He folds, or so it seems

“Humans have been trying to court with disaster, with their own demise, since its beginning. Humankind is fascinated with death. Why it happens. When it happens. How it happens. In their Bible, they caused their own destruction by their sinful ways. Many cultures find Death to be an embodiment of a sleeking, mystical, cloaked figure that finds you when you die to send you to the afterlife. Obviously, this terrified humans. They are afraid of leaving this earth, as desolate and hopeless as it may be. No one can escape it,” The nameless, hunched zombie signed to us in a haughty, undignified manner. We saw the jewels sewn in their clothes. They clattered against the cloth in a unbalanced way. I wished I had gone home now, honestly. I know my wife will be ok, but still. These elite zombies were scaring me.

He proceeded his speech, in a condescending look as he signed, “Humans also have played with the idea of living forever. Never dying. They created endless variations of zombie in insects, animals and artificial intelligence. They loved to read and watch it in a fictitious scenario such as what is called a movie. History has taught us that we, the zombies, have a more eloquent adaption of what life could be. No more war. No more fighting. The humans, tried to kill us off, but instead made us stronger. Made more foot soldiers for our army. We can’t interlope with these small-minded, weak creatures. And Bloodletters, absolutely not. They can’t be trusted. We have already sorted out the scavenger Bloodletters that have attempted to go into emptied apartments or partially destroyed zombie residences.”

India looked furious as the elite stopped his speech. I held her arm and shook my head at her gently. She seemed to understand and stepped back, holding fast to Emma’s hand. The other Bloodletters stay behind the couple, looking unsure how to proceed.

“May I spe…” I started and a large guard got in my face. Ax got in the guards face in turn, and it looked like there might be a fight.

The guard looked at the elite, snapping a finger. This immediately put the guard in a calm stance and went back to his post next to the stairway.

“Humans don’t speak. I’m wondering how you all got in here at all,” the elite sharpened his look, a olive green set of bloodshot eyes. “Oh I know. That big lummox you brought. The one that is carrying all those weapons, you!” He smacked his hand on a wooden table and Ax jumped.

“I remembered you, lummox,” The zombie sneered with a snarling growl toward Ax. “You always jumped like a fool when I hit something. You were my body guard but you became a traitor.”

Emma sighed, “Are you going to hear us out or not? Leave Ax alone. He’s just doing his part.”

The other zombie guard stomped so heavily in front of us, we all innately stepped back, almost falling on each other.

Indigo and Amory, a strange pair of Bloodletters, were almost heading toward the door, but another guard stopped them.

They growled in response and went back toward our group.

“Please great leader, listen to us,” India stepped up, slicing her words in the air in a brave stance, “We want peace and not war just as you do. If you can arrange in your… wisdom,” she seemed to gulp but it turned into a bubbling growl, “To find abandoned apartments or storages for the Bloodletters and humans. We can offer gems, jewels, what’s your price? We need to stop the senseless fighting.”

The zombie with the tumbling jewels snarled again. He signed in turn, “We haven’t fought or caused a disturbance in a great many year. The Bloodletters destroy our communities, our homes, businesses, and do nothing to keep the peace. Humans are just useless wretches.”

“Humans are not useless! We can build, grow, cultivate and create. You know nothing of our kind!” Emma spat out.

“And you know nothing of the outside world and how it used to be. Bloodshed, murder, genocide, it was all a part of your so-called great humanity,” he signed angrily back.

I stood up straight, trying to find my voice as I sign, “Why don’t we do a trial period for us humans and Bloodletters, and give some a chance to help your zombie communities rebuild and prosper?”

Emma looked at me and smiled.

“Us humans?” He signed, coming closer to me. Ax got close to me, to protect me but it seemed he was ready to lop heads off if necessary. His slick, lizard-like appearance made my skin crawl as though it were alive again. “Do you have an identity crisis? You are not human, boy, you’re a zombie.”

