Surviving the Apocalypse with the Young Miss - Chapter 87

Chapter 87: Meteorite

Tong Xiangyu stomped ahead in a rage, with Song Ge following close behind. The scorching sun beat down from above.

At the second intersection, Song Ge caught up to her and firmly took her hand. Feeling her hand being held, Tong Xiangyu’s heart softened slightly. Before Song Ge could even speak, her anger had largely dissipated. She didn’t pull away, but instead grumbled in a low voice, “What are you doing?”

Song Ge said, “You took a wrong turn. It’s this way.”

Realizing Song Ge hadn’t come to “apologize,” Tong Xiangyu huffed, “I know that!” She shook off Song Ge’s hand and marched toward the other side.

Song Ge felt helpless.

Back at the car, Tong Xiangyu opened the passenger door and said to Song Ge, “Fine, let’s just go with them! Like you said, it’s safer!”

“No,” Song Ge replied. “Since you don’t like that special police officer, we’ll go on our own. We won’t join them.”

Tong Xiangyu looked at her. Song Ge didn’t look away.

“Song Ge, do you think I’m being willful?” Tong Xiangyu asked.

“No.”

“You definitely do.”

Song Ge said, “I also think traveling with them would delay things. Besides, it’s a hassle. More people mean more trouble and more things that can go wrong.”

Hearing this, Tong Xiangyu finally felt much better. She let out a small hum. “You better actually think that.”

Song Ge organized the supplies in the back seat and trunk—they had enough food for a while. “Since it’s decided, should we head out of town now?”

“Don’t we need to tell them?” Tong Xiangyu asked.

“No need,” Song Ge said. “Whether we join them or not, they’ll be leaving in two days anyway.”

Tong Xiangyu hummed in agreement and then said, “Let’s rest a bit longer. It’s hot in the car, and you’re tired from all the driving. Let’s sit in the barbershop for a while more.”

“Mhm.”

Although the car was parked in the shade, the furnace-like weather made the interior feel like a suffocating oven. Song Ge started the car to let the AC cool it down, then went back into the barbershop.

Despite not wanting to join that group, Song Ge felt more at ease having met them. Even though this disaster was unprecedentedly tragic and terrifying, as long as the government existed, civilization and order could be restored. At the very least, the hope she was chasing by taking the young lady north wasn’t just a fantasy.

Song Ge sat watching the unfamiliar street. Seeing Song Ge silent, Tong Xiangyu started to feel conflicted. She knew Song Ge likely wanted to go with that group. It was obvious Song Ge trusted them—a stark contrast to her attitude toward the people at Zeus.

Tong Xiangyu felt hesitant and stifled. She knew deep down that she wasn’t truly worried about the policeman “bothering” her; she was afraid those people would pull Song Ge’s attention away from her. Just like when Song Ge was talking to the captain, she felt pushed to the side… But is this kind of mindset normal?

The streets were dilapidated and the shops were old. This clearly wasn’t a wealthy town. Even the unrecognizable corpses by the roadside were mostly elderly, judging by their build and clothing.

Looking at the air shimmering intensely under the sun, Song Ge suddenly said, “Do you feel like it’s especially hot today?”

Tong Xiangyu was wearing sun-protective clothing and a hat. She had been too busy being angry on the walk back to notice, but when the sun hit the back of her hand, she felt as if her pores were being scorched.

“Isn’t it this hot every day?” Tong Xiangyu asked.

“Maybe it’s just my imagination.” Song Ge felt a strange intensity today. She looked at a nearby trash can overflowing with refuse; she could see a piece of clear plastic on top slightly warping and twisting as if it were melting.

Tong Xiangyu said, “Don’t think too much. It’s twenty hours of high heat; of course it’s hot. Song Ge, your hair has grown a lot too. Your bangs are covering your eyes. Want me to trim them for you?”

Song Ge stood up. “I’ll do it myself.”

“You can’t see what you’re doing.”

“I’ll use the mirror.”

“No! You cut mine, so I’m cutting yours!”

“Fine, fine,” Song Ge relented.

Song Ge sat in the barber’s chair in front of the blood-stained mirror. Tong Xiangyu checked her own reflection, tucking her hair behind her ears. It was a pretty bob. She had thought Song Ge was just hacking away at random, but it actually looked quite good.

Full of newfound confidence, Tong Xiangyu felt she was up to the task. “I’ll start with your bangs,” she said, turning to Song Ge. “Close your eyes.”

Seeing the awkward way she held the scissors, Song Ge felt like a sacrificial lamb. She closed her eyes, thinking: Forget it, it’s just hair. It grows back fast. If she ruins it, she ruins it. It was better to please the young lady; if she got angry, Song Ge would just have to coax her back anyway.

Tong Xiangyu struck a pose, squatting slightly to be level with the seated Song Ge. Just as she was about to snip, Song Ge suddenly opened her eyes and turned toward the door.

Snip! Tong Xiangyu cut a chunk out at a sharp angle. Her eyes widened in horror. “!!! Song Ge, why did you move suddenly!”

“Wait,” Song Ge said, stepping toward the door.

Tong Xiangyu followed her. Outside, a trash can diagonally across from them had caught fire. Though the fire was just starting, the dry trash ignited instantly. In the blink of an eye, the flames shot up into a raging blaze.

Tong Xiangyu was stunned. “Heavens… is that spontaneous combustion? Is it really that hot today?”

