It was late afternoon when Zhan and Yibo woke up, unable to sleep any longer. Still so much time before they could finally leave. And with each additional hour they spend in this place that is eerie to both of them, the more uncomfortable they feel. Why do they feel so much more uncomfortable in a place without creatures and obvious danger?

To kill at least a few minutes of the many hours, Zhan asked, "What was your childhood like? I told you about mine, and I'd be interested to know how you grew up."

Yibo sighed, a topic he didn't like to talk about, before saying, "An up and down I would say. My first 8 years of life were very happy. My parents were always happy, loving and attentive. I had many friends and lacked nothing. Then, however, my father lost his job because of a colleague who had wrongly accused him of a crime. At that time, the evidence was already in favor of my father's innocence, but two incompetent police officers did a bad job. My father was not only given a criminal record with a suspended sentence, but also lost his job. Out of anger and desperation, because no one wanted to hire him after that, because he was a convicted criminal, he started to drink. And the hard time, which already lasted 1 year at that time, became even harder. My father, when he drank, was quiet and went to sleep when he was drunk. But that was only if he was left alone. My mother learned that the hard way when she scolded him for drinking all the time. She tugged on him because she was so angry that my father drank away our money. And my father tried to fight her off. This was when I was 11 years old. Anyway, he fought off her yelling, screaming, and hitting him on his arm. He gave her a little push, I saw it myself, she stumbled, fell and landed with her chin on the table in the living room. She had a broken jaw. Immediately it was said everywhere that my father was violent and he was even threatened with imprisonment. But my mother could clear it up fortunately. In the neighborhood, however, it was still said that my father was a brutal thug. At school, my friends got rid of me, also because I was suddenly considered destitute, and we lost our home in the end. When I turned 12, we moved, my father went to therapy and finally found an employer who listened to him and gave him a chance. And, the crime of that time was finally solved. My father got compensation from the state for the wrongful punishment. But the trauma remained. And for me, things started to come up again, too. "

"I see, so presumably, because of your father's story, you became a policeman?"

"Yes, exactly. Because with two incompetent police officers, my father's downward spiral eventually began."

"Mhm, if just one makes a mistake, it can destroy the life of a whole family. It's even like that in my profession. If I make a mistake in an operation and a patient will suffer consequential damage or even die, I have not only destroyed his life, but that of the whole family."

"I see. Was there any particular reason you became a doctor?"

"I thought the white coats were great haha. No, I've always been interested in it. There wasn't any other reason."

"So you always knew you wanted to be a doctor?"

"Exactly."

"Ah what time is it now Zhan?"

"Exactly 6 pm."

"Damn, at least 4 more hours until we can move on."

"Um, don't forget, you wanted to check out the police station too. And honestly? We're basically supposed to just drive on it. There are no creatures here, no people. And since we'll be hours on the road to our next destination anyway, and we won't pass any towns or villages, what's to stop us?"

"So you mean we're driving in daylight?"

"Yes exactly. I suggest we pack everything up, put it in the car, drive to the police station and then get out of here."

"Mhhh, Okay. Why not? At least there are lots of woods along the way we could hide in if necessary." Yibo replied.

The sooner they can get out of this town, the better, Yibo thought. Besides, they would have more time to drive and could get much closer to their destination. At least as long as they still have gas in the tank!

When everything was stowed in the car, the two drove to the police station, which is fortunately already at the end of this street. Once there, Yibo noticed that the entrance door to the police station was locked. Yibo cursed and explained to Zhan, who looked at him questioningly, "They didn't escape, they all left voluntarily. If they hadn't, that door wouldn't be locked. And apart from that, access to a police station must always be possible at any time of the day or night. However, this door is locked. That means the police officers here, they did that and then they left."

"So all these residents practically, just left without knowing where they were going?"

"Probably. We should see if we can get the door open somehow. Maybe we can find some answers inside."

Zhan nodded. He was about to say something else when he saw something out of the corner of his eye. "Yibo, Yibo slowly turn to me and tell me if I'm hallucinating or there is really an old man standing there!"

Yibo spun around and saw the man as well. He slowly approached the two with a limp. He shouted something at them, but neither could understand it. When he finally reached them, he repeated his words, "You should leave quickly, you are in danger here."

"Are there any survivors besides you?" Yibo asked, ignoring the man's warning.

The man shrugged his shoulders. "Maybe. I don't know. Maybe the last ones have already fled. You should flee, too, before they come back."

"They? The creatures?" Asked Zhan.

"No. Our mayor and the police officers. They told all the residents they were going to take them to a safe place. But that was a lie."

