TWD - Zomboid - Chapter 284: I Helped Carol Become a Widow (Patreon)

Ellie’s face turned red again.

Even she had to admit that what she’d just said sounded pretty stupid.

Lately, whenever she dealt with this man, she kept feeling like her brain simply couldn’t keep up.

“Joel’s fine.”

Luke abruptly changed the subject. “My subordinate is a kind man. He didn’t give Joel a hard time. But if you behave yourself today, I might let you talk to him.”

“At the very least, you can tell that guy to settle down, stop causing trouble for me, and quit being a bad influence on the other survivors.”

Ellie’s eyes immediately lit up.

“Really?”

“Of course.” Luke nodded. “I keep my word.”

Ellie’s mood brightened considerably. It was as if the heavy weight that had been pressing on her chest had finally eased.

Luke smiled.

Seeing Joel again might not necessarily be a good thing for her.

He handed her the other hot dog.

“All right. Now can you relax and eat?”

Only then did Ellie take it. She could no longer maintain her reserved little-girl act and started wolfing it down. When it came to table manners, she wasn’t much better than Luke.

The moment she bit into the hot food, pure happiness spread across her face.

How long had it been since she’d eaten anything like this?

Fresh food, straight from the kitchen!

And the seasoning was perfect too.

This was a real luxury!

After finishing the hot dog, Ellie still wasn’t satisfied. Her eyes drifted toward the two pizzas.

“One each, clumsy Ellie.” Luke saw right through her.

Without the slightest hesitation, Ellie claimed the Italian sausage pizza.

The bacon one looked good too, but she doubted she could finish both. As for whatever Luke wanted to call her, she no longer cared.

By the end, Ellie was holding her stomach with a blissful smile on her face.

Anyone whose mind went somewhere weird just now, behave yourselves!

Once they had eaten enough, Luke took Ellie out of the shop.

Along the way, people greeted Luke constantly.

After all, the Security Director was fairly well known around the Commonwealth.

Ellie quietly took everything in.

Back at the shop, when Luke tried to leave a tip, the employee had refused several times. Instead, they had given the two of them some free snacks.

Obviously, it was because of Luke.

“People here seem to respect you a lot,” Ellie finally said.

“Of course. I’m handsome. People can’t help staring at me.” Luke ran a hand through his hair.

Ellie rolled her eyes.

And he was a narcissist too.

...

Before long, Luke wandered over to Carol’s house.

The door opened quickly.

When Carol saw Luke standing outside, she immediately stepped aside and warmly invited him in.

“Luke, what a surprise. You hardly ever come by.”

“Where’s Sophia?” Luke asked as soon as he entered.

“At school,” Carol replied.

“Right!”

Luke smacked his forehead. “I was going to introduce Ellie to a few kids her age. Oh well. Next time.”

Only then did Carol notice Ellie, and curiosity appeared in her eyes.

“Is this your secret daughter?”

Luke stared at her speechlessly. “Come on, take a good look at us. Do we even look like we could be father and daughter? What, did my genes mutate?”

Carol shook her head with exaggerated seriousness. “You never know. Maybe she takes after Maggie. Actually, now that I look at her... she does have a bit of Maggie’s air about her.”

“What a shame. How old are you, sweetheart?”

Luke was even more speechless.

Was Carol just asking whatever popped into her head now?

“Fourteen,” Ellie answered quietly.

“Do you have any other family?” Carol asked gently.

Ellie hesitated, glanced at Luke, then said, “I have a father. He’s at the outpost.”

Carol immediately understood.

The daughter was inside the Commonwealth while the father was still at the outpost. That could only mean he was still under observation and hadn’t passed the assessment yet.

She didn’t pry any further.

Instead, she turned and brought a freshly baked pie out of the oven.

“Here. Try some while it’s still warm.”

“I really can’t eat anymore...” Ellie hurriedly waved her hands.

“She already ate an entire hot dog,” Luke added leisurely from the side, “plus most of a pizza and an ice cream. I never expected such a small girl to eat that much.”

Carol glanced at him with a knowing smile.

“I never knew you were so good at spoiling kids.”

Luke rubbed his nose. “Forget it. Pack some up for her.”

Carol quickly packed an entire portion of pie for Ellie, then grabbed a large bag of colorful candy and stuffed it into her arms.

Carol had always liked children, especially after the apocalypse.

Children were the future.

Children were hope.

“Thank you...” Ellie said, clearly overwhelmed by the kindness.

“You’re welcome.” Carol smiled gently.

After leaving Carol’s house, Ellie carried the heavy bag of food in her arms and couldn’t help asking, “Who is she? Your older sister?”

Carol looked noticeably older than Luke. At a glance, she certainly didn’t seem like his partner.

“She’s one of my longtime subordinates. A very capable woman,” Luke said.

“Capable?”

Ellie couldn’t see it.

Carol looked like... an ordinary housewife.

How dangerous could she possibly be?

“Very.”

Luke clasped his hands behind his back as they walked.

“She wasn’t always like this. Carol used to be a vulnerable woman trapped in an abusive marriage. To protect her daughter Sophia, she endured her husband’s beatings alone.”

Ellie froze.

She never would have guessed that such a gentle, composed woman had gone through something so terrible.

“What happened after that?”

“I helped solve the problem.”

“How?” Ellie asked instinctively.

Luke answered as casually as if he were talking about the weather.

“The man refused to divorce her. He insisted on keeping Carol trapped while leeching off both her and the camp. So I didn’t have much choice. I helped Carol become a widow.”

Ellie’s shoulders jerked.

She hadn’t expected him to say something so chilling in such a casual tone.

“Although, even if I hadn’t done anything,” Luke added, “Carol eventually would have handled him herself. It was only a matter of time. I just sped things up.”

He looked at Ellie’s stunned face and spoke meaningfully.

“Never underestimate what a mother is willing to do for her child.”

Ellie fell silent.

Joel was the same.

For her...

She suddenly shook her head hard, forcing the thought away.

Had Joel really slaughtered an entire hospital?

Ellie didn’t dare follow that thought any further.

...

Next, Luke took Ellie to the Commonwealth zoo.

She was still a kid, after all. Seeing some animals might do her good.

By now, the zoo had grown considerably and was personally managed by Ezekiel of the Kingdom. Apparently, ticket sales were doing quite well, and it had become one of the Commonwealth’s major attractions for residents looking to relax.

Then again, there probably weren’t many people besides Luke who would bother building attractions in the middle of the apocalypse.

Jerry, the large man guarding the entrance, immediately spotted Luke and hurried off to inform Ezekiel.

Jerry was a loyal subordinate and, more importantly, a genuinely good man.

Before long, Ezekiel strode out wearing his signature cloak and warmly extended his hand.

“My esteemed Luke! Welcome, welcome!”

Ever since joining the Commonwealth, the people of the Kingdom had been living well.

Many had been assigned to factories, construction sites, or the building of the outer walls, but their wages were more than enough to support their families.

All of that had been made possible by Luke.

“Thank you for everything you’ve done for your people!”