Chapter 57

**- Hershel -**

Hershel was not very comfortable with the encounter he just had. The boy didn't look particularly trustworthy, especially with all the knives and weapons he was equipped with. He was glad he went away when he asked him to.

He was uncertain if he was threatening them or not, but someone who was would've probably taken at least one of their guns out. The rifle he had on his back was rather imposing, but he asked something that triggered Hershel's anger. He told him to leave his property, which was totally unacceptable for him.

The farm had been the Greene's family property for many many years, and he intends to keep it that way until he dies. He was married in this very land, had both of his daughters here, where they in turn had grown up. Not to mention, his friends, his family, his wife... were still waiting for a cure in the barn. And he will guard them until a cure was found.

"Dad, maybe he wasn't lying. I'll go check it out." His daughter, Maggie, said. She was very dear to him, regardless of her rebellious record. He believed it was normal for any teenager to have that phase in their life.

"Alright, but be careful." He said in a thick southern accent. He was uncertain of how he would react to being attacked by those... people. If worst came to worst, he'll have to kill them, and it would be justified self-defense. They were in his lands, after all.

Maggie went to take one of the horses, as they are the fastest means of transport they had. While Hershel just stayed in his place, surveying the teenager that just left them. He seemed to walk rather slowly, which got on his nerves, but he was apparently leaving, so no harm in waiting a few minutes.

And sure enough, after a few minutes, he could no longer see him. Maggie already departed to check out the situation, while he told the rest to stay inside the house.

She came back sooner than expected, looking rather frantic, and dreadfully afraid of something.

"DAD! It's bad! Dozens of them, right by our fences. The fences won't hold for long! They're already breaking!" She said in one breath, anxious about what is about to happen.

Hershel had a very bad feeling about it. A few of them would be manageable, but he wasn't sure if he could deal with dozens. The disease seemed to make them mindless, with no survival instincts. And he definitely didn't have enough bullets to deal with all of them. He was regretting not heeding the boy's advice, but then, he remembered that was his land! He would not go down without a fight, not as long as he could breathe.

"Maggie, make sure everyone gets into the cars, in case I can't deal with them." Hershel still believed he had a shot, for some reason.

"DAD! You can't stay! They'll overrun you!" Maggie was on the verge of tears by now. She couldn't understand what he was trying to do. There was no way to deal with this situation, except to run away.

"Yes, daddy! Please!" Beth, his younger daughter, said with teary eyes.

"I have to try, otherwise I won't be able to live with myself." Hershel shook his head. "I'll get away if the situation isn't salvageable, I promise."

It was at that moment the fences broke, and the walkers poured out, more excited than ever. They haven't realized it just yet because of the distance, but they were about to.

**- Xenon -**

Unbelievable. He's not really thinking of staying, is he? Does he honestly believe a shotgun is enough against a horde that big? What an idiot. He does look familiar though... Perhaps I've seen someone similar in my past life.

I saw the walkers start pouring out, and that was my cue to take action. Though I did wonder if I should or not. To be honest, they could all die for all I care. Especially against a horde that big. I warned them, but they didn't listen.

If saving them was effortless, I would probably have done so. Killing a few walkers would be a piece of cake. A hundred and forty of them... That's a lot of bullets. If I invest that amount of bullets in them, they will have to make themselves useful.

I wondered how useful they would be. I know that they would be grateful if I help them out. And that they would start seriously considering leaving this place, unless they were absolutely brain dead, in which case it would prove to be a waste of time and bullets. Let's give them a chance, see where it goes? Worst case scenario, I get a healthy amount of EXP.

< Quest Received ! >

<Title: Protect the Greene Family Farm >

Description: Protect the Greene Family Farm against the horde of walkers.

*Rewards:

-> ????????

Bonus Objective : Kill 10 walkers in melee range.

<>

Wait... The Greene Family?! Wasn't that Maggie's name? I really should start paying attention to everyone next time... The man I was speaking to was probably Hershel then.

I gotta save them now. Hershel had some medical knowledge, something we were severely lacking in our group. He would prove to be a valuable asset should he join us.

I used [Sprint], and ran to intercept them, right where Hershel and I spoke. I hope he doesn't shoot me on sight.

I could see he tensed when he noticed me running towards him, but he didn't point his gun at me, so I'll take that as a win.

"It seems you were right, son." He said. "I'm sorry for the way I treated you. But you should go now, there are a lot of them, I can't hold them off for long..." Well, that was unexpected... Was he planning on buying his family more time? That's absurd, he could've just gotten on the cars with them... Is he suicidal?

"Why didn't you go with them to the cars?" I asked curiously.

"My family has owned this farm for a hundred and sixty years... can you believe that?" He shook his head. "I won't give it away without a fight. This is MY farm. Anyone who wants to take it away from me will pay the price."

"You know, that's wrong on so many levels..." I remarked. He turned to me with a frown. "But we don't have time to argue. Wait for me to reload, then you start shooting them when they are in range, alright? And aim for the head." I didn't wait for his response.

Instead, I went ahead and stabilized my rifle on a table by the tree next to his house. I will be eliminating twenty of them in long-range first. I have 84 bullets on my Glock, counting all my mags. If done properly, that's a 104 walker.

I waited a minute or so before they were clearly visible. I took aim and tried to familiarize myself with the weapon. This is the first time I will be using it, I hope it doesn't disappoint.

I waited for them to reach the hundred-meter mark, my map proving itself once again invaluable. And once they crossed it, I took my shot.

* PSHT *

I wasn't expecting the jerk at first, as I received the recoil into my shoulder, but it was manageable. The shot was awfully silent, the impact was louder than the gunshot, which was rather surprising. I didn't expect it to be like this, but I'm glad it is. I'm also glad I hit the walker right on the head on the first try.

I took time to aim for the next one and did the same thing. I did my best to imitate what I learned in Call of Duty, holding my breath before I take a shot. The second shot was a success as well, but there was a slight change right after.

The walkers became excited, increasing their speed dramatically, probably because they seemed to recognize what they deemed was a tasty meal, Hershel. He was rather tall and fat, difficult to miss as long as you had good eyesight.

I took the third shot, but this time I missed. My x6 Scope was working against me, as their heads were quickly getting out of the frame. I adjusted it quickly to a more manageable zoom. That did the trick, as I hit almost every shot, missing only three in total out of twenty. I reloaded my gun, leaving the empty magazine by the table. Now, it was time for my Glock to shine.

"We fall back as we shoot them, alright? Don't let them get too close, or you're done for."

"Alright, young man." He nodded.