Apocalypse Supermarket: My Four Overpowered Husbands Wontstop Hoarding

Chapter 79: Chapter 79 Death game III

On the battlefield, three creatures were coming toward them, but because of the narrow path and their enormous bodies, only one of the beasts could fit through at a time. The creature lowered its head, gnashing its teeth violently as though it couldn’t wait to tear a chunk from one of their heads.

Astrid looked ahead and suddenly stumbled, falling onto the floor. Fortunately, he managed to catch himself before his body fully touched the scorching ground. Melanie wasn’t so lucky. She collapsed again, and this time she couldn’t move without dragging her blistered skin across the heated surface. The moment she tried, a piece of skin pulled away from her body.

"Arghhhhhhhhh!" Her scream echoed through the area. The pain was unbearable. "I’m in so much pain, Astrid!" Melanie cried, tears streaming down her face. "My head... Astrid, my head hurts!"

Astrid’s heart pounded as he looked at her. The floor had become even hotter, yet the creatures seemed completely unaffected by it. They continued advancing toward them, their massive claws scraping against the ground as though the heat meant absolutely nothing.

"I’ll get you out, Melanie." Astrid crouched down, trying to reach her without touching too much of the burning surface. "I’ll get you out, Mel. Just pull yourself up. You can do it. Come on!" He tried to encourage her, but even his own boots were beginning to burn from underneath. The ground was turning red. The heat was becoming unbearable.

Then Melanie suddenly began speaking frantically. "Who’s doing this? We have to call the government!" Astrid stared at her. "Don’t you have a friend there, Astrid? What about that guy who always seems to follow you?"

"What are you talking about?" Astrid asked, confused.

"He likes you, doesn’t he?" Melanie continued desperately. "I know he’s gay, and he has a high position there. Please, Astrid, I’m begging you. Get him to call for reinforcements. Tell him to send someone here and save us!"

Astrid stared at her in disbelief. What was she even talking about? She wanted him to call someone who had never shown any interest in saving them? "Do you really think they’ll send helicopters to save us?" His voice came out harsher than he intended. "Before we landed here, we already sent distress signals. If they wanted to save us, wouldn’t they have come by now?"

Melanie fell silent. Astrid was exhausted. His stomach growled loudly, reminding him that he hadn’t eaten properly in hours. Hunger twisted his insides until it almost felt as though his stomach was eating itself. Yet there was no time to think about food. They were fighting for their lives. The creatures continued advancing, slowly and deliberately, keeping them trapped at the edge of the path.

Meanwhile, Isaac finally moved. He pushed himself up from the edge of the rock where Melanie’s power had caught him earlier. His body was battered, and his hands were bleeding, but somehow he was alive. As he looked around, he realized he was standing on a narrow section of the cliffside. That shouldn’t have been possible. He had been falling. He remembered losing his grip. Then suddenly, something had caught him.

Isaac’s eyes widened. "Melanie..." It had to be her. Her power had saved him. Fear immediately rushed through his mind. "Melanie!" He shouted again. "Melanie!" There was no response. He panicked. "Where are you?"

Then another voice answered. "Here." Astrid. Isaac immediately turned toward the voice. "Are you okay? Where are you guys?"

"We are stuck here, but it’s okay," Astrid’s voice sounded strained. "We will be fine."

Isaac looked around, trying to find a way back to the top of the cliff. The problem was that the side was almost impossible to climb. There was nothing nearby that he could use as support. No ladder. No rope. Nothing.

Isaac voice came again. "You need to get inside that place and find help." Isaac looked toward the massive mansion above them. "Someone is living here. I know it." He pointed toward the structure. "Run around the place and find a way inside!"

Astrid’s chest tightened. Isaac hadn’t even asked about him, the question was Indirectly for Melanie. It was almost as if he had forgotten that Astrid was there. The thought hurt more than he wanted to admit.

"Go to the door and call for help," Isaac continued. "Please. I’m going to die here if you don’t."

The heat beneath them suddenly decreased. It was still hot, but nowhere near as unbearable as before. None of them knew when it would return. Astrid looked toward the enormous entrance. He wasn’t stupid. He knew exactly what Isaac was trying to do. He was being used as bait. If there were traps around the mansion, Astrid would be the one triggering them.

He slowly narrowed his eyes. "Wait." Melanie looked at him. "Look over there." Astrid pointed toward the surrounding area. "Isn’t that an electric fence?" Melanie didn’t answer. "We breached something when we came down here," Astrid continued. "Are you seriously telling me whoever owns this place doesn’t know we’re here?" He pointed toward the broken section of the fence. "There must be an alarm or some kind of security system." He looked around cautiously. "Let’s find another way. This isn’t safe."

Melanie shook her head. "Just go." Astrid stared at her. She clearly wasn’t listening. The creature behind them let out a deep, horrifying growl. Its talons scraped against the ground. Scrrrrkkk! The claws dug into the surface, cracking the heated floor beneath them.

"Go, Astrid!" Melanie’s voice became desperate. "If anything happens to me, it’s going to be on your head!"

Astrid’s expression hardened. That wasn’t how you asked someone for help. Not when the person was risking their own life. He stared at her. If he were the one trapped in her position, would she risk herself to save him? He already knew the answer. Probably not. It had always felt like he was the outsider in their friendship. It was always Isaac and Melanie. He had never understood how the two had become so close.

He remembered when Melanie first joined their internship program. Before that, everything had been different. He and Isaac had been inseparable. They had planned things together, celebrated their victories together, and even spent their free time together. There had been one particular day when he and Isaac planned to visit a café to celebrate an achievement. Astrid had waited. Isaac never showed up. He didn’t answer his messages. The next day, he returned with Melanie. He had acted like nothing happened. Astrid hadn’t complained. He had simply accepted it. But he wasn’t blind. He had seen the change. Their friendship had slowly become something else.

And now, standing there with his life in danger, he finally understood where he stood. Melanie’s priority had always been Isaac. Perhaps they were already together. Maybe they were secretly in love. Astrid didn’t know. What he did know was that they were hiding something from him. Did they seriously think he couldn’t see it? If they thought he was that blind, then they were the fools.

Astrid took a deep breath. "I’m not going anywhere."

Melanie’s eyes widened. "What?"

"I’m trying to protect you while also trying to save myself." He pointed toward the creature. "So why should I put my life in danger just because you tell me to?"

Silence followed. An eerie silence. Even the creature seemed to pause. Melanie stared at him. "Is this really how you think?" Her voice trembled. "This isn’t the Astrid I know."

Astrid almost laughed. "The Astrid you know?" He shook his head. "Do you even know me?" Melanie didn’t answer. "You never cared about me." His voice was quieter now. "Isaac has always been your priority." He looked at Isaac in the distance. "And apparently, that’s not changing anytime soon."

Melanie’s face fell. "Astrid..."

But he cut her off. "Seems like you’re perfectly content staying here with that creature." He stepped backward. "I’m finding my own way out."

The creature suddenly moved. Its massive body slammed onto the path in front of them. The impact shook the ground. Melanie screamed. Astrid didn’t wait. He turned and ran.

"I tried my best!" He shouted over his shoulder. "But since you’re such a sweet little good Samaritan, save your own ass!" He dashed away. His heart was pounding. His legs were burning. But he didn’t stop.

He had spent too much of his life putting other people first. Not anymore. If Isaac didn’t want his help, then fine. If Melanie thought he was selfish, so be it. For once, Astrid was going to prioritize himself. He had to find a way to survive. And if he managed to save Isaac along the way, then he would. But he wasn’t going to sacrifice himself for someone who wouldn’t do the same for him.