The zombies ignored all the conference rooms and the people inside of them that are probably planning to file a formal complaint with management as they pushed us toward the very last room near the end of the hallway.

Unlike the others, these doors were wide open with two zombies standing like sentries on either side of the opening.

It was almost like they had been expecting more guests.

Lucky us.

The room itself was massive, with overturned tables shoved against one side and rows of abandoned banquet chairs scattered everywhere like somebody had tried hosting a business seminar right before the apocalypse ruined everyone’s schedules.

Several lanterns hung from extension cords overhead, casting uneven yellow light across the room while dozens of exhausted survivors sat crowded together along the walls.

Nobody looked thrilled to be here, but no one was fighting it either. It was like they were practically dead to the world, the taste of despair and hopelessness hung in the air like some bad potpourri.

The second we walked inside, every head turned toward us, and not because I was the most beautiful person in the room, which I was pretty sure that I was...

Not like the bar was really all that high. I had at least showered in the past month.

But no, apparently it was because of the zombies surrounding us.

Some people immediately shrank backward while others just stared with the kind of exhaustion that came from being too tired to panic properly anymore.

One older man flinched when a zombie brushed past his chair carrying an unconscious woman over its shoulder.

The zombie ignored him completely.

It crossed the room, dumped the woman near the far wall with several others, then shuffled back out the door again like it had just finished a grocery delivery.

"What do you think they’re doing?" somebody whispered nearby.

I watched another pair of zombies drag a half dead man into the room before dropping him beside the others.

"Looks like a Door Dash order to me," I replied with a shrug.

But nobody laughed.

Even Yuche and Lingyun were both starting to look a little pale now, and that was starting to annoy me.

Yuche stayed close enough beside me that our shoulders occasionally brushed while Chenghai and Zhenlan quietly scanned the room like they were trying to figure out escape routes.

I wished them luck with that. This was the room where people went when they didn’t fight back anymore. I wondered for a brief second if we were put here because we didn’t put up that much of a fight.

This place definitely had a "you are about to die" energy. Not to mention, it was clear by the open door that the zombies weren’t worried about any of these people trying to get away.

A little boy whimpered softly somewhere near the far wall while his mother pulled him tighter against her chest every time another scream echoed faintly through the hotel.

A coffee machine sat abandoned near one of the overturned tables.

I stared at it for several long seconds before I decided to walk over.

"Rouxi," Lingyun hissed quietly. "What are you doing?"

"What does it look like?" I replied. "I’m making coffee."

The machine still worked.

That honestly felt more shocking than the zombie hotel.

The smell slowly filled the room while several survivors stared at me like I had finally snapped under pressure.

Which felt a little judgmental considering the circumstances.

If the world was ending, then I deserved caffeine.

I poured a cup, took one sip—

—and immediately regretted every life decision that had led me to this moment.

It was black.

No sugar.

No cream.

Nothing that would make this bean water actually taste good in any way, shape or form.

Whoever drank this willingly needed psychological help.

I looked toward Chenghai, who somehow still managed to look grumpy even while trapped in a zombie processing center.

Then I shoved the cup toward him.

"You seem to need this more than me," I informed him with a glare. "Maybe after you drink it, you’ll either be dead or actually human again. Either way, you won’t be such a pain in my ass."

For one brief second, Lingyun made a choking sound that suspiciously resembled laughter.

Chenghai stared at the coffee.

Then at me.

Then silently took the cup.

See?

Personal growth.

Another vibration rolled through the floor beneath us.

Closer now.

The lanterns overhead swayed softly.

The people around the room immediately went silent in a way that seemed unhealthy.

I crouched down in front of Lingyun as I watched something flash beneath his eyes. I know he wanted to fight, to kill someone or something, but that would be counterproductive.

We were here for a reason, and I couldn’t have him showing our hand before we were ready.

"Don’t worry," I told him softly with a bright smile. "Did you forget? You’re mine."

He blinked at me and I could see him pushing all that flame back down into his soul.

"I don’t share well with others," I continued seriously. "I failed kindergarten twice because I couldn’t learn that lesson. Nobody is touching you."

Lingyun stared at me for several seconds.

"...That somehow made me feel both safer and significantly more concerned."

"You’re welcome."

The door slammed open behind us.

Every zombie in the room suddenly changed.

No more wandering.

No more slow shuffling.

Their heads snapped toward the survivors almost in unison while low snarling growls started filling the conference room.

Saliva dripped from blackened mouths.

Several survivors immediately started crying.

Ah.

So this was the next step.

The zombies moved forward all at once, herding us to where they needed us to be.

Good. At least I didn’t have to wait long for the next stage.

The people around us scrambled to their feet as the infected started forcing everyone back into the hallway outside the conference room.

One man tried resisting.

A zombie slammed him hard enough into the wall that blood splattered across the wallpaper before dragging him back upright like a misbehaving toddler.

Well.

That certainly existed.

The crowd moved together through the hallway while the zombies pushed everyone deeper into the hotel.

Toward another stairwell.

The farther down we descended, the worse everything became.

The walls were soaked with moisture thick enough that mold crawled across the wallpaper in huge black patches. Water dripped steadily from the ceiling overhead while the carpeted stairs squished beneath our shoes like somebody had poured an entire swimming pool into the building.

"This is absolutely a health violation waiting to happen," I complained while carefully stepping around a patch of suspicious slime. "What happens if I trip and fall? I hope you are all prepared for a lawsuit."

Nobody appreciated my concern for workplace safety.

The zombies pushed us toward a set of massive steel doors near the bottom of the stairwell.

Unlike the rest of the basement, nothing grew on the metal.

The doors slowly groaned open and warm, wet air rolled out from the darkness beyond them.

The second I stepped through, I looked around automatically.

Ah!

I found a friend!

Walking across the room, I smiled brightly and lifted one hand.

"Hey! Commander Li," I called cheerfully. "Long time no see."