I wrote this, and then felt the need to give it a separate short story thread... It's not my usual work, but I thought it was a fun challenge. Hope you like it as much as I do.

So, I am dead. No literally. It's kind of a long story, so bear with me. First, I met a really cool guy and fell in love. He was a warlock, and a pretty good one too. I was just normal. That didn't seem to bother him though. He said -I was so normal, I was perfect. Whatever that means. I think he was just being nice but whatever the reason, he loved me. So I got a kick ass boyfriend that could do really amazing stuff and I thought life just couldn't get any better. I was right. It got worse.

Here, let me start at the beginning. Or I guess the end depending on how you look at it. This is the day I died. It started off really good. I was happy, going about my business like any other person, but then shit happens. It really could have been anyone, and I don't really blame anyone, not even the guy who hit me. I mean it was a crappy deal, but I could have just moved on because I was so happy at the time. But I guess Eric just couldn't let me go...

*

"Simon! Get your arse downstairs right this minute!" I heard my dad shout. I grabbed my bag and made a run for it. As I passed him in the hall he had a stern look on his face and I grinned as I grabbed the lunch from his hand. I waved as I left and shouted back.

"Thanks Dad, I'll be late tonight don't forget. I'm going over to Eric's after work." I glanced back to see him nodding and waving back. I grabbed my bike off the lawn and sped off down the street. The warm wind felt great against my face as I pedaled my way over to the main street, on my way to work. It was a bright sunny day, I liked my job and I got to see my boyfriend later.

I pulled in just in front of the bookstore and locked my bike to the rack. The door toned as I walked in and Rachel looked up from the book she was reading as I walked in. I went into the back to throw my bag under the desk with my helmet and gloves. Took a swipe at my unruly hair, not that it would make a difference, and went out to see what the plan was today.

"George said there is a delivery by the back door. If you load up the cart I can help you put them away if you want." Rachel said without looking up from the book she was reading.

"Is that a new one?" I asked, moving to the large boxes on a skid by the loading door behind her.

"No, just the next in the series." She glanced back as I opened the first box, her curiosity overpowering her desire to finish the book. The glossy covers of the new books we got in had us both drooling. I pulled the cart over and began stacking them by author's name. She came over to help stack, checking the backs of a couple when the cart was full.

"Should be done by the end of the day if you don't plan on reading the back of all of them." I joked. She just whacked my arm with the one in her hands and we went to put them away. Time flies when you're organizing your favourite things. I put out the new book display like George's diagram said, put away all the books in the first box, had lunch and even had time to alphabetize the used books pile again. People always mixed them up and I had OCD.

The bell rang when Eric arrived and we both turned to the sound. I straightened and gave him a peck on the cheek as he slipped his hand around my waist. Rachel looked away and blushed. She had a thing for yaoi manga, and was always saying we were 'moe'? I think she meant we were a cute couple; I didn't really care as long as she was cool with us.

"Ready to go, gorgeous?" He asked me in his sinful voice. I swear he could ask me to do something I absolutely hated, like eat brussel sprouts, and I would still melt into a little puddle.

"Yeah, let me grab my things." I went back to get my bag and helmet. He saw it and raised a brow.

"I thought you were going to walk today?" He mentions. I blushed.

"Ah, yeah I was running late this morning so I needed a quicker way here. Sorry." He shook his head with a grin.

"It's fine. I'll just be a minute grabbing my bike." He went back outside and I smiled. Waving to Rachel, I followed in enough time to see him walk out with his helmet and bike from the alley. When he said he had to get his bike, he meant he had to magic it over to him. Yep, like pull it through space so we could ride home together. Pretty wicked huh? We got on and took off towards his place. I followed behind him easily as we went through town.

It happened so fast, neither of us had a chance to react really. One second I was biking through an intersection behind him, the next I was flying through the air. My whole body hurt, and I felt the horrible sensation of things rupturing and bones cracking when I landed. I was conscious, barely. My life was pouring out on the pavement as Eric frantically hovered over my sprawled body.

"Shit, shit, shit!!" Eric was trying to staunch the blood. He tried small bursts of magic energy to repair me but I was falling apart faster than he could put me back together. Especially now that we had an audience of people watching him. He couldn't give himself away. It was against the rules. I grabbed his hands and tried to stop him from doing something stupid.

"Eric..." I croaked. It was hard to speak with my chest hurting so much. "Hey, it's alright."

"No! No, it's not alright." He shook his head frantically. My vision started to go in and out. I heard sirens in the distance. I coughed and Eric flinched at the liquid that came from my mouth. I hurt so much, I just wanted it to stop.

