{"id":365,"date":"2013-07-22T15:12:11","date_gmt":"2013-07-22T15:12:11","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/dreamers-sanctuary.com\/undead\/?page_id=365"},"modified":"2014-01-27T17:39:41","modified_gmt":"2014-01-27T17:39:41","slug":"chapter-105","status":"publish","type":"page","link":"http:\/\/dreamers-sanctuary.com\/undead\/story\/chapter-105\/","title":{"rendered":"Chapter 105"},"content":{"rendered":"

Chapter 105<\/span><\/b><\/p>\n

And so it was, that, while they were there, the days were accomplished that she should be delivered.\u00a0 And she brought forth her firstborn son, and wrapped him in swaddling clothes, and laid him in a manger, because there was no room for them in the inn.<\/i><\/p>\n

And there were in the same country shepherds abiding in the field, keeping watch over their flock by night.\u00a0 And, lo, the angel of the Lord came upon them, and the glory of the Lord shone round about them, and they were sore afraid.\u00a0 And the angel said unto them, \u201cFear not, for, behold, I bring you good tidings of great joy, which shall be to all people.\u00a0 For unto you is born this day in the city of David a Savior, which is Christ the Lord.\u00a0 And this shall be a sign unto you; ye shall find the babe wrapped in swaddling clothes, lying in a manger.\u201d<\/i><\/p>\n

And suddenly there was with the angel a multitude of the heavenly host praising God and saying, \u201cGlory to God in the highest, and on earth peace, good will toward men.\u201d<\/i>\u00a0 (Luke 2: 6-14)<\/em><\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/i><\/p>\n

Glory to God, indeed!\u00a0 Please watch over my family, Father, for we need Your helping hand to guide us.\u00a0 I have faith that our baby will be brought safely into this world.\u00a0 If Mary could do it, so can my wife \u2013 right?\u00a0 I\u2019ll never know what You have planned for us, but I pray that, whatever happens, You\u2019ll be with us.<\/i><\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/i><\/p>\n

Friday, August 9, 2013<\/b>
\nWeek Sixty-Eight<\/i><\/p>\n

It must have been after midnight, but Brian lay awake, like he had so many other nights, listening to Gretchen\u2019s soft snoring.\u00a0 He had never noticed that Gretchen snored before she was pregnant, but he didn\u2019t mind it; it helped drown out the distant moans of the undead.\u00a0 It was comforting, too.\u00a0 The steady snores served as a reminder that she was still alive, still breathing.\u00a0 Lately, it was the only thing that could soothe him to sleep.\u00a0 Even then, his sleep was hardly restful.\u00a0 He was plagued with nightmares, haunted by memories of waking up to find his family dead.\u00a0 Now whenever he woke, he would find himself drenched in sweat and filled with dread, fearing the same had happened to his new wife and the baby inside her belly.\u00a0 The sound of Gretchen\u2019s snoring was a welcomed relief.<\/p>\n

He turned toward her, glad that she, at least, was getting some rest.\u00a0 Gretchen had an even harder time sleeping than he did these days.\u00a0 Just looking at her, it wasn\u2019t difficult to see why.\u00a0 A sliver of moonlight streamed through the open window, illuminating the silhouette of her sloping belly.\u00a0 She had gotten so big that it was impossible for her to find a comfortable position.\u00a0 Although he couldn\u2019t sleep, he didn\u2019t dare get up for fear of disturbing her.\u00a0 He knew if her woke her up, she\u2019d never get back to sleep, and she needed the rest.\u00a0 By their calculations, she was due to deliver any day.<\/p>\n

Brian remembered the excitement he and Leighanne had felt in the days leading up to the twins\u2019 birth, as they put the finishing touches on the nursery, talked about names, took childbirth classes, and toured the maternity ward where their babies would be born.\u00a0 They\u2019d been nervous, of course, about the prospect of becoming parents, but their eagerness to begin the journey far outweighed any fear they\u2019d had about the road ahead.<\/p>\n

