Chapter 90: It’s Okay Vivienne
’You can kill them...’
Rose’s casually cruel words rang in Vivienne’s ears like an icy death knell. The little remaining color drained instantly from the teacher’s face, leaving her completely pale. A sudden wave of panic seized her chest—if any of those traumatized teenagers or the arrogant Ash tried to block this hulking, mutated man from entering the cafeteria, a bloody massacre would unfold in seconds.
Fumbling frantically with the latch of her seatbelt, Vivienne clicked it open and practically tumbled out of the passenger seat.
"I-I am going to escort him to the cafeteria and make sure that no one stops his way... One minute, please..." she stammered, her voice shaking with sheer urgency.
She didn’t even wait for Fredrinn or anyone else to reply. Slamming the door shut, she hurried across the asphalt after Charlie, who was already marching forward with heavy, mechanical strides, completely obedient to Rose’s terrifying order.
Vivienne picked up her pace, her low heels clicking against the pavement until she caught up to him and swiftly moved ahead to clear the path. The moment she led him into the foyer, she gathered the terrified survivors and made the rule crystal clear: under no circumstances was anyone to approach, interact with, or disturb Charlie in the slightest.
Only after making sure everything was under control did she finally return to the car.
By the time she slid back into the front passenger seat, she was heaving for breath. Her massive chest was rising and falling rapidly against the thin fabric of her dress, jiggling with every ragged gasp of air. A delicate sheen of sweat glistened along the smooth curve of her neck and collarbones, making her appear even more tempting.
Fredrinn let out a quiet sigh, drawing in a slow, deep breath to rein in his primal urges and keep his composure intact.
With Charlie gone, everyone settled into their spots. Fredrinn took the middle of the back bench, flanked on either side by Jenny and Rose.
True to form, Rose shamelessly wrapped both of her pale arms tightly around his left elbow, resting her cheek snugly against his shoulder to mark her territory.
Jenny, sitting on his right, felt an overwhelming wave of flustered shyness wash over her. Throughout her life, Jenny had always been the one being chased—men constantly tripped over themselves trying to win her favor. This was the first time she found herself on the offensive, actively pursuing a man, and she was thoroughly out of her element.
Seeing Rose’s bold, unabashed affection only made Jenny feel more self-conscious. She wanted to assert herself, but her competitive pride whispered that doing anything half-hearted would look pathetic—a glaring sign that Rose was bolder and better. In her mind, doing things halfway was far worse than doing nothing at all.
Clearing her throat, Jenny curled her hands tightly over her thighs and sat ramrod-straight against the seat, looking more like a disciplined soldier reporting for duty than an attractive university student.
Fredrinn glanced sideways, chuckling under his breath at the sight of her pretending to casually inspect the scenery outside.
Leaning slightly toward her window, he hummed. "Are there any other survivors outside?"
Jenny shook her head, keeping her eyes locked onto the street to hide the faint pink blush creeping up to the tips of her ears. "None that I could see. I am trying to look."
"Is that so?" Fredrinn shrugged with an easy smirk. "Keep looking, I guess."
Giving her some breathing room, Fredrinn turned his attention back to the front row.
"So, Vivienne, has anyone in your school heard about the safe zone in Ohio?" he asked casually.
The mention of an official haven instantly caught the attention of both Jenny and Aadav, their ears perking up to follow the conversation.
Vivienne tilted her head with uncertainty. "I... think so? I heard that the location the two Awakeners wanted to reach was Ohio, but I’m not sure if it was related to an actual military zone or not."
Fredrinn hummed thoughtfully. "I see. And your group knew nothing else about the safe zone?"
Vivienne shook her head, a heavy shadow of sorrow darkening her soft face. "We didn’t. We were too busy just trying to survive. The whole school was infested with zombies within minutes, and only Ash was capable of fighting them off..."
Her voice grew fragile and shaky, dipping into a low whisper as the raw trauma of the outbreak resurfaced.
"So many of my students died due to the zombies... They had us completely cornered, and it became impossible to survive without terrible sacrifices and losses."
Fredrinn let out a heavy, empathetic sigh.
In the driver’s seat, Aadav prepared to reach over and offer a comforting hand on the teacher’s shoulder, but Fredrinn was faster. Reaching forward from the backseat, Fredrinn placed his palm gently on Vivienne’s shoulder, giving it a reassuring squeeze.
"It’s okay, Vivienne," he whispered softly from behind.
Vivienne gave a small, tentative nod. "Mhm."
Her voice, however, sounded hollow, still burdened by suffocating grief.
"I know it feels really bad to see so many people you know, people you genuinely cared about, just die..." Fredrinn said, his tone dropping into a deep, solemn register that resonated through the quiet cabin.
Vivienne’s breath hitched at the sheer sincerity in his voice. It felt as though he genuinely understood her agony on an intimate level.
"It happened with me. I can understand what you’re feeling right now," he continued smoothly. "But the thing is, Vivienne, when I think back on that time... I don’t feel any sadness anymore. You know why?"
"...Why?" Vivienne asked after a brief, hesitant pause, her eyes glistening in the rearview mirror.
"Because when I think back, I can only feel glad that it wasn’t me," Fredrinn said softly. "And from everything I know about you, Vivienne, you weren’t responsible for a single one of those deaths. None of it was your fault, so don’t weigh yourself down with useless grief."