Early the next morning, everyone in the camp was up before dawn. After what had happened the night before, a good night's sleep was out of the question.

Lin Feng moved through the piles of walkers, Bowie knife in hand, the stench of rot clinging to him like a second skin.

These things didn't bleed out. They didn't go into shock. Every last one of them defied the basic laws of biology.

Standing or crawling, whole or half-eaten, it didn't matter. There was only one thing on their minds: raw flesh.

The one directly beneath Lin Feng's feet was a perfect example. More than half its body was gone, yet it was still dragging itself forward, jaws snapping open and shut, trying to gnaw at the side of his boot. The sight sent a crawl of disgust straight up his spine.

SQUELCH!

The knife tip sank in. Nerve center destroyed. The snapping stopped.

[Killed one walker. Experience +1]

Lin Feng pulled the blade free without expression and moved on to the next.

Any walker whose head hadn't already been blasted apart got a finishing stab. Simple as that. Better safe than sorry. It had absolutely nothing to do with farming experience points.

With the last one dealt with, he straightened up and stretched, his joints popping like a string of firecrackers.

Mm. That felt good.

Fifteen more experience points from this sweep, bringing his total to 77. Barring anything unexpected, he'd have another skill point banked before they even reached the farm.

Back at camp, Daryl Dixon was working through the venison. After a full night in the brine, the blood had mostly drawn out and the salt had worked its way deep into the meat, time to get it on the fire and start the smoking process. Carol Peletier, Andrea, and Lori were all pitching in, tasked with one thing above everything else: keep the fire alive and the smoke rolling.

Rick, Shane, and T-Dog had headed out to the highway to strip gasoline from whatever abandoned vehicles they could find.

They'd decided. Today, they were leaving.

Two consecutive nights of walker attacks had rattled everyone badly, and it quietly confirmed what Lin Feng had already told them: this place was no longer safe. The walkers were moving. And last night's firefight hadn't helped, the gunshots and the reek of decay had acted like a flare fired into the dark, pulling every walker in the surrounding area toward them on instinct.

All it took was one. One walker snarling and lurching in this direction, and the rest would follow. Slowly, steadily, until a horde had built itself around them.

Nobody wanted to find out what happened after that. So they'd talked it over that morning, kept it brief, and made the call.

The one sticking point was the CDC. Rick and the others were set on going, convinced there were still people holding out there, maybe even researchers working on a cure.

Lin Feng didn't push back. Go ahead. They'd get a hot shower, a decent meal, and then the suffocating truth. What else?

Oh, right. A zero-complaint, zero-point-one-second, completely painless ascension package.

He was still turning that over in his head when he reached the lake. He crouched down and cleaned the blood and filth from his knife and hands, then rose and started back toward camp.

He was halfway there when he spotted a figure crouched at the base of a tree, clearly waiting.

The figure saw him at the same moment and stood quickly. Marcus.

"Marcus? What's up? Something wrong?"

Marcus nodded. "I heard we're moving out to somewhere new?"

Lin Feng didn't bother hedging. He nodded.

"You're splitting off from Rick?"

Another nod. Then, curiosity getting the better of him: "Why — don't tell me you're heading to the CDC too?"

Marcus shook his head without a moment's hesitation. "Hell no. I know what those people are like better than you do. The second a disaster like this hits, they would've cleared out ages ago — 'research relocation,' 'academic exchange,' whatever excuse sounded good. They went somewhere safer. Guaranteed."

Lin Feng blinked.

Then he pressed his lips together very hard and fought down a grin. "So you're coming south with me to the farm?"

"That's right. So save me a seat."

"Done," Lin Feng said, and smiled.

Before last night, Marcus had barely spoken to anyone in the camp since turning up. Existed in a kind of ghost state, present, but unregistered. Lin Feng had been quietly working through how to pitch the offer, how to make it appealing enough to pull Marcus over. Instead, Marcus had just walked over and handed himself across.

Saved him the trouble.

