All Chapters of The Endgame Chronicles: Chapter 41 - Chapter 50

The very next morning, instead of running the border of her current territory, Hayley headed straight for the back mountain. As she ran, her dogs carried ropes in their mouths to help her mark the boundaries.In the old days, people staked claims by racing horses across land. Now, it was Hayley and her dogs doing it.She sent Summer off with Ace, Spade, Diamond, King, Club, Jack, Flush, and Straight to start from the left. Meanwhile, she led East, South, West, North, Heart, Joker, and Front Legs from the right.Those were the names she had given her newest pack members.Splitting into two groups, they ran in opposite directions, circling the mountain with ropes as they went.By afternoon, Hayley and Summer met in the middle. Hayley tied the two ropes together, then worked her way around, knotting each section into a continuous loop.By the time the sun went down, she had managed to enclose the entire back mountain. The rope was fastened securely to her wire fence. Just like tha

Today, Hayley would have fried chicken. Tomorrow, it would be campfire stew, and after that, roast beef.When Hayley was out exploring the territory, she usually didn't bother cooking. She would just grab something from her inventory—like a breakfast burrito, a tortilla wrap, or a grilled flatbread sandwich. Everything came out just as hot and fresh as when she first put it in.Even with gloves on, Hayley could feel the crunch of the fried chicken, as if it had just come out of the fryer. She tore into it, and juice immediately burst from the tender meat. The garlic soy glaze sent waves of flavor straight through her senses.She washed it down with a swig of ice-cold cola. Pure heaven!In the middle of the apocalypse, being able to enjoy food that tasted like it came from the old world felt like the ultimate luxury. All her exhaustion from the day melted away.Hayley devoured the chicken like she hadn't eaten in weeks, easily enough for three people. Summer and the pack ca

Hayley's ruthlessness only came out when someone threatened what was already hers. If anyone dared take over the land she had claimed, she wouldn't hesitate to kill them. But barging into someone else's territory, kicking them out, or slaughtering them just to steal their home? That wasn't something she could do.She decided to let the survivor inside off for now. Just then, the door cracked open behind her.A scruffy middle-aged man peeked out, his face covered in stubble. His glasses gave him a bookish look, but his hollow cheeks and tired eyes showed that he hadn't eaten properly in a long time. Behind him, a weary-looking woman hovered. Between them, a little girl of about five or six poked her head out, staring curiously at Hayley.The second her parents noticed, they quickly pulled her back and shielded her."Woof! Woof!"Her dogs—East, South, West, and North—barked furiously at the door."Quiet," Hayley snapped. She gave the man a sharp once-over, then said evenl

"Raargh!"A foul stench hit her face as something shot toward her.It was moving faster than any zombie she had ever seen.But it missed.A split second later, Hayley slammed her shovel down from above, sending the creature flying several yards across the basement floor.Hayley had been fighting in the apocalypse for ten years. She didn't need to learn from mistakes anymore—her instincts were sharp enough to react in an instant.The zombie twisted on the ground, its body bending into an unnatural, backward position. Both arms were bent at a grotesque angle, palms braced against the floor, legs sticking out sideways.Then, like some massive four-legged centipede, it pushed itself upright. Long, tangled hair covered most of its face. Through the strands, a single gray-white eye glared at Hayley.The basement light flickered overhead as the zombie charged, its body moving so fast that it left afterimages in the air.Hayley's expression hardened. One thought snapped into her mind.

At the same time, the man was sure of one thing. Fresh vegetables had to be worth a fortune out there.Hardly anyone on the outside was still eating anything fresh. His crops were definitely trade material.To his shock, Hayley didn't even care.As Hayley started to walk off, the man quickly called after her. "Miss! What do you need? Money? We still have some! Whatever you want—if we've got it, we'll trade!"That made Hayley pause. For the first time, she actually looked interested. Her gaze drifted toward their Villa Nine."I want your house."The man froze.What the hell? Of all things to ask for during the apocalypse, she wanted a house? It wasn't food or clothing. What use was that?"I'll give you 500 pounds of pasta, 50 pounds of meat, 100 eggs, and ten cases of milk. In exchange, you give me this house."It was an amazing offer. Before the apocalypse, all of that together wouldn't have even been worth five grand, not even enough to buy a single square foot of the villa