Chereads / Apocalypse: the rise of zombie / Chapter 5 - The Great Hoarding Expedition

Chapter 5 - The Great Hoarding Expedition

Jenna had a brilliant plan. Well, in her zombie-logic way, it seemed brilliant. She needed a bigger space. The groceries, snacks, and shoes from the store were great, but they were nowhere near enough to fill her growing hoard. Plus, Jenna had an advantage now: she could stash things in her mysterious pocket dimension. And the more space she had, the more she could hoard.

So, with her new undead squad in tow, she decided it was time to upgrade. She led her mini-zombie horde to an abandoned warehouse on the edge of town. The place was huge, filled with shelves, boxes, and… *so much stuff.*

Jenna was practically salivating. This was the big one. She opened the door and let her zombies shuffle inside. They groaned in what Jenna assumed was approval. "Alright, team. Let's go to town!" Jenna groaned in a determined but sluggish tone.

The zombies moved slowly, but Jenna didn't care. She was all about the hoarding now. She pulled her first big find—a stack of cereal boxes—right into her space, like a pro. The zombies were having a blast rummaging around, bringing out cans of soup, bags of chips, and even a few bottles of soda. It was like a dream come true, except for the whole "zombie" thing.

As Jenna was about to stash a pile of blankets into her space, she heard a faint sound—footsteps. Human footsteps.

"Oh no, not humans," Jenna muttered, her zombie brain flickering with a mix of fear and annoyance. She turned to the zombies, who were happily gnawing on some jerky they found in a corner. "Hide! HIDE!" she hissed, making exaggerated gestures to her group.

The zombies groaned in confusion. They weren't very good at hiding. They shuffled around, making a mess as they tried to act stealthy, but it was hopeless. Jenna knew they weren't exactly stealthy creatures, and if these humans saw her horde, there'd be trouble.

As the humans entered the warehouse, Jenna panicked. She couldn't let them find her zombies! They'd kill them for sure. And Jenna was quite fond of her slow, goofy undead pals.

"Alright, here's the plan," Jenna whispered to her zombie squad. "I'm gonna hide you all… *in my space.*" She gestured toward her magical pocket dimension. The zombies blinked, unsure what was happening, but Jenna quickly started pulling them in one by one. First, the big guy in the business suit disappeared into her space, then the mailman zombie, then the half-faced woman. Each one vanished with a soft pop, leaving the warehouse empty of zombies.

The humans stepped into the room, weapons drawn, scanning the area for movement. Jenna stood there, holding her breath, hoping they didn't spot her. One of the humans—a man with a heavy crossbow—looked directly at Jenna, his eyes narrowing. She gave a slow, unsteady groan, trying her best to look like a regular zombie.

"Just one? This one's weird," the man muttered to his partner, who nodded. "You sure? She doesn't look like much."

The other human, a woman with a machete, shrugged. "Could be a trap. Either way, she's alone. Let's take her out."

Jenna's heart raced. This was it! But, as they raised their weapons, she remembered her secret weapon. With a deep breath (or as close to a deep breath as a zombie could manage), Jenna focused on her space again.

Before the humans could strike, Jenna quickly vanished, her body sliding into the space along with a pile of cereal boxes she had stashed earlier. The humans were left staring at thin air, their weapons still raised, completely baffled.

"What the hell?" the man with the crossbow said, looking around. "She just… disappeared?"

"Maybe she's hiding," the woman suggested, cautiously moving forward.

"No sign of her. We should move on," the man replied, his voice confused.

As the humans left the warehouse, Jenna popped back out, standing alone in the now-empty room. She exhaled a long, undead sigh of relief. "That was too close."

The zombies slowly reappeared from her space, looking disoriented but unharmed. Jenna grinned as she watched them shuffle back into the warehouse, totally unaware of the close call.

"Alright, team. We've got more hoarding to do. Let's make this place our zombie paradise!" Jenna cheered, her voice oddly upbeat despite the narrow escape.

The zombies groaned in what could only be described as zombie contentment, and Jenna led them on, ready to fill her space with even more stuff.