The strange collection of people became an almost-support group of the dead. Soon everyone discussed how they died except for a few. A grin was threatening to form. She had never influenced anyone before. Not that it mattered. In the end, someone would take charge and she would gladly follow. Grace was uncomfortable in a position of power. Evan mentioned his past as a conductor at a university. Of course he was smart. She had such a weakness for intelligence. Maybe because she never had much of her own.
Then Evan suddenly became interested in his testicles. She couldn't help but giggle. It was silly. They WERE whole somehow. She had fallen out of a window yet she could feel her heart beat. He was excited by the prospect of being well but Grace couldn't help but wonder when the other foot was going to drop.
Suddenly, he pulled her into his arms. She suspected nothing until he pressed his lips against hers. The physical act rattled in her brain. She was dead and yet, her blood was still pumping and his lips were still soft. Suddenly she remembered David, the man she left behind, and her face broke into blush. She stumbled back, nearly losing her footing. "I... I definitely felt something," she squeaked.
Kai was not impressed by Evan's grand gesture. They were of the serious type, she could already tell. Then they began discussing the boring details. Will they, won't they... dangers, fears, and so on. What did it matter, she wondered, if they were dead? She would never have a chance to come back, so what was there to fear? She raised her hand timidly. "I will go into the forest. If I come back, it's safe... if not... then it's not safe..." It wasn't the grand speech she would have wanted.
Grace stepped towards the forest. She held out a hand to the darkness. It was pulling her as well as pushing her. She turned back and saw Evan's face, lit up with renewed hope. Then she did something she never had the guts to do when she was alive. She broke into a run, through the trees, striking against branches. She laughed as she did so, closing her eyes against the hidden terrors within