30 days after the Water Festival, a global human transformation swept across the world.

Initially, the government issued an emergency warning:

[All residents who participated in the Water Festival are requested to register at their nearest hospital immediately.]

Until my dad, on night duty at the hospital, called:

“Son, don’t go out! Don’t let anyone in!”

Hanging up the call, our dog began barking fiercely at the front door.

Approaching the video doorbell, I felt sweat break out on my forehead.

Outside stood someone I knew all too well – someone who had been dead for a month.

01

“Ben, it’s okay, it’s okay.”

With my soothing, Ben stopped barking, but his eyes remained fixed on the door, his nose slightly wrinkled, body tense, baring his teeth, and growling softly.

Ben, a gentle and sincere German Shepherd I brought home three years ago, had suddenly gone berserk at the door without any warning.

Reacting instinctively as a dog owner, I realized someone, or something must be lingering outside.

But it was 3 a.m. – why would anyone be at my doorstep for no reason? Perhaps a drunkard? Or… a thief?

Fortunately, it didn’t last long; Ben relaxed, and so did my nerves.

It was already late, yet netizens were still active, discussing the government’s early morning emergency notice: [All residents who took part in the Water Festival are to register at a nearby hospital.]

Everyone was guessing what had happened.

“It’s released in the middle of the night, so it can’t be trivial.”

“My third sister went to the hospital, and she hasn’t returned yet!”

“I heard from the hospital staff that the situation is quite severe. Better be prepared.”

My eyebrows furrowed, and I thought of my father working at the hospital, worry creeping in.

Not long after the warning, Dad called, telling me not to step out or let anyone in. His end sounded noisy, and before I could ask, he hung up.

“What’s going on…

Anxiously, I looked out the window. Just then, Ben jumped off the sofa and started barking at the door again.

This time, I didn’t stop him because I heard the sound from outside too. Picking up a baseball bat, I walked cautiously.

Ben’s fierce barking continued, and the thing outside hadn’t left. I approached the video doorbell.

In the dim light, a blurry black figure stood upright, right in front of my door, facing it, hands hanging down.

The hallway lights were motion-activated, but despite Ben’s barking for minutes, they didn’t turn on.

Could they be broken?

Strange…

Muttering quietly, I was about to contact the security downstairs when I remembered Dad’s warning and the government’s alert.

Forget it, not knowing the situation, it’s best if the security guard doesn’t go out either. This thing is outside, but it can’t get in.

Just then, someone mentioned me in our neighborhood group chat. It was our neighbor.

Her family usually goes to bed early – a family of three, with a son in high school. She scolded in the group that our dog’s barking had awakened her son:

“Barking in the middle of the night! My son was awakened with fear. If he fails the college entrance exam, will you take responsibility? I’ve called the security guard to come and take your crazy dog away!”

Glancing down, I was about to reply but heard Ben barking even more fiercely behind me.

“Ben, stop barking!”

I sensed something wasn’t right, looked up, and stared at the video doorbell.

As our gazes met, goosebumps spread across my entire body. Something in my head seemed to explode, my throat turning bitter, and my legs weakening.

Standing outside was my mother – my mother who had died a month ago.

“Mom…”

I felt like I was losing my mind, confused and even delirious. A dream, right?

It has to be a dream!

02

My mom passed away during the Water Festival. Originally, I was going to join my classmates, but on the way, I received a call from Dad.

I couldn’t believe that a living person could suddenly become a cold corpse.

After that, I applied for a leave of absence from school and, along with Ben, switched to a nocturnal lifestyle, numbing myself with games.

I never expected to see my mom again, alive.

She was outside, looking at me through the video doorbell, her pale face in the darkness smiling, her lips curling up slightly as she spoke.

“Son, open the door for Mom. Mom’s back.”

The ringing in my ears and the sound of my heartbeat drowned out Great Ben’s barking. My longing transformed into a compelling spell, and I gently exerted force with my right hand.

Just then, the ‘ding-dong’ of an elevator arriving in the distance shattered my trance.

Two uniformed men appeared, their faces filled with alarm. They drew stun batons from their waists, pointing at my front door in a stern voice.

“Hey! Who’s there?!”

