"I will prove my worth," Elsie pleaded with Stel, barking like a dog to appease him.
"Don't worry. As long as you have some value to me, I won't let you turn into a zombie. After all, playing with a zombie isn't as fun as playing with a real person, right?" Stel said, lightly tossing Elsie aside.
"Yes, Master, you're right. You're right..." Elsie was overjoyed. As long as Stel acknowledged her worth, she didn't have to worry about dying.
After a while, the zombies around the car began to disperse. Many of the humans who had been bitten by zombies had also turned into zombies, gathering around the vehicle.
"These fools deserve to become zombies," Stel sneered as he watched from the balcony.
Unfortunately, the zombies below could neither understand his words nor respond to his mockery, leaving Stel somewhat unsatisfied.
"The car is pretty wrecked. Looks like it's beyond repair. What a pity..." Stel looked down at the engine, which was starting to smoke, and the car's badly damaged body. It was unlikely it could be started again.
"Hmm...?" As Stel turned his gaze away from the car, his eyes caught something. He noticed a hole in the rear trunk. Peering through the hole, Stel saw what seemed to be a stash of food—canned goods, bread, and instant noodles.
Although the gap was small, Stel was sure he wasn't mistaken, and it wasn't a hallucination brought on by hunger. The large pack of food he had brought was nearly depleted.
The food in the trunk was a perfect opportunity for Stel to replenish their supplies.
"Looks like I'll have to take a risk and go down there..."
After all, living with Elsie meant they consumed twice as much food each day. The remaining supplies would only last about a week. At that point, Stel would either have to abandon Elsie or follow the woman's example and use Elsie as food.
While Elsie was cleaning up the dishes, Stel suddenly called her name.
"Elsie, come here."
Hearing Stel's voice, Elsie quickly put down the dishes and came to the bedroom.
"Master, what are your orders?" Elsie asked curiously.
Stel rarely called her by name. In fact, when Elsie heard him call her name, she felt a surge of happiness.
"I'm going down for a bit. You stay here and make sure to open the door for me when I come back, understand?"
"What?!"
Elsie's face turned pale at Stel's words. Going outside where zombies roamed meant certain death. She wasn't stupid—she knew she couldn't survive without Stel.
"Master, please don't abandon me. I can't live without you!" Elsie cried, dropping to her knees, tears streaming down her face.
"When did I say I was going to abandon you? We're running out of food. I need to go out and gather more supplies, understand?"
"Gather supplies?"
Elsie's tears stopped abruptly. Indeed, their food stock was dwindling. Without new supplies, they'd only last about a week. Stel's plan to go out and gather resources was logical.
"But Master, it's too dangerous outside. There are so many zombies..."
Even though she knew Stel wasn't planning to abandon her, Elsie couldn't help but worry.
If Stel didn't come back, she knew she'd eventually die alone. But if he could bring back food, it would be a win for both of them.
"Master, why don't you take me with you? I won't be a burden, and even if you have to abandon me at a critical moment, it's fine."
Elsie figured that if the risk was so high, she might as well go with Stel. Even if they died, they'd die together. At worst, she'd sacrifice herself for Stel's sake. Strangely, she didn't feel any resistance to this idea.
"You're being naive. If you come with me, you'll only slow me down. What you can do is stay here and wait. Open the door when I come back, understood?" Stel said firmly.
"If you keep talking nonsense, I'll throw you out myself."
Elsie didn't dare say another word and just nodded, stepping aside. Stel decided to go down in the early evening, when zombie activity was at its weakest and their numbers were fewer. From his observations, zombies seemed to slow down and become less responsive around dusk and dawn. But after that period, they'd return to their usual state.
"I'll take advantage of that time to get the supplies and come back quickly. Stay by the door and be ready to open it as soon as you hear me call, understood?"
"Yes..."
With time until evening, Stel began preparing for the supply run. As the afternoon wore on and dusk approached, Stel completed his preparations and waited until six o'clock to leave.
Just then, Elsie approached Stel. She was wearing nothing but an apron, and had used her makeup to create an elaborate look.
Her looks were comparable to some celebrities, a rarity in such a post-apocalyptic world.
"What do you want?" Stel asked, raising an eyebrow coldly.
Instead of answering immediately, Elsie removed the apron she was wearing, revealing her voluptuous body.
"Master, there's still some time before dusk. Could you please punish me one more time?" she pleaded.
"Punish you?"
"Yes... Master, please, just grant me this one request," Elsie begged.
To be honest, Elsie's appearance was incredibly enticing. Stel wasn't exactly a paragon of virtue and found it difficult to resist such temptation. Having grown used to Elsie's plain look, seeing her dolled up was like seeing a different person.
"Alright, I agree."
With that, Stel began the punishment. About an hour later, he felt it was time to stop and was about to pull away when Elsie suddenly clung to him tightly.
"Master, just stay like this, please?"
"You..."
"Master, please..."
Stel looked down at Elsie, understanding that she was afraid he might not return, or that something might happen to him. She wanted to leave a mark, something to remember. Being a loyal dog to this extent was quite a commitment.