Transported into a Zombie Apocalypse, Now I have a Family!?

Chapter 6

Risa dried off and dressed, still struggling to process everything Sentinel had dumped on her. Alpha. Omega. Heat cycles. A wife. Kids. Aside from the last two, none of it made any sense to her. Sentinel had rattled off the information so matter-of-factly that her brain felt like it was short-circuiting. She decided to push it all aside for now—she'd figure it out later.

Stepping out of the bathroom, she spotted Amelia and the twins at the table. The white-haired woman was setting bowls of food down. At the sound of the door opening, Amelia looked up, their eyes meeting across the room.

There was something in her gaze—an emotion Risa couldn't quite read.

The twins turned as well. One of them immediately brightened and rushed toward her, grabbing her hand.

"Mommy, come on! Mama made food for us!"

Risa blinked, barely managing to mask her surprise. 'Mommy.' Right. That was her now.

She let the child lead her to the table, she smiled as she lifted the girl up and helped her into her seat. The other twin, however, remained at the table, watching her carefully.

Risa reached out and gently patted the child's head, wishing she could tell them apart.

—Identifying: The child who engaged physical contact is designated as Riko. The child maintaining observational distance is designated as Airi.

Sentinel's mechanical voice echoed in her mind.

Risa tried not to react to Sentinel's voice suddenly chiming in. Instead, she focused on the two kids—Airi and Riko. At least now she knew who was who.

Riko, the one who had eagerly pulled her over, was beaming up at her, completely at ease. Meanwhile, Airi was still studying her.

Amelia, on the other hand, hadn't said a word. She was watching. Risa could feel the weight of her gaze.

Risa swallowed. She wasn't the same person Amelia had known before. But Amelia didn't know that.

She sat down, feeling oddly out of place, like an intruder in her own life. Amelia silently placing a bowl in front of her… Maybe, just maybe, she could figure this out.

For now, she picked up her spoon and ate.

As they eat, Amelia watches Risa with growing suspicion. Risa, despite her own confusion, instinctively helps the twins—wiping Riko's messy face, gently patting Airi's head, and even offering small smiles. The woman Amelia married had never been this attentive—never smiled at the kids like that.

After they finish eating, the suspicion still grows. Risa notices Amelia's wary glances but doesn't address them. Instead, as Amelia moves to clean up, Risa steps in. "I'll do it. You should get the bed ready for the kids."

Amelia hesitates, studying her carefully. This person was acting too different. But for now, she says nothing, turning away to prepare a place for them to finally get some proper rest.

As Amelia disappeared into the bedroom with the kids, Risa remained in the kitchen, cleaning up.

Then, Sentinel's mechanical voice echoed in her mind.

—Host Status Initialization: Complete.

Risa's brow furrowed "Oh great, what now?"

—Integration Process Stable. System Functions Unlocked.

A glowing blue interface suddenly materialized in her vision, its lines of text scrolling in neat, efficient rows.

It displayed her name and what appeared to be her… status?

[Status Interface]

Name: Risa

Level: 1

Experience: 0 / 100 (Next Level)

Attribute Points: 0

[Stats Attributes]

Strength (STR): 6 → Affects melee damage, carrying capacity, and physical endurance.Agility (AGI): 8 → Determines movement speed, reflexes, and evasion ability.Endurance (END): 7 → Impacts stamina, pain tolerance, and overall resilience.Perception (PER): 5 → Affects awareness, tracking ability, and reaction speed.Intelligence (INT): 6 → Governs strategy, critical thinking, and adaptability.Willpower (WIL): 8 → Enhances resistance to fear, mental stress, and ability to push through pain.

Host's Ability: LOCKED (Unlocks at Level 5)

"Huh…" Risa muttered, eyeing the glowing interface as the text shifted again.

[Updating…]

Hostile Eliminations:

Hostile (Unknown) × 3 → +90 EXP (30 EXP each)Level 1 Zombie × 1 → +10 EXPLevel 2 Zombie × 1 → +15 EXP

Total EXP Earned: 115 EXP

(Level 1 → Requires 100 EXP to level up… Processing.)

[SYSTEM STATUS UPDATE]

Name: Risa

Level: 2 (+1 Level Up!)

Experience: 15 / 200 (Next Level)

Attribute Points: +1

As Risa read through the glowing blue interface, a soft creak made her snap her head up. The interface vanished instantly, leaving only the dimly lit kitchen—and Amelia standing in the doorway.

The white-haired woman was staring at her, arms crossed over her chest, expression guarded. Even in the low light, Risa could see the hesitation in her posture—like she wasn't sure whether to approach or stay back.

Risa instinctively straightened, but Amelia spoke first.

"Why are you acting so different?"

Her voice was quiet but firm, lacking the sharpness Risa had noticed before. "You never cared about them like that."

Risa blinked, caught off guard. "What?"

Amelia's grip on her arms tightened. "You smiled at them." There was no warmth in her tone, only confusion. "You helped them. You—" She exhaled sharply, shaking her head. "You don't do that. You never have."

The accusation hung between them, heavy and unspoken.

Risa struggled for an answer. She could lie, pretend nothing was wrong—but Amelia wouldn't buy it. She could deflect, but something in Amelia's gaze told her she wouldn't let it go that easily.

She scratched the back of her head, trying to find the right words.

Amelia's frown deepened. "What's your goal in doing all this?"

Before Risa could respond—

BANG.

A loud, heavy thud echoed through the house, rattling the doorframe.

Risa's body tensed. Amelia flinched.

Then—another bang.

Something was outside.

The pounding continued, sharp and insistent. Risa's instincts kicked into high alert.

