The way back was quick, since the city was small.
As they approached the point where they had left the horses, Jason's body changed first. It was something subtle, almost imperceptible to anyone else, but Maggie noticed. She had spent enough time by his side to recognize when he went on alert...
His honey-colored gaze became more attentive.
And then they heard it.
A nervous whinny.
Then another.
Maggie's stomach dropped.
"Jason..."
The two exchanged a look for a moment and immediately ran in that direction.
When they turned the last corner, they saw Duke and Nelly pulling at the ties, their eyes wide with panic.
And they weren't alone.
A group of walkers was approaching, dragging themselves through the alley. It seemed like it hadn't been long since they had managed to cross the truck and enter there, but one of them was already a few meters from Duke, its rotten hand extended, its fingers almost touching the horse's mane.
Jason ran without thinking twice.
He jumped over a fallen crate and arrived in time. He grabbed the walker by the shoulder, spun the creature's body with force, and smashed its head with the heel of his sneaker. The skull gave way with a wet crack, and the body collapsed to the ground like an empty sack.
Maggie, who ran almost alongside him, was already by his side. The machete gleamed in her hand, cutting the neck of the walker approaching from behind. The dark blood spurted, but she didn't stop, spinning her body and decapitating the next one with a clean strike.
Fortunately, she had someone she could trust to protect her back.
Jason didn't waste time. He moved among the dead with precise technique, taking them down and crushing skulls with firm stomps or dry impacts against the ground, without wasting movement.
A walker tried to grab his leg.
Jason stepped on the creature's arm, breaking it with a dry snap, and finished the job with a brutal blow to the temple with his foot.
Maggie covered his flank, the machete slicing through air and rotten flesh. The two moved in perfect sync, as if they had trained together for years.
In less than a minute, the alley was clear.
Bodies scattered on the ground. The stench of rot stronger in the air.
But the horses were unharmed.
Duke snorted loudly, still agitated, his eyes wild. Jason went to him first, his hands slowly rising along the animal's neck, his voice low and calm.
"Hey, hey... it's okay, boy. It's over." He stroked the mane, feeling the animal gradually relax under his touch. The huge body trembled less and less.
Maggie did the same with Nelly, murmuring soft words as she ran her hand over the mare's forehead, calming her with patience.
Jason took a deep breath, looking at the bodies on the ground, then at her.
"Good thing we arrived in time..." He said quietly, his voice laden with relief... and guilt: "Sorry, Maggie. I should have thought of that before. I left the horses in danger because of the books..."
Maggie shook her head immediately and took a step closer, her hand resting firmly on his arm.
"Don't apologize for that..." She replied: "What you did in there was important. Very important. You brought knowledge that can save lives, from my dad, from Beth, from everyone on the farm. That's worth more than any risk."
She squeezed his arm lightly.
"Besides, we arrived in time. So, no need to blame yourself for that..."
Jason stared at her for a long second, feeling the weight of guilt lighten a bit in his chest. He nodded slowly, his hand covering hers.
"Thank you..." He murmured, simple and sincere.
Maggie smiled faintly.
"Now let's go home..." She said, already walking to Nelly to untie the reins. "Because I'm dying of hunger and you must be too."
Jason smiled faintly. He went to Duke, stroking the horse's neck once more before mounting.
They left the alley together, the horses trotting side by side, while the afternoon sun warmed their backs and the road to the farm opened ahead.
When they finally left the city after a few minutes, Jason looked at the main highway in the distance, narrowing his eyes. The horde was still there, a dark and irregular mass on the horizon, moving slowly but steadily. It hadn't dispersed much; the undead were too slow for that. Hundreds of them shuffling in the same direction, drawn by the noise they had made earlier.
"Better take the longer way..." He said quietly, turning Duke to the left, toward a secondary trail that skirted the open fields: "That main road is still full of them. I don't want to risk crossing the herd again."
Maggie nodded without arguing, guiding Nelly to follow. She knew he was right. The horde was slow, but large enough to swallow anything that got in the way. And after what had happened at the pharmacy, neither of them wanted to test their luck.
The two rode side by side in silence for a few minutes, the sound of the hooves and the light wind filling the space between them.
Maggie glanced occasionally at the horizon, where the dark mass still moved like a low, dirty cloud.
"Was that the first time you saw something like that?" She asked, her voice low, almost as if afraid of the answer. "A horde that size..."
Jason took a second to respond, his eyes fixed on the trail ahead.
"No," He said simply, without emotion in his voice. "It wasn't the first time."
Maggie turned her face to him, surprised.
