“Help! Somebody help!”
“Stop chasing us! Please, just stop!”
“There’s nothing left in the car! I swear, we’re not lying!”
“Get away! Stay back!”
From the window downstairs, the woman’s hoarse screams and pleas for help mingled with the screech of car tires grinding against the pavement, slicing through the once peaceful night like a razor-sharp knife.
Fu Cheng held Lin Zao and Lin Xiaobao tightly in his arms, covering their ears.
Lin Zao snapped out of his daze, rolled over, climbed onto Fu Cheng, and yanked open the nightstand drawer. He pulled out a pair of headphones and deftly slipped them over Lin Xiaobao’s ears.
“Come on!”
Lin Zao grabbed Fu Cheng’s hand. He didn’t dare turn on the light but felt his way to the window in the dark.
He pulled back the curtain and realized the noise wasn’t coming from beyond the back wall.
It was from the street out front.
The sounds had been so loud and piercing that he’d misjudged the direction.
Lin Zao tugged Fu Cheng along again. The two of them left the bedroom and hurried to the window overlooking the street.
Before he could even make out the scene below, it hit Lin Zao in a flash who was making all that racket.
It was those women.
The ones who knew his and Fu Cheng’s names, who knew The Tri-Colored Trio lived nearby.
They were the neighbors from the street!
The two sisters from the barbershop, and Fat Aunt from the Flat Meat Shop!
Ever since the zombie outbreak plunged the world into chaos, everyone had to venture out on their own to scavenge for food. The neighbors on the street were no exception.
His family had teamed up with The Tri-Colored Trio, helping each other out.
The two sisters from the barbershop had joined forces with the middle-aged couple from the Flat Meat Shop.
They’d occasionally head over to Grandpa Zhang’s place to borrow his other minivan and drive out for supplies.
Their teamwork had seemed solid enough, their cooperation smooth enough.
But now…
Lin Zao eased the curtain aside just a crack and peered out.
The empty street flickered under the stuttering streetlights, the whole world plunging in and out of shadow like something out of hell.
The familiar white minivan careened wildly this way and that, fleeing for its life.
Two sedans flanked it, one on each side, in hot pursuit, ready at any moment to cut it off and force it to a stop.
The minivan didn’t look right either—its engine sputtering weakly, either from a flat tire or running out of gas.
Fat Uncle must have been behind the wheel; the others were all screaming for help.
But even desperate cries couldn’t stir pity in their pursuers’ hearts.
Those bastards had their eyes on that vehicle. Tonight, they were determined to seize whatever was inside.
“Help… somebody, help…”
The group had raced all the way here, but no one had lifted a finger to help. They’d pinned all their hopes on Happiness Street.
They’d screamed until their throats were raw, on the verge of tears.
Lin Zao pressed his lips together, steeling his resolve. He turned back, locked the bedroom door, and slipped the key into his pocket.
He slipped a mask over Fu Cheng’s face, grabbed his hand, and hurried downstairs.
“Brother Cheng, let’s go! You have to protect me!”
They were neighbors— he couldn’t just stand by and let them die!
He’d grab the chainsaw, see if he could scare these punks off.
If that didn’t work, Brother Cheng could step in!
He didn’t believe for a second they weren’t afraid of zombies!
Lin Zao dashed downstairs, snatched up the chainsaw, and was still fiddling with the chain when the noise outside suddenly cut off.
A bad feeling hit him. He flung open the back door, sprinting out while wrestling the chain into place and yelling at the top of his lungs.
“What the hell’s going on out here this late at night?!”
Fu Cheng stuck close behind him, scanning their surroundings, ever vigilant.
Right on cue, the voices of The Tri-Colored Trio rang out.
“Who the hell are you punks, messing with folks on our street!”
“Get lost if you know what’s good for you, you bastards!”
Lin Zao got the chainsaw ready and emerged onto the street alongside Fu Cheng, threading through the dark alley between their house and Grandpa Zhang’s.
The minivan had completely stalled out right in the middle of the road, hemmed in by the two sedans.
The sedan doors swung open as the drivers started to climb out, but they froze at the sound of the voices, scrambling back inside and peering around warily.
Sure, they’d trapped the minivan.
But now they were the ones trapped!
The Tri-Colored Trio stood blocking the way ahead, iron sticks and wrenches in hand.
