Anastasia had no idea that waking up from a harrowing dream of a hazy past would soon throw her in a world of conundrums.
"S-Sia...? Is that my name?" she started again, a tinge of hesitation and puzzlement in her voice.
"It's a nickname I made for you. Isn't it cute? Your real name is Anastasia," Zen blithely chimed in once more as he lowered her hand before gently putting his other one on top of it as if encasing a fragile glass.
"A... nickname? Just what is up with you? What do you have to do with me?"
"We have a lot to do with each other, Sia. I'm aware that you had amnesia, and I understand that things have been rough on you since you woke up here. But if you'll allow me to, I will try my best to satisfy your curiosity."
Among her thick pile of questions, her identity and their true relationship were the first inquiries that came to mind.
At the moment, Zen only continues peering at her as if adoring every beateous facet that he can find on her frame, which turns out to be a bit flustering for her especially with how his crimsons just seem to shed light on a whole new level of sincerity, while Anastasia struggles to keep her composure and remain unaffected by his overflowing charm.
She still can't help but be dubious about his very existence, though it no longer appears like he's going to finish her off. After all, if he wants her dead, he could've just went for the kill when she was unconscious.
Aside from that, he's the only one she can gather answers from at this point. She just has to investigate further after this interrogation and figure out the truth herself.
"Survival is my top priority now. It's no use to run away all the time. I just have to play along and squeeze out every piece of intel I can get from him. Action without knowledge is futile after all," Anastasia silently thought to herself.
"Hey, tell me... What on earth is happening around here? Why is everything so messed up?" she then firmly muttered, trying to appear tough and unfaltering.
"My name's Zen, Sia...~ You should call me that. Otherwise, I won't tell," he chirped playfully, amusement dancing on his smile.
"Huh? What the heck-"
"Call me Zen."
"I'm being serious-"
"First, Zen."
As he beams at her like a child asking for a candy, she only stares at him in stupefaction. She can't read him at all.
Zen may just be pretending to be simple-minded or he's really this annoyingly ambiguous. Regardless, Anastasia can't believe that he can pull out that humourous tone and gloss over something as dead serious as the end of the world.
"Okay, sure, Zen... Now, answer me already," Anastasia eventually continued in defeat.
"Good," he softly remarked with a smile as warm as the sun while patting her head, taking her aback for a bit.
He then retracts his hand and steadies his gaze at her, finally rid of any jest or witticism. At this, she already senses that they're about to dive in an in-depth discussion.
"Now, then, let me explain it. As you already know, this world is no longer the way it is before. A lot of dreadful things happened. It's already the year of 2024 - four years after a certain infectious virus breaks out, causing this widespread pandemonium called the undead's invasion. Since then, Earth has been housing these man-eating creatures with ravening appetites... You know, that one people used to see in movies - everyone's typical zombie apocalypse. Around this area, we're the sole residents."
Although Anastasia had prepared herself to hear that, especially after having a hands-on experience in this distorted reality earlier, she still couldn't help but jump out of her skin. She can't keep herself from recoiling in disconcertment and fright.
She can't stop these agonizing shivers that are crawling all over her body. After all, despite the fact that she lost her memories and she has no idea who she is, she knows that this place used to be her home.
"T-Then, what about me...?" Anastasia trailed off hesitantly, slightly shrinking in fear of confirming the most appalling presumption she had.
"Am I... dead?"
His eyes then widen in surprise at her dwindling figure and glistening sapphires that are coated with angst and trepidation. Zen gapes a little as his throat constricts all of the sudden, his speech cowering.
That's only when he fully realizes how thin, fragile and pale Anastasia is. Her stitches-covered legs are subtly quivering, and so are her small, frigid hands.
Above all, there's the fact that her entire, bloodless frame is already a dead giveaway that succinctly answers her question.
Zen takes a second to gulp, swallowing the harrowing dread that is pooling the tip of his tongue at the moment.
"You died four years ago - when we were fourteen."
Again, Anastasia feels like the sky just falls on her head, her spirits visibly dampened. At this point, she's better off being numbed all over.
She should've been convinced by the fact that she survived the lightning strike. Hearing those words now are just too cruel.
After all, she did manage to escape the clutches of mad science, but she still ended up dying in vain anyway.
"You're a different case, though. You are able to retain your human mind - mentally and emotionally. So, the thing is, you're only a zombie physically. Other zombies can smell that you're human from time to time, but they won't be able to eat you. Even if they did, it's not like you're still going to turn into one... You're special, Sia..." Zen continued before reaching his hand out and cupping her cheek, making her flinch a little.
"You sure knew a lot. What do you want from a zombie like me, then? Is it because I'm special that you're keeping me here...?" Anastasia scoffed in an attempt to test the waters.
He definitely has something up his sleeves. After all, a living person like him is better off hiding in his fortress rather than entertaining an undead girl's questions like this.
"Just who in the world are you?"
With her brows furrowed and lips curved down into a frown, Anastasia awaits his answer while stifling quietude sprawls around.
The temperature seems to drop as the tension hanging by the air slowly thickens. Zen only returns her unyielding gaze with an inscrutable one, still looking as impenetrable as ever. His relentless composure seeps through his equanimous smile.
Then, all of the sudden, Zen walks closer to Anastasia again and gently wraps his arms around her, his nose nuzzling in her hair.
Caught off guard, she tries to squirm around but he only presses on. He's holding her so tightly that it almost feels like he's afraid that she'll suddenly vanish the instant he lets go.
"That kinda stings... Who else can I be, Sia?" Zen softly whispered in her ears, voice low and smoky.
"I'm your lover."