Chapter 115: Time To Hit The Road

Fredrinn remained blissfully unaware of the romantic spiral spinning inside the teacher’s head, but had he known, he would have found it genuinely hilarious.

Vivienne was tormenting herself over the idea that she might be an older woman preying on a young man in his early twenties. In reality, if she ever learned his true chronological age, the dynamic would completely invert.

Having survived through centuries in the harsh, mana-drenched realm of Apolasia before returning home, he was nearly four times her age. In terms of sheer lifespan, she was the fledgling.

Fortunately, Vivienne was a mature adult who knew how to maintain her dignity under pressure.

Swallowing the frantic butterflies fluttering in her chest, she quickly masked her fluster behind a composed, professional expression.

She turned on her heel and began coordinating the surviving students and faculty, while Max and Aadav jogged across the courtyard to join Fredrinn near the bus’s front steps.

A moment later, Rose descended the folding metal stairs of the bus, stepping into the open air with poised elegance. Jenny followed closely on her heels, with Selene bringing up the rear.

The midday sunlight glinted against Rose’s smooth, pale skin as she walked. Selene, too, looked remarkably improved compared to the zombie that craved human flesh.

The deep bite mark and surrounding lacerations on her arms had sealed into clean, faint lines.

Dressed in her neat Oxford High uniform with her vibrant blue hair tied back, she looked less like a flesh-eating monster and more like a fragile, sickly student suffering from severe anemia.

The same generous assessment, however, could not be applied to the lumbering figure that stepped out of the school’s main cafeteria doors.

Charlie’s sheer mass made the concrete groan beneath his heavy, dragging steps. His skin remained a rough, sickly grey, and his bloodshot eyes stared blankly into the middle distance, entirely devoid of independent thought.

Summoned by Rose’s lingering mental command, the brute looked infinitely more terrifying than the young girl. It was living proof that human appearances were rarely a reliable measure of the soul beneath; Charlie had been an uninfected human only hours ago, yet he now resembled a walking monstrosity far more than the girl who had actually turned.

Once the survivors gathered in a loose circle near the vehicle, Fredrinn didn’t waste a single breath on grand speeches or morale-boosting nonsense.

That brand of performative leadership belonged to someone like Jacob back at the warehouse.

Instead, he kept his instructions curt, cold, and practical. He gave everyone exactly five minutes to retrieve whatever remaining supplies they could carry from the cafeteria before boarding the bus. Anyone who fell behind would be left to face the streets on foot.

Aadav was assigned the role of wheelman. While the young man lacked elite combat prowess, he was level-headed, technically proficient with vehicles, and had proven himself reliable when things went sideways.

Aadav had initially opened his mouth to grumble about being treated like an unpaid chauffeur again, but all his complaints died in his throat the moment a pretty, twin-tailed high school student shyly stepped up and asked if she could sit in the navigator’s seat right beside him.

Smirking with newfound enthusiasm, Aadav practically vaulted into the driver’s cabin.

"Hubby!"

The instant Fredrinn finished issuing the marching orders, Rose threw all restraint to the wind. With a delighted cry, she leaped forward, wrapping both arms securely around his neck and settling comfortably against his chest.

Jenny was standing barely three paces away. Watching the brazen, theatrical display of affection, she squeezed her eyes shut, grinding her teeth in quiet, seething frustration.

Her pride was taking a brutal beating. It was bad enough that she had compromised her morals for the sake of survival and attraction, but having literally just dropped to her knees in the back of a sedan to service him, watching another woman brazenly claim him in broad daylight made her blood boil with possessive rage.

Rose caught the sound of grinding teeth instantly. Turning her face over Fredrinn’s shoulder, she locked her crimson pupils onto Jenny, her gaze narrowing into an icy, razor-sharp glare that promised swift, violent retribution.

Jenny’s instincts flared in warning. Catching the demonic warning, she forcefully clamped down on her irritation and plastered an innocent, cheerful smile across her face.

Fredrinn caught the silent exchange between them and blinked, one arm wrapped instinctively around Rose’s waist to support her weight.

The dynamic between his demonic partner and the blonde Awakener was becoming stranger by the minute. What in the world had transpired between them while they were inside the bus?

He glanced back at Selene, who stood motionless beside the tires, her head lowered like a disciplined stone statue awaiting an order.

’Haah... Who would have thought life back on Earth would become this complicated,’ Fredrinn thought, a dry sigh escaping him.

Yet beneath the logistical headaches, he couldn’t deny the strange sense of satisfaction settling in his gut. Returning home hadn’t granted him the peaceful reunion he had envisioned, but his foundation was expanding rapidly.

He had an insanely powerful, fiercely loyal demon wife in his arms, an ambitious, capable beauty in Jenny standing within his circle, and Andrea waiting back at the grocery distribution center with undeniable compatibility.

A quiet, confident grin touched his lips. Loosening his posture, he extended his free arm outward, gesturing invitingly toward Jenny.

Jenny froze, staring at his outstretched hand with wide, completely flat eyes. Her expression practically screamed: Are you seriously trying to hug both of us right out in the open?

Fredrinn didn’t withdraw the offer. He held her gaze steadily, his smirk deepening with quiet challenge.

Realizing he wasn’t going to back down, Jenny let out an exasperated, defeatist grumble. Swallowing her lingering pride, she took two reluctant steps forward and allowed herself to be pulled into his side.

Fredrinn’s heavy arm draped securely around her shoulders, the warmth of his fingers pressing through the thin fabric of her shirt and searing against her skin.

A sharp, involuntary gasp slipped past her lips as the magnetic aura of his incubus trait radiated through her senses, making her knees feel surprisingly soft.

Around them, the remaining survivors hurried into the bus, carrying crates of bottled water, dry rations, and spare blankets.

Vivienne settled into one of the forward bench seats, keeping a sharp eye on her students to ensure nobody caused a scene. Back in the rear row,

Max sat completely isolated, staring blankly out the window with a distant, hollow expression. The man appeared entirely lost in his own thoughts.

Up front, Aadav fired the ignition, the powerful diesel engine rumbling to life beneath the floorboards with a deep, steady purr. The cute student sat beside him.

With everyone accounted for, the vast interior still looked remarkably empty. The spacious coach was designed to hold over sixty passengers; with less than twenty people on board, whole rows of vinyl seats remained vacant.

Fredrinn hummed thoughtfully, taking a final look around the courtyard before guiding his two companions toward the aisle.

Rose casually motioned for Selene and Charlie to board first, parking both undead thralls firmly in the front row where Vivienne could keep an eye on them—and where they could immediately tear apart any threat that tried to breach the entrance.

Fredrinn, Rose, and Jenny walked down the center aisle, moving toward the spacious seats in the back.

It was finally time to hit the road.

-----------------------------

A/N: Wassup guys? No comments these days?