Chapter 3

Adrian ignored the others' praise.

He walked toward me with his sword, his face grim. The soldiers spread out around us, leaving Adrian to finish me off.

Erin followed right behind him.

Adrian turned to check the zombies I had summoned. As soon as his back was turned, Erin stopped beside me and looked down.

Her sweet expression disappeared. Her eyes filled with triumph and cruelty.

She bent down and whispered so only I could hear, "I know it's you, Layla."

My head snapped up.

She knew.

Erin looked at the way I protected my left hand and smiled. "I knew you didn't die in the Surge. You kept protecting that ring even after becoming a zombie. You looked like an abandoned dog that still couldn't let go of its owner."

A low growl escaped my throat. My black claws dug into the ground.

She kept smiling. "Too bad Adrian only trusts me now. I helped him look for you after you disappeared. I healed his wounds and stayed with him every night he couldn't sleep. Everyone says I'm a better match for him than you are."

She pulled a piece of bloodstained fabric from her pocket.

I recognized it at once. It came from the gray tactical vest I'd worn the day I disappeared. I could still see the white stitches I'd sewn along the edge.

How did Erin get it?

Before I could figure it out, she spun around and screamed, "Adrian, look!"

Everyone turned to her.

Erin held up the fabric. Tears immediately filled her eyes, and she swayed as if she were about to faint. "This is from Layla's clothes. I just found it in the basement where this zombie was hiding. It's covered in her blood, and the zombie's scent is all over it."

She pointed at me with a trembling finger. "This thing killed Layla and ate her!"

Everyone fell silent.

Adrian stared at the fabric. He had spent two weeks searching every street in the old city for me. Now, all he had found was a bloodstained piece of my clothing.

Mark gasped, his eyes turning red. "This zombie ate Captain Hart?"

Daniel gripped his weapon and said through clenched teeth, "Kill it. We may have had our problems with Captain Hart, but she saved our lives. We can't let this monster eat what's left of her."

The other soldiers raised their weapons and shouted at Adrian to avenge me.

I lost my mind completely.

Erin knew exactly who I was, but she was using my clothes to convince everyone that a zombie had eaten me. She wanted Adrian to kill me so I could never expose her.

Somehow, I found the strength to lunge at her, dragging my broken legs behind me. I wanted to expose her lies in front of everyone.

But I couldn't even reach her jacket.

A boot covered in lightning struck me in the stomach.

The impact sent me flying into a broken wall. Bricks and concrete crashed down and buried me under the rubble.

Erin quickly hid in Adrian's arms, crying and shaking.

Adrian didn't comfort her.

He grabbed the bloodstained fabric from her. His hands shook so badly that he could barely hold it.

"Layla..." His voice was rough and broken.

I was the woman he had promised to marry and protect with his life. But now, he believed that all that remained of me was this bloodstained piece of cloth.

Adrian slowly turned toward me. His eyes were red with rage. Lightning crackled around him, and streetlights exploded in the distance.

He stared at me under the rubble. "You ate her?"