While Kay struggled with his horrible flashbacks, and couldn't shake off the hopelessness about the future, others weren't doing much better either.
Gala was going through some rather negative changes, but she refused to ever talk about herself, instead, she tried to help out everyone else while she was fighting a losing battle with her own thoughts and emotions.
It was difficult for her to get away from the idea that it was her fault that the love of her life was dead. Maybe he could have been saved like Ali was.
The rational part of her mind told her that it was not the same and that he couldn't have been saved. Nevertheless, her feelings of guilt and regret still persisted.
There was nothing that made Gala feel excited or even interested, and she started slowly distancing herself from Ali and all the others. Most of the time, she was just sitting in her room feeling sorry for herself.
Often times she thought about ending it all which was quite a shock for her. She was never the kind of person to give up but it was all a bit too much for her.
She would never do it because of love but all the things that happened just kept accumulating in her brain. It was difficult not to think that stopping her brain would be the only way to stop all that pain and fear.
What kept her alive and gave her the strength to go on was the fact that she wasn't a coward. In her mind, it would be cowardice to end it all at that point when they were finally free, and she had the opportunity to live. The same opportunity many people lacked.
Another thing that kept her going was the fact that she knew that her darling would be disappointed if she took the easy way out. Out of respect for him and all the people who died before they had the chance to live, she felt it was her duty to go on with her life.
After days spent in her room, Gala decided to do something about her growing depression. She decided that they should do all the things the others never could. They could eat ice cream, watch the sunset and enjoy simple pleasures of life.
Some other members of their group didn't seem to be able to let go of the old world. They kept going back to Slim, and they didn't really know why. It was difficult for them to escape their past.
The world of zombies still held an inexplicable pull for them although the zombie's in this version of Slim never tried to harm them.
For most of them, including Kay, the laden and gray city of Slim seemed more real than the cheery reality on the other parts of the island.
I can see my dead eyes in the mirror. The color has been washed out of my once beautiful eyes.
My face! What is wrong with my face!? It is snow-white and there is blood dripping dully from my lower lip.
There is a finger in my hand, a human finger.
I can see bite marks on it.
While I try to figure out if they are mine, my hand, of its own volition, rises towards my mouth.
I have no control over my own body.
Please, I don't want to do this.
My body is not listening to me. It has a will of its own.
I can clearly see all of it happening in the mirror, and it all seems so unreal like it's happening to another person.
My mouth opens and starts chomping on the finger. The crunching sound that the action produces makes me wish I was deaf.
The zombie in the mirror keeps munching on the human finger with more energy than I had ever seen on a zombie's face.
It lowers its head towards the floor and only then do I realize that there are bodies covering the floor.
Gala's body looks at me with empty eyes as if questioning why I would do that to her.
My friend! What have I done to my friend!
Kay is there as well, his head bashed in, half of his brain missing.
The others are also on the pile and blood is everywhere. River of blood runs towards my feet, but the zombie doesn't care.
It can't feel my pain. My friends are dead because of me! I ate my friends!
There is no use in screaming. The zombie doesn't care about the little voice in the back of its mind that is curled up, crying and screaming.
It knows as well as I do that there is nothing I can do.
No way to stop what has already happened. No way to escape the horrors of my past. It isn't possible to prevent the horrible deeds that await in the future.
The zombie reaches down towards Gala's body.
I want to stop it, but I don't have any control, nothing works. I am trapped in my own body.
The worst of it all is that I can feel what the zombie feels.
I can feel the craving to devour my friend's flesh. The delicious flavor of her flesh, the intoxicating taste of her blood.
As the zombie breaks through her ribs, I can feel the soft texture of her heart. And I want to eat it.
I, the small entity of reason in the back of the monster's mind want to taste the texture and aroma of my best friend's heart.
I can feel the warm blood trickling down my hand as the zombie gets up and brings the heart close to its mouth while it drips thick blood everywhere.
It is me who is mesmerized by the metallic scent of blood.
The zombie in the mirror bites into the heart.
What a delight!
Sweet, warm blood trickles down my throat overwhelming it with so many magnificent flavors. It soothes my hunger in the best possible way.
The eyes in the mirror seem to have gained some light.
Although blood is smearing the zombie's face, I can still see me in it.
I am a monster. It is a monster.
We are both horrible brutes who enjoy devouring and destroying.
A scream pierces the air.
Ali's scream of pure agony as she finally emerges from yet another nightmare.
The shaking continued for much longer than the last time. The images had never been so vivid and that knowledge terrified her.
A cold sweat covered every inch of her body, and it was a challenge for her to return to reality.
She pulled her legs close to her chest and chanted: "I am not a monster! I am not a monster!"
Her eyes lingered on her missing arm, and she couldn't help but wonder if she was truly saved.
Few weeks went by, broken people were licking their wounds in solitude until Kay decided to do something about it.
"Enough! Enough with the sadness and wallowing! We are alive! We owe it to our fallen comrades to live! If not for us we have to live for them!
"I suggest that we do all the things our friends and family members wanted to do, but never got the chance! In that way, we will be able to honor their memory and maybe find a way to live with ourselves." Kay said.
They all agreed to follow his suggestion and life got a bit better.
Nightmares and flashback were still there, but there were good times too.
Every time they did something new, they remembered and celebrated a fallen comrade and it made them feel a bit better.
A group of broken people tried to piece themselves back together.
Even though they would never be the same, they knew it would get better.
THE END
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