Dora Lin looked strangely at Alex White, who was squatting motionlessly in front of the water basin.
This zombie... was not only drooling at her but also at his own reflection—she saw a strand of transparent saliva hanging down, which was really disgusting and weird.
"Do you want to eat yourself?" Dora Lin asked suspiciously.
Alex White wiped the drool, shook his head, and lifted the bandage on his arm.
The corpse spots hadn't spread, and the wound remained the same. He still retained some zombie characteristics and habits, but he could also control them.
Dora Lin averted her gaze, assembled her gun, held it in her hands, closed her left eye, and aimed at the door.
Then she went back inside and didn't come out for a long time.
Alex White lay at the edge of the shed, squinting at the sky. The sun had just risen and wasn't too hot yet.
He didn't want to think too much, nor did he want to consider too much. He just wanted to lie there like that. The sky was white, not the blue sky and white clouds people often talked about. He lay there for a long time without moving.
Suddenly, in this apocalypse, he had been bitten by a zombie. What could he do?
He didn't know how long he had been lying there when suddenly there was a knock at the door, two knocks followed by three.
Alex White turned his head to look but didn't respond immediately.
Dora Lin came out of the house, holding her gun and cautiously approaching the wall. She crouched down and signaled Alex White to be quiet, then whispered, "Who is it?"
"Girl, it's me." A voice came from outside.
Dora Lin relaxed a bit, went to the door, opened a small movable hole, glanced outside, and was about to open the door. She paused, remembered something, looked around quickly, then walked back swiftly, took down the sheet used as a screen in the yard last night, and threw it to Alex White , gesturing to him.
Alex White thought for a moment, took the sheet, lay against the wall, covered himself, and pretended to be a corpse, not moving.
"Coming."
Dora Lin responded and opened the door. Alex White stayed still, peeking through a gap.
Two people were standing at the door, talking. He couldn't hear clearly, but from the earlier voice, it seemed to be a woman.
After a while, Dora Lin went back inside briefly, then came out to the door again, exchanged a few words with the person outside, locked the door, and returned holding a large, bloody piece of meat.
"You can come out now."
Dora Lin spoke to Alex White as she carefully placed the meat on the stone slab, using the wooden lever by the well to pump water and rinse it clean.
Alex White was restless, his gaze fixed intently on the large piece of meat.
"Want a bite?" Dora asked, glancing back at him.
Alex White shook his head and inquired, "Who?"
"Aunt Jones, she lives on the mountain over there, not too far," Dora replied, a tinge of guilt in her voice as she washed the meat. "Last time I went to the city to scavenge, she asked me to find some things. But as soon as I got there, I ran into you and came back with nothing... Maybe next time. She's a bit too old to go that far, so I usually bring her something when I can."
Alex White stared at the large piece of meat, momentarily lost in Dora's words.
"A deer wandered near her yard, so she gave me a piece. Are you sure you don't want any?" she asked, turning to look at him.
Zombies generally aren't interested in infected animals, but if there's a fresh, bloody corpse, they'll go after it.
Alex White fought the urge. Giving in to impulses could be dangerous, especially when uncertain if the meat might worsen the virus. He preferred a vegetarian diet.
"Cooked mutant animals are safe for humans. I think it's the same for you... But if you don't want it, that's fine," Dora said, scrubbing the meat with a brush.
The meat from wild animals wasn't particularly tasty. Only the smaller ones were tender enough to eat; larger pieces like this one were tough and chewy, even when cooked thoroughly. It was more like jerky, something to be shredded and mixed into porridge, or simply scraped off with a knife.
But it was still better than eating vegetables every day.
"Aunt Jones," Alex White mused, surprised to discover there were other survivors besides Dora. And they even helped each other.
Dora set up a large pot and began cutting the meat into chunks with practiced ease.
"Aunt Jones is a very nice person. Back when Uncle Jones was still around, every time my dad went there..." She trailed off, staring into the flames. After a moment, she smiled, resting her chin on one hand while the other poked at the firewood with a stick.
The fire burned brightly, and steam rose steadily from the pot; the meat would take a long time to cook.
Catching sight of Alex White from the corner of her eye, Dora suddenly said, "I should find you some glasses."
Alex White looked up.
Dora Lin had set down the fire stick and headed back inside the house. She rummaged around for a while; in the summer heat, they occasionally needed these, but finding them now wasn't easy. She searched through the drawers for some time before finally discovering them in a nearby box.
She went outside and tossed a pair of sunglasses to Alex White. He put them on and turned his head, and Dora gave him a nod of approval.
"Now you look more normal."
It wasn't that she was worried Aunt Jones would see her with a zombie; it was just better to avoid unnecessary trouble.
Alex White was quite pleased with the disguise. It covered the wounds and corpse spots on his arms, and with the sunglasses, he could at least pass for a normal person. Now, if he walked outside, he wouldn't have to worry about getting shot on sight.
Judging by Dora and the fact that someone had given her such a large piece of meat, it was clear that people here were well-armed. Those without weapons likely didn't survive the early days of the apocalypse.
Dora glanced at him with the sunglasses, then grabbed a large spoon and stirred the pot. After a few stirs, she ran back inside and came out with a bag of salt. Alex White looked around, taking in the surroundings through the sunglasses.
He noticed a small vegetable patch on the west side of the courtyard, something he hadn't seen before because it was overgrown with weeds. From the outline, it appeared to have been a garden, though it was hard to tell how long it had been abandoned.
Alex White glanced at Dora and then back at the vegetable patch. It seemed this place hadn't always been hers alone.
He sat there, motionless, watching Dora busy herself. Even after the disaster, those who survived continued to strive for normalcy.
Things that once seemed so close now felt incredibly distant—coffee, colleagues, projects, takeout... The hustle and bustle of city life, the lively streets, and shopping malls all seemed like they belonged to another life, almost like a dream.
Alex White 's fingers twitched slightly as he tried to hold onto the memory of working late at his computer. It felt like he had just dozed off during work and was suddenly jolted awake.
But that was merely his fantasy, a kind of wishful thinking. Dora, in contrast, was right there in front of him, busy with her tasks, cooking the meat in the pot. Her face had a smudge of black on it; she rolled up her sleeves and tried to wipe it off, only smearing it more.
The fire burned intensely, causing sweat to bead on her skin. Dora Lin wiped her face with her sleeve once more. She idly poked the ground with the fire stick, softly humming a tune as she watched the meat simmer in the pot.
"If you're not going to eat, then don't drool," Dora said.
She stood up and went to find a fan; the temperature was rising steadily.