"I'm s-sorry... Eric... I don't... think... I..." My body shuddered on the ground, I was holding on for him but it was so hard.

"You can't, you can't die. Please, please, please, please. You can't leave me. I won't let you!" He leaned over and sobbed on my chest. My eyes faded out to black and the pain was gone.

*

You can imagine my surprise when I woke up. Of course the doctor who had just finished his autopsy was more surprised. He fainted. I almost did too when I saw myself in the window. My skin was kind of a blueish gray. My organs, or what was left of them, were in trays. Pretty sure I didn't have blood anymore. I felt, well stiff for one, and it was rather hard to get off the table. My leg must've been broken because it folded when I tried to walk on it.

I found some splint-like things and taped them on securely with surgical tape. The toe-tag had to go. Huh, I was John Doe. They must not have gotten my stuff from the scene. Maybe Eric had covered for me. Eric! Oh man, he was in so much trouble right now. I pulled on some scrubs I found in a closet I ducked into when someone was coming down the hall. After they passed, and I heard shouts, I carefully made my way to another floor through the stairwell.

I had to wait for dark to leave. I wasn't stupid. I had watched my fair share of zombie movies. Oh my God. I was a zombie! I always thought I'd be one of the guys who survived and was running from them. Now thanks to Eric, I was one. I wondered if I was going to start craving brains soon. I wasn't really hungry at the moment. Too bad they hadn't dolled me up for the funeral, I was going to look like shit when he saw me.

I went through the bushes and decided to knock on the back door. It was hard to lift my arm still, but I managed a good pound after a few tries. It wasn't Eric who answered though. It was his older sister, Elizabeth. To say her face looked shocked would be an understatement. She screamed. I screamed and fell back. She screamed again when I tried to get back up. Finally, I just lay there waiting for her to get herself together.

"What the hell are you screaming about girl!?" I heard their mother shout from inside, getting closer. When I looked up, Beth just pointed at me. Their mother looked me over and then registered what she was seeing.

"Hi Mrs. Mathers. Is Eric home?" My voice sounded funny but I definitely got it out.

"ERIC! You get your ass over here right this minute!" Her voice was shrill and both Beth and I winced at the sound. A thunder of footsteps came towards our location. Not just Eric, but his dad and older brother came barreling down the hall to see what was going on. Eric stopped dead with wide eyes while everyone checked me out. Then he pushed outside and landed on top of me in the tightest hug ever. I think I heard ribs crack. Not that I felt anything.

"Did you... did you just turn your boyfriend into the undead?" I heard his older brother say. His dad looked pretty mad, so I tried a sheepish smile. I think I just creeped him out. Then I was being kissed by the boy on top of me. Ah, I could sort of feel that. His dad pried him off me and then helped me to my feet.

"Both of you, my office, now." Heh, sounded like a principal there. Eric grabbed my hand and dragged me to the blue walled room with a big desk and helped me sit in one of the chairs. I hadn't been in here before. I saw a typical office room, filing cabinet, computer, phone, and comfortable chairs in dark brown leather.

"I can't believe you are sitting here right now." He breathed as he stared at me. I felt a little self conscious since I was in hospital scrubs and probably looking terrible. I moved my hand through my hair in the unconscious gesture I usually used and two pairs of eyes watched with interest.

"Neither can I. Do you want to tell me what happened?" His dad asked with an edge to his voice.

"Well, I was on the pavement. Bleeding to death. Eric said he didn't want me to leave. I passed out. I woke up in the autopsy room without any insides. So I figured I should come here in case I get shipped off to some military base and dissected. Again." I twiddled my thumbs in nervousness as my gaze shifted from one to the other.

"Did you use your magic on him?" His father asked Eric sternly.

"No! I mean, I don't think I did. I was trying to heal him, but there were a lot of people there so I was being really careful to do it so no one could see. There was just too much, and I panicked, then the paramedics showed up and took him away! Next thing I know they are saying on T.V. that he's dead!" Eric was sitting on the edge of his seat. I could see in this light that he'd been crying. A lot. His dad looked really upset, pinching the bridge of his nose and looking at me.

"So you did. You used your magic, and when you panicked it did what you wanted instead of what you intended." He said darkly. We both looked confused.

"What does that mean?" I asked politely.

"It means my son has made it impossible for you to leave him. Even if your body dies, like it has. Even if it decays, like it's probably starting to. This is what I meant about being careful about consequences, Eric. What are we supposed to do with him? It's summer. He looks, well like he shouldn't be up and walking that's for sure. You made him, so he's your responsibility until we figure out what can be done to fix it." He told us both. Eric nodded and then helped me to my feet. He took me upstairs and helped me out of my hospital scrubs.

