Randall's words became his temporary life-saving medal.
Maggie and Hershel felt that bringing this burden along was a huge trouble, especially at this critical moment when the Walkers were about to surround them.
But looking at Rick's eyes, which had reignited with hope upon hearing news of their companions, they understood that this risk had to be taken.
"Fine, take him," Hershel sighed. "Give me a hand."
The group stopped arguing, and Rick and the others rushed to the fence.
"The situation is bad." Hershel checked the wound, his expression grim. "If we pull him out forcefully, we'll have to tear through the muscle to get his leg out."
"Not only would that cause massive hemorrhaging, but this leg of his would likely be ruined; he definitely wouldn't be able to move."
"Ah! It hurts! It hurts so much!"
"Shut up!" Maggie barked sharply, looking toward the alley entrance warily. "You'll attract all the surrounding Walkers!"
Rick glanced at the swaying shadows not far away and steeled his heart.
"There's no time for surgery." Rick gritted his teeth, his gaze becoming ruthless. "There's an axe in the car. I'll go get it and just chop the leg off to take him!"
"What?!" Hearing this, Randall was scared out of his wits, desperately kicking with his other leg. "No! Please! Don't chop off my leg!"
"Then shut your mouth!"
Rick was about to turn and go to the car for the axe, but he found that the Walkers at the alley entrance had been attracted by Randall's screams and were blocking the way.
He couldn't easily return to the car to get tools and come back now.
"Damn it!" Rick cursed, trapped in place.
"There's no other way." Hershel watched the approaching Walkers and made a decision. "Rick, hold him down! I have to use a knife to cut the ligaments below the kneecap. Although he'll lose his lower leg, at least he'll survive!"
As he spoke, he prepared to act.
"No! Don't! Help!!" Randall shrieked as he looked at the gleaming small knife.
"Whatever you're going to do, you'd better do it fast!"
Maggie raised her gun and shot down an approaching Walker, shouting anxiously, "We're about to be surrounded!"
"Hold him down! Fast!" Hershel yelled. "We need to find something to cauterize the wound to stop the bleeding, or he'll bleed out!"
"Let's just get him out of here first!"
Rick couldn't care about anything else now and rushed forward to pin Randall down. "This is the only way, bear with it!"
"No! I don't want to..."
In this chaotic moment where everyone was driven to distraction by Randall's noise—
Thump!
A muffled sound.
The next scream Randall had just opened his mouth to release was instantly choked back into his throat.
His eyes rolled back, his head slumped weakly, and he went completely still.
The world instantly became quiet.
Rick and Hershel were both stunned.
They looked closely and saw that Louis had somehow circled back from the side, weighing a few stones in his hand.
"I think it'll be more convenient for you this way."
Louis threw away the stones he no longer needed and patted his hands. "Since you're going to do it anyway, it's better to keep him quiet."
Rick looked at the unconscious Randall, then at Louis, and took a deep breath.
It was indeed much more convenient.
"Good job."
Since the man was out cold, they didn't have to worry about him thrashing around or screaming.
"Hershel, give me a hand!"
He didn't go for the axe again, nor did he let Hershel slowly cut the ligaments.
He directly grabbed Randall's leg with both hands and, amidst the bone-chilling sound of tearing muscle, gave a sudden upward heave!
Squelch!
Blood splattered.
Randall's leg was pulled out from the metal spike by sheer force; even in his coma, his body twitched from the intense pain.
"Quick! Bandage it!"
Hershel moved fast, wrapping the mangled hole with emergency bandages, temporarily stopping the gushing blood.
"Go! Prop him up!"
Although they saved the leg, adding a heavy wounded person instantly slowed their evacuation speed.
Rick carried the man on his back, Hershel and Louis followed in the middle, and Maggie was responsible for the rear.
But this group was already exhausted, and with the added weight, they hadn't run far before their path was blocked by a dozen Walkers flanking from the other end of the alley.
Blocked in front, pursued from behind.
"This way is blocked too!" Maggie fired a shot, but it was just a drop in the bucket against the surging horde of Walkers.
Just as Louis was thinking of a way to use the terrain to maneuver around the Walkers—
"Yo, look who we have here?"
