The Red Thread

“Come back to me. Promise me…”

The voice echoed within the young woman’s head, bouncing off the walls of the confining space. It was soothing, caring, and it stirred something inside her. Those words, although very few, were enough to make her come to her senses. Her eyes couldn’t see much, only the surrounding darkness of whatever world she had been forced to occupy. The air around her was still, not so much as a whisper to break the silence, until she heard the voice once more.

“Come back to me, Ali.”

Ali? Was that her name? Nothing about that name sparked familiarity, but the voice felt stronger, more identifiable -- if she knew anything more than her surroundings, she might be able to remember who the voice belonged to. Something inside her chest told her that it was imperative that she return, but she knew it would be impossible to return to a place she couldn’t remember being in the first place.

Her vision eventually started to develop, and although blurry at first, she could see vibrant colors all around her. Relief would be an understatement when she was able to see more defined shapes, even if the once beautiful shades of color had faded to more depressing tones. As she was able to see more clearly, she could finally take in her surroundings, and found herself in an aisle of a grocery store. The shelves around her were bare with the exception of the abandoned can scattered around. 

“Where-Where am I? What happened here?”

Her own voice was weak, scratchy, causing her to almost think it was someone else speaking entirely. She instinctively reached up to her throat to give it a gentle rub, hoping it would help soothe her voice, but when she touched her skin, she barely felt any contact. What would have normally been pressure in an attempt to massage her neck, the sensation was more like she’d placed a tissue upon her throat. That’s weird, she thought to herself. Must just be a side effect from being out of it for so long… but how long was I out for?

“Fooooooooooood.”

That’s when she heard a low groaning noise, accompanied by a sickening crunching, just one aisle over. She froze in place, terrified to inspect the source of the sound. Mustering up the courage to check it out, she shuffled to the end of the shelf and slightly peaked around the edge. Her eyes widened at the sight she was met with. A person was laying on the floor, their feet touching one side of the aisle while their head was closer to the opposing side, and their fingers were slightly twitching. The young woman watched in horror as she saw something was crouched over the person, its back to her, and the noises became much louder.

Whatever this thing was, it was feeding.

The young woman felt the urge to get closer to the scene in front of her, and so she scooted closer, regretting it instantly when she saw blood pooling around this thing and the poor soul that was its meal. She heard the thing swallow something down, and she noticed that the person’s fingers had stopped moving.

“Y-You should stop that, you know.”

The sounds coming from the creature abruptly stopped, and the young girl immediately wished she’d never said anything to begin with. Both of them were frozen in place, waiting for the other to do something. The young woman started taking in the creature, noticing the tattered clothing, the messy hair as well as the partially missing scalp, and how waxy its skin looked in the dim lighting.

The creature swallowed once more, then slowly turned around so it could look up at the person who interrupted their meal. When the young woman locked eyes with this thing, something inside her clicked and she fell to her knees, wanting to sob. How could she not see it before?

They shared the same blue eyes, the same dark hair, the same features, even if this thing was decomposing, anyone could see the similarities.

Somehow, this creature… was her.

“How?” she struggled to speak, her chest aching from the realization. “How did this happen? How are you -- I mean, what happened to me?”

“Diiieeeed.”

“Died? What do you mean, ‘died?’ There’s no way I could’ve died.” She stood quickly and backed up slightly, her head shaking from side to side. “No. No, there’s no way I’m dead. I can’t be. I can’t be!”

Before there was much of a chance to process it all, something stuck out of her stomach. Once she looked down, she noticed she was standing in the shelves, the white metallic surface cutting through her stomach. There wasn’t any pain, any feeling to it at all. The young woman then tried placing her palm on her chest; if her heart were still there, it would’ve sunk at the sight of her hand, her wrist, as well as part of her forearm, slide through her with ease.

“I’m…”

The creature looked up at the girl’s face, seeing tears stream down her cheeks, but soon returned to her meal.

“I’m dead.” The young woman fell to her knees once more, trying to wrap her mind - whatever was left of it - around it all. “I’m dead, and I don’t even know my own name.”

“Aaaaalllliiii.”

The girl perked up at the sound of the name. “W-What did you say?”

The creature interrupted their fine dining to turn their head towards the girl. “Aaaaaaallllliiiiii.”

“Where did you get that name?”

With a sigh, they pointed at their own neck, where a gold necklace was resting gently, albeit covered in blood and rust. In cursive, it showed its name rather clearly. “Ali.”

“That’s my name? Ali?” The girl tried reaching for the necklace but quickly remembered she’d just faze through it, and her new counterpart. Then, something incredible happened; something she never thought would happen after finding the truth about her demise.

She started to hope.

She looked at them as they continued their dinner, wanting to feel disgust but she was too happy to think about much else. “Is Ali short for anything? Is it a nickname? What does it mean?!”

