Oh my apocalypse [YiZhanFF]

Part 15: The tunnel and its legend

Already almost 5 hours Zhan drove continuously and in these five hours, Yibo did not talk to him. Zhan kept telling himself that Yibo needed time and that he should not push him. But still, he would have liked to tell Yibo to finally stop being silent. Zhan would rather have listened to him reproach him or yell at him than have to continue to endure this silence.

Since the drive had been going on for so long now, and Zhan's body was beginning to vehemently resist the nightly travel and wanted to claim his regular sleep at night, so he had become very tired. And the only way to keep himself awake was to talk. But since Yibo didn't talk to him, Zhan just talked on his own.

"You know, my parents had once told me about their very first date back then. My dad had picked my mom up from home and then they both went out for ice cream together. Afterwards they walked along the lake and a small river. They got on well and even joked around. Again and again my mother pushed my father for fun and he pretended that it was a strong push. When he tried that on her, she of course tried his trick. She pretended that he had given her a strong push. However, she tripped and rolled down the small slope to the narrow, shallow river. My dad immediately rushed after her and she was angry at him for not saving her from falling as she saw so often in movies. Out of anger she kicked him on the shin, the pain forced him to squat, she gave him a push and he fell over and into the stinking water of the river. Both were wet, dirty and stank of slurry. And so they had to walk all the way back to my mother's house." Narrated Zhan.

Zhan noticed that Yibo was listening to him, but Yibo did not respond and instead closed his eyes. However, Zhan did not give up and told another story about his parents, hoping Yibo would slowly start talking to him again.

"My parents always loved each other very much. But whenever my mother wanted another proof of love from my father, she would tell him she wanted to go to the theater with him. She knew he hated going to the theater. And when he strictly refused, she said every time, if you don't come, I'll look for a soldier on the base who would like to come. My father knew she would never do that, but still pretended to be jealous. He would put on his jacket and shoes and then always tell her, before you get any more stupid ideas, I'd rather go there with you myself." Again, no reaction from Yibo.

"Oh man, can you tell me how to stay awake if you don't talk to me?" Zhan asked in frustration.

Yibo looked over at Zhan and replied annoyed, "Stop the car and let's switch places. I'll drive and you can sleep."

"Really? That would be really great."

"Stop the car." Yibo loudly demanded of him.

"Yeah Okay." Replied Zhan, startled. He stopped the car, and got out. Out of spite, he cleared some things from the back seat to the passenger seat, and then sat down in the back of the car. He really didn't feel like sitting next to Yibo right now.

Angrily, Yibo asked him as he watched Zhan sit in the back of the car, "What are you doing now?"

But Zhan was not in the mood to argue with Yibo right now. Instead, he did as Yibo did before and just closed his eyes. And when Yibo put one of the woolen blankets on his lap for Zhan to cover himself, Zhan was already so frustrated and angry himself that he took the woolen blanket and kicked it to the passenger seat. He simply unwrapped one of the two sleeping bags and pulled it up over his head.

Yibo, watching Zhan through the rearview mirror, was annoyed with himself for being so angry with Zhan. Even now, after he too realized that there was nothing Zhan could have done. Without an operating room, equipment that displayed vital signs during surgery, assistants to help him, what could he do about such a gunshot wound?

And even though he knew this, he couldn't jump over his own shadow and act normal again towards Zhan. Had he mistaken Zhan for a superhero in a white coat? Someone who could save everything and everyone? And was that why he was so angry and disappointed when he had to realize that Zhan just can't save every life? That he was not a superhero in white?