Zombie crystal

Chapter 7

The next day…

While eating breakfast, Marc Lee can't help but ask Mint Wayne the question that has been bugging his mind since the first day he saw her. As her body is still weak, she still can't move that much and Marc has to feed her.

"Miss Wayne, I was wondering if you know what date and time it is today." Marc Lee asked calmly while slowly giving her some soft food.

Mint showed a hint of confusion in her eyes as she looks at the guy before her.

"I… I'm not sure but… but it was 2 weeks ago when the power was cut off. So… that's about 2 months already since these things started." Mint tried recalling.

Upon hearing what she said Marc Lee's brain went blank as the spoon he is using almost fell as the bowl in his hand shook. He could not imagine that he was actually in a coma for 2 months.

What had happened to his body at that time? And why was he asleep for such a long time?

Those are just some of the many questions that have been in Marc Lee's mind as the feeling of frustration and confusion is now growing.

Seeing the changing expression on Marc's face, Mint felt that something is wrong with him, but she didn't ask as the two are not yet that close and she just has known him for just a day.

"This is… I never thought that the world would be turned upside down like this." He lowered his head as he mumbled.

"What about the news? Are there any people left out there?" he suddenly asked as he lifted his head in expectation.

Mint felt a bit awkward and knew what the guy is feeling. But she could only tell him the truth.

"Yes, I… I think so. But… something has changed in this world. I heard from the news that… before the power was cut off… they said that there are people who were… transformed." Mint bits her lips and did not know how the guy would react.

"Transformed? What do you mean? Like turning into zombies? How?..." he asked while he looks straight at her, he wanted to know how the zombies came into.

He has been bitten by those zombies and didn't turn into one. So there are might be reasons why this happening. What he can think of is that… the zombie's bite is not infectious or that he might be immune to the virus.

But no matter how he thinks about it those two are still not the answer, there must be something that he missed and right now he could not think of any.

"Umm… Not… Not like those monsters. I mean like people… umm… people having powers." She explained while stammering.

"Really? How is that possible?" his tone became a bit uncertain and disbelieving.

He thought that it would be too absurd to think that this world would have super-powered beings like in the movies. But from his experiences, his mind has already actually accepted this… truth.

"And… and… people are saying online, that there are things that look like crystals on those zombies' bodies. I'm not sure about how they are used, but many said that it may be the reason why people have powers." she suddenly added after remembering something.

"What? Really?... Hmm… Maybe we can find the answer from there. Hmmm…" Marc Lee suddenly had an idea.

There are still some zombies that he had not killed which are still in the building.

Although he had disposed of most of them as they fell to their deaths on the streets downstairs… there are still some on the sixth floor which he is thinking of cleaning today.

"By the way… About infections,… how is it spread?" he suddenly asked.

Mint showed confusion as she now feels that this guy seems to be asking some weird questions. How else would the infection be spread?

"Bites… It is always spread through the zombie bites and scratches… or when their blood enters one's wound… But ingesting the blood will not cause infection immediately…" she explained.

Marc now knew that he is actually immune. That is the reason why he is not infected.

Hearing this answer made him very happy.

He then decided to learn more about what those zombie crystals thingy are.

"Hmmm… since it has come to this, I can try and find out by taking some crystals from the heads of some zombies. Maybe they can be of use, although it's disgusting still I have to do this to be able to survive in this hell." he thought as he tried to once again steeled his resolve.

Marc Lee once again sneak out through the window and directly went to the sixth floor.

Once inside the condo where he saw the corpses of the mother and her children… he carefully drags their corpses to the balcony and carefully pries their heads in search of stones in their foreheads.

"Damn they smell bad, Ump…" his stomach almost churns at the awful stench.

He used more clothes to cover his nose as he worked. He steeled his heart and tries to pry open the skull to search for the so-called zombie crystal. With some effort, he finally was able to find a gem-like object from the zombie's head.

"This thing is too weird… why do I feel that there is energy circulating inside this crystal?" he said as he held the fist-sized crystal in his hand.

"If what Miss Wayne is saying is true… then how would this thing become useful?"

Suddenly… he noticed the corpse of the mother where he took the crystal began to crumble and then slowly turn into dust. Upon seeing this, Marc Lee was astonished as a suspicion enters his mind.

"Does this means that the crystal actually the one causing these zombies to be able to move… are they like their power core?" he tried to analyze.

Then an idea suddenly pops out of his mind, a dangerous idea but… a must if he wanted to learn more about the zombies.

But then he suddenly shook his head.

"What am I thinking?..." but then he still could not let go of that idea.

"It would be dangerous but… I must try to find out if my theory is correct." He muttered.

But before he implemented his plan, he decided to remove the other crystals from the two corpses and return.

Not long later he was able to go back to his apartment with the 3 zombie crystals. When he enters the flat he saw Mint Wayne sleeping on the sofa.

Although she is thin and pale, he could not deny that she can still be considered a beauty.

But when he looks at the golden ring on her finger, he felt a little curious. He has already noticed her ring when he first saw her in her condo.

At that time it seems like she is already ready to give up on life and just lay on that sofa.

Marc Lee didn't have a girlfriend before, as he is busy with his life earning money.

However, he is a normal person so he also had those unrequited love. When he was in high school there was that beautiful seatmate of his, then there was that girl that he works with on his part-time job, and also the haughty daughter of the construction engineer that he had a crush on.

Those are just the girls that he had an interaction with and had taken a liking to.

