Zou Yue worriedly put soap on it, but the wound remained black as if someone had dropped ink over it. This kind of wound he was very familiar with. “Zombie bite!” he whispered with a deep frown.

The bite was not that deep, but it seems to have already transmitted the virus into his body, leaving behind the black cast of crusty white blood cells near the wound.

His hands started to shiver. He gently placed his little rat on the counter and gripped his hair. “This is bad…. very bad….. I should leave.” Staying here with his parents might put them at a greater risk if he changed back into a zombie.

“How did I even come in contact with it,” he ran back to his room in just his towels and searched for the news of the meteor. It was still a few months away from earth and the news even said that it was far from earth’s collision course. “Then how… how is the virus here already!!” he panicked.

Zou pulled out his duffel bag and started filling it up with clothes and essentials.

Hearing the loud scattering sounds, his mother worriedly poked her head in. “Zou, you should drink your warm milk.” she stepped in.

“no!! Don’t come close!!”

His mother froze by the doorway. Her sight went over to the scattered clothes totally disarray her son was in. “what is going on? Are you…. leaving again? If…. if it was your father’s gruff words, I can apologise, but please don’t leave. Please,” she begged, with tears in her eyes.

“mum… I have to, mum I have to. Or else you might as well…” he did not finish his sentence. He coldly zipped up his bag and took the rat with him, just in case this was the reason for the zombie virus. “I will be back.. by a few days.”

His mother stepped close, but Zou ran and stood near the walls. “Don’t come close, mum. Please don’t,” at the initial stages the virus was so contagious that being in the same room with an infected person would make them sick. “I’ll be back, I promise. Just stand far.”

“What is this ruckus about?” his father gruffly shouted with a glare.

“Dad…”

“Why are you packing your bags? You got bored of us so soon? Che, I should have known, you would not like this kind of life. You have always liked being in the spot light, anyway. Go back.. go back and don’t come back,” he waved with a dejected look. His little wrinkles became much more prominent as he frowned slightly.

“Dad, it’s not like that. Please just understand. I have to be away for a while. Just a while and…” his head started becoming fussy… “no… It’s too soon. I have to leave…” he stumbled forward.

His legs lost control, and he tiredly leaned against the bed side.

“‘Zou!!” his mum ran in and hugged him tight. “What is wrong, my child? Are you hurt?” she cried, but as she held his hand she felt the scotching heat of his skin. “Zou baba, he is burning up!!”

His father ran in and helped her lift him to the bed.

“No.. Don’t touch me… don’t touch me,”

His mother was stunned. This kind of adverse reaction to touch was only seen in persons who forced to provide sexual favors. As a psychologist, she had seen many such children in her sessions.

“Oh my baby,” she cried loudly. “You don’t think…. our little Zou what kind of treatment did he get in his modelling career? My poor baby was tortured by someone.” she hugged her husband.

Zou’s father’s hand gripped tightly in a fist. “Tell me who. I shall take care of that man.. I will fucking kill him for touching my baby son!!!”

Zou Yue was already in a dazed state.. He just tried to push his mother and father out the room but his hands just tiredly waved. ‘Who are they talking about? Do they know that I am researching about fan Xui…. lets come clean so that they leave the room.’ he gulped and mumbled, “fan.. fan….”

“You want a fan. Is it too hot? Wait, let me bring one in,” his mother ran out wiping her sad tears away.

On the other hand, his father stayed in the room with an unknown expression on his face. He gently caressed his forehead. “I will not let them hurt you anymore.. sleep. Sleep my baby,”

“Fan Xui…” Zou shed a small tear just before he lost consciousness.

Zou’s father eyes went sharp for a second. “His name is Fan Xui huh? I’ll see to him myself,”

“Zou baba shall we call the doctor or should we call the ambulance,”

“Wait, my friend’s son is a doctor,” he ran back to the landline and dialled the number he was more than familiar with.

“Hey, Zou Wei, you have the audacity to call!” a loud voice screeched from the other side.

“Old man, listen, my son is sick. Can you send your son over,” he said hurriedly. His friend silenced immediately.

“I’ll send my useless son over. Take good care of him until then.”

Just fifteen minutes later, Zou regained a tinge of his consciousness. Through his blurry eyes he saw his mother sitting next to him. ‘She is still close…. mum might get infected…’ he opened his dry mouth and whispered, “water…”

“Here.” she immediately handed a glass of warm water.

“No need it hot,”

“Oh I’ll heat it up for you.” she ran out the room.

He tiredly sat up and walked over to his door. He closed it from inside and bolted it. “I might have infected my parents…. god, why am I so useless,” he sobbed.

The little rat gently squeaked in front of him.

“Little one, how did you even come in contract this stupid virus,” he gently held it in his hand. The rat nudged his finger close and touched it with its paws. The black festering wound immediately disappeared.

Zou was more than stunned. “How….”

After a few years in apocalypse all the surviving humans developed a small amount of healing ability. Small scratched and bruises got healed over leaving behind scab.

But when this rat healed him, there were no scabs on it.

“It’s not healing… don’t tell me! Little one, you can manipulate time!!”

Author’s note:- Surprise surprise, yes from now on I shall be publishing 2 chapters per day.