Everyone stared as Rick and Glenn stepped into the department store. The tension in the room was thick, wary eyes, uncertain glances. Andrea crossed her arms and shot Glenn a look.
"Seriously, Glenn? Another one?" she said dryly. "You collecting strays now? Let's just hope he is as strong as Alister."
Glenn raised a brow. "He's a cop. Pretty sure he knows how to handle a gun."
Rick stepped forward, brushing dust off his shirt. "Rick Grimes. Deputy Sheriff, King County. Appreciate the save."
He offered a hand. No one moved until Alister stepped forward and clasped it firmly.
"Sir Alister of Greya," he said with a nod, removing his helmet. "Though you may call me Alister. Welcome, Sir Grimes. We've much to discuss, but this is no time for pleasantries."
"Agreed," Rick replied, eyes scanning the worried faces and not asking about Alister's knight outfit. "I take it you've got walkers surrounding the place?"
Glenn nodded. "I checked the rooftop. There's a fire escape ladder on the east side but the alley's crawling."
"I might know a way out," Jacqui chimed in, stepping closer. "Maintenance corridors under the store. If we can get to the sub-basement, there's a door that opens to the back lot. I helped inspect the place once it might still be unlocked."
Alister turned toward the group, his tone steady but commanding. "Then we plan. Glenn, Rick show us where the ladder is. Jacqui, guide us through the basement layout. We move quick, we move quiet, and we move together."
Everyone gathered around a dusty countertop as Glenn laid out a rough sketch of the store's layout using markers and paper scraps.
Glenn used the markers to draw jagged lines, marking out key locations entrances, stairwells, exits and even windows. "Here's where we are now main floor near the front. The ladder's here," he circled a spot on the far east side. "There's a side door in the alley, but like I said, it's jammed up with walkers."
Jacqui pointed to a section beneath the main layout. "Basement access is through the employee hallway in the back. If it hasn't collapsed, it runs underneath and exits here behind the store, near the delivery dock."
Alister studied the drawing carefully, eyes narrowed in thought. "We'll need to divide our efforts. If either route proves fruitful, we must move swiftly."
Alister gave a serious look before saying. "We'll split into three pairs."
Rick glanced at each of them, then started laying out the roles. "Glenn and I will take the ladder see if we can clear that alley for an escape. If it works, we'll radio in and bring the van around."
Alister turned to Jacqui. "You and I will descend into the depths. If this tunnel truly exists, it may grant us a way beneath the horde."
T-Dog stood by the window, peering out through cracked blinds. "Then me and Andrea will keep lookout. If those walkers breach the front, we'll be your warning."
Andrea loaded her pistol with a sharp click. "Try not to die before we need to save you."
Everyone gave a dry chuckle tension easing, just for a moment.
Alister looked around, expression sharp. "Check your gadget of communication. Stay alert. And if it comes to a choice between fighting and running choose the latter."
"Let's make this work," Rick said.
The group dispersed Glenn and Rick moving toward the stairwell to the roof, Alister and Jacqui heading toward the back hallway, and Andrea and T-Dog positioning themselves at opposite ends of the storefront, watching the streets with nervous eyes.
The department store fell quiet again… but not for long. A distant groaning echoed from outside.
The dead were growing restless.
Andrea & T-Dog POV –––––––––––––
Andrea crouched near a dusty display shelf, her pistol drawn and eyes scanning through a shattered windowpane. The late afternoon sun painted the street in gold and shadow, but the quiet was deceiving. Groans echoed faintly in the distance too many for comfort.
"East side's crawling," she murmured, pulling back slightly. "Glenn wasn't kidding."
T-Dog stood nearby, clutching a short-handled axe, peeking through a crack in the boarded-up entrance. "I count at least twenty... maybe more circling toward the front." He glanced back at Andrea, his jaw tight. "If they close in before the others find a way out".
"I know," Andrea cut in. "We're boxed in."
For a moment, they just listened shuffle, groan, silence. The dead were patient. That was the worst part.
Andrea adjusted her grip on the pistol and looked over at T-Dog. "You ever think we'd be doing this? Watching for dead people through storefront windows?"
T-Dog snorted, humorless. "I thought night shifts at sanitation were rough. At least trash didn't bite."
They shared a dry look before Andrea's gaze turned serious again. "Let's just make sure we're not the ones needing saving. If they come through, we hold them off buy time."
T-Dog nodded. "Yeah. Let's keep these people alive. Especially that armored guy. He's weird as hell but swings that sword like he's born for it."
Andrea gave a faint smile. "Yeah. He's got presence, I'll give him that."
A thump echoed from the far end of the building, and they both froze. No groans yet. But something was moving nearby.
Andrea whispered, "Stay sharp."
Glenn & Rick POV –––––––––––––––
The metal door to the rooftop creaked open as Glenn led the way up, his footsteps quick and practiced. Rick followed close behind, still catching his breath from the earlier chaos. The rooftop smelled of tar and dust, with heat rising off the surface in shimmering waves.
"Up here's where I first saw you," Glenn said, nodding toward the edge. "I was on watch. Thought for sure you were walker meat."
Rick stepped up beside him and looked down. From the rooftop, the streets below looked like a graveyard of motion shuffling figures crowding alleyways, some bumping into cars, others dragging broken limbs. The groans sounded fainter up here, but they were no less threatening.
