The warehouse door opened slowly, and the undead began to emerge from the darkness inside. One after another, the walkers followed in each other's steps, shambling aimlessly forward. At first glance, the warehouse seemed small, but to their surprise, more than thirty walkers came out, quickly forming a small horde.
A group of four, who were desperately trying to open the door of a house, paid no attention to the walkers. When they finally got the door open, they rushed inside, just as the walkers reached the entrance.
Some of the group went up to the second floor, apparently looking for mementos. Meanwhile, two others stayed downstairs, wandering through the strange place, looking at the photos and belongings left behind by the original owners of the house.
But upstairs, there were two other people Jason hadn't identified yet—injured, lying on a bed. The original headcount Jason had made was wrong; the group actually had six people in total.
Many of them had lost precious things—friends, siblings, parents. When you suffer such losses, all you want is the chance to live in peace without some walker ending your life. These days, memories are all that remain in the minds of those who have grown accustomed to surviving.
Downstairs, a young man named Sheldon was inspecting the surroundings when he noticed a vase with completely dried flowers. The water inside had long since evaporated, leaving the flowers wilted and brittle.
Sheldon had been through a lot, but he had made it through everything and survived.
Crash!
A sharp sound of breaking glass rang out, and everyone turned in alarm, moving toward the source. Sheldon shook his head when he saw the shards of the vase at his feet, signaling to the others that everything was fine.
"Sheldon, I need you to focus. The others are counting on our confidence to get out of here. You understand that, right?"
Hearing Edward's words, Sheldon shook his head again—not in disagreement, but acknowledging that he understood. He knew how important his role was to the others, even without needing to be told.
Edward then glanced at Penny, a tense look in his eyes. They both knew the situation was dire—not only did they have two wounded, but they also lacked the energy to attempt an escape. They had no medicine for the injured and certainly no proper weapons.
"We need to leave this house and keep searching, but we'll take Raj and Leonard with us. There's no point in coming back here. We can't give up," Edward said, trying to rally the group.
As he spoke, he extended his hand toward his daughter, Catalina. She looked at her father's smile and the confidence of the group, but deep down she knew they were lying to themselves. Still, she felt a small sense of relief. She took his hand, trying to silently tell him it would be all right.
"Okay, Penny and I will get the injured. The rest of you stay here," Sheldon said as he went upstairs with Penny to find the others.
But Edward didn't want to wait. He thought that if there were walkers nearby, it would be better to clear them out so they could move the injured more safely. His confident expression didn't fade even as he opened the door—only to find a small horde of walkers not far from the entrance.
Catalina stayed behind her father, holding a metal bar, but the stench of rot grew stronger as the walkers approached. She could now clearly see their decayed, grotesque faces.
Just as she was ready to strike, a strong hand pushed her back. Edward stepped forward, raising the machete in his hand, and sliced through the neck of the first walker in front of him.
A heavy thud hit the ground, but before Catalina could join the fight, a figure rushed past her. Sheldon raised the hammer he was holding and moved to assist Edward.
"Catalina, help Penny with the injured. Your father and I will handle the walkers."
But as the fight dragged on, Sheldon noticed their enemies increasing in number. The hammer in his hands was striking slower and slower.
Out of the corner of his eye, he saw a walker lunging at Edward from the side. Sheldon quickly swung his hammer, crushing the walker's forehead—but another immediately came at him after he had saved Edward.
Sheldon shoved his arm against the walker's throat, trying to keep it away. The creature's unnatural strength pressed back, locking them in a dangerous stalemate.
By then, Penny had noticed the chaos at the front door. It was impossible to approach because of the numerous corpses on the ground. Edward was struggling to hold his position. His confidence faltered for the first time, but then a steely determination lit up his eyes. With all his strength, he shoved the walker attacking Sheldon away and shouted hoarsely:
"Sheldon, help Penny with the injured and make sure you get out through the back door!"
Penny and Sheldon instantly understood what Edward meant. Their expressions tightened, but a determined voice rang out:
"No! We can still help you!"
"Sheldon, we have to help him!"
Penny turned toward the injured, forcing herself to look determined, and called to Catalina:
"Help me!"
After saying that, Penny moved to assist the injured, planning to return to help Sheldon, who still hadn't fallen back, as he tried to support Edward.
But just then, the sound of the wind howling came from outside. Walkers were suddenly thrown to the ground by unseen force, and a voice rang out loud and clear:
"Fall back! Don't go through the door!"
A burst of silent gunfire followed.
Bang! Bang! Bang!
Drawn by the loud noise, the walkers outside turned, shoving one another on the steps until they tripped and fell.
Edward and Sheldon glanced at each other, trying to process what was happening. Realizing the danger was passing, they let their weapons fall, gasping for breath.
The gunfire outside came in short bursts. Slowly, the group of six recovered and silently watched the scene beyond the doorway.
Sheldon was the first to approach the door, using his body as a shield in case something went wrong.
Moments later, a figure dressed in black walked slowly toward the house. The sunlight behind him made it hard to see his face. Everyone watched as the man reached the doorway.
"You're lucky. Anyone hurt?"
…
Minutes later, seven people were seated in the house's living room. The group, who had just been in a life-or-death struggle, now looked at the clean-cut man in front of them, curious about his identity.
"Sir, thank you for saving our group. My name is Sheldon, this man here is Edward, his daughter Catalina, Penny, and the injured are Raj and Leonard." After introducing them, Sheldon extended his hand with a modest, grateful smile.
Jason reached out and shook his hand, but just as he was about to speak, he heard a stomach growl from someone in the group.
Sheldon pulled his hand back, smiling awkwardly. Seeing this, Jason changed his question.
"How long has it been since you ate?"
"It's been three days. We finished what we'd found before. We've survived until now thanks to water, but we don't have much left."
Jason nodded, glancing at the silent wounded. He didn't know who these people were, but they were definitely born survivors. This group was strong—there was no doubt about that. He could tell the injured ones were probably the strongest among them, but there was more to this group than met the eye.
Those thoughts passed quickly through Jason's mind before he stood and said to the six people in the room:
"Come on, I'll take you to get a good meal."
"This… you saved us—how can we take your supplies? It wouldn't be right…"
Edward shook his head stubbornly. Though he was starving, he still wanted to earn his own food. The man before them had already helped them greatly, spending precious, hard-to-find ammunition. Edward knew well the value of a meal and a box of bullets.
Jason studied them for a moment; they seemed hesitant. Then he suddenly said:
"I'm the leader of a community—a safe place where your skills could help strengthen everyone's security. You have an open invitation. Are you willing to join us?"
They looked at one another for a few seconds before Sheldon immediately replied:
"Of course!"