When he saw the scars across my chest and the still broken limb, he winced. He went into the closet to get me a change of clothes. I could just faintly smell him, but it wasn't as sharp as it used to be. I felt clumsy as I wrestled with my limbs to get them to move. It was getting easier to do the more I did it. The sweat pants he gave me were too big, but that was okay since it covered the contraption I had my leg in to keep it from folding. Once I was dressed, we both just kind of sat there, staring at each other.

"Do you want me to brush your hair for you?" I nodded. It would be difficult to reach until I got more limber. He grabbed a paddle brush and gently stroked it through my tangles. When I looked over I saw he was crying again. I grabbed the brush and awkwardly pulled him against me. He was warm, and it felt good having him pressed against my side. He sobbed a few minutes before sniffing and straightening. "Sorry."

"Why are you apologizing? I think it's sweet that you cried for me. Makes me feel really loved. I'd blush if I still had blood." He laughed at that and I grinned back. I'm glad I got him laughing, it's not like I could cry myself and I really, really wanted to at this point.

"Are you mad at me?" He asked, looking at his hands. I grabbed one and made him look at me.

"I was, but I'm over it. I think I forgave you the second I saw you. You look like shit. I thought I looked bad, but -well you look terrible. What day is it? Have you slept?" He was laughing again and looked a bit self conscious himself now. He raked a hand through his locks and shook his head, no.

"It's Thursday. You've been... gone for three days. Your parents called the second day, I think. I wasn't in any shape to talk to them. I don't think they know yet. I mean, I took your bag with me after. I really fucked up, didn't I?" He laid back on the bed and I curled in next to him.

"No, I am sure your dad will figure this thing out. I mean, you can't be the first warlock to keep a loved one around even if it was accidental. Seriously, though, you need to get some sleep. I'm not going anywhere. I will be right here when you wake up, okay?" He looked unsure. It was strange to see him so hesitant. This wasn't the strong minded man I left days ago, he was a bit scared, and a bit broken. I stroked his hair until I felt him relax.

His breathing evened out and I watched him dream. It was strange to just lay there while someone else sleeps, but he was exhausted and needed it desperately. I wasn't tired. I wasn't anything really. I could close my eyes, but I didn't breathe and I didn't stop thinking. It was creepy just laying there with my eyes closed. It felt creepy watching him sleep after awhile too. So I stared at the ceiling, counted his books, sang to myself, anything to pass the time.

Nighttime is really long if you don't sleep. I discovered this for the first time that night. It's dark and lonely when everyone else is tucked up snug in their beds. I thought about dying. I thought about living. I thought about the boy who loved me so much he couldn't let me leave. The boy laying on the bed with me, oblivious to the world. The beautiful boy who could have anyone in the world, but chose me. I sighed, or tried to. It's hard to act normal when you don't feel normal.

I made sure I was laying next to him in the morning, like I promised. When his eyes cracked open and he saw me, his face lit up in a smile and it was worth it again. Then he looked concerned though, and made me sit up. There was fluid on the pillow where I was resting my head. I felt my ear and swore. Yep, my ear was leaking it. I got up and went to the bathroom. Stripping down, I got in the shower with cold water. Really cold water. Not that I really shivered or anything, it didn't bother me.

I used the moisturizing body wash to clean myself up, it seemed to help a little with the feel of my skin. When I got out, I put cotton in my ears so I wouldn't leak anymore and rubbed some vanilla lotion on my arms and such. I looked in the mirror, for what I could see it wasn't the greatest. My brown hair looked the same, better now there wasn't tangles. My eyes had a slight haze over their regular blue colour. My skin was the most drastic change though. There just wasn't any colour or life left in it. I looked dead.

"What's the matter." It was a statement more than a question from Eric as he leaned against the door jam.

"I look terrible. How can you even still like me, looking like this?" I pouted. It was hard to move my face muscles very much, but I managed.

"I didn't fall for you because of your looks. I liked you because you were you." He said sweetly, coming up behind me and giving me a hug. "What do you want to do today?"

"Hmm, can we watch that movie we were going to see Monday night? I still haven't seen it." I joked. He needed the laughter, I could tell. It wasn't like getting upset over it was going to help any.

"Sure, come on downstairs and I will put it in." We went downstairs and he put in the new Deadpool movie before curling up with me on the couch. We laughed a lot. It was a really funny movie. His mom came in to ask if we were hungry, but I said no. Guess the eating brains thing was just a Hollywood myth. Of course it wasn't like I had a stomach anymore to put any food in anyways. I laughed to myself. It was actually a relief that I wouldn't be chasing people around and killing them.

