Chapter 193: Zombies and Outing.
The feeling had been showing up a lot lately, mostly when Yan Cijin was near, and Bai Li still had not found a good way to name it. It was not enough to distract her from the fight, but it was enough to make her aware of the other woman in a way she had not been before.
The supermarket was finally getting closer. Bai Li could now see more of the storefront area beyond the corner, and there were still signs of movement there. Two zombies were wandering near the side entrance, and another was farther away near an abandoned shopping cart. That meant they would still have to break through a few more obstacles before they could start loading supplies. Bai Li took a slow breath and rolled her shoulders slightly. Her body was still capable, and the sword in her hand still felt good. If she had been alone, she probably would have rushed the whole thing a little more aggressively. But with Yan Cijin beside her, Bai Li found herself being just a touch more careful with the pace. Not because Yan Cijin could not keep up, but because she did not want anything unexpected to happen to her.
That thought came and went quickly, but Bai Li still noticed it.
A little farther ahead, the first zombie by the storefront suddenly turned toward them with a slow, ugly jerk. Bai Li reacted instantly, taking it down before it could make noise. The second one followed, and Yan Cijin stepped in on the side to make sure the body did not fall into their path. It was a simple thing, but in combat, simple things were often the difference between an exit and a trap. Bai Li kept her breathing even. She could feel the strength in her legs, the stability in her wrists, and the clean confidence in her balance. This was the version of herself that could move through danger without freezing. This was the version she needed to be if she wanted to survive long term.
Inside the building, more residents were still watching through the gaps they dared to use. Their reactions were mixed. Some were already thinking about the supplies at the supermarket downstairs and whether they should try to follow Bai Li’s route later. Others were just afraid the noise would attract a bigger wave. One older man, who had been crouching by the staircase wall for nearly an hour already, quietly admitted to himself that if Bai Li could do that much in the open, then the young woman was probably their best chance of survival if things got worse. He did not say it out loud, because saying it out loud meant admitting dependence, and a lot of people were still clinging to the illusion that they could handle everything themselves. But inside, he knew the truth well enough. Strong people were already becoming the center around which weaker people adjusted their behavior.
Bai Li and Yan Cijin were not thinking about any of that directly. They were focused on the route, the zombies, and the next few minutes of survival. Bai Li lifted her knife again, checking the angle of the supermarket entrance and the space around the nearby vehicles. If zombies were hidden behind them, she wanted to know before stepping into the open. Yan Cijin held position just behind her, ready to move at the first sign of trouble. The air between them was tense, but not unpleasantly so. It had the kind of tension that comes when two people are working together under pressure and both know the other one can be trusted not to break.
A sudden movement from the right made Bai Li twist her body before her brain fully finished registering it. Another zombie had come out from a side walkway. Bai Li’s knife cut first, fast enough that the zombie’s head jerked back before it finished its own step. The body stumbled and then fell against the curb. Yan Cijin moved in immediately to make sure it stayed down. The two of them kept that pattern going in a clean, efficient rhythm. Bai Li pulled the attention. Yan Cijin covered the side. Bai Li cleared the front. Yan Cijin protected the opening. It was not flashy teamwork in the dramatic sense, but it was exactly the kind of teamwork that kept people alive.
Bai Li’s breathing remained steady, though her pulse had started to climb with the pace of the fight. Not in a bad way. More like the kind of quickened heartbeat that came when the body was fully alive and fully locked in. She could hear the faint scrape of her boots on the pavement, the dull impact of zombies hitting the ground, and the brief rustle of Yan Cijin’s movement behind her. Those sounds blended together into a strange little battle rhythm. Bai Li liked that rhythm. It made the world feel narrower, simpler, easier to deal with. There was the target, the strike, the motion, the result. Nothing else mattered until the fight ended.
Yan Cijin, for her part, was starting to feel something similar, though she would probably not describe it that way if someone asked. She felt the thrill of staying in step with Bai Li’s movements. She felt the pressure of keeping up. She felt a kind of silent trust building each time Bai Li shifted just enough to keep her safe without even needing to tell her what to do. That trust was doing strange things to her heart. Not enough to be obvious. Just enough to make the world feel a little warmer than it had been before. Every time Bai Li glanced back, even briefly, Yan Cijin felt the urge to hold that look a second longer. Every time Bai Li stepped just slightly closer so they would not split apart under pressure, Yan Cijin’s breathing changed in a way she did her best to hide.
At the edge of the supermarket area, one more zombie lurched from behind a row of abandoned carts.
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To be continued.
