Walker? or Zombies? (Walking Dead Game x Strong OC)

Chapter 35: The King is Dead

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The silence of the woods was a deafening contrast to the symphony of chaos they had just escaped. The distant sounds from Howe's Hardware—the roar of the herd, the sporadic gunfire, the crackle of flames—were already beginning to fade, becoming the soundtrack to a nightmare they had somehow survived.

They were a battered, bleeding, but miraculously whole collection of survivors, huddled together just inside the treeline. The relief was a palpable, physical thing. Katjaa was holding Duck so tightly he could barely breathe, her face buried in his hair. Luke was helping a trembling Carlos to his feet. Lee was doing a frantic headcount, his voice thick with a relief so profound it was almost painful. "Everyone's here... my God, everyone's here."

Everyone, except the architect of their freedom.

Zack was leaning against a thick pine tree a dozen yards away from the group, his body shrouded in the deep shadows, his back to them. The adrenaline from the fight was gone, and in its place, a terrifying, unnatural heat was spreading through his veins, originating from the burning agony in his left forearm. The world was starting to feel hazy at the edges, the joyful cries of his friends sounding distant and distorted, as if coming from the end of a long tunnel. The fever was setting in.

"We did it," Kenny said, his voice a low, awed whisper. He looked at his wife and son, then at Lee, a wild, disbelieving grin spreading across his face. "We actually did it! That son of a bitch... we beat him!"

His relief, however, quickly curdled back into the familiar, burning poison of his rage. His grin faded, replaced by a dark, thunderous scowl. He looked back at the burning compound, at the black smoke pouring into the night sky.

"No," he growled, his voice a low, dangerous rumble. "I'm not done."

Lee turned to him, his face full of alarm. "Kenny, what are you talking about? We're out. We're free."

"It's not over," Kenny snarled, his eyes glowing with a wild, unfinished fury. "Not while that son of a bitch is still breathing. I'm not running. I'm going back in there. I'm gonna find him, and I'm gonna put a bullet in his goddamn head myself."

"Are you insane?!" Luke exclaimed, stepping forward. "That place is a death trap! It's suicide!"

"My family is safe!" Kenny roared, his voice cracking with emotion. "That's all that matters! But that bastard... what he did to them... what he did to all of us... he doesn't get to live. He doesn't get to just... burn. I need to see it. I need to be the one to end it."

The argument exploded, a messy, emotional clash between Kenny's raw need for vengeance and Lee's desperate plea for survival.

"He's right."

The quiet, raspy voice cut through the argument like a shard of glass. Everyone turned. Zack had pushed himself off the tree and was walking slowly towards them, his movements stiff and pained. His face was pale and slick with sweat in the moonlight, but his eyes burned with a feverish, chilling intensity.

"Carver can't live," Zack stated, his voice flat and absolute. "He's a predator. If he survives this, he'll rebuild. He'll hunt us to the ends of the earth. He has to die. Tonight."

"See?!" Kenny said, gesturing wildly at Zack. "He gets it!"

"But you won't be the one to do it," Zack continued, his gaze locking onto Kenny's. "You're too loud. Too angry. You'll get yourself killed before you even find him." He took a deep, shuddering breath, steadying himself against the wave of dizziness that washed over him. "I'll do it. It needs to be done."

"No, Zack," Lee said, his voice full of a father's desperate concern. "You're hurt. We all are. We need to get away from here."

"You need to get Clem away from here," Zack corrected, his voice softening for a fraction of a second as he looked at the small girl who was watching him with wide, terrified eyes. The secret they shared was a heavy, invisible wall between them. He looked back at the group. "Get everyone to the river, like we planned. Find a place to hide. I'll meet you there."