Surviving in Apocalypse with Children

The little boy hid his thin and frail body in the corner, watching other boys and girls happily scrambling for food on the table with their mouths smeared with food crumbs.

 

The boy was around three or four years old. He wore tattered clothes that had been worn for who knows how long. The clothes were dirty, and their original appearance was indiscernible.

 

His body was so thin that only bones remained, weighing less than forty pounds. His eyes, like black grapes, had become hollow.

 

He had been hungry for two days, with many wounds on his body, some still oozing blood.

 

A chubby boy who appeared to be about five or six years old approached.

 

He kicked the little boy a few times and arrogantly said, “You little bastard, you’re a piece of shit without a father and a mother. With your appearance, you still want to eat? Even if it were dog food, I wouldn’t give it to you.”

 

The chubby boy’s name was Liu Dazhuang. He was the orphanage director’s son and was treated like a precious treasure. He was so plump that he was almost round.

 

The little boy squinted his eyes, turned around, took off his pants, and…

 

A foul smell of urine wafted over as Liu Dazhuang urinated on the dry and hard steamed bun in the little boy’s hand.

 

Due to malnutrition, the little boy was very short. Perhaps he was unable to bear the constant bullying any longer. He stood up and shoved the dry and hard steamed bun into Liu Dazhuang’s mouth while Liu Dazhuang was speaking.

 

Then he ran back to his room and tightly closed and locked the door.

 

He looked at his thin and bony hands, lowered his eyes, and went to the bathroom to wash his hands with soap countless times.

 

That dry and hard steamed bun was something he had been reluctant to eat.

 

His meals were scarce, and even when there was food available, it would be snatched away from him.

 

So he mostly went hungry all the time. That dry and hard steamed bun was his emergency ration for when he couldn’t bear the hunger anymore.

 

But now it was gone.

 

Tears fell continuously as he curled up in the corner next to the door.

 

Since he could remember, he knew he didn’t have parents and had been staying here since he was young.

 

Because of his small size, he was often bullied and couldn’t even fight back against the group of people. Even the director wasn’t kind to him.

 

That was not the end of it.

 

Since he could remember, he had never eaten enough. He often went hungry, and it was considered a good day if he wasn’t beaten.

 

Even eating a mouthful of fragrant rice was a luxury.

 

He had never eaten rice before, but watching others eat, he couldn’t help but yearn for it.

 

Occasional waves of pain coursed through his body, causing him to tremble.

 

Sniffling, his eyes were already bloodshot.

 

They were even slightly swollen. His frail body curled up into a ball, and he fell into a drowsy sleep.

 

His stomach made a rumbling sound one after another. Enduring the extreme feeling of hunger, he fell asleep.

 

Time passed by.

 

From yearning for a better life to eventual despair.

 

Rumble…

 

The night sky suddenly turned cold, and the weather became unusually chilly. The sound of “roar roar roar” started to come from the orphanage.

 

The boy looked outside the window but couldn’t make out the situation.

 

Until he saw those zombies emitting a putrid smell, he realized that the world had changed.

 

Afterwards, he was saved by a man, along with many other people—boys, girls, old men, and women. They cautiously huddled together and tried to minimize their presence.

 

And then.

 

He met a beautiful big sister dressed in nice clothes. Her skin was fair, and he noticed her as soon as she entered.

 

For some reason, he felt a sense of familiarity with her and longed to be close to her.

 

But he feared that she would find him dirty and dislike him.

 

This made him feel uneasy and scared.

 

Until she said she was his sister, and the several kids beside her were his nieces and nephews, and the tall and handsome man was his brother-in-law.

 

From that day on, his life slowly began to change.

 

His sister treated him very well. Even though she came to find him so late, he never complained about it.

 

Because he knew his sister must have her reasons, and also because he loved his sister very much.