"I came to get you! I came to get you!"
Just those five short words caused an unimaginable shock to Vuong Khai's soul.
Vuong Khai's mouth gaped open, his eyes filled with tears. His emotions, like a long-dormant volcano, erupted uncontrollably. In his mind flashed every kind of torment he had endured during this time.
He knelt down before Lam Pham, bowing his head and covering his face with both hands. He wanted to cry but dared not, his body trembling uncontrollably, still afraid that the sound of weeping would attract the zombies.
"If you want to cry, then cry. Don't hold it in," Lam Pham said softly. He could feel the suppression within the other person and understood that, in utter despair and helplessness, crying would make things much better.
He too had once cried.
In the dark, silent nights, he would stand on his balcony, watching the lively Hoang City from afar, then turn back to his quiet room. The lights of every house outside did not belong to him.
Alone, he would envy the happiness of others.
During the New Year, when fireworks bloomed everywhere and families reunited, he would prepare a rich New Year's Eve meal for himself, sit in the living room eating, watching the Spring Festival Gala, and occasionally let out a silly laugh.
He would think of a face that had long since blurred in his memory. He knew it was his mother's, but no matter how hard he tried, he could no longer remember it clearly.
Crying doesn't mean weakness. It's just a way to digest the fragility inside and gather enough courage to face life tomorrow.
Lam Pham's words struck a chord deep within Vuong Khai.
As soon as he finished speaking, Vuong Khai broke down into bitter sobs. His grief seemed to pour out all the psychological torment he had endured during this period.
Lam Pham quietly waited.
He didn't say anything.
He didn't disturb him.
Doggi circled around Vuong Khai's feet, rubbing its head against its master's pants, confused why his master was suddenly so heartbroken.
After a long while.
Vuong Khai finally felt much better. He wiped away his tears and looked up at Lam Pham standing in front of him.
"This... isn't a dream, right?"
"No, it's not a dream. Let's go," Lam Pham said.
Vuong Khai stared blankly at Lam Pham for a moment, then lowered his head to look at Doggi circling around. He stammered, "The... the zombies?"
"When I came looking for you, I ran into a few zombies. I killed them all," Lam Pham explained patiently.
"K-killed them?" Vuong Khai was utterly dazed. To him, zombies were the most terrifying beings—monsters that ate people, far more terrifying than those in any movie.
Lam Pham smiled, "Let's go."
He didn't want to linger on the subject. Killing zombies wasn't something to be celebrated; it was often the only choice. Ideally, he wished he could have a peaceful conversation with zombies too—but sadly, they didn't listen.
It was probably a matter of poor 'communication skills.' He recalled once at the supermarket, he had encountered a zombie in a police uniform. After calmly explaining that he had no stolen goods and had committed no crime, the zombie had simply left.
He turned and headed toward the outside.
Vuong Khai froze for a second, then hurried to follow.
When he passed the zombies that had been killed and lay on the ground, he involuntarily gasped in horror. Shock, fear, and sadness welled up. One of the corpses was someone he knew—a coworker he'd once gotten along with well. He never thought it would end like this.
He didn't know how it had happened.
Thinking back, everyone had been fine. They hadn't eaten anything strange or contacted any shady people.
How did things turn out like this?
Movies always blamed some government-engineered virus deliberately released—intended or unintended—but in reality, there was no real ending. Only the apocalypse came.
The more he thought about it, the more confused he became.
They reached outside.
This was the first time he had looked at the outside world so lightly, breathing in the fresh air. In the distance, he could see zombies scattered chaotically everywhere.
He looked at Lam Pham walking ahead, feeling lost and bewildered, wondering who he really was. How could he be so strong? Why wasn't he afraid of the zombies?
As they walked, he saw more corpses—horribly disfigured ones. Some were torn into two halves, evoking images of B-grade horror films where wounded beauties turned into monsters.
"Don't worry. The zombies have all been cleared. Just stay close to me," Lam Pham turned and said with a reassuring smile. He was very familiar with this apocalypse and with zombies. Survivors, however, didn't know anything, so it was normal to be scared. Who wouldn't be?
They reached Lam Pham's emma (electric moped).
Lam Pham mounted it and patted the seat behind him. "Hop on with Doggi."
Vuong Khai carried Doggi and climbed onto the back. Doggi was squeezed between them, its front paws resting on Lam Pham's shoulders.
The scene looked strangely harmonious.
"Put the helmet on. Safety is the most important thing."
Lam Pham handed over a helmet to Vuong Khai. There was only one helmet, and when going out, you had to prioritize safety. If an accident happened, wearing a helmet often made the difference between life and death.
He knew riding without a helmet was dangerous, but he was willing to leave the danger to himself and the safety to the survivor.
The only issue might be getting stopped by traffic police. Normally, every passenger needed a helmet.
"Huh?"
Vuong Khai opened his mouth wide but obediently put the helmet on, seeing the serious look on Lam Pham's face.
He felt like he was dreaming. This brother who had come to save him seemed so strange—but not in a bad way. It was the small details that made him hard to understand.
"Hold tight. My emma is really fast," Lam Pham warned, twisting the throttle to the max. The moped roared as they sped away from the waterworks.
The two men and one dog raced along the desolate road.
This was the first time since the apocalypse began that Vuong Khai had seen the outside world. Aside from abandoned vehicles, corpses were everywhere. Every scene struck his heart directly.
"What... what the hell happened?" Vuong Khai muttered.
Lam Pham replied, "The apocalypse has arrived. Everyone has turned into zombies, biting and destroying everything. It's not just here—it's the same everywhere, in every city. But we must remain full of hope. Believe that one day we will restore Hoang City to its former glory."
He was comforting Vuong Khai, because anyone seeing this would break down.
Vuong Khai looked around blankly. His mind was completely blank. It was hard to accept all this: just a simple overtime shift had turned into this nightmare. His coworkers, so lively before, were now monsters.
And he didn't even know why.
Lam Pham didn't ask if he wanted to rent a room at Duong Quang Residential Complex yet. He knew Vuong Khai's heart needed time to settle first.
"You... you knew I was here and came specifically to save me?" Vuong Khai asked.
"No," Lam Pham replied honestly. "I didn't know you. I didn't know there were any survivors here. Grandpa Vuong said someone might still be alive since the water was still clean, so I came to check. I didn't expect to actually find you."
Vuong Khai fell silent.
Seeing a living human being again, breathing in fresh air—it all calmed his restless heart, made it a little easier to accept the current situation.
"But everything... it's all gone."
He muttered.
Lam Pham, with his sharp ears, immediately answered in a confident, firm voice:
"No. It's not gone. We can get it all back. With our efforts, we can definitely restore it. You must believe in yourself and believe in the future."
Just as he finished.
He suddenly slammed the brakes.
Due to inertia, Vuong Khai was thrown forward, pressing tightly against Lam Pham. Poor Doggi, squeezed in between them, even stuck out its tongue.
"Wha—what happened?" Vuong Khai asked hurriedly.
Lam Pham pointed ahead and said, "There are too many zombies blocking the road. They weren't here before. Strange."
Vuong Khai followed his finger and looked.
And instantly, his eyes widened in horror.
It was a zombie horde.