Lost Land (GL)

Chapter 6: The Sixth Night

In a silent agreement, neither of them spoke, though both secretly hoped the other would break the eerie silence.

The air was thick, the darkness heavy around them.

Darkness had a way of breeding negative emotions.

Mo Ran stared into the pitch-black classroom, her fingers clenched around the fabric of the raincoat.

She had killed a zombie today, a zombie that had once been a young girl, full of life and vitality, just like her.

The realization hit her like a physical blow, a wave of nausea washing over her. She had taken a life, a human life, a life that had been ripped away by this monstrous plague. The weight of her actions, the chilling reality of her situation, pressed down on her, suffocating her with its cold, unforgiving truth.

She was no longer just a student, a girl who had been caught in this nightmare. She was a survivor, a killer, a warrior in a world that had been turned upside down. And she had no idea if she could handle the burden of this new reality.

"But what if she was still a person?" Zhang Wanying's words echoed in her mind. What if that zombie was still human? What if she could still feel pain?

Then she would be a murderer... Mo Ran bit her lip, the taste of blood a metallic reminder of the horror she had witnessed.

"I'm sorry," a soft voice broke the silence, a whisper in the oppressive darkness.

Mo Ran, caught off guard, blinked in confusion. "What are you apologizing for?"

Zhang Wanying, her eyes half-closed, stared at her fingertips, lost in thought.

"I want to apologize for what I said to you earlier," her voice, soft and melodious, held a hint of sorrow. "When you were trying to save me, I said such awful things. I was just a bystander, judging you, offering useless advice..."

Mo Ran, after a moment's reflection, understood. If it weren't for the impossible circumstances, she would have thought they were telepathic, their minds connected by an invisible thread.

The oppressive weight of guilt lifted slightly, replaced by a wave of understanding. Mo Ran's voice softened. "There's no need to apologize. It wasn't your fault. Most people would have reacted worse in that situation... Uh, I'm not saying you reacted badly. Honestly, I think you were pretty strong."

She stumbled over her words, wishing she could slap herself. She wasn't usually this clumsy with words. What was wrong with her today?

Maybe it was because Zhang Wanying was someone she usually disliked. But now... she didn't seem so bad after all.

Zhang Wanying listened to Mo Ran's awkward attempt at comfort, a strange mixture of amusement and tenderness washing over her. This girl was so... clumsy, so endearingly naïve.

"So, next time we encounter a zombie, let me handle it," the girl's voice, soft and soothing, echoed in the classroom, a balm to Mo Ran's troubled mind.

Mo Ran's eyes flickered, her fingers loosening their grip on the raincoat. The darkness seemed less terrifying, less oppressive.

Her heart skipped a beat, a rapid thump-thump that felt strangely out of place.

"Let's sleep," Mo Ran said, her voice a bit frantic, as if trying to mask something.

"Okay," the other girl replied, her voice soft and agreeable.

Oh, my.

Mo Ran pressed a hand to her chest, her heart pounding wildly. What was going on? Was she having a heart attack?