He hadn’t asked, but Shi Zuo An wasn’t about to let it slide.
Taking advantage of Xia Ao turning his back to adjust his backpack, his mischievous hand swooped down and ruffled the sticky hair on Xia Ao’s head, pressing it flat against his scalp.
Xia Ao: “…Are you insane?”
After committing his little crime, Shi Zuo An felt slightly embarrassed. Not wanting to waste the shampoo in his hands, he rubbed some onto his pants and said dryly, “My bad.”
The speed and lack of sincerity in his apology were something Xia Ao had never encountered before.
But what could he do?
Of course, forgive him~
After tidying up, the two of them pressed against the door and listened to the sounds outside.
Nothing.
They guessed that at least the corridor wasn’t filled with zombies, and slowly pushed the door open.
A strong, metallic stench of blood instantly hit their noses, making Shi Zuo An gag.
He held his breath, covering his mouth and nose, his eyes gradually adjusting to the dim light of the corridor.
What met their eyes was a scene straight out of hell.
The thick gray carpet was splattered with blood, chunks of flesh and patches of skin stuck in the corners, now dark red.
The walls were dotted with bloody streaks, some even splashed up onto the ceiling.
The sheer horror was unbearable to look at, Shi Zuo An turned his head, unable to face it directly.
“Let’s go.” Xia Ao snapped back to focus and casually closed the door behind them.
With the lights out, they could barely see the path under the weak beam of their phone flashlight.
It was time to go downstairs.
“Wait a second.” Xia Ao suddenly stopped.
Caught off guard, Shi Zuo An’s head bumped into his back.
“What now?!”
Xia Ao shot him a glare: “Are you planning to fight zombies bare-handed?”
What made Xia Ao pause was a fire hydrant in the stairwell.
He lifted the glass door with one hand, and decades of accumulated dust fell in a small cascade.
“Ahem, a hotel fire inspection wouldn’t pass this.”
Shi Zuo An, choked by the dust, cursed silently in his heart.
Xia Ao grabbed a fire axe from the hydrant and handed it to Shi Zuo An.
And just hand it to him like that?
Shi Zuo An’s mind churned.
“You’re not taking it yourself?”
“…If this hotel only has one fire hydrant, then we’re really screwed.”
True.
It probably wasn’t that unlucky.
Shi Zuo An happily accepted it, grabbing the fire axe and swinging it lightly to test the weight and balance.
Xia Ao took a flashlight.
Much brighter than the phone’s flashlight.
He pressed the switch, and a beam of light illuminated the stairs below.
“Let’s go check it out.”
They descended the stairs, their footsteps echoing sharply through the empty stairwell.
Neither spoke, both nerves taut, eyes fixed on the stair corners.
Suddenly, from below came heavy footsteps and a low, guttural growl.
Something was there!
They exchanged a glance, reading the same emotion in each other’s eyes.
Xia Ao immediately turned off the flashlight.
Relying on the eerie green glow of the stairwell’s “exit sign,” they barely made out the movement below.
A zombie in a hotel uniform staggered up from the lower floor.
Its sallow face was covered in rotting wounds, eyes bulging, features twisted into a grimace, and its throat emitted a wind-tunnel-like sound with every breath.
Xia Ao stepped back, he didn’t expect to encounter a zombie so quickly.
He tugged on Shi Zuo An’s sleeve, signaling him to hand over the axe.
But just as his fingertips brushed the fabric, Shi Zuo An lunged forward.
!
The fire axe swung straight toward the zombie’s head!
The zombie reacted faster than expected. It roared and raised its arm to block, the axe blade smashing solidly against its forearm.
“Crack!”
A bone-chilling snap echoed. The zombie’s arm twisted into an unnatural angle, spraying blood everywhere.
The axe remained lodged in its arm, yet this didn’t seem to slow it down at all.
Instead, Shi Zuo An was sent flying backward by the counterforce, landing hard on his backside.
Just the sound of him hitting the ground was enough to make one imagine the pain radiating through his rear.
The zombie, now enraged, lurched toward Shi Zuo An’s position.
