She Never Meant to Leave Me

In the ruins of the world, Id gotten used to my boyfriend spoiling me. Id send him out for food again and again, and hed always let me.

Just as he returned from another supply run, his arms full, a strange screen of text flickered into existence before my eyes.

This side character is so lazy! Its a zombie apocalypse and shes still making the male lead go out for snacks!

But isn't the male lead the Zombie King? He has to scrub the blood off himself every single day before he comes inside, all because shes a neat freak.

Only the heroines psychic powers can tame the Zombie King. The side chick ends up as a crippled zombie in the sewers.

Hes the Zombie King?

Panic seized me. I slammed the deadbolt on the bedroom door and scrambled under the bed.

Alarics tearful voice came from the other side, muffled by the wood. "Rose, please open the door. Ill go find you those potato chips tomorrow, I promise, okay?"

I curled into a ball under the bed, hands clasped over my head, trembling.

The comment stream was still scrolling.

She wont let him in just because he didnt find potato chips?

Dude, it's the end of the world! Chips? Shes starting to look like a crispy little potato chip for a zombie herself. Crunch.

The poor guy risked his life, crossing three whole blocks to find her ramen, and she complained it wasnt the spicy chicken flavor.

Outside, Alaric was still sniffling. "Rose, please dont starve yourself. Ill leave the food by the door. I can go look for chips right now, okay?"

My lips parted, but my voice was a shaky whisper. "Dont"

His voice brightened instantly. "Then youll open the door, Rose? Please?"

Open the door?

How could I?

Just half an hour ago, I was happily planning to tear open a bag of snacks. Then my vision blurred, and that text appeared out of nowhere.

They called me a useless side character, a burden to the male lead, Alaric.

They said he was the Zombie King.

And they said I would end up as a crippled zombie, rotting in a sewer.

I stared at those lines for a long time, my blood running cold. Then I bolted the door and dove under the bed.

Six months ago, a virus had torn through the world.

It started with our neighbor's dog, barking at nothing, its eyes wild. Then it mauled its owner. Soon, the people who were bitten started changing, too. By the time I truly understood what was happening, the streets below our apartment were already swarming with the dead.

Back then, I had just agreed to meet Alarics parents. The day before we were supposed to leave, I opened my front door and was nearly devoured by a zombie. He saved me, pulling me back just in time.

Alaric was my neighbor. He was tall, over six feet, with a clean-cut look. When wed pass in the elevator, hed offer a small smile, and Id just stare at my phone, too shy to meet his eyes. That all changed the night the power went out. I worked up the courage to knock on his door. One thing led to another, and we got close.

His cooking was incredible. He was always inviting me over for dinner. I was a disaster in the kitchen, the kind of person who could burn instant ramen. After months of mooching off his hospitality, he confessed his feelings.

"Rose," hed said, "let me cook for you every day from now on, okay?"

At that moment, I thought it was the most beautiful thing I had ever heard.

When the world ended, Alaric told me he had a fortified villa, a safe place where we could wait for rescue. It was only then that I realized he came from a wealthy family.

All the food we had in this villa, he found it. I never knew how he managed to come back unscathed every time, but hed always return like a magician, pulling my favorite things from his pack. Ramen, jerky, and sometimes, even a bag of potato chips.

I never questioned it.

But the comments said he was the Zombie King.

They said he was bitten by his own family dog at the very beginning of the outbreak.

They said a heroine would appear, tame him with her psychic powers, and together, they would build a new world where humans and zombies could coexist.

It sounded incredible. Heroic.

Not like his life with me. All I ever did was throw tantrums, demanding this snack or that meal.

I should have known. I should have guessed.

Why were there never any zombies around the villa?

Why did he always return from his supply runs without a single scratch on him?

And why, whenever we ate, did he just watch me, never taking a bite himself?

I always just assumed hed eaten while he was out.

The sounds from outside the door stopped.

Gathering my courage, I crawled out from under the bed. I crept to the door, got down on the floor, and peeked through the tiny gap at the bottom.

A pair of tear-filled eyes was pressed against the other side, trying to peer in.

I yelped and scrambled backward as the door was pushed open.

Alaric lunged forward and wrapped me in a hug, sobbing, a complete mess. "Oh, Rose, I'm so sorry! Please don't be angry! You can hit me, you can yell at me, just please don't go hungry"

He nuzzled my cheek and planted a kiss there.

A shiver ran down my spine. I pushed him away. "Don't kiss me."

He looked wounded. "Can I kiss you if I find the chips?"

I took a step back, studying him properly. Besides being a little pale, what about him screamed "zombie"?

From what I knew, there were two main types of them out there.

The advanced ones looked almost human, but they couldn't control their primal, vicious urge to bite. The basic ones were mindless eating machines.

Alaric and I had been together for so long. He held me every night as we slept. He'd had a thousand opportunities to bite me, and he never did.

Maybe the comments were wrong.

Aside from being a bit of a crybaby and a clinger who was always calling my name, how could he possibly be the Zombie King? Could a Zombie King really be this pathetic?