The voice sounded lazy, tinged with an annoying, punchable quality. "Isn't this our great 'Friendly Cop'?"
"What, bringing your group of old, weak, and sick to set up a buffet for the Walkers here?"
The group looked toward the sound and saw Merle crouching on the wall at the alley entrance, a cigarette butt in his mouth.
The next second, he leaped down from the wall, the axe in his hand tracing a vicious arc through the air.
Crack!
A Walker that was about to pounce on Rick had its head instantly split in two.
Merle kicked the corpse away, turned around, and grinned at the group. "Seems like without me, you goodie-two-shoes can't even cross the street, huh?"
As he spoke, he glanced at Louis, who was protected behind Rick, and sneered, "And you, kid."
"Running around with him at your age, are you tired of living, or just in a hurry to be reincarnated?"
He wanted to mock them further but didn't notice another Walker suddenly lunging from the shadows behind him.
"Behind you!" Rick was about to raise his gun to warn him.
Thwip!
A short blade flashed from the side, precisely piercing the Walker's temple.
Andrea stepped out from the shadows behind Merle.
She pulled out the short blade, disgustedly flicked off the blood, gave Merle a frustrated look, and then looked at Rick and the others. "Are you guys okay? Everyone alright?"
Merle rubbed the back of his neck, looked at the fallen Walker, and showed no gratitude. Instead, he shrugged and grumbled with a look of displeasure:
"Meddling in other people's business. I smelled its stench a long time ago and was just about to give it a back-hand blow."
He looked at Andrea and mocked sarcastically, "What? Think it's not lively enough here and had to stick your nose in?"
"Should I set off some fireworks and throw a party to celebrate?"
Whiz—!
The sound of air being sliced rang out as a crossbow bolt pinned a Walker at the end of the alley to the wall.
Daryl stepped out from the darkness on the other side, holding his crossbow. He gave the posturing Merle a cold glance and exposed him without mercy:
"Give it a rest. If it weren't for Andrea just now, you'd have had a chunk of meat bitten off by now."
He pulled out a bolt while mocking him, "You're not doing any better yourself, so stop making a fool of yourself."
"Hey!" Being rebuked by his own brother, Merle immediately started grumbling in dissatisfaction. "Whose side are you on? Helping outsiders?"
"Enough, enough! Both of you, say less!"
Glenn ran over from behind, panting, holding a pistol, and looking around nervously. "Now is not the time for arguing! Argue when we get back!"
It turned out that the people left at the farm were worried when Rick and the others didn't return for so long, so they organized a team to come and meet them.
With the crisis averted, Daryl ignored Merle's shouting and walked straight to Louis.
He looked the boy up and down, and after confirming he wasn't missing any limbs, he scolded him with a stern face and a stiff tone:
"You shouldn't have run out. Your mom found out you hadn't come back and was worried sick at the farm."
"Ooh ooh ooh~"
Hearing this, Merle immediately leaned in and teased, "Listen to that, how touching."
"Louis, you're so inconsiderate. Look how worried your 'Mommy Darylina' got?"
Thump!
Expressionless, Daryl swung his fist into Merle's stomach.
"Drop dead, asshole."
Louis couldn't help but laugh at this chaotic scene. "Thanks for coming to find me."
"Don't flatter yourself, kid." Merle huffed, but still consciously moved to the outer edge of the group to keep watch.
"Get back to the car! I don't want to spend the night in this hellhole!"
With the addition of this fresh force, the situation instantly reversed.
The group cleared the Walkers while covering Rick and the others as they stuffed the unconscious Randall into the back seat of the car.
"Who is this kid?"
Andrea asked in confusion as she got into the car, looking at the unconscious young man with blood all over his leg. "Is he why you were delayed in town for so long?"
Rick closed the car door and wiped the blood from his face, his gaze turning sharp.
"He's a lead."
Rick said in a low voice, "He knows Louis's name and has seen our missing companions. Take him back; once he wakes up, we'll know where the others are."
Hearing this, everyone's spirits were lifted.
"Then what are we waiting for?" Daryl pulled open the car door and looked back at the group. "Home. Then we interrogate him."