Chapter 3
But then he turned to me, his tall frame towering over me.
I gulped my spit, inching back till my back hit the wall. Was he going to kill me next?
He kept coming closer, and with each step my heart skipped, echoing in my ears like a siren. My vision was hazy, and I stopped as my feet hit the dead body of one of the attackers.
It was too much, too overwhelming, and my head was spinning.
The man reached out to me like I was a unique object, his cold fingers brushing against my chin. My eyes fluttered closed, and a tear slipped down my cheeks. This was it, he was going to kill me.
I felt his hand clasp around my neck, his fingers digging into my skin with a firm grip. My teeth sank into my bottom lip as I held my breath, waiting, but nothing happened.
A few seconds pass, and still nothing.
I let out a shaky breath, summoning the courage to crack my eyes open. A gasp escaped my lips as I was met with his face inches away from mine, his crimson eyes wide as his brows furrowed.
“You’re immune? How is that possible?”
His grip on my neck tightened, and the confusion in his gaze transitioned to hostility. I choked, clawing at his hands as my lungs burned from the lack of oxygen.
“What are you?” He growled, pulling me flush against him.
Tears clouded my vision, but before I could respond, I blacked out, falling into a dark abyss.
I woke with a startled gasp, my chest heaving. My brows furrowed as I noticed the ceiling above me, it was vaulted, painted with swirling golds and silvers that resembled and ethereal night sky.
They air was fresh, with a lingering sent of wine and roses. Shocked, I jolted upright, and the silk sheets that once covert my body slipped down my arms. I stilled, realization hitting me like a hard brick.
This wasn’t my bed. It wasn’t even a hospital bed, and neither was it the cold alley that I had passed out on.
The alley….
I winced as my head throbbed painfully, the gruesome images of what happened replaying. I wished it was a dream, but I could still feel the dull pain from my neck, where that man…
I took a cursory glance around the room, noting how it was bigger than the apartment I shared with Clark. Not just that, it was lavish, with walls lined with unique oil paintings and antique furniture that looked like it belonged in a museum.
“Awake at last.”
I flinched, recognizing the voice in an instant. It came from the corner of the room. I turned sharply, my heart skipping a beat.
My eyes widened, and my grip on the sheets tightened as I met his gaze.
He stood there, tall and composed, wearing a black silk shirt that hugged his sculpted frame, the top buttons undone to reveal the hard lines of his chest. His silver hair was slicked back, pulled back into a low bun that showed off his definite features. His eyes locked on me, burning with the same unnerving crimson as before.
The man from the alley.
“You…” I trailed off, the words catching in my throat. What could I possibly say in this position?
The man watches me with quiet intensity, stepping forward with predator-like grace.
“You should already know that I’m not human.” He started, his eyes narrowing.
I gulped my spit, feeling the hairs on my neck stand erect. “Please don’t hurt me,” I whispered desperately, my fingers trembling.
He tilted his head to the side. “You should be dead.” He said bluntly. “And yet… You survived.”
What was that supposed to mean?
“I’m the Zombie King.” He proclaimed, stopping a few feet from the bed. “In the ruins of this fallen world, my touch withers anything it touches at my command, but this power didn’t work on you, I'm a curious girl, What are you?”
I didn’t know what to say. I didn’t even understand what he was.
When I didn’t answer, he shook his head. “You’re either someone rare….or something cursed.”
I had to say something. I didn’t know why he brought me here, but I couldn’t stay for too long. “I don’t know what you want for me….” I started, my gaze lowering to my hands. “But please…let me go..”
“You’re not going anywhere.” His tone was as firm as steel, final and cold.
“What?” I breathed.
“Until I figure out what you are. You will remain here.”
A chill ran down my spine. “You can’t just—”
“You have no choice, girl.” His eyes glowed dangerously. A warning.
I bit my tongue as he drew close, standing at the edge of the bed. His presence filled the entire room, suffocating me. And yet, his aura, something about it, made my pulse race.
I can’t stay here. Not when my sister still needed me. But even when I had no choice, I couldn’t just accept my fate.
I swallowed hard, bracing myself for what I was about to say. “If you can’t let me go, then…Can I make a request?”
His brow arched. “A request?”
Taking a deep breath, I raised my gaze, lifting my chin higher. “My sister is dying, and she needs to be moved to a hospital on the other side of the city.” I glanced around the room again, calculating how each piece must have cost a fortune.
“You seem like someone with influence… or at least access to what’s left of it.” I started carefully, “ If you help her—help me…I’ll do whatever you want.”
A moment passed, and he just stared, his expression unreadable. But then, his lips twitched, and he burst into laughter. It was cruel, mocking, with a hint of amusement.
“What makes you think I would take orders from a scrawny girl like you?”
My jaw clenched. I was used to being mocked. Clark degraded me daily, but I would stomach it all for the sake of my sister, and I would do the same now.
“It’s not an order,” I said, my voice rising with desperation. “I’m making a deal.”
“Hmm?” He studied me for a moment, then he stepped closer, bending down until his face was just inches from mine.
Refusing to cower, I met his gaze. Those crimson eyes bored into my brown pupils in a silent challenge.
“Very well,” he said smoothly. “Let’s see if you’re as brave as you pretend to be.”
My throat dried as he leaned closer, his lips brushing the shell of my ear.
“Strip for me.”