Corbin took the paper from the zombie, reading the scratchy writing. “Zelda,” he repeated, looking at her to make sure she confirmed it was correct.
“I’m Corbin, that’s Orion,” he replied, motioning to himself and then the golden retriever. He had so many questions that he wanted to ask the zombie. How was she sentient? What did she remember? Did she want to eat him and his dog right now?
“Are you hungry..?” he decided on, seeming a tad bit nervous to know the answer. He would hope that fresh meat from game he’s killed would work as a substitute for human flesh.
Zelda nodded when he said her name. She tried to say their names. "Orbi" She said, having figured out how to make an r sound without a tongue. "Orio" She said, patting the dog. She smiled, proud of herself. When he asked if he was hungry, her stomach growled again, and she nodded. "Mhm. Very." She said. "P-ease Foo?" she asked, hoping he had something. She finished the water, setting the bottle down.
“Right, Corbin and Orion,” Corning confirmed with a nod of his head. At the confirmation of food, his stomach churned a bit. “Give me one second.”
He grabbed his crutch from where it was leaning against the sofa, his leg beginning to ache from overuse. He made his way to the kitchen, opening up the fridge. He had some rabbit and venison meat stored away. Taking out the slab of venison, he cut off a third of it and put the rest back in storage.
Corbin made his way back to Zelda, setting the plated raw meat down on the coffee table. “It’s venison- deer. I hope you like non human meat, or else there may be a problem here,” he said with a dry, worried laugh.
She looked at the food. "Raw?" She asked, confused. "Why raw?" She said, looking for a fork. "Hmm…" She puzzled, confused. Then she looked at Corbin, noticing that he had been favoring his bad leg. She pointed to it, then pointed to her own "Hame?" (same?) She asked, worried about her friend's health. She ignored the food for now, studying Corbin's face, looking for the answer.
Corbin looked very confused when Zelda questioned the raw meat. “Isn’t that what you zombies eat?” he asked. Maybe she didn’t eat raw meat either, and it was just a nothing thing to add onto the list of things that made her not like the others. “If you don’t eat that, then what do you eat?”
When she asked about his leg, he shook his head. “Not the same,” he replied before pulling up his pant leg to show the back of his leg. There was a scar going from his upper thigh, all the way down to his boot. “I was in Afghanistan, if you even know where that is… Bomb went off, fucked up my leg.” The memory put a sour taste in his mouth.
"Mhm." She said, looking at his leg, shaking her head. "Ba pace." (bad place). Then she turned back to her food. "ever ha raw foo" (never had raw food). "Wi ry." (Will try.) She tentatively tore a small part off of the hunk, putting it in her mouth, before gagging, barely forcing it down. "Uh-uh" She said, shaking her head. "I hea i" (I'll heat it). She pat Orion, asking him to get up.
Corbin’s eyes widened with shock when Zelda gagged from the food. “You’ve never eaten raw meat? You have never eaten.. a person?” he asked, surprise clear in his tone. How was that even possible. “What have you survived on then?”
When Zelda moved to try to get up, he held up his hands. “Don’t, I’ll get it,” Corbin said, taking the plate of raw meat and going back to the kitchen. He tossed it in the trash, not possibly wanting to get sick from it. He took out a cooked chicken breast instead, putting a couple pieces on a plate before walking back to the living room.
Corbin sat it down in front of her before taking a seat on the chair across from the table, watching her closely. He wanted to see her eat every bit of it, just to be sure.
She motioned to the paper again, eating the chicken with much more content. After gaining the paper, she wrote that she couldn't talk that much, too many missing letters. She'd have to write it. She hadn't eaten since she woke up, several hours ago, and she didn't remember anything before then, so she had no idea of her previous diet. Also, thank you for the food, and the puppy, Orion, is adorable. Then she passed it back over to Corbin, eating again.
Corbin watched Zelda write on the paper, frowning in thought. “You must have eaten human flesh before now, you just don’t remember. But why not? Why are you different?” he asked, more to himself than to her. He ripped off the page, it being covered in writing, so there was a clean piece in its place. “You’re different. You must be, considering you haven’t tried to take a chunk out of me yet.”
He took his flashlight up again, clicking it on. He shined it on her eyes, checking for any dilation of the pupils that could show a sign of life. Zombies eyes would not have any reaction normally, not like a living human.
