I pushed my bike as fast as I could. After a while, the forest finally came into view. As I drew closer, I saw countless dead bodies scattered across the ground, including the Collector's corpse. I searched desperately for any sign of Clementine, but she was nowhere to be found. All I could see were piles of bodies scattered on the ground. I ran frantically, hoping to find something, anything.
Then I heard a sound coming from deep within the forest.
I sprinted toward it and soon spotted a group of Collectors. About a dozen women were tied up, forced to kneel on the ground.
"All of you will fetch us a good price at the slave market," said a woman holding a rifle. She was the only one armed. Five men standing beside her nodded in agreement.
"Sarah, did you radio the group again?" one of the men complained. He was missing a hand. "Why the hell is it taking them so long to pick us up? My ass is freezing. Do they want us to die out here?"
"Stop fucking complaining," Sarah snapped. "Yes, I radioed them, but there's no response. The dense forest must be blocking the signal. Don't worry—they'll be here any minute."
She stared at him coldly. The man broke eye contact and instead focused on one of the women kneeling nearby. He stepped forward and grabbed her.
"Hahaha! Guys, look what I found—a runaway piece of meat," he said. "This is the bitch who chopped off my hand and killed a few of my friends."
Everyone turned toward the woman.
"Get your filthy hands off me," Michonne said, shoving him away with her shoulder.
Enraged, the man grabbed her by the neck. "Bitch, you'll pay for everything you did to me and my friends."
Michonne struggled to breathe. Her face flushed red as she fought against the ropes, but they were too tight. Just as her vision began to fade, Sarah shouted, "Don't fucking kill her, dumbass. I still need to sell her."
She glared at the man. Reluctantly, he released his grip. Michonne collapsed forward, coughing violently.
"But what about my revenge?" he growled. "Am I just supposed to forgive her?"
"There are worse fates than death," Sarah replied coldly. "We can sell her—after you all have your fun."
The men smiled.
"That's a great idea," the one-armed man said. "I get my revenge, and the rest of you get some relief."
"Tonight's going to be fun," another man laughed. "This job's been stressing me out."
They laughed among themselves.
Michonne suddenly lunged forward, sinking her teeth into the one-armed man's neck.
"I'm not dying without taking one of you with me," she snarled, spitting out a chunk of flesh. Blood spilled from her mouth as the man screamed, clutching his neck. He collapsed to the ground, but it was already too late.
Everyone froze.
"Die, bitch!" one of the men shouted, raising his hammer.
Before he could strike, a gunshot rang out. His hand exploded in a spray of blood.
The group turned toward the sound, toward me.
Sarah tried to raise her rifle, but another bullet shattered it in her hands. I fired rapidly, shooting each of them in the legs. They collapsed, screaming.
I walked toward them, my sword clenched tightly.
"Who the hell are you?" one man groaned.
He never got an answer.
My sword came down, splitting his head open.
The others froze in terror.
I cut the ropes binding Michonne. She about to thank me, then stopped when she saw my face. Her expression hardened. Without a word, she turned away and began freeing the other women.
I faced the four remaining Collectors bleeding on the ground. Their faces were twisted with pain and fear. I planted my sword into the dirt and crouched in front of them.
"Don't waste my time," I said calmly. "Answer my questions. Whoever answers fastest gets a reward."
They exchanged terrified glances.
"My first question," I continued with a smile, "where is Clementine? A girl with a baseball hat."
They hesitated.
"Please don't kill me," one man sobbed. "We were only told to loot the dead. I don't know anything else. Please... just let me go."
I stomped on his hand, crushing the bone. He screamed like a dying pig.
"That wasn't an answer," I said coldly. "Try again."
They trembled violently. Then Sarah broke.
"We don't know much," she blurted out. "We're just regular members. Our job was to collect loot and watch the women after the main group finished. But I heard rumors... the main group was ordered not to hurt the girl you described. They were given her photo so they wouldn't kill her by mistake. That's all I know."
Her body shook as she stared into my blood-red eyes.
I tightened my grip on the sword.
"Uhh...But the people coming to pick up the loot and women...they must know where she is," she added quickly.
I noticed movement. hammer man was crawling away with just one good hand.
"Where do you think you're going?" I asked.
He looked up, tears streaming down his face. "Please, let me go. I have a family waiting for me at camp—"
I crushed his skull beneath my boot. Blood and bone sprayed across the ground.
"Don't worry," I said flatly. "I'll send them to you soon. All of them. You won't be alone."
I returned to the remaining three.
"Next question. Why are the Collectors working with the Sergeant's group?"
Sarah answered immediately. "The Sergeant offered us half the territory if we helped him. He gave us information—camps locations, weaknesses. That's all I know."
Her eyes darted to the two remaining men. One had wet himself.
My sword pierced his heart. He screamed as blood poured from the wound.
"Be quiet," I said, slicing off his head. It rolled across the ground.
Behind me, the freed women screamed. Some covered their eyes. Others couldn't look away.
"All of you shut up," I snapped. "Before I make you."
Silence fell. Even the birds seemed louder.
Michonne stared at me, shaken but silent.
I turned to the last two Collectors.
"Final question," I said calmly. "Whoever answers lives. Where is your camp, and how many people are there?"
One man tried to speak, but Sarah lunged at him, choking him until his body went limp.
"Our group has nearly a thousand people," she said desperately. "Almost half are slaves. Two hundred support staff. The rest are scouts, guards, and attack units."
She handed me a map. "The camp is marked. Now please… let me go."
I took the map and nodded. "Good. As promised, I won't kill you."
I chopped off both of her arms.
Her scream echoed through the forest. I finished it by cutting off her jaw. She tried to scream again, but no sound came. She drowned slowly in her own blood.
I studied the map.
Behind me, the women trembled. Even Michonne looked unsettled, her eyes wide, her composure barely holding. She tried to hide it, but I could see it clearly.
Then I heard engines approach car and bikes.
I smiled.