After giving all the necessary knowledge to the Kranks, Emma retreated to her forest. Over the following months, she split her time between intense training sessions among the towering trees and occasional visits to the Kranks to check on their progress.

Meanwhile, her five puppies thrived under her care, growing rapidly with each passing day. Emma gave them names filled with hope and positivity: Lucky, Fortune, Wealthy, Healthy, and Happiness. The special water and food she provided them with contributed to their amazing health and strength making them grow and become stronger faster than other dogs their age.

Engrossed in constructing a new trap in the forest grounds, Emma was abruptly interrupted by a startling alarm echoing in her mind—a big change from the reward messages she usually got. "Intruders detected, intruders detected," the alarm blared, sending a shiver down Emma's spine. With a fast reaction, she called out to her puppies, urging them inside the safety of the gate before it sealed shut behind them, its electric currents and menacing spikes springing into action to protect the safe place.

Making sure the puppies were secure within the house, Emma ran to the top floor, where she had strategically positioned firearms and arrows on the balcony, ready for any potential threat. Inside, she activated all her surveillance cameras, each one giving her a comprehensive view of the forest grounds. As she scanned through the cameras, her eyes flared with anger upon spotting a small car approaching, still several minutes away from her house.

Emma stepped outside onto the balcony, using a telescope to focus on the approaching vehicle. As the car came to a halt approximately three minutes walk from her house, Emma's brow furrowed in frustration. It was clear that these people knew pretty well about the layout of her property.

Emma's eyes narrowed to slits as she observed the scene unfolding before her. Emma stared hard at each person who got out of the car. Among them, the realtor agent who had sold her this house stood out, his face filled with guilt, followed by the two burly men armed with guns. One of them had a jagged scar across his harsh face. Emma's lip curled with disdain as she recognized the realtor as the betrayer who had led these intruders to her doorstep.

As the group made their way towards the house, Emma's ears caught every word of their conversation, the sound was sent to Emma through the camera. The man with the scar seized the realtor roughly, his grip tight around the agent's trembling shoulder. "You sure there is food in there?" he demanded, his voice laced with a menacing undertone.

The realtor's response was hesitant and quivering, betraying his fear of the consequences. "Yes, I'm sure. I saw the girl buying a lot of things from the market," he stammered out, his voice filled with uncertainty.

The man with the scar pushed the realtor to the ground with force, his threat hanging heavy in the air. "If there isn't, you're our next meal," he sneered, his laughter echoing through the forest as they advanced towards the house, leaving the realtor scrambling to his feet in a desperate bid to keep pace.

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As the group got nearer the gate, Emma went onto the balcony, her firearm poised and ready. While she had previously avoided using guns due to their noise attracting zombies, Emma didn't want to fight the gun to the sword. She wasn't going to take any risk.

Without hesitation, Emma fired three shots into the ground in front of the trio, the sharp cracks of gunfire echoing through the air. "Boom, boom, boom." The sudden eruption of sound caused the men to raise their hands defensively, their expressions a mix of surprise and alarm. The man standing next to the scarred face tried to calm things down, calling out, "Hey girl, we mean no harm," his eyes scanned the area in search of Emma's position.

A jolt of realization surged through Emma as she sensed a faint disturbance in her mind—a telepathic presence attempting to locate her. Her eyes widened in astonishment. It dawned on her that one of these individuals possessed the power of mentalness, much like herself. However, it was very clear that she was much better at it than them because they couldn't figure out where she was.

The man exchanged a glance with the scarred face, his head shaking side to side. Scarface took charge, his voice commanding as he issued a warning. "Come out before we go in, girl!"

Emma couldn't help but roll her eyes at the man's arrogance. Did they think she'd fall for that trick? As Scarred Face continued to search for her, frustration shown in his movements, Emma remained silent, her amusement growing with each passing moment.

With a giving up sigh, Scarred Face shoved the realtor forward, instructing him to climb over the gate. While the fence surrounding the house crackled with electricity and bristled with spikes, the gate itself appeared harmless, its surface looked clean. Emma's lips curved into a satisfied smile as the realtor hesitantly approached the gate, unaware of the danger that was about to happen.

Meanwhile, the two men positioned themselves behind nearby trees. As the realtor made contact with the gate, horror engulfed him in an instant as his body turned into ashes, a silent scream of agony escaping his lips. In his final moments, regret flooded his mind.

His thoughts raced back to the series of events that led him to this grim fate. He couldn't shake the memory of his betrayal. It had started innocently enough—a moment of weakness, a lapse in judgment that spiraled into a web of lying and betrayal.

He had been cheating on his wife when the apocalypse had swept over their area, caught up in the excitement of a secret affair. Despite the looming threat of the apocalypse, he had convinced himself that he and his mistress would be safe, their secret place stocked with a pile of food and supplies. But their house attracted the interest of two selfish men, who were only focused on finding food.

As the two break into the house, they eat up their food leaving them with only fear. With their supplies gone and desperation gnawing at their insides, they had turned on the mistress, cutting her into pieces and using her as food. As they were about to turn on the realtor he gave up Emma's location in a desperate bid to save his skin. He knows where she lived, and before selling her the house, he knew from the way she was dressing that she must have been at the wholesale market. And also, he had thought to himself, she was pretty, maybe he would have a chance with her too.

As he stood before the gate, facing the consequences of his betrayal, regret flooded his mind like a tidal wave. If only he had resisted temptation, if only he had remained faithful to his wife and children, perhaps he wouldn't be facing this cruel fate. But it was too late for regrets now, as the ashes of his existence scattered to the wind, leaving behind nothing.