Minutes later, Daryl was sliding across the bar floor from one side to the other, cursing under his breath. He threw some empty wine bottles onto the counter beside him and shouted, "Shane, who are those bastards? And you, old man, someone died while we were trying to find you—don't you feel even a little guilty?"
"Hey! Stop talking to my father like that!" Seeing Hershel remain silent, Beth couldn't help but snap when she heard Daryl's cruel words. She turned to face him with red-rimmed eyes, overwhelmed by everything that had happened.
Daryl took a few steps forward, looking at the girl in front of him. Anger surged from within, and he shouted, pointing at Hershel, "Did I say something wrong, girl? Don't forget that we're in this damn mess because of him!"
"Hey! Daryl, stop talking, can't you see the situation is already bad enough?" Lori quickly grabbed Daryl's hand, sensing he was losing control, but he yanked it away forcefully.
Pointing at Lori, Daryl cursed as well, "Isn't this your fault too, Lori? You're a woman who still hasn't accepted the world for what it is. The one time you tried to do something on your own, you went out looking for death. Jason said that many in the community wouldn't understand the gravity of the world we live in, and now I think I finally understand his words."
Lori fell silent at Daryl's accusations. Her lips trembled, but she knew she couldn't say anything to defend herself.
"Let's stay quiet for a minute—this is not the time to argue! Do you really think now is the right time to fight among ourselves?" Shane finally spoke, having been tending to Richard's wounds, stopping the escalating conflict.
Like everyone else, his mind was paralyzed in the moment. Jimmy's death, Richard's serious injury, and now the team constantly arguing instead of focusing on the danger outside.
During their meetings, Jason had warned them that something like this was only a matter of time. That's why no one without experience was ever supposed to leave the prison—under any circumstances!
Everyone had agreed that only military personnel and elite fighters would handle outside missions, while the others managed the refuge.
Considering the situation now, they all needed to calm down and think carefully about how to deal with the problem at hand.
Suddenly, as everyone was lost in thought, Hershel, who had been sitting at the bar's edge, stood up. He slowly walked over to Richard and, without saying a word, began examining his wound.
Seeing this, Shane also moved and observed the outside situation through the gaps in the bar's door and windows. Suddenly, he felt someone approaching behind him, and when he turned around, Daryl was at his side.
"Before they started shooting, I saw at least two people on the rooftop to the right, over there!" After saying that, Daryl pointed toward a building where he had last seen the enemy. Shane turned his head in the direction Daryl indicated, and sure enough, a dark shadow could be seen lying in that spot!
"This is bad… We have no idea how many people are on the enemy's side!" Shane looked away and slammed his fist against the wooden floor, venting his frustration.
"We need to contact the prison—Sam should be able to send a team to support us! Where's the radio?" Morgan suddenly came up with a logical idea and looked at Shane for the radio.
"The radio is here!" Glenn, who had been in a corner, stepped forward with a backpack and handed it over. Daryl snatched it from him.
Noticing Glenn had been hiding in the corner, Daryl glared at him and said, "Are you scared? You should be thinking about how to take down our enemies—stop hiding."
"It was shocking, but I'm not scared." Glenn sat beside Daryl, repeating the words in his mind.
With a look of disdain, Daryl ignored him, took out the radio, and started communicating with the prison.
"Zz... This is Daryl, do you copy? Over!"
"Zz..."
"Zz... Daryl speaking to the prison, can anyone hear me? Respond, we're in a crisis situation, over."
"Zz..."
…
After multiple attempts to contact the prison, there was no response. Daryl, disappointed, tossed the radio back to Glenn.
"The walker horde didn't attack the prison, did it?" Glenn asked in a low voice.
"Shut the hell up. Why are you thinking something so stupid?" Daryl briefly imagined the prison overrun with walkers.
"That's impossible. The prison has tanks; they can't be taken down by a horde that easily…" Morgan tried to reassure them, but the truth was, he had no solid answer to counter Glenn's words.
