Tenth Year After the End CH1

 001

The tenth year after the end, unsure of the actual date, but from the seasonal changes, it should be early spring.

It's been about half a year since I've seen a living person.

From waking up in the morning, I would feel faint pain coming from my stomach, holding onto the slightly protruding belly, I once again thought about what could possibly be inside.

I feel like I'm probably pregnant, but reasoning told me that it's impossible, as the last time I had any close contact with a man was three years ago, and my stomach only started getting bigger three months ago, so what can be said from the timing, is that what's in my stomach couldn't be a child. In addition, women who are pregnant for three months time, wouldn't have a stomach as big as mine.

During these three months, I could feel my stomach gradually becoming bigger, and I've been constantly thinking of the reasoning behind it. In the beginning, I thought I was sick from eating something I shouldn't have. After the end, every place seemed no different from a complete wasteland, all the food produced during civilization had well gone over expiration dates, even food found for survival had deteriorated long ago.

As for the mutant animals and plants, no one knows if consuming them for a long time would result in any pathological changes. To survive, I've eaten many random mutant animals and plants, luckily I haven't been poisoned to death so far, but maybe this luck of mine, was coming to an end.

After having this same thought for about half a month, I started to occasionally feel myself hearing a faint heartbeat coming from my stomach. When I'm lying alone at night, it can be heard clearly.

I wondered if I was having auditory hallucinations, but then two months later, I felt the thing in my stomach moving. The first time I came into contact with this movement, I was taken aback, afterwards I tried to think about what it could be again, what strange thing could be in my stomach.

Then today, the thing that could usually be said to be quite well behaved, started to frequently toss and turn in my stomach.

This thing couldn't be coming out already, right? As I was thinking this, I tightened up the clothes on my body. After standing up and grabbing my cup along with my toothbrush, I squatted by the small ditch at the front of the door to brush my teeth.

This toothbrush's originally dense bristles were nowhere to be seen anymore, all that was left was a few spare bunches, but I'm still using it, as the other toothbrushes I've found have all been exhausted, if I were to throw this one away too, then I would only be able to rinse my mouth to replace brushing. Toothpaste has also long been used up, a substitute wasn't found, and all that could be done to keep clean was brushing more thoroughly. 

When it was few years earlier, during that time I was busy fleeting I probably didn't have the heart to think about my teeth, but now, the people that are still alive are few, while I'm living here alone, the things I could do are little, I inevitably started to care for these small things.

There's a piece of a mirror in the room, as I was passing by it, I looked at myself, and I found that my hair had grown out again. My habit of not growing my hair out has been formed since the start after the end, I've also shaved my head a few times, except for when it's colder during the wintertime, it's pretty convenient otherwise, at least it wouldn't be like those with greasy hair from having no water to wash it, or like the women who's distressed over bunched up hair with lice.

These two years, the length of my hair has been kept passed my ears, as there's been no available tools, I don't dare to put the two hatchets I use to chop zombies, mutant animals, and plants anywhere near my scalp to cut my hair, if one thing goes wrong, who knows if a piece of your head might get chopped off.

Instead, when the hair grows past the ears, it's more convenient to cut with the hatchet. I held the hatchet I used to cut mutant plants and animals, measuring it around my hair, then I cut it heading outwards.

The hatchet has gotten a bit dull, it hurts a bit when the hair is pulled from my head, but this wasn't much, I cut off a large chunk of hair without changing expressions, then did the same with the right side, after I finished I looked into the mirror again, it wasn't much better than what it would look like if a dog gnawed at it. However, my head felt much lighter. I also don't care how ugly this hairstyle is, after all, it's been like this for a few years already, I've long gotten used to it.

Putting down the hatchet, and gathering up the hair, the hair could be used for lots of other things, it's a pity just to throw it away, I plan on making brushes with my hair.

The house I lived in was an old country house, but the walls were very thick and the gates are strong, this was the reason I chose to live here, there's also not much zombies around this area, so it's safer, just that there's a little bit more mutant animals instead.

Walking from the hall to the kitchen, I ended up seeing a mutant mouse the size of a basketball crawling on the stove area. It wanted to steal the food I had in the cauldron, but it couldn't pry off the big piece of iron I had covered it with.

I stood at the door, one hand holding a hatchet, one hand slowly reaching towards a basin placed by the door. Then quickly stepped in and swung the hatchet towards the mouse, the little guy was super fast, I haven't been able to catch it the several times I saw it already, but this time I was prepared, it quickly fled from underneath my hatchet, then slipped past the basin I had tried to cover it with, running down from the stove. I checked the timing, and from the edge of the stove, I shot at it.

Hearing a loud bang, a large piece of steel fell off the rooftop, smashing the mouse underneath it. I didn't dare relax at this moment, and instead pounced on top of the steel plate, holding it in place, before transferring more weight to the place where the mouse could be seen bulging from.

I could feel the mouse struggling underneath me, along with its squeaks of pain. I don't feel for it at all, with the handle of the hatchet I swung down at the steel plate, only stopping when I felt that the mutant mouse should be dead, then I finally removed the steel plate.

The mouse was indeed dead. I've long been numb to the red and white liquids that get squeezed out, carrying the dead mouse in the basin. I planned to take care of it after I ate.

Finally catching this mouse that often steals my food, I was feeling pretty good, such a fat mouse, when it's tidied up it will be a big piece of meat.

