Shane moved like a man putting out fires. Wherever the line needed him, he went.
The moment he saw a brief gap open in the defense, he filled it without hesitation, his fire axe swinging in a tight blur while he kept coordinating the nearby positions.
"Ethan! Fall back! Danny, use your entrenching shovel. Smash that limping walker!"
The first wave of walkers was quickly wiped out.
Soon, more shadowy figures appeared in the dense woods around them.
"Damn it!" Carver spat out the mud and grit that had gotten into his mouth. "That noise invited every 'guest' on the whole mountain! You'd think a party like this would send invitations first!"
Calista kept moving through the center of the defensive line, her tactical dagger stained with foul blood.
She was not just fighting. She had to keep adjusting the formation.
"Carver, check how many throwing knives you've got left!"
No further orders were needed.
The mercenaries of Rock Fortress had long since turned this kind of response into muscle memory.
"Leah, move toward Carver. Squeeze down their space!"
"Michonne, three are climbing up from below the cliff on the right flank!"
Leah drove her dagger cleanly into a walker's jaw, kicked the corpse away, and shouted to Carver nearby, "Carver! Save your throwing knives! Use them when it counts!"
Carver had just pinned a walker that broke through the line with one of his throwing knives. Hearing her, he shrugged, his voice carrying that familiar teasing edge. "Relax, Leah. My little darlings only go to the most enthusiastic guests."
Merle was already seeing red, raging like a mad tiger.
"Come on, you brainless bastards! Merle's sending you home!" he roared, splitting half a walker's head open with one swing.
But there were far more walkers than they had expected, and a few fresher ones had appeared.
"Watch it! Fast ones coming in!" Calista's warning rose sharply.
Three walkers tore through the line of fire and charged toward Merle.
Merle had just cut one down when another's claws were already in front of him, while a fast walker behind and to the side had launched itself into the air.
At the last possible second, a crossbow bolt tore through the air.
"Whoosh!"
The walker lunging at Merle's back was pinned to the ground.
Merle did not even see where the bolt had come from. He only had time to deal with the danger right in front of him.
But Shane had already rushed in, his fire axe cutting through the air with terrifying force.
"Crack!"
The skull of the walker lunging at Merle from the front caved in.
Merle gasped for breath and looked at Shane, who was covered in foul blood, his eyes fierce. Then he pulled his mouth into an ugly grin. "Ha! Nice work, asshole! I owe you one!"
Shane panted, wiped blood and brain matter from his face, and snorted. "Just remember that. You might not get that lucky next time."
As for Daryl, he was sliding down from a crooked tree, silently retrieving his crossbow bolts.
The fight continued, and the pressure was crushing.
"Calista! Your left!" Leah had been keeping watch on her sister the entire time.
Calista twisted sharply aside, her dagger flashing cold as it cut open the throat of the walker trying to grab her.
"I'm fine!" she shouted breathlessly toward the others. "Everyone still okay?"
Ethan quickly looked around from behind cover. "So far! Danny almost got bit in the ass, but luckily he moved fast!"
"Screw you, Ethan!" Danny shouted back from the other side of the heavy truck. "That was an accident! My ass may be nice, but that doesn't mean they get to bite it!"
Carver finally ran out of throwing knives. He picked up an entrenching shovel and swung it hard, hacking as he complained, "Fine, guess it's time for some manual labor!"
The battle sank into a brutal tug-of-war.
The walkers seemed endless, pouring out of the woods again and again to replace the ones that fell.
The cold mud beneath their feet was already soaked through with dark red blood and broken flesh, turning thick and slick.
Everyone was fighting with bloodshot eyes. Their arms were numb and aching from the endless chopping, slashing, and smashing, but they could not stop.
No one knew how long it had been. It felt like a century.
"The roadblock up front is clear!" Mike's hoarse roar came through, filled with relief.
"The rear passage is clear too! The heavy truck can move!" Danny's voice rang out from behind.
The pressure eased at once.
"Everyone, cover each other in turns! Get in the vehicles!" Calista shouted, her voice hoarse.
The team members fired as they backed toward the vehicles, and the ones who had been clearing the path raised their guns too.
"Go! Go! Go!" Ethan waved at Jenson while falling back.
Jenson fired the last sniper round in his gun, blowing apart the head of a walker that was about to grab Wells' ankle. Then he smoothly put the rifle away, dropped from the roof as if sliding down, and slipped into the cab of the heavy truck.
Carver threw away the entrenching shovel, its edge already curled, then picked up a steel pipe someone had dropped and swept it hard, knocking down two walkers that had gotten too close. It bought Leah, Calista, and Michonne enough time to get in.
"Carver! Move!" Calista pulled the door open and shouted back.
Carver ducked under a swipe from a rotting arm, then drove the steel pipe backhanded into the walker's open mouth. Using the force to push himself away, he jumped backward and practically rolled into the back seat of the lead vehicle.
"Shut the door!" he shouted, gasping.
The door slammed shut. A walker crashed into the window, leaving a filthy bloody handprint behind.
Now only the last group covering the retreat remained.
Daryl had already put away his crossbow. Now he was fighting up close with a hunting knife, clearing space for Merle to pull back.
Merle had burned through too much strength, and his movements had clearly slowed.
A walker lunged at him from the side. His guard came up a fraction too late, and it was about to grab him.
"Duck!" Shane's shout exploded beside his ear.
Merle ducked almost on instinct.
The fire axe whistled over his head and slammed hard into the walker's chest. The force sent it flying backward, knocking down the two behind it.
"Jesus!" Merle cursed, though it was hard to tell whether he was cursing the walker or his own sorry state a second ago.
"Quit screwing around! Go!" Shane grabbed Merle by the shoulder, yanked him back hard, then got into the sedan's driver's seat.
Daryl had already fallen back to the side of the sedan.
He pulled the door open, and Merle slid sideways into the back seat without the slightest hesitation.
Daryl followed right after him, the last one inside.
"Clang!"
Every vehicle door slammed shut.
"Everyone, stay close! Push through!" Calista's voice rang out.
The lead vehicle started first, its tires crushing gravel and severed limbs as it jolted violently through the cleared passage.
Mike drove the Humvee close behind. Shane's sedan followed nimbly, and the heavy truck let out a deep roar as its massive body squeezed past the rock wall, scraping along it with a piercing screech.
Through the rear window, Daryl watched the encircling horde surge together like a black tide, gathering uselessly behind their vehicles as they were left farther and farther behind.
...
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