Coming out of the apartment, yumiel went around the doors on the same floor, knocking on each one and killing every person who opened. For those who didn't open, she picked the lock with her blood, went inside, and killed anyone who was there. Seeing this, Jack couldn't help but ask questions.
« I know you want to avoid drawing attention, and I can imagine the three you killed in the shop weren't planned. But why not just open an empty apartment and use it as a base? »
« I see where you're going. Why kill all these people when we're supposed to stay unnoticed? The answer is simple, once again. First, taking an empty apartment means the owners will come back. Second, we need information—and that language skill. »
yumiel creates a key and opens the last door. She goes in, opening her senses and detecting no one, then comes back out and locks it.
« Okay, I trust you. For now, I still haven't gotten it. So what do we do now? We've cleaned the floor. Do we do the next one? »
« No, daybreak is coming. Let's just go back and wait until tomorrow night. »
Before returning to the apartment where Alan was, she mixed a drop of her blood into every pool of blood in the apartments where there were bodies, then went back inside.
She settles on the couch, turning on the TV mounted in the wall. In front of her are several Chinese channels, about twenty, showing either humorous content or world news—though she understood none of it.
She flips through the channels, but none show images of Harbin or their plane. She starts thinking that the government wants to keep it secret—and all the better for them.
Jack was sitting next to her, watching TV with her.
« It'd almost be faster for you to learn by watching TV than by trying to rely on your random skill-absorption ability. »
« Ahahah, and you, Ms. Genius, why don't you learn it? »
« A genius stays a genius… only in their own field xd. »
« Without me, you'd be in real trouble, huh. »
yumiel changes channels, landing on a flood of shows, all more useless than the last.
« Seriously, while the rest of the world is risking their lives, them—and a few other lucky countries—are living nice and warm. Anyway, thanks to that, we know one thing for sure: the distribution of awakenings and monsters isn't equal everywhere in the world. »
« Maybe it was done on purpose from the start? »
« Who knows. By the way, there's a question I wanted to ask you. Why did you save Pocahontas? Is that your type of girl or something? »
Jack bursts out laughing.
« Ahahahahah, no, really not, way too unbearable. Though it's true I like Latinas. Anyway, I don't really know—when I was about to kill her, I just thought about how you do things, so I helped her and let her live. »
yumiel narrows her eyes slightly before continuing to watch the Chinese shows, even though she understands nothing.
Time passes, and the two of them stay there on the couch, watching these stupid programs and commenting on them. The sun had been up for a while; yumiel kept changing channels, but none talked about the plane crash or about the city of Harbin in particular.
Reaching the early afternoon, Alan shows up in the living room, grabs some chips from a shelf, and stands behind yumiel watching TV.
« Hm. This stuff on TV is really crap. »
yumiel turns her face, glances quickly at Alan, then looks back at the TV.
« Yeah, but there's nothing else to do, so… »
Alan heads toward the exit, approaching the front door. Seeing him, yumiel questions him.
« Where are you going? »
« I'm just going to light one up on the roof and get a bit of daylight—being locked in the dark isn't really my thing—and then I'll be back. »
You could see the discomfort on yumiel's face.
« Jack, can you go with him? »
He signals by raising his thumb and leaves with Alan for the roof. On the way up, they run into a young woman, who says to them:
« 你好 »
Alan's eyes widen and he nearly stumbles before replying with a very British and poorly executed accent:
« 你好 »
Jack, very surprised, looks at Alan while pushing open the roof door.
« You speak Chinese? »
Leaning against the rooftop railing, where they could see the city alive—cars coming and going, streets even more crowded than at night—Alan grabs his pack of cigarettes from his old jacket and pulls out his old lighter. He lights a cigarette, puts the pack and lighter away, then takes a drag before answering Jack.
« No, I don't speak Chinese. I know a few words at most, that's all. »
The two look at the city.
« Has it been long—you've known Yumiel? You seem to get along well. »
« Not really. Just a few days or so. Let's say we've just been through a lot together. »
Alan finishes his cigarette, takes a short sunbath, then goes back down. Opening the door leading to their floor, he discovers the woman he had run into standing in front of the door where he now lives, ringing frantically while calling on her phone.
Alan approaches her; the woman turns around in a start, then sighs in relief when she sees Alan.
« Do you speak English? »
She answers with a terrible accent.
« A little. »
« Do you live here? »
The woman tried to decipher what Alan had just said, as if repeating it in her head.
« Yes, I living here. »
Suddenly the door opens, and the woman turns to see a hand about to pierce her chest.
Alan reacts instantly, pushing her to the left; yumiel's hand stops just in front of his torso. The woman is about to scream, but Jack reacts by slamming her against the wall and putting his hand over her mouth.
yumiel grabs Alan and pulls him into the apartment, throwing him to the ground, before Jack and the girl come in as well, closing the door.