Caught a Cowardly Little Zombie - Chapter 6

Ling Mo pushed open the metal shutter and slipped inside. Before the zombies nearby could react, she slammed it shut again and double-locked the internal anti-theft glass door.

The first thing she noticed was the wreckage of the stool. She raised an eyebrow in mild surprise; had a war broken out in here while she was gone? She scanned the shop but found no sign of the “green bundle,” nor any fresh blood or corpses. The break room door stood wide open. When she investigated, she discovered the window was gone, leaving behind nothing but a hollow frame.

A male zombie outside, lured by her scent, was attempting to squeeze through the opening. However, due to his large build, he was wedged tight, snarling and thrashing in a futile attempt to reach her. Ling Mo understood immediately—the green bundle must have escaped through this gap. Without hesitation, she drove her dagger into the stuck zombie’s skull. She didn’t bother removing him; instead, she let his corpse act as a makeshift plug for the hole. Locking the break room door behind her, she found a spot to sit and began to rest, conserving her strength for the day ahead.

A week into the apocalypse, people’s supplies were running dry. This meant they would be forced to venture out, and the unskilled would inevitably fall to the horde, increasing the number of zombies on the streets. Judging by the zombie dog she had encountered, animals were also susceptible to the virus. Since animals relied more on instinct than intellect, their zombified versions were even more dangerous. The survival prospects for humanity were growing bleaker by the hour.

Is this nature’s revenge, she wondered, or the harvest of humanity’s own bitter seeds?

Ling Mo didn’t know, and she didn’t care to dwell on it. Having been raised by the Ling family, her loyalty was to the clan—her fate was tied to theirs. The future of the human race had never been her concern.

She turned on the phone again and looked at the photo. The girl’s bright, radiant smile filled the screen. In Ling Mo’s world, everything was shades of grey; she had never known a smile could be so pure, so full of sunshine. It was almost painful to look at. The faint glow of the screen felt like a small, warm anchor in the oppressive darkness.

Tomorrow would be a gamble. She had to re-enter the hospital, focusing on the wards and the surgical wing. Those areas would be crawling with zombified patients. It was going to be a hard-fought battle.

Closing her eyes, she tried to sleep, but the image of the girl’s smile kept flickering in her mind, leaving her strangely restless.

*******

As twilight faded, several crows circled the yellowish sky, their harsh, croaking cries sounding both tragic and eerie. Chu Xiaoran hurried down the street, clutching her green surgical drape tight around her shoulders, her head ducking low as she peered around in terror.

The darkness deepened. The blood-red moonlight flickered behind slow-moving clouds. On the streets, the roaming zombies had mostly come to a halt, standing upright like statues—their version of rest. To Xiaoran, the scene was nightmare-fuel. These countless, silent silhouettes felt like demons watching her from the shadows.

With a mental wail, she broke into a frantic shuffle. To her surprise, her feet led her back to the hospital where she had first woken up. Craving the sense of security that the small surgical room had provided, she instinctively stepped back inside.

Because she had navigated the path once before, she quickly found her way back to her original operating theater. She squatted in her familiar corner and pulled the green cloth over her head.

Why is the night so terrifying?!

Xiaoran prayed for the night to end quickly. Between the howling of unknown animals and the eerie, standing shadows in the street, she much preferred the light of day. In the daylight, things were quiet. There were no strange, horrific noises, no oppressive red moonlight, and she could clearly see the other zombies—meaning she could track their movements and keep her distance.

Eventually, she drifted off to sleep.

She didn’t understand how a zombie could sleep; she hadn’t needed it the first few days. In her dreams, she saw familiar yet distant scenes. Though she was smiling in those memories, she felt a profound sense of loneliness. She saw her younger self leaning against a window every day, watching the world outside as if waiting for someone. Day after day, year after year, until that hope finally curdled into disappointment…

******

Early the next morning, Ling Mo entered the hospital with her machete in hand. She had reasoned that the wards would be the most dangerous due to the high density of patients. The operating theaters, however, should only have contained surgical staff and a few patients, making them a relatively safer bet.

