder to try and be more a little more social, you'll have the nerve to talk to her properly for once. And trust me, after that, everything will go smoothly from there."

"What do you mean creepy, lovesick way?"

I rolled my eyes. "After a touching moment like that, that part is all you can comprehend?"

"Yeah. You want some Kool-Aid?"

I chuckled before taking the juice and sitting down with him.

"It's prohibited to eat or drink in the library." Nathan crossed his arms and leaned against the shelf just like I had a moment ago.

I stuck my tongue out at him, which was blue from the Kool-Aid. I was trying to help a friend here!

He furrowed his brow in an annoying way.

"I don't think it's any of your business. Why are you bothering me? Don't you have better things to do than enforce rules that nobody cares about?"

"Actually, I do. Pass me the translated version of On the Revolutions by Nicholas Copernicus. It should be to the right of your head."

I did as he told and gave him the book. It was a thick book, with a leather cover and smelling of old pages. Why would he need such a volume?

"Now shoo," I made a motion with my hand, already impatient for him to leave.

He frowned at me once more before turning back to the other row of shelves.

Harley looked at me with a complicated expression.

"What?" I asked.

"So he's the guy you like? I didn't you went for that kind," He grinned. I pouted.

"This is for the earlier teasing, right? It's not funny because I'm actually trying to help you. And what do you mean by that kind?" We were having almost the same conversation as before.

Harley's grin widened. I glared at him.

"He has a reputation for being a sort of badass. He skips classes and talks back to teachers. He goes off during school hours to who knows where. But he's intelligent, the top of our class, actually, athletic, and quite the charmer. And he has a car now, which the rest of us don't, and that makes him that much more desirable. There's a lot of competition, but he isn't one to date. I don't think he's even gone on any dates. If so, the lucky girl would have been boasting off for a long time."

"Gee, it sounds like you're the one who wants to date him."

"So I take it that you do want to date him?" Harley wriggled his eyebrows.

I scowled, "Trust me, we each want the other dead." And Harley would never know how literally I meant that.

"Whatever you say. Just remember that there's only a thin line the runs between love and hate."

Again, I stuck out my blue tongue at him. "The bell rang already, so let's just go to class."

"Yes, Ma'am."

I chuckled, my irritation towards him already forgotten.

The rest of the school day passed by. Then Lucas fetched us in front of the school gates.

After much debate, Aunt Carolyn finally agreed to let me work at The Music Box. And it was decided that I would work Wednesdays to Saturdays, from three-thirty to eight-thirty, afterschool. And I was making eight dollars an hour. Yay!

Working at The Music Box wasn't as easy as I thought it would be. Customers would come in and out of the shop, and because there were only four of us today, it would be quite difficult to keep track of both the café and music shop. The only ones working today were Harley, me, and one of the other newly hired employees, whom I haven't gotten the chance to meet yet. Lucas was the fifth person, but he was more of a supervisor rather than a worker, as Harley told me. The said supervisor hit him on the head.

I was waiting tables today while Harley would be in the back with Lucas. The other person would be working at the counter.

I changed in one of the rooms upstairs where Lucas and his wife, Paula, lived. The uniform was just a red polo and blue apron. I even had a nametag.

Then walking back down I bumped into another person donning the same shirt and apron I wore. His nametag read Nathan Peterson. If there was any blood in my body, I'm sure it would've drained from my face.

"What are you looking at?" he frowned down at me, even though he was two steps below.

"What are you doing here?" I asked, desperately wishing that I was only hallucinating.

"What do you think? I'm working here."

"You can't be, because I'm working here."

"You know, it's a free country. And I know Charlie, and he was asking for help, so I accepted the job. Act mature, Lynn. We can discuss our personal matters later; we need to cooperate now."

I stared stupidly at him. Though I hated to admit it, he was right. Though I couldn't decide if his desire to kill me was personal or not. But that was probably the smartest he had ever said to me. After reasoning it was safer to walk me home last Friday. And look how that turned out.

