CHAPTER 5

Chen Ming glanced up and down at them, his expression unreadable. Then, he pursed his lips and asked, "Have you ever been bitten?"

"No, no…" The two shook their heads hurriedly, rolling up their sleeves to show their unblemished arms.

In some ways, their situation mirrored ours. If Chen Ming had refused to join us back then, we wouldn't be much better off than these two.

Looking at their trembling forms, I hesitated. I wanted to let them stay, but we were already struggling to feed ourselves. Taking in more people under these conditions…

I turned to Chen Ming, who remained silent, then made up my mind. Addressing the newcomers, I said, "You must understand the reality of the situation. We're all just ordinary people trying to survive. Just because we can fight off the dead doesn't mean we can protect you without effort. If you stay with us, you'll have to help—searching for food, supplies, anything we need to get by."

At my words, the girl instinctively shrank behind the man, whispering, "Brother…"

The resemblance between them was clear. The man appeared to be around thirty, while the girl seemed closer to my age. Likely siblings.

Her fear seemed to awaken a protective instinct in him. The trembling in his hands subsided, and he patted her reassuringly before nodding at me. "I understand. More people working together means a better chance of survival."

Before my dad or Chen Ming could respond, I stepped forward and held out my hand. "I'm He Mo. This is my dad. And this…" I gestured toward our silent companion. "This is Chen Ming."

"My name is Xu Yiwen, and this is my sister, Xu Qiqi."

Chen Ming's displeasure was obvious, but their arrival solved a practical problem—we had too many supplies to carry back alone. We found several large backpacks in the supermarket and filled them with food and necessities, distributing the weight among us. Some items, like chips and snacks, weren't vital, but they might bring a little comfort—especially for Tian Tian, who was still just a kid.

I opened a plastic bag, tore open several packs of chips, and poured them inside, twisting the top shut before sealing it in another bag to keep it dry.

My dad took charge of carrying the snacks. Xu Qiqi clung tightly to her brother's clothes, her knuckles white. My dad reassured her as best he could, but when it came time to leave, she refused to be separated from Xu Yiwen. The moment we suggested it, she started crying.

After a few tense minutes, Chen Ming exhaled sharply, clearly losing patience. "If you don't want to go, then stay here."

At this point, it was better to handle things gently. I took a deep breath, approached Qiqi, and spoke in the calmest tone I could muster. "Your brother will walk ahead of you, and I'll be right behind you. Just stay quiet and keep moving in the middle, okay?"

It wasn't much of a choice, and she knew it. She wiped her tears, gripped her brother's sleeve, and nodded.

As we neared the supermarket entrance, several walkers had already noticed us, their decayed faces pressing against the glass. The moment we stepped forward, they snarled and lunged at the door.

Chen Ming pulled out his knife, glancing at me before making a few hand signals. I wasn't sure if they were standard police gestures or something unique to him, but I understood.

Two for me. Three for him. Quick and clean.

The second we stepped outside, Chen Ming kicked one walker backward. It stumbled, nearly crashing into me. A startled scream rose in my throat, but I swallowed it back. As soon as the corpse hit the ground, I stepped forward, pinning it under my boot. Chen Ming seized the opening and drove his blade into its skull.

Xu Yiwen and Xu Qiqi had no weapons. When faced with the dead, they froze in terror—Qiqi cowering behind her brother.

While my dad and Chen Ming took down two more walkers, I grabbed the siblings by their arms. "Move! Now! Head for the car, but don't make any noise. If the alarm goes off, we're screwed."

Xu Yiwen understood immediately. He grabbed his sister's hand and guided her toward the vehicles parked nearby.

With my dad landing a decisive blow on another walker's head, the fight turned in our favor. His earlier fear seemed to fade as he finally grasped the truth—these things weren't people anymore. Killing them was necessary.

We made it back to the hospital without further trouble, securing the door behind us. But inside wasn't necessarily safe. The place was massive, and there were likely walkers shambling through the halls, unseen.

We moved cautiously toward the outpatient building, listening for any sounds. Xu Yiwen and Qiqi struggled to keep up, panting heavily.

For once, my own lack of stamina made me feel superior.

Before entering, Qiqi hesitated, unwilling to go inside without confirmation that it was safe. As we stepped into the lobby, a skeletal old woman in a tattered hospital gown staggered out of a pharmacy down the hall.

Qiqi inhaled sharply, about to scream, but Chen Ming clamped a hand over her mouth.

I didn't hesitate. I drew my knife, gauged the walker's movements, then lunged.

It wasn't hard to kill—it was weak and slow—but the angle was messy. Blood and brain matter splattered onto my sleeve.

From that moment on, we moved with more caution. Xu Yiwen warned his sister to stay quiet. We barricaded several doorways to prevent any more surprises.

We hadn't sealed off the entire building before, knowing we hadn't cleared it fully. Now, we made sure to reinforce all the stairwell doors. If any walkers were lurking upstairs, they wouldn't be able to get down.

By the time we reached our room on the second floor, my mother was waiting anxiously by the door, peering through the small window.

Her eyes widened as she took in our new companions.

It had been a long time since we'd encountered other survivors, and now, within two days, we had gained three.

After a small meal, Xu Yiwen looked around the room, frowning slightly. "You're staying here?" His gaze flickered toward my grandmother and Tian Tian, clearly surprised to see an elderly woman and a child in our group.

"Yes," I confirmed. "We just secured this floor today. The hallway doors are locked, so this area is relatively safe. But we haven't cleared the stairwells, so we don't know how many are out there. Try not to move around too much."

Before he could respond, I continued, "This is my grandmother, my mother, and my little brother."

The siblings immediately stood and greeted them politely.

Not long after, Qiqi and Tian Tian started whispering to each other. It was clear that Tian Tian took an instant liking to her.

My mother, watching them, smiled. "Look at those two—one big, one small. It's like they were meant to be friends."

At her words, Qiqi looked up and gave my mother a shy smile.

For the first time in a long while, the room felt… a little less bleak.