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The next morning was identical to all the others only Renee was the irritable one. Damn him. He had kissed her one more time last night and then made her go to bed. She’d agreed because she didn’t want to look like a sex-starved freak. Disappointed when he moved away from her, she had to force herself not to be pathetic and ask him to cuddle. How sad was she that she’d wanted a zombie to cuddle with her? Her self-hatred was in full swing from the moment she woke.

She tried to rationalize that she was only doing what she had to so the king would trust and confide in her. But the nagging voice inside her told her she was only fooling herself if she believed that.

After slipping her sunglasses on, she drank a bottle of water. Her head hurt again. Shit. She’d been waking up with a headache for over a week now. It usually disappeared after a couple of hours, but it annoyed her. It could be because she only ate once a day.

She yawned and stretched before standing. Renee wanted, no needed, a bath even though it was hard to tell from the general stink of the horde. But it’d been weeks since she bathed. She brushed off her dirty clothes and noticed Brie staring at her with an odd expression.

“What?” Had Brie somehow guessed and knew she was a horrible person who’d made out with the king of the undead? Her slightly swollen lips reminded her of how many times they kissed before she finally let him slip away.

“We’re going to leave soon.”

“Right, big endless march for hours. It’s what we do every day.” Renee chuckled at her bad joke.

“Yeah, but before we leave, you need to bathe.”

Wow, her stench was so bad Brie wanted her to wash, or she was a mind reader, which Renee doubted. She followed Brie and wondered why today of all days, she was supposed to bathe but then stopped, embarrassed. That was probably why the king didn’t want to do anything other than kiss her. Somehow, he was cleaner than she was.

“Move,” Brie barked at her.

They went into another tiny shack not far from the one she woke in; this new one had a large metal tub. It may not have been initially a tub, but it was being used as one now. Steam rose from the water.

“Is that… is the water warm?” Renee asked in shock.

“Yeah, princess. You’re so fucking special that you get a warm bath. Enjoy it.” Brie slammed the door behind her.

Renee approached the tub with excitement. She remembered hot showers as a teenager, but since the zombies arrived, there weren’t working showers, and when you could bathe, the best you could get was room temperature or cold water. Stripping her clothes off quickly, she got in and almost moaned. Best day ever. Okay, not true, but since this screwed-up situation started, it was a top-five highlight.

When the water cooled, she used the soap beside the tub and scrubbed herself till her skin hurt. Her hair took the longest because it had grown out almost to the length it was in high school. Once everyone started dying or turning into zombies, she’d chopped off her hair and worn it short for years. It made it harder for the zombies to grab you. Then she traveled with a group where one woman used to cut hair for a living. Renee grew it out just long enough to need a trim. They had almost been friends, but after she died, Renee didn’t bother anymore and always tied it back.

Now, it fell to the middle of her back, and she needed to cut it. Although, she wasn’t in a hurry. Guess having the zombie king protecting you had some benefits. Didn’t have to worry about the undead clawing at you all the time. When she finally climbed out of the tub, the water told a really gross tale of how nasty she’d actually been. She felt like a new person.

Renee was tempted to peer at her reflection, but ultimately didn’t since she hadn’t seen herself in years. She’d made the mistake many times earlier on, which freaked her out. Gone was the shy but attractive teenager with bright, green eyes who tried to hide she was different with her long dark hair intentionally styled to cover her ears. In her former reflection’s place was a weary, broken haunted-looking adult who somehow survived a zombie apocalypse. It was like her outside appearance reflected who she was on the inside and she never needed to see that again.

Renee reached for her old clothes but saw her name on a piece of paper on a pile of clothes not too far off from her discarded ones. Moving the paper with her name aside, she examined the clothes and was surprised to find they were all the right sizes. Used but fresh jeans, a shirt, several underwear, and a new bra. It was like hitting the lottery. She ignored the fact that the clothes were probably from someone they’d murdered and ultimately eaten. She put the spare bra and extra panties in her backpack. It’d been months since she had backup clothes.

Brie stood outside the door, waiting. “You took long enough. We have to catch up now.” She slipped a small mirror and lipstick into the pocket of her flowing dark blue skirt. Why did she always wear skirts? It didn’t seem practical.

They jogged past the shamblers and into the mass of the horde. Renee was stupidly confident that she’d be okay, but was worried about Brie surviving the culling. Was Brie one of the strong ones? Would she lose the only other person she could talk to?

“I don’t want to make you mad, but how long have you been… um…”

“How long have I been a zombie?”

“Yeah.”

“Always with the questions. Time doesn’t seem the same anymore, so I’m only guessing, but years?” Brie used an elastic band to arrange a small bun from the braids she’d done up the day before, at the rear of her head, on top of her loose strands.

“Wow, years?!”

“I look good, right?” Brie laughed. It was genuine and beautiful. “What?” she asked when she caught Renee staring.

“I keep forgetting how awesome and pretty you are.”

“Renee, you’re the silliest friend I’ve ever had. I was always awesome. Empty inside, but still awesome. I was gorgeous. I’m just okay now.”

She liked Brie, even if she was still planning on running as soon as she could. Sure, Brie was grouchy in the morning, but who wasn’t? Knowing how lonely Renee was, Brie consciously used her name and tried to make an effort to be nice for over a week, even when she was clearly irritated. And today, she used the word friend. Maybe they were friends.

Renee smiled her genuine smile. Brie called her a friend. Despite her frustrated mood, Brie’s words warmed her like the sun on a winter’s day. She didn’t care if Brie thought she was silly. As long as she was her friend, the rest didn’t matter.

“I didn’t know you before, but you’re not empty now. When you feel like talking, you have a lot of interesting stories. And you’re funny. And,” Renee paused because the guilt nagged her. “You’re pretty badass when you go all zombie. But don’t tell anyone I said that.”

Brie laughed again. “Your secret is safe with me. I won’t snitch to the humans.”

Renee’s words haunted her for the rest of the day; the dissonance she experienced left her feeling off kilter. Even so, it was oddly comforting to know Brie would probably survive the culling, as the king called it. When night fell, they entered a wooded area where Brie led her away from the horde.

“Where are we going?”

“You know where we’re going,” Brie replied. “Listen, I know what’s coming. Most of the chosen are already prepared. Don’t come out of the cabin. I mean it, Renee. You’re not ready.”

“The cabin? Am I going to be locked in?”

“Probably, and it’s necessary.” Brie put her hands on her shoulders. “I’m serious. Please, as a favor to me. Don’t run, okay?”

“I’m not going to run.”

“Whatever. Just don’t for the next couple of days, for me.” Her frilly, floral-printed sleeves lifted with the breeze.

“Okay. Okay. I’ll stay locked in. Is it that bad?”

“It’s bad enough. It’s going to be intense with a lot of death. You can’t run…” Brie paused. “I have to go.”

The cabin door opened. Brie walked away as Renee shuffled toward the cabin, feeling conflicted. Her plan had been to try to run during the chaos, but Brie seemed concerned for her, and the king had seemed almost afraid.

The king’s eyes darted around before he ushered her inside the cabin. As soon as the door closed, he pressed her against it and captured her mouth. Wow, what a way to greet someone. Her arms snaked around his neck. After all, she had to sell it, right?