I focused on doing well on my first job. I couldn't let Lucas down!

The afternoon started off well enough.

There were only a few patrons in the café and the back shop was empty. But as four o'clock rolled by, the shop became as crowded as it was the first day I was here.

Thankfully, all the tables were labeled and it was easy to deliver orders. Nathan and I didn't even have to interact. He took orders at the counter for people buying take-out, and I worked with Charlie to serve prepared orders.

Maybe the downside of my day was cleaning up the mess of an obnoxious five-year-old who threw food all over the place. But his mother left a large tip, which made up for it.

By seven, most of the shop had been cleared out and was close to vacant again. I was dead tired, but I felt accomplished.

Charlie said we could close up early as soon as the last customer left. I finished wiping down the tables and helped stack the chairs. I headed upstairs again to change back into my own clothes.

The room I changed in before was locked, and I didn't want to go poking around the rest of the apartment, so I went into the bathroom by the stairs. It didn't have a lock, so I prayed no one would come in. Too bad God didn't hear me.

I combed out my hair which had gotten tangled by the day's work, and tied it up into a pony tail. I also splashed some water on my face to wake up my worn-out face.

I finally took off my shirt and was about to shrug on my other one when Nathan walked in. Of course he saw me.

"Wha- Ah! Oh sorry! The door was unlocked, so- um...-" he looked away, anywhere but me.

I froze, unable to move. He continued to fidget, making no effort to leave.

Why wasn't he getting out?

Finally, I regained control over my body. Quickly, I pushed him out the door and slammed it shut. I threw on my shirt and leaned back against the door. In that moment, I easily plotted a thousand ways to kill Nathan Peterson and thus rid myself of embarrassment.

I remained inside bathroom for ten more minutes, fearing that he could be waiting outside. To do what, I didn't know.

In the end, I returned downstairs to find Harley and Lucas waiting for me.

"You looked flushed," Harley observed. "Are you okay?"

Of course I wasn't! My evil neighbor had almost seen me half-naked! Okay, it would've been less than half, but it was still considered topless!

"Yeah, I'm fine." But I really wasn't. Especially not when Nathan came back down the stairs, dressed in his regular clothes. We didn't make eye contact.

We walked out as Lucas closed the rest of the shop. I had to walk home with Harley and Nathan.

"Good jobs today, guys. You were a real help," Lucas thanked as he waved at us.

"Anytime," I smiled at him.

We walked home in silence. I made sure Harley was in between Nathan and me, though I think that made him feel awkward standing next to someone he had never interacted with before. If it were just the two of us, we would've been laughing our asses off in the middle of the road by now, trying not to get run over. But silence loomed around us, so thick that I couldn't even hear the crickets chirping. No cars passed by either.

Then Harley made to turn left on Royalty Path, opposite of where I was going.

"Whoa, where you going!?" I grabbed him by the hood and pulled him down to my height.

"Home, why?" he looked at me curiously. Then I glanced back at Nathan. He leaned against a lamppost, waiting for me.

Why was he waiting for me? He was a bad person!

"Don't leave me alone with him," I pleaded to Harley.

He gave me a look that said, "Really? I'm dead tired and I want to go home. Why are you troubling me?"

I offered my best puppy eyes, though he only shook his head at that. "Sorry, Lynn. Goodnight."

"Traitor!" I hissed as he walked away. I swear I heard him chuckle. What a good friend he was.

I sighed and walked up to Nathan and started towards our street. He quietly followed. The walk wasn't so bad, save the awkwardness that stood like a wall between us. Still, neither of us spoke a word.

It wasn't until I was about to cross the street to my house that he talked to me.

"Lynn, about earlier... I promise that I didn't see anything that I wasn't supposed to. And I won't tell anyone either." He did look sorry, and he wasn't being irritating like he usually was.

I turned to him, feeling the anger that I felt earlier fading away. "Let's just forget it, okay? I rather not think about it. Ever."

He nodded at that. "Alright."

