System Of The Undead

Chapter 195: A New Recruit?

Jason was glad that he came here, this place was a second chance at life and for some reason, they saw fewer zombies even though they’re naturally wired to seek out the fragments.

He didn’t understand why but he was glad because now he didn’t need to worry about being a liability.

Chronos stopped giving him quests for some reason but that was because it no longer possessed the power it once had.

But something told Jason that Chronos had a hand in whatever was going on with the fragment in him.

Lillian had left his place and Jason knew it was time to get to work even though he wanted to spend the day in due to the weather outside.

The sun felt like someone left the gates of hell open on their way in but Jason was glad with the way things were.

He stepped out of his house and just as he expected, he got stares from the ladies around but these things didn’t matter much to him.

He once thought that getting laid would be difficult but it has proven to be extraordinarily easy but maybe that was because their options were limited now.

There was no social media to connect people in different states, you get what you see in this new world.

"Hey Mr. Popular..." A voice said behind him and it was revealed to be Glenn.

Glenn had grown a beard or at least, trying to because there was no way whatever was on his face was a beard.

"Glenn, how’s it going man?" Jason greeted him, giving him his full attention.

Jason saw Glenn as a friend because Glenn had come through for him in times when he didn’t even need to.

This showed he was making a conscious effort to help Jason out.

"Have you heard anything from Mariam? I’m a bit worried about her..." Jason said but Glenn shook his head, much to Jason’s disappointment.

"I hope she’s okay..." Jason muttered.

"She has overcome harder things, she lost her husband but Carl is helping her through it," Glenn said, trying to remain positive.

"But he is just a kid..." Jason responded; he knew that Carl couldn’t shoulder that responsibility on his own or it could break him.

"He is one hell of a kid. Did you know he has asked to join us outside the walls?" Glenn said and Jason understood why he would want this.

"He needs an outlet..." Jason replied, he had lost his father and by the look of things, catering for his mother’s emotional burden.

He needed a way to vent and let it all out, this was the only reason Jason could think he wanted to venture outside the walls.

"Did he get in?" Jason asked but Glenn shook his head once again.

"Dimitris turned him down, he said that his mother needed him..." Glenn responded and Jason was irritated.

"That fool..." Jason muttered under his breath.

"Woah! Take it easy man," Glenn responded but Jason knew he needed to have a conversation with Dimitris but the shortage of medicine in the community took priority.

Jason knew they were due to venture out into uncharted territory once again but unlike Franklin, Dimitris did proper research.

He sent out small teams to scout the area, each time they went out, they went further.

The area didn’t have that many zombies according to the scouts and the zombies that they did see could be handled easily.

Dimitris, however, couldn’t leave with Mariam in that state as he didn’t know if the threats within the walls were eradicated.

The fact that this could happen once meant it could easily happen again.

Jason and Glenn walked for a couple of more minutes and Jason was worried about going outside the walls.

The only reason he survived last time was because of Clementine but she was no longer here, she went to look for Sam.

-

Clementine was with a blonde slender lady, she looked fragile but this was something that she didn’t care about because Samantha knew this area like the back of her hand.

Clementine was fortunate to run into her or she would have gotten lost but the condition in which they met was rather strange considering that Samantha tried to kill her the moment she saw her.

But that was understandable considering that Clementine had wandered into her territory unannounced. And now she was closer to finding Sam than ever before.

The more she walked, the more hope she got because she saw kills that resembled Sam’s M.O

Of course, this could be her brain tricking her into seeing patterns that didn’t even exist but Clementine didn’t question it, she couldn’t or she would forever hate herself.

"Who are you looking for? They are probably dead," Samantha blurted out carelessly.

This was her only downside, she was blunt and said things as it was without any concern as to how it would affect the other person emotionally.

"Sam cannot be dead," Clementine stood her ground, her belief couldn’t falter.

They were ladies and had encountered multiple men who tried to take advantage of that fact but Clementine was a soldier, there was no way none of these men stood a chance.

She executed them without any mercy, the longer she remained out here.

The more the reality dawned on her that this was the true nature of man, she had somehow forgotten because of her time with Jason.

Clementine was growing colder and didn’t hesitate to kill a man, this wasn’t what Jason taught her, this was what Sam did.

And she knew outside those walls, only Sam’s way could keep her safe.

"If you say so... I’m hungry," Samantha complained.

"Just a little more Samantha..." Clementine tried to urge her on but Samantha stopped dead in her tracks.

"If you don’t give me something to eat, I’m not moving from this spot..." Samantha protested.

For a brief moment, Clementine genuinely considered leaving her behind but Samantha could provide a service that she didn’t possess and that was navigation.

Clementine reluctantly reached for the bag strapped to her back and handed over a protein bar.

