Chapter 50: Fredrinn’s Idea
"Though, if you really want, I have a better idea." Fredrinn said with a serious look in his eyes, "What if we gather all the unchosens and the infected together and keep an eye on them? If any infected turns, then only the unchosens will be in danger and can serve as meat shields for time being till we deal with the turned zombie."
What followed Fredrinn’s suggestion was silence.
Utter silence.
Jenny, Andrea, a couple other people who managed to eavesdrop on the conversation... all were stunned.
It wasn’t as if the plan was too outlandish and no one had that idea.
This was one such thing that many people called ’intrusive thoughts’. The kind that was best not to be spoken.
Like killing the infected and those traitors is best... using those traitors as meat shields...
But Fredrinn was speaking those thoughts outright without any care.
"Uhm..." Jenny parted her lips to reply, but no words came to her mind.
She saw how some people were now blatantly listening into their conversation, without even trying to hide it.
She agreed to Fredrinn but she also didn’t want to be the one ’encouraging’ that idea. Not at first, at least.
However, Andrea didn’t have the same problem.
She saw the interest of the group, the unspoken tension in the air.
It was so thick that it was nearly tangible.
Yet, as her mind wandered to Fredrinn’s hand on her waist, she felt herself finding the confidence to speak her thoughts out.
"This idea is much better. It will allow us to keep an eye on the infected as we will have deterrence that those zombies wouldn’t attack us first." She said in a loud enough voice that everyone could hear.
"Not only that, it will also give us the opportunity to study the ’infection’ a little more closely and safely." Andrea continued, glancing at the doctor, Toby.
"Toby, what would you say if by chance Dickens doesn’t turn into a zombie and that guy does?" She questioned, pointing at an unchosen that was also infected.
According to Fredrinn’s ideology, that guy should’ve been killed two times over by now, but somehow, he still lives.
Toby was surprised about the question, but he cleared his throat and fixed his glasses before glancing back at Dickens and the unchosen.
"It’s too difficult to say without proper examination, but if your hypothesis proves to be correct, we can at least determine that metabolism of the body plays a role. Even if only slightly. After all, that guy looks like a skeleton while Dickens is fit and healthy." Toby replied.
Jacob, who had been debating the same topic for the last 10 minutes, stared at Andrea with a squinted gaze.
He felt his leadership position could be at a threat.
But, he swiftly took the command of the conversation and gave out the orders to rally all the unchosen and infected together.
Charlie was leading the rally, despite being infected himself.
He didn’t cry that it was unfair and neither did he try to show off his strength by causing chaos.
He accepted his fate and helped the others to group everyone instead.
Once again, Fredrinn couldn’t help but get impressed by the young teenager that had more guts than several adults inside the room combined.
None of the normal humans dared to fight against that buff and the process went smoothly.
After everyone else had gathered, Charlie finally walked up to Max, who was still sitting on the floor.
The intention was clear.
He had come to take Christine.
"I can look over at her." Max tried to defend her, but Fredrinn’s amused hum travelled through the air, "Then can you guarantee that you will take care of her before she can cause any harm to others?"
This was the same question that Max had asked Fredrinn.
However, this time Max didn’t have the liberty to answer ’No’ like Fredrinn did.
After all, if he couldn’t guarantee that, then he should let Charlie take her and restrict her to a more ’safer’ area.
Max grit his teeth and he glared at Jenny.
Jenny whistled and pretended like she didn’t see the look.
She was his friend and it was clear that he was asking her to tell Fredrinn to back off from him, but there was no way that she would entangle herself between the fights of these men.
Her interest in Fredrinn was growing and she would rather not cause trouble with him.
In addition, if Max himself was in a dangerous situation, she would’ve definitely tried to help him, but right now, the one in question was a woman she didn’t even know about before.
She just randomly appeared and started to refer to Max as brother Max, and he seemed to be protective of her.
Once Jenny ignored his cues, Max grunted inwardly and glared at Fredrinn.
However, only cold, calm eyes gazed back at him.
One look was enough to tell Max that he wasn’t a match for Fredrinn. Not yet, at least.
"Alright Charlie. Lead the way." Max sighed, giving in.
Charlie nodded offering his hand to Christine who scoffed and slapped it away as she pulled herself off her feet.
Charlie was unfazed. He turned around and began to walk towards the other side of the room.
However, Christine wasn’t following him yet. She instead offered her hand to Max, who took it and got off the floor.
And then, they both began to walk after Charlie, confusing the hell out of the poor buff teenager.
"Uhm, Max... you don’t need to come..." he said awkwardly.
"I know, Charlie." Max chuckled, before looking in Fredrinn’s eyes, "I am allowed to protect her at least in there, right?" he asked sarcastically.
"Whatever floats your boat, man. I never denied you to protect her out here either. You just had to take the guarantee, not my fault that you couldn’t do it." Fredrinn shrugged in response.
His words were effortlessly brutal, making Max’s anger flare again.
However, he managed to keep it under check as the two followed Charlie, settling in on the other side of the room.
Andrea yawned as she leaned against Fredrinn’s body, her eyelids droopy.
"I want to rest, Freddie~"