As Alex White left the neighborhood, he felt a wave of relief wash over him. The tricycle he'd hidden in the shop was still there, untouched, though he hadn't been too worried. He opened the bundle, meticulously arranging its contents in the tricycle's cargo bed. He paused, uncertain, "Should someone stay here to watch the bike?"
"No need."
Dora Lin scanned the surroundings. Aside from the decaying zombies that had already fallen and the old ones still shuffling about, there were no signs of other people. That group had a clear purpose—they wouldn't come this far just to scavenge an ordinary residential building.
After hiding the tricycle in the shop, they crossed the square and returned to Happiness Community to continue transporting the supplies they'd gathered over the past few days.
On the way, they hadn't had time to clear out the zombies, only stabbing them as they went. But within the community, a simple stab wasn't enough—they had to break the zombies' necks. Alex White was growing more familiar with the stick in his hand. As Dora Lin entered the building ahead of him, he dealt with the zombie that had followed them. He was about to say something when a sudden sense of unease gripped him.
A strange sound emerged from behind, closing in fast.
Instinctively, he turned—a reflex. But in that split second, Alex White 's hard-earned survival instincts took over, and he fought the urge, instead throwing himself forward.
Bang!
Crack...
A sickening sound reverberated off his helmet. Alex White felt something bite the back of it. There was no time for relief. Anger surged as he realized he'd been ambushed. The pent-up frustration of the past days erupted within him. He twisted his body, shrugging off the pack on his back, and gripped the stick with both hands, pressing down hard on his attacker.
The stick wedged itself against the creature's neck, and only then did Alex White see what it was—a cat. Or more precisely, something that resembled a large cat. It was massive, devoid of the cute appearance of a domestic feline. Instead, its wild eyes and fierce demeanor exuded a feral madness, its blood-red eyes glowing with insanity.
"Help…" Alex White shouted, struggling to hold down the thrashing animal. It was on the verge of breaking free. He'd barely uttered a word before he suddenly lowered his head, slamming his helmet into the creature in a swift, brutal headbutt.
He felt the creature's resistance falter for a brief moment before it grew even more frenzied. With no time to think, Alex White continued slamming his helmet down on its skull, blow after blow.
This creature was far more dangerous than the old zombies—a predator, adept at ambushes. Luckily, Dora Lin sensed something was off and doubled back. She had a gun, but as she neared and saw Alex White pinning the creature's neck to the ground with his stick, she swiftly drew her knife and drove it deep into its neck. Placing her foot on the stick Alex White was holding, she ordered, "Hold it down!"
Together, they pressed the creature's neck to the ground with the stick. As Alex White 's heart pounded, Dora twisted the knife viciously several times, and the creature's previously frenzied strength began to wane.
"Are you alright?"
"Thank goodness for the helmet."
Alex White shook his head. Force is mutual, and the headbutts hadn't been easy on him either. He glanced at his thick gloves, now shredded from the creature's struggles in just a few moments.
"Let's move; we need to pick up the pace," Dora Lin said, scanning their surroundings warily as she followed behind Alex White .
"I've always wondered why you never fire that gun at zombies. I guess they really aren't that dangerous," Alex White said, still catching his breath. The brief but intense struggle had drained him.
"You actually managed to hold it down," Dora Lin began to reconsider whether she had underestimated the zombie king.
"I almost didn't. Didn't you see me bashing it with my helmet?"
Alex White still felt a lingering fear. "What was that thing?"
A mutated cat? But why hadn't it aged?
"Before the disaster, people kept pets. At first, they were food for the zombies, but not anymore," Dora Lin explained.
As they climbed the stairs, Alex White asked, "Zombies have aged; why is it still so strong?"
"Animals are different from humans."
"Huh?"
Alex White froze for a moment before a terrifying thought surfaced, sending a chill down his spine. After a pause, he asked, "Can it… reproduce?"
He finally understood the source of that eerie feeling.
Even zombies rot after more than twenty years. If they could hold on, victory would eventually come. But what if infected animals could reproduce?
Dora Lin replied, "We need to hurry. The scent of blood will attract more zombies and other predators."
Thanks to Alex White's ability to carry a large load and quickly get it onto the cart, they didn't have to make multiple trips. After collecting the remaining items, Dora Lin retrieved boxes of wine, packing them carefully into the large backpack she carried.
With the heavy pack on her back, Dora cautiously followed behind Alex White , gun at the ready, as they navigated past zombies drawn by the scent of blood, making sure to avoid encountering another one of those creatures.
Crossing the square, they loaded everything onto the tricycle, which was now packed to capacity, leaving no room for an extra passenger.
Alex White let out a sigh of relief, casting a wary glance at the lush, green residential area in the distance. The trees swayed gently in the wind, a scene of deceptive tranquility and vitality, while ivy crept silently up the exterior walls of the buildings.
"It's good to be alive," he murmured. He had been extremely tense just moments ago, uncertain if the creature they encountered was part of a larger pack.
At first, scavenging for survival alongside other humans had seemed futile, but now, he realized that just being alive was a victory in itself.
"Maybe we should've come in winter," Alex White mused, eyeing the greenery that concealed countless dangers.
"There's no perfect time," Dora Lin replied as she released the handbrake, pushing the tricycle with a creak. "In winter, when food is scarce, they'd only hunt more fiercely."
"..."
"Let's just focus on staying alive."
Dora Lin pushed the tricycle out of the store, eager to leave the area. The city center wasn't getting safer or more dangerous—it was just strange. Initially, it had been an extremely hazardous no-go zone. Over time, as the zombies aged, the danger gradually lessened. But then, after some years, it began to increase again.
Now was a rare window of opportunity.
This city probably wouldn't belong to zombies or humans in the future, but to the various animals. The signs were already evident, as the city center had turned into a sprawling botanical garden.
"There are too few people left," Alex White said.
"Hmm... My grandfather speculated that many years from now, the survivors will concentrate on developing a few key cities, while others will end up like this. But that's still a long way off," Dora Lin replied. "It's clear that Chico has been abandoned."
"Your grandfather made that kind of prediction?"
"They said that if it really happens, I should head to one of those cities."
"And if it doesn't happen?"
"My father's opinion was the opposite. They often argued, especially after they discovered that animals could reproduce... The virus that infected those animals is lethal to the surviving humans."
"Lethal?" Alex White looked down at the wound on his hand.
"Yes."
Alex White was silent for a moment before saying, "I'm doomed."
"Huh?"
Dora Lin turned around, following his gaze, and suddenly felt a bit panicked. "Didn't you say it was nothing serious?"
"It didn't kill me, so I thought I was fine." Alex White , now feeling uneasy due to her reaction, asked, "What's wrong? Will I turn into one of them... uh..."
He paused, realizing something uncertainly, "I was already a zombie."
"Ah." Dora Lin froze.
"So... if it did infect me, I would become like it, which means..." Alex White thought for a moment, "I might be able to reproduce?"
Dora Lin fell silent.
Alex White also remained silent.
No one knew if someone already infected could be reinfected. Moreover, he was only half-infected—showing zombie traits but still retaining human consciousness.
"There are zombies coming," Dora Lin reminded him.
"Oh."
Alex White dealt with the zombies.