C6 Escape

The distant sound of gunfire spurred the zombies into a faster pace, their howls intensifying as they charged toward Han Feng and his companions. It was a stroke of luck that the zombies were scattered and not swarming; otherwise, Han Feng wouldn't have dared to risk it.

"Puff, puff, puff." The sound of bullets sinking into flesh filled the air, as one zombie after another was struck down, only to struggle in an attempt to rise again.

Damn it! I forgot to tell the mobilization unit that only headshots can take them down!

"Shoot for the head! Not the body!" Han Feng hastily reminded the soldiers.

The gunfire may have drowned out any response, but Han Feng saw the soldiers' guns now trained precisely on the zombies' heads.

At last, mere meters from the vehicle, Han Feng and his two companions collided with the undead.

"Click, click." The mobilization unit's AK47 emptied its last bullet.

The soldier slung the rifle behind him with a swift motion, the strap whirling as the AK47 settled on his back. Then, stepping forward, he shielded Han Feng and the girl, engaging the zombies with his bare hands. Each strike pushed the zombies back, closing the ten-meter gap with sheer force.

More zombies were closing in from behind, but the silver lining was the ever-narrowing distance to the vehicle.

Finally, with the mobilization unit fighting valiantly, Han Feng and the girl made it to the car. The girl's remote had already unlocked the doors, and in an instant, both she and Han Feng were inside.

"Get in the car! Stop fighting!" Han Feng yelled desperately to the soldier.

Hearing the command, the soldier delivered a powerful punch to the nearest zombie, forcing it back before turning to open the car door. He paused, momentarily confused, then resumed fending off the encroaching zombies.

In their haste, Han Feng and the girl had both ended up in the back seat, leaving no room for the mobilization soldier in the already cramped space.

Exchanging a glance, Han Feng and the girl came to an immediate consensus. "You drive!" they exclaimed in perfect sync.

A brief hush fell over the air...

"I can't drive!" they exclaimed in unison once more.

"I only got my license a few days ago!" the girl blurted out before Han Feng could speak.

"That's still better than me! I've never even passed the driving test! You drive!" Han Feng declared, then forcefully nudged the girl out of the back seat. Turning to check on the mobilization soldier, he saw the soldier was once again locked in combat with the zombies.

"Get in the car!" Han Feng yelled to the soldier.

The soldier pushed the zombie away and climbed into the vehicle.

Once all three were inside, the girl hit the lock button. A "click" sound confirmed the doors were secured. They were momentarily safe, but Han Feng barely had a chance to catch his breath before the frantic pounding sounds plunged him back into a pit of fear.

"Drive, drive!" Han Feng urged, his voice laced with desperation, but the girl seemed oblivious to his panic.

"Seatbelt, turn the key, start the engine, turn the wheel, press the clutch..." she recited the steps under her breath.

...

"No, wait! And release the handbrake..." she continued, talking to herself, completely ignoring Han Feng's angst.

You're killing me! Han Feng fumed silently.

After several tense seconds, the car finally lurched forward as the girl struggled with the controls.

Cramped in the tiny back seat with the mobilization soldier, Han Feng felt squeezed. He shuffled forward until he reached the front passenger seat.

"Phew..." Han Feng exhaled in relief.

With the chaotic pounding in his ears and the sight of snarling zombies, Han Feng was too drained to move. He pinned all his hopes on the girl.

"What do we do about the people up ahead?" the girl asked Han Feng, her voice tinged with urgency.

"They're already dead, zombies. Don't be scared, just plow through them!" Han Feng bolstered her courage with a resolute tone.

"Alright! I'll do as you say!" she responded, then slammed on the gas pedal.

"Ahh!!!" The girl's prolonged scream echoed as the car mowed down seven or eight zombies, carving a path through the horde.

"Ahh!" But the scream that followed wasn't the girl's—it was Han Feng's.

"Get your hands off your eyes and onto the steering wheel! Are you trying to drive telepathically?" Han Feng had been focused on the zombies outside and hadn't noticed the girl's actions.

As he turned, he saw her hands clamped over her eyes, leaving the steering wheel unmanned while the car sped on...

It was only after Han Feng's urgent prompt that the girl snapped back to reality and regained control of the wheel.

But before Han Feng could breathe easy, a tree loomed suddenly ahead. "Ah!!!" The girl's screams pierced the air once more.

"Hit the brakes! Hit the brakes! For the love of God, brake!" Han Feng's heart leapt to his throat. He'd never felt such a profound sense of helplessness, not even when facing the undead.

"Three pedals at your feet! Which one's the brake?!" In her panic, and with her lack of driving skills, the girl had completely forgotten which pedal was which.

Even without pressing the gas, the car's speed hadn't decreased in the slightest from its previous burst.

"Ah!!!" The tree drew nearer, and the girl's screams intensified.

Han Feng's eyes bulged with terror. To think he might not perish at the hands of zombies, but in a post-apocalyptic car crash? The gods have abandoned me, Han Feng! That was his most genuine thought in what he believed were his final moments.

"Screech!" A jarring screech of tires sounded as the car halted just two meters from the tree!

In her frantic state, the girl had stomped on the pedals at random... and by sheer luck, she hit the brake.

"Thud!" Han Feng's arm slammed against the dashboard with a resounding noise.

"Ugh!" Lifting his head, Han Feng let out a pained groan, tears swirling in his eyes. He made a fervent mental vow to always buckle up in the future.

The girl clung to the steering wheel, her position in the back seat braced by the front, leaving Han Feng as the sole casualty of the sudden stop.

The pain was unbearable, a searing agony that left him immobilized. Could the car be broken? Han Feng wondered in distress.

"Forget about me, just drive! Find somewhere without any zombies!" Han Feng's voice wavered with a hint of a sob. But he was acutely aware that they weren't out of danger yet. Zombies were still on their tail, and although they were at a distance, they were steadily closing in.

"I'm okay. The pain will pass. Just focus on driving, everything will be alright," Han Feng reassured the girl beside him, repeating 'I'm fine' to soothe her worries.

"Alright, hang in there. We're moving out now!" The girl let out a relieved breath upon hearing Han Feng's assurances. She restarted the car, which had stalled from the abrupt stop earlier.

As they put distance between themselves and the horde of zombies, the girl's driving became steadier. With the initial threat behind them, Han Feng glanced back at the conscripted soldier slumped in the back seat, no longer standing tall, but gasping for air even minutes after the fight had ended.

Guilt washed over Han Feng as he observed the weary soldier. Indeed, without this soldier's intervention, he might have already been dead. The soldier had stepped up to face the crisis, and even though Han Feng knew he was summoned by the Red Alert system, it didn't diminish his gratitude. The soldier's valiant efforts were etched in Han Feng's memory.

Testing his arm, Han Feng felt the pain subside. It seemed his arm was not seriously injured after all.

"Are you okay?" he asked the soldier, concern lacing his voice. Han Feng knew that surviving the apocalypse hinged on the strength of this soldier.

The thought of the soldier being bitten in the recent skirmish and him not noticing was too dreadful to contemplate.

"I'm fine. No injuries, just weakened from exertion. I'll need about 30 minutes to recover," the soldier replied faintly.

"Thank goodness you're okay. Rest up," Han Feng sighed in relief, already thinking about what food he could find for the soldier to regain his strength.

Should I bother with this girl? No point. Even if she had food in this apocalyptic world, Han Feng wasn't interested. His own survival was far more important than hers.

"I'm Wai Yun. And you are?"

"Han Feng."

Their exchange was brief, a quick exchange of names.

"And him?" the girl inquired, glancing in the rearview mirror.