Chloe's first instinct was to run.
She immediately threw her gun at the man and turned around to flee. Only then did she catch a glimpse of the zombies around her, all chopped into pieces.
This man was terrifying.
She ran into the mall, sobbing.
But no matter how far she ran, the mall entrance didn't get any closer. And her neck started to feel tight.
"Are you done crying?"
The man's clear voice sounded right above her.
Chloe immediately froze, hugged her head, and stammered, "Don't kill me. I... I didn't see anything. I don't know anything."
Why did that sound so familiar? It felt like something from one of those dramatic TV shows her brother liked.
Shawn was expressionless, though slightly amused. "If you don't run, I won't kill you."
"Mm-hmm, I'll be good. I won't run."
Chloe nodded quickly. Her tear-filled eyes looked genuinely sincere.
Shawn lowered his hand. This girl was as light as a piece of paper. Lifting her with one hand wasn't even difficult.
"Why are you here?"
Chloe shrank back a little. "I... I've always been here."
Shawn looked her up and down. She was too clean. She didn't look like someone struggling to survive in the apocalypse.
"Let me put it another way. Why didn't the zombies attack you?"
Chloe nervously played with her fingers, glanced at Shawn's cold gaze, and hesitated to answer.
What if this man captured her for dissection?
"If you don't talk, I'll help you with that. Don't worry. I'm good at it."
Shawn smiled lightly as he raised his hand like he really wanted to help.
Chloe suddenly realized she had said her inner thoughts out loud.
She blamed it on living alone for too long. She had gotten used to talking to herself. It just slipped out.
"If I tell you, will you let me go?"
Shawn crossed his arms and found her innocent tone amusing.
"Depends."
Chloe couldn't figure out what he meant, but there was no other choice.
"I don't know. They just ignore me."
"An ability?"
Shawn had never heard of something like this. "Are you alone?"
Chloe nodded. "It's not an ability. Not like yours. I've been living alone here. I don't want to stay with others."
Just then, a few zombies came wandering from a car dealership nearby.
Shawn was close enough for them to detect a human presence. But they didn't react to him either. They just dragged their broken limbs around aimlessly.
Shawn narrowed his eyes and glanced at Chloe with a spark of realization.
He quietly stepped back, about ten meters away from Chloe.
Suddenly, the zombies charged straight toward him.
Shawn stepped closer to Chloe again.
The zombies immediately lost interest and wandered off again.
Chloe didn't understand his actions and took a few steps back.
"You don't want to end up crawling to move around, do you?"
Before she could step even one meter away, Shawn's calm voice came with a clear threat.
Chloe cursed inside but smiled sweetly on the outside, taking small steps toward him. "I wasn't running. Just stretching my legs a bit."
Seeing her fake obedient smile, Shawn rubbed his chin. "You look so pitiful. I'll be kind. Come with me from now on."
"I don't want to."
"Not an option."
Shawn stepped forward, picked up the struggling Chloe, and tucked her under his arm.
As expected, not a single zombie attacked along the way.
Chloe was too busy struggling to notice.
Eventually, she wore herself out and gave up.
Shawn strapped her into the passenger seat and buckled the seatbelt.
"If you run, I'll drag you behind the car."
Chloe went completely silent, only her lips kept moving as she muttered curses.
Shawn didn't mind. To him, today was like finding a treasure.
He got into the driver's seat and started the car, heading out.
He wasn't planning to go back to the original base. He had just gotten news about his brother, who had gone traveling down south not long ago.
He glanced at the girl next to him, who was still mumbling. Shawn smiled silently. This journey wouldn't be boring.
The car was from his original team, but the supplies had already been taken. It was empty.
Because of the bad road conditions, they had to take detours. Shawn used the opportunity to gather some supplies with Chloe.
With food and goods to hold, Chloe's mood improved, and she started chatting.
"I'm Chloe. What's your name?"
"..."
"You don't have a name?"
"Shawn."
"How do you write it?"
Shawn silently gave her a piece of candy and stuffed it in her mouth.
When they saw a convenience store, he stopped the car.
"Go see if there's any snack you like."
"Mm-hmm, okay." Chloe's eyes lit up.
Since she couldn't escape, she wouldn't treat herself badly.
I found a box of snacks and placed it in the car when Chloe saw a few people walking toward the corner.
One of the muscular men came over and said, "Hey, friend, my name is Max. Where are you two from?"
Chloe shyly hid behind Shawn, pressing herself against his back, pretending she didn't exist.
