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As we head back to the apartment, I spot a few zombies along the way. Approaching from behind, I decapitate two of them before they can even notice me. The third one is bulkier, more muscular, and charges straight at me. I roll to the side, but manage to slash its leg with half the blade of my sword, making it collapse to the ground. I don't give the zombie any chance to get back up—I strike its head, and just to be safe, I separate its head from its torso.
"Just as I thought, this one was different. I still don't fully understand why some give XP and others don't. That usually means there are crystals."
He looks at me and rolls his eyes before speaking.
"Was that really necessary?"
He asks while staring at me, and I immediately reply,
"No, but it's good training. And one of them gave XP again, which means it has a pouch somewhere."
I open the zombie's chest using the short sword in my hand and rummage around a bit until I feel the tip touch something solid. A faint red glow appears. I crouch down and grab it—a small red crystal.
"We don't know what they're used for yet, but you can never have too many. Especially when you have infinite storage."
After that episode, we return to the apartment without any further trouble, with ten minutes to spare as the sun begins to set. We go through our usual routine, spraying deodorizer in the hallway, stairwell, and everywhere we pass.
We place everything we collected on the way back onto the table: two cell phones, a microwave, and a tablet. After he finishes dismantling everything, I see him pick up his own phone. I walk up behind him to take a look and notice he's searching for the address she sent.
"What are you looking at? I'm just checking the location so I know how to get there and can make plans in case something goes wrong."
"I'm not judging, just curious about where it is. And you don't seem too confident about your choice—especially when that choice is 7.2 kilometers away."
"Yeah, you're right. If it were anyone else, I don't know if I'd go. But I trust her. She's an acquaintance from college, and her knowledge could be very useful. After all, we're not train operators, and the map can't improvise."
"Your college crush? Don't tell me you're going all that way just so you don't have to sleep alone at night."
I say, provoking him on purpose. I know he's going mainly for her knowledge—and only secondarily for everything else.
"Are you messing with me? You know I'm not like that. I won't just let anyone in. If you have so much time to tease me, you could read more about how to operate that damn train—or I might throw you out."
I can tell he didn't like my provocation, but that's how I know I hit a nerve—something he doesn't want to admit.
"Alright, alright, drop it. I don't want to spend time reading. It makes me sleepy, and if I'm sleepy, I'm not alert."
He rolls his eyes at my comment, like he's dealing with a child, then goes back to what he was doing. We have a hearty dinner with canned food and a bit of fresh meat I took out of my storage space. After that, we each go to sleep.
2:42 a.m.
I wake from my light sleep, something I developed after countless restless nights filled with strange sounds. I see Lin Xian opening the bedroom door, also looking half-asleep. He peers through the peephole and murmurs,
"You should continue resting in peace, Grandma Lin."
I tap his shoulder, signaling that I want to look too. Through the peephole, I see a pale old man with dull, lifeless eyes standing in front of the door, making low murmuring sounds as he keeps knocking, like someone asking for help.
"He was dead, right? From what you muttered? Now even the dead won't stay dead anymore."
I whisper to him, even though I know the thing outside is fully aware that we're inside. It starts scratching the door relentlessly, until after a few minutes, the sound finally stops.
We both nod and lean against the wall in silence, staring ahead. Any chance of sleep is long gone. Neither of us can relax after that—we keep glancing at the door every second. Just when we think it's over, the scratching starts again, this time from the wall we're leaning against.
We get up and press ourselves against the wall at the far end of the corridor near the door, silent, breathing as lightly as possible, not daring to move while the scratching continues.
It feels like hours pass, though I'm not sure. All I know is that the sound eventually stops. It was probably only a few minutes, but it was terrifying as hell to think that thing could sense us even inside the apartment. It makes it even clearer that the only way to survive is to go out, get stronger, before attempting something as stupid as traveling during the polar night.
We exchange a glance and go to check if everything outside is clear, or if the creature has returned to the door. Lin Xian goes first. His expression changes, and he murmurs,
"A girl..."
I step closer and look through the peephole. A girl is lying on the floor, covered in blood.
She doesn't look older than fifteen or sixteen. Her clothes are completely unsuitable for a post-apocalyptic world: short shorts, a low-rise cropped top, and a brightly colored baseball jacket. Around her neck, she wears wireless earbuds. She looks young and modern, like she stepped straight out of a pre-apocalypse high school.
I see her trembling as she struggles to get up. She stretches her hand toward the door and says,
"Help… help…"
I turn to him and say,
"She doesn't look like a monster. She looks like a person—aside from being covered in blood. She can even talk."
"After Mr. Lin, you still want to gamble with your safety? I don't think it's worth it. It could be another monster in disguise."
Before I can argue, I see that he's completely convinced it's a trap, so I decide to drop it for now.
We keep watching for some time. A soft beep marks 5:00 a.m. The girl looks noticeably paler than before, and shortly after, she collapses. Before either of us can say anything, we hear a sound coming from the corridor.
We see Mr. Lin approaching.
After a few seconds, he gets closer and starts sniffing the air. While he's focused on the girl, we catch a glimpse of his back—a massive centipede is controlling his body like a grotesque puppet. A chill runs down my spine as I imagine myself in that situation.
I force myself to look again after shaking off the thought. The centipede becomes agitated, and in response, Mr. Lin's corpse raises its arms and lunges toward the girl.