Under the flickering dim streetlights, you could see scattered bloodstains. Zombies were banging on the doors and windows of the vehicles stuck on the road, occasionally shattering glass and pouncing on one or two people, resulting in screams.
Some people abandoned their cars and ran to knock on the doors of nearby shops and residences.
Those with people inside wouldn’t open the door, while those without anyone were locked. They couldn’t open them, and in the end, they died at the hands of the zombies.
Fu Erdie felt that the road was currently only slightly congested. In another half a day, it would be completely blocked by abandoned vehicles.
The water, electricity, and gas in her house were still working, so Fu Erdie took the opportunity to cook a large pot of food, enough for her to eat for two days.
Rice and pickled vegetables tasted good to her, and Fu Erdie wasn’t picky about food.
While eating, she continued to make phone calls to her parents, grandmother, and close friends.
During a break from washing dishes after finishing her meal, she suddenly received a call from an unfamiliar number.
Fu Erdie felt delighted and didn’t care about anything else. She immediately answered the call.
Thinking about the various dangerous situations the other person might be facing, she spoke in a low voice, “Hello?”
As it turned out, this approach was correct.
Because the other person’s voice was also extremely low.
“It’s me.”
Zhao Xiaolu!!!
Fu Erdie suppressed the impulse to cheer and replied in a soft voice, “Where are you?”
Zhao Xiaolu: “Before others reacted, I helped a shop owner close the iron gate and hid inside. I found that as long as we keep quiet and don’t expose our figures, the zombies won’t come over even if they smell something. But occasionally, people with zombies knock on the door, and we don’t dare to open it. Then more zombies gather outside.”
Fu Erdie looked out at the balcony.
She didn’t know which shop Zhao Xiaolu was hiding in.
“What can I do to help?” Fu Erdie picked up a hammer.
“I want to climb out of the storeroom window,” Zhao Xiaolu’s alert gaze looked towards the front of the congested vehicles, “There’s an off-road vehicle there, and the key is still inside. The owner has already been dragged out and bitten to death. I want to take that car. Xiao Die, bring some food, whatever you can carry, and come with me!”
In the dim light, Fu Erdie could still see the location of the car.
Under normal circumstances, she would only need to go downstairs, bypass the gate of the residential area, and turn a corner along the outer road to get there.
But now, she couldn’t even get out of the door. Even if she managed to escape, she wouldn’t be able to carry much food. At most, she could pack twenty bags of instant noodles. Two people would finish them in ten days.
To escape and search for supplies, including gasoline, they would have to fight and compete with the zombies.
Zhao Xiaolu knew this. She had always been physically fit, exercising every week even after starting her job. Her wheat-coloured skin was very healthy, and she could run faster than many untrained males. That’s why she could notice something was wrong, jump off the bus, and run so far, hiding in a shop.
If Fu Erdie went to find her, she would only be a burden.
“I can’t outrun the zombies and can’t leave the house,” Fu Erdie made her decision and took immediate action, “I will lower a box of instant noodles. Do you know the position right below my balcony? I will quietly…”
“What nonsense are you talking about?” Zhao Xiaolu interrupted her, “I’m not asking you for food! I’m going to leave the store now and take the shop owner with me. At the same time, I’ll take all the food and tools from the store that I can carry. I don’t need your box!”
The shop owner was a woman in her thirties. The store had hardware items, frozen buns and steamed bread that could be sold in the morning, and stored vegetables and fruits.
The owner had her own car, but the parking lot was 500 meters away and far from the congested road. The best option now was to find the nearby off-road vehicle.
Taking advantage of the darkness, the two of them could quietly make their way over.
Zhao Xiaolu said, “Lower your voice, move quietly, and try not to alert the zombies. We might be able to make it.”
Fu Erdie was convinced by her words.
However, the problem wasn’t about the feasibility of their escape but rather that she was truly useless and couldn’t be of any help.
She couldn’t drag Zhao Xiaolu down.
“I won’t go out. I plan to stay here with the supplies and wait for rescue,” Fu Erdie lowered her gaze, suppressing the slightly sour and painful sound in her throat, “You must escape safely.”
There was a long silence.
Zhao Xiaolu slowly spoke, “How long can your supplies last?”
Fu Erdie replied, “At least one month. If the water, electricity, and gas don’t run out, it can last for two months.”
Zhao Xiaolu said, “Okay, stay at home with peace of mind for now. If the situation improves later, or if I have the ability, I will come to find you. Don’t worry about Cen Xiyang, the security system in the commercial building where she is located is good. The building is locked, and the zombies can’t get in. The people inside have already united to handle the situation. Plus, their building has a cafeteria, so nothing should happen for now. I don’t have much battery left, so I’ll hang up. We’ll contact each other later.”
“Okay, stay safe.”
She activated the telescope function on her phone and barely saw two figures carrying luggage coming out from a corner. They moved stealthily in the shadows toward the off-road vehicle.
Several times, zombies passed by them, paused for a moment, but were attracted by screams from elsewhere and ignored the two figures in the shadows.
They covered a distance of fifty meters, taking a full eight minutes before finally getting into the off-road vehicle.
Amidst the roar of the engine, against the backdrop of the vehicles racing through the congested road, the noise wasn’t particularly prominent. Like that, the car with its blood-red colour moved away.
Fu Erdie let out a sigh of relief, resting her elbow on the windowsill as she watched the off-road vehicle leave.
Suddenly, she noticed a problem. The zombies outside, although strong, were relatively slow in their movements, similar to the walking speed of an average person. Anyone fleeing for their life could quickly create distance.
However, people would eventually run out of stamina and be unable to continue, while the zombies could maintain a fast walking speed and catch up. Moreover, there were zombies blocking their path ahead, making it impossible for normal people to escape.
The elderly zombie she encountered yesterday, on the other hand, chased her relentlessly at an incredibly fast speed, clearly different from these zombies. Could it be that there were already second-tier zombies this fast?
Or perhaps these were zombies with some sort of speed-based supernatural ability?
She turned on the surveillance feed to check the situation
in the corridor.
Three zombies were wandering near the entrance. The horrifying corpse of the elderly zombie from yesterday was still lying on the ground.
Fu Erdie felt a wave of nausea rising.
She drank water and forced it back down.
In any case, she wanted to try whether every zombie was as powerful and fast or if it was only the elderly zombie that was special.
There were three zombies, representing old, middle-aged, and young. Fu Erdie’s target was the young zombie with relatively thick thighs.
She didn’t plan to open her own door and lure the zombie inside for research. From her current position, she could climb from her balcony to the adjacent one and lead the zombie into the empty room next door.
Although it was a bit dangerous, it was worth a try. She just had to wait until dawn.
In summer, it gets bright very early, and by six o’clock, she could already see the condition of the balcony clearly.
She tied a rope and slowly moved from her balcony’s high position to the next one.
Leave a Reply