Darren had an alarmed look on his face, and he didn’t wait for others as he ran like a missile toward the house Meira was pointing at. ʀᴇᴀᴅ ʟᴀᴛᴇsᴛ ᴄʜᴀᴘᴛᴇʀs ᴀᴛ novｅlfire.net
They all followed him, and as everyone’s focus was on Darren’s running figure, they didn’t catch the malice and satisfied look on Meira’s face.
She followed behind them, walking beside Mr. Wells with an anxious expression. Mr. Wells wasn’t as quick as the ability users because he was already old. Except for a few who were willingly staying behind to keep watch on him, they were quickly left behind.
Darren frowned when he saw the door. It was made of steel. How had Nyra got inside? He ran around the outside of the wide house, trying to find an opening.
There was no door that he could crush easily. Some residents indeed used steel for the door, not wood.
He turned to the window and punched the steel grill. One punch, two punches, and a few more until his hand was a little bloody from blood.
"Mr. Valez?" Others were shocked when they saw what Darren was doing.
He ignored them and jumped in. A group of zombies went crazy, swarming toward him hungrily. He used his earth ability, forming shields for defense and spearheads to attack them.
However, there were still too many of them.
"Let’s go inside. Mr. Valez needs our help!" Other ability users immediately jumped in, helping Darren fight against the zombies.
"Ira, where are you?!" Darren yelled desperately. "Talk to me where you are and I will come to get you!"
Still, the only noises answering him were the zombies’ roars, which were now attacking him in a frenzy.
Zerra also entered the house, feeling a little bewildered. She scanned each room with her senses, occasionally stabbing the zombies–cracking their heads open and tearing through their hearts with her pitchfork.
There were no signs of Nyra anywhere in the house.
"Did you find her, Zerra?" Darren’s head snapped toward her. She had slipped past the rows of zombies in the room to check other rooms. When he was about to follow, a few zombies blocked him, so he had no choice but to engage with him.
"My elder sister isn’t in this place." She shook her head, thinking hard.
"She isn’t here?" Darren was taken aback.
She saw his expression and scrunched her face. "Are you sure you went to the right house...?"
"This is the one Meira was pointing at." He ran his hands through his hair in frustration. "Are you sure you have opened all the rooms?"
He craned his neck to see other rooms. His eyebrows knitted together when he saw them still tightly closed. He glanced at Zerra with an inscrutable look and dashed away.
She was quite perceptive of Darren’s change of expression. There was a hint of blame and even anger in his eyes. She pursed her lips, so he thought she didn’t want to find Nyra and was merely playing around?
Fine, she would wait if he found her in this house.
With a disgruntled face, Zerra exited the house after cracking open the skull of a zombie getting in her way.
Her pitchfork was still dripping with blood, emitting a rancid smell. Meira, who finally arrived with Mr. Wells, almost took a step back.
She nearly forgot to act. Enduring her churning stomach from the smell, she ran toward the house.
"Careful!" Zerra stabbed the zombie lunging toward Meira. The girl was on the verge of collapsing on the floor, yet she still managed to pick herself up.
Zerra nearly applauded her quick acting skills. No wonder that her foolish elder brother was no match for her.
Wearing an expression of panic and worry, Meira clutched her chest. She acted as if she would do anything, enduring the zombie attack just to find Nyra.
"I-I am fine, I am fine..." she murmured at the people trying to help her up.
"W-where is Mr. Valez?" She took a deep breath and exhaled again, trying to regulate her breathing. The zombie attack had truly scared her.
But... she must do it! Just look at those people’s expressions. It gave her some kind of satisfaction; they no longer had contempt on their faces, even if she was an ordinary person.
Instead, they showered her with some concern. Of course, she still needed to focus on the most important issue right now.
"Mr. Valez? He should still be inside..."
Meira’s face paled dramatically. "It’s not this house... I-I and Nyra, were going to the house next door."
She had a fearful expression on her face. Tears pooled in her eyes. "I have to tell Mr. Valez about it. Where is he now?"
At the same time, Darren exited the house with a dark expression. His hands were still wet with blood–his own blood. He came out just in time to hear Meira’s words.
"What do you mean she is not in this house, but you..." Darren took a deep breath.
"Mr. Valez, you got the wrong house... I might have been trembling when I pointed at the neighboring house." She hiccuped, "I am sorry..."
Actually, she had deliberately appeared from this house’s side yard just to confuse him. It would also delay them for a little more time. Meira lowered her eyes. "It’s my fault..."
Darren didn’t want to listen anymore, but there was also doubt in his heart. Had he indeed seen her point the wrong way because she was trembling in fear?
He passed by Zerra’s figure. His steps faltered briefly before he raced toward the neighboring house.
Zerra’s eye twitched, and she sighed deeply in her heart. The plot was on the verge of collapse, but it wasn’t completely collapsing, wasn’t it? She contemplated thoughtfully.
It might have been the case. Some people were still affected, like Darren’s dislike of her.
"Ira! Ira! Are you inside?" Darren knocked on the door in a frenzy, like a possessed person. If Nyra had exterminated the zombies, she should have responded by now, but she hadn’t.
Instead, the zombie noises grew more fervent and loud.
A cry broke out from inside the house. Darren tore all the layers of the window–steel grills, glass, and wood–dislocating and shattering them before jumping inside.
Even Mr. Wells’ eyes widened.