Looking into the distance, Patricia and Beth threw their bags into the back of the truck and climbed in as quickly as they could.
With the situation unfolding, the drivers of the two vehicles didn't dare to take the road they had come from. But thanks to Shane listening to Jimmy's instructions, they drove down a small road in the opposite direction.
Beth leaned against the back window of the truck and watched as her home faded further and further from her sight. Unable to do anything, a depressing mood took hold of her.
She had lost her mother; she was still in the barn along with her brother.
Whether she liked it or not, leaving them behind caused a sharp pain in her chest that she couldn't shake off. But she had known for a long time that they were dead. She wanted to give them a proper rest, but she had never gone against her father's orders.
Glenn, who was driving the truck, quickly noticed that the sadness had spread to everyone. Each person had their own thoughts about it, but they all shared the same pain. More than anyone, he knew they didn't feel well—he had experienced the same feeling of desolation. He didn't take the initiative to speak and simply focused on driving in silence.
After driving for about half an hour, some members of the group arrived in a small town. It was already dark, and Shane didn't want to drive at night, so he had to find temporary shelter there.
The group reached an area with only a few houses on the outskirts of town and randomly chose one with a closed door.
"Keep your eyes open. Walkers won't be the only enemies," Shane said as he waited for Richard to open the door. He stepped inside with a shotgun in hand. After going up to the second floor and checking each room, two dull thuds were heard before Shane came back down the stairs.
"What was that noise?" Glenn asked, slightly nervous.
"It was nothing, just two walkers—cleared out!" Shane said while wiping his nose and signaling to the people outside to come in.
"Come on, help me get these two walkers out of the house."
After speaking and checking the house once more, Glenn returned with the rest of the group, and everyone entered. Meanwhile, Hershel, Richard, and Morgan passed by carrying the two walker corpses. Glenn visibly stiffened for a moment.
With a sigh, Glenn couldn't afford to worry about it too much now. As long as he got Hershel out safely, that was more than enough for him.
The small group, who had been on edge all day, was exhausted. Seeing this, Shane told everyone to rest and that they would return to the prison tomorrow depending on the situation outside.
Inside the bathroom, Shane pulled out the radio and reported to Sam Valdez:
"Zz... This is Shane. We managed to rescue the people at the farm, but due to the overall situation, we'll return tomorrow."
"Zz... Did you see which direction the walker horde moved? I need to be sure it's not heading our way. Over," Sam Valdez's voice came through the radio, calm and steady.
"Zz... No need to worry, the horde moved in the opposite direction from the prison. But don't let your guard down. Over."
"Zz... Got it. I'll keep you updated. Don't forget to keep your people safe," Sam Valdez replied before ending the communication.
"Zz... Understood!"
…
Back to the group still in the city of Atlanta, they were taking every opportunity to rescue survivors and loot supplies, though their pace was slow due to the complicated streets.
Inside the bus, in the back, Jason sat beside the driver, keeping his eyes wide open as he watched the outside. Aside from Kenneth's group, they had rescued a teacher with some students, a few firefighters with their partners, and two young people who had been fleeing.
This group of people was seated in the available spots on the bus, all under Jason's watchful gaze. He had already discreetly informed his people to stay alert regarding this group of newcomers.
Jason knew that trusting people could be a good thing, but not trusting them was even better. He could smell the desperation and the sheer will to survive—and those were the very things that made people make bad decisions.
But among all the people who needed to be saved, there were always some who wanted more. Their ambition or desire drove them to take more than they could handle, and that was something he always guarded against.
Large trucks and a bus headed toward the outskirts of Atlanta, moving toward the prison. Jason's group had more than ten people experienced in weapons and combat. It could be said that Kenneth and Jim were reliable men, and they had been given weapons to help protect the group.
Night was falling, and as an old hunter would say, nighttime is when the old wolf hunts its prey. Just when everything seemed calm, Jason's radio suddenly crackled to life, and Rick's voice came through.
"Zz... Jason, there's a woman with a baby in the middle of the road, about fifty meters ahead."
Hearing this, Jason frowned. He signaled to George, the driver, as well as Jim and Kenneth.
"Zz... What's the situation around them? What do you see?"
"Zz... The woman isn't moving. She's standing in the middle of the road. She doesn't seem infected, and at first glance, she appears to be asking for help."
"Get ready to assist her. I'll approach her myself. None of you move from the trucks—I don't like how this looks!" Jason said before grabbing his weapon and securing the radio to his chest.
