Zombies Need Love Too!

“Ugh.”

I grimaced and forced down another sausage.

Just like before, it tasted amazing. Annoyingly so.

At this point, I was starting to worry there was something deeply, irreparably wrong with my taste buds.

“How’s that?”

“Fine.”

“Seems to be working. Your pronunciation’s clearer than before.”

To my dismay, it actually was working. Somehow.

What was the science behind this? Zombie linguistics via sausage? A reincarnation perk with terrible benefits?

If the universe was handing out gifts, couldn’t I have gotten a better one?

Also, there appeared to be a daily limit. No matter how many sausages I inhaled, my speech didn’t improve beyond a certain point.

“Stop.”

The flavor was lovely, but even gourmet zombie sausages could wear thin.

“Hmm. Want to try saying something a bit longer this time?”

“This is... best I can do.”

“You sure?”

“Mhm.”

“So the short sentences are unavoidable for now?”

I nodded diligently.

Yoan had grown up noble, even if he was just a regional lord. He’d probably never had a commoner speak to him so casually.

Not that I was trying to be rude—I genuinely couldn’t help it. Eloquence was still beyond my zombie-sausage-enhanced capabilities.

“Fine. I’ll accept that for now.”

“Thanks for... understanding.”

“Well, being able to actually converse counts for something.”

“Right?”

“I’m going to have to put up with this for a while, aren’t I?”

“Yep.”

I nodded with an innocent smile, feigning ignorance of the burden I clearly was.

Yoan sighed and ruffled my hair like I was a particularly scrappy pet.

“All right. Now explain where we’re going again? With words this time.”

“So first...”

I launched into a painfully clunky explanation, peppering in wild gestures to make up for missing vocabulary.

First, we had to leave the Fog Forest. Then, at a fork in the road, we’d take the right path and climb a modest mountain.

At the summit, we’d follow the cliff edge, descend slightly, and find a small cave. 

That was our destination.

“It was that complicated?”

Yoan looked genuinely surprised after piecing together my interpretive dance and toddler-level narration.

“But why would there be food in a place like that?”

“Raiders.”

“Ah. Raider stash. So much for the obvious hiding spots… I never would’ve guessed. Wonder if those fellows are zombies by now?”

“Could be... people.”

“That’d be a problem.”

“Why? ‘Cause you only get to kill if they’re zombies?”

“Sasha. That was a pretty long sentence. Very good. I’m proud of you.”

“...”

Here I thought we were discussing logistics, but Yoan was grading my grammar.

“Anyway, let’s keep moving. Rob and Bliss are waiting.”

“Mhm.”

Even outside the forest, the crappy zombies kept showing up like uninvited party guests, but we managed to dodge them easily enough.

They were still mostly low-level types. Manageable. But over time, they’d evolve into newer, nastier variants.

Still, Yoan was the male lead. He’d sort it out with Aria eventually.

I was just hoping to survive long enough to see the end credits roll.

“Wow, Sasha. That’s impressive. Aren’t you winded?”

Yoan wiped the sweat from his brow.

Now that he mentioned it, we had been walking non-stop since dawn.

But…

“I’m a zombie.”

Superhuman stamina, courtesy of undeath.

“Now that’s envious.”

There were better things to envy… but sure.

Personally, I didn’t love being lumped into the “not entirely human” category.

And there was always that tiny little fear I’d suddenly snap and go full feral.

“Envy means you lose.” I masked the anxiety with bravado and held out my hand. “Grab on.”

“Thanks. I’ve actually been waiting for you to offer help.”

So cheeky. Still, Yoan took my hand without hesitation.

It reminded me of the day we first met—when he’d threatened to kill me if I didn’t take his hand.

Honestly, I could’ve carried him on my back if I wanted. But I was feeling petty, so I pretended I couldn’t.

By the time we reached the summit, the sun was setting again.

Night number two in the great outdoors. How delightful.

“Whew.”

Yoan put his hands on his hips and caught his breath.

I stood beside him in silence, gazing out at the view.

“This used to be a nice place to live. I wonder what went wrong.”

For the people who’d once lived here, the change must’ve been like a bolt from the blue.

“I don’t know if there’s any way to fix this.”

“There is,” I said.

“How would you know?”

“Just... a feeling.”

Yoan let out a quiet chuckle—surprisingly genuine.

“Well, we can’t sleep on a mountain peak. Let’s find that cave.”