But he didn't make any moves on these girls because he knows what was important in his life at that time.

But now upon seeing the glittering ring on Mint Wayne's hand, he felt a pang of regret about his past decision in delaying his love life. And now he could heave a heavy sigh upon remembering those things.

Marc Lee silently enters the flat while taking care of his steps so that he would not wake the woman up. Then he put down his backpack and began preparing their meal after cleaning himself up.

Mint Wayne woke up not long after… and both had a meal together in silence.

After the meal, Marc showed her the crystals he had taken.

She then told him what she had read online and how the stones are supposedly used.

Most of what she learned is just theories from people. And there are many who failed on their theories and instead became zombies themselves.

Upon hearing this, he decided to do his own experiment according to what he felt while touching the crystals. He believes that the stones are not only for mutation or gaining power… he had a gut feeling that there is more to it than meets the eye.

Marc Lee then started his experiment on the crystals. He decided to touch it with his bare hand.

And that was when he felt it…

After some time, he was able to discover something.

The stone actually contains a dormant power, on how to use that power he is not yet sure.

After spending half a day feeling that strange energy on the stone, he is still unable to find out what it is.

He took out a small hammer and tried to break the crystal in two. But it was too hard.

"This is useless…" he muttered while examining the undamaged crystal.

He was about to give up when suddenly an idea enters his mind.

He didn't know where it came from, but it was a strange knowledge that came from nowhere. And that knowledge is on how to extract the energy inside the crystal.

Using a line of copper wire, he wrapped it on the crystal until it was covered.

He had to wrap the thing at least 3 times to make sure that there are no gaps. Then when the crystal was completely wrapped a sudden change happened…

The wire suddenly felt a little hot and Marc felt a low voltage of electricity was actually produced from it. He then quickly digs into his stuff and found a tester. Using a tester, he discovered that it can accurately produce an exact current of around 12 volts D.C., and this is without any fluctuations.

"Wow… this… this is awesome. But I wonder how long this thing will last?" he suddenly exclaimed.

Seeing that Marc Lee is busy experimenting, Mint decided to just go back to sleep as she is still feeling weak.

…

The next day…

"Ugh… When did I fall asleep!..." Marc Lee yawned as he stretches his arms upward.

He discovered that he has fallen asleep on the table after creating a small 12 volt light power diagram on the breadboard. He connected a 12 volt light and let it run while it is connected to the wire-wrapped crystal.

His eyes look at the light and to his surprise, the current is still strong and steady.

"This… This is like having a car battery. Hahaha…" he could not help but chuckle at his findings.

Then he disconnects everything and decided to make another diagram so that he can make a portable charger for his phone.

As his phone and computer have a lot of things that can help him in these dangerous times, he has to be able to use them if he wanted to survive.

Suddenly… he saw a figure moving through the kitchen. This startled Marc he suddenly turns around with caution.

Then he heaves a sigh of relief when he saw that it was the woman, Mint Wayne. And it seems that she is cooking something that smells good.

She seems to feel Marc's gaze as she turns towards him and showed a faint smile.

Mint was a bit apologetic to the young man as she seems to have become a burden to him.

And so she decided to cook for him as soon as she woke up this morning.

What surprised her when she woke up is the stove that Marc is using. She didn't expect that he has two tanks of gas at home… Seeing this, she felt that the guy seems meticulous. She feels a little happy to be able to cook and eat hot meals again.

"Umm… If you don't mind, I took the liberty of preparing some breakfast." She said with an apologetic smile.

"No, it's okay… It smells nice!" he replied as he was already taken by the smell of the delicious food.

In his mind, he could not help but praise the cooking ability of the woman. With just some simple ingredients she was able to make a delectable meal that made him swallow his saliva in anticipation.

Not long later… both of them enjoyed a delicious breakfast.

For Mint Wayne, it was the first savory breakfast she had after a long time of being hungered. While for Marc Lee, it is the first in a while, as it's been many months since he last tasted someone's cooking.

"Umm… Mister Lee, can I ask if there is some water where I can wash? I mean… I noticed that you…" she asked hesitantly.

She was a bit curious why Marc Lee is always looking fresh and clean and doesn't have grime on his face even after going out.

"Oh, sure… You can have some from the bathtub in one of the rooms on this floor. But you have to be frugal... save some water until I am able to fix the pump in the basement. I think we can have electricity soon." He said as he stood up and led Mint Wayne towards another flat.

Not long later, he heard the splashing of water which made him frown.

"Women are really clean freaks… sigh… anyway, at least she would feel refreshed and calm." Marc Lee thought.

Then he went back to his flat and started to plan his next project.

That afternoon he finished making a simple DIY solder, then he rummages through the pieces of stuff in the other flats for some car chargers, and luckily, he found one. Using the car charger he found, he connected some wires to it and was able to finally charge his mobile phone.

Mint Wayne was lying on the sofa when she noticed that he was able to turn on his phone. This made her show an amused expression.

"You… you are able to produce electricity?" she asked incredulously almost unable to believe her eyes.

Then she excitedly walks near him and looks at the phone on the table showing around 20% of the battery, but then frowned when she saw that the phone has no signal.

Seeing her reaction Marc Lee just smiles as he knows what she is thinking.

"I didn't turn on my phone for the purpose of calling anyone. I have a lot of things in here that are useful for me," he explained as he scrolled down on some documents on his phone.

Then when he found what he is looking for, a smile bloomed on his face.