Chapter 4: Shawn
"Oh, shit!" Lee had just emerged from the bathroom when the scene made his soul nearly leave his body.
"Back door won't hold! Front door! Move!"
Hanks barked orders, shoving Clementine toward Lee. "Lee, get her out the front! Straight to the road! Go!"
He quickly zipped up the backpack while simultaneously pulling the M590 shotgun from his back!
Ka-chak! BOOM!
Hanks didn't spare ammunition. He fired continuously at the walker horde pouring through the back door.
The massive impact of 12-gauge buckshot proved devastating in the confined space. The walkers at the front were blown backward, temporarily slowing the horde behind them.
Shotgun Skill Level Up
Shotgun Skill Level 10: 100/10000
(Through countless repetitions, the pump-action loading motion has become muscle memory. Rapid chambering while shouldered achieved)
The thunderous gunshots shook dust from the ceiling, but bought them precious seconds.
Lee didn't hesitate. Ignoring the pain in his leg, he grabbed Clementine and rushed for the front door.
He yanked the bolt open. Harsh sunlight streamed in, revealing that the front wasn't a clear path either.
Several walkers wandering the front lawn heard the door and immediately snarled as they lunged forward.
"Damn it!"
Lee cursed, shielding Clementine behind him while searching for anything that could serve as a weapon.
"Don't stop! Push through! Get to the road!" Hanks's shout came from inside, accompanied by another deafening shotgun blast and the sound of wood chips flying from the back door.
Lee grabbed a decorative wooden stake by the entrance and swung hard at the nearest walker!
CRACK!
The stake slammed into the walker's shoulder, making it stumble and slow down, but not causing fatal damage. More walkers closed in.
"Follow me!" Lee grabbed Clementine's hand and used the brief opening to sprint toward the road.
Though terrified, Clementine ran fast, her small body exploding with incredible survival instinct.
Meanwhile, Hanks burst from the house, slamming the front door behind him to temporarily block the walkers inside.
His M590 roared again, blowing away a walker closing in on Lee.
Shotgun Skill Experience +1000
"Go! Go! Go!" Hanks fired as he retreated. Shell casings clattered to the ground.
Each pump and boom dropped at least one walker completely, forcibly carving a bloody path through the sparse horde.
The three finally reached the relatively open state highway. The road was clear, but distant figures could be seen shambling in the distance.
"This way!" Hanks pointed to one side of the highway. "Along the shoulder! Stay alert!"
His Police Authority talent was working invisibly. He remained unnaturally calm, showing no signs of having just fled for his life.
Lee and Clementine had been in a state of panic, but now instinctively chose to obey.
However, Lee's leg injury became a major problem.
The violent running made the wound bleed again. His face went pale with pain, his speed obviously slowing.
SNARL! From the roadside drainage ditch, an abandoned walker suddenly crawled up and lunged.
Hanks reacted instantly, completing draw-safety-fire in one point five seconds.
BANG!
The bullet struck precisely between the walker's eyes. It dropped and went still.
"Lee, hang in there!" Hanks quickly closed in, catching Lee as he nearly collapsed.
Clementine anxiously supported Lee's other side, her small face full of worry.
Just then, an engine's roar approached. A pickup truck drove along the highway, visibly slowing when the driver spotted the three roadside.
"Hey, need help?!"
A young man in the driver's seat leaned out and shouted, stopping the vehicle between the paved road and dirt shoulder.
He wore work pants and a baseball cap, dressed like a farm kid.
"I'm Georgia State Police. We just escaped. Can you give us a lift?" Hanks's tone was sincere, though his eyes stayed on their surroundings.
Shawn's gaze swept over Lee's bleeding leg, Clementine's terrified face, and Hanks's conspicuous black police uniform and weapons. He hesitated.
"Please," Clementine spoke up, her voice breaking, "Lee's hurt. We need help..."
Maybe the child's plea moved him.
Shawn finally nodded. "Get in. I'm Shawn. My family's got a farm. My father's a vet—he can treat that wound."
Hanks thanked him and helped Clementine climb into the back seat. Lee squeezed in with difficulty.
Hanks himself climbed into the truck bed and began pulling shells from his tactical strap to reload the magazine.
The intense fighting had burned through at least half his 12-gauge ammo. Only nine rounds left!
Shawn saw everyone was aboard and put the truck in reverse, cranking the wheel hard to turn around on the narrow highway.
But as the pickup reversed and turned, the right rear wheel suddenly sank, caught in the junction between pavement and dirt that had been softened by recent rain into muddy slush.
"Damn it! We're stuck!" Shawn floored the gas, but the wheel just spun uselessly in the mud, spraying sludge while the truck stayed motionless!
Worse, the earlier gunshots and engine noise had attracted walkers wandering nearby.
They shambled out from the trees on both sides of the highway, snarling as they closed in!
"Lee, get out and push! Clementine stays in the truck and watches around!" Hanks made the call instantly.
Hanks, Lee, and Shawn who'd jumped from the driver's seat—all three pushed together with everything they had.
Sweat mixed with splashing mud. The walkers' snarls grew closer.
"One! Two! Three! Push!" Hanks shouted the count, but the wheels kept spinning in the rut.
A walker had used some wreckage for cover and crept close, suddenly lunging at Shawn from the front!
"Look out!" Hanks couldn't reach him in time. He could only release the truck and pivot, raising his pistol.
BANG!
The walker dropped, but its sharp nails raked across Shawn's arm!
"Ah!" Shawn cried out in pain, flinging the walker away, but it was too late.
His arm bore several deep scratches down to the bone. Blood quickly seeped out, staining his sleeve red.
"Shawn!" Clementine screamed in terror from inside the truck. She suddenly felt like dead weight.
If... if she had a gun...
Hanks's heart clenched, but he noticed these were just scratches. Maybe... maybe it wasn't that bad?
"Quick! Keep pushing!" He forced down his unease and continued directing.
Maybe crisis triggered hidden strength. With all three working together, the wheels finally broke free from the rut!
"We did it!" Lee shouted.
"Get in the truck!" Hanks pulled open the driver's door. "I'm driving!"
Shawn clutched his wounded arm, face pale but still conscious, struggling into the passenger seat.
Hanks quickly took the driver's seat. Lee squeezed back into the rear.
The engine roared. The pickup surged forward, ramming through several walkers blocking the way.
Finally reaching the highway, they left the horrific horde behind in a cloud of exhaust.
Hanks saw Shawn's face growing paler in the rearview mirror. His worry and guilt deepened.
If they hadn't stopped to pick them up, this young life might not be...
"Shawn, stay with me!" Hanks said. "Tell us where to go!"
"Don't fall asleep. Your father's waiting for you at the farm!"
Shawn weakly pointed ahead. "East... follow this road..."
"When you see a red barn... turn right... tell my father Hershel... I'm sorry..." His voice grew fainter.
"You'll tell him yourself." Hanks's tone was firm. He floored the gas pedal.
The pickup accelerated along the straight highway, gaining temporary safety.
In the distance, the outline of a large farm sign gradually became clear.
But minutes later, Hanks's foot slowly lifted from the gas. The truck slowed.
Finally, the pickup stopped completely in the road.
"Oh God..."
Lee stared ahead, gasping. Clementine covered her mouth, eyes wide.