The Apocalypse Took Everything, This Time I Hoard It All First
Chapter 36: Quite Confident

Chapter 36: Chapter 36: Quite Confident

Shane Shaw reacted instantly. ’The zombies are about to break in!’

Their loud arguments over the past few days had already triggered two zombie riots.

He didn’t dare delay, rushing forward. "Quick! Get the sofa back up!"

The other two men, Drew Dunn and Terry Thorne, immediately joined him. The three of them worked together to lift the sofa, trying to patch up their defensive line.

"HRRGH!"

"RAAAGH!"

Staring at the living humans just within reach, the zombies roared with increasing excitement.

The zombies’ fingernails seemed unnaturally strong. Having grown again after their mutation, they were sharp enough to tear through fabric with ease. In the blink of an eye, they had clawed several holes in the sofa.

One of them, a zombie in a black sweater, snapped its jaw open and shut manically. A half-smoked cigarette butt was still stuck in its throat, and a putrid stench mixed with the smell of blood washed over them.

"Something’s wrong! They’re stronger this time!" Drew Dunn gritted his teeth and pushed, veins popping on his forehead. "I can’t hold on!"

The moment he spoke, a small female zombie, still clutching an empty wine bottle, climbed up by stepping on the back of the zombie in front of it. Half her body cleared the gap in the sofa barricade as she lunged straight for the three men.

"CRASH!"

The wine bottle hit the floor, sending shards of glass flying everywhere.

The female zombie’s claws shot out toward Terry Thorne, who was lifting the sofa. Terry wasn’t paying attention. He slipped on a piece of glass, fell forward onto the sofa, and the back of his hand was gashed by the zombie’s fingernails.

"Terry!"

Drew Dunn reacted quickly, grabbing his arm and yanking him back up.

Agatha Palmer, forgetting their earlier argument, ran over in a panic, grabbing Terry Thorne’s hand and asking anxiously, "Terry! How are you? Are you okay?"

Terry Thorne stared at the chunk of flesh torn from the back of his hand. Blood was pouring out, and the pain made a cold sweat break out on his back. His voice trembled, "I-I’m fine... I’m okay..."

"Help him into the bedroom and lock the door."

Kevin Keane’s cold, emotionless voice cut in.

Agatha Palmer and Drew Dunn turned to see Kevin Keane and Luna Dawson, who had just walked out of their room, standing nearby with indifferent expressions.

Luna Dawson crossed her arms and spoke slowly, "You don’t even know the basics of the apocalypse? Getting scratched or bitten means a high chance of turning. Didn’t you see the previous warning messages?"

Terry Thorne clutched his wrist tightly, his eyes filled with wishful thinking. He retorted tremblingly, "A-aren’t there exceptions? A small number of people awaken superpowers after being scratched! I could be one of them!"

Agatha Palmer immediately chimed in, her voice agitated, "Yes! That’s right! He’ll awaken a superpower! Stop being so alarmist!"

Kevin Keane looked Terry Thorne up and down, then chuckled softly. "You’re pretty confident, kid."

Seeing his good friend injured, Drew Dunn was both anxious and furious. He yelled at the pair, "You’re going too far! Who are you to order us around? Why should we listen to you?!"

Luna Dawson glanced at them, her tone dismissive. "Isolate him or don’t. If you want to die, I won’t stop you."

After speaking, she waved her hand. Two suppressed submachine guns materialized in her grasp, and she tossed one to Kevin Keane.

Everyone in the room stared, their eyes wide. ’Pulling things out of thin air?!’

’No wonder they managed to throw up that grappling hook before without anyone noticing.’

’This is the Space Ability mentioned in the official reports!’

’And they even have guns!’

Then they remembered the Water Blade Luna Dawson had used earlier, and a thought struck them with a jolt: ’She’s a dual-ability Superpower User!’

Shane Shaw froze as he watched the two guns appear from nowhere. He quietly exchanged a look with Nancy Sullivan, a complicated expression in his eyes, but he said nothing, merely standing silently to the side.

Seeing the guns, Agatha Palmer’s anger flared. She pointed at Luna Dawson and screamed, "You had guns! Why didn’t you bring them out sooner? If you had, my boyfriend never would have gotten scratched!"

The others also looked displeased, but recalling the ferocity with which Luna Dawson had kicked Dexter Wallace, no one dared to agree with Agatha. They were angry but didn’t dare to speak.

