The Endgame Chronicles (by Hugh White) novel Chapter 35

Chapter 35

Through the crosshairs, Hayley almost burst out laughing.

She had already noticed the woman had been bitten, which was why she let Tanner charge all the way up to her base without interfering. Now, she watched with glee as the woman turned into a zombie and sank her teeth into him.

Nothing in this world beats watching someone trip over their own stupidity. Poetic justice at its finest-what goes around comes around, and nobody gets a free pass.

Hayley grinned behind her scope, keeping her aim steady on the chaos below. If any of the men tried to scatter, she’d happily send an arrow their way to “help out”.

And by “help out”, she meant helping out the zombies.

Hayley wasn’t some hero. She held grudges, paid them back a hundredfold, and lived like a ruthless outlaw in this apocalypse. Cross her, and you’d regret it.

From her tower, she stayed calm and in control, watching every last one of Tanner’s crew get torn apart. Then her eyes landed on someone hiding inside the truck.

The broker.

The guy was still alive, curled up in the truck, refusing to move. Everyone else had tried to run, but not him. He just stayed put like a coward.

Hayley coolly nocked another bolt and aimed.

Thwip! Crash!

The windshield shattered, drawing the horde’s attention.

Zombies whipped their heads around at the sound, then swarmed the pickup. Even Tanner, now fully turned, clawed his way back to the truck. Through the broken glass, they shoved and clawed for the only living person left inside.

In that suffocating moment, the broker finally understood regret.

Why the hell had he led them here?

But he knew why. He had been the weakest in their group, and the only way to stay useful was to offer resources. Otherwise, he would’ve lost their protection.

His mind had gone straight to the shelter he had rented out a month ago.

He remembered the girl clearly. He thought she was young and naïve, just some idiot who thought she could start a mushroom farm in the middle of nowhere.

He had figured that by the time they got here, the place would be full of mushrooms…and maybe that pretty girl, too.

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Chapter 35

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If she had turned into a zombie, they could take her down, no problem. If she hadn’t, well, then the group would gain another woman, and he could have his fun.

She was dumb, sure, but she was beautiful.

It never crossed his mind that they would all die here. He hadn’t even gotten the chance to see her face!

Just as the zombies poured in through the shattered windows, he caught a glimpse through the trees.

It was the girl.

She stood with her arms crossed, expression cold watching him with eyes sharp as ice.

And in that instant, it clicked.

He was the real idiot.

That pretty girl wasn’t some clueless tenant-she was the one they had called the big shot. This base belonged to her all along.

Alas, the realization came too late. The broker’s chest was soon ripped open by the flood of zombies.

“Woof! Woof! Woof!”

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