By now, I had regained my composure and suddenly realized something, a wave of unease rising within me. Almost instinctively, I shouted at the two men outside,

“Go! Leave quickly!”

But it was too late. I watched in horror as the ‘mother’ outside split apart.

Her face split into irregular slices, resembling a sliced pizza, bursting open in an instant.

Each slice was lined with sharp teeth that wriggled like starfish limbs. From the darkness where her face had been, a monstrous creature emerged.

It resembled a massive brown snake covered in spikes, its eyes of varying sizes and hues scattered chaotically across its body. Stunned, I gawked, my throat turning bitter, my sweaty palms clutching the baseball bat tightly.

The two security guards let out blood-curdling screams, frantically dashing for the elevator.

But just as the doors were about to close, the monster from ‘Mother’s’ face darted forward, piercing into the elevator like a sword.

I couldn’t see what happened inside, only hearing a heart-wrenching shriek that pierced the air, followed by splatters of blood stained the whole corridor red.

After satisfying its feast, the creature slowly retreated back into ‘Mother’s’ body.

The face with its own teeth reformed into the complete, familiar face of ‘Mother.’

She still looked gentle, her brows knitted in a loving smile, as if she could see me through the camera.

“Caldon, open the door for Mom. Mom’s back.”

03

My name is Caldon, a name given by my mother. Just like her style, she was an incredibly kind and gentle person.

On the day I saw the body donation consent form, I couldn’t control myself anymore.

“No, absolutely not!”

I couldn’t bear the thought of my mother’s body being experimented on after her death.

It was unacceptable. She was such a kind soul, shouldn’t have left so soon, let alone without a peaceful resting place.

My father’s eyes were bruised, and he smoked one cigarette after another.

“This was her wish. I respect it.”

After that, even at home, we were like strangers. I blamed him for his “generosity.”

It wasn’t until today, when he called for the first time since Mom’s passing, that my anxiety intensified.

The stench of blood seeping through the door slot told me that what I had witnessed wasn’t a dream.

‘Mother’ still stood at the door, her loving and gentle face adorned with an incongruous flush of red. I knew she wasn’t my mother.

Recalling the creature’s destructive power, I knew the door wouldn’t hold for long if she attacked.

Thankfully, ‘Mother’ didn’t stay for too long. As the sky around us began to lighten, she vanished.

My tensed body relaxed, and I leaned against the door, gasping for air.

My father’s phone remained unresponsive, filling me with anxiety and prompting thoughts of searching for him.

I knew the world must have undergone a massive change.

But what was the cause of this colossal shift?

“Please, all residents who participated in the Water-Sprinkling Festival, immediately register at the nearest hospital.”

Recalling the government’s warning, I felt a deep sense of unease. This human transformation had to be connected to the Water-Sprinkling Festival.

04

At 6 AM, the news finally released related information. Approximately 30 days after the Water-Sprinkling Festival, all those splashed with water had undergone varying degrees of transformation.

Our city celebrated the festival enthusiastically every year, and with recent online promotions, tens of thousands would gather annually.

This led to the disaster devastating the city.

These transformations were bizarre. The transformed retained the appearance of their human forms and hunted normal humans for food upon seeing them.

So far, it was discovered that these parasites didn’t infest animals or attack them proactively.

According to experts’ dissections, an unknown parasite resided within the transformed bodies.

Upon attaching to the host, it devoured them swiftly, then replicated the host’s cells, ultimately assuming their appearance.

Most terrifyingly, this parasite possessed intelligence.

After consuming the host’s brain, these parasites swiftly analyze the host’s memories, using them to hunt down the host’s loved ones.

They’re also adept at disguise. Infected hosts have an extraordinary ability to regenerate; they can only be completely killed by burning.

Fortunately, experts managed to develop a vaccine overnight. If one remains rational, rushing to the hospital might prevent further infection.

My hand gripped the remote control tightly, my forehead already drenched in sweat.

According to the news, at least tens of thousands had perished or gone missing overnight.

On the 30th day after the water-pouring festival, this time seemed like a signal, and countless mutated beings emerged.

Despite the government’s urgent appeals for citizens to go to nearby hospitals, many had already transformed. They roamed the streets like a horde of the undead.

