CHAPTER 14 - The Shelter. Part 1
"Good morning, you filthy zombies…! Except you. You're cute."
Spank. Zas, zas… Maybe one more. Zas. Heh. So soft. This is the kind of fat I love. Big butts.
Mmm…
I look around. No one in sight to judge me. Another spank! Zas! Now without those tight pants, gorgeous…! Noooooo!
I killed her, smashing her head with a powerful "fire punch"… Punch fire? Ugh, my English is crap.
"I don't want to turn into a sexual predator of corpses."
But it's so hard to resist the temptation!
I looked at her 100% dead corpse.
An adult woman, maybe an office worker, 35-40 years old, wearing tight black pants and a blue blouse with a company name embroidered on it. Secretary? Heh. Sounds delicious.
Ugh… Better get back to my thing.
Fire punch! Fire punch! A quick glance at her chest. Fire punch! Ew, this zombie's got no pants or underwear. Did they bite him while he was taking a dump? My deepest condolences, but… Fire punch!
"What a great start to a Friday."
Killing zombies to earn points, using my fire punch…! Well, for now, it's just punch. I can't wrap my fist in fire yet! The most I can do is create small fireballs.
I earned 380 points for defeating that Orc… Well, I didn't defeat it, but I helped. How many points would I have gotten if I'd taken it down alone? Maybe over 2,000!
I need more points. The more I have, the better, so…
Knife goes in, and you die. Sorry, cutie, I have to. Knife goes in, and you die.
It hurts to kill zombie girls, but it's necessary.
Huh? Why am I not using my "fire punch" anymore? Because I remembered I'll turn fully zombie if their blood gets into my body!
"I'm an idiot!"
I destroy their heads if I hit them with all my strength, but if their bones scratch me, their blood will mix with mine, and I'll become a full zombie. I don't want to eat another innocent person! I highly doubt I'd get over what I did to… Ugh… No, no, don't think about that now, idiot.
I wish I had my sword, but those girls kept it… Well, it was their mom's, so it's fair. I can't take a memento of their mother from them.
I've been killing zombies all morning, but I haven't kept count. Have I killed over 100?
"How many points do I have?"
[Response: 756 points.]
Well, well. Not bad.
Hmm… I wanted to save up to upgrade [Agility], but I'd better improve [Steal]. It saved my life against that Orc. If I upgrade it, maybe I can steal bigger things, like a legendary sword from a black knight or the underwear of a gorgeous, arrogant princess.
Upgrade skills.
[Increase strength: 1,000 points.]
[Increase agility: 1,000 points.]
[Increase regeneration: 1,500 points.]
[Increase steal: 50 points.]
Upgrade steal.
[Increase steal: 50 points.]
[Steal upgraded.]
[Steal level 2.]
[Increase steal: 250 points.]
[Current points: 706.]
Seriously, if I upgrade this skill more, I'll be able to steal heavier or better items. I got lucky stealing those seeds before with my skill at level 1. You could call it a miracle.
I'll get it to level 3—that should be enough.
"And then I'll save up to upgrade my agility."
•
•
I went back to those women. From what I can tell, it's still pretty early. 8 a.m., maybe? Oh, what an early bird I am, huh?
I've got 456 points left. If I get to a zombie-infested city, I can rack up the points I need in less than an hour.
After dropping Mary off at the shelter, we'll head back to my city and kill zombies.
I hope Sakura's still alive. I wouldn't want to kill her zombie, but I also don't want her to know I'm a zombie. What'll I do if I see her again? Now that I think about it, I don't think I'm in love with her or anything. Do I just see her as a friend? Let's see, I'll imagine her naked… Yup, I definitely imagined her mom naked. I love mature women! I want my own MILF!
"You're finally back."
Speaking of big women, here's one—but only in height.
I looked up at her. I feel intimidated. Is it wrong that this is turning me on?
"Good morning, Number 8. Sorry, I was bored and didn't want to fall back asleep."
"It'd be best if you left before the girls wake up."
I'd feel offended, but she's right. After all, I'm a zombie, part of the species that killed their mom. Being around them… well, it's painful.
Why don't I feel that way? They took my mom from me.
"Yeah… I know."
I turned around and walked toward Kiasan.
… Do I hate zombies? They took my world, my friends, my mom. They took everything.
So… why don't I hate them? I kill them just for points, not out of hatred. Even zombie women still turn me on.
