Chapter 13: Unexpected Turn of Event (3)
In the time that he was gone, what the hell had happened? Is there a source of infection in the dormitory?
All Ye Ke could do at this moment was keep his friend calm and not let him see his current state of being.
Fortunately, there was no habit of putting a mirror in the boy's dormitory and Wang Hao did not seem to notice his unnatural tone and rigid movements.
Ye Ke stood still with his backpack slung over his shoulder as he watched Wang Hao climb up the ladder and collapse into his bed while groaning uncomfortably.
"Wang Hao?"
"Yes…?" Wang Hao replied weakly like a patient with a high fever.
"Did you drink something after I left?" Ye Ke looked at the water tank and pots boiling hot with water. It seemed like his hunch told him the cause of his infection.
"No!" The word seemed to weigh heavily. After that, the two fell into silence.
"….there wasn't much water in the tank so I burned some tap…" Ye Ke watched his friend curl his body into a ball while experiencing a great deal of pain.
Tap water? He'd just washed his face earlier with the tap water. Would.. would he also be infected? Thinking of this, he suddenly felt millions of insects crawling on his skin, on his face. He wanted to tear his skin, the flesh apart at this moment.
Seconds after, Ye Ke calmed down from his panic. Even if he was infected, at least his state was much better than Wang Hao.
The question now is what he should do.
What should he do? He doesn't know. He'll need to kill Wang Hao. No. He can't do it. He's never killed anyone before. And… and this person is his friend… his best friend.
He's the most honest person Ye Ke ever knew. He had no bad habit like Ye Ke and Han Song who always overslept. He always went to class. He had good grades. He always brought them food when he knew his friends wouldn't eat. He's never gotten in trouble. He was a good person.
Flashes of memory rolled in his brain, constantly replaying the past.
Now, Ye Ke needed to kill him before he turns… but Ye Ke can't seem to bring himself to do it.
Ye Ke sat on the ground and smoke a cigarette as he slowly sorted out his thoughts.
Their water source was infected no doubt. This means that the city's pumping infected water through purification plants and then through underground pipes leading to various communities. Then… the river is polluted… infected. To infect many others, the rivers needed to have a large amount of dosage of pollution. After all, the water source coming from the river is always diluted, self-contained, and purified to remove all harmful bacteria. If that's the case, the infected water should be regional.
But it's useless thinking about it now. Wang Hao's already infected. It's too late to save him. The question is how long it'll take for him to lose his humanity. He reckons from the time spent searching the other dorms for more resources and now, two hours should have passed and it should only be a matter of moments before he turns.
Ye Ke began planning for the worst. He began tidying up. He put on his sturdy overalls, high-top boots, took off his shirt, put on a black vest, and replaced the shirt with a long-sleeved brown linen shirt.
He packed all sorts of resources inside the beige shoulder bag, which thankfully, did not take up much space. Ye Ke looked as if ready to go mountain climbing or to go in the wilderness to survive. Thereafter, he wrapped the rope he made with the curtain around his waist.
"Wang Hao?" Ye Ke stood near the bunk bed and whispered softly. Though soft, it seemed as if he was screaming.
"Wang Hao?" He gulped and looked at his friend who laid on the bed. Wang Hao hadn't moved for a long time.
There was a little flash of hope in his heart that everything was okay, that everything would be alright. Wang Hao is fine. He's just sick, that's all. It's only a stomach flu. No big deal.
Ye Ke took a step forward and climb on the ladder to look at Wang Hao's wholesome figure.
"Wang Hao…?"
"Ah!" Wang Hao's chest suddenly bulged up and twisted in an extremely exaggerated way with his hands and head pushed all the way down. Thereafter, a very low suppressed groan came out of his throat.
Ye Ke was frightened by the sudden change. He swiftly took a step back and fell on his rears. Fortunately, he recovered quickly.
Wang Hao's twisted boy fell off the bed. He began to convulse on the floor like he'd gone mad.
It was only daytime. The sun still shone brightly up above yet Ye Ke felt a chill coming from the soles of his feet and spreading throughout his body.
Before he could think of anything, Ye Ke rushed into the toilet, placed both hands on the window frame and pulled his body into the next dormitory.
Just like that…
He fled.
He had no courage.
Though he planned to do so in the beginning, the guilt of abandoning his friend grinded his heart.
When he calmed down again, he realized he had already stood on the bathroom next door. How he came here, he did not know. Everything was like a short dream.
Not long after, Ye Ke heard a heavy object and a loud crash next door. From time to time, he could hear a deep growl.
I'm sorry, Wang Hao… I'm sorry… I couldn't do it. I couldn't kill you before you turned… I'm sorry…
Ye Ke squatted down on the corner holding his head down and body curled. He wanted to cry but couldn't.
What could he do… how can watch his friend become a monster? What could he do?
This time, he was really alone.