The hallway on the top floor was relatively clean, with only a few long-stiffened skeletons scattered around.
The cries for help were coming from behind a tightly shut door at the end of the hall.
Rick made a hand signal, and Glenn and Maggie immediately moved to either side of the door, raising their guns and taking aim.
Rick leaned against the wall beside the door and knocked. His voice was not loud, but it was clear enough. "Whoever's inside, we're survivors. The walkers outside have been cleared for now. You're safe."
The cries inside stopped abruptly. A few seconds later, a trembling male voice answered, "R-Really?"
Rick and Glenn exchanged a look.
"Open the door. We won't hurt you."
After another hesitant rustle from inside, the lock clicked softly, and the door opened a crack.
A pair of bloodshot but clear brown eyes peered at them through the gap.
When he saw Rick and the others were fully armed but did not seem hostile, the door slowly opened.
The man standing before them looked to be in his thirties.
He wore a red-and-black plaid flannel shirt, with a somewhat worn outdoor vest over it, sturdy hiking pants, and a pair of hiking boots covered in mud but still well maintained.
The man looked haggard, with stubble across his face. His short brown hair was greasy and stuck to his forehead, making it obvious he had been trapped here for quite a while.
Behind him was a relatively tidy room. The windows had been reinforced with wooden boards, though narrow gaps had been left for observation.
The most eye-catching thing was the bulging orange hiking pack by his feet. Its outer attachment points were stuffed with all kinds of gear.
A roll of paracord, a multi-purpose canteen, a small bundle of tools wrapped in oilcloth, and even a compact entrenching shovel.
The backpack looked professional and heavy, but everything was arranged neatly.
"Jesus! Thank God!" The man leaned against the doorframe and let out a long breath. "My name's Boone."
"Rick." Rick's gaze quickly swept over Boone and the room behind him. "This is Glenn, and Maggie. How did you end up trapped here alone?"
Boone swallowed. "I'm a backpacker. When the virus broke out, I happened to be deep in the mountains, so I avoided the first and worst wave of chaos.
By the time I realized the world had changed and tried to get back toward the edge of the city to look for supplies and... other survivors, it was already too late."
Bitterness flashed across his face. "I've been surviving on the wilderness skills I knew and by searching abandoned houses on the edges of small towns.
I came to this town a few days ago, hoping to find something useful in this building. But somehow, a large group of walkers suddenly gathered downstairs.
I got trapped on the top floor and couldn't get down. My food and water were almost gone..."
Rick noticed that Boone's eyes did not wander while he spoke, and the details made sense.
He pointed at the large backpack. "Your gear looks pretty professional."
At that, Boone's eyes brightened a little.
"Yeah. I collected it and organized it bit by bit."
He took the initiative to unzip a few pockets and show them what was inside, his movements practiced. "Look, water purification tablets. And this."
Boone took out a makeshift filter made from two plastic bottles and some cloth. "In a pinch, it can do multi-layer filtration. I also have notes on identifying edible plants. I wrote them down in my notebook."
Then he quickly showed them the fire starters, energy bars, and high-calorie compressed food, all sorted into different sections of the backpack.
"Can you set traps?" Glenn asked curiously. He could tell Boone was different from people like them, who mainly searched for supplies in towns and cities.
"A few." Boone nodded. "Mostly for small animals. Out in the wild, that's sometimes safer than facing walkers directly."
He glanced at the revolver in Rick's hand and the machete Glenn carried, then spread his hands. "Of course, against those things, a gun is the more direct answer. But I don't have one.
Maggie noticed that although Boone was exhausted, his physical condition was clearly decent.
She asked, "Do you know this area well?"
Boone answered at once, "I can navigate with a map, the sun, and the stars. Phone maps are useless now, but as long as you give me a rough direction and the time, I can find the way."
Rick listened in silence.
Boone did not look like he was lying. And if he had survived alone for this long, his mental toughness and adaptability should not be poor.
There were not many supplies in his pack, but they were neatly organized. He was clearly someone prepared and methodical.
Still, Maggie's warning lingered in his mind.
Boone seemed to notice Rick's hesitation. He put down his backpack and raised both hands, showing that he was unarmed.
After struggling for a moment, he even fumbled behind his waist, pulled out a small knife tucked there, gritted his teeth, and tossed it onto the floor.
"Listen, sir... Rick, right? I know you can't trust people easily in this world. But I really am just someone trying to stay alive.
I'm tired of being alone, scared every day. If you have a safe place, I'm willing to do any work and share everything I have.
I just... I just don't want to be alone anymore."
Boone pleaded sincerely with Rick, who was clearly the one in charge among the three. His eyes were clear and did not dodge away.
The top floor fell silent for a moment.
Rick looked at Boone. After a while, he slowly lowered the angle of his gun a little.
"We have a community a few miles from here," he said. "We can take you back with us. But you'll need to follow our rules and accept quarantine observation."
Boone's face instantly lit up with joy, almost as if he were about to cry.
"Of course! Any rules! Thank you! Thank you!" he said again and again, so excited he could barely speak straight.
"Pack your things. We're getting ready to leave." Rick gave Glenn and Maggie a look, telling them to stay alert.
He picked up the walkie-talkie and said quietly to Andrea, "Andrea, we found someone. Survivor, male, backpacker. Preparing to evacuate. Route unchanged. Be ready to cover us."
"Copy, Rick."
Boone quickly stuffed the few scattered personal items back into his huge backpack and swung it neatly onto his back.
Once they left the suffocating apartment building, Rick deliberately kept Boone in the middle of the group. He brought up the rear himself, while Glenn and Maggie led the way and stayed on guard.
After Andrea rejoined them, she walked beside Rick, glancing at Boone from time to time.
They moved through abandoned streets and wilderness paths, and the silence lasted for a while.
Finally, Rick broke it and asked the question every newcomer had to answer.
"Boone, how many walkers have you killed?"
Boone did not seem surprised. He turned his head and answered honestly, "Not a single one. I... I mostly hide.
I know that sounds cowardly, but I was alone, and I didn't have any decent weapons. When I ran into them, my only option was to run and use the terrain to shake them off."
...
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