The Walking Dead: Survival Code

< Third Person POV >

Trapped inside the military tank in Atlanta, Rick was surrounded by a sea of walkers. The environment was claustrophobic, and the tense silence was broken only by the muffled sound of moans outside. Grabbing the radio attached to the tank, he spoke, trying to mask his despair.

"Whoever you are, I don't mind saying that I'm a bit worried here."

A young and sarcastic voice responded almost immediately:

"Of course you are, man. You are surrounded by walkers. Take whatever you can find inside that tank to defend yourself and run. They are still distracted with the horse."

Rick took a deep breath, trying to process the stranger's words. He looked around, searching for anything useful. On the body of the dead soldier inside the tank, he found a grenade and a loaded pistol. While searching the ground, he spotted a fallen shovel. He picked everything up, the weight of the weapons in his hands giving him a fragile sense of control.

"What do you have there?" Asked the voice.

"A grenade, a pistol, and... a shovel." Rick replied.

"Well, save the bullets. Now, listen: when you leave, go quickly. Go straight and turn right. There's an alley right there!" The voice continued over the radio.

Rick nodded to himself, took a deep breath, and opened the upper hatch. The daylight blinded him momentarily, but he did not hesitate. As soon as he spotted a walker approaching, he swung the shovel with force, crushing the creature's skull.

Jumping out of the tank, he began to run down the sidewalk, his breath heavy and the sound of gunfire echoing as he dispatched the undead that appeared in his path. He followed the instructions, moving quickly to the indicated alley.

As he turned the corner, he was surprised by a young man wearing a baseball cap. He held a knife in one hand and a Beretta in the other, pointed directly at Rick.

"Lower the weapon," the young man ordered firmly, his eyes quickly assessing Rick.

Rick hesitated but then holstered the pistol, raising his hands slightly in a sign of surrender.

"It's me." I was talking to you on the radio.

Before Rick could respond, the young man gestured for him to follow.

"Let's go!" We have to go up.

They ran together to a nearby emergency staircase, Rick shooting a walker that was trying to climb up behind them. The moans of the dead grew louder by the moment. They stopped on a platform halfway to catch their breath, leaning against the support bars while trying to control their breathing.

The young man looked at Rick and smiled with a sarcastic tone.

"Hey, sheriff? Came to clean up the town? Next time you see a sign saying, "Danger: city infested with the dead", Don't go in, man."

Rick smiled, shaking his head.

"Thank you for saving my life."

"Glenn." The young man finally introduced himself, extending his hand.

"Rick," the sheriff said his name, shaking his hand firmly.

"Let's go." Glenn indicated the way, and they both continued to climb, ready to face whatever came next.

As they carefully crossed the roof, Rick cast a curious glance at Glenn. The young man walked with confidence, but Rick noticed that he kept one hand near his weapon, always alert to the surroundings. Curiosity finally got the better of him.

"Why did you risk your neck for me back then?" Asked Rick, his voice laden with genuine gratitude mixed with confusion.

Glenn glanced at him with a half-smile on his face before responding in a nonchalant tone:

"Call it foolish and naive hope that, if I'm in such deep trouble, someone would do the same for me." He shrugged. "I think that makes me an even bigger idiot than you."

Rick didn't respond, but Glenn's words lingered in his mind. He pondered the sense of altruism that still existed in that broken world.

Glenn guided him to a staircase that led down to an alley below. Rick looked over the edge, seeing that the place was clear except for four walkers wandering slowly, blocked by an abandoned bus.

"Let's get this done quickly," Glenn said quietly, pulling out his knife while Rick held the shovel tightly.

With silent steps, Glenn advanced. He drove the knife into the skull of the first walker, withdrawing it skillfully and repeating the motion on the second. Rick, not as agile, crushed the heads of the other two with precise blows from the shovel.

"Good job, sheriff." Glenn commented, wiping the blade on the shirt of one of the dead before pointing to a nearby door.

Arriving at the entrance, Glenn used a radio to send a coded signal. Moments later, the door opened carefully, revealing two men coming out. One of them was Morales, a tall and robust man, wearing improvised riot gear while holding a baseball bat. The other, T-Dog, was a bit shorter in stature but equally prepared, carrying a machete that looked quite sharp.

"Soldier Boy?" Called Morales, as he swept the alley with his eyes, vigilant against any sign of danger. He pointed to Rick with a nod. "I brought a friend." T-Dog and Morales exchanged quick glances, assessing Rick. Without wasting any time, Glenn and Rick entered the building, closely followed by the two.

As soon as the door closed behind them, the noise of the outside world was muffled, providing a rare moment of relief. "We have to move quickly," said Glenn, already taking the lead. "They're still busy out there, but not for long." Rick continued, feeling the tension in the air.

