Apocalypse: After Reanimation, I Became The Queen-Chapter 37: _ To Feed

I try to stop it, but the laugh bubbles up before I can help it. It comes out as a simple chuckle at first, then transitions into something deeper and wilder.

The irony. The absolute absurdity of it.

He wanted to die. And now, when death is staring him in the face, he’s begging to live.

His expression changes, confusion flickering in his fevered eyes. "What’s... so funny?"

I exhale, wiping at the corner of my eye. "Oh, nothing." I grin. "Just that you’re the first meal to ever beg me not to eat it."

I want to taste what it’s like to have a fear-doused meal. I want to feel what the zombies feel when they eat. Is fear like a seasoning, garnishing, and giving the food more sauce?

Hence, I play with him.

The color drains from his face. "W-What?"

"This is for trying to kill yourself and being too cowardly to do it right." I groan and before he can react, I move.

Fast. Too fast for his weakened body to even process.

My hands slam against his shoulders, pinning him down. He lets out a startled and breathless sound, his body jerking in panic.

He doesn’t even get to scream before my teeth sink into his flesh. The moment my mouth meets his skin, it’s like the world explodes.

Heat. Ecstasy. A rush of something so potent, so primal, it drowns every thought in my head.

His blood spills into my mouth in such a thick and rich slime. The warmth that slides down my throat like molten fire is beyond euphoria:

The taste is indescribable. Savory. Electric. Pure life force.

My body reacts instantly. Strength floods my limbs, my vision sharpens, and the fog in my mind clears.

This is what I needed. This is what I was made for.

His skin tears beneath my bite, muscle splitting open with a sickening rip as warm blood gushes into my mouth.

I moan.

It’s divine.

His scream is raw, growling, full of terror as he jerks beneath me, his hands shoving weakly at my shoulders.

"N-NO..."

I bite deeper, ripping his flesh... chewing and munching.

His flesh comes away in thick and wet chunks, my teeth tearing through sinew and fat with ease. Blood spills down my chin, coating my tongue and sliding down my throat in molten waves.

He screeches.

"NO—NO, PLEASE... SOMEONE... HELP..."

The words barely made it to my ears. They’re distant and muffled. They are like background noise to the rush of blood flooding my senses.

His body convulses, his breath coming in shuddering and broken gasps as I tear deeper into his shoulder, exposing bone, cartilage, and tendons.

His heart palpates.

He pleads through gasps of agony. "P-Please—p-please..."

I don’t hear him. Or maybe I don’t care.

I dig my fingers into his stomach, feeling the wound he gave himself, feeling the soft, torn flesh beneath my palms. I sink my nails in, ripping him open further, my hands slick and hot with his insides.

His intestines spill into my waiting hands.

The smell is intoxicating.

I bury my face into his stomach, biting, sucking, tearing and devouring.

His body spasms violently beneath me. His screams turned to wet and choking gurgles.

He’s drowning. In his own blood.

I take my time. I feast.

The heart. The liver. The lungs.

Each bite is strength, divine, and pure.

His body finally stops twitching. His eyes are open, blank, glassy, and frozen in an expression of pure and final horror.

And finally, there is silence.

Then, the system chimes.

[Feeding process complete.]

[+10 EP acquired.]

[Decomposition halted.]

[Vitality restored.]

I exhale, feeling it.

The rush. The power.

Strength floods my limbs, my body vibrates with energy, my vision sharpens, and the fog in my mind evaporates.

I sit back, licking the blood from my lips. My body is warm. Full and alive. I can finally think clearly. Think and look even better than a human.

I smile.

This...

This is what I was made for.

[REMINDER!]

[55 more zombie kills required to unlock Tier 1 skill.]

I sigh dramatically, wiping the blood off my chin with the back of my hand. "Fifty-five more, huh? Yeah, well, I don’t have time for that right now," I mutter, flexing my fingers as the last traces of warmth seep into my limbs. "I’ve got more important things to do – like making sure my ’friends’ don’t die before I can figure out whether I actually like them or not."

The thought makes me snort. I glance down at the mess beneath me; the torn flesh, the hollowed-out ribcage, the still-open eyes frozen in the final throes of terror. There’s a little bit of remorse.

But I don’t feel not even a speck of discomfort. Just a simple realization:

I feel full. Energized. Sharp.

Alive.

Except I’m not, am I?

I reach up, press my fingers against my throat, and focus. There it is... the rise and fall of my chest, the soft whisper of breath leaving my lips.

But I know better now. It’s not real. It’s just a skill. A system-given mimicry designed to make me look human and act human. But deep down, I know the truth.

I lost my humanity the moment I became this.

This... thing.

I shake off the thought before it can settle too deeply. No use standing around having an existential crisis when I’ve got scavenging to do. Supplies aren’t going to find themselves.

I push to my feet, stretching my limbs as the night air cools the blood still greasy on my skin. The building I’m in is barely holding itself together with all the cracked walls, and shattered windows. Not exactly the most promising place for supplies.

Time to move.

I step outside, and the first thing I notice is that dawn is creeping in. The sky is that murky blue-gray, teetering on the edge of light but not quite there yet. It bathes the world in an eerie sheen, the kind that makes shadows stretch and twist unnaturally like it does in horror movies.

The streets are mostly empty, except for the occasional shambling figure in the distance.

Zombies.

My ’people.’

I snort at the thought and decide to have a little fun.

There’s a lone one ahead, limping in slow, dragging steps with its head lolling like a broken puppet. I step into its path, waving my arms dramatically.

"¡Boo!" I exclaim, grinning.

But it gives no reaction. The thing just keeps shuffling forward, completely unbothered by my antics.

I frown. "Alright, tough crowd."

I step directly in front of it, tilting my head. The zombie pauses... just briefly, but it doesn’t react to me the way it would to a human.

No hungry groan. No sudden jump. Just... a vague shift, as if it acknowledges that I exist but doesn’t care enough to do anything about it.

I poke it in the forehead.

It stumbles back slightly, then continues on its way, utterly unbothered.

I can’t help but laugh. "You guys are so lame."

I don’t know if it’s feeding that has got my adrenaline running wild right now, but it sure feels so good. Maybe I’ll regret it later after it wears out, maybe not. Who knows?