South of the middle school was a building that used to be a very busy shopping mall. Usually at this time, there will be many aunties doing their shopping here, crowding the place, making it look like a carnival is happening. However, the mall is empty today, the usual aunties who that usually crowds the place whether it's rain or shine couldn't be seen, probably because those people have been eaten by the group of magic wolves who noticed these noisy twittering humans.
The splattering blood has been washed away by the rain, the only remainder to this tragedy is the strewn around left over body parts around the mall, and random roars and growls and sometimes, a scream piercing the dull silence, letting everyone know that someone has been found out.
The bran new shopping mall building occupies a third of the total area but it now look rather dilapidated due to the wanton destruction, broken glasses and floors, even some cracked walls. The supermarket is at the mall's basement floor, so it wasn't really that interesting to magic beasts, otherwise it would already be a gathering place for the beasts!
It's already quite lucky for this group of survivors that took the emergency elevator had not been noticed by magic beasts on the way down. These survivors sitting in the supermarket felt rather helpless, and all they can do is pray… pray that the beasts will never found them there.
"Have we been abandoned?" asked a sobbing little girl hugging her knees.
"Most of others outside are dead… It's only a matter of time for us" said the supermarket manager as he slumped with a dejected face.
"We can't just sit here and wait to die! We have to get out of here! Out there, we may have a chance to survive!!!" said a supermarket worker who's usually in charge of handling the goods.
"I'm a plumber working for the government, been doing this for decades. If all of you follow me through the waterway (sewer) below the basement, we will not run into magic beasts" said a skinny middle-aged man dressed in a blue overalls.
The survivors who heard the plumber suddenly had their eyes lit up with hopes! He fled here after hearing from a teenager that there are magic beasts everywhere out there, if they were to travel on the ground, they will definitely be eaten without anything left… But if they could use the underground path and sewer, they could easily go through all these beasts on the ground and arrive at the shelter safely! Since they had a worker familiar with the sewer path, they won't lost their way too!
"Go, let's go now! I don't want to stay a second longer in this hell!"
"Yeah, the faster the better! If we don't evacuate there in time, we might as well sign our own death warrant…."
"Go, the beasts will find this place sooner or later!!!"
A total of 15 survivors at the supermarket had their eyes flashing with glimmers of hope to survive this tragedy. The supermarket have a direct access to the sewer entrance, so they felt quite hopeful to reach the shelter area. Everyone quickly pack up to follow the plumber guy.
"Wait a moment, can someone help me? There's a girl in a wheelchair, she can't walk on her own…." said a skinny girl at the hurriedly packing to leave group of people.
"Crazy girl, who has the extra energy to care for her!"
"The wheelchair isn't going to fit in the sewer pathways, little girl how are you going to follow us?" said the fat supermarket manager bitterly.
The sewer guy walked ahead, while the others pretended to not hear the skinny girl's plead and trot along to follow him.
"Hey wait! Please come and help her! Please don't leave her here!" begged the skinny girl almost crying and then felt at loss not knowing what to do as the crowd just left. Although a few people turned back to look at the girl in wheelchair, in the end they still walked away while showing a little pity at her. Even they already couldn't help themselves, if they encounter magic beasts in the sewer, carrying a girl to escape is even more impossible!
"Aren't we too heartless? It's too pitiful for her…" whispered one of the women.
"What heartless? She can't walk, what can we do about it? If you pity her, you can go back to her, don't blame me for not warning you. We'll be crawling and going up and down ladders, if we bring her along… We won't reach the shelter even after twelve days!" warned the plumber guy.
"The supermarket in the underground might not necessarily be found by beasts, she will be fine waiting for rescue"
Hearing the possible SAR rescue, the others stopped complaining and justify their attempt to get to the shelter instead. Realistically, it's impossible to do a SAR operation in a red alert emergency when most of the mages available will be concentrated at creating a secure perimeter around the shelter to protect even more people than the people wandering their way to the shelter. Therefore, the girl in the wheelchair could only pray to god that the beasts will not find her.
The supermarket is soon emptied out, as the skinning girl stood next to the girl in wheelchair, looking back and forth, biting her lips.
"You should go with them" said the girl in wheelchair with a strained smile to the girl at her side.
"I'm sorry…. I really want to bring you along" said the skinny woman with guilt.
"Never mind it, you need to go now to keep up with them"
"Is there anything I can help you with?"
The girl in wheelchair seems to think of something and quickly took off her bracelet and handed it over to the skinny girl and said "If you manage to reach the shelter, please give this to my family"
The skinny girl quickly committed the girl's information and seriously nodded "Don't worry, I will find them and tell them that you're alive so they can save you"
The girl in wheelchair shook her head and said "I don't want to trouble them, tell them I met a disaster"
The skinny girl opened her mouth in surprise, not knowing what to say for a moment before finally turning away, trying hard to not look back a few times as she went on her way.
Cold sparse light fall on the corner where she was, as those people making their way out of the supermarket making Gu Qian feel a little uncomfortable in her heart as they just stood up and started shuffling out of the place and hurriedly left one by one… The feeling of a chilling indifference, but despite her grievances it doesn't change the fact that the girl could not walk on her own two legs, even anyone who could limp their way would do much better than a girl that's stuck on a wheelchair.
The girl on the wheelchair still looked very calm, despite the group abandoning her, she has not the slightest grievances against them, there isn't even panic or despair in her eyes.
"I'm sorry…" said Gu Qian and bit her lips to finally stop apologizing and then ran after those who had left earlier. All of sudden, the wide supermarket is empty, leaving only a girl wearing a light blue skirt on a simple and cheap wheelchair…..
As everyone left, Ye Xin Xia slowly bow her head down, her hair hiding her face as her pair of fair little hands rest on her lap. Calm returned back to her countenance, along with the restlessness as she only unconsciously gripped her skirt to show it. She had not the mind to blame those people, just like how she was unable to walk on her own, what could blaming and complaining will get her anything?
Everyone has their own way to live their life but even a spread of silence around her world could be a little scary, making one feel helpless as if the whole world has abandoned the person, spreading that negative energy, spiraling into confusion and fear. But Xin Xia seems to have made a decision as she slowly push her wheelchair and slowly get herself to the kitchenware racks. She struggled to stand up from the wheelchair and then grabbed a sharp-edged kitchen knife.
Just the few moments of standing up and moving a few steps made her spent most of her efforts as she once again return to sit on her wheelchair and slowly push it back to that place…..
Just as one of the guy was about to leave, he saw this difficult effort of Xin Xia and felt a little guilt again in his heart, perhaps in this magic beast invasion this delicate girl on a wheelchair will kill herself but he steel himself and took a deep breath, before finally closing the door.