Semua Bab Master of Life and Death: Bab 621 - Bab 630

As per tradition here in the village, the coffin was sealed up after that. Several young men mixed ash with water until it formed a paste, then smeared it evenly along the rim of the coffin.This was done to seal the lid tightly, keeping air out and preventing insects from slipping through any cracks after the coffin was buried, so that the insects couldn't gnaw on the body.Once the paste had been applied, the lid was closed again. The young men proceeded to hammer ten seven-inch wooden nails into the coffin, which completed the sealing of the coffin.Four of the young men bound the coffin with thick rope and secured two thick wooden poles to the front and back of the coffin.That was the last of the preparations."Shall we set off now, Tom?" Darren asked.Tom wiped his tears before saying, "I'm counting on you to take my boy up the mountain, Darren."Here at Everstream, to take someone up the mountain was a local expression referring to a person's burial.Though the villagers

Cassian had just opened his mouth to explain when a faint scratching sound cut through the night—it was coming from Roy's grave.It was very faint, sounding like a rat gnawing on the coffin. Cassian would've missed it if not for his exceptional hearing."Something's happening inside the grave," Cassian said, his eyes scanning the grave.No one else noticed anything."What's happening? Where?" Darren had barely finished speaking when the scratching sound rang out again.This time, it was a lot louder. Everyone else, including Darren, heard it as well.It was definitely coming from Roy's grave, so they all turned to stare at it.The scratching sound kept going, getting louder each time. Soon, the soil covering the grave began to shake in a rather eerie manner.A few of the more timid villagers immediately dropped flat onto the ground, too terrified to move."He's coming out," Cassian abruptly said."Who's coming out? The grave robber?"Hugh had just spoken when the soil that h

As it was, Roy was completely fine. Bending stiffly at the waist, his body snapped upright again. Then he continued moving forward.He followed the road straight ahead, without heading toward any of the farmhouses. He didn't seem to know anyone was trailing him and never once looked back.As he continued to move forward, Cassian and the others trailed about 150 feet behind him.Hugh and Peter whispered to each other."Where is Roy going?""Who knows?""I still can't wrap my head around this. How does a dead man crawl out of his coffin?""Is it possible that no one has been digging up the graves? All of the dead people crawled out of the graves themselves?"The moment Peter suggested that possibility, everyone felt a chill run down their spine."If that's true, does that mean everyone who died earlier turned into zombies, like Roy?" Darren asked gravely."There's a high chance that's precisely what happened," Peter replied."Oh, no. We're screwed. If that many people have tur

It was just as Peter had guessed earlier. The villagers of Everstream who had died under strange circumstances had all turned into zombies.Watching this scene unfold, Darren felt terrified and shaken to the core. Tears streamed down his face as he cried out, "What kind of cursed situation is this? Why have they all turned into zombies?"Cassian remained silent as she studied the zombies briefly before saying, "One is missing.""Are you talking about the doctor who died, Dr. York?" Darren asked. "When the doctor died, they took his body back to the town and cremated him."The town officials had sent a doctor to investigate the situation at Everstream before the medical team came along, but he'd also died a bizarre death.Cassian had been informed of this earlier."I'm not talking about the doctor," Cassian said, "I'm referring to the Leary family's child.""Oh, you're right. Why don't I see Pip Leary anywhere? Did he not become a zombie?" Darren wondered. "But if he didn't, wher

When the scalpel sliced across Roy's throat, his body abruptly stiffened. Two seconds later, he collapsed with a heavy thud.Without hesitation, Cassian did the same with the rest of the zombies, slashing all of their throats. In no more than 30 seconds, all ten zombies had been brought down.Only then did he exhale in relief."Thank you, Dr. York," Darren said after seeing that."It's nothing," Cassian replied before scanning the forest for any sign of Pip.He'd heard Pip's laughter just now, so he had to be in the vicinity. He had most likely become a zombie as well.All of a sudden, a child's laughter echoed in the forest again.This time, Cassian heard it clearly and instantly determined that it was coming from somewhere in the southeast of where he was.Clutching the scalpel, he started heading in that direction. However, he'd only taken two steps when Peter cried out in alarm, "Watch out, Dr. York!"Hugh also called out, "Dr. York! Behind you!"Cassian whipped around an