Chapter 8: Don't Be Afraid, I'm Here

The fire was still burning; as Lin Chen rushed out of the shed, the shotgun wavered in his hand.

He did not look back; his eyes were fixed only on the direction of the slaughterhouse.

Clutched in his palm, the phone's photograph seared his retinas.

The pale pink nail polish was what Xia Nuan had picked out at the grocery store last month, saying it looked warm in winter.

The snow had unknowingly lightened; the wind whipped sparks skyward, like shattered stars.

Lin Chen ran toward Chengdong; the snow beneath his feet was packed solid, yet each step sank half a foot, exposing the frozen hardpan below.

The chunk of meat he had swallowed earlier in the warehouse courtyard still lodged in his throat,

its fishy sweetness mixed with ice shards, scraping his esophagus raw.

He recalled how Xia Nuan always said he ate too fast, each time handing him a thermos and telling him to drink some hot water first.

That thermos might now be inside Su Qing's stomach, along with her headscarf, being gnawed by the virus.

"Damn it!" Lin Chen slammed his fist into the brick wall beside him,

the skin on his hand splitting, blood droplets falling onto the snow and instantly freezing into tiny red dots.

The slaughterhouse's iron gate drew nearer; the fingers hanging from the bars were now clearly visible—

they were not Xia Nuan's.

Though the nails were pale pink, they were shorter than Xia Nuan's, and there was a callus on the knuckle;

Xia Nuan's hands had always been soft, except for the cracks that formed in winter.

A stir rose in Lin Chen's heart, and he suddenly accelerated.

The iron gate was unlocked; a gentle push swung it open with a piercing creak.

The courtyard was empty, save for a few bare trees,

their branches hung with frozen entrails, like strings of gray lanterns.

Directly opposite the gate stood a single-story building; most of its windows were shattered, the interior pitch-black, yet faint movement could be discerned within.

Lin Chen raised his shotgun and crept along the base of the wall; his foot kicked something, and looking down, he saw a thermos—Xia Nuan's.

The character "Nuan" on its casing was scratched nearly illegible, but the shape was unmistakable.

The lid was off; the ice inside had partially melted, soaking half a piece of dried sweet potato, with no bite marks.

Lin Chen's heart pounded violently; he shoved the door open and charged inside.

The room was darker than outside; the air carried the scent of disinfectant, overpowering the stench of corpses.

Several iron cages lined the wall; one cage door stood ajar, inside lay a military greatcoat,

the very one Xia Nuan wore; its blue cuffs remained, though heavily dusted.

"Xia Nuan!" Lin Chen shouted; his voice echoed through the empty room, returning altered in tone.

A rustling sound came from the inner room, very faint, like a mouse stirring.

Lin Chen advanced with his gun leveled; the door was slightly ajar; he kicked it open—

on the kang bed crouched a figure wearing an ill-fitting white lab coat, hair disheveled, face buried in their knees.

Hearing the commotion, the person jerked their head up, revealing a face streaked with tear tracks, eyes red and swollen;

it was Xia Nuan.

"Lin Chen?" Xia Nuan's voice was terribly hoarse, like sandpaper grinding against wood.

The shotgun in Lin Chen's hand clattered to the floor; he rushed forward and yanked Xia Nuan to her feet.

Beneath her white lab coat she wore little clothing; her skin was icy cold, and a red mark circled her wrist,

inflicted by ropes.

"Are you alright?" Lin Chen's hands fumbled over her body, checking for wounds;

when his fingers touched her arm, Xia Nuan flinched.

"I'm fine," Xia Nuan said as tears suddenly surged forth, large drops smashing onto Lin Chen's hands,

"They tied me up here and used fake fingers to trick you... Li Wei, he..."

"Say no more." Lin Chen pulled her into his embrace, his grip so fierce it seemed he would grind her into his bones and blood.

Xia Nuan's body felt very light; through the white coat he could feel the bones of her back; she was much thinner than the last time he held her.

Xia Nuan sobbed against his chest, her shoulders twitching, her cries mingled with choking sobs, like a wronged cat.

"I thought I'd never see you again... That man in the white coat said he would turn me into a culture medium; I heard him on the phone saying you would definitely fall for it..."

Lin Chen said nothing, only holding her tighter.