He knew that group had been fighting for survival for much longer than he had. And now, he was part of it, at least for the time being. Inside the store, the tension exploded as Andrea approached Rick with a gun trembling in her hand, her eyes boiling with fury. "We're dead because of you!" She shouted, the gun pointed directly at his face.

Rick raised his hands, trying to calm her down. "I just..."

"Lower that!" Interrupted Glenn, standing beside them. "We don't have time for this!" Andrea hesitated, taking a deep breath while her anger still simmered. Finally, with reluctance, she lowered the gun, but not without casting a sharp glance at Rick.

"You just rang the dinner bell, man," Morales said, pointing to the front glass doors. Outside, a horde of walkers was gathering, pounding furiously against the glass, each blow a reminder of the imminent danger. Rick looked around, feeling the weight of the gazes upon him. "What the hell were you doing wandering the streets?" Morales continued, crossing his arms. Rick tried to explain, the words coming out more hurriedly than he would have liked. "I saw a helicopter." I was trying to get attention.

Jacqui, who was leaning against a nearby shelf, raised an eyebrow. "A helicopter? That sounds like a hallucination, buddy."

"I saw!" Rick insisted, his voice firming up. While the group processed his words, T-Dog was on the radio, frantically trying to get a signal. He shook his head in frustration.

"Nothing. Maybe at a higher point we can find something." Before they could argue any further, a muffled sound echoed through the store. Gunshots. The group fell silent for a moment, exchanging worried glances.

"Oh, God... is it Dixon?" Said Andrea, disbelief evident in her voice.

Glenn gestured for everyone to follow him. "Let's find out."

Everyone hurried, running towards the sound, leaving behind the growing pressure of the walkers outside. The fear was now twofold: the dead and what the living might do in desperate situations.

…

On the roof, the group moved quickly, shotguns in hand, to find Merle Dixon standing at the edge of the building, firing a rifle at the Walkers gathering below. The sound of gunfire echoed through the area, attracting more walkers with each shot. "Damn, I almost killed that walker, bitch!"

"What are you doing, man?" Asked T-Dog, his voice heavy with frustration. "You're wasting bullets and attracting more of them!"

Merle swung the rifle over his shoulders, staring at the group with a mocking smile. "It's not very smart to talk like that to an armed man." It's a matter of common sense.

T-Dog gripped his Mossberg shotgun tightly and stepped forward. "You're not the only one armed here."

Merle laughed, pointing at Morales. "Oh, of course! The taco-bender is watching my ass, while the rice cake eater is guiding me all day. And now I have to listen to orders from you? Not today, bro. Not today."

T-Dog frowned, the tone threatening. "Not today? What the hell do you mean by that?"

Merle just smiled mischievously before letting him go: "That's right! No one is going to tell me what to do. Not even you. No, some Chinese guy and not some n****!" A racial insult that made T-Dog's blood boil.

"Your..." He advanced, but before he could react, Merle hit him with the rifle butt, knocking him to the ground. In a swift motion, Merle pulled a pistol hidden at his waist and pressed the barrel against T-Dog's forehead.

"Who's the boss now, huh?" Merle mocked, his tone venomous.

The group froze for a moment, but Glenn acted quickly, grabbing the butt of Merle's rifle and striking him on the side of the head. Still dazed, Merle tried to get up, but Rick was already on top of him.

With precise movements, Rick handcuffed Merle to a nearby pipe and drew his revolver, pointing it directly at Merle's head.

"Who the hell are you? A cop?" grunted Merle, still somewhat dazed.

Rick approached, pressing the tip of the revolver against Merle's head. "I'm the friendly officer," Rick replied, with sarcasm in his voice.

Merle let out a dry laugh. "You are a cop. You're not going to shoot."

Rick didn't back down. "I'm just a man looking for my family. Things have changed, you white trash. It's us against the dead. And the only way to survive is together, not apart."

While Rick was talking, Glenn approached and began rummaging through Merle's pockets and took out a small package. He opened it, revealing cocaine. Glenn cast a look of disdain before throwing the contents onto the rooftop floor.

"Hey, that's mine!" Merle protested furiously, hurling more racist insults at Glenn.

Glenn stepped back, shaking his head. "Don't waste time with a junkie hick. We have bigger problems to solve."

Rick looked at Merle, who was still grumbling, and then at the group. He knew they would need every minute to plan their next move, as the incessant moans of the walkers grew louder around the building.

Morales informed Rick that there was no longer a refugee center. The city, once a promise of safety, was nothing more than a deadly trap. He explained that they were part of a larger group of survivors, currently outside the city, but that T-Dog couldn't contact them by radio.

"We're on our own," Glenn concluded grimly as he picked up binoculars and examined the streets outside.

The silence in the group was palpable as he observed the devastated landscape. The streets were infested with walkers, their staggering and grotesque figures moving incessantly in search of living flesh.

Rick broke the silence with a practical suggestion.If the streets aren't safe, maybe we can escape through the underground.

