Minnesota, Canadian border.
Time flies, and Dominic was now on a mission to clear the last area where he planned to settle.
The night passed swiftly, and the first ray of sunlight pierced through the darkness, heralding a new day.
But what the soft sunlight illuminated was not lush grass or trees swaying in the wind but bloodied corpses strewn across the ground, blazing flames, and humans still battling the walkers.
"Go to hell!"
Cold weapons in everyone's hands began eliminating all the walkers attracted by the noise in this place. Dominic, who had been fighting all night, lifted his machete and pierced a walker's head, splattering blood on the ground, but he didn't stop, continuing to eliminate more walkers.
Breathing heavily, he looked around the devastated streets and saw that the walkers were gradually ceasing to invade the refuge, knowing his group had wiped out all the walkers that had infiltrated the refuge.
After a night of fighting, exhaustion was evident on everyone's faces. Some couldn't take it anymore and collapsed to the ground, but fortunately, someone quickly helped them up, gave them a bit of water, and then everyone calmed down.
"Everyone, prepare to move; we still need to seal the street to prevent walkers from entering for now!"
Though the battle in the city had ended, Dominic knew that the fight outside continued and that the city was no longer a suitable place for more noise. A large part of Stuart's group, which had been dealing with walkers for hours, was already exhausted; it was only a matter of time before everyone took a well-deserved rest.
Upon hearing this, the surrounding survivors insisted on standing up, helping each other, and calling out to their comrades, then ran towards the entrance of the building filled with corpses.
"Sir! Please, I need help!" Suddenly, a cry caught everyone's attention, and they turned to see a person clutching his neck.
Seeing this, Dominic quickly approached and examined the wound on the man's shoulder. When he removed his hand, Dominic saw the bite of a walker. "Oh, everything will be fine, my friend, but it seems you got bitten by a woman! Was she at least attractive?"
When the man heard this, he smiled slightly and, through tears, said, "Sir, I've lost my family, and when I heard your speech, I just wanted to live to help you achieve your goals."
"I truly admire you for having such well-defined goals; it was an honor, sir. Thank you for letting me follow you." After saying that, the man looked at Dominic and said, "It would be an honor to die by your hand. Please help me with that, sir."
Upon hearing these words, the surrounding survivors felt their blood run cold. Everyone knew how lethal a walker bite was; if it were on a limb, it might be saved, but the bite was on his shoulder, leaving no chance of survival.
Stuart, who had received the news, also arrived at the scene with the remaining people. When he saw the silent scene, he looked at the man clutching his neck and learned from his words that he was infected.
Not long after, Dominic pulled out his gun and walked towards the man, embracing him with a reassuring smile, and said, "You know, I've always wanted this scene not to happen since I became a leader for everyone, but it's an honor that you ask for my help in this situation; it means I'm truly doing my job well."
"Yes, sir," said the man as he rested his head on Dominic's chest, the tranquility in his leader's tone making him feel at ease.
Just when he was expecting a quick shot, Dominic said nothing. After a moment, he asked, "Tell me, Erick, when is your birthday?"
"Huh?" Erick, who expected to be killed as soon as possible, was bewildered and thought carefully about his birthday, then said, "May 13."
Bang!
The bullet left the barrel of Dominic's gun, splattering blood on his face. With a calm expression, Dominic didn't let Erick's body fall to the ground.
Under the shocked gazes of everyone, Dominic held Erick's body and slowly laid it on the ground. When he looked up, the hot blood on his face dripped down, and with an expression devoid of emotion, he said, "It's been a long time since all this began."
"Remember my words: the dead don't suffer from death; it's us, the living, who mourn the deaths of our loved ones, friends, and brothers."
Saying this, Dominic lifted his gaze and fixed his eyes on Anna before saying, "If you want to keep fighting, I'll clear the path as far as my life takes me. I'll be the one to make the hardest decisions to ensure these things don't happen again."
"Erick's death is a symbol; it showed us that we can still fight for our future. It taught us that death is not a punishment but a reward. Will you keep fighting in the name of all our loved ones who are no longer with us?"
Though it seemed like everything had ended, this was just the beginning of securing this place. There would be many deaths, and Dominic was prepared to stay calm for everyone and move forward. He needed to be a good leader, demonstrating that despite all the group's suffering, defeats, and losses, they would always have a fair leader with an unbreakable will.
Looking at the extremely silent crowd, Dominic turned and walked into a building. Before entering, he turned back and said, "Someday, we will be the ones who die, but until then, we must remain calm and keep our weapons ready to defend ourselves."
"We will keep fighting; we'll follow you wherever we go by your side." At that moment, Anna stepped forward and spoke in a serious tone.
"As I thought, you're a strong and determined woman. Organize the people to clean this place. We'll soon start expanding from here; there's much work to be done."
Reflecting on the recent situation, Dominic said, "Keep your heads up; there are still many people who will need our help in the future."
"Yes, sir!"
"Good."
With confirmation, Dominic entered the building and walked to a room with a walker's corpse. He glanced at his reflection in the window's glass and saw his terrifying appearance.
Covered in blood and pieces of flesh on his boots and body, Erick's blood on his face, and an expression showing his most indifferent side. Dominic felt a tightness in his chest this time, unable to express it, but his current self wouldn't allow it.
"How far we've come, haven't we?" Dominic murmured with a slight smile. He raised the gun in his hand and aimed at his head before closing his eyes.
"One shot, and it's all over. No suffering, no criticism, and no need to kill your followers before they turn into walkers." While thinking about this, Dominic opened his eyes and threw the gun onto a desk.
"Enough…" Once he left the gun, the same one with which he had killed his girlfriend, Dominic reholstered it and focused on expansion plans. It wasn't that he wanted to end his life; he was aware that his worries could be ended by his decisions, which made him understand that he still wanted to live and keep fighting for his desires.