Chapter 7 Alley

Jack wasn't surprised to see the towering wall ahead. In fact, he felt a sense of relief.

He hadn't stumbled into this dead end by accident—he had planned to find a section of the wall suitable for climbing.

This spot was perfect.

The trees here weren't too tall but were sturdy enough to support his weight. He could climb one of the trees, use the branches leaning against the wall to jump onto it, and then escape the hospital.

This was much safer than trying to exit through the main or side gates, where he'd likely run into more zombies.

He had already observed that the zombies couldn't climb trees, so this was his best chance to shake off the horde chasing him.

In no time, Jack reached the tree.

He glanced back at the mass of zombies behind him—there had to be at least eighty, if not a hundred.

If they caught him, he'd be torn to shreds before he even had a chance to turn into a zombie.

Who had ever seen minced meat turn into a zombie?

Jack quickly started climbing the tree.

As a kid in the countryside, he had often climbed trees to pick fruit or raid beehives, despite getting scolded for it.

Thankfully, he hadn't let those scoldings discourage him, or he wouldn't have mastered this life-saving skill.

In just a few moves, Jack was up on a sturdy branch.

Below, the zombies had gathered around the tree, howling and growling.

Unable to climb, they could only push and shove against the tree, making it sway violently.

The rustling leaves seemed to excite them, and they intensified their efforts to topple the tree.

Jack nearly lost his grip, breaking out in a cold sweat.

If he fell into that zombie horde, he'd be torn apart in seconds.

He quickly moved along the branch that leaned against the wall and climbed onto the top of the wall.

Standing on the solid surface, Jack finally let out a sigh of relief. He felt like he had been saved.

At least he wouldn't have to play a deadly game of hide-and-seek with the zombies anymore. That kind of desperate running had been mentally exhausting, like a slow torture.

The zombies below were still frantically attacking the tree, seemingly unaware that their prey had escaped onto the wall.

Jack wasn't in a hurry. He took a few minutes to catch his breath and rest before surveying the area outside the wall.

Pushing aside the dense leaves, he looked down into a quiet alley.

One side of the alley was bordered by the hospital wall, while the other side was lined with small breakfast restaurants and rundown motels.

The restaurants' doors were wide open, with chairs and tables scattered everywhere. Dried bloodstains covered the floors, walls, and even the pavement outside.

It was hard to imagine what had happened here, but it must have been brutal.

Jack scanned the alley and saw no zombies. He crouched down and carefully jumped off the wall, landing in the alley.

The sounds of the zombies inside the hospital grounds faded behind him as he shook off the tension.

The alley reeked of the same rot as the hospital, though the smell wasn't as overpowering.

Jack frowned and headed straight for the restaurants.

He needed to find food and water.

These small eateries usually sold bottled drinks, and Jack's goal was to find some of those.

But his hopes were dashed.

The tables and chairs inside were all overturned, and the glass bottles of drinks had shattered on the floor, their contents long since spilled and dried.

The sticky residue left behind had attracted ants and small insects, creating black patches on the ground.

These patches mixed with the dried bloodstains, forming a nauseating mosaic.

There were even more disgusting sights, but Jack chose to ignore them.

He searched through the chaos for anything useful, but it had been too long since the outbreak.

These cramped shops hadn't held much to begin with, and after the chaos of looting and fleeing, there was almost nothing left.

Jack had hoped to find a knife as a backup weapon, but after checking several shops, he came up empty-handed.

Even small restaurants should have at least one kitchen knife, so it was clear they had been taken.

Perhaps someone had grabbed a knife and fled during the outbreak, or maybe others had already scavenged the area.

The absence of bodies or zombies in the alley suggested that someone had already been through here.

Jack checked several more restaurants, but they were all the same—overturned furniture, bloodstains, and dried drink spills.

Just as he was about to leave the alley, he found a lone bottle of juice in the third-to-last shop.

It was the kind of artificially flavored, sugary drink Jack would never have touched under normal circumstances.

But now, it was like the elixir of life. He couldn't wait to gulp it down!

He placed the bottle against the edge of an overturned table and slapped the cap off with his hand.

Lifting the bottle to his lips, Jack downed the 500 milliliters in one go.

The juice didn't fully quench his thirst, but it made him feel better.

The high sugar content also gave him a quick energy boost.

Jack grabbed a small stool and sat down to rest for a while.

As he relaxed, he felt a dull pain in the back of his head and a wave of dizziness.

He had pushed himself too hard during the escape, and his body, still recovering, was feeling the strain.

What would have been a light workout for him in the past was now a heavy burden.

After resting for about ten minutes, Jack felt somewhat better.

Next, he planned to leave the alley and explore the main street outside.

One bottle of juice wasn't enough. The weather was scorching, and he needed more water and food to keep going.

It was almost noon, and the heat would soon become unbearable. He needed to find supplies and a safe place to wait out the hottest part of the day.

With that in mind, Jack stood up and headed out of the alley.

He wasn't familiar with this part of the city. He had no idea which street he was on or what he might find outside.

He had only been in Beishan City for a year, and the only area he knew well was the one around his university.

Beishan had five districts, and this one—where the hospital was located—was completely unfamiliar to him.

The only time he had been here before was to play basketball against the students from the Petroleum University.

Now, he was walking into the unknown.