Zelda winced away from the light, but then corrected herself, letting him look. her pupils did seem to change, not quite like a human, but not like a zombie either. It seemed painful for her to continue looking into the light though. Like her eyes couldn't adjust enough to handle the amount of concentrated light. "mph-"
Corbin watched them sort of dilate for a moment before clicking the flashlight off, seeing Zelda’s discomfort. “Sorry,” he mumbled, putting it off to the side. This was puzzling. They didn’t fully react as a humans should, but they still reacted in the first place. What other things would she have in common to humans?
“Do you know anything about your life as a human? Anything at all?” Corbin pressed, his elbows against his knees as he studied her closely. Orion was beginning to fall asleep, content to do so on top of Zelda. He was a huge cuddler, and most of the time was content to be on top of Corbin at all times. Personal space did not exist with a dog like him.
"Mhm…" She thought about it, but she didn't remember anything from before she woke up, except for…… she shuddered as she remembered the amount of pain she had been in before she woke up. It felt like dry ice had gone through her veins. She really didn't want to relive that, but it might be important, so she wrote it down. 'It was dark, I couldn't see. And it hurt. It felt cold, painfully cold. I never went numb like I should have in the cold. I just continued feeling the pain, for a long time. Then it stopped, and I woke up. Then i stumbled into a fight. Thats where I met you.'
Corbin read along as Zelda wrote, being more and more puzzled. Great to know that was what death felt like- very reassuring. He wondered what could have happened between her dying and them meeting for things to change. What happened that made her wake up and become a little bit human again. He reached out, carefully taking a hold of her hand and pressing two of his fingers to her wrist. He was feeling to see if she had any sort of heartbeat. Something to show she was alive and not a more aware corpse.
It was slow.. barely there at all, really, but her heart… it was beating. Just enough to keep circulating her blood so it didn't dry and cause her to become paralyzed. It was probable most zombies had some sort of circulation through their bodies so that they could move. But their hearts beating? Probably not. Zelda's skin felt cold. Unnaturally cold. she seemed uncomfortable by the heat of his skin, but her skin was also uncomfortable for him.
Corbin dropped her hand quickly, jerking his own back. He had been surprised and startled by what he found. He’d never heard of a zombie having a steady beating heart before. As amazing as it was, it also scared the hell out of him. “Your heart, it’s fucking beating,” he breathed out, clasping his hands together. What was he supposed to do now? Was there someone who he should call about this? Who would even believe him? They would call him insane if he said ‘I brought a corpse into my home and I spoke to her and she has a heartbeat’. If it were possible, he would be institutionalized.
She shrugged, writing again. 'Without the flow of blood, all zombies would be paralyzed. I'm not sure how others' blood flows, but my heart beats weakly.' She wrote, rubbing her wrist where he had touched it. 'Do you have a fever, or is my skin just really cold?' she also wrote, nudging the paper over. She had noticed that where he had touched, there was a slight red mark, standing out against her pale, greenish skin. She showed him her wrist, worried.
Corbin shook his head in reply to Zelda’s writing. “Sure they have blood flow, but they never have a pronounced heartbeat. Not one that you could feel when taking a pulse, not one that steady,” he explained. He then took a look at Zelda’s wrist, a frown on his lips. “I don’t have a fever. Your skin is just cold. You’re closer to a corpse than anything else. Since your heart is beating and the blood is flowing better, you may get warmer…”
"Hm.." She said, looking at her wrist. she took the paper again. 'Maybe you shouldn't touch me without a double layer of gloves… just in case? Cause this hurts…' she wrote, glaring at her wrist. She tried holding it to her head, but it didn't help much. 'Do you have any ice?' She wrote as well, before sliding the paper back over.
“I agree,” Corbin replied with a nod of his head. He stood up, heading over to the kitchen. He took an ice pack out of the freezer before walking back over to Zelda. He set it in front of her, not wanting to risk touching and possibly hurting her more. “You should get some rest,” he said, standing over her at that point. A puzzled frown came onto his lips. That was yet another question to be asked and answered. “Do you even need to sleep?”
She thought about it, holding the ice to her wrist. then she shrugged, not knowing at all. "Maybe?" She said. "Seepy" She said, however, rubbing her eyes. "Res" (rest). She agreed, lying down on the couch without disturbing Orion. "I res here." She said, perfectly comfortable where she was.
Corbin didn’t know that zombies could be tired and need sleep, but that was probably yet another thing that was different about Zelda. He added that to his mental checklist. He called Orion to him, the dog jumping off the couch and going into a heel at his side. “That’s alright. He has to come with me, sorry,” he said. “I’ll be down the hall, first door on your left. Bathroom is the first door on the right, if you even need that.”
