Chapter 372: Returning 2.

Then she tightened her arms slightly.

"I do."

The answer was so simple that Bai Li did not know what to say.

She simply smiled.

They reached the street.

Morning sunlight spilled over them.

The black motorcycle emerged from the darkness of the underground garage and rolled onto the broken road.

For the first time since entering the mall, Bai Li felt like they were actually going home.

The first few meters were slow.

Bai Li wanted to make sure the motorcycle was behaving normally before increasing the speed.

The road outside the mall was almost empty.

A few abandoned cars stood at strange angles across the intersection. Some had doors hanging open. A bus had crashed into a light pole several streets away. Old advertisements still covered the sides of buildings, their bright colors faded beneath dust and grime.

Yan Cijin looked over Bai Li’s shoulder.

"Do you remember the way?"

"Yes."

"You’re sure?"

"Very."

"Because if we get lost, I’m blaming you."

Bai Li smiled.

"We won’t get lost."

The motorcycle rolled faster.

Then faster.

The wind began touching Yan Cijin’s face.

She tightened her arms around Bai Li.

Bai Li noticed.

She smiled but said nothing.

Then she twisted the throttle.

The Ninja 400 surged forward.

The ruined street blurred.

Yan Cijin’s eyes widened.

"Bai Li!"

"What?"

"You didn’t warn me!"

"I said to hold on."

"You said it while we were already moving."

"Still counts."

Yan Cijin laughed despite herself.

The motorcycle raced down the empty road.

For a few seconds, the apocalypse seemed far away.

The engine’s sound rolled between the buildings.

Bai Li leaned slightly into the first turn.

The motorcycle responded smoothly.

Yan Cijin followed the movement instinctively.

They passed a line of abandoned taxis.

A group of survivors stood on the roof of a small convenience store ahead.

One of them noticed the motorcycle first.

"Look!"

Everyone turned.

The black Ninja 400 came around the corner at speed.

The rider wore dark clothes, her hair moving in the wind.

Behind her sat another woman with a crossbow strapped to her side.

Both looked calm.

Too calm.

The survivors stared.

One young man pointed.

"Are those two actually riding a motorcycle?"

Another said, "Where did they even get fuel?"

A third laughed in disbelief.

"They’re insane."

The motorcycle passed them.

One survivor shouted after them.

"Hey!"

Bai Li glanced sideways but did not stop.

The man shouted again.

"Where are you going?"

Yan Cijin turned her head enough to answer.

"Home!"

The survivors watched them disappear down the road.

For a few seconds nobody spoke.

Then the youngest man smiled.

"They looked cool."

An older woman beside him nodded.

"They looked like they owned the whole street."

Another survivor looked toward the ruined mall behind them.

"Maybe they came from there."

"Then they survived something terrible."

"Who cares?"

The young man pointed down the road.

"I want a motorcycle."

Bai Li did not hear any of that.

She was already several blocks away.

The road became narrower.

The buildings rose higher around them.

Bai Li slowed near an intersection.

There were zombies.

Not many.

Maybe twenty.

They were spread across the road, standing between abandoned cars and collapsed storefronts.

Yan Cijin looked ahead.

"Should we stop?"

"No."

Bai Li’s answer was immediate.

"Hold tight."

Yan Cijin moved closer.

Bai Li accelerated.

The first zombie ran toward them.

Bai Li leaned left.

The motorcycle slipped around it.

Another came from the right.

She leaned right.

It reached for her sleeve and missed.

A third appeared directly ahead.

Bai Li stood slightly on the foot pegs and changed direction.

The motorcycle jumped over the broken edge of the road.

Yan Cijin grabbed Bai Li tightly.

The front wheel landed.

They kept moving.

"That was unnecessary," Yan Cijin shouted over the engine.

"It was faster."

"That does not make it necessary."

Bai Li laughed.

Behind them, several zombies began chasing.

They had no chance.

The motorcycle disappeared down the road.

A few minutes later they passed another group of survivors.

This time the survivors were hiding behind an overturned truck.

A teenage boy peeked through the gap.

His eyes widened.

The motorcycle flashed by.

He stared after it.

"That was the same pair."

His friend looked confused.

"How do you know?"

"The girl on the back had a crossbow."

"Maybe there are lots of people riding motorcycles."

"Not motorcycles like that."

They listened to the engine fade.

Then the first boy smiled.

"I hope they get home."

His friend nodded.

"Yeah."

Bai Li and Yan Cijin continued.

The city was waking up.

Smoke rose from the west.

A flock of birds burst from a damaged apartment building.

Somewhere far away, glass shattered.

The road ahead opened into a wide boulevard.

Bai Li increased the speed again.

The Ninja 400 became a black streak between the abandoned vehicles.

Yan Cijin’s hair whipped behind her.

The wind made it difficult to talk.

For several minutes neither tried.

They did not need to.

The ride itself was enough.

After the mall, after the tree, after the monsters, there was something comforting about simply moving forward.

No enemy needed to be killed.

No strange fruit needed to be studied.

No hidden staircase needed to be climbed.

They were just going home.

Eventually Bai Li slowed.

Yan Cijin leaned closer.

"Tired?"

"A little."

"Your shoulder?"

"It’s okay."

"You were hit more than once."

"So were you."

"That isn’t an answer."

Bai Li smiled.

"I’m fine."

Yan Cijin sighed.

"One day you’re going to learn that saying you’re fine doesn’t make injuries disappear."

"Maybe."

"That means no."

"Probably."

Yan Cijin shook her head.

Then she looked ahead.

"How long until we reach the apartment?"

"About forty minutes at this speed."

"Forty?"

"Maybe less."

Yan Cijin thought about Lili.

Her expression softened.

"She’ll probably be waiting."

Bai Li nodded.

"I know."

"She might worry."

"I know."

A small pause.

"We should get back before she starts crying."

Bai Li’s grip tightened slightly on the handlebar.

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TO BE CONTINUED.