Chapter 49 Trouble Comes Knocking
71
Tim stepped out from behind the corner, looking equal parts sheepish and concerned. “Robin, Mr. Henry has always been competitive…”
Robin raised a hand. “I don’t care if he’s competitive or anything else. Wanting to improve is a good thing. Shangri–La doesn’t carry freeloaders, and he needs the training.”
Tim opened his mouth, then closed it.
Robin headed upstairs. As she passed him, she added. “It’s still early. Get some more rest. You’ve all been sitting around for too long. Starting this afternoon–everyone works.”
Tim jolted and stared at her in shock!
Robin was already past him, heading to her room for a nap.
She slept until noon, when an alarm jolted her awake.
Jessica was pounding on her door, panicking. “Robin! There are people outside! They’re forcing their way in and demanding to see you!”
Robin’s expression hardened. She was out of bed and dressed in seconds. “Who?”
“I don’t know–but there are a lot of them. And they’ve attracted a huge swarm of zombies!”
Robin pulled up the security cameras. Dane and the others were already outside, holding position. But among the attackers was an earth ability user–a massive earthen ramp had risen from the ground, arching right over her electrified razor–wire fence. Zombies were pouring over the ramp by the dozen. At least 100.
“They’ve got some nerve.
Robin smiled, razor–thin. She grabbed Cotton and Princess Ruby and walked out the front door.
Dane exhaled with relief the instant he saw her. “Robin, they clearly planned this. They knew they couldn’t take us alone, so they herded a zombie swarm to do the work.”
Zombies were already cresting the ramp–a dozen at least–leaping from the 15–foot summit.
The impact should’ve shattered their bones. But zombies felt no pain. They hauled themselves upright on twisted limbs and came charging in grotesque, contorted bursts.
“I was just saying this morning that I needed to go out and find some action. Turns out the action came to
me.”
Robin’s grin was cold. “Nobody gets to sit this one out. This is our home. If we let someone take it, that’s embarrassing. Grab your weapons and go. Just don’t let their nails or teeth break skin–the zombie virus spreads through scratches.”
As she finished speaking, Robin took the lead. Her body turned into an afterimage as she charged straight out!
Her words had set everyone’s blood pumping.
III
O
92-
11:32 Sat, May 23 M
71
Chapter 49 Trouble Comes Knocking
They had no idea who those people were, but somebody had already bullied their way right to their doorstep. How the hell were they supposed to just swallow that!
Finished
The zombies kept coming, but the earthen ramp slowed them. Robin’s team cut them down one by one.
Cotton and Princess Ruby joined the fight. Ruby’s hide had toughened to the point where zombie claws couldn’t even pierce it.
She was basically a living cannonball–one headbutt, one kill.
Cotton didn’t stop cursing for a second. He beat his wings hard enough to whip up gale–force wind, tossing the walkers around like they were caught in a spin cycle. By the time they hit the ground, they were basically sacks of broken bones inside leathery, rotting skin.
Perched in the shadows of the canopy, the scouts‘ confidence vanished.
“What the hell? Why are they so strong?!”
The leader–a short, vicious–looking man–rounded on one of his people. “You didn’t tell me they could handle zombies like this!”
The man looked terrified. “I had no idea! Yesterday, they ran from 30 zombies and hid in our hideout! I don’t know why they’re suddenly fighting like this!”
If Robin had been here, she’d have recognized him–one of the people she’d released the day before.
And if she’d looked more carefully, she’d have realized he was someone she actually knew. She just hadn’t recognized him yesterday.
As the zombie numbers dwindled, the short man’s face twisted. “We’re leaving. Now.”
One of his men protested. “Boss, we lost three guys luring those zombies here! We can’t just leave empty- handed!”
“Shut up!” the short man spat.
“These people are clearly no pushovers. If we don’t leave now, you want to wait until they finish the zombies and come for us?”
2.6K
2/2
23

Comments
The readers' comments on the novel: End of the World? I'm the Boss