CHAPTER 27: COLLECT SUPPLIES I

When I saw the look in Cassel’s eyes as he stared at the family begging us for help, I understood in an instant what was going through his mind.

How could I not?

I had followed him through every year of his life—right up to the moment of his death in the novel. I had memorized every shade of his emotions, every silent thought woven between the lines. Over time, the patterns of his mind had carved themselves into me.

One glance was all it took.

I knew what he was feeling the way I knew the beat of my own heart.

Cassel was feeling envy.

Yes—envy.

For as long as he’d lived, he had wanted a family. Wanted affection. Wanted the simple, quiet warmth that everyone else seemed to take for granted. He never said it aloud, but that longing clung to him like a ghost.

Even when he knew how vile Elias was—how despicable, how rotten to the core—Cassel had always felt a faint, bitter jealousy toward the fatherly affection Elias received. That small, poisonous emotion had rooted itself deep inside him, a thorn no one had ever pulled out.

When I looked into his black eyes—dark as an endless abyss—I silently swore, once again, that I would never let him suffer. I would love him. Walk beside him. Protect him. Save him.

I would give him anything, everything, just so he would never again look at someone else with that quiet, aching envy.

"Alright. Henry, take them to the doctor," Cassel said quietly. "As for their fate... that depends on their luck."

Henry shrugged, as if he weren’t the same man who had refused them moments ago—or the same one who had threatened the child a few breaths earlier.

The family immediately knelt again, thanking Cassel

Rosalia — POV

before rushing toward the doctor’s area.

But the boy stayed where he was, still kneeling, staring straight at Cassel.

Cassel’s voice cooled. "What do you want now?"

"Nothing. From today on, I’m your servant—your dog. Use me however you want. I swear I’ll do anything you command."

"I’m not a pervert who wants someone as his personal dog," Cassel replied dryly. "But you’ll still have to pay for your mother’s treatment, whether it succeeds or not. So you and your family will stay with us. Help us along the way to City B, and we’ll part there."

So... he was basically giving them free transportation to the safe base.

And with the strength of our team, did we even need more people?

Cassel, Cassel... you’re too kind for your own good.

He didn’t question the boy further. He lifted his hand and began directing the team—calm, composed, focused on preparing everything we needed to head out for medicine and supplies. His voice carried authority without effort.

He ignored the ugly, disapproving looks some of them shot his way—

as if their opinions were nothing but background noise to him.

I wanted to check on the pregnant mother, to make sure she was stable, but Cassel didn’t allow it. He said the doctor and his assistant were with her, and that we had to leave for the hospital immediately before the sky darkened.

Everyone knew what happened at night.

Zombies became faster and stronger.

The sun made them sluggish, but once it set, their power surged.

And that was a reality even Cassel and his elite team couldn’t defy—not if a horde came.

...

"Boss, is it really okay to bring a ten-year-old kid with us?"

"I’m thirteen."

"You’re still a kid. What, you think we’re going on a picnic?" Friedrick snorted, clearly savoring the irritation rising in the boy’s voice.

We were packed into the jeep, heading toward the hospital, now less than ten minutes away. We could’ve walked, but we planned to bring back a lot of supplies, so we needed the vehicle.

"Boss, are you sure this girl’s power is real?" the driver—Barney—asked. "We’re heading somewhere extremely dangerous. If her power fails or something goes wrong, we’re done for."

This man...

I honestly didn’t know whether I should warn Cassel about him or not.

I knew everything he did in the novel. I knew he would betray Cassel soon. I knew he would trap him. But I didn’t know if he had always been like this—

a wolf hiding behind a harmless smile—

Or if he changed later, becoming the wretch he became in the story.

I found myself watching him, studying the brown-eyed man, and by pure chance, our eyes met in the rearview mirror.

Cassel’s cold voice sliced through the air:

"All you need to do is follow orders. No need to overthink."

Maybe I imagined it, but there was a faint edge—something sharp, something close to anger—beneath his tone.

Henry, sitting in the passenger seat, added, "It’s fine. I know what I saw. Trust my judgment—and the boss’s."

Even Friedrick stopped teasing Alex long enough to mutter, "Either way, we need the supplies. And we can’t enter the base without paying the toll. This method is better than taking a big group and risking heavy losses."

Barney’s face tightened, as though he’d just realized he was standing alone against all of them.

He shut his mouth and focused on driving.

I turned my attention toward the window.

The roads were a wreck—barely recognizable.

Who would’ve imagined that the beautiful world we once knew—

the clean roads, the perfectly lined trees, the bright, smart streetlights that glowed like stars at night—

Would turn into this?

Instead of a city brimming with life and noise,

Silence had swallowed everything whole.

The asphalt was split open in countless places, torn apart for reasons no one understood.

Dark stains spread across the ground, soaking the streets and trees with their ominous presence.

The cars were in horrific condition—some destroyed beyond recognition, others overturned or abandoned at odd angles like skeletons scattered across the land.

The air was heavy with the stench of rust and rot.

The world that once thrived had decayed beyond repair, leaving behind a quiet, suffocating reminder of everything humanity had lost.