Li Shuang was running straight on the sidewalk while carrying her four years old daughter.
She forcefully pushed her daughter's head onto her chest, "It's okay, Yingying. We will be okay, just don't look back!" She tried to calm her daughter while her heartbeat spiked up. The mother did not realize her daughter could hear her erratic heartbeat.
Also, one of a kid's traits, the more you prohibit the kid from doing something, the more they want to do it. Li Shuang's mind did not think that far as she was in shambles. Fear and helplessness mixed together in her as she ran for her life.
The daughter could feel that from her mommy, but curiosity won over her. As her mommy kept running with all her might, the push on her head loosened. Jiaying peeked out through her mommy's shoulder and finally saw the thing chasing her mommy and her.
It was three dogs, with no fur, and red skin. The ragged and big teeth showed up as thick saliva trickled down from its mouth. The dog was around 1.5 meters, the biggest dog she had ever seen, even bigger than the lion she once saw in the zoo.
No, this was no longer a dog but a monster dog. Jiaying screamed in fear. Her scream shocked her mommy. Li Shuan only then noticed her daughter was looking at the monster that chased them.
Li Shuang did not console her daughter but she pushed her daughter's head onto her chest again. She ran with all her might while listening to her daughter's cry.
'Will I die now?' The question crossed her mind. She had been surviving for months in Ningbo City. She dirtied herself and deliberately did not take a bath to escape from the human's cruelty. Yes, zombies were not just the monster she had to avoid, but also humans as well.
All the money she had earned before the Game was useless. The money could not save her life and also her daughter from the impending death. It was tragic, dedicating half of her life for money but all her effort went naught.
If there was regret in her life, it was about her daughter. She regretted that she did not spend more time with her daughter. Her life was about money, work, and her company. The reason was she wanted to retire early and spend her time with her daughter, hence she worked very hard. However, the plan was ruined with the absurd Game that suddenly haunted the world. The fact that she could save her daughter was a miracle.
The rapid and loud steps approached from behind. That was a clear sign the monster had caught up, she would die with her daughter. She could not give the promised happiness to her daughter.
'It seems there's no second miracle for us, mother and daughter,' Li Shuang thought to herself.
Boom!
Suddenly a booming sound resounded from the back. A strong wave of wind hit her back, causing the mother and daughter to fall forward. Li Shuang covered her daughter with her hand, protecting her daughter from falling injuries.
"Oops, it seems I am overdoing it," Li Shuang heard a male voice from the back, "Are you two, okay?" Her daughter was still crying as she braced herself to look back.
A man extended his hand toward her, wanting to help her to get up. She looked at the man in a daze but then she was chased by the dog monsters. She ignored the hand and looked to the back. The dog monsters were no longer chasing him as she noticed a small crater a few meters away from her.
Only then Li Shuang looked toward the man, getting a clear look at his face. The man had a peculiar? Or maybe a special feature. The black-slit pupils, yellow irises, and purple eyes. She was sure that it was not human eyes.
Even so, she could not deny that the man in front of her looked out of the ordinary. She felt the dignity around the man. Entranced by his facial features, Li Shuang was in a daze, staring at the man's face.
"You can continue staring at my handsome face later, but give me your daughter first. She seems to be hurt," Not receiving a response from the man, Tang Shaoyang squatted in front of the woman and said narcissistically.
Li Shuang snapped out of her daze and immediately brought her daughter up. Her daughter had her elbows scratched red, but not severe. She relieved and blew the scratches to reduce the pain while consoling her daughter.
Tang Shaoyang looked around, looking for a place for the mother and daughter to stay temporarily. They were in the open, after all. Also, he had questions he wanted to ask as well.
They were in an apartment complex, the road was flanked by a ten floors apartment, "Let's not stay outside, or the dog will find us. Let's go inside."
Since the apartment looked not different from each other, he pointed to the building next to him. All the apartment buildings were abandoned for a few months. The building's exteriors were worn down as the windows were broken. The vine of an unknown plant crept on the building.
Jiaying cried even harder when the word dog came from the man. Her daughter must be terrified of the monster dog. However, it was not like she could blame the man as he was telling the truth. The monster dog had a sharp smell. More monster dogs might come once monster dogs smell her odor and her daughter's.
On top of that, he was the one who also saved them from the monster dogs. That was the plausible explanation behind the three monster dogs' disappearance.
Li Shuang carried her daughter and nodded, "Are you okay? You look hurt, let me carry your daughter," Tang Shaoyang offered help to the woman. The mother indeed hurt, a long scratch from her elbow to her wrist. Her knees also bled, and her forehead was red as well.