The Countess Lives Twice in the Apocalypse-Chapter 68: Sixty-seven

A loud creak filled the air as the heavy wooden gates of the town began to swing open, the sound jarring in the quiet night.

The knights, still holding the prisoners, walked through the opened gates and out into the darkness of the night, following the Countess out of the safety of the wall.

The protesters looked up at the night sky, the stars twinkling high above and their shoulders slumped with the realisation of what was to come.

The knights dragged the exhausted prisoners through the bloody and messy path, slowly trailing behind Jannah who was looking ahead of her.

The protesters’ heads hung low as they trudged along, each step a struggle against the heavy weight of the rope that held them in place.

The knights’ steps echoed off the hard ground below them as they led the way, their feet pounding a steady rhythm on the ground.

"Don’t fall behind! We’re going around the town to check anything that’s out of place!" Jannah’s voice was loud, resonating in the air, possibly attracting a zombie to come their way.

The prisoners stumbled along, their feet catching on the uneven part of their path.

The protesters, knights, and the two noble soon found themselves surrounded by wilderness, the thick forest looming over them like a shadow.

The once familiar sights and sounds of the town were now replaced by the rustling of trees and the calls of nocturnal creatures. Every now and then, the sound of a distant animal could be heard, its cry echoing through the forest.

The air was cool and crisp, with a hint of dampness to it. The only light came from the stars, the faint glow of the moon that was barely visible through the thick group of leaves, and the flickering light coming from the gap between the wooden walls of the town.

Jannah was focused on looking around, her hand touching the crevices of the walls that has dried blood and scratches on it.

She could only imagine that it came from the zombies that swarmed the walls during daytime. The two signs already told her enough of what she needs to know.

The knights observed the way the Countess examine the signs before her. Bloody red eyes squinting into a focused glare and lips pursed into a tight line.

"Alright, I’ve seen enough." Jannah murmured, straightening her posture and turned back to her original path.

Kirie was quick to hand Jannah some water, afraid that her master might be thirsty.

Jannah, without a word, took the water from Kirie’s hand as she went back to walking, still eyeing the blood and scratches on the wooden wall that she passes by.

Wordlessly, the knights followed behind her, dragging the prisoners behind them.

The said prisoners are stumbling— the knights were relentless, their grip on the ropes unwavering.

The knights led the prisoners on tirelessly, hardly affected by the rough terrain while the prisoners’ pace slowed, their knees and hands are slightly scraped.

It was obvious that they want to say something, but the look on the Duke’s face as he glanced at them over his shoulder was enough to silence them, making them swallow their complaints.

The woman among the prisoners was exhausted from the walk and wasnt paying attention on her path, causing for her to stumble forward.

Her eyes was staring at the ground, not fully realizing that she was falling.

As the knights progressed, the sudden tug on the ropes had caught their attention, the action of the woman made the knights stop and turn to them.

"My lady." Anthony called out which made Jannah stop.

"What a inconvenience." Kirie frowned as she watch the woman stand up from the ground, her palms and knees are bleeding.

The woman is question was confused, looking for the thing that caused her to fall and when she did catch a glimpse of the object that she had stumbled over, she let out a scream.

"KYAAA!"

The woman looked down and realized that it was a leg of a zombie, hiding on the bush, it’s upper half shoved inside.

The realization hit the woman in a jolt, the smell was vile and yet smelled sickly sweet that wift in the air, creating a disgusting stench. The smell had the woman scrunching her nose as the scream that formed in her throat escaped.

"It’s the monster! It’s a monster! Help! Help me!" The woman shrieked, tugging on the rope and doing her best to scramble away from the group, to get away from the said monster.

The woman’s scream rang out loud, cutting through the night like a knife. It was a high-pitched scream, filled with fear and horror, that reverberated through the silence of the night.

She fell onto her knees, her body shaking violently as if struck by some unknown force of nature.

Her face was pale and her eyes glassy, and her lips moved frantically, though no words could escape from the endless, terrifying scream that seemed to come straight from the very depths of her soul.

"Help! Help! Please! Help me!" The woman continuesly scream, tears streaming down her face.

Jannah could only let out a sigh, walking past Kirie and Duke Eulicies as she made her way to the screaming woman. However, her calm pace turned into a fast one when she saw the leg of the zombie twitched.

The zombie, previously sleeping, have risen to its feet, drawn to the sound of the screaming.

Its undead body had lurch forward, standing up and moving towards the source of the sound, its rotting body gaining momentum.

"Move!" Jannah exclaimed, unsheathing her sword and jumped forward.

"Roar!" The zombie let out its own guttural moan, joining in with the woman’s terrified cry and adding its own cries to the noises.

The Countess’s sword flashed in the pale light of the moon as she drew it from its sheath.

Jannah wordlessly raised her sword, the blade catching the moon’s light and gleaming brightly, and with a single powerful swing, the Countess struck the zombie, splitting it’s grosteque form in half.

For a moment, the area was silent.

The sound of the woman’s screams and the zombie’s moan had been abruptly silenced.

The woman’s face, though still streaked with tears, had a look of disbelief plastered across her face, her eyes wide and dilating.

The Countess stood tall, her sword drawn and the area around her was strangely calm and assuring as if she didn’t just cut an undead in half at all.

She turned to the woman, extending a sword free hand towards her, Jannah’s eyes softened slightly as she eyed the terrified woman.

The question in her gaze said all words for her, but she still asked, "Are you alright? Did you got bitten?"

The woman was too shaken up to respond at first, her brain slowly catching up to what had just happened. Her body was trembling and her eyes were still wide with shock, but she was able to register Jannah’s words.

She looked at the Countess’s outstretched hand and after a moment of hesitation, took it.

Jannah’s hand was slight soft yet calloused and strong which made her pull the woman up easily.

The woman’s trembling form involuntarily stood up, stumbling forward and slamming her body against Jannah, making Jannah hold out her arms to catch the woman.

Jannah blinked, not expecting for the woman to simply lean her body against her and stand there, wrapping her arms around Jannah’s torso.

Neither of them said a word. The air was thick with the tension of the moment, the silence only broken by the soft sounds of their breathing.

The woman, still shaken from the fright, found herself drawn to the Countess. She stepped closer, her body still trembling from the experience, and impulsively threw her arms around Jannah, her face pressed into hee shoulder.

It was a sudden action, the woman acting purely on emotional impulse and the Countess could only stand there for a moment, surprised by the woman’s unexpected embrace and closer proximity.

The woman’s arms tightened around the Jannah’s waist, her head still hidden in her shoulder.

She took a shuddering breath, her body beginning to tremble uncontrollably once more as sob wrack out of her throat. It was as if the scare of the encounter had finally caught up with her, now that she was finally relatively safe.

Jannah glanced at her knights, still surprised by the sudden display of affection from the woman, but gently wrapped her arms around her, holding her hoping for her shaking to subside.

The knights simultaneously shared a look as they look at her, raising an eyebrow at how close the woman was to their master.

They were completely fine with it because it looked like a scene that happens often since saving one’s life is part of Jannah’s life, but the maid and the Duke?

Duke Eulicies and Kirie stood at a short distance away, watching the scene in silent fury and envy.

The green haired maid gripped Jannah’s water bottle tightly in her hands, her eyebrkws furrowed with a hint of disdain and a tinge of disappointment clear on her face.

The Duke’s expression was unreadable, but the grip on the hilt of his sword tightened as a mixture of envy and discomfort crossed his angelic face.

The sight before them was unexpected, but they could only stand there, watching and observing from a distance, unable to look away.

Staring at the way the woman clutch the Countess’s body and Jannah awkwardly holding her in return.