Chapter 46 The Landowner’s Workers
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squeezing every last drop of labor out of them like they were indentured servants. And she wouldn’t even let the injured guy
rest!
What he didn’t know was that if Damon wasn’t lying
unconscious inside, she would’ve put him to work too. If that man could move even one finger, she’d find something for him to do. Everyone had to earn their keep around here.
Brett was furious but didn’t dare say anything. He dragged himself up and went to help with cooking.
Iris had a humanitarian side too. Since Brett’s leg was messed up, she assigned him easier tasks that didn’t require much movement. She put him on vegetable prep and cooking duty for the group meals.
For once, Iris actually got a break from doing everything herself. She jogged a few laps around the perimeter of her bunker to warm up and took the time to repair the traps that had gotten damaged earlier. While she was working, the system chimed in her head with a ding.
“Territory expanded by 1000 square feet. 100 points awarded!”
The moment Iris heard that notification and felt her territory growing in her mind, she knew she’d been right. Sending her people out to claim new ground actually expanded her own land too.
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A thought struck her then. If residents under her protection migrated outward and occupied new areas, would that count as hers too?
She wanted to test it out, but right now, she only had one household in her territory, and she was pretty picky about accepting new residents anyway. She didn’t particularly like most people.
After finishing her run, Iris headed back to base and found herself with nothing to do for once. She felt weirdly restless about it.
And no, she wasn’t about to go expand her territory right now, not with outsiders hanging around her bunker. She wasn’t leaving them unsupervised.
After stretching out properly, she moved to the open area and started practicing her hand–to–hand combat.
Brett was grumbling to himself while cooking when he heard the sounds of fighting. He glanced over and his jaw nearly dropped. Iris‘ punches and kicks had explosive power behind every single movement.
Holy shit, she was strong!
Her combat skills were seriously impressive. Even as a veteran
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soldier, he couldn’t help but be amazed. Every punch
connected with brutal force, and every move was ruthless and efficient. Just watching from the sidelines made his eyes light up with excitement.
“What are you staring at? Trying to steal my techniques?” Iris noticed his stare and called out.
That fear of being dominated by her came rushing back instantly. Brett ducked his head and went right back to work. But even as he cooked, he couldn’t help sneaking glances at her.
She was incredible, really incredible! She might even be stronger than their captain!
By afternoon, everyone who’d been sent out on missions had returned. Just like Iris promised, there was hot food waiting
for them.
Brett had spent all day cooking for the group. He’d made scrambled eggs with bacon, since Iris had way too many of those lying around, and he’d reheated yesterday’s leftover BBQ
into a kind of meat stew.
This was the apocalypse, and nothing went to waste. Iris hadn’t thrown out what they didn’t finish last night. She’d just had Brett warm everything back up so they could keep eating it.
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Everyone got emotional seeing an actual hot meal in front of them. They crowded around the pot, shoveling food into their mouths like it was going out of style. They poured the rich, fatty BBQ drippings straight over their bread without even thinking twice about how greasy it was.
Since the world ended, they hadn’t had any real fat or oil in their diet for way too long. The kind of greasy food that would’ve grossed people out before was exactly what their bodies were craving now. They’d drink that stuff straight if they could!
Of course, Iris and Logan were eating something different. She’d made slow–cooked BBQ brisket separately just for the
two of them.
“Man, brisket’s the best, right Logan?”
Logan nodded firmly. “Hell yeah.”
“I made way too much of this stuff though. Gonna need a few more people to help me finish it off.”
The guys slurping down their meat broth stew over there just stared at her in silence.
For a split second, they almost wavered in their loyalties. Could she please stop torturing them with food?
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After dinner, Iris gave them another job. She had them build some basic shelters outside the bunker.
She already had all the tools and materials they’d need. When she’d cleared out that big shopping center earlier, there’d been a few furniture stores with plenty of steel frames, metal studs, and plywood just sitting there.
Once they got the frame up, Iris added a bed inside along with a thick down comforter. She had tons of those lying around
anyway.
“Logan, you’ll stay here for now. Next few days, head up the mountain and chop some wood so we can reinforce this place properly.”
“Yes, ma’am!”
The inside of the bunker was Iris‘ private space. Even Logan, who worked directly for her, would be sleeping outside from
now on.
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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.
