Chapter 66

AN: Do not assume things I have not mentioned in the story at any point. The Mini-map ONLY shows places he's been to or he's seen drawn maps of. And it only shows WALKERS in a 250m radius. It does not show "people's intentions", and I have no idea why anybody would think so. His skill [Detect Presence] can detect people in a 30m radius, but it doesn't tell him if they are enemies or allies.

The new skill [Empower] will be explained later on.

- Xenon -

SLASH

The feeling of running my axe through a walker's skull like a knife through butter is exhilarating. I fear for my sanity at this point, as I am enjoying this more than I should. But at least it doesn't disgust me anymore.

SLASH

I activated [Empower], increasing my strength significantly. Coupled with the weight of the weapon and my own strength meant that whatever met my strike had no chance. The walker's head was cleanly cut from his body, a mistake on my part, but it's alright. I can finish it off later.

Amy never looked more beautiful before. I already thought she was, but there is something about this scene that makes me want her even more. Gone was the girl who could barely hurt a fly if she could help it. I saw no hesitation on her face as her axe came down on its unfortunate victim.

Andrea was doing well too. Too well for my taste, as a hint of a smile crept through her face every time she killed a walker. She may think nobody noticed, but I did. I think she was the same in the TV Show as well, I'm not sure...

The new guys were behaving themselves so far. In fact, they seemed eager to help. I don't know what to think of it. Either way, I certainly appreciate the help. I noticed four walkers were remaining, so I took out my throwing knives. Using [Empower] again, I sent them with enough force to bury more than half the blade through their heads, drawing appreciating whistles from all around.

I went ahead and collected the knives, taking two of them from Amy: "You really gotta teach me how you do that one of these days."

"Sure thing." I nodded, turning my head to notice the two newcomers eying me with wariness. I wouldn't blame them, I'd be afraid of myself too in their place. Ai.

"Same deal." Shane said. "Fifteen minutes rest, and we push a bit more. We gotta finish this thing today."

"It may take more than a day, Shane." Jim said with a frown. "This is a pretty big place. We gotta pace ourselves. We've got enough time ahead of us."

"Let's fix a goal for today yeah." I proposed. "We secure a cell block today, so we can store our stuff and spend the night. The rest can wait when we are well rested." Shane frowned but didn't say anything.

"Rick will be fine." Glenn reassured him. "A single day won't change anything at all." After the fifteen minutes were up, we got up and prepared for the next wave.

"Hold on a second." I said, drawing the attention to me. "Is there a way to block the gate once we've opened it a bit?" The walkers were already glued to it, so once we open it, they'll pour out of it in an instant.

"I see what you're trying to do." Jim nodded. "One of us could hold it in place, while the rest cover him."

"Sounds good to me." Daryl shrugged. "So, you guys up to the task?" He grinned at the new additions to the group. They would certainly be in the most danger due to the proximity to the walkers.

"We don't have time for that Daryl. I'll do it." Shane said, interrupting the argument before it began. Daryl just shrugged.

Shane wasted no time getting to work. Once we unlocked the gate, he used the head of the axe to open just enough space for a single walker to come through. A walker that didn't make it past the fourth step, as my axe came down on him. Seeing the next one followed, I made a horizontal swing once the momentum of the previous strike ended, finishing it off in a single strike.

It went back to my position afterward, switching with the next person in line. Dave, eager to prove himself, disposed of the next walker, followed by Randall, and the rest of the group. It was a great technique, one we will be definitely using in the future. It took no more than ten minutes to finish them.

"Well, that was fast." Andrea commented happily.

"We can do the same thing for the other gates. It should be a piece of cake." Glenn nodded in agreement.

We waited five minutes before getting to the next gate. The group was more motivated than ever thanks to our victories over the walkers. I was surprised the most by Amy, who was no longer her shy self with the walkers, confidently walking into them and bringing her axe down on their heads. She was getting a bit tired, which was to be expected, but the progress she made was undeniable. The time she spent training with me was clearing displaying in each swing she made.

I put down my axe and unsheathed my Bowie knife. The armored walkers are tougher opponents requiring more finesse dealing with them. I didn't want to risk any mishaps, so I took the lead dealing with them, being the only one who had to be in such proximity to walkers before.

I let the walker come into range, as it gripped my shoulder, ready to devour me. I immediately realized how dangerous they are, as I was pretty sure I could not shake off its grip. Thankfully, I was prepared for this, having extended my left hand towards its head, pushy it slightly back, even with [Empower] enabled, which goes to show you how tough these bastards can be. The fact that the walker was pretty big wasn't helping me either.

I thrust my knife through its throat towards its brains, hearing sickening crunching sounds, splashing some blood over my clothes. Not that I minded after being covered in walker-gut a while back, but I was still thankful it didn't have much blood in its body, leading to a significant diminishment in its blood pressure.

I trusted the others to take care of the regular walkers and rushed towards the armored one again. They were far more dangerous and also precious than the rest. I had every intention of putting those outfits to good use.

I did the same thing again, holding its head and plunging my knife through its lower jaw. I could clearly tell that their bone structure had weakened considerably, otherwise I'm sure It wouldn't have gone as smoothly as this, even with [Empower].

Though it seemed I have miscalculated: a walker took hold of my forearm, causing me to panic momentarily before my reflexes quicked in. I let go of the knife before clenching my fist, throwing a punch with all the strength I could muster towards the walker. I felt a pang of pain on my knuckles but was relieved to see the walker's head rolling back with a groan, before suddenly stopping and snapping in my direction again, ready to bite. A sudden wave of panic assaulted me, making me think that I should perhaps use my inventory to bring out one of my emergency knives, consequences be damned.

SPLASH

I have never been so happy to be splashed by brain fluids in my life, as I saw the worried expression on Amy's face, who had noticed my distressing situation and reacted accordingly.

"Are you okay?" She asked me hesitantly, checking me for wounds, the rest of the group having finished the other walkers off.

"Yeah. Thanks for the save." I nodded.

"Don't mention it." She shook her head, relieved nothing bad happened.

"Let's take another break." Shane said, making us all nod in agreement.