Apocalypse Cockroach

Yang Ke’er was hugging Zhang Xiao Qiang as she sat against the wall, and had fallen asleep long ago. He could hear her steady heartbeat and constant breathing. Her warm exhalation felt comforting on his neck.

The sky was beginning to grow brighter, as the night passed. He suddenly felt that there was something wrong with his body, ‘Not good.’

His entire body felt like it was being pricked by countless needles, and there wasn’t a spot on his body that didn’t itch. It then transformed to a feeling of millions of ants crawling up and down his skin. It felt like they were burrowing into his flesh and even his bones.

Itchy! It was incredibly itchy! There was not a single place that didn’t itch terribly!

The matter of the intense itchiness was one thing. There was an additional tingling sensation that coursed throughout his bones, causing him occasional numbness, as though he was hugging a tangled mess of cables that released electricity.

Compared to the pain yesterday, this alternating sensation of itch and numbness was pure torment. He wanted to scream out to vent his vexation. However, he could not, as he had lost all control of his body, and he couldn’t even blink.

Yang Ke’er was woken up in shock by his situation, as he was trembling uncontrollably, as though he was having a fit.

“What is it?” Her eyes were still puffy and heavy.

He could not speak, but he knew it was his unnatural recovery ability at work. His previous injuries had been less severe, hence the sensations were not as intense. After a night’s sleep, everything would be normal, save for an increased appetite.

“What is wrong?! Wu wu wu~~~~~” As Zhang Xiao Qiang could not reply, Yang Ke’er became even more anxious, crying out in anxiety.

His eyes were currently shut tight, and his body shaking. It looked as though he was suffering. Yang Ke’er hugged him even tighter, using her face to feel his forehead’s temperature.

Zhang Xiao Qiang was oblivious to any external sensations, the only thing on his mind was the sourish itchy and tingling feeling. As time passed, he was beginning to feel better and managed to catch a breath.

“Go.” Zhang Xiao Qiang opened his eyes and managed to croak.

“What?” Yang Ke’er saw that there was a reaction and quickly brought her ear closer.

“Make food..at least..10 person’s worth..” He stammered slowly.

“????” Yang Ke’er couldn’t believe her ears, seeing that he was in such a condition and was actually asking for food.

“Go, quick, don’t mind me,” He insisted, his body already recovering slowly, and it didn’t feel as exhausting to speak.

“Oh” She saw that Zhang Xiao Qiang was getting better, and his words becoming more coherent. She then left him as she got to work, albeit clumsily.

He laid quietly, as the sky got brighter, turning a clear blue, without a single cloud in the skies.

The tingling sensation was slowly fading away when his stomach was struck with an intense but familiar hunger pang! He felt his strength returning, and he quickly rose from the ground.

The bonfire had been stocked with more firewood, as she used a simple tripod to act as a stand while she cooked some rice. Her face was covered with smoke as she continued to cook.

Zhang Xiao Qiang could not wait any further and quickly scrambled to the vehicle to grab some ready food.

“Ahhh! That hit the spot!!” He massaged his stomach, having downed 7 beggar chickens, and a whole pot of half cooked rice. He regained his vitality and energy.

“You didn’t get much sleep last night, go rest some more. I’ll go do something!” He told Yang Ke’er, actually taking the initiative to be nice for once.

“Oh,” She felt tired as well and crawled into the trunk, hugging a blanket to sleep.

“Time to settle some scores!” He muttered as he walked over to Xie Yuan Shan’s spot.

Xie Yuan Shan was lying on the ground like a dead dog, with no movements whatsoever. Zhang Xiao Qiang looked at him quietly, noting that the clothes on his limbs were dyed red from the blood. There was a strong stench emitting from him, causing one to gag! He was somewhat semi-conscious, as he continued to groan in pain.

Zhang Xiao Qiang tore open the bandaging on his right arm. The wound had already healed, with a black-coloured scab covering it.

He then grabbed Xie Yuan Shan by the collar and dragged him towards the big doors of the factory.

“Ah~~” Xie Yuan Shan was rattled conscious by the movement, and he began to groan with more energy.

Zhang Xiao Qiang opened the huge door, and saw a few zombies with broken limbs crawling on the ground. They must have been attracted by the smell of blood last night. He ignored them, and dragged Xie Yuan Shan with him as he stepped around the zombies. As he neared the surrounding wall, he flung Xie Yuan Shan onto an empty spot, and he stood one side.

By this time, Xie Yuan Shan could not care how Zhang Xiao Qiang was treating him, he just wanted to end it all. He kept moaning and muttering incessantly, hoping to alleviate the pain.

The sun was climbing slowly, and the golden rays of sunlight were beginning to shine on the earth, increasing at a rapid speed visible to the naked eye.

As Zhang Xiao Qiang was bathed in sunlight, he noticed that the zombies had crawled over. Xie Yuan Shan saw them too, and he became slightly agitated, looking towards Zhang Xiao Qiang and mouthing some words.

“Give....give me....a quick...death....kill me...” Just these few words took quite a toll on him, and he gasped for air after.

Zhang Xiao Qiang just stood there quietly watching, not saying or doing anything.

The zombies were nearing Xie Yuan Shan, and he began to shake from the fear and anxiety. He tried to twist and squirm backward like a worm, as huge beads of perspiration came flowing down his forehead.

Finally, they caught up with him, as one reached his legs, its claws grabbing onto his left leg and bit down.

“AH~~~” Right before death, he had a final burst of strength to scream out, his voice full of agony and misery.

Another zombie grabbed his head and bit down on his ears. It was torn cleanly with the zombie’s teeth.

Zhang Xiao Qiang immediately bent over and vomited. However, since the massive amount of food he ate earlier had disappeared like a black hole, he could only hurl water.

Xie Yuan Shan was still not yet dead, as he screamed out without stop. Zhang Xiao Qiang heard those cries and could remember when the zombies had tried to eat him right at the beginning, and he quickly bent over to vomit again.

The noises finally stopped, and Zhang Xiao Qiang rested a while before he felt better. He didn’t know if feeding Xie Yuan Shan was a torture to Xie Yuan Shan or himself. In any case, he couldn’t watch on, and was somewhat in awe of Yang Ke’er, who had watched her own boyfriend being eaten alive and had not vomited.

“Could it be a numbing effect of watching too many horror films?” He couldn’t quite understand the younger generation.

After taking care of those crippled zombies, Zhang Xiao Qiang went back to the tractor, where Yang Ke’er was still sleeping soundly, with a contented smile on her face!