#wedsnesday

“Are you even listening?” Eugene calls out, offended as you blink rapidly while staring back up towards him. He’s been ranting for ages. Apparently, Pugsley had an encounter with ‘Slurp’ at Pilgrim World. He’s regenerated, nearly fully human. And that’s an issue. 

How many more brains have to be consumed? How many more people have to be brutally devoured just to bring back one man that doesn’t even have a real heart?

It frightens you how little you care. 

Call it morbid curiosity, but something about the zombie entices you in a way you’ve never felt before. Perhaps it’s the idea that someone can be raised from the dead. Oh, how you’d bring back your sister in an instant. Maybe the half-dead scientist could help you do it. 

Selfish, truly. You hate how little you feel towards the empty-headed corpses that have fallen victim to this… man. After all, all the lives lost are people — people who most likely have families of their own. This means someone might lose their best friend, their mother, or their sister.

No. This needs to stop. Wanting to be selfish at the price of putting others through your misery isn’t something you could swallow. 

But he’s already killed so many. Shouldn’t their lives be lived through him at least? Why let the brutal killings be for nothing? 

The dark whispers are nauseating. It’s because you don’t necessarily disagree with them. All lives lost should at least be worth something. And who knows – maybe the half-dead man has family out there. The thought of bringing someone home to loving arms who’ve missed him makes it hard to decipher what’s truly right and wrong. 

“Eugene… what if we don’t find Slurp? I mean, think about it – he’s been given a second chance at life. He’s not gonna let anyone take it away easily. He’s pretty much human at this point… it might be cruel to–” 

“He’s killed how many people? Are you seriously saying we should just let him go?” 

Your chest tightens. Every word you said echoes in your head with regret. The monstrous guilt plagues you, weighing down your shoulders as you give a slight shrug. “Sorry.” 

The rest of the conversation rings through your ears with shame. 

—

Stupid decisions are your strong suit recently. Earlier today, it started with confessing to Eugene that Slurp being a free man didn’t sound like the worst idea. Now, it was even more terrible — for some peculiar reason, you couldn’t help yourself from wandering back into the woods.

Each step was louder than the wind. You could turn invisible, but you don’t. Maybe it’s because you enjoy the danger, or maybe it’s because you don’t feel scared at all. In fact, you feel at peace. Perhaps that’s what happens to people right before they walk to their death, though. Either way, you keep walking. 

A crack of branches behind a particular tree makes you halt. Your feet dig into the dry leaves beneath you, your throat tightening as you take a deep breath. 

“Hello?” 

You mentally cringe at the question. If this were a horror movie, you’d be dead first, no doubt. Waltzing into the woods alone at night, speaking a stupid greeting as if some monster would politely shake your hand. 

A gloved hand reaching around the tree makes your heart skip a beat. You wait for the person to move, reveal themselves, but they don’t. The gloved hand motions for you to come closer. You do. It’s not even curiosity that makes you move, it’s something more than that – like something is calling you to follow the strange command. 

It’s strange. Your legs seem to be moving on their own accord. You feel like a puppet as you move closer to the oak, your feet finally halting a foot away from the base of the tree. 

“Hello.”

The voice is groggy and deep. Horrifyingly enticing, sending a shiver up your spine that spreads across your shoulders and down your arms. 

“Who… who are you?” you ask. 

Silence pursues. The hand wrapped on the bark shifts, pointing to the ground. “Sit. Face away. Please. I do not want to… frighten you.” 

If you’re heart wasn’t pounding so loudly, maybe you’d recognize the irony. The deep voice with a gloved hand doesn’t want to scare you – yet here you were, alone in the dark forest, following the commands of someone you do not know. 

Your bottom hits the branches on the ground with distaste. It’s not exactly comfortable. Your back is stiff as you hold yourself, hesitant to lean against the tree in worry that the voice will leave. 

“Who are you?” you repeat.

No answer. A slight shuffle makes the hairs on the back of your neck grow stiff. 

“I am not sure I know anymore.” 

The words seem sad. Your chest squeezes at the emotion scratching at your heart. You know that feeling – the feeling of being so lost that you’re unsure of what your body even holds anymore. 

“Are you okay?” 

You hear a huff at your inquiry. The person on the other side of the tree is laughing at you. “You’re the one in the woods with a stranger, love.” The nickname seems so natural, so coherent. It warms your cheeks, the heat spreading across your body as if you’re being embraced. 

The silence breaks. “Isaac… my name is Isaac.” 

“I’m –”

“I know who you are.”

Frightening words, yet they don’t scare you. Somehow, they feel comforting. 

Familiar voices sound from a distance. Crunching leaves and swaying branches seem to heighten in volume. 

“Pugsley, I know she came out here. Ajax said he saw her. We can’t just let her get killed! She thinks–”

“You should go,” Isaac says, whispering while Eugene’s shouts continue to echo through the forest. 

You swallow thickly, a sudden lump in your throat making it hard to breathe. “Will I see you again? Can I come back here tomorrow to find you?”

“Yes. Do not worry about finding me… I will find you.” 

Always, he thinks. 

With that, you get up, dusting off your bottom before walking towards the voices. You take one last look behind you, your eyes squinting in an attempt to see through the darkness. 

You can’t see him, but you know – he’s watching.

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NAV - taglist info, more series/fics, etc.

Paige's Notes: Thank you to everyone who's been patient !! I feel awful for not giving an update for so long. I am very sorry !! I still am sick, so I hope this all made sense.

Any and all interaction is deeply appreciated, but not required at ALL. Ghost reading is perfectly fine as well (I used to be guilty of this because I was scared the FBI would leak my fanfiction habits LOL).

IMPORTANT NOTE - I got overwhelmed by the number of people wanting to get tagged (thank you), so I am SO sorry if I missed your username when making the tag lists. If you would like to be tagged, please comment on my pinned post and say you would like to be tagged in my Isaac fics !! That way, I only have to check one spot and don't miss you !! Thank you !!