Luna Dawson raised an eyebrow, her tone mocking. "Oh? Do I owe you something?"

’If Dexter Wallace hadn’t been whining in the room just now, Kevin and I would have come out sooner. This guy could have avoided this.’

Shane Shaw glanced at Dexter Wallace, who was still in the room shaking Jasmine Donovan, and understood.

’In the apocalypse, isn’t everyone just trying to look out for themselves?’

’If she were really after supplies, she wouldn’t need to care if we lived or died. It would be easier for her to wait for this building to be completely overrun, then come back to clear out the zombies and collect everything.’

Shane Shaw quickly pieced it all together. He immediately stepped in front of Agatha Palmer and Drew Dunn, trying to de-escalate. "I’m sorry. We’ll listen to you!"

Kevin Keane leaned lazily against the wall and said with a smile, "Suit yourselves. Lock him up or don’t. The moment he turns, I’ll open fire."

Having recovered, Dexter Wallace spoke with a grim face. "Terry, I have a first-aid kit in my room. Come over and treat that wound."

Hearing Kevin Keane’s relaxed tone, Agatha Palmer mistakenly thought she had gained the upper hand. A small smile crept onto her lips as she pulled Terry Thorne toward the bedroom.

Luna Dawson shot a glance at Dexter Wallace and sneered inwardly: ’What a hypocrite.’

She decided to drop her savior complex and couldn’t be bothered to waste any more words on this group.

Kevin Keane and Luna Dawson walked over to the railing and tapped lightly on the glass.

The zombies on the first and second floors heard the sound and began swarming toward the third floor.

The two raised their suppressed submachine guns, taking down one zombie with each shot.

As Luna killed them, she silently kept a tally of her kills, competing with Kevin Keane in her head. ’I can’t keep losing to him.’

"AHHH—!"

A bloodcurdling scream suddenly erupted from the master bedroom, followed by Agatha Palmer’s frantic cries, "Terry! Calm down!"

Shane Shaw and Nancy Sullivan quickly ran behind Luna Dawson and Kevin Keane, warily watching the master bedroom.

Luna Dawson looked up to see Jasmine Donovan supporting Dexter Wallace as they stumbled out of the master bedroom in a panic.

’This woman sure has a knack for waking up at the perfect time.’

Following them, Terry Thorne walked out, his body convulsing. Blackish-purple veins spread from his neck to his forehead. He was chewing on a piece of fresh, bloody flesh, chomping down with a "CRUNCH, CRUNCH."

His body twitched mechanically, his nose twitching as he sniffed the air, searching for the scent of the living.

Drew Dunn panicked instantly. Forgetting all about brotherly loyalty, he bolted out the door and dove into the adjacent bedroom.

With a "BANG," he slammed the door shut and locked it tight.

The door had just closed when a disheveled Agatha Palmer came flying out, slamming into the door panel with a "THUD."

She clutched her face, her voice strange. "Te... hrrgh... Terry... I... I can’t see..."

"HRRGH!"

The words had barely left her mouth before her groans turned into a zombie’s howl. When she turned her head, everyone saw what had happened to her.

A large chunk of flesh had been torn from her left cheek up to her forehead. Her upper eyelid was gone, and her ruptured left eyeball dangled precariously. Her head was twisted at a grotesque angle as she lunged toward Jasmine Donovan and Dexter Wallace, who had fallen to the ground.

"BANG! BANG!"

Two gunshots rang out. The suppressors muffled the sound but not the lethality.

Luna Dawson shot Agatha Palmer in the head. A piece of her skull from the back of her head, with long hair still attached, blew out and stuck to the hallway wall amidst a spray of blood.

The other shot was from Kevin Keane, a precise hit to Terry Thorne’s head.

His gray, vacant eyes slowly lost their luster. The blood and brain matter of the two mixed and spread across the wall, like a grotesque, bewitching dahlia.

Then they both crumpled to the floor. Terry Thorne fell beside Agatha Palmer, his blank, gray eyes staring right into hers.

The remaining survivors watched, their faces pale, forgetting to breathe.

Nancy Sullivan and Jasmine Donovan couldn’t hold it in any longer and threw up with a "BLEGH."

Drew Dunn slowly opened his door and cautiously peeked out. Seeing the two bodies on the floor, he froze in place, his eyes vacant.