Vampire Overlord's Harem In The Apocalypse-Chapter 40: Raiding Spree (V)

Simon’s instincts flared, something deep inside telling him that something wasn’t right. He couldn’t pinpoint what had changed, but he could feel it in the air — heavy, oppressive, like the calm before a storm.

His gaze darted around the boutique, and that’s when he saw her. The woman was standing near the entrance, her cold eyes locked on Bethany, the rifle in her hands, pointed directly at the young woman.

His breath caught in his throat, the world around him narrowing to a single thought...

’Not her, not now.’

Bethany, oblivious to the danger, stood too far from him to react in time. The woman’s finger tightened on the trigger. Simon’s heart raced.

"Bethany, look out!" he shouted, but the words felt like they came too late. The woman fired.

The sharp crack of the gunshot split the air, and in the next instant, Simon saw Bethany flinch.

He watched in horror as the bullet tore through the air and struck her squarely in the back. It was over too quickly for her to react. The impact was brutal. Bethany’s body jerked forward, her scream echoing in the quiet street.

Simon’s world shifted. Panic surged through him, his mind screaming to move, to act. He didn’t think; he simply acted.

In a blur of motion, he charged toward the woman, his body moving on its own. His eyes glowed, and the energy that surged through him seemed to crackle in the air.

He reached out, his hands grabbing the rifle with an almost supernatural force. He didn’t need to think — he just tore it apart, the weapon disintegrating into useless fragments that scattered to the floor.

The woman’s eyes widened in shock as she watched her rifle fall apart in his hands. But Simon wasn’t done. His voice was low, menacing. "I gave you a warning," he said, his words cold. "You didn’t listen. Now you’ll face the consequences."

The woman’s eyes flicked with fear as she tried to back away, but Simon wasn’t giving her that chance.

His fist drove forward, slamming into her stomach with bone-crushing force. The impact was so intense that she was lifted off her feet, sent flying backward. She slammed into the door with a sickening crash, her body crumpling with the force.

Before she could even react, Simon was already on her. His hands gripped her head with unyielding force, like a vise.

She clawed at his arms, her nails digging into his skin, but it was useless. Simon wasn’t just a calm man anymore — he was something more. Something dangerous.

"You’ve made your last mistake," Simon growled, his eyes glowing with fury.

With one swift motion, Simon slammed her face into the door. The sound of bone meeting wood was brutal, and the woman’s body jerked, her arms flailing.

But Simon didn’t stop. He lifted her head and brought it down again, this time into the hard floor beneath them. The sound of the impact was sickening, and the woman’s body convulsed violently.

Something strange began to happen. A glowing green energy leaked from her body, a sickly mist rising into the air.

It shimmered around her, as if trying to escape her physical form. It wasn’t human. Simon could feel the wrongness of it... She was turning.

His grip tightened, and without hesitation, he slammed her face into the ground again, harder this time. The green light flickered and faded, and the woman’s body went still.

Silence fell over the boutique.

Simon stood over her, his chest heaving, his heart pounding in his ears.

He didn’t speak for a moment, his eyes scanning her lifeless form. He had done what was necessary. He didn’t regret it. Not now. Not after everything.

But as he turned, his gaze fell on Bethany.

She was standing, though her body was trembling slightly.

Blood stained her clothes, but what struck Simon was the way her back was healing — already mending itself. The bullet that had torn through her was now in her hand, the wound closing rapidly.

Simon’s heart skipped a beat. She was healing. Of course, she was.

"Bethany," he said, his voice soft, tinged with concern as he took a step closer. "You’re healing."

Bethany’s hand clenched around the bullet, the blood slowly starting to dry. She wasn’t panicking, though she looked pale and slightly exhausted.

She met Simon’s gaze, her expression unreadable.

"I’m fine," she said, though her voice was strained.

The bullet, still in her hand, was a grim reminder of what she had just endured. But Bethany wasn’t panicking.

He frowned, taking a step closer. "You shouldn’t have to deal with this," Simon said quietly, his voice full of regret. "I should have stopped it before she could fire."

"You couldn’t have known," Bethany said, her tone soft, but there was a firmness in it, a reassurance. "You reacted just like you should have."

She shook her head slightly, looking down at the blood that still stained her clothes. "This isn’t your fault, Simon."

But Bethany wasn’t done. "I’ll heal. But this — " She glanced at the woman’s body, her eyes hardening. "This is what we’re up against, right? People like her. It won’t stop."

Simon nodded, his jaw tightening. She was right. There would always be more. They couldn’t hide from it. They couldn’t outrun it. But they could fight.

Simon gave her a small nod, his eyes hardening with the resolve that had been growing inside him ever since they first met. They were standing at the edge of something far larger than either of them had anticipated. But no matter how dark the road ahead, he wouldn’t let Bethany walk it alone.

"We need to keep moving," she said, her voice filled with quiet determination.

"Yes, we’re done here," Simon said and pushed the bag into the back seat of the car, the same happened with Bethany and soon they drove off, leaving a trail of dust behind as they left. There was one more thing that they needed to do - find a suitable water source... at least one that wasn’t infected.