Looking at my relationship with Yibo, I wouldn't call us a romantic couple. Which is probably more due to our circumstances than our real will. Because I am convinced that if we had a normal life, we would be quite romantic and even like it. I could finally convince myself of this in the last few days.

Because instead of just one night as planned, we stayed in my apartment for almost a week. We had been, although many creatures were out and about in the city, safe in my apartment.

After our first night in my apartment, we decided to stay a little longer and then set about searching the now abandoned apartments for things we could use. In some apartments we found what we were looking for. What was probably because their owners died and they could not run away with the valuable supplies.

I must say, searching these apartments while their stinking decaying owners lay in any of the rooms cost us a lot of effort in the beginning. But our own will to survive was stronger than the urge to just leave and go to the next apartment. And at least we didn't find any dead children! Because then I would certainly not have gone on and would have left this apartment immediately!

Hastily and as if the dead would wake up any moment, we searched the apartments, grabbed food, mostly cans, water bottles and other useful things like batteries, candles or lighters. We packed everything into backpacks and bags and as soon as they were full, we took everything to my apartment and set off again. It had taken all day, but it was more than worth it.

In the evening when I went to take a shower to wash off the stench of the dead, Yibo prepared our dinner. He heated two cans of beef soup and boiled water for two small noodle snacks. When I got out of the shower, I found Yibo waiting for me amid a heart of candles in the living room. He wrapped his arms around me, kissed me and said, "I know that because of our constant struggle for survival, romance comes up short in our relationship. Unfortunately, I have to say. I would like to have a life with you that would be completely normal. Because then we would have gone out regularly, to the movies, to restaurants. We would have traveled and done other couples activities. And on our first anniversary, I would have proposed to you. Simply because I love you and never want to be without you again. We wouldn't have rummaged through the belongings of dead and missing people to ensure our survival like we did today. I would make you a night like tonight much more often. Eating together by candlelight, with soft music, holding you in my arms afterwards, kissing and spoiling you while we make love. I love you so much Zhan and I'm immensely sad that I can't show you all the time."

"I love you too Yibo and you show it to me all the time. Even if you don't realize it. I would also like to have a normal life with you. And I would have definitely said yes to your proposal because I can't imagine my life without you either." I replied very emotionally.

"How about we eat now and watch a movie afterwards? The battery of your laptop is still full. I checked it earlier and you have plenty of movies here that we could watch. And after the movie, we'll both go to bed and I'll spoil you."

"That sounds like a good plan." I said. Yibo kissed me and we sat down to eat.

While I was eating my soup, Yibo was watching me the whole time until suddenly I could look at the bottom of my bowl and see a ring inside. Yibo laughed and said, "Sorry, I thought that was romantic. But now it seems kind of silly."

I fished the ring out of my soup, cleaned it, looked at it, and asked Yibo, "Put it on me Yibo, please."

Yibo took the ring, put it on my finger and said, "Don't worry, I didn't take it off a dead person. Honestly, I bought it after our first night together. I drove the patrol car past a jewelry store that was open and felt the need to stop. I looked at the rings and found this one. I knew I would want to give it to you someday. Even after just one night with you, I knew it. And likewise, I knew that with this ring I would ask you to marry me. So I ask you, do you want to marry me ZhanZhan?"

"I want to marry you Yibo. Even if it's just symbolically, I want to." I said. We kissed for a very long time and the soup finally got cold. But after that sweet proposal, I wasn't hungry anymore anyway. Well, except for my hot hubby! And finally, we first made love and only then watched a movie.

Every day in my apartment, we completely savored and used for us. We pushed away all thoughts of the world outside, King Bac, the other Amores, He Peng or the waterworks. We lived in our own little world that was full of love and passion and also romance. At least for that one week, we wanted to at least pretend that everything was normal.

Unfortunately, that one week went by very quickly and ended with us packing all of our things, putting them in our car, and then having to leave in a hurry after some of the flying creatures discovered us in my apartment. Which only happened because I had carelessly opened one of the windows to ventilate. But that also proved how much we had taken shelter in our own little world. I forgot about the danger and unconsciously did something completely normal.

After the flying black devils spotted us, two of them tried to enter my apartment through my balcony. We grabbed our weapons and the two backpacks we still had in the apartment and hastily left my apartment. We ran into the stairwell and downstairs into the shelter of the basement, where we remained in the darkness until nightfall.

Only when night fell did we leave the shelter and venture outside to our car. While we could have tried to fight the creatures, we' d rather not if it could be avoided. Because even if we are stronger now, faster and trained by the Amores, we are still humans, at least somehow. And as humans, we can still get hurt or die. And we don't want that, of course. So we'd rather sneak away than go into battle blindfolded.

Under cover of darkness, we drove off in the car, leaving the lights off. It was hard to find our way in the dark, especially because there was so much destruction and wrecked cars and debris from buildings kept blocking the roads. But finally we found our way somehow and after a good hour we reached the waterworks!

Yibo used our big old radio to contact those at the waterworks. Because when we got there, it didn't look like anyone would still be there. But after only a few seconds we received an answer to our radio call. Someone told us where to go and explained that we would have to wait there until they came to pick us up.

