Chloe raced down the street. With her wind power, her speed was way beyond what any regular Joe could keep up with.
The streets were jammed with abandoned cars, left behind by people fleeing for their lives.
People rushing to get their feverish family members to the hospital were stuck there. Car horns blared nonstop, angry shouts filling the air.
Chloe stuck to the shadows, always alert and avoiding zombie–infested areas. Soon, she reached the jewelry store’s back entrance.
She’d scouted this spot earlier. But now, the door looked already pried open. Clearly, someone had beaten her here.
As she entered, a stench hit her. A legless zombie dragged itself toward her, its face twisted in a snarl.
Chloe struck first. She swung her axe, splitting the zombie’s head. Instantly, black, putrid fluid exploded everywhere.
A zombie’s brain was its control center. Only by chopping it off or smashing it could one kill the thing for good.
After fighting the mutant ants and escaping, Chloe had burned through her power. She slumped against a cabinet, exhausted and gasping.
Without zombie cores, she’d have to wait and hope her power slowly recovered.
Only then did Chloe see the jewelry store’s true state.
Two bodies lay in a pool of blood. From their clothes, they seemed to be women. But the zombies had mangled them so badly that little remained identifiable.
The uniformed body still had a set of keys dangling from her belt. They were probably the keys to the store’s warehouse.
Chloe swept emeralds off the display counter. But they were low–quality. Even collecting everything would barely help her recover her power.
She then found the warehouse’s small door and opened it. Inside, a few small boxes were lined up on the shelves.
The emeralds there were far superior to the front display. She tossed them into her spiritual space, where they vanished without a trace.
‘Makes sense. My spiritual space is massive, requiring enormous energy to fill. These emeralds are just a tiny drop. She shrugged mentally. ‘Anyway, every little bit counts.‘
She opened the door to leave, only to come face–to–face with two dozen zombies shambling in from the west.
15:05 Sun, Dec 21
Chapter 11
20 vouchers
Without hesitation, she pulled a blood plasma bag from her spiritual space and threw it toward the cast.
The zombies‘ grotesque faces twisted as they swarmed toward the blood, making raspy, creepy laughs.
They completely ignored Chloe as they rushed past. She didn’t waste a second and bolted.
The streets were more chaotic than before, cars crashing, overturning, people abandoning vehicles and running for their lives. Driving now was basically a suicide mission.
“Hey, there you are!” a surprised male voice called out from behind Chloe.
She rolled her eyes. ‘Ugh, these guys are like glue, she thought, ignoring him and getting ready to bolt.
Dustin blocked her path, forcing a stiff smile. “Why the rush? I’ve been chasing you forever”
“Why are you chasing me?” Chloe fixed him with a frosty glare.
Dustin now had only six people, all young and fit. ‘Looks like they ditched the slow, old ones, Chloe thought.
“Hey, don’t be so tough, girl. Why don’t we team up? More people mean more strength, right?” Dustin grinned.
Chloe crossed her arms, giving the group an icy look. “Earlier, there were twenty zombies. I took out eighteen, while you took four. And your crew just screamed. You really think more people make me stronger?”
Dustin went silent. Lily stepped up, glaring at Chloe. “I’m a Caldwell Corp heiress. Get me to Hevenscale, and I’ll pay you 300 grand.”
“Save that cash for your funeral,” Chloe shot back. She had no intention of dragging around a bunch of dead weight.
With her wind power, she managed to ditch those clingy tagalongs as zombies swarmed in..
She scavenged for supplies along the way, easily dodging the low–level zombies shuffling back and forth.
The zombie outbreak was just hours old, prime looting time. In a week, a massive snowstorm would consume everything.
By then, temperatures would drop to fifty below. While the frozen–stiff zombies moved even sluggishly, humans would be trapped inside.
Chloe walked up to a small white van outside a supermarket. Its door hung open, keys in the ignition. The driver might’ve been zombie food or turned.
She carefully looked around and checked the van’s interior, finding nothing suspicious.
She fished out the keys and circled around to the van’s rear. Flipping the hatch open, she found a total treasure trove inside: bottled water, pasta, bread, and the whole shebang.
She dumped everything into her spiritual space, locked up the van, and headed to a supermarket.
15.05 Sun, Dec 21
Chapter 14
Vouchers
Chainsaw in hand, she hacked through the metal shutter, sliding inside before zombies could close in The supermarket was small, just two floors.
She grabbed everything: pasta, flour, fresh produce, kitchen seasonings, plus some booze and smokes for good measure
Then she tracked down the supermarket warehouse, grabbed a pair of pliers, and snipped through the heavy padlock.
Inside were shelves packed with high–calorie chocolate, drinks, and a freezer stocked with frozen meat. Chloe dumped it all into her spiritual space.
Just then, she caught the sound of rustling and low voices outside.
“Stay sharp. Someone’s been here, a guy warned.
Another exclaimed, “Look, the pasta, flour, and a ton of other stuff are gone. Somebody got here before us.”
Chloe figured they were local survivors hunting supplies.
“At least that person broke the shutter for us. Otherwise, we wouldn’t even have gotten in. There’s still plenty left. Let’s grab what we can, the first guy said.
Soon, their voices faded into the distance.
Only then did Chloe slip out of the warehouse. She wasn’t afraid of those guys; she just didn’t want to get mixed up with them and waste time getting home.
“Hey, stop! You’re not from our neighborhood, are you? I’ve never seen you before,” a shrill female voice called out from behind, her tone condescending and off–putting.
Chloe kept moving, only to find her way blocked by a fat guy clutching a kitchen knife.
Though she was covered in zombie blood, her face remained clean, revealing that she was quite attractive.
The fat guy’s eyes roamed over her in a sleazy way, his breath reeking. “Stick with me, babe. I’ll take care of you.”
“Get out of my way,” Chloe snapped. She gripped her axe tightly, her eyes blazing with murderous intent.
“Wow, ain’t you a feisty little thing? I like that,” the guy grinned, reaching for Chloe’s face. “Stay with me, and you can have all the supplies here. Bet you’ve never been touched. I’ll show you a good time you—”
15:05 Sun, Dec 21
Chapter 15