"Well," I turned back to the door. "Night."

"Lynn."

I turned back, "Yeah?"

"Goodnight."



September 22th, 2011

Dear Xavier,

Today was a busy day, and full of events, one in particular that I don't want to remember. And because I don't want such a horrid memory, I won't keep any record of it. I will say, however, that many of today's horrid events, including that horrid incident, involved a very horrid person: Nathan Peterson.

Though through a surprising turn of events, we actually got along well enough to work at The Music Box. Yes, I'm going to be working with Nathan Peterson at The Music Box from now on. We also made a sort of truce. Kind of. But I don't think that makes us any less than enemies. We still hate each other.

But at least I finally found a job. I'm a waitress and cashier. The job's no fun though. I didn't get to listen to music and hang out with Harley as I originally planned. But eight dollars an hour is quite a start for a fifteen-year old.

My day wasn't at all that bad. My wonderful plan to boost Harley's self-confidence is working. Well, not really. But we're making progress. Shannon's noticed him, which is a good thing. I didn't tell him though; he'd become even more "Harley-like" if I did. Harley, if you ever find this entry, which I doubt you ever will, I apologize deeply for using such a term.

No, I'm not really sorry, at least not that deeply.

School was as boring as ever. Life's getting boring.

I think life's slowing down for me, which is fine. I just hope something will come along to excite me once again.

Love,

Lynn

 

Chapter 5

September 24th, 2011

1:20 p.m.

My day started out well enough. I went running again, to the daycare this time. Aunt Carolyn was treating a few children there, and made me volunteer to play with the kids. Well, she forced me to, since volunteering would mean I would do so on my own accord.

After a few hours of being trapped inside a room full of toddlers and little people, I could understand how the daycare workers, Lauren and Bert, were always so spent.

The kids were wild. One would need to go potty, another would want a story read, or some pair would be crying over a broken toy. They constantly demanded piggy back rides, and tried to crawl on me like little bugs.

Around noon, it was naptime. All the kids had eaten their applesauce and drank their juice, and went to sleep right after. I liked them so much better when they weren't conscious. I guess they ran out of energy.

"Never, ever again," I told Aunt Carolyn as she drove us home. She just chuckled and smiled at me.

I still had some time before work, so I took a shower. I didn't want to reek of babies and diapers. I threw my usual jeans and t-shirt, and pulled on a sweatshirt. The weatherman had said it would be warmer than usual today; which meant around sixty degrees. As I was heading out, Aunt Carolyn stuffed my head into a pink penguin beanie. Yes, it was bright pink and embarrassing, but it was in the form of a penguin and it was from Aunt Carolyn.

She dropped me off at the shop, which was full as ever on the weekends. Lucas let me work in the back this time, which was a little less hectic than the café front. I still had to sort through CD's and organize them, and unload supplies from a delivery truck.

At four, Charlie called me to wait tables because the place was once again filled with people. I ran from table to table and back to the counter as I had the first day I started working.

Though today was only the third day I worked at the Music Box, I was already accustomed to the fast flow of things and could keep up quite well. Charlie whipped up everything that was eaten while Nathan and I waited tables. Harley worked in the other room while Lucas "supervised" whatever it was that he supervised.

Towards the end of the shift, my life changed. That sounds strange, doesn't it? But it's true and it dramatically affected me. I suppose this is where my story kicks off.

It began when a young man, probably in college, walked into the shop. Nothing was unusual about this man, and he wasn't really noticeable. He was just like any other person; only customer buying a cup of coffee before going on his way again.

Perhaps the most unusual thing about him was his sense of style. He was dressed all in black and wore a pin on his cuff with a rather strange insignia. It was a worm wound around a bouquet of baby's breath.

He ordered his coffee straight and to-go, and asked that it be ready within the next five minutes. I guessed he must've been a busy person. I passed the order to Nathan and he looked over at the table where the customer sat.

Then he pulled me over the counter.

