Zhan and Yibo slept until late afternoon. Their bodies seemed to have already gotten used to the fact that nights are now their days and they sleep during the day.

After a small breakfast, slowly both had enough of the one-man rations, they went through the building to have a closer look at the village school. Anyway, they still had a few hours before the sun set and they could get back on the road. And instead of just sitting around, they decided to look around.

First, they went straight upstairs to the first floor. There were 6 small classrooms there, with colorful pictures of animals taped to their doors. In the classrooms, everything looked as if the students would return at any moment and start their lessons.

On the blackboard of one of the classrooms there was even the homework for the following day. And there was also a list of the students who had made a special effort that day and had been praised for it. Right next to them were the three students who were inattentive and were scolded. Zhan who only knew the military school had to smile.

"What happened?" Yibo asked him when he saw Zhan's smile.

"We didn't have anything like that at school. There, it was more like if three students didn't pay attention and disrupted the class, then everyone would be punished, especially those who were the role models that day. Because those should have instructed and corrected their disturbing classmates."

"What, you were all punished?"

"Yes, that's just how it was at military school."

"Why did you go to military school anyway?"

"Well, those were the schools for kids who lived on a military base. On top of that, we moved around all the time and rarely lived anywhere for more than 6 months. So my parents couldn't enroll me in schools in every new city and country. Therefore, I went to a military school whose classes were mostly in English."

"That must have been hard, having to move around all the time and never being able to put down roots anywhere."

"Yes it was. That's why my parents didn't really want children. They said to me at the time that I'd been hiding in my mother's womb and keeping quiet long enough that they didn't notice me until it was too late for an abortion. And my father said at that time, I guess, that child seems to want to be with us very much, otherwise he wouldn't have hidden for so long. That's why we should keep it."

"So you were an unwanted child?"

"Yes and no. Yes they didn't want children and no because, as soon as they knew about me, they were happy and my father even built a crib for me with his own hands. Every day after his duty he had worked on it until it was perfect. My mother knitted baby clothes every day. So they both wanted me then."

"It's a good thing they were happy then."

"Yes. It was often hard for all of us, but it somehow worked. Well now let's move on." Said Zhan and walked with Yibo to the next classroom.

In this classroom, there were pictures of the students in this class, hanging on the walls. All of them were not older than 7 years, Zhan estimated. And as he looked at the pictures, he wondered if the children were doing well? He certainly hoped so.

The other classrooms were similar to the two they looked at more closely. They then went upstairs to the next floor. They found the chemistry room, biology room and physics room there. Also, the teacher's room and the principal's room and a nurse's room. In the nurse's room, Zhan took a special look around and even found some medicine, which he immediately put in a plastic bag and took with him.

There was another staircase leading upstairs, where the attic was located. There, however, they found only old furniture and old student files, as well as books that had been sorted out.

So they went back downstairs to the basement. Zhan first packed the medicine into the backpack before he and Yibo continued to look around down there. What they didn't see the night they arrived was that there were more than these two workrooms. There was a door leading into another basement room. Zhan and Yibo guessed that they separated the areas so that the children would not go there.

Yibo opened the door to the other basement room. Behind it was a hallway and several rooms on either side. The first two rooms, with " storage" written on the doors, had been locked. Yibo cursed, because maybe they would have found something useful in there that could serve as a weapon. Something not as loud as the firearms.

Zhan was about to try to open the next door when Yibo held him back and gestured to be quiet. Zhan nodded and was completely concentrated. He listened and now understood what Yibo had just noticed. They are not alone. Someone or something is in that room behind the door. Because a soft snoring can be heard there.

Yibo opened the door very carefully and entered the room with Zhan. On the floor lay a man whose skin looked all milky white. The two of them could see that, despite the little light that came in through the small basement window.

Since this man was obviously a survivor, Yibo wanted to wake him up and held the beam of his flashlight on him. But what the two then saw startled them. Because the man's skin reacted to the light. It turned red like a sunburn. The man cried out and immediately stood up.

Zhan and Yibo stared at him in horror. His murderous gaze, with blood-red rimmed eyes, was fixed on the two of them. He bared his teeth. Fangs, as the two noted in disbelief. He hissed and growled at them. And the only thing that stopped the man, this vampire from lunging at Zhan and Yibo was the beam of light from the small window.

"Can you understand us?" Zhan asked. The doctor's curiosity awoke in him and he would like to examine this creature, which was once a human, more closely.

The creature, the vampire, nodded and hissed, "Yes."

"What exactly are you?" Zhan wanted to know.

The vampire tilted his head to the side, licked his teeth and replied, "The last thing you'll see before I suck you dry."

