"We need to take out those mutants blocking the door," Lambert said, eyeing the few creatures outside.
Shao Ming nodded. "Hopefully, they don't alert more zombies…"
Lambert took the flashlight from Shao Ming's hand and began scanning the shelves they hadn't finished searching the day before. In truth, they could leave the warehouse now and head to the canteen across the street for food, but everyone was exhausted. No one had yet brought up the idea of heading out.
Two more hours without food wouldn't kill them, but cramps during a fight with a mutant could very well be deadly.
Shao Ming considered going back upstairs to rest, but realized he'd likely be too restless to sleep. It might be better to help Lambert check for anything useful.
"Look at this," Lambert said, shining the flashlight at the top shelf. The packaging of some items depicted an image of a nail gun.
"This…?" Shao Ming placed a hand on his hip. "Is it useful?"
"At close range, it'll definitely penetrate the skull," Lambert answered. "Using this is better than swinging a bat with an injured hand."
The two of them hauled over a ladder, with Lambert climbing up to retrieve a fully packaged nail gun from the box.
"How's this?" Shao Ming asked, holding up the flashlight.
"Not bad," Lambert said, carefully descending the ladder while opening the box and handing the nail gun to Shao Ming. "It uses blank rounds, so no need for electricity or gas. The box only contains… fifteen rounds," Lambert added, counting them.
Shao Ming weighed the nail gun in his hands. It felt different from a handgun, with a much lighter and less substantial feel.
"At a distance, it's pretty ineffective," Lambert warned. "It's a close-quarters weapon, essentially."
Shao Ming grimaced. "A close-quarters weapon is fine, but it's slow to reload." He winced as his palm reminded him of the pain. "Still, it's better than nothing."
When Feng Yusheng woke up, the three of them geared up and made their way to the door.
Shao Ming glanced at his watch—just after nine, which wasn't too late yet. Outside, the mutants blocking the entrance were few and easy enough to handle.
They all knew the noise of opening the iron door would attract mutants from the street, so after discussing it, they decided that Shao Ming and Feng Yusheng would push the door open, creating a small gap. Lambert would then rush out first to handle the mutants.
"Alright," Lambert took a deep breath and hefted the baseball bat. "I'm ready."
The iron door creaked open slightly, and Lambert charged out to take down a mutant rushing toward them. The other two followed quickly, running out of the warehouse to provide cover.
Shao Ming swung his bat, knocking one mutant out of the way, then raised the nail gun and fired a round directly into another mutant's forehead.
The long nail penetrated deep, and the mutant collapsed. Shao Ming tossed the nail gun aside and grabbed the bat again.
There were only five mutants at the door, and the trio quickly dispatched them.
The canteen was small, clearly designed for the railway workers and a nearby factory. They moved into the kitchen, and as expected, the freezers had lost power.
Shao Ming opened one of the freezers, and a wave of putrid odor hit him. He quickly shut it, realizing the meat had likely been there for over a week and was no longer edible.
"Look at this," Feng Yusheng said, dragging out a large box of potatoes. There must have been nearly a hundred of them, all in good condition—none of them sprouting or rotting.
This was an incredible find. The trio immediately began filling their backpacks with as many potatoes as they could carry.
Shao Ming slapped his forehead. "Is there a dining car on the train?"
"Hmm," Lambert thought for a moment. "Our train is just a short commuter line, no dining car. There are only five carriages."
"Well, looks like we'll have to roast them over a fire," Shao Ming said, feeling a sense of relief at least for the food situation.
After filling their bags with potatoes, the trio continued searching. They found a few boxes of canned luncheon meat and some spices. Unfortunately, most of the vegetables in the canteen had gone bad from prolonged storage.
Other than that, they had gathered everything that was useful. They packed up and slipped out of the canteen.
It was 10 AM by the time they were finished, and Shao Ming could barely resist the urge to start roasting the potatoes right then and there. However, they decided it would be safer to make their way back to the train before settling down to eat.
Lambert tossed his backpack onto the train first and climbed aboard. Shao Ming and Feng Yusheng took out some food from their packs.
"Got a lighter?" Shao Ming asked.
Lambert tossed one down to them, along with two bottles of water.
Feng Yusheng gathered some twigs and leaves nearby, and the three of them started a small fire along the train tracks.
The flames quickly consumed the leaves, sending up a small cloud of smoke.
"How do we cook these?" Lambert asked, eyeing the potatoes.
The trio exchanged uncertain glances before Shao Ming picked up one of the potatoes and tossed it straight into the fire.
While they waited for the potatoes to cook, Feng Yusheng led Shao Ming to the train door, leaving Lambert alone by the fire, poking at the potatoes with a metal rod.
"Let me see your hand," Feng Yusheng ordered gently, pulling Shao Ming's hand toward her to remove the bandages.
The wound looked clean, no signs of infection, and the bleeding had stopped.
"I'm glad I thought ahead and brought extra bandages," Feng Yusheng said, climbing into the train and retrieving a bottle of alcohol.
She cleaned the wound again, and once she was done, the two of them rejoined Lambert by the fire.
Lambert had just pulled out a potato from the fire. The skin was charred, but whether the inside was cooked through was still uncertain.
He picked it up, used a small knife to peel away the blackened skin, and took a bite.
"I'll test it first," Lambert said, chewing the inside and then giving a satisfied smile. "It's good."
Shao Ming and Lambert each ate three potatoes and a pack of crackers, while Feng Yusheng had just one potato.
Once they finished, they put out the fire and made their way back onto the train.
Lambert inserted the key, and the train roared to life.
The scenery outside the window quickly passed by, and the train soon left the town behind.
Finally, they were back on the road. The tension in all their hearts seemed to lift.
Shao Ming sat on the floor, reloading his handgun, while Feng Yusheng sat in the front, staring out of the window, lost in thought.
After some time, Feng Yusheng suddenly cried out. Lambert quickly slammed on the emergency brake. The train screeched to a halt with a horrible noise, sparks flying as the wheels ground against the tracks.
Shao Ming was thrown forward, nearly slamming into the control panel.
He got up quickly and looked out the window, only to be stunned. Another train had derailed and was now lying across the tracks.