"Master…"
Sophie Yu tilted her head as she stared at the images on the tablet.
"Why are the people in these pictures not wearing clothes? Is this how people are supposed to tie ropes now?"
Evan Ran almost choked on his own breath.
He had no idea how to explain that the rope tutorials he downloaded were not… standard instructional materials. Was Sophie this innocent because she had turned into a zombie, or had she always been so pure and clueless even before the outbreak?
Either way, if he tied her like the people in those pictures, he might end up losing every shred of self-control he had left.
He pressed a hand to his forehead.
"Let's not do that. How about we tie you the simple way? Like Mr. Sun next door."
He made the decision quickly, trying to sound responsible rather than desperate.
Within minutes, he had Sophie tied securely on the bed. The knots looked rough and simple, but they were tight enough that even a normal person could not break them. And to prevent any accidental biting, he gently stuffed a towel into her mouth.
That should do it. Safe. Practical. Zero questionable implications.
"You sleep on the bed tonight. I will take the sofa," Evan told her gently.
He carefully lifted her small, bound body and placed her on the mattress. He even pulled the blanket up to her chin, tucking her in as if she were fragile porcelain.
Sophie could not move, but her heart felt warm in a way she could not explain.
Outside, the night deepened.
The sounds of the apocalypse seeped through the walls. Groans of wandering zombies. Occasional human screams that cut off too quickly. The world was collapsing in real time outside the window.
The early days of the outbreak were always like a descent into hell.
Soon, the human population would drop sharply, and the city would fully belong to the dead.
Evan had lived through this timeline before. None of this surprised him. Sleep found him easily.
Hours later…
Sophie's eyes snapped open.
She was hungry.
Her stomach felt empty, her instincts thrumming under her skin.
With little effort, she ripped the rope apart. The fibers snapped like wet paper.
She spat the towel out of her mouth and crept silently toward Evan. Her steps made no sound as she approached the sofa.
She leaned close, watching him sleep.
"Master sleeps so peacefully," she whispered softly. "He will not notice."
But she did not bite him.
Instead, she sniffed his scent, feeling warm and safe, and quietly slipped away.
Morning arrived with the scent of food.
Evan woke up slowly, stretching, but paused when he saw a small red mark on the bedsheet. Sophie was nowhere in sight.
Before he could panic, her cheerful voice sounded from the doorway.
"Master, you are awake!"
She popped her head inside, wearing an apron, holding a spatula.
"You… cooked?" Evan blinked.
"I only know how to make fried eggs," she said shyly. "So I made fried eggs with instant noodles for breakfast."
His stomach growled immediately.
He dressed quickly and hurried out to the living room.
And froze.
Sophie was wearing only a kitchen apron.
Nothing else.
If the curtains had not been drawn tightly, anyone across the building would have gotten a very generous morning show.
"Sophie… go put on some clothes," Evan said carefully, almost pleading with himself not to lose it.
"Why?" She blinked innocently. "Do I not look good like this?"
She spun once.
The apron fluttered, revealing smooth, pale skin. The entire back was completely bare. Evan felt his vision blur for a moment.
He coughed, adjusting the angle of his pants with subtle desperation.
"If you look like that, I cannot eat breakfast at all."
"Oh." Sophie stuck out her tongue, then hurried back into the bedroom barefoot.
Evan finally let out the breath he had been holding.
He sat down and began devouring the noodles. Last night had been far more physically intense than he expected. Three hours. Against a mutated zombie girl. His entire body felt sore and drained. And starving.
If more girls like Sophie appeared, he might actually die… in several different ways.
Sophie reappeared wearing an oversized T-shirt that barely reached mid-thigh. At least she was covered now. Mostly.
She hummed happily as she washed the dishes.
Evan watched her slim back and sighed deeply.
Why had he never met a girl like her before the world ended?
Beautiful, obedient, gentle, and living directly across from him. Yet he never even had a chance to run into her before everything collapsed.
Maybe he had stayed inside too much. Maybe fate was simply playing games.
He opened a cold soda from the fridge and leaned back, scrolling through Sophie's laptop. The internet was still up, though shaky. Every site was full of apocalypse discussions.
The reports matched what Evan remembered.
The virus spread far too quickly.
People outdoors, riding buses, trains, public spaces… almost none made it home. The first week was chaos. Human numbers dropped rapidly.
Posts about fighting over supplies were everywhere.
People were looting, fighting, hurting each other. Survival instincts cracked the thin shell of civilization.
Someone was even serializing a zombie apocalypse novel online.
And readers were still leaving comments.
Evan shook his head.
People really had time for everything.
He closed the page and opened the map of the nearby supermarket. Finally, something important.
They needed to restock soon.
The route required crossing two intersections. Both surrounded by residential zones, which meant heavy population density. Heavy zombies. And the supermarket itself would be full of them too.
Just him and Sophie might struggle to fight through.
Evan rubbed his chin, thinking through possible strategies.
At that moment, Sophie finished washing dishes and walked into the living room.
Without hesitation, she sat directly on his lap.
Evan looked down, and his mind blanked for a moment.
Sophie's clothing style was truly simple.
She said she put on a T-shirt.
She put on exactly one T-shirt.
And nothing underneath.
This was too much. Far too much.
Sophie looked up at him with bright, trusting eyes.
"Master, what are we doing today?"
Evan felt the last of his rationality slipping away.
He took a slow breath.
"We… need to talk about clothes first."