Chapter 33: Danger Looming in the Darkness

"Our target is to clear away all the corpses from the resort by sunset," Odin said to Christian as they walked away from the cabin. "To ease our work, let's use one of the resort's pick-up trucks to collect the corpses. We can first load them into sacks before throwing them on the truck. Then, it will be easy for us to drive them away and discard them in a faraway place."

"Good plan," Christian readily agreed. "I'll go and bring the pick-up truck over."

"Okay," Odin said. "I'll wait for you here. But better hurry as we only have about four hours before 8:00 PM, the time for sunset."

"Don't worry," Christian said. "By relying on the pick-up truck, we should be able to complete the task in about three hours. That will leave us with an hour before sunset."

"That would be for the best," Odin said. "Okay. You should go now. Let's not delay any longer."

With that said, Christian headed towards the resort's parking lot. He returned a few minutes later, driving the pick-up truck before picking up Odin. The two of them then wasted no time putting on their gloves and diving into their work. They labored like tireless ants and cleared away the zombie corpses from the resort boundaries as they loaded them on the truck. Their efficiency was incredible, and at around 7:00 PM, they finished the clean-up. They drove the zombie corpses away from the resort and dumped them in a bush ten miles away. They then jumped back in the pick-up truck and returned to the resort.

They had only utilized about two and a half hours to complete the task. Thus, the sun had not yet sunk below the horizon by the time they returned to the cabin. They quickly washed up before joining Iris and the sisters for dinner.

Their dinner was a light one comprising of just rice, tinned beans, and dried vegetables. But that didn't dampen their appetite, even in the slightest. They were all happy to finally put some food in their stomachs after experiencing a hectic and torturous day. Within the safety of their small cabin, they ate like starved scavengers and left no remains in the saucepan.

"Okay, guys," Odin said after the meal. "For safety reasons, I think we should all sleep in one cabin. What do you guys think?" He glanced at Iris and Christian.

"That would be for the best," Iris immediately replied.

"I also think it's a good idea," Christian followed suit and agreed. "And to solve the limited space problem, you don't have to allocate a room to me. I can sleep in the living room and be on the lookout tonight. I can alert you in times of danger."

"Excellent," Odin said, smiling. "Iris! Maybe, you can share a room with my sisters..."

"Odin!" Carol interrupted him mid-sentence. "I don't think we'll be able to sleep if we share a room with a stranger. I think you should be the one to share a room with us. As for Iris, she can sleep in your current room."

"I also think that's for the best," Iris said, locking eyes with Odin. "You're the only one with the capability to fight zombies unarmed. You'll be able to protect your sisters better in times of danger."

"Okay, then," Odin agreed. "I'll share the room with Bella and Carol. As for Iris, you can sleep in the second room. But leave the gun with Christian since he'll be the one on the lookout tonight."

"That's okay," Iris said before removing the Kel-Tec magnum from the holster on her belt and handing it to Christian.

"Thanks," Christian said as he received the gun. "With this baby, I can fight off any zombie that comes my way." He added as he checked the chamber.

Odin chuckled. "Since we've completed all arrangements, we can go to sleep. Let's hope there are no dangers tonight."

Odin immediately stood up and started double-checking all the windows and doors. After ensuring they were all locked and bolted, he headed to the bedroom with his sisters, intending to enter slumberland as soon as possible.

"I'll place the second mattress on the floor and sleep there," Odin announced after he locked the bedroom door behind him. "As for you two, you can sleep on the bed."

"Isn't the bed big enough?" Bella asked, blinking her eyes in confusion. "Why do you want to sleep on the floor?"

"I just like to sleep alone," Odin replied. "I don't like sharing. Anyways, stop asking questions and prepare to go to bed. We'll talk again tomorrow."

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In the wee hours of the morning, blinding darkness reigned supreme within the cabin, causing everything to blur together. A numbing silence enshrouded the entire place, and not even the usual chirping of insects could be heard. It was just one weird night, probably due to the descent of the apocalypse.

Under the veil of the darkness, Carol struggled to find a wink of sleep. She felt as though she could barely breathe as she tossed and turned under the sheets. Vivid images of her almost-zombified mom attacking her played within her mind, causing her heart to race with anxiety. She tried forcing them away by telling herself that everything was okay with Odin by her side. But a few minutes later, when she closed her eyes, the images assaulted her mind again, causing her to tremble with trepidation. She couldn't find any moment of peace, and, even worse, she couldn't call out to Odin for comfort as she didn't want to wake her already sleeping younger sister.

But just then, while she was brooding over how sleep had eluded her that night, her nasal senses picked up a sweet-smelling scent. By sheer reflex, she breathed it in slightly. Then, the next moment, she felt her entire being relaxing, and her thoughts slowed to a snail's pace. Slowly by slowly, she started sinking into a soothing slumber.

"This sweet scent!" She mused in her dazed state. "Why does it seem familiar? Why is it making me sleepy?"

Carol struggled with her all to ponder the issue. It was as if she was solving a millennium mathematics problem as her mind responded sluggishly due to the chemical's effect. Her willpower was commendable, and in the end, she finally came up with an answer.

"Chloroform! Oh my God. This is the scent of Chloroform. I remember it from the science fair."

The thought jolted her mind slightly, and she forced herself to resist the effect of the chemical. With all the haste she could muster, she pushed herself off the bed before slowly tiptoeing to the side of Odin's mattress on the floor. She knelt down and felt around in the darkness before tapping his head.

"Odin," she whispered, trying to shake him awake. "Wake up! There's a scent of Chloroform in the air. Someone is trying to put us to sleep."

"Don't worry," Odin whispered back, his words only audible to Carol in the darkness. "I'm aware of the danger looming in the darkness. Just stay quiet and don't alarm our enemies. I'll head out immediately and deal with the threats."

"You're going out alone!" Carol also responded with a whisper. "What if the enemies outnumber you?"

"Just trust me," Odin whispered, pushing himself up from the mattress on the floor. "I'm strong enough to handle even dozens of armed robbers. Moreover, if I remain within the cabin, the Chloroform will affect me and put me to sleep within a few minutes. Then, we'll all be at the mercy of whoever is out in the dark. I can't allow that to happen."

"Oh, okay," Carol mumbled. "Be careful. We don't want to lose you too."

"I will," Odin replied. "Just relax and leave everything to me. I'll be back soon with good news. And one more thing; don't wake up anyone else."

"I'll do as you say," she whispered.

"Good," Odin whispered back. "I'll use my own unique way to head out of the cabin. Don't cause any commotion when you realize that I've suddenly disappeared. Okay?"

"Okay," Carol replied out of habit, not really getting what Odin was trying to imply.

Then, suddenly, without rhyme or reason, Odin's silhouette, veiled by the darkness, faded away from Carol's visual field. She felt around the mattress, trying to ascertain if he was still around, but felt nothing except the bed sheets and the duvet. It was as if he'd just up and vanished without taking any steps away from the place.

"Odin is becoming more and more mysterious," she thought while tiptoeing back to the bed. "But that is good. The more mysterious he is, the higher the chance of him saving mom. Maybe there's hope."

She lay back on the bed. By then, the saturation of the sweet scent of Chloroform had risen to an overwhelming level within the room. She could no longer resist it. She soon sank into slumberland and became oblivious to everything else. As for her safety, she wasn't the least bit worried, with Odin protecting her. She felt secure with him taking charge of the situation at hand.

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