CHAPTER 15: STARTED WITH SHAWN, WILL END WITH SHAWN
The first light of dawn had barely dispelled the night's chill. The farm still lay shrouded in quiet mist.
Hanks maintained his light sleep, like a dozing tiger—relaxed, yet ready to strike at any moment.
"AHHH!"
Several terrified female screams shattered the silence, coming from the farmhouse!
Maggie and Beth's voices!
Hanks's eyes snapped open. He sprang up like a coiled spring, P226 already in hand.
He barked at Lee, who was also jolting awake: "Lee! Chamber a round! Protect Clementine!"
Without waiting for a response, he burst from the barn like black lightning.
Almost simultaneously,
Kenny came running out with his hunting rifle, family in tow—clearly also startled by the screaming.
Their eyes met in midair. Both instantly understood something was very wrong.
"Inside!" Hanks snapped, leading the charge toward the farmhouse. Kenny followed without hesitation.
Bursting into the farmhouse, the source of the screaming became clear—coming from Shawn's room.
The Greene family had gathered at the door.
Maggie was trying to block the doorway, Beth stood behind their father pale as a ghost, and Hershel wore an expression of anguish and disbelief.
From inside the room came the sickening sound of impacts and inhuman, guttural roaring!
"Move!" Hanks reached the door, looking over Maggie's shoulder.
He saw Shawn—no, it should be called "it" now—struggling violently!
Its wrists, cuffed to the bed frame, had been rubbed raw and bloody, bone visible through the torn flesh!
Its eyes were clouded and vacant, filled with nothing but pure hunger for living meat!
It thrashed against the shackles, slamming into the bed frame, releasing starving snarls at the living people in the doorway!
It had completely turned into a walker!
Hanks's gaze went cold. Without the slightest hesitation, he raised his P226, barrel precisely aimed at its head.
"No! Stop!"
Maggie whirled around, actually stepping directly in front of his gun barrel.
Her eyes burned with fury and wild emotion, her voice turning shrill:
"What are you doing?! You're going to kill my brother?! Are you going to kill my whole family?!"
"Maggie! Get out of the way! Look at him! He's not Shawn anymore!" Hanks's voice was harsh, though he lowered the barrel slightly to avoid accidentally shooting her.
"He's just sick!" Hershel's voice trembled, but carried stubborn conviction and fatherly authority.
He stepped forward, placing himself between them.
Looking at the gun in Hanks's hand, his eyes filled with disappointment and anger.
Hershel looked like an enraged lion: "He's got some kind of illness we don't understand yet! He needs isolation and treatment!"
"Not a bullet!"
The old man seemed to be desperately trying to convince himself. He pointed at Shawn: "Look at him! He's still moving! He's still alive! If we just find a way..."
"Mr. Greene!" Hanks cut him off, tone firm and calm. "You're a doctor! Look at its eyes! Look at its behavior!"
"This isn't any known disease! Its only instinct now is to eat us! How long do you think your so-called isolation will hold?"
"That wooden door? Those handcuffs? If it breaks free, it'll attack Beth immediately! Attack Maggie!"
"This is my home! My son!" Hershel roared, his face flushing red.
Hanks's words had stabbed at his deepest fear, but he refused to accept it.
"I don't need some outsider telling me how to handle my family! And I sure as hell don't need you pointing a gun at them! Get out! All of you get out!"
He waved his arms, pointing at Hanks, then at Kenny's family who had followed them in, their faces grave.
"Take your people and that little girl and leave my farm! Now! Right now!"
The atmosphere dropped to freezing.
Maggie bit her lip hard, looking at Hanks with complicated emotions—reluctance over her brother, mixed with a hint of the outsider-hostility her father's words had stirred up.
Beth looked anxiously between her father and Hanks, wanting to say something but not daring to.
Hanks locked eyes with Hershel. The old man's gaze held stubbornness, grief, and unquestionable paternal authority.
Hanks knew further argument was pointless.
He slowly lowered his gun, though his eyes remained sharp: "You're going to regret this decision."
"I'm the one who owns this farm!"
"Get off my land!" Hershel roared again, turning away, refusing to look at them anymore. His back looked old and obstinate.
Kenny sighed, patting Hanks on the shoulder, signaling him to leave first.
[Five-Star Chain Quest]
[Resolve Hershel's Heart Knot]
[Quest Reward: Engineer Profession Book]
[YES]
[NO]
Hanks's mind stirred.
He thought back to the original storyline, then accepted without hesitation.
The old man's burden started with Shawn, and it would end with Shawn too.
He just needed to wait for the quest to complete itself!
The group retreated from the farmhouse in silence.
The heavy wooden door slammed shut behind them, as if sealing off two separate worlds.
Standing in the cold morning wind, Kenny looked at Hanks: "So what's your plan?"
Hanks glanced toward the barn where Lee was cautiously poking his head out with Clementine.
"Savannah," he said grimly. "I promised to take Clementine to find her parents."
"Savannah?" Kenny's wife sounded surprised.
"We were planning to head toward the coast anyway. Maybe find a boat to get out of this hellhole."
Kenny ruffled his son's hair and looked at Hanks: "In that case, why not travel together? We can watch each other's backs on the road."
"I know there's a Macon nearby. We could stop there first and scavenge some supplies."
Hanks didn't answer immediately. Instead, he looked at Lee and Clementine.
Lee nodded solemnly. Clementine gripped his hand tightly.
"Alright." Hanks extended his hand. "Let's go together."
Just as the two groups were preparing to head for the parking area, the farmhouse door creaked open again.
Beth ran out, golden hair particularly striking in the morning light.
She held a small cloth bag and hurried to Hanks, pressing it into his hands. Inside were over a dozen hard-boiled eggs, still warm.
"Take them... for the road." Beth's voice was tiny, choked with tears, eyes red, unable to meet his gaze. "I'm sorry... my dad, he..."
"Thank you, Beth."
Hanks took the bag and gently touched her head. "Take care of yourself."
Beth couldn't help throwing herself into his arms. She looked at him one last time, deep and lingering, then turned and ran back to the farmhouse, shutting the door. The farm was completely cut off from them now...
Hanks carefully stowed the bag of eggs, took a deep breath, and his eyes regained their sharp, determined focus.
"Let's move out."
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