Chapter 34: CDC
Amy's gaze fell on the unconscious Andrea. She asked anxiously, "Andrea—is she, is she alright?"
"She's fine. But you two are in trouble!"
Amy froze for a moment, turning her head in confusion before finally understanding. She spoke somewhat weakly, "I know Andrea's behavior was wrong."
"Can you please not hold this against us?"
"Mm. No, I can't."
Caesar stood up, looking down at Amy. His strong, imposing frame radiated pressure.
Amy swallowed hard, looking up at Caesar fearfully. "Then—then what do you want?"
"It's not about what I want. It's about you two sisters accepting the punishment you've earned!"
"What punishment?"
Seeing this, Caesar smiled slightly.
Amy had an ominous premonition and shrank back.
The scene before him gave Caesar the illusion he was bullying an innocent young woman.
Caesar dismissed the excessive fantasies in his mind and said plainly, "I need a personal assistant. From now on, you'll take care of my daily needs."
"As for your sister, she'll be the convoy's laborer. From now on, she'll do all the menial tasks—vehicle repairs, cooking, whatever. She can't refuse. Otherwise, she won't get her share of food."
"Understand?"
"Oh, okay." Amy's eyes shifted. She looked at Caesar with a hint of disappointment, then answered, "Alright."
"Take care of your sister today. Come find me for work tomorrow."
Caesar turned and left, leaving those words behind.
After a few steps, Caesar stopped and turned back to Amy, waving the silver pistol. "By the way, I'm keeping this gun for now. When she proves she's not someone who'll threaten the team, she can come get it back from me."
Then Caesar left.
Watching Caesar's retreating figure, Amy looked at Andrea and sighed. She didn't know how to explain this to her sister.
Andrea valued that gun highly. After all, when a macho father expresses love, it's extremely difficult and precious.
...
The sun rose in the east and set in the west. The sky gradually darkened.
In the dusky twilight, several vehicles finally reached the CDC.
Rick looked through the windshield at the sky. "We need to get inside the CDC quickly. It's dangerous after dark."
Lori, sitting in the passenger seat, frowned and glanced back at Carl sitting up. She spoke to Rick in a gentle tone.
"Rick, why don't we find somewhere to rest and enter the CDC tomorrow?"
Outside the window, the CDC's massive building stood tall, surrounded by military fortifications. Bodies were strewn haphazardly everywhere.
She didn't know if they were dead or alive, but Lori could clearly sense the danger here.
"No. The CDC is the safest place. Once we're inside, we'll be safe." Rick was also exhausted. He didn't want to argue with Lori, just stared at her directly.
From Rick's eyes, Lori understood she couldn't change his decision.
So the door opened and everyone got out.
Rick's face still bore grime. He glanced at the two vehicles behind them.
When they'd departed this morning, there were nine people. Now only six remained.
Atlanta's streets were dangerous. Despite their best efforts to avoid trouble, they'd still attracted numerous walker attacks. One vehicle had been completely lost to the horde.
Rick recalled the moment—they'd screamed and reached out their hands, begging Rick to save them.
Rick had been powerless. He could only leave.
Rick's expression showed pain. A hand touched his shoulder. The gentle touch and the bond between husband and wife made Rick feel slightly better.
Rick turned and met Lori's eyes.
Seeing encouragement filling Lori's gaze, Rick felt warmth flow through him, easing his tense emotions.
"Let's go!"
Seeing everyone had gathered, Lori forced a smile, patted Rick's shoulder, and said quietly.
Rick nodded and spoke to the others. "It's getting dark. Let's move quickly!"
Jacqui had a slender frame. She carried a duffel bag, too exhausted to speak, only nodding.
Nearby, Tate wore a baseball cap, her face also showing some fatigue. This journey had been rough indeed.
"Quit the chatter. If we're moving, let's go!"
After speaking, Tate strode forward with confident steps, her posture looking quite carefree.
Rick didn't linger. He quickly caught up to Tate.
Both had good marksmanship and combat skills. Rick raised his Colt Python, facing right.
Tate held her rifle, facing left.
Lori held Carl's hand, with Jacqui and the others nearby. The group was small, but they moved quickly.
Rick's pace quickened. He noticed that not only were the bodies ahead gradually standing up, but the bodies behind them were rising too.
Their footsteps had awakened them.
Rick scanned the bodies covering the ground. If they all woke up...
Rick didn't dare imagine such a scene. His grip on the Colt Python tightened.
Beyond the low wall constructed of sandbags, a walker opened its gaping maw and lunged at Rick.
BANG—
In the massive gunshot, the bullet destroyed the walker's brain. Black blood spattered across the ground.
Rick showed panic and glanced back.
Carl was held in Lori's arms, his ears thoughtfully covered, his eyes revealing fear.
Jacqui and the others didn't look good either. Their gazes fixed on the walkers appearing behind them.
No more time to move slowly. Rick shouted, "Run! We're picking up the pace."
He pulled Lori, then pushed the others, placing himself at the rear of the group.
The walkers attacking from behind met the bombardment of the Colt Python head-on.
Up front, Tate looked at the suddenly dense crowd of corpses around her and cursed, "Fuck, how'd there get to be so many suddenly?"
Tate cursed while firing.
She carried a rifle with far more firepower than Rick's pistol. When she swept the area, a row of walkers fell.
Muzzle flash erupted, especially conspicuous in the dim light.
The group advanced. Tate was reliable, staying at the front, blocking most of the walkers and successfully clearing a path.
Behind them, Rick ran out of ammunition mid-fight and could only reload while retreating, but he effectively blocked the walkers.
The CDC building itself resembled an office tower, but the overall materials and structural strength were exceptional. Theoretically, even artillery shouldn't be able to penetrate it.
The CDC had two entrances. The main door was near the center of the military base area. Rick's group was approaching the smaller door.
The small door was like a rolling shutter. Above it was a camera with a faintly blinking red light.
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