After a night of deep deliberation, a rough plan took shape in his heart—he decided to head to Harrison Memorial Hospital across the street!
"Hiding here forever isn't a solution."
Louis analyzed to himself, "This building has already been targeted by that group. Who knows if they'll double back? My food is almost gone, so it's a good time to go somewhere with more resources."
After considering everything, the hospital where the protagonist Rick was located was arguably the best choice at this stage.
There were likely large quantities of medicine, medical equipment, and even emergency canned food stored there, all of which were strategic resources more valuable than snacks from a convenience store.
Moreover, the hospital's complex structure and numerous rooms made it more suitable for hiding and maneuvering than this wide-open office building.
Furthermore, that was, after all, where Rick Grimes would wake up.
Staying close to him would also allow him to accurately grasp the plot's direction and prepare fully for his next plan—joining the protagonist's group.
Having made up his mind, Louis hesitated no longer.
He quickly packed all the scavenged supplies into a hiking backpack and stuffed the suitcase in as well.
After shouldering the massive backpack that was nearly half his height, he took one last look around the "safe house" where he had stayed for several days, then donned his invisibility cloak and slipped into the early morning mist.
The road to the hospital wasn't long, but it was fraught with danger.
There were more Walkers wandering the streets than in previous days, so Louis could only move cautiously through the shadows of the buildings.
Just as he was about to reach the hospital, a scene at the corner ahead made him stop in his tracks.
A middle-aged woman with black hair was slumped by the roadside; her ankle seemed to be injured, and she was struggling to crawl back up.
However, she failed to notice that in her blind spot, a Walker dressed in a nurse's uniform had been attracted by her movements and was approaching her with stiff steps, one at a time!
Louis's heart tightened.
He hadn't wanted to meddle, but in that critical moment, he instinctively raised his wand.
He pointed his wand at a fist-sized piece of rubble on the ground next to the woman.
"Wingardium Leviosa."
A faint voice sounded in the air, and the stone instantly floated up. Then, like a shell fired from a cannon, it whistled through the air and slammed hard into the back of the Walker's head from an angle the woman couldn't see at all!
"Bang!"
With a dull thud, the Walker's head split open.
It wasn't until the Walker fell flat on its back not far behind her that the woman turned around in terror. When she saw what it was, she let out a short, frightened scream.
She stared blankly at the fallen Walker and then at the empty surroundings, her face filled with confusion and lingering fear.
She quickly realized that some unknown Good Samaritan had saved her.
She struggled to her feet, bowed deeply toward the empty street, and whispered, "Thank you... thank you..."
After speaking, she hesitated for a moment, as if something had occurred to her.
From her backpack, she carefully took out two unopened boxes of antibiotics and gently placed them on the ground.
"I don't know who you are, but thank you for saving my life. I... this is all I have. I hope it's useful to you."
The woman bowed once more before limping away and quickly disappearing around the end of the street corner.
Louis waited until he was sure she was far away before stepping out from the shadows.
Using several Walkers as cover, he quickly picked up the two boxes of medicine from the ground and put them in his backpack... Meanwhile, inside a two-story building.
Just as the black-haired woman entered, a burly Black man immediately came forward to support her.
"Jenny! Where have you been? You look terrible. What happened?" The man's voice was full of concern.
"Morgan..." Jenny's voice was still trembling. "I... I was almost... bitten by those things on the road just now."
She told her husband about the harrowing scene that had just occurred, then lowered her head in embarrassment.
"I'm sorry, Morgan. I left the medicine we worked so hard to find for the person who saved me. Now there's only one box left."
Hearing this, Morgan didn't blame her; instead, he reached out and held his wife tightly in his arms.
"You did the right thing, Jenny."
He said softly, "Even in a world like this, we are human, and we must do what humans should do. Helping each other is the right thing."
Just then, a muffled cough came from the inner room, and a young Black boy walked out with sleepy eyes, looking at them. "Dad? Mom? What's wrong?"
"Dwayne!"
The couple turned back in surprise, and Morgan rushed over in a stride to place his hand on his son's forehead.
"The fever is gone! Great, the fever is basically gone!"
The family of three embraced tightly in this apocalypse... At this moment, Louis didn't know that his small butterfly wings had already inadvertently stirred up a tiny wave.
He had successfully infiltrated Harrison Memorial Hospital.
The hospital was deathly silent, the air filled with a strange scent—a mix of disinfectant and blood.
He began to cautiously explore the routes inside the building while searching for the ward where Rick might be.
As he passed a storage room, a woman's scream suddenly came from inside!
Louis was startled and immediately ducked behind the door, peering inside through the small window.
He hadn't expected that there would be other survivors in this seemingly lifeless hospital!
Inside the storage room, a blonde woman was being cornered by a Walker, looking like she was about to be caught!
In the nick of time, a woman with short, capable hair rushed out from the side and finished off the Walker cleanly with a dagger.
The short-haired woman caught her breath and helped up the terrified woman before glancing at a blonde man in a wheelchair whose waist was bleeding and who had already passed out.
Wrapped in his invisibility cloak, Louis followed silently, listening to their conversation.
He quickly figured out the situation.
The man and woman trapped by the Walker were a couple named Karina and Paul from a survivor camp near the hospital. The camp had been overrun by a horde of Walkers a few days ago, and they were among the few survivors.
The short-haired woman was named Gayle, a doctor. After the disaster broke out, she had stayed at the hospital, doing her best to care for the patients who hadn't had time to evacuate.
After hearing this, Louis nodded in understanding.
It seemed that the reason Rick could remain in a coma for weeks and be unharmed was likely because this dedicated Dr. Gayle had been caring for him all along.
While he was thinking, the conversation inside suddenly made his heart tighten.
After checking Paul's injuries, Dr. Gayle stood up, her face carrying a trace of sorrow and helplessness.
Then she shook her head and said to Karina, "I'm sorry, his body is failing. I can barely feel his pulse."
"I think... the medical supplies here are no longer enough to save him."
She paused, her voice tinged with reluctance. "I must... take him away."
Karina broke down instantly, kneeling on the ground and weeping uncontrollably.
Take him away? Where to?
An ominous premonition rose in Louis's heart.