text: So...I am basically a zombie. My body is rotting, I can't feel pain and other sensation either, my heart stopped and my head keeps rolling on the floor every time I turn it around. But I must say I am STILL not a zombie. As to why here is my story. It all started in the year 2050 when Science was taking over the whole world. Flying cars were invented, food turns into pills, houses were portable, and gadgets and other daily necessities can be stored in just a whip of a finger. Thinking back 50 years or maybe 100 years back it was impossible, that it will be something unconvincing like magic. But we, scientists made it all possible. Playing with our science knowledge and adding a little bit of imagination we made it all possible. Until that time when our team finally made a cure to all sickness with the help of a mushroom. Yep, Mushroom! Ophiocordyceps unilateralis or also known as Ant-Zombie fungus. It was discovered back in the 18th century by a British Naturalist called Alfred Russel Wallace and it was a study of a fungus taking charge of an ant somewhere on a certain tropical forest. It is a fungus that takes over an insect to be zombified, creepy? yes, but when we look at it medically it was known that this fungus and it's related species can produce secondary metabolism for the production of substances acting as antibacterial agents that protect the fungus-host ecosystem against further pathogenesis during fungal reproduction. Because of this secondary metabolism , an interest in the species has been taken by natural product chemists and was discovered to produce small molecules agent that can be used as a human immunomodulatory (something to do with human immunity) , anti-infective and anti-cancer agents. It's all good and these hundreds of years of research are all for the humanities advantage but it all came to a halt when we test it to human clones. At first, it was all going well, the surgeries went well because their feeling of pain is not that active and the small molecules produced by the fungus can be controlled and it indeed helps us cut the spreading of cancer cells but all hell broke when those human clones used for testing newly crafted cure wreck havoc in the lab and turn us into zombies. It's a shame but the hundred years of work is still a failure, now here I am lurking around aimlessly while picking up my rotting eye and sticking it back on my eye socket. I walk towards the gas station and sit on the bench. I saw a vending machine filled with my favorite chocolate milkshake but my rotting tummy will surely fail so I just look at it and reminisce the flavor of it. My friend, Julian which is also my colleague sat beside me and growl. "What should we do now?" He asked. I pull out my eyes and gave it to him. "Just talk to my eye, Julian. I can't turn my head since I am tired of picking it up on the ground." I said. My eye may be out of my body but I can still see him. I wonder why too. I roam my sight and saw how rotten he is. He used to be the best looking guy in the lab but now look at him. His jaw that used to be his asset is barely hanging on his face. You might wonder why we can still think, well for a further explanation this fungus can affect the body but it can't affect the brain. That's good news if you ask me but the probability is only 10%. In short in every 100 only 10 people can think so 90% of the population in the whole world are our enemies! Our goal? Look for zombies that can think like us and regain humanity once more by delivering our research to a certain person. But the human soldiers are not that smart. Since they claimed that all of us are just a lump of rotting meat walking and killing humans. Actually, we are not. A human may be infected when they sniff the pollen coming from our head but we don't infect them by biting. We are not harmful at all except to those bastards that caused the misunderstanding. They scare people for fun that's why their heads were blown off making them dead. Most of the fungus is on our head but it does not affect our brain so if someone blows our head into pieces our body automatically stops functioning. And oh, at night we have fo find a place with the perfect temperature to hide so that the fungus continues to grow and we won't die. Sun is not harmful to us but It can slow the fungus growth causing us to stop moving for a while. I saw him snort while looking at my face. "what?" I asked but the guy just snort again and said. " You look funny" I roll my other eye and snort back at him and said. "I saw a gun tucker inside that abandoned house. Use it to tucked back your falling jaw, Julian." He snorts back at me and I do the same. When our attention was caught by a crying child. A child seriously?! At this place where unconscious zombies might infect her?! I hurriedly walk limply towards the crying voice, leaving my eye with Julian. And upon arriving at the place I saw a girl hugging her doll tightly while crying. I hush her but the girl cries louder making me panic a little. "Stop! Don't cry or those zombies might hear you and approach you!" I said but the girl cries more when I saw a flying arm towards my direction slapping my face. It was from Julian. "Why did