Chapter 7: Betrayed
"28… 29… Screw it!"
With a furious shout, Yasin drove his spear down hard, aiming for the white plastic component near the engine of the SUV.
"Bang!"
A sharp hiss followed as a puff of white smoke escaped from the damaged part.
The shrill, ear-piercing blaring of the horn—cut off instantly!
At the very last second, Yasin had realized he could disable the horn by destroying the car's battery, cutting off its power supply.
And he had gambled correctly!
No time to waste. Using the SUV as a springboard, Yasin pushed off, yanking his spear free while propelling himself toward the villa's reinforced security door at full speed!
Just a fraction of a second later, the horde of zombies pounced on where he had just been standing!
"Urrghh… Urrghh…!"
"Graaahh… Graaahh…!"
"Raaahhh!"
The grotesque howls of the undead filled the air, so close behind him that it felt like they were breathing down his neck!
The stench of decaying flesh assaulted his nostrils.
He knew it—death was right at his heels.
If he was even a second late, he would already be their next meal.
"Open the door!" Yasin roared as he ran, his voice filled with urgency.
The distance was just right—if they opened the door now, he could dive inside before the zombies reached him. There wouldn't even be a chance for them to get through!
But the door remained shut.
It didn't move an inch.
Yasin's heart clenched.
A horrible realization crept into his mind.
"Damn it! Open the door!" He shouted again, clinging to the last shred of hope that human decency still existed.
By now, he had reached the doorstep—but the door was still locked.
No miracles.
No mercy.
"Why?!" Yasin's voice was raw with rage, his eyes burning red, his entire body shaking with fury.
He hated that couple. But more than anything, he hated himself.
This was the apocalypse.
No morals.
No laws.
No rules.
Not even right or wrong.
Survival was the only thing that mattered.
Showing mercy to others was nothing but cruelty to oneself.
He wasn't truly questioning Jack Coleman and Lena Whitmore.
No—he was questioning himself.
Why?
Why, despite knowing exactly what kind of world this was, did he still foolishly try to save them?
Why?!
Why?!
This wasn't kindness. This was weakness!
Only cowards were afraid to face the brutal reality of the apocalypse, dressing up their stupidity as compassion.
True strength was breaking free from the chains of outdated morals and doing whatever it took to survive.
Forget weak, useless compassion.
Forget foolish, laughable sympathy.
No one in this world would ever show him kindness.
Yasin's grip on his spear tightened, his fury turning into something else—something colder, sharper, deadlier.
Two zombies lunged at him. With a savage swing, he crushed their skulls, sending bone and brain matter flying.
The fight had already begun.
"I'm sorry, sir!" came Lena Whitmore's voice from inside the house. "But you staying here would disrupt our way of life. You need to find another place to take shelter."
She said 'sorry,' but there wasn't an ounce of regret in her voice.
"I hope you don't end up as zombie food. May God bless you. But I'm afraid we can't share our food or safety with you."
Jack Coleman's mocking tone followed.
This was my shelter.
This food was mine.
And yet, they had the audacity to act like I was the intruder?
This was the reality of human nature?
Yasin's blood-red eyes darkened. His rage didn't explode—it froze over, turning into something deep and ice-cold.
"Thank you," he said, his voice as frigid as death itself. "For showing me the truth about this world so quickly."
His fear vanished.
Instead, pure, burning determination filled his chest.
The narrow stairway leading to the villa's entrance became his battlefield.
Yasin's spear struck like a viper, every thrust perfectly skewering a zombie's brain.
One by one, they fell.
One by one, wisps of pale-white energy seeped from their corpses and flowed into Yasin's body.
And finally—
[Ding! System charge complete! Congratulations, Host, the Gate of Realms is now unlocked!]
[Would you like to open the Gate of Realms now?]
The soft, melodious voice of the system rang in Yasin's mind.
He didn't hesitate.
"Yes!"
A flash of white light surrounded him.
Everything froze.
And then—Yasin vanished.
The horde of zombies, robbed of their prey, continued to pile onto the spot where he had once stood.
Inside the villa, Lena Whitmore shuddered.
"Is… is he dead?" she whispered, nervous at the sound of the undead right outside.
Jack Coleman swallowed hard, hesitantly pulling back the curtain to peek outside.
Seeing the sea of zombies piled atop one another, he exhaled shakily.
"Yeah… there's no way he survived that," he muttered, tossing his car keys aside.