32

Our three-person team now had two new members, which meant we had our hands full for the foreseeable future.

Chris took charge of logistics and meals, while Anne and I rolled up our sleeves to give KK a bath first.

This unexpected incident was a huge lesson for us.

I reminded myself: we must maintain sufficient vigilance and fear towards things beyond our understanding.

I had always believed that even zombies had patterns to their behavior.

As long as we respected their rules, we could maintain the current balance and even achieve peaceful coexistence.

But I was wrong, very wrong.

The so-called rules and balance were just my wishful thinking.

Nighttime wasn't as safe as I thought, and neither was the snowy ground.

Without a sense of fear, people could die very quickly.

The snow continued to fall intermittently, accumulating thicker and thicker on the ground.

It took seven or eight days for the zombies downstairs to finally disperse.

The black cat, from time to time, would sneak out to hunt.

It was very good at catching prey, often finding food even in the cold winter.

Of course, sometimes it would come back empty-pawed. At those times, it would sit in front of us, demanding a share with a justified look.

January 20th, 20xx, Friday.

Today was the 66th day of the lockdown and also the day before the Lunar New Year.

Early in the morning, we went to the river. After quickly refilling our water supply, we also caught five or six fat fish from the pond.

This was our last outing before the Lunar New Year.

Afterward, we planned to stay home and peacefully celebrate the Lunar New Year like the Chinese.

Seeing us return, KK immediately pushed the ladder through the gap in the railing. With KK around, we no longer had to carry the ladder all over the neighborhood.

To express its excitement, KK ran wildly around the terrace. This time, its mouth stayed shut, not making a sound.

If you ignored its eyes squinting against the wind and the tongue flopping with each step, KK was still quite handsome.

Noticing our attention on it, KK became even more excited. Unexpectedly, it slipped and fell flat on the icy surface.

"No wonder you chose this English royal security chief," Chris turned to me.

It was impressive how he remembered the ridiculous title I had made up on the spot.

"It's just the local culture being so enthusiastic..."

I forced a laugh and quickly had the silly dog stop.

Great.

Golden Retriever.

The last glory of the British Empire.

It was making its owner proud indeed.

After returning, the three of us did a thorough cleaning of the 9th floor.

The floors were spotless, and the corridors reflected our images.

We wiped down all the furniture and even swept the stairwell with a dustpan and broom.

All the bed sheets, quilts, and pillowcases were changed to new ones.

All the out-of-season autumn clothes were washed and dried.

The two little ones' Lunar New Year's Eve dinner was prepared in advance.

The black cat preferred steamed fish over boiled. The fish, when steamed, was very tender, preserving the flavor of the food in the most original way.

I tasted a bit of the fish soup; it was very fishy. But the black cat loved it regardless.

KK's diet was similar to ours.

We would cook an extra portion of rice each meal, boiling some vegetables and meat with a bit of salt.

Among us, KK was the least picky, always licking its bowl clean.

Getting up too early, I couldn't help but doze off in the afternoon. Half asleep, I reminded Anne, "Make sure to wake me up when you're making the Lunar New Year's Eve dinner, really!"

My body felt heavy; sometimes, even when I woke up, I couldn't move my limbs.

The dream was noisy, with many people gathered around, seemingly discussing something anxiously. I was squeezed among them but couldn't hear anything clearly.

My consciousness drifted in and out.

Finally, the unbearable headache made me open my eyes.

The bedroom was dark; it was completely dark outside.

"Anne..." I called, rubbing my head.

"What's wrong?" She answered and came in, "Is your head hurting again?"

I nodded.

"I'll get you some medicine; just lie down for a bit."

After a while, she brought a glass of water and helped me sit up.

I looked at the medicine box; it had "amitriptyline" printed on it.

"Is this a painkiller?" I had only heard of ibuprofen.

"It's your medicine, and you don't even remember what it's for."

Anne gave me an exasperated look, turning the box to show the back. It did indeed say it was for treating migraines.

I swallowed the pill.

Nonsense.

This was clearly something she and Chris had scavenged from a pharmacy. There were many other strange medicines with unfamiliar names in the storage room.

After taking the pill, my headache eased a lot.

"Why didn't you wake me?" I put on my slippers and got out of bed. "You two didn't already have Lunar New Year's Eve dinner, did you?"

"Of course not," Anne defended herself. "Chris said to let you sleep more and that he'd wake you when everything was ready."

Huh? Was he really that considerate?

I walked out of the bedroom to find Chris busy in the kitchen.

I stared at the table for a long time.

This... was too much!

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