The rising sun did little to dispel the bone-chilling miasma of death and despair that clung to the ravaged quarry camp. The battle was over, but the echoes of screams, snarls, and gunfire still haunted the air. Amy Harrison's body lay under a makeshift shroud, a silent testament to the brutal cost of their momentary survival. Jim, the quiet mechanic, was fading fast, his skin a ghastly grey, the walker bites on his abdomen a festering, undeniable death sentence.
Rick Grimes, his face etched with exhaustion and the fresh agony of leadership, knelt beside Jim, whose breathing was shallow and ragged. The group stood a little way off, a somber, depleted circle.
"It's… it's alright, Rick," Jim rasped, a bloody cough racking his thin frame. "Don't… don't waste nothin' on me. Just… want to be with my family. Find a… find a tree. Please."
The request, though expected from Ethan's foreknowledge, still hit hard. With heavy hearts, they carried Jim to a solitary oak on the quarry's edge, its branches offering a sliver of shade. Goodbyes were brief, choked with unshed tears.
As the group began to turn away, preparing for the grim necessity of immediate evacuation from the compromised quarry, Ethan found a quiet moment, his back to the others. He had 5 Attribute Points and 3 Skill Points from reaching Level 5. He needed every advantage.
[System notice: Soft cap for Agility and Perception at Level 5 is now 12. Soft cap for Strength and Endurance at Level 5 is now 11.]
"System, allocate AP: Agility +1 (to 11), Perception +1 (to 11), Strength +1 (to 10), Endurance +2 (to 9)."
[Attributes Updated: Strength: 10, Agility: 11 (Capped), Endurance: 9, Perception: 11 (Capped). Remaining AP: 0.]
He felt the familiar subtle surge. Next, the Skill Tree. With 3 SkP, he chose carefully.
[Skill Tree accessed. Available Tier 1 options include: Machete Specialization (Passive), Enhanced Hearing (Passive), Basic Trap Crafting (Active), Sprint Burst (Active Skill), Weapon Maintenance (Passive)...]
He needed broad utility. [Skill Learned: 'Machete Specialization (Passive, L1)' - Cost 1 SkP. Increases damage and critical hit chance with machete-class weapons by 5%.]
[Skill Learned: 'Enhanced Awareness (Passive, L1)' - Cost 2 SkP. Increases passive detection range of System for threats and points of interest by 10%. Sharpens non-Systematic intuition slightly.]
[Skills Learned. Remaining SkP: 0.]
His connection to his machete felt a fraction more intuitive, his senses a touch wider.
As he rejoined the group, who were loading their meager remaining supplies into Dale's battered RV and the one barely functional pickup truck, Ethan felt a prickle from his Danger Sense. He glanced back towards Jim under the oak tree, a hundred yards distant. His System, unbidden, flashed an alert.
[Anomalous energy signature, previously detected near Morales-Variant, now faintly emanating from subject 'Jim's' location. Monitoring...]
A cold dread filled Ethan. He feigned needing to check something he'd dropped, allowing himself to lag slightly behind as the vehicles started to rumble away from the quarry. Hidden by a outcropping of rock, he focused his Perception, now at 11, towards Jim.
Then he saw it.
The Morales-Variant, lean and impossibly fast with its burning crimson eyes, emerged silently from the woods bordering the quarry. It moved with chilling purpose, not towards the departing convoy, but directly towards Jim, who lay still beneath the oak.
Ethan watched, frozen in horrified fascination, as the Morales-Variant reached Jim. There was no tearing, no feeding. It leaned down, and for a moment its actions were obscured. Then Jim's body convulsed, a single, violent arch of his back. The Morales-Variant stepped back, letting out a low, almost inaudible guttural hum, then melted back into the trees.
Jim's body lay still for a moment, then his head twitched. He rose, not with the slow shuffle of a standard walker, but with a new, unsettling quickness. His eyes… they glowed with the same faint, crimson light as the Morales-Variant's.
