The "Municipal Credit Union" stood like a small, forgotten fortress amidst the decay. Its barred windows and heavy steel door exuded an aura of resilience that was a stark contrast to the shattered storefronts surrounding it. For Ethan, desperate to get Lily out of the open, it was the best, perhaps only, option for a momentary reprieve.
"Alright, Lily, stay right behind me, and be ready to hide if I say so," Ethan whispered, his eyes scanning every shadow, every doorway. The baseball bat felt like a familiar extension of his arm now.
[ANALYZING STRUCTURE: 'MUNICIPAL CREDIT UNION'. MAIN ENTRANCE HEAVILY REINFORCED. REAR SERVICE DOOR IDENTIFIED – STEEL, BUT WITH A STANDARD COMMERCIAL LOCK. POTENTIAL WEAK POINT. NO IMMEDIATE BIOSIGNATURES DETECTED AT THE REAR.]
"I think there might be a way in around the back," Ethan said to Lily, phrasing the System's intel as a hunch. "Less obvious. Let's check it out."
The rear alley was narrow and filled with overflowing bins, but as the System indicated, a sturdy-looking service door was set into the brickwork. The lock was a heavy-duty commercial model. Ethan examined it, then remembered the crowbar still in his pack.
[TOOL ASSESSMENT: CROWBAR SUITABLE FOR APPLYING LEVERAGE TO DOOR FRAME NEAR LOCKING MECHANISM. PROBABILITY OF FORCED ENTRY: 60%. ESTIMATED TIME: 2-3 MINUTES. CAUTION: NOISE LEVEL WILL BE MODERATE.]
"Okay, Lily, I need you to watch the alley entrance. If you see anything, even a shadow, you whistle or tug on my pants, understand?" He positioned her where she could see the alley mouth while being partially sheltered by a dumpster.
She nodded, her small face serious.
Ethan wedged the tip of the crowbar into the doorframe. He applied pressure, slowly, then with more force. The wood around the lock groaned, then splintered. With a final, sharp crack, the lock gave way, and the door swung inward with a metallic groan into pitch darkness.
[ENTRY ACHIEVED. INTERNAL ATMOSPHERE: STALE, UNDISTURBED. IMMEDIATE AREA CLEAR. RECOMMEND FLASHLIGHT USE.]
"Got it," Ethan muttered under his breath, then to Lily, "Okay, it's open. Stick close."
He retrieved his flashlight, its beam cutting through the oppressive darkness of a small storage corridor. The air was cool and musty. They moved cautiously, Ethan sweeping the beam left and right. The corridor opened into a small break room, then into the main teller area. It was eeriely silent, dust motes dancing in the flashlight beam. Most of the teller stations were intact, but papers were strewn about, and a few chairs were overturned – signs of a hasty departure, not a violent struggle.
[ONE WALKER SIGNATURE DETECTED. DORMANT. LOCATION: VAULT ANTEROOM. LIKELY TRAPPED.]
"I think there's one of those things trapped further in," Ethan whispered, pointing the flashlight towards a heavy, barred gate leading to what looked like a vault area. Behind the bars, a lone figure in a security guard's uniform was slumped against the wall, unmoving. "It's not getting out. We should be okay in this main area."
Lily visibly relaxed a fraction.
While Lily sat huddled on a surprisingly intact upholstered bench in the waiting area, clutching her water bottle, Ethan did a quick, pragmatic search. He didn't delve deep, just checked easily accessible drawers and a staff kitchenette. He found a few sealed bottles of water, a handful of pre-packaged crackers, and, miraculously, an unopened chocolate bar.
"Look what I found," he said, offering Lily the chocolate. A tiny, genuine smile, the first he'd seen from her, flickered across her face as she took it. It was a small victory, but it felt monumental.
They rested for no more than an hour, just enough for Lily to eat the chocolate and some crackers, and for Ethan to mentally process their next move. The Credit Union felt secure for the moment, but the System's earlier assessment of the compromised office, and the general state of the world, urged him onward. This wasn't a home; it was a pause button.
[SYSTEM ANALYSIS UPDATE: WHILE THIS LOCATION OFFERS IMMEDIATE DEFENSE, SUSTAINED OCCUPANCY IS NOT RECOMMENDED. LIMITED ESCAPE ROUTES. UNKNOWN STRUCTURAL SOUNDNESS OF ADJACENT BUILDINGS. INCREASED WALKER PATROL PATTERNS DETECTED IN THE WIDER COMMERCIAL DISTRICT OVER THE LAST HOUR – LIKELY DUE TO EARLIER GUNFIRE AND ONGOING HERD DISPERSAL.]
[LONG-RANGE ROUTE TO ATLANTA PERIPHERY CALCULATED. PRIMARY AXIS: INTERSTATE CONNECTOR (HIGHWAY 316-EAST). DISTANCE: APPROXIMATELY 18 MILES. ESTIMATED TRAVEL TIME ON FOOT (CONSIDERING COMPANION): 2-3 DAYS MINIMUM, ASSUMING MODERATE OBSTRUCTION.]
"We can't stay here too long, Lily," Ethan said gently, after taking a long swig of water himself. "This place is okay for now, but we need to keep moving. Towards Atlanta, like we talked about. There might be more people, more help there." He didn't voice the System's specific warnings about increased walker patrols, not wanting to frighten her further, but the urgency was clear in his tone.
"Highway 316," he murmured to himself, recalling the System's route. He knew that highway; it was a major artery. It would be dangerous, likely clogged with abandoned vehicles and walkers, but it was also the most direct path.
They gathered the few supplies they'd found. As they prepared to leave, stepping back out into the dim light of the service corridor, the System flashed another alert.
[WARNING: MULTIPLE FAST-MOVING SIGNATURES DETECTED APPROACHING THIS BLOCK FROM THE SOUTH. NOT WALKERS. VEHICULAR NOISE CORRELATED. ESTIMATED ARRIVAL TO THIS STREET: 2 MINUTES.]
Ethan's blood ran cold. Vehicles. That meant humans. And "fast-moving" didn't sound like a casual patrol. It sounded like the men from the office, or others like them, searching methodically. They had overstayed their welcome, however brief.
"Change of plans, Lily!" Ethan said, his voice tight with urgency. "We need to leave. Now! Not the way we came in. There must be another way out in the main area."
He half-dragged her back into the teller area just as the sound of engines grew from a distant rumble to an audible roar on the street outside the Credit Union's main entrance. He scanned frantically. The front doors were a fortress, but what about windows? Barred, yes, but perhaps one was looser than the others?
Then he saw it – not an exit, but a potential, desperate gamble. The vault, with its single, trapped Walker. And beyond it? He couldn't see. But it was away from the front of the building, where their unwelcome visitors were about to arrive.