Gray took one last look at the road where the truck had disappeared. "Come on," he said. "We need to find somewhere to stay before dark."
Merle rolled his sore wrist and spat over the side of the overpass. "Long as it ain't another rooftop."
They moved carefully through the city, sticking to alleys and side streets whenever possible. Downtown Atlanta was still packed with abandoned cars, broken storefronts, and the occasional walker wandering aimlessly between the buildings.
The first place they checked was a small apartment complex. Gray pushed the lobby door open, axe at the ready, while Merle followed behind with his pistol. The inside smelled of mildew and rot. Furniture had been overturned, and mail was scattered across the floor.
Suddenly, a walker stumbled out from behind the stairwell.
Merle fired once. The shot echoed through the building.
Gray winced. "Are you trying to invite the whole city?" Merle smirked. "Worked, didn't it?"
More groans responded from upstairs. Gray pointed to the door. "Out." They left immediately.
The second building they surveyed was a grocery store with metal shutters half-pulled down. Inside, the aisles had already been looted bare. Worse yet, the rear loading door hung open.
Gray crouched near the entrance and examined the muddy footprints leading in and out. "Could be walkers. Could be people," he said.
Merle snorted. "People are worse."
A crash echoed from deeper inside the store, followed by dragging footsteps. Gray didn't argue. "Next place," he said. They continued moving as the sun dipped lower in the sky.
Their third stop was a mechanic shop a few blocks farther from downtown, tucked between a tire warehouse and a fenced storage lot. Two garage bays faced the street, with a smaller office attached to one side.
Merle looked it over. "Ugly."
"It has walls," Gray replied. "That's enough."
They entered through the side office first.
Clear.
The office was cramped, containing a desk, two broken chairs, filing cabinets, and a stained couch. Gray checked the back room and bathroom while Merle swept the garage area.
A moment later, Merle called out, "Got one!"
Gray rushed in just in time to see a walker crawling out from beneath a lifted pickup truck. Grabbing the axe, he buried it in the walker's skull and yanked it free. The corpse slumped to the concrete.
Once the shop was clear, they got to work.
Together, they dragged tool chests, shelving racks, and stacks of tires in front of the garage bay doors. Gray shoved the filing cabinets against the office entrance while Merle jammed a steel bar through the rear handle.
By the time they finished, both were sweating.
Gray stepped back, surveying their barricades. "It'll do."
Merle dropped onto the couch, which groaned dangerously beneath him. "So, what's your story?"
"There is no story," Gray replied, "Just a normal guy trying to survive like everybody else."
Merle just closed his eyes, "Right, I get the feeling you ain't normal..."
"Yeah, you're probably not wrong, but let's just keep it between us." After a long silence, Gray kept going, "I've gotta ask though, what's your plan tomorrow after we leave the city?"
"Still haven't decided yet, might have to put a bullet up that cop's ass for leaving me handcuffed." Merle continued, "I've got a little brother at that camp of theirs."
"I see." Gray stood up, "Maybe sleep on it for a bit first, and tomorrow we'll see how things turn out before you get yourself killed. I'll take first watch."
Merle just scuffed but went to sleep anyway.
Finally, with some time alone, Gray opened the status window.
Name: Gray Ashwood
Age: 23 years old
Race: Human
Gold: 5,356
Gold per hour: 555 (483)
Gold Multiplier: 1.15x
'Damn, this almost feels like fate, what are the odds that I have enough gold for the next upgrade...'
[New Upgrade]
(5000 Gold) 480 Gold/Hour ✔
[New Hourly Rate]
1,107 Gold/Hour
"Now that's what I'm talking about." Satisfied, Gray closed the interface and sat down, keeping an eye out for any kind of noise.
After 5 hours of being on watch, Merle woke up and swapped places with Gray, "Wake me up if you hear anything. We barely got a few bullets, don't waste them."
Letting out a small laugh, Merle just replied, "Yeah, yeah, you got it, boss. I ain't no amateur."
Gray just shook his head and finally got some rest.
At the first signs of sunrise, Merle shook Gray awake. "C'mon, get up. It's time to go."
"Wait, it's morning already?" Gray sat up. "Why didn't you wake me up?"
"You looked like you needed the rest." Merle turned around and walked out. But before he could get through the door, he heard Gray say, "Ahh, you care about me; isn't that nice..."
"Motherfucker, just you wait until my wrist heals up. I'll punch that smirk off your face!" Gray shook his head and got up.
"Who said Merle Dixon didn't have a heart?" Gray followed him out, and together they removed the tires and looked for a car.
After walking around for 10 minutes, they finally spotted a car in good condition. Seeing a few zombies nearby, Gray took action, dispatching them one by one with his axe while Merle attempted to hotwire the vehicle. When the engine roared to life, Gray dashed toward the car and got in.
"Ain't you glad you saved me, boy?" Merle replied. "I'm a man of many talents."
