That was exactly why she kept moving. She released Yan Cijin’s wrist, then with a thought, the whisperfang and a kukri appeared in her left and right hands. Bai Li handed the kukri in her left hand to Yan Cijin, gave her a quick wink, and then, holding the whisperfang in her right hand, walked upstairs in silence.

Yan Cijin understood right away and slowed her pace so she could follow behind Bai Li without making noise. She knew the routine now. When Bai Li moved like this, it meant danger could appear at any time. The stairwell was narrow, dim, and full of the kind of stale air that made people feel trapped. Bai Li had already cleared most of the zombies from Building 9 when she came out yesterday, so she was not too worried about a huge swarm suddenly appearing in the stairwell. Still, she was not the kind of person who would depend on luck. In the apocalypse, luck was not reliable. Caution was.

There were still some zombie bodies Bai Li had killed yesterday lying around in the stairwell. June weather made everything worse. The heat pressed down on the building, and the already foul smell from the corpses had turned even more rotten. The air was thick with decay. Some of the bodies even had white maggot like creatures crawling over them, wriggling in clusters and moving in ugly little swarms. The smell was enough to make anybody want to throw up. It was not just bad. It was the kind of smell that clung to the back of the throat and made breathing feel wrong.

Yan Cijin was already immune to zombies, so the corpses themselves did not bother her much, but she still acted a little uncomfortable. Her left hand instinctively hooked around the hem of Bai Li’s vest. Bai Li noticed that and turned to look at her. Then she lowered her voice and said, "It’s normal. The weather is so hot, and these corpses smell so bad, it’s inevitable that they attract insects. Just bear with it, it’ll be fine once we get home."

Yan Cijin nodded, but she still kept her hand on Bai Li’s vest. The smell was awful, and the sight of the maggots crawling over the bodies was more than enough to make her feel uneasy. She knew Bai Li was right, though. There was no point complaining about the state of the world now. This was just how the apocalypse was. Ugly, dirty, rotten, and impossible to avoid. So she swallowed down the discomfort and stayed close.

"Watch your step. These maggots look like ordinary maggots, but they’re still unsanitary. It’s best not to step on them. Stay close to me," Bai Li warned before continuing up the stairs.

"Okay." Yan Cijin answered softly. They were almost home now, and that thought helped her hold on a little better. Even with the disgusting stairwell, even with the smell of rot everywhere, home was close enough that she could almost picture it. That small bit of comfort mattered more than it should have.

They went up to the sixth floor without seeing any zombies. That in itself was a relief, but Bai Li did not loosen up. She had already learned that the quiet moments were often the most dangerous ones. And sure enough, at the corner between the sixth and seventh floors, she ran into an old female zombie. Her eyes had rolled back, and she had already lost all human will. There was no emotion left in her face, no recognition, only a blank and ugly hunger.

The zombie smelled the scent of living people on Bai Li, made gurgling sounds in her throat, and then suddenly leaped down from above, pouncing on Bai Li with fast, ugly force. This was exactly the kind of thing Bai Li feared most. Fighting zombies on the stairs gave her an advantage because they had to come toward her, but if a zombie got the higher ground, then that advantage could be turned against her. That was exactly what was happening now.

Even though the zombie was old, its attack was fierce, and the narrow stairway only made it more dangerous. Bai Li rushed forward at once and kicked it hard while slashing its neck with her Tang sword at the same time. Her movements were clean and sharp, with no hesitation at all. Maybe the bones of an elderly zombie were not as strong, because with just one strike the zombie collapsed to the ground. Its foul smelling blood splashed across Bai Li, but she did not react. She only looked at the fallen body and kept her breathing steady.

Yan Cijin looked at the disfigured corpse on the floor and said, "Grandma wen? It looks like Grandma wen from the 18th floor." Even though the zombie’s face was ruined, she could still tell who it was from the clothes. Grandma wen had been living alone for years after her husband passed away, and she rarely had visitors. She was a quiet person who kept to herself most of the time, but she was always polite when she ran into others in the building. Sometimes she would sit by the corridor window in the evenings, watching people come and go without saying much. Yan Cijin had spoken to her a few times in passing, just simple greetings, but the old woman would always nod gently with a faint smile. Seeing her like this made the whole thing feel heavy and strange.

"Do you know her?" Bai Li asked.

"Yes." Yan Cijin nodded. She only felt a little bad, but after so many scenes like this, her shock had already worn down. The apocalypse had made pain into something common, and common pain did not always feel sharp anymore. It was still there, but it stayed quiet inside her.

Bai Li nodded. "There’s nothing I can do. She’s already turned into a zombie. If I don’t kill her, I can only wait to be bitten."

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To be continued.