Age of zombies

[32] The capture

Everything happened so fast, I barely had time to process it. One second, the masked figure was holding Ethan hostage, the bottle of toxic fumes inches from his face, and the next—BANG—a rapid shot echoed through the air.

Daisy's revolver fired off, the crack of the shot piercing the silence. The bottle flew from the figure's hand, spinning through the air before clattering to the ground harmlessly. The figure recoiled, clutching their hand in pain as they let out a sharp cry.

"Fk!" the figure hissed, stumbling backward as Ethan jerked away from their grasp, breathing heavily.

Daisy didn't waste any time. She was on the figure in an instant, moving faster than I'd ever seen her move before. With one swift motion, she knocked the figure to the ground, her knee pressing into their back to pin them down.

The figure struggled, grunting and cursing under their breath. "Get the fk off me!" The voice was higher-pitched now, less muffled by the mask. Definitely a girl.

Daisy reached down and yanked the mask off, revealing the girl's face. She had a sharp, bratty look—dark brown hair with dyed tips tied up in a messy ponytail, and a defiant glare in her eyes. She was young, probably around eighteen, with a slim, athletic build. Her hoodie and basketball shorts were dirty and torn, but they couldn't hide her bratty, tomboyish attitude.

"What the fk?!" she spat, trying to twist out of Daisy's grip. "You crazy bitch!"

Daisy just pressed her knee harder into the girl's back, forcing a yelp out of her. "You're in no position to talk, sweetheart," Daisy growled, pulling a length of rope from her belt. "You thought you could pull some shit on us and walk away? You picked the wrong group to mess with."

The girl's hands were pinned behind her back as Daisy tied her up, her defiance quickly turning to panic. "Wait, wait! Okay, okay, I give up! Please, just let me go!" The sharp edge in her voice melted into desperation, her attitude doing a complete 180.

"You didn't seem so nice a minute ago," I muttered, watching as Daisy finished tying her up.

"Fk you!" the girl snapped, then immediately switched back to pleading. "I-I mean, please, seriously! I was just trying to survive, okay? It wasn't personal. I'm sorry, alright?"

Yabe stood a few feet away, her eyes wide with shock at how quickly everything had escalated. "Senpai... what do we do now?"

I glanced at Daisy, who was hauling the girl to her feet, keeping her firmly under control. The girl's dark brown hair fell over her face as she squirmed, her eyes darting between us with a mixture of fear and anger.

"We load her in the back of the truck," Daisy said, her tone cold and unyielding. "She tried to take one of ours. We're not letting her walk away just yet."

The girl's panic flared again as Daisy pushed her toward the truck. "No, wait! Please, I won't try anything, I swear! I'll be good, just don't tie me up—"

"Should've thought of that before you pulled this shit," Daisy snapped, opening the truck's tailgate. "Now get in."

The girl hesitated, but another shove from Daisy sent her tumbling into the back of the truck. Her hoodie shifted slightly as she landed, revealing her slim figure. Despite her bratty attitude, it was clear she had a youthful athleticism about her, with small breasts that barely filled out her hoodie.

She looked up at us, her eyes wide with fear now. "Come on, please... I was just trying to survive out here. I didn't mean to hurt anyone."

Ethan, still shaken from being held hostage, spat on the ground. "Yeah, well, you almost got me fucking killed!"

Daisy slammed the tailgate shut, securing it with a firm click. "You're lucky we didn't kill you on the spot. We'll figure out what to do with you when we're somewhere safe."

The girl banged her head against the inside of the truck, groaning. "This is bullshit. I swear I'll behave. Just don't... don't leave me tied up like this."

I glanced at Yabe, who was still looking at the girl with a mix of sympathy and wariness. "Senpai... do you think she's telling the truth?"

I sighed, rubbing the back of my neck. "I don't know. Right now, we can't take any chances. But we'll figure it out once we're away from here."

Daisy gave me a nod, her eyes still locked on the girl in the back of the truck. "Let's move. We've already spent too much time here."

With that, we climbed back into the truck, the engine rumbling to life as we drove away from the ghost town, the girl's muffled complaints coming from the back. Whatever her story was, we'd have to deal with it later. For now, we needed to keep moving.

Q: Would you have take her with you or left her there?