The haul of supplies gave morale a huge boost.
After only a few hours of rest and replenishing their food and water, Rick decided to strike while the iron was hot and begin a second cleanup operation.
This time, their goal was to clear part of the cells in Block B and expand the group's living space. Even if they did not need all the rooms right away, they wanted to make sure everyone had at least one private room.
The lineup had changed this time.
Rick was still in charge, and Glenn joined the team again.
This time, Maggie volunteered.
She had changed into a more practical pair of pants and carried a pitchfork from the farm, its prongs sharpened to a razor edge. Her eyes were steady with determination. "I can't always be the one getting protected. I can help everyone too."
Glenn looked at her, his eyes full of support and pride.
From the farm, Jimmy and Otis also joined the group. They carried machetes and iron bars, both looking a little nervous.
Compared with Rick's team, the people from the farm lacked experience fighting in the apocalypse, but they could not rely on Rick's group forever.
Andrea picked up her rifle again. After what had happened that morning, her grip on the weapon was clearly steadier.
The biggest surprise was Carol.
The woman who had always been timid, who had quietly endured Ed's abuse and played the part of the perfect wife and mother, picked up a short but sharp kitchen knife under everyone's astonished gaze.
Her voice was soft, but unusually clear. "I... I'm going too. Rick, I need to start learning how to protect myself and protect Sophia."
Carol looked at her daughter, Sophia, with a determination in her eyes that had never been there before.
The recent escape, the terror of the zombie hordes, and the helplessness she had felt along the way had finally pushed her to change.
Calista understood.
It seemed that with family by her side to protect, Mom Carol's warrior genes were beginning to awaken, just like in the original storyline.
Rick looked at Carol and hesitated for a moment, but when he saw the resolve in her eyes, he finally nodded. "Carol, stay close to the group, follow orders, and don't take any risks."
Axel was in charge of navigation this time. He patted his chest and assured them he knew certain areas of Block B like the back of his hand.
Just as Rick's team was about to set out again, Calista seemed to remember something. She called out to Rick, who was checking his gear.
"Rick," she said seriously, "just a reminder. The prison layout is complicated, and there are a lot of blind spots. Some walkers may have been trapped, or for some other reason, stayed motionless for a long time. They might look dead, but..."
She paused, her gaze sweeping over the group preparing to move out. "Don't trust any 'corpse' until you've completely cleared the area and confirmed it's safe. Check every corner and under every bed. Especially anything leaning against the wall and not moving at all. The safest approach is to finish it off before you get close, dead or alive."
The warning came a little suddenly, but given the professionalism Calista and her team had shown, Rick took it as valuable advice.
"Got it. Thanks for the reminder. We'll keep that in mind." He nodded solemnly. "Everyone hear that? Don't let your guard down around any suspicious corners or any walkers that look like they aren't moving."
The group nodded together.
The team stepped back into the suffocating gloom of Block B.
The smell of rot in the air seemed even stronger than it had that morning.
In the flickering beams of their flashlights, the broken cell doors looked like gaping black mouths, as if they could spit out a deadly threat at any moment.
With Calista's warning fresh in their minds, everyone's nerves were stretched tight. They watched the shifting shadows ahead while staying especially alert for dark corners and anything lying or sitting motionless.
They advanced cautiously, clearing out the scattered walkers that appeared along the way.
Maggie's pitchfork worked more and more smoothly with Glenn's crowbar, while Leah's aim continued to improve.
Although Carol was still tense, her grip on the kitchen knife had steadied considerably. Her eyes kept scanning the group's flanks and the ground behind them.
While they were clearing a relatively narrow side passage, Otis, who was watching the flank, suddenly stopped. His flashlight beam fixed on a corner at the end of the passage.
"Hey! Rick!" Otis's voice carried a trace of tension. "Over there, in that corner. Looks like there's a body!"
Everyone's eyes immediately turned that way.
At the edge of the flashlight beam, a figure in a tattered prison guard uniform sat motionless in the corner, leaning against the wall with its head hanging down.
It was covered in a thick layer of dust and made no sound at all, like a mummy that had been left there for years.
Before, they might have ignored it or carefully gone around it.
But now, Calista's warning echoed in everyone's minds.
Anything leaning against the wall and not moving. Dead or alive, finish it off.
"Stay alert," Rick whispered, gripping his fire axe tightly. "Keep moving."
Rick took the lead, forming a fan-shaped formation with Otis and Glenn as they cautiously approached the corner.
Even as they got closer, the "corpse" showed no reaction. There was not even the slightest rise and fall of its chest.
Just as Rick lifted his fire axe, ready to bring it down on its head, something unexpected happened.
Perhaps it sensed the living approaching, or perhaps the flashlight startled it, but the previously silent "corpse" suddenly snapped its head up.
Dust slid down its rotting face, revealing a pair of cloudy, deathly white eyes.
It opened its mouth wide and let out a dry, raspy growl. Its body jerked forward violently as it stretched out a withered, claw-like arm and lunged at Otis, who was closest.
"Jesus! It's moving!" Otis screamed in terror, stumbling backward and nearly tripping over the debris on the floor.
Fortunately, Rick was ready.
He had been on high alert the entire time, and almost the instant the zombie raised its head, the fire axe already poised in his hands came whistling down.
"Thud!"
The sharp blade sank cleanly into the walker's forehead, splitting its gaping, snarling mouth and half its head in two.
Black blood and brain matter splattered across the wall.
The walker's body convulsed violently twice before finally going completely limp, truly becoming a corpse.
Everything happened in the blink of an eye.
Cold sweat broke out across everyone's backs.
Otis in particular leaned against the wall, gasping for breath, his face deathly pale.
If not for Calista's warning, if they had approached carelessly or failed to notice it, that ambush might really have succeeded.
In this kind of environment, even a minor scratch from a walker's claws could lead to unimaginable consequences.
"Oh my God!" Maggie covered her mouth, still shaken.
Glenn stared at the walker's corpse as well, a lingering chill in his eyes.
Carol gripped her kitchen knife tightly, once again feeling the cruelty of this world sink deep into her bones.
Rick pulled out his fire axe, looked down at the walker lying truly dead on the ground, and let out a long breath of relief. His gratitude toward Calista deepened even further.
He turned to the group, his voice stern. "You all saw that, right? Out here, one moment of carelessness can cost you your life. Keep moving, but stay on high alert!"
This small incident served as a powerful warning, making the group even more cautious during the cleanup that followed.
...
If you'd like to support my work and unlock advanced chapters, you can follow me on p-@-treon.
p-@-treon/GhostParser (45 Chapters Ahead)
You can also follow as a free member to read a few advanced chapters.