ACT1: Who am I
I don't know when it started. My thoughts and senses. It wasn't all at once. Faint shapes, blurry colors, and oozing sound, they slowly started making sense. Bit by bit, everything got clearer, like fog lifting from my eyes and ears.
There were always people in white coats. I think they were there before I could even remember anything at all. Checking, watching, speaking words I didn't understand. I didn't know how to hold onto the moments back then. My brain wasn't ready.
But now… I'm slowly being able to understand who they are and what they are trying to do.
Joshua, the one in charge of daily check-ups. He is always smiling with a clipboard in hand, eyes darting between me and his notes. He talked a lot, but most of his topics were too difficult for me to understand.
Lisa, handled the liquids. She has a distinctive smell that always follows her. I always saw her argue with Joshua about numbers.
Hale, is quiet, but everyone seemed to respect him. Difficult-looking machines are used when he is here.
Lucas, I spend time with him. I know one of them better than the rest. He talks to me the most. He doesn't just check numbers or touch cold machines. He brings puzzles, games, and books with bright pictures. He tells stories, even if I don't understand all the words yet.
All of them have the same goal.
To cure me.
...
Lately, they have been teaching me how to take care of flowers and plants. Watering, sunlight, and giving them a gentle touch. I try my best to follow every instruction and try to remember all of their names. They're nice to look at compared to the wires and machines in this room.
Soft colors, gentle shapes…
However, keeping them is not easy. I thought I had taken care of them correctly, but they still wither. Some are faster than others.
I ask Lucas if I can regrow the withers.
"They might, if the roots are still alive and cared for, just like you," Lucas replied.
I didn't understand what he meant; he seemed to know immediately that I was clueless.
"Sorry. Metaphors are probably too difficult for you right now."
They are, but what he said feels…relatable?
Is that the correct word?
...
After the activity section comes story time. At first, Lucas read the books to me. But as my language skills improved, I began reading them myself. Whenever I got stuck on a difficult word, Lucas would stop and guide me gently through it.
Wishes. Dreams. Lies. Regrets.
These words show up a lot in the storybooks.
Lucas teaches me what each one means.
One by one, I try to understand.
A wish is when you hope for something to happen.
A dream is either a picture in your head… or something you want to happen far in the future.
A lie is untruthful information, usually to hide the truth.
A regret is something you did and now feel unhappy about.
He says these are ideas only humans truly understand. It's what makes people people. I don't have real experience with these things, so they're hard to grasp. But I think I understand what he means. Even though stories aren't real… they help us think and feel things. That's why he gives me books to read. To experience these concepts.
"I want you to be inspired," he said.
Being inspired…
There's a boy in one story. He isn't real, just a puppet, made by a carpenter who wished for a real son. The puppet becomes human after a long journey.
Can I do it as well? To fully become a human, as Lucas and the team wanted.
Maybe I'll find my answer. After my own journey.
...
Something out of my routine happened today.
I was about to start the flower watering routine, and a sudden burst of sirens rushed into my head, so I accidentally dropped the watering can to cover my ears.
Lucas rushed into the room, his steps fast, his face difficult from usual. He looked… panicked. He grabbed my arm and pulled me out of the room.
It was the first time I'd ever stepped out of that room.
We ran down a long corridor, bright white walls, smooth and cold. Red lights flashed everywhere. Alarms screamed. A voice from a speaker kept repeating something I didn't understand, but the panic in it was clear.
People in lab coats rushed past us, some I met, some I had never seen. Papers, vials, and tools that clattered across the floor. My legs were shaky. I wasn't used to moving this much, this fast. My steps felt heavy and slow.
But Lucas didn't stop.
He held my arm tight. The hallway felt endless. No matter how fast we ran, the danger felt faster.
Everything was chaotic. And I didn't know why.
We reached a corridor where no one else was. We stopped in front of a sealed tunnel. Bright yellow tape stretched across the entrance, and next to it was a small sign:
"Do Not Use – Trash System Closed."
Lucas ripped the tape away and turned to me.
"Go in there," he said, "The tunnel will lead you outside the facility."
I blinked. Still confused about the situation.
"What's going on?" I asked.
"There was a containment breach. They are neutralising all the subjects. I don't want them to get to you."
"Then where do I go?" I asked.
Lucas pulled a small key from his pocket and hung it around my neck.
"This key… it'll take you to a place called Aureblue Manor."
I looked down at the key. A-blue Manor? I didn't know what that meant. I don't hear the name well under the siren sound.
Lucas paused, then placed his hand on my shoulder. His eyes softened.