you slap me?!" I asked but my friend shut me up. "Don't talk! Remember, we lost our communication ability. All humans can't understand us except our growling!" He said. Oh yes, Humans don't understand us. Sorry, I forgot. Julian then looks at me with furrowed brows and looks at the girl slightly lifting his eyes and curving it into a smile. The girl miraculously stops crying and looks at him. Seriously, this guy is insane. We found the little girl shocked on her spot shivering. "Julian you can stop now! Julian!" I exclaimed Startling him and making his head slips off his hand. What should we do? We need to communicate with this girl and deliver her back home safely. I roam my eyes when Julian's head comes rolling at me making my eye pop out of its socket and roll around the grass. I was about to fight Julian to death, even though we are dead when my eyes was poked by a stick. I walk towards it, pick it up together with my eye, and walk back at the girl. I start to write using the burnt part of the stick. "Who are you? Where you came from? Who are you with?" I asked the girl. The girl with shivering lips said. "I am Anna Hutchins, I was with my father, his name is George Hutchins. He is looting on that grocery store but I got distracted by a beautiful butterfly and got separated from my father." She explained while holding her tears. I look at him pitifully and wrote on the ground again. "Do you remember your house?" She hesitated for a moment but she gingerly nods her head. "Don't be scared, I and my stupid friend will take you home" I wrote as she smiles at me and nods her head. When I remember the most important thing. I hurriedly wrote on the ground again. "Who's your father again?" She looks at me and answered "George Hutchins" Our eyes almost fall out and realized something. George Hutchin is the head researcher and the most knowledgeable in our field. We thought he turned to one of us but he did not! I'm so glad! Now we can deliver that to him. Julian look at me and said. "We can gain humanity again!" He growls and cheers making the girl gasped in fright. I slap him and reminded him to stop growling at the girl. He just smiles and nods as we cheer together, pumping our fist in the air. I look at the girl and wrote again. "Listen, Anna, don't get too close to us you might sniff the pollen on us and turn into a zombie, and don't get too far from us either or we can't protect you against those curious zombies that can't think. Don't take your mask off too, you understand?" I asked. She looks at us and gingerly nods then I offer her the stick and she holds it tightly as we walk on the road towards the lab to fetch the research papers bearing the last after-effects of the drug. We just walk the road limply with my hands connected to the stick that Anna is holding from the other side while Julian drags his feet while singing a song walking alongside us. Sometimes we stop and let Anna rest a little. Walking without stopping is not a problem for us even with rotting bodies but to Anna, It's difficult. We also stop on empty houses to let her sleep until morning while we guard the house all night and feed her almost anything edible we saw on the way. Days and weeks past just like that and slowly we saw a glimpse of Anna's heart finally opening to us making me and Julian happy. It's been almost a year since that unfortunate day when the whole world turns into chaos but looking at it now, It's quite peaceful, at least in this place... I'm pretty sure the soldiers are doing their job by eradicating the scattered wandering dead bodies on the place. Anna suddenly stops on her tracks and whip her head towards a certain house. "Anna?" I called but she did not leave her eyes on that house and walk towards it with somber eyes. I was about to stop her but Julian stops me so we just watch her as she walk inside the gate and sat on one of the chairs. It was a modern house that looks like it's been left out during a birthday party since a Happy Birthday banner is still hanging on the wall of the house and the rotten cake was all over the ground. I saw Anna wiped her tears and sobs. I poke her with the stick and write on the ground. "Is this your house?" I asked. She look at me somberly and nods, her tears are still flowing down her cheeks. "It was my 10th birthday when suddenly a group of wounded people came at us and bit our guest. Dad was quick to shelter me but too late to shelter mom back inside the house. We saw how those guys devore mom and turned her into something scary." She explained. "Devour? As far as I know, It can't affect even if we bit people" I said when Julian reminded me of something. "It was those hooligans fault. Remember Jack with his followers who scare the humans and act like those zombies on the movie?" Julian said. Oh yeah, Those guys whose head were blown by the soldiers. I sigh at the thought of it when Julian walk hurriedly and fix the banner. Picking up his idea I quickly pull up the chairs and tables and put the cupcake I got from the abandoned grocery store and put the candle on top of it without removing the plastic. I tap Anna with the stick and wrote on the ground. "Happy Birthday Anna, Sorry to know what you've been