"I don't want chips anymore," I said.

Alaric blinked. "Then what do you want? I'll go find it."

"I want to leave."

He froze, then the words tumbled out of him in a rush. "Isn't it safe here? I can protect you, Rose. It's dangerous out there"

The comments reappeared.

Is leaving the only threat she knows how to make?

Its the apocalypse and shes still throwing fits. So high-maintenance.

But you can tell hes really into her. Guess he has a thing for her spoiled little act.

Seeing the panic in his eyes made my own heart ache, but I steeled myself. "I want to find other survivors."

Alaric was silent for a second.

"If you want to go, Rose, I'll go with you."

He just agreed.

He didn't ask why. He didn't try to stop me. He just turned and started packing.

I stood in the doorway, watching him hustle around. He stuffed ramen, jerky, and bottles of water into a backpack. He even packed several changes of clothes for me. His own belongings were a tiny bundle.

"It gets cold outside. You'll need extra layers," he muttered as he packed. "Rose gets cold so easily. What if we can't find shelter"

A lump formed in my throat.

I walked over and hugged him from behind.

"I'm not going."

He stilled.

"I'm staying here."

Alaric spun around, his eyes red-rimmed and shining with joy. "Rose, I swear I can protect you."

I looked at him, and suddenly, everything became clear.

So what if he was a zombie?

In all the time wed been together, he had never once hurt me. And besides, if I left him, Id probably die even faster. Better to be bitten by him than by some random monster out there.

With that thought, I leaned in and offered my cheek. "You can kiss me now."

Alaric stared for a moment, then he pulled me into a bone-crushing hug, his eyes sparkling.

The comments were calling me shameless, accusing me of seducing the male lead.

I ignored them.

How was this seduction? He was my boyfriend.

If that so-called heroine really showed up, and Alaric fell for her then, and only then, would I leave.

That night, I climbed onto the bed, straddling his hips and tilting his chin up. "Alaric, if I became a zombie, would you leave me?"

He swallowed hard, his Adam's apple bobbing. "Never."

"Even if you turn into a zombie, Rose, I'll never leave you." His voice was a little hoarse. "We'll be a zombie couple. We'll bite people together, find potato chips together"

He didnt finish, his hips bucking beneath me.

I gasped, my fingers tangling in his hair. "Same for you. Even if you're a zombie, I'm not going anywhere."

His eyes instantly welled up.

Then he gripped my waist and flipped us over.

The next morning, while I was still lazing in bed, a noise came from downstairs.

Someone had broken into the yard.

Alaric stared at the security monitor, a flicker of surprise on his face.

Two men and a woman.

The girl had her hair in a ponytail. She looked ragged, but you could still tell she was beautiful. The two men flanked her, scanning the surroundings with wary eyes.

The comment stream flared to life.

Here we go! The heroine is his unforgettable first love! They only broke up because of a misunderstanding. He might hate her now, but you cant have hate without love.

Her psychic powers are still weak, she can only control one zombie at a time. Theyre running from a horde.

Get ready for the famous dog-taming scene! The heroine is about to bring the male lead to heel.

My heart leaped into my throat. I scrambled out of bed.

In the yard, the girl looked up at the security camera, her eyes lighting up.

"Hello? Is anyone there? We don't mean any harm!" she called out. "We're just passing through and looking for a safe place to rest."

The men beside her stayed close.

"Seraphina, how come there are no zombies here?"

"Do you think they have some kind of advanced defense system inside?"

Alarics voice was cold as ice as he spoke into the intercom. "You're not welcome here."

The girl, Seraphina, was taken aback. "You? How many of you are there?" She paused, then tried a softer approach. "If it's not convenient for us to come in, could we please just shelter in your yard for a while? We'll leave as soon as the horde passes."

Before anyone could answer, she closed her eyes for a fraction of a second.

Suddenly, Alaric clutched his head, swaying on his feet.

My heart twisted.

His face was even paler than usual as he leaned against a wall to steady himself.

Seraphina opened her eyes and whispered to the men beside her, "There's a zombie inside."

She didn't know the yard was bugged with three different cameras.

We heard every single word.

Alaric instinctively glanced at me.

I pretended I hadn't heard a thing.

The comments buzzed again.

Why isn't he opening the door? He obviously misses her so much. He tried to kill himself over her back then, he still has the scars on his wrist.

His fists are clenched. Hes definitely fighting his instincts.

Tonights the night! The steamy reunion scene is coming!

I looked down. Sure enough, Alarics hands, hanging by his sides, were balled into tight fists.

A bitter taste filled my mouth.

The voices from outside drifted in again.

"Seraphina, maybe we should just wait until dark and sneak in"

I saw the man who spoke had two pistols holstered at his back. "They're armed."

If they really wanted to get in, we couldn't stop them.

As dusk fell, we sat in the living room, eating. The rich aroma of instant ramen filled the air. I was cradling my bowl when a knock came at the door.

