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Chapter 99


Set me as a seal upon thine heart,
As a seal upon thine arm;
For love is strong as death,
Jealousy is cruel as the grave.
The coals thereof are coals of fire,
Which hast a most vehement flame.
Many waters cannot quench love,
Neither can floods drown it:
If a man would give all the substance of his house for love,
It would be utterly condemned.

(Song of Solomon 8:6-7)


Love is still alive in this world of death. My heart is glad.



Thursday, February 14, 2013
Week Forty-Three

It was Valentine’s Day, but if there was love in the air, it was smothered by the stench of rotting flesh.

Standing at the top of the northwest tower, Brian wrinkled his nose. The large moat surrounding Bodiam Castle kept the zombies a safe distance away, but on a blustery day like this one, the breeze wafted their odor right over the top of its turrets. There was no such thing as stepping out for a little fresh air anymore, not in the world of the undead. Even the picturesque English countryside was marred by the sight of zombies roaming the land. Their moans were carried on the wind, making them seem much closer than they appeared.

The sound was unsettling, but Brian reassured himself that they were relatively safe at Bodiam Castle. Even if there were zombies in the moat – and he was willing to bet there were – the uncoordinated undead could never scale the castle’s thick, stone walls. It had originally been built to withstand an attack from an invading army, and six centuries later, it was being used, once again, for the purpose of defense: defense against an army of the undead.

Brian was tired of fighting. He was a lover, not a fighter – or so the saying goes – and on that day, of all days, he just wanted to focus on love.

There was still love left in this world. He saw it when he looked at Nick and Riley, holding hands when they thought no one was watching. He heard it when he was greeted each day by Kevin saying, “Mornin’, cous.” He smelled it when he found Liz cooking dinner for Shaun and the others; he tasted it when he filled his stomach with the simple meals, lovingly prepared. And he felt it when he curled up with Gretchen under the covers of their bed, cuddled close together for warmth, his hand resting on her belly, which harbored the greatest love of his life. Their unborn child, a new life created out of love, was proof that both love and life still existed.

But it was hard to focus on love without feeling sadness. Brian’s heart was full of love, but heavy with grief. On days like this, the memories weighed on him, and the pain dragged him down. For how could he think of love without thinking of Leighanne and of Brooke and Bonnie?

On their last Valentine’s Day together, Brian had taken the twins to school, their bookbags stuffed with Valentine cards addressed to their classmates, their lunchboxes packed with heart-shaped peanut butter and jelly sandwiches and hidden love notes from Mom, their arms laden with handcrafted Valentine boxes and homemade cookies for their classroom parties. Leighanne had been a room mother and went to school to help out with the parties. When she brought the girls home that afternoon, Brooke and Bonnie told Brian every last detail of their day, which included showing him every Valentine they’d received and sharing something about the kid who’d given it to them. He could still hear Brooke babbling, “And this one’s got Spongebob on it, and it says, ‘Soak it up and be mine!’ and it’s from Kyle M. He got in trouble yesterday for running in the hall,” and Bonnie adding, “Yeah, he gets in trouble all the time…” After show and tell was over, they all fancied themselves up and went out to dinner together, Brian and his three lovely Littrell ladies. And when they were home again and the twins tucked into bed, he and Leighanne had enjoyed a private celebration in their own bedroom. If they’d known they would only have two more months together, they would have made it last all night.

It was hard to believe it had just been a year since that night. To Brian, it felt like it had been a whole lifetime, and in a way, it had. That was his old life, and this was his new life. The old Brian had died along with Leighanne, Brooke, and Bonnie. The new Brian was born the moment he met Gretchen. She had saved him, not just from the zombies, but from himself. In that respect, he owed his new life to her. It was as different from his old life as Gretchen was from Leighanne, but he was glad to be alive and in love again.

Still, it was impossible not to feel some guilt, especially on days like this. His family hadn’t even been gone a year, and he was already starting a new one. He knew in his head that Leighanne wouldn’t judge him, that she would want him to be happy, and that Brooke and Bonnie would only be sorry they couldn’t be there to play with their new brother or sister in person. But in his heart, he still felt like he’d been unfaithful in some way.

He’d been praying every night for guidance, and there on the tower, he folded his hands over one of the crenellations and bowed his head once more. “Father, I pray You light my way and show me the right path,” he silently pleaded. “I know that I’ve sinned, and my faith has wavered, but that faith has been restored. I vow to follow You, Father, wherever you lead me. I just feel a little lost lately, and I’m not sure if I’m going in the right direction. I guess what I’m hoping for is a sign… some small sign to let me know I’m heading the right way.”

Brian knew that God wasn’t a genie; He answered prayers, but He didn’t grant wishes on command. So he nearly jumped out of his skin when, as if on cue, he heard a deep voice proclaim, “Brian, my son.”

His heart leapt out of his chest, as his eyes shot upwards, half-expecting to see a face in the clouds over his head, like Simba’s father in The Lion King. But the sky looked just as flat and gray as it had all day, so Brian spun around. He shouldn’t have been surprised to find someone standing in the doorway – an earthly being with a sinful smirk on his fully-human face. Brian’s heart, which had been pounding in his throat, slowly sunk. He felt his face heating up and imagined his cheeks were even redder than the prankster’s hair.

“Heh, gotcha,” chortled Shaun. “Sorry, mate – couldn’t resist.”

Brian returned his gleeful grin with a weak smile. “You’re not exactly what I was praying for.”

“Ah, but you are exactly what I’ve been looking for,” countered Shaun, still grinning like a fool. “I’m hoping you’ll do me a massive favor.”

