Chapter 131: Smash
In the dim basement, the smell of mold mixed with dusty air, choking people uncomfortably.
"Cough, cough, cough..."
Merle supported himself against the wall with one hand, nearly coughing up his throat, casually wiping his mouth.
"If you wrap this cloth over your mouth, it'll feel better."
The mother had the little girl pass over a cloth strip, saying quietly.
The little girl's lower face was also wrapped in cloth. She handed over the strip. "Uncle, here!"
Uncle?
Merle took the cloth strip, momentarily frozen.
No one had ever called him that. Only words like bastard and scum accompanied him.
The cloth approached his face. A cool sensation came—it had been moistened with water. Covering mouth and nose, it wouldn't smell bad or feel uncomfortable.
Merle found a sofa and sat down. Poof—thick dust on the sofa bounced up, slowly falling back down.
With mouth and nose covered, Merle didn't care about this dust.
The basement was very dim—you could say pitch black. Merle could only hear the mother and daughter's breathing sounds and quiet conversation from across.
"Captain Merle, can I ask what life in Yellowstone is like? For example, for a woman like me, what work is there?"
The mother asked gently.
Merle thought about it and answered, "There's lots of work in Yellowstone. Many places need people. First, we look at your pre-apocalypse work, then at personal willingness."
"For instance, nurse, planting, conference hall clerk, coordinating supplies—there's many, many. You don't need to worry about not finding work."
Merle spoke very sincerely, telling that mother what he knew after screening it.
The mother listened very happily. The two gradually chatted.
Time passed second by second in conversation. The conversation topics dried up. The air returned to quietness again.
Suddenly.
Gurgle—
The little girl's voice came. "Mama, I'm hungry. My tummy is calling."
"Come, Mama will find you something to eat." The mother's voice was very gentle.
After sounds of rummaging through a backpack, the little girl opened a packaging bag, eating while praising the food's deliciousness.
The eating sounds made Merle a bit restless.
Merle wore warriors' black armor—very strong defensively, convenient for fighting walkers. However, it didn't have much storage space, so naturally he hadn't brought much food.
In the past when going out, they'd always done proper reconnaissance and planning, completing missions smoothly.
Therefore, he'd never considered the black armor's storage capacity. If food was needed, he could go directly to the armored vehicle.
After a day of combat, his physical strength was greatly depleted. Without food to replenish it, Merle touched his stomach. Waves of hunger assaulted him.
The little girl took small steps, slowly walking close to Merle, smiling as she extended her small hand. On the small hand was a small bread.
Mm, strawberry cake—with strawberry jam inside.
The little girl offered it like presenting treasure. "Uncle, this is my favorite small bread. Mama doesn't have much left. Do you want to eat it?"
The little girl's eyes shone. Obviously she really liked this small bread.
Merle hesitated. His palm opened then closed. After struggling a moment, he said proudly, "I won't eat a little brat's stuff. Take it back to your mother."
"I'm not hungry."
"Oh, okay." The little girl's mouth pouted. She could see Merle wanted to eat.
Why do adults think differently from what they do?
The little girl hadn't walked back to her mother's side when she heard the intestinal rumbling from behind.
Gurgle, gurgle—
Merle's old face reddened, so angry his temples throbbed.
The little girl wanted to turn around with the small bread to find Merle, but her mother pulled her back.
Not long after, the little girl walked to Merle's front with hands behind her back.
Merle crossed his arms over his chest, raising his chin without looking at the little girl. "What?"
"Uncle, for you—peach."
The little girl's hands came from behind her back. Two small hands held a large honey peach.
The peach's sweet fragrance drifted into Merle's nose.
Merle froze slightly. It was the peach he'd given away.
The little girl might not know fresh fruit's value, but her mother definitely knew—yet could return it to him.
The little girl said, "Mama said Uncle's stomach is hungry. Peaches are sweet—delicious!"
As she spoke, the little girl drooled. Obviously she'd been coveting the peach for a long time.
Merle's heart was moved. He picked up the peach, turned it around, then placed it back in the little girl's palm, touching her dry hair.
"You keep the peach. Just have your mother give me some crackers."
"Okay!" The little girl smiled, her eyes and brows curving. Her little short legs ran quickly back to her mother's side.
After eating something, his strength recovered quite a bit. Merle's heart also settled considerably.
He didn't know when Caesar could come.
Merle turned his head to glance at his watch. The second hand ticked around. A bad premonition arose in his heart.
The basement's peace didn't last long. Thud, thud, thud sounds came from overhead—walker footsteps.
They sounded very heavy, like lifting a piece of pork then dropping it, producing dull sounds.
Merle listened as the sounds above grew more numerous. His heart sank further.
He simply counted his firearms and ammunition—one automatic rifle, one Glock handgun, and one knife. Then ammunition, plus one grenade.
The grenade was an offensive grenade. Without sufficient space to throw it, it would only injure himself at the time.
Merle gripped the knife in reverse and stepped toward the basement doorway.
Below the doorway was an old wooden ladder. One careless moment and you'd fall. Climbing up was also troublesome. Above was an equally old wooden door.
The wooden door had many holes. Through the holes, you could even see the walkers above.
Merle took a deep breath and walked beside the ladder.
Creak, creak—
The wooden door being stepped on by walkers produced sounds of being unable to bear the load, making people's hearts uneasy.
Merle looked toward the mother and daughter. They hugged each other. The mother trembled with fear. The girl's big eyes stared at him without blinking.
Merle smiled, raised a thumb, and silently mouthed, "I'll block them."
Crack—
The wooden door finally couldn't withstand it and produced breaking sounds. A walker's foot directly stepped through the wooden door.
That walker's leg got stuck. The walker shook its body, wanting to extract its legs and feet.
The wooden door produced even louder sounds.
Merle retreated two steps early. The knife was horizontal before his chest. The holster and safety were both in open state—he could shoot quickly.
BOOM—
That walker along with the wooden door collapsed together, heavily smashing on the ground. Dust flew.
Merle looked up once, then rushed forward with quick steps. The knife stabbed down, piercing into that walker's eye socket.
With a fierce twist, the walker immediately lost its life.
Pulling out the knife, Merle quickly ran backward.
Sure enough, walkers began falling into the basement. Walker after walker smashed down heavily.
Dust flew upward. Walkers slowly stood up from their kind's bodies, producing hoarse cries.