Untouched by the Outbreak

As Yumi busied herself in the kitchen, she nearly jumped when she heard Ryo's voice bellow from the living room, "Don't even think about putting poison in the food!"

Yumi grunted under her breath, irritation flashing across her face. "Poison? Seriously?" she mumbled to herself. "Does he think I'm that stupid?" She didn't have any poison with her even if she wanted to. And knowing Ryo, he'd probably force her to eat first to check for it. What a paranoid and controlling man.

She turned her attention back to the task at hand. The rice cooker clicked into action, humming softly as it cooked the rice. It was such a strange feeling, using something as mundane as a rice cooker in the middle of this apocalyptic nightmare. The house was powered by the solar panels she saw outside, and everything seemed so... functional. It didn't feel like the world had ended here.

Curiosity got the better of her, and she opened the refrigerator. Her eyes widened in disbelief at the sight. It was full—not just with food, but with cans upon cans of beer. "Damn," Yumi muttered. "They're living like kings while everyone else is out there, barely surviving." She felt a strange mix of resentment and awe. How had they managed to keep all of this?

While other survivors were holed up in dark, musty shelters, barely scraping by, Ryo and Sachiko were thriving—eating well, drinking beer, and living in comfort. Stay tuned with empire

Yumi shook her head in disbelief. For a brief second, she wondered if she could ever be part of this bizarre, twisted luxury. But the thought quickly faded. She was here because she had no choice. Because running meant death.

After Yumi finished preparing the food, she set it on the table carefully, her hands trembling slightly as she laid out the dishes. She took a deep breath, then called out, "The food is ready." Her voice was soft, barely above a whisper, afraid of what might happen next.

Ryo and Sachiko made their way to the table, taking their seats. Yumi stood there, uncertain of what to do, just watching them. Ryo's eyes flicked toward her, his expression darkening when he noticed she was still standing. Without warning, he grabbed a fistful of her hair and yanked her down toward him. Yumi gasped in pain, her eyes widening in fear.

"Why are you standing like an idiot?" Ryo growled, his voice dripping with irritation. The pain coursed through Yumi's scalp, but she didn't dare speak. She only nodded, tears welling up in her eyes as she tried to endure the sharp tug on her hair. She didn't even have time to recover before Ryo, still gripping her hair, forced her to taste every dish she had prepared, one by one.

"Eat," he commanded coldly, "taste everything."

With tears streaming down her face, Yumi obediently took small bites from each dish, her body trembling as she tasted the food to prove it wasn't poisoned. Ryo watched her closely, only letting go of her hair when he was satisfied. His grip loosened, and he finally let her go.

"Sit," Ryo ordered, this time pointing to the seat beside him. Yumi nodded, still trembling, and tried to sit further away from them, but Ryo wasn't having any of it. He grabbed her by the hair again, pulling her harshly to sit directly beside him.

"You sit here," Ryo growled, his voice icy.

Yumi bit her lip to stifle a sob, her heart pounding in fear. She wanted to be as far away from him as possible, but there was no escape. She sat there, silently, staring at her plate as her tears slowly dripped onto the table.

Sachiko, sitting across from them, merely glanced over. She said nothing, picking up her chopsticks and starting to eat. She knew better than to interfere when Ryo was this angry. It was best to let him cool down on his own. Her lips twitched slightly as she ate, almost as if the entire situation was just another passing moment.

Yumi, however, could feel the weight of her helplessness crushing her more with every second.

Ryo's voice cut through the air again, sharp and commanding. "Who said you could sit far? Sit next to me. Closer!"

Yumi, trembling, nodded wordlessly and inched closer until she was right beside him, feeling the heat of his presence as she sat just where he demanded. The tension in her body was palpable, her nerves frayed with every movement, but she knew better than to resist. She sat as close as she could, barely breathing.

"Good girl," Ryo said with a smirk, clearly satisfied with her obedience. His hand briefly brushed against her arm, sending a shiver down her spine. Yumi swallowed hard, her eyes fixated on her lap as she tried to control the shaking in her hands.