"Touch him and I'll make blood sausage out of you and hang your teeth around my neck as a trophy. Go ahead and try it, and you'll see I'm not kidding." Yibo said threateningly and pushed Zhan behind him.

Laughing, the vampire hissed and showed them his claws that were once fingernails. "Come here, I'm not afraid." He hissed.

Yibo knew they were in great danger and that they had to get rid of this vampire. So he did something he hoped he would never have to do again. He took his most powerful flashlight and held the bright, intense beam of light directly on the vampire's face. The vampire roared in pain and tried to cover his face with his hands.

Zhan watched in horror as the vampire's skin began to burn. The stench of his burned skin was almost unbearable, even for Yibo. But he couldn't give up, he had to continue and only when the vampire slumped to the ground, still alive or whatever applied to this vampire, Yibo approached him and crushed his head, with his shotgun.

As the vampire lay motionless on the floor, his skull crushed, Zhan walked up to Yibo, took him by the hand and pulled him out of that room. Zhan closed the door and pushed a chair in front of it so that the door handle could not be pushed down. He knew the vampire was dead, but he felt better at the thought of the door being locked.

They both refrained from looking at the other basement rooms. They didn't feel like any more unpleasant surprises. Instead, they closed the door to that hallway and went back to the workroom where they slept. "We know now that they still look like humans, paler and their eyes more abnormal. But when they're not showing their teeth and claws, they're almost impossible to tell apart from us." Said Zhan, more to himself than to Yibo, who was still speechless.

Zhan made a few notes on his thoughts and then handed Yibo a bottle of water. "You need to drink something Yibo. I think you're in shock. Drink something and then lie down with your legs up."

"No, I'm fine. Don't worry about me. I'm just horrified. That one looked like us. How are we supposed to differentiate them from humans when we run into them at night? Are we supposed to shine a light in everyone's face and say we want to see their teeth and fingernails?"

"Yibo, I don't have any answers to that. If anything, we should avoid other people when we meet them at night."

"Yes. Unbelievable. He was just lying there on the floor. Next to him, the beam of light from the window."

"I suppose daylight itself is not deadly to vampires. It wasn't bright in that room, but it wasn't dark either. We may have another problem coming our way."

"Which one?"

"Mhhh, if I had to assess the lighting conditions in the room, I would say it was like a rainy day when it doesn't get really bright. That means on a rainy day like that, with the gray clouds covering the sky and the sun, they might be able to move around outside unhindered."

"Oh not that too."

"Mmm, that just crossed my mind. And I'm wondering if maybe there's an antidote for this poison, which turns people into vampires. Are they death and reawakening as vampires? Or is the whole thing transformable?"

"You can ask questions. How should I know, Zhan?"

"I would want to hear Alina's opinion on this as a scientist. Whereas, she's not fully trained yet. We should really find some good scientists and ask them for their opinion."

"Um ZhanZhan? Shouldn't we make sure we find your great uncle's hotel and be safe first?"

"Mhhh? Oh yeah sure, you're right. It just crossed my mind."

"You know, to find out what kind of poison this is and if an antidote can be made, the only way to find out is to take the poison off of them. And you might have to catch a live one to do that."

"Yeah I know. Who knows, maybe we'll find a solution for that once we're safe and have time to think."

Yibo was fascinated to see Zhan really blossom at the thought that there might be an antidote. He didn't want to take away that hope from Zhan either, but took pleasure in seeing Zhan so excited. "We will definitely find a solution my dear." Yibo finally replied.

Zhan looked to Yibo, smiled and gave him a kiss. "I'm your dear?"

"Yes, you are my baobai."

"Oh haha, that makes me blush when you say that."

"Really, let me see ZhanZhan."

"No, I'm embarrassed."

"Come on. Let me see your red cheeks. I bet it looks cute."

"No, no. I won't show you."

"ZhanZhan my baobai, show me your cheeks."

"No, I won't."

"Then I'll just have to kiss you now."

"Yibo!"

"Yes. Is your whole face red now?"

"Maybe."

"Let me see."

"No." Replied Zhan. Yibo laughed and took Zhan in his arms. He looked at Zhan's red cheeks and smiled. Just at that moment, he found Zhan even more cute than he already seemed. So embarrassed and just downright shy.

He caressed Zhan's cheek and kissed him. "I love you ZhanZhan." He whispered.

"I, I love you too." Replied Zhan, hiding his face on Yibo's shoulder so he wouldn't see how embarrassed he just was.

They are both glad that they have each other. That they, found each other in this time and even in the face of horror still find time to flirt and get closer. Yibo hopes that soon they will be safe and can really enjoy their relationship. While Zhan can just think about how happy he is right now that Yibo is by his side.