50
There is no banquet that doesn't end.
Early the next morning, Zenith Franklin drove us back to the neighborhood, accompanied by Emily Heath.
Many survivors had driven to the base, and Lucas Westwind's two vehicles were still usable with some repairs, so there were quite a few vehicles at the gathering point.
After the SUV was scrapped, Zenith replaced it with a silver sedan for us.
The trunk of this sedan was now filled to the brim with cat and dog food.
In this light, the supermarket trip wasn't entirely fruitless.
It was still very early.
The two cars drove one after another on the deserted streets.
Anne sat in Zenith Franklin's car; I had no idea what they might be talking about.
The banquet's food might not have matched our Lunar New Year's Eve feast, but the atmosphere was excellent once the bonfire was lit.
Zenith Franklin didn't drink, controlling the rhythm of the event as usual.
Anne didn't drink much either, still her carefree self.
I couldn't tell if she was happy or not.
These two seemed to part ways without much fuss.
When I came back to my senses, we were already at the neighborhood gate.
"The road inside is quite complicated; maybe we should stop here and go in ourselves."
I was worried they might get lost in the neighborhood.
"Don't worry," Emily said as she slowly drove the car through the gate. "I've been here a few times; my friend lives here."
I nodded and didn't stop her.
More zombies were wandering around the neighborhood.
Chris directed her to avoid the zombie groups and head toward Building 51.
The car hadn't even stopped when a furry figure appeared on the balcony. It stood up alertly, watching our every move.
It wasn't until we opened the car door that KK recognized us.
Even though it was very excited, it swallowed all its barks, happily running circles on the second floor.
Before leaving, Zenith Franklin helped us carry everything from the trunk up to the balcony.
"I'll bring sweet potatoes when they're ready. You don't need to make another trip; it's not safe outside."
He paused for a moment.
"Take care, everyone."
After that, we were passively cut off from all outside information, once again surrounded by zombies.
I thought, if the zombies hadn't mutated, our relationship with the base might have been closer.
Time flew by, and April arrived quickly.
I took stock of our supplies again.
We had three bags of rice left, a bit more than one bag of flour.
We had eaten a fifth of the potatoes on the shelf.
We had half of the cabbage and lettuce, the two most consumed vegetables.
We had over twenty boxes of instant rice left, more than fifty packs of instant noodles, and around four boxes of MREs.
We had gone through the meat in the freezer faster than expected; one of the three drawers was already empty.
We had a bit over a hundred cans left.
This deepened my worry.
At first, living in high-rise buildings ensured our safety to a large extent. But as time went on, this became a disadvantage.
Going out was increasingly difficult; we were practically trapped in the building.
Getting food and water would only become harder.
The survival game gradually turned into a war of attrition; it was now a matter of who could last longer.
I couldn't help but reconsider the idea of moving.
Compared to the neighborhood, there were far fewer zombies on the streets.
Although there was a possibility of zombies spilling over later, at this stage, the number of zombies inside and outside the neighborhood was vastly different.
I had no idea what Zenith Franklin and Anne talked about.
Since returning, she had been downcast.
Would she prefer living at the base? If we were to move, would Chris agree?
Sighing deeply, I felt a bit lost.
"What's wrong?" Chris looked up from his book.
"I'm feeling down," I said sullenly.
"You're overthinking, which is why you're so conflicted," he hit the nail on the head.
"Then why did you ask me?" I muttered.
"But how do you know my choice would definitely trouble you?" Chris closed his book. "Why didn't you ask me?"
Because I already know your answer…
I thought to myself.
For me, moving to the base or staying here made no difference.
But for Chris, it was different.
He would definitely reject such a communal lifestyle.
"That's a stereotype, Helen," he rested his chin on his hand. "So next time, remember to ask me."
What…
he agreed?
My eyes widened. "You… can accept moving to the base?"
"Yeah."
"Won't you feel reluctant?"
"No."
Really…?
He certainly looked reluctant.
But there's no perfect solution; someone always has to sacrifice.
I patted his shoulder, feeling a bit touched. "Don't worry, we won't live at the base."
There was a shopping street near the supermarket, all two-story buildings. There were fewer zombies, it was convenient to go out, and it was close to the base.
If we could move there, all our problems would be solved.
Having made up my mind, I couldn't wait to share the news with Anne.
Just then, a loud noise came from upstairs.
Zombie activity had been increasingly frequent lately, and we were used to some noises. But this sound was particularly loud, not like furniture falling.
"Why are they so active at night?" Chris frowned.
Anne peeked out from the bedroom, and we exchanged glances.
"Should we check it out?" she suggested.
I nodded, feeling a twinge of unease.
The noise was fleeting, and it was hard to pinpoint its source.
Chris opened the fire escape door. Before we could act, a figure darted out from beside me.
"KK!" I quickly stopped it.
But it didn't stop, disappearing into the depths of the hallway in a few bounds.
"Wasn't the noise from upstairs?" Anne looked at where it had gone. "Why is it running down?"
"Let's check it out first." Chris was already heading downstairs.
Every fire escape door was tightly shut.
When we found KK, it was squatting in the second-floor hallway. Seeing us, it immediately jumped up and ran to the door.
"Woof!"
"Woof woof woof!"
A sense of alarm surged through me.
Ever since the last incident, KK had almost never barked. It must have discovered something.
Chris listened at the door for a while, then gently turned the handle.
The fire escape door opened a crack.
The second-floor corridor was empty. Apart from 202, which we used for entry and exit, the other two doors were as tightly shut as ever.
We exchanged glances and entered the room.
The night breeze blew lightly, making the curtains in the living room sway.
Chris reached out and pulled back the drapes. The entire balcony came into view.
I quickly scanned around but didn't notice anything unusual.
But KK, which had been following us, suddenly dashed towards the balcony.
"Woof woof!"
Anne immediately shone her flashlight in the direction it was running.
In the light, I noticed something seemed to be clinging to the edge of the platform.
That was… a pair of human hands.
Someone was there!
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