Xia Ao immediately lunged forward, bracing the zombie’s waist and abdomen with his legs, then used the leverage to jump and snatch the axe from its arm.
He gripped the handle with both hands and swung it down toward the zombie’s head.
This swing took nearly all the strength he had in his body.
With a dull, heavy crack, the zombie’s skull exploded like a smashed watermelon, fragments of red and white splattering everywhere, covering Shi Zuo An’s face.
…
“You did that on purpose, didn’t you?”
“Absolutely not.”
After a brief tug-of-war and some leveling of tempers, the two “made up” for the moment and continued down the stairs.
But, as often happens, what you least want tends to appear.
There was no fire axe in the fire hydrant on the next floor.
Shi Zuo An couldn’t help complaining: “Feels like my luck has been ridiculously bad ever since I woke up this morning.”
“Maybe you should close your eyes for a moment and see if you’re dreaming.”
A little too thoughtful, that one.
Fortunately, no second zombie appeared in the stairwell, allowing both of them to catch their breath after the intense struggle.
They reached the last fire door. Beyond it lay the outside world.
Xia Ao didn’t push the door open immediately, pausing for a second.
Shi Zuo An didn’t rush him and stood there quietly. Neither of them was in a hurry.
But opening this door meant they were about to face the disaster head-on.
“Once we’re out, run to the left, toward the hotel parking lot. My car is there,” Xia Ao instructed. “I’ll take you home.”
“Okay, thanks,” Shi Zuo An replied.
After bracing themselves mentally, they pushed open the gray door.
Sunlight poured in instantly, so bright it made their eyes squint.
There was no time to adjust.
The familiar streets had become unrecognizable.
This area was usually one of the bustling parts of downtown H City, but now it was littered with abandoned cars, blocking the roads in every direction.
The streets were completely empty, save for wandering zombies, aimlessly shuffling about with stiff, sluggish movements.
The air reeked of blood and rot, mingled with the acrid scent of something burning.
The reality of the apocalypse.
Five words popped into Shi Zuo An’s mind.
There was no time for despair or pity. Using the cover of the green belts, the two of them slunk to the left.
The tall buildings split the sunlight into clear patches of light and shadow, a sharp, distinct boundary.
They kept close to the walls as they moved.
After about fifty meters, an SUV, toppled onto the sidewalk, blocked their path.
Its large frame lay sideways across the road. To get past, they would have to step onto the vehicle lane.
Xia Ao, walking ahead, noticed the situation first and signaled for Shi Zuo An to stay close.
They slowed their steps, one, two…
Almost clear of the overturned vehicle.
Suddenly, Xia Ao froze.
A zombie was hiding just behind the rear of the car!
Their eyes locked, both parties frozen.
Shi Zuo An, trailing behind Xia Ao, was blocked by his broad shoulders and couldn’t see what was happening. He leaned down and whispered, “What’s wrong?”
But they were too close.
Even that soft whisper reached the zombie’s ears clearly.
The zombie reacted instantly, lunging at Xia Ao.
Xia Ao swung the fire axe at its neck, and blood spurted out in a spray.
The strong scent spread, attracting more zombies, which gradually converged on their location.
“Run!” Xia Ao growled, grabbing Shi Zuo An and sprinting toward the parking lot.
The zombies chased after them, their speed frighteningly fast.
Shi Zuo An could hear the roar of their pursuit behind him, growing louder and louder, like an unstoppable force, as if some little game trigger had unleashed a bulldozer.
“What the hell is going on?!”
“Guess!!!”
Shi Zuo An still looked completely clueless, which only made Xia Ao even more frustrated.
…
Tch, if you don’t want to say it, fine, why make such a loud noise?
The two of them spread their legs and ran. Fortunately, they weren’t unfit, and gradually they managed to put some distance between themselves and the zombies.
Finally, the bar appeared ahead.
He remembered being completely drunk here the night before, the tip of his tongue still tingling from the harsh sting of alcohol.
Who would’ve thought that coming to this crappy place for once, overnight, his innocence would vanish.
Shi Zuo An ran, reflecting on this in his mind.
