As if to prove their words, the moment Rick's shout faded,
at the edge of the farm, in the direction Calista had pointed, and along both flanks farther out, dense waves of figures began pouring out from the woods and over the slopes.
The walkers' low, continuous groans started like the buzzing of insects, but quickly merged into a chilling symphony of death that made everyone's scalp prickle.
Faced with such a massive army of the dead, no one could keep insisting the farm's defenses would hold.
Compared to the scale of the walker horde, the defenses they had worked all night to reinforce felt like a bad joke.
Panic spread like a disease.
But unlike in the original storyline, this time Calista, her group, and Maggie had already loaded the farm's livestock and most of the supplies onto vehicles in advance.
The animals now stomped nervously inside the trucks.
That black tide of walkers advanced at an alarming speed.
With no cattle, sheep, pigs, or horses scattering to draw their attention away, the vanguard of the horde surged straight toward the heart of the farm with almost nothing slowing it down.
The living barrier the animals could have provided was gone. The walkers' rotting faces and grasping arms grew clearer by the second, a terrifying sight.
"No… that's impossible…" Hershel staggered back a step.
Watching the endless black tide closing in, the belief he had clung to and his illusion of a secure home shattered completely.
The overwhelming shock and crushing despair instead stirred the stubbornness deep inside him.
He suddenly turned away, refusing to look at the suffocating scene, and stumbled back toward the main house.
"Dad!" Maggie cried out in alarm, rushing after him.
But Hershel quickly came charging back out, gripping his old double-barreled shotgun tightly.
His eyes were hollow, yet burned with a desperate, almost crazed resolve as he headed straight toward the farm gate, toward the oncoming horde.
"This is my home! My family's land! If I die, I die here!" he shouted hoarsely, like a trapped animal making its final cry.
"Dad, don't!" Beth sobbed as she rushed forward and grabbed his arm, only to be flung aside.
Maggie threw herself at him as well, joining Beth as they desperately tried to pull him back.
"Dad, please! Come with us! If the house is gone, we can find another. But if we die, everything is gone!"
Glenn hurried over to help. The three of them together barely managed to drag the nearly crazed Hershel away from the front.
At the same time, Rick's camp had already descended into total chaos.
"Hurry, grab your things! Get in the vehicles!" Rick shouted as he helped restrain Hershel, barking orders to his group.
T-Dog and Jacqui exchanged a quick glance and sprinted back to camp, grabbing backpacks and weapons without hesitation.
Andrea's face was pale, but she reacted fast. She snatched up her rifle and ammo box, then shoved Dale, who was still frozen in place.
"Dale, move! Get to the RV!"
Dale looked at the chaos and the advancing wall of death in the distance, shook his head in grief, but still hurried toward his RV.
Sophia clung tightly to Carol, trembling uncontrollably.
Carol, usually timid, found her strength in that moment. She gripped Sophia's hand tightly and wiped away her tears.
No matter what, she was getting Sophia out of here alive.
Lori gripped Carl's hand tightly, clutching a hastily packed bag in her other arm as she looked around in panic for Rick and a vehicle.
"Where do we go? Where are we supposed to go?" Lori's voice trembled with tears, echoing everyone's fear.
Once they abandoned the farm, they would be like drifting weeds with no roots, facing only the unknown ahead.
At that moment, Calista's sharp voice cut through the chaos and the growing roar of the walkers.
"Don't panic. Listen to me."
All eyes turned to her at once.
"Everyone, get in your vehicles and head for the main road. Follow the way we came and get onto the interstate." She pointed toward the flank opposite the main mass of the horde, where they had not yet been fully surrounded.
Calista paused, sweeping her gaze over the panicked faces, then gave the destination they had already decided on, the place that had once served as a refuge in the original storyline.
"We'll regroup on the highway. If you get separated, head south along it. Our destination is the Griffin Prison."
"The walls there are strong. It's easy to defend and hard to breach. It's the safest place we have right now. The rest of our team is already there, waiting for us."
The prison.
The word made the panicked crowd hesitate, then a flicker of hope lit up in their eyes.
"Hurry! Do what she said! Get on the highway and head to the prison!" Rick reacted immediately, repeating the order and pushing everyone into motion.
"Beth, get in! Hurry! You two, take the vehicle and go!" Maggie shouted to Beth and Jimmy.
Jimmy reacted the fastest, pulling Beth toward the largest livestock transport truck.
He fumbled with the ignition, while Beth opened the door and took one last look at their home, now being swallowed by walkers. Tears blurred her vision, but she wiped them away hard and slammed the door shut.
The truck roared to life, rolling over the grass and charging toward the dirt road leading to the highway.
Otis and Patricia rushed toward a fenced trailer loaded with pigs and sheep.
Otis's large frame moved with surprising agility as he jumped into the driver's seat, with Patricia right behind him.
The vehicle started and followed closely behind Jimmy's truck.
"Dad, come on!" Maggie and Glenn each took one side, practically carrying Hershel, who was still struggling and muttering "my home…" with vacant eyes, toward another trailer loaded with horses.
Glenn shoved Hershel into the passenger seat, and Maggie immediately jumped into the driver's seat, slamming the door.
"Glenn, take the supply truck!" she called out.
Glenn nodded firmly without hesitation and ran toward the truck loaded with seeds, tools, and medicine.
Meanwhile, Dale had already started the RV.
Andrea stood by the door with her rifle, firing controlled shots at the scattered walkers closing in, buying time for everyone else.
T-Dog and Jacqui scrambled aboard with their gear.
Carol clutched Sophia tightly, almost lifting her into the RV before climbing in herself.
Dale watched Andrea, the last one aboard, shut the door, then immediately turned the wheel as the RV lurched forward.
Lori, still holding Carl, found Rick in the chaos.
Rick had just helped Maggie settle Hershel. Seeing his wife and son, he quickly pushed them toward the old pickup truck.
"Get in!" he shouted, raising his gun and dropping two walkers approaching from the side.
Lori and Carl quickly climbed into the truck.
Calista's team was moving as well, but the situation was shifting by the second.