It was an arsenal of weapons. There was some serious shit in there and I couldn’t believe my sweet Henry was versed, or even involved, with it. He pulled out a shotgun and loaded it, while jamming extra shells in his pockets. He pointed a finger at me. “Stay here. And I mean it this time. Do not leave the flat, and lock the door behind me.” He ran out, slamming the door. I did what I was told and locked it. Then I ran over to the front window, only to see this poor woman being eaten by another…human.
“Should we call the police?” Claire asked, while we both stared out the window in disbelief.
“Uh, I don’t know. Let’s wait until Henry comes back…if he comes back.” My voice began to get shaky.
It was official. I, Elaina Leigh Cooper, was scared out of my fucking mind.
I was so scared that I lost my sarcasm. I couldn’t crack a joke or roll my eyes. I was transfixed on Henry -- or was it Liam. Henry. Yes, he said Henry.
He was a machine with no emotion. It was like he had been killing these so-called undeads his entire life. He walked up behind the undead, raised his shotgun and, just as the former living human turned around, he pumped it and pulled the trigger.
The undead’s brains splattered all over. He looked down at the woman who lost her true life to this former human. I saw him say something to her and he stroked her cheek gently while she cried. She reached up to him. He touched her hair as he spoke to her. She nodded. He pumped the shotgun again, put it to her head, and pulled the trigger.
Both Claire and I screamed. I whispered, “Oh, my god, Claire.” Tears welled up in my eyes. We had just witnessed a murder. Wait, was it really a murder? Would killing a person who obviously had been infected with the man-eating virus and would do the same to others be considered murder? I wasn’t so sure anymore.
I was so confused. I had mixed emotions about everything. If Henry was who he said he was, then he knew what he was doing. He knew that if this woman became undead, we would have all been in danger.
“Elaina, I don’t think I can handle all this.” Claire dropped to her knees and started crying again.
“I am not sure what to even think. Just an hour ago, I was supposed to have been married to the man of my dreams. We would have been at my reception right now, having drinks and dancing like fools. This can’t be real. I can’t believe Henry has been hiding all of this from me.”
“It is real, Elaina! Wake up! Marc is gone. Everyone we knew at the wedding is gone. We’re all going to die, Elaina.”
I knelt down. “We’re all going to die, anyway.” I was trying to tuck my emotions away in a pocket that I didn’t have in my stupid dress. I tried to console Claire, but I don’t always say the right things.
“It’s not supposed to be like this!”
“You’re right. It’s not. I’m sorry.” I reached down and grabbed her hands. Then we both jumped when we heard pounding on the apartment door.
“Elaina! Open the door!” I got up, went to the door, and I put my hand on the knob. I hesitated. “Elaina, please. Open the bloody door!” How could I be sure that we would be safe from Henry? What if he was bit and I let him in? He would kill us both. “Elaina! Claire!”
He kept pounding. I was looking at Claire for permission. She looked at me for permission. Then she jumped up and rummaged through the chest and pulled out some sort of archaic-looking double-sided axe. She handed it to me. “Here. Take this.” I felt somewhat empowered with this well-crafted medieval-style weapon. I held it up like a baseball bat.
“Elaina! Come on!” Henry screamed. I was ready.
“How do I know you aren’t bit?!”
“I’m not bit!”
I started choking back tears, realizing my life had been forever changed. “How do I know you aren’t lying to me, like you have lied about everything else? How do I know for sure?” The crying, girly side found its way to the surface yet again. The tears were running down my face.
“Elaina, please. Open the door. I’m not bit. You have got to believe me.” Henry was begging so I nodded at Claire.
She leaned up against the door and unlocked it. As she started to crack it open, I raised the axe up over my head, ready to strike. I stood there in disbelief that, at any given moment, I may have to kill my Henry. But was he really my Henry since my Henry was a lie?
“Slowly, Claire,” I whispered. I could see Henry’s eyes. The same eyes that would look at me full of love over the past two years. I took a deep staggering breath. I nodded to Claire and she opened it all the way.
“Jesus Christ. I didn’t think you would ever open the door.” I stood holding the axe, ready to strike. “Elaina, are you mental?” He put his hands in front of his chest. “Put the bloody axe down. You are going to hurt someone. Yourself, more than likely!”