The Lazy Chronicles: Apartment of the Apocalypse-Chapter 74: Zombies, Love Notes, and the One-Eyed Bandit

Chapter 74: Chapter 74: Zombies, Love Notes, and the One-Eyed Bandit

The day began, not with Mallory lounging lazily in bed as usual, but with Blinky zipping around her apartment in what could only be described as a full-blown panic. Its antenna flashed red, beeping incessantly as it rammed into the furniture, walls, and even Mallory herself.

"Blinky! Chill out!" Mallory groaned, shielding her face with a pillow.

Blinky persisted, pulling the covers off her.

"What is it now?" Mallory asked, sitting up with a yawn. "Did you find another mutant rat in the pantry? Because I told you, that’s Greg’s problem, not mine."

The robot didn’t answer—well, not directly. Instead, it projected a hologram of a nearby street. On the screen, a small group of survivors, heavily armed and clearly distressed, could be seen fending off a horde of zombies.

"Oh," Mallory said, blinking at the screen. "That looks... unfortunate."

Blinky’s beeping escalated.

"Wait," Mallory said, leaning closer. "Is that Alex?!"

Sure enough, there was Alex, swinging a makeshift weapon—was that a mop?—at the zombies while trying to shield a younger girl with long braids. Behind them, Greg was expertly picking off zombies with a rifle, his face grim.

"What are they doing out there?" Mallory muttered, scrambling out of bed. "I thought they were scavenging for supplies!"

Blinky beeped in agreement, as if to say, Yeah, and they’re doing a terrible job of it.

Mallory threw on her jacket and grabbed her trusty frying pan. "Come on, Blinky. Let’s go rescue the morons."

---

Outside, the scene was even more chaotic than the hologram had shown. Zombies staggered and snarled, their decayed bodies piling up as Alex and Greg fought valiantly to keep the horde at bay.

Mallory burst onto the scene, frying pan in hand, and immediately smacked a zombie in the head. It went down with a squelchy thud. "What’s going on here?" she shouted.

"Mallory?!" Alex’s voice cracked as he turned, his mop dripping with something green. "What are you doing here?"

"Saving your butt, apparently," Mallory shot back, smacking another zombie.

The girl with the braids, who looked no older than fifteen, clung to Alex’s side. "Who’s she?" the girl asked, her voice trembling.

"Long story!" Alex replied, lunging at another zombie.

Greg, who hadn’t said a word yet, barked out orders like a general. "Mallory, cover the left flank! Alex, keep them off the girl!"

"Oh, now you’re the boss?" Mallory grumbled, but she obeyed, swinging her frying pan with gusto.

It wasn’t long before the zombies were defeated, their lifeless bodies strewn across the pavement. Mallory wiped her forehead with the back of her hand, panting. "Okay, what’s the story here?"

Alex gestured to the girl. "This is Harper. She was trapped in a convenience store when the zombies showed up. We couldn’t just leave her there."

"Great," Mallory said, hands on her hips. "So now we’ve got another mouth to feed."

Harper glared at her. "I can pull my weight!"

Greg finally spoke, his voice calm but firm. "Let’s argue about this back at the apartment. It’s not safe here."

---

Back at the apartment, Harper sat at the kitchen table, nervously sipping on a cup of tea. Blinky hovered nearby, studying her like she was an alien lifeform.

Mallory paced back and forth, still holding her frying pan. "I don’t know about this. She’s just a kid!"

"I’m sixteen!" Harper protested.

"Same thing," Mallory shot back.

Alex sighed, pinching the bridge of his nose. "Mallory, we couldn’t leave her out there. You know that."

"Fine," Mallory said, throwing her hands up. "But she better not touch my snacks."

Harper frowned. "I don’t even want your snacks."

"Good," Mallory said, sitting down and crossing her arms.

The room fell into an awkward silence until Blinky broke it by projecting a new hologram. This time, it showed a man—grizzled, one-eyed, and holding a crossbow—standing in what looked like the remnants of a hardware store.

"Who’s that?" Greg asked, narrowing his eyes.

"Another survivor?" Alex suggested.

Blinky beeped twice, then projected text onto the wall: UNKNOWN HOSTILE DETECTED.

"Well, that’s ominous," Mallory said.

---

It didn’t take long for the group to encounter the mysterious one-eyed man. The next morning, while scavenging for supplies near an old gas station, they found themselves ambushed.

"Drop your weapons," the man growled, stepping out from behind a rusted truck. His crossbow was aimed directly at Mallory’s chest.

Mallory raised her hands, glaring at him. "Seriously? Do I look like a threat to you?"

"Rules are rules," the man said, not lowering his weapon.

Greg, ever the diplomat, stepped forward slowly. "We don’t want any trouble. We’re just looking for supplies."

"Well, you’re not getting them here," the man snapped. "This is my territory."

"Territory?" Mallory said, raising an eyebrow. "What are you, a pirate?"

Alex snorted, earning a glare from Greg.

"Watch it," the man warned, tightening his grip on the crossbow.

Mallory couldn’t resist. "Or what? You’ll peg-leg us to death?"

The man’s eye twitched. "You think this is funny?"

"A little," Mallory admitted.

The tension was broken by a loud beep. Blinky had appeared from behind Mallory, holding what looked like a can of soup in its mechanical arm.

"What’s that?" the man asked, confused.

Mallory grinned. "That’s our secret weapon."

Before the man could react, Blinky hurled the can at his head. It hit him squarely, and he went down like a sack of potatoes.

Greg sighed heavily. "Was that really necessary?"

Mallory shrugged. "He was asking for it."

Alex laughed. "Okay, that was kind of awesome."

---

After tying up the one-eyed man—who they learned was named Ryder—the group returned to the apartment with their spoils: canned goods, tools, and a very annoyed prisoner.

Ryder sat in the corner of the living room, glaring at them. "You’re making a mistake," he growled.

"Yeah, yeah," Mallory said, waving him off. "You’ll thank us later when we save your life or whatever."

Harper giggled from her spot on the couch. "I like her," she whispered to Alex.

Alex smiled. "Yeah, she grows on you."

Mallory caught the exchange and smirked. "Flattery will get you nowhere."

Greg, ever the voice of reason, cleared his throat. "We need to figure out what to do with him."

"Make him clean the bathroom," Mallory suggested.

Alex snorted. "I second that."

Ryder groaned, muttering under his breath. "I hate all of you."

---

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