It was different this time.\u00a0 There was no nursery to decorate, only a makeshift crib made from a pair of deconstructed milk crates.\u00a0 There were no classes to help them prepare, no hospital to help bring their baby safely into the world.\u00a0 Without Jo or Martin, there was only Selena, whose pharmaceutical training hadn\u2019t prepared her to deliver babies, and Kwak In-Su, who was more mad scientist than medical doctor.\u00a0 They had both been researching childbirth techniques, but Brian knew that if there were any complications, he could lose both Gretchen and the baby.\u00a0 He had purposely avoided discussing names this time, not wanting to get too attached to a child whose chances of survival in this world were slim.<\/p>\n

\u201cWomen have been giving birth on their own since the dawn of mankind.\u00a0 We\u2019ll be fine,\u201d Gretchen would say, but despite her reassurances, Brian knew she was as scared as he was.\u00a0 For her, it would be a brand new experience.\u00a0 He, at least, had some firsthand experience to fall back on, but since Leighanne had given birth by Cesarean section, he hadn\u2019t seen her all the way through labor and delivery.\u00a0 In Gretchen\u2019s case, a C-section would be the last resort, a chance of sparing the baby\u2019s life if its mother\u2019s could not be saved.\u00a0 He knew she couldn\u2019t survive being cut open under these conditions.<\/p>\n

And so, Brian lay awake, praying that when the time came, all would go well.<\/p>\n

Eventually, his eyelids grew heavy, and he rolled over, relaxing into a light sleep.<\/p>\n

Suddenly, the mattress moved.\u00a0 Brian rolled over and opened his eyes.<\/p>\n

Leighanne was looking back at him.<\/p>\n

He gasped and sat up, blinking in shock. Surely, his tired eyes were just playing tricks on him. He looked again. No\u2026 he wasn\u2019t just seeing things. Leighanne was lying there beside him.\u00a0 Her eyes were open. Only they didn\u2019t look like her eyes. Even in the dim light, he could see that they were vacant and cloudy, no longer blue. He looked away with a shudder and released the breath that had caught in his throat.<\/p>\n

Just a spasm of some sort. Nothing to get upset over. He swallowed hard and forced himself to look back, extending his thumb and forefinger to close her eyes again. He wanted to remember them the way they had been in life: vivid blue, like the sky on a clear day, sparkling along with her smile. A lump of sadness clogged his throat once more, as he realized he would never see her smile again.<\/p>\n

He reached out to touch her face\u2026<\/p>\n

In a violent thrash of covers, he saw her arm fly up off the bed. Her hand, stiff and hooked like claws, latched onto his wrist in a grip that was shockingly strong. He cried out in disbelief and horror as his dead wife raised her head from the pillows, an animalistic growl expelling from her chest. Instinctively, he tried to pull away, as her vice-like grip wrenched his arm towards her mouth, which was wide open, her teeth bared. He struggled and finally yanked away from her grasp, falling backwards off the bed with the force of the pull.<\/p>\n

He got quickly to his hands and knees, then scrambled to his feet. He wasn\u2019t able to think clearly, as adrenaline took over his body, but somewhere in the back of his mind, the voice of reason seemed to say, This is a nightmare. This has to be a nightmare. Wake up! Why won\u2019t you wake up?<\/i><\/p>\n

\u201cWake up\u2026 Brian, wake up!\u201d<\/p>\n

Brian\u2019s eyes flew open.\u00a0 He was bewildered to find himself lying on the stone floor beside the mattress he shared with Gretchen.\u00a0 She was leaning over him, her hand on his shoulder.<\/p>\n

\u201cS-sorry,\u201d he stammered, as he came to his senses, realizing he had tried to shake her off in the throes of his nightmare.\u00a0 \u201cYou okay?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cAre you?\u201d she countered, her eyes wide with concern.<\/p>\n

\u201cYeah\u2026 just another-\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cNightmare?\u201d she supplied sympathetically, and he nodded.\u00a0 \u201cI know.\u00a0 I\u2019m sorry.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cI\u2019m<\/i> sorry,\u201d he apologized.\u00a0 \u201cDid I wake you?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cNot at all.\u00a0 I was trying to wake you.\u201d\u00a0 Though the look of fear hadn\u2019t left her eyes, she suddenly smiled.\u00a0 \u201cI think it\u2019s time.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cTime?\u201d Brian repeated, his heart leaping back into his throat.<\/p>\n

