I moved quietly, gun in hand, watching the truck that had crashed into the building. Two hunters clutched their heads, stumbling in confusion. Suddenly, one of them screamed as Christa bit into the artery in his arm. Blood poured out. His screams echoed until he collapsed, unconscious from blood loss.
"You bitch—die!" the other hunter shouted, raising a baseball bat to strike her. Before he could swing, I hurled my knife, killing him instantly.
Christa looked at me, then picked up the bat. I ran closer to the truck as she screamed, smashing the heads of the two dead hunters again and again, crying as she did. I stayed back, letting her release her rage. After a minute, she stopped. Her knees buckled, and she collapsed onto the truck bed, sobbing.
I approached her slowly and asked gently, "What happened? Why are you here? Weren't you supposed to be leaving by now?"
She had always been strong and serious, but seeing her this vulnerable made my chest tighten. With tears streaming down her face, she said, "After you left to look for Clementine, we were preparing to leave. Then Vernon stole the boat. The hunters showed up and demanded we meet their boss. We refused and fought back. Kenny escaped, but Ben died trying to run away. I couldn't escape because of my injured foot. Omid died trying to protect me."
suddenly she clenched the edge of the truck bed and screamed in pain as she grabbed her stomach. I noticed her pants were soaking with blood. She looked down, horrified, and screamed when she saw it. My heart dropped. I prayed that her baby was okay.
Her fear grew as she checked herself. She cried at the top of her lungs until, finally, the sobbing stopped. Then she looked at me with pure hatred.
"If I lost my baby, I will kill you."
Her voice was raw and deadly serious. Even I felt afraid. She gently stroked her belly and whispered, "Please be okay. I can't lose you." It sounded desperate, as if she were trying to convince both herself—and the baby—that everything would be alright.
The woman in front of me was now a threat. My hand trembled as I raised my gun toward her. She sobbed quietly, her hands still cradling her belly. Seeing that made me hesitate, but my anger surged. I forced myself to steady my aim and pointed the gun straight at her head. I would kill anything that threatened me. I would not hesitate again. Ending her misery right there felt inevitable.
My finger tightened around the trigger.
"Max! Are you okay?"
Clementine's voice came from behind me. I lowered my gun immediately and turned to see her approaching, hesitant and afraid. I tucked the gun into the waistband of my pants just as she ran toward me, panic written across her face, and wrapped her arms tightly around me.
"Didn't I tell you to stay inside the building?" I said.
She pulled back and answered softly, "I waited for you. But even after a few minutes, you didn't come back. You were just standing there, staring at the truck, and I got worried. I'm sorry."
I looked at her quietly and let out a small sigh of relief. Then her eyes drifted past me—to the truck, the two dead bodies, and Christa sitting there, crying. Clementine's eyes widened.
"Are you alright?" she asked, worry written all over her face, as she climbed onto the truck bed.
Christa continued stroking her belly, not responding. Clementine turned toward me, silently asking for an explanation. I said nothing. Instead, I dragged the bodies off the truck and headed toward the building.
"Is everything okay, Max?" Lee asked, concern evident in his voice as he studied my face.
I didn't answer. When he realized I wasn't in the mood to speak, he didn't press further.
After placing Lee on the truck bed with the others, he asked quietly, "Christa, can you drive the truck?"
She didn't respond, still rubbing her belly while Clementine watched her sadly. Lee looked disheartened, then turned to me.
"Don't worry," I said. "I know how to drive."
I headed toward the driver's seat. Lee and Clementine tried to talk to Christa, but she ignored them, staring into nothing.
I pulled out my walkie-talkie and tried to contact Amir, but there was no response. Frustrated, I lowered the radio—then static crackled through it.
"Hello, Max. Are you listening?"
The voice belonged to Molly. I quickly raised the radio. "Molly? Is that you?"
After a brief pause, she replied, "Yeah, it's me. I went into the library and found Lee's radio. Are you guys safe?"
"Yeah, we're safe. We're about to leave Savannah. Where are you?" I asked.
"I'm okay. I'm leaving Savannah too. It's nice to hear you're all safe," she said, though her voice sounded slightly off.
"Do you want to talk to Clementine one last time?" I asked, realizing this might be the last time we ever spoke.
"No, I'm fine. Tell them I said hi. And tell Clementine she doesn't have an incurable blood disease—it's just her period. Every damn woman goes through it," she said, chuckling.
"Okay… I'll tell her. Molly—did something happen? Is that why you couldn't make it to the library?" I asked.
The radio went silent. After a long pause, she spoke quietly. "Shit happens. Because of that, I got stuck. I'm sorry."
"It's okay," I said. "I hope you have a safe journey."
"Same. Bye, bald head," she replied before cutting the transmission.
I put the radio away and started the truck. The engine rumbled to life—then the radio crackled again.
"Max! Max!"
It was Amir. I grabbed the radio. "Amir, where are you?" I asked urgently.
"Kid, do you know how long I've been trying to reach you? Never mind—that's not important. Leave Savannah right now. The government is about to blow up the entire city in under twenty minutes. Get the Hell out! as fast as you can."
My heart began to race. "What? Why? There aren't even that many walkers here."
"There's a massive horde—hundreds of thousands. They're moving from city to city, wiping out survivors. They've already reached Savannah. You need to get out. Now!"
I didn't respond. I slammed my foot on the gas and drove as fast as I could, desperate to escape the city.
"Max, what happened? Why are you driving so fast? Slow down!" Lee shouted from behind, his voice filled with concern.
"Max… please slow down. I'm scared," Clementine said softly.
I didn't have time to explain. Instead, I tossed the walkie-talkie back to Lee so Amir could explain everything.