Removing the iron cover on the cauldron, inside there were two sweet potatoes and two steamed buns. The sweet potatoes were grown by me in the yard. During the two years I lived here, I have planted them all, and the yield for it was good too. In the cellar, there's a whole bag that hasn't been eaten yet. The steamed buns were made by me, and even the flour was ground by me.

Checking the food, I found that it hadn't been bitten by anything, so I put the lid back and sat in front of the stove to start the fire and heat up the food. There is a lot of wood for burning, not too far away is a mountain, just a random pile from there is good enough for burning, but this was only after I got used to the surroundings, in the beginning when I went up the mountain to chop wood, I wasn't sure of what to do, all the leaves were green, and they couldn't catch fire.

There is a lot of wood, but the lighter fuel in the lighter was almost used up. The cheap green lighter in my hands was already the last one, the first box that it came up has all been used up, if this one was also used up, I would have to consider leaving a fire on in the stove, since I can't make fire.

Or, I could head out to look for some supplies.

Thinking of this, I subconsciously touched my protruding stomach.

Actually, a few months prior, I had already thought about whether I wanted to head out to look for some supplies, because lots of things had been used up already, but if this was decided, I would have to prepare to travel further to many more unfamiliar towns. In the towns that I could reach in half a day, I've already searched through them all, and nothing useful could be found anymore.

In the first place, this wasn't some prosperous place, and after the end, a large number of survivors ravaged through the place, there wasn't much left at all. I only came to live here after that, and by that time, whether it was in the village or town, there wasn't anyone left, even zombies were only about two or three.

I want to go look for supplies, so I would have to travel to more unfamiliar and dangerous places, except for a broken bike, I can only travel by walking, counting the distance back and forth it would take about ten days, who knows how many zombies would be left in a far away town, and no matter how powerful I might be, there's no way I can escape unscathed in a siege of zombies with a big belly while carrying supplies.

If there wasn't this thing in my stomach, maybe I could really outrun them. But now, I don't dare to run off too far, one is because movement is pretty inconvenient now, it would be very troublesome to chop u zombies, mutant animals, and plants together. Second, if I were to go to an unfamiliar place, and the thing in my stomach were to come out, it would be terrible. I have to stay here and wait for the thing in my stomach to come out.

I have a hunch that it's about to come out soon. Wait for it to come out first, if I'm still alive, it wouldn't be too late to look for supplies then, if this monster wants my life, then I wouldn't need to consider so much too. 

I'm already pretty sure that what's in my stomach is a monster, but I'm pretty calm. In the ten years after the end, I've already experienced too many horrible things, being able to survive till now, there isn't much that can make me feel scared or surprised anymore.

While I was sitting in front of the stove eating sweet potatoes and the steamed bun, I felt the thing in my stomach tossing again, it seemed like it was trying to get my attention.

I stared blankly at my stomach for a while before raising my hand and touching it. The place that my hand touched immediately bulged up, and there was an instant twinge of pain. I took in a deep breath, ignored it, and continued to eat my steamed bun. After finishing the food in two to three bites, I grabbed onto the stove and got up to boil hot water.

I want to wash my hatchet and also prepare hot water.

The thing in my stomach is especially active today, and my heartbeat was also very strong, I felt that something was about to happen. I felt that it was about to come out, it was way sooner than what I had predicted. I must be prepared, the plan to dig out wild vegetables from the yard would have to be put on hold.

After watching the knife, I sharpened it on the whetstone by the door. A cold and stinging pain was felt in my stomach. I took a deep breath as I continued to sharpen my knife, cold sweat forming on my forehead.

The sharp blade was immersed in the water, shining with cold light. After cleaning it with two buckets of hot water, it was brought into the room where I sleep. This room wasn't big, only about seven square meters, with a bed the room was about full. It's not that there aren't any bigger rooms here, but it was only this small room that gave me a sense of security, so I would much rather sleep in this small space.

I made sure the courtyard and room doors were all tightly closed, the window gaps were stuffed with clothing strips, afraid that the bloody smell might attract something dangerous over.

Sitting on the bed against the wall, I slowly adjusted my breathing, one hand touching my stomach, the other tightly gripping the hatchet.

Two buckets of hot water steaming, it made the room feel stuffy, the throbbing pain in my stomach was getting more intense, I had a suspicion that this thing might pierce through my stomach intestines or something in my stomach, and then run out.

If that was it, then even if I were to die, I must kill it first.

Waiting time always feels long, and under immense pain, it felt that it was being infinitely prolonged.

The two buckets of water were gradually turning cold, the pain I felt was so great I had already bitten through my lips, in the end I took off the pillow tower cover by the side, and shoved it into my mouth to bite on.

My stomach was getting tossed rapidly, I felt that the thing was going to sprout upwards, my heart jolted, then became stern, my hand pressed onto the top of my stomach harshly, trying to push it out towards the bottom. Just this pressing made me tremble in pain, even the pillow towel cover couldn't block my mouth from releasing a painful groan.

But I couldn't stop at this point, so I continuously pressed onto my stomach, gradually, the thing seemed to have understood that it couldn't head upwards, and began to follow my strength, pushing down.

This time, not long after, that thing came out smoothly. The lower part of my body felt so painful it was turning numb, what came out was a wet and warm feeling, I hurriedly took off the pillow towel covering my mouth as I gasped for air while lowering my head to look.

......That thing really was a little monster.

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