Chapter <b>209 </b><b>Not </b>a Reunion, a Reckoning
Chapter 209 Not a Reunion, a Reckoning
Theresa chuckled, sling her pack over her shoulder, and walked straight through the <b>group </b><b>of </b>wide–eyed students. As she passed Dawn, she gave her a light pat on the head. “Good girl. By the <b>way</b><b>, </b>is there <b>anyone </b><b>else </b>here besides you guys?”
“It’s just us<b>–</b>well, us and one more person,” Dawn replied.
Before Theresa could ask further, her eyes lifted toward the second floor, where a familiar figure stood <b>in </b>in sight.
“Hi there, Beautiful. Fancy seeing you again,” Quentin called down from thending<b>, </b>arms <b>spread </b>wide <b>as </b>if weing an old friend into a warm embrace, a smug grin lighting up his face.
The next second, Theresa grabbed the stair rail and bounded up the steps in a few smooth, fluid <b>leaps</b>.
The high–school grads standing nearby stared in shock. <i>Wait</i><i>… </i><i>they </i>know each other<i>? </i>And judging by <b><i>that </i></b><i>reaction</i>… <i>they’re </i><i>close</i>?!
The young men, especially Jack, felt their guts twist with frustration. Quentin had already thrown <b>their </b>group dynamic into chaos the moment he arrived, charming their girlfriends and leaving the rest of them helpless topete. And now, it turned out he knew an even more capable woman–and judging by <b>her </b>entrance, she was on another level altogether. Standing next to her, they looked even more useless.
As for the girls, a fresh wave of jealousy surged through them. Quentin had been their dream man in this apocalyptic hell–handsome, well–equipped, strong, mysterious, and charming. Unlike their bumbling. clueless boyfriends, Quentin was the ideal. The one no one could truly understand. A man like the ocean -deep, dark, and unfathomable.
But none of them had ever seen Quentin greet any woman with such enthusiasm–arms open inviting a hug. The gesture burned like acid.
wide,
Just when they expected some sort of fated reunion, a tender moment between apocalypse–forged allies, they got a flying kick instead.
<i>Wham</i><i>! </i>
Theresa’s footnded square in Quentin’s chest,unching him backward across the second floor. He mmed into a shelf, knocking it over with a crash.
The group stood frozen, stupefied by the unexpected turn of events.
But what followed was even more shocking. Theresa straddled him and unleashed a brutal beatdown. Every punchnded with bone–rattling force, each blow a hammer of fury that made the onlookers flinch.
<i>This</i><i>… </i><i>T</i>–<i>This</i>…
Five straight minutes of pummelingter, Theresa hauled Quentin up by the cor like a disobedient <b>cat</b>. “You just <i>had </i>to run again, didn’t you?”
Quentin tilted his head with azy grin. His one visible eye gleamed<i>. </i>“You <i>just </i><i>had </i>to miss me.”
<i>Thud</i><b><i>! </i></b>
Chapter <b>209 </b>Not a Reunion, a Reckoning
<b>A </b><b>second </b>ck eye bloomed on his <b>face</b>.
Theresa yanked his cor tighter. “I’m done being patient. Run one more time<b>, </b>and I will kill <b>you </b>
Quentin blinked, then grinned wider, undeterred by his bruises. “Aw… Does that <b>mean </b>I <b>still </b><b>get </b><b>one </b>more chance. Beautiful<b>?</b><b>” </b>
Bam!
Without hesitation, Theresa flipped him over her shoulder and mmed him into the floor. <b>Still </b><b>not </b>satisfied, she went back in for round two.
He could take it. Being half–zombie meant she couldn’t actually kill him by beating him to death<b>. </b>And <b>the </b>more she hit him, the more delighted he looked. Because madmen didn’t follow normal logic<b>–</b>and <b>no </b>one really knew what went on in that head of his.
Eventually, even Theresa grew tired of wasting effort on him. She grabbed him by the cor <b>again </b><b>and </b>gave onest warning. “I don’t have time to keep ying games with you. You’re not stupid. Cut it out. Got it?”
Quentin, both eyes now ringed in ck, smiled through the bruises. That rakish, infuriating grin never faltered. “I’m not ying games. I’ve been serious about you since the moment I saw you. Serious about wanting to sleep with you.”
Theresa was rendered speechless. But just as she was about to explode all over again, a massive crash shook the building. The sound of the front shutter door being torn open roared up from below<b>. </b>
<i>ng</i><i>! </i>
The metal gate ripped open, a gaping breach now exposed to the street outside. Zombies poured in, surging toward the inner ss doors.
The double–paned doors had been reinforced with a U–lock in the center, but that wasn’t enough. A dozen zombies mmed into it, and the pressure cracked open thergest gap between the panels.
Hands burst through the ss, ws raking, mouths howling, reaching for the living, breathing meals just out of reach.
“Aaaaah!” Screams erupted from the girls on the stairs.
“Shut up!” Theresa barked. She didn’t even have time to finish stomping Quentin. Spinning around, she assessed the room in a single sweep. “Get the d*mn door barricaded–now!”
Themand snapped the high–school grads out of their panic. Jack finally moved, rallying the boys to push the now–empty shelves toward the entrance.