When I Became a Zombie

I don’t know how long I sat there. It could have been just a short while or perhaps several days. My sense of time suddenly became unclear, and my mind was empty, only repeating one thought.

 

I think I should go find him.

 

They must have forcibly taken him away for his safety. He would definitely try to come back to find me, but the area isn’t safe, and I can’t let him return.

 

The car must have left the town and continued west. How many roads are there to get there? Which way would they choose? Can I really catch up with them? I don’t know.

 

But I have to find him.

 

I steadied myself and tried to walk to the door. One of the conscious zombies was nearby. I was about to ask him if he wanted to come with me when something confusing happened.

 

He had vacant eyes, pale skin, a few scars on his left cheek, and disheveled hair. He looked nothing like the description of “friendly.” Of course, I wasn’t afraid, but when I got closer, he actually twitched his nostrils.

 

I instinctively took a step back.

 

He just sniffed briefly, looked at me with some confusion, and emitted a few groans.

 

Another zombie approached from behind. I gripped the handgun at my waist, feeling a “nervousness” I couldn’t quite describe, even though I couldn’t feel my heartbeat.

 

Yes, I had no heartbeat, just like them. And indeed, after sniffing me briefly, they made no further move.

 

I pushed open the door and went outside. On the desolate streets, with zombies wandering here and there, and the neatly arranged residential buildings, my next thought was that I needed to get a vehicle.

 

Fang Yao said it happened during the holidays, most likely during the winter vacation. It had been quite some time, so there should still be abandoned cars around. I wasn’t counting on repairing a broken one, but finding a working one would be best.

 

Finding a suitable vehicle wasn’t easy. Many wouldn’t start, either due to being unused for too long or for reasons I didn’t know. I tried several cars but couldn’t find the keys.

 

It seemed like movies often show that connecting two wires could start a car. I looked down and quickly gave up.

 

Just as I was frustrated that walking to catch up with them seemed impossible, I noticed one of my two companions had a bunch of keys on him.

 

I was both pleased and a bit annoyed: my thinking clearly wasn’t sharp enough.

 

I used gestures and speech to make him understand my intent, and he led me to a parking spot.

 

There were several vehicles there. Remembering the area as best as he could was probably his limit. I had to start testing each one.

 

On the third vehicle, I saw a glimmer of hope.

 

The car still had some fuel, which should be enough to get to a gas station. I sat in the driver’s seat, trying hard to recall the things he had taught me: gear shift, brake, gas pedal, clutch…

 

This time, it went quickly. Two minutes later, I successfully started the car, reversed, steered, and, after a few wrong pedals, managed to drive out.

 

Well, I owe him an apology when I see him: it’s not my fault I didn’t learn to drive well; it must have been his teaching.

 

I was actually quite proficient while he was gone.

 

My two companions helped me store the fuel, and they sat in the back seat as I slowly drove out of the town, onto the familiar road, heading in the opposite direction from where I came.

 

Assuming I didn’t spend too much time preparing, I don’t need to sleep, and I can keep driving, assuming there are no forks in the road, I should be able to find him again.

 

All these assumptions were true.

 

Except one.

 

The road wasn’t always clear.

 

A familiar van, emitting white smoke, appeared in front of me in a sorry state.

 

A familiar truck with a flat tire lay diagonally in the middle of the road.

 

I didn’t see what happened at the time, but I guessed there must have been a huge noise because many wandering zombies gathered around.

 

I stopped the car and walked unsteadily towards it.

 

— Xu Lin.

 

— If I lose my mind… I will bite you.

 

— Can you not eat me so thoroughly?

 

Please, please don’t let me see any familiar faces turned into my current state or become the broken bones on the ground.

 

— I have a feeling about those things.

 

— I want to be… with you.

 

Please, please don’t let the person I most don’t want to see hurt end up in such a situation.

 

I walked past the bones on the ground, squatting down to check their wrists. Each zombie with a watch on its wrist felt like a torment.

 

I don’t know how long it took. I didn’t think to check the time. They wandered, and I wandered. I couldn’t distinguish the appearance of the two companions who followed me here at first, and I didn’t know if they were still with me or had scattered among the group.

 

I saw Alu, or at least I think it was him, or maybe it wasn’t.

 

Sitting in the driver’s seat of a large truck, with a blood hole on his head, the truck’s door was shut. A few pale hands outside tried desperately to pry it open, but the door remained unmoved.

 

Fortunately, he wasn’t there.

 

…Wait, who is he?

 

…Who… is he?

 

I stood still, not moving for a long time.

 

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