Apocalypse Escape: Day One of Survival

”But the building is out of water now.”

”There must be a problem with the water supply system. The tap water is out.”

”You still dare to drink the tap water? Aren’t you afraid of finding a rotting zombie floating in the water tank?” A cold, mocking voice drifted in from outside the door.

The girl in the blue and white tracksuit looked disgusted. ”That’s vile! Who are you people?”

Song You’ai hurried forward. She glanced at the dozen or so people crammed into the classroom, then turned to a man beside her. He looked to be in his thirties, wore black-rimmed glasses, and had the air of a teacher. ”Excuse me,” she asked, ”have you seen Song Shijun?”

”Song Shijun, from West City First Middle School. Have you seen him?”

Xie Ning clearly saw it—the moment her mother finished speaking, the eyes behind the man’s black-rimmed glasses flickered unnaturally.

”I’m sorry, but it was absolute chaos when everything fell apart yesterday. We’re from Su City Second Middle School, so we probably wouldn’t know anyone from West City First Middle School.”

Xie Ning turned, her gaze falling on the girl in the blue and white tracksuit, who quickly averted her eyes. Xie Ning’s brows furrowed slightly.

’What are they so guilty about?’

Her gaze locked onto the girl in the tracksuit. ”You’re about Song Shijun’s age. You must have been one of the contestants, too.”

”I don’t know any Song Shijun.”

Xie Ning’s lips curled into a cold smile. ”Song Shijun, the genius from West City First Middle School who wins first place every year, and you’re telling me you don’t know him?”

”I...” The girl was at a loss for words. She stomped her foot. ”Everyone was taking the test yesterday when someone suddenly turned into one of those zombie things and started biting people. The classroom went crazy! Hordes of people were running for the exit. How was I supposed to notice where Song Shijun went?”

A dark-skinned, middle-aged man stepped forward. ”Are you that Song Shijun’s family? Why are you giving my daughter, just a young girl, a hard time?”

”You mean you came all the way from West City?” The man with the black-rimmed glasses asked, his eyes flickering. ”In that case... what’s it like out there? Are there any soldiers on the roads to escort us to a safe zone?”

Xie Ning had no desire to waste her breath on them. She turned directly to her mother and Wang Zongxuan. ”Let’s go check the fourth floor.”

”Hey! Our dean of students was asking you a question! Why are you so rude?” Chen Jiajia glared, clearly unhappy.

Song You’ai grew anxious as well. ”And when we ask you questions, you just hem and haw and say nothing! You’re teachers and students from Su City Second Middle School, so where are all the teachers and students from our West City First Middle School who came for the competition?”

”What about the students and teachers from the other schools? They couldn’t have all turned into zombies, could they?”

”Who could possibly know that?” said the man in the black-rimmed glasses—the one Chen Jiajia had called the dean of students—as he pushed them up the bridge of his nose.

”Hey, wait! Don’t go!” A woman with ear-length short hair, dressed in a professional suit with a white blouse and black skirt, hurried forward to block their path. ”Our vice-principal twisted his ankle when we were running. Do you have any medicine? Any kind of muscle-relaxing balm would do—just something he can slap on so he can walk.”

Xie Ning’s eyes narrowed. She had a strange feeling of familiarity looking at the woman before her.

’Maybe I’ve met her before and just can’t place her right now.’

Before Xie Ning could respond, Song You’ai snapped, ”We’re here looking for a person, why would we be carrying around muscle balm? You must be dreaming.”

’And she says it so casually, ”any kind of balm.”’

’Let’s see you just ”casually” find some!’

The short-haired woman frowned, her tone suggesting it was perfectly obvious. ”But you came from the outside, didn’t you?”