Whistle....
Suddenly, a gust of wind swept by, and Jason, who was standing at the edge of the balcony, instinctively turned his head. A fist narrowly missed his ear. He reacted instantly, raising his right arm to deflect it.
Bang!
His elbow struck Moore hard in the stomach, forcing him to stagger back several steps.
Jason turned around slowly, a faint smile playing on his lips as he looked at Moore, who was now half-kneeling on the ground, clutching his abdomen. Jason cracked his neck and said calmly, "You just don't give up, do you? I warned you not to mess with me. Do you really think you can take me on just because my two brothers are gone? Don't be so naive. If it weren't for Brother Nu, you'd be long dead."
The main reason Jason had tolerated this junkie, Moore, was because of Crossbow. Jason had seen Crossbow crying on TV after learning his brother had turned into a zombie—it genuinely moved him.
Besides, Moore had improved over time, showing he wasn't a lost cause. Jason had decided to take him in.
"What? Who the hell is Crossbow?"
Still in pain, Moore looked up at Jason with a furious glare. "Do you really think this world needs good people anymore? I'm just trying to survive! What's so wrong with that? Everyone's just looking out for themselves!"
"It's important to survive," Jason replied, his voice calm, "but if you're the only one left alive, what's the point? How is that any different from being dead?"
He glanced at Andrea standing nearby. "We all want to live. That's instinct. But true survival comes from sticking together—helping one another. I hope someday you understand that."
There was no time for more lectures. The priority now was to get out of the city before nightfall.
Moore hadn't injured Jason, but he realized he was no match. Even a sneak attack had failed. He gave up the idea of trying again.
He also noticed that Jason didn't seem to care much about his betrayal. Just like Jason had said—it was only because of Brother Nu that he hadn't dealt with Moore more harshly.
But... who exactly was this "Crossbow"?
Moore was confused. He was burning with curiosity about the relationship between Jason and this mysterious Crossbow.
Two cars pulled up downstairs. Jason immediately instructed everyone to head down. At the same time, he noted that Glenn's vehicle was parked two streets away. According to their plan, once everyone got in, Glenn would circle around via another route and meet up with them.
Night was quickly approaching.
Elsewhere, in a clearing in the mountains, a small RV stood with several tents pitched nearby. An old man with a white beard stood atop the RV, a shotgun in hand and a hat on his head, keeping watch like a sentry.
The rest of the camp was preparing dinner, but their spirits were low. A tall blonde woman kept glancing toward the nearby intersection, as if waiting for someone.
"Oh my god... what is that?"
The old man on the RV suddenly shouted. He grabbed a pair of binoculars and peered intently into the distance.
"What is it?"
A man holding a shotgun came running over from a distance.
Lowering the binoculars, the old man—Dale—looked astonished. "I just saw a red sports car and two police SUVs headed this way."
The younger man blinked, confused. "Dale, are you sure? Out here in the middle of nowhere? Sports cars and police vehicles?"
"It doesn't matter if you believe it or not," Dale said, pointing ahead, "because they're already here."
Let me know if you'd like to revise more chapters, or if you want help refining any characters or scenes!
pointing ahead, "because they're already here."