Chapter 23: You Killed Someone
Chapter 23: You Killed Someone
Just as the zombie is about to "kiss" her face, Anran, in a panic, slashes randomly with her knife. She strikes the zombie's head, and as the blade twists, something small and shiny pops out from the zombie’s brain, falling onto the hospital room floor with a crisp "ding" sound.
What is it? Anran has no time to care. The moment she stabs the zombie in the head, the force pulling on her suddenly loosens. Anran steadies herself with effort, standing on the rain shelter as she looks at the zombie hanging from the windowsill. It has gone limp, now truly a corpse.
"You killed someone, you killed someone! You're a murderer!"
Chen Jiao, who is squatting in another corner of the rain shelter, holds her head and looks at Anran with fear and anxiety. Anran’s heart pounds wildly, as if it might leap out of her chest. She gasps for breath, her eyes fixed on the zombie she has just killed. A strange feeling rises within her, like something breaking through from deep inside.
She has this realization—ah, so she is capable of this after all!
And now, Chen Jiao continues to cry, her sobs attracting more zombies to gather at the window, their numbers increasing.
Frustrated, Anran kicks Chen Jiao and, still holding the knife she used to kill the zombie, threatens her again. "Hurry up, get down, stop whining."
"I can't go down, I can't!"
Chen Jiao, still crouched on the rain shelter, points downward. Even though it is dark, a faint light from the doctor’s office on the first floor illuminates the scene below. Through that light, Anran can barely make out the horde of zombies gathered below them.
More zombies are wandering nearby, slowly making their way over. In the distance, things are unclear, and even farther away, who knows if it is the same?
Are zombies everywhere?
Anran feels helpless again. She slumps down on the rain shelter outside the third floor, the zombie’s lifeless hand hanging above her head. She looks into the distance—pitch black—and begins to doubt the possibility of rescue. Other than Chen Jiao, who hates her to the core, it feels like there are no other living people left in the world.
"Is anyone there? Are there any survivors? Help!" Anran suddenly screams into the night sky.
Her voice travels far into the darkness, so far that it echoes back, but the only response is the sound of approaching monsters, closing in on them faster. There is nothing else.
Chen Jiao, who is beside her, her face drenched in tears, looks at Anran with a mix of fear and hatred. It is as if their current miserable situation is entirely Anran's fault. But Anran is the one holding the weapon. Chen Jiao has been threatened by her before, so she doesn’t dare to openly express her anger.
A single hot tear drops onto Anran’s hand, burning her skin painfully. She hisses and looks down at her slightly cracked hand, watching as it seems to absorb the tear in an instant. She doesn’t pay much attention, but instead stands up, clinging to the third-floor windowsill. Through the dead zombie’s body, she secretly peers into the hospital room.
Chen Jiao is still sobbing at her feet. Anran kicks her again and whispers, "Stop crying. If you keep crying, the zombies won’t leave! If you stop, I bet they’ll go away!"