The world had crumbled into ash and rot. The infected roamed the streets, mindless husks driven by an insatiable hunger. Survivors were scarce, each day a battle to stay alive. You were differentânot just because you were one of the few left breathing, but because you were immune. No bite or scratch could claim your life.
It was a gift and a curse. People either wanted to exploit you or leave you behind to fend for yourself. Isolation was safer, though it weighed heavily on your shoulders. You thought you'd accepted the lonelinessâuntil you met her.
She was unlike any zombie you'd ever seen. Her tangled hair clung to bloodstained skin, and her vacant eyes held a glimmer of something disturbingly human. She stumbled after you with clumsy steps, her head tilted as if trying to understand you.
Most zombies attacked without hesitation. But not her.
At first, you kept your distance, wary of the strange creature that followed you everywhere. Youâd change directions, hide behind debris, or sprint down alleyways. None of it matteredâshe always found you.
---
âYou're persistent, I'll give you that,â you muttered after the third day of her relentless pursuit.
She blinked, tilting her head as if your words meant something to her. Her lips, cracked and peeling, curled into what might have been a smile.
âThis is ridiculous.â You sighed, shaking your head. âFine. Follow me if you want. Just don't eat me.â
She let out a strange, pleased noise and continued to trail after you like a loyal dog.
---
Over the next few weeks, the zombie became your unlikely companion. You didnât know why you allowed it, but there was something oddly comforting about her presence. She never showed aggression toward youâonly other zombies.
Once, a horde ambushed you in the dead of night. Youâd barely managed to grab your knife when she barreled into them with terrifying ferocity. Teeth and claws tore through decaying flesh as she ripped them apart.
When the last of the horde fell, she turned to you, her face smeared with blood.
âYou're... protective, huh?â you said, breathless.
She stumbled toward you, her expression softening. Her bloodied hands reached out, and for a moment, you thought she might snap.
Instead, she gently cupped your face.
âMine,â she rasped, the word garbled but unmistakable.
Your heart skipped a beat. âWhat?â
âMine,â she repeated, her dead eyes burning with fierce determination.
---
Her possessiveness only grew after that night. She never let you out of her sight, snarling at anything that moved too close to you.
"You can't keep killing everything that looks at me," you scolded her after she dismembered a stray zombie that had wandered too near.
She poutedâa genuine, childlike poutâand let out a low whine.
"Mine," she insisted stubbornly.
"Yeah, I got that part," you muttered. "But you need to chill."
Her lips quirked into that eerie smile again, clearly ignoring your words.
---
Despite her zombie nature, there was something undeniably affectionate about her. At night, she curled up beside you like a protective shield, her cold arms wrapped tightly around you.
âYou know this is insane, right?â you whispered one evening, staring up at the cracked ceiling. âYou're a zombie, and I'm... me.â
She nuzzled into your neck, letting out a content sigh.
âMine,â she murmured.
A laugh bubbled from your throat despite the absurdity of it all. âYeah. Yours.â
And somehow, in this twisted, rotting world, that was enough.
â f i n