Yibo and Zhan had been on the road for about 10 minutes when Zhan cleared his throat and said, "You Yibo, I wanted to know your opinion about something."

"Yeah sure, what's it about?" Yibo replied tensely.

"I've been thinking again about our plan to go to the city and organize a school bus, reinforce it, and then transport survivors in it. I don't think we're going to be able to do that on our own."

"Yes, I also think it will be hard. But what should we do instead?"

"Well, there's a military base a bit outside of town and they usually have armored buses. We could get a bus from there. Also equipment we need, including really useful night vision equipment. One-man packs, weapons, medicines. We would find all of that there. So we wouldn't have to drive across town for all that."

"That sounds good. But why do I hear a but out of it?"

"No buts. Really, no. I just want to know from you, should we consider this option? We'd get everything from the military base, drive to town and check the school to see if there are any survivors, and then go to the dam."

"Mmm, we should do it that way."

"And I have another idea."

"Which is?"

"We could go to your parents' house and see if maybe they survived."

"What?"

"Well, I think there's about a 50% chance they survived. And I think it would be important for you to have some certainty about what happened to your parents."

"So you're saying you want to go to my parents' house now?"

"Yes. First to your parents' house, then to the military base."

"Zhan I..."

"You just have to tell me the address Yibo."

"Would you really do that for me? We might not make it in one night then."

"Yibo, I'd be happy to do it for you. I know that I can't hope that my parents survived because I saw the destroyed house. But what about your parents, we don't know. And I think the uncertainty would be much worse for you at some point."

"Yes."

"What yes?"

"Yes, let's head to my parents' house." Replied Yibo calmly, even though he was suddenly all tense inside. He also immediately gave Zhan his parents' address and Zhan changed directions.

The closer they got to the street where Yibo's parents' house is located, the more nervous and tense Yibo became. Would he really be willing to see his parents' house destroyed? Could he really not be able to handle the uncertainty at some point?

As they got closer to the house, Yibo couldn't see any damage to it. As soon as Zhan stopped the car, Yibo jumped out and ran to his parents' house. He knocked on the door and called for his parents.

The moment Zhan stepped to his side, the door opened and a woman in her early 50s stared at Yibo with wide eyes. "Mom." Yibo said tearfully and took his mother into his arms. Mother and son held each other crying. Just a moment later, Yibo's father also appeared at the door, also immediately bursting into tears.

Not wanting to disturb this moment, Zhan stayed in the background. He was happy for Yibo, but also a little sad that he could not see his parents again. Even though his father was always tough and aloof, Zhan knew that underneath his rough hard shell he had a soft heart and loved Zhan.

Zhan was so lost in his own thoughts that he hadn't even noticed the three of them go into the house. When he noticed, the front door was closed. Smiling, Zhan shook his head and walked back to the car. He had briefly thought about knocking so he could get into the house as well, but then he thought it might be rude and decided to wait in the car for Yibo.

To pass the time a bit, he turned on one of the two radios. It almost fell out of his hand when a familiar voice was heard over it, "My boy, if you're out there and can hear me, Mom and I are fine."

With trembling hands, Zhan flipped the switch on the radio and asked, "Dad? Is that you?"

"Oh my god Zhan? Zhan can you hear me? Where are you? Are you safe?"

"Yes, it's me Zhan. I'm outside in my car."

"Where exactly?" Zhan's father asked. Zhan told him and his father explained that he and Zhan's mother were at the military base and someone was coming to pick Zhan up in a moment.

Before Zhan could even explain his situation, the radio contact broke. Zhan wanted to run to the house to let Yibo know. But then he saw the military Humvee. The soldiers stopped right next to Zhan's car. Zhan said he needed to talk to someone first. But the soldiers didn't take long, they grabbed Zhan and dragged him out of his car and into the Humvee. The driver immediately took off.

Shortly after, Zhan realized why the soldiers were so rough with him. An alarm sounded and shortly after he saw a shadow flying over a tree.

"Sir, we need to find shelter somewhere. They're already above us." Spoke one of the soldiers into a radio.

Zhan turned pale as he saw more of these shadows flying over the Humvee. They drove on and on at top speed, while one of the soldiers kept shooting at the creatures with a machine gun.

They drove only along where there were trees that gave them at least a little protection. Then they reached a wooded area and raced along the rough road through the forest. On and on until the car was hit by something hard and skidded. Zhan's head was smashed against the window pane and he lost consciousness.

*~*~*

When the sirens started wailing, Yibo and his parents ran down to the basement. And only then did he realize that he had completely forgotten about Zhan, in all his joy at seeing his parents again. He wanted to run back upstairs and get Zhan into the house and into the basement. But his father didn't let him out for fear they would be separated again.