Seraphina's voice was faint through the heavy wood. "Could you spare some food? We lost all of ours."

Alaric dropped another piece of jerky into my bowl without even looking up. "No."

The comments were merciless.

Hes holding such a grudge. And he gave the extra jerky to the side chick!

The heroine only left because she had to. Her mother was sick, and his father offered her a two-million-dollar check to disappear.

He's acting tough now, but hell be begging for her forgiveness soon enough.

Silence fell outside the door.

Then, one of the men started cursing. "So stingy! It's the end of the world and you're hoarding food?"

"Seraphina, stop begging. There's a zombie in there with them. Just wait, theyll be the ones begging us soon enough."

Seraphina paused, then her voice rang out again. "There's a zombie hiding in your house. I can help you"

"We don't need your help!"

"There are no zombies here!"

Alaric and I shouted at the same time.

Her tone turned cold. "Fine. If you don't need help, then forget it."

Silence returned.

I don't know how much time passed. I was dozing off, my head resting on Alarics shoulder, when he suddenly sat bolt upright.

"There's a noise."

The next second, the lock on the front door clicked open.

Seraphina and the two men stood in the doorway. When she saw us emerge from the living room, her face lit up with joy, then immediately froze.

"Alaric? It's you?"

"There are only two of them? Where's the zombie?"

"Seraphina, did you sense it wrong?"

The comments went wild.

Hes so heartless! It gets freezing at night in the apocalypse. Is he trying to let the heroine freeze to death?

Shes about to cry, seeing him again.

My poor girl!

Seraphina took an eager step forward. "It's been so long, Alaric. Are you okay?"

Alaric gently pulled me behind him. "Whether I'm okay or not is none of your business."

She faltered, her gaze shifting past him to me. Her expression was a mixture of surprise and a deep, sour sadness.

"Is this your"

"Your friend Owen told me you took in a stray."

"Is this the little stray you picked up?"

What did she just say?

She called me a pet?

A knot of anger tightened in my chest, but I stayed silent.

One of the men beside her sneered. "Seraphina, is this the rich boy who dumped you?"

The other chimed in, "Look at this pretty boy. Hes probably only survived this long because of his stockpile of supplies."

Alarics face hardened. "You're not welcome here. Leave." He wrapped an arm around my shoulder, his voice like stone. "And for the record, Rose is my girlfriend, not some stray."

Seraphina's eyebrows shot up in surprise. She turned to me, her tone softening. "Hello. I'm Alaric's ex-girlfriend, Seraphina."

I gritted my teeth, about to respond.

Alaric cut me off. "Rose, go upstairs and get some rest. I'll handle them."

The smile on Seraphina's face vanished.

"Alaric, even if you hate me, can you please just let us stay for one night?" Her voice became pleading. "Its too cold outside."

The comments were a blur of text.

Its okay, shell explain the misunderstanding to him.

Hehe, I cant wait to see him kneeling and barking like a dog once she tames him.

But she never came back for him, even after her mom passed away. She seemed to be doing just fine.

I dropped my gaze and gently tugged on Alarics sleeve.

"Alaric, maybe just let them stay for the night."

He glanced at me, hesitating.

But I had seen it. The two men had their hands resting on the butts of their holstered guns. If we said no, I was afraid they'd get violent. I didn't know what Alaric was capable of.

How powerful was a Zombie King, really? Could he stop a bullet?

I was terrified he'd get hurt.

"Fine. You can stay," Alaric finally said. "But you're restricted to the living room. No one goes upstairs."

Seraphina nodded. "I'm hungry, Alaric. Can we have something to eat?"

I answered for him. "There's ramen in the kitchen. Help yourselves."

She gave me a small smile, her eyes lingering on my face for a moment. "Thank you. What's your name?" She gestured to the two men. "These are my friends, Griffin and Flynn."

"Rosalie."

Alaric wrapped an arm around me impatiently. "We're going upstairs."

He led me towards the staircase.

As we rounded the landing, I couldn't help but glance back.

Seraphina was standing right where we left her, staring up at our retreating backs. Her eyes were filled with a sorrow so profound it made my own chest ache.

In the bedroom, Alaric moved to sit beside me.

I shifted away.

He paused, then scooted closer.

I moved again.

He was about to fall off the edge of the bed when he reached out and pulled me into his arms, resting his chin on the top of my head.

"Rose, are you jealous?"

"No," I said, my voice betraying me.

The comments were quick to judge.

What right does she have to be jealous? How long have they even been together?

The heroine and male lead were together since high school. They only broke up after college.

A few months cant compete with years of history.

The bitterness in my heart intensified.

Alaric rested his chin on my shoulder, his voice soft and coaxing. "I can explain. Rose, she is my ex, but theres nothing between us anymore."

I raised a hand and covered his mouth. "I trust you."

He pressed a kiss into my palm.

My face flushed. I tried to pull my hand back, but he held it fast. The air in the room grew thick and heavy.

He leaned in, his nose brushing against mine, our breaths mingling.

And then