Bittersweet, A Tale of Zombies and Romance

Winter Brinks had never been a normal girl. She had been outcast from children her age, a true loner, never having anyone to trust or to love. Sure, her parents were nice enough, but they were always gone and left Winter without siblings or even a decent babysitter. 1

Winter just enjoyed vampire novels, black eyeliner, watermelon jolly ranchers, and daydreams of finding immortal love. She wished for a perfect, brooding boy to come and rescue her from her boring and lonely life. 2

Barely anyone knew her name, that was, until she disappeared.3

Winter had been strolling to the neighborhood park that night, one of her favorite places to spend a few hours daydreaming. But this was not an ordinary night, of course. Because if it had been, there would be no tragic tale of epic love and woe, but enough with the dramatics.4

Winter was around the corner from the park when she heard footsteps behind her. She froze, listening to the still night. She didn't hear anything anymore, and looked all around her, but did not see a thing except for the dark and quiet houses that lined the street. She shrugged and continued to walk towards the walk. Winter was not a superstitious girl. 5

But she heard them again and paused. This time when she turned her head to look behind her she did see someone.6

He stood over six feet tall and was devilishly handsome, with white hair and liquid paper white skin and shockingly bright eyes the color of sapphires. 7

The man was dressed in what looked like Victorian era clothes. He was probably on his way to a costume party. Winter raised her eyebrows at the man but turned away, satisfied that he was no menace, just a man going to a costume party, in February. 8

"Why are you leaving so fast?" the man asked, his voice raspy. Winter looked back at him, frowning. She knew now that he was no harmless man looking for a costume party. She didn't answer, just made to leave, to run back to her house. 9

However, before she could leave a hand on her shoulder stopped her. 10

"Let me go!" she said, trying to pull her arm away from the man, but he was too strong, like he was Superman or something. He smiled then, revealing bright, white teeth and a tongue black as midnight. 11

Students at Winter's high school held a candlelight vigil for her on the football field. Had any of them even known who she was before she was on the nightly news? Her parents pleaded on national television for her to come home safely, for whoever who had taken her to return her. 12

Winter watched all of this stonefaced. She was not touched.13

That had been one year ago. Since then, Winter had been hiding out with the homeless vagrants and drug addicts that littered the city. Since she had been bitten by Jasper, (the man who was supposedly going to a costume party) things hadn't been the same for Winter.14

The first thing was that she was technically dead. Her heart did not beat, she did not have any physical requirements that living humans did. 15

The second thing was that she had an incredible appetite for human flesh. This is why she hangs around with the vagrants and addicts. No one misses them.16

After she eats, Winter cries for her lost life. She misses watermelon jolly ranchers and laying in her comfortable bed, reading vampire novels and hoping for a beautiful boy to rescue her from that life that she would've given anything for now. 17

Winter also cries for the devoured's lost life. She was a murderer now, that was what Jasper had told her. 18

You see, Jasper had handpicked Winter to be his companion. Being a zombie is rather lonely and he had noticed that she seemed to have no one herself. He had thought that one bite would give him his immortal love. But that was not the case, instead he just managed to make a monster out of an innocent girl. She killed almost nightly, like how he had shown her and would never return his affections. They only saw each other every other night and wouldn't even acknowledge the other's presence. 19

The reason that Winter would never return his feelings? (Besides the fact that he turned her into a zombie). 20

The reason worked at the video store across from one of Winter's regular hang outs. She watched him leave almost every night.21

He was beautiful, that was for sure. He was tall and built and had deliciously wavy, dark hair and shocking green eyes. 22

Winter remembered him from her high school. He had been a star receiver, one of the fastest runners the school had ever seen. But then he had been injured and unable to play anymore. After that, he sunk into a lonely depression and he cut off ties with his friends. Running with that stupid ball had been his entire world. And he was now Winter's. She lived to see him walk in and out of that video store those nights. It was the only time she could forget about her hunger.23

Damen saw that strange, white-haired girl across the street, half in the shadows every night he left work. He saw that she watched him when he walked out of the store, pausing to light a ciggarette. He was curious about her, but not enough to approach the girl. Maybe she would stab him or something. 24

Tonight was one of those nights. Winter hid in the shadows across the street as she saw Damen light up a smoke and glance in her direction. Her heart sputtered.25

