The Male Leads Are Trapped in My House

“Are you hurt anywhere?”@@novelbin@@

That was the wrong question. He should’ve asked if I’d been bitten.

Despite his sharp, polished appearance, Ethan’s face and uniform were splattered with blood—so much blood it was disturbing.

Our eyes met. His cold, icy-blue gaze sent a chill down my spine.

‘This isn’t the time to freeze up.’

I grabbed his hand, startling him. Ethan’s brow furrowed in confusion.

“Come with me. We need to get out of here.”

“I know this situation is completely fucked up, but there might still be survivors.”

Of course he’d say that. The man was a police officer to his core.

‘That’s exactly why I came out here.’

Kraaah!

The number of monsters was increasing, and the few survivors had all but vanished. The creatures now outnumbered humans by several times.

They were spreading out, taking over the streets. Most of the paths were already blocked. It wouldn’t be easy to escape.

If we didn’t leave now, we’d be trapped.

“…Sorry.”

Thud!

I swung the blunt end of my hatchet and struck Ethan on the back of his head, knocking him out.

Thump.

Ethan collapsed. I threw him over my shoulder and ran.

Dodging monsters, I kept running. And running.

By the time I reached the outskirts of the village, my lungs were burning, and I was gasping for air.

A massive gate loomed ahead.

It was open.

‘Why the hell is the gate open?!’

But there was no time to think about that.

Bang!

I burst inside, slamming the gate shut behind me. Tossing Ethan onto the ground, I quickly locked the gate and slid the heavy bar into place.

Only then did I let out a shaky breath of relief.

Kraaah! Krrk! Kwaak!

The monsters’ cries echoed from outside.

Thuds rattled the gate as they slammed against it. Peering through the narrow gap, I saw them clustering outside.

“Shit. We’re not getting out of here.”

The monsters were swarming, their numbers steadily growing.

Thanks to the reinforced defenses, it didn’t seem like they’d be able to break in.

But the real problem? I couldn’t get out either.

Ethan and I were trapped inside this house.

And when Ethan woke up, he might just try to kill me for knocking him out.

‘Whatever. I just saved the world.’

Or more accurately, I kidnapped the man who would save the world before he could get himself killed.

It was still better than being trapped in that monster-infested hellhole.

I threw Ethan over my shoulder again and crossed the garden.

I had to get him to a bed.

But then—

I froze.

The front door was wide open.

‘…Why is the front door open?’

Come to think of it, the gate had been open earlier too.

I’d told Susanna countless times to lock everything up.

A sudden wave of dread rooted me to the spot.

Crash—

Thud, thud!

A loud noise echoed from inside the house. Something was breaking—or maybe smashing into something.

I set Ethan down and gripped my hatchet tightly.

It was dark inside. Pitch black.

Sweat gathered in my palms.

‘Susanna?’

No. It couldn’t be Susanna.

It had to not be her.

Muttering under my breath, I slowly stepped through the open doorway.

Crack— Crash.

The sound continued.

It was coming from the banquet hall on the first floor.

Aside from the noises, the hallway was eerily silent.

Cold sweat ran down my back.

The tension was so thick it felt like it was choking me. Even breathing was hard.

I crept forward.

I didn’t have any Molotovs this time, so I needed to be even more careful.

Thud. Thud.

A sound like scraping sand came from the banquet hall.

But it didn’t sound human—too short and quick to be footsteps.

What the hell was it?

It sounded almost like a four-legged beast running.

Thud. Thud-thud.

The noise sped up.

Thud-thud-thud-thud-thud!

Thud.

And then it stopped—right at the entrance of the banquet hall.

I froze, holding my breath.

Three seconds. I’d count to three, then charge in.

One—

Two—

Th—

Boom!

Before I even reached three, something lunged out of the banquet hall.

Shit!

Its massive jaws gaped open—rows of razor-sharp teeth coated in blood.

I barely rolled out of the way in time.

“Shit. I think I twisted my ankle.”

Thud.

The creature landed gracefully, its movements unnervingly smooth.

Unlike the grotesque monsters I’d seen so far, this one had the form of a wolf.

The problem? If it was wolf-like, that meant it was fast—and I’d just sprained my ankle.

I wasn’t a trained fighter. I was just someone with brute strength.

‘Don’t waste time.’

I steadied myself and slowly picked up the hatchet I had dropped.

The creature lunged. I swung.

Whack!

Yelp!

Luckily, my aim was dead on. The wolf flew back and slammed into a wall.

I rushed over and drove the hatchet into its head.

Squelch—

Green liquid sprayed everywhere like a fountain.

Its legs spasmed before going limp.

Once I confirmed it was dead, my hands gave out.

Clang.

The hatchet clattered onto the marble floor as I collapsed.

I was trembling.

Two years. I had to fight these things for two years.

I thought I was prepared, but facing it in reality… I could barely keep my head straight.

If I didn’t have brute strength, I’d already be dead.

If I didn’t have it…

I shuddered and shook the thought away.

“Susanna. I need to find Susanna.”

Limping, I forced myself to move.

But she wasn’t in the banquet hall. Or the rooms on the first floor. Or anywhere on the second floor.

I returned to the first floor and stared blankly at the open front door.

‘Did she go outside?’

Stay calm. Stay calm, Cherry.

I scanned the area carefully again. That’s when I noticed—the kitchen door was open.

No, not just open. Smashed in.

Food was scattered everywhere, spilling out onto the hallway floor.

‘No way.’

I hobbled toward the kitchen and froze.

“What the fuck…”

My supplies.

That damned monster had destroyed the pantry.

Bags of flour were burst open, blanketing the floor in white powder.

Cans were smashed, their contents leaking out.

Vegetables—sweet potatoes, potatoes, other root crops—were trampled and ruined.

I’d have to eat those quickly anyway, but this? This was a disaster.

Even a single grain of rice mattered when survival was at stake.

‘No. It’s fine. I still have enough.’

I could make it last six months with Ethan and Susanna.

The lack of proper refrigeration in this world meant food storage was always limited.

‘That’s why I started farming. It’ll be fine. It’ll be fine.’

Until the crops grew, I’d have to scavenge in the village or nearby mountains.

‘As long as I can deal with the monsters outside.’

At least the water barrels were intact.

Water mattered more than food.

But then it hit me—what about Nox?

When I rescued Ethan, I hadn’t seen Nox anywhere.

Maybe he’d managed to hide.

Not just Nox—I started worrying about the other villagers I’d gotten to know.

And Vanilla… I hadn’t seen her in days. Was she alive?

‘No. Don’t think about that now.’

Focus. Find Susanna first.

The monster’s teeth had been stained with blood.

But there were no human bloodstains inside the house. Only wreckage.

I decided to move Ethan later and deal with the monster’s corpse first.

Drag. Drag.

I grabbed its leg and hauled it to the door.

‘It’s heavier than I thought.’

Even with my strength, there were limits.

Its legs alone were as long as I was tall.

I dumped the body in the farthest corner of the garden. I’d burn it in the morning—doing it at night would just draw attention.

Phew.

I stood in the dark garden, wiping sweat off my forehead.

‘This is exhausting.’

Too much had happened today. But I couldn’t rest yet. Ethan was still inside.

I turned to head back when something about the wolf’s body caught my eye.

Something was tied to the back of its head.

I stepped closer.

A hair tie.

It was wrapped tightly around a patch of fur, holding it in place.

It was… a woman’s hair tie.

My mind went blank.

Had Susanna been wearing a hair tie?