CHAPTER 12
I was snapped out of my thoughts when Christian called out to me, his voice slightly shaky.
"O-Oi... s-shitty f-face..." he stammered.
I sat up and raised an eyebrow, responding in a relaxed tone. "What's up?"
Christian turned to me and pointed out the window. My gaze followed his finger, and my stomach dropped. Nicole was pinned to the ground, struggling against a zombie clawing at him. My eyes darted to Ruby, who was also fending off a few zombies on her own.
A wave of unease washed over me. As much as none of us might want to admit it, we've grown attached to each other over these past few weeks. Seeing them in danger like this was terrifying. I quickly scanned my surroundings for anything that could help. Oddly enough, the only zombies around were the ones attacking Ruby and Nicole. Pretty suspicious, if you ask me.
Acting fast, I pushed open the car door and stepped out, moving as quietly as possible. A crowbar layed a few meters away from Ruby—perfect. I carefully made my way toward it, silently reaching down to grab it.
Meanwhile, Christian just sat in the car, watching me risk my life like a scared little idiot. Like, hello? It would be so much easier if he actually helped, but I guess that logic didn't make it into his pea-sized brain.
With the crowbar now in my grip, I approached Ruby and took a deep breath. Shutting my eyes, I swung hard, smashing the metal against the zombie's chest. The impact sent it flying a few meters back, the crowbar tearing into its body with a sickening crunch. I could hear bones snapping, organs splattering against the ground. Pretty gruesome. Hence, why I kept my eyes shut.
I let go of the crowbar, and only then did I realize my mistake.
The loud thud echoed through the empty streets, immediately attracting the attention of two more zombies. They turned toward me, pausing for a second before letting out guttural growls.
Oh, for f—
I yanked the crowbar back up and hurriedly helped Ruby to her feet. A quick glance back at Nicole told me that the zombie pinning him down had somehow shifted its attention to me. I had unintentionally saved him.
Grabbing Ruby's hand, I ran with her back behind the car. We collapsed onto the ground, leaning against the back bumper as we caught our breath.
Ruby was covered in blood—though, considering how zombies are basically walking gore piles, it wasn't surprising.
"I'm going to help Nicole," I said, pushing myself up.
She nodded, still breathing heavily. "Be careful."
I peeked out from behind the car, scanning for Nicole. Instead, my eyes landed on the zombie that had attacked him. It was now lying motionless on the ground. But Nicole...
Nicole was nowhere in sight.
My stomach twisted. Did he escape? Did something happen to him? A million possibilities ran through my head.
But one thing I doubted? That Christian just sat there and did nothing
Nicole's POV
"Oh, come on. There's no way Perry thinks I'd actually die to a low-life zombie," I muttered, walking through the supermarket.
Christian scoffed. "No big deal?! She's probably imagining all the ways you could've died by now!"
I turned to him with an unimpressed look. "And how would you know what she's thinking?"
Christian opened his mouth to respond but hesitated. Nothing came out.
"I–..." His voice trailed off, and I smirked, raising an eyebrow.
"Point proven." I continued walking. "Now, let's just grab the cart and get out of here."
We moved cautiously, weaving through the empty aisles. Despite my confident attitude, I couldn't shake a weird feeling in the back of my mind. We had left Perry and Ruby back there. I knew they'd be fine... probably.
But something still felt off.
Eventually, we reached the cart filled with bottled water and drinks. I should've been relieved. But something gnawed at me.
Silence.
There were no zombies. No sounds. Not even the usual rancid smell of decay in the air.
That was not a good sign.
Zombies were never quiet.
When they were around, you knew they were there—whether from their growls, their disgusting stench, or the eerie sound of their dragging footsteps. But right now? Nothing.
That meant something was wrong.
Still, Christian and I didn't waste time. We grabbed the cart and started heading back to the van. The further we walked, the more unsettling things became. Scattered dead bodies lay on the ground—fresh kills.
Then, through the supermarket's glass doors, I spotted them.
Perry and Ruby.
They were inside the van, and...
Wait.
Ruby had changed clothes.
She looked... pretty.
...Wait, what the hell am I thinking?!
This is the zombie apocalypse! Nicole, get your damn self together! I can't be catching feelings in the middle of humanity collapsing.
But no matter how hard I tried, I couldn't help it.
I stole another glance at her. The way she laughed while talking to Perry, the way she smiled so effortlessly—how was she still so gentle and kind despite everything?
And more importantly... Would she ever feel the same way about me?
Perry's POV
"Well, it's not every day you find aesthetic clothes that actually fit during a zombie apocalypse," Ruby said happily.
Since we knew Nicole had gone to grab the shopping cart, Ruby and I had been chilling in the van, playing offline games and talking about random stuff. It almost felt normal—like just hanging out with a friend. I hadn't had that in what felt like forever.
We talked for a while, but eventually, the conversation died down. Our last topic had been about Christian. Since he and Ruby were basically best friends before all this—actually, they still were—she had been reminiscing about how she misses hanging out with him.
Honestly? We all missed our old lives.
As Ruby leaned back to grab a snack from the trunk, I let my thoughts wander. I wasn't exactly someone with a stable family—being bounced between foster homes, I had never really belonged anywhere. The only families I actually remembered were my most recent one and the first one that ever adopted me. They had treated me the best.
But now wasn't the time to dwell on the past.
I was pulled from my thoughts when I suddenly heard Ruby squeal. I turned to see her hopping excitedly into her seat, clutching something in her hands.
A Monopoly board.
"Yo, when did you get that?!?!" I asked, snatching it from her hands.
Ruby pouted. "I found it in the back while looking for the food bag!"
I stared at it in disbelief. Monopoly was my game. I was ridiculously competitive at it—and not to brag, but I was good.
Ruby suddenly leaned forward, climbing into the passenger seat to wipe the dust off the windshield. "We should all play this somewhere... but there's no space in here. Ugh, this sucks!"
I smirked. "It's fine, we'll figure something out."
Just as we were about to continue our conversation, Ruby frowned.
"Hey... why are Nicole and Christian taking so long? It's been at least 15-20 minutes already..."
Before I could respond, a deafening crash shook the entire supermarket.
Ruby and I exchanged wide-eyed stares before immediately ducking down in the van. I squeezed into the tight space under the seat, while Ruby curled up in the passenger seat.
Oh, god.
What was that?!
Were those survivors? Or worse... zombies smart enough to drive?
Where the hell were Nicole and Christian?!
It had been almost half an hour now, and they still weren't back. I swallowed hard.
I hated to admit it, but… I was worried. For both of them, Even Christian.