TWD - Zomboid - Chapter 259: Claire Did It Too (Patreon)

Rebecca immediately stood up.

There was probably no point trying to explain. Even the man at the center of all this had completely given up.

Better to make an excuse and get out while she still could.

"Um... since I've already delivered my thanks, it's getting late, and I still have a few lab mice waiting to be dissected!" Rebecca rattled off quickly.

"So I'll be going now. I'll come by another day."

The moment Jade saw that, she tried to escape too.

"Oh!"

She slapped her forehead. "I almost forgot. I don't think I turned off the gas before I left. It'd be pretty bad if Rahim got blown up. I should head back for training too!"

The two women started edging toward the door.

Bang!

A figure blocked their path.

Maggie.

She planted one hand against the doorframe with a dull thud. She was still wearing an apron and holding a spatula.

"Ladies, I strongly suggest you sit back down."

"Otherwise..."

The spatula in her hand seemed to flash ominously.

"I fought my way here beside Luke from Greene Farm. I've carved up plenty of walkers on the highway myself!"

Jade instinctively prepared to disarm her.

But Rosita immediately stepped into her space and cut off the attempt.

The two women had no choice but to retreat obediently to their seats.

"You two should just sit down and accept the interrogation. Don't even think about running. Finding two beautiful women in the Commonwealth isn't exactly difficult!"

Beth happily joined the commotion.

She bared her teeth and claws, even making little barking noises as she glared fiercely at Rebecca, looking exactly like a tiny puppy guarding its food.

Bruce had seen enough.

The big white dog hurried back into the bedroom with his tail lowered, as though he could sense the murderous tension filling the room.

Rebecca's mouth twitched as she forced out a smile.

"Um... I think you may have misunderstood!" she hurriedly explained. "I really don't feel that way about Luke. I just... want something from his body."

Rosita immediately gave her a knowing look.

"Oh..."

She deliberately stretched out the word, her expression suggestive.

"And what exactly do you want from Luke's body? Don't tell me it's for research, because if that's your excuse, you're definitely not leaving this house today."

"No!"

Rebecca's face flushed. "You've got it wrong! When I said I wanted something from him, I meant it literally!"

"I don't think we're misunderstanding anything."

Maggie tightened her grip on the spatula.

"What could Luke possibly have that's so special? He's not an alien. Why would a virologist like you keep chasing after him unless this really is about biology?"

Rebecca found herself unable to argue.

Fine, maybe she had been a little overeager lately, but she wasn't chasing him around like that!

She only wanted to discuss biology with Luke.

All right.

That really didn't sound convincing.

But did these people seriously not understand Luke's value?

His genes might contain clues to the next stage of human evolution!

Seeing the suspicion about to shift toward her, Jade quickly waved both hands, desperate to distance herself from the situation.

"I definitely didn't come here to discuss biology. I was just passing by. Nothing has ever happened between Luke and me!"

Maggie slowly turned toward her.

"Really?"

Her voice was loaded with meaning.

"Passing by? You live on the other side of the Commonwealth. It's nowhere near here. Even if you were out jogging, you'd have no reason to come this way."

"Just listening to your excuses tells me everything. You're both geniuses."

Maggie suddenly slapped her forehead.

"Oh, right! I almost forgot. When you first entered the Commonwealth, didn't you fill out an information form? Wasn't there a section where you claimed Luke had forced himself on you?"

Jade's face instantly collapsed.

Back when she'd filled out that ridiculous form, she'd only been messing around.

Everyone had been playing their roles at the time. As part of the opposition, throwing a little dirt on Luke's name had seemed perfectly reasonable.

And claiming she'd been coerced had another advantage. Even if she went a long time without getting into a relationship inside the Commonwealth, nobody would think much of it.

It had all been for the job!

Fine.

There had been a little mischief involved too.

Jade wanted to slap herself.

Damn it.

Meanwhile, Luke, the man at the center of this entire disaster, lay sprawled on the couch as if all the color had drained from his life.

He was finished.

His whole pond had exploded.

He wanted to explain. The truth about Rebecca and Jade could be cleared up in a single sentence.

But Maggie had developed serious trust issues with him.

Especially when women were involved.

Explain?

What was the point?

Once suspicion stuck to you, no amount of explaining could wash it off.

All Luke could do was stay quiet. Anything he said now would only come back to haunt him later.

Rebecca and Jade were genuinely outsiders to all this.

Just as Luke silently prayed that nothing else would go wrong...

"Ding-dong!"

The doorbell rang.

Damn it!

Where was his legendary luck when he actually needed it?!

Maggie, Rosita, Rebecca, and Jade all froze.

There was another one?

Maggie opened the door.

This time, it was Claire.

The confident red-haired team member looked as though she had just made one of the biggest decisions of her life. Her expression was unusually solemn.

She had come to tell Luke something important.

Ever since witnessing the success of Crane's experiment, Claire had made up her mind to reveal the truth about Sherry's background, as well as the G-Virus hidden within the girl.

It concerned Sherry's safety and the security of the entire Commonwealth.

Claire had no idea how Luke would react to what she'd done.

Would he see it as betrayal?

Deception?

Disloyalty?

What if he decided to drive them out?

She had knocked on the door with a heavy heart.

But when it opened, what greeted her was a room full of...

Women?

Rebecca and Jade immediately began shaking their heads at her frantically.

Run!

Get out while you still can!

Claire was sharp enough to realize something was wrong at a glance.

Today was definitely not the day for this conversation.

Danger.

Serious danger.

She instinctively backed away several steps.

"Um... looks like I came at a bad time. Maybe I'll come back another day..."

"Get in here!"

Rosita reacted instantly.

She rushed forward, and together with Maggie, the two of them grabbed Claire from either side and dragged her inside.

"You think you can just run away?"

"Beth, get her!"

Beth immediately started baring her teeth and claws.

Rosita even reached out and gave Claire a firm squeeze at the waist.

"Well, well!"

She whistled.

"Another gorgeous woman! Slim waist, nice and strong. You've got abs, don't you? I bet those lines are perfect. We've really got every type imaginable showing up here today!"

Claire stiffened, a rare blush appearing on her face.

"W-What are you doing?" She immediately became defensive. "I came to talk to Luke about something serious! You remember Sherry, right? She's not actually my biological sister. I found her in Raccoon City. I just wanted to discuss something with Luke..."

"All right, all right. No need to explain."

Maggie waved dismissively, looking as though she understood everything.

"So this is the newest version of the excuse?"

"Everyone needs a good story these days, but yours really isn't convincing. It's way too cliché."

"Go inside and find yourself a seat."

Claire tried to explain further, but they shut her down before she could get another word out.