She nodded, huddling in on herself and retracting into the tattered clothes she was wearing. She didn't know either, it kinda seemed like her body used all of what she ate. But she might, so she made sure she could see the door, and could tell where it was. Then she waved goodnight to the other two, and closed her eyes. She didn't ever really fall asleep, but she was resting, and she could tell she needed it, although it was very boring, just laying there.
Corbin went to his bedroom, shutting the door. He clicked the lock on it, just in case. He slipped out of the clothes he wore, changing to wear a pair of boxers and sweatpants. He didn’t tend to wear much else when he slept, as he grew hot very easily. Orion hopped up into the bed, laying at the end of it. Corbin got into bed next, settling down with a sigh. It felt good to properly lay down and rest his hurting leg. He should have grabbed an ice pack for himself.
Corbin didn’t sleep much either, but for a completely different reason. He spent most of the night tossing and turning due to anxiety about the current situation he found himself in with Zelda. He had no idea what his plan of action would be, but he knew he not going to let Zelda leave the next day. She could be the key to something. What exactly that was, he wasn’t sure of.
In the morning, Zelda's leg felt a lot better, so she knocked lightly on Corbin's door, sliding a paper under it, reading 'May I take a shower in your bathroom?" It asked simply. She couldn't remember ever feeling so dirty. Of course, she didnt really remember much of anything, but still. She didn't want to intrude for longer than absolutely necessary, and she felt bad about accepting Corbin's kindness.
Corbin had fallen asleep after a few hours, but was woken up by the sound of knocking on the door. He groaned softly, rolling over in bed. Sunlight shown through his boarded up windows. He sat up slowly, rubbing the sleep from his eyes. He got up slowly, leg aching as he did. He stumbled over to the door, picking up the piece of paper. As he read it, he opened up the door to find Zelda there waiting for him. He was still half clothed, but didn’t seem to care much, still feeling half asleep. “Go on ahead, across the hall. Help yourself to anything in there,” he replied, yawning after he spoke.
She smiled, happy and excited at the prospect of the shower. Zelda went to the bathroom, turning on the shower to a good temperature. After the shower, she dried herself off carefully and got dressed again. She looked around for a hairtie, but she couldn't find one, so she wrapped her hair in a towel and called it good. She walked back out to the couch, sitting patently.
Corbin took his time getting ready. He changed into an army green colored t-shirt and a pair of black sweat pants. He really needed some coffee, still feeling exhausted. He opened the door to his room, allowing Orion to run out ahead of him. The dog ran straight to Zelda, tail wagging as he put his front paws up on the couch by her. He greeted her with happy demeanor.
He watched the exchange briefly before speaking up. “Would you like any coffee? If you drink that at all,” he offered. His dark circles were apparent. He glanced Zelda over, seeing she was much more clean. Still in the tattered clothing, but clean. “We’ll need to get you some better clothes. You can borrow some of mine in the meantime. They’ll be big but better than what you have now.”
She shook her head to the coffee, snuggling and playing with Orion. She nodded when he mentioned the clothes, glancing down and the tattered scraps that could only barely be considered clothes. She pet Orion, standing up and walking over to Corbin. She wasn't too hungry now, and she could walk steadily on her leg, although it hurt, so she smiled. "I ma foo?" (I make food?) She asked, wanting to be helpful.
Orion was more than happy to have Zelda's attention. He went to fetch a tennis ball, promptly dropping it at her feet. He bowed down in a play bounce, back end moving as he wagged his tail happily. Corbin smiled as he looked down at Orion, glad to see that he had someone who could really play with him. He could play fetch with Orion, but not much else due to his own injury.
When Zelda offered to make herself some food, Corbin appeared unsure. "I don't know, do you know how to use things like an oven?" he asked. The last thing he wanted was for a fire or something else to happen that would cause him to lose his home. His shelter was extremely important to him during this time. He knew that due to his injury, he most likely would not be able to last too long outside. He was confident in his shooting abilities and survival skills, but he would have nowhere to rest and that would be what finished things for him.
She furrowed her brow, walking into the kitchen to take a look at the type of oven and stovetop he had. then she shook her head. she had no idea how to use them. She smiled when Orion dropped the tennis ball, and she picked it up, gently tossing it for him to catch. "Uh-uh." She said, pointing to the stove. ""Orry-" (sorry)
