Morne led the three of them through the night as they fled. The sound of Sean firing his weapon while holding off the pursuers echoed far into the distance, drawing even more people toward them.
Morne ran at the front, gasping for breath. He turned into an alleyway only to run straight into another group of people drawn by the noise.
"Crap!" Morne skidded to a halt and shouted a warning to the others.
"Another group is coming from the front. We're trapped. Open fire and push them back!"
Morne fired a shot at the feet of the people in front of him. "Stop! Leave now and I will not kill you. Otherwise I will open fire!"
Unfortunately, the crowd did not stop. Instead, they surged forward even faster.
Morne gritted his teeth and raised his gun, firing continuously at the opposing crowd.
Sean kept firing at the people chasing them from behind. Lori, caught in the middle, could only fire at whichever side came too close.
"The bullets are not working. It is like they cannot be killed. Are these things even human? Dammit!"
"I am almost out of ammo. Morne, check if there is any way out around here!"
"There is no way out. The group in front has completely blocked the path, and there are walls on both sides. We are going to die here, damn it!"
"Sean, Morne, do not say that. We are going to make it!" Lori screamed in panic, trying to suppress her inner terror.
Bang. In the crowd, one person was hit in the head by Lori's pistol and failed to get back up.
The others were too busy firing to notice, and although Carl saw it, he did not think much of it. He looked around frantically, trying to find a way to survive this dead end.
Suddenly, Carl noticed that the wall on the front right near the ground seemed to be a different color from the rest. It looked like an opening.
He hurriedly tugged on Lori's hand.
"Mom, look at the wall on the front right. Is that a hole?"
Lori looked where Carl was pointing. After a careful look, she realized it really was a hole, just large enough for an adult to crawl through while bent over.
She immediately called out to Sean and Morne.
"Sean, Morne. There is a hole in the wall on the front right. We can escape through there!"
Hearing Lori, Morne looked at the wall and found the hole she mentioned. After confirming they could pass through, he rushed forward, firing to push the crowd back.
"Quick, come here. Aunt Lori, you go through first to make sure it is safe, then Carl."
"Uncle Sean, the two of us will cover the rear. You go through next, then cover me from the other side before pulling me through."
The three of them had no objections to Morne's plan. Lori began crawling through the hole.
Lori cautiously poked her head through to the other side to look around. Seeing no danger, she crawled through.
Once on the other side, Lori reached back and pulled Carl through.
Seeing that Lori and Carl had made it, Sean moved toward the hole while firing at the crowd. After crawling through, he raised his gun and opened fire again.
"Morne, come over here!"
"Coming!"
Morne grabbed Sean's hand and squeezed through the hole. Lori immediately blocked the opening with a board she found nearby, hiding their presence.
Having lost their target, the crowd roared and wandered aimlessly.
The group slumped to the ground, gasping for air.
Under the moonlight, Morne's face was deathly pale. Beads of sweat rolled down one by one and fell to the ground.
"Brother Morne, are you okay? Your face is very pale. You look scary."
Carl noticed Morne's condition and asked with concern.
Lori and Sean also cast worried glances his way.
"I am fine. I just need a little rest."
Morne sat against the wall and slowly calmed his breathing.
"We cannot rest in the open. There is no telling when those things will surround us. We need to find a house."
Sean suggested, looking at the others for agreement.
Lori nodded and walked over to Morne, helping him toward Sean's side.
"Sean is right. We have to leave. Morne, hang in there a bit longer."
"Alright, let's go."
Under the cover of night, Sean carried the gun bag and supported Morne as they led the way. Lori held Carl's hand and followed carefully.
After walking for a while, the four of them arrived at a small two story house. It showed no signs of forced entry, and the surroundings were clean.
Sean helped Morne sit by a window and peered inside to check the situation.
It was clean inside with no signs of anyone having stayed there. It seemed the occupants had moved out before the riots began.
Lori brought Carl to Morne's side, told him to stay with Morne, and then walked over to Sean.
"How is it inside? Is anyone there?"
"Not a single person. There is hardly any furniture. It looks like it has been empty for a while."
"We can rest here for now. If we secure the doors and windows, we might be able to hold out until the riots end."
"I do not think so. A day or two might be fine, but once more people enter the city, we probably will not be able to leave even if we want to. The situation in the city is not like the reports said. The military has likely collapsed. We need to plan ahead."
"Do you have any ideas, Sean?"
"We can stay here for a night or two first so Morne can recover. After that, we need to leave quickly and head somewhere less crowded."
"Yes, okay. No objections."
After their discussion, Sean cautiously tried to open the window. Fortunately, it was not locked. The previous owner must have been careless, but that worked in their favor.
After slowly climbing into the house, Sean searched the rooms thoroughly. Once certain no one was inside, he went to the door, opened it, and called the others in.
Once everyone was inside, Sean closed the door and blocked it with the only large sofa he could find. Then he went to the window, locked it, and drew the curtains so they could not be seen from outside.
After doing a final sweep to ensure everything was secured and they were hidden from view, he returned to the others.
The four of them went to the second floor. They helped Morne lie down on a bed in one of the rooms to rest, then told Carl to get some sleep as well.