"Gah!" I knocked over a few muffins and cups. Several people looked over in our direction. I sighed, rubbing my head. If he wanted me to hide, he could have asked me to do so discreetly. His way attracted the attention we didn't want.

"We have to get out of here," he whispered in a panicked voice. He looked over, peeking back at the table. The man waved back, smiling at us.

"Dammit!" he cursed.

"What are you two doing back here? You're supposed to be working," Charlie crossed his arms and gave us a stern look.

"We have to leave early," Nathan said, pushing me toward the stairs. "Something's happened at my house and her aunt's over there now."

I turned toward him, "Really? What happened? Is everyone okay?"

Charlie seemed to accept this and told us to hurry home. Nathan glared down at me. Then I finally understood.

"Oh..." I could be really stupid sometimes.

After changing back, Nathan dragged me to a bus stop three blocks away from the shop.

"Why so far?" I panted. He had made me run here too. Nathan was very fast and could've outrun me at any time.

"We can't be followed," he said, his breathing not the least bit uneven.

"Where are we going?"

"Somewhere far."

"Why am I coming with you?" The real question I wanted to ask was why I was agreeing to go with him.

Instead, he asked me a question. "How much cash do you have on you?"

I stared at him and thought for a moment. "Only thirty bucks. Why?"

He cursed. "I only have fifty. Do you know anyplace else where we can get funds? We can't go to either of our houses right now."

"I have an emergency account."

"That'll do."

The bus came and we boarded it. We rode out of Ambridge and into the next town. We had to switch buses three times. During that time, Nathan revealed nothing of our destination, though it seemed to me that even he didn't know where that was. His only goal was to get as far as we could from Ambridge. I questioned him again and again on why he was so disturbed. As we got off in Lawton, he finally relented.

"It was the guy back at the shop; he was a necromancer."

I gave him a look. "This death wizard gibberish again?"

"You have to believe it, assuming that you're a zombie."

"Well..." I did believe him, though it was easy not to.

"Then why is it that you're so distressed over seeing another necromancer? Aren't you one?" I asked.

"Necromancers aren't really inclined toward one another. We're territorial, and don't associate much. And when we come face to face, violence ensues. That's why we're leaving."

I nodded. "I should call Aunt Carolyn. She'll be worried," I pulled out my phone.

"No," he immediately disallowed. "She'll be more troubled if you do call. You've left traces all over town, and a call will only lead him to her."

I frowned. "What could the necromancer possibly want with my Aunt Carolyn?"

"You."

"Why?"

"Because you're his underling. That guy is your necromancer. He's the one who revived you."

"How do you know?"

"The essence in your soul gives off the same energy as his. After all, he gave you part of his soul to resuscitate you. And that's why he was able to find you."

"But why would he want to find me?"

Nathan sighed, again exasperated at my endless questions. "Because you're his zombie, of course. One of his undead minions; he wants you to serve your purpose as his subordinate. Though somehow, you have your own will."

"What do you mean?"

He pulled us into the waiting area at the train station we were at and explained everything to me as we awaited the train that would take us only the God above knew where.

He began from our first encounter.

"I never intended to be hateful toward you," he told me. "It was only when I saw you in our living room that it turned out that way. I could never show it in front of my parents or Aunt Carolyn, but as the resident necromancer, it was my responsibility to ensure that peace was maintained in this area. That's why I threatened you. As I've said, necromancers don't associate with one another; it'll only bring trouble. But we play important roles everywhere, Lynn. We're powerful, and we have duties to be carried out in this secret world."

When he said secret world, I presumed he was talking about all this fantasy things that were supposed to be just that: fantasy. I guess it was all part of reality now.

He explained that he had sensed traces of my necromancer in my soul and had assumed that I was like any other mindless minion. Yet as we associated with one another, he came to find that my original soul was still in my body, hence I still had my own will as Nathan had already said.

"I researched all about it. Star positions, climate conditions, even the materials used in graves. A soul is supposed to move on before the body is revived. I'm guessing that your master didn't wait for yours to leave the body."

