A mournful wail echoed through the empty stairwell.
The female zombie was in the apartment directly below Ethan's, the one she had lived in before the outbreak.
The door was slightly ajar.
The crying came from within.
Ethan pushed the door open to find the female zombie kneeling in the living room, her back to him, her shoulders convulsing with sobs.
"WAAAHHH~~ WAAAHHH~~ WAAAHHHH WAAAHHHH WAAAHHHH~~~"
But the zombie's hearing was sharp. The faint sound of the door opening startled her.
"ROAR—"
Her supple neck twisted a full 180 degrees. Her face contorted into a snarl, and she let out a furious roar, ready to attack.
However, when she recognized Ethan in the doorway, the roar abruptly cut off. Her ferocious expression instantly turned fawning, even pathetic…
"WAAAHHH~~ WAAAHHH~~~"
The female zombie was communicating through her crying.
Ethan understood completely: "I'm hungry, I'm hungry, I'm hungry, I'm hungry…"
Every sob was conveying that single message.
"Glutton…" Ethan muttered internally. "She already ate flesh today. The other two Minions aren't hungry, but she's over here crying!"
"WAAAHHHH WAAAHHHH~~"
The female zombie seemed to read his thoughts. She lowered her head awkwardly, her sobs turning into a sound of pleading.
Ethan didn't press the issue. With a flick of his wrist, he tossed a corpse onto the floor—one of the Thugs he had previously killed.
At the sight of fresh meat, the female zombie became instantly excited.
"HEHEHEHEHEHEHEHEHEHEHEHE…."
Her eyes wide, she let out a deeply eerie laugh before darting toward the body at incredible speed, tearing off a chunk of flesh.
It seemed the female zombie not only knew how to cry but also how to laugh.
And her chilling cackle was far more terrifying than her sobbing!
Ethan also noted that the female zombie's running speed was exceptional; her muscular, rounded thighs were a blur.
Truly, the benefit of her athletic background.
As the zombie began to MUNCH MUNCH on the meat, a strong, raw stench filled the room, punctuated by the sounds of chewing and tearing.
The sight of feeding a zombie was profoundly bizarre.
Any normal person witnessing this would likely be scared half to death!
"Enjoy your meal. It stinks in here…" Ethan said.
He turned to leave.
He had just showered and didn't want to get stained by the stench, much like a person avoiding the lingering smell of Spicy Asian Food or barbecue on their clothes.
The PhD zombie and the Tank zombie were in the adjacent room.
They were quiet, and Ethan saw no need to check on them.
This proved the adage…
The crying zombie gets the meat.
Back in his apartment, Ethan sat on his sofa, pondering.
Sitting around consuming his stash indefinitely wasn't sustainable.
Although his spatial inventory still held a tremendous amount of meat.
It would eventually run out.
In the early stage of the apocalypse, supplies were relatively easy to acquire. Soon, they would become scarce.
Ethan decided he should venture out to restock.
He picked up his phone and opened iMessage.
He went directly to Brittany's thread.
The chat history showed many messages from Brittany that Ethan had ignored, including several missed calls.
"Honey, what's going on? Why won't you answer my calls?"
"WAAAHHH, are you okay? I'm so worried about you."
"Please… please just text me back!"
"Don't let anything happen to you!"
"WAAAHHH~~ Answer the phone, I miss you so much. Bring some supplies and come find me."
"…"
There were several more messages of this nature.
Brittany was clearly frantic.
At this point, Ethan finally replied with a single message:
"I'm still here."
Moments later, the top of the screen displayed 'Typing…'
Brittany replied.
"You're alive! Thank God!!! Why didn't you answer my calls, I was so worried!"
"There are too many zombies around me right now. I was afraid the phone ringing would alert them, so I put it on silent."
Ethan wasn't lying. There were indeed zombies all around him…
Brittany continued.
"I miss you so much. Alive or dead, I have to see you. Can you come to the school?"
"Sure. I'll come find you tomorrow." Ethan replied.
"Yesss!" Brittany seemed ecstatic. "I'll be waiting in the Campus Dorm! You have to come! Bring as much food as you can. We have to survive!"
"Got it."
Ethan's lips curled into a slight, cruel smile.
It was time to collect his 'inventory.'
The next morning.
Ethan put on a clean set of Athleisure wear and checked the mirror. His handsome face was utterly devoid of emotion.
His transformation into a zombie, while retaining his human intellect, had slightly affected him, leaving his emotions more detached and cold than the average person. He had an unnerving sense of composure.
He walked downstairs.
A medium-sized Box Truck, which he used for stocking his supermarket, was parked by the curb.
He climbed into the driver's seat.
Then, he sent the signal to his three Minions to commence the 'Hunt.'
A chorus of snarls immediately echoed through the tower.
The female zombie was the fastest, moving like a gust of wind, letting out her eerie 'HEHEHE' laugh. She was clearly ecstatic.
After sprinting down a dozen floors, she decided it was too slow and smashed through a hallway window.
She leaped from the building, landing lightly without any injury, and quickly hopped into Ethan's truck bed.
The second to appear was the Tank zombie. His physique was now even more massive, his muscles swollen to an exaggerated degree. His skin was pale gray, his veins bulging, and he stood nearly six and a half feet tall.
He was built like an ox, and the ground seemed to tremble with every step.
The partially open main entrance was too narrow for him, so Tank simply smashed the door frame apart and burst through, thoroughly wired.
Seeing his destructive charge, Ethan mentally dubbed him Tank.
After Tank boarded.
The PhD zombie was the last one out.
He was unhurried and calm. He boarded the truck bed and, with a subtle motion, closed and secured the rear doors.
Ethan floored the gas pedal.
The Box Truck roared to life and sped onto the street. Zombies and abandoned vehicles alike were either struck and sent flying or simply crushed and driven over.
The passing zombies were startled, letting out roars, but since he was one of them, they did not attack.
Ethan drove straight toward State University.
The female zombie was highly excited for the 'Hunt.' She kept letting out cheerful, unsettling 'HEHE' laughs from the back.
But the low-intelligence Tank zombie was confused.
They were going hunting, right? Why was he put inside this 'Black Box'?
Ethan was driving violently, constantly smashing through obstacles.
The truck bed bucked and swayed, and Tank's heavy body and immense inertia caused him to be tossed around inside.
Fortunately, it didn't take long.
Ethan reached State University. There were many zombies roaming near the main entrance.
Ethan simply drove through them, crushing them under his tires, and pulled up right beside the Women's Dormitory.
The three zombie Minions jumped out of the truck bed.
Tank was finally free. His fierce eyes scanned the surroundings, realizing the scenery had completely changed from when he entered the 'Black Box.'
With his current intelligence, he couldn't grasp what had happened.
"Does… going inside the 'Black Box' make you change locations?"
ROAR—
Having solved the mystery in his own mind, Tank threw his head back and let out a bloodcurdling roar.
The sound shook the building, shattering the glass in the surrounding dorm windows. Nearby low-tier zombies shrieked in terror and fled.
Ethan was startled. He turned his head and asked:
"What are you roaring about?"
"ROAR ROAR ROAR! I DON'T KNOW WHAT I'M ROARING!!!" Tank bellowed, expressing his complete mental confusion.
"…" Ethan thought to himself, "What a dumbass…"