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Chapter 103


You are the best thing that’s happened to me in this crazy new world we live in. You have been both my rock and my security blanket, my shelter and my shoulder to cry on. Every time I’ve needed you, you’ve been there for me… including that day, one year ago, when I was speeding down the interstate, all alone, and you were there in the middle of the road. You were there, and I haven’t felt alone since. So I promise to do the same for you: to be your rock and your security blanket, your shelter and your shoulder to cry on. I promise to be there for you, for all the days of our lives.

***

Monday, April 15, 2013
Week Fifty-Two

As a teacher and a military wife in her previous life, Gretchen had always been practical. She and Shawn had stuck to a strict budget, putting every penny they could spare into savings for the future. She had stayed on him about turning off faucets and lights in an effort to conserve water and electricity around their small house in Atlanta. She had saved shoeboxes, two-liter soda bottles, and the cardboard tubes from toilet paper and paper towels to use for projects at school. And although none of that mattered anymore, now that her money was worthless, the house destroyed, and her students dead, practicality had never been a more important trait to possess. In the undead world, it was everything.

That was why, one year after the apocalypse, Gretchen was so surprised to find herself trying on wedding gowns. For a brief second, standing on a pedestal in front of a wall of mirrors, she could almost pretend that nothing had changed, that she was just another blushing bride, about to be married for the second time. But even if she could forget, there were reminders all around her.

The small bridal boutique had not been looted like most of the other shops on the street, but even so, its front window was shattered, the white gown on the window display mannequin stained with blood. This made for such an ominous sight that Gretchen, her hair standing on end, had almost insisted they turn away. But Abby, whose idea it had been to come in the first place, convinced the group to go in. “We’ve come all this way,” said the older woman, surprisingly persuasive in her sweet, maternal way. “It would be a waste of petrol to go back with nothing. Come on, let’s find you a wedding dress.” She had taken Gretchen by the hand and practically dragged her in. It was better on the inside. Abandoned. Untouched. But the musty smell of death and the thick layer of dust that clung to all the dresses still gave Gretchen an uneasy feeling.

“Look at you!” Abby’s gasp made Gretchen jump. She nearly toppled off the pedestal, until Riley’s arm shot out to steady her. “You’re absolutely gorgeous!”

Gretchen forced herself to smile at her reflection in the mirror. She felt far from gorgeous. Her hair looked greasy, pulled into a messy knot on the back of her head. Her face was bare; she couldn’t remember the last time she’d worn makeup. The white dress she’d tried on made her appear bottom-heavy; it was too big on top, yet tight across her growing belly. But she couldn’t deny that it was beautiful. “The gown’s gorgeous,” she amended Abby’s statement matter-of-factly. “But it doesn’t fit.”

“Then we’ll just have to find something that does!” chirped Abby, bustling back to the racks. She seemed to be on a personal mission to make Gretchen the most beautiful bride the zombie apocalypse had ever seen, ever since she’d overheard her complaining at breakfast about her lack of suitable clothing to wear.

“Looks like I’m going to be walking down the aisle in my pajamas,” Gretchen had sighed, gesturing at the baggy plaid pajama bottoms she wore under the old University of Michigan sweatshirt that had belonged to Shawn. “Nothing else fits.”

“Nonsense!” snapped Abby, brandishing the wooden spoon she’d been using to stir the pot of porridge. “It’s high time we find you some proper maternity clothes. And why not a wedding dress, too, while we’re at it?”

Naturally, the unofficial leader of the group, Selena, dubbed the idea of wedding dress shopping “barking mad,” but Abby found an unexpected ally in Howie, who agreed that Gretchen deserved to have something nice to wear on her wedding day. “I’ll even come with you,” he offered. “Believe it or not, footing the bill for a wife as fashionable as Bree taught me a thing or two about picking out clothes. Also, I have excellent taste.”

Riley, who was to be Gretchen’s maid of honor, agreed to accompany them, and Nick, always up for an adventure, jumped at the chance to go as well.

“Well, that’s lovely,” snapped Selena, her voice dripping with sarcasm as she rounded on Abby. “So you’ll be taking a pregnant woman, a hemophiliac, and an epileptic on this little expedition of yours, will you?”

Gretchen put on a patient smile, the same one she’d always reserved for the parents who blamed their children’s problems at school on her. Howie hardly batted an eye, but she could see that Nick’s feelings were hurt. “We’ll be fine,” she spoke up quickly, shooting him a smile of reassurance.

“And what if something happens?” Selena persisted.

“Nothing’s going to happen,” said Riley, equally stubborn.

“You can’t know that. What if Howard falls and skins his fucking knee, or Loverboy collapses in a fit of convulsions? Then what will you do?” challenged Selena.

