Baiyin took out a flashlight to illuminate the room, then lit a candle on the bedside table.
Moments later, he drew the curtains, switched off the flashlight, and glanced around. This was the outskirts of the county town, far from the shelter. Therefore, he didn't have to worry about anyone from the shelter coming here. After all, any sane person would fear being intercepted by zombies on the way. And that was precisely why Baiyin chose this place to rest.
---
Speaking of sane people... Baiyin couldn't help but think of the girl who had been following him.
That kid had some nerve, daring to follow from the shelter all the way to the city outskirts. But now, judging by the circumstances, she was either scared off and ran back, or worse, had become zombie food. Aside from these possibilities, Baiyin couldn't imagine any other outcome.
---
However, in this apocalypse, who would care about the life or death of a stranger anyway?
---
Baiyin took a piece of bread from his bag and tore it apart for Blackie to eat. Taking one for himself, he sat by the bed, chewing slowly.
"Boom!!!"
Outside, the storm raged on with thunder booming and rain pouring. Yet inside, it was calm and peaceful, lit by the warm glow of the candle. The contrast was stark.
"Boom!!!"
Another thunderclap resounded, louder this time, stirring unpleasant memories in Baiyin's mind.
---
"Arf arf!!!"
Blackie suddenly started whimpering. Baiyin, thinking the dog was still hungry, instinctively offered the remaining bread. But upon closer inspection, he realized Blackie still had plenty left. The pup just looked up at him with innocent eyes, its cheerful barks serving as reassurance.
Some say dogs are intuitive; they can sense their owner's sadness and try to uplift them with their cheerful demeanor.
---
"Don't worry, I'm fine..."
Baiyin chuckled lightly, patting Blackie's head as the pup resumed eating. However, Baiyin's appetite had vanished. After giving the rest of the bread to Blackie, he simply lay back on the bed, staring blankly at the ceiling...
---
---
---
"Mama, I want mama!!!"
A three-year-old boy cried loudly in the rain.
It was a stormy night with lightning flashing and thunder roaring.
The boy had just woken up, only to find his mother missing. His last memory of her was in their cozy room, where she handed him a warm glass of milk. Trustingly, he drank it all, unaware that it was drugged. His head started spinning until he lost consciousness.
When he woke up, he found himself lying under the eaves of an orphanage's wall.
"Mama... Wuuu... I want mama..."
The boy sobbed bitterly. But instead of his gentle mother, he heard a cold, distant voice behind him.
"I don't want you anymore!"
---
---
"!!!"
Baiyin suddenly woke up, sitting upright in bed.
It took him a moment to realize it was just a nightmare.
"Damn!"
He cursed under his breath, annoyed that the unsettling dream had resurfaced after so long.
But then, tonight's storm had probably triggered it.
He hesitated, wanting to say something but held back.
Finally, he just lay back down, pulling the blanket over himself and Blackie.
"Boom!!!"
Another thunderclap shook the room.
"Shit!"
Baiyin cursed again, this time getting up from the bed.
He put on his shoes, grabbed the flashlight, and headed towards the exit on the ground floor.
---
"Creak..."
The front door of the villa swung open.
Baiyin shone the flashlight outside but saw no one.
Finally, he glanced down and saw her, not too far from him.
At that moment, Whitefeather was crouching in a corner of the doorstep, shivering and drenched from head to toe.
The flashlight's glare made her instinctively cover her eyes.
Baiyin's tone was neither warm nor cold:
"Wait until the rain stops, then leave immediately!"
With that said, he went back inside.
Outside, Whitefeather thought she might have misheard, clearly puzzled for a moment.
But as she came to her senses, there was a hint of joy in her heart as she stood up.
However, as soon as she got up, she felt her legs go numb.
Not only that, but she also felt dizzy.
Then came a thud.
She fell to the ground.
---
---
---
When Whitefeather woke up, the first thing she saw was the candle on the desk in front of her.
"Arf arf!!!"
A small black dog was licking her face.
Whitefeather was taken aback, sitting up and realizing she was lying in a bed. But it wasn't a comfortable feeling, given that her clothes were soaked through.
At this moment, having been brought to bed and covered with a quilt in this state, Whitefeather felt a little puzzled.
"Awake?"
Baiyin's voice came from across the room.
Whitefeather looked over and saw him sitting on the sofa, reading a book she couldn't identify.
By now, the rain had stopped outside, and it was getting light.
Whitefeather remembered what Baiyin had said earlier: "Leave as soon as the rain stops!"
She hesitated, wanting to say something but couldn't find the words.
In the end, she simply said, "Thank you," and prepared to get out of bed.
However, Baiyin spoke again at this moment:
"Wearing wet clothes can cause a cold. Go to the rooftop for a bath!"
"Uh..."
Whitefeather was stunned, not expecting such a conversation.
At the same time, she noticed several new clothes placed by the bed.
"Okay, okay!"
Despite her doubts, she followed Baiyin's instructions and went to the rooftop, wondering how she would bathe now that the rain had stopped.
It wasn't until she got to the rooftop that she found two buckets filled with water.
Next to one of the buckets were shower gel, shampoo, and a towel.
---
"Whew..."
Whitefeather went to the rooftop, while Baiyin, still reading his book, couldn't help but sigh.
The image of Whitefeather cowering in the corner was still vivid in his mind.
It reminded him of his own miserable memories from childhood.