The sight of a human head dripping with blood sent them with trepidation. The dog let go of the head and it rolled to Zerra's feet, making her jump to avoid it.
Her nose scrunched as the rotten smell assaulted her senses, nearly making her vomit. However, she couldn't afford to move in case she would attract the dog's attention.
Or that was her thought before the dog trotted toward her. Its eyes were white and lifeless.
Nyra clutched the stick in her hand. When the door burst open earlier, the force had sent her stumble a few meters away. She was breathing heavily as her eyes trained on the dog.
Zerra's heart thumped wildly against her chest. She knew that with the female lead here, they would escape, but that mutated dog had some sharp and massive canine teeth dripping with some smelly saliva. If those things sink into her flesh…
"Don't let it bite you!" Nyra shrieked when she saw the dog that was trotting leisurely suddenly jumped at Zerra.
Zerra reacted quickly. Her survival instinct as a fox flared at this moment. She grabbed some vases from the table near her and hurled them toward the dog. Her face scrunched and her eyes were sharp.
The vases managed to wound the dog, stopping it. The dog growled menacingly at her, preparing to pounce on her again.
At this moment, Nyra came and smashed the stick on the dog. Its skin was ripped in an instant, dripping with dark, yellowish pus. It let out a growl, shifting its attention to Nyra. She didn't stop. Her subsequent strikes came after.
The dog, angered, parried the stick and knocked it off Nyra's hand. Zerra didn't stay idle. She tried to fling anything she could find to the dog.
It kept on pressing Nyra, and she took a few steps back. Her back finally was pressed against the door of her former bedroom. It happened very quickly. Just as the dog, who had been preparing its stance to pounce on her, finally jumped, Nyra slid away in a split second.
Fire burned the dog, making it howl in pain. At the same time, the door that had been confining Grandma to Nyra's room opened.
The dog was still writhing in pain, which meant that its zombie transformation hadn't succeeded completely yet. Another figure quickly appeared near the dog. It was Grandma.
Her eyes were somewhat lifeless, and the pupils had white layers on them, but…
Nyra let out a choked sound, "Grandma…"
"... go…" Grandma mouthed. After she let out the hoarse sound, she went to the dog, hugging it. Her movements were stiff, like a corpse.
The dog thrashed when it found something had wrapped around its body, biting and kicking Grandma.
"Go…" Grandma said again with more urgency. The dog was biting her crazily, and it was unknown how long she could hold on. The teeth were incredibly sharp, and they easily tore through Grandma's soft, decaying tissues of her flesh.
Zerra watched the whole thing with her breath come out as choked gasps. Her chest tightened. She controlled her own emotions and shifted her attention to Nyra, who was standing there dumbstruck.
Without delaying further, she went to Nyra's side and snatched her arm, dragging her toward the door. Nyra's eyes were still trained on Grandma the entire time.
Grandma's eyes held kindness, and at her own expense, she still gave a chance for her two granddaughters to escape. Zerra, with a heavy heart, closed the door in front of her, tugging on Nyra, who gradually snapped out of her daze.
"You are so troublesome." Zerra snorted.
"What do you know?" Nyra argued weakly, wiping her tears. She snatched her backpack from Zerra's hand and wore it.
She walked ahead.
Zerra clicked her tongue and followed her. Their sandals served as a cushion against the wet ground, making some sounds. Nyra stopped. Zerra almost crashed into her, but luckily, she stopped herself in time.
"Walk carefully. Don't make sounds." Nyra whispered, her tone grave.
They both walked carefully. The female lead's way of walking was very fast, and Zerra walked a few meters behind her, clutching a stick. Vigilantly, she looked at her surroundings in case a zombie suddenly would jump out of nowhere.
Her heart tightened when she saw a figure walking toward them. The sounds of footsteps were very apparent amidst the eerily quiet environment where people stayed inside, locking their doors and closing the windows.
However, she knew that in some houses, people were most likely dead, especially ones with pets. In the apocalypse, their pets were stronger than them.
"Eldest sister… who is that?" Zerra asked her, wondering if the female lead knew.
"Quiet." Nyra hissed.
Pursing her lips, Zerra had her eyes trained on the incoming figure. Her stick was ready. Yet, as the figure came close, she instantly recognized the person.
It was Cassias.
She inwardly scratched her head, wondering whether she should stop. This should be the legendary encounter between the male lead and female lead after the apocalypse started, right?
Her steps subconsciously slowed down. Her eyebrows scrunched in thought, cursing how stupid it was. No wonder that there were no abandoned cars nearby.
It was prepared specifically for this scene where Cassias would feel pity when he saw the brokenhearted Nyra.
Nyra stopped and greeted him with some doubts in her eyes. "Mr. Virethorn."
There was a sense of vigilance in her tone. Cassias nodded, passing by her and then heading toward the dumbfounded Zerra. He looked at her with an expressionless mask. "You walk too slow."
With that, he took her hand and began dragging her forward, nearly making her stumble. It broke her out of her stupor. In an instant, the illusion of a slow motion world to accommodate the meeting between the main characters was broken.
"Let's go quick. I have a car nearby." Cassias told Nyra, whose eyes flickered. She also quickened her footsteps to catch up to them.
When they arrived at the car, just as Cassias opened it, they heard a shrill sound filled with panic.
"Move, move. Move out of the way!"
A man suddenly jumped into the car. He was shaking slightly, hugging himself. When he realized the situation he was in, he was startled and let out another panicked gasp. "You are all people, right?"
His eyes scrutinized them. After a while, he let out a sigh of relief. "Get inside. Quick! Those scary things are going after us humans!"
Cassias dragged Zerra to the passenger seat and stuffed her inside. Nyra also slid in beside the man.
"Wait…" the man stopped them when Cassias was about to start the car. "I went out of my home to find my dog. Have you seen it? A golden retriever. I think it was running this way earlier."