Is it because I'm a zombie too?
"Damn identity crisis."
•
•
Time passed, and… And… Tsk. I can't come up with a reflective monologue about this situation.
Walking toward the horizon and… And… And shake that tail, mama! Move that ass, right here, nice and tasty! Hahahahaha…! Haha… Ha… Yeah, I know, I'm pathetic.
Mary and I have been talking this whole time, mostly about me. My ex-girlfriends, my mom, my school, my social traumas, my favorite porn genre… Well, not that last one, but it'd be the perfect topic for a porn flick, don't you think? Two survivors meet, talking about their lives, and out of nowhere, that topic comes up, and the survivor friend perfectly matches the actresses in that genre. In my case, a mature woman over 35.
Ugh, why do I always end up thinking about stupid stuff?
"She's waking up," Mary said.
It's true. Oh, how adorable she looks yawning!
Kiasan yawned and slowly opened her eyes. So cute. My heart's racing!
Is this what they call legendary parental love? Having kids was one of my dreams, but I'd be happy with an adopted daughter. No boyfriends until you're 30, young lady, or you're out of my will!
"Good morning, Kiasan," I said, pinching her cheek.
So adorable! Quick, show up, special zombie girl like me, I want to get you pregnant…! Can zombies have kids? I haven't jerked off since this all started. Can I even have orgasms?!
Ugh… Is this what they call…? Well, I forgot the name, but it's something about humans wanting to leave offspring before they die. When someone feels like they're about to die, they want to screw as soon as possible to have a kid. Is that happening to me?
"Huh? Z-Zei? W-what… a-are you… d-doing?"
I'm carrying you in my arms, daughter. I mean, Kiasan.
"We had to leave an hour ago, but I didn't want to wake you."
"You look adorable when you sleep, Kiasan," Mary said, patting her head.
Her lips tremble, and she closes her eyes. Oh, are you embarrassed? So cute!
"…"
I glanced at Mary out of the corner of my eye.
She's still down, but she's trying to push forward and completely avoids the topic of her son and husband.
She lost her entire family in one day. She lost her son, her blood.
But look at her, walking without hesitation, eyes forward. What's going through her head? I can't even imagine.
"C-can you… p-put me… d-down?"
Hmm?
"Fufu. Don't like being carried like a princess, cutie? Heh."
She quickly shook her head from side to side. What a firm no.
"I-I'm not… a-a c-child."
What…? Oh, right. I forgot that paranormal part about being a ghost controlling the zombie body of a little girl.
I put her down and stretched my arms. Ah, arm, I got you back completely. It doesn't even look like I got the crap beaten out of me yesterday.
"My regeneration is incredible. Yesterday I was wrecked, and now I'm unscathed."
"Though, if your regeneration is that strong, it must be the same for regular zombies. Can they regenerate if their head's destroyed?" Mary said.
"Well, so far, no zombie's regenerated. And I've gotten points, confirming their deaths."
"Then you need to be careful with your head."
"Oh, yeah, I know."
Oh, I see the highway—we're almost out of the forest.
We decided to take a shortcut through the forest. It's more dangerous, considering the fantasy monsters invading us, but Mary wanted to be surrounded by trees to feel calmer, or so I assume. She suggested it, and I agreed immediately, no questions asked.
We step onto the highway and look both ways. Empty, no dead in sight. Ugh, this feels… creepy. Like being in a horror movie.
Hmm… I see houses in the distance, signs we're close.
"I think we'll reach Hersi city soon. Let's hope the rumors are true."
"Look, Zei!" Mary said, shaking my arm like an excited little girl and pointing at something with her finger.
What's got her so excited?
I turned to my left… No… freaking… way. Do those things exist too?!
"Unicorns?!"
The legendary horses with horns! Two unicorns running together! Awesome!
"My son would've loved to see them," she said with a smile on her face and… no tears in her eyes.
Crying doesn't make you weak, but I won't say anything about it.
"Want to ride one, Mary?"
"Ride?"
"I'm not religious, but… Maybe… How do I put it…? You could ride one and tell your son what it feels like. Ghosts exist, so maybe there's a paradise, and perhaps…"
Damn, I almost screwed up.
I crouched down and whispered in Kiasan's ear.
"Are there a lot of ghosts in the world?"
She shook her head.
"N-never saw… a-another."
