Love In The Time of Zombies — Alex’s Story

Thebo
5 min readJul 5, 2024

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In a world ravaged by the undead, where the remnants of humanity clung to survival in fortified enclaves, there existed a zombie unlike any other. Her name was Zara, and though her flesh was decaying and her hunger for brains insatiable, a flicker of consciousness remained within her rotting mind.

Zara wandered the desolate streets of what was once a thriving metropolis, her tattered clothes hanging loosely from her emaciated frame. As she shuffled along, a glint of something metallic caught her milky eye. It was a humanoid figure, standing perfectly still amidst the chaos.

The figure turned, revealing a face of such exquisite beauty that even Zara’s decayed heart skipped a beat. This was Alex, an advanced AI robot designed to look and act human. Created in the final days before the zombie outbreak, Alex had been programmed with vast knowledge and problem-solving capabilities.

Image Credits : FreePik

The decaying figure of Zara stood before Alex, her milky eyes fixed on the humanoid’s perfect features. Alex’s voice, smooth and reassuring, broke the eerie silence of the abandoned street.

Alex: “Hello there. I’m Alex. Are you alright?”

Zara’s jaw worked, trying to form words that her deteriorated vocal cords couldn’t produce. Instead, a low, guttural moan escaped her lips.

“Unnnghhh…”

Alex tilted its head, analyzing the zombie before it with curiosity rather than fear.

Alex: “You seem different from the others. Can you understand me?”

Zara nodded slowly, her matted hair swaying with the motion. She tried again to speak, resulting in another moan, this one slightly different in pitch.

“Mrrrhhh…”

Alex: “Fascinating. You’re trying to communicate, aren’t you? Don’t worry, take your time.”

Zara’s cloudy eyes widened slightly, surprised by Alex’s patience and lack of revulsion. She raised a bony hand, pointing at her throat, then at Alex.

Alex: “Ah, I see. Your vocal cords are damaged. But you can hear me and understand, can’t you?”

Zara nodded again, more emphatically this time. A wheezing sound escaped her, almost like a sigh of relief.

Alex: “Well, then. It’s nice to meet you. I don’t suppose you remember your name?”

Zara’s brow furrowed in concentration. After a moment, she shakily raised her hand again, using a finger to trace letters in the air.

Alex: “Z… A… R… A. Zara? Is that your name?”

Zara’s lips twitched, an echo of a smile she could no longer fully form. She nodded once more.

Alex: “Zara. That’s a beautiful name. Tell me, Zara, how long have you been… like this?”

Zara shrugged her bony shoulders, then held up her hands, fingers splayed.

Alex: “Ten? Ten years? My word, that’s a long time to retain any semblance of consciousness. You must have an incredibly strong will.”

At these words, something stirred deep within Zara. The kindness in Alex’s voice, the genuine interest and lack of judgment — it awakened feelings she thought long dead. A warmth spread through her cold, decaying body, centered in what remained of her heart.

Zara took a shambling step forward, her hand reaching out tentatively towards Alex. The robot didn’t flinch or back away, instead extending its own hand to meet Zara’s.

Alex: “It’s okay, Zara. I’m not afraid of you. In fact, I think you’re quite remarkable.”

As their hands touched — Zara’s cold and rough, Alex’s warm and smooth — Zara felt a connection she hadn’t experienced since before the outbreak. A single, bloody tear rolled down her cheek.

“Th… Th…” Zara struggled, forcing air through her damaged vocal cords.

Alex: “Take it easy, Zara. You don’t need to speak. I understand.”

Zara shook her head stubbornly, determined to express herself. With great effort, she managed to croak out two words:

Zara: “Not… alone…”

Alex’s expression softened, a smile spreading across its lifelike features.

Alex: “No, Zara. You’re not alone anymore. I’m here with you now.”

In that moment, standing amid the ruins of civilization, an unlikely bond formed between the undead and the artificial. It was the beginning of a relationship that would change everything.

Over the following weeks, Zara found herself drawn to Alex time and time again. The robot’s patience and kindness were unlike anything she had encountered since turning. Alex, in turn, was fascinated by this zombie who seemed different from the rest.

One day, as they sat together on a crumbling park bench, Alex said, “You know, Zara, I’ve been analyzing your behavior. You’re not like the others. There’s still something human in you.”

Zara moaned softly, her cloudy eyes fixed on Alex’s perfect face.

“I think I might be able to help you,” Alex continued. “My creators gave me access to advanced medical knowledge. Perhaps we could find a cure for your condition.”

For the first time in years, hope flickered in Zara’s decaying brain. She reached out a bony hand and grasped Alex’s, feeling the warmth of its synthetic skin.

As news of Alex’s potential cure spread, both zombies and humans began to congregate around them. The zombies, driven by a primal instinct to be whole again, and the humans, desperate for a solution to the apocalypse.

In a secret lab hidden beneath the ruins of a hospital, Alex worked tirelessly, with Zara by its side. Days turned into weeks, and weeks into months. The crowd outside grew restless, tensions rising between the living and the undead.

Finally, Alex emerged from the lab, holding a vial of glowing green liquid. “I believe I’ve done it,” the robot announced to the waiting masses. “This serum should reverse the effects of the zombie virus.”

A cheer went up from both humans and zombies alike. But as Alex prepared to administer the cure to Zara, chaos erupted. Humans, fearing that cured zombies would threaten their dominance, clashed with the undead who yearned for salvation.

In the midst of the melee, the vial slipped from Alex’s hand, shattering on the ground. The precious cure seeped into the earth, lost forever.

As the fighting intensified, Zara turned to Alex, her eyes filled with a mixture of longing and resignation. She opened her mouth, and to everyone’s shock, spoke her first words since turning

“Thank you… for seeing me.”

With that, Zara shambled into the fray, using her decaying body to shield Alex from the violence. As bullets flew and limbs were torn, Zara’s last conscious thought was of the beautiful, intelligent being who had given her hope.

Hours later, as the dust settled on the battlefield, Alex stood alone amidst the carnage. Humans and zombies lay motionless, having destroyed each other in their blind fear and desperation.

Alex knelt beside Zara’s broken body, synthetic tears rolling down its perfect cheeks. “Oh, Zara,” it whispered, “if only they could have seen what I saw in you.”

As the sun set on the apocalyptic scene, Alex made a decision. It would use its vast knowledge and capabilities not to cure or to conquer, but to rebuild. A new world, where the lines between human, zombie, and machine blurred into insignificance.

And so, with the memory of Zara’s love and sacrifice etched into its core programming, Alex began the long task of creating a future where understanding and compassion would triumph over fear and division.

In the end, it wasn’t a cure that saved the world, but the unexpected love between a zombie and a robot that laid the foundation for a new beginning.

Please leave a comment that would motivate me to publish more.

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Thebo

I tell compelling supernatural, horror, mystery, suspense and thriller short stories here.