"Where are the residents now?" Asked Yibo.

"They took them to the decommissioned station. They killed them all. They shot them and just left them there."

"Were you there?" Yibo wanted to know.

The man nodded and wiped tears from his eyes. "They just shot everybody. Men, women, and children. Just like that! I played dead. I wouldn't be alive otherwise."

Yibo asked the man to show him on the map where the disused station is. To his relief, it leads in a different direction, not the one they need to go. He told the man to come with him and Zhan. But then the man showed him his bloody hands and, his bullet wound on his back. "I don't have long. I'm going to go home now and die there." He said.

"No, you have to come with us. My friend here is a doctor, I'm sure he can help you." Replied Yibo. Zhan looked at the wound and shook his head in concern as Yibo looked at him.

"Boy, I'm almost 90 years old and ready to die. But you and your friend, you should get out of here before they come back."

Before Yibo knew what to say to that, the man shuffled over to the other side of the street and disappeared into one of the buildings. Yibo never felt so powerless as he did at that moment. He felt sorry for the old man and hoped Zhan could have helped him. Zhan whispered, "It's a miracle he even made it this far. Let him go in peace." Yibo nodded in concern.

They followed the old man's advice and got back into their car. Zhan immediately started the engine and drove off. They didn't speak for quite a while, because no one really knew what to say. The old man's words kept running through their minds. And also the same question. Why did they kill all the inhabitants of this place?

Yibo closed his eyes during the trip, he wasn't asleep, he just didn't want to talk, after Zhan, after a half hour tried to explain to him several times, why he couldn't help the old man.

Another hour later, Zhan kept tapping Yibo on the shoulder until he opened his eyes in annoyance and saw what Zhan wanted to show him. An old gas station where there are still old gas pumps. Yibo looked around briefly, wordlessly jumped out of the car and checked to see if there was gasoline in the pumps. To his surprise, there was gasoline and he immediately filled the tank.

Zhan, on the other hand, who also left his car, went to take a closer look at the small gas station. He wanted to find some jerry cans so they could take gasoline with them in case they needed to fill up again until they got to the hotel. He walked up to the gas station, looked through the dirty windows, and found that no one was there.

After checking the door, it was open, he went inside the gas station and almost cheered loudly when he found there suitable batteries for the radio. The gas station also sold tents and sleeping bags. They also had some camping supplies there, which Zhan immediately packed into his backpack. He dragged the tent and two sleeping bags outside, put them in the car and went back.

Yibo watched Zhan while shaking his head. He couldn't understand why Zhan hadn't at least tried to help the man. Why didn't Zhan care? He had become a doctor to help other people. To save their lives. Why didn't he try to save the old man? Why did the man have to die? And how could Zhan continue now as if nothing had happened?

Meanwhile, Zhan collected more useful things, such as a fishing rod and bait. Lighters, matches and sewing kit. When he came back outside packed up, Yibo was already back in the car, continuing to avoid his gaze. Zhan knew that at the moment, Yibo just didn't understand why Zhan wasn't helping the old man.

There was nothing Zhan could have done. Even if he had an operating room available, he could not have helped the man. The bullet that hit the man hit him in his lungs. And was probably stuck there. Zhan knew if he had tried to remove the bullet, the man would have died instantly. Choked on his own blood.

Zhan knew he couldn't make Yibo understand that right now. It wouldn't have mattered how or what Zhan said, Yibo wouldn't understand. And if Zhan had tried for Yibo's sake, Yibo would have watched the old man choke in agony on his own blood.

As a rookie and on his first duty at the hospital, a man was brought in with such a gunshot wound. Zhan was desperate to save the man because he was still young, had a wife and a young son. He wanted this man to be able to return to his family. But the lead surgeon on duty told him that they could not operate. "This way the man can still say goodbye to his wife. If we tried to operate, the man would have died even faster." He explained to Zhan, who was crying at the time.

It was his first duty and immediately his first dead. Of course Zhan had taken that. Because he was convinced, like almost every rookie, that he could save people. But as the years went by, Zhan realized that they just can't save all the people. Sometimes it's better to do nothing and let people die in peace.

And something that Yibo didn't see was that Zhan gave the old man two pills. Pills that would make the man fall asleep very gently and without pain. He would fall asleep without fear and without pain, and die in his sleep. That was all Zhan could do for him. And the old man understood exactly what Zhan was giving him and looked at him gratefully.

When Zhan had put everything into the car, he sat back in the driver's seat and started the engine. He drove off, not saying a word. He knows he has to give Yibo time to process this. And only then will he listen Zhan when he explains it to him.