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Kicked Out in the Apocalypse, But My Dog Was My Secret Weapon
Kicked Out in the Apocalypse, But My Dog Was My Secret Weapon
Author: Pinehart

Chapter 1

Author: Pinehart
My head was pounding.

My forehead was so hot it felt like it could fry an egg.

I curled up in the corner of the couch, wrapped in that old tattered blanket, my teeth chattering uncontrollably.

“Mom, please give me a fever pill. I really can’t take this anymore.”

My voice came out hoarse, and my throat tasted like blood.

Linda Carter sat by the coffee table, clutching the white pill bottle tightly in her hand.

It was the last bottle of ibuprofen in the house.

She didn’t even look at me. Her eyes were locked on Tyler, who was sitting there playing video games.

Tyler Jackson sniffled and let out the faintest little sneeze.

Linda shot to her feet at once.

She poured a glass of warm water, shook out two pills, and pressed them into Tyler’s hand.

“Baby, hurry up and take these. That sneeze didn’t sound right. Don’t go catching a cold.”

I stared at the scene in disbelief.

I had a fever of a hundred and three point six. I was even starting to hallucinate.

Tyler’s nose just itched.

I struggled up from the couch and reached for the bottle.

“Mom, I still have a fever. Just leave me one...”

Smack!

Linda slapped the back of my hand.

It swelled red instantly.

“Eat, eat, eat. That’s all you ever think about. This medicine is for your brother. What does a useless girl like you need it for?”

Tyler swallowed the pills, then slammed the glass down on the table.

He looked at the husky lying by my feet with open disgust.

“Mom, this dog’s shedding again. Just looking at him annoys me.

“And he eats so much every meal. We’re barely scraping by as it is.

“Get rid of him.”

Duke seemed to understand. He let out a low whine and buried his head against my leg.

My dad had left him to me before he died.

He’d been with me for five whole years.

I wrapped my arms tightly around Duke’s neck.

“No. Dad left him to me. Nobody’s touching him.”

Tyler let out a cold laugh, got to his feet, and kicked Duke hard in the stomach.

Duke cried out in pain, but because he didn’t want to make things harder for me, he didn’t bite him.

I lunged at Tyler like I’d lost my mind and shoved him away.

“Stop it!”

He dropped to the floor on purpose and instantly started wailing at the top of his lungs.

“Mom! Hannah hit me! She hit me over a dog!”

Linda’s face darkened on the spot.

She stormed into the kitchen, grabbed a rolling pin, and came straight at me.

“So now you’ve got some nerve, huh? You dare hit your brother?”

Once.

Twice.

The blows came down on my back and arms.

I shielded my head, shielded my dog, and curled up into a ball.

Outside, thunder roared and rain came down in sheets.

From the street came the constant shrieks and growls of zombies.

When Linda finally got tired, she stood there panting hard and pointed at the front door.

“Get out. Take that mutt and get out of my house.”

“I don’t raise ungrateful brats, and I sure as hell don’t keep worthless dogs around.”

I looked up at her in disbelief.

“Mom, there are zombies everywhere outside, and it’s pouring. You’re really making me leave right now?”

“You’re sending me out there to die!”

Linda grabbed me by the collar.

She was unbelievably strong. She dragged me all the way to the door, with Duke and me in tow.
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  • Kicked Out in the Apocalypse, But My Dog Was My Secret Weapon   Chapter 10

    He slammed Linda into the snow and straddled her, tearing at the coat like he’d lost his mind.“Give it to me! Let go! Give it!”Linda screamed, kicking and thrashing, her nails clawing bloody streaks across his face.“This is karma! Karma! How did I raise a monster like you?“Hannah! Hannah, look at him! Save me! I was wrong! I’ll listen to you from now on!”Her face was pressed into the snow, twisted out of shape, waving frantically toward the camera.It didn’t matter.Tyler drove his foot into her stomach.She doubled over in pain, her grip loosening.The coat was gone.Tyler snatched it and wrapped it around himself without even glancing at his mother, then scrambled toward a windbreak in the distance.Linda lay there in the snow, left with nothing but a thin layer of clothing.The wind cut right through it.She watched her son run, a broken, rasping wail tearing out of her throat.“This is karma… this is karma…”She crawled toward the base gate, dragging herself for