Brian pounced upon the opportunity to toy with him. “And why should I do you a massive favor, after what you just did to me?”

Shaun didn’t miss a beat. “Because you’re a good Christian man and, therefore, a forgiving man.”

Brian grinned and held up his hands. “You got me there. What do you need?”

“I’m in need of a minister to marry Liz and me.”

Brian felt his eyebrows lift in surprise. “Yeah? You and Liz are ready to take the plunge?”

Shaun rubbed his hands together and sucked in an anxious breath. “Hope so. She’s been ready – for about nine years now, mind you. Thought she’d have given up on the idea by now. But, as it’s Valentine’s Day and I’ve nothing else to give her, why not my hand in marriage, eh?”

Brian grinned. “You know that’s not a real good reason to marry someone.”

“Zombie apocalypse, mate. Who needs reason?”

Brian laughed, and so did Shaun.

“I’m only joking, you know – I love Liz, I do. Always have. Just never been great with commitment. But at this point, I think we’re pretty well committed to one another no matter what, so might as well make it official, right? It’d be nice to have a happy occasion to celebrate ‘round here.”

Brian nodded. “That I agree with.”

“So you’ll do it then?” Shaun raised a hopeful brow.

Brian smiled. “Like you said… might as well make it official.”

Shaun’s face split into a wide grin. “Splendid! What time?”

“You mean today?”

Shaun shrugged. “Why not? Today’s Valentine’s Day – perfect day for a wedding.”

Brian couldn’t argue with that. In the undead world, there was no use taking time to plan and no point in waiting. Life was short, and the future was scarce. They had to live each day as if there would be no tomorrow. “How about sundown?” he suggested. “That’ll give me some time to prepare.”

“Brilliant. It’ll give me a chance to propose!”

Shaun flashed a cheeky grin over his shoulder and took off down the stairs, leaving Brian to shake his head. Shaun reminded him of an older version of Nick, with a little splash of AJ for added color. But as he watched the top of his ginger head disappear, Brian realized that Shaun’s proposal might, indeed, be the sign he had been searching for.

***


“Every young girl dreams of having a fairytale wedding in a castle. Every young boy dreams of defending a damsel in distress in a castle that’s under siege by an army of the undead – in his video games, at least. But not every young boy and girl grow up to see their dreams come true. Shaun and Liz did. They’re living the dream – which, in this case, may be more of a nightmare.”

Brian paused, as a round of chuckles echoed through the chapel ruins.

“They stayed together through the zombie apocalypse, and like I’ve always said, if your relationship can survive zombies, it can survive anything. That’s why we’re here today, to celebrate the union of husband and wife. Or, to keep this modern, Zombie Slayer and… Shaun.”

Raucous laughter this time. “I thought this was a wedding, mate, not a roast,” Shaun whispered out the side of his mouth, winking at Brian.

Brian shrugged and grinned. “Guess that’s what you get when you give a guy less than a day’s notice,” he shot back, not bothering to lower his voice.

In reality, Brian was in his element and enjoying every minute of this makeshift wedding ceremony. He had always enjoyed performing marriages; they were one of the highlights of his former career. There was no greater joy than taking two people who were happy and in love and joining them as one in God’s eyes. Brian respected the sanctity of marriage, but he always tried to keep his sermons light-hearted; it was one of the reasons the congregation back in Atlanta had flourished under his ministry. He believed faith and fun should go hand in hand, just as Shaun and Liz stood before him on the crumbling altar of what had once been the castle’s chapel.

Behind them, everyone else had gathered to witness the special occasion. Even AJ had showed up, though he stood awkwardly apart from the others, arms crossed over his chest. In the opposite corner of the room, Selena struck a similar pose. Nick and Riley stood side by side, their arms locked around each other’s waists as they listened to the sermon. Kevin, Howie, Gabby, and Gretchen formed a small group of their own, separate from the original castle-dwellers. Brian couldn’t help but catch Gretchen’s eye as he proceeded with the vows.

“Will you, Shaun, have Liz to be your wife? Will you love her, comfort and keep her, and, forsaking all others, remain true to her as long as you both shall live?”

“I will,” whispered Shaun, suddenly solemn. As if in response, a lone zombie moaned, somewhere in the distance.

A shiver ran down Brian’s spine, but he forced himself to smile and continue. “And will you, Liz, have Shaun to be your husband? Will you love him, comfort and keep him, and, forsaking all others, remain true to him as long as you both shall live?”

Tears sparkled in Liz’s blue eyes. “I will!”

Brian sensed she’d been waiting a long time to say those words. He wondered what it would be like to hear them again from his own lips, to promise himself to a woman he’d only known a matter of months. A little rush of anticipation swept through him.

When it came time for the ring exchange, he asked, “May I have the rings, please?” and the boy, Callum, stepped forward, digging a pair of rings out of his pocket. They were nothing but simple, sterling silver bands, looted from a display of handcrafted Celtic jewelry in the castle’s souvenir shop, but the bond of love they represented was more beautiful and priceless than any piece of jewelry. Shaun and Liz slipped the rings onto each other’s fingers in turn, repeating the promise, “With this ring, I thee wed… in sickness and in health, in poverty or in wealth, till death do us part.”

Death… the threat of it hung over the castle like the heavy clouds of midwinter, but as the groom kissed his bride, their love seemed powerful enough to keep it at bay. This was a happy day, one of the few they’d shared since the dead had risen. It gave Brian fresh hope that life would go on, that one day their nightmare would be over. He found himself gazing again at Gretchen, who was glowing, her hands folded over the beginnings of a baby bump, and he prayed that love and faith in the Lord would protect them all.

***