Chapter 2
Night had fully fallen. From outside came the mindless growls of zombies.
Charlotte's breathing was so soft, I thought she was already asleep.
I quietly moved closer to her.
Her fire axe was right there, within reach.
I reached out and touched the cold handle.
All I had to do was grab it and bring it down on her head.
That would be the end of it all.
No one would ever compete with me for my parents again, and no one would give me those pitying looks anymore.
My hand was shaking.
In my mind, two little figures battled. One screamed, 'Kill her!', while the other cowered in fear.
Just then, Charlotte stirred.
She rolled over to face me, her brows scrunched tight, like she was trapped in some nightmare.
"Mom... don't leave me..."
She mumbled softly, a single tear tracing down her cheek.
I jerked my hand back like I'd touched a hot stove.
How ridiculous.
Does she have nightmares like that too?
Didn't she already take my place as Mom and Dad's favorite?
Out of nowhere, something crashed hard against the door of the Corner Mart.
Bang!
Charlotte and I jolted awake together.
She snatched up the fire axe and shielded me behind her, whispering urgently, "Don't make a sound!"
The crashes grew more frequent, and cracks began to spiderweb across the glass door.
Outside, at least a dozen zombies had gathered.
Drawn by the scent of living humans inside, they pounded frantically on the windows and doors.
"Back door, now!" Charlotte didn't hesitate for a second.
She grabbed my hand, keeping low as we rushed toward the Corner Mart's storage room.
The back door to the storage room was made of thick metal and secured with a heavy padlock.
"Get out of the way!" Charlotte shouted.
She raised the fire axe and brought it down hard on the lock.
Sparks flew.
Once, twice.
The lock held firm, but the axe's blade was ruined. Its edge rolled and useless.
The glass door shattered with a loud crash.
The zombies roared as they poured in.
My knees buckled beneath me.
"Run!" I screamed, shoving her.
Charlotte shot me a look, her gaze unreadable.
She didn't bother with the lock anymore and dragged me into a massive metal cabinet crammed with random stuff.
As soon as the cabinet door clicked shut, I could hear the zombies' footsteps closing in, heavy and relentless.
We were crammed into that tiny, pitch-black space, and I could hear Charlotte's heartbeat pounding just as hard as my own.
Outside, the zombies started clawing at the metal, their desperate scratching echoing all around us.
Scratch...scratch...
I was trembling all over, tears streaming uncontrollably down my face.
Suddenly, a cold hand rested on top of mine and gave it a gentle, reassuring squeeze.
It was Charlotte.
In the darkness, I couldn't make out her expression, but I could hear her calm, steady breathing.
It felt like, with her there, even if the sky fell, nothing would touch me.
But that thought only made me more terrifie and angry.
I don't know how long it took, but the noises outside gradually died down.
The zombies seemed to have lost their target and began to scatter.
Just as I was about to breathe a sigh of relief, two loud knocks came from the cabinet door above my head.
It wasn't a zombie.
It was a person.
"Is anyone in there?" A young guy's voice came from above.
My heart skipped a beat. I was just about to call for help when Charlotte quickly clamped a hand over my mouth.
She shook her head at me.
In the apocalypse, people are more terrifying than zombies.
"We mean no harm," the guy said again. "We're just trying to clear out this area and set up a temporary safe zone."
I heard a few people whispering outside the cabinet.
"Captain, we've checked. No survivors," one of them said.
"Alright, reinforce all the doors and windows. Get it done before nightfall," the captain replied.
The footsteps faded away.
After what felt like forever, Charlotte finally released me and carefully cracked the cabinet door open just a sliver.
Once we made sure it was safe outside, we slowly crawled out of the cabinet.
The Corner Mart was a total mess, but the doors and windows had been reinforced with wooden boards.
A man in black tactical gear stood with his back to us, checking the shelves for supplies.
He was tall, his posture straight and imposing.
At the sound, he whipped around, raising his knife toward us.
When he realized we were two girls, he was stunned for a moment, then lowered his knife.
"Were you... hiding in the cabinet?" he asked.
His features were sharp, and he gave us a piercing, assessing look.
I instinctively shrank back behind Charlotte.
But Charlotte stayed calm. She stepped forward, shielding me. "We mean no harm."
"I'm Logan Black," the man said, putting away his knife. "We're running things here for now. You can stay, but you have to follow the rules."
Logan's gaze paused on me for a second.
"Food and water are handed out equally. Everyone has to work. Can you do that?" he asked.
"Yes," Charlotte nodded.
I stayed silent.
Why should we hand it all over? We were the ones who found these supplies first.
Logan's eyes flicked between me and Charlotte, finally settling on the fire axe in her hand.
"You know how to use that?" he asked.
"I can handle it," Charlotte replied.
"Nice," Logan said. "From now on, you're coming with us to scavenge for supplies."
Then he looked at me, his brow almost imperceptibly furrowing.
"You'll be in charge of logistics, organizing supplies and cleaning up," he said.
Here we go again.
Everyone always saw Charlotte as the important one, and nobody ever thought I mattered.
Even some stranger we met was already ranking us without a second thought, like it was just how things worked.
Charlotte was a strong warrior.
And me? I was just deadweight, always hiding behind her, picking up whatever easy tasks were left.