Now, almost the entire city of Y was infected. Not just Y City, since many who attended the festival were tourists, other cities found themselves in unprecedented crises.

An apocalyptic crisis against humanity had descended.

Realizing that the creature from the early morning was the parasite occupying my mother’s body made everything make sense.

On the day she died, Mom might have come into contact with the water, allowing the parasite to inhabit her body.

Because of her body donation, her body was preserved and never cremated.

This led to her return on the 30th day of the water-pouring festival.

It wanted to use Mom’s memories to find and consume me. “Damn it, how awful.”

Glancing at the family photo, a foreboding feeling washed over me. In the picture, Mom and I were smiling, and Dad, usually stern, wore a faint smile.

05

I muttered, associating my thoughts with my father still in the hospital. Would ‘Mom’ go after him too, as prey?

After several unanswered calls, Dad’s phone was now off.

Anxiety mounted as I waited at home. By nine in the morning, he should have been back, but he hadn’t returned, nor could I reach him.

Every minute he spent outside was a minute of danger.

I couldn’t lose Dad after losing Mom. Assuming that Ben wasn’t active during the day, as ‘Mom’ had left at dawn, I guessed that now was the perfect opportunity.

Preparing food for two days and one night, I grabbed the leftover spray snow from Christmas, a small bottle of gasoline, a lighter, and, of course, my trusty metal baseball bat.

Lastly, I called for Ben and made a makeshift anti-bite collar with nails.

Originally, I didn’t plan on taking Ben along, but given the government’s notice that the parasites wouldn’t attack animals and considering Ben’s ability to detect hidden parasites among normal humans, he would be a great help.

“Ben, good boy.” I patted his head, and he responded with a spirited bark.

I needed to get the car from the basement parking garage first.

With the elevator filled with the remains from the dead security guard, no one had cleaned up yet—clearly, the world outside was in chaos. Entering another elevator, I watched the descending numbers, my heart heavy with unease.

As the doors opened on the third basement level, the dim light from the elevator was swallowed by the ominous darkness.

Taking a deep breath, I stepped forward with Ben.

The garage shouldn’t have been so dark, but I was glad I had a flashlight.

Recalling the broken corridor lights, if the parasites didn’t need to rest during the day, they might be sensitive to light.

This abnormal darkness suggested that there could be a parasite lurking in the basement.

Ben and I moved cautiously in the faint light.

Suddenly, Ben stopped without warning.

His body tensed, his breathing quickened. I felt a slight vibration through the leash.

My heartbeat accelerated, but in the small patch of light, I saw nothing.

I knew we were close to the parking spot.

Ben must have sensed something, but he didn’t bark uncontrollably like before.

This implied that whatever was in the darkness wasn’t too near.

“Ben, let’s go.” Summoning courage, I instructed him. We were so close; I couldn’t back down now.

This time, Ben walked even more cautiously, constantly sniffing the air. Thankfully, the journey was uneventful.

But as I was about to open the car door, Ben’s frenzied barking echoed throughout the parking lot.

A disgusting-smelling liquid dripped onto my arm, and our eyes met.

It was a mutated creature. Its head dangled down from the car roof, hair hanging loose, its grayish eyes fixated on me, saliva dripping from its mouth.

From the waist down, it had grown two extra pairs of hands and legs, gripping the ends of my car roof like a crab.

I seemed to recognize it—it was the neighbor who had complained about me, and she had also mutated, ending up in my car.

Chuckling, it lunged at me. “Oh, oh, what delicious… food…”

But before it could finish its sentence, I slammed my baseball bat into her head. Without waiting for its reaction, I quickly got into the car with Ben.

The mutated creature recovered swiftly, leaping to block my path.

That’s when I noticed that, apart from its elongated neck, it had sharp pincers like a crab on its arms.

Squinting, I knew the power of these inhuman beasts—any hint of weakness or fear, and I would be torn apart.

I needed to show them that a desperate man had nothing to lose.

I was crazy!

Backing up the car for a moment, I wasn’t running away; I hit the gas and charged forward.

With a jolt, the impact shook the car, and I could feel the front bumper separating from the body.

My foot never left the pedal as I turned the steering wheel sharply, heading for the exit.