I shrunk back, feeling like my brain must’ve had a lapse. Of course I knew I was a zombie. I used to be a human until a kiss by Bexley turned me. I couldn’t believe for a moment I believed I was human again! My brain felt like was having mini implosions inside, making me woozy.

“My name is Stan. I have a wife named Bexley. These are my friends.” I point to the crowd around me, continuing to sign, “Human, Bloodletter, zombie, we are all seeking the same thing. Safety, freedom, and the basic rights and privileges of zombies. We don’t want special privileges. We want equal rights.”

“We will need payment. Rare gems, rare jewels, precious metals. To even begin to start negotiations. A peace agreement with the Bloodletters, if they’re even capable of that,” he growled but it sounded like a scoff as he signed to me. A barking sort of scoff, a bark-scoff, like a diseased mongrel. It made me think of a dog. I know there was a thing such as domesticated dogs, but they went extinct long ago after many terrible widespread battles during the fifty year war.

Emma chimed in, “You think war is foreign to us? Humanity drowned in it—slavery, segregation, civil wars. We still fought for liberty, even when blood ran oceans. You talk big about knowing humans so well but you don’t seem to know basic history. Even through the worst disasters and wars, the old human controlled world used to have free political discourse, civil liberties for everyone after the injustices were destroyed.”

“What a fantasy driven human you are. Are you suggesting that we will lose control and have an inevitable civil war?” He signed back to her, making Emma shrink but still keep a straight face. “Control is an illusion, small human. It’s only as strong as who will believe in it. Truly you don’t think that there isn’t just us here. There’s a wide, interconnected channel of the highest formations in our civilization that help shape and decide the lowest of the low to the highest of the high. The humans are below us for a reason. The Bloodletters, they are a scourge on polite society. I can’t allow filth to believe they’re with us, among the jewels and gems.”

Amory came up to the front of the party, starting to sign something in what looked like a determined move, but as he started, Indigo smashed through everyone and hit him. “Go whistling….Téigh ag feadaíl!” She signed but I couldn’t make out the last part. It definitely wasn’t English.

Amory looked at her with shock, signing, “You just spoke Irish again, what is going on with you, you mad yoke!”

Indigo frowned signing, “You spoke it too! You are a fool!”

The zombie (unnamed) hit a large stick on their heads and gave us all a funny look.

“That was quite funny, we need funny. Maybe they can be my pets,” he signed mockingly, making Amory and Indigo growl in distaste.

“I ain’t a pet,” Indigo threw a clod of dirt, (I am not sure where she found it) and signed, “Droch chrích ort!”

She stomped off. Amory looked at him and signed, “You must understand she has fire in her undead blood. Irish roots. It’s not in her nature to be chained. I have skills, I can create powerful gems. I can use the skills I learned from my handler to keep your society thriving, rich, full of wealth.”

“We are already full of wealth,” he responded.

“Why not be richer?” Amory countered. The olive green, gray zombie looked interested.

“Get me as many as you all can carry. More, then we will discuss. It’s lucky we don’t arrest the humans for carrying weapons. Find your human sanctuaries before an unfriendly creature finds you…”

We all left feeling dissatisfied even though the elite we met with seemed to fold.

Emma took India’s hand. “He thinks he’s better than us. He will trick us, I know it. There’s no way he won’t take our payment and just renege on everything.”

Amory signed suddenly, “Never buy through your ears but through your eyes.”

Indigo signed, “Fool likes to meddle with wise words but can’t seem to do anything right!”

Emma chuckled, whispering to me and India, “Ohh, they got it bad for each other…”

I laughed and India grinned, and Emma giggled in a silly way.

“You two would know all about that, wouldn’t you?” I signed, making Emma laugh louder. India looked shy but nodded shortly.

We followed Ax into the woods, figuring out our heading for tomorrow to gather what we needed for the negotiations.

We made a fire, and I thought of my darling Bexley, my true warmth and home, as the others bickered, talked and planned into the crisp, black night. Even as I felt a calm picturing my hay colored beauty, the fire crackled, making me realize just a single wrong move could destroy everything I loved—-an eternal flame that couldn’t rise again.