Seemed like a lot of work in the movies. The only problem I seemed to be having was obvious when his mom came back with his breakfast and looked at me strangely. I nudged him and pointed at her strange behaviour but he just shrugged. It wasn't until the credits were rolling and his sister came in the room that either of us noticed anything. She looked over and began making gagging motions and ran out of the room. He chased her out as I watched in surprise. What now?

"She says you stink. I didn't notice until I left and came back in again. I think she's right. We need to come up with something. You must be starting to rot." He looked upset. It didn't bother me since I couldn't really smell it.

"Um, how about I sit next to the air vent. Maybe with the air conditioning right on me...?" He nodded thoughtfully. The he put up a finger, one second, and left the room. He came back with ice packs. I smiled and we put them in their Velcro straps over my torso and legs. Hopefully that would help. He also turned down the thermostat, because I felt the cold air come rushing up from the vent.

"I forgot about heat and stuff. They must've kept you in a cooler before." He mumbled.

"Yeah probably. It made my joints all stiff though. I can walk easier than I did when I first woke up. I can feel a little bit too, here and there. Like when you kissed me yesterday. I felt that." He smiled and took the hand I offered.

"That's good. Do you want... I mean if it's weird I won't..." He was staring at my lips. I licked them out of habit.

"No, I'd like to." I leaned forward and felt his warm lips press against mine. They nibbled at the lotioned skin, and I opened my mouth to let him in like I always did. His tongue felt wet against my dry one. It licked my mouth and I moaned at how good he tasted.

"Dad! Eric is making out with the zombie in our living room!" I heard his sister shout.

"Tell him to go to his room, and try to keep him cold. I don't want to be cleaning up parts from different rooms in the house because he couldn't keep him together." We heard from the hallway. I made a snickering sound. We did go back to his room though. I grabbed my bag and took out my book to read. I had to hold it close because my eyesight was bad. It passed the time though.

"Are you sure you don't need to eat? Or sleep?" Eric was hovering. He was worried since we hadn't heard anything from his dad. I figured it wouldn't be a quick fix. I knew you couldn't just magic a person back to life, there were rules. Some of which were cosmic rules, like 'life only comes from life'. Translation, for me to live that meant someone else had to give up their life or switch places with me. I didn't know how I felt about that one. I wanted to live, don't get me wrong.

But how badly?

*

I was so bored. It had been a week or more and I had read a ton of books, seen a ton of movies, and been awake the whole time. Eric tried to stay awake one night with me, but he was so cranky the next day that I made him take a nap and wouldn't let him do it again. They bought me more ice packs and I changed them regularly. I hadn't lost any limbs yet, but I had leaked a couple times. It was gross. When it couldn't come out of my ears, it came out my nose and eye sockets. That was a mess and a cold shower.

I apologized to Mrs. Mathers, but she was really nice about it and said I couldn't help it. I felt like an old person. I walked slowly, because I never really limbered up totally. My eyesight was bad. My hearing was bad, although I didn't need cotton in my ears anymore. I tried wearing cologne to cover the smell a bit, but I still smelled like death. I constantly had to use lotion, otherwise my skin was getting dry. Even had to put it on my tongue. Just for the record, lotion tastes awful, don't try it.

So, yeah I could taste though. That was interesting. I mostly just put yummy stuff in and then spit it out. I liked gum, which I hadn't before. Mostly because it gave me something to do and taste without having to spit or whatever. I liked strawberry-kiwi flavour the best. Eric grinned when he kissed me now, probably because I tasted better. Yep, we still kissed. I guess everyone else except us thought it was weird. I was glad I didn't gross him out enough that he stopped.

His family had to go out somewhere, and I was stuck here. Did I mention I was bored? Yeah. I wandered around and snooped in some rooms I hadn't been in before. When I found his sister's room, I was surprised how girly it was. I never took her for a rainbows and unicorns kind of girl, but whatever. My eyes caught a bag of make up on her dressing table and... yeah I stole it. I had no idea how to use half this shit, but I was going to get creative.

First I laid it all out. I put aside the stuff I didn't think I'd use, like purple eyeshadow. I started with the skin tones, liquid and powder. It was harder than it looked to get it to look okay. Once I felt that was good, I added a bit of colour to my cheeks and stuff. I had the YouTube tutorial open the whole time on my phone while I worked. It was pretty good. My lips looked funny, so I put some colour on them too.

