Ch. 08 - A Mother's Tears

Lady Coral was a woman of integrity. Long pitch-black hair and the bluest eyes. Her beauty could topple cities if she wished. Her relatively small stature didn’t pose a threat. They even underestimated her. Many desired her slim body with curves at the right places and slender waist, but none ever tried anything. She never cared for anything or anyone else other than her husband and her son. They could only envy from afar.

Beloved by her family and friends, she lived her life with her husband and son in a small town called Colby. Even though she declined her family’s fortune, they still listened and respected her.

When her father died, she didn’t fight for her inheritance. She had no desire for that wealth. She only cared about her family’s wellbeing. Even when they approached her to side with either of her brothers, she refused.

Although they didn’t like it, they accepted and respected her wishes. She left that part of herself behind and focused on raising her son, whom she loved dearly, and enjoyed the life her husband provided. They didn’t swim in reaches but had love in their home and that was enough for her. 

Once that dreadful evening was minutes away, Coral and her husband were about to go on a trip for the weekend. She jumped on her husband like a child and woke him up from his afternoon nap. Even though he was still drowsy and grumpy, he couldn’t say no to her.

They got out of the house and saw their neighborhood in a frenzy. Both stared at the people running around like headless chickens, bumping into one another. Her husband saw a neighbor on the ground and got worried. “Hey, what happened? Are you okay?”

Holding his wife’s hand, they approached the man in the street. They heard him groaning, but he didn’t move. Coral noticed web-like dark veins on the back of his neck and nudged her husband. “What’s that?”

While he was about to examine him, the siren of the national emergency podcast rang and interrupted him. Startled, he turned his gaze away and into the distance. From the speakers attached to the electricity poles, a message played through. “Everyone go back into your houses, and a team of doctors will be with you shortly!”

“Doctors? What’s happening?”

Coral shook her head. She grabbed her husband’s hand and pulled it, urging him to get into the car. “Let’s go. Jin is waiting for us…”

“But they…”

Coral interrupted him. “I don’t care!” Her voice came out confident and clear. “If something happens, he will be all alone. Let’s get our son first and come back to our home.”

He gave up. Unable to go against her will, he sighed and grabbed her hand. He looked at her with a painted smile on his face. “We should get the keys, then.”

The couple walked back to their home. Just before they went through the door, Coral felt bad for that person on the street. She checked back to see him, but he was already gone. She let go of her husband’s hand to look around.

A growl from the side startled her. She turned her gaze to where it was coming from, and she saw a man with bloodshot eyes and web-like veins on the neck coming at her. She squealed and tripped the moment she stepped back.

Her husband rushed to her side and grabbed her before falling down. When he saw the man coming at her, he stepped in front of Coral to cut him off. Once he saw how frightened she was, he lost it and punched the man in the face. “How dare you!”

As he turned around and grabbed Coral’s hand to go back into the house, they heard the growl behind them. They turned around and saw that same man coming at them once more. He stood in front of his wife again and together; they took small steps backward. “There’s definitely something wrong with him…”

Another growl crept from the side. He slammed his elbow on the other one’s face and with the other hand gave a gentle push to Coral to get her in the house. The undead grabbed his hand and took a bite on his elbow. He punched it repeatedly until it let go of his hand and went back inside.

He took a few steps and fell to the ground in front of the petrified Coral. Blood poured on the floor ceaselessly. Her husband agonized in pain as he held on to his torn elbow. Without giving it a second thought, she grabbed a towel from the kitchen counter and wrapped his arm.

It didn’t take long for the white fabric to change colors. With that small body of hers, she found the strength to pick him up. Coral grabbed the keys and helped him to the car through the back door.

As she drove her husband to the hospital, Coral tried to keep him calm. She patted his head and talked to him. Despite the situation she was in, her heart shattered in pieces when the thought of something like that might’ve happened to her son.

Even though his mind was in and out because of the pain, he still glimpsed his wife’s troubled face. In a calm voice and steady tone, he uttered. “Jin is a strong young man. He will be fine!”

Coral heard her husband’s words and nodded in relief. Her focus cleared and sped to the hospital. Once there, she rushed inside and brought a few nurses and a cart to get him inside.

While she waited patiently in the hall, she saw a man walking in. They had never met before today. “Someone… Someone help my wife.”

A nurse approached him with a wheelchair. “What happened to her?”

“A maniac ran her over with his car…”

Not before long. Screams came out of her husband's room. The nurses rushed out bloodied. Coral ran towards them frantically. “What’s going on…?”

They ignored her and ran the other way, knocking the man’s wife from the wheelchair while doing so. Soon, Coral could hear a growl. She inhaled a mouthful of air from the shock and forgot to exhale it. Her husband with bloodshot eyes and web-like veins on his neck walked out.

Her now turned husband recognized nothing. He simply kneeled in front of the injured woman and started chewing her alive. Jorge, who carried in his injured wife, lost it. His tears dried the moment he saw this. He broke the emergency glass and took the axe. With a single swing, he cut off his head and threw away the axe.

Coral dropped to her knees, sobbing as her dead husband’s head rolled in front of her.