On the other side, Sachiko sat as usual, her body pressed close to Ryo's, but with ease and familiarity. She was used to this—used to Ryo's possessiveness, used to being at his side whenever he wanted her. It was where she belonged, where she felt most secure. After all, Sachiko was Ryo's woman, and she took pride in being close to him.

There was no reason for her to sit far away; she always wanted to be as near to him as possible. Ryo was everything to her now, and keeping that bond was all that mattered.

For Yumi, the closeness was suffocating, but for Sachiko, it was simply how things were. As they sat in silence, the room felt charged with an undercurrent of power and submission, both women playing their roles while Ryo sat at the center of it all.

Sachiko's mind drifted as she watched Yumi sit nervously beside Ryo, the tension in the air reminding her of her own first time in this very house. She had been like Yumi once—terrified, crying, and sobbing, wondering what her fate would be. She could still remember the fear coursing through her as Ryo had claimed her, taking her as his woman.

But once it was done, once she belonged to him, something inside her had changed.

Over time, that fear turned into something else, something stronger. Sachiko had come to love Ryo, though she had never told him. It wasn't fear of becoming zombie food or being fed to the creatures that kept her quiet; it was because she understood Ryo on a deeper level. She knew that once Ryo claimed a woman, that woman was his—fully, completely.

He would protect her at all costs, keep her close, and never let anyone else touch her. Ryo was possessive, fiercely so. What was his would only belong to him, and no one else would dare lay a hand on what he considered his.

Sachiko had come to appreciate that about him, even if it meant her freedom was forever tied to his will. She had learned to accept and even desire that closeness, craving it now in a way she never expected. To be Ryo's woman meant being kept safe, and in a world where everything had fallen apart, that was worth more than anything else.

Her gaze shifted to Sayako, the female zombie sitting nearby, eating from the same spoon Ryo had used to feed himself. Even Sayako belonged to Ryo—completely, utterly. It was strange, perhaps unsettling, but Sachiko had long since grown used to it. Sayako was Ryo's in a way that went beyond simple commands. The female zombie would tear apart anyone who threatened Ryo without a second thought.

She, too, was fiercely loyal to him.

Sachiko sighed softly, leaning a little closer to Ryo, her thoughts swirling with the reality of their strange, intimate existence. She knew Yumi would understand soon enough. Once Ryo claimed her, there would be no turning back. Yumi would belong to him, just as she and Sayako did. That was the way of things in Ryo's world.

Sachiko knew the truth deeply. Once someone belonged to Ryo, he would give them the protection, care, and loyalty she'd never imagined in this desolate world. Ryo wasn't like other men who might discard or abandon when boredom crept in. No, when Ryo took someone in, it wasn't just a fleeting claim—it was a permanent one.

He would ensure that what was his remained only his, held close, safe, and untouched by anyone else.

She glanced at him, seeing the intensity in his gaze as he watched over Yumi and even Sayako, the strange bond between him and the female zombie evident in the quiet loyalty she had toward him. Sachiko was certain now that his devotion wasn't fleeting; it was binding.

Ryo's possessiveness was a double-edged blade that cut away any fear of abandonment, replacing it with the strange, undeniable security that only he could provide.

For Sachiko, being Ryo's woman meant knowing she'd never face the world alone again.

Sachiko leaned in, her lips meeting Ryo's in a bold, passionate kiss, pulling him closer to her with complete disregard for Yumi's presence. Her confidence was unwavering as she guided his hand to her chest, her gaze flicking briefly to Yumi, who watched in silence, stunned and uncertain.

In that moment, Sachiko showed Yumi what it meant to be Ryo's woman—to trust him without fear, to accept his protectiveness and control, and, in return, to feel secure in a world that had stripped away all safety and comfort from everyone else.

It was her silent, assertive declaration that she belonged fully to Ryo, and that being his offered a twisted sort of loyalty and stability—something scarce in their brutal world.