Jason, seeing that everyone was falling into despair, snapped his fingers lightly, and all eyes turned toward him.
Perhaps due to his way of thinking and feeling things, this didn't seem like a hopeless situation to him. Anything could happen in less than a minute, and he knew there was always a solution. However, he couldn't say the same for the others.
Jason, a man determined to protect his own, appeared extremely calm in this situation, demonstrating the stark difference between him and the rest of the people.
However, thanks to his past experiences and knowledge of what could happen in the future, he was able to keep his emotions under control. He then pointed to a pile of cardboard boxes in a corner of the basement, indicating that the situation wasn't as dire as it seemed.
"Don't worry, and stay calm! These walkers should be drawn by the CDC alarm, which means they're just passing through. Most of them will follow the others quickly. And even though this is a hidden weapons storage, I left a large batch of food in the cardboard boxes in case of an emergency. So don't panic—no matter the situation, we'll find a way out."
Upon hearing Jason's words, those who had panicked regained their senses after analyzing the situation. Thinking it through, they realized they would only be stuck in this place for a day or two at most and could leave safely once the herd of walkers moved on.
"Let's rest first and stay quiet! We'll assess the situation tomorrow and act accordingly."
After Jason finished speaking, he lay back down and closed his eyes.
The rest of the group watched him closely before lying down as well, without saying another word.
Throughout the night, car alarms occasionally blared outside the basement. Though everyone lay down, none of them could fall asleep. They tossed and turned until after four in the morning, at which point exhaustion overcame them, and one by one, they drifted off to sleep.
...
At five in the morning, Jason slowly opened his eyes. Aside from being woken up by Rick once, he had generally managed to rest well.
There was no panic in his movements whatsoever.
After waking up and getting his senses in order, he slowly walked up to the first floor of the house, where Billy was keeping watch outside. With a burly physique and extraordinary hunting instincts, Billy loved staying silent.
"How's it going?" Jason walked over to the table, grabbed a bottle of water, and took a sip.
Billy shook his head and gestured with slight helplessness. "Boss, the situation is still the same. This massive horde of walkers doesn't seem to be dispersing yet, and that damn car alarm keeps blaring, keeping them here."
Walking to the window, Jason looked outside indifferently. It seemed that his decision to leave the alarm running was now causing some unexpected complications.
Gazing slightly outward, he could see that there were still many walkers in the streets. Although they weren't packed together densely, if he decided to run out now, there would be no way to escape alive.
"I don't know if it's just my damn luck or something else, but it looks like everyone forgot the radios in the truck." Shaking his head, Jason regretted leaving behind the radio he always carried in his vest. Now, no one in the group could communicate with the prison.
After hearing Jason's words, Billy stopped looking at him and focused entirely on what was happening outside.
"I just hope this horde moves on quickly!"
Even though he had killed many walkers alongside Jason, he had always thought a situation like this wouldn't be too scary. However, now he understood why the country had collapsed in just a few days without being able to do anything.
If a massive horde of walkers attacked their base—hundreds of thousands of them—the battle would be extremely long, and he had no idea whether their community could come out victorious.
Now, his eyes had finally been opened, and he fully understood why Jason had ordered them to find as many weapons as possible.
...
Meanwhile, at the prison...
Lori paced anxiously around the room while Carl played with Sophia on the clean floor.
It had been several days, and she hadn't been able to contact her husband. She had just met with Shane, and he had agreed to try reaching them by radio, but there had been no contact and no response.
This made Lori extremely anxious, and she started imagining all the terrible things that could have happened to Rick and the others.
Unable to calm down, Lori went to meet with several people close to Jason, including Mike, Tommy, and Tyler, as well as some of the most recent refugees.
She learned that after they had split up about two days ago, Jason and the others had headed toward the suburbs of Atlanta. It was said that there were many supplies that needed to be transported, and they were expected to return in another day or two.
However, the third day was approaching, and the people who had left with her husband still hadn't returned—and they couldn't be contacted by radio either.
As her mind raced with endless thoughts, Lori came up with a ridiculously stupid, drama-worthy idea!