Yibo's father locked the basement door and would not let Yibo out. Yibo was desperate and begged his father to open the door so he could bring Zhan in. But Yibo's father remained stubborn. And at the latest when the first shots and small explosions could be heard, Yibo had no choice but to remain silent.

The thought that he had completely forgotten about Zhan for 20 minutes and that he was now defenseless out there made Yibo almost insane. He was so distraught that he began to cry. Over and over he whispered, "I'm sorry Zhan. Please, you have to survive. I also promise you, I will never forget you again. I'm so sorry."

Yibo's mother looked over at him and saw him crying. On all fours, she scrambled to Yibo, wanting to comfort him. But Yibo just turned away from her. He was angry, especially at himself.

Yibo's father gave Yibo a cup of water, he didn't want to drink it at first, but then did. And shortly after, he suddenly became very tired. Startled by the realization that his father had secretly given him a sleeping pill, he stared at his father for a moment before falling asleep. And the last thing he heard was the gunshots, explosions and his father saying, "I'm sorry Yibo. But you're too loud. Go to sleep now and don't worry."

*~*~*

When Zhan regained consciousness, it had been daylight. He was lying in the Humvee and besides him, no one else was there. The soldiers had disappeared. The only clue to their whereabouts was the blood on the windshield.

Zhan's head and body ached. He patted himself down carefully. There was a small bump on his head and a few bruises on his body. "Thank God, nothing serious. But damn it, where am I? And how do I get back to Yibo now?" He muttered softly.

He cautiously lifted his head to look around. Around him was nothing but dense forest. A forest he had never been in before. Zhan shook his head as he tried to look at the tire tracks. Because, there were none. The ground of this uneven and unpaved road was apparently hard enough not to allow tire tracks.

"With no water, no equipment, no vehicle or weapons, how will I ever get back to Yibo in one piece?" He asked himself quietly.

Knowing he couldn't stay in the Humvee forever because the creatures might come back, Zhan searched the Humvee for useful items. But there was nothing. He couldn't even find the radio.

Carefully, he got out of the car and looked around. "I can't stay on the road. But I don't know about the forest. God damn it, why didn't I just knock on the door last night?" He knew his parents must be even more worried now. But all he could think about was getting back to Yibo.

Zhan ran into the forest and tried to orient himself by the moss on the trees. But, he found no moss on trees. So he ran on and on until his legs were already hurting. His throat felt painfully dry. He knew that he still had two candies in his pocket. But he wanted to save them until he couldn't stand it anymore because of thirst.

In the end, Zhan didn't know how long he had been running around in the forest when he finally saw a road and a large apartment building. He remembered reading recently that a new apartment complex had been built. And from the pictures that came with the article, he knew that he had found that very apartment complex. However, it is located, and unfortunately he knows this as well, well over 70 miles from the city. And much farther from the military base.

Zhan ran to the apartment complex, looking around again and again. There were no creatures to be seen, no cars. Just a sign on the stand. "For Sale / For Rent."

When he reached the front door, he found it locked. But because the door was glazed and he was desperate enough, he looked for a rock and broke the window. Everything in the building smelled of paint and wood. The doors on the first floor were all locked. So he went to the second floor, where a door said "model apartment." This door was open.

After entering the fully furnished model apartment, he put something in front of the door and drew the curtains in all four rooms before rushing into the bathroom and testing to see if there was running water. Fortunately for him, the water was running and he drank quite a lot of it before he went into the living area and stood by the window.

He pushed the curtain aside a hand's width and looked outside. "There is purely nothing here except this house and these woods. What am I supposed to do now?" Tired and desperate, he sat down on the sofa and fell asleep from exhaustion after a few minutes.

*~*~*

When Yibo regained consciousness, his mother was sitting next to him, stroking his forehead. With a jump, he pulled himself up and looked around. His first thought was Zhan. But, because it was daytime and too dangerous to leave the basement, he had no choice but to sit there. Sad and desperate.

"Do you know Yibo? For two nights the military has been attacking these monsters because they can hardly see anything at night. They said on the radio that no one should leave their houses. They even brought food here the night before last. As soon as the situation is more relaxed, they want to take the survivors away from here." Explained his mother.

"They're out of their minds. Probably these creatures would just move on when they can't find anything to eat here. But if they attack them night after night now, it's like handing them food on a silver platter. They don't die so easily." Murmured Yibo.

"Why are you in such a bad mood?" His father asked him.

"Because you drugged me. Because I don't know how Zhan is. Because I forgot about him for 20 minutes after I found you alive. Because it was his idea to drive here and see if you were still alive. And because I might be to blame for him being killed after he saved my life and brought me together with my parents." Said Yibo.

Yibo's parents were silent as they saw how upset Yibo was. And Yibo, just sat on the basement floor, holding his legs and staring at the basement window. He wondered how long it would take before darkness fell again.