< The Last Queen of the Apocalypse
Chapter 43 Brothers in Arms
“Eat up, I saved these for you guys.”
Logan had been scraping together every scrap from his own
meals to feed them.
Derek eyed the food warily. “You’re giving this to us? Won’t the demo… I mean, won’t your boss have a problem with that?”
“Already asked Iris. She said I could have it all.”
“Hell yeah, that’s what I’m talking about!”
“Logan, man, you’re the best!”
“Thanks bro!”
“Dude, I just wanna say thank you because you really…”
“Quit yappin‘ and eat already!”
The five of them dove into the food right away. While they ate, Logan topped off everyone’s water bottles so they wouldn’t choke.
That was another weird thing he’d discovered recently about his changing body. He could produce water somehow.
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Every single person in their squad had gone through some kind of transformation. Derek could move faster now, and Brett’s strength had doubled. Blake could control fire, Tyler’s body reacted to metal, and Connor could actually reshape the ground around him.
None of them understood why it was happening or how to use these abilities properly yet, but thank god for these mutations. Without them, they never would’ve survived that zombie
swarm.
Logan got up while they ate and headed outside to work. The vegetables needed harvesting.
Derek gnawed on a rib bone and called out, “Logan! You’re seriously gonna work for her like this?”
Logan crouched down and started cutting the onions. “I gave my word, so I’m keeping it.”
“So you’re really not coming back to base with us?”
“I’m with Iris now.”
“You think the captain’s just gonna let you walk away?”
Logan went quiet after that and focused on his work. After he’d harvested about half the onions, his teammates finished eating and got up to help him.
and
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“If we’re eating together, we’re working together!”
“Can’t let you do this all by yourself, man!”
They split up the chores. Some harvested vegetables while others pulled weeds or washed dishes, and when everything was done, they swept the entire yard from top to bottom.
Inside the house, Iris watched them work and raised an eyebrow slightly.
The moment Logan had set aside those ribs, she’d known exactly what he was planning. He wanted to share them with his squad.
She’d seen right through it but didn’t say anything because she understood this kind of bond perfectly. Brothers who’d faced death together, over and over again.
That was exactly why she’d gone to such lengths to recruit Logan in the first place.
Years of fighting side by side and surviving together countless times created a brotherhood that couldn’t just be thrown away.
The timeline had changed this time around though. In her previous life, when she’d met Logan, he’d been completely alone. He never talked about his past, not once. Now that she
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thought about it, his comrades and that captain must have all died back then.
She’d found him all alone, and with nothing tying him down anymore, he’d devoted himself to her completely.
This time around, his teammates were all still alive, and he seemed noticeably brighter than he’d been in her past life.
Iris hadn’t deliberately tried to sabotage his relationship with his squad or push him to cut ties with them. In fact, she’d been letting a lot of things slide, like when he took that first aid injector or asked for extra ribs. She was going easy on him on purpose, doing him favors.
If she came down hard on Logan now, it would just backfire. People had feelings, and as long as his teammates were alive, he’d never stop thinking about them. So what were her options? Either take them all out, or bring them all in.
Iris watched these young men working efficiently around the property, and her eyes lit up more and more. Actually, keeping all of them here to work for her didn’t sound half bad.
By evening, Iris strolled lazily out of the bomb shelter to inspect her territory.
Everything looked completely different now. The vegetable gardens had been thoroughly tended to, and all the freshly 4/7
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harvested greens were neatly arranged in a shaded area, sorted by type.
The weeds had been pulled from every garden bed, the chicken and duck coops had been cleaned out, any minor damage had been repaired, and the entire place had been swept top to bottom.
Iris was extremely satisfied with the results. These military guys really knew how to get work done.
“Iris, where should we store all these vegetables?”
“No rush. Let’s wash some of them first. We’re having a barbecue tonight!”
The moment they heard “barbecue,” the guys lounging around nearby perked right up, their eyes lighting up instantly.
Before long, Iris had set up a large grill in the clearing. She started with beef bones and chicken drumsticks on the fire to build up that smoky flavor, then added her special seasoning mix. One side of the grill had spicy rub, the other had a tomato–herb blend.
She laid out platters of various meats, fresh fish fillets, and colorful vegetables. Brett and the others were practically
drooling.
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“Iris, this is way too much food.”
“This is nothing. I told you, if you’re with me, eating well is just the baseline. This is normal around here, so you better get used to it.”
Brett and his teammates‘ ears practically twitched at that. They glanced at Logan with obvious envy in their eyes.
Normal…
When they’d left the base, all they had on them were some protein bars and maybe a tiny can of beef.
Food was scarce at the base, and they’d been the first ones to get their rations cut. Their meals there had been downgraded to plain rice with one vegetable dish and watery soup. The soup had a few egg drop flakes floating in it for protein, but it looked more like someone had rinsed an egg in water than actual food.
Even that pathetic meal was better than what most people got though. Plenty of folks at the base couldn’t even get bread
anymore.
Compared to what Iris was serving up, their situation was like night and day.
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Sara Lili is a daring romance writer who turns icy landscapes into scenes of fiery passion. She loves crafting hot love stories while embracing the chill of Iceland’s breathtaking cold.
