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Monday, March 4th, 2024
Luo Binghe groaned, his whole body hurting as he tried to chase the zombies away. By his side, Shen Jiu was breathing hard, fighting just as hard with a heavy frown on his beautiful face.
They’ve been surviving together for… weeks? Months? Luo Binghe didn’t even know anymore. All he knew was that his hot (and honestly grumpy) neighbor saved his ass right before a zombie was ready to kill him and eat his viscera for breakfast.
For some reason, he believed that the two of them were the only people alive in their building complex, but there was no way to be sure; they had no contact with the outside world, no internet or phone signal, no power, no batteries. It was, indeed, the zombie apocalypse Luo Binghe feared his whole life… and he wanted to shame himself for not being ready for that.
He grew up watching zombie movies. He (supposedly) knew what to do, but everything was completely different when it happened in real life.
Movies didn’t really convey the pain, the desperation, the panic, the fear… movies didn’t portray how absolutely horrifying it was to watch the people he learned to care about becoming mindless monsters, ready to kill everything in their path.
Movies were never accurate when it came to the anxiety the lack of supplies, of human contact and of hope, caused. Nothing would ever be remotely similar to the real experience, and Luo Binghe was sure he would be dead by now if it wasn’t for Shen Jiu.
His neighbor… well. He had been trying to woo that gorgeous human being ever since their eyes met for the first time. For some reason, Shen Jiu made his heart beat faster, almost like he was about to have a heart attack, and his whole body responded in kind. That grumpy, petite man had an arrogant air about him, his haughty eyes and deep frown always teasing Luo Binghe, making him imagine how it would feel to kiss his delectable neighbor and make him lose his composure…
And it felt like Shen Jiu could read his thoughts… or, at least, he could read Luo Binghe’s intentions pretty well, because he didn’t give his younger neighbor a single opening to approach him. Actually, he was almost cruel in his contempt, ignoring Luo Binghe whenever he tried to talk to him.
It was frustrating, but he liked the thrill of the chase. And he never gave up on what he set his eyes on.
But, of course, the end of the world had to come and ruin all of Luo Binghe’s plans… until Shen Jiu saved him.
He couldn’t help but feel impressed by his neighbor’s prowess; the man knew how to fight. And also, his house was stocked with food and water, much better prepared than Luo Binghe’s. It was almost like Shen Jiu expected something like this to happen…
“Covid is not over yet, and the government warned about this… mess. I wasn’t about to go through another quarantine without taking precautions,” Shen Jiu explained when Luo Binghe asked one day, making the younger man sigh in pure infatuation.
He liked his men smart, after all.
“What are we going to do if we are the only ones alive in this apocalypse, A-Jiu?”
Shen Jiu gave him a serious and determined look, making Luo Binghe shiver due to its intensity.
“We survive. Even if we are the only ones, you are not allowed to give up. We will survive,” he said that day, his strength of will so evident that Luo Bighe couldn’t help but fall for him all over again.
And, on that same day, Shen Jiu finally decided to accept his advances. Maybe it was because they were alone in this, or maybe Luo Binghe’s rizz finally worked… but when he took his neighbor’s lips in a hesitant kiss, he was met with no resistance.
Shen Jiu kissed just like he fought; hard, well and intense, as if he wanted to devour Luo Binghe whole. And their bodies entangled in a sensual dance, where both of them fought for control, and none of them lost that battle. Luo Binghe wanted time to stop… he wanted to live at that moment forever. He wanted to have Shen Jiu in his arms for the rest of his life, but he should have learned that things never really went according to his plans. Ever.
The days he spent with Shen Jiu were possibly the happiest of his life. Sure, his neighbor was strict and had a sarcastic sense of humor, but he was beautiful. Perfect. Like a cat, who needed time and trust to actually let someone else approach… but when he did, he became docile and demanding under Luo Binghe’s care.
They understood each other well, they talked a lot and traded book recommendations. Luo Binghe devoured half of Shen Jiu’s private library in the days they spent together, while the older man was writing poetry or drawing beautiful landscapes. It was domestic and peaceful (if he ignored the groaning and yells of the zombies outside, and the absolute stench of death that permeated throughout their whole building complex).
