Thrown to Zombies, the Soft One Becomes the Zombie King

They call me the glass doll of the apocalypse. My skin is so fragile, a harsh wind feels like a slap. Everyone in Redemption Base knows Im good for nothing but tears, a hothouse flower kept safe and sound by Silas.

That was, until she arrived. The so-called War Goddess. She couldn't stand the way Silas protected me.

The moment he led his team out on a scavenger run to clear the Dead Zones, she stormed into my room and dragged me toward the hordes of the infected.

"The Commander is out there fighting for his life, and you're in here living like a queen? What gives you the right, you useless leech?" she sneered. "There's no room for parasites in this world! Today, I'm going to teach you a lesson on his behalf!"

I stumbled and fell, the gravel bit into my elbow, drawing blood. I curled into a ball, trembling.

"Please don't hurt me," I sobbed, my voice thin and reedy. "Silas and I were linked. We have a pain-sympathy bond. If you hurt me, hell feel it hell be furious."

The War Goddess, Jocelyn, just laughed, a cruel, sharp sound. She grabbed a fistful of my hair. "Still playing games? Silas is neck-deep in a tide of Rotters. You think he has time to notice a little scratch on you? I'm going to make you understand the rules of this new world, once and for all!"

The pain from my scalp was searing as Jocelyn dragged me out of my room, my bare feet stumbling over the rubble-strewn training grounds.

"It hurts please, it hurts so much" I cried, reaching for her hand, only to be met with a vicious slap across the face.

The impact sent me sprawling. My knee crashed against a sharp stone, the skin tearing, and beads of blood welled up instantly.

The pain was blinding.

I was the girl Silas had sheltered with the best of everything. A slightly-too-hot bath could leave my skin red and stinging. I had never known suffering like this.

Tears streamed down my face as I hugged my knees, my whole body shaking uncontrollably.

Miles away, in the heart of the Dead Zone in Sector S.

A ten-foot-tall Tyrant roared, swinging a colossal axe down at the man standing atop a ruined skyscraper.

Silas, clad in black combat gear, his expression cold as ice, should have dodged the blow with ease.

But in that split second, an agonizing, shattering pain exploded in his knee. His left leg gave out, and he dropped to the ground, landing hard on one knee.

"Commander!" his lieutenant screamed in terror.

The axe blade whistled past, slicing off a lock of Silas's dark hair.

The veins on Silass hand bulged as he pushed himself up, gasping for air, his forehead drenched in a cold sweat.

Rosie Someone was hurting Rosie!

Silass head snapped up. His dark eyes instantly flooded with crimson, a murderous rage blazed within him. He was out here risking his life, and someone back at the base dared to touch his girl?

Back at Redemption Base, the central plaza was bustling. It was ration distribution day, and thousands of survivors were gathered.

Jocelyn dragged me onto the high platform and stomped her steel-toed boot onto my shin.

"Agh!" I screamed, a pain like splintering bone shooting up my leg.

Jocelyn looked down at the crowd, her voice booming. "Look, everyone! This is the parasite Silas has been protecting!"

"While we risk our lives for half a slice of moldy bread, she hides in her villa, bathing in purified water and eating canned meat!"

The crowd erupted.

A thousand pairs of eyes, filled with hunger and resentment, locked onto me.

"Why her?"

"We barely have enough water to drink, and that bitch uses it for baths?"

"Kill her! Make her give back the supplies!"

A wicked smile played on Jocelyn's lips. She leaned down, her breath hot against my ear. "Did you hear that, Rosie? That's the will of the people."

"So what if Silas protects you? He's not here now. I'm in charge."

"No I didn't" I sobbed, struggling to breathe. I wanted to explain, but my voice was swallowed by the sea of curses.

"Still talking back?" Jocelyn's eyes went cold, and she ground her heel into my leg.

"Tell me, everyone," she yelled to the crowd, "does a parasite like this deserve to die?"

"Yes! Kill her! Kill her!"

Someone in the crowd threw the first stone.

It struck me squarely on the temple.

Warm liquid streamed down, blurring my left eye. My world dissolved into a smear of crimson. The pain was so intense I nearly passed out. I clutched my head, curling into a helpless ball, crying out the only name I could think of.

"Silas Silas, it hurts"

A hundred miles away.

A storm of black, volatile energy erupted from Silas, shredding the dozens of Rotters swarming him into a paste of flesh and bone.

He clutched his head, the world spinning as a phantom pain exploded behind his eyes.

"Commander! Your head" his lieutenant stammered, his face pale with shock. The Commander hadn't been hit, yet a bloody welt was forming on his temple out of thin air.

Silas's eyes were bloodshot. He grabbed his lieutenant by the collar, his voice a raw rasp. "Back to base! Now!"

The lieutenant glanced at the horde. "But Commander, we haven't taken down the Tyrant yet. If we pull back now, everything we've done will be for nothing"

"I said get us back to the base!" Silas roared, slamming his fist into the armored truck's door. The reinforced steel dented under the force.

He could feel it. He could feel Rosie crying.

She was in pain.

Suddenly, a crushing agony shot through his left palm, as if every bone was being ground to dust.

In the plaza, Jocelyn was stomping on my hand with her steel-plated boot.

"Go on, scream! Keep screaming!" she taunted, twisting her foot viciously. "Your precious Silas is too busy playing savior of the world to care about a little tramp like you."

The pain was so intense I couldn't even scream anymore, only broken whimpers escaped my throat.

The pain in my fingers was directly connected to his heart.

If I screamed, the feedback would be ten times worse for him.

I couldn't scream. I was afraid the pain would kill him out there on the battlefield.

I bit down hard on my lip, the metallic taste of blood filling my mouth, refusing to make another sound.

Seeing me silent, Jocelyn spat on my face. "Useless. Gone mute, have you?"

She turned to the survivors below. "Since you all hate her so much, I'll do you a favor today. Anyone who can 'teach this little princess a lesson' gets a whole sausage!"

A single sausage. In these times, it was enough to make someone sell their soul.

A forest of hands reached for me. Stones and rotting vegetables rained down on my body.

All I could do was cover my head and curl up tighter.

Just as I thought I was going to be beaten to death, a woman pushed her way through the crowd.

"Everyone, stop!"

The voice was familiar.

I struggled to open my blood-crusted eyes, peering through the gaps in my fingers. I saw a face I knew.

My cousin, Sarah.

Before the world fell apart, she was the only family I had left.

A flicker of hope ignited in my chest. I reached out a trembling hand. "Sarah help me"

Sarah strode onto the platform. She looked down at my broken form on the ground, a flicker of pure satisfaction in her eyes.

She kicked my hand away.

"Don't call me that. Who's your cousin?"