Chapter 46 – A Ruthless Woman

Just as Kael Voss was about to leave, he heard Barry Clayton sneer from inside the hall,

"Celeste Thorne, you're no saint. Don't pretend you are. Yesterday, when that girl came looking for her mum, you pushed her out while she wasn't paying attention—right into the flood below—just to take her boat for yourself, so I could paddle you out to find your husband."

Kael's body jolted, a shock of fury surging through him.

The girl Barry was talking about—there was no doubt. It had to be Scout Finch.

The news hit Kael like a hammer. Rage erupted in his chest. He stormed forward and kicked hard at the glass door of the hall. The panels trembled violently but didn't break.

Only then did Kael notice a U-lock fastened tightly around the inner door handles—a makeshift defense against zombies, clearly installed by the people inside.

It might keep out the dead, but it certainly couldn't stop him. With a slight frown, Kael raised his Western-style survival blade and struck the glass.

The door shattered into a rain of shards.

"Where's the girl?"

He charged in and seized Celeste Thorne by the collar, demanding answers.

Inside the payment hall, Celeste, Vivienne Sharpe, and Barry Clayton were all frozen with shock. No one had expected anyone else to be here. The sudden crash of glass and Kael's entrance left them dumbfounded.

"Speak!"

Kael's voice thundered through the room.

Celeste finally snapped out of her daze. "She... she fell into the water. I don't know where she drifted to."

Kael's eyes narrowed dangerously. They were on the sixteenth floor. Even if there was water below, a fall from this height could easily knock someone unconscious—or kill them outright.

The thought that Scout might already be dead made the blood vessels in Kael's eyes swell with rage. His grip on the hilt of his blade tightened until his knuckles whitened.

Seeing her mother in Kael's grasp, Vivienne screamed and charged forward.

"Let go of my mum! Let her go!"

Kael simply raised his leg and drove his boot into her stomach.

Vivienne flew several metres across the hall, slammed into the far wall, and slumped to the floor, unconscious.

"Stop!"

Barry shouted. Seeing the killing intent in Kael's eyes, he felt a cold chill sweep across his neck.

"That girl didn't die—I saw her swim away!" he blurted.

The words came just in time. Kael's blade halted an inch from Celeste's throat. He turned toward Barry, his voice like a blade of ice.

"You know what happens if you're lying to me?"

A bead of sweat rolled down Barry's forehead, but he didn't falter. "I'm not lying. I swear—I saw it! I swear on my life!"

Kael hesitated for only a breath. Then, with a flick of his wrist, he slapped Celeste across the face with the flat of the blade. Her cheek swelled immediately into an angry red welt.

Celeste let out a shriek of pain, her eyes rolled back—and she collapsed in a faint.

Vivienne had only just begun to stir. Seeing her mother unconscious, she scrambled over in a panic, screaming and sobbing,

"Mum! You killed my mum! I'll kill you!"

Her compassion for her mother stood in sharp contrast to her cruelty toward others—two extremes that lived side by side without contradiction in this woman.

"Shut it!"

Kael's voice boomed like thunder. Her crying pounded against his temples like hammers.

"She's not dead! But if you don't shut up, I'll make sure she is."

Vivienne trembled and fell silent at once. Terrified, she clutched her mother tightly, sobbing in silence.

Kael's eyes swept over the three of them with a cold sneer.

"You better pray Scout Finch isn't dead. Because if she is… none of you will live to regret it."

There wasn't a shred of warmth in his voice—just frigid, murderous resolve. The chill of it swept through the room like a winter wind, making Vivienne and Barry shudder involuntarily.

"She's not dead—she's not," Barry quickly insisted, raising one hand as if swearing an oath. "I swear I saw her swimming. She was quick. She ducked under the water to avoid the zombies and made it to the building diagonally across."

"…Really?"

Kael didn't wait for more answers. He turned and rushed into the corridor, pushed open a window, and shouted across to the opposite tower.

"Scout Finch! Scout! If you can hear me, answer me!"

His voice echoed between the high-rises, but no reply came.

Only a chorus of groaning from a dozen zombies below, their blank faces turned upward, groaning in eerie unison.

Kael shouted several more times, but still received no reply. Reluctantly, he returned to the hall, his eyes like stormclouds as they fixed on Barry.

"Why didn't she answer? Are you lying to me?"

Barry scratched his head, baffled. "That's odd. I swear I saw her go over there. You were shouting so loud—she should've heard you. Maybe… maybe she's asleep?"

Kael considered the possibility and nodded slowly.

"You. Come with me."

Barry recoiled a little, hesitant. "M-Mister… you're not planning to kill me, are you?"

"What, you think if you stay here, you'll be safe?"

Kael raised his crossbow, took aim at Barry, and spoke in a voice as dark as a crypt.

"Want to see if this can kill you from here?"

"No, wait!"

Barry flinched and quickly raised both hands. "I'll go. I'll go with you. We'll find her together. Just… promise you won't kill us."

Kael nodded without hesitation. "You have my word."

Barry cautiously stepped out, mumbling, "H-Her boat's in another room. There's water everywhere now. We'll need to row across."

Kael said nothing, only nodded.

Barry turned to glance at Vivienne and Celeste, hesitated, then picked up the unconscious woman and carried her into an empty room. He followed up by placing two crates of canned goods beside her. Then he guided Vivienne into the room as well.

Coming back out, Barry pulled a key from his pocket, locked the door from outside, and handed the key to Kael.

"There. Now you can rest easy. They're not going anywhere."

Kael took the key in silence, eyes fixed on Barry with contempt.

"Coward."

He knew Barry hadn't done that to reassure him.

It was for Barry's own peace of mind—to keep the two women from running off while he was gone.

Barry didn't deny it. He gave a meek smile, as if accepting the insult without complaint. Then he led Kael out of the payment hall and opened a side room secured with a reinforced door.

Inside was the inflatable kayak Scout had used.

Why was it locked up here? Obviously—to keep it from being reclaimed, in case she managed to come back.

Kael shot Barry a deadly glare, then helped him lift the kayak. The two of them carried it down to an open elevator shaft.

The doors were wide open, revealing a dark, narrow space within. Kael shone his torch inside. A thick rope dangled from above, descending into the darkness below.

Barry explained, "We can drop straight to the sixth floor here. The lift's been stuck there since Disaster Day. I made a few adjustments. It'll work."

Kael didn't respond. They tossed the kayak into the shaft—it was just small enough to fit—then descended one after the other using the rope.

They landed on the sixth floor, emerging into a dark corridor. The noise from their descent had stirred trouble—three zombies lunged at them the moment Kael stepped out.

Without hesitation, Kael raised his crossbow. Thwack! Thwack!

Two undead fell instantly.

He lunged forward, drew his blade, and with a swift motion, sliced through the last one's legs.

With one foot on the writhing corpse's head, Kael gripped his blade in both hands—and brought it down in a clean, merciless arc.

The zombie's skull split open.