Going to the Veterans Hospital for "medical treatment"

The rain was still heavy, and the sky was as dark as night at around four o'clock. At Zhou Yi's insistence, Han Bo stayed home to take care of my mother and Binbin, while he acted as the driver, going to the hospital with my father and me.

He wasn't wearing his jacket anymore, just a faded yellow short-sleeved shirt, with an axe and a baton tucked into his waistband, and a half-smoked cigarette dangling from his mouth. After starting the car, he floored the gas pedal and excitedly said to me, "After we get to the hospital, let's go raid the police station. Let's get a few decent guns. A headshot with a flick of the wrist is much more satisfying than chopping with an axe."

My dad sat in the passenger seat, and I watched my second uncle from the back. No one responded to Zhou Yi's excitement. My dad's face was dark and gloomy, and every time he glanced back at me, his eyes were full of anger. I nervously gripped the screwdriver, staring intently at my second uncle, whose hands and feet were bound.

Han Bo was very good at tying people up. When he was a child, he somehow learned a way to tie a knot that was impossible to untie. Whenever he caught an "enemy," he would tie their hands together with a plastic rope, and no matter how much they struggled, they couldn't break free. They could only let him whip their little faces with a willow twig until they were covered in welts. He couldn't do that when he grew up, because restricting personal freedom was illegal.

My second uncle, who was in a deep coma, was bound hand and foot, and I was responsible for "taking care" of him—that was my request to my father. Originally, I planned to bind him completely, but I gave in after my father's heartbroken rebuke—his gaze was unbearable; he looked at me as if I were a heartless beast.

The windshield wipers were slapping and rattling rapidly, and the incessant sound of rain pounding down on the roof was irritating. Looking out the window, all I could see was darkness. The headlights were dim and barely effective, and I couldn't see anything ahead. I was terrified that some monster might suddenly jump out from either side and perch on our windows.

Zhou Yi seemed completely oblivious to the oppressive atmosphere inside the car. He appeared to be extremely interested in "leveling up" by slaying zombies, humming a tuneless little tune as he drove along, his eyes darting around furtively. It was anyone's guess what he might discover in the darkness, and he would occasionally share his zombie-slaying tips:

“Just cutting off their heads won’t do any good. You need to completely destroy their brains to kill them. You can stab their temples or their eyes. Just stab them in and stir them up. They’ll basically be unable to move. Aifeng, are you strong? Have you ever killed zombies? If you encounter zombies, just go and kill them. I’ll finish them off from behind.”

He was talking enthusiastically when suddenly there was a loud bang, the car shook violently, and the brakes screeched sharply. Caught off guard, I was thrown forward and nearly hit the gear shift. My chin slammed into the armrest, and my teeth bit my tongue, making me gasp in pain.

Thankfully, my dad was wearing his seatbelt and wasn't injured by the sudden braking; he was clutching his chest and pulling on the belt. Ignoring my own pain, I quickly sat up, helped my second uncle, who was lying face down on the floor mat, and anxiously asked, "What happened?"

Zhou Yi stared blankly ahead: "The zombies are coming, quickly lock the door."

Before I could even react in surprise, I lunged left and right, snapping the lock buttons before finally looking through the windshield. Under the high beams, the rain fell like countless tiny, silvery cones, and from within this forest of cones, many humanoid monsters slowly materialized, swaying toward us. The light and the heavy rain made their faces and limbs look especially horribly distorted, like demons crawling out of their graves.

There were about a dozen within the range of the light, and it's unknown how many more were out of sight.

My dad obviously saw it too. He pulled out a kitchen knife and said in a deep voice, "They're blocking the way. We can't just sit here and wait to die."

Seeing that he looked like he was about to get out of the car, I quickly said, "Dad, you absolutely can't get out of the car. The rain is too heavy, and you won't be able to aim accurately. If you get entangled, it's all over. Zhou Yi, can we ram it out of the car?"

Zhou Yi wasn't too panicked. He reached out and turned off the headlights, then slapped the steering wheel: "We have to crash, whether we want to or not. There are too many to fight. Hold on tight!"

With the lights off, the view outside the car became clearer. There were more than a dozen of them. Besides the swaying corpses in front, there were also groups of black ones on both sides, some with their heads tilted, some with their shoulders drooping, and some dragging their heels. They were baring their teeth and claws at our car with very clear purpose. Some of the closer ones were already touching the car door.

