Pregnant During An Apocalypse [BL]

Chapter 114: Chapter 114 - The outbreak

Muchen grinned as he playfully teased, ”Shao, are you up to something?” His tone was light, but his gaze was sharp. ”And wipe that ketchup off your face.”

It wasn’t often that his best friend joked like this, but sometimes, he had his moments. Muchen still remembered the time Shao had hidden in the dark, scaring him half to death, murmuring that he was a vampire. It was all because Shao had a younger brother still in school—he still pulled these tricks occasionally to cheer him up.

But this time, Shao didn’t laugh. Instead, he slowly slid down against the wall, hugging his bent knees. His face was pale, his body trembling.

Hana, standing beside him, clenched the edge of her shirt, her knuckles white. Anxiety flickered in her eyes. ”Hey, you’re scaring the kid,” Muchen sighed, pulling off the countless medical needles attached to him before walking up to Shao. He crouched down and gently wiped the ketchup from his friend’s face. ”Enough with this. Can’t you see she’s scared?”

Before Shao could respond, a loud thud echoed from the hallway.

Frowning, Muchen turned toward the door. ”What the...” His instincts tensed as he reached for the handle.

”No!” Shao suddenly clung to him, his grip like a vice. ”Don’t open it.”

Muchen scowled, trying to pry him off. ”Come on, stop this act. What’s gotten into—”

Another loud bang shook the door, followed by an eerie silence.

Shao’s entire body trembled violently, his breath coming in shallow gasps. He clung even tighter to Muchen, fingers digging into his shirt.

Muchen winced at the pressure on his ribs. ”You’re holding on too tight. Let go, Shao. What’s out there?”

The pounding on the door grew more frantic, the sound heavier, more desperate. Muchen’s heart pounded in sync with it.

”It’s the monsters...” Shao whispered, his eyes wide as saucers.

Muchen’s confusion deepened. Monsters? What the hell was he talking about? He turned to the small glass panel in the door and peered outside. A man in a doctor’s coat stood there, head bowed, shoulders hunched.

Muchen exhaled in exasperation. ”It’s not a monster. It’s just the doctor standing outside. Why the hell did you even lock the—”

”No! It’s not the doctor!” Shao screamed, his voice raw with fear.

As if on cue, the pounding intensified. The doctor jerked suddenly, his head slamming against the door with sickening force. Over and over again.

Muchen stumbled back. ”What the... Has he gone crazy?” He knocked on the door from the inside. ”Hey! Stop that!”

The man didn’t react—if anything, he became more frantic. He began slamming his entire body against the door, fingernails scratching against the wood like a rabid animal. Blood smeared across the surface where his forehead had split open.

A cold shiver crawled up Muchen’s spine. Something was very, very wrong.

”Shao, what did you see outside?” he asked, his voice low, urgent.

Shao’s breathing hitched, his body nearly collapsing against him. ”People... were eating people.”

Hana gasped, hands flying to her mouth. ”Like a... zombie?” she whispered.

Without another word, she ran to the massive glass window of the ward. Her body went rigid as she stared outside. ”Oh my God...”

Muchen, still gripping Shao, dragged him over to the window. All three of them stood frozen in horror.

The streets were in chaos. People ran screaming, crashing into one another in sheer panic. Cars collided, smoke rising in plumes. Blood painted the roads.

Bodies—some moving, some twitching, some being feasted upon.

”This... This is a zombie apocalypse,” Muchen murmured, his voice barely above a breath.

For a moment, fear shackled them in place, their hearts hammering as they watched the city crumble before their eyes.

Hana suddenly turned, panic flooding her face. ”I... I need to call my family.” She scrambled to her duffel bag, hands shaking as she grabbed her phone. When she turned it on, the first two numbers that appeared under her frequent contacts were her mother and Yunfeng.

She bit her lip. Calling her mother would only make her anxious. Swallowing hard, she dialed Yunfeng instead.

The call rang for nearly a minute before a tired voice finally answered. ”Hello?”

”Brother...” she whispered, her voice on the verge of breaking.

There was a rustling sound on the other end. ”It’s six in the morning. Why are you calling so early?” Yunfeng mumbled, still groggy.

”I... Yunfeng, I screwed up.” She walked to the corner of the room, gripping her phone tightly. ”I saw the news that Muchen was hurt, and I came to City A to check on him. I just wanted to see what happened between you two. I... I took a bus and—” She was speaking too fast, biting her nails anxiously.

”Hana, calm down. I can’t understand you.”

She took a shaky breath. ”I’m in City A... and... it’s bad.”

Silence stretched on the other end of the line.

”Yunfeng?”

His tone turned sharp, all traces of sleep vanishing. ”Where are you?”

”Mercy Hospital in City A,” she whispered. The banging on the door grew louder, making her jump. ”Yunfeng, I’m scared.”

”Listen to me very carefully,” Yunfeng’s voice was deadly serious. ”Stay inside. If you see anyone acting strange—anyone—do not go near them. Even if you know them. Don’t touch them, don’t speak to them, just get away. You’ve seen zombie movies, right?”

Hana swallowed hard, tears welling in her eyes. ”H-How is this real...?”

”It is real,” he said firmly. ”And those people are exactly like zombies. They will bite you. If you see any infected, run. Hide. I’m coming to find you. Stay safe. Please.”

A sob tore from her throat. ”Okay...”

”I’ll come for you. Wait for me. Stay safe,” he murmured softly before the line went dead.

Hana collapsed onto the floor, crying. ”Yunfeng said he’s coming for me.”

”That’s insane! Tell him not to!” Muchen rushed over, gripping her trembling shoulders. ”Do you see what’s happening outside? Why the hell did you ask your brother to come here?!”

She looked up at him with tear-filled eyes, her lips trembling. ”I... I didn’t think...”

Muchen sighed heavily, trying to steady himself. ”Call him back. Tell him not to come.”

With trembling fingers, she dialed again. The line rang and rang. No answer.

”Fuck!” Muchen growled, raking a hand through his hair. ”Hana, he can’t come here. He’s just a kid.”

”But... but he can help us...” she whispered, her voice cracking as she wiped her face.

Muchen exhaled sharply, forcing himself to stay calm. ”What can he possibly do? We need to leave this place ourselves. But what about him? He has to travel from City S to get here. Do you even realize what that means?”

Hana paled instantly. ”Oh no...”

”It’s okay. Just call him again and tell him not to come.”

She kept trying, but the line remained busy. Her fingers trembled as she gazed up at Muchen, horror dawning on her face. ”What have I done...?”

Muchen clenched his jaw. ”Shao, contact the chopper. We need to get to City S immediately.”