Once done, I pulled on clothes to hide my body and all the ice packs. I was going to go for a short stroll, that was all. I'd be back before they knew I was gone. The great thing about being dead is that you don't sweat. The bad thing is you also don't realise how hot it is. I was fine, I think, until I ran into the main street. I missed the sounds and the people, so it kind of drew me to it. About halfway down the street I ran into a couple of classmates, they stopped to chat- or so I thought.

"Dude, where have you been? You've been missing for, like, weeks." I just cocked my head to the side curious.

"I've been around. You just missed me. I mean, I'm here now right?" I said convincingly. A girl grabbed the guy's sleeve and whispered in his ear.

"Naw man, you're dead. They said it on the news or something. Your parents even said you're missing or some shit." He drawled. They were all looking at me strangely. I shook my head with a smile.

"Come on, how can I be dead if I'm standing right here? They got the wrong person is all. Listen, I got to go. I'll see you later." I turned and walked away quickly. Crap, word was out. I needed to get back, and fast. I rushed back to the house, but there was a car back in the drive and his dad was just leaving again. He stopped when he saw me. I knew I was in trouble.

"Get your ass inside now, boy." He held open the door. "Eric, he's back." The body of my boyfriend went barrelling into mine as soon I was inside. That was a bad idea. I went down and he landed on top of me with a crunch. We both winced. He got up carefully and tried to survey the damage. I peeled off the jacket I had on and noticed one of the ice packs was now imbedded in my chest. Dammit.

"I'm so sorry. Where did you go? When we came back and you weren't here I thought for sure I had just hallucinated the whole thing." He was trembling as he helped me to my feet. I felt bad for making him worry. I did the strange sighing thing I could manage and sat back on the couch.

"No, I'm sorry. I was bored. I just went for a walk, but I think it was a bad idea. My knee feels really loose now." I pulled up my pant leg to check on my leg. It looked bad. The contraption I had on my shin was heavy and it was stretching the skin and muscles of my knee so it was nearly separated. Eric helped me cut off the tape and metal so they could figure something else out for me.

I sat on the couch just staring at the mess in front of me. My leg looked horrifying. The skin was torn up at the bottom and stretched out up top. The bones could be seen underneath with a variety of other ligaments and internal workings all looking discoloured and frayed. I was like an old cyborg model, still going as my parts fell apart around me. They came in the room with tools and a white folding cart. I watched as they took it half apart.

One folding leg went on one side of my leg, the other on the other side. Duct tape to hold it in place, wonderful stuff that Duct tape. Then His sister handed over a pair of compression pants. They carefully rolled those on over top to hold it all together. I tested the get-up and nodded when it felt okay. Beth couldn't stop staring at the hole in my chest and I turned away so she couldn't look anymore. Maybe I could stuff it or something, so it didn't look so caved in.

"Maybe I should check some taxidermy websites and see what they say. I mean, maybe they'll have some ideas on how to keep me from falling apart some more." I said depressed. I made my way to the stairs and back to Eric's room with him trailing behind. He looked worried. I was worried. I wasn't sure how much longer my body could keep going. It would devastate him if I tried to just off myself, plus I didn't know if it would even work thanks to the magic. I might end up a disembodied spirit just floating around, not able to say anything.

His laptop was open on the desk and I started browsing different sites. Wet preserved animals, freeze dried animals, hunting trophies, preserve your pet, I was getting more upset the more I looked. I wasn't going to live in a vat of god knows what for the rest of my life. No way. I dropped my head on the desk and vaguely felt Eric rubbing my back soothingly. I was tired of this. I wanted to give up, but I couldn't. Like even if I wanted to, I couldn't! I wanted to hate Eric, but I couldn't even do that.

"Hey boys, we have another problem." His brother stood in the doorway.

"What is it Ethan?" Ah, that was his name. I had forgotten. He just cocked his head to the side and we followed him into his room. There on the television was the news. The hospital was looming in the background as the reporter told everyone in town that a cadaver had been stolen from the morgue two weeks ago and authorities were now asking the public for any information they might have. Eric and I exchanged glances.

"I suppose it's better than them announcing the start of the zombie apocalypse. That would have hurt my feelings." Ethan laughed and I grinned back.

"Well, guess that means no more walks. I mean you did a good job with the makeup and all, but we don't want to risk something happening to you." He said to me.

"Did I really? I wasn't sure about my neck area. It was hard to see in the mirror." I looked over at Eric staring at my neck to see for himself.

