14

He's fucking heard someone's cries from somewhere, echoed in the dark and desolate hallway. The cry was so miserable that he subconsciously walked toward the direction of the weeping sound.

Xie got stiffened once he realized that his legs had started moving without his order. Stop! What am I doing? Why should I go and help that stranger?!

Don't you know, in a horror movie, people who were too curious was the first one to die. Xie forcibly stopped his legs that were twitching to move. You, bad legs! He mercilessly smacked his feet.

"Sniff...mommy..." As if teasing his enduring heart, the voice involuntarily softened its tone, sounded more sorry than before, trying to pull his heartstring and arouse his sympathy.

Xie's heart wavered. A kid. He heard a kid's voice, and his steel heart softened.

The voice was so soft and seemed younger than he anticipated. Was it really a kid? What did he do here alone? Did he get separated from his parent?

Xie balled his fists, still undecided what to do, one leg had gotten ready to leave, but another one felt reluctant to do so. If that voice belongs to an adult, he can harden his heart and run off somewhere, ignoring his guilty conscience.

However, if that person was a child who got separated from their parent...

Xie turned back and went to look for the owner of the distressed's voice.

For a moment there, he forgot that he was only dreaming.

What an idiot! Why would you decide to check? Wasn't it better for him to just run away without ever turning back? He should have already abandoned his humanity long ago, like the rest, and yet, he couldn't. As long as someone is in trouble, he would find out the source and help out that person due to his compassionate heart.

Someone like him without any ability should just take care of his own life. Tsk.

Step by step, he slowly approached the owner of the crying voice.

Then, he saw it. From a distance, a thin figure hugged himself near the stairs. His body shivered nonstop, and his outfit drowned his tiny body.

That person warped his head and neck in a scarf. He buried his face in his knees, still sobbing. At a glance, he appeared suspicious. The dubious atmosphere around him made it even harder for Xie to come closer. And, why did you hide your face?

He assumed the gender as he, without reason. By the look of it, this kid should be a boy in his ten or eleven? Maybe a bit older?

"Sniff..." Damn it. His heart cannot take it. He had seen many devastating scenes that happened soon after the apocalypse descended.

He saw how parents abandoned their children to save their lives, how children pushed their mother and father toward their deaths into the jaws of zombies, and how relatives killed one another once someone lost their values.

But, for him, who was born with nothing, still clinging desperately to his last string of humanity because he still wanted to be called human. He was different from those unfeeling zombies. He-

Xie hesitantly approached the hunched figure.

"Little boy, are you alright?"

The boy flinched. He clutched the fabric around his head, trembling, either due to fright or for another reason.

He scooted closer to the wall as if want to plaster himself on it.

"Little boy? Where is your parent? Why are you alone?" Xie boldly knelt beside the boy and put his hand on his shoulder. He was shocked because the boy was like a skeleton. His skin sunk, and under his touch, Xie felt that the boy was too thin for his own liking. As if he was without meat and flesh in his body. What is this? Why does this boy's figure feel different than a human's? Was he a zombie?

He felt dread. If he was a zombie, would he get eaten right away by this thing? No, no, no, Xie. Please start thinking positively.

Xie wished to retract his hand and wanted to bolt out right now. But, something held him back.

"Parent? I had no one. I was always alone." The boy replied in a sad tone.

The word alone stung Xie. Ah, we're the same. I'm also always alone.

"What are you doing here, then?" Xie asked again. He unconsciously scooted closer to the boy, enough to pull him into his embrace.

The boy peeked at him under the warped fabric. Xie managed to take a glimpse of his eyes. Those eyes seeming dull and soulless had a very eye-catching color.

They were the color of blood, the color of crimson.

Xie frowned. He felt familiar when seeing that pair of irises. Who was it?

Out of nowhere, the pale, sickly hand grasped his left wrist. Xie was startled by his action that he stumbled on the floor.

In the background, there was this suspicious Dun! Dun! sound effect.

"Why didn't you wait for me?" The soft and timid voice changed drastically into a low, magnetic one. Shivers rushed down his spine instantly.

"Pardon?!"

Xie winched. The grip around his wrist got tightened, almost breaking his bone. Oh my god. This kid looked weak, but his strength was admirable.