We drove to the place in question. A white X on a wall of the waterworks showed us that we were right there. Half a minute after Yibo turned off the engine of the car, four heavily armed men in camouflage suits came to our car, told us to get out and searched us. When they tried to take our silver spears, Yibo threatened to kill them all if anyone dared to touch the spears. Somehow amazing that they really didn't try to take our spears by using their machine guns. They then whistled for some other men to clear out our trunk while the armed ones took us to the waterworks.

Everything in the large hall of the waterworks was brightly lit. I guessed that they were using generators to produce electricity. They took us to a dark office without windows and told us to wait there. They locked us in that office and made us wait all night before two armed men came in the morning

They took us to their "leader". We had to go through another big hall and saw that it was full of cots. Men, women and children sitting there on their beds looked at us curiously with wide eyes. They were whispering and some of them were eating. We assumed that they had distributed the food we brought to the survivors there. Because it looked like it. And at that moment I doubted that it was a good idea to go there. Because apparently they needed us more than we needed them.

Arriving at their leader's office, sitting on a rotary chair in the shade with his back turned to us, as if in a movie, he asked us in a raspy voice, "So you survived a year out there?"

"Um yeah. Most of that time we were at sea, though." Explained Yibo.

"I see, and where did you get the food?" Asked the leader, who apparently didn't feel like showing us his face.

"From abandoned apartments in my old apartment building." I replied. I let my gaze wander around the room, looking at the men around us. My gaze lingered in a corner of the room when I saw a very familiar face. That of Haikuan! But I said nothing and just stared at him.

"Well, well. And you were able to just drive through the streets like that? Don't get me wrong. Your food came at a good time, because we just ran out of food. But, of course, it's not enough to fill all the hungry people here. So now we're wondering how you managed to drive through the creature-infested city and find food in peace?"

"You must not have been to the city for a long time, and you probably didn't send anyone there for scouting. Because if you had, you'd know that while there are still many creatures there, they're easy to avoid. Many of the gray hairless creatures are also weak and sick and therefore easier to kill. These flying creatures have trouble at night and can't really see us unless you have lights on." Replied Yibo.

"Ah yes. And what about those other tall ones with their white and black hair?"

"The Amores with the white hair, are not our enemies. The ones with the black hair are Demoids, and they are the ones to watch out for." I explained,

"Not our enemies? What makes you think that?"

"Well, they have saved our lives several times and have taken us in and protected us. Unfortunately, our hiding place was found by other creatures and we were attacked. We had to flee, losing contact with the Amores and a friend in the process." Explained Yibo.

"So you made common cause with these monsters? You sided with them while they slaughtered the humans?" Asked the leader angrily, finally showing us his face. I was somehow not surprised when I realized that the leader is General Asshole!

Around us, the men began to argue wildly with each other and demanded that the general kill us because otherwise we would betray them. The general shouted, "Shut up now! We are not killing anyone! But we can't let them run free here either. Take them back to the room until I can think of what to do with them!" In the next moment, the men grabbed us and dragged us rather roughly back to the dark office.

To our surprise, Haikuan was similarly rudely taken into the office with us. They threw a camping lamp into the office and then locked the door again. Yibo turned on the lamp, looked at Haikuan and was on him in two quick steps. He punched him twice violently in the face with his fist and said, "That's for stealing from us with your boyfriend and leaving us alone. And the second punch was because of you, we almost died!"

Haikuan's nose was bleeding but not broken. I thought his eyes were watering from the blow to his nose, but then I realized he was crying. Yibo was still holding him by the collar of his sweater when I asked, "Where is Meng Yao anyway?"

Haikuan then sobbed violently several times, so that Yibo, apparently taken aback, let go of him and waited for Haikuan to regain his composure. Then Haikuan said, "I did want to come back. I just wanted to take A-Yao away. We were near a small island I knew. I wanted to take A-Yao there and leave him with the supplies. I wanted to separate from him. I knew he was up to something and I realized we had to get rid of him. I noticed that he often secretly used the radio and was in contact with someone. He was constantly telling the other person our current position. I asked him who he was in contact with and he lied to me. It was then that I knew I had to get rid of him. I told him that I wanted to go with him to my sailboat and we would travel alone. He thought it was a great idea. So we packed everything together and set off. Arrived at the small island, however, I experienced a bad surprise. Because we were attacked. But not by creatures, but by pirates! Only then did I realize that A-Yao was in contact with them and actually intended to take over the sailing yacht from you together with them. A-Yao grabbed all the stuff and disappeared with the pirates. They left me alone on the island. I found a boat there. But when I arrived at the place where I left you, you were already gone. A sailor who found me when I was already half dead collected me and returned to Beijing with me. He wanted to look for his family. We fell into the hands of the general. The sailor escaped. But I unfortunately did not. And since then I have been held prisoner here. So in short, my attempt to get rid of A-Yao failed and I was betrayed by him instead. And then when I thought things were finally moving forward, I was captured."

I must say, neither Yibo nor I really felt sorry for Haikuan. If he had talked to us about his plan, I think it would have been different. Still, like us, he was a prisoner and had been betrayed by the man he loved. So he deserved a second chance.

After a few minutes of sitting in silence and letting Haikuan's story sink in, Yibo said, "We're escaping tonight. Be ready!" That's all he explained. And he didn't have to. Because I can understand Yibo without words.

I guess the advantage here is that we're not real humans anymore. More strength means that this office door can't stop us. We will wait until night and free ourselves. We'll try to escape unseen. Hopefully Haikuan will be able to keep up. If not, he'll have to stay behind!