2026-10-22 06:59:35Rebecca stared at Owen for a few moments, her fingers tightening around Jerry's arm. Beside her, Jerry slowly closed his mouth, his expression hardening as he looked over Owen's bloodstained clothes.
Rebecca's lips pressed together, her eyes narrowing. She took a step towards the counter, but when she noticed the people watching them, she stopped and loosened her grip on Jerry.
"What are you doing here?" she asked, managing a small smile.
Owen met her gaze without moving from the counter.
"Surprised, considering the fact that you left me to die?"
His voice remained level, and the smile on Rebecca's face disappeared.
Murmurs immediately spread through the hall. A woman near the entrance leaned towards her companion, her eyes moving from Owen to Rebecca.
"That's him, the man she dumped."
"That man standing at the counter?"
"Who else could it be? Didn't you hear what he just said?"
The man who had mocked Owen earlier leaned forward on his bench, studying him with renewed interest. A few people who had been watching Jerry turned towards Owen instead.
Rebecca glanced at them before looking back at him.
Her brows drew together, and she shook her head slowly. The hand gripping Jerry's arm loosened until only her fingertips remained against his sleeve.
"Just because I saw no use in being with you anymore doesn't mean I left you to die."
She paused, pressing her lips together before continuing.
"I tried to make things work, Owen. I really did. But you were just impossible."
A woman near the benches clicked her tongue.
"He really has no dignity. She has already left you. Must you come here to embarrass her?"
Rebecca lowered her face, brushing her hair behind her ear. When she looked up again, her eyes moved briefly towards the woman before returning to Owen.
Owen rested a hand against the counter. His gaze shifted towards the open register, where the worker's pen was still resting against the page.
"He's even trying to gaslight her," another woman muttered. "Just because she doesn't want to be with him, he's accusing her of trying to kill him."
"He's really pathetic," a man added. "Look at where you are. People are trying to survive, and you're still dragging a woman over a failed marriage."
Several people nodded. The man who had moved out of Owen's way earlier lowered his bag onto a bench and folded his arms.
"Now we know why she left him."
A few people laughed, and Rebecca drew a slow breath. She glanced towards the counter, waiting for Owen to look at her again.
He remained where he was, his hand resting beside the register.
The woman near the benches shook her head.
"She even tried to speak to him nicely. Some people don't know when to let things go."
Jerry slid his hand around Rebecca's waist and pulled her closer. She leaned against him, lowering her head until her hair partly covered the side of her face.
The corner of her mouth lifted.
When the woman near the benches looked towards her again, Rebecca pressed her lips together and rested a hand against Jerry's chest.
Jerry watched Owen for a moment before lifting his chin.
"You were never worthy of her," he said. "She endured so much while she was with you. She deserves to be with someone who can take care of her."
His fingers spread against Rebecca's waist as he drew her more firmly against him.
"Someone who can actually keep her safe."
"Tell him, Captain!" a man called from the benches.
Several people voiced their agreement, and someone near the entrance began clapping. Others joined in, their attention returning to Jerry as he stood with Rebecca tucked against his side.
"She made the right decision."
"At least she has someone she can depend on now."
Rebecca looked up at Jerry, a small smile returning to her face. He rubbed a hand along her waist while the man who had started clapping gave him an approving nod.
Behind the counter, the worker quickly set down the pen.
Owen watched as the chair was pushed backwards. The worker straightened a rumpled shirt before hurrying around the counter towards Jerry.
The worker bowed quickly. "What can I help you with, sir?"
A man standing nearby immediately stepped aside, pulling his belongings out of the way.
Jerry allowed the greeting to hang for a moment.
"That's Captain Jerry," a man near the benches murmured to the woman beside him. "He's the one leading the recovery squad that keeps our supply routes open."
The woman glanced towards Jerry.
"He's an Awakened?"
"One of the few in Haven 3. I saw him lift a car off the road with his bare hands so the supply trucks could pass."
Her mouth opened slightly.
"And he's the captain of that squad?"
"Who else could lead them? Half the things you buy here pass through their hands. When the other scavengers can't get through, his men are the ones sent out."
A man standing behind them adjusted the sack against his shoulder.
"The last time his squad went out, they brought back enough grain to reopen the market. My children ate because of those men."
The woman glanced at the sack, then towards Jerry.
"Then he must have quite a few people working under him."
"People line up to join that squad," the first man replied. "Food, protection, proper weapons. You get a place with the captain, and you don't have to spend every morning wondering whether you'll make it back."
He glanced towards Owen's torn clothes and shook his head.
The woman looked towards the worker, who was still waiting for Jerry's answer.
"No wonder they treat him like that."
The man gave a short laugh.
"And that fellow thinks he can stand there and blame his woman for his problems."
Owen's eyes moved towards him briefly before returning to Jerry.
The worker shifted farther aside, leaving the space beside the counter clear. Rebecca lifted her head, her smile widening as she noticed the people making room for them.
Jerry guided her forward until they were standing beside Owen. She glanced at the bloodstains on his sleeve before moving to Jerry's other side.
Jerry kept his hand around her waist.
