Chapter 9

Background: Finally, the army entered the city full of zombies, but they were not here to save us.

At this time, my mother made the decision to take me away from home and seek refuge from the army.

When she heard the answer I gave, my mother didn’t look happy, but just touched my face affectionately.

“No! This is too risky! The zombies outside have blocked the streets! How can you two escape?” Elizabeth kept saying. In her eyes, my mother’s decision was a death sentence.

The mother could also understand why Elizabeth reacted like this. Although she had been strengthened by the virus and was able to protect herself from the threat of zombies, it did not mean that she was unaware of the horror of zombies.

During the time of searching for supplies outside, my mother witnessed many cruel scenes and horrific scenes with blood everywhere; in the shopping mall, the clerks who used to greet customers with a smile at the counter turned into zombies, wandering in the blood-spattered mall, biting the corpses on the ground. The originally peaceful school was also occupied by zombies, and the original students and teachers turned into terrible zombies, wandering around the playground with blood on their bodies.

In the stroller were the blood-stained remains of a child.

On the grass, the stench of the rotting corpses completely overshadowed the fragrance of the past.

In the garden, the originally kind and gentle old people turned into dried zombies, their blood dripping on the flowers, contaminating all the delicious food.

She has seen such scenes so many times that her initial uneasiness has turned into numbness now.

So, Mom understood why Elizabeth wanted to stop herself.

Because the zombies, blood, cruelty, and fear outside are all so terrifying. Unless there is no other way out, no one would be willing to face the zombies.

It is because of the horror outside that this place seems so beautiful.

Not only is there enough food here, there is also plenty of clean mineral water, enough even for bathing.

Moreover, the security door downstairs is also very strong. Unless it is opened with a key, it is difficult to shake this sturdy iron door with the impact of the zombies.

As for the zombies inside the building, they had already been cleared out by my mother, not a single one was left.

Not only are there sufficient supplies, but there is also no need to worry about the threat of zombies; this building is like an oasis in the desert, an island in the sea, and it is the place where everyone longs to live.

However, my mother chose to leave here and seek refuge in the army.

Although the army had entered the city, they were fighting with the zombies outside, and from the gunshots and explosions, it could be heard that the situation was very intense.

But! There are too many zombies outside this building! And more zombies are attracted by the gunshots, forming a zombie tide outside the building.

Leaving the safe building in this situation would be tantamount to committing suicide!

Elizabeth didn’t want to see my mother take such a big risk, and she kept persuading her: “ Caitlin, you have to think it through! You are not desperate now. You have so much food and water at home. There is no need to take your child into such a big risk!”

However, my mother has already decided that instead of staying at home with these supplies and waiting for the day when they are all used up, it is better to go out now and fight for hope.

“No! I’ve made up my mind!” Mom stood up and said to Elizabeth, “We do have a lot of food at home, but it will all run out someday! Instead of sitting back and eating up all the food, we should seek the army’s protection now!”

“It’s too risky! Too risky!” Elizabeth kept repeating this sentence. Florence also grabbed her mother’s hand and looked at my mother with a sad face.

The mother also knew that what she said was no different from the ravings of a madman to Elizabeth and her daughter. After all, who would leave this safe place and take the initiative to take risks outside?

But my mother still made up her mind.

“You and your daughter should come with us! I saw a car parked outside the community. We can get in the car and escape together. I got the car keys a few days ago!” The mother persuaded, wanting to take Elizabeth and her daughter with her when they left.

However, Elizabeth and her daughter looked at my mother as if she were crazy, and Elizabeth said to me: “Oh! Aaron, please persuade your mother! Don’t let her do anything stupid!”

“No!” I gritted my teeth and insisted on my decision: “I just said it! I will go with my mother!”

When my mother heard what I said, she turned around and looked at me with a smile on her face.

“Crazy! Crazy! You two, mother and son, are really crazy! You leave such a safe home and go out there to die!” Elizabeth was struggling to escape from the zombies a few days ago. Now she has finally found a place to stay, but the owner of this place is going to die.

