“Should we discuss with them which way to go?” Zhang Yi sensed Peng Zhixue’s unstable mood and spoke softly and carefully. “It’s going to pour again.”
That last sentence jolted Peng Zhixue awake. “Oh, right.”
He realized that with half the city flooded, he couldn’t make it home alone, nor could he survive on his own.
Song Jinhe rolled her window down halfway. The stench of decay, carried by the damp air, swirled into the car. Above them, large panes of glass were shattered, and billboards dangled in the air, swaying precariously.
“There’s a plaza nearby. The basement supermarket is probably flooded, but there’s a parking lot on the third floor,” Cheng Yan said, looking at the high-rise ahead.
Song Jinhe had no objections. There were supplies there that she needed. At this stage, the terrifying thing wasn’t the standing water itself, but the zombies lurking within it. Anyone who entered a flooded area was as good as dead.
Cheng Yan informed the two in the other car of the destination and started the engine.
A cold wind swept through the silent streets.
Rumble—
Thunder shook the earth, and raindrops began to fall from the clouds.
As the cars entered the dark parking lot ramp and their headlights rounded a corner, a row of zombies with rotting faces suddenly appeared before them.
A chill ran down Cheng Yan’s spine. He slammed on the brakes, his turn signals flashing frantically to signal the car behind to back out.
A large swarm of zombies swarmed forward, slapping the hood and climbing onto the car recklessly.
The car rocked from side to side, the body scraping against the walls with a sharp, screeching sound. With great difficulty, they backed out of the parking lot, only to find the zombies at the intersection of two streets running toward them from all sides.
“What do we do? What do we do…”
Peng Zhixue’s lips trembled as he stared at the dense tide of corpses, his face devoid of color.
They couldn’t go forward, and they couldn’t retreat. Staying here meant certain death! If he had known they’d be trapped like this, he would have just floored it and run away earlier!
Song Jinhe grabbed the overhead handle to steady herself. “Areas like this always have loading docks. Circle around and find one.”
Cheng Yan’s gaze sharpened at her words. He jerked the steering wheel to avoid a zombie. “I think I know where it is.”
Lightning flashed across the churning black clouds. The number of zombies was steadily increasing, but just before they were completely surrounded and immobilized, Cheng Yan turned into an alley.
Song Jinhe hopped out with her crowbar and lifted the half-open rolling shutter door, gesturing for them to drive the cars inside.
The zombies were close behind. Just as the second car entered, one managed to slip in. Facing the zombie with its mouth covered in blood, Song Jinhe was forced to retreat. With a squelch, the tip of her crowbar sank into its body.
Outside the shutter door, the horde surged forward like a tide.
“Close the door, quick!” Song Jinhe shouted.
The zombie pinned by her crowbar stepped forward frantically, nearly scratching her face.
She let go, allowing the zombie to skewer itself further onto the crowbar like a kebab. Then, suppressing her nausea, she moved behind it, yanked out the blood-stained crowbar, and drove it through its eye socket and into its brain.
Peng Zhixue panicked as he saw so many zombies rushing toward them. It wasn’t until he heard Cheng Yan’s urgent shouting that he snapped out of it, helping him pull the door down just before the main horde reached them.
Bang! Bang, bang!
The thin metal door shook violently under the heavy impact, even denting inward in the center.
Song Jinhe breathed heavily, clearly feeling a wave of warmth flash across her wrist.
“Are you okay?” Cheng Yan asked.
She shook her head. She stripped the outer garment off the dead zombie to wipe the blood off her crowbar, then used half a bottle of leftover water from the car to wash her hands.
The loading dock had clearly been scavenged already. They only found a few iron rods, a multi-tool screwdriver, a wrench, and some chains—perfect for reinforcing the rolling shutter.
Song Jinhe took out two boxes of self-heating rice and a cup of instant noodles from the trunk. She then produced a stainless steel lunch box from her Space to boil water, quietly stashing some of the other supplies into her Space while she was at it.
She split the self-heating rice among the group. Everyone had seen her put those two boxes in her bag earlier, so she couldn’t easily hide them in her Space. Since the zombies wouldn’t be getting in for a while, it was better to eat now while they had the chance.
Cheng Yan and the others also produced four sausages, some juice, and cup noodles. They scavenged a few wooden planks to start a small fire.
Having not had a hot meal in days, everyone struggled to contain themselves as they watched the steam rise from the containers.
Half a portion of self-heating rice wasn’t enough to fill them, but they had the noodles afterward. After being hungry for so long, the satisfaction brought by hot food and drinks dispelled much of the lingering fear and uncertainty of the journey.
Once they finished eating, they tucked some food into their pockets, grabbed their crowbars and iron rods, and followed the employee passage to look for an exit.
“Why don’t we just stay there and wait for the zombies outside to leave?” Peng Zhixue looked around nervously, clutching his iron rod. “This place is pitch black and full of turns.”
“The way we came in is blocked by zombies. Neither the cars nor we can get out that way,” Cheng Yan’s voice echoed slightly in the silent, dark environment. “If something goes wrong and we have to find an exit in a panic later, our chances of survival will be even lower.”
They didn’t see a single window along the way. The only light source was Cheng Yan’s flashlight, which was running low on battery. After a heart-pounding walk, they finally saw an “Emergency Exit” sign. They pushed open the fire door and entered the second floor of the mall.
Seeing no zombies, Zhang Yi breathed a sigh of relief and walked excitedly toward the shelves. “Finally, I can change into clean clothes. This feels like having the whole mall to ourselves. I never would have dreamed of this before the apocalypse—taking whatever I want without worrying about money.”
“It’s best to find some cold-weather gear. The temperature might drop later,” Song Jinhe mentioned, seemingly offhandedly.
While the others were busy changing clothes, she became a literal “Time Management Master.” Hiking bags, waterproof and non-slip hiking boots, Martin boots, windbreakers, and outdoor down jackets and pants capable of withstanding sub-zero temperatures—regardless of color or style, as long as the size fit, she swept them into her Space.
While visiting an undergarment shop, she found an opportunity to slip into a bedding store. She grabbed off-season discounted down duvets, spring/autumn quilts, two blankets, and a pillow that didn’t take up much room.
She also found two bottles of mineral water, some mints, and a solar-powered bamboo lantern from a checkout counter, testing it to make sure it worked.
Seeing so many supplies only made her realize how urgent the need to expand her Space truly was!
Wary of taking too much and making it obvious, Song Jinhe went to another undergarment shop. It didn’t matter if her outer layers were a bit dirty, but undergarments were vital for health. She took dozens of pairs at once; they took up less space than a single thick quilt.
Zhang Yi stepped out of a fitting room and walked toward the back storage area of a shop, wanting to see what else was inside.
As soon as she opened the door, the stench of death hit her full force. Before she could call out, a “corpse” dressed in a salesperson’s uniform suddenly stood up, let out a roar, and lunged at her.
“AAAAHHH!!!”
Zhang Yi screamed as she was pinned to the ground by the zombie.
The foul-smelling mouth drew closer and closer to her face. The sallow, decaying visage magnified in her vision as thick, dark liquid dripped from between the zombie’s teeth onto her collar.
Her hands trembled as she used her baseball bat to desperately block the zombie’s neck. She could clearly see the skin of its neck stretching until it tore, exposing its windpipe in its frantic attempt to bite into fresh meat.