"Jim and Kenneth, you're experienced in combat. This time, your job is to protect this bus. It seems there's a survivor who needs help, but I really don't like this situation." Jason stood by the bus door as the convoy began to slow down.
"Do you think it's a trap?" Kenneth asked, frowning. To be honest, people these days were highly untrustworthy.
"We'll be ready," Jim said as he grabbed an M4 and stood up, scanning the surroundings with watchful eyes.
"What's going on?" Carlos asked sleepily.
"Don't talk. Everyone keep your heads down and stay away from the windows until this is over."
After saying that, the convoy came to a halt on the cold road, while Jason seized the moment to step off the bus and move forward quickly with his weapon in hand.
The city was now somewhat quieter, thanks to the walkers being lured to the other side of town by the alarm at the CDC. This could give people many opportunities to do unpredictable things.
After everyone had stopped, Elías and the other soldiers exited from behind the truck and took cover behind the tank, armed with light machine guns and sniper rifles. Everyone remained on high alert.
As time passed, the tension grew, and Jason, who had already reached the door of the front truck, knocked lightly before it was opened.
"Take my weapon and prepare for any anomalies. Don't worry about my safety!" Jason said as he handed his M4 to the driver in front and secured his knife in the sheath on his vest before approaching the woman who stood silently in the middle of the road.
Of course, during this time, everyone had taken advantage of the situation to move and position themselves. "Hello, ma'am, we are from the army. What is your situation?"
Seeing the clear road ahead with no walkers in sight, Jason felt a strange sensation in his body. Walking unhurriedly, he moved closer to the woman who was kneeling on the ground, holding what appeared to be a baby in her arms.
"Ma'am, come to my side. I promise to help you with all your problems!" Jason said with a calm expression. As the situation became increasingly critical, he stepped forward and stopped about a meter away from the woman, who had not moved until now.
"Sir, please help me..." Just as Jason and his group in the distance sensed that something was wrong, the woman lifted her gaze and looked at Jason.
Jason was momentarily bewildered, then realized that the woman's appearance was disheveled and extremely dirty, as if she hadn't bathed in a long time. But what caught his attention even more was the woman's necklace. When she saw Jason's eyes on her chest, she quickly tucked the metal tags beneath a blanket.
"Are you the only one here, ma'am?" Jason asked with a reassuring smile.
At Jason's question, the woman's body trembled slightly, and she quickly nodded. She looked at Jason, her eyes showing slight nervousness. This was definitely unexpected—no one else had approached this place besides Jason.
Seeing that the woman had no intention of speaking, Jason grabbed her shoulders and helped her to her feet before saying, "Don't worry, you'll be safe in a moment."
"Thank you for your help, sir. It will definitely be of great assistance to me," the woman said as something metallic lightly tapped against Jason's stomach.
Even though he already knew something was off, Jason wanted to see for himself what was bothering him. But as he looked down at the gun pressed against his stomach, he grinned sinisterly and said, "Ma'am, it seems that wasn't a baby you were carrying in your arms!"
"And from what I see, you must be the captain of the group, am I right? If I take you hostage right now, the others will surrender. You're just as stupid as the rest. Trusting people these days is truly foolish," the woman said with a slightly crazed expression.
The woman, now holding a gun, grabbed the weapon from Jason's waist holster. Shortly after, three trucks approached from different directions, filled with armed people. Judging by their numbers and firepower, they were definitely not just a simple group of survivors.
"Now, take your radio and tell everyone to surrender if they don't want to see you die. But don't worry—once we take your supplies, we'll let you all go," the woman said with a smile. This was the second time they had pulled off something like this.
"Please, don't shoot me," Jason said with a stoic expression. When he grabbed the radio, he brought it to his mouth and said, "Take out the drivers and don't let anyone leave this place."
The moment the woman heard these words, the smile on her face froze, and she pulled the trigger.
Bang!
However, at the same time, Jason pulled out a knife and plunged it into the throat of the foolish woman. A sharp pain struck his stomach, but his bulletproof vest had protected him from real harm—though the impact was still unbearable.
Hearing the gunshot and seeing Jason's body jolt, all the men behind the woman froze for a moment. This situation wasn't going as expected.
"I never trust anyone, bitch!" Jason said as he sheathed his knife and held the woman's body in his arms. By the time everyone realized what had happened, it was already too late.
Just as Rick and the others heard the gunshot and saw the situation unfolding, they wasted no time and opened fire.
Bang! Bang! Bang!