Chapter 22: A Painful Decision

Odin seemed to have lost his senses as he knelt beside his adoptive mother. Fear continued enshrouding him in swift, chilling, and horrible waves. He had to fight to push it aside so as to appear calm in front of his younger sisters. He couldn't let them lose all faith in him, especially at the beginning of the apocalypse.

"Odin! What's wrong with mom?" That time around, it was Bella who asked. She'd also approached and knelt right beside Carol. She was, at that moment, looking at her mom worriedly.

Odin shook his head, not knowing how to respond to the little girl. He observed his adoptive mother again and noticed that the dark patches on her exposed skin were growing more prominent. Her wide-open eyes were even turning more scarlet. She would probably mutate into a fully-fledged zombified human in less than a minute.

"Carol," he said to the older sister. "Take Bella to the storage room and close the door. Don't come out no matter what happens." His tone was solemn.

Carol blanched. "What about mom? What's happening to mom?"

"Don't ask questions!" Odin said in a commanding tone. "I'll explain later. For now, do as I say. Okay?"

Carol nodded before starting to pull the trembling Bella away. But before they could even take a few steps, Aunt Lucy suddenly rose from the ground. She immediately glanced left and right, seemingly to orient herself to her surroundings.

"Mom!"

"Mamá!"

The sisters called out, one after the other.

Aunt Lucy seemed to hear them and finally focused her blood-red eyes on their silhouettes. Then, just suddenly, she leaped a distance of about four yards and was upon the sisters in an instant. Her mouth soon opened wide, clearly bound for the shoulder of the youngest - Bella.

"Aunt Lucy! Stop!"

Odin yelled at the top of his voice as his speed exploded. He crossed the distance and reached the scene within a second. Before Aunt Lucy could bite Bella's shoulder, he yanked her away with all the force he could muster.

He briefly glanced at Bella and only let out a breath of relief after noticing that there was no scratch on her shoulder.

"Mom is not herself," he said to the sisters, who were already whimpering with fear and anxiety. "Stay behind me and try to remain quiet."

His attention was still on Aunt Lucy even while speaking to the sisters. She'd already picked herself up from the ground and focused her scorching gaze on them. Clearly, she was about to attack again.

"What to do?"

Odin swallowed hard as a feeling of helplessness assaulted him. His vision became hazy as his hand reflexively unholstered the Kel-Tech magnum on his belt. Even if it pained him, he had to make the hard choice at that moment. He had to put his adoptive mother out of her misery with a bullet through her head. Otherwise, she might really kill her daughters.

"Odin!" Carol sobbed on seeing the gun in his hand. "What are you doing? Don't tell me you want to shoot mum?"

Odin shook his head and chose not to reply. There was no way he could go into any lengthy discussions with the sisters when there was still a danger to their lives before them. He was sure that Aunt Lucy would want him to make the same choice rather than allow herself to hurt her own daughters.

Without waiting for any more words from the sisters, he cocked his gun and removed the safety. Breathing in deeply, he rushed forward and tackled Aunt Lucy to the ground. His improved strength helped him contain her with ease as he pointed the barrel at the back of her head.

"Odin! I beg you. Please, don't!"

"Odin..."

The sisters' voices and whimpers rubbed painfully at his psyche, causing him to hesitate. But the next moment, he hardened his heart and placed his finger on the trigger. He had no other choice. He had to make the decision and protect his sisters. They might hate him forever, but at least they would be alive.

"Goodbye, Aunt Lucy," he mumbled as his eyes flooded with tears. "Don't worry! I'll make sure they remain safe."

The pad of his index finger started biting into the trigger as feelings of loss and guilt overwhelmed him. But just then, an ancient voice rang in his mind, and he stopped his actions right away.