CHAPTER 20: I'LL GRANT YOU MERCY. GOODNIGHT.
Evening, the Motel
Hanks kept low, slipping silently to the motel's outer wall like a ghost.
He practically melted into the shadows, ears tracking the footsteps of walkers in the courtyard—about five or six wandering aimlessly.
Just as he started planning his clearance route—
A large ice machine nearby suddenly made a muffled thump, followed by several light tapping sounds.
Hanks's eyes sharpened. His right hand instantly drew the P226, moving in a crouch toward the source.
The ice machine door was being pushed open from inside, creating a small gap. A pair of eyes peered through, scanning the surroundings.
"Glenn?" Hanks called out in a low voice, barrel rising slightly, finger resting on the trigger guard.
"It's me! It's me! Officer Hanks?!" Glenn looked like he'd seen salvation, nearly crying.
"Thank God! I... I thought I was gonna become a frozen lunch for those things!"
He scrambled out of the ice machine on all fours, covered in ice chips and grime.
"Can you walk?"
Hanks asked quickly, gaze still sweeping the area, ensuring no walkers were being drawn over.
"Yes! Yes!" Glenn nodded frantically, using the ice machine to stand, though his legs were a bit shaky.
"Let's go." Hanks moved along the wall to head back.
But Glenn urgently grabbed his arm, pointing toward a corner room on the motel's second floor.
"Wait! Officer! We can't leave yet!"
"There's a girl up there. I heard her crying. We have to save her!"
Glenn's tone was anxious. "She's trapped in the room. There are two walkers outside her door!"
Hanks looked in the indicated direction. A second-floor room had its entrance boarded up.
Two walkers were persistently pounding on the boards. Inside, faint, intermittent crying could be heard.
"You sure she's still alive?" Hanks asked calmly. His cop instincts made him wary of any uncertain factors.
"I... I'm sure! I talked to her! She's just scared!" Glenn quickly explained. "We have to help her! Can't just leave her here!"
Hanks was silent for two seconds, his sharp gaze sweeping over Glenn's face, determining he wasn't lying.
He glanced at the second-floor situation, then assessed the walker distribution in the courtyard.
"Alright." Hanks's tone was decisive.
"Follow my lead exactly. First priority is eliminating threats, then we rescue her. Understand?"
Maybe it was the police profession. Or maybe it was the talent that came with being a cop.
He was gradually settling into the role. Beyond those he was meant to protect, there was also this stupid sense of responsibility—
"Got it! Got it!" Glenn nodded hard.
"Move. Stay quiet." Hanks spotted a screwdriver jammed in the wall and pulled it out.
He moved like a ghost toward an isolated walker. The instant he got close, the screwdriver stabbed hard into the back of its skull.
The walker's central nervous system was destroyed instantly.
Hanks's left hand supported the corpse, gently lowering it to the ground, muffling even the sound of it falling.
He continued toward the motel's interior. Seeing another walker wandering nearby, next to a glass case with a fire axe locked inside.
He squinted slightly, using the screwdriver in his hand as a throwing weapon, hurling it with force.
THUNK!
Enhanced by his Strength and Burst stats, the screwdriver not only pierced the walker's skull but pinned it directly to the wall. Blood splattered across the surface.
Hanks moved over quickly and quietly, retrieving the fire axe. He tested its weight in his hand.
Good balance. A fire axe perfect for putting out fires—human fires.
He gripped the axe and led the way. Glenn followed close behind as they carefully climbed the stairs.
In the second-floor hallway, the two walkers were still stubbornly pounding on the door.
Hanks charged straight in, raising the axe overhead and bringing it down in a devastating strike. The nearest walker's skull split nearly in half, various chunks spraying out.
Then dodging the second walker's lunge, he swung the axe in a backhand arc. The blade precisely severed its neck. The head rolled across the floor.
Clean. Efficient. No wasted motion!
After eliminating the threat at the door, Hanks walked up and knocked on the boards.
"Hey, whoever's inside—I'm Officer Hanks. The situation outside is handled. You can come out."
The crying inside cut off abruptly, replaced by hysterical screaming: "Go away! All of you go away! Please! Just leave me alone!"
Glenn panicked beside him: "She must be terrified! Let's try talking to her more!"
Hanks frowned slightly, raised the axe and chopped through the boards, then kicked the door open.
Inside the room, a deathly pale woman was curled in the corner. One hand pressed desperately against her abdomen, but dark red blood kept seeping between her fingers,
Staining her clothes and the carpet beneath her. Her eyes were unfocused, filled with pain and a strange grayish tint.
Hanks understood instantly. Glenn saw it too and covered his mouth in shock.
"You... you were bitten?" Hanks shifted the axe to his left hand, right hand moving to his thigh.
The woman nodded with difficulty, tears mixing with sweat sliding down her face. "I'm sorry. I don't want to become one of those monsters. Don't want to hurt anyone. You should go!"
Glenn stepped back in disbelief, his face showing shock and helplessness.
Hanks's expression was complex. He looked at the woman silently, then spoke: "Need help?"
The woman seemed startled by the question, but seeing him draw his pistol, she immediately understood. "Thank you."
"Officer?!" Glenn hadn't caught on yet, eyes suddenly going wide.
Click.
Hanks gently released the P226's safety. His movements were so slow he barely recognized himself.
The woman slowly closed her eyes, seeming to think of something, a small smile on her lips.
"I'll grant you mercy. Goodnight."
Hanks's finger rested on the cold trigger. The P226 aimed steady at the woman's forehead.
Her breathing was weak and rapid. The fear had left her eyes, replaced only by something close to the relief of release.
Glenn opened his mouth, seemingly wanting to say something, but ultimately just raised his hand uselessly before letting it drop.
He turned his head away, unable to watch.
BANG!
The gunshot exploded in the cramped room—brief and final, drowning out all noise from outside.
[Handgun Skill Experience +1000]
[Attribute Experience +1]
The recoil pushed the woman backward. She went completely still, a peaceful smile on her face.
"Let's go." Hanks holstered his weapon without looking at Glenn. "The gunshot will draw them here."
He turned first, fire axe still gripped in his left hand, blood droplets falling from the blade onto the carpet.
Glenn's face was ashen. He took one last look at the grim scene inside the room, then gritted his teeth hard and followed.
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