Chapter 4
"Leon, I'm scared..." Edith suddenly appeared at Leon's side and gripped his arm, shaking all over.
"Don't be afraid. I got you," Leon said, giving her hand a reassuring pat. His face was once again set with that determined, hero vibe.
He turned to face me.
"Fiona, pass out the food and water to everyone. We're getting ready to make a run for it," Leon said.
I didn't move.
"Make a run? To where?" I pointed out the window. "They're everywhere out there. How are we supposed to get out of here?"
"We have to try!" Leon shouted. "Are we just going to sit here and wait to die?"
"Leon, listen to me," I said. "Something's off about this zombie horde. The smartest thing we can do right now is stay in this room, stay completely silent, and wait for them to leave on their own."
It was the smartest move right now.
Our room was on the sixth floor, and we'd reinforced the doors and windows. As long as we didn't make any noise or draw attention, it'd be tough for the zombies to reach us up here.
But Leon wasn't having it.
He was totally blinded by the desperate screams coming from the survivors downstairs.
"No way! I can't just abandon them." He shook off my hand. "Fiona, get the supplies out. That's an order!"
"And what if I don't?" I shot back.
Leon locked his gaze on me, his eyes blazing with a wild, almost crazed intensity.
"Fiona, don't make me do something rude to you," he snapped.
I let out a cold laugh.
"You already did, okay?" I said, touching my lower back, which was still sore from what he did earlier.
He froze.
Just then, the door was hammered with frantic bangs.
Someone shouted, "Leon, open up! Let us in!"
"Leon, you can't just leave us to die!"
It was the neighbors from downstairs.
They obviously couldn't hold out any longer and were desperate to hide out up here, the safest spot they could think of.
A look of struggle flickered across Leon's face.
Edith leaned in close and whispered in his ear, so only he could hear, "Leon, they're really suffering..."
That was the last straw.
Leon yanked the door open.
A dozen survivors burst in, their faces twisted with fear and greed as they scanned the room. In the end, everyone ended up staring at me.
They all knew I was the one holding the stash.
They shouted, "Leon, tell her to hand over the food!"
"Yeah, we're all starving here!"
"She's got a ton of stuff stashed away. Everyone should get a share!"
When it was life or death, people showed their true colors. The ugliest sides of human nature came out.
Leon looked at me, his gaze torn and complicated.
"Fiona, please. I'm begging you," he said.
My gaze shifted from him to the hungry, greedy eyes behind him, and suddenly, nothing seemed to matter anymore.
I was exhausted.
"Fine," I said.
I took out most of the food and water from my storage space and piled it up in the center of the living room.
"That should last you all about a week," I said.
The crowd erupted into cheers and swarmed the food like a pack of wild animals.
Leon finally relaxed, flashing me an approving smile.
"Fiona, I knew you still had a kind heart," he said.
I didn't even bother to respond.
I silently retreated to the bedroom, clutching the fire axe like my life depended on it.
There was no way things would stay calm tonight.
The chaos kicked off around midnight.
The smell of food and the presence of a dozen living people were like a spotlight in the night, luring even more zombies in.
They were banging on the iron gate downstairs, relentless and never stopping.
The sound of claws and guttural howls echoed up the stairwell. It was clear that some zombies had busted through and were climbing up, one floor at a time.
The survivors, who had just been stuffing their faces and feeling satisfied, were now freaking out as fear started to take over.
"What are we supposed to do? The zombies just keep coming!" someone yelled.
"Leon, what about your power? Hurry up and use it to get rid of those things!" someone else shouted at Leon, desperate.
Leon stood by the window, his face as pale as paper.
His purification power could handle a handful of zombies, but when it came to a horde of hundreds, that tiny bit of glow was no better than a firefly in the dark.
"I-I can't... There are way too many. My power doesn't reach that far..." Leon stammered, his voice shaking.
The crowd broke out in desperate shouts and curses.
"Useless! Thought you were so tough!"
"Should've never listened to you. Maybe we'd be safer if we'd just stayed at home!"
Leon swayed on his feet, like his whole world was starting to crumble right then and there.
Edith stuck close to him, murmuring comfort, but she was making it sound like everything was my fault.
"Leon, don't listen to them. You really did your best. It's Fiona's fault. Honestly, if she'd just given up the food earlier and we'd tried to break out sooner, maybe we'd already be safe," Edith said.
Clever move.
Just like that, with a casual remark, she turned everyone's anger straight at me.
As expected, everyone started shooting daggers my way, their eyes burning with resentment.
They shouted, "Yeah, it's all her fault!"
"This selfish woman. She wants us all dead!"
I leaned against the bedroom doorframe, watching the whole circus play out with icy indifference. My grip tightened around the fire axe.