Dark Apocalypse

Episode 43

Temporarily safe



What does it feel like to run through a crowded place?

And if that crowd were zombies? It would be an absolutely exhilarating thrill—a heart-pounding game where a single misstep could mean the end.

Adam was fully engaged in this pulse-racing game, advancing through the crowd of undead. He had no idea how far he'd come, but one thing was certain: the zombies were multiplying around him. From initially swatting one away every few meters, he was now forced to stay vigilant with each step as they closed in. The pressure was mounting.

If not for Miao Yunyao trailing behind, he could have maneuvered more freely, dodging through the horde with ease. But even running in a straight line was leaving her struggling to keep pace; zigzagging would be out of the question. Heaven knows what might happen to her if he did.

From the very start, it had been Adam who cleared the path through the zombies, while Miao Yunyao, simply keeping up, was already at her limit. Expecting her to ease his burden was futile.

"Only three hundred meters left," he muttered, calculating the distance as he took in the scene ahead.

A dense swarm of zombies blocked the way forward, not yet packed shoulder to shoulder, but enough to make safe passage impossible.

"Cover your ears!" he shouted, without waiting to see if she understood. Spending several points, he quickly exchanged for a flashbang grenade, yanked the safety pin, and hurled it toward an intersection on the right—where they'd come from originally.

After about three seconds, a sharp blast reverberated through the air as the grenade hit the ground. Although the effect wasn't as potent in the open street as it would have been in an enclosed space, it was enough to distract a majority of the zombies, drawing them toward the explosion.

"Move!" he commanded, glancing back, only to see Miao Yunyao clutching her ears, her face twisted in pain.

Clearly, his warning hadn't been enough, and now her ears had borne the brunt. With no time to waste, he hoisted her onto his left shoulder like a sack of rice, holding his katana in his right hand as he continued forward.

The flashbang had been effective, but not as much as he'd hoped—some zombies still staggered toward him. Adam deftly deflected them with his sword, evading as much as possible without engaging directly.

The added weight made the run torturous. His speed dropped considerably, now barely faster than a normal person's pace. With one arm occupied and his balance thrown off, every close call with a zombie pushed his reflexes to their limit. Only his quick footwork kept him from their grasp.

"You foolish woman!" he muttered, yet he never thought of leaving her behind.

He could easily abandon her and escape alone, but he resisted. Unless truly necessary, he would not leave her to die.

When he finally reached their destination—the SUV where Shangguan Ya had been held—he was drenched in sweat and breathless.

"What... did you throw back there?" Miao Yunyao, still dazed, stammered as she got to her feet, her face pale.

"Not the time for that." He pointed to the now-empty SUV. Shangguan Ya was gone.

Which was logical—if she were still there, something would be amiss. Ling Ao had left much earlier; he'd probably taken her. But where could they have gone?

Without further thought, Adam climbed onto the roof of the vehicle, gesturing for Miao Yunyao to follow. "Climb up!"

Climb? Up where? Onto the trucks blocking the road, of course. A few large trucks formed a barricade, fully blocking the path. Had Ling Ao taken Shangguan Ya over to the other side? He wasn't sure, but with zombies amassing nearby, he had no choice but to lead her over.

"Your daughter was probably taken across by Ling Ao," he lied. Or maybe not; he didn't know himself.

Miao Yunyao didn't hesitate. Motivated by his words, she clambered up, struggling due to her inexperience, nearly falling several times.

Below, zombies swarmed around the SUV. Though it was high enough to keep them safe, Adam decided not to risk it, climbing up first and then extending a hand to help her up before the undead could close in.

They shared a view of the other side—a street just as chaotic, yet eerily void of zombies, with only a few bodies strewn across. Judging by the blood on the ground, they hadn't been dead for long. This could only mean one thing.

"Do you want to wait here for the zombies, or go find your daughter? You know Ling Ao; what do you think he's planning, taking her across the highway without returning for us?"

Adam's words jolted her into action, and with his final pull, she made it up before the undead overtook the SUV below.

Looking out, she came to the same realization: Ling Ao had taken Shangguan Ya across. The arrangement of bodies suggested they had moved toward the elevated highway.

Below, the trucks divided the street, separating them from the zombie-packed side. This half of the road lay eerily silent, littered with corpses.

As they climbed down, they could still hear the undead pounding and groaning on the other side. That sense of escape, the breath of survival—it was enough to become addictive.