The person had been killed less than half an hour ago.
I looked around, scanning for tracks, and quickly found the trail of four or five people heading north. They couldn't have gotten far.
In the distance, the growls of the undead drifted toward us. Beth's scream had attracted them.
"Pick the rest of the elderberries. I'll deal with the walkers. We need to get out of here quickly," I told her as I pulled out my bow and began shooting the approaching undead.
"Carl, stop hiding behind the tree and help her," I ordered.
The boy stepped out. Shock and disbelief were written all over his face.
"How did you know I was following you?" he asked.
"What the hell are you doing here, Carl? Why aren't you back at the prison?" Beth shouted angrily.
"Both of you, quiet down and work. We're leaving this area in under a minute."
My hands moved quickly, sending arrows into three more walkers before they could get close. At the same time, I kept my senses focused on the surroundings, watching for any hidden danger.
The two of them hurried to gather the remaining elderberries while I continued shooting the undead.
"We're all done," Beth said nervously.
Carl stood nearby with a handgun in one hand and a fistful of elderberries in the other.
"Then let's go."
We moved out quickly, leaving the body behind.
As we got closer to the prison, the two of them began to relax.
"Carl, what the hell were you thinking, following us?" Beth yelled, her voice filled with worry.
"Just relax. Nobody got hurt, did they? Why are you yelling at me?" Carl replied as he walked ahead.
"The problem is that you could have gotten hurt—or killed."
"I can take care of myself. You don't have to lecture me. And let me remind you, you've snuck around alone plenty of times. I didn't say anything."
He was clearly annoyed as he marched ahead. Beth looked just as frustrated.
The sound of someone running reached me, and I quickly looked up. Far in the distance, a woman was sprinting through the woods. Behind her, a group of people chased her while she screamed for help.
"Why are you stopping, Max?" Beth asked, concern filling her eyes.
Carl, who had been walking ahead, stopped as well and looked back at me.
Sometimes I forgot they were different from me. Even now, they couldn't hear the woman or see her charging toward us.
Ignorance can be a blessing.
"Hide," I ordered.
Both of them looked at me in confusion.
"Hide from who? Are you seeing things?" Carl asked, glancing around and finding nothing unusual.
Beth simply stared at me, equally confused.
Whoosh!
I caught the arrow in midair just before it struck Beth.
Two more arrows flew past us, barely missing Carl.
"Shit! What the hell was that?" Carl shouted, staring at the arrow embedded in the tree beside him.
Beth, on the other hand, looked terrified. She stood frozen, her eyes fixed on the arrow in my hand. It had missed her face by only a few inches.
I tossed the arrow onto the ground.
"Hide. Now. Both of you."
This time, they didn't argue. They immediately took cover behind a tree.
"Help!"
A desperate cry echoed through the woods from the direction the arrows had come from.
"Is that a woman screaming for help?" Beth asked, looking at me.
Carl turned toward the sound as well.
Only now could they hear it.
Good.
I grabbed my bow and focused on one of the women pursuing the fleeing survivor. Before the archer could fire another arrow, I released my shot.
The arrow pierced her skull.
She dropped instantly.
The others didn't notice. They were too focused on chasing the screaming woman.
I fired again.
This time, my arrow struck a man.
He collapsed to the ground.
Only three remained: a woman dressed in ragged clothes, a man holding a machete, and another carrying a bow.
The group finally stopped and noticed me.
So did the fleeing woman.
For a brief moment, the woods fell silent.
"Please help me," the woman said, pointing at the three people behind her.
One of the men, who had a machete, stepped forward.
"We're from the Saviors. We suggest you hand her over to us. You don't have to die over this. We can overlook you killing our two people," he shouted from several yards away.
The remaining two kept their weapons trained on me and the woman. All of them looked uneasy after what they had witnessed.
"They're lying!" the woman shouted. "I found the stash of supplies in an abandoned house first!"