Gretchen could see Nick’s face getting redder and redder, while Howie stared at the ground, his shoulders slumped. She wished she could say something more in their defense, but she could not deny the validity of Selena’s points. Was a wedding dress worth the risk they would be taking? Of course it wasn’t. And yet, Abby had conjured up one of Gretchen’s old, girlhood fantasies, that of the fairy-tale wedding, and in that moment, she felt like doing something fun and frivolous. It had been so long since any of them had, she could even understand why the others were so quick to volunteer to go along.

“I’m sure Martin will come with us,” said Abby, never losing her pleasant tone of voice. “If anything should happen, he’ll know what to do.”

“Oh yes, an amputee – quite the obvious choice. Should’ve thought of it myself!” Selena mocked her scathingly.

Gretchen frowned at Selena, but she was also wondering why Martin, of all people, would be Abby’s choice to accompany them. The young Norwegian spoke only broken English, and his missing arm made it impossible for him to shoot a gun. He was never invited to go on supply runs because he could only carry half as much as the others.

Abby turned her back to Selena at that point, addressing only Gretchen, Riley, Nick, and Howie. “Did you know that Martin was a medical student? Yes, he was training to be a doctor when the dead rose. Needless to say, he never finished, but I still expect he knows more about medicine than anyone else here.” Though she kept her voice light and cheery, these last few words were surely meant to snub Selena, who prided herself on her pharmaceutical knowledge.

Sure enough, Selena turned on her heel, muttering something under her breath about them all being “a bunch of nutters” as she stalked off in a huff.

Martin agreed to go with them, and so did Kevin, at Brian’s insistence, after his own request to go was swiftly rebuked. “The groom can’t see the bride in her dress before the wedding!” squawked Abby. “It’s bad luck!”

And so it was that the seven of them had set out towards one of the small towns tucked into the countryside that surrounded the castle. Abby drove the van, claiming to know of a bridal shop mere miles from the castle. Gretchen rode shotgun, but kept turning around to talk to Martin, who sat in the back. She’d never had a proper conversation with him before, as he was quiet and kept to himself, but after learning of his medical training, she found herself suddenly curious to know more about him. Martin, she realized, might be the key to her baby’s survival. With every week that passed in her pregnancy, she’d found herself worrying less about miscarriage and more about actually delivering this baby without the aid of modern medicine. More than ever, she missed Jo, whose presence would have eased her mind. Martin now gave her fresh hope that, when the time came, someone would know how to help her.

“So Martin,” she said, smiling back at him, “I didn’t know you were a med student.”

Ja,” answered Martin in his thick, Scandinavian accent.

“What was that like?” she wondered, just trying to make conversation.

“Were you working in a hospital when the plague hit?” Nick added, before Martin could answer. Gretchen thought she understood his interest, having witnessed a similar conversation that had taken place between him and Jo on the day she and Brian had arrived at the base.

Martin shook his head. “I was… on holiday. How do you say… spring break?”

“That’s right.” Gretchen smiled. “I was on spring break from school, too.”

When Martin smiled back, she realized it was the first time she had seen him do so. “Teacher, ja?” he asked, pointing at her.

She nodded. “That’s right,” she said again.

Martin cleared his throat. “Mine friends and I went skiing… in the mountains. We had a… a small… how you say?”

“A cabin?” Gretchen guessed.

Ja, a cabin. Communication was… not good. We were… isolated. When people got sick, we knew nothing. Then… the dead came.”

Gretchen shivered, imagining him and a small group of college students huddled in a remote cabin, cut off from the rest of the world, oblivious to the zombies skulking outside in the snow. “What happened?” she asked in a whisper.

Martin described the events in a deadened, emotionless voice. “They attacked. Killed mine friends. The bites spread infection… brought them back from death. So when I was bit, I knew… I knew I was dead if I could not stop it.”

Gretchen’s eyes widened. “You were bitten?”

He held up the stump of his right arm. “On the wrist. We learned at Uni about amputation, so… I took the saw, and I cut it off.”

Gretchen swayed a little in the front seat, feeling sick. “You cut off your own arm,” she murmured, more to herself than to Martin.

“How did you stop the bleeding?” asked Nick in morbid fascination.

“Lit a match. Used the flame to… how you say?”

“Cauterize,” said Kevin in a low voice. His face was a grim mask, hiding any reaction to the story.

Ja.

They fell into a stunned silence after that, leaving Gretchen to wonder the rest of the way into town if she would ever have the strength of mind to do such a thing to save her own life. She hoped she would never have to find out. But if anything went wrong with her pregnancy… if drastic measures had to be taken during delivery… She shivered again, stopping that thought in its tracks, and rubbed her belly, praying that the baby inside would make a safe and smooth transition into this world.

