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Chapter 84 – A Scream in the Forest
"We could have waited... maybe someday we'll find someone immune…" Riya couldn't bear the thought of taking someone's life before they were fully turned. That was something she could never do to the people she cared about.
"You can't survive a bite to the body. If the area can't be amputated, all we'd be doing is letting them suffer needlessly."Alan wasn't thrilled about being the one to carry out such executions either.
Who in the world enjoys killing?
But there were rules that couldn't be broken—necessary things that had to be done to preserve humanity.
Riya was tired of killing so many people—living, infected, or begging for their lives.
But Tomas hadn't begged. That proved he was already dead inside.
"We need to get out of here. Let's avoid the main roads and go through the forest." Alan couldn't drive, so he left that task to Riya, who was still overwhelmed.
The vehicle they were using was an off-road truck, so this type of terrain wouldn't be a problem for travel.
But at that moment, a scream broke the silence of the forest.
"Ahhhh!!!"
"Someone needs help!" Riya jumped out of the truck and ran toward the source of the scream.
"Riya, it could be a trap!" Alan couldn't keep up with her and cursed under his breath at his friend's innocence.
Did she still think people could be kind? They had just saved a boy who'd been attacked by other people—not every scream, especially from a girl, meant someone was in need of help.
Alan had no choice but to follow her. With his injury, he couldn't go far, so he decided to cut through some bushes to take a shortcut.
Bang!
A silenced shot still made noise, and Alan clearly heard the muffled blast.
Rrrooar!
But before he could turn around, an infected lunged at him out of nowhere and tried to bite his hand—which was protected by a metal-reinforced glove.
"Poor bastard. Your teeth are gonna break."
Crack!
Infected can't bite through hard surfaces, and it's easy to protect the areas walkers typically go for. Arms are usually left exposed since they can be sacrificed, allowing protection to focus on more vulnerable parts of the body.
"Alan, I found someone." Riya appeared with a young girl.
"Was she alone?"
"She was about to be bitten, but I saved her. She hasn't said a word yet, but she's probably alone." Before bringing the girl—who had short hair—Riya had made sure she hadn't been bitten. Once she confirmed she was safe, she brought her straight to the truck.
Alan looked at the girl, who appeared overwhelmed, and said, "We need to get out of here. Now."
"I've got you." Riya helped support Alan, and without waiting, they left the area.
On the way, Alan looked at the girl, who didn't seem like she wanted to talk. So he asked, "What's your name?"
"Clementine…"
"Speak up. Don't be afraid. We may not look great, but we won't hurt you." Alan and Riya were still in full combat gear, which didn't exactly make them look friendly.
"My name's Clementine…"
"Were you alone in the forest?" Riya smiled more warmly after Alan had questioned the little girl with his usual emotionless expression.
Clementine clenched her hands and said, "We ran into a horde of infected. I got separated from the place I was supposed to hide when a walker got too close."
"That's unfortunate. We'll look for them later."
"Riya, we can't just go around playing heroes," Alan snapped, clearly irritated by how reckless she became when her trust was put to the test.
Riya sighed. She simply felt the need to protect those smaller and more vulnerable, even if she knew it was wrong in this world.
"Don't worry. You don't need to hide anything."
Alan pulled out a cigarette and lit it. He needed to calm the adrenaline in his system. "We'll need a place to spend the night. It won't get dark just yet, but I won't be much help if something happens."
"I know. Don't worry."