Chapter 2: UnDead Girl by Stephen Simpson
“Your
eyes have gone all funny, and you’re really pale. Maybe I should walk with you
to the office.”
“No,
I’m fine. It’s probably just from this headache,” Genesis lied because her
headache had miraculously disappeared.
“Well,
at least you’ve stopped coughing.”
“Yeah.
The cough syrup must’ve started working, at last.”
Instead of going to class with Natalie, when they walked
past the nearest bathroom Genesis quickly excused herself. Thankfully, the room
was empty, and she checked each of the five stalls to make sure she was alone.
On the wall opposite the stalls, there were two sinks and
against the wall, above the sinks, there was a large mirror. She hung her bag
from the door handle, reluctant to drop it onto the floor and then turned to
the mirror to have a good look at herself.
The girl looking back at her from the mirror had the same
blue eyes and long, black hair. The same cheekbones, chin and nose, but her
face was insipid and pale.
Genesis had always had a natural rosy hue to her cheeks, but
now they were white as if all the blood had been sucked right out of her skin.
She knew from this day forward her life would never be the
same. She knew it. She could feel it.
Her heart had stopped beating.
Her lungs had stopped breathing.
Blood was no longer pumping through her veins.
Genesis waited a few minutes until she was sure everyone had
gone to class, and the halls would be empty. She left the bathroom, hurrying to
the doors which led outside.
She was so intent on getting home, she did not notice
Brandon until he stepped in front of her.
“Hey,
Gen. Didn’t you get my message?”
Genesis looked at him annoyed. “I can’t talk to you now.”
“I’m
sorry...”
Genesis shook her head as she tried to push past him, but he
held her back.
“Why
did you break up with me, Gen? That’s all I need to know.”
Her head snapped back so she could glare at him. “You
cheated, Brandon. Again.” She felt a red-hot anger well up inside her and
wondered what it would be like to devour him, all at once. She felt so hungry,
even though she should be technically dead if her heart was not beating, and
she was not breathing.
He looked over her shoulder, trying not to make eye contact.
“You know I wouldn’t...”
“I
know you would.” The anger she felt boiled over and she shoved her body into
him, forcing him to take a couple of steps backwards until his back connected
with the wall behind him. She did not realize how close she was to him until
their bodies were almost pressed together. “I am having a really shitty day, so
I don’t need any of your lies.”
He looked scared. “What’s going on with you, Gen?”
She did not back away from him.
“Gen?”
He asked.
“You
smell really...” She stopped herself from saying delicious.
“Genny,
you know I really love you, don’t you?” He reached up to touch her face.
“I
want...” She could not say the words. She refused to even think them. This was
wrong. All wrong. She did not really want to eat his flesh, especially his
brains, did she?
She pushed away from Brandon and ran for the doors.
All she wanted to do was get home.
The walk home took fifteen minutes, but it seemed to pass in
the blink of an eye, and too soon Genesis was standing in the driveway.
Everything looked the same as when she left this morning. The manicured lawn
was a deep green, the flowerbeds surrounding the patch of grass were full of
colourful flowering plants, in perfect harmony with the large brick house.
She wondered why she had been so eager to get home? She supposed it was to get to the only place she felt safe now that she had the feeling of being dead, which rationally could not be true, yet when she pushed her open palm hard against her chest, she could not feel the faint thumping of her heart. There was no lift in her chest when she took a deep breath.
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