"Go! Go quickly!" I shouted, pressing my second uncle down tightly.

Without saying a word, Zhou Yi stepped on the gas, and the van roared forward as if its cylinder had been blocked, instantly crashing into the horde of corpses.

The feeling of bumping into a zombie is terrifying. It's different from hitting a pebble or running over an animal; it's purely the impact of flesh against metal. Even though I was sitting in the back, I could still feel, "Oh, so this is what it feels like to hit someone."

With a series of thuds, zombies were felled under the vehicle like logs, one after another, the car violently jolting as it ran over them, making it almost impossible for me to stay in my seat. Outside, the sound of rain mingled with eerie screams, and the pale faces and ghostly claws washed by the rain brushed against the car window.

In twenty seconds, or even less, our van smashed through the horde of corpses like a road roller, then maintained a speed of 130 km/h for several kilometers. Occasionally, we could still hear "bangs," but the large, organized horde of corpses was gone; now it was just a few stray carnages wandering the road.

Zhou Yi craned his neck to look outside, then let out a long sigh and slowed down. He pulled a cigarette from behind his left ear and handed it to my dad, then pulled one from behind his right ear, lit it, took a few deep drags, and cursed, "That bastard scared the hell out of me!"

My dad sat there with his head down, smoking, silent for a long time. After finishing his cigarette, he turned to look at me and asked, "How's your second uncle?"

My arm ached from massaging my second uncle's chest. In the dim light of the car, I couldn't see his face at all, so I just touched his chest and said, "He should be... alright." He was still a little warm.

My dad was clearly terrified, his voice trembling as he said, "What... what's going on? It wasn't like this this morning. We didn't see many zombies on the way to Xiaojiangshan this morning. Why are they all out now?"

"Because it's dark." Zhou Yi turned the steering wheel a few times, turned around, and could vaguely see the sign of the suburban bus station outside the window.

"Zombies don't like to be active during the day. When I used to work at that supermarket, there would be clumps of them in the square at night, and they would disperse when it got light. If it weren't for that bastard Han Bo making such a big fuss the other day and attracting a group of them in, I wouldn't have... cough cough."

He glanced back at me and gave an awkward laugh: "But it's not so bad, otherwise how would I meet girls?"

I couldn't stand his sleazy look, so I ignored him and said to my dad, "If that's really the case, wouldn't going to the hospital so late at night be like lambs to the slaughter?"

My dad covered his head and sighed, "What can we do? Your second uncle can't wait any longer, what if he..."

Zhou Yi said nonchalantly, "We're already here. Isn't the Veterans Hospital just around the corner? Uncle, you wait in the car. My sister and I will clear the way. As long as the zombies don't swarm together, they're no match for us."

My dad said, "No, Dafeng, stay in the car. I'll go with you."

Zhou Yi said, "It's alright, Uncle. The zombies we have now are all low-level zombies. Let the girl practice a bit, and it won't be difficult for her to fight the higher-level ones later. I think my sister Dafeng has extraordinary talent; who knows, she might be able to unleash her special abilities in the future. You know, in the base, those with special abilities are all superior!"

My dad was completely bewildered: "What's this about low-level and high-level abilities? What kind of superpowers are you talking about?"

If it weren't for the presence of elders, I would have slapped Zhou Yi across the face. I wonder if Vice President Lu is still alive? He's an expert at treating paranoia and schizophrenia.

The van stopped on the street opposite the entrance of the Veterans Hospital. The electronic iron gate, which was usually wide open, now had only a narrow entrance for one person. Outside the gate, several dark zombies stood blankly in the rain. Perhaps it was because the rain was too loud, or perhaps it was because the lights were not on, but they did not notice our arrival. They just stood there, staring blankly into the hospital.

We whispered in the car for a while, and finally decided that Zhou Yi and I would go first. Zhou Yi's advice to me was: go in and do it, and run away as soon as you're done!

As I was getting out of the car, I glanced at my second uncle, who looked like a dead man, and said seriously, "Dad, we'll be back soon. Don't go to the back seat. Second Uncle is fine now, but if he... Think about Xiao Bo's dad. If Second Uncle gets sick, it will be very dangerous. You must get out of the car immediately and run towards our yard, understand?"

I couldn't tell if my dad's face darkened, but he just snorted through his nose and didn't answer me.

