This one’s for the mothers who have lost a child.
This one’s for the gypsies who left their hearts behind.
This is for the strangers sleeping in my heart.
They take what they want, and leave while it’s still dark.
No one is glamorously lonely all by themselves.
This is a song for The Undead.
This is the music for one last cry.
This is a prayer that tomorrow will help me leave the past behind.
It’s a song for The Undead.
This one’s for the bridesmaid, never the bride.
This one’s for dreamers who’ve locked their faith inside.
And this is for the widows who think there’s only one.
For the dying fathers who never told their sons.
No one is glamorously lonely. Follow your heart.
Wednesday, April 13, 2022
Ten years after Infernal Friday
“Hey, who’s up for gator!” AJ asked cheerfully, once again using a wheelchair, at Selena’s insistence, to give his ankle a break for the night. He smirked at the platter at the center of the table.
The group of thirteen was seated around the table at the club, still their go-to place for special occasions. Flowers had been hung around the room, as well as spare cloth turned into ribbons to decorate and celebrate. Gretchen had just sat down, with Brian at her side and her two daughters at the other. They’d had to push two tables together now so it could accommodate everyone. Beside the Littrells sat the Carters. Josh and Leslie next to Kayleigh Jo and Evette, then Riley and Nick at her right. Of course, at one head of the table was Kevin, in his rightful place. At his right hand was AJ, then Selena and, of course, little Asha. Gabby sat the other head of the table, in the place that had once been her mother’s, with Howie beside her.
Two white candles were lit, one at each end. They served as a small memorial for two of the original ten who had been lost, but not forgotten. Never once would they be forgotten. Their names would live on little KJ Littrell, and their memories would stay on in those they left behind. Gabby smiled. She was sure her mother would be happy with how things had turned out for them. She had survived, as Jo had pleaded for her to do with her dying breath.
Asha wrinkled her nose. “Ewwww.”
Selena chuckled, rolling her eyes at her husband. “You’re gonna make it so the kids don’t eat any, and I don’t fancy the idea of leftover alligator for a week.”
“Is it like the ally-gator from Peter Pan?” Josh grinned from across the table. Riley always read stories to the kids before bedtime, and that particular one had always been her son’s favorite. “Did it tick-tock too?”
Plates got passed around so everyone could get served. Nick shook his head. “The one in Peter Pan tick-tocked cause it ate a clock.”
Riley was fixing her children’s places as she glanced over. “And your father forgot to point out that it’s a crocodile in Peter Pan, not an alligator. They’re similar, though.”
“Before we start eating…” Brian spoke up once the platters had been set down and everyone was served. “Let’s give thanks.”
Hands joined all around the table, big and small. Their heads bowed. Brian hesitated for a moment so that his eyes met AJ's. He remembered a similar moment, only then their kindred feelings had been because of a shared lack of faith. AJ smiled knowingly, thinking of that same day. Something had brought them all together, and he was thankful for it. So much could have gone wrong. Their two heads lowered so the former reverend could start the prayer.
“Heavenly Father,” Brian began, “we thank You for this day, for this feast and blessings on this special anniversary. We thank You for watching over us for these past ten years, giving us the strength and spirit to survive and allowing us to do so. You have answered all our prayers in so many ways. We ask that You may continue to watch over us and that You will guide Riley and Nick’s new baby safely into the world when it arrives. On this anniversary of when the world was changed, we are never more thankful of Your watchful eye and guiding hand. In Your name, we give our thanks. Amen.”
“Amen,” everyone chorused, as they looked up.
“Aaaaaaymen!” Asha chimed, followed by laughter.
“Okay, everyone, let’s eat,” Kevin said, looking around. “And for those sketchy about the gator, Gretchen cooked one of the seagulls Nick shot down the other day.” He smirked. “Since we know his fishing is really playtime in the water.”
“Hey!” Nick pouted as laughter rang around the table yet again. “I try to catch fish. They just don’t always bite.”
“Could be that your singing chases the fish away,” Howie joked between bites. “Guess they’re not Michael Jackson fans.”
