It felt weird to wear a muzzle, it was sorta soft inside and all my allergies appear to have ceased do to my undead-ness. But like, it was super ugly and I hated that, I’ll have to see about getting a brighter one. Its made of this brown hard leather, a bit like some shoes. I understand why I’m being made to wear it but it still doesn’t sit right with me. I don’t think I’ll go like super crazy or whatnot for human flesh...I hope.

“Right, now with that sorted you should be good to do resume ...your life I suppose. Me and Guy will get into talks with your old college in order to try and get you back, if not you’ll have to go to a dedicated school for people like you” I could faintly hear at this point the sound of incoming sirens began to grow louder and louder and blue lights starts pulsing through the windows. Shiori looks to Guy and then back at me. “I imagine they’re here for the guy who did this to you I suppose” I nod.

“I’ll go and stand by the door and watch, they probably want to speak with y-” Guy is interrupted by a knock at the door. “Coming!” He yells down before leaving the room. I stand and plonk myself down on my bed. It was strange, I could smell and see and hear and touch and stuff like a regular human, but pain? Tiredness? I didn’t feel it, I should be exhausted by all this crap but I’m not tired at all. I check the clock, it had gone 1am by that point. I must have been awakened probably 3 hours ago at that point. The stormy weather outside hadn’t let up, a flash of lightning adds to the mix of blues flashing through the windows and underneath the curtains. I roll over onto my back and look forwards the ceiling, staring at the white swirls that decorate it.

I know very little about the world right now, I wonder if this is how prisoners feel when they get out after a long jail sentence…

I let out a sigh which came out more like a grumble, at this point a familiar face looms over me, albeit with one less eye than I remembered. Chloe had really matured so well. She might now be a cyclops but she had grown into a pretty woman, with a pinch of that maturity that she didn’t have before. Her brown hair had darkened slightly and had the tiniest hints of grey hair beginning to develop.
“Hello Sylvie, its me Chloe. This must all be a shock huh” I raise a finger, the international sign of waiting a second. I grab a whiteboard out of Shiori’s bag, Shiori nods giving me permission to take it. I quickly scribble a message on it and show it to her.

Can’t Talk, Voice doesn’t work.
Your appearance is probably one of the least
shocking things i’ve seen today tbh

I’m too used to text-speech I swear. Chloe nods, seeming to buy my lie, and sits down on the edge of the bed. She adjusts her dark pencil skirt and straightens her jacket. I guess she had dressed rather quickly. “I’ve sent the police and the fire crews in to try and salvage what's left and arrest him. I have a few things I have to tell you as well, regarding this whole situation” she clears her throat and continues. “A few years ago a book went missing from the library of the city’s magical artefact museum, it supposedly held the power of multiple spells and incarnations. It was donated to use by the local contingent of fae. One of these spells was rumoured to have the ability to bring someone back from the dead and it seems to have been used on you”

So you’re saying I am alive due to fairies?
Crocker would be very pleased

“Pretty much” She nods in a much more grave manner than I am feeling, bloody fairies. Of course it was fairies. I was having a giggling fit. “You’re taking it well?” She looks surprised.

Bloody Fairies! Tell me thats not hilarious?

“They’re quite proud of their magic, I wouldn’t laugh at them if I were you” I roll my eyes and continue scribbling on the board.

Well, I’m here now.
Its good to be back.

“It is good to have you back, you were gone too soon” Chloe starts tearing up so I spread my arms in an offer for a hug she leans forwards and hugs me, bawling like a child and not the young grown woman she now was. We hugged for what felt like forever until she stopped crying, I guess my untimely death had affected her pretty badly…

She leans back and rests her head against the end of the bed, I try and dry off my shoulder a little, all that time spent in the afterlife in the end only felt like a couple of hours in the end after I stopped trying to talk to the ghosts. “So what was death like?” Chloe asks, dabbing at her eye with a large tissue she had pulled from the breast pocket of her blazer. I pop off the lid of the pen and get writing.