Zhou Yi and I each wore a raincoat that my mom had prepared for us before we left home. We picked up an axe and a screwdriver, and with great effort, we slowly opened and then slowly pushed the car door shut.

The rain didn't just drizzle, it poured over us. In an instant, I was soaked so much that I couldn't open my eyes or my mouth. The water on the ground reached up to my shoes, making it very difficult to run.

I pulled on my hood, squinted, and followed Zhou Yi to the back of the zombies. There were three of them, just the two of us. He stabbed the head, and I stabbed the temple. After stabbing, I kicked him, pulled out the screwdriver, and pounced on another one.

I'm quite skilled in fighting techniques, mostly using fists and feet. I don't know much about using lethal weapons, otherwise I wouldn't have been grabbed and shaken by a zombie at the entrance of Da Hong Fa.

When I pulled the screwdriver out of the zombie's head, I suddenly felt an unprecedented sense of relief. Although it was so dark I couldn't see anything, and the rain was soaking me, it didn't stop me from feeling the exhilarating sensation of being subdued by a sharp weapon. Watching the zombie stiffen and fall to the ground after the sharp screwdriver pierced it, I felt something stirring deep inside me, ready to burst forth.

Zhou Yi was even more swift, splitting the three zombies' heads into six pieces. After finishing, he waved to me, and we went our separate ways. I went into the yard to open the electronic gate, while he rushed back to the van.

The security room window was broken, and a corpse was lying on the windowsill. The head was missing, and only half of the arms remained. But I recognized the broad frame at a glance as our Captain Wang—the strongest man in the security team and my leader.

My job is a security guard and caregiver at a veterans' hospital. This isn't unusual; I studied property management, and I had many job options after graduation. However, my mother was extremely unwilling for me to become a "garbage collector," and no matter how I explained, she couldn't accept it. She had to swallow her pride and go to great lengths to get help from her only sister, my aunt's ex-husband, to find me this job.

Why do I say "shameless"? Because my aunt's ex-husband cheated on her, and my mom and aunt had him cornered in a hotel and beaten to a pulp. For a long time before my aunt met a bald, divorced Australian man online and remarried, my mom spent her free time criticizing her ex-brother-in-law. So, when asking for help, she inevitably lacked confidence.

I don't know if my former uncle felt guilty towards my aunt or was afraid of my mother's power, but he readily helped me out and got me a position in "logistics and administration" at the provincial-level veterans' hospital. In reality, I was just a security guard, the only female security guard in the entire team.

As for occasionally doing caregiver work, it's because there's a severe shortage of caregivers in our facility. Several security guards have been selected for training to take on two roles, so they can earn an extra salary when there's work to do.

I really enjoy this job. Besides guarding the gate, patrolling, and shielding doctors from the verbal abuse and physical assaults of family members, I also get to see all sorts of mentally ill patients. Observing their words and actions is like opening the door to a new world for me, allowing me to glimpse another mottled and colorful realm. Having a quirky sense of humor, I naturally work with enthusiasm, eagerly taking on the dirty and tiring tasks, like subduing patients. Captain Wang often praises me in small groups, saying, "You're a girl who can be used like a boy..."

Looking at his corpse, I felt a deep sorrow. A good leader who appreciated me had died like this, and his body was not even intact. But I had no way to collect his body.

The security room was dark, so to avoid any unexpected situations, I decided not to go in. Instead, I reached my hand through the broken glass on the side of Captain Wang's mutilated body, fumbled around on the desk for a moment, and found the electric switch. With a gentle press, the electronic door hissed and retracted, and a van from across the street drove towards us.

To provide patients with a good recovery environment, our unit has done an excellent job with landscaping. In front of the outpatient building and the administration building are two large lawns, divided into sections by shrubs and interspersed with pine trees and magnolias. A main road runs straight from the main gate to the inpatient department, lined with evergreen pines and cypresses, interspersed with many impractical little flowerpots, often used by patients' families as a means of venting their anger. The back garden of the inpatient department features artificial hills, a small lake, pavilions, and a grove of trees—a pleasant spot for patients to relax. Since some patients have attempted suicide by jumping into the lake, we have to go down and rescue them several times a year.

More trees mean more hiding places, but also poor visibility. The Veterans Hospital claims to be able to accommodate 1,000 inpatients, which is somewhat exaggerated, but from my observation, it's usually not enough to keep the 300-400 beds occupied.

