106: Chapter 106 - Facing one's fears

Chapter 106 - Facing one's fears

In the silence and in the darkness, a sleepless night went by. Sun came out and a small stream of light came in through a sewer opening like vent on the top.

Yue's hands gently touched his knife. Each and every grove of it imprinted in his mind from his fingers touching it all night.

'what to do now... I... I don't know.... I don't want to go back home. I don't want to face an empty house once again...' he hugged her knees tightly.

Taking a deep breath, he stood up. 'No, it's time to go home. Even if they are not alive anymore I have to.... to arrange a funeral..'

His heart was no longer in denial.

"You up so soon," ray whispered handing him a bottle of water.

Yue shook his head no. "I'm leaving,"

"What so soon? Stay for a bit. You have everything here..." he mumbled, glancing at Tian. She ignored him completely.

"Why don't you... make this your base? It's secretive, and it's a good cover from zombies, it's safe!" Ray tried his best into making him stay here.

"I need to go back to my family," Yue said with a sad smile.

Ray froze. He glanced at Tian back and forth. "Oh.. I see.."

Yue walked up to Tian Ai.

She suddenly turned back, showing him her cold shoulder.

"Asking you to come to G city was selfish of me.. I... I was completely selfish,"

"Coming here was my last resort. I—I don't want to spend my next ten years, all alone, hiding in a burrow with a rat. I wanted to live with someone. Anyone.."

"But that thought alone was extremely selfish of me." he cupped his face tight, holding back those painful tears. "I.. I have to live for myself... now.. All on my own. But I know I'll survive,"

He placed the family picture he carried along by her foot.

"I'm sorry for the trouble and thank you..... for being my sister,"

Yue walked away, biting his lips hard until they bled. Even now, she did not glance back.

He wore his backpack and secured it tight.

"Anytime you swing by G city come.. Come meet me if you want. I wish you well." he smiled awkwardly and bowed to her.

Ray patted his back.

He said his thanks to him, picked up the weapons bag and left.

Tian did not look at him. The whole time, only her back was facing him.

For ten whole minutes she just stood there like a sculpture, unmoving.

Ray walked over and picked up the photo. Seeing the loving family, he smiled softly.

In complete silence, he watched her back.

His keen ears caught the small sound of dripping. "you alright?"

"Was I being... selfish to Ray." She suddenly said in a horse voice.

Ray froze. In all the year he had worked with her, he had never heard such a heartbroken voice.

"Was it selfish of me to push him away? Was I being selfish depriving him of his family? Was it my fault that he is so saddened?"

Her small shoulders trembled violently. Her delicate hands clenched tight.

Ray hugged her. "I won't call it selfish. You were defensive. All along you craved a family and when it came running to you. You freaked out. I understand. It's natural."

He turned her around and gently wiped her tears away. "Don't shed tears of regret. Go..."

She sobbingly smiled at him. "Come here," she pulled him into a tight hug.

"Come find me at G city with your mom. It 'sniff' will be difficult. That idiotic brother of mine did not leave an address to share." She chuckled. 

"Yeah, he looks slightly silly, but very pretty though."

She slapped his arms. "Don't prey on him,"

"Jeez so protective. People have to watch out for your nasty claws if they had to get to him,"

"Shut up." she wiped the snot off her nose and picked up the bag of weapons. "This sucks. It's dirty," she whimpered, wiping the tears and snot recklessly.

Ray held out a tissue.

"Yeah, but that's how humans express their overwhelming emotions. I'm happy that you still held onto yours after being so long in this industry,"

Tian snorted softly. "I'm a cold-hearted killer. I don't cry, there was something in my eyes,"

"Yeah, right..." he smugly smiled at her.

"Survive ray, you are like a brother to me too.."

"I will," he kissed her cheeks.

Tian left through the same dark tunnel they came from.

She carefully walked out of the clinic, but Yue was nowhere to be seen. 'Where is he...?' she ran out and glanced around.

From her eyeshot, she can see only zombies roaming around. Yue's familiar brown shirt was nowhere to be seen.

'Was I too late?' she hid behind a few vehicles and searched around but she could not find even a small trace of him.

'Shit,' she squatted down behind a van, breathing loudly.

On the ground, she noticed small droplets of blood. She crawled close and sniffed the blood. "its fresh. Not rotten. Oh god..." she frantically searched nearby.

In a small spot, the bloody trail stopped.

She glanced around. If it was any normal times, she could have checked the cctv and found him.

"How do I find him?" she secretly hid nearby and glanced around. Suddenly, she noticed a certain curtain moving in the building to her left.

'Who said there is no cctv. That person definitely saw everything...'

Tian resolutely walked across the street to that building. The doors were unlocked, so she easily entered it.

A few zombies were roaming around in the hallway. She easily sliced them off like a ripe watermelon. 

She reached the particular door and knocked softly. 'You saw what happened, right? did you see a young man there?.."

"...."

"I'm not going to hurt you or anything.. just tell me, did you see anything."2

She could hear some small shuffling noises inside.

"I—I...saw some guys."

"Some guys? Not a guy with long hair?"

"There was someone with long hair but it was not a guy, it was a girl. They pulled her onto their bike and left," the old lady tremblingly whispered.

Tian tightly clenched her jaws. "They... did they force that person to come with them?"

"Hmm... it did look like it,"

Tian growled loudly. The urge to smash everything down intensified. 'Yue got kidnapped!!!!'

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