(Lirean Province- Capitol City)
(Adna Supermarket)
"This… this can't be happening… this can't be happening," Qin Wei muttered frantically as his body trembled.
He was currently huddled in the corner of the supermarket with both arms wrapped tightly around his body.
Muffled screams and cries for help came from outside the store but not a single person dared to open the door to let them in.
Qin Wei could hear the sounds of his female classmates sobbing while some of the boys comforted them.
Liu Yifei and a few other people were still unconscious and had not woken up yet despite all the noise coming from outside.
What was happening?
Why? Why? Why?
Qin Wei desperately tried to convince himself that this was all some kind of horrible nightmare but the reality of what he had witnessed was permanently burned into his mind.
He was filled with nothing but regret.
Why on earth had he not just stayed in his dorms and waited for his sister instead of ditching their planned dinner?
But how could he have known this would have happened?
Liu Yifei and some other members of his class wanted to go to karaoke and Qin Wei figured that it would be the perfect place to confess.
His sister would have understood!
It was not like she did anything for him except send some money every now and then.
In fact, she never sent him enough money to buy the latest shoes or clothes.
Fuck! Now he was trapped in some godforsaken supermarket in the middle of an… an… apocalypse.
Qin Wei lifted up his head and quickly glanced at his nearby surroundings as he tried to make sense of what was happening.
There were several dozen people trapped inside the supermarket and they had all formed different groups.
The high school kids were cowering near the cereal section, random shoppers congregated near the dry food storage and a group of heavily tattooed men stood near the entrance.
They wore dark leather clothing and at first glance one could tell that these were dangerous people.
These men were the ones responsible for blockading the entrance with heavy tables and boxes that prevented the monsters from entering.
One of the men lit a cigarette with trembling hands and put it in his mouth. He stared at the scenes of carnage outside, and a shiver ran down his spine.
"Boss… what are we going to do?" his companion asked quietly.
"Stay inside for now… we got food here… and women…" the man smirked as he glanced in a certain direction.
"What? But…" another man nervously spoke up.
"Look around you…" the boss tried to speak confidently but could not hide the tremor in his voice.
"It's… it's… the end of the fucking world… do you really think we can survive the shit outside?"
"We might as well enjoy ourselves before one of those monsters rip off our throats… this might be the last chance we get…"
Conflicted expressions appeared on the faces of his companions, but no one raised a word of protest.
The boss' words while cruel did make sense.
If they were all going to die, then what was the point of holding on to morality?
It was impossible to hear what the men were discussing from the back of the store, but Qin Wei was suddenly struck by a bad feeling.
He was about to whisper something to the class monitor when Liu Yifei stirred slightly and opened her eyes.
"What… what happened?" she groaned as she rubbed the sides of her cheeks.
"I thought we stopped at the supermarket to pick up some drinks… then… why is my memory blank?"
Liu Yifei furrowed her brows and Qin Wei could not help but get lost in those gorgeous eyes that seemed to be impossibly attractive.
"Qin Wei… hello?... hello?" Liu Yifei waved her hands to get his attention.
"Oh?! Sorry… well… it… just look outside…" Qin Wei hesitantly stammered as he pointed at the windows.
Liu Yifei followed the direction of his finger and the expression on her face instantly changed.
She saw numerous corpses and scattered body parts lying on the ground. Blood leaked from the corpses and stained the ground a crimson red colour.
Monsters that looked like humans with pitch black eyes were feasting on the corpses with saliva dripping from their open mouths.
Occasionally one of the monsters would glance in the direction of the supermarket and wander over but could not break through the heavily barricaded door.
Still… there was something animalistic in its eyes as it stared reluctantly at the prey hiding inside the building.
It turned and walked away with stumbling steps.
Qin Wei saw the shocked expression on Liu Yifei's face and completely understood how she was feeling at the moment.
He was also terrified when he first woke up and realised that the world outside had gone to hell.
"Should we call the police, the army? Anyone?" Liu Yifei hurriedly questioned as she clutched the old, tattered pendant on her neck.
"We can't deal with those monsters… we need… ouch!"
Liu Yifei pulled her hand away from her pendant as a piece of the frayed rope sliced the tip of her ring finger.
Blood slowly dripped down from her wound and stained the pendant.
Liu Yifei didn't notice it at the time, but her pendant faintly glowed with golden lettering.
"We tried to call… but our phones have no signal," a girl from their class named Gong Li held up her phone to reveal that the service bars were empty.
"Wi-Fi… internet… data… calling… texting… they all don't work anymore…"
Liu Yifei pulled out her phone from her pocket and checked. Gong Li had been telling the truth and none of the services on her phone were available.
Her parents?! How was she going to reach them?
Liu Yifei started to hyperventilate, and numerous horrible possibilities flashed across her mind.
She loved her family, and they were everything to her.
They lived in a far away province and it was only because her dad and mom worked so tirelessly in a factory that she was able to attend an elite high school.
Liu Yifei desperately sent text message after text message to her parents' contacts but watched as each one failed to send.
"What are you doing?" Qin Wei asked quietly as he peered over her shoulder.
"I'm trying to reach my parents," Liu Yifei replied as tears began to form along the corners of her eyes.
Qin Wei placed a warm hand on her shoulder and tried to comfort her as she kept frantically trying to get a hold of her family.
"Did you also try to reach out to your family? Any Luck?" Liu Yifei questioned in an almost desperate tone.
"Oh… um… yeah… I had no luck as well…" Qin Wei replied with a guilty expression on his face.
Truthfully, he had not even bothered to reach out to his sister yet and the last message that he sent was the one that informed her that he would be leaving to go to karaoke.
Qin Wei knew that he could not be honest and admit that fact to Liu Yifei because it would make him look like an asshole.
He tried to change the topic but was interrupted by a sudden movement coming from the front of the supermarket.
Four of the muscular men walked towards the back of the building and stood in the center of the isle.
"Listen up… from now on we will be in charge of distributing the supplies…" one of the men loudly shouted and his voice echoed through the supermarket.
"If you want food… then you must pay… men can pay with any jewellery or valuables on their bodies and women…"