In order to stop Dad from speaking further, Mom promptly slapped him on the back of the head. Her tender ministrations immediately knocked him out cold.The air had turned eerily quiet as I looked at Ashton nervously. He shook his head, signaling that everything was fine.Meanwhile, Mr. Harris was thrilled by the discovery as he immediately rose to his feet and grabbed Mom's hand. "Currently, Derick is the only one immune to the virus. So, that makes him a great asset for research."Mom instantly withdrew her hand from his grip and immediately dismissed Mr. Harris' suggestion by saying, "You want me to hand Derick over to the lab? That's impossible!""It's really not that bad. I simply hope he can donate some of his blood from time to time," Mr. Harris said, trying to convince my mom to agree to his proposal.Even so, Mom merely answered that she would think about it. After that, we all went home.That night, Mr. Harris had his subordinate deliver several health supplements and g
It had been a year since the apocalypse.A year after the nuclear disaster, it wasn't the plants or animals that mutated first—it was the virus.Less than ten percent of humanity escaped infection, and most of those unlucky few were picked off early, torn apart by zombies.Zombies had no brains or senses; they mindlessly attacked anything that moved. But my dad? He was different.The day the outbreak started, it was just another ordinary day for our family, working in our little grocery store. It was business as usual. That was, until one of the customers suddenly snapped, wild and crazed, and sunk their teeth into my dad.Yet, he didn't panic. He pushed my mom and me into the break room, barking orders as he fought off the attacker, "Hurry! Get to the basement storage!"Then he stayed behind, hiding by the checkout counter. He passed out not long after. When he woke up three days later, he wandered through the empty store before finally calling my mom.Watching him on the sto
My mom snapped, "Handle him? Yeah, right! Do you really think he's brave enough to chop off Mr. Hoffman's head? He'll end up drenched in stinking blood! And if he doesn't clean up properly, he's not setting foot back inside!"My dad stiffened, resembling a malfunctioning robot, as he dragged his feet, clumsily reaching for his backpack. I stepped in to help him strap it on. "Remember, if you run into any living people, just drop down and play dead."Dad let out his usual croaky chuckle. "That's my specialty."But before he could leave, my mom grabbed him by the collar. "Quit dragging your feet and get moving! You may not need to eat, but we do, and we're out of food. Just look at Mr. Hoffman—he's bulked up since this whole mess began. You? You've had the best care and all the good food, yet somehow, you're the one who's losing weight!"Dad groaned, "You feed me pasta every day, but I'm a zombie! I choke down one serving and throw up two. How am I not supposed to lose weight?"The
Less than two hours later, my dad returned, carrying someone over his shoulder.My mom eyed the unconscious man on the ground and then at the drool dripping from my dad's mouth. "Did he try to crack your skull open? I'll cook him for you. But don't eat him raw— who knows what kind of parasites he's carrying."With that, she hauled the body off to the bathroom.That bathroom doubled as our kitchen, not that we had much choice. We only had a basement, a small break room, a toilet, and the staff locker area.The only reason we still had running water and electricity was due to a hydroelectric station 30 miles away.Six months ago, the power and water had been cut off, prompting my dad's initial foray for supplies. Fortunately, the utilities were restored not long after.According to the radio, a survivor base had been set up near the station.It wasn't that we didn't want to join them, but taking my dad along complicated things. I couldn't risk someone blowing his brains out.Seei
My mom yanked Ashton to the side, and he, already weakened and teetering on the edge, lost his balance and fell into my arms.This time, I didn't even get upset with my mom for her brusqueness. Instead, I beamed, holding Ashton tightly."Where's your bag? And whose blood is that on your head?" Mom demanded.With tears brimming in his eyes, my dad flailed his arms in a dramatic gesture, reaching out for a hug from my mom.She wrinkled her nose and pushed him away. "Ugh, you stink," she complained. "Are they gone yet? I'll avenge you myself! Didn't I tell you to call if there was trouble? Do my words mean nothing?"Still seething, she grabbed my dad and stormed off. Honestly, he was being dragged rather than walking at this point.Ever since we learned three days ago that Tina had been killed, nothing in this town could restrain my mom. She had been itching to get out there and do something about it.I helped Ashton onto the couch, ensuring he was comfortable before explaining, "A
My mom, embarrassed by my dad's undignified behavior, grabbed him by the collar and unceremoniously plunked him down onto a chair to sit properly.The following day, Ashton slipped back into a deep sleep.My mom and I figured we would try every medicine we had in the house. None of it was likely to harm him. Maybe one of them might just turn out to be a miracle cure.Two days later, when Ashton finally woke up, I felt a surge of joy, as if my man had returned from the brink of death.From then on, my dad began treating him better than he treated me. I knew it was because Ashton fed him snacks every day.Meanwhile, my mom seized every opportunity to remind me to intensify my efforts to win him over. She would say, "You clueless girl, you better step up your game! A kid that handsome was rare back in the day, and now? He's practically a unicorn. Go after him while you still can!"Exasperated, I sighed deeply. But then my mom offered a pep talk. "Don't get discouraged. It took me ov
This was too good a chance to show off—I wasn't about to miss it.Of course, he didn't want me tagging along, but I insisted the outside wasn't safe and an extra pair of hands wouldn't hurt.The moment we stepped outside, I puffed out my chest and strutted ahead of him like a hen protecting her chicks.I knew exactly where the safe zones were. I planned to give him a little tour, earn some brownie points, and head back home.He remained silent for most of the journey, and just as expected, the nearby streets were immaculate. My dad had cleared them so thoroughly that we didn't encounter a single zombie.When we reached Riverside Road, I saw Tina's body still lying there, her school uniform untouched.We searched several streets for supplies, but our efforts turned up nothing, dampening my spirits.As I dragged my feet along a main road, a zombie suddenly dropped from above, its limbs contorting as it crawled toward me. My legs nearly buckled.Glancing back at Ashton, who was fr
Maybe it was because he instinctively felt that communicating with my mom was pointless.Ashton looked at my dad with awe, as if he were observing a rare beauty, and remarked, "Psychic abilities. Impressive."… After that revelation, my mom transformed into a completely different person. She became unusually attentive toward my dad, a stark departure from her usual demeanor. "Since Ashton said you don't need to eat, we won't eat. How about a rock to gnaw on instead? I'll go find you one."Derick, I've charged your phone."What are you listening to? You're smiling so much. Let me listen, too."Derick, your daughter farts, grinds her teeth, and snores in her sleep. I don't want to share a bed with her anymore."'Seriously, this woman,' I grumbled to myself. I was utterly mortified. "How shameless of you."Given my mom's previous treatment of my dad, I expected him to ignore her for at least a month.As predicted, my dad responded with a cold snort. "Do you regret it now? You