Chapter 4

I didn't lock my brother's door.

I hoped he could find food, so at least we wouldn't starve to death.

After venting my anxieties about facing the apocalypse, I returned to my room alone.

A few minutes later, I heard footsteps.

It was my brother!

He had come out!

Then I heard the click of the front door lock.

Very faint, as if trying not to attract zombies.

My heart raced - had my brother really left?

I crouched by my bedroom window, peeking out.

After a full ten minutes, my brother finally appeared on the empty concrete road below.

He stumbled along, his gait as bizarre and grotesque as all the other zombies.

The difference was, his brain hadn't been completely ravaged by the zombie virus.

I watched as he successfully entered the supermarket doors.

The moment his figure disappeared, my heart pounded like a drum.

I worried the supermarket would be a hellish scene of carnage inside.

I worried whether my brother could make it back home safely.

I even feared, what if something happened to him and he turned into a mindless walking corpse like our parents - what would I do then?

I stared at the time ticking by on my watch, second by agonizing second.

After a full hour, my brother emerged!

Tears of joy nearly fell from my eyes.

My brother was pushing a shopping cart piled high with food and various necessities!

He slowly made his way back.

My heart surged with emotion - my brother truly hadn't changed.

He was still my dearest family!

I no longer kept my guard up against him, opening the door and quickly tidying up the living room and study to make space.

Ten minutes later, my brother lugged two bags of food upstairs, drenched in sweat.

His body trembled with excitement when he saw me.

"Roar... Sis... for you..." he mumbled, barely intelligible.

My emotions finally broke. Tears flowed freely as I said, "Good boy. Don't worry, we'll rely on each other to survive this."

My brother set the bags down and turned to go back downstairs for more food.

He was only 18 years old.

His thin frame now bore the weight of both our lives.

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