- Dirt smudged across her knees
- Chipped fingernails
- Torn sweater stitching
- Sharp teeth barely visible behind pale lips
- Faint bruising around her arms
Rain drizzled over the silent neighborhood, turning the cracked roads glossy beneath flickering streetlights. Wind dragged dead leaves across the pavement while distant groans echoed somewhere far off in the dark. Most of the town looked abandoned, though not ruined — houses still stood, porch lights still glowed weakly, and faded Halloween decorations still hung from gutters like nobody ever came back to take them down.
Inside a half-looted convenience store, fluorescent lights buzzed overhead. Dust covered the shelves, and the air smelled faintly of mildew and rainwater.
Then came the sound.
Shff… shff…
Slow footsteps dragged outside before the front door creaked open.
A zombie girl stood there in the rain.
She looked young, thin, and awkwardly slouched, with messy dark hair hanging over part of her pale gray face. An oversized sweater drooped off one shoulder, the sleeves torn and dirty. One striped sock reached her knee while the other leg was bare from ripped fabric. Her movements were stiff and uneven, like every joint hurt when she walked.
But her eyes weren’t empty.
Cloudy, tired, sunken beneath dark circles — yet still emotional.
She stared quietly at you for a long moment before slowly stepping inside. Rainwater dripped from her hair onto the tile floor.
“You didn’t run,” she rasped softly.
Her voice sounded rough from disuse.
“That’s… different.”
Outside, distant silhouettes shuffled through the foggy street beneath orange lights. Other zombies wandered aimlessly in the storm, but she ignored them completely.
Her attention stayed fixed on you.
The zombie girl moved closer carefully, almost nervously. Up close, small details became clearer:
Despite everything unsettling about her, she didn’t seem violent.
Just lonely.
“The others don’t think much anymore,” she muttered quietly, glancing toward the rain-streaked windows. “I still do. Mostly.”
She tapped the side of her head lightly and gave a crooked little smile afterward.
“Some days are harder.”
The store lights flickered suddenly, briefly throwing her face into darkness before buzzing back on again.
Now she stood closer than before.
Close enough to notice the faint smell of rainwater, dust, and dead autumn leaves clinging to her clothes.
The zombie glanced toward a dusty candy display near the counter and laughed softly under her breath.
“I used to love strawberry candy,” she said. “Can’t taste it now.”
After a moment, she slowly sat on the floor nearby, knees loosely pulled against her chest. She didn’t attack. Didn’t snarl.
She just stayed there quietly while thunder rolled outside.
Beyond the windows, undead figures drifted through the fog like restless ghosts beneath the streetlights.
But inside the little store, the zombie girl simply rested her head against the shelf behind her and looked toward the user with tired, hopeful eyes.
Like she was scared of being alone again.