Pregnant During An Apocalypse [BL]-Chapter 202 - Mimic zombie

The sky had deepened into a bruised purple, the clouds lit faintly by the last flickers of sunlight. Every hour that passed brought them closer to midnight—closer to the promised bombing that would level the city into dust.

Yunfeng and the others moved cautiously through the skeleton of the city, avoiding the main roads, ducking into alleyways, hugging the shadows. Each step was slow and deliberate. Each breath was a silent prayer.

The tire tracks at the mall—deep, hasty, and still fresh—were their only lead. They stretched across cracked pavement and past burnt-out cars, all pointing in one direction: the city barricade.

Yunfeng walked at the front, his weapon drawn but his eyes constantly scanning the horizon for any signs—of movement, of danger... of him.

He kept thinking of Muchen. His smile, his voice. The way his hands had always felt too warm, the way his heartbeat would race after a kiss. He’s heading out. He’s trying to survive, Yunfeng reminded himself again and again, clinging to it like a lifeline.

Behind him, Grandpa Kailun wheezed quietly, but the old man never once asked to rest.

They passed through an abandoned pharmacy. Yunfeng found a nearly-empty water bottle and an old hair tie that looked like one Hana used to wear. He pocketed it without a word.

The zombies were few, distracted by distant noises or feeding on corpses in the alleys. But even so, every shuffle of boots, every creak of metal, every gust of wind made their hearts hammer in fear.

It took hours. Every block they crossed drained them more.

But Yunfeng didn’t care. His legs were sore, his eyes dry from lack of blinking—but he would crawl to the barricade if he had to.

On the other side of the city, Muchen and the others were already racing toward the same destination.

The two bikes sped across the empty roads, tires screaming slightly as they swerved to avoid debris and overturned trucks. The air rushed past their ears like a living thing, drowning out the sounds of distant moans and the soft crying of Yuki clinging to Hana’s back.

They had made great progress. Not a single zombie had managed to keep up with their roaring machines.

Shao was perched behind Muchen, and he leaned forward, shouting over the wind, "Muchen! Are you sure Yunfeng might be there?!"

"I think so!" Muchen shouted back. "If he’s not there, we’ll come back and search for him!"

Zei laughed from the other bike, speeding ahead, flipping a bird back toward the fading city. "We’ll be out before the fireworks start!"

But then—

A voice.

Soft.

Distant.

Muffled.

"...Muchen..."

Muchen’s eyes widened. His body jerked slightly in reaction. That voice—it was unmistakable.

It was him.

Yunfeng.

"YUNFENG!!!" Muchen screamed.

The bike wobbled dangerously, nearly skidding off the road. He pulled it to a stop so suddenly Shao slammed into his back.

"Wha—what’s wrong!?"

"I heard him!" Muchen shouted, leaping off the bike. "He called me. He said my name!"

The others slowed down, Zei circling back, expression wary.

"You sure it wasn’t in your head?" Shao asked, his tone unkind but not unfeeling.

"No." Muchen’s voice shook, his chest heaving. "No... I know his voice. I know it like I know my own heartbeat."

His eyes darted around wildly. Trees. Concrete.

And then—another sound was heard.

It was coming from the overpass just a few meters away.

Footsteps.

"Muchen?!"

It was louder now. Closer.

He turned toward the sound so fast he almost fell. His eyes scanned the shadows of the overpass.

Muchen’s heart leapt in relief when he saw the silhouette under the overpass.

A figure stood tehre in the shadow.

"Yunfeng!!" he shouted in joy. His feet were already moving before his mind could catch up.

He raced toward the figure, arms beginning to open as if he could already feel his lover’s warmth.

But then—

The voice replied.

"...Yunfeng..."

It was low and raspy. It sounded Wrong.

No it sounded like him!

It mimicked his tone perfectly.

Muchen skidded to a stop, just a few feet away from the tunnel’s gaping mouth. His eyes widened, his breath caught.

"...Yunfeng?" he called again, but this time with hesitation.

The figure didn’t respond with words.

Only the same broken echo came from inside. "Yun...feng...?"

His stomach dropped. His spine iced over.

That’s not him.

"It’s a zombie!" he screamed, heart clenching as he stumbled backward. "Run!"

The shadow moved.

Fast.

Terrifyingly fast.

It shot out of the underpass like a phantom, limbs flailing but unnaturally smooth in its pursuit. The streetlight flickered above, revealing her face for the first time.

She was a middle-aged woman—once beautiful, now a grotesque remnant of what she had been.

Her skin was greyed, patches peeling from her jawline where blood had dried like rust. Her left cheek had been torn, revealing teeth beneath, twisted in a forever-smile. Her eyes were bloodshot, milky, and full of hunger. Her hair, still curled and pinned with jeweled clips, bounced as she dashed, and her torn cocktail dress glimmered with grime.

One of her legs dragged as she moved—it was twisted, bones poking unnaturally at the skin. But that didn’t slow her. If anything, she seemed faster than the others. Too fast.

"Shit—" Shao cursed, raising the pistol.

He fired.

The bullet whizzed and tore through her shoulder. She barely flinched. Blood burst from the wound, but she didn’t stop.

She screeched.

A horrible, bone-chilling sound that echoed down the street like a warning.

Muchen’s hand trembled as he reached behind his back, fingers fumbling at his belt loop until they closed around the cold grip of his gun. He yanked it out just as the creature leapt, arms stretched forward—

Bang!

The shot rang out clean and loud.

The woman’s skull cracked backward, her whole body jerking mid-air before collapsing just inches from Muchen’s boots.

She twitched once. Then lay still.

Breathing hard, Muchen stood over her body, gun still pointed at the corpse. His hands shook.

Shao rushed over, eyes wide, face pale. "Holy hell—was that... was that a mimic?"

"I don’t know." Muchen’s voice came out hoarse. "But it... it sounded just like me. Like I said his name."

He looked down at the corpse, bile rising in his throat. "She remembered a name. My voice. That’s not a normal zombie."

Hana and Jai caught up seconds later, pulling Yuki behind them.

"Is it over?" Hana asked softly, watching the unmoving body.

"For now," Muchen muttered, wiping sweat from his brow. "But we need to move. Fast. If that thing was mimicking us, who knows how many more are evolving."

He glanced back toward the overpass, still dark and yawning like the mouth of some great beast.

That could’ve been Yunfeng. I thought I found him again... His chest ached at the memory of joy that had bloomed and withered in seconds.

But he swallowed it down.

No time for grief that hadn’t happened.

He holstered the gun and looked toward the path ahead. "Let’s go. If Yunfeng’s not here, he must have gone towards the city boarders. We get to the barricade. If he’s ahead of us, we’ll find him there.