Free Web NovelChapter 27: Chapter 27 There’s no kindness in the apocalypse.
Tears streamed freely down her cheeks as her hand instinctively moved to cradle her stomach, her entire being softening in that fragile moment.
GROWL!
The sudden snarls snapped her back to reality.
Her head jerked up sharply.
{You should focus on eliminating these threats and proceed toward the truck on the other side of the road. Your car is no longer in good condition.}
{You are under my protection, Host.}
Before Ivy could respond, something materialized in her hand.
A... basketball bat?
She blinked, staring at it.
"Seriously?" she muttered under her breath. "I was expecting something like a bomb or maybe a gun..."
Then she paused, exhaling sharply.
"...Actually, no. That would probably be more dangerous for me in this situation."
Tightening her grip on the bat, her expression hardened.
"Alright. Let’s do this."
With a surge of enhanced strength, Ivy kicked the car door open. The impact was so forceful that the door tore clean off its hinges, crashing onto the ground with a loud clang all while flinging the monsters at the door miles away from her.
Without wasting another second, she stepped out.
The monsters lunged forward but Ivy moved first.
Swing!
The bat connected with a skull...
crack!
Blood splattered across the floor as the creature collapsed instantly.
She didn’t hesitate.
Swing! Crack! Thud!
Each strike was precise, brutal, and efficient. She aimed only for critical points....heads, jaws, necks dislocating bones and crushing skulls with terrifying accuracy.
Every swing of the bat, empowered by her enhanced strength, sent another creature crashing to the ground in a lifeless heap.
Breathing steadily despite the chaos, Ivy continued her assault, her movements growing more intense.
Within minutes, dozens of them lay on the floor around her but just as Ivy was about to hit another monster with the basketball bat...
"You murderer!"
The sudden voice cut through the battlefield.
Ivy paused mid-swing and slowly turned her head.
A young man stood a few meters away, his white hair slightly disheveled. Beside him was a middle-aged woman....his wife, judging by how close they stood together. Their car was parked haphazardly behind them.
"I didn’t think a pregnant woman could be so heartless," the man added, his tone filled with disgust.
Ivy stared at him blankly, saying nothing.
"Are you okay, sir?" the old woman asked anxiously, stepping toward one of the fallen monsters with visible concern in her eyes.
Ivy’s gaze darkened slightly.
They don’t understand and if course they don’t.
From their clean clothes and calm demeanor, it was obvious they had just arrived in town. They hadn’t seen the chaos. They hadn’t witnessed what these things could do.
To them, Ivy looked like a monster killing innocent
people.
How laughable.
Crunch!
The old woman’s expression froze and she looked down to see where the sound came from.
A half-monster. one she had assumed was dead had just clamped its jaws around her arm.
"AAAAH!"
Her scream pierced the air as blood gushed out.
"Help me! Honey, help me!" she cried in agony.
The man’s face drained of color as reality came crashing down on him. fɾēewebnσveℓ.com
The creatures weren’t victims but monsters.
"Please! Help my wife. my daughter!" he begged desperately, rushing toward Ivy with pleading eyes.
But Ivy simply looked at him... and rolled her eyes in disdain.
Without a word, she turned and began walking toward the truck.
"Wait!" the man shouted, chasing after her.
Before he could get close, Ivy spun around and kicked him hard in the chest.
The impact sent him flying backward, his body crashing beside his screaming wife several meters away.
"That’s what you get for being foolish in the apocalypse," Ivy thought coldly, her expression devoid of sympathy. "Enjoy your ignorance."
Without sparing them another glance, she climbed into the abandoned truck....the driver long gone, likely turned into one of the very creatures lying on the ground.
The engine roared to life while Ivy drove off.
*****
By the time she arrived at the farmhouse...her temporary warehouse the sky had turned dark.
Wasting no time, she began extracting all the stored goods into her system space. Shelves emptied one after another, everything vanishing till there was nothing left.
Once she was done, Ivy took a quick shower, washing off the blood and grime. She changed into a clean blue maternity gown.
She couldn’t allow her children to see her in her blood stained clothes afterall.
Once done, she made her way to the air raid shelter and the moment she stepped inside...
"Mommy!"
Aria and Lila’s voices rang out in perfect unison as they ran toward her.
They crashed into her arms, hugging her tightly.
"We missed you, Mommy!"
A faint smile softened Ivy’s face.
"I missed you too, my darlings," she said gently, placing kisses on their foreheads.
Holding their tiny hands, she led them to the living room and helped them settle down.
"Are you hungry, sweethearts?" she asked softly. "I brought you something to eat."
The girls nodded eagerly.
Though they had already eaten breakfast and lunch, it was well past time for dinner.
Ivy walked into the kitchen and retrieved the food she had stored earlier from her system space. She placed it carefully in the microwave, waiting as it warmed.
The familiar smell of creamy pasta and peppered chicken soon filled the room.
Once ready, she served the meal into three bowls... one for each of them.
"Here you go."
"Thank you, Mommy!" Aria and Lila chorused happily.
Ivy smiled faintly, patting their heads as they began eating.
The girls soon became engrossed in their tablets, giggling softly as they watched their shows, their backs turned to her.
Ivy picked up her own bowl and ate quietly but her gaze drifted to the television and turned it on.
The news played in low volume ....reports of chaos, infection, destruction.
The apocalypse her children don’t know about and truthfully...Ivy doesn’t want them to.
Not as long as she could still protect their innocence.