It was easy to forget that Samantha was in her late teens due to her behaviour but Clementine knew she had to play along until they found Sam.

Ironically, it was because of this stop that they found their biggest clue.

Due to Samantha stopping here, it allowed Clementine’s eyes to wander around to make sure that they were safe but there was something on the ground that caught her attention.

Clementine knew they could use all the resources that they could have but it was a bloodied accessory; not just any item.

"This bag..." Clementine’s eyes widened in realization because this was the very same bag that carried the gun that Sam had taken.

Clementine quickly equipped her gun and looked around her, ready to get rid of any threat that might be responsible for this but she wasn’t hearing any movements.

"You have finally lost it, eh?" Samantha managed to ask despite stuffing her face with the chocolate bar in her hand.

"Hush..." Clementine whispered with a finger above her lips but Samantha knew things wouldn’t be so easy.

"If anyone was going to hear us, they would have already..." Samantha pointed out, that they just had a conversation a few seconds ago after all so what was the point of keeping quiet now?

Clementine noticed that the area was clear, nothing was moving around but Samantha’s behaviour could have proven to be dangerous if there was actually someone there.

Clementine for the first time, realized that Sam might not only be alive but he might be in danger.

This increased her desire to find him, if anyone had to find him, it had to be her.

Clementine’s hair was a lot shorter than it was a couple of months ago because she knew it could easily be used as a weak point in fighting.

If the zombies grabbed her hair and pulled on it, it might handicap her ability to fight effectively.

But then there was a rustle in the bushes and Clementine quickly turned in that direction but once again, Samantha had a carefree approach to this potential danger.

But then the rustling disappeared in the opposite direction like something was running.

Clementine thought she was being paranoid but it felt like someone was watching them.

-

Mariam was in her office with an emptied bottle of whiskey right on her table but she wasn’t conscious, passed out on the chair.

Carl came in and saw the state his mother was in, he sighed in disappointment but he knew that he had to clean up after her.

Carl didn’t even have time to mourn but why was his mother reacting this way?

Carl was certain she didn’t love his father so why was she mourning him the way she did?

It was disgusting but Carl didn’t question her, he simply took away the emptied bottle and kept it aside so his mother wouldn’t harm herself during her blacked-out state.

Carl decided to take a stroll around the neighbourhood to escape the smell of booze.

It didn’t take long but he ran into Jason and Glenn, who were seated not far from his home and talking.

But partly, also keeping watch on the house in case there was another Jack around, it would be for their protection.

Carl somewhat blamed Jason because Jason was in the hospital but he didn’t even think to save his father, he only saved the two people he cared about and that was a selfish choice by Carl’s definition.

Their eyes met and Carl looked at him with disdain, Glenn noticed the glare and this was the first time he had seen Carl make that face.

"I will be right back buddy," Jason got up, Glenn already knew where he was going but he had no objections.

Jason has proven to be more than capable of taking care of himself.

"Don’t take too long," Glenn muttered as the sound of silence filled the area the moment Jason left to catch up with Carl.

"Yo Carl," Jason called out but Carl didn’t respond, he kept walking.

Jason sighed, he hated teenage drama and right now, Carl was giving him just that but thankfully, he developed the patience necessary to deal with them thanks to Lillian’s constant disturbance.

"Wait... That’s it! Lillian!" Jason thought of a way to get this boy’s attention as it was no secret that he might have feelings for Lillian or at least, a crush.

"You know... Lillian asked about you..." Jason said; he understood how simple-minded teenage boys were, they weren’t the sharpest tools in the shed.

Jason stopped in his tracks and Carl kept walking only to stop a second later.

"She did?" Carl asked without turning and Jason couldn’t believe how easy this was.

"Yeah, she is the one that asked me to come check on you. It’s fine if you don’t want to talk, I could just tell her that," Jason said right before turning around.

He could sense the panic in Carl’s body language, so he turned around and ran to Jason.

"W-Wait!" Carl barked.

Jason didn’t understand how Carl could like someone like Lillian, she was a brat that was spawned from the womb of Lucifer. Jason saw her as a younger sister and Lillian’s name finally had some use to him.

"What did she say?" Carl asked and just like that, had taken the bait.

Jason had every intention of reeling him in because now, the ice had been broken.

"She was worried about you but I also heard you wanted to join the raiders," Jason quickly diverted the conversation.

"It doesn’t matter, Dimitris already turned me down," Carl murmured.

"And what if I said I can help with that?" Jason asked and he saw Carl’s dim face momentarily lit up.

"Y-You can do that?" Carl asked.

"Hey, I’m Jason! I can do anything!" Jason gloated but he, in fact, couldn’t do anything.