"So why isn't my soul going out on its own?"

"When a necromancer reanimates a corpse, he takes a part of his own soul and locks it inside the corpse. He must've locked your original soul along with it."

I sat quietly for a moment, taking this all in. "So why don't you have any zombies?"

Nathan didn't answer right away, taking his time to form an explanation. "I think reanimating a corpse is disrespectful to one who's passed on. And splitting my soul will only tire and weaken me. I'm only a necromancer because I have the abilities of one; I just don't use them."

We talked for a while after that. Nathan told me that my necromancer's name was Keith Evelyn, the master of the Evangeline Family, based on the symbol of his cuff. I asked him what family he belonged to, and he lifted his sleeve to show a tattoo of a wing on his left wrist. "Paige."

Eventually, we boarded a train and began an adventure that probably scarred me for the rest of my undead life.

 

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Chapter 6

September 26th, 2011

10:40 p.m.

After two days of riding trains, I had no idea where we were anymore. On the other hand, Nathan seemed to recognize our surroundings. He became excited and cheery.

The last train had taken us to what I think is another town called Reymont. There, Nathan made us stock up on camping gear, though I had no idea what some of our tackle would be used for. Each of us had a backpack equipped with an extra set of clothes, some matches, a flashlight, a pocket knife, rope, duct tape, water canteens, a toiletries pouch, and even a medical kit including aspirin. We also bought two pairs of hiking boots.

The things fifteen-year-olds can buy these days...

"I'll pay you back one day," Nathan promised as the cashier swiped my card.

"Sure," I said. I wasn't really worried about the money. I was worried about Aunt Carolyn and how she would kill me when I returned home. She probably phoned my parents tight now, and my aunt and mother were presently planning my second death.

Then we took a taxi even further out to a forest. I guess we were going camping. We strutted into the forest like the brave scouts we were. Well, at least Nathan did because he was the only one who knew where we were going. He assured me that we were still in Minnesota, near Lake Superior.

"We're going to be staying with a group of people I know," Nathan explained as we struggled through the undergrowth. "They're civil enough and we'll be safe with them for a while. But you have to stay beside me at all times. And keep all valuables with you." I nodded.

We had come to terms with each other during the ride and had become more agreeable. Or I had come to realize that I needed him more than he needed me so I just closed my mouth and followed him. Either way was working.

We didn't argue anymore and instead talked about our next move. Fighting would only hinder us and I understood that our lives were in danger right now. So that meant that we pretty much had full trust in each other even though we weren't exactly friends.

Nathan enlightened me more on the nature of necromancy and the other magic in the world.

"Necromancy is only one kind of magic, but it's one of the most powerful because it tampers with souls. There's divination, alchemy, elemental, the list just goes on and on. Some magic is based on simple things, such as strength, and one's strength may develop immensely. That's when you get super strength or super speed or something of the like. But there's a limit to every magic and a consequence to overdoing it, so you should be careful."

He told me there were also demons and spirits and other things of the sort, and it originated from the Spirit Realm. All these creatures could use at least one type of magic. The Spirit Realm was also a kind afterlife, because that's where all souls went after dying. I guess that was where I was supposed to be right now.

We talked about school and people and what we liked to do. We became closer, almost friends. I was telling him of an incident before I died, when my friend Brittany had tripped me.

"...And then I fell into Michael Hart! I guess she was trying to help me, because I had a crush on Ryan that time. But only a tiny one! I think it was because he kept giving me his cookie at lunch," I smiled at the memory.

"What about you, Nathan? Tell me about your love life," I asked, noticing that he had gone quiet.

He looked at me and shook his head. "I'm not attracted to anyone."

"Oh come on! You've lived sixteen years already, and I know that's nothing compared to thirty, but I know that you should have noticed someone."

He smirked, "I'm not the one who fell in love just because someone fed me cookies."

I pouted. "That was in the sixth grade!"

"Fine, fine..." he thought for a moment. "In freshman year, I liked Mrs. Gonzales."

