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Chapter: 36
“Ahhh! Get off! Get off me!”
“You crazy bastard! Stop it! Stay still!”
“Luke, please!”
Panicking, Luke kicked wildly at the zombie clutching his ankle, his face pale as death.
Jigu and Maya, who had been pinned beneath Luke in the confusion, tried to scramble free, but Luke’s frantic flailing made it impossible for them to escape easily.
Kyaaaak!
Grrrr!
The zombies, having spotted the three sprawled on the ground, lit up their cloudy white eyes as if they’d been waiting for this moment and opened their mouths wide.
“That idiot…!”
Gritting her teeth, Jigu shoved the poker straight into the reeking zombie’s throat.
Slick liquid slid down the sharp metal bars and splashed onto her face. She quickly turned her head away, afraid it might get into her mouth. When she did, she saw another zombie crawling toward her on its hands and knees.
“Ugh!”
Startled, Jigu tried to pull the poker out, but the dead weight only drove it in deeper.
At that moment—bang!—a bullet fired from the mansion pierced straight through the zombie’s forehead. At the same time, the corpse pressing down on her body was flung away.
“Get up.”
Caliph, who had just hurled the zombie off her, lifted Jigu up as easily as pulling out a radish.
As her dangling feet touched the ground, Damian, holding a pistol, looked at her anxiously.
“Jigu! Are you okay?!”
The life-saving shot must have been Damian’s.
Jigu glanced at the zombie with a neat hole in the center of its forehead, nodded silently, and tightened her grip on the poker. There were still more than ten zombies left.
But before she could even steady herself, Caliph swung his fire axe, and three or four zombie heads were sliced clean off in a single horizontal sweep.
In the blink of an eye, he had wiped out the remaining zombies. He then coldly looked down at Luke, who was still sprawled on the ground.
“You can’t even stand still?”
“If you could handle everything yourself, why drag me into this in the first place?!”
“I wonder how you’ve managed to survive until now.”
That was enough. After giving Luke a frosty glance, Caliph strode toward Jigu.
“Any injuries?”
“No.”
“Your face is a mess.”
“…That bad?”
Embarrassed, Jigu touched her damp cheek. Her fingers came away sticky with a dark, foul-smelling liquid.
I can imagine how awful I look.
She frowned and tried to rub her eyes, but Caliph firmly grabbed her hand.
“This area’s clear. Go inside and wash up. Don’t rub your eyes.”
“But there could still be zombies left.”
“The others can handle it.”
Reluctantly nodding, Jigu looked at the scattered corpses. Damian spoke with concern.
“Infections can happen through the cornea or mucous membranes, so it’s better to rinse with saline first.”
“Please.”
“It’s no trouble at all.”
With a gentle smile, Damian wiped the grime from Jigu’s fingertips using a handkerchief.
Watching him quietly, Caliph suddenly let out a soft, amused chuckle.
“No. I should thank you properly. She’s one of my people.”
Crackle. Invisible sparks seemed to clash between the two men.
Damian fell silent, his expression stiff. Caliph smirked slightly and patted Damian’s shoulder twice.
Jigu and Damian headed to her room. She perched on the edge of the bathtub, took off her filthy shirt, and waited. Soon, Damian entered the bathroom carrying a tray with saline solution and sterile gauze.
“How do you feel? Dizzy at all? You fell pretty hard.”
“I’m fine.”
Falling wasn’t the problem. What came after nearly got her killed.
A quiet surge of murderous intent rose toward Luke, who talked big but always froze when it mattered.
“Still, you’re really skilled.”
“Well, I’m used to it.”
“Have you always dealt with zombies like this?”
“Yeah.”
Hesitation meant death. No matter what happened, panic was fatal. Only calm could carve out a path to survival.
When Jigu answered casually, Damian paused mid-motion as he opened the saline bottle.
“…There might be tiny wounds, so I’ll rinse your face first. Close your eyes.”
She already felt uneasy, so she quickly shut her eyes and leaned forward. Cold liquid poured from her forehead and trickled down her face.
“Don’t open your eyes.”
As she twitched her nose, Damian scolded her lightly with a smile, then gently wiped her face with saline-soaked gauze.
The sticky grime slowly vanished beneath his careful touch.
After a while, Jigu hesitated, then spoke.
“Um, Damian.”
“Yes?”
“Thank you.”
“It’s nothing.”
“No, really. Thanks to you, Edwin survived.”
Not just that—food, shelter, water. His kindness had saved them all.
Even though her danger-sensing skill still unsettled her, nothing had happened so far. For now, his kindness was just that—kindness.
Damian’s hand paused.
“Damian? Can I open my eyes now?”
“…Not yet.”
There was nothing left to clean. Yet he lied, wanting this moment to linger in his memory. He didn’t understand why this simple gratitude felt so sweet.
Since waking in the mansion, had he ever witnessed something so harmless and beautiful?
He gazed at her as if staring at something dazzling.
Her defenseless closed eyes, slightly parted lips, and warm, soft cheeks like freshly baked bread.
In this moment, the zombie-filled world and his ruined future meant nothing. Only this woman beneath his hands existed.
A fierce, uncontrollable emotion surged—far beyond something as shallow as love at first sight.
He wanted to kneel at her feet and beg her to stay, yet also wanted to scream at her to disappear.
It was strange. Had he ever desired someone this intensely?
His mind flooded with incomprehensible feelings.
Without breathing, he traced her face until his thumb brushed away a small droplet at the corner of her lips.
The soft pressure sent a sticky wave of saliva beneath his tongue.
“Damian?”
Why wasn’t he answering? Jigu hesitantly opened her eyes.
Under the glittering sunlight, his jewel-like blue eyes stared down at her, utterly still.
I feel like I’m being sucked in.
Again.
Just like their first meeting, she froze, unable to move.
His fingers slowly rubbed her lips, then slipped between them. When they touched her tongue, a bizarre pain slammed into her head.
“Ugh…!”
It felt as if thousands of insects were gnawing at her brain—buzzing, crackling, boiling. She wanted to split her skull open and claw at her brain. But her body, trapped by those blue eyes, wouldn’t move.
What is this? It hurts. No—itchy. No—hungry. I’m starving. My throat’s burning…
Her thoughts dissolved into chaos, sinking into her gut.
I want to eat.
She wanted to drink the warm blood flowing through his slender neck. A horrific hunger surged.
Eat. Devour the human before you.
Her vision flooded red. Gasping, she slapped Damian’s hand away.
Smack!
“What… was that?”
Panting, Jigu stared at him in fear.
The pain and hunger vanished instantly, as if they had never existed. But the aftershock lingered.
Her trembling hands clenched tight as she glared at him warily.
But Damian only stared at his own hand, speechless.
“…I’ll bring you clean clothes.”
“What? Wait—!”
Before she could stop him, he fled the bathroom, leaving Jigu standing there in stunned silence.a
