Corpse As Body, Corpse As Meal

10

CJAY felt bold, thanks to Natalia's shocked reaction. He turned on his heel to completely face her and limped his way inside her bedroom. The zombie's pace went faster as he skipped along with every limping step he took. His body waved back and forth and his arms swung, helping him balance his uncoordinated body.

Alert, Natalia stood up and steadied her feet in a forty-five degree stance that rooted her to the ground. Cjay opened his mouth and revelead how red it was inside it. He released a throaty guttural grunt. Blood gargled in his throat as he contorted his head back. He seemed to be pulling back his head, looking up, but his eyes were all on her.

He was so close when her slap reached him. Her smack was so violent it swept Cjay flying to his left and knocked him down on the floor that had a wooden finish. One of his legs jerked a bit followed by his pained groan.

'Take note, I haven't fully recovered my strength yet. What more when I'm in the condition to fight again, Zombie?' Pride shone on her eyes as she arrogantly observed the motionless zombie. After making sure that he won't be bouncing up to get back on her, she immediately looked away. The bored look stayed on Natalia's face as she headed relaxedly to the window to close and lock it. Then, she headed to the door to do what President Carlos instructed to the PSG earlier-trap Cjay in a bedroom.

But before she could walk past Cjay, he suddenly grabbed her ankle and snarled. When she looked down, he was already pulling back his head, like a slingshot getting ready to launch a pebble. Before he could bite her, she gave him a kick on the face using the same feet whose ankle he was gripping.

"Shit!" he hissed in his normal voice.

That's when she felt relief. Natalia waved her leg again, signaling for the zombie to let her go, and Cjay took the hint. He released her ankle.

While Natalia was stepping back, she watched Cjay carefully press a hand against the floor to prop himself up. He sat on the floor and looked up at her, revealing his handsome face (thanks to the makeup) tainted with irritation.

"Are you really that strong or is it because I'm a zombie?" he whined. "Damn! My face hurts!" Then, he spent the next minutes struggling to get up from the floor.

She did not help him up. Natalia remained as hard as a stone, letting Cjay suffer as he tried to stand on his own. "What game are you playing, Zombie? You scared the hell out of everyone here in Malacañang. Is this because you want to be an actor now? Stick to modeling, because your acting sucks."

His eyebrows knitted together. "You're such a conceited human." He winced and coughed a little, which made Natalia suppress a smile at the thought that she probably kicked him too hard. Cjay was already kneeling on one leg, with one foot steady on the floor. "Where did you get the guts to talk back to me like that? Y-You're just my assistant-"

"Sure, I'm just your assistant," she threw her hands on her hips, "but I won't get fired because I am not scared of you."

"You're really so smug. How come you're not scared of me?" Cjay smirked as he slowly managed to stand up. "How sure are you that you won't get fired?" he eyed her testily.

Natalia met his eyes. "Well, who will take my place when I get fired? From what I've noticed, Cjay, no one lasts as your assistant. I'm sure that President Carlos is also having a hard time, hiring a new one, because who in their right minds would want to assist a zombie?"

"Then, you must be out of your right mind," he said through gritted teeth, because as much as he wanted to mock her, standing up straight was making his skin stretch in ways that stung him like a sunburn. Cjay ended up slightly hunched but that's the best posture he could do because of the weight of his decaying body that got heavier because of the violent kick and slap he just got from her.