The Endgame Chronicles (by Hugh White) novel Chapter 45

Chapter 45

Hayley’s ruthlessness only came out when someone threatened what was already hers. If anyone dared take over the land she had claimed, she wouldn’t hesitate to kill them.

But barging into someone else’s territory, kicking them out, or slaughtering them just to steal their home?

That wasn’t something she could do.

She decided to let the survivor inside off for now.

Just then, the door cracked open behind her.

A scruffy middle-aged man peeked out, his face covered in stubble. His glasses gave him a bookish look, but his hollow cheeks and tired eyes showed that he hadn’t eaten properly in a long time.

Behind him, a weary-looking woman hovered. Between them, a little girl of about five or six poked her head out, staring curiously at Hayley.

The second her parents noticed, they quickly pulled her back and shielded her.

“Woof! Woof!”

Her dogs-East, South, West, and North—barked furiously at the door.

“Quiet,” Hayley snapped.

She gave the man a sharp once-over, then said evenly, “Other than this house, everything around here belongs to me. Don’t step foot into my territory. If you do, I’ll kill you.”

She turned on her heel, ready to head for the last villa at the far end.

But the man suddenly called after her. “Don’t go in there! There are man-eating zombies inside!”

Hayley stopped mid-step and glanced back. “How do you know?”

“I saw them.” His voice was firm. “Villa Ten had a party the other night. A bunch of kids stayed up all night drinking and messing around. Around dawn, we heard screams. A lot of them ran out bleeding, but none of them made it far. They were all dragged down and torn apart.”

“What were you doing then?”

“Can we ask her for food later?” his wife asked anxiously.

“Daddy, I’m hungry!” their daughter whimpered, clutching his leg.

The man’s expression hardened. He raised his hand, and a faint green glow shimmered in his palm. The small decorative plant by the door twitched. Its branches then stretched toward him, as if alive.

He caught a vine in his grip, his voice grim. “We’ll wait and see. Don’t rush.”

Meanwhile, Hayley reached Villa Ten.

It was chaos.

The gate was locked tight, but blood stained the ground, the walls, even the garden shrubs.

She circled the house slowly, studying the layout and sizing up what she might find inside.