Chapter 7: I Saw My Mother
Qin Xiao drew a route map, and after discussing it, the two of them climbed out the window.
Below were countless zombies. Standing at the edge of the window, Qin Xiao looked down at them. “Ji Nian, don’t we look like rulers? And those below, aren’t they like our soldiers?”
“Yes, just as annoying as you.”
Ji Nian looked towards a two-story building diagonally ahead. They were on the third floor, with a distance of more than two meters to the building.
Adding the distance between floors, it was about five meters.
Acceptable.
Ji Nian estimated in his mind. Qin Xiao beside him said, “When you land, roll to cushion the impact.”
Ji Nian nodded. “I know.”
Qin Xiao: “So, who goes first? I’ll go first and throw you a rope down afterwards.”
Ji Nian: “You’re full of it.”
Qin Xiao: …
Jumping diagonally down, the five-meter distance was nothing to them.
Ji Nian went first, followed by Qin Xiao.
The zombies below roared, tilting their necks upwards, trying to see what had just flashed past.
“Damn it! There are so many outside too.”
Climbing onto a sycamore tree next to the two-story building, Ji Nian and Qin Xiao saw that there were equally many zombies on the street outside.
Men, women, old, and young, in tattered clothes, covered in black blood.
The zombies’ eyeballs were greyish-white, and their vision was poor.
The two moved quietly and cautiously, slowly making their way down the branches.
The zombies below didn’t see the two of them in the tree. Qin Xiao whispered, “See that black car? That’s mine.”
“I see it, a Mercedes…”
“Uh… it’s the Honda next to it, license plate ending in 67…”
Zombies possessed terrifying strength and stiff bodies; they practically lunged, using their weight to knock their targets down before proceeding with the next step.
Ji Nian and Qin Xiao landed lightly, hiding from the zombies like they were playing hide-and-seek.
The cars on the street were parked bumper to bumper, a thin layer of dust already accumulating on their bodies.
The two moved step by step towards the Honda. The sky was grey, the day gloomy, as if it were about to rain.
Just a few steps from the Honda, Qin Xiao was suddenly startled by what he saw.
He saw a disabled zombie crawling on the ground, its lower body missing, its intestines trailing on the ground as it crawled forward.
Qin Xiao was too late to hide. The disabled zombie hissed, “Heh heh…,” its two hands supporting the ground as it quickly crawled towards Qin Xiao.
The “Heh heh” sound seemed to be a call to other zombies. Immediately, the zombies in front turned and looked over, waving their arms and rushing towards them!
“Run!”
Qin Xiao grabbed Ji Nian’s hand and dashed forward.
With his other hand, he drew his long knife, slashing at the oncoming zombies.
If you didn’t hit the vital points of the zombies, they were basically unharmed. Qin Xiao aimed for the neck with every strike, at least making it easier to withdraw his blade.
The zombies behind also surged forward. Ji Nian let go of Qin Xiao’s hand, grabbed his spiked club, and swung it hard, smashing it down on a zombie’s head.
That zombie, already bitten in the neck, had its head blown off by Ji Nian’s blow.
Black blood splattered. Ji Nian yelled, “Get in the car!”
The car lock had been opened before their departure; the car was right beside them.
Ji Nian savagely swung his club again and again, a few drops of foul-smelling black blood splashing on his face.
The clash of black and white further highlighted the ferocity in the boy’s eyes.
Qin Xiao got into the car first, started the engine, wildly swerved the steering wheel, hitting several zombies, and rolled down half the window. “Ji Nian! Get in!”
The car door handle was right in front of Ji Nian. As he grabbed the handle, his eyes caught a familiar figure.
It was the woman who had said, “Mommy loves you!” to him.
Her eyes were sunken, her mouth full of black blood, her once long, black, and shiny hair reduced to a few strands. She was still wearing the grey sweatshirt with a little duck embroidered on the chest that Ji Nian remembered.
Only, the color of the duck was no longer visible.
She… she… was bitten and covered in wounds!
She was groaning, “Heh heh…,” no longer recognizing him! She was charging towards him!!
Ji Nian got into the car.
He knew that the mother who had only used curses to express her love was gone.
He didn’t have time to grieve; the danger wasn’t over yet.
A larger horde of zombies rushed towards them, blocking their path.
Qin Xiao gripped the steering wheel tightly, his eyes gleaming with determination. “Hold on tight, I’ll show you what driving really means!”
With that, the car suddenly accelerated, the speedometer needle approaching its maximum. Ji Nian held onto the overhead handle, watching as the fearless zombies were knocked away, smashed to pieces.
“Bang! Bang! Bang!”
Amidst a series of impacts, the car drove further and further away, leaving the street and driving onto a wider road.
The scene was still desolate and ruined; zombies wandered the streets in small groups, homeless.
When they saw Qin Xiao’s car, they would chase after it, either failing to catch up or being knocked away.
Knowing Qin Xiao’s driving skills were good, Ji Nian leaned back in his seat and closed his eyes.
The image of his “mother” flashed before his eyes again.
The boy’s neck was slender, its curve beautiful, his not-very-pronounced Adam’s apple bobbing as he swallowed the bitterness.
His eyes were a little wet, but he didn’t cry.
“What’s wrong?”
Qin Xiao noticed his emotional distress, glanced at him, thinking he was scared, and joked to lighten the mood. “Were you shocked by your brother’s amazing driving skills?”
Actually, he was panicked too.
He had never seen such a scene before.
But he was older, he was the older brother, he was the one who brought Ji Nian out, and he had to ensure his safety.
“I…”
“…I saw my mom…”
Ji Nian’s voice was a little choked. “I saw her just now…”
“You saw…”
“I saw her just now…”
Ji Nian didn’t know what to say, but if he didn’t, his chest ached.
He repeated it over and over again, his eyes getting redder and redder, leaning back, docile, wronged, stubborn, and helpless.
Wasn’t he?
He was only a teenager.
He wasn’t strong enough to face everything calmly.
Qin Xiao didn’t know how to comfort him.
The car had already driven out of the danger zone. He reached out and ruffled Ji Nian’s hair hard. “It’s okay, you have your brother now. Since you trust me and came out with me, if there’s food, I’ll share it with you, and I’ll protect you in danger.”
“If you really miss your family, I don’t care how old I am, you can call me Dad, Grandpa, whatever.”
“Mom also…”
“Are you looking for a beating?”
Ji Nian sniffed and glared at him, his unhappiness lessened by his words.
The gloomy sky was left behind; the sun peeked out from the clouds, bringing a touch of warmth.