The World Ends In 27 Days

Jingwei watched Commander Zhao Mingyuan’s expression change through the damaged observation window.

The commander had made taking over their shelter sound like an offer to help, but Hanchuan’s answer had managed to strip away that excuse.

Now Commander Zhao Mingyuan stood beside the blood outside their door, trying to explain why they should let him take their home.

With the lights on, the security room felt smaller somehow.

Jingwei could see his reflection behind the pale marks in the glass, his rifle pressed uncomfortably against his chest. He adjusted his grip while the commander glanced toward Captain Du Cheng.

"You’d still have your own rooms," Commander Zhao Mingyuan said, turning back to Hanchuan. "We’d work around her recovery."

"You haven’t been invited inside," Hanchuan replied, resting his hand beside the intercom button. "So there’s nothing to work out."

Jingwei glanced at the monitor.

The wider camera view showed the equipment case still lying against the passage wall. The soldier who had opened it had expected to break through their door.

Now, with his blood still on the concrete, his commander was telling them which rooms they could keep if they let the others in.

Commander Zhao Mingyuan wiped his forehead with a handkerchief.

"People are dying in shelters that can’t stay cool," the commander said. "You have power, air conditioning, and medical care. Surely you can help more than one patient."

"You don’t know what we have," Jingwei replied, stepping toward the microphone. Hanchuan moved aside without hesitation, giving him room. "You haven’t seen our equipment, our supplies, or our rooms. All you’ve seen is a door you couldn’t get through."

"Then let someone come in and check," Commander Zhao Mingyuan suggested. "We can see what you can spare without putting any of you at risk."

Jingwei almost laughed.

First, they would inspect the shelter.

Then they would count everything inside it.

After that, someone would explain why six people didn’t need so much food, so much water, or so many rooms.

He had heard that tone in negotiations before. The commander had already decided they were sharing, he was only wanting to settle how much he could take.

"You don’t get to divide up our home," Jingwei replied coldly.

The phone beside the monitor was still connected to Qinghe. Jingwei heard a faint rustle through the speaker before his friend spoke.

"I need to get back to Zhiyi," Qinghe said. "Hanchuan, call me if anything changes."

"I will," Hanchuan promised. He ended the call and set the phone on the counter.

Commander Zhao Mingyuan watched him with growing frustration.

"You can’t keep acting as though none of this concerns you," the commander warned. "Sooner or later, what’s happening outside will reach you too."

Jingwei looked at the damaged glass between them. Before he could answer, Hanchuan pressed the intercom button.

"It already did. You brought it here," Hanchuan replied. "We prepared for the Heat. Today, we had to defend ourselves against you."

Captain Du Cheng shifted beside his commander, his boot scraping against the concrete.

He glanced at the abandoned equipment case, then down at his radio as someone called for him. Commander Zhao Mingyuan waved him away from the window to answer.

For a few moments, nobody spoke.

Jingwei could hear the ventilation overhead and Captain Du Cheng’s muffled voice near the broken outer gate. Cool air brushed his face, as familiar as it had been before the soldiers arrived.

The shelter was still doing what they had built it to do. The inner barrier had held. Zhiyi’s room was still cool, and Qinghe was beside her.

Jingwei held on to those facts while the commander stood outside trying to frighten them into opening the door.

Commander Zhao Mingyuan moved closer to the window, though he stayed well away from the firing cover.

"Your friend killed a soldier," the commander told Jingwei. "Whatever you think of me, you can’t make that go away by refusing to talk about it."

Jingwei felt Hanchuan turn toward him. Saying no over the phone had been easier. Through the glass, he could see the sweat on the commander’s face and the anger he was no longer trying to hide.

"I watched it happen," Jingwei replied. His mouth was dry, and he swallowed before continuing. "I also watched Captain Du Cheng send that man toward our door after we warned him."

"That doesn’t give you the right to shoot him," Commander Zhao Mingyuan said.

Jingwei glanced at Hanchuan’s rifle. He remembered the shot, followed by Hanchuan turning to check another entrance as though there was nothing else he could afford to do. That had disturbed Jingwei almost as much as the blood.

It still disturbed him. He wasn’t going to pretend otherwise.

But the commander was waiting for him to hesitate, and Jingwei wouldn’t give him a reason to send another soldier forward.

"If you send someone else to break through that door, we’ll defend it again," Jingwei said. He kept his hand on his rifle and held the commander’s gaze.

Hanchuan stayed quiet beside him. Jingwei was grateful for that. He needed to say this himself, without his friend stepping in to make the decision easier.

Captain Du Cheng returned before the commander could answer.

"Sir, the medical transport is ready to leave," the captain reported. "The driver wants to know if we’re sending anyone with them."

Commander Zhao Mingyuan looked toward the end of the passage, where sunlight fell across the torn outer gate.

Jingwei watched him pause. He couldn’t tell whether the commander was worried about the men waiting outside or simply counting how many he could spare.

"Send an escort," Commander Zhao Mingyuan ordered. "They shouldn’t have to make that trip alone."

Captain Du Cheng walked away again. The commander folded his damp handkerchief and pushed it into his pocket before turning back to the window.

"I can leave soldiers outside," Commander Zhao Mingyuan said. "You’ll have to come out eventually."

Jingwei’s shoulders tightened. They had supplies and cooling, but he didn’t want soldiers waiting beyond the door every time one of them needed to leave. Before he could answer, Hanchuan spoke.

"Then you’ll be keeping men here while those people you mentioned wait for help," Hanchuan replied. "You’ve seen what a few hours outside has done to your soldiers. How long do you think you can keep this up?"

Commander Zhao Mingyuan stared at him for several seconds. Then he turned and walked away, passing the blood without another word.

Jingwei followed him on the monitor until he reached Captain Du Cheng beside the broken gate.

The captain leaned closer to listen. Their voices were too quiet to hear until the commander looked back toward the camera.

"Get the remaining vehicles ready," Commander Zhao Mingyuan ordered. "We’re pulling out of Xiling."

Captain Du Cheng hurried toward the trucks. Jingwei kept his rifle against his chest while Hanchuan reached for the phone to call Qinghe.

Neither of them touched the locks.