Chapter 573

Chapter 573 The Bigger Picture
“Help me!”
Finished
The woman being torn apart by zombies wasn’t dead-at least not yet. She thrashed desperately, stretching her blood-soaked hands toward her companions, begging for rescue.
Patrick and the others froze. The moment they realized she was still conscious, panic broke them apart once more.
Fear rippled through the group. Every gaze eventually landed on Patrick.
He stared down at the mangled figure writhing in agony, her hoarse voice pleading for His expression hardened.
“Finish her off. Now.”
“Patrick, she’s still alive…” One man hesitated.
mercy.
“You’d rather wait until she turns into a zombie?” Patrick snapped, his glare sharp enough to cut. “Kill her. Do it!”
Reluctantly, the others tightened their grips on their makeshift weapons, then swung
her skull with brutal force.
Someone stepped forward to shield Theresa from the sight.
“Don’t look,” Quentin murmured beside her.
down on
When Quentin appeared in front of her, Theresa acknowledged him with a nod before settling back into her seat.
The group across the room looked like savages-faces spattered with gore, bodies reeking of death. Theresa raised her voice, her tone like steel. “Get the corpses out of sight, and clean yourselves up! I won’t risk that stench attracting even more zombies.”
Outside, the zombies wailed and slammed against the door.
Fortunately, Everbrook One had been built solid. The reinforced hardwood door didn’t budge, no matter how violently the zombies battered it.
Upon hearing Theresa’s words, Patrick barked another order. “Stuff the bodies in the cabinets!” The source of this content ɪs ͟.net
The foyer was lined with towering shoe cabinets that stretched to the ceiling.
Obeying Patrick’s order, the group dragged the remains one by one. Hannah and another
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Chapter 573 The Bigger Picture
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woman hauled the corpse whose stomach had been ripped wide open, intestines spilling half- digested mush.
Recognition dawned, and horror twisted their faces.
It was the canned meat they had eaten earlier.
The two women exchanged a bitter glance, sighing over the wasted food, before shoving the ruined body into the cabinet. As they shut the door, Hannah spotted a pair of men’s sneakers inside.
Size and smell didn’t matter-shoes were shoes.
She pulled them on, then glanced at the others, who had already curled up under clean blankets on the couch.
They were full, warm, and resting easily.
She, on the other hand, had been running herself ragged, half-starved and overlooked.
Patrick’s voice snapped her from her thoughts.
“Let’s clean up ourselves! Ben, fetch some water. We’ll wash in turns!”
Ben protested, “Where am I supposed to get enough for everyone?”
“Just bring what you can! I’m washing first!” Patrick barked.
He had already spotted a dusty fish tank near the entryway. The water had long since evaporated, leaving shriveled fish like dried jerky. Dumping it out, Patrick ordered Ben to refill
Half an hour later, Ben staggered back, half-dead from exhaustion, with the tank only half full.
Patrick rationed the water, allowing each person a sip, before splashing some on his own face and hands. The rest followed his example.
By the time Hannah’s turn came, the water had turned a murky red-black, reeking worse than a
sewer.
Meanwhile, in Theresa’s group, every member was spotless, a can of Coke within arm’s reach.
Hannah’s stomach twisted with regret. If only she’d chosen Theresa’s side, she could be fed, comfortable, and wrapped in a blanket-even with zombies clawing outside.
Instead, she had wasted three miserable days with Patrick’s lot-starving, beaten, and surviving
on scraps.
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The more she thought about it, the more bitterness consumed her. But it was too late.
Night crept by.
No one in Patrick’s group dared stir trouble after dark. Once the zombie threat was dealt with, they spent the night nervously resting in the temporary safe house.
The others regained their strength, yet Patrick’s group, weakened by hunger, could only restore half of their abilities.
By dawn, Theresa’s group looked entirely different-rested, alert, and guarded through the night as if nothing had changed.
Theresa rose early, extending her senses outward. Her ability revealed 13 zombies at the window, 18 at the door, and nearly 50 more crowding the main entrance.
Rain still pounded against the roof.
“What’s the plan today, Theresa?” Steven asked, eyes brimming with admiration.
“We wait until the rain stops,” she replied calmly.
He straightened immediately. “Right! Theresa, you’re right! You always know best and see the bigger picture!”
“Theresa, your judgment is flawless!” another chimed in.
“You’re a genius!” someone else added.
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