13 – A Farm

Three days have passed since they met Mike. Cody controlled four zombies to defeat several other walking corpses in front of a mini market on the edge of town.

Two of Cody’s zombies use shovels as weapons. One uses a baseball bat, while the other uses his bare hands.

Opponents showed no resistance, because they were unaware of Cody and others hiding behind a distant car.

“Soon we can check that place.” Cody said as he peeked out from behind a car. Not getting any answer, he glanced at Gwen and Emily, who had blank expressions and said nothing.

Gwen still experienced trauma after shooting Mike, while Emily’s thoughts remained focused on her hometown in the North. It was natural that they were reluctant to talk.

Cody can only hope that their condition doesn’t drag on and endanger their own mental health.

[Level Up]

Cody obliterated all of those zombies and was now level 7. During the few days of travel, he has exterminated quite a lot of zombies.

“Let’s go.” Cody patted the two women on the shoulders. The young man scanned the area, making sure no other zombies.

Even when they walked towards the mini market, both Gwen and Emily still didn’t speak.

“I want to unlock this possession skill, but I’m still thinking about it.” Cody spoke while opening his skills menu. “There are still some other locked skills I find useful.”

Still no response. Cody said random things so that there would be a little conversation between them. The young man feared he would lose his sanity without social interaction for a long time.

However, Cody didn’t blame them.

Passing by the zombie’s corpses, Cody and the others raised their face masks. The smell emitted by nearly ten of them was highly unpleasant.

“This….” Finally, Emily opened her mouth when they entered the mini market. “Isn’t this too clean for an abandoned place?”

Despite the empty shelves, no scattered items were found. There’s just dust on the floor.

“What is that?” Cody quickened his steps when he found several piles of transparent plastic packages on one shelf.

“Are they jerky?” Emily caught up with Cody when she realized that the plastic packages contained thin, brown food with a fibrous texture.

Cody opened one package and sniffed it. “It looks like it’s safe to eat.”

The savory aroma of the food made Cody’s mouth water. Over the past few days, he and the others had to conserve their little food supplies.

Cody bit the jerky while Emily opened another packet. 

“Whoever put this here, I thank you.” Emily then bite that food

Both of them ate that salty food so fast. Cody thoroughly enjoyed the jerky, either due to hunger or its deliciousness.

“Go on.” Emily spoke to Gwen while chewing. “Or do you not like pork?”

Instead of picking up the jerky, Emily focused on a piece of paper lying near to the food. “This…. Norris Farm address?”

“Norris Farm?” Cody also checked the paper with directions to an address. “That’s the place in the south that was mentioned in the broadcast you were referring to, right?”

Gwen nodded. He then read the last sentence on the paper, “We will welcome you. Please, visit us.”

***

“I know this is a brilliant idea. We don’t have to walk or let those smelly zombies carry us.” Emily, this time taking her turn at the wheel, looked in the rearview mirror. “But I still feel strange about this. I never imagined driving a car powered not by petrol or electricity, but by dead flesh.”

Cody chuckled. “Well, we were lucky to find a small car that was unlocked, still fairly intact, and with no flat tires. I’ve wanted to execute this idea, but couldn’t find a suitable car until now.”

The silver coupe’s engine was not turned on. Four zombies pushed that car from behind. It was not fast, but still better than the energy-draining walk. Also, the simple, monotonous instructions for the zombies wouldn’t drain Cody’s stamina too much.

After more than half an hour’s journey, they arrived in a rural area with unpaved roads.

“Ah, that’s it.” Emily leaned her head forward to make sure that what she saw was correct. “That’s Norris Farm.”

“Stop the car, Emily.” Cody gave the order while they were still quite far from the gate.

Emily braked. “What’s wrong, Cody?”

“Don’t you see anything strange about them?” Cody was referring to the two guards in cowboy hats under the Norris Farm sign.

Emily frowned as she observed the two individuals. “I see nothing out of ordinary….” She then gasped hard.

Gwen, who was sitting in the back, joined in. “They are zombies?”

From a distance, it takes more observation to notice some disfigured properties of their face.

“We go out and stay alert.” Seeing the two figures approaching the car while continuing to wave, Frank came out carrying his rifle. Then Gwen and Emily followed.

Even though there was no ammunition on the rifle, he could still use it for bluff.

“Wow….” one zombie, dressed in red, grimaced at the sight of Cody’s zombies walking forward. “Have they gained consciousness like us?”

“So, you guys aren’t someone who possesses those zombies?” Cody asked, while aiming at those figures.

“Possessed?” the red shirt one asked back. “What do you mean? Our consciousness returned because of someone…. Ah, how rude I’m not introducing myself. Name’s Jason and this is my little brother Tommy.”

Instead of introducing himself, the little brother in green approached Gwen with his chin down. Cody controls his zombies to protect that blonde-haired woman.

“You’re Gwen Bellucci. That famous singer….” Tommy’s mouth, a third of it destroyed, curved into a smile. “Your older sister is Helena, right? She is with us.”

Gwen’s hand holding the gun was shaking. Her eyes also opened wider. Her small mouth let out a whisper. “What?”