"Damn," Rick muttered, adjusting the sheriff's hat he'd nearly lost during the chase. "How do you all deal with this?"
"We don't. Not really," Glenn replied. "We just keep moving, keep trying. Hoping the next day doesn't suck worse than the last."
He pointed across to the fire escape ladder bolted to the adjacent wall. "That's our way out. Trouble is, the alley down there's filled. Can't climb down without drawing the whole horde."
Rick studied it. "We need a distraction."
"Yeah, but we can't make too much noise from up here, or they'll surround the whole building. Maybe something quieter… a timed lure, or…"
Rick scratched his chin. "What about the red car across the street? We can set its horn to continue blaring."
Glenn's eyes lit up. "If we can set it off remotely… Or better get someone to trigger it from the other side, draw the walkers away."
Rick gave him a wry glance. "You volunteering?"
Glenn chuckled under his breath. "Hell no. But I've got an idea. Might not be medieval-approved, though, so we'll keep Alister outta this part."
Rick smirked. "Fair enough. Let's get back down, loop in the others."
Alister & Jacqui POV ––––––––––––––
The metal door groaned open as Jacqui led Alister down the narrow stairwell into the basement. The air grew colder with each step, the scent of damp concrete and dust creeping into their lungs. Flickering emergency lights buzzed faintly overhead, casting twitching shadows across the corridor walls.
Alister gripped his sword tightly, his eyes scanning every inch of the unknown. "This place feels... unclean," he muttered.
Jacqui swallowed and nodded. "Yeah. It's the rot. You get used to it… or you don't."
The basement opened into a maze of storage rooms and pipes. Cardboard boxes lay torn across the floor, long-abandoned supplies now ruined by water and time. Each footstep echoed, too loud for comfort.
They moved slowly.
"I remember a maintenance door at the far end," Jacqui whispered. "It used to lead to a back alley. If we're lucky, it's still unlocked."
"Luck favors no one in cursed tombs like this," Alister said grimly.
Then a sound.
Scrape.
Shhhk.
They froze.
A low moan reverberated through the pipes, followed by the shuffling drag of something moving through the shadows just ahead.
Jacqui tensed, her flashlight trembling slightly in her hands. "Oh no…"
From the darkness, a figure emerged. Half its face hung in tatters, one eye milky white. Another shape appeared behind it. Then another. The basement had become a nest.
Alister stepped forward without hesitation, his sword gleaming in the flickering light. "Stay behind me."
"No argument here!" Jacqui gasped, fumbling for the pistol Shane had given her.
The first walker lunged and Alister met it head-on. With a precise slash, he split it from shoulder to hip, the blade singing through the stale air. A second walker came from the left Jacqui fired, the shot deafening in the narrow space. It fell, twitching.
But more were coming. From the hallways, from the shadows drawn by sound, scent, motion.
Jacqui pointed toward a side tunnel. "We'll get surrounded! That way!"
"Lead the way, lady of wisdom," Alister said, already backing toward her, sword held defensively.
They ran, ducking beneath the pipes, weaving through narrow corridors. Every groan behind them made Jacqui's heart stutter. Every clang of boots against metal was a countdown.
Finally they reached a locked door.
Jacqui cursed under her breath. "Shit! I thought it'd be open!"
Alister didn't hesitate he slammed his boot into the rusted lock with a grunt. Once. Twice.
CRACK.
The door flung open. They stumbled out into a smaller utility room safer for now, but the walkers were coming.
"We'll hold here," Alister said, breathing heavily. "If we fall, let it be in battle, not in fear."
Jacqui reloaded, her hands shaking. "We're not falling today, knight. Not if I've got anything to say about it."
Alister pressed his back against the utility room door, his arms bracing the handle as muffled thuds echoed from the other side. The undead were testing the threshold, drawn to the noise, to the life just beyond reach.
Jacqui paced the tight space, her flashlight darting over rusted tools, old mop buckets, and broken shelving. "This isn't gonna hold forever," she said, voice tight.
"It only needs to hold long enough," Alister replied, voice calm but eyes sharp. "There must be another passage. A servant's way out, perhaps?"
Jacqui scanned the room again her eyes landed on a vent shaft in the corner, partially obscured behind a shelving unit.
"There maybe," she pointed.
Alister helped her move the debris, his strength making short work of the rusted metal frame. Jacqui crouched and peered inside. "It's tight. I think I can fit through… maybe lead to the generator room. If I'm right, there's a staircase up to the loading dock."
Alister nodded. "Go. I shall cover your retreat."
Jacqui looked back at him, hesitating. "You're not coming?"
"I would not fit," he said flatly, sizing the vent with a scowl. "And if I forced my way, I'd slow you down."
Jacqui bit her lip, torn. "We don't split. That's rule one."
Alister gave a half-smile. "Then let us break the rules just this once, Lady Jacqui. You have more knowledge of this place, and your fire-stick is far louder than my steel."
She hesitated for one more heartbeat, then nodded. "I'll find a way and come back for you. Don't die on me, Alister."
"I've faced worse odds with less armor," he said with a smirk, raising his sword.
Jacqui crawled into the shaft, flashlight clenched between her teeth. Alister turned back toward the door, bracing as the groaning wood cracked and buckled.
From the other side, guttural growls and clawing fingers tore at the doorframe.
"Come then, cursed wretches," Alister muttered, planting his boots and locking in his helmet firmly. "I shall tear you all apart!"