Survivor Mother and Daughter

If it had been earlier, Seth might not have noticed such a subtle movement. But now, his perception had become much more acute. Even such a faint sound was quickly detected by him.

When Seth turned his head towards the window where the movement was, he thought he saw a pair of large eyes with black pupils flash by.

"Is anyone there?" Seth called out in a low voice towards the upstairs, "I mean no harm! If there are survivors inside, we can be friends and help each other out in the future!"

After waiting for a moment, there was no response, which made Seth frown. Could it be that the person inside had already left, or were they dead?

"If no one responds, I'll assume there's nobody, and I'll come in!" Seth announced, and then took out an electric saw from the space cube.

"Buzzzzzz~~~~"

As the motor started, the loud noise of the electric saw immediately attracted the attention of zombies around the villa. Several zombies, drawn by the sound, howled and clung to the iron fence, shaking it violently.

"Stop right there!"

Just then, a woman's sharp voice rang out.

Seth immediately ducked behind a nearby pillar for cover, turned off the electric saw, and carefully peeked through the glass window. Using the reflection in the glass, Seth could see a black gun barrel pointing right at his position from the balcony.

Seth gripped the shotgun in his hand. From this distance, the dense spray of bullets could turn the other person into a sieve. However, the opponent was well hidden and without exposing any vulnerability, Seth was clearly at a disadvantage.

He needed to find a way to escape this dangerous situation!

"Hello! I have no ill intentions towards you! I'm a survivor from a nearby villa, your neighbor. I just came to see if you needed any help? I have a bit of food left here."

Saying this, Seth took out a pack of bread from the space cube and threw it up towards the balcony with force. The survivors here were reduced to eating roots and tree bark, so Seth believed that the food he offered would make them grateful and lower their guard. In the face of extreme hunger, no one could resist the temptation of food.

"You... are you the new guy? Can you tell me where you got that gun?" The woman's voice trembled, sounding scared and panicked.

The gun? Seth glanced at the shotgun in his hand and replied honestly, "I found it on the body of a man in the villa next door. He had been bitten by zombies and had taken his own life with the gun. It looks like he's been dead for a couple of days."

"No!! Mark!!"

Upon hearing Seth's answer, a cry of despair and misery echoed from the balcony above.

"Mom, what's wrong? Why hasn't Dad come back? Why does that man have Dad's gun?"

A young girl's tender and frightened voice sounded. Seth stealthily looked up towards the balcony and saw a blonde young girl in a long dress appearing above. From Seth's position, he could only see the girl's profile. However, even with just that, Seth recognized her: she was the girl from the photo held by the man who had died.

Piecing together the questions asked by the girl, Seth guessed that these two must be the mother and daughter from the photo. The deceased man was likely the girl's father. If Seth wasn't mistaken, they were the only two remaining in this villa, a woman in her thirties, voluptuous and beautiful, and a cute twelve-year-old girl. A wonderful combination.

Seth could empathize with the two women who had just learned they lost their only support. This was when they would be most vulnerable, most confused, and most helpless. He glanced at the girl's delicate, adorable profile and her somewhat mature figure, then thought of the beautiful and happy woman in the photograph. A desire to cherish and protect emerged in his heart.

However, Seth already had Nicole, a remarkable beauty, at home, and his interest in women wasn't that strong. Right now, his primary concern was to get out of this dangerous situation as quickly as possible. The feeling of being held at gunpoint was highly uncomfortable for Seth.

"Jessica, get down!" The woman's panicked voice sounded again, and then Seth saw a voluptuous woman stand up and throw herself over the girl, pinning her down on the balcony. 

The woman's vigilance took Seth by surprise. Even in such a situation, she remained on guard. This showed her intelligence and understanding of the treacherous nature of human hearts.

"Mom, tell me! Is Dad... is he never coming back?!" The girl's voice trembled with tears, but she sounded determined, bravely holding back her cries.

"It's okay, Jessica! Mom is here! I will protect you just like Dad did! We have to survive!" The woman sobbed in agony, trying to pretend to be strong.

"I'm very sorry!" Seth said regretfully, "I'm sorry I couldn't help you more. When I found him, he had been dead for two or three days. Since this shotgun belonged to your husband, I'll return it to you. Also, I found a photo on his body, clutched tightly in his hand. I think he must have looked at it for a long time before he chose to end his life. Next time I pass by, I'll bring the photo to you."

After speaking, Seth placed the shotgun on the ground and then pushed it towards the door. The shotgun was not very useful to Seth, and holding onto it would only increase the mother and daughter's wariness towards him. 

In the current situation, if a conflict really broke out between them, Seth's position would clearly be very disadvantageous. It was better to return the gun to them, letting them feel that he posed no threat.

Now, without any firearms to threaten them and lacking any useful supplies, coupled with the woman just receiving news of her husband's death, Seth believed that the woman had no motive to shoot him.

Hearing Seth's words, the mother and daughter began to sob even more painfully. Seth's words clearly touched a raw nerve, causing them immense emotional pain.