Just before sunset, Zhan and Yibo were at the car, rearranging everything in the trunk so that everything from the back seat would fit into the trunk. The two were talking quietly and Yibo brought up something that had been bothering him all along.

"Tell me Zhan, doesn't it seem strange to you? I mean about those two. Neither of them mentioned the power outage before there was the earth tremor because of the explosion. How could they raise the rolling gates at the fire station if there was no power?"

Zhan looked at Yibo thoughtfully for a moment and replied, "True, now that you mention it, I wonder the same thing. You must have been a good police officer if you noticed this so quickly."

"Um, well, that was just, never mind. What I mean is, the power went out everywhere at the same time, didn't it? And neither of them mentioned the power outage. Also, the generators didn't kick on at the police station or at your hospital."

"Are you thinking of an EMP?"

"No, then everything else, like our cell phones, would stop working too. Whereas, the basement of the police station is like a hermetic cage. Maybe it's the same at the hospital?"

"Mhhh, I don't know. But look, my car still works too, and the parking garage is definitely not Hermetically sealed."

"True. But then how is it possible? Besides, I know that the power stations store electricity. Why then, in case of an emergency, was it not drawn upon? And another thing, so the government knew what was coming, could it be that they made sure that the power was shut off? As a purely precautionary step, so that no one in the city would know what was coming?"

"You mean because they wanted to avoid panic? That would be really intense if that' s true."

"And Zhan, I'm not even sure if we're really safe in the mountains anymore. Because these creatures were in big caves in the mountains of Antarctica. They probably lived there before it got too cold and they turned to ice."

"I see what you mean. Only, where are we going to go then? And there's something I haven't told you before."

"And what is that?"

"Come with me to the car, I'll tell you there." Said Zhan.

The two men got into the car and Zhan pulled something out from under his seat that turned out to be a photo album. He opened it and turned a few pages, then handed it to Yibo.

Yibo saw in the pictures before him, a younger Zhan and two older men. One was definitely Zhan's father, as he could tell from his uniform. The other looked very much like Zhan's father. The three of them stood in front of a huge gate that read, "Adventure with a difference."

"What's that?" Yibo asked.

"That's me with my father and my great uncle. My great uncle was a heavy rich man who everyone always thought was crazy. Because all his life he had dreamed of building an adventure hotel in the mountains. But not just in the mountains, but in a mountain with caves. Everyone laughed at him for this, because he pursued this idea until the end of his life. Unfortunately, he died shortly before the planned opening. That means this hotel in this mountain, is ready to move in and is on the most modern level. There are 6 floors, a lake with water that comes directly from a spring and is cleaner than any other water. In these 6 floors, there is a commercial kitchen, laundry and 20 rooms on each floor. From single rooms to family rooms. In Annex B there are workshops as well as a modern infirmary. At the very bottom are even stables for various livestock. And, the electricity is generated by a biogas system. There is also a 5 meter high wall around the facility, which is 2 meters thick. Various security systems are there as well."

"Wow, what? Are you sure about that?"

"Mhm, keep turning the pages." Said Zhan.

Yibo turned the page and saw Zhan standing in an infirmary. Then there were pictures of the stables, rooms and all the other things Zhan had told.

"And you want to go there?"

"It would be perfect. Because there are only two entrances to the cave complex and both are way too small for the creatures. We could create our own electricity, could house quite a few survivors, and grow everything ourselves since there are fields there."

"And we would be well protected from crazy people who want to steal from us or do worse. Wouldn't we?"

"Mmm. Like anywhere else, it won't be long before groups show up who shed their humanity. In the facility, we could protect ourselves well from them. Besides, all around this facility is a dense forest. And it's hard to spot the hotel in that mountain."

"And you know where that is?"

"Yes, something like that. Only, we certainly won't find this way at night. And we certainly won't get anywhere near it within one night. I remember that my father and I were on the road all day at that time, stayed in a small hotel, and didn't get to my great-uncle's house until the next day."

"So the road is long and dangerous. Mhhh, we really need to find a map so we know what all is on the way there and if there are any ways to hide."

"I know a place where we can find that map." Said Hai Kuan, who had suddenly appeared at the car and could hear the two of them through the open window on the passenger side.

"And where is that?" Asked Zhan.

"In the city. Unfortunately. But we have to go to the city again anyway don't we?" Asked Hai Kuan.

Yibo nodded. "Yes, we need a bigger car. More equipment and more food. Because even if we get to that mountain hotel, we will need food. And we should get more medicine."

"How about a school bus? We could reinforce it. And then we could also take other survivors if we find any." Suggested Hai Kuan.

"You mean like your boyfriend Cheng?" Asked Zhan.

"How do you know about Cheng?" Asked Hai Kuan in horror.

"Um, you mumbled his name in your sleep. And well, Jiang Cheng is my cousin to be honest." Replied Zhan.

