"Fan… Fan Xui…." a soft murmur was heard.
Zi Chen shot up straight, hitting his grandfather's chin.
"Ow boy slow down. Why did you sit up so abruptly like that?" he hugged him gently and kissed his cheeks. "Are you hungry? Grandpa's got a special snack for you," with a grin he handed him a small piece of chocolate.
Zi Chen blankly gazed at him. "where's Yue dad?"
Zou Wei gazed at his wife who just shrugged. "Your Yue dad is outside working on protecting us."
"where's Yue dad…." Cen gazed at him with his eyes wide open. "he is not here, is he?"
"I'm pretty sure he is somewhere in here…." Zou Wei nudged his wife.
"of course, where else would your dad be? He must be having a meeting with the others on survival plans." She confidently said with a grin.
Chen shook his head. "no… he is not here." he sent off his plethora of bees checking every single premise of the prison base but he couldn't find his dad. "Yue dad is not here…..."
He then closed his eye and connected with the single be he had left on him.
Ever since the base attack he had been secretly leaving a small bee with both his father's side. It was just to check in on them now then. Only after he checked on them would he be able to sleep…
That came in handy at times like this.
After a few minutes, he was able to connect to that bee. The location was far off their base. At least a few kilometers from their new home.
"Fan…. Fan…. Chen… I don't want to…. Die…." he heard through the bee.
Zi Chen immediately shot up. "Daddy! Daddy!!!! Aunty!" he ran out of there.
"Chen ah! Don't run around! Get back here." Zou Wei rushed after him.
"daddy!!!! Daddy!!!!" he ran around frantically until he found his daddy. He jumped into his arms. "daddy! Yue dad is in trouble! He... he is somewhere dark and… he is crying… he is crying, saying that he didn't want to die… he is not safe. He is out of the base... ," he cried incoherently.
"whoa slow down" Fan picked him up and hugged him. Only after a second did the words he heard registered in his mind. "Your dad? what did you mean by that? Yue is where? In that other base."
"no! no he is outside! He is outside!" Chen cried clinging to his clothes. "We have to save him! We have to save him right now."
Fan's heart almost stopped at this. he gently patted his back as he ran to the isolation cells. Tian and Juda were resting after a long night.
He hurriedly shook her shoulders. "Keys. I need keys."
"Why?" tian frowned deeply.
"Yue is out! Don't know what's going on, but he needs me." He frantically pulled the keys from Juda's hands and ran out of there.
"Is he hurt?!" tian ran after him.,
"I don't know... I don't know anything. Chen is saying he is outside the base and is hurt. He can't see much." he gently patted Chen's trembling back. "Can you tell us more? D-do you know where your dad is?"
"He is somewhere that way," he pointed to the north. "He is hurt dad… he is crying…" he sobbed hugging him tightly.
"let's take Trexa with us," tian ran to the other room and in order not to agitate others she silently picked up the sleeping rat and left the room.
Fan and tian then hurried out and took one of their rovers and drove out as fast as they could.
They didn't see any zombies until a little distance from the prison base. And then they all started to crowd around them and block their path.
Tian wordlessly set off a huge flaming tornado and cleared the path.
"Chen, can you still track your dad?"
Cen tremblingly nodded. "The… that new uncle is with him. They are both in dark… and I can't see much. But dad is crying. Daddy, he is crying…" he clung to his arms.
"We will save your dad, okay? Don't worry." Fan hugged him as he gazed at tian.
Tian gritted her teeth loudly. "Fuck this! you, drive. I'll tear these to shreds" he actually jumped out of the car and proceeded to burn off all the zombies that were getting in their way.
Soon, their path was cleared up.
Fan sped up as fast as the car could go in the direction Chen was pointing out. This led them to a street filled with dilapidated buildings. The ceilings had sunken and a few parts of the building were intact.
"I saw this! dad is close!!" Chen held out his hand a huge swarm of bees ran to him and touched him. "Find my dad!" they all dispersed into the nearby streets.
"I see him! He is there," Chen pointed to a two-story building that was intact a little further from them.
Fan hurriedly drove close and they all rushed in.
Just as they opened the door, they were met with a metal wall.
"Shao! Shao, open this darn thing!!" Fan barged in it. he had to get to his lover. He needs him. He needs him…
"Move!" tian pushed him out of the way and melted the metal off with just a touch.
Inside they saw two figures crouched by the bathtub.,
"Yue…." Fan scrambled close and held his lover's hand. It was hot as a sauna. "Yue, babe, look at me. Tian light this place up!"
Tian lit her hand on fire lighting the metal room up
Fan was finally able to see his lover's sweaty face. For a second, he could not say anything.
Yue's whole face was covered in black veins. He was sweating abnormally and his was slurring as he spoke.
His lover was infected.
"Fan… Fan... am I…. dreaming…" Yue's trembling hand delicately cupped hie face. "its a good dream…."
Fan Xui hugged him tightly. "No, I'm here., I'm right here Yue." He pulled out Trexa from his pocket.
The disoriented rat gazed at them as it wiped at his eyes.
"Save him Trexa. Please...save him," Fan begged it.
The little rat squeaked loudly as it saw Yue. It jumped on him and touched his face with its small paws.
"Hey, baby…. You're here too… can… can you save me…" Yue smiled at Trexa with difficulty. "My kids need me…..."
"Squeak!!"