"Dale, how are you? Where are you hurt?" Andrea dropped to her knees beside him, her voice more panicked than ever. Her hands trembled as she tried to check him, but she was too afraid to touch him.
The guilt from nearly getting Dale killed surged back, swallowing her whole.
Lori hurried over as well, joining Andrea as they carefully examined Dale, focusing on places that could have been bitten, like his abdomen and neck.
Only after confirming the walker was completely dead and no longer a threat did Calista turn her attention to Dale.
"No… I wasn't bitten…" Dale finally caught his breath, his voice hoarse and weak.
He struggled to lift his hand and pointed to his left collarbone. "Here. Just a cut, but not from it."
Following his gesture, they saw a tear in the fabric over his left shoulder. Beneath it was a wound that wasn't too deep, but it was bleeding.
"What happened?" Lori asked anxiously.
Dale panted as he explained in broken fragments, "I was walking nearby, my head was a mess, and I didn't watch my step. I tripped over there and rolled all the way here.
I caught on a broken branch. It cut my shoulder, and the pain made me yell. That shout must've… must've drawn that thing out from wherever it was hiding…"
He glanced at the walker's corpse beside him, still shaken. "It came at me too fast. I couldn't dodge…"
Only then did they fully understand.
Dale's scream had come from the branch cutting him, not from a walker bite.
The torn cloth and disturbed ground they had seen earlier were from when he fell.
It really was a narrow escape.
Andrea's tightly wound nerves finally snapped. The overwhelming mix of fear and relief broke her completely, and tears spilled down her face.
She gripped Dale's hand tightly, sobbing uncontrollably. "I'm sorry. Dale, I'm so sorry. It's all my fault. I shouldn't have said those things. I almost… I almost…"
Dale looked at her, his expression complicated. There was some reproach, but more than that, a weary kind of forgiveness after brushing so close to death.
He gently patted the back of her hand and let out a quiet sigh.
Lori also released a long breath, feeling all her strength drain away as she sank to the ground.
She didn't dare imagine what would have happened if they had arrived even a moment later, or if Dale had been torn open.
After confirming that Dale's injuries were superficial and posed no risk of infection, Calista finally relaxed.
She sheathed her dagger. "Everyone, this place isn't safe. The smell of blood could attract other walkers. We need to leave immediately."
Her voice pulled the others out of their emotional haze.
Andrea and Lori quickly helped Dale to his feet, though his legs were still unsteady.
"Can you walk, Dale?" Lori asked.
"I can." Dale straightened with effort.
He looked at Calista and said sincerely, "Thank you, Calista. And you too… Andrea, Lori."
Andrea lowered her head, unable to meet his eyes, guilt weighing heavily on her.
Calista gave a small nod and turned to lead the way.
Supporting each other, they made their way back toward the farm in silence, carrying both the relief of survival and the lingering fear that had yet to fade.
When the others at the farm saw Dale return safely, they all breathed a sigh of relief.
But Calista couldn't relax.
She stood alone outside the farmhouse, the night breeze brushing against her face.
Dale's close call, even though it ended safely, reminded her of the original storyline she had overlooked.
Dale's death, Shane's descent, Rick killing Shane, Carl finishing him off, and then…
A far larger and more terrifying shadow loomed over her thoughts. The farm walker horde.
In the original story, it was after that chain of tragedies, triggered by gunfire or the helicopter from the beginning of Season 1, that the massive horde descended and swallowed the entire Greene farm.
Hershel's refuge, the group's temporary home, collapsed completely, forcing them into a desperate life on the run.
And the horde that had scattered Calista's team earlier was very likely the same one.
When exactly would it reach the farm?
Calista tried hard to remember but couldn't pin down the exact time.
But with Dale's incident already happening, it meant the horde couldn't be far off.
She instinctively checked her condition. The power inside her, stirred by the "Wildfire," remained calm, giving no sign or warning of a large number of walkers approaching.
Maybe there was no horde nearby yet.
Or maybe Dr. Jenner had been wrong, and she didn't have that supposed advantage at all.
Calista pushed those messy thoughts aside and let out a small breath, but the urgency in her chest only grew stronger.
There wasn't much time left.
Her Rock Fortress and Blackberry Ranch were rising, and the others were still waiting to regroup and head to the Sentinel Station together.
She absolutely could not get trapped here and go down with the farm.
Without hesitation, Calista turned and headed for the tool shed.
As expected, Leah was there waiting, leaning against the wall with her eyes closed. She opened them the moment she heard movement, fully alert.
Merle sat in the corner, sharpening the blade of his prized right-hand axe with a whetstone.
Daryl wasn't there. No one knew where he had wandered off to.
"Leah, Merle." Calista kept her voice low, and both of them immediately focused on her.
"We're leaving here tomorrow."
Leah didn't question it. She simply nodded. "To the prison?"
"Yeah. I'll ask Maggie tomorrow for a map of this area and mark the prison's location first." After saying that, Calista turned to Merle.
"Merle, go find Daryl and tell him our decision. Ask him if he wants to stay here or come with us."
Merle grinned, baring his teeth. "We should've left a long time ago. This damn place has too many rules. I'll go find that kid now. He'll definitely come with us."
After two days of subtle probing, Merle was already confident he could bring his brother along.
Calista added, "I only have one motorcycle. If he comes, he'll need to take you with him."
Merle nodded in understanding and headed out to find Daryl.
Only Calista and Leah remained in the tool shed.
"Why the rush?" Leah finally asked. She could tell there was more behind Calista's decision.
Calista walked to the window and looked out at the quiet farm, her voice low. "I have a feeling… something big is coming. Something bad enough to swallow this place whole. We need to leave before it happens."
She didn't mention the walker horde directly. Explaining that kind of foresight would be too complicated.
Leah trusted her completely. She didn't press further and quietly began checking her weapons and gear, preparing for what came next.