Shane covered his face with his hands, filled with desperation. Even though he had led a group before, he now had three women with him, an old man, an injured person, and one who was already dead. In the end, only he, Daryl, Morgan, and Glenn had combat skills.
Shane had a few capable people, but that wasn't the issue. The real problem was that they had no information on the enemy. Without intel and in a disadvantageous position, the outcome would always be bad for them.
Everyone sat on the floor, still unsure of how to get out of their situation. Aside from the walkers, there was another threat targeting their lives.
Shane patted his face a few times, and with renewed confidence, he stood up. Looking at the people in the room, he hesitated for a moment before saying, "The enemy outside could come in at any moment. We can't just sit here and wait for death—we have to make a run for it! Staying here will only prolong our deaths."
"Wouldn't most of us die if we ran?" Glenn asked, unwilling to accept what Shane was saying. He still wanted to reunite with Maggie!
As a leader who had to make decisions no one else dared to, Shane nodded and didn't deny Glenn's words. "You're right. I really don't want to admit it, but that's the truth. If we run, we have a chance. Staying here and doing nothing is worse."
After a pause, seeing that no one else had anything to say, Shane made his decision and thought of the best way to escape.
"Alright, everyone get ready to run—this will be our only chance!"
Just as everyone was grabbing their things, Glenn suddenly shouted, "Wait, everyone!"
"Maybe no one else has to die!"
Everyone turned toward Glenn, who was holding the radio. A sound could now be heard coming from the speaker.
"Zz... Anyone from the S.C.T. community who hears my voice, respond immediately."
The group of people who had been saying their goodbyes instantly smiled, and Shane quickly snatched the radio from their hands.
"Zz... This is Shane! I hear you loud and clear!"
"Zz... Shane, what a surprise. We're on our way back right now. How's everything at the prison with the walker horde?"
Hearing that question, Shane let out a helpless smile and replied with a grin, "Zz... Jason, sorry, but we're not at the prison. Someone ambushed us, and we're under attack. Luckily, we managed to take shelter in a bar."
The radio fell silent for a few seconds, and then Jason's voice came through again, this time tinged with a perceptible coldness.
"Zz... Where are you?"
Shane looked at Hershel and the others, and Beth, who was beside him, quickly said, "This is the closest town south of the prison. There shouldn't be any other towns nearby."
"Zz... We're in the most isolated town south of the prison, inside a bar."
There was another silence, lasting nearly a minute. Shane assumed the other party was quickly checking the map, and sure enough, a moment later, Jason's voice came back over the radio.
"Zz... Got it! Hold your position and try not to leave the bar. We'll be there in ten minutes."
"Zz... Understood!"
After setting the radio aside, everyone in the group let out a sigh of relief, and Shane quickly surveyed the area. Within minutes, he began giving orders, positioning people in advantageous spots while instructing the rest to hide with Richard.
A few minutes later, footsteps could be heard outside the bar. Shane raised his hand, signaling everyone to stay alert, while carefully peering outside through a small gap.
He could now clearly see five or six people approaching the bar, carrying long guns in their hands.
Shane couldn't afford to let the enemies get close to the bar so easily. If they managed to enter, things would turn bad for everyone.
With a determined mindset, Shane raised his M4, aimed at the closest person, and pulled the trigger.
"You're surrounded! Come out now and hand over the women."
Bang! Bang! Bang!
Of the few people approaching, two were hit by the burst of gunfire and collapsed to the ground. The rest, unwilling to remain in the open, quickly ran for cover in different directions.
A man's voice echoed from behind a dumpster.
"Listen up, you bastards inside! You're all dead. I'm going to take the women from your group and show them a good time. But before that, I'll catch every single one of you and slit your throats one by one."
Hearing the threats from outside, Shane felt somewhat relieved. As long as the enemy knew they had weapons to fight back, it wouldn't be easy for them to get anywhere near the bar.