Mutation

Chapter 11: Shattered Trust in a Broken World

The chilling sound of flesh being torn echoed through the air as the zombie sank its teeth into the man’s shoulder. His agonized scream pierced the night, raw and desperate, but soon faltered as he collapsed to the ground, lifeless. In that moment of chaos, Ruo Lili seized her chance. While the undead feasted, she sprinted up the staircase, her heart racing with adrenaline and fear.

I had been controlling my drone, capturing every horrifying detail. The camera zoomed in on the man’s face, and a cold realization hit me like a slap: he looked exactly like Mao Mao, Ruo Lili’s son. This man wasn’t just another victim; he was Mao Mao’s biological father.

Once I had the footage securely stored, I maneuvered the drone back to my side. My mind raced with the implications of what I had just witnessed. I had to share this discovery with someone who could unravel the truth. With a few taps on my phone, I uploaded the video to WeChat and sent it directly to Liang Zhiyong, Ruo Lili’s partner.

Moments later, my phone lit up as Zhiyong’s face appeared on the screen. He picked up his phone, confusion quickly transforming into disbelief, then rage. He bolted out of his room, where Ruo Lili had just returned from her ill-fated trip downstairs.

“Lili! What the hell happened?” he demanded, his voice low but thick with tension.

“I—I just went to get some food!” she stammered, her eyes darting nervously to the half-empty plastic bag clutched in her trembling hands. “But it spilled everywhere, and there were zombies down there! It was terrifying!”

For a brief moment, his expression softened, concern flickering in his eyes. “And where’s the food, then?”

She cast a guilty glance at the ground, where scraps of her earlier mission lay scattered. “I think it leaked… I’m sorry. I was just scared!”

Zhiyong’s demeanor shifted. “Don’t worry about it, Lili. Tomorrow, I’ll go out and find something. You don’t need to stress.”

I couldn’t bear to witness their naïve trust in each other any longer. The drone footage I had sent was about to unravel everything. I pressed play on the video, allowing the truth to seep into their fragile reality.

His face morphed from confusion to horror as the footage played out—the horrific attack, the terror, and then the unmistakable image of the man, now revealed as a zombie. “Ruo Lili, is Mao Mao really my son?” he thundered, disbelief and anger battling for dominance in his voice.

“Of course he is!” she cried, but her bravado crumbled as Zhiyong held up his phone, displaying the haunting images captured moments before. “Who is that, then?”

Panic washed over her, and she stuttered, “I can explain! That’s my ex-husband, but Mao Mao is definitely yours!”

“Still lying?” Zhiyong advanced, rage propelling him forward. He snatched the terrified Mao Mao from her grasp, the child’s cries echoing through the cramped space. “Look at this face! He’s a carbon copy of that man in the video. You’re telling me he’s my son?”

Ruo Lili’s mouth opened, ready to defend herself, but Zhiyong was too far gone in his fury. He struck her hard, the sound reverberating like a thunderclap in the quiet room. “How could you betray me like this?”

Each blow struck like a hammer, and she fell silent, trembling. “I can explain! Just listen to me!” she pleaded, tears streaming down her cheeks, her body shaking with fear and disbelief.

But he was relentless, fury fueling his actions. “You thought you could hide this from me? You think I wouldn’t find out?”

Just then, Liang’s mother burst into the room, having overheard the commotion. “What’s going on?” she yelled, eyes wide with shock.

“Help me!” Zhiyong shouted, and together, mother and son overpowered Ruo Lili. They bound her hands with rope and shoved her into a nearby storage closet. In the frenzy, little Mao Mao was shoved aside, a rag hastily stuffed into his mouth to muffle his cries.

“This woman is evil! I knew something was off!” Liang’s mother declared, crossing her arms, disgust etched on her face.

“I never thought she could sink this low!” Zhiyong spat, fists clenched in rage. “If it weren’t for Zhu Ting, I’d still be in the dark.”

“Zhu Ting?” his mother echoed, puzzled. “Where is she now?”

Zhiyong frowned, deep in thought. “She should be nearby. If she isn’t, how did she manage to capture that footage?”

“Oh, I get it!” Liang’s mother said, her eyes narrowing. “Zhu Ting may not be able to have children, but she’s good with chores. If she were here, we could send her out for supplies…”

“Right, I should reach out to her,” Zhiyong decided, glancing at his phone. “She might want to come back. Maybe she’s just too embarrassed to ask.”

Just then, my phone buzzed with a familiar contact name: Zhu Ting. I hesitated before answering, curious about what she had to say.

“Zhiyong?” her voice was hesitant, tinged with uncertainty. “Where are you? Can’t we talk? I can’t stay away forever.”

“Are you coming back?” he asked, hope flickering in his voice. “I’ll forgive everything that happened if you come home.”

There was a pause before she responded, “Fine, but we need to discuss the debt. I can’t cover it myself. You know your mother has some savings, right? And her house could be worth something.”

I couldn’t help but chuckle at the absurdity of the situation. In a world overrun by the undead, where survival meant facing horrifying truths, their interpersonal drama added another layer of tension.

As I listened to the exchanges between them, it was clear that the struggle for survival was about more than just food and safety. It was about trust, betrayal, and the tangled web of relationships that had formed in this nightmarish reality.

But amidst the chaos, the true test was just beginning. Would Zhiyong and his family find a way to survive not only the horrors outside but also the darkness lurking within their hearts? Only time would tell if love could endure amidst betrayal and chaos, or if it would shatter, leaving them more vulnerable than ever.