"If you can get there, we might meet again." Without another word, he pushed me into the tunnel, and a powerful force pulled me down into the dark.
The force keeps pushing me through the pipeline. My body twisted, crushed. If I were a normal human, I would have died from suffocation.
The pushing force eased and finally stopped just before reaching the end of the tunnel. Slowly, the crushed body parts began to heal themselves, rebuilding as if nothing had happened.
As my body returned to normal, I began crawling forward through the dim. I grabbed the edge of the tunnel and dragged myself out.
I slipped and fell, landing inside a giant metal container overflowing with trash. The impact was heavy, and the smell hit me immediately.
There is a container lid at the top. I tried to push, but it didn't budge. The lid locked tight. So instead, I dug down through the trash pile.
With my bare hands, I shoveled aside broken parts, old machines, and rotting scraps. The smell clung to me. The metal scratched my skin. Eventually, I reached a narrow pipe near the bottom of the container. With effort, I cleared a gap big enough to crawl through.
I stood in a massive, dark hall filled with trash containers and dust. The pipelines were cold. The machines were lifeless. There were no signs of workers anywhere.
Now I understand. The whole facility had been shut down. That was why the trash system at the laboratory was marked closed.
I wandered through the dark building until I saw a thin ray of light slicing through the darkness. I followed it and discovered it came from the narrow gap of a barely closed sliding metal door.
I walked toward it.
The door was massive. Even with my arms stretched wide, I couldn't reach both edges. I slipped my fingers into the gap and pulled.
It didn't budge. The door was far too heavy for someone like me.
I reposition myself. I tightened my grip on the handle, pressed my body against the metal surface, and began to slide with everything I had. A deep, grinding sound vibrated through my arms.
I didn't need to breathe. I didn't get tired. I could keep going slowly, steadily.
The gap widened. More light began to touch my face. Cool air drifted in, the kind I had never felt before.
The gap was finally large enough for me to slip through.
Outside at last.
I lifted my head and for the first time
I saw it.
The endless, bright blue.
So this is the real sky.
Deep, calm, and wide. Clouds drifted lazily across it. Everything felt quiet…peaceful. As if nothing bad had ever happened.
For a moment, I forgot why I was here…
Right. Lucas told me to find the manor.
And so, I stepped forward, my foot touching the bare earth for the first time.
...
A strange cracking sound caught my attention.
A person in a trash collector's uniform shuffled out from behind the pile of rusty ruin.
"Hey… can I ask you something?"
He turned toward me. But he didn't answer, just stared.
His head hung low. Drool slipped from his mouth, eyes were half-rolled back.
I braced myself, expecting him to approach me. But he didn't. He walked right past me, as if I wasn't even there.
Was that… a regular zombie? Lucas once taught me about them. The condition I once was in. Unaware and lost. Searching only for their next prey.
I continued walking deeper into the ruined city. Buildings stood half-collapsed, windows were shattered, and rusted cars lay abandoned along broken streets.
Here and there, more of them wandered. Zombies in torn clothes, staring at nothing. Some walked aimlessly, some just stood still. I tried many attempts, but none of them responded.
This is getting nowhere; I need to find someone. Living ones that I can talk to.
Humans have the highest population on Earth.
How hard can it be?
...
Desperate. So desperate…
It's been several days now, but I haven't made much progress.
I was barely able to find any humans.
The last group I met. I only meant to ask for help. I lightly grabbed the woman's sleeve to get her attention.
Before I could even speak, the man beside her shoved me hard to the ground, pulling her away from me.
He didn't even look at me. Didn't notice I was trying.
They were fast with their motorcycles, gone before I could get back up.
I thought following the zombie herd was a good idea to find people, but the result ended up disastrous.
Next time, I really have to make sure there are no other zombies around. People panic, they refuse to talk, and run away.
Zombies will hunt the living, so they have to hide. But where would they be hiding?
Sitting in an alleyway, leaning against a tall broken sign, I ponder.
Clang!
A sound of a can dropped. I stood up to see the source of it.
A man is climbing down a window. A can must have slipped out of his poorly zipped backpack
He noticed me.
We stare at each other for a moment.
He was still gripping onto the window frame, his eyes widened, and his shoulders tensed.
This complex expression…A human! Only me and I in this alleyway. This is my chance!
I quickly dash up to him.
"Excuse me sir-"
Ahhh! The man screamed before I could finish my sentence.
He quickly dropped down the window and ran to the opposite end.
I try to keep up.
As he turned the alley corner, he bumped into something. It moved too fast for him to see.
A zombie.
