Apocalypse Cockroach

Zhang Xiao Qiang wiped away the tears on his face, stood up and collected the scattered things around him. The rain was still heavy; all that could be heard was the pitter patter of rain.

He wasn’t thinking of anything, he was just mechanically putting the materials away one by one in the living room.

“Pa...”He closed the iron gate, and then Zhang Xiao Qiang returning to awareness. He still had his raincoat on, the rain water was dripping off the bottom of the raincoat, the clothes inside were all wet, and the cold made him start to shiver.

Zhang Xiao Qiang changed his clothes, he was sitting down wrapped in blankets, his heater was set to maximum. The crimson light from the heater reflected off his face, the light was like countless small needles pricking his face, but he still couldn’t dispel the cold that reached deep within his bones. Zhang Xiao Qiang was wrapped in the blanket and shivering, the rain outside the window was still falling.

Thinking back to when he found the vodka “Vodka can get rid of the cold”. He dug it out from the bottom of the boutique bag <>. He removed the cap with a “pop”, and poured 52° Vodka (That’s the brand name) into his mouth. The vodka had a strong taste that caused Zhang Xiao Qiang to almost spit it out, he swallowed it with difficulty, feeling a tingling. The vodka was like hot oil, burning along his throat all the way to his heart, he could feel the heat from his throat to the his heart.

The coldness he felt in his bones slowly dissipated, he turned the heater down. Zhang Xiao Qiang was wrapped in the blanket staring at the heater in a daze.

Zhang Xiao Qiang’s hunger caused him to get up for food, he got out of bed and went to living room, pulling out a box of wafers. He opened the packaging, and a cockroach fell out of the box. It fell on the ground and began to climb, without thinking he stepped towards the cockroach.

An empty bottle of water was placed on the computer desk, the cap was tightly closed, there were 2 air holes on the cap. The cockroach was lying motionless quietly in the bottom of the bottle. Zhang Xiao Qiang didn’t end up stepping on it, he just decided to keep it in a bottle, without giving it food. He wanted to know how long it would last without food.

In this city of despair, Zhang Xiao Qiang was like living a life of a refugee, without hope, without future. Other than the zombies downstairs there was only this cockroach to accompany him, lonely, like a beast, the thought keep lingering in his mind, like poison, continuously eroding his soul.

Zhang Xiao Qiang sometimes thought if he was the only one left, so, he was earth’s king, a king of 1.

“If you cant stand being alone, then you’ll have to learn to be alone.”

Zhang Xiao Qiang ate rice crackers, while planning how long his current supplies would last, he contemplated using the rain to escape this city, it was too bad he didn’t know how to drive, or steal a car.

“Go out?” Zhang Xiao Qiang shook his head, to dispel the thought. Not knowing how long this rain will last, he didn’t know if all zombies liked the rain. He didn’t know where he can go, he has only ever been to WH city and X city once for his sister’s wedding.

He unknowingly finished a box of wafers, with his mouth dry, he picked up a bottle of mineral water and poured a large mouthful, and swallowed it, feeling weak.

Zhang Xiao Qiang set the plastic bottle on the ground, his whole body started twitching, his heart felt like it was being pounded by a hammer over and over again. He wanted to scream loudly, but he couldn’t make a sound, he could only produce soft huffing noises, his internal organs felt like they had been hit with a red hot iron ball. He continuously felt his entire body on fire, his stomach had been lit.The flames felt like they were spreading from the inside to the outside, the skin on his hands became red, Zhang Xiao Qiang felt so much pain like he was about to die. He never had been subjected to so much pain before, for the first time, he felt like dying, so he could end the suffering.

Zhang Xiao Qiang was lying on the ground, hitting the floor tile with his head repeatedly, blood flowed to his eye, he couldn’t see clearly, everything was a shade of crimson. Zombies, food, survival... none of it was important. He just wanted to end this intense pain, even if it means taking his own life, but all he could do was hit his head on the ground and hope he would faint.

He didn’t know how many hours it had been, or maybe it was minutes, but the pain ended. Zhang Xiao Qiang opened his eyes, his face was covered with a mix of blood, tears and snot, his body was curled like a cooked shrimp, his body was still convulsing, and his jaw was closed tightly.

The plastic bottle in his hands had been crushed into a ball, the water flowed from the bottle onto his body, sprinkling on the ground. His recently changed clothes were now soaked in blood and water.

Zhang Xiao Qiang was cold, he wanted to go to the heater, but he didn’t have any strength left, and his cold body was getting increasingly heavy. His eyes began to blur and his mind was getting drowsy.

“Is it over?” Zhang Xiao Qiang murmured, “I’m going to see dad and mum!!!”

Zhang Xiao Qiang woke up in severe pain, the burning sensation started to cause him to begin convulsing, he didn’t know how many times its been. Every time he also felt cold to the bone, then he would wake up to this burning sensation all over, not knowing how many times its been, not knowing what time it is, if hell exists, he was would already be in it.

The pain and cold continued without reducing, but then Zhang Xiao Qiang’s nerves were starting to numb, he kept passing out and waking up again, but unlike before his mind was blank, he didn’t know anything, anything!

“The rain definitely had the virus, I must have swallowed some of the rain. “ Zhang Xiao Qiang couldn’t stop thinking. The cold once again started to spread throughout his body, even the blood in his body started to clot.

“Have I been infected? Becoming a zombie is this painful? Zhang Xiao Qiang continued to think, the coldness became stronger, and his thinking began to slow.

“Mutating into a zombie takes 45 minutes, hasn’t it been time already? Its taking so long!!!” he thought, going faint.

“Quickly mutate into a zombie....” and then darkness.

1st Feb 2013 7:30, his mobile phone alarm rang, Zhang Xiao Qiang was awoken by the ringing of the alarm. He opened his eyes, he was still in a blur, he found himself lying on the living room floor. He wanted to stand, but his body didnt have the strength, he used his hands to prop himself up. Zhang Xiao Qiang sat up, and then he remembered the events of the previous night.

“Am I a zombie?” Zhang Xiao Qiang quickly checked his fingers, his fingernails were trimmed neatly, he touched his teeth. “They’re flat...” he said. “I didn’t become a zombie!!” his body gained some strength, and Zhang Xiao Qiang struggled and got up, walking to his bedroom. The figure in the mirror looked broken, his hair that had been unwashed for a while was tangled, his face was bloodstained, his eyes were smaller, but he could still clearly see the black brown pupil.

Not becoming a zombie didn’t make Zhang Xiao Qiang that happy, naturally he wasn’t depressed, after experiencing the hell that was yesterday, he was in an neutral mood. He looked out the window, the rain had stopped!!