It's either them or you!
When you learn that your safety and that of your loved ones comes above everything else, you'll know the answer to many questions.
Alan, of course, didn't need to ask himself any of those questions to start cutting off the heads of many infected. The hatred he felt for these things was far greater than anyone could imagine, and he could spend all day killing them.
"Take out the ones still alive!" Alan shouted as he swung his machete at the vital areas of the remaining infected.
It's easy to know where to strike when you consider that human vital organs are protected by the ribs and skull. That's why it's easy to kill someone simply by cutting their neck—it's the most vulnerable spot when it comes to receiving damage.
The completely white eyes of these infected gave them a terrifying appearance. Many had bloodied mouths, clearly indicating that they had killed before. Their brutality was more than enough to make anyone feel fear, frenzy, and adrenaline.
"Alan, how are you?" Claire immediately came down from the second floor and quickly removed Alan's mask as she wiped the blood off his face.
In moments like these, the adrenaline starts to wear off, the heartbeat grows heavier and stronger, and you feel the hot blood circulating through your body. The cold, coagulated blood on the floor, on Alan's hands, and all over his body left him with a numbing sensation.
"I'm fine. I need to take these clothes off…" Alan quickly removed his shirt, and Claire tried to wipe away the blood while checking for any infected wounds.
Carlos looked at the corpses on the floor and then at Alan, who was calmly removing his shirt in the middle of the scattered bodies. Like everyone else, he was afraid. This scene was something he'd never witnessed before. Now that he stood in the presence of so many corpses, it felt like a dream, but knowing this was happening all over the world made him believe he might actually survive in this world.
"Better to learn sooner than later…" Carlos collapsed to the ground, sweating cold, and constantly watching the bodies as if afraid they might rise again.
Alan, shirtless, looked around with eyes full of intense frenzy, searching for more targets to eliminate. That brutality he had buried deep inside had surfaced so easily, he hadn't even noticed.
Claire noticed Alan's trembling hands. It was more than clear—this wasn't some game about killing the undead. What they had done was murder sick people. Even if it was for survival, the feeling was no different from killing someone with a blade.
And the memories of battles abroad shook Alan's previously calm mind.
"Will it work?" Claire asked, trying to force a smile but failing. She was just as broken as anyone else here after witnessing such a massacre.
Alan looked deeply into Claire's eyes, took a deep breath, and after his heartbeat had settled, he said, "I'd be lying if I said I didn't suggest this to see how strong these people were and to find out if we have any impostors in the group. From what I saw, some did well—but there are certain people we shouldn't trust with our lives."
As Alan said this, he gradually calmed down. He reflected on his own actions and how he'd dealt with the infected. Thinking about the way he had killed them, now that the initial shock had passed, he realized it didn't feel quite the same as killing a regular person—it depended on who was doing the killing and how.
When he moved his hand to strike the enemy, it had been automatic. His motions didn't stop until they were all eliminated.
Alan turned around and told everyone, "We have to leave here today… It wouldn't be smart to leave the corpses in the hallway. We'll try to throw them out through the second floor, but we need to decide where to dump the infected. The building has two sides—the back will be our escape route, so we can use the front as we please."
Everyone responded quickly, then began carrying the infected bodies. Looking at Carlos and the two muscular men who had fought exceptionally well beside him, Alan asked, "How are you holding up?"
Carlos looked at Alan and replied, "Better than you, by far. Must be disgusting being covered in all that blood…"
"What are your names? I don't remember." Alan ignored the joke and instead directed his question to the two men who had taken the initiative to close the door blocked by the corpse of a Carrier.
"I'm Raj, and this is Leonard. You don't remember our names because we never introduced ourselves… The reason we're doing this is because we want to head out immediately to find our sister. She's a nurse at the biggest hospital in Midland… We know the chances are low, but we want to try and see if the army secured that area."
The guy named Raj was a burly man around 26 years old. He had Latino features, probably of Latin descent.
Alan nodded and said, "Let's move these for now. After that, we'll come up with a new plan to improve our situation."
Without exception, everyone went downstairs together and quickly disposed of the corpses—but not before checking them for anything useful, like weapons, knives, or car keys that might come in handy later. Throwing the bodies out front eventually attracted more infected. Sooner than expected, another crowd, just like the previous one, completely filled the front area and began clawing at the door. Unable to break it down, they remained safe—for now.
After dealing with the final issues, Claire helped Alan find a clean set of clothes. After cleaning his body with a wet cloth, he changed immediately.
Eventually, night fell, and no one could do anything else due to exhaustion. The only thing they managed was to search for better weapons and extra clothes in the delivery boxes that had arrived at this place before everything went to hell.
Only one man had died today—but they managed to kill dozens of infected. This impressed Alan, who hadn't had much faith in these people.
Since there was no air conditioning, the cold flooded the space where they were. Many who knew each other slept together, but Alan didn't want to be near anyone—just in case someone had been infected.
Silently, Claire decided to stay by Alan's side, along with the woman and her son, whose name, by the way, was Emily.