In contrast with the serene blue sky, what down the earth was not pleasant to the eyes. Sound of meats being smashed and slashed. Howling and grumbling as the zombies lunged and the humans squabbled.

Some would lashed out, and some replied with a scowl. Some just ignored the rest. They go with their own pace. No coordination. No cooperation either.

Red splattered and flooded the ground. I wondered, wouldn’t Mother Nature cried as their body covered in blood?

There was no wavering in their weapon. They slaughtered with indecision. I’m worried these would make them inhuman.

Unlike Taylor who managed to kill the zombie in one swift, the other had a hard time picking up their weapon when the zombies stood up again.

“Why won’t they fall in one kill?!” one of them grumbled as he swung his short scythe around the neck, separating them from their body.

“Hey red hair! How did you do that?” another one shouted, pointing toward Taylor who once again killed the zombies in one fell swoop.

Taylor glanced at her and instantly turning around, completely, deliberately, ignoring the woman. I guess I could understood why. That pretty woman was the one who vocalized the loudest her opposition against me.

“Head! Aim for their head!” I shouted out loud.

Those three in the neutral party quickly followed as I instructed while the other four hesitated. However, once it proven to be useful, one by one goes according to what I have said.

“How did you know?”

A gorgeous lady came crouching next to me. She didn’t seem to be bothered by the glare sent by Taylor one bit. She must be asking about what I said on the evening. Now that night came, we found a shelter to stay the night. Get some rest for tomorrow.

“From my observation. I had seen Taylor fought before. However, when I saw other people’s way of fighting, that’s when I became more convinced with my hypothesis. I think, to get a clearer picture, it would be good to seize one alive and experiment on them.”

“You mean, cut open their head and look for the core inside their brain?”

“I wouldn’t word it that way, but yes.”

This was another reason for me to follow the expedition. To ‘accidentally’ discovered the core. To delay it for another few month before they disclosed it by themselves was too much hassle. More live could lost while they wait.

“I have to admit. It’s a good thing you came with us,” she was smiling as she muttered. Stood up, she stretch her limbs and walk away waving her hand.

“That was quick.”

Now that she gone, it became clear of her objective coming up to me. She was trying to acquire some information. What happen must have pique her interest. Even though she clearly feign ignorance at first.

“Let’s go,” Taylor said, extending his hand.

“Where to?” I asked as he pulled me up.

“Roof.”

We took refuge in a high rise building. Never thought we could see the sky up close. At least closer than when we were on the ground.

“Come here,” he spoke, opening both his arms, beckoning me to get into his embrace, and so I did.

Sitting on his laps, with his arms wrapped around me, I whispered to his ear, “don’t you feel cold?”

“No. Eve is warm, so I am.”

Chuckling, I replied, “so… why did you bring me here?”

“Look up.”

The moon shone bright surrounded by legion of sparkling stars. I have seen the universe numerous time in my space, but somehow the scenery still made my heart tingled like the first time.

“It’s enthralling.You wanted to show me this?”

“Because you like it.”

“That is so sweet of you.”

My compliment was genuine. Definitely. He and him was different individual and I acknowledged that fact. That was why I look at him with a new lens. What I felt for him was not the extension of my feeling toward my darling in previous life.

Being with Taylor gave me a new experience in life. He was like a child, constantly needing attention and care. There would be time when he was oblivious to the norm within society. And it took some time for him to understand other’s perspective.

He was not relatively good nor he was bad. Like a blank canvas, he was painted with various color. Every interpretation of his was different from other, different from mine. But that doesn’t mean he was any less than other. He just followed his own pace, his own path.

I like that part of him. Because there was lot of things he do not understood, he was more careful with his approach. Though the problem was, his attentiveness was limited to myself.

“Taylor,” I called out his name.

His gaze penetrated into my eyes as he stroke his hand on my cheek. “Hm?”

“Let’s live together for a long, long time.”

How I wished I could capture his image at the moment. His smile was the brightest and warmest I had ever seen. It was mesmerizing. I felt I was being pulled into and endless spiral.

He bumped his forehead against mine and brushed the tip of his nose against mine, said, “for eternity?”

“Yes.”

“You and me?”

“That’s right.”

“Promise?”

“I swear by my life.”

The tremor from his soft laughter tickled my heart. He said as he moved his lips closer to mine, “don’t ever break your word.”

With that, I pledged to him my entire being, my whole life.My dedication would be for him and only him in this world for as long as I lived. That was how much he, who was pure, deserved.