"They're fighting at the front door!" Hershel's hand holding the gun trembled slightly, but he still gritted his teeth and said, "We have to hold the back door, we can't let them flank us!"
"There are four of them." Louis listened to the movement outside and quickly judged, "Two at the front door, and two more at the back door preparing to rush in."
A flash of killing intent crossed Maggie's eyes. Just as she pulled the bolt, preparing to rush out and fight for her life, she was held back by Louis.
"Let me."
Louis pulled a black sphere out of his backpack and whispered to Maggie and Hershel, "This is a homemade flashbang. I'm not sure of its power, so close your eyes first!"
After the two retreated and closed their eyes, he didn't throw it immediately. Instead, he first quietly reached his hand toward the door, his wand sliding into his palm as he whispered:
"Lumos!"
The tip of the wand flickered a few times, lighting up a weak orb of light no bigger than a firefly.
"Tsk." Louis sighed. This broken spell really dropped the ball at the crucial moment. To expect to blind the enemy with such a half-baked lighting charm was truly too much of a stretch.
Fine, since magic isn't enough, technology will have to do!
His gaze sharpened, and without further hesitation, he threw the object in his hand directly into the back alley.
The moment it flew out the door, Louis's hand inside his sleeve moved slightly.
Go! Flashbang!
The sphere, which was originally falling in a parabola, suddenly stalled strangely for a moment in the air. Then, as if pushed by an invisible hand, it accelerated sharply and accurately smashed down right in front of the two enemies who were preparing to flank from both sides!
"What is that?!" The two of them instinctively looked over.
Bang—!
A blinding white light suddenly exploded in the narrow back alley!
"Ah! My eyes!!"
"Now!" Louis shouted.
Hershel and Maggie slammed open the iron door and pulled their triggers at the two figures who were clutching their faces and firing blindly.
Bang! Bang!
A few gunshots rang out, and the two enemies fell to the ground.
"Get back, watch the roof!" Louis didn't go out; his eyes remained fixed on the second floor opposite them.
Maggie rolled and hid behind a trash can, dodging several bullets.
"He's there!" Hershel raised his gun and fired back at the roof, forcing the sniper on the other side to pull his head back.
By this time, the gunfire at the front door was also gradually thinning out.
The remaining guy saw things were going south and noticed the Walkers being attracted by the gunfire and surrounding them. He completely lost his nerve.
"Randall! Let's go! The Walkers are coming!" He stopped caring about the others, drove the car back directly, and roared, "Jump down! We're leaving!"
The sniper on the roof named Randall was clearly also panicking.
He glanced at the increasing number of Walkers gathering nearby, then at his fallen companions. Gritting his teeth, he put away his gun and prepared to jump from the second floor onto the roof of the car to escape.
However, perhaps he was too nervous or the roof was too slippery.
At the moment of his jump, his foot slipped, and he fell straight down from the second floor!
"Ah!"
Randall let out a shrill, agonizing scream.
During his fall, one of his legs was unfortunately pierced through by a sharp metal spike at the top of the fence. He was left hanging on the iron railing like a frog pinned to a specimen board!
"Help! Help me!!" Randall struggled in pain as blood poured frantically down his pant leg.
"Damn it!" Seeing this, the driver in the car turned pale instantly.
He glanced at Randall, who was pinned to the fence, and felt a fierce internal struggle.
A second later, fear triumphed over everything.
"Sorry, dude!"
The driver slammed the gas pedal to the floor. The car made a piercing screeching sound and sped out of the street without looking back, disappearing at the end of the road.
"No! Don't leave me!!"
Randall reached out desperately but could only grasp at the air.
The gunfire ceased.
Rick came out from the front door of the bar. Several people held their guns and slowly approached the young man hanging on the fence.
"Please... help me..."
Randall was sweating profusely from the pain. Looking at the people surrounding him, his eyes were full of pleading, "Don't kill me... I just... I just don't want to die..."
Looking at Randall's young face, distorted by pain, a flicker of pity crossed Rick's heart.
This person looked very young, perhaps only seventeen or eighteen, still a child.
If it were before, Rick might have saved him without hesitation.
But now, as he looked at Randall, memories surfaced of that group of young The Believers in the factory who had shouted for their execution during the 'Judgment,' and the scout at the gas station who had tricked them into trusting him.
In this world, being young was no longer a get-out-of-jail-free card, nor did it represent innocence.
"We... can't take him with us." Rick spoke with difficulty, making a decision that was very cruel for him.
"It's the right decision."
To everyone's surprise, the usually soft-hearted Hershel did not try to dissuade him this time.
The old man sighed and patted Rick's shoulder, his eyes full of clarity: "He was just trying to kill us. Rick, you don't need to feel guilty about this."
After a moment of silence, Rick took one last look at Randall.
"We don't kill a captive, but I also can't take back someone who wanted to kill us."
Having said that, he turned around without hesitation: "Let's go."
"No! Don't go! Please!"
Looking at the Walkers in the distance, Randall broke down and started crying hysterically, "If you leave, I'm dead for sure! Don't leave me here alone!"
Rick's footsteps paused, but he didn't look back. He simply pulled a knife from his waist and threw it to Randall.
"This is the last thing I can give you," Rick said. "Choose for yourself: deal with the Walkers, or deal with yourself."
Just as everyone was preparing to evacuate quickly, Maggie came running hurriedly from the back alley, her tone urgent:
"Rick, wait! Louis just said the intersection ahead doesn't look right, Walkers are gathering there. We'd better take another way!"
Hearing these words, Randall, who had been wailing in despair, suddenly stopped as if his throat had been seized.
The next second, as if grabbing onto a final life-saving straw, he began to shout like a madman:
"Rick?! Louis?! You are Rick and Louis?!"
The group ignored his nonsense, assuming it was just a deathbed struggle. Rick even quickened his pace, preparing to get in the car.
Until—
"That Louis... is he a blond kid?!"
Hearing this, Rick's footsteps froze instantly.
He turned abruptly, his gun aimed at Randall once more, his gaze becoming incredibly dangerous: "What did you just say?"
"Help me! I know you guys!"
Like a drowning man grabbing a piece of driftwood, Randall shouted at a rapid-fire pace: "I have news! News about your companions!"
"I know where your companions are! About five or six of them! They escaped from The Believers, right? We saved them!"
"What?!"
Rick stared intently into Randall's eyes, trying to discern if he was lying or just trying to survive.
A few seconds later, he slowly lowered his gun and turned to look at Hershel.
"We have to get him out."