This was simply incomprehensible to Elizabeth and her daughter.

After that, the mother tried to persuade Elizabeth and her daughter several times, but the mother and her daughter replied that they were unwilling to give up the abundant supplies and the safe building no matter what.

My mother didn’t say anything, just nodded, and took me back to the bedroom to get ready to leave.

After closing the door, my mother immediately began to take off her clothes. In less than half a minute, all her clothes, including her black stockings, were taken off and thrown on the ground, leaving only her bra and panties.

“Mom...” I looked at my mother’s half-naked body and felt a little worried.

“Aaron.” Mom walked up to me, leaned down, put her hands on my shoulders, and moved her face closer. The distance between us was so close that our breaths could almost entangle with each other in the air.

“Are you scared?” my mother asked me.

I nodded honestly. After all, I often observed the zombies outside through the window, and combined with the tragic scenes my mother described to me, I already had a clear understanding of the horror of zombies.

“Don’t be afraid, Aaron.” Mom straightened up and held my head against her chest.

My face was pressed against my mother’s breast, but at this moment I had no interest in thinking about obscene things.

This lasted for about half a minute before we separated. Mom looked into my eyes and seemed to want to say something, but she moved her lips but said nothing.

Then she released her arms around me and began to prepare for departure.

Very quickly, in less than a few minutes mom was ready.

She first put on a long-sleeved shirt inside, and then put on an ordinary long-sleeved top outside, as well as an ordinary pair of jeans, and changed her boots into sneakers suitable for running.

This outfit is suitable for movement and will not hinder one’s movements.

A few minutes later, my mother and I walked out of the bedroom.

In addition, I also changed into clothes that would not hinder my movements, a long-sleeved top, jeans, and sneakers. Like my mother, it looked like a parent-child outfit.

Elizabeth, who had been worrying in the living room, saw that my mother and I had changed into this outfit and knew that we were ready to go out. Looking at her expression, she wanted to persuade us, but in the end she just looked at us and sighed.

Florence was the same as before, speaking very little. She stayed close to her mother the whole time and looked at me and my mother with strange eyes.

My mother was holding a schoolbag that I used to go to school. She walked up to Elizabeth and asked again,” Elizabeth, are you really unwilling to go with us?”

Elizabeth shook her head, unwilling to abandon such a safe refuge.

“Okay then...” Mom didn’t sigh this time. She just nodded gently, and then said to Elizabeth and her daughter, “I can understand you, too.”

After saying this, he didn’t pause, but looked around at the piles of supplies in the living room, and then continued: “There is so much food and water, I can’t take it all away, I will only take a little, and the rest will be left to you.”

Elizabeth looked into my mother’s eyes and said with all her heart, “Thank you!”

After all, in today’s doomsday, so many supplies are even more precious than the same weight of gold.

The mother gladly accepted the thanks from Elizabeth and her daughter, then picked out some compressed biscuits and a few bottles of mineral water from the supplies and stuffed them into the schoolbag. She also picked out a machete as a weapon for self-defense, wrapped it around the outside of her thigh with a cloth strip, and put some keys in her pocket.

“Caitlin, such a small bag definitely can’t hold enough food!” Elizabeth saw that my mother filled the bag with only a few things and was a little worried about our situation after we left.

Indeed, although my backpack is already full, I won’t be able to last long in this city full of zombies with just these things.

At this time, my mother took my hand, put the schoolbag on her shoulder, and said, “I know, but Aaron and I only need to get to the army. We don’t need to stay outside for too long.”

When Elizabeth heard this, she showed no sign of hiding her sorrow, and it was obvious that she doubted the possibility of my mother and I surviving.

However, my mother’s decision has been made and will not be changed.

“Goodbye! I hope you will always be safe and sound!” Mom held my hand tightly and said goodbye to Elizabeth.

However, without waiting for an answer, my mother took me to the door, took out the key, and opened the door.

“Good-bye...”