\u201cI\u2019m pretty sure I\u2019m in labor.\u00a0 I was having some cramps before bed, nothing major, but they\u2019ve gotten a lot stronger, strong enough to wake me up.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cContractions?\u201d<\/p>\n

She bit down on her bottom lip and nodded.\u00a0 \u201cI think so.\u00a0 I tried to time them for awhile before I woke you up.\u00a0 They\u2019re coming every ten minutes or so.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cSounds like contractions,\u201d he agreed, though he couldn\u2019t relate to what she must have been feeling.\u00a0 \u201cShould we get Selena?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cNo need.\u00a0 I\u2019m up,\u201d said a weary voice.\u00a0 Brian looked over and saw Selena sitting up on her pallet in the corner.\u00a0 \u201cHow could you possibly expect me to sleep through your bloody screaming?\u201d<\/p>\n

He looked at Gretchen in horror.\u00a0 \u201cWas I that bad?\u201d<\/p>\n

She bit her lip again, suppressing a smile.\u00a0 \u201cYou may have freaked out just a little.\u201d<\/p>\n

Brian sighed.\u00a0 \u201cSorry, everyone.\u201d<\/p>\n

Those whom he\u2019d woken grunted their forgiveness.\u00a0 \u201cIs Gretchen really in labor?\u201d a small voice called out in excitement.<\/p>\n

\u201cEarly labor, Gabby,\u201d Gretchen called back.\u00a0 \u201cIt\u2019ll be awhile yet.\u00a0 Go back to sleep.\u201d<\/p>\n

Brian shook his head.\u00a0 This was one of the many disadvantages to sleeping in close quarters.\u00a0 There were no secrets, no privacy; everyone heard everything.\u00a0 He\u2019d put up with it during the winter, when most of the group had huddled in one chamber for warmth.\u00a0 But in the height of summer, there was really no need to be so close together.\u00a0 He knew it made some of them feel safer to stay in the same room, but when the baby arrived, he and Gretchen would spread out, find their own space to sleep in and spare the others the sound of the baby\u2019s cries.\u00a0 Hopefully by the time the temperature dropped again, the baby would start sleeping through the night.\u00a0 Assuming it survived that long.<\/p>\n

With a shudder, Brian tried to shake off such thoughts.\u00a0 Now was not the time for negativity.\u00a0 He had to stay positive and be strong for Gretchen.\u00a0 She needed him now, more than ever.<\/p>\n

***<\/p>\n

\u201cPush!\u201d Selena barked, as Gretchen cried out with the pain of another contraction.\u00a0 She\u2019d been pushing for over an hour already, and her strength was sapped.\u00a0 Brian could feel it in the pressure she put on his hand.\u00a0 When she\u2019d first started to push, Gretchen had squeezed it so hard, he feared he might lose his fingers.\u00a0 Between contractions, she\u2019d offered a sheepish smile and apologized for cutting off his circulation.\u00a0 Now her grip was so weak, his fingers kept slipping out of her sweaty hand.\u00a0 The contractions were coming so close together now, she had no time to rest in between, and without the strength left to smile, she could only cry.<\/p>\n

\u201cStop that!\u201d snapped Selena, as tears mixed with the sweat dripping down Gretchen\u2019s face.\u00a0 \u201cDon\u2019t waste your energy crying.\u00a0 Push<\/i>, damn it!\u201d<\/p>\n

Gretchen gritted her teeth, grunting with exertion.\u00a0 Brian wiped her forehead with a wet cloth, wishing he could do more.\u00a0 His wife\u2019s labor had lasted all day, finally progressing to the point where Selena thought she should start pushing around sundown.\u00a0 As dusk fell, the temperature outside dropped, but it was still stifling hot inside the darkening castle, where Selena had been forced to light candles to see what she was doing inside the makeshift birthing chamber.\u00a0 The heat from their flames only added to Gretchen\u2019s discomfort.<\/p>\n

\u201cCome on, love, keep pushing!\u201d coached Abby, who was down at the end of the bed, gripping one of Gretchen\u2019s feet.\u00a0 Riley was on the other side, holding down the other one, while Brian stayed at the head of the bed, holding her hand.\u00a0 He tried to soothe her as the women shouted directions, their voices growing more and more shrill.\u00a0 He could sense that even Selena, who was usually so self-assured, was feeling the stress of the situation.\u00a0 Gretchen was giving it all she had left, her back arching above the mattress with the effort of pushing, but still, the baby seemed to be stuck inside the birth canal.<\/p>\n

