howells and moonies » walking dead

Usually, it’s pretty obvious when someone is dead. Anybody that has regular contact with corpses would tell you the same. Yeah, you could check the pulse, but really, if you’ve seen enough, you know it only takes a glance, a smell, or a feel of the air. It’s not described often, because it can really be. It’s something, or nothing, really, that has to be experienced to know. It’s like a void. A gap in the universe. A hole where someone used to be. A vacuum in place of a soul.

Anyway, all that to say that Levy didn’t need the coroner to tell that the guy he was looking at was gone - All his senses were telling him the same thing. The fact that he had part of his brains stuck on the ceiling was also a pretty good clue.

Howell sighed.

Another day in the office - or in the field - for a mid-sized town detective. Open and shut case, like most were. Someone had reported some guy missing. The police department had gone to his house and found him just by sniffing the air a bit. There was a note. His fingers were black with gun residue. Not one little sign of foul play - A bore, really. Just some more paperwork to file.

“I think I’ll have a burger for lunch. I got these coupons in the mail for half off big macs and shit - Wanna join?” It was Levy’s partner-in-crime-solving, clearly as bothered as he was by the ground brain meat that filled the room. “Nah.” The detective answered, pretty quick. “Got some plans with Luna tonight - and you know…” He didn’t want to look bloated in his sunday best, ok? You never knew - i might have to remove them. What if he got a sudden wine stain? Or what if the date went that well? It was a date right? People that do the kiss thing don’t just hang out at restaurants and shit. “You think i should put on cologne i hate that stu -” Levy stopped dead in his tracks. As dead as the corpse with the dome exploded. It’s not that he didn’t want the advice on the cologne, he really needed it, in fact. His partner and him had almost planned every detail of that night but that - It was just that his phone was now buzzing in his hand, and showed his dad’s contact information as the caller.

If someone knew not to call a detective for leisure during work hours, it was the guy who taught said detective to stop calling people during work hours. Papa bear only called in cases of utmost emergencies. Even that one time he’d broken his leg, he’d only texted, waiting patiently for someone to catch his text, to come help him.

Something very bad had happened. As the biggest mama’s boy ever, Levy’s mind went straight to her. She’d been killed by a maniac, her brain, just like that guy’s, was painting the walls of the family home. It looked like the perfect suicide - oh but it wasn’t. Mama bear would never. She was way too strong for that. She’d survived the death of Elys. If she could survive the loss of a child she could live through the longest winters and come out stronger.

The phone was on its last round of buzzing when Levy answered, too scared to do so before.

The call didn’t even last a minute.

His mom was still alive and well.

So was his dad and his sister.

And his brother.

Cutting hair is no fun. Maybe,  what seems to be five lifes ago, Luna enjoyed it, but now… She was doing it, to this day, mainly because she didn't know any better. When it was time to pick a career she didn’t know if she was going back to Mexico or not. Her mind wasn’t in the right place to figure out what she wanted. And even years later, she didn’t look much further. Losing a loved one usually makes people realize time is precious and they should not take any moment for granted. Making them change their life for the better or figure out what they want.  While it reminded Luna how she finds life scary as shit. Everything can change in a heartbeat. In this family's case, it changed in three knocks on the door about a year earlier. Knock, knock, knock, the world felt like it was coming to an end. Knock, knock, knock, Luna was a widow without a husband. An ex without any ex boyfriend.
All I can say is Concord people are too nice. Because the day of Ely’s return, it’s a phone call that changed everything. And when she saw Lev's ID on her phone, her world (and stomach) turned upside down. That lady didn't make it home with the hair color she asked for, but she still tipped Luna pretty well.
In these eleven months, crying on an empty casket, Luna also discovered the guilt of being alive while grieving her first and only boyfriend. Prude, you might think, and you'd probably be a little right about that. Sadly other men had touched her skin without her consent. A creep from high school that didn't get that far and an idiot taking advantage of someone trying to move on. Both making it hard for the latina to trust any men outside of the Howells. Maybe these experiences justify her need to clean everything, but they did not make her a prude. Her mom is responsible for that. Making her fear everything and nothing just to protect her growing up. This empty box six feet under was heart broken. Reflexing this family's soul after they lost a pillar. Empty. Sad. And know that they knew the truth, full of shit. And now, somehow it’s even worst. It had no reason to be in there. Elys didn’t need it. He was alive.
With lots of question in her brain, Luna just left the hair salon in shock. Walking silently to get to the Howells house. (She shouldn’t usually drive, so at that time…) Meeting there the rest of the family. Her mind wondering if she was still a part of it. After all, before that call could they still call her daughter or sister in law? She had kissed not that long ago what was and is now again her brother in law. They had plans that night. He was picking her up at work. In fact, it was the only reason why she looked decent that day. Luna had given up trying to look pretty for a while, but these plans made her wanna feel good about herself. Little did she know, they would actually make her feel worst than ever.  Part of her was ready to dig up that empty grave to make it hers now. Her brain dared to start to try and move on while her heart had picked someone familiar to explore. And he wasn’t dead. Elys was alive.
Usually, Luna goes to Levy for support. When her fiancé wasn't around for work her dear friend was always there. When the news showed terrible stuff and they didn't have any news they would be there for eachother. Walking his dogs, eating chinese and she even endured video game time around his best friend Julian to avoid the anxiety waiting for her in her empty house. Their friendship survived his break up with Lenny and never felt out of place before that phone call. Because her brain went there while they didn’t know he was still here. Oh yeah, it wondered. What if everything happened for a reason? They had to move on, right?. They never did  anything wrong while the soldier making them family wasn't a zombie. But life isn't a stupid movie Luna. This wasn't meant To be. This was just fucking messy. More than  the plates she washes and rewashes on stressful nights. Elys wasn't dead anymore.
At the Howells house, lots of emotion was in the air. Usually, she would have directly gone to Levy. Marley was her best friend but losing Elys made it hard to look at eachother. Now, getting him back  made it hard to look at herself. Or Levy. In eleven months, she had managed to "sleep" with another man and kiss his big brother. They had a date that day. A day, they won't ever forget now  that it's the day Elys came back.
Papa bear somehow managed to be in control. Mentioning stuff that didn’t stick to Luna’s brain. They had to go. Where? She didn’t remember. They took two cars. Mama, Marley and papa bear in one and Luna and Lev’s in the other. The car ride was blurry. Probably both lost in their mind. Luna almost talked too many times but feared what she’d say. It might have taken ten minutes or four hours, who knows. Did he remember them? Was he the same? Could he smell that Lev and Luna exchanged saliva? Should they tell him right away? Should they put this secret in his empty casket? What were they now? Luna had bangs now, would he recognized her? If I wasn’t so scared of puke, I’d say Luna wanted to throw up. This day was the beginning of a giant mess. Her phone kept ringing. Emily and Bryan wanted news, somehow they managed to find out and she needed the attention. Texting Luna wondering if Elys would like to meet Bryan soon? She’d feel they would be best friend. Ew.