Darkness Descends

Ye Zhao waved goodbye to the two girls and squeezed out of the crowd. She hadn't walked far in a random direction before she saw several men covered in blood sprinting down the road, pursued by a group of aggressive-looking men. As they ran, they shouted, "Help! The people behind us are crazy, they're trying to kill us!" "They've killed people!" "Help—"

The pursuers shouted back, "Don't listen to their lies! Those guys aren't just robbers, they're murderers!"

"Get out of the way!"

People along the road scrambled to avoid them. Ye Zhao quickly ducked to the side, craning her neck to watch the commotion.

The group in pursuit was clearly in control, while the men in front were injured and breathless from running for who knows how long. One of them lost his footing, tumbled to the ground, and rolled right to Ye Zhao's feet. He grabbed her yellow sweatpants and pleaded, "Save me, please save me! Those people are insane, they're killing everyone they see!"

Ye Zhao looked down at the man begging at her feet, then at the group closing in, and said, "You say they're murderers, they say you're murderers—I don't know who to help. Why don't I help you find the police? You can have the officers settle this. They're recruiting just ahead, run that way, there are plenty of people there!"

Ye Zhao kindly pointed him in a direction, but the moment the man scrambled to his feet, he pulled out a knife and tried to take her hostage. With the blade pressed against her throat, the man who had just been pleading now wore a vicious expression. Ye Zhao: ?

"Don't come any closer! Back off, back the hell off, or I'll kill her right now!" he threatened. The pursuers stopped in their