Chapter 27: Dispelling Doubts

Odin decided to ignore the Origin Order's notification for the moment. He narrowed his eyes at the bloody sight in the small cabin's living room as he fought down the intense feeling of nausea. He breathed in deeply a couple of times before turning towards the two guards, rooted in place a few yards away from the cabin.

Odin immediately noticed that their hands holding on to their weapons were still trembling slightly, and their faces were pale. The gruesome incident had obviously shaken them greatly.

"What happened before you arrived here?" Odin asked. "Did you notice any survivors getting bitten by the zombies during your escape?"

Iris' pretty face darkened as her expression changed several times within a few seconds. "All the survivors that fell behind during the escape died at the hands of the zombies. But since we met some survivors along the way, we can't be sure whether they were bitten by zombies or not."

Odin sighed and shook his head. "Did you meet the big guy - Mr. Moretti along the way?"

Iris exchanged a glance with Christian before nodding in assent.

"There, we have our answer to the whole mystery of the incident," Odin said, shaking his head again. "Some of the survivors might have been bitten by the zombies before meeting up with you. They were infected and slowly turned into the zombies that caused the whole of this mess."

"Oh my God!" Iris's face turned even more ashen. "This is a disaster."

"I have to ask this now." Odin's eyes turned sharp as he glanced back and forth between the two guards. "Are the two of you sure that you weren't bitten or scratched by zombies when you were escaping?"

"Oh, God, no!" Iris replied immediately. "The zombies didn't manage to approach us even once. We shot them all down when they were still yards away."

"Young friend," Christian echoed. "I can assure you that the zombies didn't touch even a single hair on us. But if you want to be sure, you can go ahead and inspect us. We really wouldn't mind."

"Christian!?" Iris glanced at her colleague questioningly.

"Checking us is the only way to ensure that we're safe from the zombie infection," Christian replied with a smile. "To dispel any future doubts, we have to let our young friend inspect us."

"I'm sorry about this," Odin said, stepping forward. "But as Christian said, I have to ensure that you're not going to turn into zombies and attack my sisters hiding inside my cabin very soon. Otherwise, my heart won't be at ease."

"Go ahead," Christian readily agreed. "Do you want us to take off our clothes?"

"That won't be necessary," Odin said. "I'll only inspect your clothes and exposed skin for scratches and bite marks. That should be enough."

"Great, go right ahead," Christian agreed.

Odin nodded and got right into the action. He started with Christian and inspected every inch of his exposed skin and clothes for any tear or damage. He only stopped when he noticed that he didn't have a single fresh scratch on his body.

He repeated the same procedure with Iris, sweeping his eyes across the entire length of her body. He noticed a small tear at the elbow of her long-sleeve combat blouse. But when he checked closely, he noticed that there was no scratch on the pale white skin beneath that part of her clothing.

"I guess you're all safe," he announced and stepped back. "Sorry for offending you. But I had to be sure."

"It's not fair," Iris suddenly said.

"What?" Odin's eyes narrowed slightly.

"I said it's not fair for only you to conduct the check," Iris articulated as she met Odin's gaze. "We should also perform the check on you. Otherwise, how'll we be sure that you're not infected?"

"Fair enough." Odin immediately placed his machete on the floor before unholstering his guns and spreading his arms wide. "You can go ahead and inspect," he said with a smile. "I don't mind."

"That won't be necessary, young friend," Christian hastily interjected before Iris could step forward. "We trust your abilities. We know that you can kill zombies before they get anywhere near you. So, the inspection is simply unnecessary. Isn't that so, Iris?"

Iris grumbled under her breath but nodded a moment later.

"Excellent," Christian said with a grin. "Now that we have cast away all the doubts, we can move on to the important business. What plans do you have, young friend?"

"You can always refer to me by my name," Odin said as he returned his guns to their respective holsters. "You don't have to call me young friend every time you need to talk to me. It's kind of weird."

Christian let out a hearty chuckle. "Very well then. Odin! What plans do you have?"

"Let me first check on my sisters," he replied while picking up his machete from the ground. "Then, I'll start moving around and killing all the remaining zombies within the resort. But I also need your help with a few issues."

"What help do you need? Christian asked.

"We need to clear all the corpses from the resort," Odin said. "We can't let them decompose here. Otherwise, we might not be able to stay anywhere within the resort after a few days."

"I'll move around and deal with all the corpses after you kill off all the remaining zombies," Christian said, nodding. "Don't worry."

"Thanks a lot," Odin replied, smiling. He was a bit surprised by the older gentleman's thoughtfulness.

"Don't mention it, as that is all I can do to contribute to our safety here," Christian said with a sigh. "I would have loved to help you kill off the zombies. However, that isn't very practical, especially since I lack ammo. Is there anything else you need help with?"

Odin nodded and turned towards Iris. "As I said, my sisters are hiding inside the cabin. I need someone to ensure their safety while I'm away dealing with the rest of the zombies. Can you help me on that front, Iris?"

"I have no problem with the task," Iris said. "But I'm also out of ammo at the moment. If there's danger, I won't be able to do much to ensure your sisters' safety."

"Don't worry about weapons," Odin said with a smile. "I have an extra magnum and spare magazines stored away within the cabin. I'll let you borrow them until you acquire your own."

Iris beamed. "As long as I have a gun in my hands, I'll be able to keep your sisters safe. You have my word on this."

"Thank you," Odin said. "By the way, where are the rest of your colleagues? I remember there were five of you guarding the resort before disaster struck. Where are the rest?"

Iris sighed as her expression turned crestfallen. "Two of them died during the commotion at the restaurant. As for the last one, we don't know where he is."

"Sorry to hear about your colleagues," Odin said. "But life moves on, and we have to adapt fast to survive."

"I get that," Iris replied, sighing once more.

"Good," Odin said before starting to move towards his cabin. "I'll now check on my sisters before I get going. You two should also follow me inside the cabin to avoid unexpected situations. I don't wish to see any other people die to these attacks today."

"Thanks," both Iris and Christian replied, almost in chorus, and followed after Odin.