I have to find an antidote. Then I’ll eat every last piece of this delicious Mr. Shen.
Perfect plan!
Mr. Shen kept rubbing my chest, growing more and more dejected as he did. “You used to have pectoral muscles here. They were so soft and springy to the touch. Now there’s nothing but skin—I can even feel your bones.”
The zombie didn’t understand.
“Pectoral muscles… What are those?”
Mr. Shen took my hand and placed it on his chest. “Feel for yourself.”
I gave it a gentle feel.
Mr. Shen asked, “How does it feel?”
I gave it a harder squeeze.
It felt… amazing.
While Mr. Shen bathed me, I never took my hands off his chest.
Rubbing and squeezing.
Soft and springy.
The zombie felt great!
The zombie liked muscles!
By the time the bath was over, Mr. Shen’s chest was red from all my rubbing. He couldn’t take it anymore and pulled my hands away, his voice hoarse. “Two touches are enough. Are you ever going to stop?”
He took my hand and gave it a gentle squeeze. “Keep rubbing and you’ll make it bleed.”
Hmph! Humans are so stingy!
That evening, I lay beside Mr. Shen, staring wide-eyed at the ceiling.
Mr. Shen reached over and covered my eyes. “Go to sleep.”
I said softly, “The zombie has to feel pectoral muscles to fall asleep.”
“…”
Mr. Shen sighed and took my hand, placing it on his chest. “Go ahead.”
I gave his chest a few squeezes, then contentedly closed my eyes.
4.
Apart from poisoning the zombie, Mr. Shen was actually pretty nice.
He dressed the zombie in soft, fragrant clothes and even let the zombie feel his muscles.
Most importantly, Mr. Shen didn’t lock the zombie up, give him injections, or strap him into an electric chair.
There was just one thing he did wrong: Mr. Shen kept trying to make the zombie eat human food.
After I knocked over three bowls, Mr. Shen squeezed my face and asked, “You haven’t eaten all day. Are you trying to starve yourself to death?”
I knelt on the bed, lifted my head, and said seriously, “The zombie won’t starve to death. The zombie needs to eat human flesh.”
“Human flesh?”
Mr. Shen laughed, squeezed my face, then bent down and pressed his lips to mine.
My eyes flew wide open. I was forced to endure it, struggling miserably.
Mr. Shen pinned my hands to the bed and kept “eating” my lips.
I tried to endure his invasion, my head thrown back and my waist nearly bent in half.
Humans are so hateful!
He really was the zombie’s mortal enemy.
Mr. Shen kissed me until the zombie collapsed onto the bed and couldn’t sit up.
Something felt wrong. My body was tingling and limp. I covered my mouth and angrily scolded him, “Picking on the zombie! You jerk!”
Mr. Shen raised an eyebrow, not looking the least bit remorseful.
He picked up a bowl of the white human food, scooped up a spoonful, and brought it to my lips. “Are you going to eat your food, or eat me?”
I looked at the spoon, then at Mr. Shen’s wicked lips. Feeling wronged, I opened my mouth and licked the spoon clean.
I frowned in distaste. Human food really was awful… Huh?
It wasn’t awful?
Curious, I looked at the bowl in Mr. Shen’s hand. When he offered another spoonful, I opened my mouth wide and ate it all.
I narrowed my eyes in satisfaction.
So delicious!
Sweet, sticky, fragrant, and piping hot.
It wasn’t stinky, sour, or bitter.
Could humans really make food this delicious?
I knelt on the bed, mouth wide open, waiting for Mr. Shen to feed me more.
But there was no more delicious food. Instead, Mr. Shen’s lips and tongue came at me.
I pushed at his chest and hurriedly said, “The zombie eats food, not mouths.”
Mr. Shen lightly licked my lips, then drew back with a soft laugh. “Sorry. I thought you opened your mouth because you wanted me to kiss you.”
Furious, I dug my fingers into his chest muscles and bared my sharp fangs at him.
“Kiss me again and I’ll eat you!”
Mr. Shen only wanted to poison the zombie—to slowly poison me to death.
Nobody likes the zombie.
Humans only know how to bully the zombie. They only want the zombie dead.
The zombie has to eat humans!
Mr. Shen reached out and touched my fangs, smiling faintly. “Your teeth aren’t very big, but you sure talk a big game. You want to eat me, too… With a mouth that small, can you even manage it?”
I froze.
It felt like he was looking down on me.
Annoyed, I squeezed his chest hard again.
Hateful! Humans are hateful!
Mr. Shen grunted. Suddenly his voice turned hoarse and his ears reddened. He hurriedly pressed my hand down, rested his forehead on my shoulder, and said quietly, “All right, all right. I won’t say anything else. Stop squeezing…”
I froze again.
Something was poking me and making me uncomfortable, so I reached into Mr. Shen’s pants, intending to take it out.
