Raven climbed the dusty steps to the mall's upper level, Alara trailing silently behind like an obedient wife. The mall was already ransacked as shattered storefront windows, overturned mannequins, and gutted cash registers laid everywhere. Raven took it in with a glance.
"Good," she thought. "Not everyone's sitting on their asses waiting to die."
If you don't adapt in the apocalypse, you get left behind, usually with a knife between your ribs, wondering how it got there. Raven learned that the hard way. Now, she stayed behind others never in front, a hard lesson to learn.
Up ahead, three zombies wandered aimlessly near another ice cream shop. They wore matching uniforms: teal polo shirts, white aprons smeared with blood, and cone-shaped hats with fake ice cream dripping down the sides. The sight made Raven pause, her lips moving into an amused smile.
"Jesus Christ," she said under her breath. "If this wasn't the end of the world, I'd think we walked into a hidden reality TV show."
Alara stood quietly beside her, eyes blank but glowing faintly red, waiting for orders.
Raven raised her Beretta. Three shots, fired off each precise, and controlled. The zombies' heads popped like overripe fruit, red and grey brain matter flying across the plastic ice cream hats. Making it resemble a strange strawberry jam topping mixed with brains.
Raven approached the bodies, kicking the ridiculous hats off their heads. With a flick of her wrist, she summoned her combat knife from the System Space. She crouched down, slicing cleanly into the base of the first zombie's skull, extracting his small, pea-sized nucleus core with practiced ease. The sticky stone shined red in the dim light.
Raven glanced at Alara, who watched her expectantly, mouth slightly open, almost like a child waiting for a treat.
"Open your mouth," Raven said sweetly.
Alara obeyed without hesitation, and Raven placed the core gently onto her tongue. The link between them heated up, a subtle rush of energy moving into Alara's body, and she watched as her body began to heal more. Alara's wound on her stomach shrank, as the shredded flesh around her ribs began to knit together slowly.
Raven moved to the next two bodies, repeating the process: slice, extract, feed. By the time she finished, Alara's worst wounds healed, and her stomach looked almost normal again. Still a long way from a Level 1 zombie, but it was progress.
Raven wiped her hands on her pants and looked around, confirming no other zombies were nearby. Then, with a mental command, she and Alara moved into Sanctuary.
Alara followed her in, her eyes widening slightly as the clean, expansive space unfolded around them. The gardens, the botany lab, the cleared fields—it was a stark contrast to the decay of the outside world.
Raven watched Alara's reaction. This woman is her zombie girlfriend, moved like a child in a toy store, wide-eyed and awestruck, though still silent.
Raven said aloud, half to herself, half to the air: "Guess the system bond means you can come in with me now."
She turned to Alara and let out a soft sigh. "Let's get you cleaned up."
Raven summoned a metal tub she'd scavenged from the mall, setting it down on the ground. With quiet, steady hands, she stripped Alara's tattered, bloodstained clothing, undressing her like a doll. Alara stood still, unresisting, her eyes fixed on Raven as she was waiting for the next command.
"Stay there," Raven instructed.
She fetched buckets of hot water from her home, filling the tub slowly. Back and forth, Raven went until the tub was half full of steaming hot water. Alara sat quietly in the hit water, head tilted slightly in confusion.
Raven knelt beside her, dipping a rag into the water, scrubbing Alara's skin clean. She worked methodically, rinsing away dried blood, rotting flesh, and the remnants of her past meals. Raven cleaned under her nails, between her fingers and even her teeth—brushing them carefully with a toothbrush and floss.
"Sorry about the outdoor bath," Raven said. "But I'm not dragging zombie guts across my carpet. Our home deserves better."
Alara blinked slowly, uncomprehending, but obedient.
It took three tubs of hot water to get Alara clean, but by the end, Alara looked almost… human. Pale, and thin, but no longer a smelly, blood-smeared husk. Raven wrapped her in a towel, drying her off with gentle hands.
"There," she said softly, her voice oddly warm. "You're clean now. I'll build us some outdoor showers later. I don't want this to become a regular thing."
Raven looked Alara in the eyes.
"No more eating people. From now on, it's zombie cores only. They're better for you."
Alara stared up at her, silent and big-eyed, like a confused animal.
Raven's expression softened. "No worries. We'll figure it out. A few slip-ups are fine. If you eat someone, I'll just clean you up again."
She fetched a fresh set of clothes and shoes, dressing Alara carefully. The woman sat still with what Raven thought was a look of happiness on her face as she was dressed.
When it was done, Raven patted her shoulder.
"Let's get some sleep. Tomorrow, we can hunt more."
Alara followed her quietly as they walked toward Rose Manor.
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