One of them slammed a tool against the ground with a resounding clang.
The trio advanced, dragging their weapons along the pavement, the metal screeching harshly.
Lin Zao positioned himself at the mouth of the alley, Fu Cheng right behind him, cutting off any escape at the sedans’ rear.
Lin Zao yanked the chainsaw’s starter cord. It roared to life like thunder!
The would-be robbers jumped, huddling inside their cars and slamming the locks down.
At that moment, there was a commotion from the minivan.
Fat Aunt snatched up the only weapon left in the vehicle and charged right out!
She swung the iron hammer and smashed it into one sedan’s window.
Clang!
The glass shattered outright, but the tint film kept the shards from flying. Instead, fractures spiderwebbed across it in seconds.
“You motherfuckers! Keep chasing us! Come on, try it!”
In the face of utter desperation, human potential was limitless.
Her fury roused the others in the minivan. They rallied, grabbing wrenches and sticks of their own and piling out.
“Come on down! Fight us fair! You cowards!”
“You’ve been stalking us for days, haven’t you?”
“Bullies who only pick on the weak— I’ll kill you all!”
The Tri-Colored Trio and Lin Zao and Fu Cheng didn’t even need to lift a finger. A few more clangs echoed out.
They swarmed the sedans, smashing every window to bits.
Even the toughest front windshields shattered under the two sisters’ combined blows.
In an instant, the tables turned.
The hunted became the hunters.
The hunters started screaming instead.
“What are you doing? What the hell?!”
“Help!”
“Start the car! A Hu, start the damn car!”
But in their panic, the engines wouldn’t turn over.
The air filled with agonized cries.
“My hand!”
“Crazy people—a bunch of lunatics!”
“Hurry! Come on!”
After what felt like forever, one engine finally caught.
“Get out of the way! Move or get run over!”
The sedans lurched into motion. Fat Aunt yanked the two sisters back, pulling them to safety.
The two vehicles stumbled out of Happiness Street.
In their last desperate moment, Fat Uncle had tried prying open one of the sedans’ trunks to loot their supplies.
No dice.
It made sense, though—these guys were career carjackers. Their trunks were probably empty, just waiting to be filled with someone else’s stuff.
In the end, he settled for hawking a thick glob of spit at the retreating taillights.
“Pah!”
The attackers had been routed handily, fleeing in disarray.
Happiness Street settled back into its usual quiet.
Lin Zao and The Tri-Colored Trio stood there dumbfounded.
They hadn’t even needed to do anything.
Just their presence had been enough for show.
With the intruders gone, Lin Zao came to his senses. He whipped around and clapped a hand over the bite guard on Fu Cheng’s face.
They couldn’t let anyone see that thing.
He covered Fu Cheng’s face and shoved him back into the shadows of the alley.
“No coming out unless I say so.”
“Grrr…”
Just then, the people from the minivan finally caught their breath.
Exhausted, they slumped against the vehicle, gasping for air.
The Tri-Colored Trio stepped forward. Grandpa Zhang had woken up too, pushing open his back door to come out.
And the alley he was heading through was exactly where Lin Zao and Fu Cheng were hiding.
No time to get back!
Lin Zao grabbed Fu Cheng’s arm and yanked him behind his own body, puffing out his chest and trying to shield the much larger man with his slight frame.
Grandpa Zhang shuffled out, leaning on his cane.
As he passed Lin Zao and Fu Cheng, he merely squinted, gave them a brief, indifferent glance—as if he hadn’t seen a thing—and turned his head away.
“Little Lin, come with me and take a look.”
“Yeah, yeah, coming.”
Lin Zao nodded vigorously, circling along with Grandpa Zhang’s slow steps to keep blocking Fu Cheng.
Once Grandpa Zhang was out on the street, Lin Zao let out a breath of relief.
Before leaving, he gave Fu Cheng a stern warning.
“The rest are all neighbors—no problem there. I’m just going to check on things. You stay hidden and protect me and Little Bao, got it?”
“Roar…”
Lin Zao playfully clapped a hand over Fu Cheng’s mouth through the bite guard.
“No roaring!”
“Okay.”
With Fu Cheng safely stashed, Lin Zao spun around, caught up to Grandpa Zhang, and steadied him.
“I’m here.”
The two headed toward the minivan.