"Honestly, it looks pretty good. I mean not exactly like you used to look, but definitely more alive." I laughed as Eric rolled his eyes and dragged me to his room again. I bit my lip when I flopped on the bed and swore. He came to check the damage. Pulling open a desk drawer, he squirted some super glue on the side and held them together. I waited patiently for it to dry and then thanked him. He clipped my nails as we sat in silence.

"Are you mad at me now?" He asked quietly. I looked over to see his face so sad I could cry, you know, if I had working tear ducts. I had to tell him the truth though.

"A bit. I just wish your dad would hurry up and figure out what we're doing. It is really uncomfortable hanging out in this body." He nodded. I tried to smile at him but he scolded me because he wasn't sure how long until the glue was completely dry.

*

I needed a haircut. Mrs. Mathers had me sit up in the bathtub full of ice they set out for me. I officially took over the spare bedroom. My parents had been over a couple of times. They had concocted a story about us fighting or something and me taking off, but I wasn't sure my parents bought it. The mixture in the tub stank, but whatever it was -it was working on keeping me together. I spent more and more time in there. It was really boring, so Eric bought me books and set up a television in the bathroom for me.

He hardly left my side. He had lost weight, and I was constantly bugging him to eat something. Last thing I needed was for him to kick it out of worry. He came in after his mom was finished and held my hand. He seemed to shake all the time, it worried me. I tried a reassuring smile, patting his hand. He started to cry and leaned his head against the tub. I stroked his hair. This was becoming more frequent too. I just had to wait it out, pretend he was crying for me -like I wanted to.

The commotion outside the door was what caught both of our attention. We watched in horror as the door flew open to reveal my dad. He fell over when he saw me. My mom was in hysterics in the hall, with Mrs. Mathers trying to get her to calm down. Mr. Mathers came in to help my dad to stand and told us to meet him downstairs in ten minutes. Eric and I looked at each other terrified. What the hell was I supposed to tell my folks?

They left with the Mathers, and Eric helped me out of the tub. I did my best to make myself presentable, but that was hard to do in ten minutes. At best I looked passably alive. I suppose that was something. Now I had to explain to my folks why I had been missing for a month. I fiddled with the fabric of my shirt as I shuffled in the living room to face them. They looked up, and the concern on their faces was hard to see. I sat down in the chair perpendicular to the couches so everyone was looking at me.

"Where the hell have you been young man?" My dad started. My mom interrupted him though.

"No, what happened to you? You look terrible!" I let out a bit of laugh but quickly stifled it at the look I was getting from the four adults.

"Ah, yeah, sorry. I have been really..." Dead. "Sick. I didn't want to worry you guys until..." I wasn't dead anymore. "We figured out what it was. Mr. Mathers has a doctor friend who has been helping me." Fuck, I hate all this lying. "He said it wasn't good to move me too much." Mr. Mathers was nodding approvingly at what I was saying. It probably would have worked too, if my mom hadn't gotten up and tried to crush me in a hug. She screamed in my ear, loudly.

Can't say I blame her, or her faint either. I probably would have too if I hugged a loved one and felt half their chest sunk in on them. My dad was panicked and trying to resuscitate her on the floor. I was trying to get my arm to pop back in its socket, since she had yanked it out pulling me to my feet. Eric came over to help and was swearing up a storm. When she woke up, the look on her face was pretty terrified. I just sat and held my arm, giving up on getting it to go in for now.

"Ok, ok, don't freak out. I'm really tired of getting screamed at. I was the kid hit in the intersection. The problem isn't that I was lifted from the morgue, it's that I walked out." I hung my head. There was just silence in the room, maybe a little heavy breathing -it was hard to tell with my bad hearing.

"You're... not dead?" My mom asked carefully. I looked at Mr. Mathers. He shrugged.

"Well..." My dad raised a brow. Like he was daring me to lie again. I looked between the two of them. I might as well just get this over with. "Yes and no. My body is dead, but I'm not." My dad looked thoughtful for a minute.

"So, you're a zombie." I tried snapping my fingers and pointed at him. I couldn't really snap my fingers but you get the idea.

"Sort of. It's not like the weird movie zombies. No brain eating, mindless killer here. Just me. Stuck in my dead body." I tried to explain.

"Well how the hell do we get you un-undead?" My mom wailed. Mr. Mathers cleared his throat.

"We're working on that. It is kind of our fault this happened, you know the boys are very attached to each other so... that's what set all this off. So, we'll fix it. As much as it can be." He said seriously. No mention of magic, probably for the best considering how they were handling the whole zombie thing.

"As much... what the hell does that mean?" My dad piped up. We all looked to Mr. Mathers for clarification.

