The silence was deafening.
Chu Muge held Gu Yao's hand as they entered through the half-open doors of the mental hospital and reached the first-floor lobby.
Looking through the barred window of the reception area, Chu Muge saw faint traces of smeared blood on the floor, along with long, dust-covered tables and scattered registration books. Turning her gaze back to the lobby, the floor was filthy and cluttered, and the extinguished LED lights and screens were draped with cobwebs.
It seemed like this place hadn’t been visited for a long time.
No, to be precise, someone had been here just a few days ago. Chu Muge looked down at the muddy footprints on the ground. They were scattered and varied in size, indicating that more than one person had arrived here. It had rained a few days ago, and they must have walked across the grass, which left mud on their shoes.
The first floor wasn't very interesting. Like the gray, overcast sky outside, the whole first floor reeked of decay and neglect. Chu Muge shifted her gaze to the dimly lit staircase.
Time to head to the second floor.
Mud could still be spotted intermittently on the stairs leading up. Chu Muge pressed her lips together as she watched Gu Yao stand at the foot of the stairs, waiting for the two zombie dogs that were trailing behind them, wagging their tails.
“What’s so great about them? They’re ugly as hell,” Chu Muge muttered, feeling a bit jealous.
Gu Yao glanced back at her. Even though her beautiful face was expressionless, Chu Muge could still sense the "glare" in Gu Yao’s gaze.
They’re clearly adorable!
Just look at their big, watery eyes, the way they wag their tails, practically begging to be petted! Even through their rotting bodies, you could still see their firm muscles. They gave off a strong sense of security.
Chu Muge’s cat ears drooped slightly as she puffed out her cheeks in annoyance, turning away from Gu Yao as she quickened her pace up the stairs.
Chu Muge: (｀⌒´メ)
However, Gu Yao wasn’t in any rush. She took her time, watching as the zombie dogs finally caught up before lazily following them upstairs. Sure enough, by the time she reached the second floor, Chu Muge was already waiting at the door, arms crossed, clearly fuming.
When she saw Gu Yao, Chu Muge’s cat ears twitched before she turned her head, speaking indifferently, "We’re here."
—
The second floor had a few beams of sunlight filtering through the windows, illuminating part of the area while making the rest seem even darker by contrast. Chu Muge stood at the edge of the shadowy hallway, looking up at a sign hanging from the ceiling, frowning slightly.
The second floor was the living area, so the place where the medicine was stored wasn’t here.
They needed to find the entrance to the third floor.
Just as she was about to explore further, Chu Muge’s peripheral vision caught sight of something moving in the dark corner. The zombie dogs reacted faster than she did, growling in warning.
A figure was curled up in the shadows. Gu Yao stopped the zombie dogs from pouncing, and Chu Muge slowly approached but halted midway.
Chu Muge narrowed her eyes, realizing that the figure was a person—a living human.
The woman was thin and hunched in the corner, wearing a hospital gown. Her dull gaze was fixed on the snarling zombie dogs, showing not a hint of fear. But when Chu Muge stood before her, the woman’s eyes filled with terror. She trembled, her wrinkled skin quivering, and then she opened her mouth and began to scream loudly.
Chu Muge frowned. "Shh!"
The woman ignored her, her hoarse voice ringing out painfully loud, making Chu Muge’s ears hurt. A flash of killing intent crossed her mind.
It was strange enough to find a human here in the first place, but this woman seemed like a patient of the mental hospital rather than a survivor from outside. How had she survived here for so long? There was no food.
Just as Chu Muge was about to silence her, the sound of hurried footsteps echoed nearby. A group of people, all dressed in the same hospital gowns, appeared at the end of the hallway, glaring at her.
Chu Muge tensed, thinking they would charge at her, but instead, they screamed and scattered in all directions, fleeing in terror.
Chu Muge: ???
What’s going on?
The fearful look in their eyes, it was as if she were some kind of monster. If anyone here should be feared for eating people, it would be the senior, not her.
Chu Muge glanced back at Gu Yao, who was trying to pet the zombie dogs when she thought no one was looking. Chu Muge scolded her immediately, "Don’t pet them!"
Gu Yao flinched, pulling her hand back with a pitiful expression.
Fine, I won’t pet them, why are you yelling? qwq…
At that moment, a loud, angry voice rang out.
"What are you lunatics yelling about?!"
The patients fell silent at once, trembling like frightened chicks. Gu Yao quickly hid the zombie dogs in the shadows.
A man descended from the second floor, looking furious. He was of average height, not too thin, and despite the dark circles under his eyes, he seemed oddly energetic, unlike the usual worn-out survivors of the apocalypse. His face twisted with anger as he stared down the patients, who shivered in fear, too scared to move.
His gaze shifted toward Chu Muge and Gu Yao. His expression stiffened, and with a wary tone, he asked, "Are you… survivors?"
His eyes drifted to the cat ears on Chu Muge’s head, frowning in confusion.
What is that? A headpiece?
"Ah," Chu Muge nodded, "Yes."
"What are you doing here?"
"Just came for some medicine," Chu Muge replied, unbothered.
"Medicine?" The man seemed momentarily confused, glancing at the trembling patients, then laughed, "The only medicine here is for mental patients. You need that too?"
Chu Muge looked at the terrified patients. "Yes. So?"
In that moment, Chu Muge noticed a subtle shift in the man's attitude. His gaze now carried a mix of disdain and contempt, though after catching sight of Chu Muge’s face, there was an odd flicker of something else.
“…I can’t make that decision,” he said. "You’ll need to talk to our boss."
He continued, "Wait here. I’ll go upstairs and ask."
Chu Muge glanced at the ceiling and nodded.
As the man left, the patients scattered out of sight. Chu Muge turned to Gu Yao and said, "Senior, if things go south, you run."
Gu Yao nodded.
A few moments later, the man returned, gesturing for them to follow. "Come on, I’ll take you upstairs to get the medicine."
Gu Yao hesitated, but Chu Muge took her hand, following the man upstairs at a steady pace.
As they walked, Chu Muge casually asked, "So those footprints were yours?"
The man paused, then nodded, "Yeah."
"You’ve got quite a few people with you, then. Enough food to go around?"
The tone was light, as if they were old friends catching up.
"We have enough to last a while," the man grinned. "You saw how many people are downstairs, right?"
It sounded like a joke, but Chu Muge paused before responding, "Oh, so you eat people."
Not even worried about prion disease?
The man seemed taken aback by her calmness, speeding up slightly as he replied, "Cook the meat long enough, and it’s fine. In times like these, who cares about that?"
It was said with such casualness, as if the patients downstairs were a different species altogether. They weren’t equals.
Of course they ate them. They had a system in place, where any patient who dared to venture beyond the second floor was beaten to death in front of the others. Eventually, none of them dared leave. These patients might seem mentally unstable, but they were obedient. The disobedient ones had already been killed. The ones left behind were like docile sheep.
Perhaps the apocalypse had reversed their roles. In this broken world, those who were sick or insane were no longer the weakest. After months of despair, the ones who survived were the most resilient, the ones who would do anything to stay alive.
The man smirked, pushing open the door to the third floor. "We’re here."
Finally.
Chu Muge exhaled quietly. The oppressive feeling in her chest was rising; she couldn’t hold it back for much longer.
—They needed to get the medicine and either leave or she would start killing.