Chapter 447: Eternity 8.

a small failure became a crisis. The result was not peace exactly, but

it was better than the chaos that had filled the building when the

zombies first got in.

Bai preferred working on the building when there were fewer people

around. She could move quickly, inspect the doors, and repair weak

points without spending half the morning listening to arguments. But she

also knew that her own trips outside would become less dangerous if the

corridors and stairwells remained clear. The building was not just a

place where she slept. It was a supply point, a refuge, and a route she

would have to use again and again. A loose railing could slow someone

carrying a heavy load. A door that failed to latch could let zombies

enter. A blocked stairwell could turn a retreat into a trap.

That was why she kept checking everything. Mercy was part of the reason.

The people living in Building 9 had already lost enough, and Bai saw no

point in allowing the dead to make their lives worse when she could do

something about it. But there was also a practical side to her effort.

If she could reduce the number of threats inside the building, then

future supply trips would take less time, and she would not have to

fight her way through her own stairwell each time she returned home.

Yan understood both reasons. She sometimes teased Bai for behaving like

the building’s elderly caretaker, but she never suggested that the work

was pointless. In fact, she quietly made it easier. She carried spare

parts, organized the repair tools, and kept a written list of which

floors had been inspected. If Bai forgot to bring a flashlight, Yan had

one ready. If she became absorbed in testing a lock, Yan reminded her

that the residents on the next floor were waiting for the passage to be

reopened. Their work had become a partnership not only inside the

apartment but across the entire building.

The Corridor Behind the Service Door

The problem that brought them to the service corridor began with a

report from a woman who lived on the fifteenth floor. She had heard

something moving near the narrow passage where the building’s

maintenance pipes ran behind a set of locked doors. At first, she

thought a resident had stored something heavy and accidentally knocked

it over. Then she heard a dragging noise followed by a series of dull

impacts, as though something had walked into the same wall several

times.

The woman waited until daylight before telling anyone. She did not want

to raise an alarm over a noise that might be harmless, but she also

remembered Bai’s instructions about reporting anything unusual. When Bai

received the message, she finished tightening a window latch and

immediately went to find Yan.

Yan was in the kitchen recording the remaining medical supplies. She

looked up as Bai entered with her weapon secured at her side.

"Fifteenth floor," Bai said. "Something is moving behind the service

door."

Yan closed the notebook. "Do we know how long it has been there?"

"No. The resident heard it last night."

"Could be a pipe. Could be an animal. Could be a zombie that came

through an access point we missed."

"We’ll find out. Bring the light."

They prepared without fuss. Yan took a flashlight, her crossbow, and a

small set of tools in case the service door needed to be opened. Bai

carried Whisperfang, keeping it ready but not drawn. They told Mother

Yan where they were going, asked her to stay with Lili, and left a clear

instruction that nobody should open the apartment door unless they heard

the agreed signal. Mother Yan nodded, then checked that the child had

something to keep her occupied while they were out.

The stairwell smelled of damp concrete and old dust. The emergency

lights were working on most floors, though one had a flicker that Bai

made a mental note to fix later. They passed several residents who

stepped aside to let them through. One man began to ask whether the

building was safe again, but Yan answered before Bai could give him the

kind of blunt response that would make him lose sleep.

"We’re checking one area. Stay in your apartment until we tell you the

corridor is clear, and don’t go near the service door. If you hear

anything unusual, tell us rather than investigating on your own."

The man nodded. "Do you think there are more of them?"

"We don’t know yet," Yan said. "That’s why we’re checking."

Bai glanced at her with quiet approval. Yan gave her a look that meant

she had noticed and did not intend to comment. The two of them continued

down the stairs, their footsteps measured and quiet. At the fifteenth

floor, they found the corridor empty. The residents had closed their

doors, and the service door stood at the far end beside a utility

cabinet. The door looked intact, but the lower edge had a dark smear

across it.

Bai crouched and examined the mark. It was not fresh blood, but it had

not dried completely either. Something had dragged along the door from

the other side. She touched the edge of the smear with a gloved finger,

then looked at Yan.

"Zombie," she said.

Yan’s expression sharpened. She moved to the side of the corridor where

she could see the door without standing directly in front of it. Bai

checked the lock and found that it was still secured, though the frame

had been bent slightly near the bottom. Something had forced its way

against the door from inside the service passage. The noise was clearer

now: a faint scrape, a pause, then another scrape followed by a dull

knock.

Bai signaled for Yan to step back. She placed one hand on the door and

tested it. The frame shifted a little. Whatever was behind it had not

broken through, but the door was no longer as secure as it should have

been.

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TO BE CONTINUED.