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The Zombie Apocalypse With My Enemy: He's Half-Human, Half-Undead

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The Zombie Apocalypse With My Enemy: He's Half-Human, Half-Undead

The One I Shouldn’t Have Met Again

Chapter 1The One I Shouldn’t Have Met Again

The first thing she noticed was the smell.

Rotten. Thick. Suffocating.

It clung to the air like something alive, crawling into her lungs with every breath. Aya pressed her sleeve over her nose, her heartbeat pounding in her ears as she crouched behind the rusted car. Her fingers trembled against the cold metal, gripping it like it was the only thing keeping her grounded.

Silence.

Too much silence.

That was never a good sign.

Slowly, carefully, she peeked over the hood.

The street was a graveyard.

Broken buildings leaned like they were seconds away from collapsing. Burned-out cars littered the road, their windows shattered, doors hanging open like mouths frozen mid-scream. Dark stains painted the pavement—old blood, dried and cracked.

But no movement.

Aya frowned.

“...That’s not right.”

Her voice was barely a whisper, but even that felt too loud.

Usually, they were everywhere.

The undead didn’t leave spaces this empty.

Which meant one thing.

They were close.

A low sound echoed in the distance.

A wet, dragging noise.

Aya froze.

Her grip tightened around the knife in her hand.

Then—

A figure stumbled into view.

Her breath caught.

The thing was barely human anymore. Skin torn and hanging, eyes clouded white, jaw twisted unnaturally as it dragged one leg behind it. Blood—fresh this time—dripped down its arm.

It hadn’t seen her yet.

Good.

Aya slowly lowered herself, her mind racing.

One zombie wasn’t a problem.

But one meant more.

Always.

She needed to move.

Now.

Carefully, she shifted backward, her boots scraping softly against gravel. Every step felt like it echoed too loudly, like the world was listening, waiting for her to make a mistake.

The dragging sound stopped.

Aya’s heart skipped.

She didn’t breathe.

Did it hear that?

Seconds passed.

Nothing.

Relief barely had time to settle before—

A hand grabbed her wrist.

Aya gasped, instinct kicking in as she twisted violently, knife slashing forward—

But it never connected.

Her arm was caught mid-air.

Strong.

Unmoving.

Her eyes widened.

“You’re going to get yourself killed.”

The voice was low.

Cold.

Familiar.

Aya’s expression darkened instantly.

“You—”

She yanked her arm back, stumbling away from him as if he was more dangerous than the undead.

He stood there like he belonged in the apocalypse.

Tall. Unshaken. Covered in blood that wasn’t entirely his own.

And those eyes—

Still human.

But not completely.

“Stay away from me,” Aya snapped, gripping her knife tighter.

The man tilted his head slightly, watching her like she was something mildly irritating.

“Still the same,” he muttered.

Her jaw clenched.

“Still breathing,” she shot back. “Unlike the people you left behind.”

For a second—

Something flickered in his expression.

Gone just as quickly.

“Not the time,” he said flatly.

A growl echoed nearby.

Closer this time.

Aya’s stomach dropped.

“Great,” she whispered.

The first zombie rounded the car.

Then another.

And another.

Her pulse spiked.

“There’s too many—”

“Move.”

Before she could argue, his hand grabbed hers again.

Aya tried to pull away.

Failed.

“Let go of me!”

“Do you want to die here?”

The question hit harder than she expected.

Her teeth clenched.

“…Fine.”

That was all he needed.

He pulled her forward, weaving through the wreckage with practiced ease. Aya followed, her breath coming fast as the sounds behind them grew louder.

More footsteps.

More dragging.

More of them.

“Left,” he said.

Aya didn’t hesitate.

They turned sharply, slipping into a narrow alley. The walls closed in around them, dark and suffocating. Trash and debris crunched underfoot as they ran deeper inside.

“Dead end,” Aya realized, panic creeping into her voice.

“Not quite.”

He kicked a loose board on the ground, revealing a hidden hatch.

Aya blinked.

“What—”

“Inside.”

There was no time to question it.

The growls were right behind them now.

Aya dropped into the darkness, landing hard as he followed, slamming the hatch shut above them.

Silence.

Heavy.

Breathless.

Aya leaned against the wall, chest heaving as she tried to steady herself.

“…You’ve got to be kidding me,” she muttered.

Of all people.

Of all places.

Him.

She looked up.

He stood a few feet away, barely breathing hard, like running for his life was nothing to him.

Like this was normal.

Aya hated that.

Hated him.

And yet—

Something felt… off.

Her eyes narrowed.

“Why are you here?” she asked.

He didn’t answer immediately.

Instead, he stepped forward, just enough for the faint light filtering through cracks above to hit his face.

Aya’s breath hitched.

His skin—

It wasn’t right.

Dark veins spread across his neck, creeping upward like something was growing beneath his skin. His eyes, though still sharp, held a faint glow—something unnatural flickering in the depths.

Her grip on the knife tightened.

“…What happened to you?”

He met her gaze.

For the first time, there was something real in his expression.

Something dangerous.

“I didn’t die,” he said quietly.

Aya’s stomach twisted.

That wasn’t an answer.

“…That’s not what I asked.”

A pause.

Then—

“I was bitten.”