With everything settled, Sean returned to the first floor and lay down on the sofa blocking the door to get some light rest.
Lori went into another room on the second floor and lay down. Thinking back on the day's events and Rick lying in the hospital without a heartbeat, she could not help but sob, eventually crying herself to sleep.
A beam of sunlight slipped through a gap in the curtains and touched Lori's cheek.
This was already their second day in the house. Lori had grown somewhat accustomed to staying in the shadows to avoid being spotted.
On the morning after the first night, the four of them gathered to discuss their situation.
"These people do not seem to feel pain. Bullets hit them, blood flows, but they are only pushed back by the impact. They are not afraid. No matter how many times they are shot, they do not go down. Are they even human?"
Morne spoke in confusion, looking at the others for their thoughts.
"I do not know."
Lori felt exhausted. The previous night's escape seemed to have drained all her strength, and after crying so hard before sleep, she felt completely drained.
"Hard to say. I have tried. No matter where I shoot, they do not stop. Even if you break their legs, they will still crawl toward you."
Sean scratched his head in frustration. Just then, Carl spoke.
"I think I saw someone get hit in the head by Mom and fall down without getting back up."
Hearing this, the three of them quickly asked Carl if he was sure.
"I think so. I was so scared then. I just wanted to find a way to escape."
Sean and Morne exchanged a look, both understanding what the other was thinking.
"Tomorrow I will go find a few stragglers to test it out. Morne, you stay here and protect Lori and Carl. We will rest one more day today to recover our strength."
Lori got out of bed and went downstairs. She only saw Morne cleaning the guns while Carl watched with interest. Sean was nowhere to be seen.
"Has Sean already gone out?"
"Yes. He got up early this morning, took a pistol and a sniper rifle, and left."
Lori went to Carl's side, stroked his head, and asked Morne.
"What should we do next?"
Morne continued what he was doing and thought for a moment.
"First we wait for Uncle Sean to return and see if hitting the head really stops them. After that, we will search nearby houses for food and then leave for somewhere less crowded."
Lori nodded in agreement.
The sun began to set, and the house gradually grew dark.
Three long knocks followed by one short knock sounded at the door. It was the signal Sean and Morne had agreed on.
Morne moved the sofa and opened the door, and Sean walked in.
He lifted a large bag in his hand and whispered with a hint of pride, "Look what I brought."
He placed the bag on the floor and opened it. It was filled with various canned food, oats, and even a large carton of milk.
"That is great."
"Uncle Sean, you are amazing."
"Classic Uncle Sean."
The three of them praised him.
"Alright, everyone, let us eat well before you keep praising me," Sean said with a wide grin.
After a pleasant dinner, Lori held Carl as she, Sean, and Morne gathered to discuss their next steps.
"With the food Uncle Sean brought back, we have enough to last about half a month. We do not need to search for more. We could not carry it anyway. So we should consider leaving in the next day or two."
"Morne is right. The people at the city entrance are probably about to move in. People do not suddenly turn like that for no reason. If it is contagious, then once they arrive, it will become even more dangerous."
Sean thought for a moment after hearing them.
"Hmm, we definitely need to leave. But first, we need to get a car. We cannot leave on foot."
"We will head out tomorrow morning, back toward where we entered the city. We led that crowd far away, so it should be safer there now. Everyone go rest and recover. No one knows what tomorrow will bring."
After the discussion, the group returned to their rooms to rest.
The sun remained harsh, as if reflecting the chaos unfolding everywhere on the ground.
Sean walked up to a car and looked inside. The keys were still in the ignition. The owner must have fled in panic.
On the entire street, this was the most intact car they had seen. With no other option, Sean tried to force the door open.
"Hey, the keys are inside, but the door is locked. I will try to pick it."
Morne nodded and stood aside to keep watch, while Lori held Carl's hand behind him.
To their surprise, as soon as Sean began picking the lock, the car alarm went off.
Beep. Beep. Beep.
The piercing alarm echoed far and wide.
"Dammit."
Sean cursed under his breath and worked faster.
Morne looked around and saw those eerie figures starting to approach from all directions.
"How much longer? They are coming from everywhere."
"I am going as fast as I can. Just hold them off for a bit. This door, open already."
The figures drew closer. Morne pulled Lori and Carl back toward the car so they could rush in once it opened, then stepped forward and fired.
Gunshots mixed with the alarm echoed into the distance. More and more figures were converging on their position.
"Not done yet? We are about to be surrounded."
"Almost there."
Sean was sweating heavily, his hands moving faster and faster.
Finally, with a click, the car door opened.
"The door is open. Get in."
The four of them rushed into the car. Once everyone was inside, Sean pressed the gas.
Instead of the car speeding away, a low fuel warning sounded.
"Shit."
"Now I understand why that person left the keys in the car."
"Get out. We have to run."
"We cannot. We are surrounded. Dammit."
"Mom, are we going to die here?"
"No, we will not. Quick, think of something."
The sound of pounding came from all sides of the car. Trapped inside, the four of them fell into despair.
"Hey. Looks like someone needs a hand. Hahaha."
A mocking voice rang out, the kind of voice that made anyone want to punch its owner.