The creature turned and growled loudly at the young woman, a look of anger behind their eyes. It was like they were telling her to shut up without needing words. Then, slowly, they turned back to the corpse of the woman, trying to finish their dinner in peace.

The girl backed off, hanging her head in shame, her eyes filling with tears once again. This time, when she spoke, her voice was quiet, barely above a whisper. “I’m sorry. I guess I got carried away. It’s just, I don’t know anything. I don’t know who I am -- er, was. I have no idea what’s going on, and I was hoping you’d have answers, since you’re the first… person, I’ve seen. I’m sorry.”

“Fiiiiiiiiiiinnnne.”

Ali looked up at the thing, watching them clean their mouth with their arm, apparently done with their meal. Then they stood up, seeming to search the rest of the aisle for something, before turning around, giving Ali a better view of what was once her own body.

What was once a bright, colorful blouse, was now a dull, faded, shredded rag that clung to their shoulders. The tank top that would have acted as an undershirt, whatever color it was before, had been dyed a sickly shade of brownish red that ran into their jeans, as well. The denim of their pants was worn down from constant wear, the discolored stains becoming the only color to them.

Through all the torn holes in their clothes, Ali could see the state of her now walking corpse. The skin was grey and all too waxy for her own liking, scars and wounds scattering the decomposing flesh. Rotting muscle could be seen through the more severe injuries they’d sustained, with the occasional bone piercing through. Trails of dried blood were all over their body, some running from their head, streaking their brown hair, while others would start at their shoulders and travel down their arms. Ali despised the thought of it, but judging from where most of them started, one thing was certain. 

Not all of it was theirs. 

The creature walked past her to head towards the front of the store, its gaze not fixed on any one thing. Ali slowly stood and followed close behind, feeling a strange need to stay close to this thing that used to be her. All she could do was think of anything to say to this creature of a girl, but only silence filled the air. A grunt left their lips, causing Ali to look up quickly, her line of sight going through the front window.

It looked as though all saturation had left the world, leaving behind only a shadow of its former glory. The buildings started to show wear and tear, broken glass scattered along the street. Although, ruins of the past weren’t the only thing that decorated the pavement. Pools and splatters of blood were everywhere, like someone tried to paint a horrid mural on the concrete. Most of the spots were dark brown, while others were still a bright red.

The door to the store opening and closing caught Ali’s attention, forcing her gaze to focus on her corpse-like counterpart. The creature was actually leaving! “W-What are you doing?!” Ali asked in disbelief. “You shouldn’t leave the safety of this place. You should stay here.”

“Fooooooooooood.”

“There’s plenty of food in here,” the young woman argued. “I know you know there was still some food in the can you threw at me!”

“Nooooot. Saaaaaaame.”

“What do you mean ‘not the same?’” Then, it hit her. The creature was looking for another poor soul to sink its teeth into, like the woman whose body still laid in the aisle. “You can’t keep eating people. You can’t!” Ali ran after the horrid creature, then tried to stand in their way. “It’s not right!”

Her un-beating heart sank as the creature passed through her, harshly reminding her that she wasn’t anything more than a ghost. Having finally taken a step outside of the store, she was finally able to get a decent look at herself. Her figure wasn’t as solid as she was originally led to believe; she could look through her blouse and see the blood-stained road behind her. She didn’t even cast a shadow from the sunlight.

Her fingers brushed against her necklace, the only form of identification she had, and a memory came flooding back to her.

“Happy Birthday, Ali,” a young woman said as she clasped the chain behind Ali’s neck. She had short black hair and vibrant green eyes that sparkled as she smiled. “I hope you like it.” She chuckled, “I searched everywhere for a chain long enough. A lot of places only had them long enough for a kid to wear.”

“I still love it. Thank you, baby.” Ali hugged the other woman close, her arms wrapped around the taller girl’s neck. “I’ll wear it forever.”

“You better,” she laughed. “I love you, Ali.”

“I love you, Jamie.”

A low growl from the creature brought Ali back from her memory. Who was Jamie, and why did her heart ache at just the thought of this woman? When did this memory happen? Was it before whatever happened to cause all these zombies to come to life? Where was Jamie now?

“Do you remember Jamie?” Ali asked the creature, forcing it to stop in its tracks. “Where is she?”

“Goooooonnnne.”

“She’s gone? Gone where?” Ali got in the zombie’s face once more, this time a feeling of anger rising in her. “Where did Jamie go?!”

“Dooonnnn’t. Knnoooooow.”

She groaned in frustration, tears forming in her eyes. “God damn it, why can’t you speak like a normal person?! Why can’t you talk to me like an actual human being?! All these one or two word responses are getting on my last nerve!” 

The creature roared in Ali’s face, its own anger shining through. A fist came flying at the young woman’s face, forcing her to flinch from pure instinct. However, the punch was never intended for her, as it had stopped mere centimeters from her face. The frustration and hatred started to settle down as she saw a mark on the zombie’s arm.

“I was bitten?”