Song Ge looked up at the sky. The sun was too big and blinding to see clearly even through squinted eyes, but the rings of light around it felt dangerous and ominous. Song Ge thought twenty hours of sun was ominous enough what was next? Twenty-four hours?

“It’s nothing,” Song Ge told Tong Xiangyu. “Continue cutting.”

Tong Xiangyu looked at the jagged gap in Song Ge’s bangs, feeling guilty. “Um, it’s a bit… crooked.”

“It’s fine. Just cut it shorter.”

In this heat, long hair was a nuisance; sweat made bangs sting the eyes and stifled the scalp. Song Ge said short, but Tong Xiangyu couldn’t bring herself to do it. Song Ge eventually picked up the electric clippers and buzzed a section from the nape of her neck upward, making Tong Xiangyu shriek in protest. She quickly took the clippers away to carefully manage the length herself, refusing to let Song Ge go wild.

Once the car had cooled down, Song Ge prepared to lead Tong Xiangyu out of Jinyun County. But luck wasn’t on their side; they took a wrong turn.

The surroundings became increasingly remote. The paved road turned into an unrefined dirt path flanked by small earthen mounds. In one of the mounds, there was a man-made cave entrance. This clearly wasn’t the main road out of town; it looked like they were heading into the hills.

Song Ge had to turn back. By the time they finished maneuvering, it was 5:00 or 6:00 PM. Although the sun was still high, they were only two hours away from their usual sleep time. Song Ge, tired from driving, decided to stop and spend the night in Jinyun, intending to leave the next morning.

Even though “night” featured a high-hanging sun.

Song Ge found a clean, tidy house that didn’t look like anyone had died in it. At 8:00 PM, they closed the curtains and went to bed.

Song Ge woke up at 10:00 PM, her biological clock now adjusted to the cycle. She opened the curtains and watched as the sun, which had scorched the earth all day, rapidly set. There was no sunset glow; the world simply plunged into darkness. Outside, only the glowing green eyes of the mutant dog moved.

Song Ge closed the curtains and dozed off again. In that half-awake state, she had a dream. In the dream, a ball of fire descended from the sky, getting closer and closer until it exploded against the building next to them.

She jolted awake, her eyes snapping open. A flashlight was on in the bedroom, but otherwise it was pitch black except for a sudden, blindingly bright beam of light that flashed outside. Song Ge pulled back the curtain and saw the courtyard momentarily illuminated as bright as day.

She immediately got out of bed and went outside. A bright object pierced the black night, approaching from the distance. The sky around its path was nearly white with light. The streak of light drew closer to them, then suddenly vanished into thin air. The bright sky instantly returned to darkness.

What was that? Song Ge wondered, alarmed. A meteor?

Just then, she saw another bright object appearing from afar. It grew brighter and brighter as it fell from the edge of the sky, heading straight toward them. This time, there was no sign of it disappearing. Song Ge watched as it grew larger a massive fireball of white and red.

BOOM!

In the distance, flames shot into the sky and the earth shook! Despite the distance, Song Ge felt a moment of trance. She felt as if she could clearly see the dark city illuminated by the light of that rock, seeing high-rise buildings shattered and collapsing under the blast.

And in the sky, more white points of light were falling one after another!

Song Ge’s heart hammered. She snapped out of it and rushed into the bedroom. Tong Xiangyu had been startled awake, looking panicked and bleary-eyed. “What is it? What happened, Song Ge?”

Song Ge didn’t have time to explain. She pulled Tong Xiangyu out of bed. Out of the corner of her eye, Tong Xiangyu saw the terrifying, bright fire in the distance. “Is there a fire?” she asked in shock.

“No, I’ll explain later.”

Song Ge drove as fast as she could toward Qiao Minshan’s settlement. The car screeched to a halt outside the courtyard. Song Ge hopped out and heard shouting inside. She pounded on the door.

Xiang Weijun opened it quickly, looking surprised to see them. “Why are you here at this hour?”

“Didn’t you hear that?” Song Ge asked.

Qiao Minshan appeared. “Do you know what’s going on?”

“Things are falling from the sky. Like fireballs. And there are many of them,” Song Ge said calmly. “Is there a place to hide?”

Tong Xiangyu, listening from the side, gasped. “Are they meteorites?”

As they spoke, more white dots appeared in the black sky. They didn’t look significant—just like fast-moving stars. Qiao Minshan looked up, and his face turned pale. “I’m afraid there’s nowhere to hide.”

Suddenly, Tong Xiangyu remembered something. “Jinyun was once a revolutionary base! There should be air-raid shelters. Right! Song Ge, I know! That cave on the road we took by mistake this afternoon—that was an air-raid shelter! Let’s go there!”

Qiao Minshan immediately said, “I’ll go wake everyone up.”

Song Ge asked Tong Xiangyu, “Do you remember the way?”

“I do. Head north and watch the signs.”

Most people had already been woken by the massive sound and the earthquake-like tremors. At the sound of the whistle, they quickly dressed and gathered by the RVs. Song Ge led the way in her car.

However, at that moment, all the lit headlights in the courtyard flickered out simultaneously. The world went pitch black, and cries of panic erupted.

Qiao Minshan leaned out of his RV and shouted: “Qin Nan, you drive! All other drivers follow the flashlights and keep close to the car in front!”

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