Chapter 390: Returning 20.

nearby buildings, carrying laundry and small supply bags.

The sight made the whole city feel less dead.

Yan Cijin looked around.

"It looks almost peaceful."

"Don’t say that."

"Why?"

"Because every time someone says the word peaceful, something attacks

us."

Yan Cijin laughed.

"Fine. It looks suspiciously quiet."

"Much better."

They passed a group of survivors standing near a barricade.

One recognized Bai Li immediately.

"They’re back!"

Another person looked up.

"Bai Li! Yan Cijin!"

A few people waved.

Bai Li raised one hand from the handlebar.

Yan Cijin waved too.

They did not stop.

The motorcycle rolled farther into the courtyard road.

The building entrance was ahead.

Bai Li finally brought the Ninja 400 to a smooth stop near the usual

spot.

The engine idled for several seconds.

Then she switched it off.

Silence.

The two women sat there for a moment.

Neither moved immediately.

It was strange how quickly the noise of the road had become distant.

A few minutes ago they had been moving through streets filled with

danger.

Now they were sitting in front of their building.

Home.

Yan Cijin slowly climbed off the motorcycle.

Bai Li did the same.

She looked at the Ninja 400.

Dust covered the tires.

A few scratches marked the side fairing.

Nothing serious.

The motorcycle had survived the trip.

Yan Cijin looked at it too.

"Still looks cool."

Bai Li smiled.

"Even after all that."

"Especially after all that."

Bai Li gave the bike a light pat on the handlebar.

"You did well."

Yan Cijin smiled.

"You’re talking to the bike now?"

"It earned it."

"Fair enough."

They started toward the entrance.

A man near the gate looked at the motorcycle and shook his head in

amusement.

"You two really drove that thing across half the city?"

Bai Li nodded.

"Almost."

The man laughed.

"I still don’t understand you."

Yan Cijin answered, "Neither do we sometimes."

They entered the building.

The familiar smell of concrete, dust, and old cleaning supplies greeted

them.

Someone had repaired part of the entrance wall.

A small notice board had been placed near the elevator.

There were handwritten notes about supplies, missing people, and rooms

that needed repairs.

Bai Li glanced at it without stopping.

The elevator doors opened.

They stepped inside.

A younger survivor who had been standing nearby started to follow, then

hesitated when she recognized them.

"Twenty?"

Bai Li nodded.

The girl pressed another floor for herself and smiled.

"Welcome back."

"Thanks."

The elevator doors closed.

The machine began rising.

The numbers changed slowly.

Three.

Four.

Five.

Yan Cijin leaned back against the wall.

The adrenaline that had carried her through the last several hours was

finally disappearing.

Her eyelids felt heavy.

She looked at Bai Li.

Bai Li looked equally tired now.

There was dust in her hair.

A small cut marked one side of her cheek.

Her jacket was torn near the shoulder.

Yan Cijin pointed at it.

"You have another tear."

Bai Li looked down.

"I have several."

"You should be more careful."

"You should tell the tree that."

Yan Cijin laughed.

"The tree isn’t here."

"Exactly."

The elevator climbed.

Seven.

Eight.

Nine.

The silence returned.

Neither woman spoke for several seconds.

Then Yan Cijin said, "We really got everything we came for."

Bai Li nodded.

"We did."

"Five fruits."

"Five."

"And we made it back."

"Almost."

Yan Cijin smiled.

"Close enough."

The elevator continued.

Ten.

Eleven.

Twelve.

The building felt unusually quiet.

That quiet did not feel dangerous.

It felt like the quiet of a place where people were sleeping, resting,

or simply waiting for another day to begin.

Bai Li looked at the changing numbers.

Thirteen.

Fourteen.

Fifteen.

She thought again about Lili.

The little girl would probably be waiting.

Bai Li had tried not to think about it too much during the journey

because it would only make her want to rush through dangerous streets.

Now there was no reason to hold that thought back.

Home was seconds away.

Yan Cijin seemed to have the same thought.

She smiled faintly.

"She’ll be happy."

Bai Li nodded.

"Very."

"She probably stayed near the door."

"Probably."

"Then let’s not keep her waiting."

"Agreed."

Sixteen.

Seventeen.

Eighteen.

The elevator gave a faint vibration.

Nineteen.

Then twenty.

The doors opened.

The twentieth-floor hallway was quiet.

A few doors were closed.

A small plant sat near one wall.

Someone had swept the floor recently.

Everything looked familiar.

Bai Li stepped out.

Yan Cijin followed.

The hallway seemed shorter than she remembered.

Maybe because they had been away for so long.

Maybe because home felt closer now.

Bai Li walked toward the door.

Three steps.

Two.

One.

She stopped in front of it.

For a second, neither woman spoke.

There was something strangely important about the moment.

The whole journey had led here.

Not to the fruits.

Not to the mall.

Not to the battle.

Here.

To a door.

To a familiar room.

To the person waiting on the other side.

Yan Cijin stood beside Bai Li.

"Ready?"

Bai Li nodded.

"Yeah."

She reached for the handle.

Before she could turn it, there was a faint sound from inside.

A tiny movement.

Then another.

Bai Li smiled.

Yan Cijin’s expression softened.

Neither needed to ask who it was.

Bai Li opened the door.

The moment the door swung inward, small footsteps rushed across the

room.

Lili came running toward them with an arm full of smiles and love.

Bai Li barely had time to lower her hand before the child reached them.

Yan Cijin laughed softly.

And with that warm rush of little footsteps and happiness filling the

doorway, their long journey home finally ended.

..

.

.

TO BE CONTINUED.

Author’s Little Extra

Bai Li rests her chin on her hand, watching Yan Cijin carefully measure tea leaves.

"You use way too much mint," Bai Li teases, her eyes twinkling.

Yan Cijin sighs, pushing her glasses up. "It keeps you awake during our long night reads."

Bai Li smiles, leaning over the small wooden table to steal a quick kiss. "Maybe I just want an excuse to stay up with you."

Reader Corner: If you could brew a special tea for the person you love, what ingredients would you put in it? Leave your recipe in the comments below!