Elizabeth Williams was immediately aware of the dream, she stood alone at the end of the small gravel path that cut through the forest of coniferous trees to the open clearing and feeling the chill that lingered in the still air wrapped her hands around her bare arms and shivered. The first drop of rain fell from the overcast grey sky and landed on her arm as Elizabeth reached out to the rusted iron gate that marked the entrance to the small stone church. The resulting screech broke the deathly silence that gripped the forest and Elizabeth was quick to slip through and gently close the gate behind her with the minimal of noise.
Elizabeth hurried up the path as the dripping rain turned into a shower and began to soak through her clothes at an alarming rate. Pushing open the creaking wooden door to the church she stepped in and firmly shut the door behind her to block out the sound of the bad weather. She turned and stopped dead at the sight of the faceless congregation that fully occupied the two columns of wooden pews. They turned their smooth featureless faces to Elizabeth and their expressionless gaze followed her as she walked up the aisle to the altar. The congregation was made up of men and women all dressed in their different work clothes. She spotted police officers, shop keepers and even a soldier among the crowd. Each held a blank hymn book.
It was only when she reached the altar did Elizabeth understand, on the front row of the left hand column of pews she spotted some of her family. Her father. Her mother. Even her daughter. Looking out across the sea of people Elizabeth realised that they represented the people she had killed. It seemed her consciousness had neatly discarded the fact that they had all been the living dead at the time. Somewhere deep down did she feel guilty? Turning to face the front of the small church she saw that a single stone statue of a weeping angel stood behind the altar, hands covering it?s face, she recognised it immediately and walking up to it ran her hands down the smooth stone broken by various bullet holes. It was a visual representation of the one thing Elizabeth could never forgive herself for.
The meaning of the dream was clear now, Elizabeth felt remorse at the lives she had taken, even if they had been Zombies at the time. The part of her mind that still identified the remaining human in them, the part she had suppressed so long ago, was now crying out in her dreams demanding that she account for, or at least recognise her actions. Elizabeth simply closed her eyes and when she opened them again she was back in the dark bedroom of the apartment. Back to the grim reality of the post-outbreak world.
Wiping a tear from her tired eyes she jumped up and walked out into the other room collecting a bottle of water from her bag before sitting down opposite Ethan. Something caught him, a stirring emotion inside, and Ethan raised a hand to swelling eyes. Elizabeth took a sip of water and offered him the bottle. She knew the feeling all too well.
?Hey, you alright??
