System Of The Undead

Chapter 186: Arc Conclusion Part 1

The worst had passed and Andre alongside the rest of his crew returned to the camp by sunrise. Andre was exhausted and everyone was happy that they had returned with that much food.

This would last them for quite some time and Franklin accepted that he had done what was necessary for this outcome.

Jason and Clementine were lost but this mission could be considered a success.

The fact that they weren’t all wiped out was a miracle in itself.

"Franklin..." Glenn called out and Franklin already looked exhausted by the conversation that was about to happen.

"What is it, Glenn?" Franklin asked in a dismissive tone to dissuade Glenn from the conversation he was about to have.

"What’s with the tone? Where is Clementine and Jason?" Glenn asked, ignoring Franklin’s bluff.

"They are gone, I’m afraid," Franklin said with a tone devoid of emotion.

"Gone? Like returning to the community?" Glenn was in disbelief, there was no way that this could happen.

"They’re dea-!" Franklin was cut short with Andre intercepting their conversation.

"You’re so quick to label your people dead, that is strange..." Andre muttered before walking off.

This single dialogue affected Franklin’s composure.

Glenn didn’t know what he meant by this and didn’t want to push as to what he meant by this.

"What does he mean by that? Did you even see their dead bodies?" Glenn asked.

"Glenn, I’m in no mood for a conversation right now," Franklin muttered.

"I don’t know what is up with you but you’re going to tell me everything I need to know," Glenn wasn’t relenting because Franklin was acting shady.

"Glenn, have you forgotten who is in charge?" Franklin asked.

"I know who is and that is why I find it so strange that you cannot even answer a simple question," Glenn pressed on.

This was the first time he had seen Franklin act this way, it was something that only made him more suspicious.

"You know what, never mind. I know exactly what to tell Dimitris when we return," Glenn said and the moment he said this, he felt a jab right across his face that sent him tumbling to the ground.

"Did you just threaten me?" Franklin asked as he stomped Glenn right in the torso.

Glenn clutched his stomach in pain as he tried to roll up into a ball to assume a defensive pose but all Franklin did in response was to mount him.

"Hey! What do you think you’re doin-!" One of Andre’s men tried to intercept but Andre stopped him.

It wasn’t in their place to butt in as their business with them was done, what they did to themselves was of no concern to him.

What caught Andre’s attention was Jason and why Brayden was willing to put himself in danger to rescue them.

He must have seen something in them that made him act so reckless but Andre didn’t try to stop him because, in a sense, he saw it too.

Jason saved their lives but Andre was suspicious that Franklin didn’t even bat an eye.

Brayden was assisted by Andre with a car, he found a car that worked by the side of the road and was on his way.

They should be arriving any time if they journey through the night, which was unlikely as they were further out than them.

The only reason that Andre even attempted this was because the car they used was in good condition and could topple any zombie in their way and this was enough reason to take that risk.

-

Clementine’s head was resting on Jason’s lap, she didn’t know how they came out of this alive but it managed to happen.

For some strange reason, everything just works out when Jason is involved.

Clementine couldn’t place her fingers around it but she was beginning to understand how Jason could be a bigger threat than the zombies.

What if the fragments granted him other things aside from enhanced physical strength?

This was the big question, one that Clementine couldn’t even begin to wrap her hand around.

What if Jason was somehow manipulating them for this desired effect?

She had to leave no stones unturned, Brayden drove and it was as Andre thought.

They passed the night in the car, Clementine’s wounds were further taken care of by Brayden, who did a much better job than Jason.

Clementine was in pain, she couldn’t move about without causing more damage.

"Hey..." Jason’s gentle voice was carried with the wind.

"Hey..." Clementine responded, looking up at him with a wide smile on her face.

"I’m glad you’re here with me," Jason said and every doubt that Clementine had about him melted away the moment her eyes met that of Jason.

"I’m glad I’m here too, Jason..." Clementine was happy she stayed back but unknown to her.

Sam’s decision saved her life but where was Sam?

Sam was alive but his whereabouts were unknown, there was no way to know if he wanted to return to them or if he planned to face the world alone.

Clementine couldn’t help but think about the dangers out there but if there was anyone that could survive it, it had to be Sam.

Clementine knew that they owed Brayden their lives but to Brayden, he was repaying their favor.

He had questions as to how the fuck Jason even had a gorilla chasing him but something told him that they needed to rest.

This was why he kept his mouth shut and in no time, Jason and Clementine drifted to sleep.

Brayden drove in silence, relieved that he rescued them and he had one question.

How were the two of them able to take down the zombie? He followed their tracks and discovered chunks of the zombie blown to shreds but there were still some parts of its body intact.

"The grenade..." Brayden thought to himself as he pieced together this piece of puzzle himself.

The grenade he gave Clementine to die a warrior’s death came in handy and proved to be what saved hers.

He was impressed and realized that these two were far more resourceful than Franklin.

If he had his way, he would convince them to stay here with them as they would no doubt be a very valuable addition.

But he knew that they were doing all this for someone, there was only a certain willpower that came to light when you have someone or something to protect.

-

Back in the community, the conspiracy was slowly unravelling and they were making progress due to Allison’s quick thinking.

There was no way that they would go unnoticed by the guards, especially when Bella left the hospital.

It was revealed to Bella that Josephine was part of the act, she was working in the hospital as a cleaner to keep an eye on what was going on there for Mariam.

Everything that occurred was reported back to Mariam, Mariam was aware that her husband’s life might be in danger so she kept an eye out for him.

And with Israel in custody, they had the chance of finding out who it was that gave him this order.

Dimitris chose to personally interrogate Israel with Bella waiting for him outside.

Dimitris wasn’t as intimidating as she would have thought him to be as he could even be perceived as kind.

This was a breath of fresh air and she was sure that the interrogation in there was going on just fine. She, however, noticed that Israel wasn’t brought in, just like she was because if they were, they would have records of them being arrested.

Bella thought that this was him protecting them as the silence in the room was proof of Dimitris’ gentle nature.

However, this illusion was shattered as Dimitris stepped out of the room, covered in blood from head to toe.

It now made sense why they weren’t checked in, Dimitris wasn’t protecting them.

He didn’t want any records of them being arrested so he couldn’t be held accountable for what he was about to do.

This was him bending the rules and Bella had a glimpse of the darker side that this community kept hidden.

"I have everything I need to know," Dimitris said, Bella didn’t know when it happened but she averted her gaze.

She couldn’t look him in the eyes but that was to be expected, this was a man who went up against the Specters and survived.

"Get rid of his body," Dimitris instructed Bella, she thought that he had just tortured him but finding out that Dimitris took his life made her feel uneasy.

However, she had no problems carrying out this task and the moment she stepped into the room, she felt a tight knot in her stomach.

The scene she saw was something straight out of a horror movie, the reason that Israel couldn’t make any noise was due to the fact his tongue had been cut off.

Whatever it was that he told Dimitris, made Dimitris the only person that could say.

This meant that the narrative could be whatever it was that Dimitris wanted, this was something that made Bella uneasy.