Chapter 3

3

In the middle of the base square, Nora was surrounded by a furious crowd.

"What's wrong with sacrificing one person? It's for the sake of humanity! You should be honored!"

"You useless brat! If it wasn't for Zoe and Landon, you'd be zombie food! Now you won't even help? You're ungrateful!"

"Yeah! She's a total leech!"

Trash and stones began to rain down on Nora.

She curled into a ball, her body shaking violently.

She whimpered like a frightened rabbit. "I'm sorry... I'm so sorry..."

Landon's eyes turned a terrifying shade of red. He looked like his heart was breaking.

He sprinted forward and pulled her into his arms, shielding her. "All of you, shut the hell up!"

He snapped his head toward me, his gaze as cold as ice. "Zoe Quinn! You said this had nothing to do with you? Prove it!"

Landon's lips curled into a cruel smirk. His voice boomed across the square.

"Do you all want to know why the zombie horde attacked us?"

He pointed a finger directly at me.

"It was our great Commander Zoe. She ignored orders and went alone to provoke the Zombie King. She enraged him, and that's why we're in this mess."

The crowd gasped. Everyone turned to look at me with disbelief.

"Zoe, we trusted you. That's why we called you Commander."

"Did you really risk all our lives just to show off?"

A wave of insults and curses crashed over me.

I stood there frozen. It felt like the blood in my veins had turned to slush.

Across the square, Landon was tenderly wiping Nora's tears away, holding her close and whispering comforts.

The sight was like a hot poker to my eyes.

He knew. He knew exactly why I had gone to the Zombie King's lair.

I did it to save him!

He was the one who went into the red zone alone just to find a designer bag Nora said she liked.

He got captured by the King.

Everyone said he was a goner.

But I refused to give up. I told myself that even if he was just a corpse, I was bringing him home.

And now, just to save his precious Nora from some public embarrassment, he was flipping the script.

He was pinning the blame on me, knowing full well what the consequences would be.

For Nora, he would do anything. He would ruin me without blinking.

Landon picked Nora up in his arms.

As he walked past me, his eyes never strayed from her face.

He didn't give me a single glance. Not even a second of his time.

I watched his back as he walked away. He was so decisive, so cold. He didn't hesitate for a moment.

My heart grew colder than the winter air.

I clenched my fists so hard my nails drew blood from my palms.

But I couldn't feel the pain.

I stood tall in the center of the square. I let the angry crowd push me and scream at me.

I became their punching bag.

I tried to calm them down, telling them I would take responsibility for our safety.

But it was no use.

The malice surrounded me. They took all the frustration of living in this hellhole and dumped it on my head.

I wiped a smear of blood from my lip. My voice was raspy but clear. "It's my fault. Don't worry, I'll make it right."

The respect I had built over years vanished in a single afternoon. The crowd slowly dispersed, leaving behind only bitterness.

When I got back to my apartment, I saw a familiar lucky knot lying on the floor.

Landon made these himself. It was a unique craft.

Was this a late apology? Or was it a payment for saving his sister?

I picked up the intricate knot. My fingers were ice cold. I let out a soft, mocking laugh. "What a joke."

Then, I tossed it into the trash can without a second thought.