Elegy for the Undead by Matthew Vesely

Author:Matthew Vesely
Language: eng
Format: epub
Tags: FICTION / Horror, FICTION / LGBT / Gay, FICTION / Science Fiction / Apocalyptic & Post-Apocalyptic
ISBN: 9781941360460
Publisher: Lanternfish Press
Published: 2020-10-13T00:00:00+00:00

I stood in the kitchen, unhurt apart from the cut on my leg and the burn on my arm. Lyle was motionless…but then he wasn’t. My right hand was clenched into a fist. The scissors were on the floor. My knuckles hurt. A purple bruise was spreading across them.

Lyle started gagging, and I felt my heart sink again.

But when he threw up it was only vomit, not blood. It mixed with the now-room-temperature water, spreading in little streams along the tiles, puddling on the crumpled petals of dead flowers. Lyle wiped his face and looked at me.

“Your leg,” he said.

I looked down and saw there was blood on my shoe.

“Jude.” He stared at the blood. “I’m so sorry.”

He was crying, and that made me pity him, but it also made me happy to see his remorse. I smiled. He was back.

I sat down against the lower cabinets, which he hadn’t ripped apart. It looked as if he was now the one scared of me. “Come sit with me,” I said.

He stumbled over and sat down beside me, shoulder to shoulder. For a moment, we were quiet.

“Are you scared of me?” Lyle asked.

Rain pattered against the window. Soft, grey light came through the glass, illuminating the dust floating in our kitchen. We’d always wanted to replace the dim ceiling fixtures, but we never had.

“Please give me the knife.” I laid my palm open on my lap.

Lyle placed the knife on the tile and slid it into the center of the floor, where it caught in the mixture of glass and water and vomit. The kitchen was quiet again. I placed my head on Lyle’s shoulder. “I’m terrified of you,” I said. “But I’m more petrified for you.”

“I feel worse,” Lyle said. He held my hand. “I love you.”

I squeezed his hand back. “I love you more than I’m scared of you.”

I felt Lyle shake his head. “I’m not gonna live long,” Lyle said. “But I don’t think I can stay here knowing I could hurt you. I wish I could spend time with you, go to wineries together or hang out with our friends.” He paused. “But they’re dead, and you’re the only thing I have left. I can’t hurt you.”

I put Lyle to bed early, kissed his forehead, and wished him good night. Then I called Dr. Cerrone and told her what had happened. The next day, a nurse came over to help Lyle pack his things. She was kind, but Lyle was mostly dismissive of her suggestions. I packed the important things he ignored and left the stuff that I could bring him later if he wanted. The nurse insisted that Lyle ride in her van, but I insisted I take him myself. I became almost as dismissive as Lyle. The nurse had no choice but to agree.

Download

Copyright Disclaimer:
This site does not store any files on its server. We only index and link to content provided by other sites. Please contact the content providers to delete copyright contents if any and email us, we'll remove relevant links or contents immediately.