But, one day, everything went to hell. And Luo Binghe would never forgive himself for that.
They ran out of water, as it was expected, and decided to elaborate a plan to get more. Their complex had a small convenience store on the first floor, and that was their best bet; food, water and supplies available, and less effort. The problem was: they didn’t really know what was the state of their building and what to do to get downstairs.
Luo Binghe suggested that they should investigate together, and that was exactly what led them to their current predicament.
There was no way out. They were surrounded, there were just too many zombies for both of them to take down by themselves.
There was no hope. It was the end, he was sure of that.
And he couldn’t help but think about the beautiful days they spent together in Shen Jiu’s tiny apartment, talking and getting to know each other better. He couldn’t help but remember the taste of Shen Jiu’s mouth, the urgency of his kisses, the warmth of his body…
Luo Binghe had no one. No parents, no family and barely any friends. He had nothing to live for… until Shen Jiu installed hope in heart, making him want to survive all their hardships and build a life together with his beautiful neighbor.
There was no life to live anymore…
At least, they would die together… and that was enough, right?
It had to be enough… because Luo Binghe had nothing else to cling to. His life had been made of pain and isolation, of rejection, and when he finally had a taste of what happiness could feel like…
“Binghe!” Shen Jiu hissed by his side, slapping his face to bring him back to reality. “Listen to me!”
“A-Jiu…” He mumbled, trying to hold back the tears that welled up in his eyes. “We are going to die, aren’t we?”
“Shut up, brat. You are not going to die here, so I need you to listen to me!” He spoke with urgency, holding Luo Binghe’s hand and squeezing it tightly. “I’ll buy you time. If you look to your right, you’ll see that there aren’t as many zombies there as the other sides… so when I charge at them, you run to that corridor and get away from this place. Do you hear me?!”
Luo Binghe started shaking, his eyes wide in pure disbelief. What was Shen Jiu saying? What was he suggesting?!
“You… you said we were going to survive. You said we weren’t going to die…” He stuttered, holding the older man by the shoulders and squeezing them. “You can’t sacrifice yourself like this…”
Shen Jiu gave him a bitter smile, lifting his arm to show a deep and bloody bite mark that made Luo Binghe’s whole body freeze in pure terror.
No…
No. It couldn’t be.
It couldn’t be!
Not him… not his A-Jiu! Luo Binghe knew he wouldn’t be able to go on without him… he knew he wouldn’t last a single day.
“A-Jiu…” He cried out, the tears he tried to control finally spilling down his face. “I… please…”
“I’ll buy you some time, so you need to go. I don’t have much time before turning, and–”
“You can’t die here. I love you, you can’t leave me here!” Luo Binghe screamed, shaking him by the shoulders as pure panic flooded his system. He ignored the zombies approaching, the foul smell of rotting corpses making him want to gag and vomit, but he couldn’t care less.
Shen Jiu’s expression contorted in pain, and he closed his eyes, taking in a shaky breath and holding Luo Binghe’s wrists.
“Don’t give up, brat… please…” His voice was small and full of sorrow as he took Luo Binghe’s hands away from his shoulders. “What we had… I’ll always treasure it. Even after I’m dead, because that’s the nature of humankind. Life is flimsy, Binghe. Everything is temporary, this was merely one of those things. You have your whole life ahead of you still… live it to the fullest and remember me. As long as you remember me, I’ll still be alive inside you.”
Luo Binghe couldn’t stop crying. His whole body convulsed as he watched the only person he ever loved in his life throwing himself on a horde of zombies just to buy him time, just to keep him alive.
And a deep rage consumed him from the inside out as he saw the monsters biting into Shen Jiu’s skin, tearing muscles, tendons and bones as his neighbor screamed in pure agony and urged Luo Binghe to go, to run, to survive.
“Fuck this shit!”
It was the last thing he said, before grabbing the broom he had been using as a weapon and running towards the corridor Shen Jiu secured for him.
He wanted to fulfill his beloved’s wishes. He wanted to live, to move on, to remember him and keep his memory alive… but when he looked through a window, Luo Binghe realized that his worst fears had come true.
The sea of zombies outside the building complex only showed that there was no way out. He had nowhere to go, no place to hide. And when he turned back to get a last glimpse of Shen Jiu…
He saw his neighbor laying dead on the floor, his guts and organs spilled around as the monsters devoured every single part of him.
