We managed to get around the zombies and into the SUV even as Yuche and Chenghai pulled around in the massive truck.

After a few miles of driving, the zombies stopped trying to catch up and Zhenlan finally seemed to be able to take a breath.

I watched as he looked into the rearview mirror for the hundredth time, making sure that the zombies were, in fact, gone. I could have told him that these were still baby zombies, that it took a little while for their legs to stay under them long enough to learn how to actually use them, but I didn’t think that would cheer him up as much as I hoped.

After all, this was only the base level of a zombie.

Once they ate enough humans with powers, then they would develop power cores, that would then not only enhance their ability, but also help humans become more powerful.

It was like taking the time to grow grapes, sell them across the world, knowing that the other country was going to make wine from them, only to buy the wine back at a ridiculously high price.

It was also why zombies were so attracted to powerful humans. The more power, the more beneficial it was for them.

"We’ll be home soon," Lingyun reassured me from the front passenger seat like he through I was scared.

I hummed and nodded my head. I was actually really happy about how today went. I got so many more supplies than I thought possible, discovered that my space really didn’t have a limit, and realized that zombies really aren’t as scary as I used to think they were.

The truck in front of us turned down toward our street and this time, it was Lingyun who let out the breath of relief.

"Home, sweet home," he murmured under his breath.

I was about to agree with him when we pulled into our long driveway.

There, in the grass, was something that really shouldn’t be there.

I closed my eyes, shook my head, and opened them again. When I looked a second time, there was nothing there but bright green grass.

But that didn’t comfort me at all.

------

By the time noon came and went, the upstairs windows had all been replaced.

Chenghai was worried that they hadn’t managed to get enough replacement windows before we were forced to leave the store, but every time he went into the truck to look, he always found more.

They weren’t perfect, and the guys weren’t experts about putting them up, but with enough Youtube videos, they were satisfied with what they accomplished.

"It’s too bad that we didn’t get to the furniture store," grumbled Lingyun as he flung himself down on the blood soaked couch. I wrinkled my nose, as the squishing sound, but the man himself didn’t seem to care. "We need to replace practically everything. I swear to God, whoever had been doing the shooting upstairs when to the Storm Trooper college of gunfights. They couldn’t have hit a zombie if they had tired, but the walls, beds, and even floors were killed good and dead."

I snickered at that. Yeah, Meilan and her men were considered to be the best of the best at Xiongbu Compound. But they were currently lacking about ten years of practical knowledge. Not to mention, the Xiongbu Compound was on the other side of the country. I wondered how they managed to get there if they started here.

"I think I saw a big sectional in one of the rec rooms on the other side of the house," I said casually. It wasn’t that I had seen it some much as I had pulled one out of my space and dropped it there when the guys’ back were turned.

Lingyun brightened up and let out an ear-piercing whistle. Yuche poked his head around the kitchen entrance and looked at him. "We’re getting a new couch," Lingyun called out, jumping off the bloody one he was currently sitting on.

The clothes on his back were absolutely plastered against him, soaked with blood, but he didn’t seem to care.

Yuche looked between me and Lingyun before he grunted and nodded his head. "We’ll probably need more than just the two of us."

It took an hour for four men to bring a massive sectional into the living room and place it just as I wanted it. Lingyun was about to jump on it, but I quickly stopped him. "Shower first," I snapped, narrowing my eyes on his back, even as I made myself comfortable.

He gave me a sheepish look but nodded and headed upstairs to one of the bathrooms.

"Funny," grunted Zhenlan, carefully testing one of the seats. "I don’t remember buying this one. It doesn’t match the look we were originally going for."

"That’s because I talked the designer into it," I answered with a shrug. I looked around for a blanket or a throw pillow, but I was shit out of luck for that. "That is why is was on the side of the house that you never go."

Okay, so I was lying through my teeth, but I was also willing to bet that this man who was richer than God did not design his own house from top to bottom.

Apparently I was right.

Chenghai decided to come in from the kitchen holding a huge tray of sliced turkey sandwiches. "Lunch time," he announced, putting the tray down onto the coffee table that had also appeared in the same place as the sectional.

Yuche sat down right beside me, even though this thing could probably fit twenty plus people in it’s "L" shape. He reached forward, grabbed me a sandwich and took one for himself.

The four of us ate in silence, until all that was left was Lingyun’s portion.

"Time to tackle the main floor," grunted Zhenlan, raising to his feet even as Lingyun entered the living room.

"We seem to have a slight problem," he announced, even as he reached down to pick up a sandwich. "It seems like we made friends at the hardware store, and now they’ve followed us home."

Because he was seemingly so unbothered by what was happening, it took me a second to realize what he was actually saying.

Getting to my feet, I went to the broken window overlooking the front yard. A zombie stumbled into view near the far side. Then a second came from the opposite direction. Then a third.

Huh.

We probably should have handled fixing the windows on the main floor before worrying about the upper floors.

"It would be so nice to have a gun right about now," sighed Yuche, giving me the side eye even as he undid the buttons on his dress shirt and rolled up the sleeves.

"Why need a gun when you are one?" I replied, a not so nice smile on my face. "Or did you forget about that?"

He looked at me blankly for a moment before he finally blinked. Right. He had forgotten about that.

While Yuche moved to the open window beside me, already leveling his finger gun, Chenghai already had the door open and was racing outside.

One of the zombies, the one who managed to pick up just enough speed to be a worry, suddenly went flying backward with Chenghai shoulder checked him like a wreaking ball.

Yuche clicked his thumb and a second zombie went down. I thought I saw a third zombie stumbling in the grass before he managed to faceplant, but it disappeared so quickly I must have been imagining it.

Lingyun went outside after Chenghai, his arms spread apart and fire appearing in his hands. He sent fireball after fireball into the oncoming horde, and it was working.

Until it wasn’t.

The man was draining himself dry, and he barely managed to put a dent into the number of undead creatures acting worse than door to door salesmen.

"Lingyun," I called out, pinching the bridge of my nose to save off the oncoming headache. "Create a fireball, but don’t send it out."

He looked over at me for a split second before nodding his head. He pushed his hands together and dropped his head so he could concentrate.

I was going to have to break him of that habit, and fast. Only Yuche and I saw the zombie stumbling toward Lingyun. A bullet to the brain was enough to send the zombie to the grass.

"Zhenlan," I called out next, looking over my shoulder to the man standing behind me. "I need you to concentrate. Picture a tornado in your head. Think of how it feels, how it smells, how it tastes."

Even as I spoke, I could see the clouds overhead turning dark as the wind began picking up.

Good. They were listening.

"Now," I continued, hoping that this would work out like I had it in my mind. "Lingyun, I want you to think about that ball of fire in your hands merging with the air around it. Zhenlan, I want you to picture the storm taking the fire and wrapping it up, turning it into a fire tornado."

As soon as I spoke the words, what I wanted was appearing just on the other side of the glass from where I was standing.

Chenghai backed away from the horde as the fire tornado got even more intense. Lingyun followed after him, his eyes never leaving the scene in front of him.

"Perfect," I praised. "Now. Together. Picture the fire tornado ripping through all the zombies in front. Start clockwise and think of hitting ever zombie until it burns to ashes."

I could see sweat glistening on Zhenlan’s forehead even as Lingyun’s hands started to tremble even more. But they couldn’t stop now.

There was too many zombies out there for them to stop now.