But up on the wall, Muriel's stomach was flat. Not a trace of pregnancy.
So where was the baby?
How could this be a coincidence?
My heart clenched again, tighter this time.
He'd endured everything else in silence. But now he screamed.
He was protecting his child.
He was wailing for his child.
What terrified me even more was this:
That scream had actually caused several low-rank zombies to break free of my suppression and bolt from the ruins.
The next instant, arrows punched through the backs of their skulls.
My entire body trembled. I felt like I'd been plunged into an ice bath.
He really could command zombies.
I threw caution aside, no longer caring if I was exposed, and wove through the rubble toward the gate.
I needed to see that man's face. Every detail of it.
Then, as if he sensed something, the man jerked his head up.
His eyes locked onto mine with surgical precision as I moved through the ruins.
One look. That was all it took. His entire body convulsed, thrashing with the wild desperation of a man possessed.
He nearly tore free.
Over a dozen soldiers threw their weight against the crane, shouting:
"Has he lost his mind? How is he fighting this hard? The whole crane's about to tip!"