Ming Sulin really wasn't up for this nonsense.
A crying girl in the middle of a zombie apocalypse?
Please.
The only thing she should be screaming for is a better life insurance policy, because her current one was about to get a major upgrade to "dearly departed."
Ming Sulin sighed.
If only her life didn't equal points.
It was a stupid, stingy dungeon anyway.
And she needed every last point she could get. No zombie was going to get a free pass on her watch.
"Tally, we are all injured and surrounded, but don't you see I'm taking care of it?"
Ming Sulin's voice was low, laced with a coldness that could freeze the blood of the undead.
"Screaming like a banshee is only going to bring your death faster. You don't seem too injured to stop complaining, and you're displaying a shocking amount of vigor for someone who's about to become a zombie chew toy."
Ming Sulin pushed herself up with shaky arms, making her way around to perform first aid.
She needed to get everyone to the RV while she cleared out the zombies and hounds.
Then she'd see if her tool kit could work a miracle on the old jalopy.
She had to improvise for the next four days of this grand adventure.
She pulled out her steel bat, still sticky with dried blood from its previous "negotiations," and tossed it at Tally's feet.
"I'm letting you borrow my bat. I do want it back, but in the meantime, make yourself useful, will you? While I'm patching everyone up, you can be my own personal zombie-tenderizer."
Ming Sulin got right to work, pulling out her medical kits and whatever candy bars or bandages she had left.
There was no time to waste on "Temper Tantrum Barbie" and her theatrics.
"Give me a couple of minutes to get them up so I can get you guys into the RV and clear out the rest of the zombies.
Then I will see if I can repair the RV to the best of my ability to see if it's still usable, or we may have to travel on foot."
She started with Jake first, who was a bit more injured than the others.
She pulled out a piece of osbweed and put it to his mouth.
"Eat it. It's good for you and will make you feel better."
He obediently opened his mouth and ate the leaf as Ming Sulin fed it to him.
She watched his complexion get rosy again before she moved on, leaving him to chew the slightly bitter leaves.
He looked like a very obedient koala.
Meanwhile, Tally just stood there, staring at the bat at her feet. Her hands shook, and she kept shedding tears.
"Hurry up! We don't have time! I have the zombie hounds—you just worry about the zombies. Think of it as baseball. You've played baseball before, right?" she snapped, raising her voice a little. Tally flinched, getting on her two shaky legs.
Hmm. Good, she's not completely helpless and useless.
"Stand up straight. Hold the bat firmly, bring it closer to your chest so you can get the full potential of your strength in the swing without using a lot of stamina or power," Ming Sulin commanded. Tally subconsciously followed her words, straightening her back and getting a firmer grip on the bat, a perfect traditional batting stance.
"That's it. That's a perfect stand. Forward and swing at anything that gets close. Aim for the head or the neck—but preferably the head. Just don't get any on me, and I got the hounds."
She kept busy patching up Gregory and then moving over to Margaret.
Ming Sulin gave each of them an osbweed leaf, staying with them for a moment to make sure they were okay.
All while keeping an eye on Tally, and making sure no hound broke through to attack, a crossbow right next to her, ready to move at any time.
To her surprise, Tally was doing quite well.
Mm. She's holding her own. The strikes from the bat might not kill them, but they'll stay on the ground when she hits.
While Tally was fighting zombies, the three boys—Jake, Steve, and Derek—all made their way to the RV, remembering Amy's plan from earlier about fixing the RV and hiding inside until further notice.
Ming Sulin helped her parents to the RV and pulled out her repair kit and tools.
Then she handed out a spear and a piece of thick wood, giving one piece each to Steve and Derek to carry as protection.