The high school was worse than they expected.
Walkers filled the parking lot.
Hundreds of them.
Shane stared through the truck windshield.
"Hell…"
Otis whispered.
"It wasn't like this before."
Ghost studied the area carefully.
Entrances.
Escape routes.
Walker movement.
Then he opened the truck door.
"We go now."
Shane frowned.
"You got a plan?"
"Yes."
They sprinted toward the school entrance.
Walkers immediately noticed them.
Groaning.
Reaching.
Ghost fired three precise shots.
Three walkers dropped instantly.
Inside the gymnasium the emergency supply station still stood intact.
Otis grabbed the medical bag quickly.
"Got it!"
But the noise had drawn the entire horde.
Walkers poured through the doors.
Shane looked behind them.
"We're surrounded!"
Otis panicked.
"There's too many!"
Ghost reloaded calmly.
"No."
He stepped forward.
Rifle raised.
The first walker lunged.
Ghost fired.
Then another.
Then another.
Shane watched in disbelief as the masked teenager moved through the horde like a machine.
Every shot perfect.
Every movement efficient.
Walkers fell one after another.
Otis whispered.
"My God…"
Ghost grabbed another rifle from the emergency rack.
"Keep moving."
They fought their way through the gym.
Out the side doors.
Back toward the truck.
Walkers followed them across the parking lot.
Dozens.
Then more.
Shane jumped into the driver seat.
"Go!"
Otis climbed into the back.
Ghost jumped onto the truck bed and kept firing as Shane accelerated down the road.
Behind them the school disappeared into the distance.
Otis stared at Ghost in shock.
"You saved my life."
Ghost wiped blood from his gloves.
"Mission priority was the supplies."
But Shane kept glancing at him through the mirror.
Because what he had just witnessed…
Wasn't normal.
That wasn't luck.
That wasn't training.
That was something else entirely.
Back at the farm Hershel worked desperately to save Carl.
And for the first time…
Beth Greene stood outside the house watching the road.
Waiting.
Her eyes searched the distance.
But strangely…
She wasn't only worried about Carl.
She was also waiting to see if the silent masked soldier would return alive.