53
Unable to support his weight, both of us collapsed to the ground.
"Dr. Keith!" I stammered, turning my head frantically.
"Where's Dr. Keith? Is anyone there? Is anyone there?"
Anyone. Please come save him!
My hands trembled uncontrollably.
Uncle Grant opened his mouth, but no words came out. With each breath, more blood gushed from his mouth and nose.
"Don't speak, don't speak," I frantically wiped the blood away. "Uncle, hold on, the doctor is coming."
"Chris! Zenith!" I shouted toward the warehouse, causing a commotion inside.
"Everyone! Stay away from the edge of the rooftop!" Zenith Franklin rushed over, still getting dressed, shouting at the base members, "Get down! Everyone, get down!"
Before he finished, another person screamed and fell to the ground.
"Helen?" Someone shook my shoulder. "Are you hurt?"
I stared blankly at the old man in my arms.
His hands had gone limp.
The white knee pad that he had been holding fell into the pool of blood.
"Uncle Grant... he..."
"He will be okay, he will be okay," Chris wiped away my tears. "It's too dangerous here, we need to retreat."
He took the body from my arms, and with Zenith's help, they moved Uncle Grant to the warehouse entrance.
The remaining people gathered there.
Emily stood among them, her face as pale as paper, her thin body trembling like a leaf.
Zenith turned Uncle Grant over, revealing several bullet holes on his back.
"It's a gunshot wound. They used a silencer."
Looking at the old man lying on the ground, I was dazed.
Somehow, past scenes flashed before my eyes.
I remembered our first meeting, his stern face that intimidated everyone. His fierce expression, every wrinkle exuding an aura of 'stay away.'
I remembered his resolute eyes and unwavering cooperation when facing Lucas Westwind.
I recalled his meticulous care in preparing meals.
Most of the time, he only showed us his back, day after day standing at the corner of the rooftop, using his eyes to guard the base and protect every child here.
Everyone was silent.
Just then, a mocking voice came from outside, breaking the silence of the rooftop.
"Long time no see, everyone."
Who is it now?
Zenith didn't respond, just silently loaded his rifle.
Ethan suddenly grabbed him.
"Captain... this voice..." His pupils dilated. "It's Levis Westwind."
Levis Westwind. Lucas Westwind's brother. The image of the young man with the headscarf flashed in my mind.
"Isn't he dead?" Anne stammered. "In the supermarket, along with the others."
"The horde only dispersed today," Zenith said with difficulty. "We... haven't had time to clean up the battlefield."
"What do you want?"
Emily stepped forward, shouting towards the door, her emotions on the brink of collapse. "What do you want?"
"As the saying goes," the voice floated in, "debts have their debtors and grievances their perpetrators. This is just an appetizer."
Hearing him speak so lightly about Uncle Grant, I couldn't hold back anymore.
I exhausted all the most filthy and venomous curses I could think of.
Levis Westwind remained unusually calm. He ignored my curses and didn't even react when he heard about Lucas Westwind's death.
The destruction of his team seemed to have reborn him in the flames.
Ignoring me, Levis Westwind continued.
"We both know who caused my brother's death."
"As long as these four people come forward voluntarily, I won't trouble anyone else."
"I don't understand—" Chris tried to join the conversation but was cut off by Emily.
"Withdraw your snipers first," she demanded. "I don't want any more of my members to be hurt by mistake."
"Impossible." Levis Westwind refused flatly.
"If you don't want to be hurt, you'd better make a decision quickly. I'll give you ten minutes, I'll be waiting downstairs."
"How many of them survived?" I muttered to myself.
Logically, the entire team should have been wiped out.
I couldn't believe anyone could escape such a massive horde.
"Did you all go out last time?" Zenith suddenly thought of something. "Was anyone left at the base?"
Ethan shook his head. "Everyone was there."
It seems at least two of them survived, but I had a feeling there might be more.
"Why is this so coincidental?"
Chris suddenly asked in a low voice, loud enough only for Anne and me to hear.
With his reminder, I realized something too.
We had just arrived at the base, and now this happens. Is it just a coincidence?
"Maybe... Levis Westwind didn't know we lived elsewhere. He just picked a random day, and it was pure luck that we ran into each other," Anne guessed.
"Of course, there's a second possibility..."
She paused. "He might have hidden near the supermarket after escaping the horde. Our movements were actually under his watch the whole time. He decided to act once he was sure we were all here."
"But what if we never came back?" I asked. "Would he have waited forever?"
Anne frowned at this.
"Both explanations have their valid points."
Chris didn't dwell on it and instead raised two chilling questions.
"But—how did Levis Westwind know there were four people?"
"And how did he know exactly who those four people are?"
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