Luo Binghe’s whole body shuddered in pain and revulsion as he vomited, unable to watch that cruel scene anymore.
There was only one thing he could do… one thing that still gave him enough control over his own life.
And so, he walked towards the window and climbed it as fast as he could, avoiding the zombies that were quickly approaching. Taking a deep breath, Luo Binghe closed his eyes and allowed himself to remember the last few weeks.
Shen Jiu’s smile and the cute way he bit his lips when he was focused on a task.
Shen Jiu’s sweet smell of jasmine and green tea, his beautiful face, his silky long hair. The sound of his voice, his flustered face when Luo Binghe managed to get him all embarrassed, his green eyes…
Shen Jiu’s hug, Shen Jiu’s warmth, Shen Jiu’s presence…
Shen Jiu…
Until darkness claimed him. And there wasn’t anything anymore.
Luo Binghe, just like Shen Jiu, was no more.
-
Thursday, January 18th, 2024
The sound of the alarm made him jolt awake, gasping and looking around in pure panic. Luo Binghe grabbed his phone to stop the incessant noise, frowning when he noticed the date.
He had too many questions to be able to get a single answer, but the fact that he was in his bedroom, alive and whole, meant that it had all been a dream.
Breathing out a sigh of relief, he chuckled to himself while rubbing his face like an idiot… of course it had all been a dream! Zombies weren’t a thing, and he probably should stop watching horror movies before going to bed (not that he remembered watching one yesterday, but it didn’t matter). Also, maybe he should also grow a pair and ask his hot neighbor out, because dreaming about having a whole damn life with Shen Jiu in the middle of a zombie apocalypse was too pathetic, even for him.
With his newfound sense of relief, Luo Binghe got out of bed and marched towards the kitchen, wanting a cup of really strong coffee to chase away the lingering fear from that damn nightmare. As he scrolled through his phone, he felt his whole body freezing in absolute shock, almost dropping the device.
“The Ministry of Health announces that this new virus is not any Covid variant, but a completely new disease. Not much is known about it yet, but…”
January 18th…
The day before everything went to hell.
“It is advised for the public to not leave their homes, unless extremely necessary. Classes are canceled, and the government is studying the possibility of shutting down public transportation…”
The same announcement. The same news.
Luo Binghe thought he was going insane, his heart beating a mile per second. Did he go back in time?! Was it some kind of joke? He didn’t know, but he was aware that things were going to go down fast, and he didn’t have much time.
With a determined frown, Luo Binghe got dressed and started planning everything in his head. Provisions, water, heat, candles, fire… he knew exactly what to get, what to do, and how to save his own life.
But his main goal wasn’t to save himself…
If his dream, or previous life, had been correct, Shen Jiu sacrificed himself just so Luo Binghe could keep on living. And he died anyway, because he was a loser and because the world was ending, but things would be different this time.
This time, he would be the one saving Shen Jiu… and, this time, both of them would survive.
He would make sure of that.
But a knock on his door brought Luo Binghe back to reality, and he opened it only to see the haunted look in his hot neighbor’s eyes.
Did Shen Jiu also…?
Did he…
“Grocery store. Now,” Shen Jiu started, not giving Luo Binghe a single second to breathe or to feel the relief of having him back and alive once again. “You get the water, I’ll get the food. When we return, we need to fill every single empty container with water. I think I know a way to–”
And Luo Binghe kissed him, interrupting the flow of words and almost smiling in the middle of it. He couldn’t resist kissing that grumpy, beautiful man, who seemed to have everything figured out…
He really liked his men smart, after all.
“You are not allowed to die this time,” he declared after breaking the kiss, staring into Shen Jiu’s eyes with a soft smile. “I’m not losing you again.”
His neighbor rolled his eyes, but blushed, frowning and looking away in embarrassment.
“No one is going to die. We will survive.”
And that promise sealed their fate, since neither of them was willing to waste their second chance. The world could end, but Luo Binghe wasn’t going to lose Shen Jiu a second time… he promised himself as he took his neighbor’s hand and led him towards the grocery store.
“I’ve always hated zombies anyway…”
THE END