Now, while Kevin and Martin – armed only with a large knife – stood guard at the door of the bridal shop, Gretchen stared at her changing body in the mirror of the dressing room, as she waited for Abby to bring back another gown. There weren’t any full-length mirrors in the castle, and she was mesmerized by the sight of herself and her smooth, swollen belly, streaked with faint stretch marks. It was especially jarring when she turned to the side and saw her own profile. Until she’d started trying on dresses, she hadn’t realized how big she had gotten.

By her best estimate, she was five months along – more pregnant than she had ever been before. This was both a relief and a concern, because she was over halfway through her pregnancy, and there was no turning back now. In another four months, she would be bringing a baby into the undead world. That thought was almost as scary as the dreaded word miscarriage.

“Here, dear, try this!” trilled Abby, opening the dressing room door a crack to hand her another gown on a hanger. “This one has an empire waist, so it won’t be so tight ‘round the middle.”

“Thanks,” said Gretchen, taking the dress. She struggled into it, disappearing in a cascade of satin as she tried to slip it on over her head. Abby and Riley had both offered to come in and help her, but Gretchen found herself surprisingly self-conscious. She would have to get over that soon, she knew. She doubted giving birth during the apocalypse would allow her much modesty. Still, she managed to squeeze herself into the dress and then let Abby in to lace up the corseted back.

“Oh, this is lovely… just lovely!” Abby clucked as she tightened the laces. “Turn around; let me look at you!”

Gretchen spun slowly, and when Abby got a good look at her from the front, her whole face lit up.

“Beautiful,” she declared. “Come and look at yourself properly.” She took Gretchen’s hand and pulled her out of the dressing room.

Everyone oohed and ahhed over her as she stepped onto the pedestal in front of the mirrored wall, and even when she saw her reflection from every angle, Gretchen had to admit that Abby had made the right choice. The dress did fit her beautifully, the sweetheart neckline accentuating her pregnancy-enhanced bust, while the white satin draped modestly over her bump. It was simple, yet elegant, appropriate for the occasion.

Gretchen smiled at Abby’s beaming face in the mirror. “I think this’ll do just fine. Thank you,” she said.

“It’ll be more than fine, and you’re more than welcome.” Abby slipped an arm around her waist and gave her a little squeeze. “Now then, Miss Riley, what will you be wearing?”

Riley made a face. “Oh, I don’t-”

“Well, the maid of honor must have something special to wear to compliment such a beautiful bride!” Abby insisted, making Gretchen blush. Riley looked equally embarrassed.

“Alright, alright… why don’t you pick me something out, too?”

This proved to be a mistake. A few minutes later, Riley was perched on the pedestal next to Gretchen’s in a cloud of powder blue. “That color’s just gorgeous with your blonde hair!” Abby gushed. “And it goes perfectly with Gretchen’s eyes.” But Gretchen didn’t think the pastel blue bridesmaid gown suited Riley at all, and she could tell by the look on Riley’s face that she wasn’t alone in thinking so.

“Hm… I don’t know,” she said, coming to Riley’s rescue. “I think maybe something darker would be better. What about more of a royal blue? And a little more fitted? I mean, Riley’s got the body for it – might as well show it off.”

“Hear, hear!” Nick chimed in. Gretchen caught his eye in the mirror and winked.

If Abby’s feelings were hurt, she didn’t let it show. “Well, back to the drawing board, I suppose. You girls go get changed and then help me have another look around, eh? And in the meantime, Howie, why don’t you take Nick over to the men’s side of the shop and pick out a pair of nice suits for him and Brian to wear?”

Gretchen thought it wise of Abby to put Howie in charge of this task, seeing as how he had the best taste. Privately, Riley agreed. “Yeah, if it were left up to Nick, I have a feeling he and your husband-to-be would show up to the wedding in blue and orange leisure suits,” she commented, her voice carrying over the wall that separated their dressing rooms.

Gretchen snorted with laughter. “At least they’d match your dress.”

“Oh, god!” burst Riley, making Gretchen giggle some more. “Yeah, thanks for covering my ass back there. I didn’t think you wanted me looking like Alice in Zombieland at your wedding, but who am I to question anyone’s taste?”

“It was pretty bad,” she admitted quietly, afraid Abby would come back and hear them laughing. “We’ll find you something more modern.”

“Thanks. I have enough ugly bridesmaid dresses back home. They may be the only thing from home I don’t miss.”

“Aww…” Gretchen thought of her old wedding dress, even more beautiful than the one she wore now. She had taken such care to preserve it in pristine condition. She wondered if it had survived the fire.

“Hey, will you help me get out of this god-awful thing?” Riley voice, almost wistful for a second, changed quickly back to its offhanded tone. “The zipper’s stuck.”

