...

"Oh crap, I'm screwed!" Tang Ye strained to open the window of his rented room, looking down at the scene below where people crowded the streets like they were at a festival, he let out a cry of despair. But now, the ones walking the street below weren't people, they were flesh-eating monsters!

This disaster had been going on for three days now. Tang Ye had barely managed half a bowl of instant noodles the first day, and now he hadn't eaten anything for two days. He was so hungry that he didn't even wish to move. He had hoped to see if the zombies below had dispersed a bit, giving him a chance to grab some food, but the scenario remained the same as two days ago!

Desperation was evident in Tang Ye's eyes. The last of the mineral water in the room had been finished the day before, and afterwards he survived on tap water. However, this morning when he turned on the tap, he found the water had turned brown. He dared not drink the water of such a color, fearing he might turn into the monsters downstairs. That would be terribly unjust!

With his remaining strength, he walked into the bathroom and turned on the shower, only to find that this water too was rusty red, and he sunk further into despair! He lay quietly on the floor, the never-ending howls of the monsters from upstairs ringing in his ears. Did he need to risk going down and try to get some food to live on? But he was terrified. Confronted with the prospect of becoming like the zombies from the movies, any normal person would shrink back, let alone face actual death.

Tang Ye lay quietly, feeling his body slowly growing warmer, warmer and warmer, until it became scorching hot.

"Ugh...It's terrible! It's so terrible, a fever! I don't want a fever, I would die!" He made a faint groan, leading to deeper howls. He didn't know what was wrong with him, only that he felt extremely uncomfortable, his entire body twisting in agony.

He wished to sleep. His stomach, empty for a long time, was being eroded by stomach acid, spreading a painful stinging sensation throughout his body! He felt as if his consciousness was gradually fading, sinking into darkness.

"Am I going to die?" He managed to open his mouth and mumbled to himself. "That's fine. I have nothing to hold onto anyway, so death it is."

Tang Ye was an orphan, found at the doorstep of an orphanage when he was a child. Despite being physically healthy, he could never understand why his parents would abandon him. He did life pretty much by himself, with very few friends. At his twenties, he hadn't even held a girl's hand except for a younger sister, who he worked hard to put through school, but he rarely had contact with her.

Feeling terrible, he eventually closed his heavy eyelids, the roar of the zombies outside growing louder and louder, sometimes even accompanied by the screams of survivors...

He didn't know how much time had passed... Tang Ye opened his eyes again, the blurriness before his eyes gradually becoming clear. He silently rejoiced, presumably he was going to be okay, and felt somewhat relieved. He hurriedly got up from the bed, sensing something off with his body. His head felt heavy, the hunger in his stomach disappeared, and his ears became especially sensitive, the roars outside looming close.

Tang Ye approached the window, looking at the outside world and the sea of zombies still swarming, he raised his hand to turn on the tap, but his arm felt heavy and powerless. His wrists and fingers, however, somehow felt full of unending strength. This feeling was strange, but he didn't dwell on it; he simply dismissed it as a temporary symptom just after his fever broke, assuming it would pass soon.

After he turned on the tap, the water that flowed out was still a rusty red. Tang Ye puckered his lips, and for some reason, he didn't particularly care, because he no longer felt hungry or thirsty. The howling of the zombies outside didn't seem terrifying to him anymore, in fact, he even felt like going out for a walk, finding some food.

He scavenged for some cardboard and, learning from a scene in the movie Train to Busan where a muscular man wrapped himself tightly in books, stepped outside his door. The hallway was eerily quiet with bloodstains all over the floor, indicating a gruesome slaughter. This gloomy and frightening scene scared him somewhat, fearing a zombie that might suddenly jump out from around a corner and give him a fright!

He plucked up the courage and walked down the stairs, but didn't notice his horrific reflection in the mirror by the staircase. His floor was a dead zone; once past it, he'd be on the third floor, but his plan was to go straight to the bottom. There were too many zombies downstairs; he just wanted to see if there was anything edible in the other tenants' apartments.

But as Tang Ye entered the third floor around a corner, he saw a zombie, face torn and bloody, staggering towards him. He got startled and quickly rushed upstairs to the fourth floor, only to realize that the zombie hadn't chased after him. He was confused as according to what he'd observed over the past few days, any zombie would chase after a living human like a mad dog, but this one didn't.

Tang Ye returned downstairs and saw the same zombie standing directly in front of him. His heart tightened, and he was about to run away, but the next second he saw the zombie didn't chase him. Instead, it turned around and disappeared around the corner. Puzzled, Tang Ye went down to the third floor looking for the shadow of this zombie.

He watched the zombie's back and called out to it.

"Huh huh~"

"What's going on? Huh? Why am I like this?" Tang Ye's voice was husky, like a zombie. Panicked, he felt this must be an illusion. He tried again to greet the zombie.

"Rarrgh~" His voice was the same. Tang Ye began to panic. He tried to make normal speech, but his neck felt like it was being choked, he could only make a "roar".

The zombie was unaware and kept pacing, sometimes making a roar similar to Tang Ye. Tang Ye seemed to realize something, and hurriedly ran to the fourth floor and stood in front of the mirror by the staircase.

He was taken aback by his own appearance. His skin had turned gray in color, with some flesh falling off, revealing raw crimson tissue. His eyes had turned white, pupil-less, staring blankly at his reflection in the mirror.

"Argh~" He dully let out a roar, unsure of how he had become a zombie. He had clearly not been bitten or scratched by a zombie! But here he was, a zombie.

Three days ago, the sky worldwide turned blood-red, dropping black rain. Everyone who got soaked turned into a zombie. That day, Tang Ye was fortunately indoors, eating instant noodles and watching funny skits, he'd been lucky not to go out and get caught in the black rain.

Being a zombie felt strange, his head felt heavy while his legs light. And his teeth felt as if they were smeared with 502 glue, very uncomfortable. Tang Ye supported his stumbling body and went downstairs, again encountering the same zombie. A surge of nameless fury welled up.

"Damn zombie!" Tang Ye lunged at it, raising his heavy arm for a punch.

Bang!

The zombie fell hard onto the floor. He still felt discontented and furiously tore away a piece of peeling flesh from its face, causing a sickly yellow fluid to spray out.

PS: This story is purely fictitious, the author's whimsical creation written out of boredom, with nine years of reading experience. Please, dear readers, don't take it seriously.

Reader Group 1: 757319841 (The group might be full, the author can't afford to pay for an upgrade)/Irony.