Jin munched off the brain cores from the three undead in a rush, as he wanted to go back home where Lily was. Usually, he would take his time as he waited for the effect, but not now.

On his way back, he felt something was off. A slight disturbance in his stomach gave him immense pain. At first it was weird since he has felt nothing in a while, but this time, since the upgrade of touch, he felt at first his skin burning up.

He entered the house, shut the door, and dropped to his knees. Moments later, Jin crawled into a fetal position and stayed there for a while as he writhed in pain. He wanted to rip his belly out when he felt something moving inside him.

A growl echoed within him. He looked at his belly, which inflated, as if something was pushing to get out. He gritted his teeth so hard that veins popped on his forehead and neck.

A rotten hand burst out of his belly, spluttering his guts in all directions.

Jin jumped out of bed drenched in a cold sweat in the middle of the night, screaming. He checked all over his body, but everything seemed normal. He gasped for several minutes before he regained his composure. “That was one hell of a nightmare…”

Lily heard him from the other room and rushed into his. She saw him gasping for breath. Worried, she approached him and placed her hand on his shoulder to calm him down. Surprised, she looked at Jin. She wasn’t an expert, but from the few people she touched, her parents, other relatives, and some kids at the playground, she knew people shouldn’t be that cold.

Jin diverted his eyes away from Lily and uttered in a sorrowful tone. “I’m sorry, I didn’t…”

Lily interrupted him and grabbed more quilts and blankets. “You are freezing. You’ll catch a cold like this…”

In silence, Lily put one after the other on top of him to keep him warm. She made sure that everything was in place before turning around to leave his room. His shaky voice stopped her from doing that.

“T-Thank you…”

Lily looked at him from the corners of her blue eyes and saw the worry on his face. She smiled and smacked his face with her small palms. “Big brother wouldn’t lie to me, right? It’s safe… Right?”

Lily’s reaction surprised him. His eyes widened when she forced him to look into hers. He could only nod at her words.

“Then there’s nothing else. I’ll trust my big brother.”

Jin looked down, took some time, and took her words to heart. It painted a smile on his face. “Thank you, Lily. Good night.”

The next day, although Jin felt better, his stomach still hurt. Lily noticed and worriedly asked him. “Was it something you ate?”

“Pfft!”

Jin couldn’t hold it and chuckled, leaving Lily thinking if what she asked was funny. He coughed a few times before answering. “It’s possible…”

After breakfast, Jin grabbed the bat from his room and waited for Lily outside the house. When she saw him carrying the bat on his shoulder, she pointed at it without uttering a word.

Nervously, Jin uttered. “Faster than a rock!”

She shrugged her shoulders in silence. She followed next to him and from time to time, she would look in his direction. The fact that his skin was cold worried her, but she didn’t want to say anything, therefore she quietly went with him.

For Jin and Lily to get to the hospital, they had to go past the housing area, almost outside the town’s borders. It rested at the tallest peak, and climbing could prove challenging. It wasn’t steep, but a car would be preferable.

Since a vehicle wasn’t an option, they gritted their teeth and climbed, one step at a time. It pleased and worried him the fact that he had no strange encounters so far. Not just the corpses, but living people as well. If he was alone, he wouldn’t care that much, but since Lily was with him, he felt he had to protect her, no matter what.

Just before they reached the hospital, there’s a wide angled curve that provided a clear viewing of the domineering structure atop. Several floors high, the tip almost pierced the clouds. Once they got closer, Jin slowed down his pace. He didn’t know what they would encounter, so he became more cautious.

Jin and Lily got as far as the gates until they heard something like a murmur. The closer they got, the louder it became. At some point, without them realizing it, the murmurs turned into growls. Lily gasped and took a step back. When Jin turned to look at her, she shook her head non-stop.

He signaled her to remain calm while he checked the situation in the hospital’s yard. Even though she was reluctant to let him take the risk, she agreed with a nod. Jin then slid the gate slightly and squeezed his head through the gap.

Once he peeked through, he saw a bunch of them aimlessly roaming around the hospital grounds. He sighed and pulled himself out. In a soft voice, he whispered. “No way, we are going through here…”

Before taking another step, they pondered over their options. Then Lily pointed at the walls surrounding the place. In a similar way, she whispered. “How about we check for another way in?”

Jin nodded. “Let’s do that.”

A tall wall, shrubs and bushes surrounded the hospital. When this started, the people inside must’ve felt safe. Jin thought of that while checking for ways to go in.

In their search to find another way, they discovered a part of the wall had gotten breached. There was debris lying around as if someone blew it up.

Jin peeked inside, ever so carefully, and looked around. Once he confirmed there was nothing to ambush them, he nodded to Lily that it was safe to enter. With his bat always resting on his shoulder, Jin approached the hospital’s side entrance. Jin gently used the lever, but he soon realized they had it locked. Without getting discouraged, he searched for other ways in, but after a while, he understood that luck wasn’t on his side.

Lily feared for the worst when there was no way inside the hospital. She kept pulling Jin’s shirt, urging him to leave. Jin, though, didn’t give up. Eventually, he noticed a window on the next floor. He pointed at it with a smile.

Lily shook her head and whispered. “It’s too high!”

It was indeed too high for them to climb, therefore Jin searched for something that could help get them closer. In his proximity, he couldn’t see anything that came close to what they needed. He expanded his area up to the garden, which was located closer to the hospital’s chapel.

The church was a few ways down the road from him on a different level from the hospital. Leaving the area of the hospital, a road led to the small chapel surrounded by roses, bushes, and other colorful flowers. That whole place came as a breath of freshness.

Lily’s worries seem to vanish the moment she laid eyes on that place. She let go of Jin’s shirt and walked towards it. She closed her eyes and took a deep breath. Jin joined her and took it all in.

Its tranquil existence made the occurrences of death seem obsolete. The chirping of birds reached their ears when they got closer. Their eloquent melody brought tears to Lily’s eyes. The whole scenery appeared to be out of place, and forced upon them, came the realization when a growl crept from behind them.