He looked towards the waiting worker, then at the people watching from the benches. When he turned back to Owen, the smile on his face had grown wider.
He leaned closer, lowering his voice until only Owen could hear him.
"You see that? That's the power of being somebody of worth during this apocalypse.”
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Chapter 10
Rebecca stared at Owen for a few moments, her fingers tightening around Jerry's arm. Beside her, Jerry slowly closed his mouth, his expression hardening as he looked over Owen's bloodstained clothes.Rebecca's lips pressed together, her eyes narrowing. She took a step towards the counter, but when she noticed the people watching them, she stopped and loosened her grip on Jerry."What are you doing here?" she asked, managing a small smile.Owen met her gaze without moving from the counter."Surprised, considering the fact that you left me to die?"His voice remained level, and the smile on Rebecca's face disappeared.Murmurs immediately spread through the hall. A woman near the entrance leaned towards her companion, her eyes moving from Owen to Rebecca."That's him, the man she dumped.""That man standing at the counter?""Who else could it be? Didn't you hear what he just said?"The man who had mocked Owen earlier leaned forward on his bench, studying him with renewed interest. A few
Chapter 9
“You want to register a haven?” The worker looked around the hall before returning to Owen, the frown growing deeper.The pen was still resting against the open register, but she made no attempt to write anything down.“That is what I said,” Owen replied.Behind him, someone nudged a companion with an elbow.The worker’s gaze travelled down his body once more, lingering on the bloodstains around his shoulder before moving towards his injured leg.“You look like you’re going to die any moment from now, and you’re talking about starting a haven?”Owen glanced at the register. “Are you going to write my name down?”“Do you even know the requirements?” she asked with a frown.“Aren’t you supposed to be the one to tell me that?”“Then perhaps you should have found out before making that bold announcement.” The worker pushed the register farther across the desk. “You need a squad of people who can clear the place and protect it afterwards. Where is yours?”Owen remained silent for a moment.
Chapter 8
Owen followed the road towards Haven 3, occasionally moving aside for the people hurrying past him with bags and cartons in their arms.The closer he got, the more crowded the street became. Small groups stood beside the buildings, arguing over supplies or searching through the things they had brought back from the city. A few people glanced at him as he passed, but most quickly returned to whatever they were doing.By the time he reached the registration building, his injured thigh had begun aching again. He slowed his steps, allowing a woman carrying a basket to pass before making his way through the entrance.Several rows of benches occupied the hall, with counters arranged along the opposite wall. People sat with bags between their feet, while others stood together, speaking loudly enough that Owen could barely hear the worker addressing someone at the far end.He glanced across the counters until he found the one marked for territory registration.Fortunately, there was nobody st
Chapter 7
Evelyn blinked. She had been preparing to explain why her guild would be interested in him, and for a moment she wondered whether she had misunderstood his words."What? Wait, I haven't even told you what I wanted."But Owen had already turned around. One of his zombies adjusted a carton that was slipping from its arms, and the others followed as he began walking away from the store."Owen!" Evelyn called, limping forward a step. "At least hear me out. I'm not trying to cause you trouble!"He didn't answer. She opened her mouth again, then stopped when pain shot through her leg.By the time she steadied herself against the wall, he was farther down the street, moving past an abandoned car without so much as a glance in her direction.Evelyn stared after him with a mixture of embarrassment and disbelief. A few moments earlier, she had been certain that the smile meant something. Now she was standing alone with a packet of medicine and an introduction she hadn't managed to finish.'What
Chapter 6
Evelyn rubbed her eyes repeatedly, hoping that the sight before her would disappear.However, even after the third attempt, the zombies were still fighting one another, while Owen stood in the middle of the store, looking completely unbothered by the chaos surrounding him.She had encountered several Awakened since the beginning of the apocalypse, but never had she witnessed one who could control the infected.The thought of what such an ability could accomplish made her heart race, and almost immediately, her earlier embarrassment was replaced by excitement.'I have to tell the others about him and get him on our team,' she thought.Their guild would certainly be interested in someone like Owen. With the growing number of infected around the city, finding an Awakened who could command the very creatures they were struggling to eliminate was an opportunity they couldn't afford to lose.Evelyn was already imagining how she would convince her squad leader to recruit him. The only proble
Chapter 5
Owen hadn't intended to reveal his awakening to anyone, much less a stranger he had only met a few minutes ago.But there was little chance they would ever see each other again. And if they did, and she happened to become a threat to him, he wouldn't hesitate to kill her.The apocalypse wasn't exactly a place to keep unnecessary enemies.However, before he could take another step, the lady suddenly burst into laughter."You awakened?" She asked, her eyes moving over him. "Are you trying to make a joke out of me?"Owen simply stared at her."Do you even know what an Awakened is?" She continued, shaking her head. "The military would pay fortunes to have one in their ranks. Even private individuals are willing to spend everything they have just to employ one as a guard."Her laughter returned, this time with a slight cough that forced her to clutch her injured leg."And you're telling me one of those people is standing here looking like a scavenger who just crawled out of a zombie's mout