When the contraction ended, Gretchen flopped back down onto the mattress, breathing raggedly.\u00a0 Brian moved to the foot of the bed, where Selena and In-Su were working in tandem.\u00a0 \u201cIs something wrong?\u201d he asked them in a hushed voice, not wanting to worry Gretchen.\u00a0 \u201cWhy is it taking so long?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cBabies take time,\u201d said In-Su in his soft, Korean accent.\u00a0 \u201cBe patient.\u00a0 It will come when it is ready.\u201d<\/p>\n

Brian looked at Selena, who seemed less certain.\u00a0 He could see the apprehension in her eyes.\u00a0 \u201cI don\u2019t know how much more of this she can take,\u201d he whispered, glancing at Gretchen.\u00a0 \u201cShe\u2019s exhausted.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cI wish there was something more I could give her, but I can\u2019t this close to delivery,\u201d said Selena.\u00a0 \u201cIt\u2019s not safe for the baby.\u201d<\/p>\n

He sighed, feeling frustrated and helpless.\u00a0 He was glad he\u2019d never had to see Leighanne in this kind of pain when she gave birth to the twins, but now he wished, for Gretchen\u2019s sake, that he had \u2013 maybe it would have better prepared him, equipped him with some idea of how to help her.\u00a0 When the next contraction hit, all he could do was return to her side and take her hand again, hoping it would be for the last time.<\/p>\n

\u201cPush!\u201d Selena screamed, as Gretchen squeezed her eyes shut and bore down.\u00a0 \u201cThat\u2019s it.\u00a0 I think I see the head!\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cReally?\u201d gasped Gretchen, her eyes popping open.<\/p>\n

\u201cYes\u2026 yes, I can feel its hair!\u201d\u00a0 Selena laughed, looking relieved.\u00a0 \u201cKeep pushing; you\u2019re almost there!\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cYou hear that?\u201d Brian asked, rubbing the back of her hand.\u00a0 \u201cAlmost there.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cYou\u2019re doing great, Gretchen, keep going!\u201d Riley chimed in.<\/p>\n

The added encouragement seemed to give Gretchen one last burst of energy.\u00a0 With a groan that rivaled that of the ghouls outside, she gripped Brian\u2019s hand and the side of the bed and pushed with all her might.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe head\u2019s out!\u201d Selena cried, and Brian couldn\u2019t help it; he had to look.\u00a0 Sneaking a peek beneath the blanket they\u2019d draped over Gretchen\u2019s knees, he saw a sleek head of hair, a scrunched-up face, and a small nose, and his breath caught in his throat.<\/p>\n

For a few seconds, he could scarcely breathe, let alone speak, but finally, he whispered, \u201cIncredible.\u201d\u00a0 There were no other words to describe what he was seeing, what he was feeling, the miracle that was occurring in their midst.\u00a0 \u201cI wish you could see this, Gretch.\u201d<\/p>\n

He looked back at his wife just in time to see her eyes roll back into her head.\u00a0 \u201cGretchen?\u201d he shouted, as her chin slumped to her chest.\u00a0 Her grip on his hand had slackened, and he watched with dismay as her hand slipped out of his and fell limply at her side.\u00a0 \u201cSomething\u2019s wrong!\u201d he alerted Selena.\u00a0 \u201cWhat happened to her?\u201d<\/p>\n

Selena shoved him aside and took Gretchen\u2019s wrist to check her pulse.\u00a0 \u201cShe\u2019s just blacked out, probably from the pain.\u00a0 Her pulse is pounding.\u201d\u00a0 She roughly rubbed the back of Gretchen\u2019s hand.\u00a0 \u201cWake up, Gretchen.\u00a0 Come on now.\u201d\u00a0 When that didn\u2019t work, she slapped Gretchen\u2019s cheek.\u00a0 \u201cI said, wake up!\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cWhat are you doing?!\u201d Brian protested, pushing Selena away from his wife.\u00a0 \u201cDon\u2019t hit her!\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cFine, then you wake her!\u00a0 Splash some water on her face; do whatever it takes to bring her \u2018round.\u00a0 We need her conscious to deliver the rest of this baby \u2013 otherwise, it\u2019ll suffocate.\u00a0 Unless you want your baby to die, you\u2019d better wake her the fuck up!\u201d<\/p>\n