Gray shook his head. "Yeah, yeah, whatever you say, old man. Just drive and don't crash."
After 40 minutes of driving, Merle turned onto a dirt side road. "Camp is up ahead," he said.
Noticing the gun on the dashboard, Gray snatched it before Merle could react. "What are you doing, boy? You're not thinking of saving that pig, are you?" Merle exclaimed.
"Listen, how about we talk this through first?" Gray suggested. "I'm not saying we should let them get away with it scot-free. They left you on the rooftop and had enough time to grab your guns."
Merle scoffed.
"Here's the deal: if you behave, I'll give you 10 packs of cigarettes and a few bottles of any kind you want," Gray offered as he spotted a few cars parked up ahead. "Just give it a few days, that's all I'm asking."
"You'd better keep your word!" Merle replied, putting the car in park and getting out.
The noise of the car alerted most people in the camp. Dale spotted them first from the roof of the RV. Shane had a shotgun in his hand, prepared to confront the newcomers.
"Hold it right there!" Shane commanded.
Merle spread his arms with a wild grin. "Ain't this a warm welcome?"
Before Shane could respond, voices came from near the truck parked at the edge of the camp. Rick, Glenn, T-Dog, and a lean man with a crossbow had been loading supplies into the back, clearly getting ready to head back into the city. The moment they saw Merle and Gray, all four froze.
"Merle?" Daryl was the first to react, breaking into a run and nearly dropping the crossbow as he closed the distance. Merle hardly had time to brace himself before his younger brother grabbed him in a rough, one-armed hug.
"You dumb son of a bitch," Daryl muttered, his voice tight. "Thought you were dead."
Merle shoved him back, though not very hard. "Yeah? It takes more than a rooftop and a few morons to kill me."
Rick let out a long breath, his shoulders sagging with relief. Glenn smiled openly, and even T-Dog looked like a weight had been lifted off his shoulders.
"We were about to go back for you," Rick said.
Merle turned sharply, anger resurfacing. "Oh, now you were?"
"You left me cuffed like a dog on that roof!" He shouted, jabbing a finger at T-Dog and then Rick. "And now you want to play heroes?"
T-Dog lowered his head. "Man… I dropped the key. I tried-"
"You tried my ass," Merle interrupted.
Gray stepped forward, cutting Merle off. "He's got a right to be pissed," Gray said, glancing around at Morales, Andrea, and the others who were gathering nearby. "You all had enough time to grab Merle's guns, but not enough time to uncuff him."
Silence hung over the camp.
Morales looked down at the dirt, Andrea crossed her arms, unable to meet anyone's eyes, and Jacqui turned away.
Dale slowly climbed down from the RV and nodded firmly. "The boy's telling the truth," he said. "That man may be a pain in the ass, but leaving him like that was wrong."
No one contradicted him.
Merle smirked bitterly. "Damn right it was."
Rick stepped forward, meeting Merle's glare. "I'm sorry," he said plainly. "We made the wrong call."
Merle looked ready to spit another insult, but Daryl placed a hand on his shoulder. "Later," Daryl muttered. "You're here now."
That seemed to cool Merle down, just a little.
Meanwhile, Gray glanced around the camp until his eyes settled near the truck. "Now that all that's settled…" he said, "where's my bag?"
Rick was the one who answered, "Listen, we didn't know if you were going to make it, and we ended up going through your stuff..."
'Ah... fuck,' Gray thought. "Okay? Where is it?"
"Follow me; I'll show you," Rick replied. He led Gray to his bag, which was almost empty.
"What the hell? Where's all my stuff!" Gray exclaimed. Noticing the notebook and all the food were gone, he turned to Rick, "Where is my notebook? And I had a bunch of candy in there, too! This is so messed up, man."
Rick looked a little guilty. "The food we ate last night… the candy was given to the kids," he explained. He started searching inside his tent. "Your notebook is right here," he said, handing it to Gray.
"You guys ate everything? What the hell, dude! I also had cigarettes and a few bottles of alcohol in there. Did you take those, too? And did you go through my notebook?" Gray asked.
Rick shook his head. "The cigarettes and bottles are in the RV; just ask Dale for them. He's the old guy with the fishing hat. And no, I didn't read your book. I only skimmed the first page where you noted what the walkers did...that's it."
"Alright, thanks," Gray said, starting to walk away, when Rick stopped him.
"One more thing," Rick pointed into the distance. "I found my wife and son. I don't think I would have made it back in Atlanta, so I just wanted to say thanks."
Looking over at Lori and Carl, Gray smiled. "No problem, Rick."
Gray then walked over to the RV, picked up all of his belongings, and approached Merle.
"As I promised, try not to finish them too soon, okay?"
"Boy, you are a man of your word. I never doubted you for a second," Merle replied, looking up. "Now that I have you here, I want you to meet my baby brother, Daryl."
