Chapter 95 - 95 - Lockdown

"Anything?" Zou Nui anxiously bit her lips as she pranced in front of her husband.

Zou Wei shook his head. "I can't get through. The line must be down as he predicted. Thankfully, we got through to Peng Peng, manager mu and Bohai... Wen must have figured out something was wrong by now. He knows the drill," he said, massaging his temples.

"But our son!"

"Nui, have some confidence in him. He has done it once, he can do it again. He will survive and I can assure you that.. When.. When things get slightly better, he will come over here. We have to prepare everything before that. There is not the time to dillydally," he hurriedly ran to the garden area.

Ten quail chicks chirped loudly, moving towards him in the cage. "Come speared them. Yue told it was risky to keep them together."

"But he said that animal will only mutate after the second meteor." Nui mumbled, wiping her nose.

"Things have changed now. We can't predict what is going to happen any longer." he hurriedly placed each chick in a takeout box and poked a few holes on the top. 

"The plants," his wife whispered, glancing at the small quaint garden.

"We might have to harvest everything. Let's not risk it,"

Their small garden had so many green, from Chinese cabbage, lettuce, celery, green onion, and spinach. It was their first batch of plants and they all grew wonderfully.

The plants were swiftly harvested and placed in a small cloth bag.

"What about the lotus?" she frowned deeply, looking at the small pond. Their lotus plant was flourishing. In the next season, they will produce healthy lotus root bulbs.

"We have to tear them off," he took a broom and tore the roots from under. The plants floated up. He cleaned it out perfectly.

This took the about half an hour.

Hary poked his head in from the doorway. "I closed all the windows and sealed them with cling wrap. Anything else you want me to do?"

"There are oxygen tanks in the kitchen. Wear it and don't remove it at all cost." Zou Wei mumbled while shouldering the heavy oxygen tank.

He wore the mask over his face and pulled down the attic stairs. "I'll seal the top floor. Nui, go check if everything is okay and of god's sake wear the mask," he helped secure the mask around his wife's mouth.

Zou Nui slightly sobbed, nodding her head.

"Calm down, dear. Trust your son." He kissed her forehead and climbed up into the cold attic. He placed the greens in the corner, where they stored all the seeds and other beans.

Everything was neatly stored. The rice was in the corner next to the small oil extractor.

Yue ordered it last before he left for H city because he feared that the oil they have stored might not last long. Oil only had a shelf life for a year or two. After which they can use the extractor to extract oil from sunflower seeds and peanuts.

Milk power and other stuff were kept in another corner, along with the dehydrator. Other spices and stuff were piling p high to the ceiling. He carefully checked them all.

Pickled foods were in the other corner in earthen jars.

Zou Wei moved swiftly towards the small stairwell in the corner.

Their house only had two entrances. One main door and this other entrance from the roof. This was in case the solar panels malfunctioned.

He opened the hatch and climbed up. Through the glass window, he saw the ash rained down from the sky.

Zou Wei worriedly glanced at it. He closed the door tight and locked it with a heavy latch. This door was already made air tight with built in cushions in the sides because the attic was built into a walk-in refrigerator.

Air had to be contained to maintain the coldness inside.

He glanced around with a loud sigh. Everything was in place but his son.. he was far away from them.

His eyes started to tear up. He swiftly wiped them with a tissue and climbed down, securing this door as well.

"It's secure..."

His wife was waiting on Yue's bed, softly sobbing.. "What now?"

"We quarantine ourselves." He kissed her cheeks and helped her lay down on the bed. "I'll be in the bathroom. If there is anything, just call for me yes?"

"hmm.." she nodded.

"Now sleep..." he tucked her in. On the way out, he picked out Yue's books. "Hary."

The young blond kid glanced at him with his brows raised.

He handed him the book. "Go to my room and lock yourself inside."

"sir... I don't understand.. Why do we have to do any of this?"

Zou Wei sighed, looking at his inquisitive eyes. "do remember that movie called resident evil?"

"Yes, I have watched it once.. Why do you ask? That's not even my favourite movie. I don't like gore much.."

"That is happening now." he intervened the kid's ranting.

"What is?"

"Zombies. We are going to be attacked by zombies, Hary. You need to wear your oxygen mask properly and go to that room," he urged him inside and closed the door. "Read that book! You will understand!" he shouted.

The young man said a soft yes.

Zou Wei back to Yue's room and locked himself in the bathroom with a blanket and a pillow. Lying down on the cold bathtub, he sighed loudly.

Suddenly, he noticed something small in the corner near the towel rack.

"Trexa gran? Is that you?" he worriedly moved close.

Trexa gran shook even more, hiding her huge body behind a small face towel.

"You are not doing a good job at hiding yourself, you know,"

Trexa peaked out with her small paws holding her whiskers. Her legs were trembling a lot.

Zou Wei picked her up and placed her on his chest. "You feel that, don't you? You feel the world changing. I have read that animals are more sensitive to calamities than us. Is that why you are shivering?" he whispered, gently caressing her body.

Trexa gran glanced at him with fear in her eyes. "Squeak..." her small voice came out.

"Trexa.... your dad is out there. I don't know how he is and what he is doing. I kept assuring my wife that he would be fine, but I don't know myself how our fates will be. Will my soon survive? Or will he come back to the rotten corpses in his house? How heartbroken will he be?,"

Trexa gran squeaked softly, nuzzling into his neck.

"You will be with him, right? After we are gone?" he kissed her fur softly.

"That darn Fan Xui, where is he when we need him? I was ready to give my son away to him," he chuckled dryly. "He said he was going to get his eyes fixed. He must be in the hospital. It will be safe, right? He will survive, I hope..."

The little rat made weird noises, glancing at the exhaust window. This had also been sealed from the inside.

Even so, he can see the small flecks of flame fluttering down.

Suddenly the earth trembled few shampoo bottled fell down from the shelf. 

Trexa gran glanced at it, squeaking loudly.

"I know, I know little one." Zou Wei hugged it close, humming softy to calm the little rat down.

As minute passed by an unknown tiredness took over his body.

He could not control his eyes lids anymore.

He watched as the little rat squeak loudly, patting his face with her tiny paw.

"It's... okay...." he gave it one final pat before his hands dropped off.