Frantically, Brian plunged the washcloth he\u2019d been using to mop Gretchen\u2019s brow back into the basin of water.\u00a0 Without bothering to wring it out, he wiped it over Gretchen\u2019s face, wetting her cheeks and forehead.\u00a0 \u201cC\u2019mon, honey,\u201d he whispered.\u00a0 \u201cWake up now.\u201d<\/p>\n

Gretchen\u2019s eyelids fluttered open, and she looked up at him in confusion.\u00a0 \u201cIs it over?\u201d she asked groggily.<\/p>\n

\u201cAlmost.\u201d\u00a0 He smoothed her sweat-soaked hair back from her forehead.\u00a0 \u201cOne more big push should do it.\u00a0 You ready?\u201d<\/p>\n

She nodded, crying out in agony as the next contraction hit.\u00a0 \u201cPush!\u201d chanted her chorus of supporters, and as she pushed, Brian saw his baby\u2019s body slide out into Selena\u2019s hands.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt\u2019s a girl,\u201d Selena said grimly as she flipped the baby over, scooping it into her arms.<\/p>\n

\u201cDid you hear that?\u00a0 Another girl\u2026\u201d murmured Brian.\u00a0 Tears blurred his vision as he watched Selena suction the baby\u2019s mouth and nose with a small bulb syringe.\u00a0 He remembering being in the operating room with Leighanne and seeing each of his twin daughters for the first time.\u00a0 The third time wasn\u2019t any less momentous.\u00a0 Under the extreme circumstances they\u2019d faced, it was maybe even more so.\u00a0 Overcome with emotion, he let the tears \u2013 tears of joy, tears of heartache \u2013 trickle down his face.<\/p>\n

Then Gretchen said, \u201cI don\u2019t hear her.\u00a0 Why can\u2019t I hear her crying?\u201d<\/p>\n

The others exchanged worried glances, as Selena looked up.\u00a0 Through his tears, Brian could see the shaken expression upon her face.\u00a0 \u201cShe\u2019s not breathing.\u201d<\/p>\n

Panic set in.\u00a0 \u201cGive her here,\u201d demanded Brian, wrenching his infant daughter out of Selena\u2019s arms.\u00a0 Her body felt feather-light and limp, almost lifeless.\u00a0 He lay her flat across the foot of the bed, barely taking in the bluish tone of her floppy arms and legs as he lowered his face to hers and breathed into her tiny mouth and nose.\u00a0 He could taste blood as he pulled back to watch her narrow chest rise.\u00a0 It was as if he had entered one of his nightmares.\u00a0 \u201cNot again,\u201d he whispered, remembering the way he had breathed for Bonnie, pumping her chest until her ribs cracked under the pressure of his hands.\u00a0 \u201cPlease\u2026\u201d\u00a0 He couldn\u2019t lose another daughter, not like this.\u00a0 \u201cPlease\u2026\u201d<\/p>\n

The night he\u2019d lost his family, there had been no one to hear his desperate pleas.\u00a0 But this time, his prayers were answered.\u00a0 With a faint cough, the baby expelled the fluid left in her lungs and took her first breath of air.\u00a0 Crying with relief, Brian watched her tiny chest expand, listening to the air rattle in and out of her lungs as she threw back her head and started wailing.\u00a0 It was the most blessed sound Brian had ever heard.<\/p>\n

\u201cCan you hear her now?\u201d he asked, glancing back at Gretchen.<\/p>\n

She looked exhausted, but she was smiling.\u00a0 \u201cI hear her.\u201d<\/p>\n

***<\/p>\n

It was close to midnight, and something evil was lurking in the dark.\u00a0 Under the moonlight, a horde of zombies had amassed on the bridge outside the main entrance to the castle, eagerly awaiting their turn to meet the newborn baby.\u00a0 Brian could smell their stench through the windows and hear them moaning outside the stone walls.<\/p>\n