It immediately slammed into him before he could even rebalance his foot. They crashed to the ground. He screamed while the zombie growled. It sank its teeth down, biting the man again and again.
His cry echoed through the empty street.
And then… silent.
The attacker stood back up and looked at me. Its glowing red iris faded back to a blurry cloud, and movement returned to slow and wacky.
"Please," I muttered. "It's not like people are easy to find around here…" I tried speaking to the aggressive one, but it didn't hear me. Or maybe it didn't care.
I stood there in disappointment, watching the zombie now wander away.
Another chance…lost. This time devoured by my own kind.
The infected only become active when they are hunting their prey.
I was like that once. Lisa told me I almost bit Joshua once. It happened at the time when I was still oozing in and out.
I try to recall that moment, but nothing comes back.
It's hard to picture. Jumping off, attacking others without second thoughts.
What would they feel if they ever woke up and still remembered all these hunts?
I stare at the half-eaten man. He didn't move again.
Perhaps he was the kind Lucas talked about.
The ones who just… die.
...
I continued walking along the street and stopped in front of a building. A store sign captured my curiosity. I stare at it and tilt my head.
'Rinse & Repeat'
It seems to be some kind of wordplay.
I decided to go in and explore. Rows of large square machines lined the walls, all covered in dust. Except one.
It was rumbling softly, and I leaned in closer. Clothes spun behind a thick glass window.
"Hey! Don't mess with my stuff!" a voice shouted from behind me.
A hard kick slammed into my side. My body flew into one of the machines with a metallic thud.
"A… zombie?" the man muttered, staring at me.
He was tall with scruffy blonde hair, holding a red axe gripped tight. His eyes locked onto my head, deciding whether to swing or not.
"Please don't attack me!! Please, please!" I begged, raising my hands.
His brow furrowed.
"A talking zombie…?!" He was confused but didn't lower the axe.
"They can talk now?" he muttered. "Your uniform… are you from a hospital? Wait no… an experiment lab. For sure!"
Before I could answer, a loud bang came from the door.
The others found us. The zombie gang I passed earlier, before entering the building.
"Dammit, we're too loud," he snapped.
"You're the only one making all the noises," I said quietly.
I watch him storm into the storefront with his axe.
Another chance to talk is slipping away again.
Chaos always takes them from me.
He was either going to run away or get hun—
"Motherfucker, fuck you! piece if shit!" he shouted out words.
I didn't understand, but they felt heavy, angry, and messy. He fought with no hesitation, swinging the red axe like it was part of his arm. Again and again, each strike gets more quick and brutal than the previous. His wild movements make them look pitiful.
"Ahh, the blood's all over my shoes now," he complained, staring at the pile of blood he had stomped.
Then he looked back at me. His expression made my body tense. Something deep inside me told me to run. Is this instinctive fear? The first time I felt this uneasy, and wanted to escape.
I leaned again closer to the machine as he got closer, as I thought I was about to get hit he grabbed a towel above me, dampened it at the sink, then returned to the bench.
He took off his shoes and started rubbing.
"Are you not going to hurt me or run?" I asked him genuinely unsure.
"Well, the laundry is not finished yet." He pointed at the spinning machine.
"…."
"…."
Silence. An awkward type of silence.
"What! It is a miracle that the machine works. It's sunny today! I want my clothes to smell nice once in a while!"
I just blink, trying to follow his reason. He was answering more than I asked, maybe even more than he needed to say.
"They can come back up and make a mess again," I murmured, glancing at the zombie he'd just slashed.
"I crushed their heads," He replied, continuing to wipe his shoes. "So, very unlikely they'll regenerate."
"I see… because the parasites are in the brain." Lucas taught me about it.
He paused for a second. "So, that's the reason? I just follow zombie movie logic. Aim for the head and… it works."
"…"
"…"
Another long pause between us. I wasn't used to this kind of conversation. With Lucas and his team, they always led the talking, and I just had to follow.
I stared at him as he finished wiping the blood off his shoes. A final touch is precise and cautious.
"There. Nice and clean again. You make a mess, then you clean up. That's just how it goes."
He repeated the motto painted on the wall before slipping his shoes back on.
"Anyway," he said as he tightened the laces, "Those guys didn't care about you."
"Well… I'm one of them."
"No need to get infected again, I guess." He commented.
He was right. I still carried the virus, all its symptoms. Cold skin, grey eyes, regeneration ability. The only exception is that I don't hunt.
"You must be valuable," he said. "How did a lab rat like you get all the way out here?"
"There was an outbreak..." I replied.
