Crossdressing To Survive An Apocalypse

Days passed peacefully.

Zou Yue silently glanced around the room. Fan Xui sat in a corner busy thinking about something, Hary being the cheerful one went about annoying his sister who was polishing her weapons.

It was very silent and peaceful.

At least it seemed peaceful on the outside. Inside, a storm was brewing.

Hary and Fan were very hostile towards each other. Like oil and water, they did not get along.

It was just not that. Even Yue and Fan were having an awkward time. They had secrets of their own that needed to be talked in seclusion, but cohabiting in a room with others did not help.

Tian intervened every time he was near Fan and Hary just gave a snarky remark, pissing Fan off completely.

Only Qian was the silent one. The once cherry loud and playful scientist became a sullen, broody guy spending all his waking time in research.

"I need tissue samples," Qian mumbled, rushing over to the zombie that was tied to the wall. Without any hesitation, he cut into the zombie's outstretched arms and carefully placed it inside his test tube.

Yue curiously walked closer to him. "What do you do with it?"

"First, I run a test on the mutation of the human cell layers and then I will try to extract the virus sample. As far as I saw, the mutation in these undead humans seems unique. It is not the same strand of virus that fell from the sky,"

Yue watched Qian tear pieces of skin from the zombie's arm with a slight grimace. "Thankfully, we didn't kill this one,"

"They can be killed?" Qian's head snapped his way.

"A bullet to the head or spine and they are out for good,"

"I see... I see.." Qian carefully opened the zombie's mouth and took some tissue samples from in there. after which he closed each of the test tubes with a cork.

"What is your diagnosis? Why do they become zombified instead of dying?" Yue whispered excitedly.

It was the question he was very curious to know the answer to. He knew things vaguely that the virus caused this destruction, but he did not know why.

Back then, no one gave him clear answers about the start of the apocalypse. Later, no one cared about answers.

They just wanted to survive.

Qian glanced at him with a small smile. "Have you heard of zombie ants?"

Yue frowned. There was no such thing as zombie ants. At least he had not met them in his past life. "No," he replied.

"Bacteria commonly known as zombie ant bacteria. The fungus first attacks the nervous system, taking full control of the body of the ant. Then it makes it go to the top of the branch. Then the bacteria burst's out of the ant's body spreading its spores throughout the forest,"

Qian gestured for him to hand over the pest tube near him.

Yue handed it to him. "So zombie virus is like zombie bacteria?"

"Not necessarily. But they both have the same purpose, to procreate, to multiply. It can't do it on its own, it lacks the ability to."

"It needs a host. A human body healthy and well fed. As soon as it enters the body, it attacks the immune system, Next, our nervous system, taking control of our body. At this point the human loses his life,"

Yue frowned deeply. "I see,"

Qian swiftly changed his glove and cleaned his hands with rubbing alcohol. He also washed his hands with a small bottle of water nearby. "Next, I need your blood sample. Is that okay?"

"yeah sure, I guess." Yue just held out his hand.

Qian sterilised a needle and took a ml drop of blood. "I still can't explain why every human body reacts differently to this virus." He placed a drop on a glass sheet and glanced at it through a microscope. "wow! This...it looks spectacular,"

"can I see?," he excitedly moved close.

"Hmm," Qian moved over. Yue peaked in. All he could see were colourful particles, nothing more. "All I see is swirly particles some circular things..,"

"Those swirly particles are DNA. If you look closer, you can see the changes." Qian took over and zoomed it in a bit. "See now,"

Yue looked in. This time he could see the spirals much clearer. They looked like they had spikes in between few stands. "Spikes?"

"Exactly. Those are our genetic mutation. This virus not only affected our immune system, it also altered our DNA completely. Here, look at this." he placed the blood tissue sample of the zombie under the microscope.

This sample did not have healthy strings rather, the DNA looked black, spiky, and broken.

"Oh.... that's awesome..." Yue looked at it in awe.

After which Qian Wen started to talk in scientific terms that he could not comprehend.

He did not understand much, but he could get a clear picture as to why so many developed abilities.

Qian went on with his research while he walked back to Fan Xui. He looked up at him intensely. With each step, his heart started to pound faster and louder. He tied his hands behind tightly, pinching his finger nails.