“Sure, if you unlace me,” replied Gretchen, relieved to have a reason to wipe her eyes and pull herself together before she got too weepy. She met Riley outside the dressing room, where they took turns helping each other with the gowns. “So… how many ugly bridesmaid dresses did you say you had?” asked Gretchen, to keep the conversation going. She wanted to laugh with Riley, not cry for Shawn. She knew it would be better to focus on the here and now, on Brian and their imminent marriage, than to dwell on the past, on her last wedding and late husband.

But in doing so, she was inadvertently reminding Riley of her own past. “Too many to count,” Riley scoffed, jerking at the laces on Gretchen’s gown. “I was starting to feel like Katherine Heigl in that one movie.”

27 Dresses?”

“Yeah. The most recent one was the worst. It was this big, poofy princess dress – pink with ruffles.” She sounded as disgusted as if she were describing one of the rotting corpses roaming around outside. “My sister-in-law Kelly was such a diva. Well, I guess she wasn’t really my sister-in-law – she and my brother never made it down the aisle,” she said, her voice softening. “But they would have gotten married, if the world hadn’t gone to hell. They’d be celebrating their first anniversary in another week or so, actually…”

She swept her long, blonde hair over her shoulders, under the guise of giving Gretchen better access to the zipper on the back of her dress, but Gretchen knew better. Riley, never wanting to show weakness, was hiding her face. But with the back of her neck exposed, she looked especially vulnerable, and when Gretchen touched her to unzip the dress, she could feel Riley’s shoulders trembling. She wrapped her arm around them, pulling Riley into a hug. “I’m so sorry…” What else was there to say? She knew how Riley felt. They’d all lost family and friends, planned for events that had never taken place.

Riley sniffed and swiped at her eyes. “Thanks. Yeah, so anyway… at least there are no embarrassing photos of me in that dress for Nick to see.” She forced a wry smile, blinking back her tears. “We better hurry up so we can help Abby find something tolerable and get the hell out of here. No offense, but I hate this bridesmaid shit. Not that I’m not honored to stand beside you; you know how happy I am for you and Brian. You’d think it would be different after the zombie apocalypse, though. But oh no, here I am… always the bridesmaid, never the bride.”

She smiled again to show she was kidding, but Gretchen knew some truth lay underneath it. Smiling back, she patted Riley’s shoulder again and said, “Don’t worry. Your turn will come.”

Riley snorted. “I’m not sure I believed that when people told me before. But now? Now my chances of finding someone are next to nothing.”

“But you already found someone,” Gretchen pointed out.

“Yeah…” Riley turned toward her dressing room. “Now I just have to worry about keeping him.”

…Alive.

Gretchen filled in the unsaid word in her head, and a lump rose in her throat. She was all too familiar with the fear of losing the one she loved, but she supposed it was even scarier for Riley, knowing Nick could lapse into one of his seizures at any time. “Let’s get dressed and go check on the guys,” she said, to reassure Riley.

Riley nodded, but just as she reached for the dressing room door, they heard a horrific, high-pitched scream.

They looked at each other. Riley’s eyes were wide, and Gretchen’s heart felt lodged in her throat. “Abby,” she choked. Riley was already running, the blue dress poofing out around her knees as her bare feet slapped the floor. Gretchen hitched up the skirt of her gown with one hand and held the bodice in place with the other as she hurried after her.

In the center of the store, they met up with Howie and Nick, who had come running from the other side. “Thank god,” said Nick when he saw Riley.

Howie still looked worried. “Was that Abby? Where is she?”

“I think the bridesmaid dresses are back here, c’mon!” Riley veered left, leading them to a smaller room off the main floor that was filled with colorful dresses. “Abby?” she called.

“Back here!” they heard Abby’s tremulous reply. “Hurry!”

They raced down a long row of dresses to the opposite end of the room and rounded the corner, nearly colliding with Abby, whom they found cowering, unarmed, behind a dress rack in the next row. “It came out of the stock room!” she gasped, pointing. Gretchen followed the path of her finger and saw a lone zombie wobbling toward them on one high heel. The other heel was hanging halfway off the undead woman’s foot, which she was dragging behind her on a broken ankle. This, coupled with the constricting cut of her bloodstained pencil skirt, slowed her down.

“Watch out.” Nick pushed past the rest of them, stepping in front of Riley as he raised his trusty ax, but Martin beat him to it. The Norwegian appeared out of nowhere, releasing an animalistic battle cry as he barreled down the aisle from the other side of the room. The zombie turned toward the sound as he came up behind her, his knife raised. Gretchen couldn’t help but gasp as he brought it down swiftly, the blade plunging through the remnants of a French twist on the back of her head.