I heard a goodbye behind me and turned to look at my mother. There was no change on her face, as if she didn’t hear anything.

With a “dong” sound, my mother closed the door.

“Let’s go, Aaron.” Mom looked at me with determination in her eyes.

“Yeah!” I believe in my mother. I believe she will not let me down!

The mother and son left their home, abandoned it, and walked together.

Since the entire building had been cleaned by my mother, I didn’t encounter any threats on the way to the outside of the building. I only saw some black bloodstains in the stairwell, which gave off an unpleasant smell.

The moment my mother and I walked out of the building, I heard the roar of corpses like waves.

The screams of the zombies, thousands of zombies gathering together in groups, the sound made was like it came from hell, shaking people’s hearts.

There were several zombie bodies lying scattered around the community, some of them were cut into pieces or their heads were destroyed. Although they posed no threat, they still looked very disgusting.

My mother held my hand and walked to the side.

“Mom. Where should we go?” I followed my mother and asked in a low voice, afraid that my voice would attract zombies.

Seeing it with your own eyes is one thing, and experiencing it personally is another. Although I have seen the horror of zombies through the window, if a zombie suddenly pounced on me at this moment, I would definitely be scared and scream.

The mother also whispered, “Don’t panic, just follow me. No matter what happens, I will protect Aaron.”

I don’t know why, but when I heard what my mother said, I didn’t feel happy. Instead, I had an indescribable feeling. Am I always a child in need of protection in my mother’s eyes?

But the current facts have to be acknowledged, the only one who can protect me is my virus-enhanced mother...

Soon, my mother held my hand and led me all the way to the back door of the community, and we didn’t encounter any zombies along the way ... No ... I didn’t encounter any zombies that could move. All the zombies I saw had their heads damaged and could no longer attack people.

“Mom, did you do all this?” I asked my mother in a low voice, looking at the several zombies with their heads chopped off lying in the community garden.

“Yes.” Mom answered without thinking, as if it was nothing to her.

Then, my mother took out the key, opened the back door of the community, and then held my hand tightly: “ Aaron, be careful, it will be dangerous outside the community!”

After hearing what my mother said, I didn’t even dare to breathe too hard, for fear of making any sound.

At this time, there were continuous gunshots coming from the distance, accompanied by occasional explosions.

As if to drown out the sound of gunfire, the zombies’ roars became more and more frantic. Male, female, old, young, all kinds of zombies were making terrible roars.

My mother and I were surrounded by the roar, and the sound of zombies came from all directions, one after another.

“Aaron, go this way.” Mom took my hand and walked out of the community.

My mother and I walked very lightly, not daring to make any extra noise.

However, there were so many zombies outside, seemingly endless. I even suspected that all the zombies in the entire city had gathered around, because the roars of the zombies alone were enough to cover up the intense gunfire.

A solemn look appeared on my mother’s face. At this time, my mother and I had only walked a few dozen meters out of the community, but the road in front of us had been completely blocked by zombies.

To be precise, the entire street was blocked.

My mother and I hid behind the wall. My mother quietly stuck her head out to observe the situation on the street, and I also stuck my head out to take a look.

However, what I saw made my heart sink.

The entire street was blocked by zombies.

That’s right, it’s blocked.

The entire entrance to the street was blocked by densely packed zombies, so many that it was impossible to count them. If one wanted to pass under the noses of these zombies and get in front of the army, it would be impossible!

And in the distance, the army’s gunfire never stopped. Similarly, these zombies were stimulated by the gunfire and their roars never stopped!

There were so many zombies and such terrible howling, but I didn’t feel afraid because I believed in my mother.

“It seems ... we can’t go this way...” There was no disappointment or frustration on my mother’s face because she had guessed it long ago.

As a prosperous city, even at night, the streets are crowded with cars and pedestrians, not to mention this modern metropolis with a rapidly growing economy?

A large population means prosperity and bustle on normal days, but in such doomsdays, it means a dangerous tide of zombies.

