I feel like I'm on edge, like a bird startled by the mere sound of a bowstring.
Ever since the incident with that crazy girl Zhao Qiuting at school and the crazy couple yesterday, I seem to see signs of insanity in everyone.
Especially Shen Xue's sudden drastic change - I'm suspicious that her brain might be messed up.
But fortunately, after observing her closely for a while, I haven't seen any obvious signs of mental instability.
Apparently, I was exhausted from killing walkers, because I slept through the night and woke up the next morning.
Xu Shu and Rongrong were nowhere to be seen, but Shen Xue was still sleeping soundly beside me.
I rubbed my swollen head and rolled over, staring at Shen Xue's sleeping face.
Without exaggeration, she was really a beauty, with a fair complexion, big eyes, and naturally rosy, slightly upturned lips.
She was the kind of person who would naturally draw attention.
However, in our current extreme circumstances, everyone's focus is on those who are stronger and can lead us to survival.
Shen Xue's beauty hasn't had much impact, as everyone is rational enough to prioritize life over physical appearance.
I pulled up Shen Xue's quilt, which had slipped down, and sat up.
In my heart, I felt a sense of warmth towards Shen Xue and her brother, Shen Feng, ever since we rescued them from being surrounded that day.
No matter what happened, Shen Xue would always be the first to stand up for me, and although Shen Feng seemed indifferent, his concern for us was palpable.
I put on my cotton jacket and decided to get up and stretch my body.
After sleeping for too long, my bones felt stiff and weak.
As I put on my shoes, I accidentally strained my left hand, which reminded me of someone - Song Meijing.
We had been away from school for many days, and I wondered how she would feel about our departure.
Would she be regretful for not getting rid of me earlier, or would she be gloating, thinking that we would soon die outside?
Either way, I imagined that she would be wishing for my demise, hoping that I would become a walker and be killed by her.
"Chen Yang, what are you doing?" Shen Xue's voice interrupted my thoughts, her tone still groggy from sleep.
I was startled and quickly finished putting on my shoes.
I turned to her and replied, "Nothing, just zoning out."
"Oh..." Shen Xue responded with a long-drawn-out sound and turned back over, preparing to go back to sleep.
I patted her quilt and asked, "Still sleeping? Aren't you afraid of flattening your head into a pancake? It's our turn to stand guard soon, get up!"
"No guard duty, I don't want to!" Shen Xue tried to pretend to be lazy.
"If you don't want to, why did you agree so readily yesterday?" I pulled the corner of her quilt down.
In the end, Shen Xue was dragged out of bed by me, kicking and struggling.
When we stepped out into the courtyard, wrapped in our cotton jackets and shivering, we heard Rongrong's exaggerated laughter and occasional shrieks.
She was having a snowball fight with Xu Shu, completely carefree.
After scanning the area, I spotted Yiyi huddled in a ball under the eaves on the other side of the courtyard.
I walked over, feeling a bit helpless, and picked up the little creature, who was shaking with cold.
I opened my down jacket and tucked Yiyi inside before turning to head towards the door.
Rongrong, the irresponsible owner, was still having a blast, completely unaware that her little companion had been scooped up and taken away.
There were a few black-clad individuals standing scattered around the door, while the others had taken refuge in the cars.
Through the car windows, they could observe their surroundings and only needed to get out occasionally to clear the snow from the windows.
Since it wasn't time for our shift yet, Shen Xue and I wandered around and eventually found a car to sit in.
Coincidentally, Chen Pu and Yangyang were sleeping inside, one in the passenger seat with the backrest down and the other in the backseat.
They were sleeping soundly, completely undisturbed by our loud entrance.
I raised an eyebrow and shook them awake, and Shen Xue and I took their places in the car.
As I brushed off the snow from my body, I couldn't help but tease them in a sarcastic tone, "Oh, look at the two little princes, downgraded to sleeping here without beds or quilts. Hope they don't catch a cold."
My sarcasm was evident, and Chen Pu and Yangyang looked at each other sheepishly, both keeping their heads down and refusing to respond.
Shen Xue covered her mouth, giggling, and then chimed in, pretending to be serious, "Chen Yang, stop teasing them. They must be exhausted after keeping watch all night."
"Who cares about being tired or not? These two are just not taking things seriously! I'm willing to bet they've been sleeping since last night. Look at the drool stain, ugh, Yangyang, are you trying to gross me out?" I teased, pointing at Yangyang and making a big show of it.
Yangyang kept his head down, enduring the scolding without responding.
Chen Pu snuck a peek at Yangyang's mouth, trying to verify if there really was a drool stain.
I was about to launch into a long lecture, but before I could, Shen Xue tugged on my sleeve and pointed out the window.
"I think it's time for our shift," she said, nodding towards Suo Tian and the others emerging from the house.
Suo Tian was scheduled to stand guard with me and Shen Xue.
Despite being called the leader, he still participated in guard duty.
I looked outside and saw that everyone with him was wearing down jackets.
I raised an eyebrow, thinking that even the most capable person couldn't withstand the cold.
Glancing down at my own dirty and stained clothes, I made a mental note to search every room for a thicker coat after our shift.
The clothes were getting unbearable, and I needed to change into something cleaner.
"Hey, you two, go back and get some rest," I called out to Chen Pu and Yangyang, turning around.
To be honest, when I saw the two kids sleeping in the car, my first reaction wasn't anger, but rather a pang of sympathy.
I've always been a bit of a nurturer, even though I'm a grown adult.
However, sympathy aside, their sleeping on guard duty was a serious mistake.
If we didn't have the black-clad individuals watching over us, their irresponsible behavior could put all of us in danger.
The thought of all our hard work being undone by such a careless mistake was unsettling.
Chen Pu and Yangyang slunk back into the courtyard with their heads hung low.
Shen Xue and I took their place in the car.
At first, we were alert, scanning our surroundings.
But as the hours passed, the silence became almost deafening.
The only movement was the snowflakes falling from the sky, and the occasional murmur of conversation from other cars or the courtyard broke the stillness.
I leaned my head against the headrest and finally understood why Chen Pu and Yangyang had fallen asleep.
The surroundings were like nature's lullaby - so quiet and still that it was impossible to keep my eyes open.
Just moments ago, I had scolded Yangyang and Chen Pu for sleeping on duty, but now I couldn't let myself do the same.
I grabbed a bottle of water from the back and took a couple of sips.
Noticing that Shen Xue was also looking sleepy, I cleared my throat to talk to her.
"Xiao Xue," I called out, trying to snap her out of her drowsy state.
"Hmm?" Shen Xue shook her head, sat up straight, and complained before I could even say anything, "Why do we, as girls, have to stand guard among so many men? They really don't know how to treat us with care."
I was taken aback, feeling a bit amused.
Given her ferocity when killing walkers yesterday morning, it was surprising she would say something like that.
"Uh... are you afraid of walkers?" I asked, coming up with a rather bland question after some thought.
Shen Xue was taken aback and replied, "Of course I'm afraid. They're flesh-eating, blood-drinking, and rotting, yet still able to walk. Who wouldn't be afraid?"
Before I could ask my follow-up question, a cry for help echoed from a distance, interrupting our conversation.
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