Chapter 22: Hurry Down
Chapter 22: Hurry Down
“Hurry up!”
Anran, growing anxious, lightly but firmly uses the back of her knife to slice Chen Jiao’s arm. Chen Jiao lets out a piercing scream, clutching the rope as her whole body shrinks back onto the rain shelter. Anran, with the knife gripped between her teeth, climbs onto the windowsill. Sitting there, she holds the rope with one hand and pulls the knife from her mouth with the other, randomly jabbing it above Chen Jiao’s head.
She isn’t really planning to stab her; she just wants Chen Jiao to go down. If Chen Jiao stays in the hospital room, she might untie the rope.
Left with no choice, Chen Jiao clings tightly to the rope and clumsily slides off the rain shelter, hanging herself down until she reaches the rain shelter on the third floor.
Still sitting on the fourth-floor windowsill, Anran hears the door of the hospital room being slammed again. She turns around and sees Bed 17, where Hu Zhen lies, her face filled with fear and worry. Anran reassures her:
“Don’t make a sound. Don’t worry, you have enough food to last you a few days. As soon as I find rescue, I’ll come back right away. Don’t worry, it won’t take long—an hour or two at most.”
Whether or not rescue arrives at that time, Anran will return. If no rescue comes, she will save her daughter herself!
Under the bright light, Hu Zhen looks at Anran, tears streaming down her face. She lies on the bed, unable to move. She can only look at Anran with pleading eyes and nods.
The sight etches itself into Anran’s heart, filling her with sorrow. The world has fallen into chaos. Even though Hu Zhen has the will, her body is too weak to act. In truth, Hu Zhen wants to leave, and Chen Jiao wants to stay, but now it is Chen Jiao who is being forced to go, and Hu Zhen who remains.
Anran feels a lump in her throat. She avoids Hu Zhen’s gaze, sheaths the fruit knife, and stuffs it into her pocket. Grabbing the rope, she jumps down onto the rain shelter, sliding down to the third floor. She kicks Chen Jiao, who is crouching there, crying, and scolds her in a low voice, “Go, hurry down!”
In the darkness, Chen Jiao’s face, illuminated by the light from inside the window, is filled with extreme fear. She covers her mouth, pointing silently toward the hospital room window on the third floor, too scared to make a sound.
Anran turns to look. In the window, a zombie’s face suddenly appears, deathly pale, its bloated features marked with blue veins. Its sharp white fangs are stained with unidentifiable bits of flesh. Somehow, it has crept to the window at some point.
Startled, Anran doesn’t even have time to react before the zombie leans out of the window, raising a hand and grabbing her by the shoulder, yanking her forcefully toward the window.
Both Anran and Chen Jiao scream in terror, their cries echoing in the night, drawing the attention of the wandering zombies below. The zombies inside the hospital room also begin crowding toward the window. However, with the small size of the windowsill and one zombie already occupying it, the others find it difficult to reach out.
As for Anran, she struggles desperately in the zombie's grip, trying to avoid falling off the rain shelter. One hand remains tightly wrapped around the rope.
Then Anran suddenly remembers the fruit knife in her pocket. With her free hand, she pulls out the knife, unsheathes it, and frantically stabs at the zombie’s arm that is holding her.
If it were a normal person, they would have let go from the pain by now, but not the zombie. It feels nothing and continues pulling Anran closer and closer to the window. As she is dragged nearer, the zombie opens its mouth, revealing its fangs, ready to bite Anran’s face.