Embarrassingly, Xie cannot entangle himself from the kid's deadly grip. Also, was he mistaken? That kid's voice sounded like a mature adult just now!

"I said to wait for me, aren't I? I asked you to stay at your house, amid anything that happened outside. Why did you go out, Wu Zhi?!"

Xie gasped. How could this person know his original's name?! He never had anyone in his old world, no family nor friend, so how could this kid know him?

Xie felt an oppressive aura shroud his whole being, and suddenly, out of the blue, the tiny, hooded silhouette got enlarged in front of his eyes. Like watching the growth of a tree at a fast pace speed.

He was dumbfounded seeing this unbelievable scene.

The kid's height towered over him, and his much larger body outgrew his figure. He forced Xie to back off toward some corner, unable to escape from the two strong arms that encased his body on either side.

The scarf that covered that person's head unveiled itself, and someone's face, which he barely recognized from his blurry memory, appeared in front of his eyes. He looked familiar. His hair was very much conspicuous in the dimly lit hallway. Each strand shone with a beautiful silver luster that resembled the moonlight.

Their eyes hooked, and their gazes interlocked in a heated staring battle.

Xie felt uncomfortable. The unsubdued undercurrent beneath those eyes could never go unnoticed by him. As if the man wished to swallow his whole. But why did he look familiar to him? Hmm...who was it? Xie almost got the answer as the name was on the tip of his tongue.

Xie gasped once again. Why...why did he resemble that slag husband's Arthur?!

And, and...

Xie looked down. His eyes bulged out. The muscular abdominal muscles glistened with sweats, displayed itself, showing off its sexy curves and lines. At least, he was decent and wore a pant despite the huge bulge that Xie unintentionally caught from the corner of his eyes.

What kind of erotic dream was this?! This must be Arthur's fault! Because he came out with only a towel covering his lower half, he saw something that he never wished to see!

And, why would the dream transit from a nightmare to a pre-R18 one? What kind of nonsense was this?!

First, he dreams of his past life, surrounded by zombies, and he tries to escape from their clutches by entering the somewhat creepy building.

Why would suddenly the dream become more nonsensical and slip an erotic scene out of nowhere?!

Why did he get kabedon by Arthur?! But, rather than black, silky hair, he preferred this one with silver hair. It was nice to see, with each strand glowed out some halo effect. The darkness got dispelled instantly, and his surrounding brightened. His hair still can be used as a lightbulb. You had a beautiful hair color, mister.

"Wu Zhi!" His name got called out with enough ferocity to shake his heart. His chin got pinched, forcibly tilted to look straight at Arthur's doppelganger.

Xie tried his best to pry those fingers but to no avail. Wuu...His chin got bruised, and it's hurt.

"Stop pinching my chin, you bastard! Who are you anyway? I have never seen you before, pervert! Stop calling my name as if we're acquaintances! We're not more than a stranger."

The man stiffened. He clearly got hurt by Xie's remark but concealed his emotion. The man buried his face in the crook of his neck, spraying warm breath over his skin. He nuzzled his chin and rubbed his face all over his upper body as if scenting him. His action was weird, and Xie felt goosebumps erupted all over his body.

"Not only did you break your promise, but you also forgot everything about me. What a cruel human you are, Wu Zhi."

Xie felt his skin tingle. Somehow, the way this person enunciated the word human felt somewhat wrong in his ears. Why did he say something like that as if he was not a human himself?

Besides, can someone explain something to him? What the heck is happening right now? Was this merely a dream, or a dream within a dream, or was he sleepwalking?! He was so confused that he wished to grab that person's shoulders and shake him like a rattle to get an answer.

"Stop talking in a riddle. Who are you?"

The man gave him a sad smile. Xie felt something stab directly into his heart, seeing the sorrow within the stranger's eyes. The pain was numbing his sense, and he felt an inexplicable sadness.

"Who else? I'm Art."

------

Mini Theather.

Xie: Stop talking in a riddle. Who are you?!

Art: Who else? I'm Art. (Smug smile adorned his face.)

Xie: ...

Art: (Waiting for his response.)

Xie: ......

Art: ...Uhh, why are you becoming quiet so suddenly? You make me uncomfortable!

Xie: ??? What kind of response would you expect from me? Should I feel impressed?

Art: Forget it.