Meanwhile, Calista felt a growing restlessness because of Daryl's injuries and their forced delay.
Staying two extra days meant too many uncertainties.
In the original storyline, the walker horde that overran the farm loomed overhead like a blade ready to fall.
Calista could no longer rely on vague instincts. She had to act.
At the very least, she needed to buy her group more time to respond.
Originally, she had planned to wait until she returned with the fuel and picked up Shane, then say a few words to Maggie and warn her that a walker horde might appear so they could prepare in advance.
After all, she herself had been separated by a walker horde, which gave her warning some credibility.
Given Maggie's cautious nature, she would definitely pass the information on to Hershel and Rick.
What they chose to do afterward would not be her concern.
Hershel might stubbornly refuse to believe it, but Rick would likely trust her and scout the surrounding area ahead of time.
But now, she had to deliver the warning herself.
...
Calista found Rick directing people to reinforce the wooden fence around the main house, with Hershel overseeing nearby.
"Rick, Hershel, I need to speak with you privately, right now. This concerns everyone's lives." Calista's expression was more serious than ever.
Her tone alone made both Rick and Hershel tense.
Rick gestured for Glenn, T-Dog, Andrea, and Jacqui to continue working, then followed Calista with Hershel to a quieter corner of the barn.
"What's happened?" Rick could tell she wasn't exaggerating.
Calista got straight to the point and looked them both in the eye. "The reason we got separated from our team is because we ran into an extremely large walker horde. The scale was far beyond anything you can imagine. It stretched endlessly, as far as the eye could see."
She paused deliberately, letting the image settle in their minds.
"We managed to escape by luck, but based on their direction and speed at the time, there's a very high chance they're heading toward this area.
They could already be just a few dozen miles away, maybe even closer. By my estimate, they could arrive as early as tonight, or at the latest, the day after tomorrow."
Calista's conclusion was firm. "The farm cannot be defended. The only way to survive is to abandon it, gather everyone, and evacuate within the next two days."
"What?!" Hershel was the first to react. "Abandon my farm? Based on a few words from you? Calista, I'm grateful you saved Beth, but you can't shake everyone's resolve with baseless speculation!"
He pointed around the farm, his voice trembling with emotion. "Look around you! We patrol every day!
Occasionally a few small groups of walkers show up, but Rick and the others always draw them away or deal with them. Where is this so-called horde? There isn't a single sign of it!"
The more he spoke, the more agitated he became, as if her words had insulted the home he had spent his life protecting. "And these fences, these barriers. My father, my grandfather, generation after generation, we've reinforced them. Rick and the others have helped a lot recently too.
They're strong enough to keep those walkers out. This is my home. My family has lived here for over a hundred years. I will never abandon it because of some vague warning. Never."
Hershel's resistance was fierce and unwavering, exactly as Calista had expected.
Rick's brows were tightly drawn, caught in a struggle.
He understood Calista's group better than Hershel did and knew she would not make claims without reason.
But the idea of a walker horde carried enormous weight, and the cost of an immediate evacuation was just as heavy.
"Calista," Rick said, clearly conflicted, "I understand your concern, and I trust your judgment. But evacuating right now isn't that simple."
He pointed toward the livestock pens. "Those cows, horses, pigs, chickens. What do we do with them? We can't move them quickly.
Without them, even if we escape, how long can we last? And the farm's supplies. How much could we realistically take in such a rush?"
Rick paused, then voiced a deeper concern. "And the group just went through a lot. People are unsettled. Forcing an evacuation in the next two days could cause even more panic. We need something more concrete."
Calista looked at him sharply. She knew they simply could not imagine what was coming.
"Rick, Hershel, what you call 'strong enough' defenses are like sandcastles in front of a real walker horde.
You have never seen anything like it. Thousands, no, tens of thousands or more. They don't get tired. They don't feel fear. They just keep coming.
No matter how sturdy your wooden fences are, they will be pushed down. No matter how deep your trenches are, they will be filled. They don't rely on claws or teeth. They crush everything with sheer weight and numbers."
Her voice hardened. "By the time you can see them, it will already be too late. At that point, forget the livestock and supplies. It will be a question of how many people can make it out alive."
Hershel turned his head away, refusing to believe her.
Rick, however, was shaken by the image she described, his face growing even paler.
He knew she was not lying. At the very least, what she described was entirely possible.
The situation fell into a stalemate.
In the end, Rick proposed what he believed to be the most cautious compromise.
He took a deep breath, as if making up his mind.
"Alright," Rick said, his voice tired but steady, "we reinforce the defenses through the night.
We move everything we can behind the fences and check every weak point. Then at first light tomorrow, we send a team to scout in the direction you think the horde is coming from."
He looked at Calista, then at Hershel, trying to convince them both. "If the scouts confirm tomorrow morning that the horde is close, then we evacuate at first light without hesitation."
Rick turned to Hershel. "Hershel, this is the safest approach we have right now."
Hershel was silent for a moment. Though still dissatisfied, Rick's plan at least did not force him to abandon his home immediately.
He let out a heavy snort, reluctantly agreeing to this temporary compromise.
Calista looked at them and understood.
No amount of words would change their minds right now.
After all, in the early days of the apocalypse, no one had truly seen a horde large enough to destroy everything.
Or rather, anyone who had seen one, aside from them, had likely already become part of it.
Calista said nothing more. She simply looked at them with something close to pity.
"I hope your scouting team brings back good news."
Leaving those words behind, she turned and walked away to make her own preparations for the storm that was coming.
...
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