"Really? My Cheng is your cousin?"

"Yes. I'm all for looking for him too. And I honestly hope his sister Yanli is with him."

"The last time I heard from Cheng, he called in from a village in the mountains."

"Mhhh, Yibo? Do you think we could make it? I mean, get into town, get a school bus, reinforce it, get everything else we need and then escape?" Asked Zhan.

Yibo didn't really want to go back into town, but understood the urgent need. And he knew Zhan would surely go there without him. And Yibo wouldn't let Zhan out of his sight anyway, and then go with him. So he finally nodded.

"On one condition." Said Yibo.

"Which one?" Asked Zhan and Hai Kuan at the same time.

"We'll check the school where we pick up the school bus to see if there are any survivors. I know there were still classes going on at the time of the attack, so it's more than likely that there might be survivors." Yibo explained.

Zhan didn't think twice and immediately agreed. Hai Kuan seemed more reluctant and expressed his concerns, in terms of safety. "We're there in an open area and visible from all sides. I'm not saying we shouldn't do this. But we should figure out some way to make sure we attract few notice."

"You're obviously forgetting that we're doing this at night. There's no electricity, so it's all dark. And unless we're running that way jumping, cheering and whistling, we should be safe." Replied Yibo.

Alina, who now also came outside, said, "These creatures are night-blind. But they could probably smell us. At least Hai Kuan and me, because of our bloody and sweat-soaked clothes. It's hot and humid, which is why it's hard to dry."

Yibo confirmed, "Yes, the smell is already almost unbearable for Zhan and me, to be honest. And creatures like that, I'm sure they can smell even better than we can, right?"

"Mmm, probably. I think they're born hunters. Unfortunately, we haven't been able to research them properly and know very little about them. My boss said that these creatures might have been discovered before too, just that there were no proper records. Their appearance reminds us of demons as described in the Bible. What if these creatures have been discovered before and mistakenly declared to be demons, after all they only come back to life through heat. Heat = hell. You understand what I mean, don't you?" Alina asked.

"I understand what you mean. Well, it would be quite possible that long before Jesus Christ, these creatures were discovered, declared to be demons, and thus the belief in God and heaven was strengthened. Only, we don't really want to debate that now, do we?" Zhan replied.

Zhan knows that his parents firmly believed in God, Heaven and Hell and he never said anything against it, he also firmly believed in an Almighty God for a long time. But when he started working in the hospital, he experienced and saw things that turned him away from that belief.

In his first year, he worked in the pediatric department and saw children to whom things had been done that destroyed Zhan's religious belief. Unspeakable things done to even the smallest children. How can an Almighty God, a loving God, allow so much suffering to happen to these children? How can a God allow little babies to die at birth? Zhan could not get these questions out of his mind.

"Zhan? Are you all right?" Yibo asked as he saw Zhan staring ahead with tears in his eyes.

"Mhhh? Oh um yeah, everything's fine." Replied Zhan.

Yibo suddenly felt like he had to take Zhan in his arms. Something told him that Zhan must be thinking about something sad or maybe even bad right now. Unaware of Hai Kuan and Alina, he put his arms around Zhan and whispered, "If you want, you can tell me about it later." Zhan nodded.

Yibo had no idea why the doctor was suddenly so important to him that he even broke his own rules several times. No physical contact with other people. No hugs. No touching hands or anything like that. When it comes to Zhan, Yibo is willing to throw away all his rules and just be there for him.

Maybe, thought Yibo, it was because Zhan saved his life and they fight together for survival. Maybe it welded the two of them close together because they were going through the same thing. But Yibo doubted that. Because as soon as it came to Hai Kuan, he would love to kick him away from Zhan or scratch his eyes out as soon as Hai Kuan stared at Zhan again. It annoyed him that Hai Kuan has a boyfriend but then stares at Zhan a lot.

"So I suggest Yibo and I go to the city alone and get a bus. We'll check on the school and then come back. He and I will probably be safer alone than with you two. We will get you clothes and everything you need okay?" Said Zhan.

"I would be for that too. Zhan and I can handle it." Replied Yibo as he saw Hai Kuan about to say something against it.

Zhan leaned over to Yibo and whispered in his ear, "I'd rather be alone with you. I don't want to take them with me. They're stinking and annoying." Yibo suddenly had to laugh and nodded.

Since there were only a few minutes left until sunset and they had to clean out the trunk now after all, all four of them grabbed together before Zhan and Yibo got into the car and Zhan said, "You guys will wait here. Even if it takes three days. Got it?"

Hai Kuan and Alina nodded and ran back into the dam. Zhan started the engine of his car and Yibo smiled. Finally alone with Zhan again. He thought with a grin. He didn't care about the danger that probably awaited them, all that mattered to him was that he was with Zhan. His lifesaver and friend.