In a water park, Alicia and Naomi had been searching for supplies for their community. The search had dragged on, as, by now, everyone knew that urban resources were running out.
That's why, when they came across this abandoned shelter, they entered hoping to find something. It only took them a few minutes to climb to the top of a slide.
Scanning the surroundings on both sides of the slide, Alicia spotted a machine gun with ammunition, but just as she was about to check the surrounding buildings, a group of walkers attacked her companion Naomi, and in an attempt to help her, both of them fell down the slide.
Fortunately, Alicia, with great skill, had killed the two walkers using the barrel of the machine gun, which now looked more like a spear. So, despite the disaster, everything had turned out well.
After a brief discussion, they decided to head toward a two-story restaurant, tall enough to observe the surrounding area.
Even though it was impossible to see the entire situation clearly due to the rain, as long as they could spot movement outside, they could make sound judgments.
Observing the restaurant through the glass door and seeing no runner-class walkers inside, Naomi opened the door and called the others.
A while later, several people had gathered in the room, having heard deafening noises in the distance, which was never a good sign. Nick and Luciana were in the room, discussing important matters with Alicia and Naomi.
Roarr!
But following the noise came a distinctive roar from the infected on the second floor, and then a rush of footsteps above them, moving quickly toward the stairs.
This sudden movement naturally startled everyone, so they swiftly drew their pistols and aimed toward the staircase, ready to shoot at any moment.
With the sound of a "burst" coming from the stairs, three runner-class walkers came charging down, and when they saw the living people standing at the entrance, they grinned viciously and charged forward.
How could just three walkers stand a chance against four armed people?
With a cold expression, Alicia stopped the others from shooting, raised the barrel of the machine gun she had brought from the slide, and with swift movements, she took down the fast walkers one by one.
Crack!
There was no need to fire a single bullet—Alicia handled them all using only the sharp edge of the gun's barrel.
"You guys, keep an eye on what you can see through the windows. I'm going to the top floor to get a better view." Alicia glanced at the walkers lying dead on the stairs and spoke to those behind her. Without waiting for a response, she stepped over the bodies and dashed up the stairs in search of a way to reach the upper floor.
Naomi watched Alicia's back and was about to raise her hand to say something, but the other woman disappeared around the staircase corner with quick steps. Naomi gave a wry, helpless smile and said to someone next to her, "Your sister really is something else…"
"She is…" Nick replied, more concerned about their situation than about his sister's orders.
Naomi wholeheartedly agreed. They knew Alicia's actions. There was no real leader in this group that had gone out to look for supplies—even though they had found what they came for, the situation outside wasn't good, and what they had just seen left them chilled.
There were many walkers—and not just ordinary ones. These were runner-class walkers, the most dangerous of all.
Boom!
"Look for food—canned or bottled is best. Don't leave anything behind."
"We know."
Just as everyone was about to drop their backpacks and start looking for something to light a fire, a sudden burst of gunfire echoed out of nowhere, followed by a rumble in the sky. Though the sound wasn't too loud, it was clear enough for everyone present to hear.
Bang! Bang! Bang!
Immediately, everyone went on high alert and looked toward the source of the gunshots, but the wind, rain, and their location blocked their view. They could only hear some of the shots being fired into the sky.
A sinister premonition crept into everyone's hearts. Suddenly, they remembered what they had been trying to avoid ever since they left the stadium.
Could it be that the Vultures were searching for supplies in this area?
"There's no point searching this floor—let's go upstairs and see what's going on!"
Nick naturally understood what they were thinking, but without knowing the exact situation, how could he make such a decision? He quickly reminded them to go up and check the surroundings for anything unusual.
"Yes, let's go." After that reminder, Luciana and Naomi—the other two women in the group—exchanged glances and headed to the second floor.
When they reached the second floor, they found Alicia standing in front of a window with her back to them, holding a rifle in one hand and the barrel of the machine gun in the other, staring into the sky.
No one said a word.
They all approached the window and looked in the same direction as Alicia. What they saw left them shocked.
Looking up, they were frozen in place, speechless, staring into the sky and toward a building not far from their position.
At the hospital ahead, on the top floor, several figures were firing at a helicopter that seemed to be struggling to stay in the air. As the helicopter began to descend, it grew closer to the hospital.
As its shadow moved, bursts of rifle fire and RPG explosions targeted the helicopter. But inside the hospital, no one seemed to notice that numerous runner-class walkers were flooding into the lake.
Boom!
Bang! Bang! Bang!
Suddenly, the helicopter's engine exploded in the sky, and it began falling uncontrollably toward the ground.
The people at the hospital had stopped shooting. They saw that the helicopter hadn't caught fire, but it appeared those inside were already dead.
The shadows of the walkers surged forward like an avalanche. With such a massive number, even if they were prepared to face them, no one would survive.
