Sid's voice cracked, and he looked down, his hands trembling slightly.

"I regret not being there for her when it happened. I could've protected her. I could've stopped it. But I didn't."

He swallowed hard, his throat tightening as he tried to hold himself together.

"When I saw you—when I saved you—it felt like that pain, that guilt… it faded, even just for a moment. It was like I was given another chance to do something right. To protect someone again."

His eyes lifted to hers, raw and earnest.

"That's why I risked everything, Evelise. Because I couldn't lose another person who reminded me what it felt like to care."

Evelise caught Sid's eyes, and for a moment, everything stopped. His gaze wasn't teasing or cocky like usual. It was soft, raw, and trembling — filled with a kind of pain that reached straight through her defenses. Something in her chest fluttered painfully, like her heart couldn't decide whether to melt or break.

She froze, her throat tightening, and before that warmth could spread further, she smacked her own cheeks hard enough to make a sharp sound echo through the room.

"Idiot!"

She shouted, glaring at him with red tinted ears.

"Stop looking at me like that!"

Sid blinked, startled, but before he could respond, Evelise turned sharply and stomped toward the door.

"Where are you going?"

He asked, pushing himself up with effort.

"I ate a deer. I need to clean my own mess."

The first thing Evelise saw as she opened the door was a long, dried blood trail that snaked from the entryway down toward the basement stairs. She stopped and stared, her jaw tightening.

"Wow, I really went full beast mode, huh?"

Sid glanced at her nervously.

"Guess so… You even left a trail for yourself like some kind of crime scene breadcrumb path."

Evelise shot him a look.

"Not funny."

Together, they descended the creaking stairs into the basement. The air grew colder, heavier. The metallic scent grew stronger with every step until the sight at the bottom made Evelise freeze.

The deer lay motionless in the corner, its stomach ripped open, organs half-eaten, blood dark and thick around the floorboards. The scene was brutal— undeniably her doing.

Evelise's breath hitched. Her pupils dilated, and for a split second, Sid saw that same hunger flicker behind her eyes again. She took one slow step forward, her lips parting slightly as if caught in a trance.

"Evelise…"

Sid said quietly, sensing the shift. She didn't answer. Her hand trembled as she raised it slightly toward the carcass. The faint scent of blood filled her lungs, and her throat tightened. She could almost taste it.

Before she could take another step, Sid moved behind her and covered her eyes with both hands.

"Don't… Don't look at it."

She stiffened, startled.

"W-What are you—?"

"You said you wanted to clean up, right? Then go deal with the blood trail upstairs. I'll handle this."

Evelise hesitated, her body trembling slightly against his hands.

"…You'll take care of it?"

"Yeah. You shouldn't see this again."

For a moment, she didn't move. Her breathing was uneven, caught between shame and the fading pull of hunger. Then she finally exhaled and stepped away from him, her voice quieter now.

"Fine. I'll… clean the trail."

Evelise turned and started back up the stairs, her steps slow but steadier now. Sid watched her go, then looked back at the deer. His smile faded as the weight of it all settled on him again. He sighed deeply, muttering under his breath,

"Guess even zombies need saving too."

Then he rolled up his sleeves and got to work.

After they cleaned up the deer, the basement floor looked less like a slaughterhouse and more like a lived in space again. The air still carried the faint smell of blood, but it was bearable now. Sid wiped his hands on a rag, sighing as he leaned against the wall. He looked around, expecting to see Evelise nearby, but the space was empty.

"Evelise?"

He called out. No answer.

He frowned, scanning the shadows and corners.

"Hey, where'd you go?"

Still nothing. His pulse picked up a little as he moved toward the stairs, then called louder.

"Evelise!"

A voice shot back from somewhere below.

"You're too damn loud, idiot! I'm here!"

Sid turned toward the far side of the basement where an old storage shelf stood. Evelise was sitting on a crate, holding a can of food in her hands. She glared at him lightly, though her expression softened when she looked down at the can.

"Found this. Didn't realize we had these tucked here."

"Canned beans? What's the big deal?"

Evelise smiled faintly, her voice quieter now.

"My family wasn't born rich, you know. We used to eat food like this all the time—simple, salty stuff. It's silly, but I kind of miss that taste. Guess that's normal for someone like me, trying to act human in this messed up world."

"Yeah, I remember saying something stupid once— that you probably weren't into this kind of food because you grew up fancy or something. Sorry about that. I didn't realize it was part of... you being a zombie. That you can't eat normal food anymore."

Evelise smirked and looked up at him.

"You were an idiot for that. That's why I brought it up. I didn't grow up eating fancy meals. Stuff like this is normal to me. And yeah, I'm really a zombie now, so maybe help me find something to deal with this hunger."

"Want another deer then?"

Sid joked.

"Your humor is seriously dark, you know that? F*ck off."

They both laughed for a moment. Sid looked around the storage room, noticing the shelves stacked with boxes, jars, and supplies.

"There's a lot down here. Whoever lived here before really stocked up."

Evelise nodded, standing and brushing dust off her clothes.

"Yeah. He was smart — the man who built this cabin. Lived here with his daughter. He knew what to do, what to save. Tools, food, medicine… even spare parts for repairs. He was a real survivor."

She smiled faintly, admiration in her voice.

"If more people were like him, maybe the world would not have fallen apart so fast."

Sid's expression shifted.

"But…"

"But what?"

"He died."

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