Like a warrior fueled by adrenaline, all fear vanished, replaced by a hint of excitement on my face. “Damn it, dare to scare me?!” “Die!”

06

The windshield wipers wiped away the residue and remains on the glass.

Driving alone with my dog on the road, I rejoiced slightly over my recent ‘victory’.

My blood still boiled as I connected Bluetooth and played “Come And Get Your Love.”

After a brief release from immense pressure, my mind was in a state of retaliatory relief.

In this state, I hadn’t noticed that Ben’s behavior had been off since earlier. Its fur on the nose bridge was slightly creased, and its eyes were fixed intently on the back seat.

It was my fault.

I hadn’t realized something was wrong until Ben nipped my sleeve.

“Ben?”

Turning off the music, I finally heard Ben’s low growl.

Glancing through the rearview mirror, the back seat was empty, with nothing there.

But I knew Ben wouldn’t react unnecessarily; it must have sensed something. Was there something in the trunk?

My heart raced again as I pulled over without attracting attention, reaching for the metal baseball bat by my feet.

Anger simmered in my eyes, but I didn’t turn around immediately, instead focusing on the rearview mirror.

I was getting closer to my dad’s hospital, and I would soon save him.

Nothing was going to stop me. Not even a mutated creature could deter my determination. Indeed, I saw what Ben was tense about.

A dark shape was moving occasionally beneath the rear seats. And that wasn’t the worst.

If I wasn’t mistaken, there seemed to be a shadowy figure in the trunk as well.

“Damn it.” I cursed inwardly.

These pervasive creatures. If only I had a cigarette, I’d really crave one right now. Damn.

07

Worried that it might rush out and get into danger, I motioned for Ben to sit in the passenger seat, then slowly lowered the rear seatback.

Just as I raised the baseball bat to take the offensive, a black figure quickly stood up from under the backseat, hands raised above its head.

“No, no,” she said, looking at my baseball bat and then at Ben, like a frightened rabbit, her eyes filled with fear.

“We didn’t mean it… Please don’t be angry, we just came in for a little while… If you don’t want us here, we’ll leave right away.”

The girl introduced herself as Lucy, a 16-year-old, and behind her was her younger brother, Eric, a 12-year-old.

Since last night, their parents were missing.

Early in the morning, Lucy had planned to take her brother to the parking lot to look for their parents but was chased by the mutated neighbor, leaving them scurrying in fear.

“I brought my brother into your car… We’re so scared, really scared…”

A question arose in my mind: How did these two kids manage to get into my car?

“I don’t know. We were running all the time.

When we approached your car, my brother tripped, and I took him under your vehicle. He told me your car door was unlocked.”

Her explanation didn’t fully convince me, but observing Ben’s demeanor, he didn’t seem overly guarded upon seeing Lucy.

Not wanting to dwell on it further, I sighed deeply.

If their parents hadn’t returned, they were likely in danger. Another possibility was that they had gone to the hospital and were attempting to contact their children.

Sending them back now wasn’t feasible, and I couldn’t leave them behind.

“Want to come with me to the hospital? Maybe you’ll find your parents there.”

08

It was a workday, but unlike the usual morning rush hour, the city appeared draped in a veil of gray.

There were hardly any cars on the road, let alone pedestrians.

It was evident that everyone was too fearful to venture out, opting to stay at home and await government assistance.

This thought made me even more concerned about my father.

I couldn’t afford to dwell on it and simply drove straight ahead.

Arriving at the hospital entrance, I froze, as if in a dream.

The city’s finest hospital seemed deserted, its security booth window shattered, with blood and remains scattered at the entrance.

A chill ran down my spine, and the harrowing scene from the previous night replayed in my mind.

Gritting my teeth, I stepped out of the car with Ben, leaving Lucy and Eric inside.

A cold gust of wind swept past us, and the hospital loomed before us like a colossal, grotesque anglerfish, luring its prey into a trap.

“Brother… we’ll go with you.”

I hadn’t anticipated the two kids to follow, their faces now displaying a brave resolve.

“We want to search for our parents too, maybe they’re inside.”

After a moment’s contemplation, I retrieved two small knives from my backpack.

“If you insist on going, then okay.

“But I can’t be responsible for you. You must protect yourselves.”