"Before I knew it, we were trapped in the dormitory. The door was blocked by those things… I'd call them zombies. There were no routes of escape. After that, I searched for food in the neighboring dormitories for two nights. I felt that things couldn't go on this way. We needed to escape. After all, no one knew when rescue would come."
Several people listened in quietly. Ye Ke's words seemed to evoke their memories.
"The day before I escaped, a brother of mine drank the tap water while I was out in search of food. We didn't know it then till it was too late. It was infected." He remembered the time jumping from one balcony to another and when he came back, he saw the change in Wang Hao's appearance. It was still so clear and vivid in his memories.
"You mean… the tap water's polluted?" Li Haoran asked in disbelief. He doesn't quite believe the tap water would be infected. He doesn't want to believe it. It'd mean they'd lose their other sources for drinking water. They could only drink bottled water. That aside, they've only used the tap water to flush the toilet these past few days.
"Yes. There were none of them around and all he had was the tap water. He was lying in bed then… and then he turned and became a zombie." Ye Ke sighed, back resting against the wall. He felt helpless.
"I managed to escape to the next dormitory. The next morning, I escaped from the dormitory using the curtains which I coiled to make a room. There were many people hiding in the dormitory at the time of my escape but I didn't know what to do."
Maybe it all had to do with luck that he was able to escape. He had food, yes, but eating them will slowly become less till there was nothing left. So he escaped. It was the only thing he could do to increase his chances of surviving. He gave hints of being able to go down through the curtain role but whether they're able to do so is up to them. Eventually, their source of food will become a problem and they'd need to find alternative means. Waiting for a rescue team was no good.
"Once I got out, I hid in the trash can and escaped through the back entrance. At the time, there were large numbers of zombies gathered in the back entrance. Maybe two to three hundred of them. I played music on my phone and threw it far away. It distracted them and I managed to escape before they could notice. Those things seem to respond to sounds." He tried to explain how he'd escaped. Perhaps the information he missed would be noticed by these cautious people.
Although he described what had happened from beginning to end in a somewhat diluted manner, the other three did not relax. They knew the sort of fear they'd have to face where they put in the same shoes as Ye Ke.
"That is to say, the people are still hiding and the government and military haven't yet to move." The situation outside seemed to be what they suspected. Those that were alive were in hiding and rescue did not exist at all.
"Not entirely." Ye Ke ribbed his face with both hands. Then, he stood up and walked to the packs of goods. He tore open a package and grabbed a canned before sitting back.
"I learned some things from the radio." Ye Ke had never smoked such luxurious made cigarette as the one he had placed between his fingers now. He took a sip of the bottle of beer. The taste was poor. No ice.
"You heard about the outside and some news on the radio, is that right?" The other survivors looked at Ye Ke intently. They cared not for his gestures. After all, in the worst of times, this was what they could to relieve themselves from the stress piling up.
"Yes." Ye Ke turned away from the pairs of eyes looking at him. He pulled out the cigarette from his mouth and tried to put it out on the ground.
"Don't put it out. As long as you don't smoke all the time, it's all right." Su Nan smiled and patted the little girl's hair.
Ye Ke smiled sheepishly, a little embarrassed. He smoked two more puffs before putting it out.
"The radio's been playing recordings of the president's voice repeatedly. It seems only the second tier cities of S and Z are infected. The army's already established a blockade on the edge of the city. We can escape from here by inspection. And the seven military regions have already their respective shelters. As we speak, the government's currently studying an antibody cure to resist against the mutation." Ye Ke did not speak out his own opinions and conjecture of the matter, only facts. What these people needed the most was hope.
He saw several faces showing signs of ecstasy. They weren't abandoned. This was their hope. So long as they managed to escape, they'd be able to return to their former lives. This is what they needed, this is what they needed to and hear, and quite frankly, the best news they've heard in their lifetime.
Su Nan was calm, seemingly thinking about something.
"Ye Ke, could you play the radio?"
"Of course." Ye Ke grabbed his backpack and pulled out the bar phone resting quietly. For insurance purposes, he brought the charger out.
Unlocking the bar phone with a press of a button, he turned on the bar phone and tuned it to a certain channel. Everyone stared at the machine on Ye Ke's hand. In their eyes, it was their godly savior.
Su Xioxio looked at Ye Ke then down to his hand. She was curious what that black chunky thing on his hand does. Was it a toy?
"People of all nationalities and background… my dear compatriots, we are now experiencing a grand cataclysmic catastrophe. Our friends and relatives are being killed by those monsters, our homes torn apart…"
Upon hearing this, Ye Ke realized the situation had escalated further.
"But we still have hope for life. The antibodies we've studied thus far have made great progress. If you are still alive and hearing this right now, please go to the nearest shelter as soon as possible. We will provide safety, food…"
They grew silent. The broadcast… what they heard… they knew what it meant. The infection had gone out of their control. No one was safe. Now could only rely on shelters, on the barriers, and the presence of the military.
"At least we have hopes of escaping, don't we?" Though Ye Ke had expected this to happen, he did not expect it to happen so soon. At this moment, the joy on several faces disappeared.
Holding the bottle of beer in his hand, Ye Ke was somewhat at a loss.
At the same time, in many of the cities, chaos, violence, fear, all dark side of human beings obscured and cover the entire sky. Some fled for their lives, some committed evil acts, and the army covering the streets were unable to provide them any hope and semblance of safety.
The end of the world has arrived.