He reached out and touched her cheek. It was ice cold. A stark reminder that no matter how much they laughed, no matter how normal their days seemed at the abandoned bowling alley or in his room, Rea was dead. She was a zombie, and he was a boy in love with a corpse. 🧠 The Creeping Fog of the Mind
Rea leaned forward, resting her forehead against his chest. She couldn't feel his heartbeat, but Chihiro hoped that somehow, the sheer will of his love could bridge the gap between the living and the dead.
"Don't lie to me, Chihiro-kun," Rea smiled, but it was a sad, knowing smile. "We both knew this day would come. Babu went through it too. My mind is starting to fray at the edges. The girl you know is slowly slipping away." 🌊 The Promise by the Cliff
"When the time comes," Rea said, her back still to him, "when the hydrangeas no longer keep me me ... I want you to promise me something."
Chihiro’s breath hitched. The ultimate fear of the zombie state wasn't just the physical decay—it was the loss of reason. The "clouded" state where instinct takes over, turning the person into a mindless, flesh-craving monster.
The smell of hydrangea petals and rotting earth always hung heavy in the air of Chihiro Furuya’s room.
Chihiro felt a lump in his throat. He was a boy obsessed with zombie movies, someone who thought a zombie girlfriend would be the ultimate fantasy. But the reality was a beautiful, agonizing tragedy. Loving Rea meant mourning her every single day, watching her fade away in slow motion.
"I forgot something today," Rea said softly, her voice barely a whisper. She looked down at her hands. "I went to the kitchen to help your sister, and for a full minute, I couldn't remember why I was there. Or where I was."