  • Kicked Out in the Apocalypse, But My Dog Was My Secret Weapon   Chapter 9

    “Wake her up,” I said calmly.A bucket of ice water came crashing down.Linda jolted awake, then dropped to her knees with a thud, banging her head against the concrete over and over.“Hannah! Hannah, it’s me, your mom!“It was those bastards! They forced us! If we didn’t lead them here, they said they’d kill us! I had no choice!”Her face was smeared with snot and tears as she reached for my pant leg.I stepped back, disgusted, avoiding her touch.Beside her, Tyler twitched, his body jerking as he snapped out of playing dead.“Bullshit! It was you! You old witch!”He pointed at Linda, eyes bulging.“You told me she had food! You told me to go find the Wolf Pack!“You said if we took the base, I’d be king!“You said she was soft, that if I just got on my knees and cried, she’d let me in!“Hannah! This was all her idea! She made me do it! I’m innocent!”Faced with death, the so-called loving mother and devoted son turned on each other without hesitation.They hurled every

  • Kicked Out in the Apocalypse, But My Dog Was My Secret Weapon   Chapter 8

    I rubbed behind Duke’s ears and turned to the monitor.I recognized this group.They were the so-called Wolf Pack, a gang from around here. Bullies, looters, the kind who’d done plenty of ugly things even before the world fell apart.I didn’t expect Tyler to have connections like that.On the screen, a group of men crept along the base wall under the cover of darkness.Tyler was leading them, hunched over, nodding and bowing like a lapdog. He pointed at the towering wall, spittle flying as he talked.“Boss, I swear, my sister’s in there! That warehouse is stacked with rice and flour. Enough to last us ten years! And that girl, she’s a looker. You can keep her warm at night!”The gang leader, a thick-necked brute with a cleaver in hand, smacked Tyler’s face with the flat of the blade.“If there’s nothing inside, I’ll carve you up and toss you in a pot.”“No way! She’s my sister. I know exactly what’s inside!” Tyler thumped his chest, all smiles and flattery. It was sickening to

  • Kicked Out in the Apocalypse, But My Dog Was My Secret Weapon   Chapter 7

    I looked at them the way I’d look at two flies buzzing in my face.Slowly, I peeled a grape and fed it to Duke.Then I stood up and looked down at them from the top of the wall.“Who are these beggars?“Trying to claim they’re family.“My mother died a long time ago.”Linda froze.She clearly hadn’t expected me to be this heartless.So she immediately pulled out her favorite move, throwing a full-blown tantrum.She dropped into the mud, slapped her thighs, and started wailing.“Oh, God, look at this! There’s no justice in this world!“My own daughter makes it big and won’t even acknowledge her mother anymore!“I raised you from nothing, and this is how you repay me?“Everyone, come look! Look at this heartless little monster!”The refugees nearby started whispering and pointing.To people like them, family loyalty still meant everything.Some of the looks they threw my way carried a hint of judgment.Seeing that, Tyler got even bolder.“Hannah, aren’t you scared karma

  • Kicked Out in the Apocalypse, But My Dog Was My Secret Weapon   Chapter 6

    Before I left, I glanced back one last time.“There’ll be more zombies coming up here soon.”“Good luck.”Linda’s desperate screams rang out behind me.But I didn’t look back.Duke carried me as we charged out of the apartment building.The zombies outside were scattered by the dog pack before they could even get close.“Woof. [Outdoor supply store five hundred meters ahead. Safe.]”“Woof. [Underground garage to the left. Modified off-road vehicle detected. Keys located in the security office.]”The system alerts kept going off.Half an hour later.I was sitting inside an upscale outdoor gear store.I’d changed into top-of-the-line arctic gear and a pair of tactical boots.A portable stove beside me was heating up a steaming pot of ready-to-eat meals.The smell of beef filled the air.Duke lay at my feet, gnawing on a tomahawk steak.He’d earned it. He deserved the best.Through the floor-to-ceiling windows, I looked out at the apartment building in the distance.Flam

  • Kicked Out in the Apocalypse, But My Dog Was My Secret Weapon   Chapter 5

    It was Duke.Dragging his broken leg, he threw himself in front of me.His eyes were no longer that gentle blue. They had turned a savage, blood-red.Every hair on his body stood on end, and his whole frame seemed to swell in an instant.The mechanical voice rang out again. This time, it wasn’t just for me.It blasted across the entire rooftop like a loudspeaker.“Host detected under lethal threat.”“Infinite Supply Search System... authorization upgraded.”“Combat mode activated: King of All Dogs.”“Command issued: all canines in the city, protect the host immediately.”The moment that command went out, the air itself seemed to freeze.Then, in the next second, barking erupted everywhere.From nearby rooftops.From the streets below.From the ruins in the distance.Bark. Bark. Bark.It was the response of thousands of dogs.A massive Tibetan mastiff leaped onto the rooftop first.Then came a pack of strays.Then mutated golden retrievers, German shepherds, and Rottw

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