The “parking lot” of the bar wasn’t really a parking lot, it was just the space between the storefront and the sidewalk, with a few lines painted to serve as parking spots.
Xia Ao remembered that his car was parked at the far left. Trusting his memory, he sprinted forward.
“There it is!” he said, pointing to a pink Mini at the far left.
Oh my God! Chopped chili fish head!
Such a handsome guy driving such a cute car!
Shi Zuo An’s mind couldn’t help but think that you shouldn’t judge a book by its cover, and he looked at Xia Ao with a gaze full of meaning.
“…That car belongs to my sister.”
Shi Zuo An just gave a perfunctory “hmm, hmm.”
Pressing the remote, the Mini beeped and the headlights turned on.
More zombies were gradually attracted by the movement and lights.
The two of them hurried into the car. Xia Ao locked the doors and slammed on the accelerator.
The electric car was quiet, turns out that was a plus in the apocalypse.
Through the rearview mirror, Shi Zuo An saw the zombies that had been chasing them slowly lose interest. Their figures grew smaller and smaller until they disappeared from sight.
Finally, he let out a long breath, leaning back in the seat, completely drained.
“That was intense. In nearly thirty years of my life, this is the first time I’ve felt my heart leap up into my throat.”
“…You’re thirty?”
“Twenty-nine, thank you very much.”
“Seems like your Chinese isn’t great.” At the corner, Xia Ao even flicked the turn signal.
“Indeed, my literary skills can’t compare to yours, and neither can my driving ability.”
“…”
Their first reaction after narrowly escaping death was actually to bicker in the car.
Shi Zuo An thought of this and chuckled lightly.
The tense atmosphere was suddenly broken.
Xia Ao laughed a little too and asked, “Where do you live? I’ll take you home.”
Shi Zuo An gave him the address.
Although it was in the city center of H City, the neighborhood was notoriously old and run-down.
Xia Ao didn’t know the way, so in the end Shi Zuo An had to sit in the passenger seat, eyes fixed on the road, giving directions.
After about twenty minutes, the road became bumpy, and they finally arrived at the address Shi Zuo An had mentioned.
The white exterior of the slab-style apartment building was chipped and peeling, revealing gray concrete underneath.
Several clotheslines hung outside the windows, flapping wildly in the wind.
“We’re here.”
“Alright, thanks for bringing me back,” Shi Zuo An said, reaching to unbuckle his seatbelt, ready to get out.
The briskness almost made him seem like a cold-hearted jerk…
Xia Ao hesitated for a moment but stopped him. “Can a car even get in here?”
Since he had offered to take him all the way, Shi Zuo An had no choice but to politely comply.
Shi Zuo An pointed to the central gate and said it was probably only about one and a half meters wide, any larger car wouldn’t fit.
Fortunately, it was a small Mini.
The car stopped in the middle of the courtyard, the driver pressing the brake all the way down, without intending to pull the handbrake.
Shi Zuo An didn’t think much of it and was about to get out when Xia Ao asked,
“Are you sure you want to go back?” He glanced at the corridor above the slab building, then back at the passenger seat.
Several zombies were wandering in the hallway. Some wore pajamas, elderly residents, while others were young people who had just changed into shirts and suit pants but hadn’t made it to work. Their faces were grotesque, eyes blood-red, throats rolling as they let out guttural roars.
“Which unit is yours?” Xia Ao asked.
Shi Zuo An quickly turned his head to look.
His gaze met the broken brown iron door, and his heart sank.
This apartment was his rental, and the door had been left by the landlord. He knew it wasn’t high quality, but he didn’t expect it to be ruined the moment the zombie outbreak began.
What now?
Following his gaze, Xia Ao saw the broken door.
“…That’s your place?” He stopped, his tone carrying a trace of sympathy he probably didn’t even notice in himself.
Shi Zuo An’s face darkened. He scratched his head awkwardly. “Uh… my humble abode is a bit run-down, sorry for the embarrassment.”
“A bit run-down?” This was way beyond that.
Xia Ao was momentarily speechless. After a long pause, he said, “Why don’t you stay at my place for now?”