Caught a Cowardly Little Zombie - Chapter 7

In truth, Chu Xiaoran wanted to wail in terror, but as a zombie, she could no longer cry or laugh. Even basic facial expressions were beyond her current motor skills. All she could do was squeeze out a few strained words, pleading for mercy in hopes that this woman would spare her life.

“D-don’t… d-don’t k-kill… m-me…”

Her voice was as faint as a mosquito’s buzz, yet it rang out clearly in the silent room. Compared to her garbled speech from the night before, her pronunciation was noticeably sharper today.

As Xiaoran lifted her head, Ling Mo’s eyes widened slightly in surprise. She quickly noted the clouded, milky-white eyes and the sickly blue-green pallor of the girl’s skin. Xiaoran’s blackened fingernails were clawing frantically at the green surgical drape in a display of pure, unadulterated fear. It was clear she had turned, yet she had somehow retained human reasoning and the ability to speak. It was an extraordinary anomaly.

“Who are you? What’s your name? Why are you here?” Ling Mo didn’t let her guard down for a second, keeping the tip of her blade leveled at Xiaoran’s throat.

Sensing that Ling Mo wasn’t intent on killing her immediately, Xiaoran relaxed just a fraction. But with that relaxation came the overwhelming realization of how delicious the woman smelled. The thick, sweet aroma swirled around her nose, causing her saliva to flow in torrents. It took her a moment to process Ling Mo’s questions. She opened her mouth to speak, but realizing she was about to drool, she quickly clamped her lips shut and swallowed hard.

“I… gulp… forgot… gulp… everything… gulp… from… gulp gulp… before,” Xiaoran managed, each word punctuated by a heavy swallow as she struggled to coordinate her thoughts and her mouth. “I only… gulp… remember… gulp… my name… gulp gulp… Chu… gulp… Xiaoran… gulp… nothing… gulp… else… gulp gulp… Hiccup!“

The rush to swallow and speak at the same time had resulted in a very un-zombie-like hiccup.

Ling Mo felt a flicker of amusement deep down, though her expression remained a mask of cold indifference. So, she’s a dim-witted little zombie.

However, seeing Xiaoran instinctively grinding her teeth and watching her with a predatory glint, like a starving wolf eyeing a tethered lamb made Ling Mo decidedly uncomfortable. She pulled out a coil of hemp rope and moved to bind the girl. In her haste, she pulled a bit too hard, and the surgical drape slid right off.

Ling Mo: “…” That is a lot of very bright, very pale skin.

Xiaoran froze. She slowly looked down at her lack of attire and felt a surge of shame. If she were still human, her face would have been crimson with rage and embarrassment.

“Ahem. Why aren’t you wearing clothes?” Ling Mo muttered, feeling a rare twinge of awkwardness. She tossed the drape back at Xiaoran and turned her head away to avoid the sight. Once Xiaoran had clumsily wrapped herself back up, Ling Mo used the rope to bind her over the cloth, turning her into something resembling a large green zongzi.

Xiaoran stared blankly, still trying to process her new “bound” status. She shifted her rigid body, realizing her arms were pinned to her sides. Panic began to rise. “W-what… are y-you… d-doing?”

“Preventing you from scratching me,” Ling Mo replied curtly. She grabbed the end of the rope like a leash and led Xiaoran toward the exit of the surgical wing.

Xiaoran followed for two steps before digging in her heels and refusing to budge.

“What now?” Ling Mo asked. Surprisingly, she wasn’t impatient; she simply stopped and turned back to wait for an explanation.

The indignity of being tied up made Xiaoran want to throw a tantrum, but it was the sweet scent of the woman that truly tormented her. Her stomach felt so hollow it was as if her internal organs were migrating. “I’m… h-hungry!”

Ling Mo recalled the “green bundle” swallowing constantly back at the jewelry store. She had assumed the girl just couldn’t find food, yet despite being inches away from a “meal” all night, Xiaoran hadn’t made a move. Coupled with her pathetic pleas for life, it was clear this little zombie was terrified of dying—so terrified she could actually suppress her hunger.

What do zombies eat? Humans? Ling Mo couldn’t bring herself to kill a person for Xiaoran, nor could she stomach the idea of letting her gnaw on a random corpse in a corner. After a moment’s thought, she remembered a blood bank not far from the hospital. It was a dedicated facility with its own backup generators; the power should still be on, and the blood should still be fresh.

“Come on. I’ll take you to get something to eat,” Ling Mo said, giving the rope a light tug.

