Chapter Thirteen

Six people all turned to Yichen in a panic. The sudden torrential rain was washing away their aftershave smell. His weather app had clearly said it would snow the next day in the evening, not rain in the afternoon.

Unfortunately, there were no internet updates now to tell them of this change in advance. Groaning, he noticed a few wandering zombies come closer and could only take the lead in swinging his machete at their necks.

Bai Cheng was the first to follow suit, and after a torturous long ten minutes, the eight zombies on the street were downed.

"Can you all swim?" Yichen asked quietly, pulling out his map app to check the closest route to the river. Zombies couldn't swim, they could only make their way to the boat and wait for the rain to end.

They lived on the coast, and most people learned to swim, but there were always exceptions like the chef's son, George.

"He has thalassophobia," the Chef grumbled, patting his son on the back, "I'll help him."

Yichen nodded with sincere understanding as someone who had it to a degree himself, then took the lead down an alley to the right.

For a city of almost two million people, most were in 'lockdown' with only hospital staff, government officials, and 'essential workers' allowed outside two days before the end. It still hadn't been enough to keep the dead off the streets.

Knowing he was immune, Yichen took the lead each time they got close, but they were like flies attracted to shit. When one gathered, others followed.

Just as they were about to reach the river, a zombie fell off the fire exit landing directly on Bai Cheng. The force knocked him to the floor, with the zombie atop of him, who cared little for the damage to his body from the fall, only for the meal he landed on.

"Cheng ge," Yichen called out, running back to pierce the zombie's skull. In a daze, Bai Cheng lay on the floor, a ghastly bite on his forearm.

He was winded from the blow to the point he couldn't even call out from the pain when he was bitten. Pulling Bai Cheng to stand, Yichen anxiously glanced to the main street behind them where shuffling of groaning dead began to gather.

"Lingyun, drive the boat more inland, we have injured going into the water," Yichen instructed, then put away the radio, not waiting for a response. He could only hope Miles' teachings had been thorough enough for the young lad to do as instructed.

It was only after they turned a corner to see the others waiting at the fenced river's edge, that Bai Cheng's mind caught up to him.

"Ah Chen, what if I turn?" Bai Cheng looked down at the wound on his arm with a frown. He couldn't hear clearly from the ringing in his ears, but he saw his friend's mouth move.

"Then I'll keep you as my pet, you always said I should get a pet, why don't I keep you?" Yichen smirked, pushing Bai Cheng to the fence, uncaring for the frown on his face.

Leaning over the metal fence, he saw the yacht moving its way closer.

"Wait until it stops and then jump in," Yichen instructed, then looked at the mobile phone that he had spent hours adjusting. It was waterproof but he still didn't want to risk submerging it fully in the water.

After the yacht stopped not far off from them, Yichen put away his blade. Ten zombies had gathered one by one to the scent of Bai Cheng's blood, which mainly he and Chef's son, George, with his Axe had dealt with.

Glancing down at the water, Yichen looked back at Bai Cheng's sweat-laced face, he was already feverish and ready to pass out.

"You up for a swim?" Yichen asked. Bai Cheng could only nod his head, then squinted his eyes at his buddy placing his phone inside of his wetsuit at the crotch.

"What?" Yichen arched a brow, "it's not like I can take it to a repair shop if it breaks..."

"You could just get a new one," Bai Cheng's ears finally could hear clearly, but he wished they couldn't, "if it breaks big bro will take you shopping alright?"

"Sure," Yichen pushed his friend in, then taking one last glance at the five or so zombies drawing closer, jumped in himself.

***

"Grandma," Faye called into the satellite phone with joy, "how are you and Grandpa? Are you safe?"

"Calm down child," Jean tutted, though overjoyed herself, she had colleagues around her watching so she could only maintain her lofty image as chief scientist, "Haitao told me Yichen brought you home, I owe that boy a meal."

"I want your Char Sui Bao," Teddy interjected at the mention of food, making both women chuckle.