Jacqui, who had previous experience working in the Atlanta zoning office, reflected for a moment before agreeing. "It's possible. This building must have access to the sewers."

With this idea in mind, the group returned to the building's basement, a cramped and damp space that offered some temporary shelter. Glenn took the lead, devising a plan with precision.

"Rick, you and Andrea will gather the supplies I hid in the building. Also, keep an eye on the reinforced front window. Morales and Jacqui, you go through the sewers to check if there's a safe exit."

Andrea looked at Glenn, questioning. "And you? What are you going to do?"

Glenn gave a nervous smile. "T-Dog and I have another task."

"What task?" Andrea insisted, frowning.

Glenn sighed. "The worst idea I've ever had. If there were an Olympics for bad ideas, this would win the gold medal."

Despite the enigmatic response, the group had no time for debates. Each one followed the orders, moving quickly to complete their tasks.

Glenn and T-Dog left the basement and headed to the alley blocked by an abandoned bus, the same place where Rick and Glenn had faced and eliminated some walkers earlier. As they approached, both were relieved to find that the place was relatively clean, with the bodies of the walkers still scattered on the ground, motionless.

Glenn looked at T-Dog and pointed to one of the bodies. "Help me bring one of these inside."

T-Dog blinked, confused, and hesitated for a moment. "Why?"

"Just trust me. You'll understand soon," replied Glenn, already bending down to grab the corpse.

Reluctantly, T-Dog followed the orders, wrinkling his nose at the putrid smell emanating from the body. The dead weight was difficult to handle, but they both managed to drag the corpse inside the building, unaware that Glenn's plan would be as risky as it was brilliant.

Inside the building, the group was restless as Glenn and T-Dog entered carrying the walker's body. Before any explanation could be given, Rick and Andrea appeared with some heavy bags, containing the supplies that Glenn had previously hidden. Rick's expression was serious, and his voice carried urgency as he announced:

"The walkers have already broken one of the external glass doors. They are starting to break the second one. We don't have much time."

Soon after, Morales and Jacqui returned, bringing equally disheartening news.

"The sewer is not an option," declared Jacqui. "It's blocked with iron bars."

The tension in the air was palpable. Everyone turned their attention to Glenn and the body of the walker he had dragged inside.

"Glenn, why did you bring this?" Asked Morales, confused.

Glenn took a deep breath and, with a serious look, explained:

"This is plan C. Listen, the dead are identified by smell. If we cover ourselves with their scent, we can go unnoticed among the horde."

The silence took over the room. The group processed the idea while looking with disgust at the body lying on the floor. Morales shook his head in disbelief, and Andrea made a face.

"That's insane," she said, but her voice had a tone of consideration. "Insane enough to work."

"It might work," Jacqui agreed reluctantly.

Rick stepped forward, determined. "I'm going with Glenn."

The group did not offer any objections, acknowledging Rick's courage and Glenn's experience. With the decision made, they began to prepare. Glenn and the others dressed in makeshift protective gear: lab coats, gloves, medical masks, and safety goggles, trying to cover as much skin as possible to avoid any contamination.

Glenn broke the glass of a nearby emergency box and took out a firefighter's axe, holding the weapon with hesitation. Before starting, Rick knelt beside the body and picked up the man's wallet.

"Wayne Dunlap," he said, reading the identification. "Georgia license, born in 1979. She had 28 dollars in her pocket when she died... and a photo of a beautiful girl. "With love, from Rachel," was written on the back. He was like us, worried about bills, rent, or the Super Bowl."

He looked at the others, with a mixture of sadness and determination in his eyes.If I find my family, I will tell them about Wayne.

"And he was an organ donor."Glenn added.

The room fell silent until Glenn took a deep breath, gripping the axe handle.

"My idea," he said. "I'll throw the first punch."

He brought the axe down with precision, opening the man's belly. Blood and entrails spread across the floor, splattering on Glenn's lab coat. The nauseating smell filled the room, and everyone, including Glenn, reacted with horror and disgust.

Even Glenn, who had hardened due to his previous missions, had to swallow hard several times to avoid vomiting.

"Come on," he said, with a hoarse voice, as he looked at the others. "Help pass his blood and guts into me, into Rick."

With disgust and hesitation, the group obeyed, covering Rick and Glenn with the remains of the walker. The smell was unbearable, but necessary.

When they finished, Glenn gave the final instructions.

"Take the materials back to the roof." Rick and I will trigger an alarm and grab a cube van at a nearby construction site. Then we'll come back to pick you up. We'll let you know by radio when we're arriving. You come down and wait for us to open the door.

Before leaving, Rick looked at T-Dog and tossed him the key to Merle's handcuffs.

"You know what to do."

With that, Rick and Glenn stepped out the door, ready to face the horde with a risky and improvised plan.