Xiaoran’s eyes lit up, but then suspicion took over. Is she tricking me? She pouted, ready to refuse. “N—” Before she could finish the word, Ling Mo raised her machete, letting the blade catch the light. The refusal died in Xiaoran’s throat and took a sharp U-turn. “N-not… t-that… I… c-can’t… a-accept…”

“Good. Let’s go.”

Xiaoran followed behind Ling Mo like a dejected puppy, her head hanging low. As they left the theater, she looked up at the back of Ling Mo’s neck. It looked so fair, so tender, and radiated such a sweet aroma. One bite… it would be so juicy! She found herself licking her lips. Then she remembered the horde of zombies waiting downstairs. Surely this “goddess of death” will be torn to shreds! The thought made her feel a little better, and she started to perk up.

Ling Mo noticed the change in mood but said nothing. She walked to a window and peered down. Most of the zombies had lost her scent and wandered off, leaving only a few stragglers.

Just as Xiaoran was imagining herself getting a “share” of the leftovers once the horde got Ling Mo, the woman suddenly whirled around. She produced an oversized bandage, grabbed Xiaoran by her bangs with one hand, and slapped the bandage over her mouth with the other.

Chu Xiaoran: “Mmph?! Mmmph?!”

Before she could process the muffled outrage, Ling Mo tied the end of the rope to the window frame, scooped Xiaoran up, and tossed her out the window.

“MMMPHHH!!!”

The sensation of free-falling from the third floor nearly made Xiaoran lose control of her bladder—luckily, being dead meant she was spared that particular indignity. The rope snapped taut after less than two seconds, arresting her fall and sending her swinging violently into the brick wall.

You absolute bitch!! Xiaoran roared in her head.

With only the rope for support, she had no leverage. she could only dangle there like a piece of meat, swinging back and forth with the momentum.

Upstairs, Ling Mo climbed out onto the ledge. The scent of a living human hit the air instantly, drawing the attention of the sharpest zombies. Seeing Xiaoran hanging nearby, the zombies assumed she was the source of the smell. They swarmed the base of the wall, reaching up with filth-encrusted hands. Some hands were black with dried mud and blood; others were shedding bits of rot at every movement.

Aaahhh! Their hands are so dirty! So gross! Stay away from me!! Xiaoran kicked her legs frantically to avoid their touch, swinging through the air like a giant, panicked pendulum.

Fortunately, the climbing rope was high-grade and held firm despite her thrashing. Ling Mo, meanwhile, had hopped onto an AC unit. She used her machete to sever the brackets, kicking the heavy unit down onto two zombies. She didn’t stay to watch; she simply climbed to the next window, secured a second rope, and used a carabiner to link it to the line holding Xiaoran.

A minute later, the crowd below had grown. Ling Mo hauled the rope up, pulling Xiaoran further out of reach.

Just as Xiaoran was starting to think the woman might have a heart after all, Ling Mo threw her again.

The massive swing made Xiaoran’s head spin. By the time she swung back toward the wall, she felt like her brain had been pureed. Ling Mo caught her as she swung by, unclipped a short lead, and used the momentum of the second rope to swing both of them over the heads of the zombies and onto a patch of grass a short distance away. Ling Mo landed in a graceful roll, while Xiaoran hit the turf with a miserable thud.

“Sorry,” Ling Mo said tonelessly. “My hand slipped. I lost my grip on you.”

As if! Xiaoran glared at her, her eyes burning with a desire to bite. If it weren’t for the giant bandage covering her mouth, she would have unleashed a torrent of abuse.

Ling Mo ignored the glare. The zombies at the base of the building had realized their prey had moved and were now charging toward the grass. She sprinted to Xiaoran’s side, hoisted the girl over her shoulder like a sack of grain, and bolted for the hospital gates.

With Ling Mo’s shoulder digging into her stomach and her head dangling toward the ground, Xiaoran felt like she was going to lose whatever was left in her system. She managed to crane her neck back and saw the nightmare behind them: a sea of snarling, mangled faces. Some were missing jaws; others had lost their entire scalps; one was dragging its own intestines across the pavement.

Luckily, Ling Mo was fast. They reached the truck in seconds. She threw Xiaoran into the backseat and dived into the driver’s seat, roaring the engine to life.

As the truck sped away, the horror of the hospital faded into the distance.

Ling Mo was in a good mood. Having Xiaoran was a powerful bargaining chip—one that would surely earn Dr. Chu Sheng’s trust. She glanced in the rearview mirror, only to see Xiaoran lying in a pile of clothes she’d scavenged from a boutique, her eyes rolled back in a dramatic, exasperated faint.

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