A stinging pain shot through his back, from the wound inflicted by the zombie earlier, but now that pain meant nothing.

Warmth slowly seeped from the arms holding him, carrying Xia Nuan's distinctive sweet scent of dried sweet potato,

overpowering the nose-full of disinfectant.

"I'm sorry," Lin Chen's voice trembled slightly; "I failed to protect you."

Xia Nuan shook her head, her tears smearing across his military greatcoat, leaving a wet patch.

"It's not your fault; I was just careless, lured away by that child zombie..."

"Child zombie?" Lin Chen paused, startled.

"Mm," Xia Nuan lifted her head, her eyes red; "It was very small, looking unmutated, so I gave it half a piece of dried sweet potato,

but it suddenly pounced and bit me; luckily I dodged quickly, though its claw scratched my arm..."

Lin Chen immediately grabbed her arm, rolling up the sleeve; above her wrist was a shallow wound, already scabbed over,

its edges slightly red, but no green viscous fluid was visible.

"When did this happen?"

"Just in the cellar; I was afraid you'd worry, so I didn't dare say," Xia Nuan's voice dropped lower,

"Later, that man in the white coat rushed in, knocked me unconscious, dragged me here, and even used Li Wei to threaten me..."

At the mention of Li Wei, Xia Nuan's tears fell again.

Lin Chen patted her back, saying nothing.

The image of Li Wei's mutated form was still before his eyes: white smoke rising from the wound on his leg,

and those rolled-back white eyes when he lunged forward.

"Before he turned into a monster, he asked me to tell you that ammunition is hidden in the cellar of the warehouse; Captain Wang and the others had secretly stashed it there."

Xia Nuan sniffled. "He also said... not to seek revenge for him, but to take you and survive first."

Lin Chen's throat tightened; he nodded.

The two just held each other; the room was very quiet, save for Xia Nuan's occasional sobs.

After a long while, Xia Nuan suddenly lifted her head and glanced out the window.

"The snow seems to have stopped."

Lin Chen also turned to look outside; the sky had brightened, the snowflakes had indeed ceased falling, and sunlight streamed through the broken window,

casting bright spots on the floor, while the snow outside reflected a blinding glare.

"It really has stopped," Lin Chen said.

Xia Nuan shrank closer into his embrace, her fingers clutching the hem of his clothes. "Lin Chen, where do we go next?"

Lin Chen looked at the shotgun lying on the floor by the door, then at the wound on Xia Nuan's wrist.

"First, find medicine to treat your injury. Then go to the warehouse to get the ammunition. That man in the white coat is definitely not dead yet, and there's also Su Qing..."

At the mention of Su Qing, Xia Nuan's body stiffened.

"Is she... is she also infected by the virus?"

"Mm." Lin Chen's voice grew cold.

"But she seems a bit different. Just now in the warehouse, she actually blocked that man in the white coat for me."

Xia Nuan said nothing, only gripping the hem of his clothes tighter.

Lin Chen looked down at her; tears still hung on her eyelashes, glittering in the sunlight. "Don't be afraid. I'm here."

Xia Nuan nodded, burying her face back against his chest.

Outside on the snow, a trail of footprints had appeared at some point, extending from the slaughterhouse entrance into the distance.

They were deep, as if something heavy had been dragged, with traces of dark red substance clinging to the edges,

standing out starkly against the white snow.

Lin Chen's gaze darkened; he gently pushed Xia Nuan away.

"I'll go check outside. You wait here; don't wander off."

Xia Nuan grabbed his hand; her fingers were ice-cold.

"I'm going with you."

Looking at her reddened eyes, Lin Chen nodded.

The two picked up the shotgun from the floor; Xia Nuan put on the military greatcoat, buttoning it all the way to the top.

Lin Chen walked in front, with Xia Nuan following behind,

her hand constantly clutching the hem of his clothes.

Stepping out of the bungalow, the sunlight was even brighter, making the footprints on the snow clearer.

The trail of footprints led to the cold storage behind the slaughterhouse; the lock on the door had been pried open and now hung from the handle, swaying back and forth.

A familiar scent drifted out from the cold storage, very faint,

like... the aroma of meat.

Lin Chen tightened his grip on the shotgun and made a silencing gesture to Xia Nuan,

then slowly pushed open the cold storage door.