A Rational Zombie

Chapter 96

Someone screamed, a woman, I think. Her voice came from really far away. Did a group of people run into problems on their way to the garrison? With the announcement the chief insisted on pushing out, everyone nearby with a radio knew to come here. If raiders took advantage of that fact and deliberately targeted the people who left the safety of their bases, their payday would be huge and their risk minimal. With such a perfect opportunity to attack, why wouldnt they? And after attacking, theyd be able to find out which base those people were from to occupy it. But the thing is, raiding groups are pretty rare. They were relatively successful during the first few months after the outbreak, but without gas and no trucks to refill the gas stations, their mobility was severely hampered, and their lifestyle unsustainable.

So if the cause of the scream wasnt raiders, then theres two other options: the woman was attacked by her companions, or the group encountered a herd of infected. Either one is likely. Or maybe she encountered a bear. Do bears even exist in this area? Now that I think about it, can bears become infected? Thatd be scary as hell. A thousand-pound killing machine that isnt afraid of bear spray. If guns hadnt been outlawed over two decades ago, maybe bears wouldnt be so scary. But without guns, how are people supposed to kill infected bears? Traps, I suppose. Maybe we should widen the moat outside.

Someone nudged my side; it was Jen. What do you think?

Infected bear.

What? You think that scream came from someone being attacked by an infected bear? Do bears even exist around this area? Or do you know something that I dont?

Jen was staring at me. I couldnt tell what kind of expression she had on her face thanks to her motorcycle helmet. I mean, what else could it be? There arent many raiders left. And if it were a herd of infected, dont you think these people wouldve noticed or saw signs of them? I gestured behind myself towards the prisoners inside the quarantine zone.

Maybe she was attacked by her companions, Jen mumbled. Before she could continue, there was another scream, a deeper one. It sounded like someone being surrounded by infected: loud at the start and even louder for the next few seconds. Then, there was a chorus of screams. It probably wasnt an infected bear. If there was one bear, itd target a single person while the rest could escape. Only the unfortunate person would scream. Unless, it was a group of infected bears?

Uh. Jen took her helmet off and cupped one hand around her ear. Her face paled. I think we have a problem.

I think its an infected herd. What else could it be? A group of infected bears, but they also fall under the category of infected herd. The first scream probably came from the groups scout. Now it sounds like theyre surrounded. The screams were still continuing. If they werent surrounded, they wouldnt be screaming. People dont yell in fear of attracting more infected, but if there were infected on all sides already, its not like yelling would cause any problems.

Jen bit her lower lip. What do we do?

I shrugged. Nothing. Its not our job. Even if a herd of infected attacked the garrison, they wouldnt get very far. The moat outside is enough to stop them since infected cant climb. If they somehow find a way across, theyll get caught in the concertina wires and easily picked off with spears. When we first came here, the garrison didnt have barbed wire, but somewhere along the way, a group of hunters picked it up. The chief decided against painting it with infected blood, so the painters have been relatively free. Sarah and Michael still make stink sauce though.

The faraway screams stopped, and Jen sighed. Even if the hunters went out starting from that first scream, they probably wouldnt have made it to save them.

You never know, the group mightve survived. Its highly unlikely, but theres a chance. The people whove made it thus far arent ones to be underestimated, but the screaming really made it seem like they were in a dire situation. At least, if there was a herd, the hunters would find traces of it, and everyone coming here will be more aware once that informations announced.

Jen sighed again and put her helmet back on her head. There was a ringing sound, like metal banging against metal. It sounded familiar. A herd of infected. Metal banging against metal. Ive encountered this before, havent I?

Uh, Chris? Jen asked. Are you thinking what Im thinking?

Smart infected?

Yes.

Is it really the infected that we encountered that night? To think itd be here nearly two months later. How unlucky are we? Maybe its a different smart infected, or even a person leading a herd around. Ill let the chief know what I think.

Jen clicked her tongue. Every time you go to the chief, thats more work for me. I swear, after you leave, everyone suddenly needs to pee.

Do you want to go instead?

No, Jen said. He likes you more; you go. Dont you want to talk about the cure with him too?

If that herds really being led by the smart infected, Im not sure well have the leisure time to talk about the cure. I grabbed my spear that was leaning against the wall and nodded at Jen. Ill be right back.

Jen nodded back. Dont get lost.

Should I run? Or would a brisk walking pace do? I have to alert the chief, but the damage is already done: a group of people were wiped out by a herd of infected that was purposely being led by someone. But the chief might not have sent out a group of hunters, so if I run, I might catch up to them. However, will me telling them change their minds about going out to investigate? Of course not. So it doesnt matter if I run or walk. Ill walk. I wonder, if the herd really is being led by the smart infected, can it conquer the garrison? Probably not. I dont think Id be able to bring down the garrison if I led a group of infected. How can a smart infected do it?