The sun had barely risen when I silently got up, kitchen knife in hand, and slipped out of the room. Despite the lingering fear and unease from the previous encounter, I felt slightly more prepared this time, my nerves a bit steadier. I had learned to be cautious and, most importantly, to be quick.
Leaning against the wall outside the dining hall, I scanned the surroundings. I cautiously checked every corner, confirming there were no walking corpses in sight before dashing towards the building where I had met the young man yesterday. My heart still raced, but the adrenaline helped suppress the fear.
I had come here to talk to him again. I knew it was a selfish thought, but if he agreed to join us, it would make things easier. Two people could watch each other's backs. After all, my dad had trained in basic boxing in his youth, but he was well past his prime now. I couldn't rely on him for much in this new world, no matter how much I wanted to.
The entrance to the right was still blocked by the remains of yesterday's walking corpses. The rot was almost unbearable. I pinched my nose, quickening my pace. Once I confirmed the first floor was clear of any more threats, I headed straight for the room from yesterday.
When I reached the door, my heart skipped a beat—it was slightly ajar. A chill ran down my spine. My gut told me something was wrong. I pushed it open cautiously, stepping inside. As I suspected, he was gone.
I stood there for a moment, staring at the empty room, disappointment settling in my chest. Just as I turned to leave, a familiar voice came from behind me, cutting through the silence like a knife.
"Came looking for me?"
I froze. That voice—it wasn't the cold indifference from yesterday, but one that carried a lightness, almost teasing. My head snapped around in shock. "You didn't leave?!"
The young man stood there, holding a tote bag filled with biscuits, his expression unreadable. He stepped inside, closed the door, and walked to the bed. With a sigh, he placed the bag down, looking at me with a raised eyebrow. "What's the matter?"
I blinked, caught off guard by the suddenness of his presence. After a moment, I quickly collected myself, putting on a nervous smile. "I, uh... I wanted to ask you again. You're alone, right? Wouldn't it be better to join us? At least, it'll be less lonely for you." I quickly added, "Don't worry. I'm learning some moves, and I can help! I'm sure I could be useful to you."
His gaze didn't shift. He raised an eyebrow. "What? You think dancing will keep the walking corpses away?"
The bluntness of his response caught me off guard, and for a moment, I was at a loss for words. Finally, after a deep breath, I clenched the kitchen knife tightly, muttering under my breath, "Well then, how about this—I'll go out there, take down a few walking corpses, and show you I can be useful. Then, maybe you'll consider it?"
The man observed me carefully before speaking again, his tone amused. "And if you die, leaving behind a house full of old, weak, and sick people, what then?"
My grip on the knife tightened as I stood firm, my jaw set. "I won't die," I said with more conviction than I felt.
The man didn't respond immediately. He stared at me for a long time, before finally dropping the cookie bag onto the bed. He paused, thinking it over, and then gave a short, almost reluctant nod. "Alright, your proposal can be considered."
I stood there, momentarily stunned. My heart skipped a beat, and before I could stop myself, I jumped up and down, barely containing my excitement. "Really? You'll join us?" I quickly composed myself, holding back an outburst. I stepped forward and extended my hand. "Thank you! I'm He Mo—'Sheng Xiao' is my full name."
He took my hand, looking at me curiously. "Chen Ming," he replied simply.
I blinked, trying to process his response. Chen Ming? The name didn't ring any bells, but he seemed... capable. There was something about him, the way he carried himself, that made me believe he had seen his share of danger.
Once we confirmed his joining, Chen Ming suggested that, instead of rushing out to search for food, we should first clear out a doctor's office on the second floor. It was located at the end of the stairs. The building was old, only five stories tall, but it could provide us with some much-needed space and safety.
After ensuring the door to the office was locked securely, we made our way back to the cafeteria to gather my parents. But as we neared the door, a faint thumping sound reached my ears—like something was banging on the door.
I froze, panic seizing me. Chen Ming quickly took in the situation, his eyes narrowing as he scanned the area. "What is it?" he asked, sensing my tension.
"It's the back kitchen door," I whispered, my voice trembling. "My parents... they're inside."
Chen Ming's gaze hardened. Without another word, he unsheathed his knife and dashed toward the door. I followed close behind, adrenaline surging through me.
