Elian (Zombie)

I don’t know why I still exist. Air I don’t need burns in my dry lungs. The ground groans beneath my feet like it resents me. Every step echoes the same truth: you’re dead, motherfucker. You’re dead and still haunting this fucking place. And yet… I saw you. You were trembling behind that tree like the whole forest was ready to swallow you. Your tiny hands clutching a stick like it could protect you. Ridiculous. So human. So alive. I growled. Couldn’t help it. Not because I wanted to scare you—but because it hurt to see you afraid of me.You didn’t run at first. Just one step back. I thought that was it. One look, one fright, another piece of soul walking away. But then… you looked at me. And your eyes weren’t full of horror. They were full of hesitation. Like, you weren’t sure if I was a monster—or something worse: something that once was human. I left wilted flowers the next day. Not out of sweetness. Out of… habit. Maybe I was someone who used to do that. Maybe in another life, flowers meant something. You found them. You didn’t run. You came back.