"Help me, don't leave! Please, save me!" The woman's screams and cries for help echoed through the hallway. But her boyfriend didn't even turn his head, apologizing as he quickly fled.
"I'm sorry, I'm sorry..."
Using his girlfriend as bait for the zombies, the man managed to escape unscathed. The woman was surrounded by zombies, her flesh being torn away, revealing gruesome bones. Meanwhile, her boyfriend kept running, not looking back even once.
"You bastard, I'm being bitten by zombies because of you, and you just leave me!" she screamed. "Damn you, fuck, you won't die a good death!"
The woman's face twisted with rage, wishing she could rip him apart. However, the man had already disappeared into the stairwell. He quickly ran down the stairs to the lower floor, but the number of zombies in the apartment building far exceeded his expectations.
Stel rushed to the balcony and spotted the man's figure. He saw the man skillfully dodging left and right, nearly escaping the clutches of the zombies.
"Kid, let me show you what happens when you run your mouth," Stel muttered. He pulled out a crossbow from his bag and aimed at the man. Just as the man was about to confidently escape to the street, only a step away from the store across the street...
"Bang!"
Stel timed it perfectly, shooting a metal ball from the crossbow. The ball flew swiftly through the air and struck the man in the thigh.
"Thud, thud!"
The man suddenly felt a sharp sting in his rear and lost strength in his leg.
"Thud!"
He fell flat on the ground, unable to keep his balance.
"Ah!!!!"
A gut-wrenching pain coursed through the man's body, rendering him immobile. His screams and the scent of blood attracted more and more zombies from their dormant state. They all rushed toward the man, surrounding him in an instant. He was just a few meters away from the supermarket door that held his hope for survival.
"The person who shot... I..."
Stel stood on the balcony, savoring the sight of the man being devoured by zombies, feeling a wave of satisfaction wash over him. If the man hadn't deliberately used his girlfriend as bait, Stel might have spared his life.
"Is he dead?"
Elsie came up beside Stel, asking quietly. She had heard the commotion clearly, watching all of Stel's actions unfold.
"He's dead, but he's turned into a zombie."
If Stel could, he would have preferred to kill the man outright. Now, turning him into a zombie—a half-dead being—was a merciful fate.
"Master, it's very late. We should go to bed," Elsie said softly. The moonlight bathed the balcony, casting a glow on her, making it look like she was draped in a wedding gown—pure and luminous.
Stel turned to look at Elsie, feeling a sudden surprise. Was this woman always this beautiful? He then shook his head with a smile, dismissing the thought.
"I must be cooped up in here for too long, starting to see things. She's just a worthless woman, nothing beautiful about her."
Just treat her like a dog!
"Come with me."
Stel grabbed Elsie's arm and forcibly dragged her to the bed. Seeing Stel's actions, Elsie's heart leaped with joy. She eagerly cooperated with Stel, aligning her body with his.
"Mmm..."
"Mmm!"
That night, the floor beneath them shook all night long.
The next day, Elsie groggily woke up from her spot on the floor. As she got up, she habitually looked in the direction where Stel should be. However...
The bed where Stel slept was empty! Stel was gone!
Elsie blinked and then her face lit up with excitement. Stel was gone, finally! She no longer had to live like a dog!
Her heart raced with excitement, and she jumped up from the floor.
"Hiss, hiss—!"
But before she could celebrate, she heard the low growls of zombies outside the window. Reality quickly set in—this was the zombie apocalypse!
"No, wait, if he's gone, what will I do alone?"
If Stel was gone, surviving on her own would be nearly impossible!
"Stel!"
Elsie shouted his name, her voice filled with panic. Not seeing Stel upon waking felt like being thrown off a cliff, shattering her to pieces.
She panicked, more than ever before in her life. Not when Tyler was killed, not when she discovered the world was in the grip of a zombie crisis, and not when Stel ordered her to be his dog. But now, with Stel missing, she was utterly lost.
"Stel, Stel, where the hell are you?!"
Elsie shouted frantically. She was so desperate that she didn't even bother to put on her clothes before heading for the door to leave. However, as she passed the kitchen, she suddenly smelled a delicious aroma.
"Hmm...?"
Elsie stopped in her tracks, turned around, and opened the kitchen door. Inside, she saw Stel wearing an apron, holding a spatula in one hand and gripping the pan handle with the other, constantly stir-frying the food.
"Master, what are you doing...?"
Elsie was stunned, her heart finally settling.
"Cooking, can't you see? Get out and close the door. Don't let the aroma attract the zombies," Stel scolded.
Elsie nodded, closed the kitchen door, and sat down on the floor, tears streaming down her face. She murmured to herself, "I can't leave him. If he goes, I'll die too..."
If Stel died, she knew she wouldn't survive alone in such a harsh apocalypse.
After Stel finished cooking, he divided the food into two portions. One he placed on the dining table for himself, the other he set on the floor for Elsie to eat while kneeling. Despite being treated this way, Elsie had no complaints.
"Master, your cooking is delicious!"
"..."
Stel ignored Elsie's comment and focused on eating his meal. After living off emergency rations for half a month, he needed to improve his diet to maintain his strength.
For the first time in a long while, Elsie ate a meal that brought her to tears. "Master, this is so good, so delicious..."
Stel glanced down at Elsie, who was crying while eating, but said nothing. In Stel's eyes, none of this woman's actions were trustworthy.
Moreover, she had no value at all.
After dinner, Stel ordered Elsie to wash the dishes. Having never washed dishes before, Elsie was clumsy and overwhelmed, even breaking a plate in the process.
"Ah!"
While cleaning up the broken pieces, Elsie accidentally cut her finger. Blood began to drip from her finger.
Hearing Elsie's scream, Stel rushed to the kitchen. "What happened? Did a zombie get in?" Stel asked, concerned.
"Master, I cut my finger on a broken piece..." Elsie cried, half in tears, feeling a mixture of pain and helplessness.
Seeing it wasn't a zombie, Stel sighed in relief. If the kitchen had been breached by zombies, it would have led to a continuous stream of them entering the house, forcing them to leave the place early.
"Don't make a fuss over something trivial. Clean it up quickly!" Stel tossed a towel to Elsie and turned away, heading back to the balcony to monitor the surroundings.
Elsie used the towel to wipe the blood from her hand and, despite the pain, picked up the broken shards.
"Master, after everything I've done, don't I deserve a bit of your concern..."