Explanation

It had been mere minutes since we huddled into the SUV and plowed through that nightmarish horde of zombies. The memory of it still hung heavy in the air.

"Wasn't that too much? However bad his character was, he didn't deserve that. At least after how we fought together like that," Emma said, her voice quivering with a mixture of fear and sorrow.

Kat, who had been focused on the treacherous road, interjected, "I don't want to interfere, but yeah... I do think he didn't deserve it. At least not after how he fought for us."

Zolo, nestled in the backseat, was inconsolable. "Yeah! He's a barbarian who would even throw all of us off if we pose any threat to his sovereignty. He's just too arrogant, that sob*," she cried, tears streaking her face. Soul, sitting beside her, tried to offer some solace by gently patting and rubbing her trembling hands.

Outside, the world had descended into chaos. The road ahead was a wasteland of mangled vehicles, strewn debris, and the gruesome aftermath of the undead onslaught. Zombies roamed on both sides of the road and staggered in the middle, creating an eerie and unnerving spectacle.

I decided to break the heavy silence that enveloped the car afterwards, asking Jazmen for her opinion, "You also want to say something?"

Jazmen took a deep breath before responding, "Me~ I support it. I'm sure that if you had not joined this group, we would have become his partners, or more accurately, his concubines, sooner or later. He's someone who got too arrogant with power before he even faced the challenges, and it filled his mind with ego. Sooner or later, he would surely have tried to subjugate us. As someone not related to him, I don't think that would have been good for me. Considering all that, I think you did the right thing. We can say that you were too harsh, or he might not have deserved such a brutal death, but we need to look out for ourselves too. Being a weak girl who got scratched, rubbed, beaten and almost bitten the most in the previous fight with those zombies, I think that was the right decision." Jazmen's words poured out, a torrent of thoughts and emotions.

In essence, she supported my decision to eliminate Kane.

Zolo, however, was far from satisfied with this consensus. She lashed out, "You... you too are supporting his decision. I knew it, I knew it that we should not have let you enter the room. It was all because of her. She let Apex come inside, and he murdered Kane. How could you be so ruthless to someone who fought for you? You..."

My patience had run thin. I interrupted her angrily, "Listen, girl, don't piss me off now. I'm already too fed up with all this zombie shit. I did that because I could do it. This is not the law-abiding world you once lived in; now, it's a place filled with kings who have the power to overpower others. If you become strong and I weak, would you still think of just blaming me and keep crying like this? Thank me that I let you live even after all that venom you spewed at me. Stop this nonsense or I'll throw you out right now."

The SUV's interior fell into a deep silence as my outburst reverberated through the confined space. I gazed out at the macabre scene outside—the bloodied road, littered with broken bodies and ravenous zombies. My blood boiled with frustration, and I felt the weight of leadership pressing down on me.

"Kat, do you know anything about solar cells?" I asked in a hurried tone, desperate to change the subject and regain my composure.

Kat, her eyes still fixed on the road, replied, "Yeah, I've used and studied them some time ago."

"Look out for a house with solar panels on the rooftop; we'll make our first stop there," I instructed, still scanning the desolation outside.

"Anything else I need to look out for?" Kat asked, her voice now tinged with a hint of uncertainty.

I sighed softly, "Nothing... I just want to rest for some time in peace."

The car remained stiflingly quiet, broken only by Zolo's occasional sobs. Emma attempted to engage Jazmen in conversation, but even she seemed weary and eager for respite, responding with silent nods and minimal words.

The road stretched ahead, a nightmarish expanse of chaos and destruction. Abandoned vehicles, their twisted frames bearing the scars of frenzied escape attempts, littered the asphalt. Blood, gore, and tattered clothing were scattered like gruesome confetti, testifying to the violent struggles that had taken place here. The air was thick with the stench of decay and fear, a foul miasma that seeped through the cracked windows of the SUV.

On either side of the road, buildings stood as mute witnesses to the horror that had unfolded. Broken windows, shattered storefronts, and graffiti that spoke of desperation and despair marred their facades. It was a city frozen in time, a monument to a world that had irrevocably changed.

The silence in the SUV was oppressive, punctuated only by the intermittent sounds of Zolo's grief. Each member of our group was grappling with their own demons, haunted by the choices they had made and the horrors they had witnessed. The world outside was a nightmare, and the confines of the car provided little respite from the relentless onslaught of fear and uncertainty.

Zolo, still consumed by grief and anger, alternated between inconsolable sobs and bitter accusations. Soul, sitting beside her, wore a weary expression, his attempts at soothing her becoming increasingly futile.

Jazmen, usually a reserved presence, had spoken her mind earlier, but now she too seemed drained and introspective. Her gaze was distant, lost in thoughts of the world that had crumbled around them.

And then there was me, wrestling with the burden of the consequences of my actions. I sat with a tense posture, my eyes occasionally flicking to the rearview mirror to check for any pursuing horrors.

We continued our journey along the desolate road, surrounded by the remnants of a once-thriving civilization. The world had plunged into a nightmare, and our SUV was a tiny island of safety navigating through the sea of chaos.