The Tri-Colored Trio had already arrived and were trying to help the group up from the ground, but they waved them off.
“No can do—we’re wiped out. Need a minute.”
“Thanks, guys. We wouldn’t have known what to do without you.”
Green Hair asked, “How’d you piss off those animals? They were vicious.”
“We didn’t do anything—we’ve never even seen them before!”
“Then…”
“It was the ‘Fatten Pigs’ crew,” Fat Uncle concluded.
“We’ve been heading out for food lately, back and forth, and they must’ve spotted us.”
“They probably tailed us for days but held off, waiting to fatten us up first.”
“Tonight they caught up. No shaking them—they were like maniacs glued to our tail.”
Who would’ve thought there were people like that, pulling stunts like this.
Everyone exchanged uneasy glances, a lingering fear in their eyes.
Lin Zao thought back to the last time his family had gone out—they’d run into something similar.
If he hadn’t had Fu Cheng let out a roar and then floored it to escape, who knows if they’d have shaken them.
Once home, he’d told The Tri-Colored Trio and Grandpa Zhang about it, warning them to stay sharp.
Grandpa Zhang must have passed it on.
And still, it happened.
Lin Zao reassured them. “All good, no major harm done. They’re gone now. Anyone hurt?”
They leaned on the minivan to stand, shaking out their limbs.
“Nah.”
“Just a bit sore from all the window-bashing.”
Fat Uncle said to The Tri-Colored Trio, “Oh, right—the van’s out of gas. We need to go hunt for some gasoline. Mind if we borrow yours?”
“No problem at all,” The Tri-Colored Trio said with a wave. “Take it—everything’s communal property anyway.”
Grandpa Zhang sighed. “If that’s all, let’s head back to bed. Gas and the van can wait till morning. Those guys just left—could circle back. No sense standing around in a group.”
“Got it,” everyone chorused.
They’d brought back supplies, but with the van dry, they’d have to haul it home on foot.
Lin Zao and the others hadn’t done much to help earlier, and now, to avoid suspicion, he couldn’t offer to pitch in with the carrying. Time to head out.
Lin Zao turned to Grandpa Zhang. “Streetlight’s out—I’ll walk you. Careful now.”
“Alright.” Grandpa Zhang chuckled. “Hold on tight, though—don’t let go and send these old bones tumbling.”
“As if! Why don’t you trust me?”
The old man and the young one reached the alley’s mouth.
Lin Zao spotted Fu Cheng still lurking in the shadows and his eyes went wide.
He quickly twisted around, blocking Fu Cheng from view again.
Lin Zao shielded Grandpa Zhang’s line of sight while silently chanting to himself.
Don’t see Brother Cheng, don’t see Brother Cheng!
Grandpa Zhang let out a chuckle and marched straight past Fu Cheng without a sideways glance.
But just after passing, he pulled his hand away.
“That’s far enough. You two get back to Little Bao. He’s alone—might wake up from the noise and start fussing for you.”
“Right, heading back now.”
Lin Zao agreed, grabbed Fu Cheng’s hand, and flashed a guilty smile.
Grandpa Zhang leaned on his cane and added, “World’s getting crazier by the day. You all stay careful.”
“Yeah, yeah.”
After seeing Grandpa Zhang safely home, Lin Zao dragged Fu Cheng back inside.
They hurried upstairs to check on Lin Xiaobao.
Thank goodness, Little Bao was still out cold, headphones on.
With Dad and Big Daddy off the bed, the little guy had it all to himself. He wriggled and flipped every which way, striking all sorts of acrobatic poses.
Lin Zao saw his head tilted against the pillow, squishing out a little roll of cheek, and figured he was just sleeping sideways normally.
But when he lifted the blanket—good grief. The kid looked ready for takeoff.
His little head glued to the pillow, body splayed flat across the entire mattress, feet sticking straight up.
“You little rascal, where are Dad and Big Daddy supposed to sleep?”
Lin Zao gently removed the headphones, tenderly repositioned the boy’s small body, slipped under the covers, and pulled him close again.
Fu Cheng lay down behind them, wrapping an arm around them both.
No major incident this time.
After every storm, the bed felt that much cozier, that much warmer.
The three of them together like this— that was the greatest happiness.
Outside the window, the wind began to stir, pushing dark clouds across the moon.
Rain was coming.
