2: Underneath A Thousand Skies

239 Vixen Above, Mensao Below (53)

"Jia, hold on to me."

There were less zombies left inside the mansion. Those who hadn't eaten and drank the contaminated feast had probably ran out, with the zombies chasing after them.

Ye Minzhe gripped the rifle he grabbed from the duffel bag with both hands, slowly walking forward into the hallway.

Song Jia kept a look out, biting her lower lip as sweat trickled down her forehead. It was lucky that the Ye mansion had a high ceiling, considering that Ye Minzhe was tall and she would certainly hit her head if it wasn't.

Suddenly, she shouted.

"Minzhe!"

Ye Minzhe had seen the zombie at the same time as her. He raised his rifle, took quick aim, and before the zombie could even turn around to notice them, he fired. The bullet buried itself into the zombie's head, sliding past hair, skin, and muscle. There was a sickening thump as the zombie fell down headfirst.

Crash!

Pa-da!

Behind them, there were horrible sounds of skittering and messy footsteps, along with the deafening crash of furniture. Song Jia hung tight as Ye Minzhe began to run, turning into one hallway after another before they saw the staircase to the third floor and went up.

There were more zombies waiting for them on top of the staircase. Behind them, they could hear the zombies growling like animals as they kept up the chase. They were fast, their feet slapping the steps.

"Fuck!"

Ye Minzhe cursed, and using his rifle like a baton, he swung it at the zombies blocking their way. He dropped the rifle as soon as they got through and grabbed Song Jia's legs instead, running as fast as he could.

"Damn this old man, why did he have to make the mansion so big?!"

Pants escaped Ye Minzhe's tightly pressed lips as he continued to run floor after floor, and when they finally reached the rooftop, he pushed open the door and slammed it shut behind him, locking it.

"Jia? Jia, are you okay?" Ye Minzhe gasped out.

He turned and set Song Jia down carefully, shielding her in front of him. He shot a look over his shoulder to survey their surroundings.

Suddenly, Song Jia pushed past him, running straight towards the rooftop's edge. Ye Minzhe's heart jumped with fear.

"Jia!" He shouted, chasing after her.

"Don't come over here!" Song Jia was at the very edge of the rooftop, standing more than several feet off the ground.

Behind her was empty space.

Pinpoint specks of silver stars dotted the sky, the moonlight bathing her figure in a pale light. The icy night wind blew over, whipping loose tendrils of her hair.

"I said, don't come!" Song Jia took a step back, biting her lips until they bled. She was badly shaking, her hands holding her stomach as if she was trying to suppress something.

Ye Minzhe stopped, his eyes staring at her feet, afraid that she would take another step back. The world seemed to have been put on pause, and the emotions in his heart felt as if it have been blocked by a large boulder, unable to be released.

Terror rose up inside him, rising like the tide, but when it escaped his lips, it became a single plea, "Jia, don't."

What was fear?

This was fear.

"Ye Minzhe, is that you?"

"Minzhe?"

Voices suddenly broke their stalemate, and several footsteps came closer and closer, coming from the direction of the helipad. They stopped when they saw what was going on.

"Ye Jia?" Ding Xiuxiu was the first to gasp in surprise.

The group who came to take a look was composed of Ding Xiuxiu, Gong Qiye, Ouyang Che, and Wen Yan. All of their clothes were splashed with zombie blood.

"What's going on?" Wen Yan was confused. She looked at Song Jia, then back at Ye Minzhe. "Why is Ye Jia standing at the edge? That's dangerous!"

Ye Minzhe ignored them. He kept his eyes fixed towards Song Jia, his face ashen. "Jia, come to me, okay?"

Song Jia shifted her feet, as if she was about to jump, and an unprecedented panic gripped Ye Minzhe. He took a step forward and hysterically shouted, "Don't!"

Song Jia froze, and looked back at him.

"Jia, I forbid you from taking one more step! Come down here!" Ye Minzhe clenched his fists, his eyes red with anger. He raised the volume of his voice, as if he could command her by being loud. "Come down!"

"She can't."

A new voice rang in the air, his tone calm and gentle, like running water. Long Aotian stepped out from behind Ding Xiuxiu's group, his face looking even paler and thinner than before.

"She's been bitten."