She looked at me with pleading eyes. Her hand trembled as she gripped a pocketknife tightly.
They could tell I was skilled with a bow, and none of them wanted to risk their lives unnecessarily.
Fortunately, they still hadn't noticed Carl and Beth.
Hearing the name Saviors, I couldn't help but smile.
"And what if I don't hand her over?"
The moment I said that, their expressions hardened.
"Then you leave us no choice but to kill you."
The tension between us grew heavier.
Before I could respond, a gunshot rang out from behind me.
The bullet missed the man and hit a nearby tree.
He stumbled backward and immediately turned toward the source of the shot.
Carl stood behind the tree with the handgun raised.
The other two Saviors reacted instantly and fired at me and the woman.
I dodged out of the way, but the woman beside me wasn't as lucky.
An arrow struck her in the stomach.
She collapsed to the ground, crying out in pain.
The man in front charged at me with his machete.
I waited patiently for him to get close. Before he could swing, I kicked him in the kneecap.
A sharp crack echoed through the woods.
His leg buckled.
The man screamed and fell to the ground.
Another gunshot rang out.
This time, Carl hit him in the shoulder.
Two arrows flew toward me.
I grabbed the wounded man and used him as a shield.
Both arrows buried themselves in his back.
At the same moment, Beth fired.
Her arrow struck one of the women in the arm just as she was drawing another shot.
Realizing they were outnumbered, the remaining two Saviors turned and ran.
They abandoned the wounded man with the machete without a second thought.
The woods fell silent once again.
Only the cries of the injured woman and the groans of the wounded Savior remained.
Carl and Beth attended to the injured woman while I focused on the man lying at my feet. He was bleeding heavily.
"Tell me where your base is. If you do, I'll let you go."
The man only glared at me angrily.
A few moments later, he lost consciousness from blood loss.
Frustrated, I searched his pockets.
To my surprise, I found a map.
Not only did it mark several hideouts, but it also showed the location of their base.
Thank my lucky stars.
I looked toward the two survivors fleeing through the woods several hundred yards away.
Pulling out an arrow, I dipped its tip into the sample vial containing infected blood that I had collected from the prison patients.
Then I drew my bow and fired.
The arrow struck one of them in the leg, leaving only a deep cut.
I fired again.
The second arrow hit the other runner in the shoulder.
Satisfied, I lowered my bow and let them escape.
"Max, could you treat her?" Beth asked, trying not to panic.
"Don't worry. I'm coming."
I walked over to the wounded Savior and crushed his skull with a single stomp.
The sickening crack echoed through the woods.
The sudden act stunned Carl and Beth. Even the injured woman quieted for a moment, staring at me in shock.
I stopped in front of Carl.
He looked up at me, confusion written across his face.
Before he could say a word, I slapped him.
The force sent him tumbling to the ground.
"Why the fuck did you hit me?" he shouted angrily.
Before he could get back up, I slapped him again, knocking him back down.
Blood dripped from the corner of his mouth.
"Max, stop! Why are you doing this?" Beth cried from behind me.
"Look at that woman you're holding," I snapped, pointing at the injured survivor. "This wouldn't have happened if he hadn't fired his gun like a dumbass without understanding the situation."
Carl glared at me, holding his bleeding mouth.
"Because of that stupidity, everyone here could have died."
I didn't bother hiding my anger. This boy would not only get himself killed, but he would drag other people down with him. If it had been one of my men who did this, I would have cut his head off long ago.
I had wanted those Saviors alive. If I had wanted them dead, I could have killed them in seconds. Instead, Carl had turned a tense standoff into a fight.
Fortunately, I had still managed to find their base and infect two of them. Three would have been better, but it couldn't be helped now.
Beth fell silent.
She looked from me to Carl, unable to argue.
I took a deep breath and walked over to the injured woman. Kneeling beside her, I began treating her wound.
The reason I had decided to save her was simple. I recognized her.
She was Kate, David's wife from the New Frontier.