Chapter 13: Love & Hatred
Elysee Palace
France
The moonlight seeped through the foggy night, illuminating the drenched alleyways and the barren streets. The Elysee Palace stood in the shadows, lamps mostly turned off to evade unwanted attention. But even something hidden in the dark will eventually be stumbled upon, and they were no exception.
The lifeless corpse slowly crept its way onto the foyer. Her footsteps went unheard even in the silence of the night. Her decaying frame went unnoticed even in the bright glow of the moon. She pushed the glass doors ever so gently, letting herself into the quiet apartment. The room was unlit, sending the undead stumbling every once in a while. But when she tripped over for the third time in the night, the voices were loud enough to echo throughout the chamber.
It was then Andre opened his eyes. His hands delicately searched for his illusory wife by his side. Unable to find her, Andre rubbed his grogginess away, walking towards the noise, not knowing he was trotting towards danger-- A threat which could have been eluded. But Andre's love for his wife was blind enough to neglect his own health and well-being, and following his wife in the middle of the night was something he could always do without a second thought. How could he have known that he was walking towards a decaying corpse, but one that isn't his beloved?
The darkness of the room and the drowsiness from the sleep further affected Andre's illusions. The mindless undead that ravaged the world was almost non-existent in his thoughts. Thus, finding a silhouette resembling his wife nearby the refrigerator raised no suspicions in his mind. He walked towards the lifeless frame, compassion for his pregnant wife, the only thoughts wandering in his mind, "Lily, you need something?"
The disfigured woman spun around, almost as if in shock for a fraction of a second. Her lifeless grey skin and the carved out lungs- aside from her ripped hair and deformed arms- were enough to send Andre back to reality, crushing the looming drowsiness with the waves of an adrenaline rush. It struck him hard-- that feeling of being woken up from a terrifying dream. But the circumstances shifted in his misfortune-- reality being the horrible nightmare he wished he could wake out of.
His eyes widened with disbelief, but his legs froze in place. He wanted to scream, but his voice clung to his throat. His heart throbbed so fast that he could feel them upon his chest. Even as the frigid figure leapt upon him and sunk its teeth deep into his neck, he couldn't bring himself to fight. The pain seared through his entire body, but in fact, he had never felt more alive-- and the memories he rewrote to bring himself peace resurfaced, erupting him into a scream he held inside for too long.
Eze, France
A year ago.
Delilah Renee Dubois. He called her Lily. For Andre, she was the most beautiful woman in the world. And him, the luckiest man to win her heart. Everything about her was perfect. Magnificent. Blonde curly hair fluttering in the air, those deep brown eyes one can't help but stare into, her thin red lips, and oh, that smile. He could forever watch that smile by the sunset, staring into her eyes, if time was ever to freeze them for eternity. How much he wished it did!
They fell too hard for each other. Andre and Lily were the kind of couple someone on a tiresome evening walk couldn't help but notice. Trapped in a separate world where everything is perfect, unaware of whatever befalls around them; To whom happiness was a state and not mere moments. The kind of love that makes a young child fantasize about humanity. They never stopped smiling because they never had a reason to. As long as they could hold one another in their arms, time was too short, and the world was too fast. They never felt the years that went by.
When he placed that little handmade floral tiara above her hair, Andre found his memories rushing all the way back to their wedding day. It was ironic that a hopeless romantic like Andre would wish the day never ended-- when the two climbed upon the terrace because his whimsical wife was too desperate to watch the night sky. She rested her head on his shoulder, her hand on his chest-- her smile brighter than ever. One of those smiles that people gave out when their biggest dreams came true.
But when he held her by the side of the neck and left a gentle kiss on her forehead, Andre knew that was the last time he could keep her close. The last time he could feel her warmth. Standing by the side of the iron railings on the balcony, the evening sun graced them, descending down the horizon. He watched her smile with tears on her eyes, her arms squeezing his-- reassuring he would be alright. But her bleeding left arm wasn't as strong as her right. When she closed his eyes with her palms, Andre never knew not knowing the truth would leave him with hope. But when he opened them, she was no longer by his side.
Elysee Palace
Present Day
"Lily," Andre found himself on the ground behind the buildings. He could see the balcony of his apartment five floors above. Though his back felt numb, he could no longer feel the pain. What alerted him was something else- his wedding ring. It must have fallen off somewhere, so he searched among the rubble and the dried leaves like a wild beast. But he stopped at the sight of something. Someone.
He knew those sandals like the palm of his hand. The beige straps, the ivory soles, the two pearls at the front-- they were too tight, right from their wedding day. Lily. Every time he came back from work to find her reading on the couch, there was a particular rhythm his heart followed. Like, a child about to enter the stage or a man walking down the wedding aisle. And once their eyes met and he could see her smile, his knees felt weak, and he dropped down right beside her to settle on her lap.
Andre limped his way towards her, unable to walk. Tears formed at the edge of his eyes as he clung around her legs like a desperate toddler unwilling to let go. But as he hoisted himself up and held her by her cold arms, gazing right into her eyes, he felt different. Those eyes no longer had the depth which one couldn't help falling into. He didn't see in her wooden stare a light of recognition. He was a stranger to his beloved. Even in the worst of days, there was something special about her eyes. But now, they were vacant. Void of emotions. She was not his Lily. He wished he could see her smile once more.
The sun peeked at the couple from behind the horizon. Signs of a new day spread across the blue-tinted skies. The trees surrounding them seemed to mourn the painful reunion of the two. Andre held her by the side of her neck, leaving a gentle kiss on her forehead. The dried leaves crunched under their feet as he pulled her frigid frame closer-- a hand behind her neck and one above her waist. Squeezing her tight one last time, he twisted her neck as swift as he could, dropping her to the moist ground. She was not his Lily.
As Andre walked away into the middle of nowhere, his trembling fingers wandering over the wedding ring, he could sense someone calling to him. A ferryman. Someone who promised to bring the world the peace it long lost. Someone who could deliver them from the chaos that killed his Lily. He stood before the cliff, watching the sun ascend the horizon on a forsaken world. No, this world doesn't deserve peace anymore.