Chapter 11: Turning Point

The silence following the command was suffocating. The tension in the air felt thick enough to choke on. My heart pounded in my chest as I watched the silhouetted figure outside, radio in hand. Whoever this commander was, he had just stopped a bloodbath—but for what reason?

Lee was the first to speak, his voice low but firm. "What do you want?" His fingers twitched near his pistol, ready for anything.

The figure took a step forward, the moonlight briefly illuminating a face lined with scars and shadowed with exhaustion. "I want to talk. You and your people don't have to die tonight. But we need something from you."

Kenny scoffed, his grip on the rifle tightening. "Yeah? And why the hell should we trust you? You just tried to shoot your way in here!"

The man didn't flinch. "That was a mistake. My men were acting on old orders, assuming you were hostile. I called them off because there's something far worse coming." He motioned toward the dark tree line behind him. "Something bigger than our fight."

I felt my stomach tighten. "What do you mean?"

The commander sighed and raised his radio again. "Show them."

For a moment, nothing happened. Then, from the distant tree line, a bright flare shot into the sky, bathing the night in an eerie red glow. And in that brief flash of light, we saw them.

Walkers. Not just a small group—an entire horde. Hundreds, maybe thousands, pouring through the trees, their guttural moans carrying through the night like a death song. The flickering red glow of the flare cast twisted shadows across their decayed bodies, their lifeless eyes locked onto the promise of fresh meat.

A collective gasp rippled through our group. Shawn backed up toward Clementine, his face drained of color. "Holy hell…"

Hershel swore under his breath, gripping his shotgun tighter. "We ain't got the ammo for that."

Lilly, usually the most composed among us, looked shaken. "Even if we had a full arsenal, we wouldn't last against that. We need an escape plan."

The commander took another step forward, his voice steady despite the chaos looming behind him. "Neither do we. That's why we need to work together. Your supplies, our manpower. We have a chance to fight back, but only if we join forces."

Lee exchanged a glance with me, doubt flickering in his expression. "And if we refuse?"

The man's face darkened. "Then we all die here, torn apart or overrun. The choice is yours."

A choice. A moment that could decide everything. We had spent the night preparing for a fight, but now a bigger battle loomed ahead. Could we really trust these people? Did we have a choice at all?

"He's right." The words slipped from my mouth before I could stop them, but they felt true. "We're outnumbered. Outgunned. If we stay divided, we're dead."

Kenny's eyes burned with frustration. "And what if they turn on us after? What if this is just another setup?"

"We don't have time for 'what ifs' right now," Lee cut in, his tone sharp. He turned back to the commander. "If we agree, how do we know you'll hold up your end?"

The commander exhaled, stepping closer. "You don't. But I'm standing here, unarmed, offering you a chance to live. That's gotta count for something."

Another deep moan echoed through the trees, closer this time. The horde was moving faster than before, drawn by the light and the noise. Soon, there would be no time to talk—only to run or fight.

I tightened my grip on the crowbar, the weight of the decision heavy on my shoulders. My mind raced through every scenario, every possibility. If we allied with them, we might survive. If we refused, we'd be left with nothing but our dwindling ammo and the certainty of death.

The clock was ticking.

And the horde was coming.

Lee took a deep breath, his voice barely above a whisper. "We need to decide. Now."

A heavy silence settled over us again, but this time, it wasn't just fear holding our tongues.

It was the weight of the unknown—and the hope that, just maybe, this turning point could save us all.