When the zombie virus outbreak began, everyone in my family except me fell victim to it. I watched helplessly as my parents succumbed to the infection, becoming mindless walking corpses joining the zombie horde. Unwilling to abandon my only remaining family member, I made the decision to keep my zombie brother. 0 My brother had turned into a zombie. I couldn’t bring myself to kill him. So, I locked him in a room, like keeping a rabid beast. On my brother’s 18th birthday, my parents had taken him on a two-week trip abroad, splurging on the celebration. I was too busy with work to join them on the vacation. It wasn’t until the third day after they returned— A new virus outbreak was reported overseas. I panicked. I remembered my brother mentioning they had indulged in various exotic local delicacies. The ingredients were rare deep-sea creatures rarely seen. I had scolded him at the time: “Reject wild game, protect nature.” Little did I know, disaster would strike so soon. On the fifth day after their return— Late at night, I heard shuffling footsteps in the living room. I turned on the light to see my mother, blood streaming from her eyes, dark tears flowing down her cheeks and into her mouth. I let out a terrified scream. Mother’s voice sounded like a demonic chant, “Run… quickly…” Her gait was extremely twisted. “Sophia… run quickly…” Mother’s eerily quiet voice was unnaturally clear in the silent living room, sending chills down my spine. “Mom, don’t be afraid! I’ll call an ambulance right away!” I ran back to my room, trembling, to find my phone. Roar— A strange cry rang out! I suddenly turned around. Father emerged from the pitch-black room, his gray pupils like two hollow sockets. Tears streamed down my face in terror: “Dad?” He lunged at me with claws outstretched, his bluish fingernails still stained with clots of blood. I was so frightened my legs went weak. I stood rooted to the spot, my limbs stiff and immobile. Just as Father’s sharp fingers were about to grab me. Mother suddenly rushed over, biting Father’s shoulder and tightly gripping his body as she charged onto the balcony. I heard the sounds of a fierce struggle. They were howling like wild beasts. Soon. The endless night fell silent once more. I peeked out to see the empty balcony, windows wide open, chaos everywhere. A cold breeze brushed my face, the air permeated with the stench of putrid blood. 0
By dawn, the zombie outbreak was in full swing. I huddled on the couch, watching the news reports from various regions on TV. [A new virus suddenly erupted last night. The infected develop symptoms rapidly, including loss of bodily control and biting or scratching others. Once infected, there is no cure.] [The entire city is now under emergency containment. Any infected individuals found will be dealt with on the spot. We urge all residents to stay indoors, take precautions, and await rescue.] [There are still many mysteries surrounding the new virus. Medical experts are working around the clock to develop countermeasures and rescue plans, which will be announced to the public as soon as possible.] [Based on current information, the zombie virus is transmitted through bite wounds and scratches. Zombies are extremely sensitive to sound but lack cognitive abilities. We urge residents to remain as quiet as possible.] Still in shock, I walked to the balcony and looked down— Outside was a scene of apocalyptic devastation. My mother and father had already joined the zombie horde. They walked with a stiff, twisted gait, their limbs rigid. “Sis…” A hoarse voice plunged me back into the depths of fear. I turned to see my brother stumbling out of his bedroom, the door now open. His skin was starting to turn blue, his black pupils covered by a grayish fog. “Don’t come any closer! Go back!” I grabbed a mop handle, assuming a defensive stance. “Lucas, be a good boy and go back to your room. I won’t hurt you!” My brother’s footsteps halted. He opened his mouth, struggling to form words, “Mom… Dad… are they okay?” I didn’t dare get too close. “They’ve both turned into zombies. It’s just the two of us left in the family now. As long as you behave, I won’t abandon you.” My brother lifted his head, black tears streaming from his eyes. He wailed in agony, retreating step by step. When he was fully back in the room, I rushed over to close the door, lock it, and remove the key. I knew my brother would soon lose his mind completely, becoming a mindless walking corpse. To kill my own brother with my own hands – my only remaining family in this apocalypse. I couldn’t do it. So I made a bold decision: to keep a pet zombie. 0
Ten days after the virus outbreak— All cities had fallen. Zombies ran rampant. Corpses littered the streets. As the first city to discover zombies, ours had long since become a ghost town devoid of human life. An eerie silence pervaded everything. Zombies wandered aimlessly along the roads, stumbling as they walked. Occasionally a patrol helicopter would fly overhead, its thunderous roar filling the air. The zombie hordes would immediately chase after the helicopter’s direction, running in a frenzy. I watched as our food supplies dwindled, lost in thought. If things continued like this, I’d starve to death before getting bitten by zombies. I decided to discuss strategy with my zombie brother. I took out the key, opened the bedroom door a crack. I quickly tossed in a piece of raw pork. I had to keep my brother fed, otherwise if he lost control and bit