"Sure, I'll try and gather the ingredients... Are you behaving for your big sis?" Jean asked, holding back her sigh. She was well aware of the state the country, if not the whole globe, was in. Fresh ingredients would be difficult to find by the time she returned home, but if it's what her grandbaby wanted...

"Why are you asking me if I'm behaving? Of course, I'm behaving, what else can I do?" Teddy pouted, leaning on his sister's shoulder as they sat on the sofa. "Why not ask Faye if she is behaving? Did you know she's already sharing a room with her new boyfr-"

Faye's elbow sharply planted in Teddy's ribs.

"Ouch, what you do that for?" He cussed, scooting a few inches away from the irritable big sister.

"Are you using protection dear?" Jean looked at the eager Haitao spinning on the office chair beside her, knowing full well that the fool was ranting about becoming a grandpa soon over lunch.

Of course, she already knew the pair had gotten together, it was the first thing this damned friend of hers told her when he arrived with his men as well as almost a hundred zombies following him.

She had already gotten such a scolding for releasing their location, but it wasn't like they didn't have enough ammunition to put them all down.

Faye's face flushed red as both Teddy and Tracey, the guard who was in charge of the phone, looked at her with amused expressions.

"W-We're not at that stage..." Faye replied as squeaky as a mouse.

"Good girl, now's not a good time to have a baby, wait until Grandma finishes her work, it'll be safer then," Jean relaxed, pregnancy was hard on people during normal times.

The idea her sweet grandbaby would endure that during the current situation, without her or her mother by her side, scared her.

Haitao might be excited about a grandbaby, but did he, a man, understand just what the women had to go through to make one? Having her son almost killed her, hence why she was never allowed to have another, despite wanting a daughter.

"You're working on the virus, right? The one that's making everyone... zombies?" Faye asked, happy for the change in conversation to something she was actually curious about. Her grandma was a high-ranking virologist and her grandpa was a high-ranking research scientist, whose work was a top secret even to her, until lately.

"I can't tell you much," Jean's voice lowered, conscious of the ears listening, monitoring her communications, "but we are working on it and are making progress."

Faye let out a sigh of relief, "thank God."

"So wait until then before making me a great grandma, alright? For now, tell that brat to put something on it," Jean scolded but was inwardly happy that their elders scheming had bore fruit.

Yichen was a good boy, she'd helped Haitao raise him after the divorce and she knew, unlike that British bastard, he wouldn't hurt her baby. Yichen took too much after his father, who currently lived like a widow after his divorce. If he had committed to her, he had committed for life.

"Until then, make him work hard for it! You should know how long I made your poor grandpa wait..."

"Grandma," Teddy and Faye called out in unison as Tracey laughed behind her hand. The trio finished their catch-up shortly after Jean had managed to turn both her grandbabies beetroot red.

With age, Jean had shirked all care for other people's thoughts and opinions. She was a blunt woman who spoke her mind openly, much to everybody elses' dismay.

"All done?" Lixin asked, walking into the sun room towards the siblings, "we've heard back from Yichen, they're back on the yacht," his warm smile faded slightly, withholding the news that his close friend had been bitten.

Faye was just a little girl, and Yichen told him not to let her worry.

"Are they done?" Faye perked up at the news, the sun was about to set soon. "Not quite, they've only been to the South side of the city. They'll be back tomorrow or the day after," Lixin paused to lean on the back of the sofa, "we've finished clearing up the villas and secured the North and East gates, Miles is after your help allocating villas to people."

Faye forced herself to stand up, feeling guilty for being so idle indoors for so long; it had only enabled her mind to wander with worry.

"Sure, is the cleanup team all okay?" With Lixin here, she assumed they were, since he was the only Doctor.

"Two," his head turned to look out the window at the swaying trees, "two were bitten and turned."

"Who?" Teddy perked up, he had experienced firsthand his own friend Tommy turning and biting him.

