Andrew Peterson, or Andy, survived the Amun raid thanks to the sacrifice of his boyfriend. He had been best friends with Meenda Kinamoon since high school. Now, Andy had no way of knowing what had become of her and the two other girls who escaped the Dandelion party with him.
But there was one thing he knew for certain—and would carry in his heart until the day he died—Cupidales had been gunned down on the boat. His boyfriend had sacrificed himself so Andy and the others could escape.
Andy had hidden in a small bungalow called Traveler's Paradise, where Linji, the hotel manager, took him in. With the help of armed guests, they drove the Amun invaders away and started building barricades, slowly turning the bungalow into a zombie-free zone.
Even though he didn't want to leave, Andy remembered something: before going to Dandelion's party, his younger brother had told him that their parents would be meeting up at Grandpa's hunting camp. After the attack, Andy lost all contact with his family. But still, he decided to travel to Kimora Village, about 20 km south of Laduk, to find them.
It was a brutal journey. He was robbed by other scavengers and narrowly escaped zombie attacks multiple times—but thanks to Laika, his loyal dog, he made it. At last, he found his parents and younger brother alive and uninfected at the camp.
Today, Andy planned to drive his black Toyota Fortuner back to Laduk, a place he visited regularly to scavenge supplies. But had he known what had happened there just the night before, the handsome young man—whose haircut and face resembled Commander Spock from Star Trek—might have thought twice about returning.
"What the hell happened here…"Andy frowned as he parked near the checkpoint gate. The guard post looked bombed out, blackened and scorched beyond recognition. Spent shell casings were scattered across the asphalt. The stench of rotting zombies lying all around the first house forced him to cover his nose with his sleeve.
He stood still, staring at the pile of corpses. A part of him wanted to get back in the car and flee—but another part had to know what had happened here.
"Let's go, Laika."He stroked the head of his loyal companion through the rolled-down window, then opened the door for him. The big, black, shaggy mutt—resembling a Golden Retriever in build but not in color—bounded happily around the vehicle. Andy had found him wandering near the Traveler's Paradise bungalow on day one. Since then, they'd been inseparable.
Laika's nose had saved Andy's life many times, sniffing out zombies hiding in the shadows, and even finding supplies. The dog was a major reason he'd made it to the family camp alive.
"Keep your eyes open, boy. Looks like there was a war here last night."Laika sniffed at the spent casings littering the sidewalk next to the first house. Andy had been to Laduk many times, but there were still several houses he'd never explored.
"Woof! Woof!"Laika barked suddenly and took off down the road.
"Laika! Wait up!"Andy shouted as he ran after his dog, SCAR rifle in hand, panting as he climbed the hill in the center of the village. He wasn't the best runner, especially going uphill.
What the hell…He wiped the sweat from his face and blinked in disbelief at the mangled remains of a massive purple creature wearing golden briefs. Its lower half had been blown to bits, purple flesh and severed limbs strewn across the road like something out of a horror movie. Yellow, noodle-like parasites spilled from its split torso like rotten ramen. The stench was enough to make him gag.
The surrounding zombie corpses looked pitiful in comparison. This thing was far worse. Yellow fungal growth was spreading rapidly across its skin, and Andy—though not a scientist—was fascinated. The corpse looked like it had been dead for days, but Andy had been here just two days ago. It must've died only yesterday.
"Woof! Woof! Grrr…"Laika barked and growled at something behind the red brick wall of the house to their right. Andy frowned. A zombie? No, not in broad daylight like this. Probably a person.
"Who's there?"Andy raised his SCAR rifle and aimed.
A figure in black slowly stepped out. Its eyes were rolled white. Black blood dripped from its chin. The face was Asian.
"Graaaaah—"
BANG! BANG! BANG!Andy pulled the trigger without hesitation. He'd hunted with his grandfather since he was a kid, and at seven meters, he had no trouble blowing the thing's head apart. The body dropped like a puppet with its strings cut.
Panting, sweat streaming down his face, Andy stared.
No… It can't be…The headless corpse began to rise.
"Graaah…"Laika leapt in front of Andy and growled.
"BANG! BANG! BANG!"Andy opened fire again, ripping the body into chunks. Each round tore into the creature like a school of piranhas.
CLACKOut of ammo. Breathing hard, Andy swapped magazines. But then he saw it—something crawling out of the mangled corpse. It was moving fast.
"Shit…"Panicking, he fumbled the mag. It slipped from his hand and hit the ground.
The thing crawling toward him used tentacles like an octopus to drag its grotesque, lump-covered body. It left a slimy purple trail like a slug.
"Grrr… Woof! Woof!"Laika stood his ground, barking fiercely but unwilling to pounce on the revolting creature.
BANG!A single shot from an M4 exploded the abomination into a wet mess. Bits of meat and slime splattered Laika, making him yelp and run behind Andy.
"Who are you?"Andy, hands shaking, stared at the approaching man with silver-gray hair.
"Is this your dog?"The man knelt and scratched Laika's belly. The dog flipped over, whining submissively.
"Yeah. His name's Laika."
"I'm Gray. And you?"
"Andrew. Or Andy's fine."
"You bit, Andy?"
"Don't think so. You?"
"I'm tough to chew. Got any food? I'm starving."
"There's some in the car. Are those your friends?"Andy gestured toward the three mangled corpses in the garden where Gray had emerged.
"They used to be…"Gray paused, frowning as if pondering something.
"Friends. Yeah… they used to be friends."He smiled, stood up, and turned to Andy.
"But now I've got a new one."
Andy noticed for the first time—Gray's eyes shimmered a glowing silver as he stepped closer.
"Thanks for saving my dog."
"No problem."Gray placed a firm hand on Andy's shoulder. Something in the teen's eyes stirred a strange flutter in Gray's gut.
"Next time, you might be the one saving me."
His voice and smile made Andy's face flush red with embarrassment. He looked like a mess—covered in dust and dried blood—but before long, he'd discover that Gray's body was far more immaculate than anything he could imagine.