Apocalypse: Building And Hoarding My Way Through.
Chapter 15: Tension Rise.

Chapter 15: Tension Rise.

Scarlett’s eyes widened as she took in the scene unfolding before her. The other survivors, who had been quietly eavesdropping, scrambled to their feet, their faces etched with fear and uncertainty.

"Damn it," Garvin muttered under his breath, frustration seeping into his voice.

Rose, clutching the baby who had been fed and fallen asleep again tightly in her arms, stepped forward, her voice trembling. "Is everything you said in there true?"

Garvin’s expression turned serious, his gaze shifting to the crowd. "You heard all of it, didn’t you?"

"Of course, we did. We’re not deaf," replied an old man with snowy white hair, stepping forward, his eyes cold and accusing. He lifted a shaking finger and pointed it at Scarlett. "You... you’re one of them. A monster."

Scarlett felt a sharp pang of dread as the group’s fear turned into hostility, all of it directed toward her.

"No, wait," Garvin interrupted, stepping between Scarlett and the others, his posture protective. "She’s not a monster. She’s still human."

"Human?" scoffed a middle-aged woman, strands of white streaking through her hair. Her expression was incredulous. "We heard everything. If you hadn’t stopped her, she would have killed the baby... and who knows who else?"

Scarlett’s shame deepened. She lowered her gaze, unable to meet their accusing stares.

Garvin kept his tone calm but resolute. "Yes, she was bitten, but she didn’t turn immediately. That means there’s still hope."

The group exchanged skeptical glances, murmurings of doubt rippling through them.

"Hope?" a girl in a highschool uniform with short black hair repeated bitterly, her voice thick with fear. "What if she loses control again? None of us are safe as long as she’s here."

Garvin’s heart sank as he glanced around, feeling the weight of their fear. He knew he had to convince them.

"She won’t hurt anyone," he assured them softly. "She’s still human. Are you all really going to send her out there to those monsters just because of your fear?"

Rose, who had been watching the growing tension with concern, finally spoke up. "I believe Scarlett wouldn’t hurt anyone. She managed to control herself, didn’t she? She didn’t hurt anyone before coming to her senses." She stepped closer to Scarlett, the baby still nestled in her arms. "She’s... she’s special. Despite being bitten, she didn’t change." Her voice grew stronger as she fixed her gaze on the others. "That must mean something."

"Special, my foot!" the high school girl shouted, her voice laced with contempt. "What if she kills someone the next time before she ’comes to her senses’?" Her words trembled with anger and fear. "Are you really going to risk everyone’s lives just to keep her here?"

"Watch your tone, young lady!" Rose snapped, her expression fierce as she turned to face the girl. "Have some respect! Is this how you talk to your elders?"

But it was too late as the damage was done. The group’s trust was already fractured, and her words did little to sway them.

"Don’t threaten her, Rose or whatever you’re being called," the older woman interjected, her face stern. "The girl’s right. We have a right to be worried."

Rose let out a frustrated scoff, shifting the baby into Scarlett’s arms. She put her hands on her hips, her irritation plain. "Tell me, if it were your own child, would you send them out to the monsters just because they were bitten?"

Mr. and Mrs. Anderson, the older couple, exchanged a somber look, sadness flickering across their faces. But any empathy vanished quickly, replaced by steely anger.

Garvin leaned in to whisper to Rose. "They never had a child, Rose. Don’t make it worse for them."

"Oh, that explains it," Rose muttered under her breath, frustration still in her eyes. "If they had, they wouldn’t be so quick to send someone else’s child to her death."

The tension was broken by a cold voice from the corner of the room. A man dressed in a blue shirt and black trousers, his face marred by a burn scar, stepped forward. He looked at the others with hard, unyielding eyes. "We can’t stay here with her. She has to go."

Garvin’s expression turned resolute, his jaw tight. "I won’t let you harm her, Louise. You’re always the one who send bitten survivors away, but I won’t let you do that to Scarlett. She’s still one of us." He turned his gaze to the group, his voice unwavering. "Have you all forgotten? Scarlett is the reason we have food on our tables, warm blankets at night, and clothes on our backs."

"And what? We’re supposed to pay for that with our lives?" Mrs. Anderson spat, her tone thick with anger. "She gave us food, and now we’re supposed to let her eat us in return?"

"Of all people, you’re the last I expected to be so afraid of death," Rose shot back, glaring at the older couple. "Aren’t the elderly supposed to face death with dignity?"

The high school girl let out a bitter laugh, murmuring under her breath, "And you were just telling me to respect my elders..."

Rose’s head whipped around, her eyes flashing. "Don’t provoke me girl? It’s been a while since I taught someone a lesson."

"Rose," Garvin interrupted, trying to defuse the tension. He turned to the high school girl with a gentler expression. "Mary, please. Let’s keep calm. We’ll find a solution."

The girl nodded reluctantly, though she shifted behind Garvin, still wary of Rose’s burning gaze.

Garvin then faced Mr. and Mrs. Anderson. "Mrs. Anderson," he said firmly, "I understand your fear. But we can’t just abandon Scarlett. She’s still human."

Mr. Anderson’s face twisted with anger. "Don’t tell us that please! We’ve all survived this long, and now you want us to share space with a monster? If she turns, we’re all dead."

Mrs. Anderson nodded, her expression as firm as her husband’s. "We’d be fools to keep her here, endangering everyone just because you’re too attached to her. If you’re so keen on protecting her, maybe the two of you should leave together."

"Without Scarlett, you won’t survive a week out there!" Rose shot back, her arms crossed defiantly. "Her abilities are our best defense, and she’s the reason we have food and supplies. You want to throw that all away?"

The older couple exchanged a silent look of anger, but they said nothing more.

Then, Louise stepped forward again, his gaze hard as stone as he turned to Scarlett. "Do you really want to stay here? If you had any dignity, you’d leave now. You wouldn’t keep putting us in danger."

The group’s attention shifted to Scarlett, their expressions grim and unyielding. Only Garvin, Rose, and Matthew, the quietest among them seemed to stand by her.

Scarlett swallowed hard, her voice trembling as she stammered, "I... I..." Tears rolled down her cheeks, falling onto the baby’s face as she held her close.

But suddenly, a loud crash echoed from outside, followed by the sound of shattering glass.

Everyone’s heads whipped toward the window, where a monstrous face pressed against the pane, leering in at them.