"we... need to talk..."

Fan Xui silently stood up and gestured to the washroom. "Alone,"

"a-alone," Yue nodded.

Fan Xui casually walked up front while he slowly and hesitantly tottered behind him.

Tian spotted them and was about to walk over.

Yue shook his head.

She sat back down, nodding.

Fan Xui opened the door and gestured for him to get in.

He walked in and stood supporting his body against the wall. "Talk, from when can you see?"

"From the moment I woke up... I don't know how it happened, but I just regained my vision,"

Yue looked at him up and down. He seemed genuine. "How much did you see?"

"If you are talking about what we did. I did not see much. You were fully clothed. Only I was the one with pants down." Fan awkwardly mumbled.

"no... not that. I mean, how much did you see while I was changing?"

Fan Xui rapidly blinked.

"You saw?"

"N-no. definitely not."

Yue slightly narrowed his eyes.

"Okay, I peaked a little. I thought you were a bad person, so I was keeping a lookout. But I promise I only saw your back."

"You still can't remember me, can you? So what changed your mind?" Yue somehow felt like an interrogator asking this question but has to ebb done. He needs to know how much Fan Xui knows before he could start revealing his secrets.

Fan Xui took a deep breath and leaned by the sink. "I don't know.... I don't know why. But I feel a connection. I can't explain it in words. Truth be honest, it feels weird to me too,"

Yue flinched a little.

"I don't mean it in a bad way. I-I have never felt this way before so everything is.... new," he carefully whispered, peering at him.

Yue could not look up. "What do you think of men?"

Fan Xui frowned slightly. "On what terms?"

"As lovers?"

"It's... love.. love is love,"

Yue looked up hesitantly. He did not want to ask explicitly why Fan Xui does not like men touching him, because he feared that there might be some hidden trauma.

"so.... you can accept any man's feelings?" he worded it carefully.

"Not anyone, just you,"

Yue froze. 'There is a chance he might accept me even if I'm a man!'

"What are your thoughts about women?"

Fan Xui just looked confused at this point. "women are women..."

"so what are your thoughts if.... I was a man dressed as a woman?"

The whole room went silent.

Yue mustered up his courage to look up at him. But Fan Xui was frowning and looking at his own hands.

"Fan?"

"shh..." he placed both his hands on the sink. "Something's wrong. I feel a lot of movements on the lower floors."

"Which floor?"

"fifteen." Fan Xui glanced t him with his eyes wide. "We might have to have this talk later." He ran out, dragging him behind. "Qian, pack your stuff. Zombies have breached the lower floors and are moving up here,"

Qian froze like a deer on head lights. "I haven't finished my testing yet,"

"You can do it when we reach our base," Fan patted his back. "I don't understand. They seem to be moving up so fast as if they can sense us,"

Tian shot up. "Shit, we have to move now. Which floor is the breech?"

"Fifteen and climbing. They are breaking the doors down." Fan Xui swiftly shoved Yue's stuff into his bag and wore it over his shoulders.

"There must be a metal ability zombie with them." yue suddenly whispered.

Everyone fell silent.

"That's bad dude.. that's really bad," Hary mumbled, glancing at his metallic leg. He swiftly wore his bags and armed himself with the remaining guns.

The whole floor trembled.

"Can we even go down there?" Yue looked at everyone else.

Fan Xui was still recovering. He won't be able to run fast. Qian Wen.... seems like a normal human with no abilities, Tian seemed exhausted and her attack will only last a few times, Hary and himself can deal with a few zombies but a whole lot will be harder to control without getting bit.

"Do you have any other emergency exit? Lift or anything else nearby?"

"There is a lift out in the hallway. But I recon they won't work,"

"That's more than enough." Tian gestured for everyone to follow.

They swiftly ran out. The whole floor was quaking with the influx of the zombies.

Yue ran up front towards the lift and swiftly pried open the doors. "go go! Fan, you don't have strength. Come here I'll lift you,"

Fan jumped in, grabbing onto the suspended rope. Swiftly, he slid down. But he hit a metallic surface soon. "The lift is stuck here. We won't be able to go any lower than this floor,"

"Oh, fuck this shit.. We'll break that as well," Yue picked up Qian up and over his shoulders and hopped in, followed by the others.