doomsday shelter

Chapter 11：escape agency

In the morning, Song Yunian noticed that there was more food on the table than yesterday while having his meal. He remarked, "Jiajia, weren't you worried about not having enough food? Why cook so much?"

Liang Jiajia chuckled, "Oh dear! I forgot, I was just focused on making you eat a little more. Yesterday was too exhausting!"

Song Yunian replied, "From now on, we'll halve the amount of food for each meal!"

Liang Jiajia said, "I understand! You're speaking so seriously!"

At that moment, the landline in the room rang. Song Yunian set down his chopsticks and went to answer the phone. He could hear Zhang Jian saying, "Song Yunian, there's a situation outside the gate!"

Song Yunian hadn't anticipated the arrival of the zombies so soon and hurriedly asked, "What's happening? Are the zombies banging on the gate?"

Zhang Jian replied, "It's not zombies, it's a car parked outside the gate. They seem to want to seek refuge here! Come quickly, let's discuss what to do!"

Relieved to hear it wasn't zombies, Song Yunian sighed. He stepped out of the room and informed Liang Jiajia. She said, "Husband, let's not let them in. We don't even have enough food, and besides, we don't know if they are good or bad people!"

Song Yunian suggested, "Let's all go down the mountain together to see!"

Zhang Jian, Zhang Meng, Song Yunian, and Liang Jiajia all arrived at the gate. They saw a slender young man standing outside waving to them. Behind him stood an elderly couple, a young woman, and a four or five-year-old girl.

Song Yunian asked, "Who are you? What brings you here?"

The young man's face showed urgency, but he still managed a strained smile. "Big brother, hello, I'm He Yaowu. This is my wife, daughter, and my in-laws. Please, let us in to seek refuge. It's too terrifying down the mountain! If you don't agree, we won't survive!" His voice choked with tears halfway through.

Zhang Jian inquired, "What exactly is happening down the mountain?"

Fear was evident in He Yaowu's eyes as he said, "There are zombies everywhere, more terrifying than in movies. They have sharp teeth and claws, immense strength. They can break open doors, windows, and car windows. The infection spreads quickly; those bitten mutate within ten minutes. Now, the nearby villages and towns are all filled with zombies, numerous in quantity. Please, brother, save our family!"

Liang Jiajia whispered to Song Yunian, "Are 'zombies' and 'undead' the same?"

Song Yunian replied, "Originally different, 'zombies' are from China, 'undead' from the West, but they've been mixed up over time!"

Zhang Jian asked again, "Why don't you go to farther towns to seek refuge?"

He Yaowu knelt down and pleaded, "Big brother, please, let us in! We just came down from the highway over there; it's jammed with cars, all filled with zombies. We got scared and hurried back. There's no safe place anymore; the whole world is filled with zombies!"

Zhang Jian, Zhang Meng, Song Yunian, and Liang Jiajia exchanged glances. They had initially planned to wait for rescue but didn't expect He Yaowu to claim there were no safe places left.

Zhang Meng said, "You haven't escaped, how can you be so sure there's no safe place? The world is vast; there must be sparsely populated areas untouched!"

He Yaowu responded, "Perhaps there are, but I don't know where. It's too far for us to reach! Now, we can only beg you brothers and sisters to save us!" With that, his wife, child, and in-laws also knelt down, pleading together to open the gate.

As a doctor, Zhang Jian was accustomed to aiding people. He looked at Song Yunian, hoping for his agreement to avoid conflict. Song Yunian, inherently kind-hearted and respectful to elders and children, felt deeply moved seeing the elderly couple and the little girl kneeling before him.

Liang Jiajia whispered again, "Husband, don't let them in, I'm afraid!"

Song Yunian said to her, "We can't turn a blind eye to their plight! My conscience won't allow it!"

Liang Jiajia anxiously retorted, "Am I less important than them? Can you bear to share my food with them?"

Song Yunian reassured, "There's strength in numbers; we'll find a way!"

With a grim expression, Liang Jiajia huffed and turned away, heading back inside.

He Yaowu kept glancing back at the road down the mountain and listened intently. Suddenly, he looked up and said, "Big brother, please open the gate! Zombies are coming up, please, I beg of you!"

Song Yunian couldn't worry about Liang Jiajia anymore. He too pressed his ear to the ground and indeed heard faint footsteps. He sprang into action, urging Zhang Jian and Zhang Meng, "Let's go! Open the gate quickly!"