“Whoa, go Martin!” cried Nick as the zombie collapsed at his feet.

He stretched out his hand to slap Martin a high-five, but before he could, Abby shrieked, “Martin, look out!”

No one had noticed the second ghoul skulking among the yards of taffeta and tulle, not until it was too late. Gretchen clapped a hand over her mouth to stifle her scream as she saw the zombie stagger right through one of the racks and seize Martin by the stump of his missing arm. Nick took a wild swing with his axe, but only succeeded in embedding it in the zombie’s neck. It was Riley who sprang into action next, jamming the end of a hanger through the creature’s eye socket, but not before its jaws had clamped down on Martin’s shoulder. When they pried the dead zombie off him, they could see blood starting to seep through his jacket.

“My god… Martin,” whimpered Abby, as Martin shook off his jacket to see what damage had been done. It was as bad as they’d feared: his t-shirt was torn, the bite marks visible beneath it. Fresh blood pooled amid the torn flesh.

Nick yanked his axe out of the zombie’s half-severed head and stumbled backwards, looking stunned. “Shit… I’m sorry, man,” he mumbled, shaking his head. “I’m so sorry.”

“Let me see.” Howie stepped forward to insect Martin’s wound. “It’s not that bad,” he said hopefully. “We can bandage this.”

“Here-” Riley ripped a strip of fabric off one of the dresses and handed it to Howie. “Maybe this’ll help.”

“Yeah, that’s good. We’re gonna need more than that, though.”

Riley seemed to relish in shredding the bridesmaid gown, turning it into a tattered pile of bandages.

“That should do it,” said Howie. “Take off your shirt, Martin, so I can secure this better.” They all watched as Howie folded several of the strips into a thick pad and applied it to the bite. He lay another length of fabric over it and wrapped it around Martin’s torso, tying it tightly to keep it over the wound. “Thirty-six years as a bleeder will teach you the best way to tie a bandage,” he said with a grim smile, stepping back to admire his handiwork. “That should be good enough to get you back, anyway.”

“But… what of the virus?” Martin asked miserably. All the color had drained from his already-pale face, and he was visibly shaky.

“Well, we’re all immune, right?” said Nick with a shrug. “I mean, AJ got bit and didn’t get it.”

“Did he really?” asked Abby, her anxious expression clearing. “Well now, that’s a relief to hear. We’ll just need to clean this thoroughly when we get back to prevent infection, and you should heal up good as new, Martin.”

Martin looked at her, and behind the guarded look in his eyes, Gretchen could see a flicker of hope. “You think so?”

She tried to match Abby’s encouraging tone. “Of course,” she chimed in. “You survived one bite already, didn’t you? You’re going to be just fine.” But a quick glance at Riley told her not everyone shared the same optimism.

As they walked back out to the main room, they heard Kevin call, “Martin? Everything okay back there?” They trouped up to the front of the store, where Kevin stood guard. “What the hell happened?” he asked, taking in their pale faces and grim expressions.

“There were a couple of them hiding in the back,” Howie explained. “Abby was almost attacked, and one of them bit Martin.”

Kevin’s green eyes flashed. “You were bitten?” he asked Martin, speaking slowly and deliberately.

Martin nodded. “Ja. Mine shoulder.”

“We bandaged it,” Howie added quickly. “It didn’t look too bad. No worse than AJ’s.”

A significant look passed between the two of them. Kevin nodded. “We should get back. Did y’all find what you were looking for?” He raised his eyebrows at Gretchen, who realized she was still wearing the wedding dress.

“Um, yeah. I should go change, though…”

“I’ll help you bag it up,” Abby volunteered, putting an arm around her.

“I’ll go with you,” said Riley, and the three women walked back to the dressing rooms, where Riley and Gretchen took off their dresses. “Sorry, Abby, my dress got kind of bloody,” said Riley, tossing the brain-spattered blue dress over the top of the door. She didn’t sound too sorry.

“That’s alright.” Abby let out a weak laugh. “I suppose I was being silly, suggesting we come here. I feel just terrible about what happened to Martin.”

Guilt gnawed at Gretchen’s stomach for the same reason. If their little escapade to loot a wedding dress had gotten him killed… “Let’s just go,” she said, pulling her clothes on in a hurry. Abby finished smoothing the garment bag over her gown and tucked it over her arm as the three of them went to rejoin the others.

Nick was waiting for them outside the dressing rooms, with a sheepish expression on his face and a sapphire blue dress in his arms. He held it up for Riley to see. “I saw this and thought it would look good on you. It’s like what Gretchen was describing, isn’t it?”