Shawn felt her small frame press against him and, feeling slightly uncomfortable, replied coldly to the group, "We came from the city center."
"What's the situation over there? Are there many supplies?" The man asked, his eyes also glancing into the car.
Unfortunately, the car only had a few boxes of snacks Chloe had gathered from the convenience store.
"It's okay," Shawn answered briefly.
The man looked at Shawn, who dared to bring a woman out to search for supplies, and didn't dare to make a move.
"Let's go."
Shawn pulled the shy girl behind him and pushed her into the car.
The group exchanged looks, then backed away.
After this little incident, the two of them didn't search for supplies anymore. By the time the sun was setting, Shawn finally drove out of the city center.
They had entered from the east and now were leaving from the southern exit.
They found a secluded spot to park the car, and Shawn began preparing the supplies for a rest.
Chloe had already exceeded her daily physical limit and was so tired that she didn't want to move. She comfortably lay in the back of the car, waiting for dinner.
When the smell of food reached her nose, her stomach rumbled.
"Have you eaten?"
Since wandering with zombies, Chloe hadn't had a freshly cooked meal, and she rarely even had instant noodles. Now, seeing the cooking fire in front of her, she felt a bit of a pang in her heart. It seemed like there used to be someone who would cook for her.
"Mm."
Shawn noticed how she squatted by the stove, unwilling to leave, and moved a small stool beside her, serving her a bowl of noodles with an egg added.
Chloe tried to take the bowl, but as soon as her fingers touched the edge, she pulled her hand back in pain because it was too hot.
She looked up at him pitifully. "It's so hot."
Shawn looked at her, her delicate fingers turning slightly red as she blew on them, and silently took out a small table for her to place the bowl on.
Chloe was stunned, her mouth falling open. "Wow, you're amazing! What kind of ability is this?"
The most powerful abilities she had seen were people who could create fire or control water. The most impressive was someone who could generate electricity and knock out a bunch of zombies in one shot.
"Eat quickly. It'll be dark soon."
Chloe wasn't too happy with his lack of conversation and quietly hummed to herself as she took small bites of the noodles.
Once she finished the bowl, she felt completely satisfied with life.
After dinner, Shawn packed everything up and told Chloe to clean up and go to sleep.
Chloe lay in the back of the car on the reclining chair, rubbing her stomach and licking her lips, not wanting to leave.
But who knew what Shawn's real intentions were? Staying any longer clearly wasn't a good idea.
"I need to use the bathroom."
Shawn looked outside. There were almost no zombies around.
But in this world, the darker and bloodier danger was never the zombies.
"I'll go with you."
"No, it's fine, I can go by myself. I'm a girl! Men and women are different!"
Chloe shook her head like a rattle drum, firmly refusing Shawn's company.
If he went with her, how could she run away?
Shawn watched her expression, and after a moment, he agreed.
Chloe happily got out of the car, picked a direction, and ran off.
When she turned around and couldn't see the car, she quickly sped up and ran away.
"Hahaha, bad man! Always trying to scare me."
Now that she had her freedom, Chloe felt like walking without a care.
She carefully looked at the road and decided to find a place to spend the night. It was impossible for her to make it back with her two legs.
"What's this? Can't find your way back?" Shawn's voice came from behind her.
Chloe jumped in fright and turned around to see the bad man smiling at her, which made her feel even more annoyed.
"I don't want to go back with you."
"Why?" Shawn seemed to be comforting a child throwing a tantrum. "Didn't you like the dinner?"
When she heard this, Chloe almost swallowed her saliva. But then, she immediately became firm again.
"You all think too complicated. I won't be fooled." Chloe had a clear sense of herself. She didn't understand the schemes in others' heads.
Besides, Shawn was particularly bad. He even wanted to hang her on the back of the car.
"Is there anything you don't understand? Ask me, I'll tell you everything."
Chloe thought for a moment, but still refused.
However, her refusal was clearly ineffective in Shawn's eyes.
He immediately picked her up and carried her.
Chloe, angry, bit into his neck.
The force was enough for her sharp little teeth to break the skin.
Shawn immediately grabbed the back of her neck, as if holding the life of a cat by its throat. "Let go."
Chloe's anger came quickly but left just as fast. Especially when she saw the blood on Shawn's neck, she immediately panicked.
She quickly wiped it away, pretending nothing happened.
But the next second, Shawn touched his neck, and more blood flowed out.
Looking at the blood on his hand, Shawn's lips curled up as he looked at the girl in his arms. "Very good."
It seemed he needed to properly educate this delicate little girl.