Chapter 35
Jenner
The camera moves occasionally, as if it's being controlled by someone.
Tite was the first to walk to the door. She casually tossed aside her large bag, turned around, raised her rifle, assumed a combat stance, and began firing at the walkers.
Lori and the others stood there, panting heavily, watching in a panic as the walkers slowly emerged from the darkness.
Then, Tite blasted the walker's head off.
Rick strode to the small door and pounded on it.
He looked anxious, but he still patiently knocked on the door, occasionally turning his head to check the situation.
Rick looked up and called out, "Is anyone there?"
Rick pressed his ear against the roller shutter door, but after listening for a long time, all he could hear was the sound of gunfire behind him.
A thought arose in Rick's mind that frightened him—that he had made the wrong decision.
He was afraid that this mistake would cause everyone to die.
This fear agitated Rick, and he pounded on the roller shutter door with even greater fervor.
"I know you're in there. Please have some compassion and let us in."
"We have women and children here who don't deserve to suffer like this, I beg you."
"There are zombies outside. If we die, it'll all be your fault, you executioner!"
The roller shutter stood coldly upright. Rick kicked and pounded on it, even attempting to fire a shot.
But all of this was in vain. No matter what Rick said or pleaded, the roller shutter remained unmoved.
"Rick, we should go."
Lori pushed Carl into Jacqueline's arms, then quickly stepped forward, grabbed Rick, and said earnestly.
"Rick, we can't stay here any longer, there are more and more walkers."
"Tite won't be able to hold on either, we need to get going."
Lori knew that the CDC was Rick's obsession; she felt that there might be vaccines there, an easy life, and no worries about walkers, comparable to peacetime.
But if you think about it, you'll realize that's impossible.
Lori gripped Rick's hand, gradually tightening her grip, leaving red marks on Rick's arm with her nails.
Now, you should finally give up, right?
But the next moment, Rick pulled Lori's arm away and continued to pound on the roller shutter and shout.
Lori turned around and looked at the horde of walkers that was about to surround her in the darkness. Her gaze fell on her young child.
At that moment, she felt utterly devastated, and tears streamed down her face.
With her bewitched husband and young son, Lori took a deep breath, pulled out a pistol, walked over to Jacques, and whispered, "Watch the child for me."
Jacques glanced at the gun in her hand and nodded.
"Thank you." Lori strode over to Tite, raised her pistol, and assumed the shooting stance Rick had taught her before.
boom--
As the firelight flickered, Lori's face appeared exceptionally cold in the firelight.
Lori took charge of one side, which greatly reduced the pressure on Tite. Although she couldn't kill too many walkers, she was still able to hold off a portion of them.
With no one stopping him, Rick went berserk, yelling and pounding on the roller shutter...
There were so many walkers that Tite and Lori could only retreat and increase the distance between themselves and the walkers.
The safe zone was getting smaller and smaller, and Carl cried his heart out in Jacques' arms.
The fear on the faces of the others was also undeniable, and tears streamed down their faces uncontrollably.
Rick glanced back every now and then; he knew this was the final moment.
If the roller shutter doesn't open, they'll have to leave.
Rick glanced at the camera, regained his composure, and said, "Hey, the guy hiding in there."
"We are not bad people. We have not robbed or killed anyone along the way."
"If you're there, you can tap the security camera."
Rick's hope slowly faded, and the red dot on the surveillance camera in his eyes flickered, seemingly in default mode.
"All right!"
Rick sighed, turned around, and his expression hardened.
Since we can't rely on others, we can only rely on ourselves.
Seeing Rick turn around, the team members breathed a sigh of relief, and even Carl's crying gradually subsided.
Rick raised his gun, pushed through the crowd, and was about to lead his team to fight their way out.
Just then, the roller shutter door suddenly rose.
Bright light instantly filled the doorway; it was the light of civilization.
Rick saw that the area in front of him was filled with light, and he no longer cared about the awakened horde of walkers. He just turned his head blankly.
After the roller shutter door opened, everyone quickly carried their bags and packages inside.
After the door was closed, the indoor and outdoor areas were isolated, and Rick and his companions could not hear any of the walkers outside.
Rick reached out and touched the roller shutter door; its solid feel gave him a sense of security.
"Let's go inside!"
Rick turned around, and everyone in the group looked at him.
Inside the roller shutter door was a long corridor, encased in cold metal.
There was no sound, and no instructions.
Rick even had the illusion that no one had let them in, and that the roller shutter had simply malfunctioned and opened accidentally.
Lori took two steps forward and walked alongside Rick, placing her hand on Rick's forearm. Rick snapped out of his daze and smiled on his tired face.
Lori smiled back.
As they walked, everyone in the group looked at the walls. Although there wasn't much to see, they had a feeling that if they walked through the tunnel, they could return to the pre-apocalyptic world.
Only Tite's eyes gleamed with greed. An endless supply of snacks, abundant provisions, enough firearms to arm everyone, and even video games.
These all belong to us.
The thought of returning to the ranch filled Tite with joy, and she looked into the corridor with even greater anticipation.
After walking out of the corridor, you arrive at a large hall.
The main building of the CDC is located in the lobby; the long corridor is just an extra passageway.
The hall was lit by cold, pale lights, but the spacious, bright hall was completely empty; you could hear a pin drop.
Rick placed his hand on his gun and looked warily at the several passageways leading into the hall.
Tite also raised his rifle.
Just then, a tall man walked down the long staircase in the middle of the hall.
A white man, looking somewhat haggard, awkwardly held up a carbine. "Hello. I'm Jenner, the manager here!"
"Hi Jenner, I'm the team leader, just call me Rick."
Rick answered politely, but neither side lowered their guns.
Jenner paused for a moment, then lowered his gun first.
"There's no point in us standing here. Let's go inside and talk."
"However, I need to draw your blood for a checkup."
"Willing to cooperate." Rick also lowered his gun and nodded with a smile.
The atmosphere instantly improved, and Lori relaxed her grip on Carl's hand.
Jenner led the way, guiding everyone into the elevator.
The indicator lights in the elevator shone on everyone's faces, giving them a feeling of being in another world.