memory. And he had
not made those promises to Stemmy in vain. Whether they had been
asked or he had conceived them, Heron would honor the first and had
honored the second because he knew it was what Stemmy would have
wanted.
It was two o'clock in the morning.
It had taken Stemmy a long time to die.
When Heron arrived at his partner's
brownstone, he hesitated outside the door. There was a soft glow
coming through the glass in the front door. Of course, Eileen would
be unable to sleep. He didn't know how long they had spoken for or
what about but the battery on his cell phone was dead. He imagined
her sitting in the kitchen, just the counter light on, sobbing at
the loss of the man who had been more her partner than he could
ever have been Heron's.
Stepping up to the door, he knocked
lightly.
She came to the door in a rush, hoping,
hoping. But when she saw him there, saw the disheveled and
frightened look of him, she knew it was over. Tears burst from her
eyes and she fell into his arms. Only now able to cry himself,
Heron held his friend's wife. They shared their pain on the stoop
until they could collect themselves. Then they laughed a little
bit. They laughed together in Stemmy's memory. Finally, when they
were drained of all emotions, they went inside and sat for a
while.
***
THE dawn light was cresting when
Anthony Heron finally reached his own home in Queens. He and his
wife lived in a small two bedroom house with their daughter. Mellie
was just five years old. She had creamy brown skin and thick tight
hair with bouncing locks. She was his pride and joy. Alicia was a
stern woman who expected more from him emotionally than she herself
was willing to give. But somehow it worked between them. Heron was
never one to hold back and never one to demand more from a woman
than she could give.
When he got home, Alicia was awake and had
been all night. She was sitting at the table and there were tears
in her eyes. It was only at that moment that he realized he had
never called her. He had been gone all night and never even called
to tell her why. She looked up at him with dark eyes. There was
relief, followed by anger, followed by concern. She knew right away
that some part of him was missing.
"What is it?" she asked.
"Stemmy," he told her. "Stemmy died."
"Oh, my God!" Her hands came to her face in a
classic demonstration of shock and anguish. She came and embraced
him and he held her tight more for himself than for her. He never
really understood what she was feeling. Stemmy and Heron were
partners. If something miniscule had gone differently, it could
have been Heron who had died and not Stemmy. Alicia had loved
Stemmy but she loved her husband more and all she could think about
was just how close she had come to not having him anymore.
Heron pushed away from her and went to the
kitchen. He filled a glass with water from the tap and sat at the
table. There was some mail scattered about but he ignored it. What
caught his eye was the phone message scribbled on a piece of yellow
paper.
"What's this?" he asked.
Alicia, still badly shaken, said, "I'd
forgotten. The doctor called. They have the results of your biopsy
and they want you to come back in to discuss it."
Heron didn't even bother to react. The
biopsy. It had seemed so important, dominated his thoughts up until
the moment they had encountered the Koplowitz family. He thought of
Stemmy and what he had gone through. He thought of Zoe Koplowitz,
Dr. Luco's undead subject. Maybe cancer wasn't so bad. After
all, there were worse fates, worse fates even than death.
***
THE coming of the zombies to the world
is not necessarily the coming of the apocalypse. Shawn of the
Dead is the first of a series of episodes that focuses on the
more personal aspects of people as they face their regular lives
against the backdrop of a zombie infection.
This first installment has introduced to
several important
not made those promises to Stemmy in vain. Whether they had been
asked or he had conceived them, Heron would honor the first and had
honored the second because he knew it was what Stemmy would have
wanted.
It was two o'clock in the morning.
It had taken Stemmy a long time to die.
When Heron arrived at his partner's
brownstone, he hesitated outside the door. There was a soft glow
coming through the glass in the front door. Of course, Eileen would
be unable to sleep. He didn't know how long they had spoken for or
what about but the battery on his cell phone was dead. He imagined
her sitting in the kitchen, just the counter light on, sobbing at
the loss of the man who had been more her partner than he could
ever have been Heron's.
Stepping up to the door, he knocked
lightly.
She came to the door in a rush, hoping,
hoping. But when she saw him there, saw the disheveled and
frightened look of him, she knew it was over. Tears burst from her
eyes and she fell into his arms. Only now able to cry himself,
Heron held his friend's wife. They shared their pain on the stoop
until they could collect themselves. Then they laughed a little
bit. They laughed together in Stemmy's memory. Finally, when they
were drained of all emotions, they went inside and sat for a
while.
***
THE dawn light was cresting when
Anthony Heron finally reached his own home in Queens. He and his
wife lived in a small two bedroom house with their daughter. Mellie
was just five years old. She had creamy brown skin and thick tight
hair with bouncing locks. She was his pride and joy. Alicia was a
stern woman who expected more from him emotionally than she herself
was willing to give. But somehow it worked between them. Heron was
never one to hold back and never one to demand more from a woman
than she could give.
When he got home, Alicia was awake and had
been all night. She was sitting at the table and there were tears
in her eyes. It was only at that moment that he realized he had
never called her. He had been gone all night and never even called
to tell her why. She looked up at him with dark eyes. There was
relief, followed by anger, followed by concern. She knew right away
that some part of him was missing.
"What is it?" she asked.
"Stemmy," he told her. "Stemmy died."
"Oh, my God!" Her hands came to her face in a
classic demonstration of shock and anguish. She came and embraced
him and he held her tight more for himself than for her. He never
really understood what she was feeling. Stemmy and Heron were
partners. If something miniscule had gone differently, it could
have been Heron who had died and not Stemmy. Alicia had loved
Stemmy but she loved her husband more and all she could think about
was just how close she had come to not having him anymore.
Heron pushed away from her and went to the
kitchen. He filled a glass with water from the tap and sat at the
table. There was some mail scattered about but he ignored it. What
caught his eye was the phone message scribbled on a piece of yellow
paper.
"What's this?" he asked.
Alicia, still badly shaken, said, "I'd
forgotten. The doctor called. They have the results of your biopsy
and they want you to come back in to discuss it."
Heron didn't even bother to react. The
biopsy. It had seemed so important, dominated his thoughts up until
the moment they had encountered the Koplowitz family. He thought of
Stemmy and what he had gone through. He thought of Zoe Koplowitz,
Dr. Luco's undead subject. Maybe cancer wasn't so bad. After
all, there were worse fates, worse fates even than death.
***
THE coming of the zombies to the world
is not necessarily the coming of the apocalypse. Shawn of the
Dead is the first of a series of episodes that focuses on the
more personal aspects of people as they face their regular lives
against the backdrop of a zombie infection.
This first installment has introduced to
several important
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