Zhou Yinuo stared at the small table clock in her hands, the soft white color almost glowing in the dim light of the villa. It had tiny deer antlers on top, a round cute face, and delicate golden hands ticking gently.
It looked out of place in this ruined world. It was too clean, too gentle, and too... warm amidst the chaos of the world.
She never thought Ji Ming would actually give it to her.
"A clock," she whispered under her breath. It felt unreal.
She had always guessed the ti based on the sky or how tired she felt. It beca a habit. A frustrating and exhausting habit. It was always wrong. But now... now she had sothing real. Sothing that could tell ti for her.
"You like it?" Ji Ming’s voice was soft as he leaned closer. He winked at her, a playful glint in his eyes. "I bought it for my girlfriend... but never got the chance to give it to her."
He paused, then added with a half-smile, "Don’t despise it."
"No... No, I like it very much," Zhou Yinuo replied quickly, hugging the little clock close to her chest. Her voice was almost trembling with happiness. "You don’t know how happy I am with this clock..."
She smiled, a genuine one, the kind she hadn’t worn in a long ti. A soft blush crept up her cheeks.
Across the room, the others fell silent.
Their eyes moved between the two of them, watching in disbelief. One second they were survivors covered in gri and blood of zombies, and the next—were they actually flirting? The shift in atmosphere was too sudden for them to digest.
But no one said anything. Instead, they just quietly watched the mont unfold.
Maybe it wasn’t a bad thing.
Maybe, in a world like this, they had to allow themselves these small pieces of warmth. These strange monts of joy. After all, if they couldn’t smile again—what were they even surviving for?
Ji Ming opened the small pack of batteries and tore it in half. "Here," he said, handing two batteries to her, "you’ll need them."
Chen Wei stood silently in the corner, watching them.
That stupid clock.
What was so good about that?
He could also find a clock. Ten tis better. No—he could find a hundred if she wanted. Round ones, square ones, golden ones, beautiful ones. Ones with lodies. Deer? He could find one with birds, butterflies, even stars. What was so special about this one?
And Ji Ming... tch. Showing off like so romantic hero. Did he really think giving her so old clock would win her heart?
Chen Wei’s jaw clenched as he stepped forward and reached for Zhou Yinuo’s hand, dragging her slightly behind him.
"No need," he said sharply. His voice was stiff, colder than usual. "If she’s given it to you, then take it. Yinuo doesn’t take things back."
He glanced at her, then looked away quickly. "I’ll give her more cells later."
Zhou Yinuo blinked, confused and a little flustered. She looked at Ji Ming, then at Chen Wei, unsure of what just happened.
Ji Ming, still unaware of the storm quietly brewing behind him, just chuckled. "Alright. I’ll take them, then."
He didn’t miss the way Chen Wei’s eyes lingered on the clock in her arms. Or how his hands curled slightly at his sides. But he said nothing.
Because so things didn’t need to be said.
While laughter echoes softly in Liora’s villa and the faint ticking of a deer-shaped clock filled the quiet atmosphere.
The world outside did not rest. Peace, it seed, was a fragile, fleeting thing. For sowhere not too far from their haven, terror had already begun to breathe.
Inside another villa, the sa one where the group had locked themselves inside a room.
All of them huddled close together. The walls were damp with mold, and every creak of the floor sounded like a warning. They had sealed the doors, thinking it would protect them. They had counted their food and tried to believe tomorrow would co.
But fate had already turned its back on them.
Soon Han Xiu had stopped talking and lay silently in the corner.
His breathing had grown faint, ragged, like a broken machine that was slowly winding down. Beads of sweat rolled down his forehead, soaking his collar.
He slumped in the corner, his injured arm pressed against his chest. The wound had turned an unnatural shade of black, the veins around it bulging and twitching like sothing alive was crawling under his skin.
His hands shook, long fingernails digging into the wooden floor, scratching and tearing like claws.
Soon his unusual behavior was noticed by Sun Tao and An Ran.
"H-Han?" Sun Tao whispered, trying to gauge the situation. After all, Han Xiu was his good brother. They were the closest in the group. "Are you... okay?" he asked with concern.
But Han Xiu didn’t answer.
He stepped closer, the others watching from behind, unsure and scared. Hoping it was just fatigue. Maybe a fever. Maybe not what they feared.
"Han Xiu... talk to ," he said, reaching out a trembling hand.
His head slowly tilted toward him. His eyes, once warm, were now sunken and clouded, oozing black tears. His mouth stretched into sothing that was no longer a smile. His jaw cracked as he opened it too wide, revealing sharp teeth that hadn’t been there before.
Still, he didn’t speak.
Sun Tao stepped closer and touched his shoulder.
That was his last mistake.
In a blur of motion, his hand shot up and clamped around his neck with inhuman strength. His nails—long, jagged, filthy—dug into his flesh. He snarled, low and guttural, like a beast dragged from the depths of hell.
"Ahh..." His scream barely left his throat.
Han Xiu lunged forward, his face a grotesque mask of rage and hunger. With a roar, he sank his teeth into his skull, and with one sickening twist, ripped his head clean off.
Blood exploded like a fountain, splattering across the wall and on everyone’s face. Sun Tao’s body fell backward while twitching and beca lifeless in seconds.
For a mont, no one moved.
Then soone scread as Han Xiu’s hollow eyes t theirs.
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