The Day Love Betrayed Me and Never the Plan 23

Chapter 23 

Chapter 23 

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Some people who still had a bit of food left started throwing Chloe flirty looks, even waving ration biscuits from their backpacks to grab her attention. 

Even Lionel, the leader, couldn’t resist giving her a lingering, suggestive glance before finally tearing his eyes away. He flashed Chloe a grin. “Hey, you here alone? Stick close when we head out. We don’t want those zombies getting a chance to bite you.” 

“Thanks,” Chloe replied, brushing off all the stares. She quietly put on her mask and stashed the foam boards in her hiking bag. 

No one was blind here. After seeing Lionel’s look, everyone knew he had his eyes on Chloe. Some glared at her with disdain, others with contempt, but most were just jealous. ‘Having someone like him backing you up? That’s gotta be amazing,‘ they thought. 

Margaret was not happy about it, rushing at Chloe in a frenzy. “You murderer, go to hell!” But before she could even get close, the crowd quickly held her back. 

“What are you doing? She’s the real murderer. I’m calling the cops. I’ll get every one of you locked up!” Margaret yelled. 

One guy snorted. “Are you crazy, ma’am? Go ahead. Call the cops. Let’s see how that turns out.” Then, he shot Chloe a flirty wink. “Don’t worry, babe. I’ve got your back, and so does Lionel.” 

“Yeah, with Lionel here, no one’s gonna mess with you,” another guy chimed in. 

One look from Lionel and everyone just assumed Chloe was his girl. They figured being nice to her meant being nice to him. After all, she was so stunning that no guy could resist her. 

Even Lionel wore that confident look, like he was sure he’d get whatever he wanted. Now that he had power, he ruled the building. No one dared to oppose him. 

Chloe just treated the whole thing like a joke. But as she saw more and more zombies gathering outside the glass doors, her brow furrowed deeper. 

These zombies were evolving faster than she had anticipated. Most of the ones at the entrance were now first- level zombies. She knew she had to level up even quicker if she wanted to survive. 

With the daylight pouring in, Chloe couldn’t shake the feeling of anxiety. Someone might snatch that mutant flower from the university town’s field. 

Each bang on the glass door felt like a punch to the gut, squeezing the air from her lungs. 

Finally, someone spoke up. “Lionel, is it just me, or do these zombies seem different today?” 

“Looks like there’s a lot more of them,” another person added. 

“Wait, it’s not just the numbers. They’re moving faster, too,” someone else pointed out. 

Suddenly a guy blurted out. “Yesterday. when I went out for supplies, one of them almost caught me, and 

15:09 Sun, Dec 21 

Chapter 23 

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they’re running way faster now!” 

The women’s faces turned pale, and they staggered back, fear and panic written all over them. The men might have a chance of outrunning the zombies, but for the women, things didn’t look good. Then, a calm voice broke through the tension. 

Chloe said, “Zombies are evolving. See those faint lines on their foreheads? If there are no lines, they’re just basic zombies, slow and easy to dodge. As long as you move fast, you’ll be okay. 

“But if you see one line, that’s a first–level zombie, much faster and stronger. Soon, we’ll have second–level and even third–level zombies coming at us.” 

What?‘ the crowd thought, their faces ashen. ‘Zombies can actually evolve? What’s happening to this world? Is there any hope left? Is everything we’ve fought for just a joke?‘ 

Everyone, except Lionel, looked completely defeated. 

Just then, Margaret suddenly grabbed a backpack from someone nearby and sprinted off. In her panic, she dropped it, and all the supplies spilled out onto the floor. 

“Sausage, bread, and even chocolate. Damn, there’s a ton of food!” someone suddenly shouted. The crowd pounced, grabbing whatever they could. 

Watching her food disappear before her eyes, Margaret stomped her foot in frustration. “Hey, you thieves. That’s mine. Give it back!” She tried to grab it back, but a big guy shoved her aside, sending her sprawling. 

Margaret collapsed on the floor, crying uncontrollably. ‘We’re all gonna starve anyway, so screw it. Let’s all die together, she thought. 

Her sobs set off the zombies outside. They started slamming into the glass harder. Within moments, a long crack snaked across the surface. 

Margaret’s sobs caught in her throat as she watched the glass shatter. ‘I just wanted them to hand over the food, not let the zombies in! What have I done? Am I really about to die here?‘ she wondered. 

With a loud crash, the glass shattered completely, sending shards flying. Zombies with gaping, fanged mouths and drool dripping from their jaws surged forward, scrambling to be the first to tear into the crowd. It was like wolves in a pen full of sheep. 

The people closest to the glass were immediately overwhelmed by the zombies. Screams and roars filled the room, and the air reeked of blood. 

“Oh, no. The zombies are here!” 

“Help!” 

“Honey, help me!” 

Every scream seemed to drive the zombies into a frenzy. They howled and shrieked, pouring in, wave after wave, relentlessly. 

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One zombie laughed wickedly, grabbed someone who couldn’t run in time, and started tearing into them with loud, gruesome crunches. 

Most of the first–level zombies didn’t stick to just one victim. They’d bite through a person’s neck and move on to the next one without hesitation. 

Lionel acted quickly, shouting, “Everyone, fall back!” 

Some people rushed for the elevator, while others bolted up the stairs. Everyone was in a mad scramble to get 

away. 

But the elderly and children, unable to move fast enough, were knocked over in chaos. They were trampled to death right there on the floor. 

The overwhelming stench of blood sent the zombies into a frenzy, and they became even more savage by the second. 

There were too many of them. Sometimes, they barely finished tearing one person apart before jumping on the next. The faces of the bitten victims turned sickly blue–purple, their bodies covered in dark veins. 

The chaos was so intense that the whole building was about to be overrun. More and more zombies kept flooding in. If they didn’t escape now, they were as good as dead. 

Chloe didn’t hesitate. She grabbed her machete, killed a zombie, smeared its blood on herself, and charged into the zombie horde. 

She hacked her way through, leaving a trail of destruction behind her. Nothing could stop her. Any zombie that came close was taken out with one ruthless swing. 

The zombies that had the others terrified were nothing to her. She sliced through them like she was chopping vegetables. 

The crowd, still panicked, forgot about escaping. They just stood there, shocked, as this cold beauty tore through the zombies like a reaper, taking down one after another. 

The quick thinkers and brave ones didn’t waste any time. They rushed to her side, hoping to follow her and survive. 

With the security glass shattered, everyone realized the building was a death trap. Staying meant being trapped like animals. If they wanted any chance of survival, their best bet was to stick with Chloe and run for it. 

Once one person joined her, others followed, like a domino effect. Soon, more and more people were behind Chloe, forming her own little army. 

Lionel’s eyes lit up as it finally clicked that Chloe was that badass girl from a few days ago, the one who’d gone on a zombie–killing spree.