“Mhm.”

We climbed down the moderately sloped cliff together.

The cave entrance was small, but the inside opened up enough for us to spend the night comfortably.

We could shelter from the wind, build a fire, and—best of all—there should be plenty of delicious supplies hidden inside.

“Hmm.”

Something was nagging at me. Like I’d forgotten something important.

While I wracked my brain, Yoan finished his inspection and ducked inside.

“Ah!”

Right. There was a kid in here.

I scrambled through the narrow entrance after him.

“Sasha. There’s a kid in here. Did he get lost?”

Yoan stood facing off against a small boy.

“Phew.”

I let out a breath of relief. I’d been worried Yoan might be threatening the kid at swordpoint out of suspicion.

As it turned out, that was the situation—just in reverse.

Yoan was the one being threatened.

The boy, grimy from outdoor living, held a makeshift bow in a solid stance.

His weapon was crude, but the look in his eyes? Sharp.

Yet even with an arrow pointed at him, Yoan’s expression stayed cool.

“Hey. You okay? Why are you in a place like this?”

He spoke as casually as if we’d walked in on a neighbor kid playing dress-up.

“Hmm. Can’t you speak?”

Oh, he could. He just didn’t trust strangers.

I actually knew this boy.

He’d been part of a raider crew once, but when the zombies overran everything, he lost his people and ended up guarding their food stash alone.

He’d grown up among rough adults who only called him “hey” or “kid.” The female lead, Aria, was the one who eventually gave him a real name.

After that, he followed her around like a loyal pup.

The boy finally spoke. “Intruders get out.”

Yoan laughed in disbelief. “Sasha. Is this a friend of yours? He’s talking down to me.”

“You did too.”

“I can. I outrank you.”

Without warning, Yoan had a knife in his hand.

“Knives are slower than arrows,” the boy said, never lowering his bow.

“You think I don’t know that? But I move faster than arrows.” Yoan smiled like this was all very entertaining.

“Want to test that? Or will you leave quietly?”

The kid had guts, I’d give him that. He didn’t so much as blink.

All right. Enough with the tense standoff—I stepped in.

“Stop. We’re not... intruders.”

“Then what are you?”

“Need food.”

“That makes you intruders.”

“Food isn’t... yours.”

“Don’t tell me this kid’s a raider.” Yoan’s voice went cold.

“Don’t kill. Not a zombie.”

“He’s not a zombie. But if he’s been raiding villages, that’s a problem.”

“Still young.”

“Being young doesn’t excuse the crime.”

He wasn’t wrong, unfortunately. Not that I had a great counterargument.

But we needed this boy. His archery skills were incredible. He could be a huge asset.

“I’m not asking for forgiveness.” The boy’s voice was steady, his gaze older than it should’ve been. “But an abandoned kid with nowhere to go? Anyone can guess how that ends.”

“Many end up abandoned. They don’t all turn out like you.”

Ohh… what if he ends up crying?

I glanced between them anxiously.

The boy silently pulled his bowstring tighter. Maybe he thought there was no other way to defend himself.

It seemed I had to speak up a little louder.

“Yoan, need food.”

“I know.”

“Boy need... place to stay.”

“I’m staying here.”

“Forever?”

“...”

Bulls-eye. The boy fell silent.

“Come with us.”

“I’m not taking him,” Yoan interjected sullenly.

“Need him.”

“That kid? Why?”

“Archer. Need him.”

“I’d rather teach Rob archery.”

I shot him a stop-being-difficult look.

This wasn’t a world with snipers and drones. Wasting talent like this was criminal.

Yoan tilted his head, curious. “Sasha. Do you actually know something? The food, the kid…”

“Just... feeling.”

“...I don’t know how far that feeling’s going to take us.”

My face must’ve been particularly convincing, because Yoan’s tone softened.

“Boy. Put down the bow and come with us,” he said.

“Why should I?”

“Because Sasha wants you to.”

The boy narrowed his eyes.

“For such a simple reason?”

Fair. Even I thought that was flimsy.

It wasn’t like we had that much trust between us.

“Sasha has something special about her. She found this food cache too. I’m going to trust her instincts.”

Okay, that made more sense. Guess Yoan just had good intuition?

“And if you turn out to be trouble, I can just kill you.”

Excuse me?

“It wouldn’t be hard.”

Huhhh? Why do you gotta be so extreme!