me, it would be all over. “Lucas, I have a task for you,” I coaxed him like a child, carefully negotiating. My brother wolfed down the meat, his bluish face still smeared with crimson blood. A door separated us, him inside and me outside. “There’s a Walmart superstore downstairs. I don’t know how much food is left, but go grab whatever you can find. The more the better. Preferably instant foods with long shelf lives.” “Also power banks – it’s been 10 days since the zombie outbreak, so power banks should still work. Grab several if you can. In case the electricity goes out, we can use them for emergencies.” “And drones, the kind that can be remotely controlled. With one of those, we can see what’s happening outside and avoid danger if needed.” “The water supply station is on the ground floor next door. There should be stockpiles of bottled water in the warehouse. At this rate, the water will be cut off within two weeks. If we stock up on water now, we’ll have drinking water, water for washing, flushing toilets…” I rambled on and on. All the stress and anxiety I’d bottled up over these past few days came pouring out in that moment. I didn’t know how much my brother understood. I only knew that my brother still retained a shred of rationality. That tiny bit of humanity that hadn’t mutated was clinging on through our blood ties. I didn’t know how long it would last. 0
I didn’t lock my brother’s door. I hoped he could find food, so at least we wouldn’t starve to death. After venting my anxieties about facing the apocalypse, I returned to my room alone. A few minutes later, I heard footsteps. It was my brother! He had come out! Then I heard the click of the front door lock. Very faint, as if trying not to attract zombies. My heart raced – had my brother really left? I crouched by my bedroom window, peeking out. After a full ten minutes, my brother finally appeared on the empty concrete road below. He stumbled along, his gait as bizarre and grotesque as all the other zombies. The difference was, his brain hadn’t been completely ravaged by the zombie virus. I watched as he successfully entered the supermarket doors. The moment his figure disappeared, my heart pounded like a drum. I worried the supermarket would be a hellish scene of carnage inside. I worried whether my brother could make it back home safely. I even feared, what if something happened to him and he turned into a mindless walking corpse like our parents – what would I do then? I stared at the time ticking by on my watch, second by agonizing second. After a full hour, my brother emerged! Tears of joy nearly fell from my eyes. My brother was pushing a shopping cart piled high with food and various necessities! He slowly made his way back. My heart surged with emotion – my brother truly hadn’t changed. He was still my dearest family! I no longer kept my guard up against him, opening the door and quickly tidying up the living room and study to make space. Ten minutes later, my brother lugged two bags of food upstairs, drenched in sweat. His body trembled with excitement when he saw me. “Roar… Sis… for you…” he mumbled, barely intelligible. My emotions finally broke. Tears flowed freely as I said, “Good boy. Don’t worry, we’ll rely on each other to survive this.” My brother set the bags down and turned to go back downstairs for more food. He was only 18 years old. His thin frame now bore the weight of both our lives. 0
My brother worked tirelessly all day. He moved all the food from the supermarket back to our home. Thankfully the water and electricity hadn’t been cut yet, so I started sorting everything. I rewarded my brother with a big chunk of pork. He sat in the corner, gnawing away contentedly. I took inventory of our supplies. Beef, pork, lamb, chicken, duck… the meat filled an entire freezer. To prepare for potential power and water outages, I decided we should eat the refrigerated food first. I organized the rest based on expiration dates. Instant noodles, self-heating hotpots, rice noodles, cold noodles, and other instant foods – over 20 boxes in total. Vacuum-packed sausages, chicken feet, pork rinds, pork knuckles, pig’s trotters, duck necks, etc. – seven large bags. These foods had long shelf lives and were easy to store, so we didn’t need to eat them right away. Canned fish, canned luncheon meat, canned braised pork, canned pork knuckle, various canned fruits – over a dozen boxes. Canned goods usually lasted about two years, so I stacked them in the closet to eat last. For vegetables, we only had pumpkins, potatoes and sweet potatoes – three large sacks. I put those on the balcony to use as needed. My brother had also thoughtfully grabbed 15 power banks, 7 charging cables, 13 packs of toilet paper, and two bags of sanitary pads. After organizing everything, I asked my brother, “How was the supermarket? Anything else left?” My brother rotated his grayish-white eyeballs, mumbling incoherently: “Roar… veggies… all rotten. Water… fruit… also rotten.” I asked him again: “Did you find any drones?” My brother shook his head stiffly, “Roar… tomorrow… look again. Getting… dark.” I felt relieved. With my brother here, our survival crisis was well-managed. This time, I didn’t lock him in his room. He had worked tirelessly to bring back food, saving my life. I would no longer be wary of him.
🌟 Continue the story here 👉🏻 📲 Download the “NovelMaster” app 🔍 search for “297427”, and watch the full series ✨! #NovelMaster #浪漫Romance #现实主义Realistic #魔幻Magic
Leave a Reply