Yan Cijin sensed it too.
"There are survivors ahead."
"Mm."
"How many?"
"Twelve."
"Danger?"
Bai Li looked at the road.
"Zombies."
"How many?"
"A lot."
Yan Cijin sighed.
"That is not a number."
"It is enough of one."
Bai Li accelerated.
The road bent around a collapsed shopping complex.
The survivors were trapped in a city bus wedged between two concrete barriers.
Zombies surrounded it.
Dozens.
Maybe more than a hundred.
Some dragged their feet.
Some crawled along the road.
A few were fast mutants, their bodies warped by crystal growths.
Inside the bus, a man held a broken metal pole across the rear door.
A woman was crying quietly.
One child had both hands over her mouth.
Another child was hiding under a seat.
"Dad," the girl whispered, "they are going to get in."
The man looked at the door.
"We will be fine."
His voice shook.
He knew he was lying.
A zombie slammed into the side of the bus.
The whole vehicle shook.
The children screamed.
