The night at Hershel's farm was once again shattered by the roar of engines.
Two cars, reeking of smoke and blood, rushed into the yard; Shane and the others who had stayed behind rushed out with guns almost immediately.
"It's us!" Glenn shouted, leaning out from the passenger seat.
Carol, Beth, and the others, who had been waiting for a long time, immediately stepped forward and surrounded them.
But when they saw the bloody, unconscious stranger in the back seat, they couldn't help but gasp.
"Quick! Carry him inside!"
Rick had no time to explain and barked orders directly, "This kid has lost too much blood. If we don't treat him now, he's a goner! We need him alive to talk!"
Everyone scrambled to carry Randall away.
Dr. Jenner rushed over upon hearing the news. He did a quick check of Randall's injuries and frowned: "Excessive blood loss, severe lacerations. We must debride and suture immediately."
But as soon as he finished speaking, his body swayed, showing signs of fatigue. While helping to reinforce the fence during the day, a rolling log had slammed into his shoulder; the movement just now had inadvertently strained it, causing a sharp pain.
"Doctor, go rest. I'll handle this."
Louis stepped forward without hesitation. He took off his coat and rolled up his sleeves, entering the zone before anyone else could react.
He turned to Mr. Hershel and gave orders like a lead surgeon:
"Mr. Hershel, I need plenty of hot water, alcohol, hemostats, and the finest sutures. If there are no medical ones, boil that roll of fishing line."
"Also, please light more lamps; I need the light."
Hershel was stunned. This was the first time he had been ordered around by a ten-year-old child.
However, remembering the perfectly treated wound on Amy and seeing that Dr. Jenner didn't object, he nodded and said decisively, "Alright, I'm on it."
Soon, everything was ready.
"Hold him down," Louis said to Hershel.
Then, picking up scissors and tweezers, he moved quickly to cut away the shredded clothing and mangled flesh stuck to the skin.
"There's too much bleeding." Louis frowned slightly and looked at Hershel. "Mr. Hershel, I need more bandages; there aren't enough here."
Hershel glanced at the spurting blood and, without a word, turned and rushed toward the cabinet.
While the other was out getting bandages, Louis pulled out his wand and waved it over Randall's wound.
"Episkey."
He whispered the incantation. The deep vessels that were still oozing blood began to stop, and the damaged muscle tissue contracted and healed slightly.
To avoid being too shocking, he didn't let the wound fully recover instantly. He only used magic to assist with hemostasis and deep repair, which was enough to make the subsequent treatment much easier.
"The bleeding stopped?" Hershel leaned in to look, his eyes widening in surprise.
With such a terrible wound, to be able to treat it and stop the bleeding so quickly—even as an old veterinarian who had worked for decades, he might not have been able to do it so efficiently.
Hershel looked up and gave Louis a deep, searching look.
Under the lamplight, his profile was focused and serious, and his movements were incredibly skilled.
How on earth did he learn all this?
Although the boy did often go to Dr. Jenner for medical knowledge, and he'd even heard the kid was bold enough to practice on the Walkers outside, the level he was demonstrating now was still incredibly shocking.
Hershel was full of doubt; he decided he had to ask Rick later what exactly he was teaching the boy.
"There."
Louis snipped the last thread and tossed the blood-stained tools into the tray.
He wiped the fine beads of sweat from his forehead and let out a long breath as he watched Randall's breathing finally stabilize.
A few minutes later, the others arrived after hearing the news.
"He's not going to die."
Louis said to the crowd while washing his hands, "But he's lost a lot of blood and is very weak. Someone needs to take turns watching him tonight."
"We need to watch for any high fever caused by post-operative infection."
Louis pointed to the wound. "If the fever persists, he'll need antibiotics, or things might take a turn for the worse."
"Good work, Louis."
Rick stepped forward, looking at the neatly treated wound. "Go rest. We'll take it from here."
Louis nodded; the most troublesome part was resolved, and there shouldn't be anything else for him to worry about.
The group had originally intended to interrogate him through the night, but seeing Randall's half-dead state and fearing he might die if pushed, they had to give up.
The night passed with the farm on rotating watch... The next morning.
Sunlight filtered through the gaps in the barn, illuminating the dusty floor.
"Cough, cough...!"
A fit of violent coughing shattered the silence.
Randall opened his eyes in a daze. The first thing to hit him was the piercing pain in his leg, making him want to curl up. But he soon realized he couldn't move.
His hands were tied behind his back, and he was bound to a chair.
"Awake?"
A cold voice came from above.
Randall looked up in terror. The first things he saw were pairs of cold, scrutinizing eyes surrounding him. Rick, Shane, Daryl... "Wh... where is this?" Randall's voice trembled.
"Welcome to hell, kid."
Merle leaned in and patted Randall's cheek lightly, sporting a friendly smile. "Sleep well last night?"
"Now, let's play a Q&A Game."
Rick stood to the side, not stopping Merle's intimidation.
He turned his head and glanced at Louis standing at the barn door, along with the other children peeking in curiously.
Rick frowned.
"Louis," he spoke seriously, "take Carl and the others out."
"Okay."
Louis nodded indifferently without the slightest hesitation. He knew the next part would be a violent interrogation unsuitable for children.
While he didn't mind taking action against enemies, he really had no interest in listening to some poor soul's screams.
Besides, he had more important things to think about than watching Merle torture someone.
"Let's go."
Louis turned and led the children away. "Let's go help Brother Glenn sort the supplies. I heard they brought back a lot of good food this time."
Though the children were curious, they were also spooked by the oppressive atmosphere in the barn and obediently followed Louis away.
They hadn't gone far.
"Ahhh!!"
From inside the closed barn doors, there was a sudden dull thudding sound, followed by Randall's heart-wrenching cries and pleas for mercy.
"What are they doing in there?" Sophia shrank back a bit, sounding frightened.
"Don't worry," Louis gave a reassuring smile, "they're just asking for directions."