through" I look at her apologetically knowing how we start it all. Jullian and I sing a happy birthday song that sounds like a growling animal on Anna's ear but luckily it made her happy. She pretends to light up the candle and blow on it and with that, we happily celebrated her birthday, though it's just a pretend birthday party hoping that It could cheer up Anna a little. Then Julian lean down and get the stick from me to write on the ground too. "It's okay Anna, We'll restore humanity and celebrate your birthday again!" He said making Anna broke into a small smile, relieving us. She then runs towards a big box and rampage through it, she then both gave us a magic blackboard toy with a pen. "By the way who are you two? I was too scared before to know who you are...but you sure are different from those who we encounter before" She wrote on the board and smile at us, we both look at each other before we answer. "I am Jeraldine Anderson and This is Julian Ward. We are both from the City and our job is the same as your father." I wrote. "Your father is our colleague and we must give the papers to your father before Humanity was swept out by this fungus that turned people into zombies," Julian explained further. She then pulls the button that erases her notes and writes again. "I can help you too! I promise I won't hold you back!" She said and pump her fist on the air. We chuckle and thanked her as we exit the house when a shotgun suddenly burst my arm. Jullian hurriedly pull my other arm and hid us behind his back. "Let go of that child!" An angry and rotting old man with a shotgun said threatening us to burst our heads if we won't let her go. "Child let's go here," He said. Looking at him he's like us too. He's infected maybe just a month ago since he's still fresh. "Are you an idiot old man?! She can't understand us! All you're doing is making her scared!" Julian explained. The old guy then burst Julian's arm making Anna scream in fright as he hurriedly reloads his shotgun. Without knowing what to do. I pull out my liver and throw it at him making Anna's face contort in disgust and pull the stick and run. "Jullian hurry up and run!" I screamed but the old man shot his limpy leg making him stumble. Our eyes widen as we saw Jullian hug the old guy's leg buying us some time to run. "Run now! Go to the lab and bring the research paper to Profesor Hutchins!" He said while struggling. Then we run as fast as we could away from the place. I turn my head around and saw the old man pointing the gun to Julian's head. "Remember bring back the humanit-- BANG!" He didn't finish his words when the old man burst his head off. I am crying but i was too dry so there are no tears falling. I quickly enter the password in the lab and get the research paper. The old guy is still hunting us so I put the research papers on a sealable plastic bag and put it to Anna's bag. I hurriedly wrote on the lab's whiteboard telling her to go and gave it to her father while I am stopping the old man. She cries and shakes her head, not wanting to leave me behind. "Anna! Don't be stubborn go now!" I growl but as expected she doesn't understand me so I quickly poke her with the stick and asked her to hide under the table. The old rotting man finally came and cock his shotgun at me. "Where's the child?" He asked. But I just look at him. I pull my right kidney and throw it at him but he's not deterred. At this rate, I might lose all my internal organs. So I quickly think of a way to get that gun when my eyes laid on something. I slowly walk towards the red button and look at him. "Go to hell mother fu*ker!" I said and push the button startling him. The whole lab turns red because of the emergency button that I pushed and a loud noise filled the whole place making him panic a little. I use the opportunity and pull the gun with the help of my intestine and shot his head off. I slowly approach the table where Anna is hiding and urge her to come out. We left the place and walk towards the city where the soldiers and other humans are. The things that happened are still fresh on my mind and I know, that I shouldn't feel pain but my chest feels like it hurts every time I remember Julian. His contorted smile, his rotting face, his falling jawline...gosh! How stupid it is to just realize that I am in love with my best friend? My thoughts were cut by Anna's voice. "Father!!!!" She exclaimed and let go of the stick to run for his father's embrace. I smile at that image knowing that Anna suffers miserably due to our mistake and probably most of the people in the world including me. Noticing my love for my best friend when my body is already rotting. I was about to turn my back when I heard Anna's voice. "No father! Don't!" She exclaimed as bullets shower on me erasing my whole existence. Too bad, I was hoping to have a heartwarming farewell to Anna but I guess looking like this, It's impossible. Goodbye Anna. "Hey! What are you laying on the ground for?" I heard Julian said. I quickly stand up and face him. His face is not rotting and his jaw is still intact...I smile at him and said. "I love you!" She smiles at me and holds my hand. "I know," He said as we walk towards the stair up in the sky.