Gretchen looked at the sleek, satin gown and then at Riley, who was staring at Nick with a bemused expression on her face. Then, seeming to snap out of it, she snatched the dress out of Nick’s hands. “You guys are just so determined to see me in a dress, aren’t you?” she replied, rolling her eyes.

Nick grinned. “You wanna try it on?”

Riley checked the size on the tag. “It should be fine. You did good, Nick. Now let’s get the hell out of here.”

No one objected. As they hurried to the van that was parked out front, Kevin said, “I’ll ride in the back with Martin.” But once Martin had climbed in, he turned to the others and muttered, “Don’t worry. If he turns, I’ll take him out.”

***

Martin did not turn during the tense ride back to the castle, but once they’d arrived, he announced that he was going to lie down. “Watch him,” Gretchen heard Kevin whisper to Selena, whom he’d ordered to stand guard outside of Martin’s room. “If he turns… you know what to do.”

“I don’t know why we don’t just lock him up!” Selena hissed. “That’s what you did to AJ, isn’t it?”

Unfortunately, she didn’t have the same tact as Kevin, and this time, Gretchen wasn’t the only one who heard.

“Please…” They all looked up to see Martin standing in the doorway, his eyes filled with tears. “Please…” he begged. “Is not safe, I agree. Lock me up. Please.”

The others exchanged glances. Abby shook her head, tears starting in her eyes, too. She reached for Callum’s hand. On the boy’s other side sat Gabby, anxiously biting her lip. But no one said anything.

Then AJ spoke up. “He’s right, you know. It’s the safest way to be sure. It ain’t no picnic, trust me, but it’s better than opening the door for someone else to get bit. If he’s immune, we’ll know in a day or so, and no harm done. And if he’s not…” He trailed off, rubbing the half-moon scar on his wrist. “We’ll all be safer this way.”

Kevin cleared his throat, looking warily at Martin. “Are you okay with this, Martin? Is this what you want?”

Ja.” Nodding miserably, Martin echoed AJ’s words. “Is safer for everyone this way.”

“Well, alright. It’s settled then. We’ll put you in the dungeon for the night. You can keep Alistair company.”

Martin nodded again in silent agreement. Abby burst into a fresh batch of tears, but Martin remained stoic. They took turns telling him goodbye, promising they’d see him bright and early the next morning. “It’s just for one night,” Kevin reassured him, putting a hand on his good shoulder as he led him away. “And when you wake up tomorrow, we’ll be able to put this all behind us.”

When they were gone, Gretchen turned to Brian, who was sitting beside her. “We should wait to get married,” she whispered, stroking the back of his hand.

She could tell by the look on Brian’s that this was not what he’d wanted to hear, but she was still surprised when he asked, “Why?”

“Why?” She blinked incredulously at him. “We can’t have a wedding tonight, knowing he’s down there wondering if he’s about to become one of them!”

“That’s exactly why we should get married tonight. It’ll make for a good distraction, take everybody’s minds off what’s going on,” said Brian rationally. “Besides, we picked this date for a reason. Why else did we wait all this time, when we could have married each other six weeks ago?”

Gretchen smiled sadly, remembering their reason for waiting. In a way, it was already their anniversary. One year. One year since the dead rose. One year since the day they’d met. Brian had been particularly adamant about turning that anniversary into a reason to celebrate, rather than mourn. And Gretchen wanted to give him that: a chance to make new memories, good ones, to take the place of the bad ones that still haunted him. But still, she was unsure. She still felt guilty about what had happened at the dress shop.

“Please, baby,” Brian begged, placing his hand on top of hers. “I don’t want to wait anymore. Especially after what happened today. When you guys got back, and I found out what happened, I thought, ‘My God… that could have been Gretchen.’ Life’s too short to wait. I don’t want to go another day without making you my wife.”

“Oh c’mon, Gretch,” Nick butted in. Gretchen looked up, embarrassed; she didn’t realize he’d been eavesdropping. Nick gave her one of his big, goofy grins. “Even if he does just want to get in your pants tonight, the guy’s got a point. What’s the use of waiting, when we could all use the distraction? Besides, I wanna see how Rye looks in that dress I picked out.”

“Oh, Nick.” Riley rolled her eyes, shooting Gretchen an apologetic grin, but that was all Gretchen needed to hear.

“Well, alright,” she said. “If no one has any objections… we’ll get married tonight.”

“Y’all better speak now, or forever hold your peace,” added Brian, looking around the room. When no one spoke, he grinned and gave Gretchen a kiss on the cheek. “It’s settled, then. See ya at the altar.”