Daryl looked up from skinning squirrels, "Merle told me how you saved him. I appreciate it. If you have any issues, let us know. We've got your back."
"No worries. I have a feeling we're going to be seeing each other's faces for a long while," Gray said as he started to walk away. "Now, if you'll excuse me, I need to find a spot to relax."
Finally settling close to the forest, Gray put everything in his backpack and checked on his gold.
Gold: 15,854
'Jesus, I should check this more often, I'm losing gold!' Gray thought, 'I think tonight is when the zombies appear, and a bunch of people die. If I get upgrades, I should have enough gold for that.' Opening the upgrades tab, he got a few of them.
[New Upgrades]
(10000 Gold) 1000 Gold/Hour ✔
(2200 Gold) +0.05x ✔
[New Hourly Rate]
2,355 Gold/Hour
Deciding what to do with the remaining gold, he scrolled through the shop and found something weird.
{Intermediate Marksmanship} (1500 Gold)
{Advanced Marksmanship} (9,500 Gold)
"What the hell..." Opening his notebook, Gray looked up the prices and saw that they had changed. "Seems like I'm still learning things about this system. The basic one cost me 500, and it got deducted from the more advanced ones; that's a welcome surprise."
Waiting and resting for an hour, Gray had enough gold for the next multiplier. He also decided to get the next skills.
[New Upgrades]
(4000 Gold) +0.05x ✔
[New Skills]
{Intermediate Marksmanship} (1500 Gold)
{Basic Close-Quarter Combat} (500 Gold)
[New Hourly Rate]
2,453 Gold/Hour
Gold: 9
After five minutes of discomfort, Gray stood up and walked around the camp, noticing far more people than he remembered. He continued until someone stopped him.
"You're Gray, right? Name's Shane."
Gray looked the man over. He had broad shoulders, a sheriff's cap, and a piercing gaze that measured everything in front of him and trusted none of it.
"That's me," Gray replied.
Shane extended a hand. "Heard you went back for Merle. That was either brave as hell or stupid as hell."
Gray shook his hand. "Still figuring out which one."
Shane smirked.
For a moment, the two men stood there, observing the camp bustling around them. Kids laughed near the fire, someone washed clothes, and Dale was checking under the RV's hood. It almost looked normal. Almost.
Shane nodded toward the tree line. "Come on. We need to make a round."
Gray fell into step beside him.
They walked the perimeter slowly while Shane spoke in his blunt, matter-of-fact manner. "People see tents and campfires, and they start pretending this is permanent. It's not. We have limited food, limited ammo, too many people, and half of them don't know how to protect themselves."
Gray glanced at him. "Are you always this cheerful?"
"I'm realistic."
They passed Carol, who was hanging laundry beside her tent. She offered a small, nervous smile before quickly looking down.
A few yards away, Ed was barking at Sophia for dropping something. The little girl flinched and backed away. Then Ed turned on Carol. "What good are you, huh?" he snapped, grabbing her arm hard enough to yank her sideways.
Carol gasped in pain.
Shane stopped walking. The shift in him was instant. One moment, he was talking; the next, he was moving. He closed the distance in three strides and slammed Ed's hand off Carol's arm.
"The hell do you think you're doing?" Shane growled.
Ed stumbled back, puffing up. "Mind your own business."
Shane moved closer, getting right in Ed's face. "It became my business when you put your hands on them."
Ed shoved him. Bad choice. Shane drove a fist straight into Ed's jaw, dropping him into the dirt.
The whole camp froze. Ed tried to scramble up, cursing, but Shane grabbed him by the shirt and hit him again. Then again.
"Shane!" Rick started running toward the fight.
"Damn!" Merle yelled from his seat by the fire, sounding entertained. "Beat his ass!"
Ed curled up, blood running from his nose.
Shane hauled him halfway upright just to snarl in his face. "You ever lay a hand on your wife or that girl again, I'll beat you to death. You hear me?"
Ed nodded frantically.
Finally, Rick pulled Shane off Ed, staring at him. "What the hell was that for!?"
Shane just huffed and walked off, leaving Gray behind.
'Damn, I saw a bit of the punisher in him, god damn, that ain't good, he's already losing his mind,' Gray thought before walking off.
With nothing else to do, Gray decided to get his daily workout out of the way, starting with the jog.
While out on his run, he kept his eyes open, knowing that tonight a lot of zombies would show up at the camp.
Not seeing anything after jogging for 20 minutes, he started making his way back, "I need to save Amy, there shouldn't be too many deaths since this time Rick and they didn't go back to the city, and we already have all the guns..."
Making it back to his spot, he began with the pushups. After a while, he was finally done.
Resting for a bit and with nothing else to do, he opened the system and started looking around until he found something.
"No wonder I didn't find it in the shop, it was in the upgrades tab all along..."
{Rebirth} (10T Gold)
"Well...Damn, this changes things..."