At that moment, Morgan and Guillermo also rushed into the room, and Gerry's movements on the bed frightened them as well. The man they had been talking and laughing with just yesterday had simply disappeared, and now the walker was tied to the bed.
Rick seemed to be the most affected of his group, then he handed the letter in his hand to Morgan and the others, and helped Elen—who was breathless and couldn't stop crying—out of the room.
"Be strong, Gerry knew you would be very strong, think about Katie!"
Hearing Rick mention Katia, the two sisters turned back. The little girl who had been sitting on a chair had silently walked up to them, looking extremely weak, with a pitiful expression that no child should have.
Noa hugged Katia and walked back to the chair, sitting down without understanding how all this had happened. Elen also stepped forward and embraced her sister and the girl who, though not of her blood, had become more than family after surviving together all this time. Rick couldn't help but sigh when he saw the three of them hugging…
By almost noon, Rick and the others finally went downstairs, followed by Elen, Katia, and Noa, who also came out with huge backpacks on their shoulders.
The two girls cast one last glance at the second-floor window, quietly wiped away their tears, then turned around and walked toward the truck parked not far away.
Guillermo willingly gave up the last-row seat and moved to the back, while the three girls sat in the last row. Morgan drove the vehicle and slowly pulled away from the small building.
The truck headed in the direction they had come from. Morgan drove relatively steadily, but not fast, and the people inside the vehicle didn't speak. Rick looked toward the exit of the town ahead, but his thoughts were still on Gerry.
The car turned a corner and was only about fifty meters from the exit onto the main road when it suddenly stopped.
Rick was jolted by Morgan's sudden braking, and his somewhat lazy expression was instantly roused.
"What's wrong?" Rick looked at Morgan and asked in confusion.
Morgan's eyes were wide, scanning the intersection with fear on his face. He didn't answer Rick at first, and Rick slowly turned his head to look forward.
Walkers! Countless walkers.
At that moment, the town's exit was completely surrounded by them. Fortunately, these densely packed dead less than two hundred meters ahead were only the regular kind.
"That's good, they're just regular walkers," Guillermo murmured in a deep voice, gripping the pistol in his hand tightly.
Morgan froze for a moment, then quickly shifted into reverse. The truck's engine roared as he backed up at full speed, steering sharply to take the opposite direction before heading the other way out.
"How is it any relief to see thousands of walkers, you crazy bastard?" Elen in the last row was so terrified her face turned pale. She hugged Katia tightly beside her, and the two of them simply bowed their heads, refusing to look at anything around them.
Soon they reached the other side of town, but only then did they realize the scale of the horde had exceeded their expectations, and they were likely surrounded.
Rick pulled his weapon and racked the slide, shouting to Guillermo behind him: "Guillermo, get in the car now!"
Morgan looked at the roads clogged with walkers all around and glanced at Rick beside him with a trace of panic: "Why don't we find a residential house to hide in for now? Maybe this horde will pass soon."
Shaking his head, Rick pointed at the walkers advancing down the side road and said: "We can't anymore. Now the only option is to plow through them, because if we get out now we'll die trapped trying to find shelter."
At this moment, Guillermo, who had been in the back of the truck, moved into the rear row of seats. Several faster walkers had already thrown themselves against the vehicle's body. Rotten faces pressed against the glass, white eyes staring fixedly at the people inside. They opened their mouths, gnawing at the windows, drawn to the living flesh inside, and began to slowly surround the truck.
Elen in the last row suddenly pointed to an intersection not far away and shouted loudly: "Morgan, turn there! There's a way out!"
Seeing that there was still a trace of hope, Morgan quickly turned the wheel, and the truck surged toward the direction Elen had indicated. The walkers clinging to the side of the vehicle lost their grip and fell to the ground, while more walkers at the rear began chasing after them.
Sure enough, there was a small road leading out on another side of town. Morgan didn't dare waste any time—he slammed on the gas! Watching the small town gradually vanish behind them, the group broke into a cold sweat. Perhaps just one moment of hesitation, and they would have all been trapped there.
"Where are we going?"
"We'll keep following this road, see if we can turn further north, then circle back." The truck slowly pulled away from the path.
...
At the same time, back at the prison.
In the square in the backyard, Shane was surrounded by several women. He stood there, staring at their expressions, unsure of what to do.
Around him were women who had been performing better and better in training. Because he was responsible for daily external tasks at the base, all these women had come to him.
Andrea, being the most outspoken among them, basically took the lead in negotiations. "We've gone out with the team many times. Why can't we go out on our own now? Otherwise, what's the point of training every day if we can't do anything?"
Shane was left speechless. These women had gone into the forest a few times with a group, and now they wanted to fend for themselves against stronger walkers?
"Your training time has been too short. I can't let you take serious risks. Not to mention—what if you make a mistake or run into W-2 walkers? No one will be able to come to your aid. Do you think it's that simple? Even with sophisticated teams, soldiers die every day. Don't take this lightly."
Ignoring his words, Andrea still insisted on her point. "We won't go far, but you can't keep us stuck in the base forever. Doesn't everyone have a first time?"
Shane waved his hand impatiently and said: "I'm a Class Three authority holder. If I say you're not ready, you're not ready. Do you understand? Alright, I've got a lot to do. We'll talk later."
After Shane finished speaking, he turned and walked toward the front yard. The women looked bitterly at his back, but there was nothing they could do.
At that moment, Amy suddenly saw Lori running out of the house in a hurry. Spotting Shane, she shouted to stop him.
The women realized something was wrong, so they gathered around to listen. Lori spoke in a nervous tone: "Rick and the others have run into a horde of walkers! Shane, you have to go help them."
"Hey, calm down, Lori, you're scaring everyone. Explain clearly what you just heard."
Following Shane's prompting, she took a deep breath to calm herself, then continued: "I was just talking to Rick in the communications room, and he said they ran into a large horde of walkers and their way back was blocked. They've got at most half a tank of gas left. If they can't move, they might get trapped—you have to think of a way to help them."
If Lori hadn't said this just then, he wouldn't have paid attention at all. But he couldn't ignore the feelings of his friend's wife—even though this situation was becoming very bothersome to him.
"Zz... Rick, Rick, can you hear me? Shane speaking…"
"Zz...."
After waiting for a while, only robotic static came through the intercom, and Lori's face turned even paler. Just when a few people were beginning to feel despair—
"Zz... Shane, copy. This is Rick."
Her face relaxed slightly, and Shane lifted the radio, continuing: "Are you alright? I just heard from your wife that you encountered a horde of walkers. Is it too dangerous?"
"We're fine for now, but this horde is pretty big, and we won't be able to return to the base for a while."
"Alright, stay in touch at all times…"