Be Careful What You Wish For: A Zombie Apocalypse
Chapter 372: The Way They Both Deserved

Chapter 372: The Way They Both Deserved

Everything seemed darker without Hattie by his side. He had experienced it once before when Alicia had tried to have her killed, but now that he had spent so much more time with her, it was so much worse. Her absence was like a thorn in his heel; every time he stepped forward, it drove deeper into his flesh, reminding him of exactly what he was walking away from.

The jungle seemed to disappear around him, only the path forward was the only thing that stood out. His footsteps were slow, but no matter how slow they were, they still took him away from Hattie.

He wanted to turn back; he needed to. The hunger to be close to her was compounded by the ache of separation. It almost made him sick to even think that he was willingly walking away. But it was like something drew him forward.

Closing his eyes, he remembered every time her hand brushed his, every time that she looked his way and smiled. To him, it had been everything... and yet not nearly enough.

"Poor baby," purred Greed, "If you think it’s hard being you, try being me. I was created by her; for her, my soul is hers, and hers is mine. But I fucking have to share her. I have to share her with my brothers, with the fucking dog, with the angel... with you."

"Cry me a river," sneered Luca. The demon got along with him just fine when he was falling in line, but nothing lasted forever. He was useful, otherwise Greed would never have chosen him as his meat sack. "Without me, you would simply be a dead seed, a parasite. I am the reason why you are so close to Hattie. I am the reason why you can see her every day, I am the reason why you know what she looks like when she sleeps."

The demon inside him was silent as Luca continued down the path. The house had given him a mission—become stronger. But strength wasn’t the same for everyone. Luca knew that he would never be as physically strong as Tank, or as good of a fighter as Dimitri.

His strength was quieter, found in the way he manipulated people from the shadows. Even when Réne was part of them, Luca was the one who made the plans. Réne would come up with great ideas, but it was up to Luca to make them into reality.

So how did he make the house understand his version of strength? How did he show it to Hattie?

They were so different; Hattie was a creature of chaos, while Luca thrived on order. Hattie went with the flow, not worrying about anything because, as the Devil, she was in complete control, even if it didn’t seem like it.

Luca, on the other hand, wasn’t comfortable unless he had a plan in place. He needed time to figure out everything, time to make a Plan A, B, C, D, and E. How different everything would be if he managed to have implemented a plan.

Instead, he was stuck running after his Queen, trying to make things up on the fly. It was no wonder that she always seemed to overlook him. He was nothing more than one dog of many wagging his tail in her direction.

Fuck, she even somehow ended up with a human husband when they ran off half-cocked to the New Dawn Sanctuary. Not to mention everything that happened after.

He was tired of being like a leaf in the wind, moving to someone else’s force.

"Then stop bitching and do something about it," sneered Greed, his voice like nails on a chalkboard. "You think Hattie wants to be in charge all the time? I’ve known her since she was only a few years old. Four years might have passed, but you know as well as I do that it has only been a year for her. How do you expect her to go from an abused child who couldn’t even decide for herself what to have for breakfast to a woman who controls the fate of the entire world."

Luca paused, cocking his head to the side. Greed was right. No one could manage to do that and not be burnt out in a few months. For Hattie to last as long as she had was a testament to her strength.

So maybe he didn’t have to change. Maybe to be deserving of the Devil, he just had to be who he was.

The planner, the strategist.

That was the role he played best, and it was time for her to see that side of him.

Finally figuring out his place in the world, Luca looked up. He was inside a clearing, but it was quiet. Almost too quiet. The moonlight filtered down in streaks, and at the center was a man sitting on a throne of twisted plants and silver bones.

"Took you long enough," sighed the man as he rose to his feet. He was tall with broad shoulders, every inch the warrior that Luca was not. His voice was like thunder, shaking the world around them until even the plants seemed to bow at his feet.

"Sorry," shrugged Luca. "I didn’t know we had an appointment."

The man nodded, taking a step forward. "I have it on good authority that you are the one standing in my way. Unfortunately for you, that means you have to die."

"Why?" Luca asked, his eyes never leaving his opponent. He didn’t stand a chance if this fight continued to draw on. If he wanted to win, he needed to take out the other man fast.

"She is mine," answered the man. "I’ve been waiting for Greed to come to me, to take me. I’ve trained every day for thousands of years, and yet, he chose a weakling like you. Tell me, human, what do you have that I don’t?"

"Hattie," replied Luca, a smirk on his face.

The creature in front of him clearly didn’t appreciate his response because before Luca could so much as shift his weight, it lunged at him.

The first strike came fast, a spear of blackened root aimed for Luca’s throat. He ducked the strike, twisted his body, and then countered, conjuring an air blade so sharp it split a tree in half.

However, the other man was faster.

He vanished, reappearing behind Luca, and slammed a fist into his ribs. Not expecting the blow, Luca didn’t even have time to brace himself. Flying back into a tree, Luca groaned in pain as the air was knocked out of his lungs.

"Let me out," hissed Greed, the pressure inside Luca’s head almost as painful as his ribs. "You don’t stand a chance. You heard him; he’s been waiting for me to pick him for centuries."

"No," replied Luca, dropping his head for a second as he tried to control the pain. "Not yet."

He needed to do this. He needed to be able to stand on his own two feet.

The creature charged again. With a laugh, it extended its claws until it looked like he had a blade on each finger. This time, Luca was ready.

Coming to his feet, Luca met him head-on, trading blow for blow until the entire area around them shook under their feet.

Blood flowed, bones broke, and yet Luca held his own. Taking in a deep breath, Luca stared at the creature that was more beast than man. He was on the other side of the clearing, clutching his ribs.

"We offer our soul the moment we see Hattie," announced Luca, his head held high.

"That was a given," answered Greed. "It’s you who’s been holding back this entire time. Otherwise, I would have been joined to her the second we saw her in that bathroom. I’m Greed, I don’t need to think about what I want, I already know. And I want all of Hattie."

"Then let’s do this," sighed Luca, releasing his hold on the demon. He could feel Greed flowing through his body, infusing his muscles with a strength that only a demon held. Every breath he took, he felt the demon’s need for Hattie.

He needed her just as much as the human did. And for that alone, Luca was willing to merge with him.

The human might love the woman, but the demon worshiped her.

"You want her?" hissed Luca/Greed, his eyes flashing green. "Then come take her from me."

When the storm ended, the creature who thought that he was worthy of Greed lay dead on the ground.

Not bothering to look at the corpse, Luca turned around and found the path once again.

Now, it was just a matter of showing Hattie that he could love her the way they both deserved.

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