The fact that there were people from Church of the Night in Ezekiel's town meant one thing. It was soon going to be destroyed by the zombies. Now that there was a horde passing close by they wouldn't let go of such a perfect opportunity to do their dirty deeds.
However, this didn't mean Glen had any intention of stopping them. In fact, he was even gleeful deep down.
The loot from the remains of the town would be his for the taking. He didn't have many rations left anyway. He was thinking of hunting some wild game but this made things easier for him so he would, of course, be happy.
That was the drawback of an apocalypse in the past. Even though the population was thinly spread, meaning there were fewer zombies to fight in the wild and towns alike, it also meant food was also hard to acquire.
The best foods he could loot from the town were jerky, smoked meat and canned beans. His favourite!
Usually, by the time he found a zombie town, all the fresh food like vegetables would already be spoiled but this time he might be able to get himself some.
Thinking of all the veggies he could eat tomorrow Glen started to droll so he didn't notice Ezekiel twitching in front of him.
"Uhm, sir? Why do we need to get up so early tomorrow? Wouldn't it be better to wait for high noon so that the dead becomes weaker?" Ezekiel asked curiously.
Glen liked that. Curiosity was good. It meant the boy still had hope. He wasn't crushed by the grim reality just yet. This little guy might be stronger than he looked.
"*Cough* We need to leave early if we want to loot the best stuff from your town," Glen said with a hoarse voice. It was really hard to speak so much.
Ezekiel didn't understand what Glen meant by looting so he looked confused. Then suddenly his pupils dilated as if he couldn't believe what he just heard.
"WHAT!? We are going to attack Wildeskink!? Just the two of us?"
"*Cough* *Cough* Don't twist your knackers in a hurry boy. We will be 'looting' it. There is a difference *Cough*" said while trying to hold in his coughs. Damn, some cough drops would be heavenly right about now. Maybe he can find some in Wildeskink's remains tomorrow.
"What's the difference? Ah! Did you mean we are going to steal from them? I guess they deserve it and the best time would be the dawn just like you said, sir. It's when the watchers change shifts. So we can easily sneak in" Ezekiel said like he got where Glen was coming from.
"*Sigh* Really, how stupid can you be?"
"What do you mean by that sir! Just so you know I already know how to read and write so I am very smart"
"Humph, anyway, the horde that we escaped from. They will be razing your town to the ground tonight. So we will be looting the remains" Glen finally gave the boy the correct answer as if he was tired of teasing him.
"Impossible! Wildeskink has high walls and twenty armed watchers. The devils can't get past the defences" Ezekiel spoke with conviction. It looked like he still had pride in his ex-home.
"Only if that were the truth," Glen said with melancholy.
"No, sir, really. They have fended off hordes before. I believe it will be the same this time. The horde didn't even look that big maybe about a hundred strong?"
"Look, bo- Ezekiel, imagine a new scenario. The watchers are guarding the walls and suddenly they hear voices before them and see that the zombies have already invaded the town. What do you think would happen?"
"That's impossible"
"Just humour me"
"Okay... I guess they would panic?"
Glen's eyes glistened at his answer. The boy might actually be smart just as he claimed to be.
"What else?"
"Hearing the noises, the watchmen would leave to check on their families in panic and the dead would breakthrough"
"Excellent"
"But how would the dead sneak inside though?"
"Now, you are asking the correct questions. How do you think they would sneak inside?"
"The walls don't have gaps so they can't sneak through there. The devils are stupid so they won't be smart enough to dig under the ground. I don't think they can fly even if sometimes they can jump very high"
The boy started mumbling to himself. Looking at the situation realistically and eliminating possible causes one by one. The question was if he could arrive at the correct answer.
"I got it! What if someone opens the gate from inside. Uhm, just like that whatever war where soldiers sneaked through by hiding inside that statue. But our town doesn't have a statue that recently came in. And wouldn't the dead make noise? So only a living person can open the gates from the inside. But why would they?"
"Because they want to die?" Glen asked mischievously.
"Then why don't they just put a bullet into their own head. Why drag the town into this?"
"*Cough* Well, the road to hell is lonely so they might want some company. Anyway, sleep now. Tomorrow, you will see if the town is still standing or not"
Ezekiel looked at him hesitantly. It seemed like he still wanted to talk about this but he didn't want to cross the line with Glen. He had just watched the man skillfully take down the zombies. It was obvious that he was a well-known gunslinger. He couldn't bother him too much. Still, Ezekiel eventually gave in to his curiosity.
"Sir, if it's alright to ask. What's your name? I can't keep calling you sir without knowing your name... right?"
Glen thought for a second. His name. Would it be alright to give his real name? It has been two years already since he disappeared from the public so there shouldn't be anyone left that remembered him.
"Glen, Glen Rhodes"
Ezekiel tried to connect his name to any famous gunslinger he had heard of. Then his eyes suddenly shined like he found a big pile of gold on the way home.
"No way! The Night Rider!!!"
Glen: F*ck...