My Three Vampire Queens In The Apocalypse-Chapter 31: Growing Madness

The inside of the safe zone was far larger than I had expected. It was the underground parking lot of a massive mall after all. Everywhere I looked, pillars of concrete appeared.

The air felt suffocating and stale, as if it had been stuck here for a long time. Every sound in the space carried a little too far.

"No, please stop! Someone save me!"

A scream cut through the silence and fell on my ears.

It echoed again and again, bouncing off concrete and metal, turning the entire space into a hollow chamber of desperation. And yet... no one came. No footsteps. No voices calling back. No sign that anyone intended to help.

There was only silence.

That alone told me more than enough about the so-called safe-zone.

I slowed down instead of rushing forward. Panic got people killed faster than anything else, and this place was too open, too full of blind spots for me to act carelessly.

My eyes scanned the surroundings as I moved, taking in every detail. Abandoned cars sat at odd angles, some with doors left open as if their owners had fled in a hurry.

A few had shattered windows. There were faint drag marks on the ground in places, barely visible under the thin layer of dust.

Something had already happened here before I arrived.

"Save... someone... pleas-"

Another scream followed, weaker this time, cracking halfway through as if her voice was starting to give out.

I stopped for half a second to catch my breath before dashing forward.

My footsteps were light and controlled as I weaved through the maze of vehicles and pillars. The deeper I went, the clearer the sounds became. The echoes sharpened into something more distinct.

It was rough noises and loud laughters. The scuffling sound of movement that didn’t belong in a place like this.

My expression didn’t change, but my pace quickened slightly. I turned past another row of pillars and finally caught sight of them.

Three men stood in a partially lit section of the parking lot, their shadows stretching long across the ground. Their posture alone made it clear what kind of situation this was.

Loose and unbothered. Like they owned the place. Like nothing could touch them.

Two women were on the ground nearby. Even from a distance, I could see the state they were in. Their movements were weak, uncoordinated, as they tried to resist with what little strength they had left.

A third figure lay further back, completely still except for the faint rise and fall of her chest. For a brief moment, everything slowed. Not because I was shocked.

But because I was thinking.

Three opponents in close range with no visible weapons. But that didn’t mean much anymore. People adapted quickly when given power.

Their stance, their confidence, the way they hadn’t even bothered to keep watch... it all pointed to the same conclusion. They didn’t expect interference.

Which meant they were careless.

One of them noticed me first.

"Oi." His voice cut through the space, annoyed more than anything else. "This area’s taken. Get lost if you don’t want trouble."

The other two barely reacted. One glanced over his shoulder for a second before returning his attention back, completely unconcerned.

That indifference was almost worse than hostility. I stepped forward.

"No."

The word left my mouth quietly.

"What did you say?"

I didn’t answer. There was no need to repeat myself.

Instead, I kept walking at the slow and steady pace. I was closing the distance one step at a time.

Something in my approach must have felt off, because his expression changed slightly. The casual annoyance faded, replaced by a flicker of uncertainty.

"Hey... I said get lost."

Still, I didn’t stop. By the time he realized I wasn’t going to listen, it was already too late.

I moved.

The distance between us vanished in an instant. My hand shot forward, grabbing his collar before he could react. His body jerked in surprise, his feet lifting off the ground as his balance disappeared.

"What the—"

I slammed him into the nearest pillar.

The impact was heavy followed immediately by a sharp cracking sound that echoed through the parking lot. His body went slack almost instantly, the fight leaving him before it had even properly begun.

I let him drop.

The sound of his body hitting the ground seemed louder than it should have been. The laughter stopped which was echoing before stopped.

The other two finally turned fully toward me, their expressions changing rapidly from irritation to shock. For a moment, neither of them moved, as if their minds were struggling to catch up with what had just happened.

Then the shock twisted into something uglier.

"Bastard!" one of them snapped, pushing himself up to his feet. "You think you’re some kind of hero?"

Hero.

The word barely registered. I looked at them without any particular emotion, my gaze steady and unreadable.

"I think," I said calmly, "you picked the wrong place."

They exchanged a quick glance. That was all the coordination they managed.

Then they rushed me together, their earlier confidence replaced by something more desperate, more reckless. One came straight at me, his movements sloppy but fast, while the other tried to circle around to my side.

It was predictable. I stepped forward instead of back. The first man swung and I caught his wrist mid-motion.

The impact never landed.

For a fraction of a second, confusion flashed across his face as he realized his arm had stopped moving. Then I twisted it hard.

A sharp snap cut through the air.

His scream followed immediately after echoing across the parking lot. His body buckled as the strength left his arm, his knees dipping as pain overtook him.

I didn’t give him time to recover.

My knee drove into his stomach, folding him in half as the air was forced out of his lungs in a harsh gasp. He collapsed forward, completely exposed.

My hand moved to the back of his head.

And then-