"Huh. Real-life betrayal and conspiracy stuff, thing really sure following a zombie apocalypse plot." He paused, tugging his clean shirt over his head.
"So, what now? Are you gonna use your super zombie blood to cure humanity? Or storm the lab and take down the evil corporate masterminds?" He said it confidently. As if I had cracked a case.
"I don't even know what any of that means."
His confident face turned into disappointment. "If it was like the movies, it would happen sooner or later."
I blinked. "Movie?"
He turned to me, confused. "Yeah. Like thriller movies?"
I shook my head. I didn't even know what a movie was until now. I did hear it from a laboratory conversation once.
"You really don't know anything, huh?"
"I don't know much, but I'm looking for a place called Blue Manor?" I finally ask the important question.
"A blue manor? That's vague. "
He pulled out a small screen from his pocket. He held a button for a moment, and a bright light popped up. Then he started tapping and swiping.
"Here, any familiar?" he tilted the screen toward me. A list of houses and mansions appears. Some stone, some wooden, some with blue roofs.
I stared blankly and shrugged.
"I think… the manor is related to this key. Lucas gave it to me when he said to go find it." I said, lifting the necklace around my neck.
He leaned in slightly, eyes squinting at the key.
"Every house has a key," he mutters, scrolling. He kept scrolling.
"Can we check each of them out?"
"No way! It's going to be a nightmare checking them all!" He cut me off. "Also, I'm not taking anyone with me! It's my personal policy."
Beep beep. The rumbling machine dinged.
He opened it and pulled out a pile of freshly washed clothes, and a certain white rabbit plushie that does not fit his image. He stuffed them into the basket. Without another word, he walked toward the stairs.
"There's a camp that way," he said, motioning vaguely past a broken window. "Try asking someone else."
I looked where he pointed. Just an empty road. A quiet wind and no signs. I don't see any camp.
"I… don't get it," I whisper.
I turned back, but he was already walking away, up the stairwell. His steps echoed between the walls.
I quietly followed.
----
He stopped at the rooftop. Clotheslines stretched between poles. I hid behind the rooftop door, trying to watch him through the blankets fluttering in the breeze.
He slashed through a few rooftop straggler zombies with easy swings. A bit more careful this time. Probably doesn't want too much blood splatter.
He reaches the empty clotheslines. The last row, near the edges of the rooftop. Then casually started hanging up his clothes.
"Dammit! I should've double-checked!" he shouted just as a zombie suddenly lunged at him.
He didn't notice the last one. The blanket must have hidden it.
It tried to tackle him. They both stumbled toward the ledge.
Just before the second attack. I sprinted from my hiding spot toward them and shoved the zombie aside, taking the bite myself.
He lost his footing, slipping off the edge of the building. I got up and reached him just in time, grabbing his hood as he dangled over.
"Why are you still here?" he yelled from below.
"I don't know where to go. You're the only one I've met who listened."
The zombie I'd pushed away started shambling back toward us. I tried to use my free hand to sway at it. Trying to hold it off, but my grip on him was slipping.
"Get me up first! I'm gonna fall!"
I focused on dragging him back up. The moment he got a hand on the ledge, he yanked himself over, grabbed his axe, and finished off the zombie in one clean swing.
Breathing heavily, he looked at me, noticing my wound.
"You alright!?"
I gave him a thumbs up. I'd learned during checkups.
"Oh… right," he muttered, remembering what I was.
I glanced at the phone in his pocket again.
"Can I see that one more time?"
"My phone?"
I nodded. Hoping it is the right object name.
He sighed, but handed it over.
I scrolled through slowly, comparing the key around my neck to the gates, doors, and rooftops in each photo. Stone paths… blue rooftops… but none of them seem right.
"Alright, that's enough, you're draining my battery." He snatched the phone from my hand.
"But…."
He turned away, then paused. His brows pulled together, tapping the end of his axe handle lightly against his shoulder.
"Actually," He glanced back at me.
"The camp of survivors I mentioned earlier. There is someone who might know something. I could take you there. Consider this a one-time deal."
"Thank you, Mr. Stranger," I replied.
"Mikhail Ryu"
"Huh?"
"My name. It's Mikhail Ryu." He pointed his thumb at himself.
He sure is intimidating, but there was something sincere in a way I didn't fully understand. Maybe it was his eyes. I never met someone with this eye color. It was the same color as the sky. The clear and claimed color I grew to trust.
Finally, today is a good start.
A breeze swept. Ryu stiffened immediately, rubbing his nose and turning away slightly.
"We have to wash you up first." He muttered.