In the middle of the night, we had traveled quite a distance. My stiff limbs seemed to be becoming more flexible, and the two of us were almost jogging, moving quickly. The cooler temperature after dark had reduced the number of zombies around us. However, the few we encountered did not react like I did and continued to try to attack my companion.
I didn’t want to kill them again; perhaps they had a chance to change. If they had emerged in a state of severe decay, it would be easier to deal with them without feeling guilty. But if they were intact and didn’t have extensive injuries, I still felt regretful for having to put them down.
After eliminating a dozen or so zombies, dawn began to break in the east. We were now on the outskirts of the city where there were no more high-rise buildings. The surrounding trees and distant layered mountains became more apparent, and the houses became smaller and simpler. Unfortunately, throughout our journey, we hadn’t found any drivable vehicles—most were abandoned and out of fuel. I could tell from the slowing footsteps of my companion that he was likely very tired.
There was no noise or rotting smell around us, so he needed to rest. Not far from us was a single-story house. I glanced around and pointed to the house. When I wandered through the city, I had seen similar ones—solidly built, and if we sealed the windows and stocked up on supplies, we could live inside for a long time if we kept noise to a minimum.
He understood my intention and slowly approached the house, entering the yard. The yard was empty, with doors of the rooms on either side open. The house directly facing the yard had its door closed. I instructed him to stay put. At least these zombies wouldn’t bite him, and I could go into the house to make some noise. If there were any zombies inside, we could take them out. If any zombies in other rooms heard the noise and came out, he could easily handle them.
Fortunately, we were lucky. The house was empty. I found no one in the kitchen or on the other side, and although there were noises coming from the closed room, there were no other movements. I thought that the occupant might be trapped but not in a state of extreme decay, so there was no need to worry.
I went in first and indeed found a zombie trapped under a fallen cabinet. Its legs were crushed, preventing it from standing, and it was trying to crawl out with only its upper body. Its murky eyes were fixed on us, or more precisely, on my companion behind me.
He walked past me, approached the zombie, crouched down, and stabbed it in the head with his knife. The area immediately fell silent. He then stood up, walked to the bed, removed the sheet, and covered the zombie’s head. The dark red blood seeped through. I watched quietly for a moment and then turned to leave.
I heard his footsteps approaching and went into the adjacent small room, which appeared to be a bedroom, possibly for a child. The decor was somewhat different from the previous room but still clean. I turned to him and pointed to the bed, indicating he should rest for a while.
Having not slept for nearly a day and with the previous shocks, he nodded and sat on the bed. I then headed for the door.
He immediately stood up and grabbed me, asking, “Where are you going?”
I turned to him and said, “You… sleep a while… I’ll keep watch.”
If we let our guard down and a large number of zombies quietly approached, this house only had one door and one window next to it—there would be no place to hide. I needed to keep watch to monitor the situation and give us a chance to escape if necessary.
He frowned, “Don’t you need to rest?”
I didn’t feel tired. I shook my head, “We don’t sleep.”
I noticed a hint of sadness in his eyes, but I couldn’t say anything. I was relieved that I didn’t need to sleep like him and could stand guard 24 hours a day.
I smiled slightly, “Sleep a bit, then set off again.”
The sadness in his eyes quickly disappeared as he nodded, “We still need to find a vehicle. Otherwise, we’ll have to walk around half the city, which is too far.”
I agreed and urged him, “Understood… you… sleep quickly.”
He couldn’t sleep for long; our supplies were too few, and daylight provided better visibility. Once it got light, we would need to set off. Traveling at night is always riskier than during the day.
He relaxed his grip on my hand for a moment, then suddenly tightened it, instructing, “Don’t run off.”
Until you are safe, I won’t go anywhere. I patted his hand and went outside.
The wall wasn’t very high, so I could see outside when standing upright. I didn’t stand right outside his door to avoid distracting him from sleeping. Instead, I stood to the side to increase my field of view.
On my left wrist was a watch he had taken off his own wrist during the night and put on me. It was a beautiful piece, though I thought it was a waste to wear it since the exact time was no longer relevant. But since my right hand was damaged, I couldn’t take it off, so I left it there.
It was around 5 a.m. The sun was gradually rising, casting a faint red glow on the distant mountains. Another day had begun.
Yesterday had felt incredibly long. I watched the sun climb the hillside, and the surrounding greenery brightened up with the sound of birds chirping. Life was vibrant and fascinating.
I quietly approached the door and looked through the window to see him lying on the bed, asleep.
Sleep well, rest a little longer.
As I was about to lift my head to check outside the yard, I heard a faint sound from a distance.
“Snap—”
It sounded like a twig falling and being stepped on. But I was certain I hadn’t heard anything just moments ago.
We wouldn’t know how to hide ourselves, nor would we intentionally avoid obstacles that didn’t affect our direction. We wouldn’t make a tiny noise and then go silent.
These thoughts flashed through my mind in an instant, and my next reaction was to lie down.
Then came the sound of a gunshot, a faint airflow grazing the top of my head. I barely dodged it.
—It was a person.
Only a person would hide, sneak up quietly, and attempt to silently eliminate us when we were alone.
Inside the house, I heard a panicked voice call out, “Persi!”
I was lying on the ground, using my damaged right hand to push the door open slightly. He was already standing at the door, and I tried to get up with one hand on the floor, whispering, “I’m fine.”
He pressed down on my back, not letting me stand up, and pulled me back into the room. I instinctively touched the top of my head, feeling a burnt sensation.
That was close.
I straightened my hair to prevent him from noticing.
He stood up straight, taking cover behind the wall between the window and the door, signaling me to stay still. He pressed himself against the wall, glancing outside.
Of course, I stayed silent. I could handle zombies, but with people, except for him, anyone else would likely kill me.
But people can also hurt people.
I crouched in front of him, ready to quickly attack if that person came in.
Then, I noticed a complex look in his eyes. He glanced down at me, opened the door, and went outside. I didn’t even have time to pull him back.
In my anxiety, I heard him say to the person who had apparently entered, “Alu, what are you doing here?”
Then another unfamiliar voice replied, “You’re still alive?! Shh, don’t make a sound. We just saw a zombie, it was definitely here…”
I remained on the ground, contemplating whether Xu Lin would be upset if I ate this person who wanted to kill me.
