CHAPTER 17 A CITY OF SILENCE
A certain young woman walked cautiously around the warehouse, constantly looking over her shoulder even though she knew there was little point.
After hiding inside the warehouse for a while, Xia had tried her best to avoid the infected. Eventually, however, she came face-to-face with one of the infected soldiers.
To her surprise, it simply walked past her as if she didn't exist.
She decided to test her theory a few more times and quickly realized that every infected completely ignored her.
"Probably because I don't look delicious," Xia thought, trying to calm herself with a joke.
After spending the night in the warehouse, she finally decided to leave.
With no means of transportation, she began walking toward the city, unaware that it had already fallen.
The road is so quiet, Xia thought. It's usually this peaceful, but there should at least be a few cars passing by once in a while.
Hours passed.
She didn't see a single vehicle, yet strangely, she didn't feel tired.
Eventually, she noticed smoke rising into the sky.
Walking a little farther, she finally saw the city in the distance beneath the blazing afternoon sun.
The sight made her shiver.
"What happened to the city? This shouldn't have happened. I was only away for a couple of days... What about Father?"
Countless thoughts rushed through Xia's mind.
As she entered the city, abandoned cars filled the streets. Blood stains and signs of struggle were everywhere, yet not a single person was in sight.
She immediately ran toward Washington General Hospital to check on her father.
The moment she reached the entrance, she spotted two infected standing outside, forcing her to hide behind a nearby car.
"Seriously... I really need to stop doing that," Xia muttered, remembering that the infected couldn't seem to notice her.
"Don't push your luck, girl. The infected at the warehouse ignored you, but these ones might not."
She was practically arguing with herself.
In the end, worry for her father won.
Taking a deep breath, she stepped into the infected's view.
Just as before, they ignored her completely.
Seeing this, Xia hurried into the hospital.
Her heart immediately sank.
The once beautiful hospital was now destroyed and abandoned. The receptionist's desk was a mess, the computer smashed into pieces, and blood stained almost every corner of the lobby.
She rushed upstairs toward her father's ward.
As she ran through the corridors, she noticed something strange.
Only the reception area and the first floor were heavily stained with blood. The upper floors looked mostly untouched.
Finally reaching her father's room, she froze.
It was empty.
The elderly patients who had shared the ward were gone.
Her father was nowhere to be seen.
Panic gripped her heart.
She searched the nearby wards one after another, but every room was the same.
Empty.
The patients had all disappeared.
Finally accepting that her father was missing, Xia wandered through the hospital aimlessly.
"What do I do? Father's missing... The only reason I took that stupid job was to save him. Now he's gone... What am I supposed to do?"
She was on the verge of tears.
Just then, a sweet fragrance drifted into her nose.
Her stomach growled loudly.
Xia immediately raised her head and looked around.
"Is... someone cooking?"
She suddenly froze.
"Wait... cooking means there's a human somewhere in this hospital."
Following the scent, she slowly walked through the hallway until she stopped in front of Ward 234.
She grabbed the handle and tried to open the door but the door was locked
She tried knocking
"Hello? Is anyone in there?"
No one replied.
"Well... if I were hiding in a city overrun by zombies, I'd be cautious too."
The delicious smell still lingered in the air, making her stomach grumble even louder.
"Okay... I'll just try a little harder."
She gripped the handle tightly before stepping back, preparing to break the door open with her shoulder.
"I think I've watched too many movies."
She charged forward—
Then stopped at the last second.
Her shoulder barely touched the door.
"...Come on, Xia. You can do this."
She backed up and tried again.
Once again, she hesitated.
Suddenly, the hunger inside her intensified.
It was far stronger than before, almost as if her body knew food was waiting on the other side.
Without Xia realizing it, her eyes had begun glowing a faint yellow.
This time, she didn't hesitate.
BANG!
Her shoulder slammed into the door with all her strength, sending it open and breaking the lock in a single hit.
"...Well, that was easier than I expected."
As quickly as they had changed, her eyes returned to normal.
Stepping inside, she immediately noticed signs that someone had been living there.
Stacks of canned food.
Bottled water.
Blankets neatly arranged in one corner.
Someone had definitely been hiding here.
Curious, Xia lowered her guard and walked farther into the room.
THUD!
Something heavy struck the back of her head.
Her vision blurred.
The room spun around her.
Then everything faded into darkness.
She had passed out...
Again.