The creature nodded, then pulled something out of their cleavage, obviously unaware that the pockets in their jeans were a viable option. They pulled out a gold chain, with a charm that resembled that of their own necklace but with a different name in place of “Ali.”

“‘Jamie.’ We found her a necklace to match ours.” She fell to her feet, watching as the creature stuffed the necklace back into nature’s pocket. “We died trying to find a matching necklace. Why is she so important, though? Why would we risk something like that?”

“Loooove.”

“‘Love?’ Then, does that mean Jamie was our girlfriend?” Ali looked into the creature’s eyes. “Also, how can you remember all this when I don’t know anything?”

All the zombie could do… was shrug.

“Seriously? You know more about our lives than I do and all you can do is shrug?! I honestly can’t believe you,” Ali groaned. “You never answered me, by the way. Who was Jamie to us?”

Once again, they only shrugged.

“You’re the worst.”

The creature didn’t seem to care as they started shuffling off down the road, but before Ali had a chance to follow, there was something shifting in the corner of her eye.

“Hold up, something’s here.”

The zombie stopped in their tracks once again, listening for any noise to prove my accusation. The sound of something getting knocked over in a nearby alleyway quickly caught their attention and the creature decided that instead of being cautious of the random noise, they’d sprint after it instead.

“Holy shit, we can run?!” Ali barely had a chance to process the sight of her corpse running away when she felt something pull her along for the ride. When she looked down, a red string was tied around her center, the opposite end connected to her undead counterpart. “We’re connected? Pfft. I bet she knew about this too.”

Once they made it out to the other side of the alley, the creature froze in place, unable to tear its gaze from something. When Ali followed their line of sight, she saw a group of people with large knives out, ready to attack.

“Holy whoa, they’re alive. Fuck, they’re going to kill us,” Ali panicked. “I just got here, though!”

“Ali?”

Time seemed to freeze as a familiar voice came from behind the group of survivors. When the owner of the voice stepped through, Ali’s eyes widened when she saw it was the girl from her memory, the gentle voice that brought her back in the first place.

“Jamie?”

Ali’s heart began to swell with joy at seeing her past love, and suddenly memories came flooding back to her. Their first date, their first kiss, and the fateful day…

“I’m just going to get some more supplies. More food never hurt anyone,” Ali said as she got her bag ready to go. “I saw a store not too far from here, and I saw several cans of stuff still sitting there. It’s all ours for the picking!”

“More food is of no use to us if we lose you in the process,” Jamie muttered, tears stinging at her eyes. “You know how I feel about you going alone.”

“I’ll be safe, I promise.” Ali leaned up and kissed her love softly, sweetly, as her hand caressed Jamie’s cheek. “I love you.”

“I love you too, Ali.” Jamie looked down at her hand and started chuckling to herself, rubbing her thumb over the newly placed golden band.

“What’s so funny?” Ali asked.

“Nothing,” Jamie said as she took Ali’s left hand in hers, looking at the matching band on her love’s left ring finger. “No better time to get married than in an apocalypse, huh?”

“It’s the best time, baby. No one to try to upstage you.” Ali winked before kissing her wife once again. “I won’t be long.”

“Come back to me, Ali.” Jamie held her love’s hand tighter. “Come back to me. Promise me.”

“I promise, Jamie.”

“Ali. No.” Jamie held her hands over her mouth as tears spilled over, revealing two gold rings on her hand. “No, no, no, no.”

“Jamie, get back,” said one of the guys in the group, resting his hand on her shoulder.

“Get off of me!” She kept coming closer and closer, the pain shared by both of the young women. “That’s my wife!”

Ali looked at the creature, her eyes widening when she saw them bare their teeth in an animal fashion. It was ready to attack. She tried to give any kind of warning, but her voice fell on deaf ears as the creature lunged at Jamie, ready to fight. 

Everyone was surprised when, instead of the zombie taking a bite out of Jamie, a knife was coming out of the creature’s head instead.

“You promised me,” Jamie whispered into the zombie’s ear. “You promised you’d come back to me. You promised you’d stay safe. You dropped your bag and your ring, I thought you were captured. What were you doing that was so important that you risked yourself getting bitten by these zombies? What was worth your life? What was worth our lives together?”

The knife was pulled out of the zombie’s head, a blank stare in its eyes as it fell to the ground. Ali watched as the red string dissolved away, freeing her from this life. Her body began to fade away, starting with her feet. She wanted to show Jamie what she’d found, what she knew her wife would love. With her last fleeting moment, she pulled the gold chain out of the corpse’s shirt, revealing the “Jamie” necklace that was meant as a wedding gift.

“I love you, Jamie. I’ll see you in the next life, my love.”

She smiled as she looked into her love’s eyes one last time before the world faded away to the purest white she’d ever seen, filling her with a sense of peace that she hadn’t felt in a long time.

Now, to wait, until her true love could join her in this peaceful bliss.