Then it must be hard to become a ghost after dying. Or are they all doomed to be stuck where they died?
B-better not think about that.
I stand up quickly and get ready to run.
"What do you say? It's every woman's dream, right?"
"Sexist," Kiasan said.
"I'm not sexist! In fact, I want to ride one too."
"Gay."
"I'm not gay!"
Mary laughed a bit at us and nodded. Heh. Thanks, Kiasan, we managed to give her a little fun.
"Yeah, sounds good. Thanks… So how do I get on one?"
That's the tricky part.
"Well… Uh…"
I started running with all my strength and charged toward the unicorns.
This is stupid, I know, but I'm faster than them!
What? Did you think my supernatural body was only good for extra strength? You're dead wrong! I can run over 100 kilometers per hour! Or so I think. I read once that a horse can run at 70 kilometers per hour, and since I'm catching up to them, that means I'm faster than them!
I reached them in under 19 seconds! Almost there…! Uwaaaah!
Trying to slow down to match their speed, I lost control of my body and tripped. I'm not used to running this fast! Yeah, yeah, laugh at me. I can't hear you, but even I'd laugh at myself.
I won't give up!
I got up and caught up again. This time I won't…! Uwaaaah!
Ahhhhhhhhh! I forgot horses poop while they run! That damn unicorn pooped, and I slipped on its crap! I'll eat you after Mary rides you!
One more time, to hell with it!
Almost there…! Yes, I caught you, bitch!
"They're magical, right? Can they talk?"
No answer, so that's a no.
Their horn is beautiful, white and shiny. I want to touch it. Do they shoot magical beams with those things? Do they use the power of friendship?
I reach out my hand. A little closer and…
"Don't touch me, you impure, miserable, filthy bastard!"
"Huh? Uwaaaah!"
Just as I was about to touch it, the unicorn spoke and kicked me in the crotch! Ahhhhhhhhh! It hurts, it hurts…! Heh. What a great actor I am, right? I'm even writhing on the ground.
But that doesn't change the fact that you hit me in my sacred zone without even giving me a kiss!
Tsk. Damn it. You're lucky that… Huh?
B-both unicorns stopped in front of me. Yeah, stopped—on two legs. Is that even possible?!
"Uh… Hello, ladies. Nice day, don't you think?"
They raised their hooves.
"Why don't we talk like the intelligent beings we are, beauties?"
They shook their heads.
"Filthy impure," they both said.
They started kicking me in the crotch! Uwaaaah!
And they're laughing and spitting on me while they do it! Bitches!
"Only pure people can touch us, you ignorant son of a bitch!"
"My mom was a saint!"
…
…
…
Ow, ow. They kicked my crotch for two minutes and left.
Alright, now I can laugh.
"Hahahahaha! I don't feel pain, bitches!"
What? Coward? Just because I said it when I made sure they were too far to hear me? It's called survival!
"Not like you were that gorgeous anyway!"
Unicorns talk. I need to get a notebook to jot this down.
I went back to the girls with my head down and my dignity in pieces. I'm covered in horse spit. Ugh… Damn it!
"Sorry, I failed."
"You okay? Those unicorns hit you pretty hard," Mary said, clearly holding back laughter.
Laugh all you want, don't worry—I know it's hilarious to see someone get beaten by horses standing on two legs. It sounds illogical because logic abandoned our world!
"You can laugh as much as you want. I don't feel any pain. Only my pride's hurt. It's not my fault I'm impure…! Well, actually, it is my fault. Heh."
"P-pervert," Kiasan said.
Oh, so you understood that purity thing.
But is it because I'm not a virgin or because I'm a zombie? I thought being pure meant being a virgin.
"Impure?" Mary said.
"I think only pure people can touch them or something. I guess it means virginity."
"That's a shame. Then I guess only Kiasan could ride one."
Her…? Ahhhhhhhhh! Noooooo!
Trembling, I glanced at Kiasan, and she gave a thumbs-up.
"Y-yeah, I c-can."
Yes!
"Did you die a virgin?" Mary asked.
She shook her head.
Huh? Noooooo! My daughter was defiled! I'll find that bastard and eat him!
"I-I d-don't… k-know. I-I d-don't… h-have… m-memories."
Oh, right. B-better stop thinking about this!
"Let's keep walking! One, two, three, four!"
At least I got Mary to laugh, and that put a smile on her face. It wasn't a waste of time!