The group was ready to disperse completely but not Kate, her face cold and impassive but her knuckles white from the pressure of her clenched fists, stayed behind. She stepped forward as the others paused, her sharp gaze cutting straight to Morrison.
"Morrison," she said, her voice like steel, "what happened to the eight people? The ones Reed said were taken from the warehouse?" her question attract the group attention and stop their step.
Morrison, still seated, glanced up briefly before lowering his gaze to the floor again. He shrugged with exaggerated nonchalance. "I don't know what you're talking about."
Kate's lips tightened. She leaned down, her voice dropping to a whisper, though the venom in it could have cut through glass. "I wasn't asking. I was telling you to explain."
Morrison hesitated, his jaw twitching. "I don't know!" he snapped. "I wasn't with them when it happened, alright?"
Before he could say more, Marcus stepped forward, towering over Morrison. "Don't lie to us again," Marcus said, his voice low and commanding. "We know you were in contact with them. we know about the radio. If you want even a shred of mercy, you'll tell us the truth."
Daniels, standing nearby, crossed her arms. "And don't think you can stall. We're not in the mood for your games."
Morrison glanced nervously around the room, his eyes darting to Victor, who still stood near the doorway with his weapon resting lightly in his hand. He finally let out a shaky sigh and muttered, "Fine. I'll tell you."
Kate straightened, her eyes narrowing. "Start talking."
Morrison hesitated again, his voice faltering. "the ruffian get inside the mall when it was my turn to keep watch over the mall, before they go I warned the ruffians about the risks. I told them about the walkers inside, how dangerous it was. But they didn't care. They said they needed to scavenge the place for supplies. So... I gave them the intel they wanted."
Kate's fists clenched at her sides. "And the eight people? Where do they fit into this?"
Morrison's voice dropped to a near whisper. "The ruffians used them... as meat shields."
The room erupted.
"You Monster!" Victor roared, stepping toward Morrison, his gun raised. It took both Daniels and Marcus to hold him back.
"How could you do that to them?" Kate hissed, her voice trembling with rage. "They were people."
Morrison's voice cracked, his defense weak. "It was them not me!"
Kate took a deep breath, forcing herself to calm down, though the fury in her eyes remained. "What happened when the ruffians entered the mall? Did they tell you anything about what they found?"
Morrison nodded weakly. "Yeah... they told me. Said the place was crawling with walkers, but... but not like usual."
"What do you mean, 'not like usual'?" Marcus asked, his tone suspicious.
"The ruffians said... there were walkers chained up inside. In some of the stores. They weren't wandering around like they do out in the open. It was like... like they were being used as some kind of security system."
Everyone exchanged uneasy glances, but Morrison wasn't done.
"They said when they got deeper into the mall, they heard a voice. Someone warned them to back off, to leave, or they'd regret it. The ruffians didn't listen. They pressed on."
"And?" Daniels pressed, her expression sharp.
"And they walked right into hell," Morrison said, his voice trembling. "The chained walkers... they were everywhere. As soon as the ruffians got too close, the chains would snap, and the walkers would attack. They said... it wasn't random. Whoever set it up knew exactly what they were doing. The walkers were a trap."
Kate's stomach churned, but she pushed through her disgust. "What about the eight people?"
Morrison's gaze dropped again. "The ruffians took them into the mall with them. They thought... they thought they could use them to slow the walkers down if things got bad."
"You mean as bait," Kate said coldly.
Morrison flinched but didn't deny it. "Yeah... as bait."
"And?" Marcus pressed.
"They didn't make it out," Morrison admitted. "The walkers got them. All of them."
Silence fell over the room as Morrison finished speaking. The sheer weight of what he'd revealed left everyone stunned. Marcus finally turned away, running a hand through his hair as he tried to process everything.
Kate, however, wasn't done. "You ordered the ruffians to hit the mall. You warned them about the dangers. And you let them take eight innocent people to die as bait. Do you even understand what you've done?"
Morrison's voice was little more than a whisper. "I didn't know it would end like that."
"Don't give me that!" Kate snapped. "You knew exactly what you were doing. You didn't care who got hurt as long as it wasn't you."
Daniels shook her head in disgust. "This wasn't just betrayal. This was murder."
Victor, his voice icy, added, "And the blood of those eight people is on your hands."
Marcus turned back to Morrison, his expression unreadable. "Is there anything else you want to say? Anything at all?"
Morrison hesitated, then shook his head. "No."
"Fine," Marcus said quietly.He turned to the others. "We've heard enough. Morrison will stays under lock and key."
"What now?" Daniels asked.
As Victor dragged Morrison back to his cell, the rest of the group gathered in the room, their faces grim.
"We keep watch for a while" Marcus said firmly. "Whatever's inside that mall, whoever's responsible for those walkers... they're dangerous. And sooner or later, we're going to have to deal with them."
Kate nodded, though her expression remained hard. "But first, we deal with him."
" After that we need to find another base, victor says was right this place is too open" Marcus add.Everyone nodded in agreement.
Chriss glance at Kate, his expression is like asking something and Kate answer by nodding her head. after sometime together they just need to see each other and know what they want to say.
Marcus notice Kate and Chris silent conversation but didn't push it. he trust them, when they will tell them when the times come. he clap his hand and tell the other to get some rest.
The group disperse and get back to what they left earlier. the group was fractured, battered, but still standing. And as the night wore on, they knew one thing for certain—whatever challenges lay ahead, they'd face them together.