Mr. Shen went rigid for a moment, then his handsome eyes crinkled with amusement and his voice turned hoarse. “Where are you touching?”
His gaze darkened. “Let go. Now.”
Curious, I gave the thing in my hand a squeeze.
Mr. Shen grunted again. His Adam’s apple bobbed, and his face and eyes turned red in a way that looked quite beautiful.
I squeezed it again.
Another grunt.
Hehe, this is fun.
I teased Mr. Shen until sweat covered his forehead and the vein there began to throb. At last, he seized my wrist and said, “You can’t squeeze that like this.”
He took hold of my wrist and lowered it, his large hand closing around my claw. Leaning close to my ear, he whispered, “I’ll teach you how to play with it.”
The zombie liked playing with Mr. Shen.
I liked watching him throw his head back, the corners of his eyes red and his breath hot and ragged because of me.
But I didn’t like Mr. Shen holding me and calling me “A Diệu.”
I was the one playing with him. Why did he have to call me “A Diệu”?
The zombie hated A Diệu.
5.
Lately, Mr. Shen had been going out often.
Whenever he was gone, I studied how to get out of this room.
I couldn’t open the front door of Mr. Shen’s house, so I tried clawing it.
But before I could scratch it open, Mr. Shen always came back.
But this time, the person who came back wasn’t Mr. Shen.
I was crouching in front of the door, claws out, when I looked at the man standing outside. My pupils contracted, my hands and feet went cold, and my whole body trembled.
Dr. Song…
The man outside wore a white suit, his hair slicked back, and rimless glasses. He lowered his gaze to me, apparently amused by how frightened I looked, and the corner of his mouth lifted. “Long time no see, little puppy.”
I twitched.
Pain and fear surged over me like a wave, engulfing me.
The scars all over my body began to burn as if they were on fire.
At first, Dr. Song was the one who told me I was sick and needed treatment.
I didn’t know what was wrong with me.
But I was afraid of treatment.
Afraid of the long, brutal needles and the pain that pierced to the bone.
Afraid of Dr. Song’s leather whip and cigarette.
Afraid of his hands and his gaze.
My fear of Dr. Song seemed to be etched into my very genes.
The door slammed shut with a bang, nearly stopping my heart.
The light was blocked by the door, and the living room sank into gloomy darkness.
It was just like Dr. Song’s little room from before.
He came in, sat down on the living room sofa, and beckoned to me. “Puppy, crawl over here.”
I hurriedly crawled over to his feet on my hands and knees. After hesitating for a moment, I ingratiatingly rubbed against the hand resting on his knee.
Dr. Song stroked my head. “Good puppy. Tell the doctor, has Thẩm Minh Tu touched you yet?”
The zombie didn’t understand.
Who was Thẩm Minh Tu? I didn’t know him.
I shook my head.
“I don’t like bad children who lie.”
Dr. Song gripped my face and forced my mouth open. His eyes behind his glasses were cruel and cold. “Look. He’s made your lips swell up.”
His gaze slid down to the open collar of my shirt, fixed on the marks Mr. Shen had left behind, every kiss and every bite. “You’re covered in marks of love.”
Dr. Song tightened his grip, and my cheek hurt terribly.
But I gritted my teeth and endured it, not daring to make a sound.
If I cried out in pain, Dr. Song would only scold me for being bad.
Then I’d have to be punished with electric shocks and a leather whip.
“Tell the doctor, did you enjoy it when Thẩm Minh Tu kissed you? How did you seduce him? And how did he show you affection?”
My mouth had been forced open for so long that drool ran from the corner of my mouth and dripped onto Dr. Song’s clean fingers.
I looked into his cold eyes, trembling with fear and unable to speak. All I could do was whimper and beg for forgiveness.
Dr. Song rubbed his thumb over my lips, then suddenly laughed maliciously. “With that stupid look on your face, you’re not the least bit interesting. What does Minh Tu see in you, anyway?”
He lowered his eyes and continued, “Or is there something special about you in bed?”
He let go, wiped my drool across my face, then studied me closely, speaking slowly. “It’s been five years. What kind of magic do you have that’s made him unable to forget you? Even I’m starting to get curious.”
After examining me closely, Dr. Song patted my face. “Stand up and take off your clothes.”
I stood in front of him, my hands trembling as I began to undress.
Shirt.
Pants.
Dr. Song said, “Take everything off.”
The last scrap of clothing fell to the floor. I stood there completely naked.
He slowly examined me as if appraising a fish. His icy gaze made me shudder.
After a while, he curled his lip in disdain. “There’s nothing special about you. I can’t see anything that stands out.”
He leaned back against the sofa and beckoned me over. “Come here.”
“Kneel.”
I knelt in front of him. Dr. Song stroked my face wearily, his voice gentle. “Undo my belt.”