The sound of the dormitory door being pushed open.
In this old Building 2, all the door panels creaked like arthritic old ladies, groaning with every movement.
This sound meant that someone had come out of a room on this floor.
Was it a person? Or a zombie?
Li Wenli and I exchanged a glance, tiptoeing silently to the back of the dorm door.
"Tap... tap..."
A series of extremely faint footsteps approached.
The sound of sneakers on the terrazzo floor was steady and rhythmic.
It might be a living person.
My heart lifted, and I instinctively reached for the door lock. Encountering other survivors now, even just confirming that someone else was alive, would be a huge psychological comfort.
Li Wenli shook her head at me frantically, leaning close to my ear to whisper, "Don't move! Don't open the door!"
I paused, questioning her with my eyes.
Li Wenli pointed outside, made a "shh" gesture, and whispered, "Are you stupid? The situation outside is unclear. Just because there's no noise in the corridor now doesn't mean there aren't zombies lurking at the stairwell. That person obviously wants to sneak away quietly."
She paused, "If you suddenly open the door now, that 'creak' will definitely startle her. If it's a timid girl, she might scream on the spot, and we'd be done for. The whole floor of zombies would be drawn by that scream, and we'd be buried with her."
After hearing this, a chill ran down my spine, and I withdrew my hand from the door lock.
She was right. In such a high-pressure environment, people's nerves were tighter than a violin string. Opening the door now would be like tapping someone on the shoulder from behind, definitely scaring them out of their wits.
"What should we do?" I mouthed.
"Wait, let her go first. She can scout the way for us. If she makes it without screaming, it means the corridor and stairwell are temporarily safe."
At that moment, I had to admire Li Wenli's mental fortitude.
I nodded, giving her a thumbs up in agreement.
So, the two of us pressed against the door, holding our breath and listening intently to the sounds outside.
"Tap... tap..."
The footsteps were light and slow, suggesting the person was also advancing with extreme caution, moving from the middle of the corridor towards the east side, where the stairwell and restroom were.
After about two minutes, the footsteps finally disappeared at the end of the corridor.
No screams, no zombie growls, no sounds of flesh being torn.
"Whew..."
Li Wenli and I both let out a long sigh of relief.
"It seems... the corridor is temporarily safe?" I whispered, a hint of excitement in my voice, "That person probably made it downstairs or hid in the restroom."
Li Wenli nodded, a touch of color returning to her previously tense face, "It seems so. If someone can walk through, it means we can too."
"We're out of water, and that's the biggest problem," she said as she searched, "Since the way is clear, we need to seize this chance to fetch some water. The restroom and washroom are over there. Even if there's no drinking water, tap water is better than dying of thirst."
Soon, she pulled out a small pink plastic bucket from the bottom of the cabinet.
"Here, take this," she handed me the bucket, "It's the bucket I use to wash my underwear."
I glanced at the bucket, a bit speechless, "It's so small, how much water can it hold?"
Li Wenli rolled her eyes at me, her cheeks slightly flushed, "Do you have another bucket? Would you dare use Zhao Qian's basin? I keep this bucket very clean, and it has a handle, making it easy to carry while running. If we encounter danger, we can throw it away without regret."
I thought about it and agreed. Right now, any container that could hold water was a treasure, regardless of whether it was for washing underwear or feet.
"Alright, I'll go," I said, taking the bucket and taking a deep breath, "You stay here and lock the door. If I don't come back, figure something out on your own."
Li Wenli looked at me, her eyes flickering, but she said nothing. She silently walked to the corner, picked up a mop handle, and handed it to me.
"Take this," she said, "The compound bow is too heavy, and you can't draw it with one hand while carrying water. At least with a stick, you can push away anything that jumps at you."
"Thanks."
I placed the compound bow on the table, holding the pink bucket in my left hand and gripping the mop handle tightly in my right. I walked to the door.
"Ready?" I looked back at her.
Li Wenli nodded, her hand already on the door lock bolt.
"Click."
The bolt was gently pulled open.
I took a deep breath, placed my hand on the door handle, slowly pressed down, and pulled inward.
"Creak—"
Even though I moved as slowly as possible, the old door inevitably groaned.
My heart skipped a beat, and I froze in place, staring at the world outside the door crack, ready to shut and lock the door at any moment.
There was no movement outside.
I cautiously peeked my head through the door crack.
Looking left, the west end of the corridor was a sealed window, empty except for a few scattered slippers and a washbasin on the floor.
Looking right, the east side of the corridor led to the stairwell and restroom, the long corridor appearing particularly deep.
"Hiss..."
Seeing the corridor scene, I couldn't help but suck in a breath of cold air.
It was brutal.
The once clean and tidy beige terrazzo floor was now dark red. There were dried or semi-dried blood stains everywhere, in splatter patterns and drag marks.
The walls were covered in bloody handprints, some only half a palm, some with fingers dug into the wall, showing how desperate people were at the time.
The floor was littered with various debris: books, makeup bags, torn clothes, and even a few strands of hair with scalp attached.
But the good news was, there were no zombies, at least not within sight.
"Safe," I mouthed to Li Wenli.
I nodded, squeezing out of the room sideways.
The air in the corridor was even worse than in the dorm, the stench of blood so strong it felt like it was sticking to my nasal passages. I forced down the nausea, hugging the wall as I moved east.
Our dormitory, 3023, was at the far west end of the corridor, while the restroom and washroom were at the far east end by the stairwell, separated by over twenty rooms, about fifty meters.
Normally, this fifty meters would take just seconds, but now, it felt like a long march.
With each step, I scanned every dormitory door like a radar.
Some dormitory doors were open.
"Cluck... cluck..."
As I passed Room 3017, a low growl suddenly came from inside.
I was so startled I nearly dropped the bucket, pressing myself against the wall, not daring to move.
The sound was right behind the door!
I gripped the mop handle, cold sweat running down my forehead into my eyes, stinging painfully.
I swallowed hard, continuing to inch forward like a snail.
The psychological pressure was immense; behind every closed door could be a monster, and from every open door could leap a gaping maw.
I felt my legs trembling, driven only by the thirst for water.
Finally, I made it more than halfway.
Ahead was Room 3010.
Just ten more meters to the washroom and restroom.
I quickened my pace slightly, praying that the "scout" was hiding in the restroom, so I could have some company.
Just as I reached the door of Room 3010.
"Tap... tap..."
A strange sound suddenly came from the direction of the restroom ahead.
The sound... was of bare feet stepping on tiles with some kind of slime.
The sound grew closer, clearer.
Someone was walking out of the restroom.
I stared at the corridor's end corner.
It was morning, and sunlight slanted through the high restroom window, casting a bright patch of light on the corridor floor.
The footsteps paused at the restroom door.
My heart raced to two hundred, both hands gripping the mop handle.
Just as I was about to suffocate from tension, a foot slowly stepped out from behind the restroom doorframe.
Followed by a long, slender, dazzlingly white leg.