At the time he had been so scared he would never wake up again when the fever hit. Thank the Gods he woke up. With Archie, Yichen, Faye, and Leo all surviving also, Lixin's words were a gentle reminder that not everybody survives. They were merely the lucky few exceptions to the rule.

"It was a honeymoon couple from Japan," Lixin frowned, "they attempted to clear out a villa alone behind our backs... If only I hadn't let them have weapons, they would've stayed with the rest-"

Faye patted him on the shoulder, "It cannot be helped if they don't listen, we can only try our best."

***

"I don't feel so good," Bai Cheng collapsed onto the bed, fresh from the shower.

Yichen paced the room, conscious of the looks given to him as he had brought Bai Cheng onboard.

"It's only a small bite, compared to how Yiming almost ripped out my artery you got off lucky," Yichen tutted as he grabbed Bai Cheng's wrist to take a closer look, "when you wake up you'll be like me with superpowers, it's not all bad."

Bai Cheng laughed wearily, "I wanna fly like Superman, I want to fly..."

Yichen's mind wandered to the future in his dream, where Bai Cheng had grown into a powerful ally, more attuned to the wind and metal elements, like himself, "sure, Cheng ge, you can fly, just go to sleep now, it'll all be better when you wake up."

Leaving the sleeping Bai Cheng, Yichen returned to Lingyun in the wheelhouse.

"How is he?" Lingyun asked, nervously holding the radio after contacting the others.

"Sleeping, he'll be fine by tomorrow, like me," Yichen sank down in the chair, lighting a cigar.

"Young Master... how are you so sure he'll be fine?" Lingyun pensively asked.

Like the others, he was loyal to Yichen. Still, he couldn't help but feel something was amiss with how he had been acting since the world went to shit.

Their young master had changed, but they all kept quiet and obeyed because he seemed to have changed for the better.

"Would you believe me if I told you I had a dream..." Yichen took a long drag of his cigar, then ran his hand through his still-damp hair, "In that dream, I lived ten whole years in this shithole and died."

Lingyun nervously chuckled, fidgeting with the hem of his shirt, "I've seen you unlock things with the wave of a hand, but a prophetic dream? What are you the next messiah?"

As expected, the little, loyal, and faithful guard did not believe him.

"Are we back next to the apartments?" Yichen changed the topic, not willing to argue his truth.

"Yes, Sean and Jack said they're ready to go when you are."

Taking one last, long drag of the cigar, Yichen snubbed it out, "I'll go alone, for the little boat and meet them by the fire exit, keep an eye on things here for me?"

Lingyun nodded, "should I get the doctor to check on Boss?"

"No need, I'll check on him when I return."

Dressed in a new wetsuit, with a backpack, Yichen braced the cold water to climb aboard the pier and found their little boat that came with the yacht.

Taking out the radio, he instructed the others to make their way to the fire exit. Circling the energy around his body, he found the strength to scale the wall and tied the rope on the boat to the metal fence, and cleared the few zombies wandering nearby that had sensed him.

The people from the apartment started to gather at the fire exit. Sean, Jack, and the other able-bodied men, all came out to help him clear the area as the others began to pile their supplies onto the boat.

The torrential rain finally stilled to a drizzle as the first batch of survivors and their supplies went towards the yacht. One of which was used to driving a boat, so he took the lead and let Yichen stay to keep on top of the gathering dead.

It took three times to get everybody and their supplies onto the yacht. Yichen ignored the others and rushed to the room he left Bai Cheng in, with a heavy feeling in his heart.

He knew Bai Cheng would wake up, the dream showed him a long future with his best friend by his side, helping him conquer this new world they were forced into.

Only when he entered the room, the strong, metallic scent of blood assaulted his nose.

"Cheng ge," Yichen rushed over to the bed, seeing a pillow over his best friend's head.

"Cheng ge," Yichen removed the pillow to see a bloodied hole in his friend's temple.

Without it, he would have looked like he was just peacefully sleeping...

"No, who?" Yichen's hands uselessly faltered over his friend's body, "why?"