Three or four hundred patients, if they all turn into zombies... I looked back at the inpatient building. The corridors, which are usually brightly lit 24 hours a day, were now pitch black. There seemed to be a square object hanging outside a window on the left side of the seventh floor. It was too dark and rainy to see clearly. Are there really any survivors there?

As Zhou Yi drove in, I quickly closed the electronic door and jumped in, letting him drive along the side road all the way to the bottom of the inpatient department steps. We didn't see any more wandering zombies.

My dad tilted his head and looked towards the outpatient department on the west side: "Why don't we go to the outpatient department? Isn't the pharmacy over there?"

“Going to the outpatient clinic is useless without a doctor,” my wet raincoat made my face itchy. Looking at the pitch-black inpatient ward, I felt uncertain. “Didn’t they say there are living people in the inpatient ward? I’ll go up and look for one first. If there’s a doctor still there, I’ll come down and get the medicine.”

My dad then asked, "How's your second uncle?"

I didn't answer, but opened the car door and said, "Dad, you and Brother Zhou come with me. I saw that the security room has power, so the power here has probably been cut off. The three of us have to go together."

"You're just going to leave your second uncle in the car?" My dad was very worried. "Or I can stay."

I said impatiently, "What's the use of you guarding him? We'll run into countless zombies on the way upstairs. More people means more help. Wouldn't it be better to find a doctor sooner? Uncle is asleep now, so he's safest in the car."

My dad finally stopped arguing with me. He didn't know that my second uncle's fever had subsided and his neck was ice-cold, making it dangerous to stay with him.

Walking through the lobby, there were doors leading to the outside on both sides of the department corridor. The leather curtains had been pulled down by someone, letting in a little bit of daylight. You could barely see the overturned long chairs and a few scattered shoes on the ground.

The west staircase was right next to the elevator. The three of us silently and quickly climbed the steps. After turning a corner on the first floor, we looked up and saw two dark, shadowy figures on the second floor, growling softly and stretching out their arms towards us.

The staircase was narrow and dark, with only a small ventilation window. I was worried about how to spot the zombies' movements and how to fight my way up when I heard two loud thuds. Two zombies suddenly tumbled down the stairs one after the other, crashing and tumbling at our feet.

"Get out of the way!" Zhou Yi shoved me aside and raised his axe to chop. My dad and I quickly dodged around the corner. The zombies were lying in the darkness, their heads and feet obscured, and we couldn't tell where Zhou Yi was chopping. All we could hear were their shrill, demonic cries growing louder and louder, their claws scratching wildly at the ground.

"Don't waste time! Get upstairs!" Afraid someone would get caught by the zombies, I dragged my dad upstairs. Zhou Yi didn't linger either; he swung his axe a few times and then ran after us.

As if summoned by the two zombies, ghostly cries echoed from the doorway in the second-floor stairwell, followed by a flurry of hurried footsteps. We dared not linger; each grabbed our weapons and charged upstairs in one go.

The next few floors were safe, but there were groups of howling zombies outside the stairwells on each floor. As if they had smelled the delicious scent of living people, they were screaming with all their might because they were starving. Anyone could hear the impatience in their cries of "hunger," which was terrifying to hear.

One can imagine that if you stood outside and listened, this building would sound like hell. Although the small doors are all tightly closed, if their restlessness cannot be quelled, it's only a matter of time before the stairwell is overrun.

Amidst the piercing screams, Zhou Yi quickly stepped past my father and stood beside me, whispering, "You know your second uncle is dying, why didn't you just talk to your father about it? Why did you insist on coming to the hospital? If he dies here today... I haven't even gotten married yet!"

I took two steps at a time, holding my breath as I said, "What's most important in the apocalypse? You've read dozens of apocalyptic novels, you can't be unaware, can you?"

Even in the darkness, Zhou Yi's eyes lit up: "Supplies! Territory! You're here to get medicine?"

I looked back at my dad, listening to him panting as he climbed the stairs, and said noncommittally, "Would my dad let me off the hook if I didn't come? Would you choose to take a risk or be nagged by him for the rest of your life?"

"This is a life-or-death risk!"

"You can't say that. My colleagues are here. They've already called SOS. How can I just stand by and watch them die?" I declared righteously.

"I don't care, I'm going to collect everything I can, whether there are any survivors or not. Medicine will be more expensive than gold in the future."

Zhou Yi muttered to himself, and I chuckled to myself; he was really thinking the same thing as me.

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Just for my own amusement...