I stared at him.

Then I started laughing. I never thought that Nathan would like older women. "You do know that she's ten years older, right? And that all the guys like her?"

"I knew that!" His ears went red. I laughed even harder. He was so Harley-like right now.

"Shut up. We're here anyway." He had to wait another five minutes before I stopped laughing. He flicked my forehead after I was done.

"Owww!" Rubbing the abused area of my head, he led me deeper into the undergrowth until we came upon a small clearing amongst the trees. Nathan whistled a kind of bird call. It echoed throughout the forest, and I realized just how deep we were in the wilderness.

The trees suddenly looked ominous and dark, and every rustle of a leaf or movement of an animal alarmed me. I could hardly see with the small amount of sunlight. Now, I wasn't scared. I was merely startled by nature. And because I was startled, I stepped a bit closer to my companion necromancer.

The mentioned companion looked down at me as I pressed my back against his. I looked away, embarrassed.

We waited a long time before anything happened. In fact, it was a little more than two hours before anything happened.

Until my fear- no, it was until my shock faded that I stayed glued to Nathan's back, warily looking at our surroundings for any sign of danger.

Nathan, being who he was, naturally pushed me to arm's length, clearly annoyed at my new eagerness at being very "friendly."

Eventually, even I grew tired of the sinister atmosphere of the forest. Nathan sat against a tree, quiet and unmoving. It was as if he were a statue. If not for the slight rise of his shoulders as he breathed, I wouldn't have known he were alive.

I lay on the ground, my backpack serving as a cushion for my head. I was just bored now. I was bored enough that I tried counting the leaves above me, which is quite a difficult task. I gave up after seventeen.

I wished I had my journal with me. There were so many things I wanted to record, like my first train ride and how I spent the night on it. I wanted to document my first time going camping, or rather, running away into the wild from a necromancer. How my relationship with Nathan grew to more than two teenagers fighting. I guess we were friends now, because we could trust each other completely.

In the middle of my contemplation of the recent events, Nathan had crept closer to me. I looked at him weirdly. "What do you want?"

He shook his head. "There's a spider in your hair."

I screamed after that. And it wasn't a high-pitched, girly scream, but more of a croak or squawk. Even I winced at the sound. I swear I could hear birds flying away because of the sound I made. Before I could start thrashing, which we both knew I would, Nathan batted at my head, taking the spider out and walking over to the trees, released it a good distance away.

I was practically hyperventilating. I wrapped my arms around me. I absolutely hated bugs of all kinds. Anything that crawled, spiders most especially. I remember calling Aunt Carolyn to my room in the middle of the night just to kill the horrible little thing.

Nathan patted my back awkwardly, sometimes rubbing little circles into my shoulders. I found this a bit funny, and calmed down a bit.

"And that's why we don't lay on the ground," he told me. I nodded obediently.

"Here," he threw me a granola bar from his pack. I stared at him, puzzled.

"Nathan?"

"Yeah?"

"You do know that I can't eat this, right?"

His eyes widened. Taking back the bar, he opened it, "Then I'll eat it for you."

I looked at him while he ate. He of all people should have known that I couldn't digest food. He made sure I knew what I was. So why had he offered me food?

He looked back at me, finishing the granola. "I forgot that you were a zombie."

I raised a brow. "How can you forget? Isn't that the whole reason why we're here?"

"I know! But remember that you still have your own soul and will. That's a human aspect."

We didn't talk after that. I don't know why, but I was somehow offended that he forgot my condition. I reckoned I should be glad that he offered me food, because it showed that I was more human, more alive than dead. But I wasn't.

Nathan's "friends" came not long after. There were many of them, around fifteen. Most of them were zombies. Though I had never seen another zombie before, I knew this because I knew the signs. Their skin was tinted with green rotting in a few areas, and they wore no expression. They moved in an almost lethargic way, taking their time. But I knew they could run faster than any a human if they wished. I didn't look at their eyes, because I knew I would see my own. Glazed over, colorless, and dead. That's what I chose to describe their eyes. Our eyes.