Lori planned to go to Shane again if Rick didn't return by the next morning. And if he refused to send someone to look for him, she would sneak out with a gun.
After making up her mind, Lori felt somewhat calmer. She went to Carol's room, glanced at Carl, who was happily playing, and reminded him, "Carl, it's getting late. Time for bed. Sophia and the others should go to sleep too."
"Mom, can I play a little longer? Just a little bit!" Carl looked at his mother, his fair, youthful face filled with pleading.
Carol also chimed in, "Carl, Sophia is going to bed too! How about this? If you go to sleep with your mom now, I'll let you play with her all day tomorrow. How does that sound?"
Hearing Carol's words, Carl was genuinely happy. He grinned and quickly ran back to his room.
Lori smiled at Carol and said gratefully, "Thank you, Carol!"
Carol didn't say anything, but a harmless smile appeared on her face.
Without Lori realizing it, her mind was slowly being filled with irrational thoughts and decisions. In situations like this, the mind can lead us to make choices without even noticing—and that was exactly what was happening to Lori.
The night passed, and so did the following morning.
Lori, who had been worried all night, found Shane eating as soon as she woke up.
"Shane, haven't there been any news from Rick and the others?" Lori approached Shane without eating and asked him directly.
Shane looked up helplessly, met Lori's intense gaze, and replied in a slow tone, "Lori, even though they said they'd be back in two days, it's very common for unexpected things to happen on the road and cause delays."
"Sometimes the signal isn't great depending on where they are, and they might not be able to receive it. Don't worry too much, I assure you. If today passes and we don't hear from them, I'll talk to Sam Valdez, and we'll go look for them."
Lori didn't respond. She simply nodded silently, turned around, and left the dining hall.
Shane watched Lori's back and pressed his lips together helplessly. He understood Lori's feelings, but even if he went out looking for Rick, there was no guarantee he would find him. Not to mention, the chances of finding Jason and the others were slim.
With a sigh, Shane continued eating, then got up and walked outside—he still had his training routines to follow.
After leaving, Lori grew angrier the more she thought about it. She couldn't understand why her husband always rushed to the front whenever he had the chance and why he was always among the last to return when they went out looking for supplies.
Thinking about it, Lori couldn't hold back any longer. She went into her cell, took out a gun, secured it at her waist, and left the cells alone.
Not long after, a pickup truck arrived at the main entrance. The person in the driver's seat was Lori.
At that moment, the guards in the watchtowers were eating. The young man stationed at the gate was named Richard; he had been part of the group that took care of the elderly. He knew Lori. Seeing the wife of a group leader about to leave made Richard hesitate.
"Ma'am, are you going out alone?" Richard asked cautiously.
"I'm just going to look for a few things. I won't drive too far, so you don't have to worry about it!" It had been many days since Rick left the CDC, and the only thought in her mind was finding her husband.
Lori believed that the closer she got to the city, the better the chance of contacting Rick through the radio in her hands. She was determined to leave.
After hesitating for a moment, Richard carefully opened the gate and said, "Ma'am, I suggest you take a few more people with you. It's really dangerous out there, and I'm still hesitant to let you go."
"Don't worry! I know what I'm doing!" Lori's tone was unusual, which raised Richard's suspicions, but he still decided to let her go since she was Rick's wife.
He didn't want to cause trouble with the growing tensions in the group, so he chose to let Lori leave.
In the distance, Sam Valdez watched as a white pickup truck disappeared. This had happened before since many people were exploring the area around the prison, but he still asked, "Was anyone scheduled to go out exploring today?"
Tyler looked at Sam Valdez and said, "There was a scouting trip planned today, but I don't remember the departure time. Why? Is something wrong?"
Watching the truck disappear in an instant, Sam Valdez shook his head and said, "No, it's nothing."
…
After waiting and waiting, there was still no sign of the truck returning. Richard started to panic but held himself back and waited another half hour. By then, Lori had been gone for nearly an hour.
Finally, Richard couldn't take it anymore. He ran to the housing area and, after searching for a while, finally found Shane drinking water in a cell.
"Instructor Shane, I have something urgent to tell you!"