Chapter 11: No One Sleeps
Hershel rubbed his temples wearily, his voice hoarse and weak. "Thank you for coming, Kenny. But now... we've done everything we can."
"The rest is up to God and Shawn's own will. Everyone's exhausted. Go home and rest."
His gaze swept across Hanks, Lee, and Clementine, carrying a barely detectable mix of emotions—
Gratitude, but also the heavy pressure brought by strangers intruding and his son critically injured.
"Officer Hanks, Lee, and the little one—you can rest in the barn. It's basic, but clean and safe enough."
Maggie immediately spoke up, her tone sharp, as if trying to push Hanks as far away as possible. "Right, you go to the barn! Beth, come on! We're going to our room!"
She practically dragged the confused Beth, who kept looking back, and quickly went upstairs.
Hanks had no objection to Hershel's arrangement. He nodded, but before leaving—
He walked to Shawn's bedside, looking at the face twisted with high fever and rapid breathing. His brow furrowed slightly.
"Mr. Hershel," he spoke, his voice carrying unmistakable warning, "This kind of infection... it's not normal. Hope for the best, but prepare for the worst."
Under Hershel and Kenny's family's surprised gazes, he unhooked the stainless steel handcuffs from his belt.
In the kerosene lamp's dim light, the handcuffs glinted with cold gleam.
Click!
A heartbreaking yet crisp metallic snap.
Hanks moved with extreme efficiency, cuffing one of Shawn's wrists to the sturdy iron bed frame. He gently placed the key on the nearby nightstand.
"This is for everyone's safety. Including his own." He explained calmly.
"If Shawn... if his condition changes, this buys us reaction time."
Hershel's lips moved. A complex expression of offense and pain crossed his face.
As a father, seeing his son cuffed like a criminal cut him like a knife.
But deep down he knew it might be right. His emotions were a tangled mess.
In the end, he just waved his hand dejectedly, saying nothing, turning back to sit in his chair. His back looked more hunched and aged.
Just two days ago, life had been relatively peaceful. Now it had deteriorated to something unimaginable.
Shawn was his only son!
Kenny watched the handcuffs. His thick beard twitched. His expression grew more somber.
As someone who'd survived outside for days, he understood the situation all too well.
But he said nothing. Just patted Hershel's shoulder, then led his family quietly out.
Hanks said no more. He signaled Lee and Clementine to follow.
The three left the oppressive house, walking toward the barn that showed a deep red outline in the moonlight.
The barn was filled with hay, permeated with the smell of dust and straw. Otis had been thoughtful enough to lay out a few simple blankets beforehand.
Yet no one felt sleepy.
Lee sat leaning against a haystack, looking at his injured leg and the brand-new Glock beside him. His eyes were lost.
He'd gone from a handcuffed prisoner to an armed survivor in the apocalypse. The drastic identity shift left him adrift.
That line—"Laws that protect scum—is that justice?"—echoed in his mind, leaving Lee's thoughts in turmoil.
Clementine curled up on a blanket, clutching her walkie-talkie tightly.
"Hanks," she asked quietly, "will Shawn get better? Are we really safe now?"
Hanks sat beside her, fieldstripping his P226 and wiping the components. His movements were focused and steady.
"I did what I could."
He didn't directly answer the question about Shawn. "I'll protect you until we find your parents."
His calm seemed contagious. Clementine felt somewhat reassured.
But she still stared wide-eyed at the high barn ceiling, unable to sleep.
Several times she opened her mouth to speak, but ultimately didn't ask about Shawn again.
Hanks was organizing his own thoughts, reassembling the maintained pistol.
Today had been nothing but fleeing, killing, and searching. Finally he had time to check his interface.
Meanwhile, in the second-floor room of the farmhouse—
"Sis, what's wrong with you?" Beth finally couldn't hold back, asking Maggie in a low voice as she made the bed.
"You were so rude to Officer Hanks just now! He risked himself to get us medicine!"
Maggie's movements froze. Her back went rigid.
She took a deep breath and turned around, her face struggling with pain. "Beth, listen to me. Stay away from him. He's not the kind of hero cop you're imagining."
"Why? Just because he said those things about law collapsing? But that might be the truth!" Beth argued.
Her mind still held the image of Hanks's calm blue eyes and determined profile.
"It's not just that!" Maggie's voice grew agitated, but she forced it down.
She couldn't describe the brutal scene of the boy's execution. It would completely terrify her sister and force her to relive that torture herself.
"Just... he's dangerous. Very dangerous. He'll do anything to survive. Trust me. Don't get close to him. Don't be alone with him."
Beth looked at her sister's unusually serious, even fearful expression. Though full of doubt and disagreement—
She finally nodded. "Okay, sis... I'll listen to you."
But the vague attraction to that powerful protector in her heart hadn't completely extinguished. In fact, she was even more curious now!
The night deepened.
The farm fell into eerie silence. Only wind occasionally swept past the eaves.
In the barn, Lee finally couldn't help speaking quietly. "Hanks... today... thank you."
Hanks just gave a faint grunt.
After a long while, Lee asked softly again. "What do we... do next?"
Hanks had roughly figured out his interface. His gaze moved to the endless night beyond the barn door.
"Survive." His voice was low. "Then take her to Savannah."
That was his quest. The only goal he could grasp right now...
Living without purpose was barely different from death.
Walkers were technically alive too. They had no goals, so they were just walking meat.
"And... then what?" Lee couldn't help asking again, almost talking to himself.
He'd thought he'd spend the rest of his life in prison. Now he was explosively free, but didn't know what to do.
"After that..." Hanks fell into silence.
"We'll figure it out when we get there."
"Maybe I'll go find my uncle!"
Tonight, no one slept.
Their private thoughts and fears flowed slowly through the farm with the night.
Dawn approached, but no one knew whether it would bring hope or deeper despair.