"What are you doing?" a harsh voice came from behind her. Winter looked behind her to see Jasper, tight-lipped and arms folded.26

"None of your business," she spat at him, then turned back to where Damen was still smoking. 27

"Come with me, Winter. We have things to do," Jasper laid a hand on her shoulder. It was so very reminscient of that night a year ago. 28

"Let go!" Winter cried, trying to pull away, but even with her own freakish, zombie strength Jasper kept a steady grip on her.29

"Why do you avoid me so, Winter? I made you immortal, you should be grateful!" he harshly whispered. Winter slapped him with her free hand, his head going back at an unnatural degree. 30

Jasper snarled and set his head back right. He roughly pulled Winter down into the alleyway. 31

"Stop!" Winter shrieked, unsure of what Jasper would do to her. 32

Damen saw the tall man with the same white colored hair pull the girl away, down into the alleyway. He weighed his options and moved forward, crossed the street and entered the alley.33

"Hey!" he called out. The man had a grip on the white haired girl's arm and was pulling her roughly. They both turned to look at him. "Let her go."34

The girl was little. She was short and skinny, with long, white hair and shockingly bright blue eyes. She was pale, but she was beautiful in Damen's eyes.35

"You want her? Take her!" the tall man pushed the girl away. She stumbled, but didn't fall. The man walked away, obviously frustrated at his attempts at ... whatever had been foiled.36

"Thank you," the strange girl whispered. Then she ran away.37

The next Saturday was another working day for Damen. He expected his boss to yell at him for being late for work, he expected to have severe nicotine cravings, he expected the same pretentious man who rented all of the foreign films to stop by, he even expected for the local deli to be out of salami when he stopped by on his lunch break. What he did not expect was that white haired girl to enter the store at almost closing time. 38

She came in, meek and looking a little terrified. Damen briefly wondered how the girl got her hair that color. Probably a ton of bleach. 39

"Um...hi," she said so low he could barely hear it. Damen set the videos he had been running through the computer on the counter. 40

"Hello," he said, smiling a little bit. 41

"D-do you...do you know where the horror movies are?" she asked. 42

"The back of the store," Damen said. 43

"Thanks," she whispered. 44

She came back a minute before the store was supposed to close with a movie in her hand. She laid it on the counter. 45

"Dawn of the Dead, nice choice,"Damen commented.46

"You don't really believe in that?" she asked seriously.47

"No, no, of course not." 48

"Oh," she looked slightly disappointed. 49

"Why, do you?" Damem questioned, half joking. 50

"I believe that there are things we don't know about," she said gravely. She paid for the movie and started for the door.51

"Wait, what's your name?" Damen called after her.52

"Winter," she said, without thinking and smiled.53

"Winter Brinks?" Damen asked with disbelief.54

"Uh...no, I think you have me confused with someone else," she said hurriedly and left the store. 55

She returned five days later, to return the movie of course. Damen was there, working after school. He had had a lot more time for work now that his football career was basically over.
"Hey," he greeted her. Winter gently placed the movie on the counter.
"Hi," she said meekly.
"Did you like the movie?"
"It was a little unrealistic," Winter replied.
"Isn't it supposed to be? It is just a movie, after all," Damen said nonchalantly. She looked up at him, her stunning blue eyes piercing in their gaze.
"I guess you're right," she said, resigned. Then she wondered off into the horror section again.
When she came back she was holding a copy of Bram Stoker's Dracula.
"You like vampires?" Damen asked, grinning. Winter's heart skipped a beat.
"Yes."
"Zombies, vampires, you're my kind of girl, Winter," Damen said, still grinning. 56


It went on like this for a month. Winter would come in every so often to rent a movie and they would have pleasant conversation. Apparently Damen was a big horror movie buff. Kind of geeky, but Winter found it endearing.
"Perhaps you would like to see that new vampire movie that's out?" Damen asked. He felt confident that Winter would say yes.
"You mean with you?" Winter asked.
"Well, yeah."
"Sure! I'll meet you at...?"
"Greg's Cinema, on 5th. Eight o'clock?"
"Sounds great," Winter told him. They agreed to meet up that night, which gave her plenty of time to plan this out. 57

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