Chapter 35: Jenner
The camera occasionally shifted, as if someone were controlling it.
Tate reached the door first. She casually dropped her heavy pack, spun around, and raised her rifle into combat stance, opening fire on the walkers.
Lori and the others gasped for breath, standing frozen in panic as they watched walkers slowly emerge from the darkness.
Then Tate blew their heads apart.
Rick quickly moved to the small door and pounded on it forcefully.
His expression was anxious, but he forced himself to knock patiently, glancing back to check the situation every few moments.
Rick raised his head and shouted, "Is anyone there?"
Rick pressed his ear against the rolling shutter. He listened for a long time, but all he could hear was the gunfire behind him.
A thought rose in Rick's mind—a thought that terrified him. The fear that his decision had been wrong.
He was afraid this mistake would get everyone killed.
This terror drove Rick into a frenzy. He pounded the shutter even harder, his voice growing more desperate.
"I know you're in there! Please, have mercy and let us in!"
"We have women and children! They don't deserve this! I'm begging you!"
"It's full of walkers out here! If we die, it's on you! You'd be a murderer!"
The rolling shutter stood cold and unmoved. Rick kicked and pounded it, even tried shooting it.
But it was all futile. No matter what Rick said, no matter how he begged, the shutter didn't budge.
"Rick, we need to go."
Lori pushed Carl into Jacqui's arms. She hurried forward, grabbing Rick and speaking seriously.
"Rick, we can't stay here anymore. The walkers are multiplying."
"Tate won't be able to hold them off much longer. We need to leave now."
Lori knew the CDC was Rick's obsession—he believed there might be vaccines inside, easy living, no worrying about walkers, comparable to peacetime.
But if you thought about it for even a moment, you'd know that was impossible.
Lori gripped Rick's hand, gradually tightening her hold. Her nails left red marks on Rick's arm.
There. You should give up now, right?
But in the next moment, Rick yanked his arm free from Lori and continued pounding on the shutter, shouting.
Lori turned around. In the darkness, the walker horde was nearly surrounding them. Her gaze fell on her young child.
At that moment, she felt completely shattered. Tears rolled down her cheeks.
A possessed husband. A young son. Lori took a deep breath, pulled out a handgun, and walked to Jacqui's side, saying quietly, "Watch my boy for me."
Jacqui looked at the gun in her hand and nodded.
"Thank you." Lori strode to Tate's side, raised the pistol, and assumed the shooting stance Rick had taught her years ago.
BANG—
Muzzle flash erupted. Lori's face looked especially cold in the firelight.
Lori covered one side, greatly reducing the pressure on Tate. Although she couldn't kill many walkers, she at least managed to block some of them.
With no one to stop him, Rick screamed at the shutter like a madman, hammering away...
There were many walkers. Tate and Lori could only keep retreating, maintaining distance from the dead.
The safe zone grew smaller and smaller. Carl sobbed heartbreakingly in Jacqui's arms.
The terror on the others' faces was impossible to hide. Tears flowed uncontrollably.
Rick kept glancing back. He knew they'd reached the final moment.
If the shutter didn't open soon, they'd have to leave.
Rick looked at the camera and regained his composure. "Hey, whoever's hiding in there."
"We're not bad people. All along our journey, we haven't robbed anyone or killed without cause."
"If you're there, you can move the camera to show me."
The hope in Rick's eyes slowly dimmed. The red light on the security camera blinked on and off, as if it were just in default mode.
"Alright, then!"
Rick sighed and turned around, his expression hardening with resolve.
If he couldn't rely on others, he'd have to rely on himself.
Seeing Rick turn back, several team members breathed sighs of relief. Even Carl's crying gradually ceased.
Rick raised his gun and moved through the group, preparing to lead the team in carving a bloody path out.
Just then, the shutter suddenly began rising.
Bright light instantly flooded the doorway. It was the light of civilization.
Rick saw the brightness filling the space before him. He had no heart to look at the awakening walker horde, just turned his head in a daze.
After the shutter opened, everyone quickly grabbed their bags and rushed inside.
When the door closed, it completely sealed off the interior from the exterior. Rick and his group couldn't hear any sounds from the walkers outside.
Rick reached out and touched the shutter. The solid feeling gave him a sense of security.
"Let's go inside!"
Rick turned around. Everyone in the group looked at him.
Beyond the shutter was a long corridor wrapped in cold metal.
No sounds. No directions.
Rick even had the illusion that no one had let them in—that the shutter had simply malfunctioned and opened by accident.
Lori stepped forward two paces, walking shoulder to shoulder with Rick. Her hand rested on Rick's forearm. Rick came back to himself and smiled through his exhaustion.
Lori smiled back.
As everyone in the group walked, they looked at the walls. Although there wasn't much to see, they all had the feeling that passing through this tunnel would return them to the pre-apocalypse world.
Only Tate's eyes flashed with greedy colors. All kinds of endless snacks, abundant supplies, enough firearms to arm everyone, even video games and such.
All of this would be theirs.
Thinking about the wonderful days back at the ranch, Tate felt happy and looked forward even more to what lay deeper in the corridor.
Exiting the corridor, they entered a large hall.
The hall marked the beginning of the CDC building's main structure. That corridor had just been an additional small passage.
The hall was lit with cold, pale lighting. The spacious, bright lobby was completely empty, so quiet you could hear a pin drop.
Rick placed his hand on his gun, watching the entrances to the hall warily.
Tate also raised her rifle.
Just then, a tall man descended the long staircase in the center of the hall.
Caucasian, face somewhat haggard, he awkwardly held a carbine. "Hello. I'm the administrator here. Jenner!"
"Hello, Jenner. I'm the team leader. Call me Rick."
Rick responded politely, but neither party lowered their weapons.
Jenner paused for a moment, then lowered his gun first.
"There's no point standing here. Let's go inside and talk."
"But I'll need to draw your blood and run some tests."
"Happy to cooperate." Rick lowered his weapon as well, smiling and nodding.
The atmosphere immediately improved. Lori's grip on Carl's hand relaxed.
Jenner led the way, bringing everyone into an elevator.
The indicator lights in the elevator shone on everyone's faces, giving them a feeling of being in another lifetime.
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