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ABZ 1
“Kyaa!”
The moment I regained consciousness, an ear-splitting scream rang out, and my legs tangled, sending me crashing to the ground.
“What are you doing, Penelope!”
The man who had been grabbing my wrist and pulling me along spat out a curse as he hauled me to my feet.
Penelope?
The moment I heard that name, a flood of information, along with someone else's memories, poured into my head.
‘Penelope Lloyd.’
The annoying villainess of the novel <Finding Paradise>, and a troll in this zombie genre.
Pushing aside the confusion, I quickly racked my brain, and the grim conclusion was that this was inside the novel, and I had become Penelope Lloyd.
Moreover, because the irritable Penelope had just made a fuss, we were currently being chased by zombies, running through the mountains.
Finally, the moment I accepted that fact.
“Can’t you even run properly?”
The Crown Prince, who had roughly pulled me up with his strength, roared at me, his face contorted in anger.
But did his yelling matter? The important thing was that he was holding my hand.
Reflexively turning my head at the acrid smell of blood in the air, I saw a horde of zombies rushing towards us with grotesque movements, their clothes torn and fluttering. Their eyes were unfocused, and the blood vessels all over their bodies were strangely swollen.
Afraid that the Crown Prince might abandon me in his irritation, I ignored the tingling pain in my ankle and quickly chased after him.
We were currently running towards the fortress located on the mountain.
The Outer castle, with its sturdy gates, solid walls, and high watchtower, was perfect for surveying the surroundings, and the Inner castle had an armory, so the fortress in the distance was the perfect shelter from this zombie outbreak. Moreover, since it had been used as a military facility, there would be some food supplies.
“Lilia, take my hand.”
The Crown Prince, who had effortlessly climbed onto a large rock, reached out to Lilia, the female lead of this novel.
However, the female lead seemed unable to find anything suitable to step on and slipped, so I hurriedly pushed her up. All the while stamping my feet anxiously at the approaching zombies.
“Ah!”
At that moment, the female lead, struggling to grab the Crown Prince's hand, pushed me, who was standing beneath her. As I, who had been supporting her, fell over, the female lead was about to fall as well, but the Crown Prince snatched Lilia's slender wrist.
Kieeeek!
“......”
After safely pulling the female lead up, he glanced at me, who was sprawled on the ground, and then, as if deciding there was no hope, turned his back.
“No, wait a minute!”
No matter how annoying Penelope had been, constantly picking fights and putting everyone in danger...
This was too much!
As I desperately tried to get up and climb the large rock, a cold zombie hand grabbed my ankle tightly. At that moment, a line from the novel flashed through my mind.
Zombies followed right behind Lilia, who had been knocked over by Penelope's kick.
It was impossible. It was too late to save her.
But his body was already moving towards Lilia.
...You son of a bitch!
The moment I was grabbed by the zombie, I don't know where I got the strength, but with the single thought of escaping, I rolled down the steep mountain path.
And so, I tumbled down the mountain.
Crack!
In the end, I was bitten on the thigh that was exposed as I fell.
But I was able to avoid the tragedy of being completely torn apart. You might think, what does it matter when I've already been bitten by a zombie, but anyone who's been bitten would know how lucky I was.
Thwack!
With trembling hands, I picked up a rock and forcefully smashed the head of the zombie attached to my leg.
Thwack, thwack, thwack!
Whether it was because of the pain of the sharp teeth digging deep into my flesh, or the fear that everything was over, I cried like a madwoman.
“Hic, sob...”
Only after smashing the zombie's head and shedding tears for a long time did I have the useless regret that I should have grabbed the Crown Prince's hand and climbed up before the female lead.
...If I become a zombie, I'll completely lose my ego and wander around, can that even be called living?
Then am I going to die?
Death. As that vague word approached, an indescribable fear weighed heavily on my entire body.
‘I don’t want to die....’
Thud.
With that thought, I collapsed. No, I died.
And how much time passed?
Cough!
With several convulsions, I became a zombie.
“Ah... this is.”
My words were slurred, and it was difficult to precisely control my body, but nevertheless, I was still thinking. I don't know if they're giving me a possessee perk now, but whatever.
I still had consciousness. I wasn't dead.
“...Thank, thank goodness.”
As I felt a great sense of relief at the fact that I was alive, I heard a rustling sound very close to the tree I was leaning against.
How did I survive, I couldn't get bitten again while sitting here. I grabbed the tree and hurriedly tried to get up and run away, but it was faster for the thing to burst out of the dense forest.
Blood vessels that were strangely swollen and bulging on the thin skin, it was a zombie as I had feared.
Kheuueuu.
As if it heard the sound, it sniffed, looking at the spot where I was standing.
Thump, thump, thump.
I quickly picked up a rock nearby. If it rushed at me, I planned to smash its head like I did before.
But the zombie soon turned its head and, as if uninterested, dragged its feet and moved away from me.
‘Ah, I’m a zombie.’
Zombies only reacted to the scent of humans or the smell of blood. And I no longer smelled like a human.
My heart, which had been beating rapidly as if nervous, slowly slowed down. Huh?
‘Zombies don’t have a heartbeat....’
I put my hand on my chest and felt my heart beating.
No, to be more precise, zombies had a very slow heartbeat.
When they, whose heart and all bodily functions were weakened, acted like humans again, or exceeded human physical abilities, it was only when they smelled the scent of humans, especially the ‘smell of blood’ and underwent awakening....
But this was a problem that could be considered later.
What was important right now was to find a safe place and hide.
Zombies weren't immortal. If their heads were destroyed, zombies couldn't move anymore.
And this was a forest full of wild animals.
If I stood here foolishly, I would be easily attacked by wild beasts. Wild beasts didn't distinguish between zombies and humans. While the sun was still up, I had to hurry and find a safe place to hide.
‘I have to live.’
That thought kept popping into my head.
The pain my body had cried out when I was bitten by the zombie, and the feeling of death when everything was over, were all vivid.
My heart slowly stopping, my breath being cut off.... Just imagining it made my hands tremble.
‘I don’t want to die again. I have to live.’
It didn't matter why I suddenly became Penelope. I just didn't want to experience that pain again. I wanted to live.
First of all, to avoid wild beasts and survive....
I needed a building. A place to hide.
But unfortunately, the only place to hide here was the fortress, the destination of the main characters.
‘The fortress is just a little further.’
Considering the future, being with the main characters wasn't a bad choice in many ways. It would take time, but when the Emperor came up with a solution to the zombie outbreak and the situation became a little more stable, I would be able to leave this forest, and if I was with the Grand Duke and the Crown Prince, who had military power, I would be safe from wild animals....
‘But would they really protect me?’
When I recalled the last image of the Crown Prince abandoning me with cold eyes, it seemed like a vain hope.
In any case, there was no safer place than that right now.
‘If they don’t find out I’m a zombie, that is.’
But the arm visible through the torn sleeve was no longer human.
Blood vessels that were swollen as if they would burst filled my arm.
‘What should I do about this? There’s a limit to how much I can cover with clothes.’
Then, suddenly, an amazingly perfect way to join the main characters flashed through my mind.
This would be enough to deceive them.
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