Johnson chuckled and said, "I trust you, you won't shot me." Then he climbed out of the van to stop Casandra.
Casandra, mistaking Johnson for a zombie, raised her gun to shoot, but through the telescope, she recognized him. Her relief overwhelmed her, and she lowered the weapon. Joy surged through her as Johnson approached.
When he got closer, Casandra rushed forward and hugged him tightly. "I thought everyone was dead," she whispered.
"Almost," Johnson replied grimly.
"Who else is alive?" Casandra asked, her voice tinged with hope.
"Jane," he answered.
Casandra quickly picked up the bomb, ready to throw it. Johnson yelled, "Stop!"
"Why?" she demanded, frowning.
"There's a child in there!" Johnson explained. "We heard a child crying when we arrived."
"But there's no sound now," Casandra countered. "The child might be bitten."
Johnson urged her to wait, but Casandra ignored him. She hurled the bomb, ran back to her van, and reversed at full speed.
Johnson sprinted back to Jane, and they too reversed their van. After two tense minutes, Casandra pressed the button. The explosion engulfed the building in flames and debris.
Fury bubbled within Johnson like molten lava. He shot Jane a smoldering glare, his anger unbearable. but Jane said nothing, refusing to engage in what she saw as a futile argument.
Moments later, Casandra drove forward to inspect the destruction. Jane followed, her van trailing closely behind. Suddenly, the sound of a child's cry pierced the air again. "wah, wah, wah..."
Johnson bolted from the van, ignoring Jane's desperate attempts to hold him back.
Inside the bombed building, the child was trapped beneath fallen debris, crying incessantly. Johnson dug through the rubble, freeing the child, but the wails attracted more zombies.
Casandra watched from her van as Johnson dashed back, the child in his arms. Zombies swarmed, their numbers growing. Jane leapt out to help him, but it was too late, a angry zombie lunged, biting Johnson's neck. He collapsed as the creatures covered him.
Jane hesitated, torn, before trying to save the child. But Casandra emerged, her gun drawn, and shot the child without hesitation.
Jane's emotions swung violently, from gratitude to hatred for Casandra. "what the hell did you just do?" Jane screamed. Casandra look confused and said, "what? Common, the child needs to die!" Jane scoff, "you just make Johnson to die for nothing!" "fuck off Jane!" Casandra said and started shooting the zombies coming towards her.
"This ends now," Jane declared, her voice cold.
Casandra turned toward her van, but Jane drew her gun and fired, the bullet striking Casandra's leg.
Casandra stumbled, glaring back at Jane, who was already retreating to her van. "Are you craze Jane?" Gritting her teeth against the pain, Casandra climbed into her vehicle and followed Jane's trail.
***************
Meanwhile, Fred, Margret, and others headed north to Helen. At Fred's uncle's house, Noa Berlin welcomed them. He was living a quiet bachelor life.
Fred explained their situation, and Noa advised them to rest and report to the government in the morning before the issue affect them in Helen.
That night, screams echoed through town. Noa checked outside and saw zombies attacking. Horrified, he ran back inside, waking Fred.
"You have to leave!" Noa urged.
"Why?" Fred who just wake up, asked, confused.
"Your people are contaminated! Everyone here is turning into monsters. So leave!!"
Fred tried to reason with him, "common Noa, it might be us."
"What? Are you trying to say, my people have the virus you and your people brought here?"
"I don't know!"
But Noa, overcome with fear, struck Fred. The two fought blowing each other as Noa was shouting, "It's all your fault!" Until Margret intervened.
"We're leaving, everyone pack up!" Fred spat, glaring at his uncle. "And I'm never coming back!"
They pack their belongings, ran to where their van is avoiding getting bite by any zombies.
As they were about to drive away, the chaos in the city was overwhelming. Fred cast one last glance at Noa's house. "I hate you!" He said through his gritted teeth, and drove off.
***************
~The Soldier Camp~
The group reached a soldier camp, only to find most of the soldiers had turned into zombies. They cleared the camp, burned the infected ones, and secured the area.
Later, Susan heard a noise from a nearby community. Using a telescope, she spotted people being brutally beaten. Alarmed, she reported to Fred.
"We'll investigate tonight," Fred decided, formulating a plan with Margret, Harrison, and Gladys.
At dusk, Fred and Margret scavenged for supplies, finding a small house stocked with food. After killing five zombies, they hauled their loot back to camp.
By 7 PM, Harrison and Gladys crept to the community, hiding behind a fence. They saw captives crying out as they were beaten and restrained.
