The zombies led us deeper into downtown Rongdu like deeply ugly tour guides that didn’t know shit about the city.

I mean, I knew that they weren’t great conversationalists, but a grunt... a gesture... it would have gone a long way considering I had never been here in either one of my lives.

Mind you, if they were doing one of those haunted ghost tours, I definitely would have given them a five star review... but as it stood? Only one star, and that was because I couldn’t give zero.

I walked silently between Yuche and Lingyun while Chenghai and Zhenlan followed slightly behind us.

None of the zombies came too close anymore. They stayed several meters away, moving in loose groups ahead of us while others trailed behind like they were making sure we didn’t suddenly develop common sense and try to leave.

Which, to be fair, I probably would have done if I wasn’t currently being insulted on a deeply spiritual level.

The streets were beginning to change in small ways the farther we went into the downtown core. Where the outer edges it was pristine and empty, now there were a lot more signs of actual survivors.

And they didn’t appear to be too happy about whatever was going on.

There were discarded backpacks, still with food and supplies in them... even if the food was sus. Sleeping bags were unraveled and placed into store entrances like someone hadn’t had time to roll it up before being forced to move.

Hell, there were even makeshift barricades built from vending machines and office furniture that tried to block entire alleys.

But what I was definitely giving creepy points for were the bright red messages that had been spray painted across the walls... the paint dripping down before it finally dried.

HELP US.

DON’T GO INSIDE.

RUN.

One storefront had its entire front window covered in dried handprints and I couldn’t tell if it was old paint or old blood that made it last that long.

Lingyun stared at them as we passed. "Okay... nope. I would officially like to unsubscribe from this entire city."

"Denied," I replied automatically. "But... once we get back home..."

"We aren’t leaving it for anything," grunted Yuche in perfect agreement. He shot a look over his shoulder at Chenghai and Zhenlan. "I would rather starve to death then come out here again."

Humming in happiness, I nodded my head. "Don’t worry, kid," I purred, blowing him a kiss. "Stick with me and you’ll never go hungry again."

Chenghai scoffed at that statement like there was no way I could actually do what I promised. But I didn’t care. I didn’t need him or Zhenlan...

Ah fuck... information... right.

I needed them for information.

I needed to write that down do I didn’t forget it again.

Just as I was grumbling to myself about the unfairness of life, the ground beneath us trembled again.

It was a lot closer now, like we were walking to the epicenter of the earthquake.

Every vibration felt stronger than the last, like something massive was slowly shifting underneath the streets while the entire downtown core sat on top of its back.

Yuche’s eyes stayed constantly moving now, scanning rooftops, alleys, windows, shadows.

Leave it to the Triad boss to have good survival instincts.

Finally, when I was about to start complaining about the lack of service (everyone else got to be carried so why was I the one stuck walking), a massive hotel finally came fully into view when we turned another corner. 𝑓𝓇𝘦ℯ𝘸𝘦𝑏𝓃𝑜𝘷ℯ𝑙.𝑐𝑜𝓂

It was bigger than any hotel/motel/Holiday Inn I had ever stayed in before. I mean, it looked expensive enough that normal people probably paid horrifying amounts of money to sleep there before the apocalypse.

Even now, warm golden lights still glowed behind the massive lobby windows while water trickled softly down a decorative fountain near the entrance.

The fountain water was red, and I didn’t know if the owner was going for a motif, or if that much blood had really managed to make its way into the water system.

Yet another reason why smart people don’t touch city water any more.

It was absolutely fucking charming in a Wednesday Adams sort of way.

Maybe I should add one to the mansion when I got back... it certainly would keep the door to door sales men away.

Several zombies moved in and out through the shattered revolving doors carrying more survivors inside like this was just another Saturday night... even though I was pretty sure it was a Tuesday.

The hotel itself looked mostly intact from the outside, which honestly made everything worse.

The apocalypse had wrecked half the city already.

But this place?

This place looked lived in.

A military transport truck sat overturned near the front entrance with deep gouges ripped straight through the armored sides. Empty shell casings littered the pavement nearby while several blackened scorch marks crawled across the marble steps leading toward the lobby.

Somebody had fought here.

Hard.

And very clearly lost that battle.

Chenghai slowed slightly beside me. "Military."

"No shit," I grumbled back. "Did you guess that yourself or did you have Zhenlan helping you?"

The closer we got, the more the vibrations intensified beneath the pavement.

They were no longer the random tremors that I experienced outside of Costco... these were much more rhythmic... like breathing.

If the earth breathed.

I hated that it immediately made me more interested in the place. Maybe I could make it a summer home? It really would depend on the pool.

Wait... I had a pool at home.

Nope... never mind .Not worth my time.

I was dragged out of my thoughts when the zombies around us started to slow near the entrance.

One of them carried a little girl wrapped tightly in a blanket against its chest while another dragged a screaming man whose fingers clawed desperately against the pavement hard enough to leave bloody streaks behind him.

Nobody helped him.

Not even the zombies. Not any other survivors. And definitively not us.

Instead, the zombies continued dragging him toward the hotel entrance while he screamed himself hoarse.

Then the screaming suddenly stopped like somebody had flipped a switch.

Lingyun went pale beside me. "I don’t like that."

"Smart man," I replied absently.

The revolving doors turned slowly as another group disappeared inside.

The lobby beyond them looked almost normal at first glance. The couches didn’t have a drop of blood on them, the luggage carts were lined up like they were waiting for guests with... luggage. The marble floors were a bit streaked with blood and fingerprints, but that was nothing a mop and bucket couldn’t fix.

The smell hit us the second we stepped inside. The eau d’zombie was was strong. The smell of rot, blood, mold and wet earth really took me to places I didn’t want to be.

And underneath all of it was a subtle scent of something sweet.

Not cookies or cupcake sweet... but the smell of something that had been ’fermented’ so long that the sour smell left and all there was was something...

Sweet.

Yup.

Absolutely disgusting.

The zombies continued deeper into the hotel lobby while we followed several steps behind them.

Nobody tried stopping us.

Nobody attacked.

That was honestly beginning to piss me off more than actual violence would have.

The lobby itself looked like survivors had tried to turn it into a shelter at some point.

Blankets covered several couches near the walls.

Empty food containers littered the front desk.

Portable lanterns sat plugged into extension cords running across the marble floors toward loud generators humming somewhere deeper inside the building.

There had been people here recently.

A lot of them.

But now? It was like they had all up and vanished with the rest of this city.

Poof... like poofers.

And through it all... zombies carrying living people farther into the building like delivery drivers with deeply questionable customer service and a ’fuck all’ attitude.