9 – Asking for Help

“I don’t care. We have to go north.” Emily’s hands were shaking. “Or I will kill you.”

Cody sighed. “You can’t think straight because you’re too desperate. Your words make little sense.”

Emily’s tone got hoarse. “I have tried to go north alone, and I have faced many difficult obstacles. Like being kidnapped by that group… I can’t take it anymore… You have the power to fight evil humans and zombies.”

“If you shoot me, it’s the same. I died and I couldn’t protect you.” Cody lowered his rifle. “Sorry, but Gwen joined me first.”

Emily lowered the gun. “Gwen wanted to go south just to look for her one sister. Meanwhile, in the north there are my father and mother, as well as my younger siblings... There are more than one of them... They might still be there.”

Cody just gave Emily an icy stare.

“You have a family, right?” She walked over to the young man. “You should know how to worry about your family...”

“No, my family died a long time ago.” Cody interrupted and put on a faint smile. He then looked outside again. “We will go south first. After that, we will go wherever you want. I hope you understand.”

Emily closed her eyes to hold back her tears, then left the young man.

***

After leaving in the morning, they traveled for a while before stopping at a gas station.

“I think it’s not working, and the gas is running out.” Cody checked the damaged gas pump. “We can only use the car for a few more kilometers. After that, we had to walk.”

Gwen glanced at Emily, who stood a distance away, lost in thought. “She’s looked sad ever since this morning.”

“She wants to go north to check on her family.” Cody sighed. “I cannot agree with that request. You come with me first. I will take her to the north after arriving in the south.”

The blonde-haired woman looked at Cody, who turned to check another gas pump. “How about your family…”

“It looks like this is broken, too.” Cody interrupted Gwen’s words, then opened his system menu. “We’d better look for supplies at that convenience store.”

Before entering that store, Cody did a scan. There was one zombie found, and Cody wanted to control it to keep it away.

[You can’t control this zombie]

“Huh?” Cody raised an eyebrow. He didn’t expect such a text to appear on his system screen.

[Someone possesses this zombie]

“Get ready and stick together.” Cody took the rifle on his back. “There is something wrong.”

Emily and Gwen exchanged glances before drawing their guns. They then followed Cody to the convenience store.

In that place, they found collapsed shelves, items other than food scattered on the floor, and spots of dried blood.

As soon as they heard the growl, they aimed their weapons at one corner of the shop.

“Don’t…. Kill…” A zombie limped over from the counter. Its voice was masculine, sounded hoarse and almost inaudible. Meanwhile, its hand held out a piece of paper. “Help…. I….”

“Wait.” Cody made a hand signal for the others not to shoot, but he still raised his weapon.

“I know… You’re scared…. But…. Check this….” The zombie dropped the paper in his hand, then backed away. “Please, take it…. I won’t attack you...”

“What happened to this zombie?” Emily commented. “He still has consciousness?”

As he was taking the paper, Cody found it was a map. The lines used are irregular, like those made by a child who has just learned to draw. Even so, it was still quite comprehensible.

“I was there…. Trapped…. In the building I circled...” the zombie continued. “Please, help me…. This is not my body…. I just possessed it...”

Frank looked at the picture of the building in question, then spoke again to the zombie. “Are you a system user? Is your ability to possess zombies?”

The zombie nodded with a stiff movement. “You…. That’s right...”

“Should we help him?” Emily whispered. “He could be like Brigg.”

Gwen chimed in with a shaky voice. “But what if he really needs help?”

“You guys believe in a talking zombie?” Emily massaged her forehead. “Well, whatever the decision, I’m going with you. I don’t think it’s possible to argue with you guys.”

Cody looked at the paper map again, considering several possibilities.

***

In the end, Cody went to the location pointed out by that strange zombie.

“You two are too kind. How can you help strangers who can possess zombies?” Emily, who was sitting in the back seat, sighed. “But if you weren’t good, you wouldn’t have saved me, though.”

“Cody was the one who played a big role in saving you, Emily,” Gwen answered as she continued driving. “I’m just helped a bit.”

“You played a big role too, Gwen.” Cody was still studying the map in his hand. “Well, I’m not a person with high morals standard…. It’s just, as humans, we should do that, right?”

Emily shrugged. “Yeah, that’s a natural thing. Helping others.”

“Ah, turn right, Gwen.”.

Gwen obeyed Cody’s orders and immediately stepped on the brake pedal, making them jolt forward.

“Hey, what….” Emily was about to protest, but after looking forward, she gasped hard.

“Damn... He didn’t say it would be this much.” Cody found a lot of zombies in the distance crowded around a small four-story hotel building.

It brought back memories of what happened to him and Gwen when they found themselves surrounded by many living corpses.