\u201cThey had to have heard all that screaming,\u201d Selena said afterwards, when AJ came to tell her they had visitors.\u00a0 \u201cOr smelled the blood.\u00a0 Here, why don\u2019t you throw them a bit of placenta?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cStop,\u201d said Brian, as AJ jumped back, revolted.\u00a0 Selena just rolled her eyes, balling up the bloody sheet on which Gretchen had given birth.<\/p>\n

\u201cDude, that is sick!\u00a0 Good thing I never knocked up a chick \u2013 as far as I know, anyway.\u201d\u00a0 AJ chuckled.<\/p>\n

\u201cLike any self-respecting woman would want to have your baby,\u201d Selena sniffed.<\/p>\n

\u201cShe wouldn\u2019t have much of a choice these days, sweetheart,\u201d AJ shot back.<\/p>\n

The two of them bickered back and forth for awhile, their favorite form of flirting.\u00a0 Brian tried his best to tune them out.\u00a0 Everyone was exhausted.\u00a0 He had been awake for almost twenty-four hours, too wired to sleep.<\/p>\n

While the others drifted off to bed, leaving AJ and Kevin to keep an eye on the undead, Brian sat up with Gretchen, watching her sleep.\u00a0 He was glad she, at least, was finally getting some rest.\u00a0 As he rocked his baby daughter slowly back and forth, he could feel his body starting to relax.\u00a0 His arms felt heavy, and his eyelids drooped, but he fought against the fatigue, wanting to be there when Gretchen woke up.<\/p>\n

She had been out for several hours before she finally stirred.\u00a0 \u201cHey there,\u201d said Brian softly, as she struggled to open her eyes.\u00a0 \u201cHow ya feelin\u2019?\u201d<\/p>\n

Gretchen groaned.\u00a0 \u201cLike I just had my insides ripped out.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cAnd here she is,\u201d replied Brian with a grin, holding up the baby for her to see.<\/p>\n

Gretchen smiled tiredly.\u00a0 \u201cShe\u2019s beautiful.\u00a0 Is she all right?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cShe\u2019s perfect,\u201d Brian assured her.\u00a0 \u201cYou wanna hold her?\u201d<\/p>\n

Gretchen nodded, and he helped her prop herself up in bed.\u00a0 She moved gingerly, grimacing with pain.\u00a0 \u201cWhat happened to me?\u201d she wondered.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt was pretty scary for awhile there,\u201d he admitted.\u00a0 \u201cYou blacked out during the delivery \u2013 do you remember?\u00a0 And you lost a lot of blood delivering the placenta.\u00a0 Your blood pressure dropped, and you passed out again.\u00a0 We weren\u2019t sure what was gonna happen, but Selena stopped the bleeding eventually.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cIt was the same way after my miscarriage,\u201d she said quietly.\u00a0 \u201cI lost so much blood, I had to have a transfusion.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cThank God you did, or you wouldn\u2019t be here today.\u201d\u00a0 They smiled, grateful for the connection they shared, the bond of blood that had given them both immunity to the virus.\u00a0 Brian prayed they had passed the same antibodies along to their daughter.\u00a0 \u201cHere,\u201d he said, handing her to Gretchen.\u00a0 \u201cTime for our baby girl to meet her mama.\u201d<\/p>\n

Gretchen beamed down at the little bundle in her arms.\u00a0 The stress her body had been under had stained dark circles under her eyes, but her happiness gave her a warm glow that lit up her whole face.\u00a0 She looked haggard, but beautiful.\u00a0 \u201cWhat are we going to call her?\u201d she wanted to know.<\/p>\n

Finally, the time had come to talk about names.\u00a0 It was an astonishingly short discussion.\u00a0 \u201cI think we should call her Evette,\u201d Brian suggested.\u00a0 \u201cLike a little Eve\u2026 the first woman born in the new world.\u201d<\/p>\n

Gretchen smiled as she was struck by the Biblical significance.\u00a0 \u201cEvette,\u201d she repeated, testing the name on her tongue.\u00a0 \u201cI like it.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cEvette it is, then.\u201d\u00a0\u00a0 Brian bent down and kissed the baby on her forehead.\u00a0 Her skin was silky smooth, her hair feathery soft.\u00a0 Gretchen\u2019s lips were dry and cracked by comparison, but he kissed them, too.\u00a0 \u201cI\u2019m proud of you,\u201d he told her.\u00a0 \u201cI can\u2019t imagine how painful that must have been, but you pushed through it.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cLiterally,\u201d added Gretchen.<\/p>\n