Lin Feng was in a good mood the whole walk back. Early days, and he'd already locked in three SSRs.

Merle counted. Merle absolutely counted.

In which department, exactly, well. Some things were better left unsaid, for the sake of team morale.

---

Goodbyes always came fast.

Around noon, Rick, Shane, and the others rolled back in and unloaded six five-gallon cans of gasoline from the vehicles. The looks on their faces said the fuel hadn't come easy.

After a simple lunch, everyone retreated to their tents to pack up.

The smoked venison was ready to come off the fire around the same time, left to cool a little longer, then wrapped and packed as trail rations for the road.

Lin Feng loaded the handguns, magazines, and a portion of the ammunition into a bag and tossed it to Rick.

"Take it. Long road ahead. More hardware means more peace of mind."

Rick caught it and held his gaze. "Lin, you're really not coming with us to the CDC?"

Lin Feng shook his head. Taking the three walkie-talkies from Rick's hand, he said, "I'll pass. I'm heading south. Find a decent farm and set up a proper base."

Rick held it for a moment, then let it go. "All right. But if you ever need anything, come find us. Anytime."

Lin Feng looked back with a half-smile. "Same goes. Things go sideways on your end, come find me."

They hugged. Rick climbed back in. The engine turned over, and the vehicle pulled away down the road until it disappeared.

Lin Feng turned around.

And lost it in under a second.

"Merle?! What the hell are you doing in this car?!"

Merle flashed a shameless grin. "The hell did you expect? You wanted me to sit with little girls the whole way? Can't drink, can't smoke, can't even talk like a normal person, you'd be signing my death warrant."

A vein pulsed at Lin Feng's temple. So tormenting the girls was off the table, and the next best option was tormenting Lin Feng instead.

And what did that mean, can't talk like a normal person, what, did Merle's mouth stop working if there wasn't a curse word in every sentence?

"Are you out of your goddamn mind? You'd suffocate yourself to death in that short a stretch?"

"Hey — you're absolutely right about everything. Now get in. We're burning daylight."

The vein pulsed again.

Fine. Fine. He knew what he was signing up for. No point getting worked up over it.

➤ Next: On the Road

Chapter 16 - On the Road

Toward evening, the two pickups suddenly veered off the rural road and rolled slowly into a small grove. They reversed, adjusted their angles, and cut their engines.

Lin Feng was first out. He drew an arrow and sent it into a walker nearby, straight through the skull, done.

Merle stayed in the truck and lit a cigarette. Didn't move, but those eyes started working the perimeter, reading something.

Daryl and Marcus climbed out and walked over.

"Rough it tonight," Lin Feng said. "No cooked dinner, no campfire. Keep it simple. Tomorrow we hit the farm and celebrate properly.

Merle, Marcus — you two set up the early-warning lines. Daryl and I will sweep the perimeter for walkers, then cut some branches for basic cover. After that, get some rest."

He let that land, then added: "We'll need a watch rotation. Merle and Daryl take the first half of the night. Marcus and I take the second. And when you're on watch — weapons up. Doesn't matter what comes near the trucks. Don't think. Just shoot."

As he said it, his gaze cut to Marcus.

Marcus had zero objections. If anything, there was something that looked like satisfaction in those eyes.

Probably because of Cathy. But Lin Feng couldn't entirely rule out that this guy was just built that way, a true believer in the direct approach.

Because last time, Marcus had looked every bit the mild-mannered type. Then came the AR-15, putting down walkers side by side with them, hands never shaking once. Solid nerves. Solid form. Top-tier all around.

Lin Feng felt it like a phantom toothache for exactly one second.

All three of them. Every single one, warriors.

He could live with that for fifty-nine seconds, grinning.

Warriors were exactly what you needed to conquer anything worth conquering. As for the administrative side, well, he could moonlight. Reason with people when reason landed. When it didn't, that's what the warriors were for.

And Daryl and Merle? They hadn't even bothered to lift their eyes when they heard the order. For those two, not robbing other people blind was already the civilized option. Someone trying to rob them?

