When he woke up, he realized he was standing on the streets, covered in blood and gore.
'What—?'
All around him, corpses of zombies were sprawled about, some missing large chunks of flesh. The stench made him gag for an instant… then, disturbingly, the disgust vanished.
"I am too calm. Disturbingly so. Is this a side effect of turning?" He questioned himself. "Still, since I am able to retain my consciousness, I guess I am still a human... with a few strange tastes, though."
He said dryly, licking his lips to confirm his theory. The zombie tasted metallic, bitter, yet—strangely rich. Well, no one had ever tried consuming a zombie. Obviously, the infection had fully altered his system. His eyes now held a detached inhuman intensity that would send shivers down the spine of both humans and zombies.
"How long have I been unconscious?"
He asked himself, then checked the wall clock of a nearby shop.
August 18.
The apocalypse began on August 14. That meant he was walking but unconscious for four days. Doing things he couldn't remember.
"Sensational." He frowned, uneasy. He plucked the essence crystal from the zombie before him and plopped it into his mouth.
"Tastes like candy."
His purple eyes glowed in the dark night as he felt a deep craving for such delicacy.
Detached and calm, he considered his next course of actions.
"I need to return to the Glass Tower." He exhaled slowly. "Then get to my sister. She'll be horrified if she saw me like this."
With relaxed and measured steps, he made his way back to the tower. Sometimes he would spot a few human survivors peeking out from windows, or some even telling him to run and hide. However, no zombie moved to attack him, considering that he had become one of them.
After an hour, he arrived at the tower and leaped over the gates with ease. As usual, the inside was very clean. No one except the two guards lived here before the apocalypse. Hence, its lack of disturbance.
With nothing to do, he explored the whole tower leisurely, admiring the beauty of what he couldn't have owned before the apocalypse.
Finally, he went to the top floor where the living quarters was situated and took an entire hour to clean himself thoroughly.
Standing before the large mirror, he curiously examined the colorless crystal on his forehead.
'Looks expensive. Could it be diamond?'
He was almost tempted to pluck it out and eat. However, his instincts told him that meant being power-paralyzed.
'I wonder... will sister even recognize me?'
He didn't dilly-dally for long, though.
Now dressed in clean white shirt and a pair of black trousers, he moved to the kitchen and prepared some instant noodles, the aroma strongly enticing.
Calmly, he sat at the dining and ate his meal.
'She nags me a lot for eating junks. I wonder... would she still nag?'
Once he was done eating, he stretched and stood before the glass wall, gazing down at the city below.
"Hmm. The human who built this must have been quite prideful." He hummed. "Looking down on humanity? A refreshing feeling."
He cocked his head, then closed his eyes.
...
The next morning came quite slowly. As soon as the clock hit eight o'clock, his eyes snapped open. He left the pleasing confines of his bed, then took a quick shower and a light breakfast.
Wearing his now-washed combat suit, he holstered the loaded revolvers at his waist, then hung the katanas at his back.
Descending the stairs took him some time but he didn't mind. He felt relaxed... too relaxed, even.
Ignoring the truck he drove days ago, he climbed into an armored vehicle previously meant to be used by the security of the tower.
The engine roared alive as he drove out of the compound with a small smile. The sound of the car attracted the attention of zombies but they weren't fast enough to chase it.
Checking his phone while driving, he realized the internet was abuzz. Although the chaos produced by the initial shock of the apocalypse heavily damaged power supply through accidents and crashes, nothing affected the internet.
Facebook was the social media with the most activity.
|Help! I'm stuck in my house and my neighbors have become zombies!| @samdeck
|The APOCALYPSE has arrived. Are we living in a novel?| @IamAlpha
|The governments aren't saying a thing. Are they all dead?| @AmeliaRose
|This is rapture. Only those alive are sinners| @holysinner01
|The military is still working. I got helped by some soldiers today. Says they're working on building a shelter for humans. Salute to them!| @ablegraphics
The last post caught his attention. The military? It seemed they had begun acting. Just like the last time. However, they wouldn't be the only power rising up.
"It'd be chaos."
...
Almost an hour later, he arrived at his destination. Another college in the neighboring city. This one was more expensive than the one he attended.
Parking the car before the gates of the school, he swiftly took down the zombies that dared wander too close.
Inside, several zombies in student uniforms roamed about, their grotesque features marred with blood that wasn't theirs.
"Hmm. Where could she be?"
He hummed thoughtfully. He checked his Whatsapp and realized that she wasn't online. The network here was even bad.
"What a hassle."
Unsheathing his katanas, he attacked the zombies that came around to sniff him. As if sensing his intentions, the others rushed forward to attack him, their growls and snarls shattering the quiet air.
Slice!
He cut one by the waist while he kicked another in the chest. Before it could rise again, he drove in his blade through its skull, pinning it to the ground.
Another lunged at him from behind but he caught its neck and slammed it into the ground. Dodging the claws of a female zombie, he kicked her disgustingly soft chest and sliced her head off.
Unbeknownst to him, a small, crazed smile appeared on his lips.
...
In the female hostel, some girls looked at him through the windows, their dull eyes shining with hope.
"Someone is fighting the zombies!" One of them said in a hushed tone.
"He'll get himself killed. More are coming." Another snorted, disdain in her eyes.
"Is that so? I'm curious." Another smiled weirdly, her eyes glinting with an odd recognition.