"We are certain now, with the state of decomposition that Simon is currently in, he can't remain in that body much longer. That means he will need to be transplanted. We are looking for a viable host right now, but we need to get the age and sex close so he won't feel too out of place." We all looked at him in varying stages of discomfort, shock and horror.

"Oh god, you wouldn't put me in a girl -would you?" I mumbled. My mom put a hand to her mouth.

"No, no. That's why it's taking so long. We will have to transport you to their location to do the swap so we need to find a boy near enough to get you there safely." We all nodded. I didn't want anything to happen to me on the way to getting my new body. Wait, I was going to have to get used to a whole new height and appearance...

"What kind of body are we talking about? You aren't going to off someone to put him inside or anything, are you?" His brother Ethan piped up. We all looked sick at the thought.

"It's a coma patient. Someone who has been under long term. If there was brain damage then they won't be coming back the same, so we figure that's our best bet." His dad said calmly. My parents nodded in relief. They held hands and I could tell they were struggling with all this.

"I'm sorry I didn't tell you guys. It's just... it was hard for me to be dealing with this and I didn't really want to burden you." I looked down at my hands. I tapped Eric and he handed me lotion, I was getting dry out of my bath.

"That's what family is for, Simon. Next time just tell us. It worried us more not knowing anything, okay?" My mom's voice was gentle but firm. I nodded. This time they approached and held out their arms. I got up and let them hug me carefully.

"It's really good to see you are okay. Hang in there, son." My dad dragged my mom to the door and asked Mr. Mathers to keep him informed. They left, and I went back to my bath.

*

"Good news, boys. I think we've found someone." We both looked up, his dad was in the next room. I faintly heard the shuffling of papers, the form of him coming close. My eyesight and hearing were growing steadily worse so I relied on Eric to lead me and people had to speak up close for me to hear them.

"That's a relief. Let me see." Eric said next to me. I still scolded him to eat well, and his hand wasn't too bony so I think he was listening to me. I heard him suck in a breath.

"What? Is he ugly?" I asked, anxiously. Eric laughed, and I savoured the sound.

"No, he's really cute. You'll be a couple years younger than me, though. That okay?" I nodded carefully. He let me hold the paper for a second and I ran a hand over my saviour's form. It was cloudy, but I could make out a smiling face. I felt bad that he had been hurt.

"It's okay." My voice was thin and high these days. My vocal cords were not what they used to be. I had to talk slowly and use few words. Most of the time I laid in my bath, staring at nothing. Waiting for my miracle. Now it was here, and I was excited. I heard the preparations were already underway. People shouted and the movements were loud enough I could listen in on the packing. My parents came and mom was crying, she was really happy -I think.

They bundled me into a van, I laid on the very back seat while everyone else sat up front. Our stuff was crammed into the back and Eric's mom gave the two older kids instructions before we left. The van got on it's way and we barely stopped. Pee breaks only, food was handed out to everyone regularly. Except me, obviously. When we did stop, everyone else got out with groans and stretches while I just laid and waited.

Hours, days, I wasn't sure when we pulled up to the hospital. I knew it was time, and I couldn't move very well but inside I was jumping. It took hours for them to be ready for me. I was kept where I was while the others checked into a hotel. I was carted back to the hospital, where Eric's dad said the boy was almost ready for me. They had done repairs on his body, but no response was detected. That was good for me, I guess. Bundled up in a hooded jacket and gloves, they got me up and moving inside.

Nobody gave us a second glance inside. Mostly because everyone here was hobbling around as well, and I had my posse keeping a close watch for me. Once in the room, Eric's mom locked the door. My parents were back at the hotel waiting, the Mathers had convinced them it was for the best. I agreed, I didn't want them to be here if it didn't work. I was either leaving here a new man, literally, or disappearing.

They laid me down on the bed next to the boy. I had learned his name was Christopher. I held his warm hand in mine, and mentally told him how sorry I was that he was here. His breathing was strong and even. He was shorter than me, but that was okay. I saw a burst of light down by my feet. Then another on my right, and lastly one to the left. I closed my eyes and waited. The flashes of light pulsed and jumped. I felt energy rushing through me, like the time I shocked myself on the old Christmas lights my grandpa used to have.

It buzzed and tingled through my body. My mouth opened on a gasp as it got painful. Then it was like my whole body was ripped apart. I arched on the bed. I felt woozy when it stopped, and I heard Eric whispering in my ear. Breathe! I took in a breath, and another. That's right, I had to breathe again. That means it must've worked, right? I tried opening my eyes, but it was fuzzy. I was panicking a bit and grabbed Eric's shirt.

