Meanwhile, Song Kexin, who had locked herself in the cargo compartment to eat, was huddled in a corner. Clutching a case of milk and two bags of beef jerky, she stared up at the roof.
The roof thudded loudly as someone stepped on it, and the faint, indistinct screams of a woman reached her ears.
Song Kexin's heart hammered against her ribs. Clutching her precious food, she crawled to the cargo door, hesitating on whether she should open it.
Just then, she heard her sister's hushed voice from outside. "Kexin, Kexin, come out."
Song Kexin scrambled to pull the inner bolt, shrinking to the side as she pushed the cargo door open.
"Get down," Xie Ning called again.
Song Kexin hurriedly jumped down, still clutching her food. Only then did she get a clear view of several zombies sprawled on the small truck's hood, roaring and clawing at the air above them.
A young man and woman were standing on the roof. The woman, who looked to be in her early twenties, was screaming like she had lost her mind.
The young man beside her glared angrily, cursing at her between breaths. "Stop screaming! Do you want to attract more of these monsters?"
Zhang Yang was filled with immense regret.
'I must have lost my mind. Why did I even think of coming back to save this idiot?'
'And now, I'm trapped here too.'
Shi Ailing was completely unable to control her screams and panic.
She turned her head and saw Xie Ning and her sister retreating from the rear of the truck.
Losing control, the woman shrieked, "Hey! Hey, don't go! Help—help us! Help us!"
"Go, go, go. Go to your aunt's." Xie Ning gave Song Kexin a push, pointing toward the RV.
Clutching the milk and jerky, Song Kexin took off running toward the RV.
Shi Ailing grew even more frantic. "Hey! Hey, you can't just leave us to die! Hey! Save us! Save us!"
Xie Ning glanced back. A dozen or so rotting corpses were already shambling over from all directions, converging on the small box truck.
One of them, a limping zombie, suddenly quickened its pace and lunged, slamming heavily against the side of the truck.
The sound made Shi Ailing collapse onto the roof, her tear- and snot-streaked face a mask of terror and indignation.
Xie Ning glanced at them, then turned her attention to the ever-growing horde of zombies gathering from all sides, her grip tightening on her long blade.
In the end, she turned decisively and ran straight for the RV.
"Hey! Hey, stop! Hey! You can't just leave us! Hey, are you even human?! Save us! Save us! Please, I'm begging you, help us!"
The gut-wrenching screams followed her on the wind.
The young woman's expression grew even colder. She leaped into the RV's passenger seat and pulled the door shut. "Mom, drive."
Song You'ai's fingers trembled on the steering wheel, her eyes fixed on the small truck ahead, now surrounded by the zombie horde.
"We... we're just... leaving them?"
"We can't," Xie Ning said, her voice unnervingly calm and hard. "If there were seven or eight, I could handle them, and I would have. But there are dozens now. If we don't leave, hundreds will gather. I know my limits."
"Besides, they're too much of a liability. That woman can't control her emotions; she'd attract a horde of zombies at any moment."
Xie Ning took a deep breath, her voice tinged with a weary rasp. "I can't risk your lives. I absolutely can't."
"Drive, Mom."
Song You'ai gritted her teeth and gave a sharp nod. She slammed her foot on the accelerator, and the RV shot away.