chapter four

Rick and Emily stood frozen, eyes wide as the arrow's tip was pointed at their faces. The archer, a woman in her mid-thirties with fierce eyes and a no-nonsense demeanor stepped forward, her bow still drawn and aimed at Rick's head.

"Who are you, and what are you doing here?" she demanded, her voice showing she wasn't ready to listen to stories. " Details." She added looking at Rick and Emily

Rick raised his hands slowly, signaling he meant no harm. "I'm Rick, this is Emily. We just need to get inside the station to gather supplies. We're not here to cause trouble."

The woman narrowed her eyes, assessing them for a moment before finally lowering her bow. "I'm Lisa. This place is crawling with infected. You two have a death wish or something?"

Rick sighed in relief as he lowered his hands. "No death wish. Just trying to survive. We heard a gunshot. Was that you?"

Lisa shook her head. "No, but I've been tracking a group of raiders who were making their way here. Looks like they might have attracted the horde."

Rick glanced around the sounds of the zombies' moans growing louder. "We need to get inside. If the raiders are here, we can't let them take everything. We need a lot of firepower if we are going to stand a chance against the Zombies."

Emily nodded in agreement. "She's right. We need to move, now."

Lisa hesitated for a moment, then gestured for them to follow. "Stay close and keep quiet."

The trio made their way toward the station, staying low and using the abandoned cars for cover. They reached a side entrance, and Lisa quickly picked the lock, pushing the door open just enough for them to slip inside. Once in, they barricaded the door behind them.

Rick scanned the hallway. He was conversant with the building and knew where the fire powers were kept. "We need to find the armory keys. It should be in the office of the Chief."

Lisa led the way, her movements swift and precise. "It's on the lower level. Follow me." Rick looked at her and wondered how she knew the station more than he did. " Who are you?" he asked walking stealthily behind Lisa.

" Does it matter who I am?" Lisa stopped making Emily hit her from behind. Her gaze grew tensed and she looked at her " You need to be quick-witted if you are going to survive out here." And back to Rick " Who are you?" She asked looking at him

" Does it matter, I think it is best if we don't get attached to ourselves."

They moved through the building, carefully avoiding any noise that might attract the undead or the raiders. As they descended the stairs, Rick's thoughts drifted to his family. He hoped against hope that they were safe and that he'd find them soon.

When they reached the armory, Lisa quickly disabled the security system and opened the door. Inside, rows of weapons and ammunition greeted them. Rick's eyes widened at the sight.

"Let's load up," he said, grabbing a duffel bag from a shelf and filling it with guns, ammo, and other supplies. Emily did the same, while Lisa kept watch by the door.

As they worked, Rick noticed a set of lockers along the back wall. He approached them, finding one with his name on it. His heart pounded as he opened it, revealing his old FBI gear. Among the items was a photo of his family. He tucked it into his jacket pocket, determined to find them no matter what.

"Rick, we need to go," Emily urged, slinging a bag over her shoulder.

Rick nodded, closing the locker. "I'm ready."

They made their way back to the entrance, but as they reached the top of the stairs, they heard voices. Raiders. Lisa signaled for them to stay quiet as they crouched behind a set of filing cabinets.

"We need to find the armory," one of the raiders said. "Boss wants those supplies."

Rick's grip tightened on his weapon. They couldn't afford to let the Raiders get the upper hand. He stole a quick look at Lisa and Emily, who both nodded, ready for a fight.

Lisa whispered, "We'll take them by surprise."

"On my mark." Rick looked at their faces

The raiders' footsteps grew louder as they approached. Rick held up three fingers, then two, then one. They sprang into action, catching the raiders off guard. Rick fired, taking down one raider instantly. Emily's shots were precise, dropping another. Lisa's arrows flew swiftly, pinning the last raider against the wall.

The noise of the brief skirmish echoed through the building, and the undead outside responded with increased fervor, their pounding on the walls growing more frantic.

"That'll bring more of them," Rick said, wiping sweat from his brow. "We need to get out of here."

They retraced their steps to the side entrance, carefully removing the barricade. As they slipped out into the night, they could see the horde had grown even larger, drawn by the gunfire and commotion.

"We'll never get through them like this," Emily said, her voice tinged with worry.

Rick scanned the area and then pointed to a nearby alley. "We can use the rooftops to bypass the horde. Follow me."

As they walked out of the station, the horde had grown larger. " I didn't think I wanted to come with you anymore," Emily replied holding the gun with her. " What if we don't make it to the rooftop in time? This could be our end." Emily said looking outside and a little shaken up

" Listen to me, Emily. If you stay back then you are going to die. It is either the leader of the raider had you killed for killing his friends or the Zombie have a go at you when they grow hungry." Rick looked at her, " Which would it be"

Not sure of what to say or do. Emily trailed behind them and just as they were about to to the rooftop. They heard a gunshot and Emily fell to the ground in pain. The Zombie heard a shout and they all stopped moving. The horde changed direction moving towards where the cry came from. Lisa looked at Emily and back at Rick. " I am sorry, Rick but we need to let her go. She would slow us down at this rate. " Lisa brought out an arrow pointing it toward Emily

"No one is dying on my watch tonight," Alex replied bringing out one of the guns in her bag. They shit at the Zombies as they tried to fend them off but they were too many. " You need to save yourself, Rick. Go!"Emily shouted in tears as the zombies were getting closer to her. " We need to go now!" Lisa shouted at Rick but just as they were about to leave another encrypted message appeared before Rick

[ SYSTEM BONUS TIME ]

[ PICK BETWEEN FIRECRACKERS AND AN SUV VAN ]

" what? What does it mean? Can I save my friend with it?" Rick asked as the sounds of the zombie could be heard gaining on them. Before he could pick from the options. An arrow flew past him