Page 18 of Zinnia and the Zombie
Jaxx stirred beside her and opened his eyes, the sunlight making them sparkle like purple jewels.
“Good morning,” she said, smiling down at him.
He returned her smile. “Good morning, my Zinnia. Did you sleep well?”
“Better than I expected,” she admitted.
“I as well.”
The memory of their kiss flashed through her mind and her cheeks heated before she scrambled quickly to her feet.
“We need to look for food and water, especially water.”
“I agree.” He started to rise but ended up clutching the wall for support.
“Take it easy,” she said, rushing to his side.
“I am… functional,” he insisted, though his grimace belied his words. His skin was no longer the pale, frightening yellow but he clearly had not regained his strength.
“You’re still feeling the post-stasis weakness aren’t you? You need rest.”
“We need supplies.” He attempted to take a step away from the wall and swayed dangerously.
She caught his arm. “What we need is for you not to collapse. I’ll look for water while you stay here and rest.”
“It isn’t safe?—”
“You said there wasn’t anyone around.”
“I said I didn’t detect any sentient life. That does not rule out predators.”
“No, but we haven’t seen any signs of them, have we? And I grew up in a rural area—I know how to find my way around the woods,” she said, trying to sound confident.
She could see the conflict in his eyes, but he finally sighed and unfastened his belt, handing it to her. “Take the knife. Be cautious. Return if you sense any threat.”
“I will.” She put on the belt, then impulsively leaned forward and pressed a quick kiss to his cheek. “I’ll be back soon.”
Before she could second-guess herself, she slipped out of their shelter into the ruins beyond.
Without Jaxx beside her, the city felt oppressive in its silent grandeur. The scale of everything was disorienting—doorways twice her height, corridors wide enough for ten people to walk abreast, windows that soared upward like cathedral arches.
She picked her way carefully through the debris, alert for any sign of water or food, and eventually found herself in what must have been a grand plaza, now overtaken by a riot of vegetation. Massive trees had broken through the paved ground, their roots creating a treacherous landscape of buckled stone. Through the trees she spotted a glint of reflected light. Water? Heart quickening, she made her way toward it.
The sight that greeted her took her breath away. A network of ornamental fountains and channels, crafted with exquisite artistry, filled the center of the plaza. Water still flowed through them, clear and seemingly fresh. The engineering required to maintain such a system after what must have been centuries of abandonment was mind-boggling.
Lush plants flourished along the edges of the water features—some familiar-looking ferns and mosses, others utterly alien with geometric patterns in their leaves or iridescent blooms that seemed to pulse with their own inner light. Most promising of all, small fish darted through the deeper pools, silver flashes in the sunlight.
She knelt beside one of the channels, dipping her fingers into the water. Cool and clean. The possibility of alien toxins madeher hesitate, but they couldn’t survive without water. She sighed, then cautiously brought a finger to her lips to taste a drop. It tasted the same as the water from her tap, with no strange flavors. She forced herself to wait a few minutes to see if there were any immediate ill effects, then drank thirstily.
Next she had to figure out a way to take some water back to Jaxx. She stood and studied the plants around her, looking for anything that might hold water.
A few of the geometric plants had bulbous-shaped growths at the base, each about the size of a large coconut. One of them lay broken open on the ground nearby, revealing a translucent gel-like substance within. She carefully washed it clean, then filled it with water. It wasn’t a perfect solution, but it was the best option available.
The plant was sturdy and flexible, with fibrous strands running through it. Maybe she could peel it apart and use those strands as a mesh to catch some of the fish? She used the knife to peel back the outer layers, revealing the fibrous material within.
She fashioned a crude trap from the plant fibers and a flexible branch, then she waited, perfectly still, as the curious fish investigated. When several had ventured inside her makeshift net, she yanked it upward.
“Yes!” Three silver fish, each about the size of her hand, flopped in her trap.