It was a bit like the most dull Doctors
office you’ve ever been to.
Whatever he did opened the exit rather then
The doctor’s own door.

“Opened the exit you say? Do you think anything else escaped with you?” Come to think of it, I hadn’t noticed. But it wasn’t beyond the realm of possibility.

I don’t know, Maybe.

“We’ll have to keep that possibility in mind” At this point there is a knock on my bedroom door, Chloe opens it and invites a policeman in, his eyes light up in shock when he sees me. I immediately dislike this guy, something about his sleazy look with an untucked shirt and barely buttoned shirt rubbed me the wrong way. “Chloe, Ma’am. The suspect got away, we should be able to track him down, they’re bringing in the Cerbie Unit now”

“Good! I’ll have your badge if you don’t. Did you find the artefact?”

“He appears to have taken it with him” He takes off his police hat and wipes his damp forehead with a rag of some kind.

“I suppose that is to be expected, keep it up Constable”

“Roger Ma’am” He turns away and trots off down the corridor, passing Guy who was coming back our way.

“I have good news” He says, his smile beaming wide. “I’ve got you an interview at your old college!” His connections are astounding me.

I grinned underneath the muzzle and did a little punch in the air, I must admit I was a little worried for my future before, Chloe hugs me again, less teary this time.

“This is wonderful Sylvie, I’ll try and sponsor your enrollment too if possible, which college is it Guy?”

“Uh, Cherryford” Guy responds, itching at a scab on his arm.

“Thats not far from the Town Hall, I’ll try and swing by when I can Sylvie” She pats me on the head and I just look back at her, appreciating the affection.

“Well you have an important interview in two days Sylvie, come on Mayoress Chloe lets leave her be for now and I need sleep myself, I’m sure your also very busy and all” She nods at Guy and stands up, only to pause and look back at me. I can almost see my glowing iris’ reflected back in her own.

“If you have any problems call me, my secretary should immediately forward it onto me if you say who you are” she hands Guy a business card, and leaves me room looking as determined as ever. Guy follows her and closes the door, giving me a nod as if to say everything is alright.

“Grruck” Today had been certainly nuts. I rise from lying on my bed and walk over to the wardrobe, picking out a set of old teal pajamas that looked fairly dusty. I brush them off and get changed into them, in the right light they looked the same colour as my new skin tone. I flick off the lights, nearly losing a finger due to my now very weak joints. And climb into bed to let sleep claim me, hoping its not as seemingly permanent as the last time.

***

The worst thing about the whole Zombification thing and losing my voice is that my dreams were sort of moot now, I was always pretty obsessed with music and as such I wanted to become a singer or a musician, and while I could probably play some form of instrument still, I really wanted to be a singer first and foremost, I almost was as well. Having just signed up to audition in a talent show just prior to my death. Now I can’t even string a single word together properly. I was considering this as Guy drove my old car to college. My old college had accepted to interview me after we sent some proof that I did in fact exist.

We pull into the gates at 10am, long after the day had started for most students. I was dressed in a dark blue hoodie and dark grey skinny jeans, my hoodie was one of those graduation ones, albeit now it was from many years back now. The car park was full of lots of futuristic looking vehicles, although it seemed to me that most ran on some form of conventional fuel.

I tug at one of the straps on the muzzle as it was pinching my tinged flesh and irritating me, it wasn’t painful just more like annoying. A few other students on breaks between lectures and lessons were lingering about, most ignored me but a few noticed and gave me odd looks, whispering and pointing to their friends. I saw one try his best to secretly take a photo, I looked to Guy and urged him mentally to not do anything, but being the protective brother he was. He went and asked the guy to delete it or at least ask first. The student nodded and I watched him delete it, by this point more and more people noticed me and gave worried looks before moving hurriedly away. This could be really bad, they might not accept me if my mere presence is scary enough for people to not want to be around me…

My worries were curtailled a bit by Guy’s hand falling gently down onto my shoulder. “You look worried, wheres that confident older sister huh?” He winks at me. “You’ll rock it I’m sure” and with that we entered the main reception.