The people inside the container had heard the commotion outside. At first everyone gathered around the door, waiting for the moment to act, but after watching for a while they realized they couldn't see anything, so they all retreated to the inner corner for safety.
But one person stayed. Lori stepped hesitantly up to the door, staring at the distant fire, wondering what was happening.
Rick noticed something was wrong with his wife, which made him furious at her stupid behavior. That habit of hers—ignoring the rules—was a taboo in the organization. He was thankful the people at the base hadn't killed Lori, but he wouldn't blame anyone either, since that was the original protocol.
Jason had warned Rick; even though they were friends, that didn't mean this outcome would be fine. Clearly, having more than three important captains trapped in this situation was really bad, and there was no doubt in his mind that it was because of his wife.
"Rick, come here… Rick!"
Lori could feel her husband's mood wasn't right and could guess why, but she decided to say something anyway for everyone's sake.
Standing expressionless, leaning against the container wall, Rick's tone turned very cold: "What?"
They couldn't see each other's faces clearly at the moment, but Lori could judge Rick's general thoughts from his tone of voice.
Glancing back at the group crouched in the corner, Lori took her husband's hand and led him aside before speaking softly.
"You need to do something instead of just waiting here. What will we do if something unexpected happens? Wouldn't it be better if we left this place much earlier?"
"Are you crazy? Didn't you hear what Jason said? No one outside knows us. We'll just get a bullet if we try to leave."
"Jason ordered, Jason said—damn it, Rick, it's always the same. Now you're the captain of a huge base; show the courage of a leader. You're not the Rick I know!"
"Are you criticizing Jason? Or criticizing me? If you hadn't acted the way you were supposed to, would we be in this situation?" Rick asked, irritation in his voice.
"If you had listened to me and not gone out, would this have happened? You're the leader—why do you always have to go out alone?" Lori shot back with an intense look.
Rick's eyes widened in disbelief. He wanted to see the familiar wife he knew, not this strange version, but nothing was clear. He opened his mouth to retort but could not find the words.
Thinking she had persuaded her husband, Lori's tone softened a little.
"You're not his subordinate. Why don't you use this chance to take a position where you can show what you're worth? Do you want to put our lives in the hands of others?"
"Shut your damned mouth and do as I say!"
There was a loud shout, and the container fell silent at once. Everyone turned to look at the dark corner behind them, and everyone knew who stood there.
Rick's next words were no longer soft, and the coldness in his voice turned fierce.
"I think you've forgotten who saved my life—who saved Shane, our child, and you! Don't say anything like that again. I want quiet, and you need to stop for a while."
Only then did Lori realize the others had heard everything. She walked back toward the container door, a bit angry, and peered distractedly through the crack, her mood heavy.
She noticed Shane, who had been crouched in the corner, suddenly stand and walk over to her husband; the two seemed to be speaking about something.
It was well known that thanks to Jason's intervention, Lori hadn't experienced many events from the original story; her survival memories came from what she'd lived through in the first months.
Since then, Lori had lived under protection and could not understand what had been happening outside until now. Survival was hard, and she had never endured the difficulties of running on the road for months with not enough food to fill her stomach.
But Rick was different. Not only was he a man of integrity, he was smart. He understood the basis of all this. He was very angry at his wife's questioning, but what could he do? They could only take time to calm down.
"You have to find a way. Your wife's behavior is unacceptable, and if those words reach Jason's ears, there could be trouble. I've seen it, Rick—those people who come to the base, the soldiers trained by Sam Valdez, are all loyal to Jason."
"Just look around and you'll see Jason saved over five hundred people again—everyone is grateful to him and right now they're fighting out there for someone they don't even know."
Hearing Shane's clarifying words, Rick sighed in helplessness. He understood this kind of matter could not be solved quickly, but it had to be done.
The light from outside entered through the door crack and reflected on Lori's face. The more she thought about it, the more expressionless she became; she grew angrier and hated her husband for being so disheartened.
She did not understand the magnitude of what was happening outside.
Tilting her head slightly, she glimpsed out of the corner of her eye that her husband was still talking with Shane. She could hardly restrain herself and was about to turn and argue again.
The moment she turned, her clothing snagged on a sharp nail inside the door and, as she moved forward, the fabric tore.
Feeling a pulling force behind her, she looked back angrily and found her clothing caught on something. She yanked at it ferociously as if venting, but couldn't free it; instead, the door began to open.
The clothing was tough, and only a few threads tore slightly when Lori pulled. Everyone watched in silence; nobody rose to stop her—they all knew she was only venting.
When Lori's pull reached a critical point, the door swung the other way and Lori was forced forward by that force, losing her balance.
The door flew open, and the garment caught on the nails was dragged through the gap by the door. That force pulled Lori's entire body out through the opening.
Only then did people realize something was wrong, and Rick rushed forward.
When he ran to the door he saw a scene that made his eyes go wide. He saw a walker pressing against his wife; Lori was hanging by her clothes, unable to move at all. With no strength left, she could only push at the walker with all she had and let out exaggerated screams, continuously calling her husband's name.
Without hesitation, Rick leaped from the container, and the short blade in his hand drove straight into the back of the walker's head.
He then grabbed the clothing and Lori fell to the floor, but fortunately the drop wasn't far enough to give her any severe injuries.
He reached out to lift Lori and looked her over in the dim firelight; it seemed there were no wounds, so he breathed a little easier and grunted reproachfully.
"Hurry up and get inside."
Lori lowered her head and said nothing. Instead she walked into the container, sat in a corner, and began to sob.
Rick was furious, but he wasn't the kind of man to ignore those close to him, so he could only step forward, sit beside her, and offer a few words of comfort.
After a long time, Lori's mood seemed to stabilize and she leaned on her husband's shoulder, staring at the door with vacant eyes, wondering what he was thinking.
After a while Rick heard her whisper.
"Rick, I just hope our family can live well in these last days..."
"I know, and that's what we've been trying to do these past months..."
"Then—even if things are like this—don't you plan to fight for it?"
"That's what I've been doing all along. Jason is the leader of the organization and I'm tired. That's why I wanted to go out a little this time..."
"…Alright."
"What?"
"Then do as you say, but you must make sure our children are safe!"
"Yes, Lori..."
...
Not far from Rick and the others, in a more secluded spot,
Five figures were hidden there. Their positions were well concealed, which affected how well they could observe the outside world.
A small man in the group was communicating with someone else.
"Are we going to escape?"
"Wait a little longer. I suspect the enemy's large attack will definitely draw a lot of people outside."
"So what do we do then?"
"Don't make trouble for me—I'm trying to find a way!"
"You okay?"
"Heh, have you forgotten how I brought you here?"