Chapter 1

[Juliet Cox's POV]

Silently, I searched in the sea of zombies. After much effort, I finally snatched the last piece of chocolate from among the swarm of zombies.

However, Alison Sheppard simply took a bite of it and flung it to the ground. She clasped her hands over her mouth and began coughing violently, so much so that she began tearing up.

"Jeff, I'm allergic to anything that contains hazelnut…" she said, grabbing onto Jeffrey Lewis' sleeve, her entire body shivering.

"Did Juliet do it on purpose? She wanted to kill me."

The moment she said that, my brother, Lucas Cox, rushed at me. With a swing of his hand, he gave me a slap on my cheek so hard that I was slammed against the wall.

"You vile woman! Alison's lightning barrier protects the entire base! How could you take something like this back when you know she's allergic to it?

"Are you trying to have tens of thousands of people from the base buried alongside you?" Lucas roared while pointing a finger at me, his eyes filled with nothing but absolute disgust.

Jeffrey lifted a foot and kicked my knee forcefully, forcing me to fall before Alison.

"Juliet, I've warned you not to play games. If you lay another finger on Alison, I will end you and feed you to the zombies immediately."

I could still remember the very first time I was shoved into a swarm of zombies three months ago. Alison said she needed white roses for her late mother's grave. Specifically, she wanted those from the zombie-infested zone.

I gave my all in picking them and bringing them back for her, only for her to throw them into the trash right away, claiming that they stank of zombies and the mere sight of them disgusted her.

The second incident happened a month ago.

She claimed that she dropped the pearl brooch her mother left for her in a mass grave. That was all she had left of her mother.

When I crawled out of the pit, three deep, bone-cutting gashes ran across my arm. But not long after, I learned that she had actually bought the brooch from a flea market for ten dollars.

She simply wanted to play me for a fool because she disliked me.

Suddenly, I was struck in the head by a rock that flew through the air.

"What a useless piece of trash. She can't even get the simplest thing right."

The survivors around me jeered in agreement one after another, casually grabbing anything within their reach and hurling them at me.

"She's just a piece of trash. It's a blessing for her to be of help to Ms. Sheppard."

I parted my lips but ultimately said nothing. No one could see the protective shield I redeemed with my points. No one would believe me anyway.

From the corner of her eye, Alison noticed that I was staring at her. A gleeful smile spread across her face.

"Jeff, you don't have to get chocolates for me anymore. I feel better now."

She tugged Jeffrey's arm gently and added, "I'll reinforce the surrounding walls tonight. Just get Juliet to stay by my side and hand me energy crystals. Consider it her penance."

Jeffrey reached out and stroked her head. "Sure. Whatever you wish."

Then, he turned around and barked the order, his tone leaving absolutely no room for argument. "Juliet, you are not allowed to sleep tonight. You will be of service to Alison through the night.

"I will hold you responsible if even the slightest thing goes wrong."