He grinned.\u00a0 \u201cLiterally.\u00a0 You\u2019re amazing.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cI couldn\u2019t have done it without you.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cLiterally,\u201d echoed Brian, and she laughed.\u00a0 He stood up, stretching his arms above his head.\u00a0 \u201cListen, why don\u2019t you enjoy some time with Evette?\u00a0 I\u2019ve had her to myself all night.\u00a0 I\u2019m gonna get some air.\u00a0 I won\u2019t be long.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cOkay,\u201d Gretchen agreed.\u00a0 As he walked away, Brian could hear her cooing, \u201cHi, Evette… It\u2019s Mommy\u2026\u201d<\/p>\n

Smiling to himself, he made his way to the top of the North tower, where Kevin and AJ were keeping watch.\u00a0 \u201cHey cous, congratulations,\u201d said Kevin, slinging an arm around Brian\u2019s shoulders.\u00a0 \u201cHow\u2019s the little one?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cEvette is doing great.\u00a0 Gretchen\u2019s got her now.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cEvette?\u00a0 Cool name,\u201d said AJ, after Brian had explained its significance.\u00a0 \u201cSo how come you\u2019re up here instead of chilling with your wife and kid?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cI just needed some fresh air.\u00a0 I\u2019ve been cooped up inside the castle all day long.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cAh.\u00a0 Well, enjoy.\u201d\u00a0 AJ swept his hand toward the open window.\u00a0 \u201cThe air\u2019s not exactly \u2018fresh,\u2019 though.\u201d<\/p>\n

Far from it, the air was ripe with the smell of rotting flesh.\u00a0 Brian wrinkled his nose. \u00a0\u201cI know.\u201d\u00a0 He sighed.\u00a0 \u201cDo you think Evette will ever know what fresh air really smells like?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cSomeday, she will,\u201d said Kevin.\u00a0 \u201cSomeday, all these dead bodies will have rotted away.\u00a0 I mean, look how badly they\u2019re decaying now.\u00a0 Then we\u2019ll have fresh air and fertile soil.\u00a0 And we won\u2019t have to worry about zombies anymore.\u00a0 We\u2019ll be able to start over, rebuild society.\u201d<\/p>\n

Brian looked out the window, past the pack of zombies, toward the rolling meadows and hills that lay beyond.\u00a0 \u201cYou really think they\u2019ll all be gone someday?\u201d\u00a0 It seemed like wishful thinking, but then, he\u2019d already witnessed one of his wishes coming true that day.<\/p>\n

\u201cI do,\u201d Kevin reaffirmed.\u00a0 \u201cSomeday soon.\u201d<\/p>\n

And what then?<\/i> Brian wondered.\u00a0 Would they continue to live in the castle, which had been their safe haven for the last few months?\u00a0 Or would they spread out?\u00a0 Move on?\u00a0 Where would they go?<\/p>\n

What would life be like for Evette, growing up in this post-apocalyptic world?\u00a0 It was a question Brian had tried to avoid dwelling on during Gretchen\u2019s pregnancy, knowing that his child might not make it to adulthood.\u00a0 He wasn\u2019t even sure she\u2019d make it out of the womb.\u00a0 But now that he\u2019d welcomed his daughter into the world, he had to wonder, what did the future have in store for his new family?<\/p>\n

Fear of the unknown had kept him awake at night, as he lay in bed imagining all the worst-case scenarios, dreading the likelihood of losing the woman he loved and their child all over again.\u00a0 After Evette arrived safely, he\u2019d felt as if the weight of the world had been lifted off his shoulders.\u00a0 And now, his cousin\u2019s words had given him something new to think about.\u00a0 Although he was still exhausted, Brian felt much better.\u00a0 Far from fearful, he felt\u2026 hopeful.<\/p>\n

It was a welcomed relief to crawl back into bed beside Gretchen, safe in the knowledge that his wife and daughter were both alive and well.\u00a0 If not for the infant crying from her makeshift crib in the night, he would have slept soundly.<\/p>\n

***<\/p>\n

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