[System update: Subject 'Jim' has undergone anomalous reanimation. Biological and energetic markers now indicate subservience to 'Walker Variant - Type Alpha (Morales)'. New classification: 'Walker Variant – Type Beta (Thrall)'. Physical attributes moderately enhanced beyond standard walker. Exhibits psychic tether and rudimentary pack coordination with its Alpha. This phenomenon is undocumented in Host's TWD foreknowledge.]
Morales wasn't just a monster. He was making more. Ethan felt a wave of nausea. This was a threat beyond anything he had anticipated. He sprinted to catch up with the slow-moving convoy, his face grim, the secret of Jim's true fate, and the escalating Morales threat, a heavy burden.
Once they were a few miles clear of the quarry, Rick called a halt. The grief for Amy, for Jim, for their lost camp, was thick in the air. It was Daryl Dixon, his face like thunder, who broke the somber silence.
"My brother,"he grows solutions, his voice raw. "Merle. He's still back there in that damn city, cuffed to a pipe." His eyes, burning with a fierce loyalty, fixed on Rick. "We gotta go back for him."
Rick, his own face etched with responsibility and exhaustion, nodded slowly. "I know, Daryl. I know. And the guns… we lost all our heavy firepower when that bag dropped. We need those rifles."
Shane immediately protested. "Are you insane, Rick? Going back into Atlanta now? After what we just went through? For Merle Dixon, of all people? And a bag of guns we probably can't even reach?"
"Merle is my brother," Daryl snarled, stepping towards Shane.
"And those guns are our best chance of keeping anyone else from ending up like Amy or Jim!" Rick countered, his voice rising. "We can't survive out here with just handguns and hope."
The debate was fierce, but Daryl's unwavering determination and Rick's pragmatic need for the weapons eventually swayed the argument. A small team would go back.
"Alright," Rick said finally. "Daryl, you're going for Merle. Glenn, I need your knowledge of the city streets to get us in and out, find those guns. T-Dog," he looked at the man, whose arm was still bandaged but whose eyes were resolute, "you want redemption for that key, this is your chance."
T-Dog nodded grimly.
Rick then looked at Ethan. "Miller. You got us through some tight spots in there. Your eyes are sharp, and you seem to know your way around. We need you."
Ethan met Rick's gaze. His System flashed a new, high-risk mission. Going back into Harrison's, with the Morales-Variant potentially still there, and Merle… it was a death wish. But the guns were vital. And if he was with them, maybe, just maybe, he could make a small difference, prevent further disaster.
"I'm in," Ethan said, his voice quiet but firm.
Shane looked like he wanted to argue further but held his tongue, instead focusing on fortifying their temporary roadside camp with Dale, Lori, Carol, and the children while the smaller team prepared for their insane return to the heart of walker-infested Atlanta. The city, it seemed, wasn't done with them yet.
Ethan Miller - Status
* Level: 5
* Experience (EXP): 10/500 (towards Level 6)
* Battle Points (BP): 74
* Attribute Points (AP) Unspent: 0
* Skill Points (SkP) Unspent: 0
* Core Attributes:
* Strength: 10
* Agility: 11 (Soft Capped at L5)
* Endurance: 9
* Perception: 11 (Soft Capped at L5)
* Health: 100/100
* Stamina: 100/100
* Learned Skills:
* Basic First Aid (Active, Level 1)
* Advanced First Aid (Active, Level 1)
* Basic Stealth Movement (Passive, Level 1)
* Featherfoot (Passive, Level 1)
* Danger Sense (Rudimentary, Level 1)
* Machete Specialization (Passive, Level 1)
* Enhanced Awareness (Passive, Level 1)
* Inventory Highlights:
* Survivor's Machete
* Filtered Water Bottle (needs refilling)
* Basic First-Aid Kit (depleted)
* Climbing Gloves (Enhanced Grip)