"Go hide with the kids," she said, her voice low but firm.

Amelia didn't argue. With a last glance at Risa, she turned and hurried toward the bedroom.

A voice followed from the other side of the door. "We know someone's in there. We saw smoke coming from this place. Open the door."

Risa's grip tightened around her gun as she moved toward a window, careful not to make a sound. She positioned herself at an angle, peering outside without revealing her presence.

Another voice, sharper this time. "Look, we don't want trouble. Just open up, and we'll talk."

Risa wasn't buying it. No one in this world came pounding the door like that just to talk.

In the dim light of the moon, she spotted them—three figures standing at the front door. They were dressed in ragged, mismatched clothing, their faces hollow from hunger, but their postures were anything but weak.

The tallest of them, a man with a scruffy beard and sunken eyes, banged on the door again, impatience creeping into his voice. "Come on, now. We just wanna talk."

Risa didn't respond. She needed to assess—three men, all armed. One holding a machete and a knife was strapped to his side, another carried a shotgun slung over his shoulder, and the last one—young, twitchy—clutched a knife in his grip like he expected a fight.

The second man, the one with the shotgun, scoffed. "No answer? Maybe they ain't home."

The bearded man shook his head. "Nah, someone's in there. I saw a shadow move past the window."

'Damn it.'

Waiting would only put Amelia and the kids in danger. She needed to strike first.

Moving swiftly, she stepped away from the window and slipped out through the back, keeping low as she rounded the cabin's side. The cool night air sent a chill down her spine, but she ignored it, keeping her focus on the figures at the front.

The one with the shotgun stood at the door, impatiently tapping his foot. The youngest of the group glanced around warily, while the bearded man muttered something under his breath before he started creeping along the side of the cabin.

Risa hid and waited for him to come close to where she was hiding.

When he got near, she closed the distance in an instant, grabbing the bearded man by the back of the neck and slamming his head into the wooden wall. The shock of the sudden attack left him no time to react. Before he could recover, Risa yanked the knife strapped to his side and, without hesitation, plunged it into his throat.

His eyes went wide, a strangled gasp escaping him as blood gurgled from his lips. Then, he crumpled.

'One down.'

The others must have heard something because the shotgun-wielding man called out, "Ey, Quinn? You good?"

Silence.

A tense second passed. Then another.

The bearded man's companion shifted uneasily before turning to the youngest. "Check it out."

As the younger man cautiously followed the path of his fallen companion, Risa moved like a shadow, using the darkness to her advantage. He barely had time to register the faint sound of movement before her knife buried itself into his side.

A sharp cry of pain tore from his throat.

The shotgun-wielding man immediately reacted, his boots pounding against the dirt as he rushed toward the noise.

Risa heard his heavy footsteps closing in fast.

She had seconds.

She ducked behind a tree, taking cover in case he fired, her heart pounding as she drew her gun, preparing for a possible shootout.

Risa tightened her grip on her gun. She had the advantage—she was hidden, and he didn't know exactly where she was. But he was armed with a shotgun, which meant she couldn't afford to get caught out in the open.

Click-clack.

The distinct sound of a shotgun being pumped echoed through the trees.

"I don't know who the fuck you are, but you just made a mistake." His voice was tense, laced with anger and a hint of fear. "Come out now, and I'll make it quick."

'Not happening.'

Risa stayed crouched, eyes tracking his movements. He was standing near the wounded man now, gun raised, scanning the shadows.

She exhaled slowly, lined up her shot—and fired.

Bang!

Her bullet tore through the air, grazing his shoulder. The impact sent him stumbling back with a grunt of pain, but he didn't go down.

Boom!

His shotgun roared in retaliation.

Bark exploded from the tree beside Risa, shards flying past her face. Too close.

She moved fast, sprinting to another tree before he could fire again. One shot. One opportunity. He was wide open.

She raised her gun—

Bang!

Her bullet struck him square in the chest.

The man staggered, choking, his shotgun slipping from his grasp. He collapsed onto his knees, then fell forward, motionless.

Silence.

The wounded man was gasping weakly on the ground, his hands pressing over the knife wound in his side, blood pooling beneath him.

Risa stared down at the wounded man, her gun still trained on him. His breathing was shallow, his hands slick with blood as he pressed desperately against the wound.

He wasn't a threat anymore.

She could see it in his eyes—the raw fear, the realization that he wasn't going to win this fight.

Unlike the other two, he wasn't built for this life.

Maybe he was just some kid who fell in with the wrong people, dragged along by desperation. Maybe he hadn't even wanted to attack in the first place.

Risa let out a slow breath, lowering her gun.

"Get lost."

The young man's eyes widened in disbelief. He hesitated, as if expecting a trick.

"Go, before I change my mind," she snapped.

That was all he needed. With a sharp gasp, he stumbled to his feet, clutching his bleeding side. He gave her one last uncertain look—then turned and bolted into the darkness, vanishing into the trees.

Risa watched until she was sure he was gone. Whether he survived or not wasn't her problem.

Right now, Amelia and the kids were her priority.

Before heading inside, Risa turned her attention to the fallen men. She crouched down, quickly patting them down for anything useful.

Shotgun. She picked it up, checking the chamber—only two shells loaded, but she found four more in the dead man's pocket. Not much, but better than nothing.

Machete. It was worn but still sharp. Useful.

Knife. A good backup.

Aside from their weapons, they didn't have much else—no food, no meds. Just more desperate men looking for their next meal.

With the looted gear in hand, Risa stood up, sparing one last glance at the bodies before heading back inside.

She needed to check on Amelia and the kids.