Just as the explosion rang out, a passenger car suddenly came around a corner, approached the downed helicopter, blocked the street exits, and a black van parked farther back.
It seemed this group had taken advantage of the damaged helicopter, shot it down, and planned to steal whatever it had been carrying.
The newcomers got into various vehicles and began taking out all the regular walkers with ease, but none of them knew that an avalanche of runners was heading straight for them.
Alicia recognized the people who had shot down the helicopter. That same community, known as the Vultures, had attacked them recently—but they had managed to escape.
She wanted to help the people in the helicopter, but it was unlikely that anyone inside was still alive.
Furthermore, judging by the height of the walls around the hospital and the distance, Alicia knew that with the excellent climbing ability of the runner-class walkers, that height alone wouldn't be enough to stop the horde from getting through.
But just as Alicia was about to turn around, the radio on her waist—which wasn't supposed to make a sound under any circumstances—suddenly emitted a signal through the intercom:
"Zz... This is George Burcea. The helicopter went down and we're now surrounded by walkers and hostiles. Commander Jason is okay, but I can't say the same for the others."
"Zz... If you hear this message, send reinforcements as soon as the commander makes contact with you…"
Alicia froze when she heard that name. She knew who Jason was, and right now, she needed to see with her own eyes if that Jason was the one she thought he was.
Was it even possible? She didn't know—but what she did know was that nothing in this world was impossible.
At the same time, all those people who had been carrying interesting supplies salvaged from the helicopter were suddenly caught in a hail of bullets. Some died instantly, while others managed to retreat with injuries. But just as they were being attacked, the walkers arrived from behind—regular walkers, followed by runners.
The shots came from the back of the hospital and quickly spread in all directions. Slowly, the people outside the hospital stopped shooting as the runner-class walkers kept approaching.
Then, seven or eight people sprinted into the hospital, following the black figure who had just opened fire on them. Fleeing from the walkers, some even dropped their weapons in a desperate attempt to run faster.
Immediately afterward, countless ragged, barefoot, grotesque figures also rushed in and followed closely behind. Even from a great distance, Alicia—watching from afar—could feel the fear in the eyes of some of those walkers.
The few Vultures soldiers now running toward the hospital were being closely pursued by the walkers, who—without hesitation—entered the hospital as well.
Some of the Vultures stationed at the hospital entrance stopped and began firing as they took cover, trying to slow down the walkers' advance.
One of them jumped onto a doorframe, grabbed the hand of another comrade, and together they slowly closed off the entrance where the walkers were pouring in—buying some time. But what they didn't realize was that they had locked themselves in with a man who was now furious—and the only thing that could bring him peace... was killing them.
At that moment, gunfire echoed inside the hospital. Meanwhile, outside, the walkers were devouring some of the Vultures, tearing them apart in seconds.
Blood splattered everywhere, and the sight of crimson blood drove the red-eyed walkers into a frenzy. They charged forward, swarming several Vultures within the horde in moments.
"This is a walker horde, Alicia. If that man you said contacted you nearly a year ago is inside that hospital, he's definitely dead."
"No, I can still hear gunfire. He might still be alive..."
"Even if he is, I can't let you go and put yourself at risk. Think rationally—look outside at what's happening."
Inside a two-story restaurant, people stood by the windows, arguing about what Alicia intended to do.
Nick stared at the horrifying scene outside, shocked that the man Alicia had spoken to might actually still be alive. He even doubted if it was really that same person.
However, the man had mentioned he was in the military. And now, seeing the helicopter crash, it was very likely it was him.
Although everyone had a rough idea of what was going on, most chose to remain silent. Naomi turned to the Clark siblings and said:
"They requested reinforcements—someone's definitely coming to save him, and it won't be ordinary people!"
"He has a community in Atlanta—or at least that's what he said when we were at the military base," Alicia added, her voice a bit shaky. If the Vultures had attacked that helicopter and most of them were dead, she would have no choice but to help Jason.
"You've got the radio—call him," said Nick, just as nervous. Even he wasn't sure they'd make it out of this alive.
Alicia ignored her brother and picked up the radio. She called for a long time, but only bursts of gunfire came through the speaker—no response.
As the static crackled through the radio, Alicia's expression gradually turned grim. She didn't even notice the runner-class walkers still charging toward the hospital doors, trying to climb the front wall, while people inside the hospital kept shooting outward—unaware that someone inside was killing them too.
After a while, the hospital doors were broken open, and soon, all the walkers began pouring in one after another.
Screams erupted almost immediately, and the group facing off with the man inside the hospital was finally slaughtered.
Those trying to flee were picked off one by one, thrown to the ground by the runner-class walkers chasing them. Some who tried to hide inside cars managed to avoid being caught for a while, but the infected began dragging them out.
Large pools of blood soaked the filthy ground, dividing the street into a border between life and death. The once quiet street turned into hell in an instant, leaving everyone hiding in the nearby buildings paralyzed with horror.