The surgical wing was on the third floor. Rather than navigating the zombie-filled lobby and clinics on the lower levels, Ling Mo decided to scale the exterior wall. She secured her blade to her back and, taking advantage of a brief gap in the horde, made a sprinting leap. She caught the metal bracket of an air conditioning unit three meters up and used her legs to drive herself higher, her movements fluid and efficient.

Zombies swarmed beneath her, their arms reaching up in a desperate, clawing frenzy. They couldn’t reach her, but their blackened fingernails left deep gashes in the plaster as they struggled to climb.

Ling Mo didn’t look down. She continued her ascent, utilizing the narrow, ten-centimeter window ledges as footholds. Balanced precariously, she reached for the second-floor security bars and pulled herself up. A zombie inside the second-floor room spotted her and slammed against the glass with a muffled thud, its face crushing against the pane until its features were a distorted mess of flesh and gore.

Knowing the glass wouldn’t hold forever, Ling Mo moved quickly. She shuffled half a meter to the side and hopped onto another AC unit.

She reached the third floor and found a semi-open window. With a sharp strike from the hilt of her machete, she shattered the glass and vaulted inside.

She landed right in front of the main surgical doors. The entrance had been blasted open, leaving the walls scorched and the floor littered with body parts. This floor was relatively clear. Ling Mo systematically checked the faces of the few zombies present. Once she confirmed none were her target, she dispatched them quickly. She began a grim search through the remains on the floor, paying close attention to the severed heads. While she hoped Dr. Chu’s daughter was alive, she couldn’t afford to overlook any possibility.

To her relief, the girl with the sunshine smile was not among the dead. Looking at the ransacked theater, Ling Mo realized the previous looters hadn’t just taken the medicine; they had stripped the surgical supplies bare as well.

A heavy feeling settled in her chest. If the girl had been in here when the looters arrived, even if she had turned into a zombie, those armed men would have likely killed her.

Even if she’s dead, I have to find her body. It’s the only way to draw Dr. Chu out.

Ling Mo’s dark eyes were cold. Swallowing her disgust, she began a meticulous search of the individual operating rooms.

******

Chu Xiaoran was startled awake by the sound of breaking glass. She looked up, dazed, unsure of how much time had passed.

As silence returned, her sluggish brain began to churn. She noticed her thoughts were coming a little faster than yesterday. When she moved her hand, the joints were still stiff, but notably more flexible.

This was a victory in Xiaoran’s book, but before she could celebrate or wonder why it was happening, she caught the faint sound of approaching footsteps.

Is it a person? Or another zombie?

The intoxicatingly sweet scent in the air confirmed it was a human. Saliva flooded her mouth instantly. Should I go out and take a bite? But then her survival instinct kicked in. This floor was usually full of zombies; for a human to get this close in total silence, it meant they had to be an absolute killing machine.

The thought of taking a bite vanished instantly. She imagined a hulking, scar-faced monster wielding a giant axe, chopping up every zombie in sight. Terrified, she shrunk back into her corner, pulled the surgical drape over her head, and began to shiver. You can’t see me, you can’t see me, you can’t see me!

Ling Mo stepped into the room. It was different from the others; despite some scattered equipment, the floors and walls were remarkably clean—no blood, no limbs, and no zombies. She scanned the room once more until her gaze landed on a green object quivering in the corner.

She raised an eyebrow and approached silently, her machete at the ready. That familiar shape sparked a wave of suspicion. Did the green bundle from the jewelry store really make it all the way back to the hospital? But how did she get past the horde? Is it even human?

A flurry of questions raced through her mind. Ling Mo leveled her blade and used the tip to carefully flick back a corner of the surgical drape, revealing a head of slightly yellowed, long hair and a small crown.

The green bundle froze. Then, the shivering intensified.

Is it a person? If a human managed to stay here this whole time, there’s something very strange going on. Ling Mo narrowed her eyes, her grip on the machete tightening, ready to strike at the slightest provocation.

Oh no! I’m caught! I’m going to die! What do I do?!

Xiaoran’s mind was a mess of panic. She didn’t care about the sweet scent anymore, nor did she care that her stomach was cramping from hunger. She was consumed by pure, unadulterated terror. “D-don’t… d-don’t k-kill… m-me…” she stammered, slowly lifting her head.

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