Right now, Maggie had only one thought.
What the fuck?
It had been a pleasant afternoon. Sunlight filtered through scattered clouds and fell warmly across the empty stretch of Georgia interstate.
The three of them had spent the drive chatting and laughing. They hadn't run into any raiders or even seen a walker.
Dr. Caleb was easygoing, and he was curious about Rock Fortress, where he was about to take up his new post. He could hardly wait to see the huge base everyone kept praising.
"Glenn, pull over up ahead. I need to take care of something."
Glenn smoothly brought the SUV to a stop in an emergency pull-off. The area had good visibility, with only a small patch of woods beside the road that was easy to keep an eye on.
"This'll do, Maggie. Make it quick." Glenn instinctively checked the rearview mirror and scanned the roadside. There wasn't a walker anywhere in sight.
Maggie nodded, pulled a few sheets of paper from her backpack, picked up the rifle by her feet, and opened the passenger door. "I'll be quick. Don't shut off the engine."
Before getting out, she looked at Glenn, who was clearly tired from driving, and added, "Glenn, you've been behind the wheel for a long time. Move over to the passenger seat. When I get back, I'll drive for a while."
Maggie slipped nimbly into the woods, quickly disappearing behind the trees.
Only Glenn and Dr. Caleb remained in the vehicle.
Everything around them was quiet, and the pickup mission had been easy so far.
Before they left, Beth had even promised to save them some bacon. Once they dropped Dr. Caleb off at Rock Fortress, Maggie and Glenn could head to Blackberry Ranch for dinner.
Maggie was thinking contentedly about that as she quickly finished what she needed to do and started fastening her belt.
The next second...
"CRASH—!!!"
A terrifying impact thundered from nearby.
Maggie's entire body went rigid.
Then her heart began hammering.
She shot to her feet, grabbed her rifle, and sprinted back toward the road without a second thought.
The sight that greeted her sent blood rushing straight to her head.
Their SUV had been knocked more than ten meters away. It had rolled once before coming down with one side jammed against a roadside tree. The body was badly mangled, and shattered glass covered the pavement.
There were chaotic footprints, drag marks, and another fresh set of tire tracks leading toward Atlanta.
"Glenn! Dr. Caleb!"
Maggie screamed herself hoarse as she rushed over, desperately trying to see inside through the crushed windows.
Empty.
There were only scattered belongings and the wreckage of the vehicle's radio equipment.
Glenn and Dr. Caleb were both gone.
A small amount of blood stained the passenger seat.
Refusing to believe it, Maggie threw herself against the vehicle and struggled to wrench open the warped driver's door before leaning inside to search.
The radio's casing was shattered and its wires had been torn apart. No matter how many buttons she pressed, nothing happened.
Fuck! The radio was completely dead!
Anger and panic swallowed Maggie whole.
Should she go back to the prison or Rock Fortress for help?
By the time reinforcements arrived, Glenn and the others could already have been taken anywhere. She wouldn't even know whether they were alive.
Maggie's mind went blank.
Almost on instinct, she checked the SUV. When she discovered it could still barely start, something in her snapped back into place.
She made her decision immediately.
They had taken her people.
Then she would chase them down and bring them back.
...
On the third floor of an abandoned office building in Atlanta, sunlight slanted through a broken window.
Maggie crouched in the shadows beside the opening, covered by a dusty piece of canvas. Her bloodshot eyes remained fixed on Grady Memorial Hospital across the street.
At regular intervals, figures in police uniforms moved along the building.
During the time Maggie had been watching, the entrance had opened and closed several times.
Every time it did, her heart skipped a beat.
Glenn and Dr. Caleb were in there.
She had been hiding here for nearly three hours, and the numbness in her legs was getting worse.
Maggie adjusted her crouch with painstaking slowness.
The rage and recklessness she'd felt at first had been forced down by harsh reality, leaving behind a cold, deliberate calm.
She watched the patrol intervals, noted when the side entrance occasionally opened, and tried to estimate how many guards were inside.
Charging in alone would be suicide.
But she had to do something.
Maybe there was a ventilation shaft, a drain, or some other opening she could use to sneak inside.
Fortunately, Maggie still had her machete and dagger, along with a fully loaded rifle and a handgun.
Right now, those weapons were her biggest advantage.
Just as Maggie was about to shift her attention away from the hospital's main entrance and toward the more cluttered Block Behind the building, a faint sound came from the stairwell behind her.
It wasn't the dragging shuffle of a walker.
It was lighter.
More careful.
Human footsteps.
Every muscle in Maggie's body instantly tightened.
Had someone from the hospital discovered her observation point?
Or were there other raiders nearby?
Either way, being approached from behind in a place like this meant extreme danger.
Maggie didn't turn around.
Her left hand silently tightened around the handle of the machete beside her leg, while her right slowly moved toward the handgun at her waist.
The footsteps stopped outside the room.
There seemed to be more than one person.
She could hear hushed voices, but not clearly enough to make out what they were saying.
Maggie's chest tightened as cold sweat slipped silently down her back.
Then the footsteps started again.
They were clearly coming toward the room where she was hiding.
The waiting was over.
She couldn't let herself get trapped here.
Survival instinct took over.
Before her mind could catch up, her body was already moving.
The instant someone stepped into the room, Maggie ripped the canvas away, pivoted from her crouch, twisted her entire body, and swept her right leg backward.
"Ow—!"
The startled cry of pain belonged to a man.
Her sweep caught his lower leg, but instead of hitting solid muscle, the impact felt strangely soft and awkward.
Maggie didn't hesitate.
Using the momentum of her turn, she spun fully around and immediately locked onto a slightly overweight figure stumbling backward.
He was a tall man in a stained khaki jacket. His greasy, slightly curly hair hung past his ears, and panic was written all over his face.
He wasn't even holding a weapon.
All he had was a battered backpack clutched to his chest.
But his awkward, harmless appearance didn't make Maggie lower her guard in the slightest.
She couldn't let him shout for help or reach for a weapon.
While he was still off balance and completely exposed, Maggie lunged forward.
She swung the butt of her rifle with her right hand and smashed it into his face with all her strength.
"Thud!"
The rifle stock struck squarely above his left eye.
The dull sound of metal and wood hitting flesh and bone echoed sharply through the empty room.
The man screamed even louder, clutched his eye, and fell backward.
"Jesus!!! My eye!!!"
The back of his head struck the floor.
He curled up instinctively, clutching his head in pain, while the backpack flew from his hands.
The guy looked big enough, but Maggie hadn't expected him to be so weak.
For a split second, excitement surged through her.
Got him!
Now she had to get out.
Maggie spun around and sprinted toward the stairs.
...
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