When one guard wandered into the woods, Harrison and Gladys subdued him, dragging him back to camp. Tying him up, Harrison demanded answers.
"Why are you beating those people?" Harrison growled.
The man remained silent, defiant. Harrison struck him, his voice rising with fury. "Why are you treating them like animals?!"
Margaret pointed her gun squarely at the man's head, her voice sharp and unrelenting. "Speak now, or I'll blow your damn head off!"
The man hesitated but eventually relented. "All those people... they caused this mess. All the turning, all the monsters—it started in their zone. We're beating them to get answers, to figure out what caused it and find a solution. But they're not talking! They keep lying!"
Fred stepped forward, his tone calm but laced with menace. "Can you take us to your leader? We need to speak to him. And don't try anything stupid. If you do, we'll bomb your entire community. We're well-stocked with explosives, so don't dare us."
The man smirked, his reluctant and hatred attitude was obvious. "My boss doesn't welcome strangers. Don't bother trying to meet him. That is my kind advice to you. Leave now and go wherever you want."
His smirk widened into a grin. "Because if I get out of here, I'm coming back for you all—with my family."
Fred raised an eyebrow. "Family?"
"Yes," the man snarled. "Family. That's what we call ourselves."
Harrison leaned in, his voice low and threatening. "How are you so sure you'll leave here alive?"
The frown immediately Harrison said this...
*********************
Meanwhile, Cassandra and Jane continued their tense game of cat and mouse, speeding through the chaos until Cassandra veered her van into a police station. As she scrambled to lock the gate, Jane rammed her vehicle through, smashing it wide open. Zombies were closing in fast.
Both women abandoned their vans and bolted into the station, quickly shut the door off. Cassandra, bleeding profusely, limped toward a stash of supplies she had hidden. She pulled out medical tools to treat her injured leg, Jane insisted on helping. But Cassandra resisted, Jane forced her way into the other room Cassandra was, tending to the wound despite the hostility
"Why are you insisting that I should not help you?" Jane asked calmly.
Cassandra look at her with disbelieve and say, "Are you serious right now? After you shot me?"
"You shouldn't have killed the child because of Johnson."
"And shooting me is the best? I nearly got bitten by those monsters because of you Jane! You known what? Just leave me alone." Exhausted, Cassandra eventually passed out.
Jane surveyed the station, noticing how eerily secure it seemed. "How did she manage to keep this place zombie-free?" she wondered. Then, as if summoned by her thoughts, the sound of hundreds of zombies began pounding against the door. The heavy metal frame held, but the noise was deafening.
When Cassandra woke, Jane confronted her. "You shouldn't have shot that child. Johnson's death feels meaningless now. He died trying to save that kid."
Cassandra's eyes narrowed. "You're bringing this up again? fine, but you known we can't take care of a child in this hellhole."
Jane shook her head, frustration etched on her face. "People with children don't just kill them because of the situation. How did you even get this place?"
Cassandra sighed, her voice softening as memories surfaced. "My boyfriend was a cop. We stayed here when the outbreak started. One day, we cleared out most of the zombies nearby. But he ran out of bullets... got bitten. Before he turned, he left me here. I've been alone ever since."
Jane's tone turned urgent. "We can't stay. Those monsters will break down that door eventually."
Cassandra nodded and revealed a stash of weapons and bombs. "We'll need these if we're traveling together. Let's load them into the van."
As they prepared to leave, Cassandra asked, "Do you know what caused all this?"
Jane hesitated before answering. "It's the water. All the supplies from the East are contaminated with a virus."
Cassandra's eyes widened in shock. She frantically checked her bottled water stash, relieved to see they were all sourced from the South and North. The two women vowed to head East in search of a cure.
At dawn, they put their plan into action. Cassandra lit a banger and threw it far from the station. The loud noise drew the zombies away from the door, giving them a narrow window to escape. As they loaded everything into the van, a biter lunged at Cassandra. Jane's shot was precise, saving her just in time.
With the doors locked, they sped off. The road was littered with abandoned bottles and countless turned humans. Along the way, they encountered a small family armed with heavy guns, their intentions far from friendly.
Cassandra didn't hesitate. She leaned out of the van and shot them before they could react. Jane parked, and both women scavenged the weapons from their bodies before driving off again.
*******************
Back at Fred's camp. Fred turned to the captive. "What's your leader's name?"
The man hesitated before replying. "Enoch."
Fred's eyes narrowed. "You're going to introduce us to him. And if you try anything, I'll blow your head clean off. Deal?" The man did not answer him.