I sent two Blood Angels back to camp in the supply truck. I had also intended to send the mother and daughter with them, but Dee refused...even after I asked. Lydia wouldn't leave without her, so I had no choice but to bring them along.
Before the apocalypse, reaching the prison would have taken two or three days at most. Now, it was impossible to get there that quickly. The roads were destroyed, bridges had collapsed, broken cars littered the highways, and, most importantly, walkers wandered everywhere, making travel slow and dangerous.
After nearly a week on the road, we finally began to draw closer to the prison. During that time, both mother and daughter grew more comfortable with the group. Andrea, in particular, became close to Lydia. That didn't surprise me.
As the cold autumn wind swept past the car, I watched leaves fall from the trees. Winter was coming...and it would be devastating for many. Most camps wouldn't survive it. Harsh decisions would have to be made.
Still, winter had its advantages.
It was the perfect time to bring other camps under our control.
Desperation made people easier to command.
We camped by the roadside as the sun dipped below the horizon. It wasn't safe to travel at night—even with night goggles—so we set up a bonfire and pitched our tents.
I stared into the flames. For some reason, fire had always brought me comfort. In the quiet, with the cold wind brushing past, watching it flicker made everything feel… still. It had always been like that, even before.
The fire reminded me of Clementine, of the time she burned a rabbit while trying to cook. I never told her, but her cooking was awful. Even with a recipe right in front of her, she still struggled.
Remembering the frustrated look on her face made me chuckle. She looked very… cute.
Maybe that's why I never complained. Watching her try so hard was a reward in itself.
I exhaled slowly.
I missed her.
Her laughter most of all...but more than that, her presence.
What was I even thinking? It had only been a week, yet it felt like we'd been apart for years.
Pushing the thought aside, I opened my book—General Surgery—and began reading quietly, sipping my coffee as the fire crackled.
Across from me, Dee watched in silence while her daughter played with Andrea. The three Blood Angels stood guard nearby, ignoring Dee's curious glances.
I lowered my gaze back to the page and continued reading.
WOOF! WOOF! WOOF!
From across the forest, the sound of dogs echoed toward us.
Everyone became alert.
Dogs were extremely dangerous after the apocalypse. The abandoned ones had reverted to their primitive instincts, driven by hunger. They would eat anything they could find, and in the early days, most fed on the undead, usually choosing the freshest bodies.
But as time passed and the undead began to rot and dwindle, they turned their attention to humans.
They hunted in packs, but the main reason people feared them was simple: one bite was enough to infect you.
Somehow, they had learned that by biting the undead, they could carry the infection and pass it on, turning humans into easier prey. They began hunting people, seeing them as nothing more than food.
Entire settlements had been wiped out by these dogs. They would strike at night, then retreat, waiting for their victims to turn. Only then would they attack again.
They weren't just hunting anymore.
They were systematically targeting human settlements.
From man's best friend, they had become one of the greatest threats.
"My Lord, around thirty to forty dogs are chasing two bears. From the look of it, they're driving them out of their territory, and they're heading toward us. What are your orders?" The chicken said, looking at me.
"Kill all of them, but don't use ammo. I don't want unwanted attention. They'll make good meat. Leave the bears to me."
With a salute, the three of them moved forward, spears in hand.
The dogs didn't tolerate bears in their territory. They wouldn't allow other predators to compete for food.
Dee watched the approaching dogs nervously as she pulled out her knife. Lydia, who had been playing moments earlier, grabbed Andrea's arm.
"We...we, need to hide," she said, glancing toward the dark forest.
"Don't worry. The Lord is here to protect us," Andrea replied, gently patting her back.
But Lydia's eyes drifted toward me, and her expression tightened. The moment she saw me, she clung to Andrea even more, as if trying to escape my presence.
This kid doesn't like me.
I didn't blame her.
"We should either hide or use guns," Dee said. "Fighting them in close combat is too risky. One bite is enough to infect us."
"Sit down," the priest beside me said sternly. "The Lord knows what he's doing. Do you think he's unaware of these dogs? You're underestimating a Blood Angel soldier. They can handle this threat. Don't question it."
It was obvious he didn't trust Dee. He had already taken her handgun and left her with nothing but a pocketknife.
Dee shot him an annoyed look but said nothing, her gaze shifting anxiously between the charging dogs and the bears.
"Priest, bring me my compound bow," I said. "I want to test it."
The priest's face lit up. "At once, my Lord!"
He hurried to the Humvee and returned moments later, holding the bow with clear excitement. It had been his birthday gift to me...something he had long wanted me to use.
"Here, my Lord," he said proudly. "This bow was custom-made for you. No one else can use it."
Andrea raised an eyebrow. "And how exactly are you so sure? Got some kind of enchantment going on?" She asked sarcastically.
Dee seemed just as curious.
The priest smiled. "Even if someone else held it, they wouldn't be able to draw it."
"Why?" Andrea asked.
"Because its draw weight exceeds three hundred fifty pounds. Most people can't even pull a hundred. For anyone else, it's impossible."
Dee stared at me, shock and disbelief flickering across her face.
By then, the dogs and bears were already in sight.
"An arrow," I said.
The priest handed me one immediately.
I nocked it and drew the bowstring. The weight was nothing to me.
Andrea and Dee watched in stunned silence.
I aimed at the lead bear's heart...and released.
The arrow flew at a terrifying speed. It pierced straight through the bear's chest, tearing through its heart and exiting the other side before slamming into the second bear behind it. It drove cleanly through its lung before breaking apart as it struck the ground.
Both beasts collapsed moments later.
As for the dogs, the Blood Angels handled them. A few tried to flee, but I took care of those myself.
Afterward, the group began processing the meat. Even the mother and daughter helped carry it. Jerry and Andrea started cooking while the others prepared the rest.
Most diseases would be killed by intense heat, so there was little to worry about. Still, as a precaution, we discarded the heads and only consumed the rest. Anything we couldn't eat immediately was smoked over the fire for later.
No one cared that it was dog meat.
When survival is on the line, people eat whatever they can. Something that would have been unthinkable before had now become normal.
As everyone sat around eating stew and talking, Lydia stared at the pot with unusual intensity, as if she hadn't eaten in days.
Now that I thought about it… She hadn't.
"Do you want another bowl?" Andrea asked gently.
Lydia hesitated, glancing at her mother for approval. When Dee gave a small nod, she smiled.
"Thank you very much."
Andrea handed her another serving. Lydia's face lit up.
"Don't thank me," Andrea said softly. "Thank the Lord."
The girl glanced at me, then quickly looked away, unable to hold my gaze.
"Lydia," Dee said quietly.
At her mother's prompting, Lydia reluctantly looked at me again.
"Th-thank you…" she murmured.
I gave a small smile. "You're welcome. Don't be afraid… eat as much as you want. That goes for your mother as well."
Dee had been deliberately eating less, even though her hunger was obvious. If they hadn't been starving, they wouldn't have risked stealing food in the first place.
She lowered her head as Andrea poured more stew into her bowl.
And so, we ate in relative peace, waiting for morning.