Chapter 87: Internal Conflict

BANG!

The shotgun blast struck the leading head of the Walker Centipede and blew straight through it. The entire connected mass immediately dropped from the ceiling and crashed onto the generator-room floor, throwing dust into the air, but Magnus Vane didn’t retreat. He stepped forward with the Remington raised and fired repeatedly until the remaining bodies stopped moving and the grotesque creature was reduced to a ruined heap.

Clatter.

The shotgun slipped from Magnus’s hand.

His strength vanished almost instantly, and he collapsed onto the concrete. Fighting through the pain and dizziness, Magnus tremblingly opened his system backpack and pulled out two Antibiotics, but before he could put them into his mouth, his vision darkened completely. His body went limp, and he lost consciousness beside the generators.

Blood splashed across the Cell Block C corridor as Shane finished another walker and motioned urgently for Oscar and Big Tiny to move. The three reached the secured section, and Shane immediately locked the heavy gate behind them before leading the two inmates back through the route toward the prison yard. By the time they finally emerged from Cell Block C, the sun was already sinking low, and the sky had begun turning dark.

“They’re back!”

The shout immediately drew everyone toward the gate.

Within seconds, Shane, Oscar, and Big Tiny were surrounded by members of the group asking questions from every direction. The sudden noise, exhaustion, and pressure made Shane’s vision blur, and his knees finally gave out beneath him. He dropped heavily to the ground before anyone could catch him.

“Give him room!” Rick pushed through the crowd and waved everyone back several steps. “Let him breathe.”

Rick crouched beside his former partner and spoke much more quietly. “Hey, brother. Look at me. What happened in there? We heard some kind of scream earlier.”

His gaze briefly shifted toward Oscar and Big Tiny.

Shane noticed.

“They’re fine,” he managed. “Magnus said they were okay.”

Once the crowd moved back, the cooler air helped clear his head slightly. Shane wiped sweat from his face and began explaining what had happened inside the prison, including the control room, the survivors they had found, and the plan to reach the generator.

Then Carol stepped forward.

“Where’s Magnus?”

Her voice instantly silenced everyone.

She still carried the smell of venison and seasonings from the dinner she had been preparing, and the relief on her face from seeing Shane return disappeared the moment she realized Magnus wasn’t with him. Rick looked at Shane as well, waiting.

Shane lowered his eyes.

He couldn’t bring himself to look directly at Carol.

“We got separated.”

Carol’s face tightened.

“There was a huge walker horde inside. Our plan was to lure them away from the route so we could reach the generator room, but something went wrong.” Shane paused, then forced himself to continue. “Magnus drew most of them deeper into the prison.”

The mood in the yard changed immediately.

Carol went pale.

Her legs nearly gave out, and Andrea and Lori quickly caught her before she fell. Around them, expressions turned grim one after another. Magnus had become the person everyone instinctively looked toward whenever something went wrong; his decisions had brought them through Atlanta, the farm, the Blood Moons, the road, and finally to the prison.

Now Shane was telling them he hadn’t come back.

Several people seemed unwilling even to accept the possibility.

Rick saw the reaction spreading through the group and immediately realized how dangerous the situation was becoming. “Did you actually see Magnus get bitten?”

Shane looked up.

“No.”

Rick held his gaze.

Shane understood what he was doing and added nothing more.

The tension eased slightly.

Carol recovered enough to grab Rick’s arm. “Rick, we have to go get him.”

“We will,” Daryl answered before Rick could. His voice left no room for argument. “That ain’t even a question.”

T-Dog frowned toward the darkening sky. “Going in there now would be bad. We can barely see inside during the day.”

Merle gave a dry laugh. “What’s the matter, T-Dog? Thought darkness was supposed to be your advantage.”

T-Dog’s expression hardened.

Maggie immediately snapped, “Merle, that’s enough. He’s saying it’s dangerous, not that he’s afraid.”

Merle turned toward her. “Didn’t realize the farm folks were running things now.”

Glenn stepped in front of Maggie before the situation could escalate. “Hershel and his family are here because Magnus personally asked them to join us.”

Merle sneered and took a step forward.

Rick moved between them.

“Both of you, shut up!”

His voice cut through the yard.

Everyone stopped.

Rick looked from Glenn to Merle, anger clearly visible in his face. “This is exactly how a group tears itself apart. If you actually want Magnus back, then stop acting like idiots and focus.”

He pointed directly at Merle. “And you—if helping Magnus matters to you, quit starting fights.”

Merle stared at him for several seconds.

Then shrugged and stepped back.

Only when the confrontation ended did Rick turn toward the entire group. “T-Dog is right. Going inside after dark puts us at a massive disadvantage, and Shane just fought his way out of there. He needs rest.” Rick pointed toward the Cell Block C entrance. “Tomorrow morning, we go in fully equipped, and Shane leads us back along the route.”

Several people looked unhappy, but nobody interrupted.

Rick raised his voice.

“Until then, everyone stays away from that door. I mean everyone.”

His expression became harder.

“If Magnus ran into something inside that even he couldn’t handle, what do you think happens when somebody goes in alone trying to play hero?”

Silence.

Rick turned toward Hershel first, then Glenn. “Glenn, lock that gate. Three locks if we have them. Nobody enters tonight.”

Glenn nodded.

“Eat. Drink. Rest while you can,” Rick continued. “The second there’s enough daylight, we go after him.”

With that decided, Rick helped Shane to his feet. Shane had recovered enough to walk, and the two moved away from the crowd toward the administration building. Once they were far enough from everyone else, Rick lowered his voice.

“Was there anything you didn’t tell them?”

Shane stopped.

He had removed the helmet from his heavy turnout gear, and sweat covered his face and hair.

After several seconds, he answered.

“I heard Magnus.”

Rick’s expression changed.

“A roar. Deep inside the prison.”

Neither man spoke for a while.

Rick eventually put one hand on Shane’s shoulder. “Don’t tell the others.”

Shane nodded.

There was no point giving the group one more reason to panic when they didn’t actually know what Magnus’s shout had meant. Rick and Shane entered the administration building shoulder to shoulder, both carrying the same unspoken fear.

Neither noticed the figure lying on a cot inside one of the first-floor offices.

Jim had been resting beneath a thin blanket.

Once Rick and Shane disappeared, he slowly pulled the blanket away and sat upright. His face remained unnaturally pale, and his expression looked distant as he stared toward the empty doorway.

“So that’s it…”

Jim whispered to himself.

“I know what’s wrong with me now.”