Gretchen smirked. “He could sing about the L-I-B-R-A-R-Y instead…”
Nick blushed and ducked his head, focusing intently on his food as he ate. “You’re not gonna defend my honor, Rye?”
“I love you, but not in this case ‘cause…” She grinned. “I’d like to see it happen too.”
“Dad! Josh is making faces!”
“Josh, not at the dinner table.”
“Tattletale.”
Kayleigh snickered. “Ooh, you got in trouble.”
Brian smiled down at his younger daughter. “Kayleigh, eat your dinner.”
Evette ate her dinner quietly, lost in thought for a few moments. The chatter died down some as everyone enjoyed the meal. “Mom, do you think other people will ever find us? Like Selena’s friends did?”
Everyone at the table turned their gazes towards the oldest of the children. Kevin was somewhat thankful she’d brought it up. It would be a nice way to ease into his own personal announcement. Gabby smiled at him. She needed him more than the others did now. And she was the one he couldn’t bear to lose. Maybe they’d be able to answer Eve’s question for certain once they left.
“I’m not sure, sweetheart.”
“I’m going to find out,” Kevin said, causing the attention to shift to him. “I have an announcement to make. In two weeks, Gabby will be leaving for England so she can see what happened to the other group. See if anyone if still alive. But when she does, I’m going with her. We might try and check out other countries if we don’t find anyone in London. Dr. Kwak In-Su had said the immunity was spread around the world, and I still have the list of countries. It’s time we see if we can’t bring what’s left of humanity together.”
“You’re LEAVING?” Josh blurted.
“We won’t be gone forever,” Gabby gently reassured them. “I promise we’ll be back, and we could have more people with us.”
Nick looked between the two of them. “Just the two of you?”
Brian frowned. “Are you sure about this? We have a good thing here; we’re doing so well…”
“You guys are,” Gabby explained. “I want more. I know there has to be more waiting out there for me. I have to find out. I was going to go alone; I can still go alone,” she told them firmly, eying Kevin.
He nodded. “I’d never ask any of you to leave. Everyone here is settled, and we can’t drag the children on a journey across the ocean. Riley’s still pregnant, and even if she wasn’t, I’d never ask to bring a newborn on a plane. Not when we’re safe and sound here.” Kevin sighed softly. “This is the right decision. You’ll be fine here. I wouldn’t go if I didn’t think that.”
“Makes sense to me. Go get yourself laid, kid,” AJ teased with a smirk before looking at Selena. “You know, if you want to go with him, see the others…”
She shook her head. “I won’t leave Asha behind, and I bloody hell won’t have her come with. My life’s with you, even when you manage to cripple yourself and scare me half to death.”
Riley nodded at Gabby and Kevin. “I understand. And you know, I’d almost wanna go if I wasn’t still incubating,” she joked. “But seriously, just be careful. Both of you. The zombies might be gone, but that doesn’t mean be stupid.”
Gabby smirked at Riley. “I won’t be stupid, scout’s honor.”
Leslie looked at Kevin with sad blue eyes. “You’ll come back?”
“I promise.”
“I say we have a toast,” Gretchen proposed as she held up a glass. Kevin had uncorked an old bottle of wine, but she, Riley, AJ, and the kids were drinking water. “To ten years as a family. We might not be conventional, but we’ve made it together. And to ten years more… with all of us and those Gabby and Kevin find scattered around the world.”
“To ten years more!” Brian followed.
“Ten years more!” echoed around the room, and glasses clinked.
In a world reborn, one could only look forward toward the future. The scars left upon all of them from Reaper’s Sabbath and the Day of Unholy Resurrection would never fade away. In a sense, no one wanted them to. If the pain was forgotten, history might someday repeat itself, far beyond their lifetime. Instead, they made sure their story would live on, a song of the painful lessons learned. Life was a precious gift that none of them ever intended to waste again. As the Bible once foretold, there was a time for everything. Ten years prior, it had been the time for countless people to die. It had been a time for those left to fight. And it had been a time for the dead to rise.
Now was their time of peace.
And with each new tomorrow, they would find ways to leave that past behind.
Suddenly love comes alive.
For one last cry,
Just one last cry…
The End