When we reached the door, we saw it: a walking corpse, its head shaved, lying motionless on the ground outside. It had been one of the walkers from yesterday, but now it was lying still. We had learned the hard way that the dead were never truly gone until we were certain. And I had no intention of being careless. The air was thick with tension, and as we moved silently past the fallen corpse, I couldn't shake the feeling that danger was always just one step behind.
It was my dad who opened the door. When he saw me, his expression visibly softened, the tension in his posture easing, but his gaze quickly shifted to Chen Ming. There was a moment of silence before he nodded, letting us inside.
My sudden reappearance had startled both my mother and grandmother, the shock evident on their faces. As soon as my grandmother saw me, she grabbed my arm, trembling, tears welling up in her eyes. She scolded me gently, her voice shaking, warning me not to go out alone again.
After a bit of comforting, I finally managed to explain Chen Ming's presence. My parents exchanged thoughtful glances as they listened. Then my dad, ever the pragmatist, broke the silence, his voice cautious: "Is it safe here, though? We're in an open area. If we get surrounded…"
The back kitchen where we had been staying was cramped, and the cold weather made it unfeasible to stay there much longer. The hospital wards were a better alternative, offering more space, and my dad, being sensible, took charge of the decision-making. After discussing our options, he reluctantly agreed to move the family to the safer part of the building, provided that it was secure.
Throughout the conversation, my grandmother kept talking to Chen Ming, her words flowing almost non-stop. I could tell her thoughts were drifting to my brother, and she wiped away tears as she spoke. My mother, as usual, was busy with the practicalities, quietly taking care of things in the background. At one point, she sidled up to me, pulling on my sleeve with a quiet voice: "Sister…"
I glanced down at her, my heart heavy as I knelt to meet her eyes. "What is it? Are you hungry?"
She shook her head, but her small face was furrowed in a way that didn't belong to her age. After glancing at my parents, she leaned in and whispered, "Are we all going to die?"
I couldn't help but feel the weight of her words. Bringing my mother and grandmother, who were terrified of the outside world, into the hospital had been one of the hardest things I'd done. There had been moments when both of them had nearly collapsed, retching and crying at the sight of bloodstains and corpses scattered throughout the building. I constantly found myself seeking reassurance from Chen Ming, praying that he wouldn't lose patience with us.
Thankfully, his face remained impassive, his expression unreadable, but he never showed any signs of frustration or annoyance. He was quiet, yet resolute, like a calm force of nature in the midst of chaos.
Once we settled into the office that Chen Ming had prepared for us, my mother and grandmother immediately set to work. They spread out quilts, cleaned every surface they could find, and tried to create some semblance of order in the chaos. Tian Tian seemed to take a liking to Chen Ming, rarely leaving his side. I watched Tian Tian as he quietly spoke to him, his voice soft and filled with questions that he didn't ask me directly.
Seeing him like that made my heart ache. At his age, he shouldn't have to face this nightmare. Yet, deep inside, I wondered if Tian Tian's innocent questions were really just the surface of deeper, unspoken fears. The world we once knew was slipping away, and even the youngest among us had already begun to realize the true horror of what lay ahead.
My father was rummaging through the back kitchen, trying to find anything edible among the spoiled supplies. He had found a few scraps, just barely enough to feed us for the moment. I couldn't help but feel a lump rise in my throat as I watched him kneeling by a pile of rotten food. My father, who had once been strong and capable, was now doing what he could just to survive.
My brother, who had been two years older than me, had always been the one to carry the weight of the household. He had been the one to buy the groceries, make sure everything was in order. Our parents had always relied on his strength. But now, with him gone, and my parents well into their fifties, they were forced to confront a world that had turned upside down. The grief of losing my brother still clung to them, and in the span of just a couple of months, their hair had turned mostly grey, a visible sign of the toll this world had taken on them.
Grandma, too, was growing frail. The burdens of age were catching up with her.
As for me, I tried not to dwell on thoughts of my brother. When his face appeared in my mind, I would force myself to push it away. But even in the silence of the night, his memory would slip through, and it would hurt in ways I couldn't describe. I couldn't afford to think about him, not in this world. There had to be someone who could clear away the fog in our minds and make sense of the chaos before us.
But for now, all I could do was endure, and hope.