Go ahead and find out.

The group split off to work. Lin Feng and Daryl went separate directions, sweeping the surrounding area. Merle and Marcus took the tripwires and axes and headed into the brush to rig warning lines and cut timber for cover.

Time passed.

Little Cathy heard rustling and blinked awake into pitch black. Faint threads of light leaked through the gaps in the truck door, that was all.

A small head tilted to one side. A hand reached out toward the seat beside.

Empty. And the cushion was cold.

Uncle Daryl had been gone a while. They hadn't woken Cathy up, so it wasn't danger. Just work.

That settled it. Cathy pulled the little doll close, leaned back against the seat, and waited. Quiet. Patient.

No shouting. No crying. Those monsters that liked eating children would hear.

The door opened sooner than expected. Marcus.

There was a slight tremor in those small shoulders. Marcus pulled Cathy into both arms without hesitation.

"Hey, little one. You're awake?"

"Daddy?" Eyes opened. A beat, adjusting to the dimness. Small hands found Marcus's shoulders and held on.

"I was a little scared of the dark," Cathy said, "but I didn't cry or make any noise. Cathy was being quiet, waiting for Daddy to come back."

Marcus pressed a gentle kiss to Cathy's forehead. "I know. You did so well."

A gap-toothed grin. Then, as if something important had just surfaced: "Does that mean Cathy can have an extra piece of venison tonight?"

"Of course."

Merle came back dragging a clump of brush and caught the whole exchange.

Something twisted in the chest, sudden and unwelcome. Then it curdled into something hotter, a blinding spike of fury and bitter resentment that punched straight through.

Goddamn it. Should've put two more rounds in that face. Should've blown the whole thing apart.

Merle said nothing. Scattered the brush over the truck in silence, grabbed the axe, and disappeared back into the trees.

Marcus watched that exit and felt something was off. Like watching someone in a hurry to break something.

Didn't understand it. Wasn't getting involved. Minimal contact, maximum distance.

First impression of Merle, and a working policy for now.

Because however you looked at a guy who came across as volatile and completely careless about consequences, trouble was always going to outweigh reliable.

Lin Feng and Daryl finished their sweep not long after, filtering back to the makeshift camp one at a time.

Both trucks were stocked with enough supplies. No need to raid the second vehicle for anything.

They settled beside the trucks and ate, cold boiled water, hard cured bacon, crackers, whatever cans were on hand. Nothing good. Nothing close to good. But it filled the stomach, and in this world that was already more than enough.

"Lin." Daryl didn't look up. "The farm. You actually know where it is?"

Lin Feng took a swallow of water, cleared his mouth. "Obviously. You think I decided to head south for fun?"

"There's a farm owner down there. Good man. Think Dale Horvath — that type, you know?"

Merle paused mid-bite. "So we're running to him for shelter? Come on. I'm not spending my days getting lectured by some old man."

"No, no, no. The idea is everyone keeps their independence. He gives us a reliable water source and somewhere to base out of. We give him firepower, help defend the farm."

Daryl looked up. "And then what? Because last time..." A beat. "That's not what you said."

"Hold on." Merle's eyes swung between them. "You two have secrets you've been keeping from me?"

"Merle. There's a kid here." Lin Feng's voice was flat. "Don't turn our sweet, soft little cake into a stale hard ration. Watch your mouth."

Merle barely paused. "In this goddamn apocalypse, what exactly is wrong with that?"

"...Pray real hard you never need medical attention. That's all I'll say."

That one landed. Merle glanced sideways at Marcus, whose face had gone charcoal dark, and pivoted with zero shame.

"It's fine. My little brother will take care of me." A beat. "Right?"

Daryl looked at Merle. Let out a short, cold sound. Said nothing.

Lin Feng exhaled.

Those two weren't just disasters waiting to happen, they were a matched set.

➤ Next: Roadside Bandits — Steel and Blood