When the World Ends, She Begins novel Chapter 21

"No way. Looks like there's only one person on that boat."

The man at the front said, "Let's go check it out."

The two boats slowly closed in on Natalie's dinghy. Once they got a good look, greedy expressions spread across their faces.

"She's wearing a wetsuit!"

"And an oxygen tank—she's got a full dive set! With that, we could hit the underwater spots for supplies!"

"Her boat's fiberglass too, way better than ours."

They couldn't hide their excitement, talking over one another.

"She's got a dog, too. I saw it climb into her bag just now."

"People are starving, and she's wasting food on a dog?"

Natalie frowned as the boats drew closer.

Seven people total—three couples and an older woman. The only real threats were the three men.

"You're blocking my way," Natalie said flatly.

The man in front swung a fire axe casually, flashing her a fake-friendly smile.

"Come on, sweetheart. Meeting like this out here? Must be fate. How about we be friends?"

"Friends?" Natalie asked. "And what exactly do I get out of being your friend?"

His smile thinned. "Sweetheart, you shouldn't be so transactional."

She laughed sharply. "Oh, please. You mean to tell me you're not being transactional? You're not eyeing my boat and dive gear?"

"Enough talk," one of the others snapped. "Be smart, girl. Leave everything, and we'll let you walk away."

"And the dog too! We haven't had meat since we ate my dog."

They saw she was alone and let the arrogance flow.

Natalie's eyes went cold. "And if I say no?"

"Then you won't be walking away alive," the leader growled, his expression turning hard.

They gunned their dinghy straight toward her, the man in front lifting the axe.

Natalie reacted instantly, firing several nails into their inflatable hulls.

Both the dinghy and the kayak began to hiss and sag as the air leaked out.

The women started shouting in panic. "It's leaking!"

"Shut up!" the leader barked. "We'll just take her boat!"

He lunged toward her, but Natalie shot him point-blank in the temple.

The nail buried deep, and he crumpled instantly, axe slipping from his hand.

His face drained of color. He dropped his mother's hand and grabbed a kitchen knife instead.

But their melee weapons were no match for the nail gun in Natalie's hands. He didn't even make it close before she shot him in the wrist, sending the kitchen knife clattering into the water.

She was lining up another shot when Lucky suddenly shot out of the bag.

Lucky leapt nimbly onto the other dinghy and, with full force, clamped her teeth right onto the man's testicles.

The man's scream was pure agony.

Already injured, the sudden shock sent a cold sweat pouring down his back, and he toppled into the water.

Natalie hadn't expected Lucky to bolt like that and jumped in surprise. "Lucky! Get back here!"

By then, the other dinghy had completely sunk, taking Lucky into the water with it.

Natalie's chest tightened—she was about to dive in after her when she saw her little head pop up, paws paddling smoothly.

Her expression was pure smug satisfaction, as if saying, "That's for wanting to eat me. I'll bite you to death, you jerk!"

She couldn't help but laugh and scooped her up. "You silly dog—you really do understand every word I say."

Only two people were still moving in the water. The woman was swimming hard in the opposite direction, but the injured man was trying to climb onto her boat.

Expressionless, Natalie grabbed him by the head and shoved him under.

He thrashed desperately, and as his thoughts began to blur, one final image flashed in his mind—his dog.