Zixin took several deep breaths through his mouth, but his body still felt light and unsteady after the panic attack he had just experienced. He swallowed hard, then gestured toward the bag in Bao's hands. "Get me some water."
Bao hurriedly took out a bottle and handed it to him. "Are you really okay?"
"Ask the guy who just slapped me," Zixin grumbled as he took a long gulp of water. His cheek was still stinging from the slap, and he rubbed at it with a scowl.
"I'm sorry. I was only trying to help you. You looked…" Bao frowned deeply and leaned closer, studying him with concern. "Very wrong. What just happened to you? You puked, and then you started panting like you couldn't breathe."
"It's nothing," Zixin snapped.
"But it didn't look like nothing. Are you sick, Zixin?"
"Just shut up." Zixin shoved the bottle toward Bao's face, successfully pushing him away. "I'm healthy as a horse. I just… ate something bad, and it came back up," he mumbled, wiping his mouth with the back of his hand.
He had never experienced a panic attack before. The feeling had been completely unexpected and utterly unfamiliar. He had lost control of his breathing, his thoughts, and even his body at the mere thought of Bao dying.
Zixin scoffed quietly to himself.
He's just a stranger I've known for a day. Why did I panic so much?
No matter how hard he tried, he couldn't find an answer to that nagging question. In the end, he shoved it to the back of his mind. He didn't have time to think about anyone else right now. Every thought, every decision, and every bit of his strength needed to be focused on rescuing his brother.
After that… what then?
Zixin stared ahead, his grip tightening around the water bottle as a thought slowly formed in his mind.
We can find somewhere remote… like a forest, and settle down there. Maybe somewhere near a river…
A small smile bloomed across Zixin's face at the thought.
The drive back home passed surprisingly quickly. In about four hours, they managed to reach his village. The entrance looked almost exactly as he remembered it. Nothing seemed out of place. A few puppies and stray dogs wandered around the roadside, and for a brief moment, the familiar sight made the village seem untouched by the chaos spreading across the world.
But then Zixin noticed the ripe peaches scattered beneath the trees. They had fallen from the branches and remained there, uncollected and slowly beginning to rot. No one had bothered to pick them up. That small detail was enough to tell him that the strange phenomenon had reached this place as well.
He pressed harder on the accelerator, speeding along the twisting mountain roads that led farther into the village. The familiar turns passed one after another, but the atmosphere around them felt different. Too quiet. Too still.
Above them, the sky had begun to change into a strange shade of pink. It was the middle of the day, yet the unusual color spread across the heavens, making the entire landscape look unnatural.
Bao, who had remained silent until then, suddenly began to panic. He kept glancing up at the sky, his legs shifting restlessly as he bit his lips. His unease was so obvious that Zixin eventually glanced at him from the corner of his eye.
"If you want to say something, spit it out. Don't just keep looking at me."
"It's…" Bao hesitated, his expression turning solemn. "Zixin… you have to be prepared."
"Prepared for what?" Zixin asked, narrowing his eyes at him.
But Bao simply fell silent and offered no answer.
Ignoring the annoying guy, Zixin drove straight to his house. A few Level One zombies were lingering around the ground floor, but he quickly dealt with them using his weapon. Once the area was clear, he turned toward Bao. "Stay close."
Bao was still standing beside the car, staring up at the strange pink sky as if he had been frozen in place.
"Bao!"
The shout finally snapped him out of his dazed state, though the deep frown between his brows remained. He glanced toward Zixin but still looked uneasy, as if he were worried about something he couldn't explain.
Zixin didn't wait for him to say anything. He hurried up the stairs toward his apartment, only to find the front door strangely wide open. His heart sank, but he stumbled inside anyway.
The sight that greeted him made his entire body go cold.
Blood had splattered across the floor, staining the familiar room in dark red. Scattered among it were the remains of his father, reduced to nothing more than torn and half-chewed pieces.
"D-Dad…"
Zixin staggered forward and slowly crouched beside him. With trembling fingers, he gently placed a hand against his father's half-chewed face. The man's eyes were still wide open, frozen in an expression of shock.
"Dad…"
The word came out broken. Tears slipped down Zixin's cheeks before he could stop them. Sniffling hard, he reached out and carefully closed his father's eyes, unable to bear the sight of them staring blankly at the ceiling.
"Zixin…" Bao approached quietly and placed a gentle hand on his back.
"It's fine," Zixin murmured, though his voice was strained and unsteady.
He forced himself to stand and looked around the apartment. His mother was nowhere in sight. A terrible unease began to spread through his chest.
"Lin Jing?" he called, his voice growing louder. "Lin Jing!"
His gaze immediately fell on the open door to his younger brother's room.
"No…"
He rushed inside.
His eyes darted around the room, searching for anything—any sign that Lin Jing had been there. Empty chip packets and discarded candy wrappers lay scattered across the floor. His breathing grew faster as he crossed the room and yanked open the closet door.
The clothes inside had been thrown into disarray, but Lin Jing was nowhere to be seen.
"No… no, no…"
Zixin stumbled backward, his heart pounding painfully against his ribs.
"Lin Jing!" he screamed. "Lin Jing!"