Revenge of the Dead

Chapter 4: The Sunscreen

We walk through the town quietly until we come to a church, I stare up at it and a small smile tugs at my lips. The archaic building standing so peaceful and quiet makes me feel almost normal, the ancient architecture looming above us in all its pride. I walk up to the doors and push them open slowly, scanning the pews for any sign of life or death, but it appears to be empty inside so I bolt the door locked behind us- hoping I don't regret it later.

I cradle Ashia in my arms and sit down at the front of the church, resting my cheek against the cool stone and sighing deeply. Ever since the zombie apocalypse I've had no time to think about my parents, only recently have they come back into my mind fully and it's just confused me. I want for them to be alive, nobody should be wished dead, but what they did for the government was unforgivable. My mind spirals and I question whether my actions have been any better.

"Madeline? Are you ok?" Elijah asks, breaking me away from my thoughts and I smile at him gently.

"Yeah, I'm fine," I nod and he sits down beside me nonetheless. He takes a deep sigh before speaking in a rhetorical form, his tone dismissive.  

"You know, before this, I went to church every Sunday," he whispers. All I can do is nod as he continues, my eyes flitting between him and Ashia in my arms. "I thought religion was everything, could save me from anything. I guess I was wrong," he finishes and I frown down at Ashia in my arms.

"That's not true. You're alive for starters, and so am I, do you really think that's all due to skill? Because I think that there are people looking down on us, helping us," I trail off and tears form in my eyes. He frowns but I speak further, my voice shaky, "I lost my close friends and so I think now they're looking out for me," I explain and he smiles and nods in agreement.

"My grandad always used to say that," Elijah muses, "anytime anything good happened to him he said it was his wife looking out for him."

"He sounds like a lovely man," I say gently and Elijah nods in agreement beside me. 

"He was, so kind and full of advice," Elijah replies, smiling as another memory washes over him. "He would always give me the same speech, it was by Baz Lurhman I think. Wear sunscreen, he'd say, if I could offer you one tip for the future that would be it," Elijah recalls whilst shaking his head softly.

"I know the one you mean," I reply, sending a smile in Elijah's direction. 

"For so long it confused me, I didn't really understand the words about youth, love and guilt. I think it's only now that I'm older that I truly understand the power of his words," Elijah says, rubbing his hands together in front of him, his eyes on the stained glass window above us.  

"Why do you hate your parents, Madeline?" Elijah asks after a moment of silence and I stiffen slightly, shaking my head.

"I don't hate them," I reply gently, "I hate what they did. To this world, to me, to Sophie," I grimace. 

"I'm not sure I understand," Elijah stutters and I send him an apologetic smile. 

"It's a long story, one I'll bore you with if you're still travelling with us when we reach my parent's house," I offer, declining his desire to hear the full story now- mostly out of the fear that he'll react in anger and judgement. 

"Ok," Elijah replies simply, prompting me to continue. 

"I suppose I just feel let down by them, they abandoned Soph and I when all of this began, made no move to try and find us," I say angrily, a short sigh escaping my lips. 

"You can't know that Madeline," Elijah replies. 

"No, I suppose I don't," I give in, watching as the smile spreads across his face next to me- though I feel he'll share my anger once I explain my parent's role in the virus to him. 

"I'd give anything to be able to speak to my parents again," Elijah says sadly, "I never really got to say goodbye to them, that's something I'll always regret."

"Tell me about your brother," I say after a brief moment of silence, attempting to lift the disheartened atmosphere that has settled over us- the suggestion brightening Elijah's expression. 

"His name is Alexandra but we all just called him Alex, he was older than me, probably about your age," Elijah explains with a small chuckle. "He was in the army before all this, but he came home just before the virus hit. Alex always insisted it was just good timing, a coincidence, but a part of me wonders whether he knew what was coming. Or perhaps he knew what the military was being asked to do and he needed a way out," Elijah muses and I frown. 

"You've seen the explosions too?" I ask, my eyes locking with his and watching him nod dejectedly. 

"The first time I saw one was about a month after the virus hit," Elijah states gloomily, "it wasn't in London though, just a small town we were travelling past on our way to the coast. I'm not sure why, though, there are loads more infected in London. Maybe they thought the problem would sort itself out in the cities, or maybe they were scared," he contemplates and I let out a short sigh. 

"I guess there's no way of knowing," I say vacantly, whilst caressing the side of Ashia's face. 

"I guess not," Elijah responds briefly before we fade back into silence, his eyes drifting back to the others before rising from his seat and sending me a parting glance. He shuffles out of the row before stopping and cautiously turning back to face me, his eyes thoughtful and benevolent. 

"You know, another quote from that speech is about getting to know your parents because you never know when they'll be gone for good. I think you should think about that, Madeline," Elijah whispers before the air falls silent and I'm left immersed in my thoughts once again.