The crimson moon remained shattered and its shards like stars dyed the night sky red. Instead of unsettling her the sight of the broken moon filled Rana with an ethereal sense of comfort. She knew the feeling wouldn’t last. She knew she had to treasure it. Still, she cannot. There were more pressing matters.

When she heard the whispered voice and ran towards a faintly lit exit out of the hall where she awoke she was lead to a path full of twist and turns. The narrow corridors were pitch black except for a single wisp of light that eventually lead her to an exit where the night sky rested.

Rana turned her gaze to the hooded woman in front of her.

Rana didn’t know who the hooded woman was or if the voice she heard was even from the person standing in front of her. Their entire body was covered under a ragged cloak that even the poorest of commoners could afford better. The only reason she believed the person to be a woman was of the voice earlier.

The woman began walking towards Rana and she instinctively took a step back. Her mind was alert and a small part of her wanted to run but the woman was the first lead she had to her current predicament so Rana stood her ground. The woman stopped just a few steps in front of Rana and beneath the shadows of her hood revealed blood red lips. Rana was now sure that the hooded stranger was a woman.

The woman gave Rana a good look, examining the girl from head to toe. Rana shivered, something she didn’t know was possible. Even though she couldn’t see them the eyes under the hood felt colder than her own undead body. Its chill violated her, pierced into her soul. Rana wanted to run but she couldn’t. Space was frozen under the woman’s gaze and Rana could do nothing but endure.

“How interesting. I did not believe it possible but here you are with the body of the dead but the mind of the living. Even though your revival seems incomplete you are absolutely functional,” said the same hollowed voice she heard in the hall. The red lips then smirked and the woman continued with a voice like whisper in the ear. Soft, clear, and sensual. “I do wonder what changes a being would undergo if they were brought back from the void. Don’t you feel cold? I would offer you some cover but perhaps one’s sense of modesty differs when they experienced the void and enjoy the display?”

Rana frowned for a moment before she realized what the woman was implying. She quickly covered her modesty and it confirmed her suspicion before she even looked down. The cracked crevices and distinct tips she felt indicated she was exposed and bare.

Rana wanted to cover herself but for what reason she didn’t know. She wasn’t ashamed for exposing herself to a stranger nor did her state of undress particularly embolden her. Was she an audacious person in life or did Rana simply wanted a sense of normalcy? Whatever the reason was she knew at least for optics sake she needed some clothes.

“…”

Rana tried to speak but no words came out of her mouth. She wondered if she had became mute in this state but her coarse mumbles and the vibration in her vocal cords gave her hope that she simply hadn’t gotten used to her bodily functions yet. Whatever remained of them that was. She reached out one of her hand in an open palm and directed it towards the hooded woman.

“What is this? ”If you stay your tongue I would not be able to tell the exacts of your desire,” the woman asked as she tilted her head. The smirk never left her face. “Do not be so tense. Even though I may appear to be of a disreputable kind you do not need to fear me. I am no monster. I don’t bite.”

The last few words gave Rana a pause. She was so caught up with the immediate physicality of her situation she had neglected to consider the overreaching consequences of her current state of being. She was a zombie, a monster that ate human flesh to sustain itself. She was no longer human. Rana was an enemy to humanity, an entity born from darkness and warped by hatred. She stood on the opposite side of the eternal war than where she once was. She was on the side that yearned for nothing but complete destruction.

Rana broke away from the horrible thought and faced the woman who brought them to her. The smirk under the hood was wider and she knew that an eyebrow was raised under the shadows. The woman was amused and knew Rana realized the gravity of her situation.

Rana could only glare at the hooded figure. She didn’t know why she directed her anger at the person in front of her. She only knew that the horror of becoming a zombie, the slowly sinking dread of being a monster, was incomparable to the fury she felt when the woman insinuated that Rana would stand on the opposite side of humanity.

The woman compared Rana to monsters that slaughter without mercy, indiscriminately, and brutally. It was unforgivable.

The woman chuckled after seeing Rana’s glare.

“My apologies. It was just a jest. Understand that you need time before your body adjusted to the undead life after being in slumber for so long,” the woman said, her voice lacked any sincerity. She reached within her cloak and pulled out a robe. Before Rana could understand where the woman managed to store the garment, she felt an intense gaze within the shadows under the hood. “Jest it may be, there is still truth within. Whether it rings pleasant to your ears or is a toll of dread you must not for one moment believe you are still human. Not in body nor in mind.”

Rana took a step back. The voice was still a whisper but the intensity overwhelmed her.

No. The woman was wrong.

Rana stood her ground and met the gaze under the shadows. She was still a human. No matter what happened to her body her mind was still her own. The void violated her, hurt her in ways that could never be put into words or even thoughts. She still survived. Rana would never abandon the light and would never succumb to what her body had become.

“If that is what you wish then so be it,” the woman said after what felt like a sigh.

The woman then offered Rana the robe in her hand which Rana cautiously took and eventually put on. The fabric was cheap and crude but it was at least in good condition. There were no tears or broken patches, unlike the woman’s cloak.

Rana didn’t know why the woman didn’t wear the robe instead but her naked body was finally covered. If only she could still feel warmth.

“Let us depart,” the woman said, the intensity behind the hood from earlier disappeared into nowhere. “I know there are many answers you seek from me but for now they do not seem to be a possibility for you. Fret not. There is still time before the severity of your predicament will begin to surface. For now you just need to follow.”

Rana tried to speak again.

“Do not try, child. Even if you were to procure an utterance it will not be enough for anything meaningful.”

Rana didn’t care.

“What is so urgent that you must say now?”

Rana grunted and gargled her dry throat. Each inhumane growl chilled her heart but she continued. Even though they were sounds lacking in meaning, there was meaning for her action. She had to try.

“Does the idea of no longer being human frighten you? If so, your fears are misplaced and your efforts even more so. Your voice will not regain what you have lost nor will it prove the existence of things not meant to be.”

The woman was right but Rana refused to back down. It might ultimately prove meaningless but she had to try. With every passing minute her doubt grew and her hold on her humanity faltered. Even if it was for but a moment she wanted to feel that she was still human. She had her mind and that was supposed to be enough. It was not. Rana didn’t just want to know she was human, she wanted to feel human.

“If you continue to linger however, even the chance of pretending will cease to exist.”

The woman turned around and Rana could do nothing but follow.