"Breathe in, breathe out." His mom intoned next to me on the other side. I listened to her voice and followed the instructions. In and out, until I was doing it without thinking. I heard a knock at the door, a woman asking if there was someone there. Mr. Mathers told her they were just visitors, they had another hour of visitation still. I heard him! My hearing was back and I blinked to clear my eyes. Eric was in tears, again. I was going to call him my watering pot when this was over.

I felt moisture on my own face and reached up to wipe away tears. Tears! I was crying too. The relief I felt was humongous. I started laughing and Eric wrapped me in a hug. He was kissing my head and then my face and then I kissed him back without having to worry about falling apart. They helped me get on my pants and shirt, not letting me look at what was left of my body on the bed. I wouldn't have gotten a good look anyways with my eyesight still going in and out.

This was the second time I had snuck out of a hospital, and I hoped it was the last. When we reached the van, I let out a sigh of relief that no one had recognized or stopped us. Eric was giggling like it was a mad adventure. I suppose it was. His laughter certainly made the lot of us feel better. My giggle was really soft but the sound of it had Eric looking at me with sexy eyes. I blushed, yep that worked too. My hair was really short, so when I went to run my hand through it like usual it felt funny.

I made a face at Eric and he hugged me in the seat, the seatbelt digging into us. He wouldn't stop touching me. My hands, my face, hugging my body and gently touching my leg. It was making me kind of horny, so I was glad that was in working order too. My eyesight was pretty much back, and I checked him out. He looked wiped. He had bags under his eyes from lack of sleep, his hair was limp and his skin pale. If I couldn't tell he had been eating, I would have given him an earful, but he hadn't lost too much weight overall so I was barely satisfied.

At the hotel, we went right to the elevators and up to the room to see my folks. The look of relief when I walked in with everyone was palpable. They did the same as Eric, just hugging and touching to make sure I was real. I laughed and told them to cut it out, like I used to when I was little. They liked that. It seemed to affirm to them I was me. All this staring and touching was making me irritated now, though. I asked to take a nap, and I had to wizz.

I went into the bathroom, shutting the door on all of them with a real sigh. I felt smothered. I walked over and let loose in the toilet. That was pretty much the same. It was hard to tell if I was the same size or not, since I was younger. Would it grow more? I wasn't sure. I shook it off and went to check my new self out in the mirror. My hair was dirty blonde now. It was a crew cut, I would have to change that. Kind of had a wave in it, that was nice.

My skin was more olive toned, I think. I had been without colour for so long now it seemed really bright and healthy. There was a sprinkling of freckles across my nose, which I scrunched up. My nose was smaller. I was definitely cute. Wasn't sure how I felt about that. My eyes though. Whew, that was a big change. They were green. Like, in your face-holy shit-grass after rain, green. In the pale backdrop of my face they really stood out. No wonder everyone was staring. I heard a knock on the door and stuck my head out.

"Sorry, this must be really overwhelming for you. Everyone is going to go out for a bite and give you a bit to yourself. What do you want us to bring you back?" My mom was looking at me with a gentle smile.

"A cheese burger, please." She nodded and left, after stroking my cheek. I came out and sat on the bed. I guess I really could take a nap now that I could sleep again. I laid back and let the exhaustion of the last few months overtake me. I was out in minutes.

*

I had to retake a couple grades, but that was okay since I did really well the second time around. I needed to make new friends, well all of us did because it would have been impossible to stick around our old hometown. It was great having the Mathers with us though. They were able to make most of the arrangements for transfers, new names and new jobs go a whole lot smoother than they might have otherwise.

Our new home was cool too. We lived closer to each other, and once I was legal again (age difference now, awkward), Eric and I resumed our relationship. He was really protective of me now. I mean it was really cute how he never wanted to take his eyes off me, but sometimes I just had to tell him to fuck off for awhile. My new friends were awesome, and very understanding when it came to Eric. There was one time he picked me up and carted me off with him. They laughed it off as a 'Lover's spat.'

Eric had started taking better care of himself, especially since I had been nagging him. I was more careful of myself, guess it was a by-product of having my body decaying around me and then getting a really cute body to replace it. I was really cute, if I say so myself. Eric got annoyed sometimes with my newfound pride, but hey -I never had this before! I mean girls in my new school were always asking me out, and it was really flattering.

Not that I'd ever leave Eric. He was my everything. I knew what we had both been through had brought us so close together, I was never letting that go. He had stayed with me when I was at my lowest. Besides, I was pretty sure that the real reason all this had turned out the way it did... was because I hadn't wanted to leave him either.