In the midst of them were three necromancers. I glanced at Nathan. It was odd enough that he was seeking help from another necromancer, seeing how distrustful he was of them and yet being one himself.

The other necromancers walked up to us. They were dressed in camping apparel like we were, and they wore crests bearing the same insignia: Three leaves forming a triangle. Then they were from the same family, right? They looked as young as my own master, with dark hair and dark eyes. They were brothers, I concluded. The oldest was in the middle, because he had an air of authority around him and the other two seemed stood slightly behind him. There was a broad-shouldered one, and he was very tall and muscular. The other to the right was lithe and gangly compared to the other two.

"Nathan Peterson," the middle one greeted. "So what brings you to these parts?"

I could feel the intensity between Nathan and the three.

"Davis, Victor, Sean," Nathan acknowledged. "I need your help."

Davis, I assumed, laughed. "And why should we help you?"

"It involves Keith Evelyn. You have business with him, correct?"

Davis tilted his head, suddenly interested. "Then may I inquire about your predicament?"

Nathan pulled me forward. The three of them looked me up and down, analyzing me.

"She's one of his. But he didn't reanimate her body correctly. She still has her soul," Nathan explained. "He's in my territory, too. I want him out. If we can prove that he has committed these offences, I can assure you he will be punished heavily."

All three brothers looked excited at the prospect of punishment. "Deal," Davis said. He looked to me, "And your name?"

I had hidden behind Nathan again. "Lynn," I whispered. "Lynn Avant."

He seemed bemused when he heard my name. "An Avant, hmm? Nathan, do you know what this means?" He laughed.

"Of course."

I tilted my head. "What are you talking about?"

Davis laughed louder at my question, "And she doesn't even know what she is!"

"I know that I'm a dead person," I interjected.

"But you're much more than that, dear Lynn. May I enlighten your friend, Nathan?"

Nathan shrugged, but I could feel his tension.

Davis went on with his explanation, "If necromancers are one of the most powerful beings in this world, grim reapers are their counterparts. You do know what grim reapers are, don't you? They guide souls to the Spirit Realm and keep order over demons amongst other duties. In short, they're in the same line of work as us necromancers. And just as individual necromancers belong to the Seven Great Families, there are Clans from which grim reapers originate."

We began walking deeper into the forest as I listened to Davis. Nathan and I still stood closely together, cautious of anything that could happen.

"I'm sure you already know a few of the Great Families. There is Evangeline, Paige, Genevieve, Clementine, Isadora, Corrigan, and my own: Elise. As for grim reapers, there are many, many clans. But each one can be derived from three major bodies: Lysander, Cyrus, and of course, Avant. Having that name means you're directly from the family. Certainly, that also means you're a grim reaper."

I looked at him. It was my first meeting with Nathan all over again: I had no idea what he was talking about. "You must be mistaken; I'm sure there are plenty of other Avants out there and-"

"They're grim reapers from the same bloodline," Davis said with a smile.

"But I'm not."

"Oh, but you must be. You have the capacity to hold more soul substance; your own and part of Evelyn's. Normal bodies, whether human or zombie, would instantly disintegrate. I think I know why Evelyn chose to revive you. A smart move on his part; think about it: a grim reaper under your control!"

"I am not a grim reaper! I'm a dead human revived. A zombie! For crying out loud, I have never been recruited to guide souls to the afterlife; I've never been there!"

Nathan pulled me back. "It's true," he said into my ear.

I shoved him away. "I never wanted any part of this supernatural nonsense! I'd be better off if I weren't revived! I wouldn't have met you and I'd be in the Spirit Realm like I'm supposed to be! And I'd happily spend the rest of eternity there than here! I've only gotten into trouble since I met you!"

He flinched at my words, but I was too angry to care. I stomped in the other direction. Of course, I had no idea where I was going, and maybe I'd get killed again. Good!

 

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