Surviving the Apocalypse: All I Want Is to Find a Husband
Chapter 177: The Soldiers are Not Acting Like One (1)

Chapter 177: The Soldiers are Not Acting Like One (1)

Medeia didn’t want to admit it, but it really seemed like Sierra didn’t want to be apart from her.

She had been carrying her around for hours, and every single time she tried to set her down on the bed, Sierra’s eyes would snap open, her tiny hands reaching out as if she wanted to say, Don’t you dare leave me.

She could have just left that little gremlin with someone else and gone off to do something else. But every time she saw those round, doe-eyes staring at her, something inside her crumbled. Before she even realized it, she’d already scooped the child back into her arms.

"Don’t ask," Medeia muttered to Tian as she stepped into the greenhouse, cradling Sierra in her arms.

Tian raised an eyebrow as he leaned back against a wooden post. "I guess she’s really attached to you now," he mused. "Why not let Lucian take care of her for a while?"

Medeia sighed heavily, lowering herself onto a bench. "That’s the problem," she admitted. "She won’t let anyone else hold her. Not even Lucian. Why is she acting like this all of a sudden? He’s carried her plenty of times before."

"Isn’t that normal?" Ren, who had been standing quietly beside his brother, finally spoke up. "Most kids prefer their mothers over their fathers. I don’t really know how to explain it, but ... there’s just something about a mother’s presence that makes the kids feel warmer. Safer."

Medeia stared at him for a long moment. What did he mean by that?

She had never known what it was like to have a mother. And when she did become one, she had been forced to send her own children away.

But if her children had been given a choice, she had no doubt they would have chosen her. Who in their right mind would pick a father who wanted them dead?

"But Lucian’s always been there for her too," she countered. "It doesn’t make sense."

"Nothing makes sense when it comes to kids," Tian muttered, shooting his brother a look. "Back then, Ren only went to our father to ask where our mother was."

"It’s because Dad would scold me whenever I got hurt!" Ren defended himself. "But Mom? She would actually try to make me feel better!"

"Okay, so the point is, a baby will always prefer their mother," Ren continued. "And in Sierra’s case, you’re her mother."

Medeia let out a sharp hiss at that statement. At this rate, everyone was going to start calling her and Lucian as Sierra’s parents.

"Where’s Lucian, anyway?" Ren asked, crossing his arms. "Is he really committing to the role of a dad? Always absent most of the time?"

Medeia grabbed a potato from the table and hurled it at him. "He’s not like that, you idiot!" Medeia snapped. "He just went to change his clothes and will be here soon."

Before Ren could say anything else, movement from the other side of the greenhouse caught their attention.

One of the soldiers was beginning to move. His fingers twitched, his brow furrowed, and even though his eyes were still closed, he instinctively tested the restraints around his wrists, twisting against them in an attempt to break free.

Unfortunately for him, Lucian had tied those knots. There was no way he was getting out of them anytime soon.

Medeia adjusted Sierra in her arms and strolled over with an easy, almost lazy walk.

"Good morning, sunshine."

As she got closer, she recognized him—Finn Halloway, the one with the ability to duplicate himself.

It was an incredibly useful ability if he had the strength and courage to back it up. But unfortunately, Finn had neither. The guy was as skittish as a rabbit and panicked easily in the face of danger.

"W-where am I?" Finn groaned softly, eyelids fluttering open. As his vision cleared, his breath caught in his throat. His entire body went stiff as his gaze locked onto Medeia. Panic appeared on his pale face.

"You—!" His voice cracked. "You’re that demon!"

He scrambled back in fear, only to slam into the wall behind him. His breath hitched as he took in her features again.

"... Wait." He muttered, "You look ... different."

She didn’t have horns or any other demonic traits. But that wicked smile on her face? That was unmistakable.

She was the same monster who had knocked him unconscious.

The same demon that had attacked him with a sound so horrifying, it sounded like the agonized screams of the damned, echoing straight from the depths of hell.

However ... why was the so-called demon holding a baby?

Was she kidnapping that poor little girl? Was she planning to eat her when she got hungry?!

"You demon! Don’t you dare eat that little girl!" Finn bared his teeth at her, hissing like a terrified cat puffing up its fur.

Medeia rolled her eyes. "Oh, please. Not all demons eat children. Sometimes, we prefer a nice, tender teenager like you."

She flashed him a grin, her lips pulling back just enough to reveal a small, sharp fang peeking from the corner of her mouth.

Finn turned even paler—if that was even possible. "D-Do you think I’m that easy to kill?" He thrashed against his restraints like a fish caught in a net. "If you dare untie me, I’ll—I’ll cut your head off!"

Medeia blinked. Was he ... five or something?

Why was he throwing a tantrum like a toddler instead of acting like a soldier?

Even if he wasn’t fully grown, humans were supposed to mature faster in dangerous environments. The soldiers under Ethan’s command were just as young, yet they carried themselves very differently from the flustered mess in front of her.

Something wasn’t right.

Medeia narrowed her eyes, leaning in closer to get a better look.

His skin was looking smooth, unblemished, pristine. Not a single scar or callous. Not the rough, weathered look of someone who had spent years training under the sun or fighting to survive.

No.

His face looked like it had never even felt the sun.