CHAPTER 58: CHAPTER 58: FAMILIES AND ZOMBIES

Laziel instinctively jumped to Zerra and grabbed her hand, standing in front of her with a grim look.

"What do you mean by that?" He stared at Scott vigilantly.

The man was stunned, then he threw his butcher knife away and took off his shirt. With a sheepish look on his face, he hurriedly explained, "Sorry, I must have scared you."

"I forgot that I have guests at home. I couldn’t see things because of the fog. So, I hurriedly returned to the house without washing myself." He scratched the back of his head, then used the shirt to wipe himself.

The smell of the blood permeated to their noses, leaving a strong metallic taste. Fresh from whatever creature it was.

The vigilance in Laziel’s eyes didn’t lessen. "How come you have so much blood in you?"

Scott tilted his head. "Ah, I haven’t explained it to you, have I? I must have been in a hurry. When I went out earlier, I actually went to the barn in the side yard. There are some farm animals there. It’s better to use them to eat before they turn into zombies."

He pointed to the kitchen. "I brought the goat meat there. We can also exchange with other neighbors for other kinds of supplies."

After he said that, he went to the bathroom. He went back a few minutes later, looking fresh and clean.

"The livestock are yours?" Zerra asked.

Scott sat down between them without any awkwardness at all. "Yes, those farm animals are mine. I have been living here for as long as I can remember."

The light tone he used somewhat eased the discomfort in the atmosphere. He didn’t hold back at all. "Some people went to the neighboring city because it’s the nearest human base to our location compared to Moon Cloud City’s human base, but I decided to stay."

Zerra’s eyes flashed when she remembered Jake’s expression. He had talked about wanting to go back to the base with them. Why didn’t he join those people too?

"Why don’t you go with them and join a human base?" Laziel couldn’t hold back his curiosity any longer.

"I still have the power to protect myself. Besides, my mother really cared about the farm animals she raised. Previously, she wanted me to sell them so I could go to the university in the Capital, but..." Scott trailed off.

He shook his head and continued, "Now, I just want to make sure I can make full use of those farm animals that my mother cared so much about."

They all went silent when they heard Scott’s story.

"Your mother..." Laziel swallowed. When he saw Scott’s sorrowful face, he suddenly regretted asking him. Zerra had nudged him as a reminder.

"That’s fine." He told him as if he could sense Laziel’s emotions. "My mother got infected with the virus when she visited a relative from another city. After she returned home, she became a zombie."

"Sorry for your loss," Laziel muttered in guilt. Zerra and Cassias expressed their concern with similar words. They really couldn’t imagine something like that happening to them...

There must have been such scenes in other places. Families were waiting for their beloved family members to return home, but they were greeted by their mothers, fathers, sisters, or brothers turning into some kind of monsters they couldn’t recognize.

Would you have the heart to point your weapon at your own family members? The people who were once you hold so dearest in your heart–even when they had turned into man-eating monsters?

It was really cruel when the living people had to fight against the monsters wearing their beloved family’s faces.

"The world has become so perilous." Scott sighed, "But since my mother wants to live well, then I will try to do her last wishes."

There was a hollow look on Scott’s face. He stared at nothing in particular in front of him, falling into a daze.

As if he were recollecting the past where the painful scene replayed again in front of him.

"So, where would you go after this?" Laziel suddenly asked, awkwardly scratching the back of his head. He was feeling guilty toward Scott for digging up his painful past.

"Jake wants to go with us to our base..." Laziel slowly muttered, "if you want, you can go with us."

"Are you all from this city’s human base?" Scott recovered his neutral expression, which was soon replaced by a curious look.

"Yeah." Laziel nodded, still looking at Scott with pity in his eyes.

***

The four of them chatted for a bit. When Scott was about to go out again, they stopped him. The situation outside was dangerous, and if there were any zombies nearby, they wouldn’t know.

"The visibility is too low. Better if we stay inside for the next few days," Cassias told him.

"But it will only take a while," Scott muttered stubbornly. "I just want to exchange for some seasoning."

"We have some here," Zerra told him. She ran to her room and returned with some salt, pepper, and other spices.

Scott’s eyes visibly widened. "That’s great. We can cook some good meals today!"

Because they had nothing to do, they helped Scott in the kitchen. Scott was the most excited one after receiving the seasoning from Zerra. He didn’t even question where they had gotten those seasonings.

"Those people are quite stingy when I exchange seasonings with them. They knew that I had no way to preserve the meat. After I butchered the farm animals with a lot of meat like goat or cow, it would soon go bad if no one ate it. I couldn’t eat one by myself." Scott grumbled as he cut the meat in front of him skillfully.

"Where do those people get their supplies?" It was Cassias who asked him.

Scott shrugged. "Those who came here brought supplies from nearby supermarkets or any shops they encountered. They would go out periodically."

Just as Zerra wondered how Scott would cook their meals, her expression turned to surprise. The blazing fire coming out of his palm lit the entire room. He used his ability to roast the seasoned meat on the table.

"You have fire ability?" She stared at the flickering fire unblinkingly. The same attribute as Nyra.

"Yes. I got scratched by a zombie..." he stopped himself. A look of pain crossed his face. "But luckily, I survived and awakened a fire ability. Jake taught me how to use it."

It explained why none had snatched Scott’s livestock yet. Besides the fear of the animals suddenly becoming mutated and attacking them, they most likely had no way to preserve the meat even if they killed the livestock.

Thus... they just let Scott be. In turn, Scott was also helpless when they asked an unreasonable price for some supplies. He understood his role very well.

If they hadn’t arrived, those people would have recruited him later because of his power.

Soon, they had their meals after they finished cooking.

"You are an excellent cook." Laziel gave Jake a thumbs up as he swallowed the roasted goat meat at the table.

"We can exchange some supplies for the meals you provide to us, Scott." Zerra turned to the man. She glanced at Cassias, who was eating with small bites. His speed was fast, yet he didn’t lose his elegance as he ate.

Scott was stunned when he heard it. He hurriedly shook his head. "There’s no need. You have provided the seasoning. Besides, I can’t eat it all by myself."

Zerra turned her attention away from Cassias.

"Were you people looking for supplies? This place seems to be far away from the military headquarters." He changed the topic.

"Yes, we found a supermarket with some supplies left there." Cassias nodded. "It’s called Fresh Market."

Laziel added, "There is a cafe at the front. Maybe you have visited the place."

Scott looked at them with wonder. "Oh? That place isn’t that far away from here. Only less than ten kilometers. I heard that those people also took some supplies from there."

Chatting with Scott gave them a lot of information. After they finished eating, Scott still insisted on going out.

"I need to take care of my farm animals." He had a stubborn look in his eyes. "You all stay here and close the door and windows tight. Don’t worry, the barn is very safe."

None could stop him.

Having nothing to do, the three of them could only spend their time by lazying around. Laziel even asked for a snack from Zerra.

And thus, the Sylvaris siblings, who had decided to make it a mission to annoy their brother/sister, fought over the snack even if they could take another new one.

Cassias, the only mature one, merely glanced at them while letting out an exasperated sigh.

When Scott returned again, hours had passed. His eyes were a bit bloodshot; he was exhausted.

"What happened, Scott?" Laziel asked in alarm.

Zerra could sense that Scott seemed to be injured. She also stared at him questioningly. What happened when he was outside?