"You had seen it?"
"Yes..." Jason adjusted the reins lightly, keeping Duke at the same pace. Although he had only seen it on television, never in person, Maggie hadn't asked how he knew. Just if he had "seen" it.
Anyway... it wasn't exactly a lie. More like a convenient omission.
"After you spend a good time on the road, you notice a pattern. The walkers always end up grouping together. A noise, a movement... anything that draws attention." He kept his voice calm, didactic. "They follow. And, the more time passes, the more they accumulate."
His eyes scanned the road ahead.
"Small groups turn into packs. Packs turn into hordes. Today's was the biggest I've ever seen, but it's not uncommon. The more noise we make... the more they come..."
Maggie stayed quiet for a moment, absorbing that. The wind messed up her hair, and she ran her free hand to tuck a strand behind her ear.
"I had never seen so many together..." She admitted, her voice lower. "It was always one or two. Sometimes three or four. But hundreds... it seemed like the whole world had died and decided to come after us."
Jason looked at her sideways, his gaze softening a bit.
"It's scary the first time," He said, sincere: "After... you get used to it..."
Maggie gave a short, humorless laugh.
"You talk like you've been through this a thousand times."
"Maybe not a thousand..." He replied, the corner of his mouth lifting in a small smile: "But enough to know that we survived today. And we'll survive tomorrow too, so, don't worry about that..."
Maggie looked ahead again, her eyes fixed on the trail that led back to the farm.
"It's kind of impossible not to worry..." she admitted, her voice lower. "But, strangely, maybe it's your way... but when you're calm, I can stay calm too..."
She seemed to realize only afterward what she had said, but she didn't take back her words.
Jason didn't respond immediately.
"I believe it's because you trust me to protect you, Maggie..." He said, finally, his voice low but firm. "And I won't let anything happen to you while I'm around..."
Maggie felt her chest warm again, the same warmth she felt every time he spoke like that.
"Neither will I with you."
They continued the longer path, skirting the open fields in silence.
After about twenty minutes, the Greene farm appeared on the horizon like a familiar oasis, the white fences standing out against the orange sky of late afternoon. The smell of damp earth and fresh hay replaced the distant stench of rot, and Maggie felt her body relax a bit more.
They arrived at the main gate, dismounting together. Jason took a quick look around, the fences intact, the barn in the back, the white house with smoke rising from the chimney, confirming that everything was as they had left it.
Maggie stroked Nelly's neck, murmuring something soft to the mare, before turning to him with a tired but genuine smile.
"Let's take them to the smaller barn..." She said, taking the reins of both horses.
Jason nodded, taking Duke's rein to help, the heavy backpack of books still on his back. They walked side by side across the dirt yard, the low sun casting long shadows that danced on the ground.
When they arrived at the smaller barn, Hershel was there inside, brushing a horse's coat with calm movements, his white hair shining under the light coming in through the open window. He raised his gaze upon hearing the footsteps, scanning the two of them from head to toe, assessing if they were whole.
"You took a while..." He said, his voice grave but without reproach, just fact, as if commenting on the weather. He continued brushing the horse, but his eyes didn't stop observing them: "I started to think if something had gone wrong there in the city..."
Jason released Duke's rein, passing it to Maggie while she unsaddled the animals efficiently, removing saddles and reins with skilled hands.
"We had some problems..." He replied calmly, without going into details so as not to worry the old man: "But nothing to worry about. We got the medicines and came back whole..."
Maggie, removing Nelly's saddle with a low grunt, cast a quick look at Jason, affection shining subtly in her eyes; grateful that he didn't mention the horde or the near-disaster, so as not to alarm her father.
Hershel nodded slowly, returning to the brush work, but his tone was relieved, as if a silent prayer had been answered.
"Good, I'm glad you came back safe... Go to dinner when you're done. Patricia made soup, it'll help with the road fatigue..."
Maggie smiled faintly, stroking Nelly's neck before hanging the saddle on the hook.
"I'm done. Shall we?"
Jason nodded slowly, the tired smile still on his lips, and extended his hand to her without thinking twice. Maggie took it, their fingers interlacing naturally, the warmth of his skin comforting against hers. Hershel noticed the gesture, his eyes narrowing for a second, scanning the two with that mix of paternal protection and reluctant acceptance, but he said nothing. He just continued brushing the horse, the rhythmic sound of the brush filling the silence of the barn, as if deciding that this wasn't the moment to question.
They left the smaller barn together, the afternoon air already cooler, the sun dipping into the horizon and painting the sky in shades of orange and purple.