Chapter 150: Friends on the City Wall
Fresh battle reports had been posted throughout the school corridors. The ink had barely dried, leaving some of the words slightly blurred, but several phrases still stood out clearly:
Savannah. Million-Walker Horde. Reinforcements.
Carl stood before the notice board, reading the report again and again.
Nine thousand personnel had departed from the CDC. Another two hundred had left the prison settlement. All of them were heading to Savannah.
His father was among them.
Carl tightened his grip on his backpack strap until his knuckles turned white.
Judith was still in daycare and knew nothing about the battle. She was too young to understand. She could barely say "Daddy."
After taking a deep breath, Carl turned and headed toward his classroom.
A noisy crowd had gathered at the end of the corridor.
Some students were laughing.
Others were mocking.
A shrill voice rose above the rest.
"That's impossible!"
"You're lying!"
"No one escapes a million zombies!"
Carl originally intended to ignore it. Then he saw who was standing in the middle of the crowd.
Clementine.
The transfer student from Florida.
Her dark hair was tied into a ponytail, and her bright eyes were filled with impatience rather than fear.
When she had introduced herself to the class, she had simply said:
"My name is Clementine. I escaped from Florida."
Then she sat down.
No stories. No hobbies. No small talk.
Carl pushed his way through the crowd.
Clementine stood with her back against the wall, arms crossed over her chest. Her expression suggested she was tired of explaining herself.
A chubby boy stood in front of her, chin raised arrogantly.
"You expect us to believe you escaped from a city surrounded by a million walkers?" he scoffed. "I've seen walkers before. If I saw one nearby, I'd run for my life. You think you escaped an entire horde?"
Several students immediately joined in.
Clementine glanced at him.
"How many walkers have you actually seen?"
Her tone was calm.
"You probably saw one from behind a fence and ran back home screaming."
The boy's face instantly reddened.
"You—!"
She cut him off.
"I'm different from you."
Her gaze swept across the crowd.
"If you saw what I've seen, most of you would freeze, cry for help, and wet yourselves."
The hallway went silent.
Then it erupted.
Someone shoved her.
Clementine staggered but kept her balance. She simply turned and stared at the person who pushed her.
"Enough!"
Carl stepped forward and positioned himself in front of her.
"What kind of person bullies a girl?"
Several students immediately recognized him.
"It's Carl."
The crowd's confidence visibly weakened.
The chubby boy still protested.
"She started it! She's bragging!"
"I'm not bragging," Clementine said.
Carl turned toward the others.
"You all know what's happening outside."
His voice was firm.
"Some of you were here when millions of walkers surrounded the CDC. Savannah is facing the same thing right now."
He pointed toward Clementine.
"What she's saying is true."
The crowd gradually dispersed.
A few students continued muttering as they walked away, but none of them stayed.
Soon only Carl and Clementine remained.
Clementine looked up at him.
"Thanks."
She extended her hand.
"I'm Clementine."
"Carl."
They shook hands.
Then Clementine smiled.
"Come with me."
"Where?"
"Somewhere that'll prove I wasn't lying."
Without waiting for an answer, she turned and walked away.
Curiosity got the better of Carl.
He followed.
The two crossed the playground, passed through several streets, and eventually reached the city wall.
The guards recognized them as students and merely offered a warning.
"Stay away from the edge."
Clementine nodded and continued upward.
The wall was massive—wide enough for two military vehicles to drive side by side.
The setting sun bathed everything in crimson light.
She led Carl to a battlement and crouched down.
"Look."
Carl peered over the edge.
At the base of the wall was a rain-eroded shell crater.
Inside lay half a walker.
Its lower body was missing. Gray-white intestines trailed across the dirt like dried ropes.
The moment it heard movement above, it raised its head and released a hoarse growl.
It clawed at the dirt, trying to climb out.
It never succeeded.
Carl frowned.
"How did you find that?"
Clementine rested her chin on her hands.
"When I first arrived, I couldn't sleep."
She stared at the horizon.
"Everything here was too comfortable."
"So I wandered around at night."
"Eventually I found this walker."
A faint smile appeared on her face.
"I lured it into the pit."
Carl blinked.
"You kept it here?"
She nodded.
"I come visit it every day."
"Why?"
Clementine looked down at the trapped walker.
"To remind myself."
"Remind yourself of what?"
"That the outside world hasn't changed."
She pointed toward the city behind them.
"This place is safe because somebody out there is fighting for it."
Carl was silent.
Those words sounded familiar.
Very familiar.
"Did Sean teach you that?" Clementine asked.
Carl looked surprised.
"You know Sean?"
"I knew a Sean once."
For a moment, sadness flickered across her face.
"He's gone now."
She shrugged.
"But your Uncle Sean says things that sound just like that."
Carl smiled.
"Then your guess was right."
Without warning, Clementine reached into her backpack and pulled out a pistol.
Carl nearly jumped.
"You brought a gun to school?"
The silver handgun spun smoothly around her finger before settling comfortably in her hand.
"Li taught me something."
"What?"
"In this world, the only thing that truly gives peace of mind is a weapon."
Carl looked at the pistol.
Then at her.
"But this is the safest place in the world."
Clementine grinned.
"Relax."
"I'm not planning a school shooting."
She aimed the pistol downward toward the walker.
"Guess how many shots it'll take me to hit it."
Carl squinted.
The target was over ten meters away.
The lighting was poor.
And it wouldn't stop moving.
"Five shots?"
He shrugged.
"Maybe all five miss."
Clementine's smile widened.
Bang!
The gunshot echoed across the wall.
The walker's head exploded instantly.
Black blood splattered across the crater walls.
The corpse twitched once.
Then became still.
Carl stared in disbelief.
His mouth hung open.
Clementine calmly blew across the barrel and holstered the pistol.
"Let's go."
A shout suddenly came from farther down the wall.
"You two! Stop right there!"
A soldier in a black uniform was running toward them.
Carl looked at the approaching guard.
Then at Clementine.
"Oh no."
"I'm definitely writing a self-criticism report now."
Clementine laughed.
Without warning, she shoved the pistol into his hands.
Carl froze.
"What are you doing?!"
"A gift."
She turned and ran.
"First time meeting a friend. I should give you something."
Carl stared at the pistol.
Then at the retreating girl.
"Clementine!"
She glanced back.
"If you don't want detention, run!"
Carl laughed.
He stuffed the pistol into his backpack and took off after her.
The two raced along the city wall.
The setting sun stretched their shadows across the stone.
Behind them, the soldier continued shouting.
"Stop!"
Naturally, they ran even faster.
Down the stairs.
Across the streets.
Past surprised residents.
A woman watering flowers nearly dropped her hose as they sped by.
Eventually they ducked into a narrow alley near the school.
Clementine finally stopped.
Bent over.
Hands on her knees.
Breathing hard.
Carl wasn't doing much better.
"You run really fast."
Clementine wiped sweat from her forehead.
"If Li's son couldn't run fast, he'd already be dead."
Carl opened his backpack and glanced at the silver pistol inside.
Then he closed it again.
"Thanks."
Clementine waved dismissively.
"Don't lose it."
"You'll need it someday."
"I don't think either of you will be needing anything."
A voice suddenly came from nearby.
Both children froze.
Slowly, they turned around.
A black-uniformed soldier stood at the entrance of the alley, hands resting on his hips.
And judging by the expression on his face...
Neither of them was escaping this time.