***

Gretchen would never forget the flurry of activity that had proceeded her first wedding, the feeling of butterflies fluttering in her stomach as her mother and bridesmaids flitted all around her, buttoning her into her dress, touching up her makeup, re-pinning pieces of hair that had fallen out of place. She had wanted everything to be perfect, and they had helped her to make it so. Her nerves had been at their peak when she’d stepped into the sanctuary on her father’s arm, but when Gretchen had looked down the aisle and seen Shawn’s face, it was as if all her stress had simply melted away.

When she closed her eyes, she could still see Shawn’s face, smiling at her, his eyes shining behind his glasses. When she opened them, her own eyes were shiny and wet with tears. They spilled over as she glanced down at her dress, staining the white satin bodice. What would Shawn think if he could see her now, already five months pregnant with someone else’s child and about to marry another man, when he had only been gone a year? She hoped he would understand, that he would even be happy for her, but even so, it was guilt, rather than nerves, that gnawed away at her this time. She had taken off the necklace that held her wedding rings, and she felt naked without it.

Riley had gone to find her another necklace to wear, and when she returned and saw Gretchen’s face, she said, “Aww, what’s wrong?”

Gretchen sniffed and wiped her eyes. “Oh, nothing. Just being sentimental, thinking about Shawn.”

Riley gave her a sympathetic smile and a hug. “Don’t you go getting cold feet,” she said, shaking Gretchen’s shoulders as she started to release her. “You know he would have wanted this for you. He would have wanted you to survive and start a new life, and you have. You are. So don’t second guess yourself.”

Gretchen forced herself to smile back. “I know. I guess I just needed to hear someone else say it. So thanks.”

“Sure. Hey, look what I brought back.” Riley held up a teardrop-shaped sapphire pendant on a silver chain. “Found it in the gift shop. I figured it fits the ‘something borrowed and something blue’ part.”

“It’s beautiful. Thanks, Rye. Put it on me?” She turned around so Riley could fasten the clasp at the nape of her neck.

“There you go. Let’s see.”

Gretchen spun back around to face Riley, the best substitute she had for a floor-length mirror. “How do I look?”

“You look gorgeous.”

“So do you, girl!”

Riley rolled her eyes, but Gretchen was being sincere. The dress Nick had picked out for Riley matched the sapphire pendant and fit her like a glove, the sleek satin hugging her body in all the right places. He was in for a treat when he saw her walk down the aisle ahead of Gretchen.

“I peeked in the chapel on my way back, and it looks like they’re ready. Should we get in there?”

Gretchen took a deep breath and released it slowly. “Yeah. I think I’m ready now.”

Riley grinned and offered Gretchen her hand. “Let’s do it.”

Hand in hand, they left the tiny chamber in which Gretchen had gotten ready and walked toward the chapel, where the others would be waiting. It had gone quiet in the castle, Gretchen noticed, and the sound of their footsteps scuffing on the stone floor seemed extra loud. For hours after Kevin had escorted Martin to the dungeon, they’d been subjected to the sound of Alistair’s angry shouting. “Are ye MAD?! First ye lock me in here and leave me to rot, and now yer goin’ to chain up a zombie beside me? This is torture! TORTURE, I tell ye!” Alistair had gone on ranting and raving for close to an hour, but his screams had eventually died down. They hadn’t heard a peep from the makeshift prison since. The silence unnerved Gretchen. She would be glad when morning came, so they could let Martin out of there.

As they approached the chapel, soft strains of music filled the silence. “They’re ready for us,” Riley whispered. “Are you?”

Gretchen nodded. “Go ahead.” She watched as Riley rounded the corner to enter the chapel. After waiting several beats, long enough to give Riley time to get down the short aisle, Gretchen followed her.

As soon as she set foot inside the chapel, the music changed. AJ stood in a corner of the chapel, softly strumming the Bridal Chorus on the acoustic guitar Brian had brought back from a supply run. Gretchen beamed at him as she glided past, and he winked. Then her attention turned to her husband-to-be, standing at the altar with his hands folded nervously in front of him. He was wearing the black tuxedo Nick and Howie had picked out for him at the bridal store, and Gretchen thought he had never looked more handsome. Nick didn’t look bad, himself, standing on Brian’s left in a matching suit. But it was Kevin who truly looked distinguished, standing in the center of the altar in his full Air Force uniform. Brian had asked his cousin to conduct the ceremony. He wasn’t an officiant, according to the old laws, but under their current circumstances, he would have to do.

Brian reached out and took Gretchen’s hand when she reached the altar, and they turned briefly to face the rest of the group, standing in rows behind them. Abby was in the front, beaming up at them, with Callum and Gabby at her side. Across the aisle with In-Su, Howie gave them a wink and a grin. Shaun and Liz were holding hands in the second row, while Ashton and Lucio stood shoulder to shoulder. Even Selena had shown up, though she stood alone in the back. The only one missing from the ceremony was Martin. Gretchen tried to push him into the back of her mind as she turned and took Brian’s other hand.