However, the most important thing at the moment was to break through the encirclement of the zombies and seek shelter in front of the army. My mother and I were very anxious; my mother held my hand and walked in small steps with light steps. Fortunately, the zombies around us all rushed towards the direction of the army, and no zombies paid any attention to us at all.

It seemed that we couldn’t go on the main streets of the city, so my mother took me carefully back to an alley. She looked around the alley vigilantly, and after making sure there were no zombies, she leaned against the wall and breathed a sigh of relief.

“Mom, what should we do now? There are zombies everywhere and all the roads are blocked.” I looked at my mother and asked worriedly.

“There is indeed a way ... but ... it’s a little dangerous...” Mom leaned against the wall, looking a little hesitant.

“What method?” I asked.

Mom looked at me and opened her mouth, about to say something, but hesitated, gave up the idea, and said, “Forget it ... forget it ... this method is a little dangerous. I can’t let Aaron take risks with Mom.”

After hearing my mother say that it was a bit dangerous, I didn’t ask any more questions. After all, I’m not the adventurous type, which is similar to my mother.

However, it is somewhat ironic that we, a mother and son who do not like adventure, just abandoned the mountains of supplies at home and ran out to seek protection from the army. Isn’t this an adventure?

At this time, the mother and son temporarily hid in this alley. Although there were many zombies moving around, they did not discover us.

“Aaron, come on, follow closely.”

Without stopping for long, my mother took me out of the alley again, trying to choose the safest route with the least zombies; although the main streets were blocked by zombies, at least there were no zombies in the alleys.

Moreover, during the time when my mother was out searching for supplies, she had already memorized the routes and layout of the surrounding area. If she had not brought me, a child who needed protection, she would have probably walked about six or seven hundred meters by now.

After passing through another alley and turning a corner, they came to a small alley with two big doors on both sides, but they were closed and stained with dried blood.

At the door of the gate, there were two motionless bodies, a man and a woman. It seemed that they had been dead for a long time because the bodies had already begun to stink and rot.

Fortunately, my psychological endurance is different from before. Even when I saw these two disgusting and horrible corpses, I didn’t seem to be very scared. I just felt a slight chill in my heart.

My mother completely ignored the two bodies and focused her attention ahead, outside the alley.

Under the current circumstances, if we just continue along the current road, we can get out of this alley and come to a street. As long as we cross this street, we will be closer to the moving army.

However, the problem was that zombies were roaming on the street ahead. Although the gunshots from a distance were very clear and attracted most of the zombies, there were still a few zombies staying on the street.

“Aaron, wait here for a moment. I’ll go to the front and see if I can rush over directly.” Mom patted my shoulder and asked me to wait here while she moved closer to observe the situation.

Although I really wanted to tell my mother that I wanted to help, I also knew that even if I went with her now, I would only make things worse, so I had to nod and agree to stay where I was.

“I really hope ... I can help my mother...” I looked at my mother’s back, feeling a little annoyed at my own incompetence. Why ... can’t I become more powerful like my mother?

Although I thought so in my heart, it is probably not an experience that happens to everyone, like my mother, where after being bitten by a zombie, not only did she not turn into a zombie but instead mutated.

If my mother had not turned a disaster into a blessing, I really can’t imagine what the fate of my mother and me would have been.

While I was thinking about things, my mother had already walked lightly, bent over and came to the exit of the alley. She pulled out the machete tied to her thigh with her right hand and was very alert.

After looking around cautiously, my mother turned her head and showed me a happy look, waving to me to come over quickly.

Seeing my mother’s expression, I thought there shouldn’t be many zombies on the street and we could just rush over. I also looked happy and walked over.

However, just as I took the first step, the smile on my mother’s face suddenly froze.

“Behind!” Mom shouted without caring that her voice would attract zombies.

“What!?” I was startled.

At this moment, a low roar like that of a wild beast came from behind me, as if a hungry lion had finally waited for a piece of fat meat. This sound was very familiar to me.