Chapter 4: She’s Not Yours to Touch

The early morning haze cast a soft gold over the dead forest.

Birds no longer sang. The only thing that stirred in the shadows were things that wanted to kill you. And yet, for a brief moment, the survivors we had rescued last night were enjoying a rare silence.

The kind that comes after surviving something truly brutal.

The campfire crackled weakly, smoke curling toward the pale sky. A few of them those we'd pulled from the edge of death were already up. Some brewed a crude soup using scavenged cans. Others took turns sharpening makeshift weapons. But their eyes kept flicking back toward a certain figure sitting quietly on a fallen log.

Kanika.

She wasn't armed visibly, but no one in the group missed the absolute presence she carried. Her curves, her composure, and that perfectly calm stillness like a sleeping panther that could rip you apart before you blinked.

One of the boys, a lanky survivor named Lokesh, nudged his friend and nodded toward her with a grin. "Man, I swear she wasn't human. You see how she tore those things apart yesterday? I wouldn't mind being dominated like that."

His friend chuckled. "If she's not taken, maybe she's worth trying."

They exchanged glances, and Varun moved first.

He approached casually, hands up like he meant no harm, the kind of sheepish smile boys wear when they think they're being charming. "Hey, uh… Kanika, right? You were amazing yesterday. I mean, really. You saved our lives."

Kanika didn't even blink. Her eyes were on the horizon.

"I just wanted to say thank you," he continued. "You don't need to sit alone. We're all friends here, right?" His hand extended reaching for hers.

It never landed.

Before his fingers even brushed her knuckles, the click of a safety being disabled rang loud and sharp. The muzzle of a golden Desert Eagle was already pressed to his forehead.

Kanika's eyes finally moved. Cold. Unblinking.

"Don't you dare touch me."

Varun froze.

Even the wind seemed to stop.

She shifted her gaze sideways to the other boys and then to the few girls who had begun whispering nearby, their eyes flicking between Kanika and me from last night.

"Same goes for you girls too," Kanika said quietly. "He is mine. I belong only to him."

No one moved.

The soup boiled over. The fire cracked. Someone coughed awkwardly.

Kanika re-holstered her weapon in a smooth motion and went back to staring forward, emotionless.

Some time later, I finally crawled out of the tent, yawning like I hadn't just slept with the most dangerous woman on the planet.

Hair messy. Shirtless. Unaware.

"Morning…" I muttered, rubbing my eyes.

People avoided my gaze. Some nodded. Most just looked away. I noticed Varun sitting several meters off to the side, unusually quiet.

Kanika, on the other hand, looked calm as ever.

I walked up to her and slumped down next to her on the log, casually sliding my arm around her neck and shoulder like it was the most natural thing in the world.

She leaned in slightly, like a kitten to its owner.

"What'd I miss?" I asked, cracking a smile.

She tilted her head. "Nothing important."

I narrowed my eyes. "Kanika…"

"I handled it," she said.

"…Did someone bother you?"

She glanced sideways. "Tried."

A pause.

Then I chuckled. "They're still alive?"

"Because you were sleeping peacefully."

I couldn't help but laugh softly and kiss the top of her head.

She relaxed against me.

But just then heavy footsteps echoed through the edge of the woods.

A dozen figures approached, each armed with proper gear scavenged rifles, armor stitched from tires and riot gear, makeshift helmets and shoulder pads. They looked far more organized than the people we had rescued yesterday.

At their front was a tall man with a cruel jawline and a shaved head. His voice rang with arrogant familiarity.

"Well, well. What do we have here? A cozy little love nest?"

I turned my head.

Piyush.

And behind him, a few more faces I knew. Kunal. Dev. Sagar.

High school bullies. The same ones who once used to beat me up after school, steal my snacks, laugh at my clothes, call me garbage.

I stood slowly, squaring my shoulders.

They didn't even glance at me.

No. Their eyes were all locked on Kanika.

And not just the guys even the girls in their group were sizing her up. But the guys? Their jaws dropped.

Because no matter how many girls stood behind Ravi and Kunal, none of them—none—looked anything like her.

Not that graceful poise. That devastating figure. That skin-tight outfit hugging every curve. That aura of someone who could shatter your skull with one hand.

Piyush walked right past me like I didn't exist and offered her a cocky smile.

"Hey there, sweetheart," he said. "Name's Piyush. You don't have to hang around these losers. Why don't you join someone with a real team?"

Kanika didn't blink.

I could feel it. The tension in the air. The shift in her breath. She hadn't moved yet, but her body was one second from war.

I stepped between them and smiled politely.

"You're in my camp, Piyush."

His eyes flicked to me for the first time, barely holding interest.

"Oh, look who finally grew a spine. Kartik, right? Didn't recognize you. Damn. You used to cry when we stole your lunch."

He laughed, and a few others snickered.

My smile widened slightly.

"Yeah," I said softly. "That kid's dead."

Piyush smirked like a man who still thought he owned the world.

He crossed his arms, stepped even closer, and looked me up and down like I was still that scrawny teenager from school.

"So what's the deal, Kartik?" he said, voice mocking. "You playing soldier now? Got yourself a toy gun and a hot bitch to cuddle with at night?"

I didn't say a word.

He leaned slightly, eyes roaming over Kanika again lingering too long.

"Damn, she's something else though. I mean… she's already looking this sexy with clothes on. I can't even imagine how good she'd look without those cloths."

Click.

The metallic sound sliced through the rising tension like a razor through silk.

Before his next breath, the barrel of my matte-black auto-rifle was pressed directly against his chest dead center. The weapon had materialized from my inventory in less than a blink, its smart-lock sensors glowing faint blue as my finger slid over the trigger.

Piyush froze.

Everyone else in both groups went silent.

Kanika hadn't moved a muscle, but her gaze had gone from passive to lethal, ready to kill the moment I pulled that trigger.

"I dare you to say that again," I said, my voice ice cold.

No tremble. No hesitation.

My eyes locked on his.

"Go ahead," I continued. "Say it again. Do you really want to find out what happens when you imagine her naked?"

His mouth opened, then shut. Whatever smirk he had was gone.

This wasn't the same Kartik he used to humiliate. That version had died the day the world fell apart. This version? He'd killed mutated dogs, crushed zombies, and tamed the apocalypse itself with his own hands.

And Kanika, the living embodiment of destruction and beauty was mine.

Piyush raised both hands slowly and stepped back.

"Chill, man," he muttered. "It was just a joke."

I didn't lower the rifle.

"Do I look like I'm laughing?"

His friends didn't step forward either. They weren't laughing now.

Because suddenly, they realized that the weak kid they used to bully could now wipe them out before breakfast.

I let the silence hang for another moment. Then I slowly lowered the rifle never breaking eye contact.

Piyush swallowed hard and turned back to his group, clearly rattled.

The other survivors the ones Kanika and I had saved watched the exchange with wide eyes. Some looked stunned. Others were smirking behind their hands, quietly enjoying the reversal of power.

I turned back to Kanika, who hadn't moved an inch but looked entirely satisfied.

She whispered quietly, "You didn't have to defend me."

I smiled and slid my arm around her neck again.

"I know. But I wanted to."

Kanika leaned her head against my shoulder, purring softly like a loyal lioness resting beside her king.

In that moment, with a rifle still warm in my hand and Piyush slinking away with his pride crushed, I felt something new.

Control.

Power.

Not just because of the weapons or the skills I had earned from the system.

But because of her.