Facing each other, they said their vows. Brian read his off a piece of paper he’d pulled out of his pocket. “Gretchen,” he began, his voice husky with emotion, “I met you, one year ago, on the worst day of my life. It was the day I lost my whole world.” Remembering how broken Brian had looked when she’d rescued him on the roadside that day, Gretchen’s eyes welled with tears. “I’d lost my family, my faith,” he continued, his voice cracking. “I’d lost everything, everything that made me the person I was. I even lost myself. But I also gained something special that day – April fifteenth, two thousand twelve, the first day of the rest of my life.”

Gretchen smiled through her tears as Brian squeezed her hands. “It hasn’t been the easiest life,” he admitted, “but you’ve made it worth living, Gretchen. You saved me in more ways than one that day, and you’ve been my saving grace every day since. I promise to love and protect you for the rest of my life.”

His blue eyes were bright with unshed tears, though hers had already started to trickle down her cheeks. Struggling to keep her composure long enough to get through her own vows, Gretchen swallowed hard. She reached into the bodice of her dress to dig out the folded scrap of paper she had tucked there, earning a few laughs from the group. Smiling, she unfolded the piece of paper, cleared her throat, and began to read the words she had penned there.

“Brian,” she started, her voice shaking, “you are the best thing that’s happened to me in this crazy new world we live in. You have been both my rock and my security blanket, my shelter and my shoulder to cry on. Every time I’ve needed you, you’ve been there for me… including that day, one year ago, when I was speeding down the interstate, all alone, and you were there in the middle of the road.” Brian smiled, the tears still sparkling in his eyes. “You were there,” Gretchen repeated, “and I haven’t felt alone since. So I promise to do the same for you: to be your rock and your security blanket, your shelter and your shoulder to cry on. I promise to be there for you, for all the days of our lives.”

Kevin led them through the exchanging of rings, a pair of silver bands Brian had looted on one of their supply runs. A lump rose in Gretchen’s throat as she watched Brian slide the simple band onto her finger, next to the engagement ring he had given her. It felt good to have a wedding ring around her finger again, but she couldn’t help but think of the band that was there before it, the one now tucked away with the rest of her belongings. She was someone’s wife once again, but she was also someone’s widow, and she could never forget that. She could never forget Shawn. But then, she knew Brian felt the same way about Leighanne. Neither of them could be forgotten or replaced. They would live on through memories – tucked away, like the rings, for safekeeping.

“By the power vested in me by… Brian,” proclaimed Kevin, to a few chuckles, “I now pronounce you husband and wife. Go on and kiss your bride, cous.”

Grinning, Brian pulled Gretchen into his arms and planted a kiss upon her lips. With her eyes closed, she couldn’t see the latecomer stagger into the chapel. It was Selena’s scream that broke the kiss.

“HE’S ONE OF THEM!”

Gretchen looked up as everyone turned around, in time to see Martin – or what used to be Martin – making his way up the aisle. His once-blue eyes were clouded over, his complexion the color of ashes. As he lurched toward them, his arms outstretched, Gretchen saw that his good hand was gone, his wrist a bloody stump. The sight of bone poking out of the mangled flesh made her gag. She clapped a hand over her mouth, heaving.

Selena sighed and pulled a dagger out of her belt loop. “Sorry, mate,” she said, and she plunged the blade through Martin’s skull.

For several long minutes, they all just stood and stared at the spot where Martin lay, his unseeing eyes fixed upon the ceiling. Then, needing to understand fully what had happened, they trouped after Kevin as he left the chapel and returned to the dungeon where he had chained Martin. There they found the empty manacle, Martin’s severed hand lying near it on the floor. On the other side of the small room, Alistair’s gutted corpse lay in a sticky pool of blood.

“He must have turned, then ripped off his own hand trying to get to Alistair,” said Kevin sadly, shaking his head. “We should have had someone stand guard.”

“Eh… it’s not like Alistair’s a big loss,” grunted AJ, shrugging.

Privately, Gretchen agreed, but it didn’t make her feel any better. She was wracked with guilt over what had happened to Martin. But the sick feeling in her stomach was not just one of guilt, grief, or even disgust. It was worry. Now that Martin was gone, they’d lost the closest thing they had to a medical doctor. The hope she’d felt that morning had died along with him.

She looked at Brian, who was still holding onto her, his arm around her waist. As the newlyweds locked eyes, the silent question passed between them: What are we going to do now?
Chapter End Notes:
Julie and I are nominated for Best Collaboration Team at the Felix Awards! (Among other things) Thanks to whoever nominated us, go to vote HERE!

Hopefully the next update won't be so far off lol. Sorry about the wait!